Any reason why I shouldn't use exposed cables ?

[David Simpson]

Dave thanks for posting the photos,as the man said you learn something new every day.

be sure to wash that bike.

Anto, I wish I could wash that bike.  Unfortunately, it's not mine.  It belongs to MilitantGraham, not me.   

Hey guys, go easy -- Dave lives in a temperate rain forest

Having grown up in Vancouver, I am used to the rain.  I prefer it to be rainy yet warm (5C or above) rather than sunny but cold (-10C or below).  People who grow up in a sunnier place sometimes don't like Vancouver winters because of the lack of sunshine.  We had a guest from Brazil stay with us for 4 weeks in January a few years ago.  It rained every day that she was here, not a single bit of sunshine!  She was not happy.

I rode to work yesterday in the pouring rain, and it was a fantastic ride.  It was 8C, which is a nice riding temperature.  As for the rain, I like this quote: "There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing."  I have good wet-weather riding clothes, and that makes all the difference.  And with my Rohloff hub, Hebie Chainglider, and rear fender mounted on the front (shamelessly copied from Dan-- thanks for the idea and photos, Dan!), my bike is equally set up for wet riding.

- Dave

[jags]

Dave here in Ireland we get a rain not as much as people think ,out climate is reckoned to be the best on the planet,no idea who said that wasn't me honest,
anyway cycling in the rain is not my idea of fun, give me calm sunny days any day.



jags

[David Simpson]

here in Ireland we get a rain ... give me calm sunny days any day

I completely agree.  I much prefer riding on a warm sunny day instead of a rainy day.  But I don't want to let the rain stop me from riding.  The only thing which really stops me is snow or ice, which we don't get much of here.

And don't forget that without the rain, we would be living in a desert.  The benefit of the rain is the beautiful setting we have for riding.  This part of the world is very green, as is yours.  It's no coincidence that the most beautiful parts of the world also get their fair share of rain.

- Dave

[jags]

That's a nice way of looking at it

[il padrone]

Hehe! Interesting to hear the different expectations and patterns of local weather. Down here where I live people comment "if you don't like the weather wait five minutes!" The Finn brothers in the band Crowded House wrote the song 'Four Seasons in One Day' all about our city's weather.

http://youtu.be/OeYEyCDRHmE


 

[John Saxby]

And with my Rohloff hub, Hebie Chainglider,

(the latter on advice from Dan & Andre) and good coverage from my VO Zeppelin fenders, my Raven should work fine on my planned trek in BC & the Pacific NW -- likely in the summer, tho'!

[David Simpson]

and good coverage from my VO Zeppelin fenders

I also have Buddy Flaps (again, shamelessly copying from Dan).  They make a big difference, especially the front one.

- Dave

[John Saxby]

We're dry enough here that I have spiffy leather mudflaps, locally made (across the river near Chelsea, QC) with TallTree's own "Steelwool" brand stamped into the leather.  Might have to change them for something like a Buddy for a ride on the West Coast (tho' the "Buddy" always makes me think of The Rock -- Buddy Wasisname and The Other Fellers.)

[Slammin Sammy]

Down here where I live people comment "if you don't like the weather wait five minutes!"

Quite true, Pete! I ventured down there for the Aussie tennis Open in January. It was 17C at 3 PM Sunday when we arrived, and 43C on the Tuesday! (That's 110F in the old currency)

I don't mind rainy weather riding if it catches me out, but I hate departing in the wet. And warm and rainy is fine, but cold and wet is nothing short of miserable. I wear glasses, so misty or drizzly is a pain.

Where I live, it only rains at night, so it's green around here and we get to ride in beautiful sunny weather! (Zzzzzzz... Don't wake me up.... It's such a lovely dream.....)

 

[Andre Jute]

Yes, I lived in Melbourne for a few years. It is one of my favorite cities, one of the great cities of the world, but no one can pretend the weather is a constant. One day in the spring I walked from my house in St Vincent Place in Albert Park to Government House, a couple of miles at most, for the gubbernator's garden party, wearing a light linen suit, as one does. (1) When I arrived I was blue with cold and had to huddle inside with the smart ladies in sleeveless dresses: it was snowing.

Now I live in the green and beloved isle. It would be a lot easier to live and cycle in if it weren't so green, because all that greenery requires copious amounts of rain.

(1) No, that wasn't the year I got my three Borzoi individually inscribed invitations... see http://coolmainpress.com/ajwriting/archives/1140 -- "Why I keep a hedgehog as my pet"

[il padrone]

That must have been a day in around October 2006 Andre if I recall correctly. Snow falling in Melbourne itself (or the suburbs, outside of the Dandenong Ranges) is a rare enough thing, even in Melbourne, that you really remember it.

[John Saxby]

In mid-January 2012 we were visiting our son and daughter-in-law in SE Queensland and we took a short tour around the hills in the QLD/NSW border.  The temps in Melbun had been 40+ as we left.  Returning to QLD a few days later, I was chatting with a guy at a petrol station about winter weather in Canada at the time. He mentioned that they'd had snow in Melbun a day or two back -- from 40 to 0 in a couple of days, and in mid-summer! We occasionally have a dump of snow in Eastern/Central Ontario in May, our transition month from March to July, but the biggest temp swing I've seen is about 20 - 25 degrees in 3 -5 hours.

[Andre Jute]

That must have been a day in around October 2006 Andre if I recall correctly. Snow falling in Melbourne itself (or the suburbs, outside of the Dandenong Ranges) is a rare enough thing, even in Melbourne, that you really remember it.

This was the previous time snow fell on the garden party, in the early 70's. Notable because rare, as you say.

[macspud]

"There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing."

I think you mean "There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing." Sir Rannulph Fiennes.

The first time I remember it being said was by Billy Connolly, the way he said it was amusing enough that I remember it.

[il padrone]

Actually I got that date wrong, it was actually about 1996, not 2006.

He mentioned that they'd had snow in Melbun a day or two back -- from 40 to 0 in a couple of days, and in mid-summer!

I think this may be incorrect. We have not had snow, even in winter, since 1996 (and that was just a few flakes). At Christmas 2006 we had a very cold stormy morning that left many suburbs with piles of hail in the garden for much of the day - not snow. It was 13C that day. For part of Jan 2012 we were in eastern Tasmania with generally very fine weather and one stormy change that just brought rain and was a little cool. Looking at the BOM data for Melbourne Jan 2012 there was no day that month with a max temp below 19C.

Snow in Melbourne is exceedingly rare at any time. However it can fall on a very cold day (even in summer) in the higher mountains nearby - usually those over 1200-1500m.