Riding to work

spiz said:

Just started riding to work. I live in Skye and work at Docklands and being relatively unfit at the moment I am driving to Sandringham and riding in.

I have found the ride in is great but riding back there is always a headwind and it is murder.

A couple of questions:

1. is there always a headwind in the afternoon along beach road?
2. any tips to make riding in to the head wind easier?
3. would I get any performance improvement if I changed from the thick mountain bike tires and if so can anybody recommend any?

Spiz

the wind direction can change, but generally you will find the wind tends to prevail in that direction.....?? From my experience of living and riding around the bay

just think of it as a challenge and it will make you a stronger rider when riding with the tail wind and without a wind 🙂

as many people will tell you on here, yes the thinner tyres will make a huge difference, an incredible amount of difference.

as for riding into the wind, try to be as narrow as possible, make sure nothing is flapping about catching the wind, it may sound strange, but try not to fight the wind, get a lower gear and try to spin through it, grinding a big gear into the wind, if you are just getting fitter will mentally kill you, better still try to find a fitter rider to draft behind!! 🙂 Look out for a GPLama riding a bike and get behind him.

welcome to the wonderful world of bike upgrading 🙂

Where the hell is the suburb of "Skye" ?

MikeyOz said:

the wind direction can change, but generally you will find the wind tends to prevail in that direction.....?? From my experience of living and riding around the bay

just think of it as a challenge and it will make you a stronger rider when riding with the tail wind and without a wind 🙂

as many people will tell you on here, yes the thinner tyres will make a huge difference, an incredible amount of difference.

as for riding into the wind, try to be as narrow as possible, make sure nothing is flapping about catching the wind, it may sound strange, but try not to fight the wind, get a lower gear and try to spin through it, grinding a big gear into the wind, if you are just getting fitter will mentally kill you, better still try to find a fitter rider to draft behind!! 🙂 Look out for a GPLama riding a bike and get behind him.

welcome to the wonderful world of bike upgrading 🙂

Where the hell is the suburb of "Skye" ?

Skye is near Frankston
What is a GPLama?

spiz said:

What is a GPLama?

I ask myself the same question sometimes... 😉

cheers,
GPL

MikeyOz said:

spiz said:

Just started riding to work. I live in Skye and work at Docklands and
being relatively unfit at the moment I am driving to Sandringham and
riding in.

I have found the ride in is great but riding back there is always a
headwind and it is murder.

A couple of questions:

1. is there always a headwind in the afternoon along beach road?
2. any tips to make riding in to the head wind easier?
3. would I get any performance improvement if I changed from the thick
mountain bike tires and if so can anybody recommend any?

Spiz

the wind direction can change, but generally you will find the wind
tends to prevail in that direction.....?? From my experience of living
and riding around the bay

just think of it as a challenge and it will make you a stronger rider
when riding with the tail wind and without a wind 🙂

as many people will tell you on here, yes the thinner tyres will make a
huge difference, an incredible amount of difference.

As will a roadbike, esp along Beach Rd into the usual afternoon
headwind. Also, try and grab a bunch or a few riders to draft, no-one
will mind if you sit on (if they do object, they're [censored]) as long as
you're polite and thank them when you drop off or they do.

You can probably pick up a 2nd hand Giant TCR2 for about $50 - the
tyres are probably worth it 🙂

spiz said:

What is a GPLama?

Oh, Spiz. you have just earnt 3 star status 😄😄😄

Regarding tyres. try some Specialized Fat BOy Slicks
1.25in and can be run at 100psi. Will make a HUGE difference to your speed. not to mention (depending upon current tyre...) puncture-rate

Headwinds. Well, if it's any consolation...
My rule of thumb on Beach Rd is that if you go on it with a 2 wheeled vehicle sans engine, you will have a headwind. Even if you ride along it, stop and turn around it will stil lbe a headwind!!!
I rarely seem to get a tailwind (but dang it's sweet on the 3 occasions per year it occurs 😄) NorthBalwyn-CBD

enjoy your commute. you'll probably find after a while you start to commence earlier than Sandringham

F"wot's a GPLama😄"Dutch

flyingdutch said:

Oh, Spiz. you have just earnt 3 star status 😄😄😄

Regarding tyres. try some Specialized Fat BOy Slicks
1.25in and can be run at 100psi. Will make a HUGE difference to your speed. not to mention (depending upon current tyre...) puncture-rate

F"wot's a GPLama😄"Dutch

Thanks Dutch much appreciated.... 🙂

Are these slicks ok in your opinion to ride on the beach road bike trail? 🙂

Also apart from somebody calling themselves GPLama does it mean anything? Few ideas running through my mind...

spiz said:

Just started riding to work. I live in Skye and work at Docklands and
being relatively unfit at the moment I am driving to Sandringham and
riding in.

Excellent :-)

Quoted message said:

I have found the ride in is great but riding back there is always a
headwind and it is murder.

A couple of questions:

1. is there always a headwind in the afternoon along beach road?

Some days are better than others but generally yeah.

Personally I don't use Beach Road very often, I use Nepean Highway. You
get a nice draughting effect from the cars and I reckon it's a good deal
safer than Beach Road. No parked cars, very few uncontrolled
intersections and the left lane's nice and wide.

It's also a good deal more sheltered from the wind, seeing as it's not
on the bay.

Quoted message said:

2. any tips to make riding in to the head wind easier?

Concentrate on riding at an intensity you can maintain. Depending what
you're doing that day that could be high or low. Forget about speed and
just think about rhythm and breathing.

Quoted message said:

3. would I get any performance improvement if I changed from the thick
mountain bike tires and if so can anybody recommend any?

Absolutely. Can't advise what to get for on road as I use a road bike
to commute. My MTB doesn't get used on the road much :-)
--
Cheers | ~~ __@
Euan | ~~ _-\<,
Melbourne, Australia | ~ (*)/ (*)

A GPLama is a skinny [censored] who, due to being a skinny [censored], won't
be any good to draft anyway.

spiz said:

Thanks Dutch much appreciated.... 🙂

Are these slicks ok in your opinion to ride on the beach road bike trail? 🙂

Also apart from somebody calling themselves GPLama does it mean anything? Few ideas running through my mind...

sorry spiz.... was just being "silly" GPLama is a quick riding, skinny, person be good for riding behind... 🙂

granted, it was 3 o'clock on a saturday warm afternoon, but I rode a bike on that beach road trail from Port Melbourne to Elwood, last weekend, I will never, ever do that again, I will stick to the roads, people who cant ride bikes, walkers in their own walking world+runners on the bike part, while the actual walking/running path is 1 metre to the right, dogs, cats, fish, kitchen sinks, sail boards crossing the path and worst, amazing looking chicks in bikinis trying to take my attention of the bike path.

MikeyOz said:

sorry spiz.... was just being "silly" GPLama is a quick riding, skinny, person be good for riding behind... 🙂

granted, it was 3 o'clock on a saturday warm afternoon, but I rode a bike on that beach road trail from Port Melbourne to Elwood, last weekend, I will never, ever do that again, I will stick to the roads, people who cant ride bikes, walkers in their own walking world+runners on the bike part, while the actual walking/running path is 1 metre to the right, dogs, cats, fish, kitchen sinks, sail boards crossing the path and worst, amazing looking chicks in bikinis trying to take my attention of the bike path.

lol MikeyOz...agreed about the good looking chicks.....as for the others riding back in the evening is terrible....not comfortable riding on the road in peak hour on beach road so I have limited choice....

MikeyOz said:

... amazing looking chicks in bikinis trying to take my attention of the bike path.

good thing they dont go jogging down Harris Gully Rd (THE downhill on BRx)
I fight the thoughts of 'what if i puncture doing 85+kph down here?'
Besides. Lycra dont lie 🙄

spiz said:

lol MikeyOz...agreed about the good looking chicks.....as for the
others riding back in the evening is terrible....not comfortable riding
on the road in peak hour on beach road so I have limited choice....

While Beach Road is nice and scenic and all that it leave a lot to be
desired as a transport route.

Much of it is two lanes with the inside lane being too narrow to
accommodate cyclists and other road users at the same time. There's
also a `perfectly usable bike path' down much of the road, the
consequence of that in my experience has been an elevated level of
aggression towards cyclists on that road.

Nepean Highway can easily accommodate cyclists and other roads users in
the left lane. There are very few junctions which are not controlled by
lights and zero parked cars to navigate around. Speed and safety wise
it wins hands down.

Most days I work in the city, I'd be happy to ride with you a few times
till you get your confidence up.
--
Cheers | ~~ __@
Euan | ~~ _-\<,
Melbourne, Australia | ~ (*)/ (*)

flyingdutch said:

good thing they dont go jogging down Harris Gully Rd (THE downhill on BRx)
I fight the thoughts of 'what if i puncture doing 85+kph down here?'
Besides. Lycra dont lie 🙄

yeah I know that feeling....! its usually after you finish the downhill ?? and you are sat there thinking... hmmmm.. what if I came off doing that...... then you do it again next time anyway! 🙂

MikeyOz said:

yeah I know that feeling....! its usually after you finish the downhill ?? and you are sat there thinking... hmmmm.. what if I came off doing that...... then you do it again next time anyway! 🙂

no. 'usually' about halfway down, nearing terminal velocity.
must_fight_urge_to_feather_brakes i thinks 🙁

Euan said:

spiz said:

lol MikeyOz...agreed about the good looking chicks.....as for the
others riding back in the evening is terrible....not comfortable riding
on the road in peak hour on beach road so I have limited choice....

While Beach Road is nice and scenic and all that it leave a lot to be
desired as a transport route.

I think the only time Beach Rd sucks is at peak hour, inbound around St
Kilda.

Quoted message said:

Much of it is two lanes with the inside lane being too narrow to
accommodate cyclists and other road users at the same time. There's
also a `perfectly usable bike path' down much of the road, the
consequence of that in my experience has been an elevated level of
aggression towards cyclists on that road.

I never found this to be a significant problem.

Bleve said:

Euan said:

spiz said:

lol MikeyOz...agreed about the good looking chicks.....as for the
others riding back in the evening is terrible....not comfortable riding
on the road in peak hour on beach road so I have limited choice....

While Beach Road is nice and scenic and all that it leave a lot to be
desired as a transport route.

I think the only time Beach Rd sucks is at peak hour, inbound around St
Kilda.

There's a reason it's called peak hour, that's when most of us wage
slaves have to be on the road commuting.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Much of it is two lanes with the inside lane being too narrow to
accommodate cyclists and other road users at the same time. There's
also a `perfectly usable bike path' down much of the road, the
consequence of that in my experience has been an elevated level of
aggression towards cyclists on that road.

I never found this to be a significant problem.

I'd rather have no problems. I've experienced aggression on Beach Road,
I haven't on Nepean Highway.
--
Cheers | ~~ __@
Euan | ~~ _-\<,
Melbourne, Australia | ~ (*)/ (*)

MikeyOz said:

sorry spiz.... was just being "silly" GPLama is a quick riding,
skinny, person be good for riding behind... 🙂

No way, GPLama is too skinny. A Gags is what you really want for
drafting/domestique work. A Flying Dutch can work well on occasion but
may complain about the volume of your breathing.

DaveB