singletracking

PRO Insight from Mitchell Docker

2011-01-01T21:15:00.007+11:00

This afternoon I was rolling down beach road just past Sandringham and a very pro looking rider in Skil-Shimano gear rode past. He looked PRO and has a name on the top-tube of his bike that I just couldn't make out. Just past Ricketts Point I pulled up beside him after sucking wheel and said hi.

He was going on a ride down the beach in preparation for racing the Bay Crits tomorrow on a composite team. We chatted down to Mordi and back to St Kilda and I gleaned a few PRO tips and observations from him:

He threw in a few explosive sprints during the ride – way faster than my lags would take me, so I was dropped comprehensively each time, but he let me catch on after. He reckoned that it helped his recovery and his legs felt better when he broke up a recovery ride with a few (6 in this case) quick sprints.

Mitch riding at the front of the breakaway, 2010 Paris Roubaix

We talked about his program for 2011. He'd going to concentrating on the classics and semi-classics – with a particular focus on the semi-classics which will be his best opportunity for a good result as the big guns will be using them as preparation for the major classic races. He admitted that the Paris-Roubaix was the race he was most looking forward to this year, just because it was the big one. He reminded me that he managed to get himself into the initial breakaway in 2010 and held off all the way through and past the Forest of Arenburg before they were caught by the peloton of the favourite's teams. He seemed genuinely excited to be competing in these races, though he did say that the conditions that they rode through in Kerne-Bruxelles-Kerne were crazy. He pulled out at the first feed station as it was just so cold – they rode through driving rain, heavy wind and bitter cold – conditions so bad that Jeremy Hunt was in the leading four and pulled-out in the last 20km because he felt it was unsafe to continue.

He didn't know if his team would receive selection in any of the major tours due to their Pro-Continental status.

I found out amusingly enough that a PRO rider probably doesn't have the correct time on his SRM... The time was still set to Netherlands time, but we managed to work out that 10:50am Netherlands time was actually 2:35pm Australian time. He had to factor in that his SRM was actually 15 minutes fast, which added to the complexity of the mid-ride calculations!

He was pretty pragmatic about the gear he used. He'd used Shimano gear as they are major sponsors of the team and was pretty happy with their products. He was riding the wheels he was going to be racing in the crits tomorrow, just to make sure that they would be trouble-free. He'd just had a new set of tubs glued on yesterday. He did comment that the semi-deep Dura Ace wheels definitely accelerated faster than his training wheels and noticeably so he seemed to think that the stiffness of the carbon rims were a major consideration, rather than their weight. I asked him whether he noticed or thought that guys riding Lightweight wheels seemed to have an advantage, but he seemed to agree that the person riding the bike probably has more to contribute than the gear he uses.

He used to be set-up by his original track coach, John Beasley and now saw Jason Nicholls of IOS. His setup really hasn't changed from Beasley's setup, which was for the track and he did use orthotics in his shoes to keep a straighter pedal stroke, in this case to stop his knees from wandering inwards.

It's true that PRO riders suffer from consuming vast quantities of energy drink and food – he'd just been to the dentist to have a whole lot of work done. It seemed that the combination of a lack of the acidic drink and lack of saliva was the culprit. He actually packed chewing gum in his jersey to try and combat this as the gum kept his body generating saliva. He'd really started to take notice of the dental issues since he had to pay for treatment himself as Mum no longer picked up the tab!

He said that he raced about 3 days a week during the season, which seems a lot and that his average training or recovery ride was a bout 2 hours long. As a result, he'd be spending almost more time racing than training, which wasn't the balance that I assumed a lot of riders had, but that would even out taking into account the off-season and blocks of time when he wasn't racing.

He usually trains up around the hills of Kinglake and Hurstbridge north of the city as he lives up that way. It was only that he had an errand to run down this end of town that he decided to ride Beach Road. Pros make riding opportunities work with their routine!

He seemed pretty relaxed about the Bay Crits in Geelong and was going to drive himself down. His team is being co-ordinated by Dave MacKenzie who is in fact commentating too and so the team organisation is rather “informal”. He said that despite coming from a background in track cycling, he didn't especially like Crit racing as although at first glance the disciplines might seem similar, rider discipline and etiquette was significantly lacking in a crit compared to on the track.

A funny comment he had about teammate Koen de Kort was that Koen was almost more Aussie then he was and spoke with an accent, from the couple of summer's he's spent here in Melbourne with his partner! Should we watch for Koen riding for Australia in the future perhaps?

I was pretty stoked to spend some time with Mitch, he was really genuine and happy to have a chat which was great – I 'm not so sure that he didn't moderate his pace for me too, but we did have a tailwind on the way back, so it was easier to hold his pace on the return from Mordi than on the way down. Another Aussie to look out for in the lead-up to Paris-Roubaix and in the big race itself.

Rail trail

2010-07-18T18:43:00.008+10:00

So way back, sometime in Summer, the girl and I took a little ride down the Lilydale - Warburton rail trail. I saddled up the Dawes and swapped a few parts on my Trek hardtail to make it appropriately lady-sized. T'was a nice day out, but almost ended in tears on the final climb/slob up into Mt Evelyn with more training on hills required for the lady. Even I thought it was tough going: it just kept going up, and up, and up. Not so steep, but relentlessly long.

more Melburn Roobaix 2010

2010-06-13T22:55:00.002+10:00

Melburn Roobaix 2010

2010-05-31T19:30:00.002+10:00

Take a close look at the maroon bike in the middle of the picture, the one with the silver canti brakes and the stylish rider all in black? Recognise the bike or the legs?

Rolling with the world champ

2009-12-20T16:58:00.008+11:00

Twitter finally found a use for itself. Earlier this week, Cadel Evans tweeted that he was going to run a 'social' ride around Kinglake. At first I didn't quite believe it was open to all-comers, but it did turn out that the invitation was open to all. The opportunity to ride with the World Champion was too good to turn down and was a great reason to finally get out to ride the Kinglake climb! The route we took was from Hurstbridge via Arthurs Creek, then up to Kinglake and return. I was certainly very happy to have put my new lower gearing on the Concorde as it was just about perfect up the climb. Perhaps another lower gear would've been nice...

Castlemaine 6 Hour

2009-08-23T11:43:00.001+10:00

A new challenge

2009-07-25T20:26:00.001+10:00

I’ve been building up some rough form of training to aim towards doing some solo 6 hour enduro races. Strictly very non-serious stuff. My training has included commuting to work every day (I’d be doing that anyway) and then doing whatever riding grabs me on the weekend. I have been aiming to do at least 2.5 to 3 hours of riding when I jump on the mountain bike on a Sunday and have also been extending my occasional Saturday afternoon road ride down to Frankston.

So all of that ‘training’ was put to the test at the Forrest 6 Hour which was my first solo enduro and probably my longest time spent continuously in the saddle of a mountain bike. The race was going to be an interesting test case on a number of fronts. It’d be interesting (worrying) to see how my knee held up, how my fitness held up and how my hands/back and bum held up.

I hooked up with Brad to head on down to the Otways for the weekend. He’d also be riding solo, so we were both going to be taking the same approach to the race and we worked well as a “team” getting organised and preparing.

My race plan was to go out slow, find a pace that I didn’t find taxing and hold it for the 6 hours. I had no idea how fast or slow I’d actually be able to ride or how I might compare against other riders, but my primary aim was to protect my knee and keep it happy and by doing that, I’d hopefully be able to finish.

The race went well for me. I was typically late for the start, which cost me a good deal of time as unbeknownst to me – I was actually faster than most of the people who I was lined up behind! I spent the first lap in traffic and even portions of the second lap being baulked – and that was even at my “slow and steady” pace!

And so I rolled on, and on, and on. The rain held off by and large, with only a few spatters of drizzle. It however cold and damp and the trails were very muddy in places. There were sections that felt like you were being glued to the track it was so tacky and goopy. Sadly Mariners Run was also not immune to the mud either and although it was fun, it wasn’t the blast it might have been.

I managed to roll through to finish my 8th lap at 3:54… and being mad, I decided that I could go out and finish a 9th lap! I did manage to finish that lap and I’m glad that I did. It meant that I managed to crack the century and rode 102km or trails in 6 hours 40 minutes! I ended up placing 15th in the Solo (open men) class, which was awesome and a big surprise, especially as it was out of 75 entrants!

My knees largely held together, my lower back was sore but it stretched out OK. I kept up with my body’s food demands, and was able to find a steady, managable pace to ride at. Bring on the next event!

Ready for the daily grind

2008-11-27T13:05:00.007+11:00

Time to interupt my posting hiatus. I had intended to post on this blog at the rate of one post a month, but that hasn't happened of late. Not that I wasn't riding - I just wasn't taking photos to be able to post anything pretty. But this weekend I'll be back into it at the Kona 24 Hour. I've chosen a hard road for myself by riding in a pairs team - a serious commitment indeed. Teams of four have been my previous method of participation, but I'd reached a point where I'd done that and it was time for something new. My teamie and I figured that as a pair we could potentially make the ~~race~~ ride a more relaxed and more co-operative event for us. We’re strictly there for the event, not to race. We figured that we'd have the option to ride if we wanted to and rest if we wanted to. We'd also be able to spend time as a 'team' rather than just meeting briefly in transition. In fact, we intend to transition at our campsite, take things at a relaxed pace and have a decent amount of rest between laps. It should be good fun and a real challenge. Let's hope I have enough food, drink and that I can actually eat and drink enough of it to stay energised. I’m also riding a new-improved bike fit that will hopefully benefit my knee. It's still being tweaked, but hopefully I'm on the right track to a good fit. Here's to a weekend of endura, chamois cream, gels, dust and perhaps a little rain. Oh - and to bacon and eggs for breakfast!

Winter riding :: You Yangs

2008-07-31T19:37:00.001+10:00

I'd heard on the grapevine that the new trails built out at the You Yangs were well worth a ride and that the link track between the Stockyards trail and the new trails was also a fun ride. "Rough and rocky", "technical" and "challenging" were words that had been used to describe the link trail, which didin't really enthuse me that much, but the idea of the "flowing" trails at Kurrajong did. I did finally get out west to ride them all for myself and had a great time. Despite arriving solo, I met up with a friend and his riding buddies and my solo ride ended up being a group ride. The Kurrajong trails are great and I'm heading back out there this weekend (weather permitting) to ride the whole lot. The soil out there is quite sandy which meant that the rain of last week had little effect on the trails - they were bone dry and nice and fast. Just my kind of ride. This image pretty much encapsulates the experience - flowing, granular-surfaced trails snaking through the white-trunks of an open woodland. The fact that the soil type keeps the trails dry makes the You Yangs the best option for winter riding. I came back with little more than dust on my bike, no mud.

Dirt Crits Series Result

2008-06-30T23:46:00.004+10:00

My first series tilt at the Dirt Crits ended successfully. I ended up finishing second overall in C Grade and third overall in the combined series. Not bad for a first effort. A few things I learnt over the series were: 1. Go hard at the start and avoid the pile up into the first section of singletrack; 2. Despite thinking I was OK at the techy stuff, it turns out that my dodgy knee and high cadence means that my strength was actually in a straight line. 3. As a result, if I could make it into techy sections in front, I could hold people behind me. 4. Keeping a burst in reserve for the last lap is good, but you can't let people get two far ahead before that time. 5. Sometimes following others will make you go faster than you otherwsie would have ridden. 6. I managed OK for one race on my semi-slick Orriflammes, but my Crossmark tyres are better. 7. Even on a sprint race, a dually allows you to pedal through sections you'd otherwise have to roll on a hardtail.
The pic in this post is of me leading Nigel, one of my key competitors for the series. he beat me in this final race, but I managed to get the better of him overall in the series.

Beechworth Six Hour

2008-05-17T20:46:00.005+10:00

It's taken a decent rainy day to get me to write-up an event from about 2 months ago now. My usual riding buddy and I decided to make the trip up to Beechworth for the SHITS enduro. I don't really bother to get out to town to most of the enduros, but for some odd reason, this is the second time I've got up to Beechworth for this event. It's a strange choice as Beechworth is very up-and-down and rough and rocky, so it certainly takes its toll on the body.

Ness also made the trip up, to be our pit attendant and to share the 'fun'. We all decided not to rough it too much so booked a campsite cabin with a real bed to sleep on. We drove up on Friday night, so save a silly rush on Saturday morning.

The race rolled along and we ended up running it in a straight relay. I had some idea to do double laps, but both of us decided that we were too knackered after one lap to bother doing a second one straight after. I ended up doing the first lap and because I was last to get to the start line on the firetrail, I had nowhere else to go but to line up near the front! I felt like a bit of an impostor, but didn't mind. I ended up keeping it upright and although I was passed by a good few riders, I saved stacks of time with the good start position and made my life easier than it would otherwise have been. I always believe in riding smarter, not harder!

We decided to pull the pin on the race despite being able to squeeze in another lap - we were tired and hungry and that additional lap, which I was going to have to ride wasn't going to prove or change anything for us. It was time for our gourmet tour of the region to begin - with dinner at the King River Cafe near/in Milawa.

We slept soundly ans with plump bellies after three courses!

Sunday was a day of rest and involved coffee, lunch and wineries before heading home. It was a great way to spend a weekend, with plenty of good riding and good food.

The Concorde has landed

2008-04-20T23:08:00.000+10:00

It's here.

A cute couple

2008-04-18T14:51:00.011+10:00

Here's an arty picture of my lady and I looking cute but decidedly un-coupley while waiting for the Melburn Roobaix ride to start in Fed [] last Saturday. I ripped this image from the event organiser's website and it was taken by someone else who has done a neat job at greying out all but our colourful vintage jerseys. We had a rather uneventful day pounding the pave. One thing that the ride did prove to me was that I should leave the fixed wheel sitting on the shelf for a while, at least until I further sort out my knee and ITB issues.

Dirt Crits II

2008-03-24T20:37:00.006+11:00

So the dirt crits have been rolling on since my last post. Another thing that is back up and rolling is my Blur. The suspension forks had to travel all the way to Sydney to be fixed and they've well and truly cost me more than they should, but they're back up and running as good as new. Two races ago was a 'team' race, which randomly combined riders in pairs for the event. It was probably a good thing as the day had been intensely hot and the evening was no cooler. We managed 8th overall. I was not the faster rider of the pair but was pretty happy with my performance, especially my first lap time, though my second lap is an indication that I was feeling the heat and that it was a quiet lap and I didn't really have anyone around me to 'race' with, and keep me pushing along hard.

This week past was a good one. I had a ding-dong battle for the whole race with a rider who is fast becoming a pretty regular adversary. He has the power advantage through the technical sections while I have the speed and cadence advantage on the open sections. I'd prefer that I wasn't the 'roadie', but my left knee is still an issue for me. Our dual for second and third lasted the whole race - I had the upper hand for the first lap and a half but was passed towards the end of the second lap. I knew that I'd have to fight hard to hold his wheel for the third lap. I even pondered overtaking before the technical trails to hold him behind, but eventually decided that I'd see if I could hold his wheel and copy his lines, which would help me to be a faster rider in future races! I grimly managed to hold on to the end of the last windy section and made the snap decision to put the pedal down and see if I could drop him. Luckily for me, the move worked and he didn't hold my wheel so I was able to breathlessly make it to the finish. Second place was a good result - the next goal is to hold onto the guy who came first! I've beaten him before, but I think on that occasion he was caught in a first lap bingle that delayed a lot of the field. We'll see.

Dirt Crits

2008-03-04T21:12:00.016+11:00

I've been meaning to get down and race a Dirt Crit race at Westgate Park for... ooh, about four years now. I finally did drag myself down there a month ago and race! It was great! I decided not to pitch myself at too high a level first up and started out in C grade to get a feel for how I ride and how the competition would ride, before aiming up to B grade. My first race was a good learning experience, and was a good gauge of my fitness level and riding strengths but also made me aware of what racing tactics I should employ. I made a conservative start and ended up caught in the logjam into the first section of singletrack. After that, I spent the whole of the race passing people and eventually finished 8th. I realised that I had easily had enough speed to race further up the field and that I should really go from the start and get good track position and avoid being held up.

I made sure I did that in my second race last week, but the race quickly became an absolute debacle! My forks had just been (allegedly) serviced that day. I collected the bike from the bike store and drove it down to the race. All seemed well. I did a practice lap and then on my first lap, while I was mixing it in the lead group, they started 'clunking' over bumps. My initial thought was that I hadn't put enough air in them, but when I looked down at them when I started the second lap they had packed-down to nothing and I knew there was something more serious wrong with them. I had the pull out, while in the lead... I was pretty unhappy, to say the least. The forks still aren't fixed and the whole episode has only reminded me why I think that bike stores are a joke and why I view their ability and treat their promises with severe skepticism!

So this week I was back racing again, but on my hardtail, my 'old' bike. I had the misfortune to crash on my practise lap and have a stonking great bruise on my hip to show for it. That left me sore and a but uncertain about my race. I was tempted to pull the pin and go home, but did decide to wait and see how I felt once racing. I managed to put myself near the front of the race and was lucky to be only one rider behind an awkard (but not serious) delaying crash early on. I was able to skip around the two riders and keep going to chase down the leading three riders. From then on we rode together and maintained our gap on the next riders. It was clear that I had the straightline speed to put me in good stead, but that I was slightly slower through the technical sections of trail. I held onto a close second place onto the final undulating firetrail and nailed it to the finish, taking the win! This was the first mountain bike race I've ever won! I'll be back for more, for sure! I only hope that I'll have my duallie back soon, which will help me through some of the rutted, twisty areas of the course - areas that I can definitely pick up some time on. I think I'll stay with C Grade for a few weeks yet and gain a bit more experience, then think about stepping up to B Grade.

Thanks to Stephen Rowe for taking the pics of me in action - that last one is a cracker (and yes, I am buying the images)!

Tricks of the trade

2008-02-09T20:25:00.001+11:00

Both my mountain bikes have been laid low with mechanical issues this week. The first occurred a fortnight ago when I discovered that the rear hub on my (workhorse do-it-all) hardtail had cracked through the flange and into the hub body. A rude shock indeed - compounded by the fact that I was giving the bike and overhaul and was expecting to ride it the next day with it in good-as-new condition! I'm still deciding what to do - build up a new wheel? Mail order a wheelset from the internet?

And while the hardtail was laid up, the dualie's fork seals decided to fail... well, they had been progressively getting worse, but they really were shot after riding it last weekend. So, in for service they went. Unfortunately, the previous owner of the bike seems to have used Loctite in a location that he really, really shouldn't have and the shop has a bit of problem solving to do in order to sort the problem out.

Nicely enough, they've lent me a rear wheel so that the hardtail will be able to roll around for a ride tomorrow! Sweet!

Thanks to Stephen Rowe for taking the pic of me

The Ken rides

2008-01-03T13:37:00.000+11:00

What am I selling?

2007-12-20T09:49:00.000+11:00

This post started out earlier today as a 'for sale' post for the Benotto. How quickly things change. This morning I loaded this pony into the back of my girlfriend's car, as she was going to be heading in the direction of someone who had been interested in having a look at the bike. I fully expected it to return with her this evening, but it won't be. That one person liked it enough to buy it on the spot. I'm happy but sad. The Benotto is a beautiful bike but now, for me, the Benotto was a beautiful bike... For me, bikes seem to take on some emotional attachment. They have character. I'm not one to sell them on with abandon. I still own my first 'real' mountain bike - it's now 8 years old and still going strong. I don't think I could ever sell it - it would be a shame to, both on an emotional level and a rational level. Emotionally - It was my first real mountain bike, I raced my first race on it. I gained my first podium place on it. Rationally - I wouldn't get much for it and I still really enjoy riding it!

But for all it's beauty, I never used the Benotto for the purpose it was built - to ride a velodrome. My priorities were changing and I'm back on the mountain bike with a passion and I've finally relented and I'm going to get a road bike, so room must be made. The road bike? Hot tip - NOS Concorde Squadra. I'm saying no more for now!

Kenevans track

2007-12-10T19:15:00.000+11:00

Kenevans Track

Frame: 54cm square, Columbus (unknown) tubeset and fork, Gipiemme dropouts/tips.
Headset: Campagnolo Record
Wheels: Shimano Dura Ace 28H high-flange track hubs to Cerchi Fiamme Red Label tubular rims. Vittoria Pista EVO CS tubular tyres
Crank: Sugino Mighty track 165mm, 151 BCD, with 51 tooth Sugino Mighty Competition chainring, Izumi 1/8’ chain
Gearing: 51 – 14 (95 gear inches)
Bars: Nitto 38cm NJS track drops
Stem: 3TTT track stem
Saddle: Selle San Marco Regal ti, in plain white leather
Seatpost: Suntour Superbe Pro with Campagnolo seatpost bolt

This bike has been my extended 'winter project' for the year. It's taken a while to become a reality, but it's has come together very nicely. The frame was an ebay purchase and was in a significantly rougher state than I had expected. I was almost tempted to sell it on, but in the end decided to keep in and finish the job I'd started. Some of the parts on the final bike came with the bike 'originally', but many are subsequent acquisitions. For example, the bike came with Dura Ace hubs laced to red label rims, but they are not these wheels. Parts you see came from all over the world back to Melbourne. The saddle and seatpost bolt came from America, the headset bearings and crank bolts came from Frans in the Netherlands, the bars and stem came from Orange NSW, the cranks from Tasmania and the frame itself from Adelaide!

I have some lingering doubts as to whether the frame is indeed a Kenevans, as it does not have the 'K' pantograph on the seat stay tips and the fork crown. regardless, I have seen other Kenevans bikes without this. The dual-plate crown on the fork is old, and potentially older than the vintage of the bike, but regardless, the frame has nice Gipiemme tips and is a quality frame - it's very light! The chainstay bridge is the same as other Kenevans I have seen. I could go on - for now it's a Kenevans.

The stickers were a custom print run by Greg of Cyclomondo and are reproductions of the original stickers that I removed and scanned. They turned out brilliantly in the end after some finessing to arrive at the final, applied print run.

I gave the frame to Fleming at Bicycle Recycle to respray. I chose a deep green colour, which was a shade taken from the original paint job - a green to white fade. The green has a gold pearl applied over the top which gives it a brilliant lustre. The decals were applied and then clear-coated to finish the job off smoothly.

I chose nothing but the best tyres for this bike and found a pair of Vittoria Pista EVO CS tyres, which weight a paltry 150 grams each. Combined with the DA-Fiamme wheelset, the minimal rotating mass makes for lightening acceleration. In a fortunate twist of aesthetic fate, the white cotton cloth tyre sidewalls work in perfectly with the white saddle and bar tape. Thanks to Matt from Kookie bikes for glueing the tyres on and saving me the headache of getting glue on those pristine sidewalls!

And as is the case with all the track bikes I own, I need to find time out from riding the MTB and take her back to DISC velodrome for a spin... But I think I might scrub off the tyres at Caulfield velo first!

Kenevans, finally!

2007-12-08T09:30:00.000+11:00

After months of waiting, she is finished! More info shortly.

How not to install cranks

2007-12-08T09:25:00.000+11:00

I was feeling a little tired, but excited that the Ken finally had a bottom bracket of the right width and would finally be able to be assembled fully, so I wasn't really concentrating fully when installing the cranks. The result... extreme rotorcranks?

Kona 24 - done and dusty

2007-12-03T20:13:00.000+11:00

I joined the Team Liquid Chicken enduro juggernaut for their assault on the Kona 24 Hour race this year, having making the acquaintance of one of the chickens earlier this year on the Yarra Trail. My team, Who the hell are Team Liquid Chicken, were a four-man, which promised each member a sustainable balance of riding and rest for the 24 hours.

We certainly weren't the paciest team at the event, but we turned out a respectable performance. Sadly my last lap was a bit of a debacle as the couple of hits I'd sustained on my knee conspired with a tight ETB to bring me to a rather painful crawl... I made it back, but that was all the riding I was up for. Curses must go to those logs that I binned-it on... So, moving on from that, above is a pic of me going fast on my first lap.

The Chicken team was great to be part of and I'll be trying to rouse them from the parenting ways ;-) to hit the trails for more enduro events in the near future. Big thanks must go to 'Ness for being my soigneur for the event and to my teammates Jon, Ben and Scott for a great ride. Well done guys.

Thanks to Stephen Rowe for taking the pic of me

Gravity race face

2007-11-16T09:59:00.000+11:00

This is the best (read: only) pic that the on-course photographers snapped of me during the event. I had hoped that the panning/side-one pic they took of me worked out like my team-mate Seto's pic (below), but sadly I must have been too fast for them and blurred off the frame... ;-)

12 Hours of pleasure...

2007-11-11T22:47:00.000+11:00

Finally I made it back to do another mountain bike enduro race. This time it was the Gravity 12 Hour at Rosewhite. What can I say? The course was a tough one, with far more climbs than I was prepared for. I suppose it was to be expected, but it just goes to show that training goes a long way! Our team was a 'mixed three' and despite some dilly-dallying at the edn to ensure that was only had to complete 5 laps each, we still placed 11th in class. It seems that we would have cracked it to 8th if we had ridden at pace for the whole event. We all has a great time, despite being knackered by the end. Big thanks must go to vjb for supporting me so ably and also my teammates Seto and Mel for their enthusiastic riding and banter back at camp. Next up is the Kona 24 Hour at the start of December.

Project Ken

2007-10-29T13:49:00.000+11:00

Project Ken is creeping to completion at a glacial rate. It has proven to be a rather convoluted process and nothing has seemed to be simple. Even in spite of it being a track bike... the most SIMPLE or all bikes (TBC, but want to post now)

Benotto Modelo 1700

2007-09-22T22:40:00.000+10:00

Benotto Modelo 1700

Frame: 56cm square, Columbus Zeta tubeset with chrome fork, Campagnolo dropouts. Benotto pantograph on seat-stay tops (frame c. 1987?).
Headset: Benotto (OEM)
Wheels: Campagnolo Record 36H low-flange hubs to Ambrosio Synthesis tubular rims. Tufo S3 Pro tubular tyres
Crank: SR Aerox 165mm, with 48 tooth SR chainring, Izumi 1/8’ chain
Gearing: 48 – 15 (15T Campagnolo cog) (82 gear inches)
Bars: Nitto 38cm NJS track drops
Stem: 3TTT track stem
Saddle: Benotto brown suede (OEM) by Selle San Marco
Seatpost: SR fluted laprade

My research indicates that the Modelo 1700 was not a top-flight model from Benotto, but a nice entry-level machine. Knowing this, I’m pretty confident that this bike is largely representative of its original specification with the exception of the wheelset, bars and stem. The remaining mix of OEM and SR parts is indicative of a bike of its standing. For its age, the frame is remarkably clean, with the paint and stickers in almost as-new condition.

Benotto was formerly an Italian bicycle manufacturer, who moved their production to Mexico in the ‘80’s. Apparently Giacinto Benotto married a Mexican lass of some wealth which prompted this move.

This frame is in all likelihood a Mexican frame. By looking at the number stamped in BB shell, I am assuming that the frame dates from 1987, but this is only a guess.

Thanks to Matt from KookieBikes for the excellent service on the tubular tyres.

Now all I need to do is find time out from riding the MTB and take her back to DISC velodrome!

Hillman (goes track)

2007-08-03T12:26:00.000+10:00

Hillman Track

Frame: 57cm square, lugged (Reynolds 531) steel, built by Bates (Melbourne frame-maker) c. early 1970's. Repainted and stickered a Hillman at an unknown time.
Wheels: Formula sealed to Mavic CXP-22 via DT straight-gauge
Crank: vintage Stronglight Type 93 track crankset, drilled 49 T chainring (polished)
Gearing: 49 - 15 (86 gear inches)
Bars: Cinelli alloy track drops to Cinelli stem, cloth bar tape
Seat: WTB rocket V on SR laprade seatpost (polished)

Yes, she is usually a street bike and setup much differently, but last week I decided to have a 'clean-up' and thought I'd see how many of my parts bin were actually usable. This build-up is the result. I'm not sure how long she'll stay like this, no doubt she'll be back in street guise sometime soon. And yes - this is her usual place in the loungeroom.

New look

2007-07-18T23:25:00.000+10:00

The Hillman has been given a subtle new look, in the form of a set of road drops. They're wrapped in black bar tape to match my saddle which makes the whole bike quite a resolved-looking pony. Since this photo was taken, I've also rubbed the logos off the saddle, so it now looks in keeping with the vintage bike that it sits atop (and less like the MTB saddle that it is).

In other news, I'm expecting reproduction decals for my Kenevans any day now and so I've sent it off to the frame painters to be stripped in preparation for painting. The paint will be a Deep green with a gold pearl layer over the top. The decals will be laid under a layer of clearcoat for an uber-slick finish to the bike. More news as it happens.

A cute couple

2007-06-18T21:36:00.000+10:00

Aren't they a cute little pair?! My Hillman has met it's match in the pretty stakes, that's for sure. I'm thinking that I'll have to go and get myself a set of drops and think about colour-matching my bartape with my saddle, just to be able to compete with this little blue gem. 'le petit bleu' is the new ride belonging to a special acquaintance of mine and she loves it, justifiably so!

Hanging Round

2007-06-10T10:05:00.000+10:00

When south of the river, St Ali in South Melbourne is a favourite cafe haunt for the fixed Saturday ride. Here see are Chris' Raleigh and my Hillman hanging around enjoying a well-earned latte break.

100% lana

2007-05-31T12:19:00.000+10:00

All these rainy days has left me hankering for sun, warmth and pleasant riding. Luckily for me, I picked up another vintage wool jersey yesterday - perfect for beating the winter chill!

Any Given Saturday

2007-05-20T10:03:00.000+10:00

This post is a duplicate of one originally posted on fixed.org.au

For all those who haven't ridden the Melburn Saturday ride, here's a potted account of yesterday's roll round...

For some, myself included, the 7:30 meet time has always been a bit of a challenge. I inevitably leave lateish, and this morning it meant I had to do a TT-style run down St Kilda Road.

The 'style' of the ride has changed in the past few weeks, as our sergeant-major ndf has been picking backstreet routes in training for the forthcoming Melburn-Roobaix torture-test.* This morning it was the backstreets of Prahran, Balaclava and Brighton, before we jumped onto Beach Road to have a play with the Saturday morning pelotons.

(*Not really)

Some took it easy, others gave it some stick: the general idea was to regroup at the Black Rock clocktower for coffee and rubbish-talk before punting it back up the beach. We met a guy at the café who was rolling around on a 39-year-old road bike, with full old-skool Campy gear, all original, even the drivetrain! And of course his Brooks saddle was also original.

The run down to Black Rock was quick but as we rolled out of the café to head back, full of croissants and coffee, it became clear why... our tailwind friend was now our headwind foe! Heads down, we slogged back up to St Kilda. A large pack eventually caught us and a female Drapac-Porsche team rider riding with them asked about the 'baseball cards' in our rear wheels, which was more than a whole ride worth of male roadies had said to us...

A quick stop in St Kilda to regroup, then we rolled down St Kilda Road into the city, where the ride broke up and a few people headed off to start preparations for the Drags scheduled for the afternoon. A number of us ended up at the GPO cafe for a leisurely coffee/breakfast/lunch stop before riding down though Birrarung Marr to Abbotsford Cycles to tend to some mechanical needs. Abbotsford is one of those wonderful cycle shops that time has forgotten. They have great service and carry all kinds of gear for the more idiosyncratic bicycles of Melbourne – the perfect place for those riding vintage track bikes!

From Abbotsford Cycles, we rode back into the city, through Docklands to the Moonee Ponds creek Drain under Citylink, for the Drags.

...mj

Another Saturday fixed ride

2007-05-18T17:12:00.000+10:00

It's that time of the week again, time again for the fixed Saturday ride. See you all at Fed[], bright and early (7:30) for another lucky dip through the streets of Melbourne. *Unless it's raining, which is a sure indication that this little fixed-rider will be snug in bed! However, don't let that deter you, as we all know that: the first rule of the Saturday ride is that there is always a ride on Saturday, so if it is raining, there is sure to be another hardy soul waiting there to make it a 'ride'.

The Hour

2007-04-24T21:56:00.000+10:00

A mean pair

2007-03-17T23:13:00.000+11:00

In keeping with the tradition that I am creating on the blog, I'm posting once a month, generally saying nothing, but simply pasting up an image on a bike, or bikes in this case.

Another Tuesday evening

2007-02-27T10:02:00.000+11:00

Urban Trek

2007-02-08T18:18:00.000+11:00

The Trek is my first baby. Despite the years passing, she’s rarely ever been ‘old’ however. I’ve regularly been updating and altering the parts hanging off her. In fact, the only original bits of her are the frame, the shifters and... Well actually, that is all. Over the years she's morphed subtly between genres of MTB riding. I've had her with a low seat and a silly high and wide set of bars for carving the street but I like her best as she is, with low risers allowing plenty of leverage and fast-rolling fat tyres for plenty of corner grip and reasonable rolling-resistance. There’s plenty of years worth of fun left in her yet!

Just Hanging Round

2007-01-22T16:41:00.000+11:00

Hillman

2007-01-16T21:29:00.000+11:00

Vintage 1970's Hillman track bike

She's converted for street use. With brake. No bunny-hopping for this little pony however...

Frame: vintage '70's 531 steel, lugged.
Wheels: vintage Sunshine (Sanshin) Pro-Am high-flange track hubs, (note the star pattern in the flanges - as distinct from the cut-outs on most other hubs) to vintage Kaga track rims. These rims are pre Michelin inventing the bead hook on a rim, so they have no hook... Lowish pressures are the order of the day there.
Crank: vintage Stronglight Type 93 track crankset, with completely unique and redundant 122mm BCD and star pattern in the spider and chainring (matches hub, yes?).
Gearing: street and knee-friendly 47-20, for 62 gear inches.
Bars: Nitto hardened anodised TT bars with Champ Kieren grips
Seat: Good old WTB Rocket V.
Brake: 'cos I have a brain and want to live.

If you see me on the street, wave and say hello, it's the fixie way.

old skool

2006-12-28T10:50:00.000+11:00

The Hillman is the most recent acquisition in my stable, yet it is also the oldest at about 30 years old. There is no doubt that this bike has character and history, most of which I have yet to determine!

the long race

2006-11-28T10:32:00.000+11:00

Earlier this year I raced in the Scott 24 Hour race with a team of Uni friends. The event was tough-as: the course was hard and rutted and interminably dusty. It deffinitely made a change from latte-cruising round Melbourne on a fixed-gear! Sadly, this was the last time I actually rode the Santa Cruz this year... It has sat proudly in the corner of my loungeroom, yet has remained sadly untouched. 2007 must be a year of more dirty riding.

the fixed 100

2006-10-29T10:45:00.001+11:00

I've been spending increasingly more time of late tooling about on my fixed-gear. Since hammering myself at the Scott 24 Hour, it's been a far easier prospect to just roll out of my place and go riding on the street, rather than packing the bike in the car and driving out to find some trails. And here's another reason to stay fixed: The Fixed 100 is a special Saturday fixed-gear ride for the Melbourne crew. The Distance will be approximately 100km and the pace will be easy at around 20km/hr. Gearing is recommended to be under 70 gear inches. Route to be determined later but will likely be car-free (yay!) and have lots of stops for food and drink. All brought to you by the guys at fixed.org.au

the saturday fix

2006-10-19T20:04:00.000+10:00

If you're in Melbourne, you ride a fixed-gear and you can cope with getting up stupid-early on a Saturday morning, come ride on the weekly Saturday fixed ride. It's riding, coffee and talking silly. We're all bound by a silly choice of bikes... that are so much fun!

twentyfour

2006-09-01T22:23:00.000+10:00

In a shameless act of self-promotion I've managed to pimp out my blog link in the team profile that is online at the Scott 24 Hour Race page... So I s'pose that means that I actually need to post something here to justify such an act. So here 'tis. Our team, 'Pista on the Dirt' will kickass at the 24, there's no doubt. Gotta go train now!...

more fix

2006-08-15T22:51:00.000+10:00

Dan from shifterbikes has posted a few pics of the Hillman, before and after he fitted the new fork and brake. I guess that means that I’ve made it, now that I have had my fixxie posted on shifterbikes… but really, it’s pretty cool, I’m liking being part of the fixxie crown now. Fixxies are just so terribly hip right now. I’m also enjoying owning “a piece of Australian cycling history” as the bike was called. Well, it works for me anyway.

fix-ed

2006-08-14T21:56:00.000+10:00

This past Saturday’s fixxie ride was another lovely jaunt in the sun, down to the sleepy beachside village of Williamstown. My lovely Hillman fixxie has come up quite a treat. Its hubs are now repacked and I’ve fitted an XC MTB flat bar in place of the narrow track drops it came with. Sensibly, it now also has a brake, which has been installed on a new, drilled chrome fork (I was talked into saving the original twin-plate fork from being drilled). I’ve also changed out the rear cog so that I’m now running a street-friendly 68 inch gear, down from the knee-breaking 82 inch track gear that I pushed around last weekend! So continues my further descent into crazed bike obsession…

resting steeds

2006-07-26T22:07:00.000+10:00

Melburn Roobaix

2006-07-24T22:28:00.000+10:00

The soon-to-be-legendary, and potentially first-annual Melburn-Roobaix was run and run this past Saturday, and what an event it was! If any of you have ever raced in an alleycat before, you might have an inkling of what the event involved… Unlike an alleycat, this event was not actually a ‘race’ per se… Rather it was an event based on participation and reliving the spirit of the Paris Roubaix day race that is run annually in the chilly dampness of Spring in the North of France. I joined up with fixed-gear riders Johnny, Nick, Pete and Des for the event and we rode like some sort of team around to all the checkpoints. That is, until the traffic lights between Toorak Road and Bridge Road on Church Street intervened… However, a few checkpoints later we regrouped and finished with the requisite lap of Brunswick Velodrome. Despite wanting to properly imitate this year’s Roubaix, we decided against running a level-crossing... I did feel somewhat guilty that I was on an MTB for all the pave... but my wrists thanked me! A barbecue, beers and bike-talk was had on the infield of the velodrome after the finish, and a selection of prizes were distributed. Fun for all. The pic shown is of me (in red top and silver helmet) in the midst of the start gathering at fed square, taken by Nath. Other pics of me (cos I’m that narcissistic) can be found here, here and here.

boy’s first fixxie

2006-07-21T22:27:00.000+10:00

I have memories of riding with my little brother and my Dad around the streets of the inner southern suburbs of Canberra… we both had little blue bikes, of varying degrees of prettiness, but generally in good repair. They had one gear. So, now that I am older and wiser, and ride bikes with suspension and many gears, I have rather impulsively made a purchase that will take me back, even further back in bike evolution than little blue bike of my childhood. I’ve bought myself a fixed-gear bike. A track bike. A bike with one speed and no freewheel. Oh the simplicity… the sheer terror it shall bring…

ride on

2006-07-20T22:25:00.000+10:00

It would be most remiss of me to let le tour pass by without more than a passing mention in a single post, so here’s another. I’ll be up tonight watching the last stage in the French Alps until the finish, live on SBS. It should be a corker and will be decisive in the overall result. I’ll be cheering for Cadel and Mick, that’s for sure. I’ll be out on the bike and will go for a spin in the ‘Hell of the Northcote’, the soon-to-be-legendary Melburn-Roobaix, a race through the streets of Melbourne, across the town’s ‘most brutal pave, railway crossings, dirt tracks, finishing with a lap of the Brunswick Velodrome’. While I’m in the mood for describing things as corkers, I think it’s safe to say that the Hell of the Northcote should also be a corker. I juts need to decide on what to wear – should it be my find of last weekend – a genuine team Molteni retro wool top or perhaps a TI Raleigh wool top…? Teamed with argle socks… but the red or the black?

Alleycat

2005-11-01T13:06:00.000+11:00

Bicycle messengers (or bike couriers) have their own individual culture and live a most unique lifestyle. In my pursuit of immersing myself in all things bike, last evening I infiltrated the Melbourne bike courier community and raced in one of their traditional rites: The Alleycat. An alleycat is a race through the streets and involves collecting items, doing tasks and riding fast through traffic. It's a bit insane for me to be honest, which is why I'm not a bike courier... Running red lights with traffic flowing through and intersection is not my idea of fun. It's reckless and stupid! As a result, I did not win, but I had some fun. This alleycat involved visiting at least two pubs to collect drink coasters; visiting checkpoints at The Age on Spencer Street, the Horseracing Museum at Fed [] and the Melbourne Museum in Carlton; doing 5 push-ups in front of Pony Bar; placing a bet on the Melbourne Cup and finally finishing at a bar on Bourke Street. The pic shows the card that all alleycats had in their real wheel. I raced as “Think Big”, as, for obvious reasons, the race had a Melbourne Cup theme. I survived, finished and had fun! Riding a 32-16 singlespeed gear was not the best idea as I found myself spinning out with no more gear to go faster, but that was fun (and yet another bike story) also!

Les Blur

2005-10-27T17:33:00.000+10:00

Finally, I have recieved the image CD that I had hoped would have contained some pictures of me in full-flight, hammering the Mont 24 Hour course, my face etched with effort and agony. Sadly, all the images I could find featured me with my signature emotionless stare... Either I wasn't trying or I don't show any emotion at all when I’m riding (probably because I'd be stuck with a Cheshire cat grin all the time otherwise, which would do my collection of smile-lines no good). So, here’s image number one, of me, slogging the gradual fire-trail ‘climb’ at the start of the course, with 19 kays to go.

Racing Action!

2005-10-14T23:48:00.000+10:00

In a rampant display of self-indulgence, here are some pics of me racing at the Mont. Note the retro tops I'm wearing in the first and the last shots: tres chic. Sorry about the watermarks... You just can't get anything for free these days!

Here's me on the first lap I rode, looking fresh and sexy in a retro top.

And here's me, a little overdressed, heading out for my 6am morning lap.

Finally, here is me, dressed nattily, but looking a little bit strained, about to round the mesh-coated switchback, which was slippery as hell.

The Mont

2005-10-11T23:49:00.000+10:00

Another 24 hours has rolled around and I'm sore in some interesting places and my head is a little hazy... Despite this, I had a great Mont 24 Hours. I don't think that many people would say any different, despite the sleep deprivation, bitter cold, mud, rain, snow, roots and rocks that were part of every 20km lap of the course.

All of these factors added up to a gruelling yet wonderfully enjoyable experience. I'm sure that the 2450 other competitors will be thinking exactly the same thing! How much fun is it to ride a night lap on a slick, muddy course at 9:30pm? Lots. Can you think of a more invigorating thing to do at 6am than rolling out of you tent, gearing up, grabbing your bike and riding another 20km of slippery, muddy trails? Nup, me neither. I'll try and write more about The Mont when I'm feeling more focused.

In other bike-related news, my 4th place class finish in the FTF Winter Series has meant that I score either some cash or some shwag or both! I may even get a trophy: what fun. Next weekend is the first round of the Victorian State Series and I'm hoping for significantly less mud than winter dished up.

Needless to say that I'll be at the Mont 24 Hours again next year. Not to be missed.

Night Recce

2005-10-09T00:00:00.000+10:00

It was Friday evening at 7:30, and the forecast rain had begun falling and I pedalled off on my night recce lap for the Mont 24 Hour. Needless to say, the slick forming on the trail, combined with the background noise of rain falling on the forest, the blank darkness either side of my light and the mist of rain filling its beam made for a rather intense experience! It was a welcome and satisfying conclusion to emerge from the forest and ride down the finishing straight, while all around me a sea of mountain bikers were setting up camp for Saturdays race, their voices echoing across the firetrail and lights bobbing in the darkness. The rain was still falling.

Homeward Bound

2005-10-06T00:01:00.000+10:00

The road-trip has ended, and I've arrived in the hometown after two days of travel, a bit of riding and some relaxing. I decided to take the easy option and instead of blatting up the freeway for an absurdly stupefying 8hours of solid driving, I broke it up into two days of leisurely driving, with a bit of a ride on the trails at the Beechworth Mountain Bike Park in-between. I'm off for my first sighter of the Mont 24 Hour race course tomorrow morning at the jolly hour of 7:00am, which hopefully should be good. I have a feeling it'll be the nicest lap that I'll do of the course, as the weather forecast for the weekend is not so good, but that's riding for you.

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