A write up of my recent ride in the Great Vic Bike Ride can be found here;
http://www.brisbanecyclist.com/profiles/blogs/great-victorian-bike-ride-on-a-recumbent-trike-2014?xg_source=activity
Monday, December 8, 2014
Saturday, November 15, 2014
My Bikes
Gazelle Innergy XT
The Gazelle is my everyday, shopping bike. It has two large panniers permanently attached and gets used most days for shopping and short trips. In fact, if it is just me travelling and the trip is under 20km, this is the bike I will use.
It is also particularly useful in the hot humid Brisbane summers. With the e-assist, one can ride at about 15-20kph in normal clothes and arrive at the destination in a reasonably sweat-less condition! I can get about 35-40km on one charge or 60km if I utilise ECO mode as much as possible. Brisbane can be quite hilly, so the BOOST mode is very attractive to help up the hills. In the early days, I found the e-assist was the decider in terms of will I take the car or not-nowadays I don't even think-if the stuff I'm getting can fit in the panniers, I take the bike.
As Brisbane is very car-centric and congested, it makes for a much more enjoyable journey-for journeys under 10km I would argue, probably just as quick on the bike. The sit-up position is extremely comfortable, providing a good view of the road ahead-it is a pleasure to ride.
Greenspeed GT3 Recumbent trike
I got the Greenspeed second hand about 7 years ago and it gets a little bit of use, perhaps as not as much as it should! I have always been interested in recumbents, especially trikes. I had followed the Greenspeed evolution from inception, but until recently didn't have spare funds to take the plunge.
They are extremely comfortable to ride-this was partly the reason for getting it-ongoing discomfort in my neck, shoulders and hands on my DF road bike is now a distant memory while riding my recumbent bikes.
The GT3 is very fast downhill, ok on the flats, but slower uphill than a conventional bike. I have long given up dreams of being a climber, at my weight it was never going to happen! I accept now that with longer hills I just gear down and spin the pedals going at a slower speed than I would on a DF bike. The bonus is, when tired I can just stop, regain my breath, then continue. They have some very low gears, so you never have to walk up steep hills ( I managed a ride recently with 17 & 20% climbs) like I would have to on an upright bike.
Lots of people worry about the visibility of a trike on the road-my experience is this is not a problem. People often tell you they have trouble seeing you, but I ask "But you did see me??" If you can see the white lines on the road, you can see me-if not perhaps you should question your right to be driving on the road!! Certainly they are lower to the ground, the fact is you do change your riding style-you ride more as a car, take the lane more often, never ride on the inside of stopped traffic unless you are sure you can get to the front before they start to move again. You always make eye contact with a driver in give way type scenarios.
Being head up, you have a better view of the world, good brakes mean you can stop on a dime and not go arse over tit. Downsides are you can't, or shouldn't filter traffic, you can't hop up or off gutters as with a DF bike. So in a place like the northside of Brisbane where cycling infrastructure that goes to useful places is non-existent, commuting is probably not as efficient as a DF, but with decent infrastructure they would make a great commuter.
They are ideally suited to touring, or so I'm told. I will be able to confirm or deny this fact shortly, as I am taking the Greenspeed on the Great Victorian Bike Ride later this month. A friend of mine has ridden from Sydney to Perth on a Greenspeed and he is very positive about them as a touring machine.
I have been riding it a lot in the last few months as conditioning for the ride and I'm loving it. I will use it for more utility trips as it handles the crap bikepaths, deep gutters and kerbs just as well as the Gazelle and is that little bit more comfortable-but a tad more sweat inducing!
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The Gazelle is my everyday, shopping bike. It has two large panniers permanently attached and gets used most days for shopping and short trips. In fact, if it is just me travelling and the trip is under 20km, this is the bike I will use.
It is also particularly useful in the hot humid Brisbane summers. With the e-assist, one can ride at about 15-20kph in normal clothes and arrive at the destination in a reasonably sweat-less condition! I can get about 35-40km on one charge or 60km if I utilise ECO mode as much as possible. Brisbane can be quite hilly, so the BOOST mode is very attractive to help up the hills. In the early days, I found the e-assist was the decider in terms of will I take the car or not-nowadays I don't even think-if the stuff I'm getting can fit in the panniers, I take the bike.
As Brisbane is very car-centric and congested, it makes for a much more enjoyable journey-for journeys under 10km I would argue, probably just as quick on the bike. The sit-up position is extremely comfortable, providing a good view of the road ahead-it is a pleasure to ride.
Greenspeed GT3 Recumbent trike
I got the Greenspeed second hand about 7 years ago and it gets a little bit of use, perhaps as not as much as it should! I have always been interested in recumbents, especially trikes. I had followed the Greenspeed evolution from inception, but until recently didn't have spare funds to take the plunge.
They are extremely comfortable to ride-this was partly the reason for getting it-ongoing discomfort in my neck, shoulders and hands on my DF road bike is now a distant memory while riding my recumbent bikes.
The GT3 is very fast downhill, ok on the flats, but slower uphill than a conventional bike. I have long given up dreams of being a climber, at my weight it was never going to happen! I accept now that with longer hills I just gear down and spin the pedals going at a slower speed than I would on a DF bike. The bonus is, when tired I can just stop, regain my breath, then continue. They have some very low gears, so you never have to walk up steep hills ( I managed a ride recently with 17 & 20% climbs) like I would have to on an upright bike.
Lots of people worry about the visibility of a trike on the road-my experience is this is not a problem. People often tell you they have trouble seeing you, but I ask "But you did see me??" If you can see the white lines on the road, you can see me-if not perhaps you should question your right to be driving on the road!! Certainly they are lower to the ground, the fact is you do change your riding style-you ride more as a car, take the lane more often, never ride on the inside of stopped traffic unless you are sure you can get to the front before they start to move again. You always make eye contact with a driver in give way type scenarios.
Being head up, you have a better view of the world, good brakes mean you can stop on a dime and not go arse over tit. Downsides are you can't, or shouldn't filter traffic, you can't hop up or off gutters as with a DF bike. So in a place like the northside of Brisbane where cycling infrastructure that goes to useful places is non-existent, commuting is probably not as efficient as a DF, but with decent infrastructure they would make a great commuter.
They are ideally suited to touring, or so I'm told. I will be able to confirm or deny this fact shortly, as I am taking the Greenspeed on the Great Victorian Bike Ride later this month. A friend of mine has ridden from Sydney to Perth on a Greenspeed and he is very positive about them as a touring machine.
I have been riding it a lot in the last few months as conditioning for the ride and I'm loving it. I will use it for more utility trips as it handles the crap bikepaths, deep gutters and kerbs just as well as the Gazelle and is that little bit more comfortable-but a tad more sweat inducing!
Sinner Mango Sport
I've written lots about the Mango before-it is truly a great riding experience, handcrafted to high standards in the cycling mecca of the Netherlands. It is fast, comfortable and certainly noticed here in Brisbane! This could be the perfect all-round personal individual transport vehicle (and it is in certain parts of the world). But it is let down a bit in Brisbane because of the infrastructure and the aggressive attitude of some motorists.
It's streamlined shell requires shallow path ramps and gutters. There are lots of areas where these are good, but mostly they are on recreation bike paths along creeks and coastal areas. This is fine for me, as I am retired, but for a person wanting to commute to, say, the CBD from the north of Brisbane-well the Mango is probably not the best vehicle. However from the west and south of Brisbane with their great bikepaths, it would probably be fine, we are still waiting to play catchup in the northern suburbs.
But all that aside, these are great rides for longer distance-experience overseas shows they are great for touring, even in hillier areas with appropriate gearing is possible. On the flat I could comfortable maintain 32-35kph all day long, nearer 40kph with a bit more effort, downhills they fly to highway speed limits! On rolling hills they are fine as well, you can carry a lot of speed into the hill and be up and over without a great deal of speed decay-however on a longer hill with a decent gradient, it's gear down and spin! I read a recent account of a velomobile ride completing a 600km Randonee 9 hours ahead of other riders! Google 'ROAM' and 'EuroTour 2014' to see what these machines can really do and the distances they can cover in a day.
Like the trike, they are given a wide berth on the road because they are so unusual! On each ride there will always be someone drive alongside with the passenger taking a phone with their Iphone. A 2 hour ride can stretch longer as when you stop you invariably have strangers come and have a chat about the Mango. They are very attention attracting and unless you seek this, it is one of the downsides of velo ownership!
Surprisingly in summer they are good to ride, as long as you are moving! Your body is protected from the direct sunlight, there is adequate ventilation until you stop-then you melt! At the other end of the weather spectrum, European riders report riding in the middle of winter with T shirt and shorts, but plenty of layers for when they stop.
Short summary-fast, comfortable, ideal individual transport where provided infrastructure is good. It is my favourite ride, I just wish I could utilise it to it's full capabilities with upgraded infrastructure. I am hoping to do some touring in it in the next few months, look out Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast! A must for eccentrics!!
Vivente World Randonneur Touring Bike
Had this bike for about 10 years, it is a great bike for what it is designed for-touring. The standard gearing was inadequate for loaded touring, the picture above was a tour in the Scenic Rim out Boonah-Rathdowney way and a lot of hills were walked. I put a 24T ring on the front and now it is fine. I rode this in the 2013 Great Vic Bike Ride from Mt Gambier to Geelong, it was fine up Lavers Hill and the Deans Marsh hills with the new gearing.
It is very solidly built, comfortable to ride for hours at a time, although my neck does get a bit sore on it. It comes with Marathon Plus tyres which are bomproof-never had a puncture yet!
When I drive somewhere, this is the bike I take-quickly on the rack and away we go. Did the trip to Melbourne and return last year with stops in Canberra, Beechworth, Coonabarabran and lots of riding in Melbourne.
It's a bit heavy, but very stable to ride and makes an excellent commuter. There were lots of them on the Great Vic ride last year, so obviously a very favoured tourer as well. I even rode this on the Brisbane Valley Rail trail this year between Moore and Yarraman and return-although I must admit it was just viable!! Definitely better on a MTB!
A good workhorse but not a head-turner (which is nice!)
This is my current stable of bikes, it covers all the sort of riding I like to do and takes up a fair proportion of the garage!
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Riding a Mango on Brisbane's northside
To date in Brisbane there are only 3 velomobiles (that I know of), all Sinner Mango Sports Red Editions. One is used as a daily commuter, one is a semi commuter, utilitarian speed machine and then there is mine!
I have owned my Mango for about 14 months and have clocked up 5000km in that time. Compared to some of the European velonauts that is peanuts km wise, but let me explain partly why.
Australia, and Brisbane in particular, has a long way to go to become a utility cycling mecca. We have plenty of sports, lycra clad cycling denizons- but relatively few people who cycle to work or shops or bus/train stations etc. We are still in thrall of the motor vehicle in Australia. Most people commute by private motor vehicle, congestion is chronic and the whole experience is a depressing one.
While some areas of Brisbane have some good cycling infrastructure, it is often disconnected, on road bike lanes in door zones or compromised by parked cars, and often doesn't go where people want to go-they are great for recreation, but to ride safely into the city-forget it. This is especially so on the north side of Brisbane. I live about 14 km from the city centre, very near to a 6 lane highway that is suicidal to ride on. To get to the city is possible, but it is about 8km further that the highway, on back roads, bikeways, and decidedly unsafe bikelanes in places.
In the Mango on a Monday to Friday, a trip into the city really is not doable mainly due to poor infrastructure, steep ramps in some some areas are non negotiable in the Mango, prehistoric barriers that are impassable in the Mango and in peak hour traffic the on road portions of the trip would be dangerous, given the impatience of Brisbane drivers. On a Saturday or Sunday, it is possible very early in the morning, however lately traffic on a Saturday and Sunday are becoming little different to weekdays.
This really doesn't affect me, as I am retired and I never worked in the city, but it would be nice to have a direct, safe bikeway alternative to driving or public transport when one goes to the city for social outings. On such a path, I am sure it would be quicker than a car almost all of the time!
So most of my Mango outings are to the east of where I live, by the coastline, where there are some lovely bikeways and quiet roads. I can be riding in this area and once I have crossed the main north south highway, I am in minimal traffic, with lovely views and ideal cycling terrain-it is like being in another world.
These trips are mainly for exercise, mental health and social rides with other velonauts and recumbent riders and are extremely enjoyable, but I would love to use the Mango for more utilitarian purposes-shopping, bill paying and to destinations with a purpose. Some changes are happening, new bike paths that will negate having to negotiate the 6 lane highway by going underneath-this will change my life. But a direct, safe route into the city? I don't think I will see this in my lifetime-unless fuel costs becomes prohibitive and 2 of those 6 lanes on the highway are given over to bikes-heck I'd even be happy with 1 segregated lane being given to cyclists!
I "YouTube" endlessly the fantastic infrastructure that Velonauts in Netherlands, Denmark and Germany have and dream of the day that we in Australia might have something approaching what the Europeans have. But while ever cars and fossil fuels are subsidised to the extent that they are in Australia, this is a distant dream unfortunately.
Meanwhile, Velo On!!
I have owned my Mango for about 14 months and have clocked up 5000km in that time. Compared to some of the European velonauts that is peanuts km wise, but let me explain partly why.
Australia, and Brisbane in particular, has a long way to go to become a utility cycling mecca. We have plenty of sports, lycra clad cycling denizons- but relatively few people who cycle to work or shops or bus/train stations etc. We are still in thrall of the motor vehicle in Australia. Most people commute by private motor vehicle, congestion is chronic and the whole experience is a depressing one.
 |
| Weekend traffic |
While some areas of Brisbane have some good cycling infrastructure, it is often disconnected, on road bike lanes in door zones or compromised by parked cars, and often doesn't go where people want to go-they are great for recreation, but to ride safely into the city-forget it. This is especially so on the north side of Brisbane. I live about 14 km from the city centre, very near to a 6 lane highway that is suicidal to ride on. To get to the city is possible, but it is about 8km further that the highway, on back roads, bikeways, and decidedly unsafe bikelanes in places.
Can't get though here in the Mango
Once again very tight for the Mango
A Brisbane bikeway special
Do you get the picture?
In the Mango on a Monday to Friday, a trip into the city really is not doable mainly due to poor infrastructure, steep ramps in some some areas are non negotiable in the Mango, prehistoric barriers that are impassable in the Mango and in peak hour traffic the on road portions of the trip would be dangerous, given the impatience of Brisbane drivers. On a Saturday or Sunday, it is possible very early in the morning, however lately traffic on a Saturday and Sunday are becoming little different to weekdays.
This really doesn't affect me, as I am retired and I never worked in the city, but it would be nice to have a direct, safe bikeway alternative to driving or public transport when one goes to the city for social outings. On such a path, I am sure it would be quicker than a car almost all of the time!
So most of my Mango outings are to the east of where I live, by the coastline, where there are some lovely bikeways and quiet roads. I can be riding in this area and once I have crossed the main north south highway, I am in minimal traffic, with lovely views and ideal cycling terrain-it is like being in another world.
These trips are mainly for exercise, mental health and social rides with other velonauts and recumbent riders and are extremely enjoyable, but I would love to use the Mango for more utilitarian purposes-shopping, bill paying and to destinations with a purpose. Some changes are happening, new bike paths that will negate having to negotiate the 6 lane highway by going underneath-this will change my life. But a direct, safe route into the city? I don't think I will see this in my lifetime-unless fuel costs becomes prohibitive and 2 of those 6 lanes on the highway are given over to bikes-heck I'd even be happy with 1 segregated lane being given to cyclists!
I "YouTube" endlessly the fantastic infrastructure that Velonauts in Netherlands, Denmark and Germany have and dream of the day that we in Australia might have something approaching what the Europeans have. But while ever cars and fossil fuels are subsidised to the extent that they are in Australia, this is a distant dream unfortunately.
Meanwhile, Velo On!!
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| Christmas present from daughter |
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Mango Fibreglass repairs
Thanks to crap Brisbane gutters and ramps, the Mango sometimes bottoms out on the underneath side. One particularly hard ding actually cracked the shell near the foothole, it went through to the fibreglass beneath. Never having had any experience with fibreglass repairs, I spent quite a bit of time checking out YouTube videos, so with computer on one hand and the required hardware at hand, I set out to try and make the repairs.
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There were some other cracks of a cosmetic nature that I took the opportunity to repair as well.
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Friday, April 5, 2013
Doings in the Mango
One of my retirement presents was a GoPro camera. I'm very new to this technology so I'll apologise in advance for the amateur efforts in video editing so far.
Most of my family can't understand why grown men sit and watch videos of scenery rolling by viewed from a velomobile, but there is something addictive in it!
So here are some of my latest offerings;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-JGO8mJ9PY
Most of my family can't understand why grown men sit and watch videos of scenery rolling by viewed from a velomobile, but there is something addictive in it!
So here are some of my latest offerings;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-JGO8mJ9PY
Life changes
Quite a while since my last blog entry, blogs are a bit like that, many entries in the flurry of enthusiasm and then life intervenes and the entries become less and less.
Well since the last entry I have had quite a significant change in life-I have retired from work. I was an Air Traffic Controller in the the control tower at Brisbane Airport. The traffic levels due to the mining boom in Australia went through the roof. Work became a real slog, working flat out from the start to the end of the shift was wearing enough, combine it with shift work, especially night shift and the time came when I had just had enough.
So on March 1st 2013, I commenced Recreation Leave, followed by Long Service Leave (34 years) and then formally retire on February 8th 2014. However I am effectively retired now and so far not really missing work at all.
Well since the last entry I have had quite a significant change in life-I have retired from work. I was an Air Traffic Controller in the the control tower at Brisbane Airport. The traffic levels due to the mining boom in Australia went through the roof. Work became a real slog, working flat out from the start to the end of the shift was wearing enough, combine it with shift work, especially night shift and the time came when I had just had enough.
So on March 1st 2013, I commenced Recreation Leave, followed by Long Service Leave (34 years) and then formally retire on February 8th 2014. However I am effectively retired now and so far not really missing work at all.
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