Saturday, March 21, 2009

Nude bicycle riders take to streets of Melbourne

A NEWLY married couple got a wedding picture with a difference when naked cyclists converged on their photo session at Victoria's State Parliament yesterday.

World Naked Bike Ride organiser Heidi Hill said the newlyweds grabbed the chance to get a photo when the cyclists reached the mid-way point of their annual ride yesterday, the Melbourne Leader reports.


“They were having photos taken on the steps of Parliament House and all of a sudden we showed up and they had to have a photos with us,” Ms Hill said.

Ms Hill said the naked bike ride through Melbourne’s streets went off without a hitch.


Police accompanied cyclists from Fitzroy to State Parliament and back yesterday, but no arrests were made.


Event participants last week vowed they were prepared to be arrested if police tried to stop them riding nude along Brunsick and Lygon streets.


Police last year told male cyclists to cover up “because men have exposed genitalia”.


Ms Hill said about 50 cyclists who braved the cold yesterday “had a ball” on the hour-long ride.


“We had a couple of people fall off in the wet on the tram tracks, but no one was injured,” Ms Hill said.


“Police were helpful but unobtrusive. They let everyone ride naked.”


Ms Hill said the nude group received a warm reception from onlookers on the ride.


“There was not one negative comment. It was just applause and screaming,” she said.


Source: The Australian


Sunday, March 15, 2009

Make All Your Child's Football Dreams Come True

Dedicated to all Liverpool FC..'The Mighty Reds' Fans... I'm sure that this will make a great present for Wayne Rooney! Thanks for the 'pep talk' dude.

"You'll Never Walk Alone"

Visit vivastreet.co.uk

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

UK Bike Shop - Credit Card Fraud Alert

This is an announcement for people who have recently purchased cycling gear online from Ribble Cycles in the UK.


There are now numerous reports on Australian cycling forums from consumers who have purchased from this UK store and have now discovered the credit card fraud, often airline tickets have been purchased or a purchased has been attempted and denied.


At this stage no background information on the credit card theft - there has not yet been a general alert or statement.


Source: bicycles.net.au


Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Body Pains Explained - Knee

Knees

Cycling, done properly, is much less stressful to the knees than many other aerobic activities, because there's no impact involved. Nevertheless, knee injuries do occur, again usually as a result of poor technique or position.

Gear Selection
A principal cause of knee problems is over-stress caused by using too high a gear.

Saddle Height
Another common cause of knee problems is incorrect saddle adjustment, particularly if the saddle is too low.

Cleat Adjustment
Some knee problems result from incorrect placement of shoe cleats. Everybody has a natural angle that their feet take when cycling. When you ride with plain pedals, your foot assumes this angle, and everything is fine.

However, if you use cleated shoes and matching pedals, it is important that the cleat is adjusted so as to permit your foot to be at its natural angle. If your cleats are misadjusted, the resulting twist on your lower leg will affect the alignment of the knee joint, and cause problems.

This is less of an issue if you ride pedals with "float" in the cleat attachment. Most newer clipless pedals offer at least some float.

Lateral Movement - Chondromalacia
The knee joint is basically a ball-and-socket joint, with the ball at the bottom of the femur and the socket at the top of the shinbone. A common cycling-related injury is called "chondromalacia", and has to do with irritation of the cartilage pad in the "socket" which provides lubrication for this joint.

Chondromalacia is often blamed on lateral movement of the joint, and a common prescription is to strengthen the quadriceps muscles which run along the front of the thigh and along side the front of the kneecap. It is these muscles which provide lateral positioning for the joint.

Long Cranks
The longer your cranks are, the further your knees will have to flex on each stroke. Different riders will have different amounts of flexibility, but riding with longer cranks than you are used to can definitely cause problems.

Source: cobr

Why do cyclists shave their legs? The only explanation you will ever need

It’s hotter’n hell, 90 degrees (32 C.) and we are going out for the evening. My wife is wearing long pants.

“Aren’t you going to be hot?” I ask. “Why don’t you wear a dress or shorts?”

“I can’t, I haven’t shaved my legs.”

End of questioning, no further explanation needed.

My lovely wife doesn’t want to be the only one in a roomful of ladies with silky smooth legs, while she is sporting stubble. Even though I would have to get down on my knees with a magnifying glass to find a tiny emerging follicle.

This is exactly the same reason why cyclists shave their legs, No one wants to go out on a group ride and be the only wooly mammoth in the pack.

Even if I am riding alone, I still shave my legs; I never know who I might meet on the road. Shaved legs simply look better on a cyclist. Some call it vanity, frankly I find that an affront to my pride.

I started racing in 1952 and that’s when I started shaving my legs. The European professional riders shaved their legs because they were riding the big stage races like the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia.

Stages were long back then, sometimes in excess of 180 miles. (289.6 km.) They needed some serious massage therapy at the end of each day in order to have the leg muscles supple and relaxed ready to go again the next morning. It is neither comfortable for the cyclist or the masseuse to be massaging hairy legs.

The long, smooth legs in the picture at the top belonged to “Il Campionissimo” Fausto Coppi. I was no different from any other cyclist of the 1950s; we all wanted to emulate the great professional riders of that era. So we shaved our legs.

Shaved legs are faster; it is psychological. Like polishing the engine on a hot rod car; you can’t see inside the engine but you polish the outside. The cyclist is the “engine” of his bike; you can’t see the heart or the lungs inside, but by making the legs smooth and clean so you see every vein, sinew, and muscle, it is a definite psychological boost.

Professional cyclists today shave their legs for the same reason as their predecessors, and road cyclists of all levels, from amateur racers to weekend warriors follow suit. End of story, there should be no further explanation needed.

Fellow cyclists understand, but non-cyclists question this practice. We come up with all kinds of creative reasons for shaving our legs. We pretend that it is in case we fall and get road rash.

Sure with hair free legs it is easier to clean and dress wounds, but that is not why we shave our legs. A lady known only to me as “Jan” commented on a recent post. “If you fall and get road rash on your legs, wouldn’t you also scrape up your arms?” Good point, cyclists rarely shave their arms. (That would be weird.)

If someone asks me, “Why do you shave your legs?” I answer simply, “It’s traditional.” That is the only answer I need. No one questions it or doubts my word. After all, if something is traditional, who am I to break with tradition?

Professional racing cyclists have been shaving their legs for at least 100 years, that’s probably longer than ladies have been shaving their legs. So the practice definitely qualifies as a tradition.

Think of it like the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain; when someone asks, “Why would you run down the street in front of a herd of stampeding bulls?”

“It’s traditional.”

“Oh well, that explains it. No further explanation needed.”

Or, “Why are you taking that dead pine tree into your house at Christmas.”

“It’s traditional.”

You see how it works; it doesn’t matter how bizarre or irrational the act, just say, “It’s traditional,” and it is immediately accepted.

It is so easy. No more excuses, no more lies about road rash or guilt feelings over vanity. The answer is, “It’s traditional.”

No further explanation is needed.

Source: Dave Moulton's Blog

Monday, March 2, 2009

Do not put this bumper sticker on your bicycle

There's a Florida band named "This Bike is a Pipe Bomb". If you want to keep life simple, do not attach their bumper stickers to your bicycle. Otherwise your ride could be considered a terrorist threat.

That happened Monday in Memphis where an airport terminal was shut down when such a bicycle was spotted near a passenger ramp.


A pilot saw the bike with the sticker and notified police, who evacuated the terminal. Bomb-sniffing dogs were called in, but did not detect any explosives.


Airport police took the bike owner into custody, but later released him because they didn't have grounds to make an arrest.


A bicyclist at Ohio University in Athens wasn't so lucky three years ago when he parked his bike with the sticker near an on-campus restaurant.


Police sprayed his bike with high-pressure water then pried it apart with a "jaws of life." In addition to losing his bike, the student was initially charged with inducing panic, a misdemeanor.


Perhaps realizing they may have overreacted, university officials later agreed to drop the charges and reimburse the student for his destroyed T700 Cannondale touring bicycle.


That's a lot of hassle to go through just to be fan of the band.


Source: Biking Bis

Ride this one like YOU stole it

The Trek ProjectOne Team added this message to Lance Armstrong's back-up time trial bicycle: "Lance -- Ride this one like YOU stole it."

Armstrong posted this TwitPic on Friday morning, the day of the 15-mile Solvang individual time trial that's Stage 6 of the Amgen Tour of California and perhaps the deciding stage for Levi Leipheimer.


Armstrong said Thursday that he'd ride his original time trial bike, the one that was stolen in Sacramento overnight on Saturday and recovered on Wednesday. He said it seems to be in "fine shape."


Source: Biking Bis


Original Bicycle Festival launched

The Original Bicycle Festival aims to celebrate all forms of cycling in what could be considered the birthplace of the modern bicycle - Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland.

A packed programme of events will take place in Dumfires and Galloway over May 9-24, 2009, and will include organised rides, cycle film fesitvals, live music, racing and much more.

The inventor of the pedal-driven bicycle, Kirkpatrick Macmillan (1812–1878), was born Keir, Dumfries and Galloway. He is being used by the event's organisers to promote the festival alongside modern-day cycle hero Mark Beaumont. Scotsman Beaumont broke the record for cycling around the world last year, completing the gruelling journey in 195 days.

"Cycling is a fantastic activity for everyone," said Beaumont (pictured). "At the speed of a bike you can see great sights and meet wonderful people, all thanks to the vision of people like Kirkpatrick - you can even cycle around the world.

"The Original Bicycle Festival is all about the joy of getting on a bike and celebrating the legacy of Kirkpatrick in wonderful cycling country. I hope you'll join us.”

The festival incorporates the World Mountain Bike Conference, a summit of all the major players in the world of mountain biking who will be mulling over the future of off-road riding over May 12-15.

Source: Cycling Weekly News/photo from The Original Bicycle Festival

Established in December 2006