Ever considered riding from Bourke to Sydney?

Introducing The BT Future2 Wheel Classic – 1250km cycle ride for Australians in need.

The inaugural BT Future2 Wheel Classic starts in Bourke on 4 August and, 1251 km later, Ray and Peter will pedal into Sydney, arriving on Friday 13 August.  (see map below)

The BT Future2 Wheel Classic follows the route taken in 1955 by Jack Griffin, a professional cyclist. His son Ray of Future2 was inspired by his father’s recollections of the ride, on rough dirt roads for much of the way. The idea is to get to Sydney on bike while raising money for young Aussies in need.

Following Ray’s fathers route will be no easy task with some stages hitting the 160+mark.

“The roads are better today, but even so it’s going to be a ride of endurance and pain”, Griffin anticipates. “Our average daily distance will be 125 kilometres. We’ll be aiming for an average speed of 29 km per hour for 4.5 hours a day, so we’re hoping for plenty of support along the route!”

All of the money raised – through sponsorship, rider donations and individual donations – will go to the Future2 Foundation, whose grants seek to give a second chance and hope for a better future to disadvantaged young Australians.

Like to get involved?

Ride with the Team  for a day!
Choose one of the 9 legs of the ride (according to your capabilities and your location).  Up to 8 cyclists can join us on each of the days providing you commit to donating or raising $500 for Future2 (the charity).

Sponsor an individual rider!
Whether you make an online donation or use our pledge form to pay by cheque or credit card, you can opt to support the Classic as a whole or an individual rider.

For all the details on this ride and more, check out the website at: www.future2foundation.org.au/wheelclassic

Follow their tweets at: http://twitter.com/f2wheelclassic

It’s great to see Aussies helping fellow Aussies in need.
The team are sponsored by: BT Insurance, Matrix Planning Solutions and Telstra.

Bunch Ride Finder was lucky enough this week to catch up with Australia’s Rachel Neylan. From runner turned cyclist, in late 2008, the passionate and ambitious 28 year old has promptly progressed to international racing. With a recent top 10 result in her European debut we got the skinny on what Rachel thinks about the cycling scene….

Q: What Bunch Rides do you frequent ( OS and Australia )
I always do the SASI (South Aus Sport Institute) Cycling squad bunch rides wed and sun from Cibo Melbourne St Adelaide. I will often do the fast and furious time trial bunch from the city to outer harbor on a saturday morning.

Q: What’s your favorite bunch ride?
A tough long Sunday SASI bunch ride in the Adelaide hills.

Q: What annoys you about riding with the general public?
Nothing, I enjoy seeing all sorts of people riding to keep fit whatever their age or fitness level, as long as they are obeying the road rules!

Q: What what do you like about riding with non-pros?
I enjoy frequent opportunities to ride with non pros. I can learn so many things from meeting and chatting to others from all different walks, travels, locations and professions.. I love to hear other peoples great life stories.

Q: What’s your favourite after ride coffee shop?
Cibo Espresso, Melbourne St North Adelaide! (BRF Note: It’s our favourite when in Adeliade too – Rachel has good taste!)

Q: When in training do you use bunch rides as part of your training schedule?
Yes, always at least twice per week. Especially training with males or stronger riders lifts performance. Fast bunch rides are great to push leg speed.

Q: When someone punchers in a bunch ride – what’s your thoughts on the time limit 3mins? 5 mins?
5min is fair but I think it depends on the type of bunch and level of experience. Although on a fast TT style bunch ride there is no stopping so be prepared for a solo return!

Q: What are your pet hates with bunch rides?
When riders do not obey road rules or give cars respect – we cannot demand respect from them if we do not display it. Also when safety is not prioritised i.e. diligence with pointing out obstacles etc.  (BRF Note: We totally agree here, just check out the recent Cycling Tips post on the Hell Ride just the other day when ‘the bunch goes down’ check out Cycling Tips by clicking here)

Q: Is there any rule that you think all bunch rides should abide by?
Obey every road rule, never run red lights, ensure new riders are well informed on etiquette, respect cars and motorists, wave & thank cars when they slow or let you change lanes!

Q: Women Participation, what do you think would help get more women to join in the local bunch rides?
More sharing of information through forums / websites on;
- where to find bunch rides that suit the individual rider
- step by step tips on how to get to a level to be competent and comfortable riding in a bunch i.e. etiquette, a set of basic skills, to practice clipping out and stopping suddenly.
- encouraging people by highlighting the benefits of bunch rides – to learn skills, safety, to push fitness.

Q: Have you found the ‘boys’ in the bunch to be friendly and supportive – or the opposite?
I have been really well welcomed into the cycling community especially in Adelaide, but on a whole wherever I am other riders are always very supportive. I have only had had many positive experiences of people sharing advice, knowledge and insights into the cycling world.

Q: What are your goals for the rest of the year and for the 2011 season?
I am aiming for a result in a UCI race here and ultimately 2010 world championships selection in October. I am aiming to gain a professional contract with a UCI team in 2011.

Q: Coming from a running background, what similarities have you found between Running and Cycling
Similarities physically are the importance of power to weight and strength endurance especially for climbing. I have also been able to transfer the importance of off bike extras – stability / strength and flexibility practices.

Q: Winning the Amy Gillet Scholarship must have quite a honour, how do you think this will help your racing?
The AGF scholarship is indeed a real honour and a fantastic opportunity which will give me support to race part time with the AIS / National team in Europe during the 2010 season.

The opportunity to ride a Bianchi T Cube 928, such a top quality road bike will also obviously be a great asset to my racing.

The AGF sponsors Bianchi, AIS, Cycling Australia, Cycling Adventures, and Oakley have all been fantastic in contributing their support.

Want to know more about Rachel? She has a fantastic website – click here
Like to learn more about the Amy Gillet Foundation and the AGF Scholarship? – click here

Open for discussion and posted in the Bunch Ride Finder Forum, ‘orrsome153′ give his personal view as to why he thinks Bunch Rides are better than racing:

“Non regulated riding”

by orrsome153 on Sun Feb 07, 2010 4:26 pm

I am fortunate to live on the Tweed/Gold Coast. We have many,many bunches. I am also a licence holder for Cycling Australia. Whilst I participate and enjoy the odd club race that can not compete with bunch rides. My reason for saying that is over regulation. I know club racing has it great points, well orgainised, support, competition and the great atmosphere. What club riding does have is freedom. All bunch rides have their unwritten rules tht is a given. In the main though they are just plain good manners and safety. What I believe they have over orgainised/sanctioned cycling is the freedom they offer. In the main you can jump on or off when ever you feel like it, there are no fee’s, rules or commissairs. I have found that there is a bunch for every one, the social rider, competitive rider or the person wanting to get a little fitter. There are no trophies, prize money or press releases and all the rides I have participated are welcoming and friendly.

I believe there is far too much regulation in our lives and when I want to get away from all that and go for a ride the last thing I want is another set of rules telling me how far, how fast or what grade I have to ride in. Some of the bunches I ride with always stop for the slower riders others expect you to do your best and if you can’t hang on well…bad luck. This is what I like. Cycling Australia and Cycling QLD have these draconian rules that tell you what races you can compete in, when you can ride club races and for that priviledge they charge you a small fortune. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy our club races immensley but regulation is realy dampening the fun as it is with most sports.

So I urge of you who enjoy their bunch rides to stick to the road RULES (I suppose we have to tolerate them) so the drivers of this world appreciate how much fun we are having and instead of whinging to anyone who will listen will sell the car and buy a bike. Ride on.

So what do you think?
Leave a message below, or join the action in the Bunch Ride Finder Forum

At Bunch Ride Finder, we help fellow cyclists hook up with Bunch Rides and one of the important things when riding with a new group for the first time is working out who the ‘Patron of The Peloton’ is. CyclingTips have written a great article about why it’s important:

The “patron of the peloton” (POTP) essentially refers to the figurehead of any bunch ride. He’s not necessarily the best rider, but he is the most respected and the unspoken leader. He’s the guy who shouts “piss stop!” and everyone stops. He is the guy who is able to say “single up!” and everyone singles up. Nearly every bunch includes one rider like this and it’s always handy to know who this person is.

Why is this important to know? It’s especially significant when you’re new to a bunch ride. No matter how good a rider you are, when you join a bunch ride for the first time you should take note of who the POTP is, sit back, and follow. When you’re on someone else’s bunch ride it’s not the time to flex your muscle and show your stuff. This is one of those pieces of cycling etiquette that is never explicitly stated, but mess it up and you won’t be invited back. - read the full article at cyclingTips by clicking here!

Want to chat about a ride?, maybe find out more about a ride?, or even just talk all things cycling? – Join in on our Bunch Ride Finder Forum!

We’ve added a new feature to the site by popular request – A Bunch Ride Forum

In  the forum you can chat with like minded cyclists about all things cycling. You can use it as a tool to ask local riders about a ride – or even give your thoughts on a particular ride – good or bad!

It’s free and it’s here: Welcome to the Bunch Ride Forum

With the upcoming summer race season approaching in Australia, we thought we’d give the Shimano’s new RS80 Wheels a test run. These could be a great weekend and race wheel set at an affordable upgrade price for the average punter (retailing at approx $999AUD).

The Shimano RS80’s are new in the Shimano range and are the next down from the Dura Ace Carbon laminates. They only weigh in at 1521 grams a pair. The RS80s use the same Rim as the Dura Ace Caron Laminates the only difference being the Hubs, which means these wheels would spin up just as fast, yet cost considerably less.

Here’s what the sales blurb says : ” Carbon and alloy laminate clincher rim is both light weight and ridged whilst maintaining high braking performance with standard brake pads. Low rim weight is achieved by reducing the alloy wall thickness to 0.7 mm, then a patent pending phosphoric acid anodizing process is used to bond the carbon fibre to the alloy giving an excellent combination of low weight, strength and rigidity. Added carbon reinforcement is applied around the spoke eyelets for increased durability under high load.”

On the road:

The first thing we found with these wheels is that that we had to adjust the Brakes to accommodate the extra rim width which seems to be a trait of Shimano wheels. Having said that, mounting tyres to these wheels was a breeze which in the past whith Shimano wheels was not the case. After a few races on these wheels we have found that they are really stiff!, and considering their low weight it’s quite amazing. Combine this with light rims these wheels spin up super fast. We found that the wheels were perfect for windy days with the low rim height and to date have performed flawlessly. The freehub is extremely quiet, and smooth. The wheels roll very nicely, accelerate incredibly well and the ride offered is very smooth.

What the bunch thought:

Everyone in the bunch who saw these wheels thought they look pretty cool, they had to look twice to realise that the rims were carbon laminate, yet when seen in the sun light you can see the construction. The general opinion was that these wheels would have looked heaps better with black spokes and a black hub, which we agree with. If you want to pay almost half the price of these again, you can get the Dura Ace ones, they have black spokes.

Conclusion:

If you are in the market for a great set of wheels that could be used for your ‘Saturday’s best’ and Race days, these should get a look in – value for money wise that are quite simply a  bargain. If your budget is not an issue go for the Dura Ace versions and you’ll be getting even better hubs and a nicer overall black look and a slight weight reduction. They are a great set of wheels, probably not as bling as some but defenately perform way above their price point.

Here’s some more specs on the Shimano RS80’s

Rear Wheel

• 16 front stainless steel butted and bladed straight pull spokes
• High lateral rigidity is improved with a wide flange spacing
• Labyrinth double contact sealing – low-friction seals effectively shut out water, mud and dirt without affecting rotational smoothness
• Polished bearing races reduce friction and provide for smooth rotation
• Cold forged and machined aluminium hub shell keep the wheel weight to a minimum
• 700C clincher compatible
• Supplied with Q/R skewer

Front Wheel

• 16 front stainless steel butted and bladed straight pull spokes
• High lateral rigidity is improved with a wide flange spacing
• Labyrinth double contact sealing – low-friction seals effectively shut out water, mud and dirt without affecting rotational smoothness
• Polished bearing races reduce friction and provide for smooth rotation
• Cold forged and machined aluminium hub shell keep the wheel weight to a minimum
• 700C clincher compatible
• Supplied with Q/R skewer
• Average weight: 1521 grams a pair

Bunch Ride Finder were lucky enough to have a chat with RaphaCondor Team member Ben Greenwood.

Q: What Bunch Rides do you frequent?
When I’m in Lancaster I’ll go out on the Lune RCC club ride. When I’m in Manchester I do a group ride with the other local pros including Geraint Thomas, Ed Clancy, Ben Swift, Rob Hayles and Rob Partridge. (We’ll locate those rides and add them to the site – BunchRideFinder)

Q: What’s your favourite bunch ride?
The bunch rides round Doncaster are really good. Lots of good pros from Yorkshire go out on them as well as lots of local guys. It can be harder than a race sometimes.

Q: What annoys you about riding in the bunch with the average punter?
People who don’t ride at a consistent speed, always speeding up then slowing down. Riders who try to overtake on a descent even when you’re going round the corners fast, I know my limits, sometimes the average punters don’t know theirs.

Q: When in training do you use bunch rides as part of your training schedule?
Yes, I like to ride in a bunch, especialy in the winter when I need to do long rides without any structure. I enjoy the social side of the ride and it makes 5 hours go much quicker.

Q: When someone punchers in a bunch ride – what’s your thoughts on the time limit to change a tyre 3mins? 5 mins?
I wouldn’t have a time limit. The quicker it gets done the quicker you can leave, so if they’re struggling then help out. You should never leave someone who’s punctured. If it’s taking more than 5 mins though. you’re doing something wrong.

Q: What are you pet hates with bunch rides?

Riders who start out as if it’s a race then blow halfway through meaning you have to keep waiting for them. There’s no prizes in a bunch ride so trying to show off and impress everyone isn’t a good idea. Particually if you can’t maintain the silly pace you’re setting anyway.

Q: When you were in Australia, did you get a chance to get out for a ride with any local bunches?
Not really. We went out for a ride the day before the Sun Tour with the Garmin and Jelly Belly teams down Beach Road in St Kilda. I couldn’t believe how many riders and groups there were on a Saturday morning. We caught quite a few guys who joined in giving them a chance to ride next to Bradley Wiggins.

Q: After crashing out of the Sun Tour, how are your going? Are you back on the bike?
When I crashed I landed face first. Luckily the damage to my face has healed quickly. I also bruised my hip pretty badly and it’s now 2 weeks after the crash and I’m still struggling. I haven’t ridden yet but I hope to do some easy riding within a week or so.

Q: What are your goals for  2010 season?
My biggest goal is to enjoy myself. Things haven’t gone too well for me over the last couple of years with so many injuries so I want a year without any misfortune so I can do what I enjoy most which is riding my bike fast. A win in the British National Champs would be nice though as it’s in my home county of Lancashire in 2010.

Q: What where your thoughts on the Aussie cycling Scene?
From what I saw on Beach Road, cycling in Australia, particually Melbourne is going strong. Rapha has just launched in Australia and from what I’ve seen they are going to have alot of success. The race scene seems pretty good, the Aussie domestic teams are certainly strong. The Tour of Tasmania was harder than any UK domestic race I’ve done and there’s so many talented youngsters. Richard Lang is certainly a rider to watch out for. We had an Aussie in Rapha Condor this year, Darren Lapthorne, and he made such a good impression we’ve got at least 3 Aussies for next year.

Q: What’s the plans for the off season?
After my crash I’ve been forced into a break and I’m going to Tenerife in the Canary Islands for a holiday in November so I’ll start riding again after that. I will mostly concentrate on endurance before we have our team training camps in January and February.

A big thanks to Ben for taking the time to talk with us – we’ll buy you a Schooner next time your down Under!

Check out Ben’s Website for even more behind the scene news.
Check out the RaphaCondor Team website -  probably the coolest team kit in the peloton?
Images Copyright CyclingTips – Thanks guys.

Talk on the street was about which Tyres are good for racing, bunch rides and the every day commute? After a few discussions in various bunches, the Vittoria Rubino Pro’s came up quite often so we thought we’d give them a go.

The Rubinos come in heaps of colours (Yellow/Black, Red/Black, White/Black, Blue/Black, White/Black, and Black).  I opted for the white ones to bling up the Colnago, but quickly came to regret it after the first ride.

The Rubino Pro product family is in the same league of Continental GP4000, Michelin’s Pro Race and Hutchinson’s Fusion concerning TPI count (Threads Per Inch) having 120 nylon threads for each single casing layer (no the sum of all layers), this is market standard for high performance and low weight – these weighed about 225gms.

The other thing they state about the tyres are: “High performance and long lasting compound thanks to Kevlar Endura 3D granting the rider high mileage, low rolling resistance and fabulous grip. Dot C.O.M. Vector tread, deriving from Diamante, higher quality product, increases cornering grip and gives for a fast rolling straights.”

The sides of the Tyres do add heaps of grip in the wet would have to be one of the great things about these ‘do it all’ tyres.  I don’t head out in the rain, but it’s comforting to know that they’ll perform should I get caught out.

After one 40km ride this is what the tyres ended up looking like (pic above). Thanks to the recent Sydney dust storms, the beautiful white tyres turned into a poo brown type colour. The Rubino’s did wash up well, although they’ll never be white again. But what did i expect?

Performance.
These tyres are fast, but not super fast, they are grippy in the wet thanks to the ‘Dot C.O.M. Vector tread’ and give great confidence cornering.

So far no punchers at all, something that the boys in the bunch did say. Apparently they are renown for being really puncher resistant which has been true so far (1500kms).

The other thing to note is that after 1500kms, they have virtually no cuts – something that the old Michelin Pro Races used to do quite easily.
Overall I am very impressed with these tyres, great for everyday use and the occasional race. For racing I’d rather have faster, lighter tyres, but for a do it all tyre the Rubino Pros fits the bill.

Word on the street is that the Conti GP4000 with the Chilli compounds are even better… might just have to check them out for the next review!

Bont sent Bunch Ride Finder the companies top two A1’s and A2 cycling shoes. Bont have been in the performance sports shoe game for over 30years now and the A1’s are the top of the line cycling shoe from Bont as worn by Michael Rogers. The white ones are the A1’s and the A2’s the black.

When you get these shoes in your hand the first thing you notice is their weight, or lack of. They are light! they come in at around 250grams. The next thing is the carbon sole, the one piece hand laid carbon fiber construction doesn’t just stop at the base, it actually wraps up the sides of the shoe and heel. Not only does this give extra stiffness, it’s where the advantage of heat moulding really comes to play with Bont shoes.

Time to get baking:

Following the advice from Bont, I placed the shoe with the oven pre-heated to 60-70degrees celcius and then heated the shoes for 15-20minutes. Checking every now and then its around the 17minute mark you could feel the Carbon start to soften. Wearing my hot shoes, you strap them up, place your body weight forward over the ball of your foot (this shapes the main area of the foot bed), squeeze the heel box together to get a snug fit, wait a bit – done! The shoes are ready. Simple.

Once moulded, the carbon that wraps up and around your feet now kind of ‘locks’ your foot into place, awesome when putting the power down. It also stops the toe box area from stretching over time, which gives these shoes longer life.

Getting the cleats on:

When placing cleats on BONT shoes you’ll need the short screws that come with your pedals. My new Speedplay cleats came with them so I guess nearly all cleats would. Why the short screws? BONT shoes have a super skinny stack height – that’s the amount of space between your pedal and the ball of your foot. If you use long screws, you’ll find them poking through to the inside of your shoe.

If you look at the picture below, you’ll see the same Speedplay cleats on a Shimano shoe and the BONT A1 shoe – look at the gap difference – that’s stack height, less the better.

BONT A1 Shoes have a stack height of just 3.6mm. It’s the way that Bont lay their carbon fiber and the technique they use to expel the bonding resin which gives the low stack height – unique to Bont, its a company secret. I found that with these shoes on, I had to adjust my seat height slightly to accommodate the difference that’s how little stack height there is! .More on the stack height later…

The little things:

A little detail I like a lot about these shoes is that the heel and toe pads on the Bont shoes are replaceable. I’ve found in the past that these areas often wear really fast.  Not only are these replaceable but the buckle and the buckle strap is too. Great for when you have a crash as often the first thing to get road rash and stuffed is the buckle. Good to know you can replace it with the Bonts.

Furthermore buckles have a ‘half’ release click – while riding you can adjust the tension by clicking one side of the buckle, and to full release – press both sides, simple and effective.

What about the A2’s?

The A2’s are the have nearly all the same features as the A1’s yet at quite a cheaper price point. The A2’s only come in Black and Silver as shown, or Black and White, colours that will stay in fashion for years to come. The A2’s are super stiff, use the same buckle system yet have a slightly higher stack height (4.4mm). These offer excellent value. The price difference between the A1’s and A2’s is in the Sole, the A2’s are a Carbon Composite sole, where the A1’s are 100% Carbon Fiber. They feel just as stiff, just slightly more stack height.

On the Street:

The A1’s compared to my old Shimano’s? these are crazy stiff!! If you want high performance shoes the BONT A1s are for you. I found that adding another padded sole give you super comfort which make these shoes the best of both worlds, Stiff and Comfortable. I was really amazed at the difference – it felt like I had an extra leg!

With less stack height than my old Shimano’s, my feet felt more ‘connected’ to the pedal, a kind of more direct feel. Combine this with a 100% Carbon Sole and torsion bar, it feels like you have more power.

The shoes have around 40 air holes and there was enough air flow to keep my feet cool without getting cold.

The Local Bunch:

Nearly 70% of the local bunch thought that Bonts were only custom made shoes – wrong, you can get these off the shelf from most bike shops.  Yep, Bont also do and can make custom shoes, but these A1’s and A2’s are off the shelf Cycling shoes.

Everyone loved the look of the white A1’s and also thought the A2s’ were also very cool and understated – most could not see the difference between the two. Everyone loved how light they were and when i told them that they were hand made, at first people did’nt believe it! thought it was a marketing hype – but no it’s true.

Verdict:
The A1’s are for riders who want the best and demand a shoe that performs. I liked them because not only are they a shoe that actually makes you ride better through the power transfer – but they also are made to last. Having all the replaceable bits, you’ve got a shoe that’s going to last you a long time, this is where I really see the added value.

The A2’s offer exceptional value being a bit cheaper and having a lot of the features of the A1 including all the replaceable bits.

Oh, if you are after something a bit cheaper again, Bont have just launched  a new shoe “The JET or A3’s” that will retail for about $199AUD!, it wont have the buckle but but is super light, has a heat mouldable composite sole and looks fantastic! Not a bad from the Aussie company.

A1 BONT Shoes
Leather Colours: White & Black , Black & Silver
MicroFiber Colours: White, Black, Pink, Red, Green, Yellow, Orange and Blue
Price: $549.00 AUD RRP

A2 BONT Shoes
MicroFiber Colours: White & Black, Black & Silver
Price: $399.00 AUD RRP

NEW A3 BONT JET Shoes
Colours: White, Black
Price: $199.00 AUD RRP

• For a online size chart click here and all the details on the shoes, check out: www.bont.com.au

So you have been riding on your own for some time, clocking up the miles and you’ve been thinking of joining that Bunch…. here are some tips and tricks for joining a Bunch Ride for the first time.

1. Do your research on the bunch ride:
When heading out with a bunch for the first time, its a good idea to find out as much information on the bunch ride as you can. Ask questions;
How long is the Ride?  Does the Bunch stop for punctures? What’s the average speed of the bunch ride?…etc

Why? the more you know the more you’ll enjoy the ride. For example, You don’t want to be in the middle of nowhere and get dropped by the pace of the bunch because you can’t keep up with the speed.

2. Be prepared:
After arming yourself with knowledge, it’s time to ‘gear up’. Have a full water bottle, 2 spare tubes, tyre leavers, a pump, multi tool, money, lights  and a bike in good working order.

You will find that the majority of Bunches will wait for a mechanical or a puncture, but its expected that you will have all the stuff you need to fix what’s wrong. If the mechanical is beyond what you can fix with a Multi tool, tell the bunch to continue without you and call a friend for a pick up. If you are taking ages to change that tube, ask someone to give you a hand – a quick tube repair is the goal!
Oh, and no tri bars! these are a bit of a no-no.

3. Joining the Bunch:
The best way to ride with a new bunch for the first time is to hang around the back of the bunch, let all the regulars buddy up with their mates, and then fill a gap at the back. Here’s your chance to slowly integrate with the bunch have a chat and meet new people.

4. Riding in the Bunch:
The key is to ride ‘smooth‘, don’t slam on your brakes, keep the same pace. If you find that you can’t hold the average speed, drop to the back of the group. Stay side by side by keep your handle bars in line with the guy next to you, don’t ‘half wheel’ the guy next to you.

5. Go for a Brew:
While chatting at the back of the bunch with your new mate, find out about where the majority of the bunch heads for coffee after the ride. This is where you’ll meet more people, and over time you’ll be a regular!

That’s just a few simple tips for getting started on the right foot with the local bunch ride.

If there is any other advice for a new comer, leave a message below: