Had my 2nd commute home on Tuesday night. It went Ok, quite a strong south westerly, which isn't fun when you live south west. But it was still a good ride. Had a bit of a 'race' with another commuter, neither of us acknowledged it but the pace sure as hell picked up when we met at the lights and we were both out of the seat on the climbs. He got me at the last set of lights when I mis-changed a gear... It made it all the more fun anyway.
I picked up the repaired HRM and used that on the way home, avg HR of 163 bpm, be nice to drop that over the next few weeks.
I have fitted the new Conti tyres , my comfortable seat from the SS and my speedo in preparation for this weekends ride down in Tongarario. I am so looking forward to this coming ride. 38 MTBers hitting one of the (supposedly) best trails in NZ, point to point, and the end is a pub...
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Monday, March 27, 2006
82kg
Wow - I thought I was getting a bit soft.
I am back to 82kg - 2 or 3 weeks of bad diet and less exercise and boomshanka 3 KG's back on. It took about 2 months to get it off.
That just sucks.
I am back to 82kg - 2 or 3 weeks of bad diet and less exercise and boomshanka 3 KG's back on. It took about 2 months to get it off.
That just sucks.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Another crap ride
My planned long slow ride at either Woodhill or Riverhead on Saturday morning started to go wrong on Friday. Both my expected riding buddies pulled out and all the other people I know who would be willing to do a 3 hour plus ride were not riding on Saturday either.
I went out anyway and took the Cindercone for its first Woodhill ride since it was put back together. I do not ride Riverhead on my own, especially after a bit of rain, it can be very greasy and is not that well ridden. I knew no-one in the carpark at Woodhill so I plugged the mp3 into my head and rode off. As usual I hit the Northern end first as it usually stays firmer as it is less ridden by the bunnies as the southern end. The track was still pretty bad, cut up to hell and I had problems again with the old tyres. I really wasnt flowing well and had trouble on the climbs again with keeping the front wheel on the ground. My balance was just not in it again.
I stopped half way up my track and started to scope out the extension, I layed out about 100 or so metres before hitting the trail again. I kind of have an idea of how I want the second stage to go, not that I have heard anything from the bike park management people. I think I will just go dig anyway.
I made it a fairly shot ride after that. Stopped off at Freeride'n and bought 2 Continental Explorer 2.1'' tyres.
Saturday afternoon I went to put the new Truativ stem in the SS but the fork didnt have enough post available so I put the shorter stem off the Cindercone on the SS, along with the 'new' Azonic bars and the longer stem on the Cindercone.
Sunday it rained all day so I lazed around and watched the Womens and Mens road race from the Commonwealth games. NZ disappointed in both.
But go Rosara Joseph who won silver in womans MTB race...
Next weekend I am going to ride the 42nd Traverse in Tongarario National Park in the central North Island and have taken the following Monday and Tuesday off when I will go dig.
I am really pumped about the ride. It is a Vorb organised event and there are theoretically 36 riders going. I am heading down on Friday with a friend to ride Craters of the moon in Taupo which will be good as long as the damn rain goes away...
I went out anyway and took the Cindercone for its first Woodhill ride since it was put back together. I do not ride Riverhead on my own, especially after a bit of rain, it can be very greasy and is not that well ridden. I knew no-one in the carpark at Woodhill so I plugged the mp3 into my head and rode off. As usual I hit the Northern end first as it usually stays firmer as it is less ridden by the bunnies as the southern end. The track was still pretty bad, cut up to hell and I had problems again with the old tyres. I really wasnt flowing well and had trouble on the climbs again with keeping the front wheel on the ground. My balance was just not in it again.
I stopped half way up my track and started to scope out the extension, I layed out about 100 or so metres before hitting the trail again. I kind of have an idea of how I want the second stage to go, not that I have heard anything from the bike park management people. I think I will just go dig anyway.
I made it a fairly shot ride after that. Stopped off at Freeride'n and bought 2 Continental Explorer 2.1'' tyres.
Saturday afternoon I went to put the new Truativ stem in the SS but the fork didnt have enough post available so I put the shorter stem off the Cindercone on the SS, along with the 'new' Azonic bars and the longer stem on the Cindercone.
Sunday it rained all day so I lazed around and watched the Womens and Mens road race from the Commonwealth games. NZ disappointed in both.
But go Rosara Joseph who won silver in womans MTB race...
Next weekend I am going to ride the 42nd Traverse in Tongarario National Park in the central North Island and have taken the following Monday and Tuesday off when I will go dig.
I am really pumped about the ride. It is a Vorb organised event and there are theoretically 36 riders going. I am heading down on Friday with a friend to ride Craters of the moon in Taupo which will be good as long as the damn rain goes away...
Thursday, March 23, 2006
New Stem
Bought a stem off a guy from Vorb.
This weekend I will fit it to the Single Speed and take the longer stem off that bike and try it on the Cindercone.
With a set of new tyres I will get on Saturday I am hoping to have a bit more grip getting up steaper climbs.
This weekend I will fit it to the Single Speed and take the longer stem off that bike and try it on the Cindercone.
With a set of new tyres I will get on Saturday I am hoping to have a bit more grip getting up steaper climbs.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
First Commute
One thing I really hate about my new job is the lack of showering facilities. The nearest place that allow you to shower for a couple of bucks is the Tepid Baths and that is close to a kilometre away, which is no good for a 16km commute. The gym over the road from the office said I could use their showers if I joined for $100 a month. As I do have a company car park - I am not that keen to commute !
It finally occured to me the other day I could drive in with the bike, ride home and bus in the next day, not sure why it took until the end of summer but maybe it was because commuting on a fully suspended bike or a single speed with a 32:18 ratio would suck.
Anyway I cycled home last night, it took me about 41 minutes and I was in good condition when I got home. This is probably the fastest I have ever done the commute ride, and seeing as I have 2.3 inch knobbly tyres on I was well pleased.
Perfect conditions as well, warm and sunny, not too much traffic, but enough to keep the speads down.
I chose to ride up Queen St, Upper Queen to Dominion rd, then New North rd, St Judes, St Georges, Portage and Godley. New North is a shit of a road, 2 narrow lanes and a lot of traffic lights. If I ever get collected by a car it will be on this road.
I aime to commute by bike once or twice a week for as long as I can, which in previous years has not been long into autumn...
It finally occured to me the other day I could drive in with the bike, ride home and bus in the next day, not sure why it took until the end of summer but maybe it was because commuting on a fully suspended bike or a single speed with a 32:18 ratio would suck.
Anyway I cycled home last night, it took me about 41 minutes and I was in good condition when I got home. This is probably the fastest I have ever done the commute ride, and seeing as I have 2.3 inch knobbly tyres on I was well pleased.
Perfect conditions as well, warm and sunny, not too much traffic, but enough to keep the speads down.
I chose to ride up Queen St, Upper Queen to Dominion rd, then New North rd, St Judes, St Georges, Portage and Godley. New North is a shit of a road, 2 narrow lanes and a lot of traffic lights. If I ever get collected by a car it will be on this road.
I aime to commute by bike once or twice a week for as long as I can, which in previous years has not been long into autumn...
Monday, March 20, 2006
Round the Bays
Round the Bays is an annual 8.4km charity run held in Auckland. It has been going for decades and this year attracted about 75,000 walkers and runners.
I ran with the crew from my Hudson, my old employer. I was feeling a bit lagged after the long hot ride the day before, plus my ankle was still a bit tender and my Nikes are flogged out now.
The day was almost perfect for running, not too warm, reasonable cloud cover but no wind, I would have prefered a gentle breeze. I worked my way as close to the start as I could but not near enough to where I wanted to be. I know the day is a fun run and not a race, but the walkers are supposed to be on the left and I found my stuck behind families and prams and kids on bikes. Why can't these slow walkers start at the back. I am selfish I guess.
It took me close to 5 minutes to get to the start line after the gun went, and then I jumped the bushes and ran into the walkers section as that was moving faster than the runners. It still took another couple of minutes to even get running. The first 3 Km's is spent running around people walking in the middle of the road in large groups, so I of course got frustrated at a lack of rhythym and ended up going too fast. By Mission Bay I was feeling the pace and started to slow down before one of the Hudsun runners caught me and we ran together for a while before he moved off.
I left a bit for the final burst over the line and recorded a 43:40 from the start, by my watch and an official 47:47 from the gun. I was about a minute slower than last year which was OK and appeared to be 3rd out of about 60 in the Hudson crew, though some were walking !
My shoes need to go, there must be a split in the sole of my left shoe as it has been squeaking for a while now and was pinching my foot during the run.
I stopped for a couple of quick beers and a sausage and then went home to do the house work...
I ran with the crew from my Hudson, my old employer. I was feeling a bit lagged after the long hot ride the day before, plus my ankle was still a bit tender and my Nikes are flogged out now.
The day was almost perfect for running, not too warm, reasonable cloud cover but no wind, I would have prefered a gentle breeze. I worked my way as close to the start as I could but not near enough to where I wanted to be. I know the day is a fun run and not a race, but the walkers are supposed to be on the left and I found my stuck behind families and prams and kids on bikes. Why can't these slow walkers start at the back. I am selfish I guess.
It took me close to 5 minutes to get to the start line after the gun went, and then I jumped the bushes and ran into the walkers section as that was moving faster than the runners. It still took another couple of minutes to even get running. The first 3 Km's is spent running around people walking in the middle of the road in large groups, so I of course got frustrated at a lack of rhythym and ended up going too fast. By Mission Bay I was feeling the pace and started to slow down before one of the Hudsun runners caught me and we ran together for a while before he moved off.
I left a bit for the final burst over the line and recorded a 43:40 from the start, by my watch and an official 47:47 from the gun. I was about a minute slower than last year which was OK and appeared to be 3rd out of about 60 in the Hudson crew, though some were walking !
My shoes need to go, there must be a split in the sole of my left shoe as it has been squeaking for a while now and was pinching my foot during the run.
I stopped for a couple of quick beers and a sausage and then went home to do the house work...
Waharau Ride
Had a great ride out at Waharau on Saturday. Waharau is about an hour from the city on the Firth of Thames at the back of the Hunua ranges. The ride is a big uphill followed by an equal sized downhill, with a mix of open farm land and some awesome native bush single track.
The ride was a vaguely organised VORB ride and attracted 16 riders, which is a huge amount by Auckland standards. Mix of experienced and fit riders and the less fit.
We did the track in reverse, riding up the long slow 4 wheel drive road through farm land. The climb took about 2 hours with quite a few breaks to allow the slower riders to catch up and rest. The climb was a mix of gravel, dirt and grass and a good mix of gradual to steep gradient. I gave the rebuilt Cindercone its first work out and need to put a long stem on. I had real trouble keep the front end on the track on the steeper sections and with the crap tyres I am running I was losing traction when I stood up. I walked a bit of the steep stuff.
Once we got into the forest at the top of the climb there is a nice section of fast flowy single track across the ridge, followed by another climb to the top of the down hill section. Apart from 1 steep point the downhill was very smooth, tight and twisty in parts, but not overly technical. It was a seat down, hands off brakes rush down to the bottom.
It was an awesome ride, no injuries, the only mechanical was one rider losing his front brake fluid which at least meant he could ride on. It was very humid, I drained a 2 litre hydrapak by the end. there were a few broken riders.
Stopped off for fish, chips and a beer at the Kaiaua fish and chip shop before heading home.
great daybut I left my damn camera at home and the phone in the car.
The ride was a vaguely organised VORB ride and attracted 16 riders, which is a huge amount by Auckland standards. Mix of experienced and fit riders and the less fit.
We did the track in reverse, riding up the long slow 4 wheel drive road through farm land. The climb took about 2 hours with quite a few breaks to allow the slower riders to catch up and rest. The climb was a mix of gravel, dirt and grass and a good mix of gradual to steep gradient. I gave the rebuilt Cindercone its first work out and need to put a long stem on. I had real trouble keep the front end on the track on the steeper sections and with the crap tyres I am running I was losing traction when I stood up. I walked a bit of the steep stuff.
Once we got into the forest at the top of the climb there is a nice section of fast flowy single track across the ridge, followed by another climb to the top of the down hill section. Apart from 1 steep point the downhill was very smooth, tight and twisty in parts, but not overly technical. It was a seat down, hands off brakes rush down to the bottom.
It was an awesome ride, no injuries, the only mechanical was one rider losing his front brake fluid which at least meant he could ride on. It was very humid, I drained a 2 litre hydrapak by the end. there were a few broken riders.
Stopped off for fish, chips and a beer at the Kaiaua fish and chip shop before heading home.
great daybut I left my damn camera at home and the phone in the car.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
The Dinosaur Jr Gig
Well it has been 1 of those weeks. The highlight, and possibly only good thing, was Dinosaur Jr on Monday night, and even that had its moments.
The evening started OK, picked up Nick OK and started heading in to town, received a call from a friend who was in town to say that DJ were late arriving in the country due to flight problems so the doors would not be opening until 8.00 PM, an hour late. large crowd loitering outside the venue so Nick and I went to the London bar for a beer and it was packed with DJ attendees getting pre-lubricated. We finally got into the theatre about 8:30 and ended up swallowing some more beers - I just started to get into beer swallowing mode when I had to remind myself if it was a Monday night and I was driving - damn I hate that. The support band Kill Surf City came on and were damn good, I had never seen or heard them before, sort of a mix between Die Die Die and Jacob - maybe, hard to define, but excellent all the same.
DJ came on after about 30 minutes, looking older than last time I saw them in 1989, but man were they good, very loud, very tight. Awesome gig, they came back for 3 encores, the last 1 was after the house lights had come on. They did most of my favourites including their cover of the Cure's Just like heaven. They didn't do Yeah we Know, but I guess you cannot have everything. The crowd was bigger than I expected, maybe 1000, and a good mix of old folks and young uns. I watched them from the edge of the occasional mosh pit, and too close to the speakers...
I was deaf and tired for most of the next day, but it was worth it !
Tuesday night I made some adjustments to the Cindercone, set up bars and lever positions, put my spds on, longer seat post etc. I took it for a quick road spin and everything seemed to work OK.
Wednesday night I did not get out for a forest ride which annoyed the hell out of me, I was really looking forward to getting out there. Daylight saving ends this weekend so last night would have been the last time to get out for an after work ride without needing lights.
Hopefully I will be able to get out to this weekends session out at Waharau as it is a great ride.
I must start organising the 24 Moonride team, I have 4 others keen to enter an SS team. This event always sells out so I must get entry forms away in the next week.
Drive by Truckers are rocking my morning. I have just heard about them.
The evening started OK, picked up Nick OK and started heading in to town, received a call from a friend who was in town to say that DJ were late arriving in the country due to flight problems so the doors would not be opening until 8.00 PM, an hour late. large crowd loitering outside the venue so Nick and I went to the London bar for a beer and it was packed with DJ attendees getting pre-lubricated. We finally got into the theatre about 8:30 and ended up swallowing some more beers - I just started to get into beer swallowing mode when I had to remind myself if it was a Monday night and I was driving - damn I hate that. The support band Kill Surf City came on and were damn good, I had never seen or heard them before, sort of a mix between Die Die Die and Jacob - maybe, hard to define, but excellent all the same.
DJ came on after about 30 minutes, looking older than last time I saw them in 1989, but man were they good, very loud, very tight. Awesome gig, they came back for 3 encores, the last 1 was after the house lights had come on. They did most of my favourites including their cover of the Cure's Just like heaven. They didn't do Yeah we Know, but I guess you cannot have everything. The crowd was bigger than I expected, maybe 1000, and a good mix of old folks and young uns. I watched them from the edge of the occasional mosh pit, and too close to the speakers...
I was deaf and tired for most of the next day, but it was worth it !
Tuesday night I made some adjustments to the Cindercone, set up bars and lever positions, put my spds on, longer seat post etc. I took it for a quick road spin and everything seemed to work OK.
Wednesday night I did not get out for a forest ride which annoyed the hell out of me, I was really looking forward to getting out there. Daylight saving ends this weekend so last night would have been the last time to get out for an after work ride without needing lights.
Hopefully I will be able to get out to this weekends session out at Waharau as it is a great ride.
I must start organising the 24 Moonride team, I have 4 others keen to enter an SS team. This event always sells out so I must get entry forms away in the next week.
Drive by Truckers are rocking my morning. I have just heard about them.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Rebuilt Cindercone
Phase 1 of the rebuild of the Cindercone has been completed and the Dawg is now a sad and lonely frame in the shed.
The Cindercone has basically been built out of bits of the Dawg - though I ended up using more Dawg bits than I planned, being the rear derraileur, BB and stem.
The Cindercone is now running and will be test run on Tuesday evening with a gentle road ride and hopefully on Wednesday night in the forest. With the current wheels and tires on at the moment it is heavier than I expected it would be - I will be interested in how well it goes up hills.
Big thanks again to my biking buddy Darin who does all the work on my bikes. He is a maestro...
Listening to Dinosaur JR "You're living all over me" in eager anticipation of tomorrow nights gig...
The Cindercone has basically been built out of bits of the Dawg - though I ended up using more Dawg bits than I planned, being the rear derraileur, BB and stem.
The Cindercone is now running and will be test run on Tuesday evening with a gentle road ride and hopefully on Wednesday night in the forest. With the current wheels and tires on at the moment it is heavier than I expected it would be - I will be interested in how well it goes up hills.
Big thanks again to my biking buddy Darin who does all the work on my bikes. He is a maestro...
Listening to Dinosaur JR "You're living all over me" in eager anticipation of tomorrow nights gig...
Crappy ride and river crashing
Had one of those rides yesterday where things just didnt gel, my legs felt like rubber, I rode like a beginner and went over the handle bars on a silly little step. When I went over the bars I twisted my foot and clipped my ankle enough that I am now limping. I did ride on a bit more and ended up doing a short loop around the northern end of Woodhill forest. It is very sandy now and bits of it were unrideable. I should have stayed in bed but I was so looking forward to riding, even if it was on my own.
When I got home Number 2 son and his friend were itching to go out to the Karamatura stream for a bit of creek crashing and waterholing. Normally I would be busting to go but my ankle was getting quite stiff. We went anyway I limped my way up the stream while they charged aorund having fun. I am keen to go back when I can run with the best of them.
Here are a few shots from the phone
I was going to ride this morning with number 1 son, but it is raining, my ankle hurts and I was hungover. I did however get all the bike bits together and will ship the Cindercone frame and Dawg off to my mechanic's place for a swap. Hopefully I will have the hardtail ready for a Waharau mini-epic next weekend.
When I got home Number 2 son and his friend were itching to go out to the Karamatura stream for a bit of creek crashing and waterholing. Normally I would be busting to go but my ankle was getting quite stiff. We went anyway I limped my way up the stream while they charged aorund having fun. I am keen to go back when I can run with the best of them.
Here are a few shots from the phone
I was going to ride this morning with number 1 son, but it is raining, my ankle hurts and I was hungover. I did however get all the bike bits together and will ship the Cindercone frame and Dawg off to my mechanic's place for a swap. Hopefully I will have the hardtail ready for a Waharau mini-epic next weekend.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Waterfront run.
I had to take number 1 son into a new Saturday job at a friends panel and paint shop for an 8.30 start. The day started sunny and not too windy so I packed the running gear and went down to Aucklands waterfront for a run.
I took the new phone and tested out how useful it was as an MP3 player for running, I need an arm strap for it, as I have always run with an mp3 player in my pocket and this was a lot heavier than the the old thing I had. It wasnt too bad though and didn't bother me over my hour run. It also has the secondary use of being a camera as well so I took a couple of snaps as it was just such as nice morning.
The start (and finish) at Okahu Bay
The view from half way up St Helliers hill
Ok the camera is not the best but i does work and if I have to cart a device arond then a phone/mp3/camera in 1 is not bad. The run was OK, I ran for an hour felt good through most of it, though my ankle was tender for some reason towards the end.
I need some new shoes, mine are so squeeky it is almost embarressing
I took the new phone and tested out how useful it was as an MP3 player for running, I need an arm strap for it, as I have always run with an mp3 player in my pocket and this was a lot heavier than the the old thing I had. It wasnt too bad though and didn't bother me over my hour run. It also has the secondary use of being a camera as well so I took a couple of snaps as it was just such as nice morning.
The start (and finish) at Okahu Bay
The view from half way up St Helliers hill
Ok the camera is not the best but i does work and if I have to cart a device arond then a phone/mp3/camera in 1 is not bad. The run was OK, I ran for an hour felt good through most of it, though my ankle was tender for some reason towards the end.
I need some new shoes, mine are so squeeky it is almost embarressing
New Bars
Well they are not really new but these arrived in the post today. Bought from Trademe with lock on grips.Plan is to put these and a shorter stem that I have to pick up, on the the single speed and use the bars and stem from the SS on the XC bike when I put it back together, I just need a BB, headset and a stem and I can that bike back together.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Great ride
Had a good ride last night at Riverhead, one of the best rides I have had in a long time. I went out with some of the guys from the Freeride'n shop ride. 4 of us rode, me on the single speed and the others on fullys with lots of suspension. I was expecting to not be able to keep up with them, but apart from the steeper downhills I had no problems. It was a much faster and longer ride than normal and it was all good.
Added a few new trails to the trail list for Riverhead as well. 1 of the things I really like about that forest is tough it is quite small there are a lot of trails, none of them marked on any map, and the maps that do exist are always out of date as new roads keep appearing all the time as they cull the trees.
I took number 1 son's AC into the shop to get the shock looked at, hopefully, the seatpost removed. The shop staff suggested he looked at a hardtail. If the shock too much to repair I may well see if I can pick up a cheap hardtail frame, like a Giant STP or a Kona jump frame, that can handle the abuse a bit more.
Checking out the Posies today
Saw this numberplate in the carpark...
Added a few new trails to the trail list for Riverhead as well. 1 of the things I really like about that forest is tough it is quite small there are a lot of trails, none of them marked on any map, and the maps that do exist are always out of date as new roads keep appearing all the time as they cull the trees.
I took number 1 son's AC into the shop to get the shock looked at, hopefully, the seatpost removed. The shop staff suggested he looked at a hardtail. If the shock too much to repair I may well see if I can pick up a cheap hardtail frame, like a Giant STP or a Kona jump frame, that can handle the abuse a bit more.
Checking out the Posies today
Saw this numberplate in the carpark...
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Going back to a hardtail
I have been riding the hardtail SS for about 9 months and apart from not being fit enough to ride huge distances and strong enough to power up big climbs I have not really struggled with any of the technical aspects of riding. The riding in Riverhead over the past 2 weeks has proven that I do not need a fully suspended bike to have fun or keep up with my friends. Yes I may be a bit slower down the hills, but that is largely to do with having brakes that suck big time rather than suspension. There are also bits of track that I have never ridden before so having suspension doesn't make a huge amount of difference either way.
With a couple of longer rides coming up where I would not consider using the SS I was looking at my options, ultimately i would like a decent cross country fully suspended, but I just cannot afford 1 right now. I want a bike I can lock out the shock for the climbs, 1 with some decent dampening for the flat bits and no brake jack.
The Kona Dawg fully I have has been a good bike, but it is too slow for 'racing' and I want to be a bit more competetive this year if I do race. I was looking around at buying 2nd hand components and rebuilding the Cindercone but even that is going to be too costly. I am now planning on gutting the Dawg for front fork wheels, brakes, rear der and cluster, using the old front der. from the Cindercone, buying new BB, bars, headset and stem. Over time I will need to get new, lighter, wheels and a decent fork, but at leat this will get me started and I can get a reminder of what hardtial geared riding is all about...
Superchunk's "Cup of Sand" double CD is good, how did I doubt them...
With a couple of longer rides coming up where I would not consider using the SS I was looking at my options, ultimately i would like a decent cross country fully suspended, but I just cannot afford 1 right now. I want a bike I can lock out the shock for the climbs, 1 with some decent dampening for the flat bits and no brake jack.
The Kona Dawg fully I have has been a good bike, but it is too slow for 'racing' and I want to be a bit more competetive this year if I do race. I was looking around at buying 2nd hand components and rebuilding the Cindercone but even that is going to be too costly. I am now planning on gutting the Dawg for front fork wheels, brakes, rear der and cluster, using the old front der. from the Cindercone, buying new BB, bars, headset and stem. Over time I will need to get new, lighter, wheels and a decent fork, but at leat this will get me started and I can get a reminder of what hardtial geared riding is all about...
Superchunk's "Cup of Sand" double CD is good, how did I doubt them...
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