Dive Ride - Review

Cheezo said:

Just to put things into context, this was only my second organised
ride.... my first being the Around the Bay (100km version) last year. I
have only been riding about 9 months and average about 80km/week.

You bit off a lot, well done for chewing it all! Doing a moderatly
hilly imperial tonne + 20km is a big day out for anyone, let alone
someone with the low mileage you have in your legs!

Re your question concerning front rings, what do you have on the back?
A 12:27 is often enough to get you up just about anything if you're not
too heavy (I am too heavy, and that's what I use) with a regular 53:39
front ring combination. Or, you may benefit from what's known as a
"compact crank" which is just a fancy way of saying a smaller front
"little ring" and a crank that's designed to fit such a thing. Cheaper
& nicer than a triple front.

Thanks for that Bleve.... i'm not really down with all the bike
terminology but i just looked up the web and found my bike (Specialized
2004 Allez Elite with Shimano 105 9spd)... looks like i have a 12:25
cassette on the back and a 53:39 on the front (I'm confused.... why are
they called chainrings on the front but a cassette at the rear)....
anyway thanks for the tip - will look in to either the different
cassette or the compact crank.

Bleve said:

Cheezo said:

Just to put things into context, this was only my second organised
ride.... my first being the Around the Bay (100km version) last year. I
have only been riding about 9 months and average about 80km/week.

You bit off a lot, well done for chewing it all! Doing a moderatly
hilly imperial tonne + 20km is a big day out for anyone, let alone
someone with the low mileage you have in your legs!

Re your question concerning front rings, what do you have on the back?
A 12:27 is often enough to get you up just about anything if you're not
too heavy (I am too heavy, and that's what I use) with a regular 53:39
front ring combination. Or, you may benefit from what's known as a
"compact crank" which is just a fancy way of saying a smaller front
"little ring" and a crank that's designed to fit such a thing. Cheaper
& nicer than a triple front.

"Cheezo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Thanks for that Bleve.... i'm not really down with all the bike
terminology but i just looked up the web and found my bike (Specialized
2004 Allez Elite with Shimano 105 9spd)... looks like i have a 12:25
cassette on the back and a 53:39 on the front (I'm confused.... why are
they called chainrings on the front but a cassette at the rear).... anyway
thanks for the tip - will look in to either the different cassette or the
compact crank.

They're generally chainrings on the front but cogs at the rear. The cassette
is the collection of cogs, hence a 12:25 cassette is a collection of cogs
ranging in size from 12 to 23 teeth. They're all sprockets really, but it's
historical usage and provides sage and arcane mumblings for the cogniscienti
to produce in front of the youngsters.

On 2006-04-24, Resound (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

They're generally chainrings on the front but cogs at the rear. The cassette
is the collection of cogs, hence a 12:25 cassette is a collection of cogs
ranging in size from 12 to 23 teeth. They're all sprockets really, but it's
historical usage and provides sage and arcane mumblings for the cogniscienti
to produce in front of the youngsters.

Shouldn't that be sprocketniscienti?

--
TimC
I got told by a friend's ex-girlfriend that she could tell I was
a Linux geek from the way I *walked*. -- Skud

"TimC" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

On 2006-04-24, Resound (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

They're generally chainrings on the front but cogs at the rear. The
cassette
is the collection of cogs, hence a 12:25 cassette is a collection of cogs
ranging in size from 12 to 23 teeth. They're all sprockets really, but
it's
historical usage and provides sage and arcane mumblings for the
cogniscienti
to produce in front of the youngsters.

Shouldn't that be sprocketniscienti?

See, I thought about that but stayed away. Not that I'm not prone to
thinking "Ooh a line! Let's LEAP over it and see what happen!" but that was
just tacky :P

"Cheezo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

So in summary, my ‘Lessons Learned’
5. For some reason some motorists like to abuse cyclists

True, but I don't think the fact that they're motorists is the defining
characteristic. I prefer to say that there are some people (mainly bogans
in my experience) who, while they're driving, like to abuse cyclists.
They're the sort of people who would abuse cyclists from the footpath, the
pub or anywhere that is convenient.

Claude said:

"Cheezo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

So in summary, my 'Lessons Learned'
5. For some reason some motorists like to abuse cyclists

True, but I don't think the fact that they're motorists is the defining
characteristic.

Agree with this.

Quoted message said:

I prefer to say that there are some people (mainly bogans in
my experience) who, while they're driving, like to abuse cyclists. They're
the sort of people who would abuse cyclists from the footpath, the pub or
anywhere that is convenient.

Except that the abuse comes more usually when they are within
a vehicle, because they feel safer there and able to make a fast
getaway if the target looks like wanting to return the compliment.

--
beerwolf (remove numbers from email address)

"beerwolf" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Claude wrote:

Except that the abuse comes more usually when they are within
a vehicle, because they feel safer there and able to make a fast
getaway if the target looks like wanting to return the compliment.

I agree, but what I'm trying to say is that as cyclists we shouldn't
demonise 'motorists' as a group because practically all adults are, or would
like to be, drivers. Most adult cyclists are also drivers, no doubt. Our
problem is with a small group of the population who like to threaten us. As
you say, they are most inclined to do this while they're driving, probably
because they think cyclists 'unreasonably' slow them down.

Cheezo said:

... I started the event at 7am hoping to be
done by about 4pm. Weather was cold and a bit windy but thankfully no
rain.

I read Cheezo's account of the Great Divide Ride and thought I must have been on a different ride weather wise - what a difference a few minutes on the road can make regarding rain. I got soaked!

I started with the first group at 6:50 with the intention of, hopefully, not being out the back of everyone for the entire day, figuring that as I dropped off one group another would be along soon. It pretty much worked.

With the weather before the start deceptively warm, and the forecast for clearing showers, I left my longs in the car and carried my rain jacket. It looked like the showers had cleared already. As the road climbed, though, the rain appeared and stayed light but steady for most of the run to Trentham. By the time I reached there, toes were numb, finger were numb; I was wet through and freezing cold. The option of taking the (80 km ride option) bus back was very tempting. 🙄

After lunch around the fire drum (thanks Trentham Lions club🙂), with which I was able to dry out somewhat, I headed out for the remaining 100k, ostensibly downhill but, as Cheezo mentioned, with some serious little (and not so little) climbs. Some beautiful countryside, quite good roads, good company, and even a slightly favourable breeze from about Bacchus Marsh home. My only significant problem (other than cold and wet in the morning) was a major cramp in my calf when I pulled away from traffic lights 6 km from the end. I'm sure I looked a sight at the traffic island in the centre of the intersection. (Why is it that the calf cramps? I would have thought it's doing the least amount of work.) Along the way I saw a bunch of punctures being repaired (bad luck to the guy 3 km from the end!) and one broken chain.

As for motorist problems, the worst I had was one car tooting as they approached a group from behind. In contrast, while stopped at lights only 5 km from the end, two young guys in a souped up rice burner pulled up alongside of me and asked why there were so many bikes around. After I explainded the ride, they said to watch out up ahead, because there was a car show on and there were a lot of hoons about. Any bogan sterotype you could name would have included the two of them, but was not the case.

This was my first real hit out for my Specialized Roubaix and I love the bike. Very happy with my decision to go with compact cranks (50/36 - 12/25), not being concerned greatly that I spin out at about 70k. Ride time just over 7 hours, 182 km, average 25.5.

All in all, a fabulous day, albeit a freezing morning for me. The organisation was great, good signposting on all and marshalls on most corners, a warm fire at the lunch break, and a great post-ride venue, massage and drinks. The cherry on top was raising over $50,000 for the Starlight foundation. I'll certainly be back next year - with a better rain jacket and more miles in my legs. I highly recommend this ride. Oh, and extra kudos to the guy I saw at the end who did the ride on a single speed (not fixed). He said the only trick was getting the gear right. I had enough problem with that, and I have 20 of the damn things!

Mal

MalP said:

I read Cheezo's account of the Great Divide Ride and thought I must have been on a different ride weather wise - what a difference a few minutes on the road can make regarding rain. I got soaked!

I have to agree with Cheezo and MalP. It was a great ride, and really well organised. A definite again for next year. The website has some photos from this year up:

greatcycling.com.auoverview.htmlOpen ↗

(somewhere there is a map and profile of the ride too)

As for the weather, well, I thought it was fantastic! I did the 80km ride last year as well and it was just *foul*. I still remember the sick feeling of having my bike and I picked up by the wind from the shoulder of some disgusting hill and deposited in the middle of the road, all in a blinding rain!

After that, pretty much anything was going to be good. It was very cold, and a bit of a headwind for most of it, but we missed the rain other than a few light sprinkles (not enough to grab out the wet weather gear). It helps to be running late (we missed the actual start and got told "just go!" 🙂 ) after celebrating one of my kid's 18th birthdays.

A highlight would have to be Anthony from CBD encouraging us with the ringing of cow bells from his van whenever he passed on the way between dozens of puncture repairs and apparently numerous chains and assorted wheel disasters.

It's a really friendly ride - a good mix of people either toodling along or racing their butts off, all pretty relaxed (though less talk and singing on the hills!). Well run, very welcome and plentiful lunch, and the fires at the lunch stop were fantastic. And all for a good cause 🙂

ali