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A glorious ride on a quiet road followed by some hard work on gravel.
( A fun day. Apart from some of the gravel... )
A short, fast, glorious ride followed by retail therapy. What's not to like?
( Not much. I certainly enjoyed myself. )
Oh and I've reached the conclusion that NZ hills are bulls that eat my red flags. I lost one last time I was here, I lost a second one on the Lewis Pass a couple of days ago, and a third today.
( Not much. I certainly enjoyed myself. )
Oh and I've reached the conclusion that NZ hills are bulls that eat my red flags. I lost one last time I was here, I lost a second one on the Lewis Pass a couple of days ago, and a third today.
A great morning, a phobia moment, and an afternoon grind. Oh and gorgeous scenery.
( Yes, that was a pun. )
And no, I'm not sorry for it. :)
( Yes, that was a pun. )
And no, I'm not sorry for it. :)
The price of overextending yesterday was a light but enjoyable day today.
( The difference between recreational and serious cycling... )
Looking forward to a longer ride tomorrow.
A couple of good rides today including one really fun descent. Much good scenery, photos later.
( All the details... )
*Undulating in tour guide speak translates to painfully hilly for mere mortals like your humble correspondent. :)
Or, three very different rides and a rainbow.
( Overall a good day though... )
Tomorrow we're off to Greymouth which will again be a mix of driving and riding since a) Lewis Pass is in there somewhere b) It took us at least two days to do this distance last time on the "serious cycling" tour and c) This is a "recreational cycling" tour. After that I'll be heading north into new territory. :)
That's so COOL!
Mar. 3rd, 2009 11:47 amI have, on occasion, noted that living car-free is a luxury. Something that I probably couldn't get away with it if I had to support a partner and children.
I think I was wrong judging by the really cool bike I saw this morning.
Picture a fairly standard hybrid/comfort bike with:
a) A tagalong tandem for the little girl who seemed to be enjoying herself; AND
b) A trailer with possibly one or two toddlers inside.
Very impressive and fun to see, even for a wedgie. :)
I think I was wrong judging by the really cool bike I saw this morning.
Picture a fairly standard hybrid/comfort bike with:
a) A tagalong tandem for the little girl who seemed to be enjoying herself; AND
b) A trailer with possibly one or two toddlers inside.
Very impressive and fun to see, even for a wedgie. :)
NOT looking at the weather radar.
Feb. 23rd, 2009 03:13 pmIn fact I'm trying to not look out the window either. Or listen for that matter...
How sweet it is
Feb. 18th, 2009 05:57 pmNew chain, new cluster, new guide tubes for the chain, new seat cover, new tyres.
Oh, and the suddenly very responsive handinlg through an S-bend...
Oh, and the suddenly very responsive handinlg through an S-bend...
Signs that you need a new drive train
Feb. 14th, 2009 04:01 pm1. The derailleur is horizontal rather than vertical when you're in top gear (because the chain has stretched about 6" in the last year).
2. You can't keep a smooth motion when on the small chain ring in back (because the teeth on that ring have worn down to the point where the chain is jumping).
3. The chain just isn't sitting right on the middle ring in front (because those teeth have worn into an interesting shark fin shape).
Anyone who wants to fill this list out to a top ten go ahead in the comments and I'll tell you if I've noticed those signs too. Oh, and did I mention that I've just ordered a new drive train?
Meming about
Jan. 26th, 2009 03:10 pmCourtesy of ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
dalekboy comes the interview meme so without further ado on to the questions
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me!"
2. I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will post the answers to the questions (and the questions themselves) on your blog or journal.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions. And thus the endless cycle of the meme goes on and on and on and on...
Gears are one of the most wonderful inventions around so why would anyone want a single speed fixed wheel recumbent?
New Zealand!
Jan. 6th, 2009 01:41 pmAfter much thought over Christmas I have decided on New Zealand for the next tour.
Vietnam would be more exciting but New Zealand would be more relaxing and soothing. Given recent events (locked post), NZ is what I'm going to be needing this year. I'll make the booking tonight and start sorting flights out after that.
I may also do Adventure South's Hokkaido tour in July...
Vietnam would be more exciting but New Zealand would be more relaxing and soothing. Given recent events (locked post), NZ is what I'm going to be needing this year. I'll make the booking tonight and start sorting flights out after that.
I may also do Adventure South's Hokkaido tour in July...
Surely the end of the world is nigh
Jan. 6th, 2009 10:21 amCourtesy of ecovelo the Wall Street Journal is asking "...is it time for Americans to rescue their own finances from their cars?"
What I found interesting is that bikes don't get mentioned anywhere in the article as an alternative to cars.
Choices, Choices
Dec. 11th, 2008 05:17 pmI've just heard back from Adventure South and they're happy for me to bring the trike back to NZ or to the Vietnam. And may I just say that Adventure South rock for being so 'bent friendly.
I'm looking at the Southern Explorer and Mekong Delta tours. Southern Explorer would be cooler (temperature wise), greener, and probably have better roads. Mekong Delta would be more of a unique experience I think. I'm not sure which would be more fun.
So, there's a poll coming for you to chime in with which one you think would be more fun and why. :)
I'm looking at the Southern Explorer and Mekong Delta tours. Southern Explorer would be cooler (temperature wise), greener, and probably have better roads. Mekong Delta would be more of a unique experience I think. I'm not sure which would be more fun.
So, there's a poll coming for you to chime in with which one you think would be more fun and why. :)
Motorists: please read
Dec. 5th, 2008 01:21 pm![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-syndicated.gif){kind=small}
ecovelo has an excellent piece on car drivers giving way to cyclists when they shouldn't. Executive Summary: Please don't."No matter how well intentioned, when we bend the rules by giving up our right of way, it is potentially confusing and even dangerous."
ecovelo 's piece is talking about 4-way stop signs which I think is a US phenomenon but the principle still holds. I had an incident like this recently that was potentially dangerous for the driver. ( Read more... )
Please, please, please, take the right of way when you have it and respect mine when you don't. I'll do the same for you and we'll all be the safer for it.
Who wants to go touring?
Nov. 25th, 2008 12:15 pmI'm going to go bicycle touring next year in February or March. New Zealand or possibly Vietnam.
It will be a supported tour and I'm going to have a ball.
So, is there anyone out there who wants to come along for the ride?
Naughtiness has occurred.
Nov. 7th, 2008 01:05 pmSomeone's been hacking Bike Journal. The latest update on the home page is:
"Update 11/6/2008 8:10AM: The database restoration is taking some time, but we also have to re-design the pages to safeguard against this problem in the future, so we're working on that in parallel. Focus will be on the journal pages first. When they are available, the login boxes will return to this page."
Bonus points to the sysadmins for posting updates.
