Green Grrrl

I feel like crap today, but still managed to go out and buy some milk before making the journey home to flake out.

I don’t own a car and the shops aren’t far so I went on my bike.

I was cycling to cross a road. It was a quiet road so I took my time. A family of 3 (mum, dad, son) were blocking the footpath at the slopey curb bit while they figured out where they were going to walk next, so I stopped in the middle of the road and kindly and politely, with a smile, said ‘Excuse Me’. They didn’t move so I moseyed really slowly around them. As I was cycling off, just within ear shot, the matronly, middle-aged, pretentious looking woman said ‘I thought it was a footpath’.

I found this so hurtful, cruel and ignorant that I stopped and tried to yell out an explanation, but they were out of ear-shot and back to ignoring their surroundings.

I’m hoping they were tourists, but we’re talking about Beaudesert Rd Moorooka here, so it’s unlikely. However, people – residents and tourists alike – need to know that cyclists are allowed on footpaths in Brisbane. Cyclists are simply are required to give way to pedestrians.

I am so courteous of this rule. I follow it strictly. Even though I’m allowed to, I never ding my bell on a footpath (only on a bikeway or shared foot/bikeway). I always slow down. Just last night I slowed right down to a halt to avoid the cutest little African toddler whose mother was madly trying to tell him to get out of my way. We shared a laugh. And even then I didn’t just take off (for fear of an unco toddler tumble), I pottered really slowly around him with my feet on the ground the whole time.

I draw the line at getting off the bike completely. Having an electric bicycle means I have much more control to stop and start as I have the throttle that’s essentially a Stop/Go switch.

What concerns me most about this woman today who said this bitchy comment was that her son or grandson aged around 8-10 must not be a kid who rides his bike around the streets.

I vividly remember learning how to ride a bike (taking off the training wheels). It was on Amarina Avenue, Ashgrove. The little bike was maroon. I fell off no doubt. I don’t remember falling off. I remember it being hard. I remember never giving up. Then it was easy. I remember growing a little bit older (8-9) and my friends and I would cycle around the neighbourhood from place to place – sans adults. We’d go down and play in the creek just off Wardell St near the park. We were free.

Cycling as an adult gives me the same sense of freedom. It’s great for body and mind plus you get to enjoy the open air. You are also closer to community. You see people going about their business. You encounter and speak to many pedestrians and cyclists. Just a few words exchanged here and there, but it’s community connection. Much more joyful than honking a horn within the confines of your car. As a cyclist, I get smiles and apologies and I say ‘thank you’ or ‘cheers, thank you’ when someone walks on the grass so I can cycle on the footpath. They don’t have to. They just do it because they’re nice people and they know what it’s like to be on a bike and wrangle grass, mud, gravel, broken footpaths and potholes.

Every able bodied person should know what it’s like to be on a bike and wrangle such things.

But if you’re not interested in cycling, as a pedestrian, do try to be polite and courteous to cyclists, particularly to cyclists who are polite and courteous to you.

But now, for some rules. Just so you know. Share them with your friends and family. Everyone should know.

FOR BICYCLES

In Queensland you may ride on either the road or the footpath. When riding in a pedestrian area (the footpath, or most cycleways), you are required to keep left and give way to pedestrians. Bicycle Queensland Bicycle Laws & Guidelines

FOR PEDESTRIANS

When using paths (footpaths, shared paths, separated paths):

- Stay alert and be aware of other people using the path.
- Don’t block the path if you are part of a group. Check behind you if you are about to pass someone or change direction.
- Wearing headphones and using a mobile phone will reduce your awareness of the people around you.
- Share the path. Keep left to allow faster path users to pass you safely. – - – Move out of the way, to the left if possible, when a cyclist sounds their bell. Walk on the section designated for pedestrians on separated paths.
- Teach children to be aware of other people using the path and keep your dog on a leash.
Queensland Transport Road User Code of Behaviour

PEDESTRIANS

Given I’m still rather car-shy and road-shy, I’ve been spending more time on the footpaths wrangling pedestrians – and politicians it seems.

This afternoon I encountered the best pedestrian ever! An international tourist or student or resident (a young Asian woman speaking a language I couldn’t understand!) did the loveliest thing. She was walking with a friend along a footpath and I was approaching a pedestrian crossing and she happened to notice how awkward it was going to be for me to press the ‘walk’ button so she pressed it for me as she was walking by! How cool is that?!?!? At first I figured she and her friend must’ve been crossing, but they moseyed right on past. I seriously think that’s the nicest thing anyone did for me all week.

As a cyclist, punching the ‘walk’ buttons at road crossings is the most frustrating thing. The curb never matches where the pole with said button is, so you have to roll up, press the button, roll back and position yourself correctly on the curb. When you’re on a steep slope going up or down, this becomes more difficult. In fact, I must look like the most unco person that ever was when I’m on a hill with a walk button.

POLITICIANS (and prospective politicians)

But not as unco as the LNP candidate for South Brisbane Clem Grehan. At least, I think it was Clem Grehan. He looked too ‘candidatey’ to be a volunteer.

On Tuesday or Wednesday I was cycling along the south-east freeway bike path. I was heading for the city so I was cycling inbound on the left. Mister LNP Candidate was positioned on the right-hand side of the bike path with his corflute (dangerous much?!). I saw him and his LNP colours from a fair distance and so was somewhat prepared when he gave me a big ‘GOOD MORNING’!!

You know, I wouldn’t have minded so much if he hadn’t been the first person to speak to me that morning. I drew the line at talking back and just nodded. I thought that was highly respectful and was proud of my grace under fire.

Mind you, just as I cycled past I realised I completely failed the test and could’ve used the opportunity to chat with him about how I think the train stations should upgrade their bicycle lockers, how train stations should have cycle and disability access, how buses should cut across town rather than just TO town and how bike paths should frame road-sides all around town.

Damn it. I could’ve completely chewed his ear entirely undercover and under the guise of a random cyclist who he happened to wave to on their daily commute to work.

But no. I nodded and went on my merry way. As fast as my little legs could carry me.

Oddly and perhaps more significantly, on Tuesday I was stuck outside my office building with my bike stuck in the basement due to lifts being dead and me not having a swipe card with proper security access. I was pretty cranky and frustrated. Three people walked out of building – ALP’s last hope Kate Jones and two other people I presume were ALP staffers.

Me: Do any of you have a swipe card?
Kate: Nar we’re nobody.
Other two people: Mute.
Me: Haha it’s OK I know who you are!
Kate: We got a carpark though!
Other two people: Mute.
Kate: See ya later!
Me: See ya!
Other two people: Mute.

The difference between a politician and their staff is that politicians generally act like human beings whereas their staff generally come across as grumpy, arrogant, overly-protective people whose main thought is perhaps ‘Don’t you KNOW who we are …?’ or ‘How dare you ask Kate Jones MP who is sooooo important right now something so mundane as whether she has a swipe card to the building?’

Meh. Maybe I imagined the whole thing.

Either way, thank god Kate was there to represent Kate because her minders sure didn’t endear me. You’d think they should be be super nice as well in case I happen to be a constituent. Even if I’m not a member for Ashgrove, the ALP needs every vote and preference they can get.

Particularly if Clem Grehan is working the bikeways.

FLOTSUM AND JETSUM

I haven’t written my blog for a while. Not sure why. Busy with my new job I guess! And BLISSFULLY enjoying being back together with Sheldon.

I have a fantastic picture from last week. I made the correct decision to not cycle in the rain last week. It was bucketing down on the Tuesday. On the Thursday I braved the Ekibin bike path and realised (and silently celebrated!) my wisdom upon seeing evidence the waterways swelled so high on previous days that they left a whole stack of weeds lodged in the rails.

This was a common sight all along the bike path. It looked pretty cool (in a really morbid ‘I just flooded and ruined my picturesque surroundings’ kind of way).

Aside from not being able to access my bike overnight, I had the most wonderful week of cycling this week.

Jumping on the bike in the morning to commute to work and back on it again at night to commute home turns me into a completely different person. I am in great spirits – physically and psychologically. When I’m without the bike, I feel deflated and miserable. It’s not walking, it’s trudgery. Trudge. Trudge. Trudge.

I guess my ultimate goal is to achieve great spirits on the bus, but so far it has eluded me.

I posted this on Facebook ages ago, but I still loves it so am posting it on my blog now.

One of the challenges about cycling is that you don’t get to enjoy showering at home as much as you’d like.

Another challenge is cycling to work, going to have a shower and finding someone’s put a fridge there.

I started a new job today. Bizarrely and purely coincidentally it is located in the same building as my old job, just one floor up. There is one shower to service 5 levels. I was prepared for this.

After 2 months of injury and being unable to cycle, I was determined – now that I’m feeling better and now that my bike has been serviced – that I would cycle to work Day 1 of my new job in the renewable energy sector.

Cycling to work (especially for grrrls like me) requires lots of preparation and means carrying lots of extra stuff on the back of the bicycle, particularly the first day when you’re carting all the things you generally keep there permanently (e.g. hair dryer, towel, toiletries bag). You also have to make sure you remember to pack important things like shoes. I have forgotten to pack shoes before which meant cycling down the road to purchase some, but that’s not something you want to do everyday (despite the grrrl in me finding it a perfectly reasonable notion). And it’s certainly not something you want to do on your first day in your new job.

The last thing I expected was to arrive at work all super organised with all my stuff then chain my bike then hop in the lift then mosey on up all sweaty and stinky to discover a fridge in the shower!

A fridge!

And that’s the thing with showers at work. The people who don’t use them seem to think they’re not used. It’s quite a strange phenomenon, really.

Luckily the building’s landlords had a shower tucked away in their own locked offices and kindly allowed me to use it. Otherwise my first encounter with my new colleagues would’ve been ‘Who’s the stinky, unkept, greasy haired new girl?’

I contacted the building caretaker who is going to sort it, but before I went home today I took the initiative to pull the fridge from out of the shower and pop it in the hall. Tomorrow morning I would really like to simply mosey on up and jump in the shower. I really have no desire to encounter the fridge again.

I don’t like the idea of arriving at the office in all my daggy cycling glory and much prefer to shower and change and beautify before anyone who matters sees me, so I’ve decided to leave my cycle bag and bath towel hanging in the shower clearly labelled with my name and phone number.

If people feel they can keep fridges in the shower, I figure I can keep shower-related items in there.

You know, because clearly no-one actually used workplace showers do they … ?

Well my two-wheeled beastie boy is safe at home.

Sheldon’s repairs included: new brake lever, new steering spring and new front and back brake pads. He’s not all shiny and new, but he did have a full service including a ‘lube and clean chain’ (whatever that means!), pumped up tires, gear adjustment, electrical test and a battery test.

I cycled him from the Gabba to my humble Moorooka abode along footpaths, bike ways and on the road on the quieter back streets.

Round-a-bout #1

A car cut me off at a round-a-bout on Tarragindi Rd. I was the first at the round-a-bout. One car passed me (which is fine), but another car zipped passed me as I was approaching the exit curb and cut me short which REALLY ANNOYS ME.

It bugs me when drivers see a bicycle and think ‘Oooh I can avoid having them in front of me for very long if I just go around them really really quickly!’. All I actually want drivers to do is slow down a bit, take it easy and give me the space on the road I deserve. Grrr.

Round-a-bout #2

If you want to survive on a bicycle, don’t trust cars to a/see you or b/expect a change in their daily commute. There’s a really quiet round-a-bout down the road from me that I know is mostly used in one direction. It was in that direction that a car was speeding along when I was going around the round-a-bout toward home.

It was going REALLY fast and I didn’t think it was going to stop, so I slowed down as I was going around which was the right call because it had to skid to a grinding halt when it saw me. I didn’t have to completely stop, but if the driver had kept going I would’ve been going very slow – slow enough to stop with plenty of time for the driver not to kill me.

The driver should’ve approached the round-a-bout with more caution even if no-one is rarely on it. But that’s some kind of parallel universe fantasy stuff.

My injured shoulder held up OK. My uninjured leg cramped up a bit from underuse. Aside from that, it was thoroughly enjoyable and I’m so happy to have my freedom back. Yay!

Sooooo, a mate of mine was riding to work yesterday in the joy that is this Brisbane rain.

Although my friend said he’s taken this corner in all sorts of wet weather conditions and he simply had the misfortune of being a slippery victim of the pesky white line, I do love the big ‘caution’ sign.

Poor bugger hit the pavement with his face, so I’m feeling for him right now. A faceplant isn’t something I particularly want to experience.

Interestingly, in talking of my keen-ness to get back on the bike, people keep saying to me things like ‘Yeah but not in this weather’. Funny thing is, this is actually the best weather to cycle and not drive a car or catch a bus. Wet weather = traffic jams. Cycling means you happily avoid them with a warm (albeit soggy) glow of righteousness!

My mate captured this stint on his Gopro. I want one!! Must investigate.

Sheldon, a bit worse for wear after his front wheel collided with a car, went off to the e-bike shop today for a post-collision service.

He needs new brake pads and, unfortunately, a new right hand brake. I gave him a once over last Saturday with a view to giving him a ride down the block (my shoulder is finally starting to feel a bit better) and discovered a bend in the right hand brake. Turns out when me and the bike fell onto the bitumen, the right hand brake – in addition to my right shoulder – bore the brunt of the impact.

I reckon he’ll come out the other side in pretty good shape.

I also enquired about the prospect of purchasing an additional battery. I’m really keen to get a second battery so I can ride longer distances. It also means I can carry extra weight (e.g. my dog in a doggy cart) without having to worry about it sucking up all the juice. It’d be so wonderful to be able to take Pacey to the dog park, to picnics and to visit various friends – not to mention just hang out. He’s such an awesome boy. He deserves to join me and Sheldon on my adventures. Now I just have to work on my leg muscles so I can get up them damn hills with all that additional weight.

News is the bike shop is expecting a shipment of new batteries that have a longer lifespan. While this doesn’t mean extra ‘per trip’ life, it does mean you can get more charges out of them meaning you can use them for longer. Good to hear!

One of the coolest things about grrrls riding bikes is the gorgeous contrast of pretty girly nail polish against dirty greasy hands. The chain fell off and I had to pop it back on. The result? Sexy hands!

I would love someone to properly photograph this kind of contrast effect. I think it’s the sexiest thing ever.

After a car trying to kill me on a cycle lane, I am all for turning cycle lanes into cycle paths.

I don’t know why it has to take what happened in Holland over the decades to inspire policy change here, but many of the issues are the same and I would love to see Brisbane show leadership in this area.

Car free Sundays? Wow. I just can’t fathom it. What a sense of community it would bring to Brisbane to have everyone getting around on foot and on bike once a week. How fabulous for individual health, family spirit and community wellbeing.

The problem with recoveries that aren’t speedy is that everyone forgets that you’re not recovered. Everyone including me.

My shoulder and neck still hurts. It’s boring. I can’t ride. I can’t swim. I can’t sleep properly. It hurts to hang out the washing. I can’t carry heavy bags. I can’t type for long periods. I can’t walk the damn dog.

Sometimes I forget that I hurt; sometimes I pretend I’m fine, but then it hurts again and I realise I’m not.

On November 16 I had an accident on the e-bike. I call it an ‘accident’ despite the fact it wasn’t my fault. Naturally, I am quite confident that the car did not intentionally try to kill me.

I was riding to work along Annerley Rd – using the on-road bike lanes – merrily cycling away minding my own business when a car pulled in front of me. The two lanes of bumper to bumper traffic had stopped to leave ‘courtesy’ space at an intersection. I didn’t stop. I didn’t need to. I wasn’t part of the jam. A car took advantage of the courtesy of the other cars, trusted it had a clear turning opportunity and went down the side street, heading straight for me. I slammed on the brakes to avoid being hit by the car, but instead hit the side/back of it. Luckily!

I jack knifed back off the car then fell onto the ground; onto my right side.

My head was the last thing to hit the ground. Oddly, the only clarity of thought I had was when my head hit the bitumen and I instantly thought ‘Thank god I’m wearing a helmet’. Although I do recall that, when I hit the car, I thought ‘I’m going to die’. Knowing me I probably also swore.

I was in shock and struggled to get up. Luckily I was around the corner from the Mater hospital so a lot of medical type people stopped. One woman had her arm around me and was repeatedly saying ‘I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!’. It was only later that I realised she was the one who had hit me. That was nice of her. Poor thing. I think she was in shock too.

After a lot of people asking if I was OK and me saying ‘I don’t know’ repeatedly, I was eventually bundled up off the ground and taken to the footpath. One woman insisted I drink water. That was odd. I ended up drinking it just to make her happy. One dude in a hospital uniform (nurse? doctor?) took my pulse and said I was OK. Being a fellow cyclist (my assumption was based on the fact he was wearing a helmet), he also checked out my bike and told me it was fine. That was a relief … ?

People told me I should go to the emergency ward of the hospital. Being that I had absolutely no idea what was going on (whatsoever) I simply did what I was told. A woman from the hospital and the woman who almost hit me walked me to the hospital. We did the phone number exchange thing. One woman gave me a ‘witness’ phone number. Eventually they left and the partner of the woman who almost hit me walked me the rest of the way to the emergency room. Once I was there I managed to convince him to leave. I was pretty upset and wanted to be left alone. As is my want.

I called my parents. The doctors called my workplace. I had a male nurse and a male doctor and they were pretty cool. They asked me some questions including ‘Who is the Prime Minister of Australia’. When I said ‘Bob Brown’ we all had a laugh and the Doc said that was ‘the best answer yet’.

I was there for a couple of hours and got xrays etc (from what I can remember). It’s all a bit of a blur. I didn’t feel any real pain until the next day. I just felt extremely weak.

My folks were amazing. I couldn’t look after myself so I stayed at their place for 4 nights. Did no work whatsoever. Mum told me to pretend like I was on a holiday. So I tried that. Pocket frogs helped.

The emergency ward doctor and the emergency ward physio both told me to make sure that I ‘get back on the bike’. I found that interesting. I am guessing it’s because heart disease is the biggest cause of death in Australia – not bicycle accidents.

I haven’t got back on the bike again yet. Firstly, my physio (who is absolutely fabulous) tells me it’s too soon and that I need to do my exercises. My exercises will help me get better. Secondly, I want to get the bike properly serviced before riding it again and I just don’t have the $ to prioritise for that right now. Ironically (given my stroke of bad luck with the bike), the bike seems fine.

In the meantime, 6-7 weeks later, my shoulder and my neck still hurt. I must try to remember that. And do my exercises.

Not riding the bike sucks. That’s why I haven’t written my blog. Without the cycling, I have been Ms Misery. Cycling changed my life for the better. Not cycling has been tough.

So to friends and family and work colleagues who ask me how I am or have noticed I’ve been a bit cranky lately, what I really mean to say is:

‘My shoulder and neck hurt and I’m pretty miserable without my e-bike, but apparently if I’m patient and do my exercises, I’ll be fine so please bare with me’.

Repeat. Remember. Recover.

Got the e-bike brake fixed up on Saturday. Well, all fixed except the bit where it didn’t actually do what a brake is meant to do – you know, actually brake.

The brake works now because I fixed it tonight all on my own for the first time ever. Hopefully it holds up tomorrow and I haven’t completely stuffed it. Some people are good at bicycle mechanics; others are good at sociology. I fall into the latter category.

But the brakes didn’t work this morning. This became a problem when the …

… MAGPIES ATTACKED!!!

I swear there were a hundred of them. Or there could’ve been two. Maybe just the one. But he was everywhere. Evil.

I pulled up at an intersection at Tarringindi where I am required to stop and look to the right and left and right again before crossing the road. It’s a busy road. The bugger swooped me right there and then and I was forced to stop to give way to traffic. I was stuck. A pedestrian walking a dog laughed (rather cruel reaction really) while I cursed and death-stared the little bugger. I looked straight up at him so he wouldn’t swoop me.

And he didn’t.

Until the traffic cleared!

When the traffic cleared I made a dash across the road and then he got me right on the ear. And it hurt and burned and I was convinced I would have blood running down my face as a result. I knew he would come back for me for another go and my irrational brain told me I had to flee as quickly as possible despite the odds of him making contact again were minimal.

This emotive (panicked!!!) response saw me madly trying to get off the road and into the park through one of those ’safety’ rails that are meant to slow cyclists down when entering traffic (but actually inhibit cyclists actually cycling safety away from magpies). I swerved and skidded and almost toppled.

My brakes were pathetic! I almost went straight into the ’safety’ rail, but didn’t and kept riding. Fast.

I wrote as fast as my little legs could carry me. Past a mother with pram. Past kids swinging in the park. I cycled at least 100 metres, entered another intersection – and another magpie swooped me! The same magpie? A new magpie? I really don’t know. All I know is that the swearing was loud and much harsher than my earlier cussing. So loud an older woman walking her dog stopped and kindly said ‘Oooh are the magpies still going are they?’ and me yelling ‘Yeah I thought it was all over!’

And then I made a dash across the super busy road that you’re not meant to dash across (it actually says ‘cyclists must dismount’). Pffft yeah right.

I cycled peacefully the rest of the way. As peaceful as it gets when you jump at every sparrow darting by. I checked my ear. It wasn’t bleeding. It did burst a few veins though. Ow.

I am not cycling that way for another two weeks. I heard you loud and clear Mister Magpie. I’m keeping out of your territory.

I was swooped 20 plus times during magpie season. This one clearly has late breeder syndrome. His masculinity is challenged and he’s out for murder. My blood will remain mine Mister Magpie! Mine!

P.S. I don’t wish you any ill will and I hope your babies live long and prosper.

Left the house this morning and started cycling along and the stupid bike kept powering on and off again (which is seriously dangerous when you’re crossing a road). And then it conked out altogether, on a fully charged battery.

My biggest concern this time is that this fault is about powering the motor (a problem that I’ve managed to miss out on until now). Half the bike stand broke off at the beginning of the week and, while I was annoyed about that, I figured gaffa tape would solve that problem. The motor is a whole different story.

The battery is fully charged and all working fine. Something’s clearly wrong with the connection or the motor or both.

What bugs me is that I rode home last night no worries and nothing odd happened between then and when I took off this morning!! Grrr. So angry.

Stupid Lancaster. Require a/new replacement Lancaster or b/a refund.

Walking the heavy piece of crap up 3 big hills turned me into a big sweaty mess. And the whole debacle made me late for work.

Happy Halloween!

Cycling is pretty damn fun after dark I’ve gotta say. I’m often a bit too lazy to get changed after work back into bike clothes so last week I found myself on my bike with a bosomy dress and black boots. I did chuck my safety vest on, but the whole ensemble wreaked of ‘look at me!’ which is pretty much the result I got, particularly when I went over bumps!

Last night I discovered that night shopping on the bike also has its upsides. Last night, donned in a less revealing ensemble, I was at my local supermarket checkout when the dude behind me said ‘Is that your Lancaster?’. It took me a second to realise he was talking about my bike, you know, because my bike’s name is Sheldon not Lancaster. What followed was a great conversation about electric bikes because he had one too. His was a yellow fold up one, quite compact but sturdy and much lighter than mine. He bought it online for $700.

I totally took the opportunity to ask him a million questions about how he finds hills, how he goes with battery power, how it rides when he runs out of power etc etc and it turns out he experiences the same things that I do – and still loves his bike too! So it’s nice to feel normal. And to know that Sheldon is pretty normal too.

While chatting, I had a brief panic about forgetting my occy strap and having a bag of groceries (including eggs) to somehow get home. Luckily I found a back pack, but he kindly hung around until I sorted it all.

Turns out he lives down the road from me – about 6 houses down – and has done so for about 4 months now. I have discovered over the years that some boyz have a thing about making sure you get home safely (without smashing eggs on the road?), so he couldn’t help but linger back and we rode home together. The funniest thing that happened was when we were riding down a really steep hill where my house resides and me saying ‘When you’re riding down here, just don’t run over my cat because she lives on the road’ and he exclaims ‘Is that your cat? That’s the coolest cat!’. My cat is such a tart that she meets my neighbours way before I do.

People driving alongside each other in cars don’t have those kinds of conversations. This morning I was overtaken by two cars and watched one of them tail-gating the other and thought ‘Thank god I don’t have to put up with THAT shit anymore’.

Oh – before I sign off … a question for fellow night riders: During the day, wearing sunnies keeps my eyes safe from dust and grit. But what does one wear at night time? Any suggestions?

It’s been an odd week on the bike.

I returned from my trip to New York at 7am. All I could think of on the trip home was that I’d have to get my bike fixed before work starts on Monday. Joy.

I pfaffed around for a while waiting for the bike shop to open and then pretty much rang them right around 9am sharing my newest issues with Mister Electro Bikes. I told him I was a bit jet lagged and that I would treasure a few hours sleep before getting on the bike and he said that was cool. So I crashed for a bit then hopped on the bike to the Gabba.

I tell ya what! Nothing like a bit of a bike ride to get rid of jet lag! It felt wonderful and I slept like a baby that night.

One problem with my bike was that a major bolt fell out and the second one my friend put in didn’t hold. The second problem was that some cables had come adrift from their casing. These cables link the battery to the motor mechanism so they’re kind of important, so I was having a bit of a stress before leaving the country.

“It’s an easy fix! No worries at all,” said Mister Electro Bikes. So that’s pretty much what happened. I hung around for 20 minutes while the bike was fixed and I left with a fixed bicycle. So I love Sheldon again now.

It’s been a great (albeit odd) week for riding. I discovered that cyclists and pedestrians are more communicative after 8pm. Maybe it’s alcohol? I was returning from a function, not over the limit, but certainly relaxed. I dinged my bell overtaking one dude along the South Bank promenade and he said ‘hello’ which was unexpected and gave me a bit of a giggle. And then about 10 minutes later we met again at some lights and the cute boy said ‘How was your day?’. Because I’m completely socially inept I said ‘Yeah not bad’ and sped off when Mister Walk Sign came alight.

Another 15 minutes on, a man with a pram and I pulled up at a curb at the same time. He greeted me and, as he pulled the baby away from the side of the curb, said ‘I don’t trust the 4 wheels’. We gas-bagged for a bit and then he said ‘Travel Safe Sister’.

TRAVEL SAFE SISTER.

This has stuck with me all week, particularly when cars are silly heads and fellow cyclists do weird things.

Just this afternoon I was cycling along Annerley Rd, minding my own business. A car pulling out from a side street pulled out in front of me. That’s fine. He had plenty of time. The car behind him, when I continued cycling along, stopped and stalled on his hill when he saw me. This angered the driver tremendously and, when he pulled out behind me, he was yelling and carrying on and did the finger at me after he passed. This was the oddest behaviour. I’m guessing he was actually a tad embarrassed or angry that he stalled. It was certainly nothing I did. I had right of way and was simply cycling along. Am I meant to stop to let cars on side streets through? Errrr. no. Ergo, odd.

Yesterday morning’s ride was lovely but annoying at one point when two blokes decided to overtake me on a hill on a cycle path. That is completely fine except the fact that I’m on an electric bicycle which means that I don’t end up as pooped when reaching the top of the hill whereas they’ve just put an insane amount of effort into overtaking me. I’m left with heaps of energy left to burn. This resulted in them both slowing down right in front of me after the hill bit finished! So they were pooped and I was stuck going REALLY slowly behind them. IMOH (Intimidating Men on Hills) isn’t something I do everyday, so I could’ve kicked their arses on the hill but I didn’t feel like it. Neither of them seemed to be super hard core cycling types. Grrr. I’m thinking that, for them, they either (a) saw a big bootied girl ahead of them and figured they better overtake or their egos might not cope or (b) they have an inbuilt psychology that says you have to be at the front of the pack or (c) they don’t know their own fitness level and were both genuinely stuffed at the end and inconsiderate of the person behind them who wasn’t. Honestly, I really don’t get it. Don’t overtake someone on a hill and then slow down once you’ve overtaken them!! Grrr.

A friend of mine just bought a reflective cycle vest that says ‘Relax’ on the back. I think I’m pretty chilled on the bike (e.g. I don’t get all twitchy at traffic lights when I just miss a change), but I wouldn’t mind it if the ‘Relax’ philosophy became the norm on the road.

For a start, this wouldn’t happen:

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8365828/bus-driver-acquitted-after-punching-cyclist

However, this might still happen: A magpie got me yesterday morning at Tarringindi. I tried to explain to the bugger that it’s the end of the damn season but it just wouldn’t discuss it rationally!

Travel Safe Sisters, Brothers.

Last night I rode home from work via the shops with this massive load. Some was in the pannier bags, some jockey strapped to the back and some in a backpack on my back. Here’s the list:

- Laptop and cord
- 900 page directory
- 2 bottles of wine
- bag of clothes and toiletries
- bag of groceries
- handbag
- jumper
- raincoat
- tools
- 2 bike chains

I couldn’t carry all this on a normal bike!!

YAY FOR ELECTRIC!!!!!!!!!!!!

My handle and throttle is fixed!

I rang Electro Bikes and the fella there talked it through with me over the phone (which is wonderful because I now don’t have to go in there so I’ve just salvaged 2 hours of my day!).

When checking out the handle, I thought there might have been a screw missing, but the screw didn’t lead anywhere so figured it was irrelevant.

Turns out that an allen key screw actually looks like a hole where a screw should go. But no! It’s an allen key screw! So I was able to get my allen keys, find the right size and fix it!

YAY!!

It was a little bit easy and made me feel a little bit dumb, but hey – that’s what learning new things is all about right? Practical things anyway. Learning theoretical things makes me feel smart. Learning practical things make me feel a little bit silly. This makes no sense whatsoever given how useful practical knowledge is. Woe is my brain.

I’m definitely an experiential learner, that’s for sure. I’ve known that for quite some time.

Now to just figure out how to tighten the brake…

It disables the throttle in the process, but that’s a luxury not an essential. A handle that doesn’t slip off is kind of essential to the whole bike riding thing!