Cycling in Sydney Australia
Of gears, panniers and fitness...
Well, as some of you may remember, a little while ago I bought a new bike. Here it is:
Other than feeding my addiction, I bought it because I wanted something more practical, something I could carry stuff around on and do longer rides. Oh, and I lusted after swishiness.
Well, the first thing to note is that if you want to bring about a global drought, go and buy a bike with mudguards. Since buying that bike, it has never rained when I've needed or wanted to go anywhere, except when I was on the wrong (mudguard-less) bike.
The second point is that gears make you soft. Yes, it's a cliché, but it seems to be true. I've mainly been riding this bike, and I just have this impression that my fitness has dropped slightly. (Of course, that may not be the reason - I have also developed an addiction to Arnott's Lemon Crisps; I'm not sure that consuming an entire packet at midnight prior to going to bed is exactly the nutrition of champions.) Hills on the fixie are brutal and short. On the new bike, they take longer, and I feel more spent at the top. Of course, the new bike is heavier. Sometimes much heavier, as I also have fallen victim to the First Rule of Panniers.
Yes, I also bought panniers. Why are panniers so expensive in Australia? I do make an effort to support my LBS, as I figure the service and convenience of a bike shop around the corner is worth paying a premium for. But when you can buy panniers from the UK and get them delivered to your door in less than a week for under half the cost of buying locally, well, something seems a bit wrong somewhere.
Anyway, the First Rule of Panniers, for those unfamiliar with it, states that whatever size of pannier you get, your stuff will only just fit in them; the corollary being that your stuff expands to fit the size of pannier that you buy. The panniers I have are thirty-eight litres, pretty standard for touring. People use them for things like round the world trips and moving house. However, for some reason my commute to work how seems to require me to fill them up, whereas previously I could fit my stuff into a small backpack. Almost every time I go out there is some reason why I have to take a load of stuff with me. It's very mysterious. And heavy.
In the course of this, I also learned why tourers like such low gears. Getting out of the saddle when the bike is laden is very weird, unsteady and tiring. So you stay in the saddle and spin in a lower gear. Maybe that has affected my fitness. Or maybe I'm just more tired because I'm hauling an entirely unnecessary 10kg of extra weight around with me. I've also become much less tolerant of the SHB steps, as wheeling a heavy bike up and down them is much more difficult than slinging a lightweight one over your shoulder and jogging down.
Still, I do love my new bike. Lots of people ask me which one I prefer (well, not lots actually, most people can't tell the difference, but a few have asked). So after some consideration, I have developed this analogy.
The fixie is like a mistress. It's fast, racy and fun, but not always practical. And whilst it's a blast now, there is a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that this is not something I'll be settling down with; it's not going to be suitable for my old age.
The tourer is like a wife. Comfortable, practical, and unlikely to solicit as many gasps of admiration, but ultimately the one I'd choose if and when I have to start being sensible.
Other than feeding my addiction, I bought it because I wanted something more practical, something I could carry stuff around on and do longer rides. Oh, and I lusted after swishiness.
Well, the first thing to note is that if you want to bring about a global drought, go and buy a bike with mudguards. Since buying that bike, it has never rained when I've needed or wanted to go anywhere, except when I was on the wrong (mudguard-less) bike.
The second point is that gears make you soft. Yes, it's a cliché, but it seems to be true. I've mainly been riding this bike, and I just have this impression that my fitness has dropped slightly. (Of course, that may not be the reason - I have also developed an addiction to Arnott's Lemon Crisps; I'm not sure that consuming an entire packet at midnight prior to going to bed is exactly the nutrition of champions.) Hills on the fixie are brutal and short. On the new bike, they take longer, and I feel more spent at the top. Of course, the new bike is heavier. Sometimes much heavier, as I also have fallen victim to the First Rule of Panniers.
Yes, I also bought panniers. Why are panniers so expensive in Australia? I do make an effort to support my LBS, as I figure the service and convenience of a bike shop around the corner is worth paying a premium for. But when you can buy panniers from the UK and get them delivered to your door in less than a week for under half the cost of buying locally, well, something seems a bit wrong somewhere.
Anyway, the First Rule of Panniers, for those unfamiliar with it, states that whatever size of pannier you get, your stuff will only just fit in them; the corollary being that your stuff expands to fit the size of pannier that you buy. The panniers I have are thirty-eight litres, pretty standard for touring. People use them for things like round the world trips and moving house. However, for some reason my commute to work how seems to require me to fill them up, whereas previously I could fit my stuff into a small backpack. Almost every time I go out there is some reason why I have to take a load of stuff with me. It's very mysterious. And heavy.
In the course of this, I also learned why tourers like such low gears. Getting out of the saddle when the bike is laden is very weird, unsteady and tiring. So you stay in the saddle and spin in a lower gear. Maybe that has affected my fitness. Or maybe I'm just more tired because I'm hauling an entirely unnecessary 10kg of extra weight around with me. I've also become much less tolerant of the SHB steps, as wheeling a heavy bike up and down them is much more difficult than slinging a lightweight one over your shoulder and jogging down.
Still, I do love my new bike. Lots of people ask me which one I prefer (well, not lots actually, most people can't tell the difference, but a few have asked). So after some consideration, I have developed this analogy.
The fixie is like a mistress. It's fast, racy and fun, but not always practical. And whilst it's a blast now, there is a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that this is not something I'll be settling down with; it's not going to be suitable for my old age.
The tourer is like a wife. Comfortable, practical, and unlikely to solicit as many gasps of admiration, but ultimately the one I'd choose if and when I have to start being sensible.
Comment
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Comment by Dan on October 8, 2009 at 10:57pm -
Hey! The man who started it all!
I suppose I should say thank you, as it's because of you I bought the new bike!
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Comment by Freewheelin' Franklin on October 8, 2009 at 9:49pm -
I'm glad you're feeling swishy
:)
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Comment by John H on October 7, 2009 at 8:35pm - Isn't the theory similar to the garage theory? "The amount of junk carried will expand to fill the available space to carry it in".
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Comment by Kerry on October 6, 2009 at 10:49pm -
"So you stay in the saddle and spin in a lower gear."
Hmm, I've quite sure I use the same gears regardless of how much stuff I carry, even if I have the panniers almost bursting and then more stuff tied on top. Then again, I don't get out of the saddle whether I carry stuff or not. You're probably talking about higher gears than any of the ones my bike has anyway.
"I've tried to winnow stuff from my panniers a couple of times, but it's all absolutely essential. "
I carry a lot of stuff I know I don't need and still insist on bringing it anyway. xD
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Comment by Dan on October 6, 2009 at 10:13pm
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I looked at the LHT prior to buying this one. The LHT is a more hard-core tourer; the Salsa is more of a light tourer, as commented elsewhere. Shorter chainstays and so on. I went with the Salsa as it had the gearing I wanted; building up a LHT from scratch was too expensive.
Ironically my fixie is also a Salsa Casseroll. Same frame, same wheels, but a very different bike to ride. And way lighter - even without the panniers, the gears, shifters, mudguards and rack adds a lot of weight.
And this afternoon was swishy. Swishy to the max! I rode along through the storm with a smile on my face and a dry arse. Mudguards rock!
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Comment by John H on October 6, 2009 at 8:12pm
- All of the above. My Surly LHT weighs a tonne, especially with the panniers. I don't know where all the stuff fitted in the back pack. Never ridden a proper road bike, so I can't comment about the difference, but I love the Surly. PS the Salsa looks great as well. I could be tempted to look in that direction if ever I need to replace dear old Surly.
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Comment by Paul on October 5, 2009 at 11:54pm -
In regards to panniers, the rule also applies to computers and Hard Disk Drives..."data expands to fill the space allocated to it"!
Of course, the big advantage of lugging around fully loaded panniers is that when you take them off for your weekend ride, the bike feels so much lighter, and you fly up those hills! It is a great feeling flying up Miller St at over 30km/h :-)
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Comment by Tony A on October 5, 2009 at 11:44pm -
Thanks for the article Dan. I've also just bought a touring bike and have been learning the same things. :-)
I got the Surly LHT which looks a little like the Salsa (although I like the gold sheen of the Salsa).
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Comment by mal on October 5, 2009 at 10:33pm -
Hey! That's my bike! :) And a damn nice bike it is too.
I have had a few people ask what mine is, I usually just call it a light tourer, but I think Salsa designed it as a randonneuring bike. Either way, it's very comfortable and fast enough for my needs. Having moved to the Salsa from a rather heavier mountain bike, I'm finding the opposite, when I hop on the mb now, I wonder how I ever rode it anywhere.
And yes, the pannier rule is universal. I've tried to winnow stuff from my panniers a couple of times, but it's all absolutely essential.
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Comment by ♫ Kylie on October 5, 2009 at 8:54pm - Awesome read :-D I've loved every rainy ride since your first comment about swishiness, and I think of you every time lol. The pannier rule is most certainly accurate, I'm another victim of that one.
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