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IT's the year of the tikitTM, and after an enthusiastic reception in the USA, Asia and the EU, it ventured to the land downunder with the Galfromdownunder ... |
Pictured right: David Larson of Bicycle Victoria says, "You got a tikit to ride this tram, gal!" STORIES Out of this world in Cowra The 12th Australian BF Club gathering: cow-calling, blind stokers, the planet Saturn, and more! MOVIES May the folder be with you ... celebrating the folder's right of passage on Melbourne trams with Bicycle Victoria's David Larson PHOTO GALLERIES SYDNEY PHOTO GALLERY Doing our bit for the "Sustainable Sydney" crusade MELBOURNE PHOTO GALLERY Riding with the Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club, Gal Filmfest CANBERRA PHOTO GALLERY coming soon, from May 14 Burn Carbs Not Hydrocarbs, May 29, 2008 A mini sustainability symposium at Clarence St Cycles featuring movers and shakers in Sydney Bicycling advocac. Why not have an event like this in your city? Poster for Gal Filmfest Melbourne May 13 | Canberra May 15 Program of events - keep an eye on the BF Events Calendar for upcoming rides Pictured left: David Larson says, "You got a tikit to ride this tram, gal!" |
 An on the road update ... contact me by email lynette at bikefiday.com, 0420 968 067 March-June 2008 I HAD two objectives for this trip downunder - attend and report on the 12 Australian Bike Friday Club gathering (see full multimedia report) and find a bike shop to represent Bike Friday in each of Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. At present we have one dealer, Epic Cycles in Brisbane, doing a great job, but quite understandably, folks more south would like to be able to wander into a shop closer to their back door. SYDNEY Sydney is proving to be a challenge. Despite the Sustainable Sydney banners flapping in the breeze and a Sydney Cycling Strategy passed by the powers that be, there is some resistance to the multi-modal bicycle - partly because the mass transit system is as overloaded as the streets at rush hour. Which comes first, the folding bicycle or space on the train/bus? Well, for many, you could avoid the train altogether and launch out under your own steam. You just have to know how, and connecting with your local bicycle users group is a start. We're trying to help bridge that knowledge gap by holding a "mini sustainability symposium". I met with Sydney cycling advocates Fiona Campbell (pictured with me outside the offices of Bicycle NSW) and Adrian Boss, both folding bike owners who are helping stage this informal evening - designed to inform locals about ways to ease themselves into cycling for work, rest and play - see Burn Carbs Not Hydrocarbs and come along May 29 if you're in the area. Thanks to Clarence St Cyclery for making their shop available as a space to stage the presentation. More Sydney soon when I get back to Sydney May 23. |
Pictured: Keith Warburton, founder of MBTC, marvels at a tikitTM balancing act... I've heard all the reports about Melbourne bicycle usage jumping to an all time high in the last two years. And just as well - the traffic has become roobar to towbar since I last lived here, pre 1997. The bicycle shops also appear to be ore receptive, inviting me to come and show the tikitTM to them, or maybe that's just the Melbourne politeness! The Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club is till going strong with many familiar faces from ten years ago looking no older than ten years ago - like I say, must be all that bike riding and in the case of our bikes, all that "kiddie" bike riding! I did a fabulous 50km tour of Melbourne's trails and bike paths, all linked up by club member Peter. Moulton Rep Michael Kater put out the world and several Moultons and a Brompton showed up - out numbering the one Friday that came, saw and conquered (me). However, we did have two Friday owners in the group - their Fridays were packed in suitcases or on their way over from Eugene. Colin Freestone and I shared the podium at the weekly MBTC meeting, Colin promoting his Sulawesi trip and me folding the tikitTM. MBTC club founder and bicycle enthusiast Keith Warburton is pictured here marveling at the tikit balancing on the end of a folding pedal - do not try this unsupervised! |
More soon ... |
Last time I flew Virgin Blue they allowed me to roll my Crusoe up to the counter naked (the Crusoe that is) and it arrived ship shape under their "Oversized Baggage" banner. See airport tips for that story. Things have changed - they now let you take it in a bag or box as sporting goods, which count for 5 of your 20 kg allowance no matter how heavy the bike is. Cool! Except that despite my jaunty "I heart baggage handlers" tags I got from Brookstone Stuffarama, it did sustain some suspicious though not too serious scrunching. Then several people told me Virgin are the worst for handling baggage. Oh no! I hope management reads this and issues kid gloves. The Sydney-Melb flight was $89 with a duration of 2 hours or so; the train was $91 and a very long haul. Yes, I burned a little jet fuel ... and perhaps, we get what we pay for ...- LC |
RELATED LINKS tikitTM World's Fastest Folder with the Famous Friday Ride |