Clunkerbike

" One Day Ahead " is a film that asks, "Can an ordinary bloke complete the Tour de France?" Eight riders from New Zealand, one a former olympic cyclist, but none from the pro peleton, get to gether to ride every stage of the 2018 Tour, the day before the official race goes through. "Just ride it to enjoy it... ...'cause there's no room in the car." I'll be watching this tonight and maybe adding a bit more to this post tomorrow, when the reel has been watched. Twenty hours later: Watched it, great tale! Would have liked to have seen more riding and scenery, but there was enough, and I kept spotting places I know from the official Le Tour coverage on SBS every year. That said, I highly recommend this film. For cycling and non-cycling reasons pretty much alike. The eight riders, the cameraman/support crew mate, his wife, and the odd other person close to the riders, set out to see if, as ordinary blokes, they could complete the entire ...

The "Rude Bracket" My trusty Reid commuter tourer, "Buster", the Urban X2 with a wide drop bar conversion, has a Wildman head box on the bars for snacks, "occy" straps and other small tat that one might need on a shopping run or longer. The trouble with this otherwise cavernous, yet light, headbox is it gets "the droop" every time the front wheel hits a bump. So I designed and printed the above "rude bracket" to provide a counterforce against the underside of the stem. The Headbox, featuring the solar panel that keeps my lights charged. Now at the proper angle. Aside from keeping my solar panel reasonably in the sunlight, when the headbox droops enough, it rubs against the front tyre. The carbon fibre reinforced, 3d printed, PETG "rude bracket" screws onto the top of the headbox mounting frame, under a custom branding "Clunkerbike" badge and rests against the underside of the stem, as per... The "Rude Bracket...

I have some, shall we say, "unusual" views on alternative transport. Riding isn't worth getting the bike out for for under 10km, for that, I'll use my e-scooter, especially under 8km one way. Less than 4km, I'd rather walk. And I've recently realised that a train trip (with a bike) to Bairnsdale, to do the East Gippsland Rail Trail is 2 days riding (Bairnsdale to Orbost and back) because I can't put the bike on the coach from Orbost back to Bairnsdale. So, why not walk it over three days, yet plan for 5, and make an adventure of it? The whole trail is about 98km, the walking equivalent of 490km cycling. That, for me, traditionally was 5 days cycling, but I find I have, post heart attack (Nov 20, 2020), more stamina walking. So I'm aiming for 33km/day on foot, with a 5 day "reality check" packing and timing limit. Here's the route... East Gipsland Rail Trail::RideWithGPS.com Wikipedia has a great article on the trail and, if ...

With Melbourne having an unseasonably, soaking wet start to summer, I haven't been able to get the welder out. I have all the parts, apart from 56 of the right length spokes for the front wheels and the sheet steel needed for the seat shell, I just need favourable weather to be able to get the project into the only suitable welding workspace I have access to, the driveway. Can't take an electric MIG outside when it's raining, sigh. So, to feel like I'm actually "proceeding", I've been 3D printing jigs and braces to help keep the frame true. That, up there ^, is the jig for starting the side seam on the head tube. Yes, the angle is _meant_ to be -45 degrees, it's a lean steer trike. It works like this schematic... The hardest join in this style of trike is the the cross-member and steerer. I printed a clamping jig for that, too. See the earlier post about that here .

Forgive me reader/riders, for I have sinned and not posted for ages. But yeah, you know that, If I had any readers, you've probably all effed off, and who can blame you?! Anyway, NY rez, ride more and, now the weather is looking dry enough to take the welder outside, start building the bloody trike. But right at this moment, I has an insulated "fridge bag" (xmas loot) and new Blackburn drybag cages for the trusty touring bike, my HIGHLY modified, 2016 Reid Urban X2. Check the pics... The test bag is one of 2 Roswheel drybags from my bedroll system, which will now be moving to my forks because of my "Wild Man" bar bag.

Thanks for letting me whinge

God! I LOVE this video! Trikes helping to keep disabled riders riding. Watch out especially for the visually impaired guy who follows his friend's trike by way of her flashing red light. This is about creating/restoring ability, imaginatively.

I am also here... @crunchysteve Anyway, haven't had a lot to say lately, not since the steerer brace was printed, because I cannot rely on the weather to stay dry enough to take the welder outside and practice on some scraps. More news of the build when this freak, months long weather event fucks off.

Trying to get distance and stamina back after a heart attack is hard. Trying to know just what is feeling off-colour and actual chest discomfort is harder. So, after an unexpected ambulance ride (AGAIN!), my beta blocker got doubled. And Fark! The dizzies!!! Some examples. I'll stand up, then have to sit down again, immediately. After recovery, I stand up more slowly and go do the thing... what thing? I'll be enjoying a ride, well hydrated, not too cold, not too hot, not too fast, not too slow, then I arrive at my destination... Wait, oh jeez, lean on the bike, LEAN ON THE BIKE!!! What? That ride? 5km at 20km/h. Did I mention range curtailment?! Anyway, in the words of Farnsworth, "Great news everybody!" My cardiologist pulled the dose back to 2.5mg. OK, you don't care, I get it. You will when you're my age, you freakin' millenials. As you were. I have just recently pulled off a downhill 10k ride where the lean on the bike panic was less than the above...

I was wondering how true a wooden jig would be for building my steering crossmember. This part has to be as accurate as I can get it or the steering will pull to one side. Then I managed to again breathe life back into my cheapest, nastiest 3D printer, a Sinus T1 clone. Steering head jig completed. Perfect!