Flying with a bike.

Every now and then I like to post something useful on this blog, even if it's by accident. Today's lesson is how to pack a bicycle for air travel. There's probably more than one way of doing it - this is mine. Use it as a guide. You may well be able to improve on it.

Flying with a bike is a nerve-wracking experience - it's really easy for something to go wrong. I travel from Hobart to Melbourne with a bike about half a dozen times a year and unless I take the utmost care something always seems to get damaged. Usually it's the paintwork but I've also had brake levers damaged and derailleurs bent. Here's how to avoid the worst our nations' baggage handlers can dish out. Click on the photos to enlarge.

Allow about 30 minutes at each end for packing and unpacking. You'll need a cardboard bike box. I've tried soft-sided bike bags, but I don't recommend them. Hard cases are available but they're expensive and easily damaged themselves. Boxes have given me the least trouble. You can buy a box from one from the airlines for about $20 or you can get one for free from your friendly local bike shop. The advantage of getting one from a bike shop (apart from the price) is they usually also have a few little bits which can come in handy: like plastic dropout fittings to protect your forks from being crushed together and inserts to stop the wheel axles from poking through the box. (You can just see one of these at the bottom of the the photo to the left. It's round and black.)

Once you've procured a box and removed any protruding staples, you'll also need some packing tape and small knife, a smaller box so oddments don't get lost or float around causing havoc, a pedal spanner, some allen keys and about three metres of foam pipe insulation: it's black foam tubing which you can buy in hardware stores. About $20 worth will last you a few trips.

Ready to go? Take some of the tape and mark your saddle height so you're not messing around trying to get it right out later. Remove the seat post and saddle. You might need to tighten the seat post clamp a bit to make sure it's doesn't come loose and be lost in transit. Remove the wheels. Take the quick release skewers from the wheels and put them in the small box. Remove the pedals and put them in the small box. (Putting them inside a plastic bag will help stop getting grease on everything else.)

Once this is done, it's time to add some protection. I simply cut some pieces of the pipe insulation to length and slide them onto the forks, brake levers and crank arms. Cut a piece to fit the right seat stay and tape it in place. You can tape the chain to this piece to stop it flapping around as in the picture to the left. Cut lengthwise slits in the remaining insulation and tape it in place so it protects the main tubes. I also tape a piece under the chainset to protect it and the box from damage.


Once this is done, remove the stem cap and stem fixing bolts and lift the handlebars clear of the steerer tube. (You may need to secure the steerer - I use an old stem part to keep it all nice. Tape will work in a pinch.) Rotate the handlebar assembly so it's parallel to the forks with the brake levers facing forwards. A couple of big rubber bands can be useful to hold the handlebars in place. Replace the stem top cap and bolt so they don't get lost. Pop the lot into the box.

Find the back wheel and carefully wrap the cassette in a rag, taping it in place if need be. (I usually let a little air out of the tyres so they're less likely to blow out in transit.) Pop an axle protector on the non cassette side and put the wheel in the box so the cassette side is facing inward. Repeat the process for the front wheel (though no cassette obviously).

Made sure the small box contains the following: your allen keys, the pedal spanner, a left and a right pedal. The small box will usually fit neatly on top of the seat stays and seat post and saddle sit on top of that. Now is the time to check - very carefully - that nothing metal is rubbing on anything else metal and that nothing is likely to shift too far in transit. Use spare insulation an old rag or expendable clothing to protect the bits from each other. Keep in mind the box will very likely be dropped or laid flat and have luggage placed on top of it and may well be upside down at some stage.

Some airlines which carry bikes are pretty relaxed about the weight. Virgin Blue, who I use and recommend - count sporting equipment as 5kg of your 23kg checked baggage allowance regardless of its actual weight. Handy! This means it makes some sense to pack other items in your bike box too: shoes, water bottles, empty panniers, filthy clothing and so on spring to mind, but don't take the piss and remember you will have to lift or carry this box yourself at some stage. 15kg is good, 20kg will stretch your arms. I don't recommend putting your helmet in with the bike, it's very likely to get damaged.

When you're happy with your effort, tape the big box shut. Write your name and address on the sides, whack on some fragile stickers for a laugh and you're nearly ready to go. Advanced students tape a piece of string to the box with their knife attached and drop it inside through one of the carrying holes so they've got a easy way of reopening the box at the other end. Put the unused packing tape in your carry on luggage for the return voyage and you're away.

Some final tips. Get to the airport in plenty of time because you're going to have to check in and then take the bike to the oversized baggage department which is usually some distance away from the check-in counters. Keep the weight down, particularly if you're too stubborn or cheap to hire a luggage cart at each end like me. And if you're hiring as car, making sure it's a hatchback makes it much easier to transport the bike at the other end. Good luck!

(Update) Someone pointed out to me that many bike boxes are large enough to put the bike in with the back wheel in place. That's is the case and may be a better way to pack for some people. I still prefer both wheels off, which allows more space at the front of the box to protect the delicate and expensive shifters. As always your mileage may vary)

517km so far this year.

The benefit of the doubt.

Remember the prick who swerved into a bunch of cyclists on a highway in Sydney last year? Well, a convincing story has earned him a slap on the wrist.

Ambling through the Alps.

Riding a bicycle long distances in summer is a good way of learning some valuable lessons. At this year's Alpine Classic I learned, once again, that riding up big hills on extremely hot days is a testing experience. But it is curiously rewarding.

The Alpine is unlike any other series of Audax rides. For starters, it attracts just under 3000 riders. The level of support on the ride is nothing short of extraordinary and the mountain scenery and atmosphere in Bright are both wonderful too.

My day started off farewelling the endless hordes of 200km riders at 6.20am before heading off in the 130km bunch an hour layer. No major dramas on the first climb of Towonga Gap nor on the ascent of Falls Creek, both of which I tackled at my normal slow pace. Although Falls Creek is a long climb, it's not overly steep and I was able to pace myself to reach the controle at the top just before noon without having over-extended myself. By now the full effect of the summer sun was beginning to tell. The descent from Falls is delight - as most descents are - and within 15 minutes I've undone 90 minutes of climbing and was on my way back to Mt Beauty.

The climb back over Towonga Gap is the hardest part of the ride for me - it's the steepest climb of the trip and is fully exposed to the sun. There was no breeze. I stopped every kilometre or so to get my heart rate down and enjoyed a lovely cooling spray down from the volunteers at the water station halfway up. At this end of the field all the riders are suffering. I stopped to help a bloke who'd broken a spoke then was back to the grind. The top never comes soon enough.

From there it's downhill all the way to Bright. About 5km out a group of six blokes riding together swept through and I jumped on their wheel for the quick roll to the finish line. The Alpine is the only ride I've been on where there's a band playing and a crowd cheering and clapping as you finish, which I find rather delightful. Then it's just a matter of parking the bike in the rack, punching the clock and heading to the brewery next door to the park for a rehydrating pint or four on the grass with the people who've already finished as you swap tall tales of your rides and wait for mates still struggling out on the road in the 200km event.

Happy just to finish, I was slightly slower than my last finish at this distance in 2007 - 17.8km/h rather a than 17.9km/h average speed. I must be getting older. I'm happy with that: it comes out as a shade under seven hours of riding time. If I rode a few more hills in preparation next year I'm sure I'd do even better.

If you've never done the Alpine Classic before and can get to Bright in January it's an experience I can't recommend enough. The ride itself is great and the carnival atmosphere that infuses the entire town for the three day weekend is just magic for the keen cyclist. Long may it continue.

467km so far this year.

The Alpine Classic in photos.

Once more into the hills.

Every audax cyclist I know has been busily training for the Audax Alpine Classic. It's on this Sunday in Bright, Victoria. It's one of the best organised and well-attended rides in Australia and is stunningly scenic to boot. Not that the 3,000 odd participants will be there to admire the scenery.

The full ride is a brutal 200km with 3000m of climbing in four major climbs, all the heat of mid summer. There's lesser distances for lesser mortals, including the 130km which I'm attempting for the second time. The shorter distance means I only have to face two steep 600m climbs and a long and steep 1400m climb up to Falls Creek. I finished just inside the cut-off time in 2007 but my bid for the 200km last year was thwarted by the effect of a lingering hangover.

Some people go nuts for this ride. My friend Steve has ridden 700km so far this month - including a week's training in the Victorian Alps. NancyBoy has been training flat out for months. They'll suffer like everyone else - this is a ride of suffering - but at least they'll go faster.

Before I even set out, I have plenty of excuses this year. My training has been less than stellar. (I ride for fun, so the idea of training is a little alien to me anyway.) I don't have the physique for hill climbing. After a tough November and December I had a couple of easy weeks and have only just turned my mind to the punishing hill climbs that lie ahead with six days to go! I could use all the training I can get, although there's a limit to how much I'm going to get between now and Sunday. Two maybe three good rides?

But I have to do something. This morning I parked the car halfway up Mt Wellington and pretty much coasted the entire 14km to work. All day I'll have that 500m climb hanging over my head. Hopefully a couple of decent hill sessions will help. It has to be better than nothing right?

248km so far this year.

Fat Tyre Flyer

Since I bought my new Bianchi road bike, my old faithful Surly Cross Check has been sitting idle in the shed. After more than 15,000km of faithful service I had no intention of selling the frame and it's too good a bike to leave idle. Gradually over the last few weeks, I'd been scrounging up the parts to turn it into something useful.

There are miles and miles of lightly-trafficked dirt roads near my place. They're a bit harsh on skinny road bike tyres but a mountain bike is overkill. So I've turned the Surly - which was designed as a cyclocross bike - into a fast tourer. I whacked on some 32mm tyres, some friction shifters and my favourite Stronglight 46-36-26 chainset and it has come up a beauty.

Truth be told, the first test ride wasn't all that auspicious. As befits a Frankenbike, the left crank arm came loose every 500m, I snapped the chain and had two snakebite flats (front and rear) because the tyres were underinflated. All in 20km. So it was back to the shed for some fine tuning.

I rolled the Cross Check out again on Saturday. Because the previous ride was such a disaster, I had pretty low expectations. The nearest shop of any description is in Huonville, which is about 18km from my place, and the best route is along the North Huon Road which follows, unsurprisingly, the north bank of the Huon River. The first 10km is unsealed.

But didn't the Cross Check love it? With a bit more air in the fat knobby tyres, she went like a rocket. Not only did I zoom into town and zoom back after lunch at the cafe, but I enjoyed it so much I did it again today. Even the 2km, 250m climb back to my place was fun. I love my Bianchi, but the Cross Check reminded me why it would be my choice if I could only have one bike. I'm tossing up our next challenge, a dirt road century ride down to Cygnet or maybe having a crack at the 50km each-way trip commute to work, which includes 1000m of climbing. It might be some last minute but much-needed training for the Alpine Classic!

152km so far this year.

Slow news week.

Some random stuff for a Thursday. I'm staying off the bike for a week. After busting a gut to reach 6,000km for the year, I've gone a bit stale. Might do some miles on the weekend - slowly and for fun.

• Something momentous must be afoot in the world when the Wall Street Journal recommends to American people they reconsider their relationship with the motor vehicle. Something momentous indeed.
  

• The people who did the memorable Do The Test cycle safety TV commercial have done another one, which I reckon almost tops their first effort.

• If you like quirky, you'll love Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery. There aren't many comic strips set in bike shops - this one would up there in the top ten.
  

• And Kent's post on his commute, Three Hour Tour, is a lovely piece of writing.
  

• And we all know bikes outsold cars last year. And we all know why.
  

61km so far this year.

Day Zero once more

Another year over and the odometer resets to zero once more. How was 2008 for you bikewise? Apart from a few glitches it wasn't a bad year for me. Although some of my targets seem a little ambitious in hindsight, I did pass last year's mark of 6,000km with a day to spare. Interestingly, I covered the distance a couple of hours quicker. Not much of an improvement but at least I didn't go slower.

At the start of the year I set eight goals, here's how I went:

1. At least 7,200km on the bike. A 20% rise.

Fell slightly short of that one. If 1200km is slight. Can't complain about 6041km, but could have done better. I was badly let down by be effort in February when I rode only 104km. Mind you, November made up for it with 705km. I'm going to try to be more consistent this year. I wouldn't mind trying for a 1,000km month or two, like Treadly and wurple did.

The 6,000km mark came up on the grandly titled Hobart Intercity Cycleway, inbound just past the Tasman bridge near the angry seething seagull rookery.

2. Finish the year in the top 1,000 riders on bikejournal.com

Not even close, I came in about 1300th.

3. At least 366 hours in the saddle - one hour a day for the leap year.

I'm not unhappy with 287 hours (12 days solid riding) , although it was an hour less than the year before! Doing fewer 200 and 300km Audax rides had cut into my hours a bit. In 2006, my best year, I did 6400km in 300 hours on 136 rides.

4. At least 183 rides - on the bike every second day. A 42% increase.

Final total 179 rides. Pretty damn close.

5. Lifting my average speed to at least 22.5km/h. A 4% increase!

Result: 21.46km/h. A speed increase of 20 metres an hour faster. 0.09%. Break out the champagne!

6. Seeing how many days in a row I can ride at least 10km, starting on January 1.

12 days before I got stale and sick of it.

7. Riding at least 400km in the Oppy (360km last year) and completing the 200km Alpine Classic within the time limit (130km last year).

387km in the Oppy. Damn close. Didn't finish the Alpine due to a hangover. Not close. Not smart either.

8. Blog more.

No joy here either. 44 posts, down from 58. Slack. Though this blog mainly continues to be a long conversation with myself, it is approaching to 200 post mark without having managed to impart much useful information. Still, I suppose that's what most blogs do anyhow.

This year's goals are fewer in number: 7,200km on the bike; top 1,000 finish on bikejournal.com; 300 hours in the saddle over at least 180 rides; average speed to more than 22.5km/h; complete at least 360km in the Oppy, 130km in the Alpine and ride enough Audax events to win an award.

20.9km so far this year.

Red means stop.

I sometimes complain about the bad behaviour of motorists towards cyclists because the outcome is so often very one-sided, but the bad behaviour of cyclists has been getting on my nerves a lately too. I've seen a lot of scofflaw cyclists running red lights and disregarding traffic rules a lot in the last few weeks. There isn't any pattern to it -it seems to be just as likely to be the racing set as the new or casual rider.

I always stop at red lights. Why wouldn't you? When I was a lot younger I didn't always, until a serious collision with a bus knocked some sense into me. Sure it's a pain to lose all that hard-won momentum, but two or three strokes of the pedals and you're quickly back up to speed.

Running red lights is a very common and very bad advertisement for cyclists. Thoughtless acts by a few of us give us all a bad name. There are plenty of excuses offered for running red lights, but I'm yet to come across a good one. It endangers your safety and the safety of other road users and pisses people off when we need all the friends we can get. If you run red lights on your bike, you're a dickhead. If you do it in front of me, you'll get an earful - like a couple of people in Hobart have in the last few weeks.

There have been a couple of pushes lately to make cyclists more conscious of the road rules. I like the Stop at Red campaign. Give it some thought.

Bonus link: the top 10 books about cycling.

5,936km so far this year.

Halfway around.

I'm rather chuffed: this afternoon I passed the 20,000km mark since I started cycling seriously again in January 2005. My goal then was to ride an average of 100km a week, which I have, covering a distance equal to halfway around the earth. In total I've ridden for 951 hours - the equivalent of 40 days non-stop - at an average speed of around 21 kilometres an hour. I've ridden 479 times, covering an average distance of 41km. My top speed has been 82km/h and my longest single ride remains 387km. And although I don't seem to have lost any weight, I've made some freinds, look thinner, feel beter and have had a lot of fun. Hopefully the next 20,000km will be as much fun.

5,436km so far this year.

People who have tried to kill me #2243

The photo on the left shows the Metro bus which came within 20cm of knocking me off my bike on the way home tonight when he tried to slip between me and a right-turning car on a narrow bend. Bus versus bike, gee I wonder who would have won that one?

It's a little ironic he's got a sign on the back saying "Please give way, it's the law." I think there's a law about unsafe overtaking too. Maybe I should get a sign saying: "Please don't carelessly run me over, you fucker - it's the law".

5,111km so far this year.

Postscript: After complaining via e-mail I had a very nice phone call from a Metro representitive who said the driver remembered the incident and had asked to pass on his apologies.

Channel Challenge 110km

This blog seems to get hits from all round the world, so the chances are some readers might be a bit far away to take part in next weekend's Channel Challenge 110km Audax. My condolences. A rainy weekend at home means I'm busy putting the word out and finalising the details for what promises to be a superb ride.

If you're in Huonville and have nothing else planned next Sunday, here's the details:

The ride traverses some of southern Tasmania's most scenic waterfront roads with four major climbs as it passes from Huonville through Cygnet over to Kettering and back around the Channel. A moderate/hard ride with 1500m of ascending. There is also a 50km option for riders seeking a shorter day in the saddle.

The ride starts from the Huon Jet Boat Base at 8am - turn left just before the Huon River bridge if you're coming from the north. Plenty of parking, toilets and a 24-hour service station nearby. Be there by 7.30am to register. Entry is $10, $5 for Audax Australia members. The ride is unsupported and has a time limit of seven hours. Riders will need to to be self sufficient and of reasonable fitness.

Maps here and here, entries here, enquiries here.

Numbers ate my brain

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows it consists of a lot of thinking out loud. I've been keeping track of the amount of money I spend on fuel lately, more out of interest than anything. All it has done is scare me. I drive a small car and average 8.1 litres per 100km on the hilly drive in the direction of work. Depending on the amount of time I have most days I ride the last 10km. Even though fuel prices seem to be going down for the moment, having a clearer idea of how much my car is costing has me wondering how much getting rid of it would save.

Having a look at the 2008 RACT running cost figures which best match my car, I'm spending about 12.5c per kilometre on fuel, about 0.7c per kilometre on tyres and about 5c per kilometer on servicing and repairs. So that's 18.2 cents per kilometre. On average, I ride around 100km a week I would have otherwise driven, saving me $18.20. I suspect I spend a bit more than that on bike bits!

At the moment, my car is costing me the above costs, plus the fixed costs: about another $24 a week in rego, insurance, licence and RACT membership. I drive an average of 25,000km a year, so all-up the car I own outright is costing me $5,792, a year, around $110 a week or 23 cents per kilometre.

Now, I'm going to need a new car in a couple of years - an expense I now don't want to even think about. If the RACT figures are right, even a cheap car will depreciate by at least $60 a week over five years, will cost $1,250 a year to keep road legal and insured, around $5,000 to fuel and another $5,000 in loan repayments: $14,272 dollars a year. And people say my bike habit is keeping me poor! The rough cost of a new car is going to be about 60 cents per kilometre.

It's got me thinking: maybe I won't t buy a new car and ride instead. Or delay the purchase by a year. At 20km/h I'd be saving about 12 dollars an hour.

5,023km so far this year.

First they came for the people without spare light brackets...

The Audax-Oz e-mail list is an enjoyable exchange of views from like-minded people and unusually for the internet has a very high signal to noise ratio. The posts are generally either informative or witty or both. I have a fairly busy life like many people and it's the only e-mail list I subscribe to but every so often the it throws up a debate which generates a level of passion I just can't understand or feel for any topic really.

It's never the life and death things but almost always something any sane person would consider trivial. For some reason the rules surrounding night riding drive some people lose all sense of perspective. Keep in mind that a large proportion or Audax riders seldom, if ever, ride at night.

Some time ago, the list was aflame with a debate about whether the club should adopt a rule requiring reflective anklets on night rides. Within a few exchanges came this:

"I'd suggest you pull your bottom lip over your head and swallow."

Right on brother! The most recent heated discussion on a new rule which means riders must carry a spare light bracket for each of the two spare lights which are already required. Someone asked for an explaination. What followed was an exchange of more than 78 e-mails by my rough count.

"This comment is just rude and offensive and has no place in a forum such
as this."

Ah yes, once again the reaction has been shrill, the emotions insane. For some people this new rule is nothing more than the cold hand of creeping fascism.

"It's not a democracy if we all leave the club and only the power mongers remain."

It's not like the change was sprung on members. It was decided by the club's elected committee, publicised in the magazine sent to all members months ago and passed when it attracted not a single comment. Those sneaks!

"I am also upset at the lack of consultation & explanation on the change."

Let's be clear what exactly is at stake: the old rule required riders to have a front light and a rear light fitted to the bike and a spare of each.

"These useless nitpicking objections to independent light mounts are, at least embarrassing, and at worst, destructive."

The new rule means you need to have a front light and a rear light fitted to the bike, a spare or each and a spare mount for each. Too onerous?

If you don't like the rules or can't be bothered being part of the club's democratic policy making join a different club or a group for minimalists."

An extra 30 grams or so has caused a storm of protest from the rule weary. And so it comes to this:

"If you want to have your will imposed on the membership without contest, then maybe it is you who should leave the club and join one more suitable to your ambitions, say the Nazi party..."

We have a winner. One minute we're talking about light brackets, the next we're calling each other Nazis. You have to love the internet. I'm one of those people who think there's too many rules in life, but I really hope I pick my fights better than this. Mind you, that club for minimalists sounds like fun.

"Moreton Bay is full of White Pointers."

Now I'm just being selective.

5,007km so far this year.

I'm not made of sugar.

We have had a couple of rainy days this week and even though we've enjoyed only light spring showers, I've saw hardly anyone else riding on my commute to or from work on Thursday and Friday. Admittedly Friday afternoon was mildly wet, but the morning was lovely and sunny and on Thursday it didn't rain at all, though rain was forecast and there were darkish clouds overhead. Instead of the usual 20 or 30 cheery souls out and about I saw maybe two. Perhaps the resolve of the summer hordes who appear after daylight savings begins has flagged a little.

It's funny how a little rain scares so many cyclists off, because a one or two hour ride in the rain is generally a very pleasant experience as long as you keep moving and stay warm. Once you're wet you're not getting any wetter. The traffic slows down a little and high-pressure tyres make a lovely noise on wet pavement. Yes, you have to relube your chain and wipe the bike down afterwards but that small additional effort is well worth it in my opinion.

I reckon I get rained on about three or for times a year when I'm out on the bike. On days when the forecast is truly horrible I tend to pass, but in Tasmania if you wait for the weather to be prefect you'll wait a long time to get a ride in. Getting wet on the way to work is more of an inconvenience that getting wet on the way home, because you have to put wet clothes on again to ride at the end of the day.

Speaking of weather, it's the BikeTas Big Ride tomorrow - 100km around the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. It's blowing a gale out there at the moment, and while the forecast is for fine conditions, I'm going regardless.

4,876km so far this year.

Doing what he loved.

A sad story, but still somewhat amazing an 83-year-old man was still throwing a leg over the bike on a ride that's 56km at its shortest. I hope I've got another 43 years of riding half-centuries left in me.

83-year-old man dies in bike crash

An 83-year-old man has died after crashing his bicycle during the Sydney to Wollongong charity bike ride. Police said the man fell off his bike after his pedal clipped a traffic barrier on Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Thirroul about 12pm yesterday. The Terrigal man suffered major head injuries, including multiple skull and facial fractures. An off-duty paramedic and ambulance officers treated him at the scene. He was taken to Wollongong Hospital, but died shortly before midnight with his family at his bedside.

4,772km so far this year.

The bike that ebay bought.

October wasn't a good month for me on the bike (or on the blog). I barely made the 400km mark for the month and my (revised) goal of 6000km for the year isn't looking flash. Without regular Audax riding like I had in Victoria, I have commute every day to keep my miles up. Fortunately I quite enjoy this.

I've been thinking about a new road bike for a while. I've put nearly 20,000km on the Surly and it's a fine bike, but it does have some annoying features - like the cantilever brakes which I grew sick of and a very long wheelbase. I was looking for something a tad lighter too, although it's a fool who thinks a new bike will make him a better rider.

I kicked around a huge range of options, from buying a new bike like one of the flash new Malvern Star carbon racers, to refurbishing an old steel frame, to buying something like a Richey Breakaway online. The collapse of the Aussie dollar made the latter too expensive, and while I was keen on the old steel frame idea, it was going to involve a fair bit of hassle for an uncertain result. And carbon? Well I just don't think I'm gentle enough for a carbon frame and I worry how well it would travel in a bike box in the guts of a plane. Another case in point: a week ago Mrs Surly Dave drove my car under a bottle shop awning with the steel bike on top. Luckily it survived with a couple of scratches, I'm scared to think what would have happened to a carbon bike.

Getting a new bike meant cleaning out the shed. After selling a while heap of vintage Campagnolo racing gear on ebay, I was ready to go shopping. I settled on a Bianchi Via Nirone frame in mid-life crisis red from a local bike shop. It's nothing flash, but it's designed to be comfortable for long rides as well as sporty for commutes and even racing if I feel like it. After a few rides ironing out the fit, I'm glad to say it rides like a dream and is a worthy successor to the much-loved Surly Cross Check.

4,867km so far this year.

Not enough time.

There's nothing in the world quite as enjoyable as cycle touring. It's just one of the most relaxing ways of seeing the world. For some reason my touring bike has been hanging in the shed for months, unnoticed and unridden. A bit of tinkering and it's ready to ride once more. I couldn't resist putting the panniers and rack bags and handlebar bag back on and taking it for a little spin.

The Surly Long Haul Trucker is a wonderful touring bike. Mine is the 26" wheel version and it's just lovely to ride. It becomes more stable the more youy load it up. We're planning a weekend tour in the next few weeks, so I'm ready now - although possibly with slightly more carrying capacity than I'll need on an overnight trip to Bruny Island.

This is the bike I rode the Mallee Routes on a couple of years ago. The ride is on again this weekend as it traditionally is on the AFL Grand Final weekend. Wish I was there!

The hard way to the Airwalk

Eating breakfast on Saturday I could see the hills that mark the edge of the World Heritage Area north-west of here still had a good covering of snow on top. Despite the windy season being well and truly upon us it's still a good time to be outdoors. And there are miles and miles of dirt roads and tracks in the bush near home, so this weekend was high time to get out and explore some of it.

Keith, from up the road, is a keen and accomplished cyclist who knows the hills and trails of the Huon as well as anyone. He suggested a relatively straightforward mountain bike ride from Judbury down to the Tahune Airwalk and back - a round tip of about 80 or so kilometres mainly along forestry roads along either side of the Huon River. It's pretty rugged country, lots of hills and not too many people. We set off about 8.30 on Saturday morning.

The weather was cool and overcast as we rolled past the few scattered houses and inched up the hill behind Russell River. Keith showed his local knowledge by picking tracks to cut the distance or to provide a more interesting ride. He pointed out the site of Denny King's old Sunset Ranch. We copped a bit of rain, but it wasn't enough to bother putting a jacket on. We made the visitors centre at the Airwalk about 11am. There weren't too many people about on what was becoming a cool and windy day. We took a table and tucked into a very fine lunch.

The weather turned a little on the way back, though sheltered from the worst of the wind by the rugged hills, the temperature dropped and intermittent rain meant rain jackets and long pants were needed. On one long uphill section we were pelted by hail, which meant the puncture gods knew exactly what moment to put a sharp pointy rock in the path of my front wheel. A quick stop and we were on our way once more.

From the top of this climb we had a long and very enjoyable descent down towards the bridge near the Ta Ann veneer mill. By my reckoning, the temperature had dropped to well under the five degree minimum that had been forecast but if you keep pedalling you stay warm enough. The final climb over the hill after the Denison River was a killer, and I had to walk the steeper sections. Keith was waiting on the other side for the exhilarating 70km/h descent down back across the Russell River and the final spin into Judbury.

I really enjoy riding on the road, but this was a ride to equal any I've been on and had some other benefits besides. We saw some magnificent countryside and in what turned out to be a 90km ride we saw just three cars. And the even better thing is there's lots more trails to explore. Yet another joy of living in such a magnificent part of the world.

4,220km so far this year.

Gently Around the Channel

I'm getting ready to run a few 100km Audax rides over the summer.
Having ridden a few dozen rides organized by others I think it's fair
to say I've never really appreciated the amount of work involved. The
last few weeks have given me a good hint.

One of the good things about the process has been thinking about what
makes a good ride. Another benefit has been riding the courses, which
I'm slowly working my way through so I can check the distances and put
together the cue sheets.

Bicycle Tim and Keith joined me on Saturday for the run through of the
"Channel Challenge". Although what I thought was 108km turned out to
be closer to 120km it turned out to be a delightful traverse of some
of Southern Tasmania's best coastal scenery and had some brilliant
climbs as well.

The route went from Ranelagh to Cygnet, across to Kettering and back
via the coast road. I was confident it would be a winner because I've
never had a bad ride around the Channel.

Though my climbing clearly leaves a lot to be desired, Tim and Keith
kindly waited for me at the top of each major ascent and we enjoyed a
great lunch at Fleurty's cafe and cake at Cygnet's Red Velvet Lounge.
Although the wind was very blowy and I wasn't feeling that strong, I
hope the people who eventually take part in this event have as good a
time as I did Saturday. Wonderful scenery, great food and terrific
company, stuff of the most memorable rides.