Another post, to show what's been going on at the  Workshop.. 

Few months back, Wiltja Boarding College asked us to run a bike-building event, something for their students to do one Saturday.     We would supply bikes; the boys would help fix them; fixed bikes would go to a worthwhile cause.

  I wasn't sure. The  Workshop is set up for people bringing their  bikes in to us, to work on at Plympton. We did have a lot of spare parts and frames - b ut usually takes a lot of work to…

This is a re-post of the article I wrote for the latest edition of The Bicycle Institute quarterly, Pedal Update.

http://www.bisa.asn.au/node/284

Considering some of the discussion on Adelaide Cyclists, I thought it would be good to spread the story around a bit.

cheers,

Sophia

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Adelaide: Heaps okay, really!

It’s easy to knock Adelaide, especially if you’re a bike user. It’s soooo…

Its been a while since I posted an entry in my blog. I have been a little preoccupied and have found it difficult to find the time to blog. 15 days ago I entered the Strava "A Classic Challenge from Specialized " to climb 105,312 feet (32,100 meters) in 47 days. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I can do this but I want to give it a good go!

climb 1 & 1/3rd the height of Mount Lofty each ride

Assuming that…

Today I invented 'Strava Writing" (or at least I could'nt find anyone who has done it before me).

Strava Writing is writing words (or drawings) with the red line that marks your bike route in Strava.  My first attempt is pretty basic and looks like this:…

Went for a quick(?) dirt road spin up Old Bull Creek Rd. out of Strathalbyn this morning.

A beautiful day for it and the first climbing of any note that I've done for many years.

I went out a bit too hard like a fool and my body cried enough so I had a quick rest and a recalibration of my idea of my current abilities.

Once I convinced myself that I'm no less a man for using the granny, things looked up, so to speak.

I hit my maximum desirable heart rate but by…

I was never expecting that I will like cycling just like right now.

First reason that i started cycling because I cannot afford a car and I need transportation that is not public transport.

Why I choose Bianchi as for my first bike?

Well....when I am searching for my bike, I encounter many bike from different kinds and brands.

When I see Bianchi Via Nirone 7, I simply fall in love at first sight and I cannot free my mind from that bike.

Finally I bought it…

4:45am Alarm

Lynn's alarm was set to go off for 4:45am so it seemed a good opportunity to do another long ride with some climbs in it. I didn't sleep to well overnight so I had thought a little about where I was going this morning.  I climbed the Old South Eastern Freeway from the tollgate to the bollards for the first time  just before Christmas, 3 months ago. I have not done this again since. On that day it was 35C, not favorable for a first time cat 2 climb.

To Get To the…

Well the day came around for my usual Wednesday ride but today was different as I was allowed to ride my husbands Giant TCR Advanced 3!

For the last six months I have been riding my Mountain bike with road tyres, it has served me well on my weekly rides and got me round my first Bupa Challenge back in January and I do still love it.…

well it had been awhile since i had taken on a ride over 100km so this was the perfect ride to see where i was at.I drove into town rather than ride as i had no idea how i would go and having the car near by seemed a safe bet.I arrived in plenty of time and parking was no problem,taking a slow ride up to the start line it seemed there was not as many riders as i had thought for this 1st velo ride.The weather forecast was good and as the sun came up so did the heat but it was the wind that…

Something Old & Something New

To keep the Strava challenge alive, for me, I need to find some different hills to climb that don't want to kill me. Today I decided to add Wickhams Hill road to my list of hills attempted and to revisit an old one, to climb for the second time, Old Willunga Hill.

To do this I thought I would head the couple of KM's to Bains Rd, climb it to Piggott Range Road and to head into Clarendon, Bakers Gully, McLaren Flat. Up Wickhams Hill, along…

Went to my shed Sunday morning to pump the tyres for the VeloAdelaide ride and there was no bike, stuff strewn around the floor and no louvres in the window. Lost tools also, but he left a beautiful boot print on the stool he used to leave, the police loved it! It was a targeted theft.

The bike is a white PBK 2008 frame, Fulcrum Racing 5 rims, red Look pedals, Campag compact Centaur cranks black, 12/25 rear, centaur skeleton brakes. There are not many of these around, I've only seen…

Take no Enemies

Today I am going to climb a few hills. I was disappointed in myself last Thursday when I had to stop to get breath at the first corner up education road. Its the first time I have failed to climb a hill I have set out to do apart from a ramp up the Seaford Cliff's on a mountain bike.  Last Thursday I had planned to climb Chandlers hill Road and Clarendon as well but after failing Education road I felt dejected and after continuing on to Piggott Range road I went home…

Over the last few weeks i have noticed my lack of motivation and enthusiasm to get on my bike increasing. I love exercise and enjoy the freedom of riding but i find it difficult to actually get out the door. There are a couple of times during the week where i will ride home from the office if my wife has a late appointment but that is more because i HAVE to not necessarily because i WANT to. im not sure why i am at this point. When i was training for my first TDU ride this year it was…

I was just heading out on the BSA yesterday morning to watch my son's F-grade cricket final at Brooklyn Park, when I passed the parked ute of the local secondhand/junk/art dealer.  In the tray was a blue Gitane bike with the back wheel off.  I asked how much, and he said $20.  "You're on," I said, and paid my money, left the BSA in his care, leaning against the street sign, and carried the Gitane home (50m).  Then I came back, and continued the journey.…

I headed out the door at 6:44am to meet David on Reynell road to ride down to Port Noarlunga to the start of the SSRC (Southern Suburbs Road Cyclists) 'L' group ride. Unfortunately David was running a little late after suffering issues with his rear light.

The official ride report is available here http://www.adelaidecyclists.com/forum/topics/official-ssrc-l-ride-report 

Tight on…

After getting lost on my first race and finishing last on my second it was with a bit of trepidation that I went back for number 3.

The route started off with a climb up Moritz Rd, which is where I got dropped last week and then four laps(for my group Div 2) of a loop  around Schuller and Brookmans Rds…

Can anyone out there in the Adelaide cyclist world inform me of anyone or anyteam in Adelaide which provides a very accurate professional bike fit without the biased opinions about your choice of bike etc, at a reasonable price?  I mean I don't want someone telling me that the bikes they sell in their shop are the ones that would suit my body dimensions better than the one I already have, even though the one I have was designed for my body shape, dimensions and riding style etc.  I am fed up…

Just came across this little gem. Some colourful language involved. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgCqz3l33kU

I went on a “Thursday Rural Ride” with the Adelaide Touring cyclists today.

While there was a small chance of a small amount of rain forecast we didn't see any rain.

The autumn scenery was quite pleasant and the leaves ar just beginning to turn colour.…

Classic Challenge from Specialized

Today the "A Classic Challenge from Specialized " starts on Strava. A challenge to climb 32,100 meters (105,312 feet) from the 1th of March to the 30th of April. That's 45 days! To save you working that out its 713.4 meters per day or 2,340.3 feet per day. Doen't get me wrong, I know I am not going to achieve this! Its all about seeing just how I stack up against others I am…