Wednesday, August 11, 2010

L'Eroica, Sydney?

In honour of the L'Eroica bicycle ride held on the white gravel roads of Tuscanny every year, there will be a gathering of vintage road bicycles in Sydney.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Come to the Sydney Tweed Ride, 27 June 2010!

It's on again, June 27th this year.

Photobucket

My other website: RaleighTwenty.webs.com also has this even listed. I'm sponsoring a small prize for best small-wheel or folding bicycle. I hope that I'm not the only one who turns up! There were at least 4 or 5 such bicycles last year. A few Twenty's and a Moulton were there.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

My second Raleigh Twenty

I didn't write it up here, but in later December 2009 (just before Christmas in fact) I acquired a second Raleigh Twenty. A 1977 non-folding model with 451mm wheels.

Photobucket
This is how it was when I acquired it. It had to be sent by courier from Melbourne. I recall that the shipping came to about $25, so it does pay to shop around through different couriers to get the best shipping rates.

Raleigh Twenty at Macquarie University
It is no museum or collector's piece, it is a real working bicycle. Here is it, part of the transport display at Macquarie University earlier this year. It is sporting my Carradice Camper Longflap Saddlebag, which carries just about everything I need for university.

My Saddlebag
Another view of my saddlebag. Carradice quote the capacity for this bag as being 24 Litres, which is about the same as a single touring pannier. It has plenty of carrying capacity for my commuting and utility trips, although I do admit that I am considering fitting a front basket for the sake of convenience.

My non-folding Raleigh Twenty, April 2010
My non-folding Raleigh Twenty, April 2010. I've owned it for about 4 months, and it is largely original except for some new rubber, a longer Kalloy seat-post, a Brooks B67 saddle. I've added a new rear reflector and a mounted a bottle-holder on the handlebars. The only other replacement item has been a new cover plate for the 3-speed trigger shifter.

I ride my Raleigh Twenty the most out of any bicycle. Despite having only 3 gears, it is perhaps the most versatile little bicycle that I have ever owned. The addition of a front basket would make it more useful still, but I am quite content with the service it gives me. Except for new rubber, it has given me no trouble compared to my other bicycles.

Friday, April 9, 2010

The Vanmoof

The bicycle with the funny Dutch name and rather distinctive features.

I got the chance to ride one for a week and then review it for a website.

You can read my review here.

For my blog, enjoy a couple of pictures that I took.

Photobucket
It could be anywhere in the world... But it is right here in Sydney, Australia!

Photobucket
Again, this could be anywhere in the world, but it is right here in Sydney, Australia.

Photobucket
Yup, most definitely in Sydney.

Photobucket
Despite the "No Cycling" sign on the ground, there are dozens upon dozens of individuals who cycle through here every day.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Bicycle Recycling

I am a fan of bicycle recycling. I firmly believe that if you have an old bicycle that you don't use, please donate it to your local bicycle recycling facility. Even if it is in poor condition or has a bent frame, it will make a good parts donor. I regularly volunteer with Western Sydney Cycling Network in their community cycling program, where I fix up donated bicycles and act as "sweep" on some community rides.

I picked up this bicycle a while ago, with the crank-set and all the rubber components missing. I put all new cables on it, and had it kitted out with wider drop bars and a taller stem for a short while. I thought of converting it into a single speed after the front derailleur mechanism was damaged, but I abandoned the project after I realised that it was not possible to fit mudguards.

So it was hung up in my garage until someone on my online forum, Bicycles Networking Australia posting an advert for a frame to convert into a fixie. I made an offer, and a few days later I took it on the train to meet it's new owner.

Here is the bicycle as I had stripped it down in preparation for single-speed conversion:


And here is it after sale and conversion to a fixie.