Golfing Etiquette, And Its Application To Cycling

A decade-or-so ago when cycling became formally recognised as the new golf, many overweight, middle-aged businessmen breathed a collective (and wheezy) sigh of relief.

Finally they were to be granted a reprieve from wearing ridiculous outfits like this…


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Melbourne’s eXpresso Cafés — Part 4

Expresso Joe Drive Thru Coffee

The furious development of Melbourne’s inner-north in recent years has made a huge impact on the food and coffee scene, but the gentrification has come at a price. Fitzroy is already ruined, Collingwood is not far behind, and since the 2013 publicity frenzy sparked by the ‘Beyoncé in Brunswick’ phenomenon, the almost total yuppification of these northern suburbs will soon be complete.

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A Ding-Dong Battle — Three Boutique Bicycle Bells Go Head-To-Head

In the world of high-end bicycle bells, some standout brands are bringing style, craftsmanship, and extraordinary attention to detail to the humble act of ringing and dinging. It’s a realm where safety, function, and flair for design come together to provide yet another way for consummate bicycle enthusiasts to set themselves apart.


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How I Learned Mountain Biking In A Weekend

The UCI Cross Country Mountain Bike World Cup (presented by Shimano) gets underway this weekend in Nové Město na Moravě. It was this race, and a very informative book, that sparked my own interest in the sport just a few years ago.

At the time I was looking for something new. Road cycling had gotten old and a video promo for an upcoming World Cup race in the small, mountain bike-crazed Czech town planted the seed.

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Auctioning The Embacher Collection

Austrian architect Michael Embacher’s world-famous bicycle collection goes up for auction this coming Tuesday. After last week’s Cocktail Preview Party at Vienna’s Dorotheum auction house, European boutique bicycle enthusiasts are understandably getting a little hot under their turtle-necked collars. Over the last 10-years, Embacher has amassed over 200 collectible bicycles, arranged fastidiously according to colour, in the attic-cum-bike gallery* of his Vienna design office.

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Cycling’s Strange Affinity With April Fool’s Day And The Coriolis Effect

The history of April Fool’s Day possibly goes back as far as the 1600s, but it wasn’t until more recently, with the emergence of comedy websites (such as cyclingnews.com) that its reach has been able to fully penetrate the world of cycling. Thankfully there’s nothing that cyclists enjoy more than being fully penetrated.



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The Murky Underworld Of Corporate Contributions And Wheel Size Segregation

I was starting to think that the wheel size wars were finally petering out until a recent trip to Rotorua in New Zealand confirmed that not only is the debate still alive and well, but that it may actually be evolving in to a recognised form of segregation—bucking the trend of many civil rights movements throughout history.

I refer, of course, to the recently updated trail signage in Rotorua’s Whakarewarewa forest that now include wheel size recommendations, a divisive instrument that may soon disrupt the harmonious nature of mountain biking.

We're Not Here To Fuck Spiders

If you’ve ever endured the excruciating ordeal of a group mountain bike ride then you've probably come across the phrase, “we’re not here to fuck spiders!” But then again, you might not have. After all, mountain biking is no longer the peculiar hobby of a bunch of Californian misfits on bikes cobbled together from heavy old cruiser frames in between rigorous product testing on the influx of recently decriminalised cannabis presumably spilling over the border from neighbouring Oregon during the mid-1970s.

Peak Clash Weekend

The unprecedented quantity of cycling events offered in Australia last weekend represented what 2013 Tour Divide runner-up (and potato cake connoisseur) Jesse Carlsson dubbed “peak clash weekend.”

For race organisers, it represented the culmination of more than 12 months worth of careful planning and stakeholder engagement, resulting in a weekend where cycling, in many different forms, was celebrated on a grand, albeit very diluted, scale.

Pantani: The Accidental Death of a Denim Aficionado

An excellent documentary about the life of Marco Pantani was released in May this year. It chronicled Il Pirata’s rise to the top of professional road cycling in the 1990s and the cocaine-fuelled demise that ultimately led to his lonely death in a hotel not far from an enclaved microstate known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino – seriously, that’s actually an official title. Although the film, Pantani: The Accidental Death of a Cyclist, chiefly deals with depression, drugs, scandal, corruption and passion for cycling, when you start scratching below the surface, an intriguing subplot emerges about one man's profound love of denim.

Harley Davidson In Footscray

The motor vehicle industry has dabbled in the world of bicycle manufacture, or at least bicycle branding, at various times throughout the bicycle’s 175 year history. BMW, Porsche, Mercedes Benz and Ferrari have all have all put their name on bicycles, although it’s unlikely they actually had much to do with the manufacturing process.

Audience Participation In Professional Cycling

It seems like each year that Grand Tour season rolls around the crowds lining the roads get bigger. But not just bigger – more rowdy, more intoxicated, more passionate, more exuberant. More naked.

Every time there’s a mountain top finish, spectators inevitably end up spilling out across the road, excitedly cheering on the riders, waving flags and generally getting in the way.

Megabunch - The Million Bike Milestone

Ride To Work Day in October last year saw the unveiling of a Cyclist Counter on the Capital City Trail in North Carlton. Funded in conjunction with Velo Cycles and the Moreland City Council, it displays the number of bikes using the popular path each day as well as a cumulative yearly total. It is located just west of Nicholson Street outside the Velo Cycles store. The aim is to clock-up a million bikes on the path by the time Ride To Work Day rolls around this year, on Wednesday October 15th.

Transparency In Cycling

Most people would agree that there needs to be more transparency in cycling – whether it’s the long history of doping shrouded in the secrecy of professional cycling’s omertà, corruption within the UCI or clarification on whether or not Giro d’Italia descents are neutralised or not.

In Search Of Ludwig Leichhardt

It is one of the great unsolved mysteries of Australian colonial history. When Ludwig Leichhardt and his expedition party set off from Darling Downs in Queensland in 1848 they were headed for Swan Colony – the city now known as Perth. Their route was unknown and it was estimated that the journey across the continent would take some 2-3 years. After stopping in at McPherson’s station near Muckadilla, they were never heard from again.

MTBing And The Economic Benefits Of Drought

The most recent drought to ravage south eastern Australia lasted from 1995 through to 2010 with the last areas not officially being declared drought-free until 2012. Needless to say, this was a very difficult time, particularly for Australia’s agricultural industry. But for many mountain bikers, this period is quite fondly remembered as the “golden age” of off-road racing.

The Mysterious Dave Zabriskie Water Bottle

Wandering through a discount gift* shop in Fairfield one afternoon in search of a costume bow-tie for a dress-up party, I came across a rather curious water bottle display.

*On a side note, if you’re buying gifts from these types of stores then you probably need to find some more meaningful friends.

Farleigh by Bob Farley

Back in the day, Bob Farley built some classic steel road and track frames in suburban Melbourne. The phrase “back in the day” obviously refers to a time prior to now when a well built steel frame was regarded as the pinnacle in performance bicycles. It was a time before mass-produced carbon fibre and hydroformed alloy. It was a time when Greg Smithey’s “Original Buns of Steel” was the only workout video you needed to “…squeeze those cheeseburgers out of those thighs…”

Yes, it was the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Desert Racing

When you think of desert races, it’s not usually those of the road cycling variety that come to mind. The Paris-Dakar Rally is one of the most famous events that, up until 2008, traversed an off-road route from Paris to Dakar, the capital of Senegal. While this race is contested by cars, trucks and motorcycles, interestingly, it is also run by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), who are the organisers behind road cycling events including the Tour de France, Vuelta a España and Paris-Nice, among others.

Is Jared Graves The New John Tomac?

Jared Graves has been touted as “perhaps the most versatile and dedicated mountain biker of our time” (Flow MTB) and it’s hard to argue with that. As well as winning multiple 4X World Cups and the 2009 4X World Champs, Graves also has a BMX World Cup podium, 6th place in BMX at the 2008 Olympics, a 3rd place at the 2013 World Champs in Downhill, 2nd place in the Enduro World Series and a recent win at the first round of the Australian Mountain Bike Series in the discipline of Cross Country. But how does he compare to John Tomac – another versatile all-rounder, albeit from a different time?