BIKE FRIDAY - COWRA

Fay and I with Banana Split

Graham Brown with our Tikit

Lynette Chang repairs a puncture

Our Avan setup

118 cycling enthusiasts joined together for a great weekend in Cowra. Their common bond – Bike Fridays!
Bike Friday cycles are built by Green Gear Cycling in Eugene Oregon in the United States. Each year the Australian Club has a gathering to which about 100 – 130 attend. There are all sorts of models – Crusoes, New World Tourists, Two’sDays, Qs, Traveller XLs, Tikits, Gnus, Llamas, Air Fridays, Twin Airs and Pocket Rockets. We rode our tandem Two’sDay (which is named Banana Split Sundae!) but we also took Fay’s new Tikit. It was lucky we did because our mate Graham Brown (vintage cyclist from Rutherglen in Victoria) found his rear hub was stuffed and so was very appreciative of Fay’s loan of her blue Tikit.
Fay and I along with Bronwyn and Walter and Margaret had organised the weekend and planned the routes. We rode 54 on Thursday, 47 on Friday, 82 on Saturday and 27 on Sunday. I didn’t wan the weekend to end and was riding quite slowly on the Sunday. Fay had had enough and wanted to get to lunch destination NOW! (It is important for the captain – person on the front of a tandem – and the stoker – person on the back of a tandem – to communicate and even AGREE!)
The cyclists came from just about every state in Australia. Next year’s ride will be at the end of March at Halls Gap in Victoria. I think we’ll book early!
Peter “Kooka” Berra came out from Eugene to ride with us, to answer questions, to sort out people’s individual concerns and share his knowledge. He’s a good bloke, and if we could only do something about the way he speaks, he could well be considered one of us.
Margaret Day is our “leader” and keeps us on track. What a task!
We raised money this year for the Amy Gillett Foundation.
Next year – Halls Gap!

BIKE FRIDAY

Photos include Peter Berra on his BF Pocket Gnu and the last one is Hanna folding her TIKIT.

Just been to our first Bike Friday gathering. It was held in Hahndorf, in the Adelaide Hills. Yes, the 11th annual Australian Bike Friday Club event took place up and down the hills of Mt Barker and Mt Lofty Ranges and neighbouring hills (don’t think we missed any).
About 110 people who ride Bike Friday bicycles turned up for the big event. Seeing we bought a Bike Friday tandem Two’sDay in March last year while overseas, we thought we’d attend our first Bike Friday gathering. Our bike is named Sundae Banana Split – SBS. Yes, we were both on SBS!
We rode about 57 km on day 1 @ 16 kph. The next day was an easier day. We rode up and down as in the first day, but only 55 km. Our average speed was boosted to 17 kph! We got a max speed of 74.9 kph on one of the hills. Day 3 was not as hilly and temps dropped below 30. We averaged 18.6 kph on the 54 km on day 3. We did 74 kph on one hill and then 78 on the next one. What a buzz! Fay reckons that’s fast enough and she owns half the bike!
There were quite a number of tandems amongst the myriad of single bikes. There was even a triple which cleverly converted to a regular tandem. It simply depended on whether 1 or 2 of his young children wanted to ride as to how he configured the bike.
I expect the terrain around Cowra will be significantly less hilly than the Adelaide Hills in March 2008!
Peter “Kooka” Berra and Hanna Scholz from Bike Friday factory in Eugene, Oregon, joined the group. They brought a new product – the Tikit! What a neat commuter bike at $1195 US. Kooka also took time to fine tune our highly engineered steeds. When you’re climbing hills like we were, you need your bike in tip top condition. Our gears had been playing up, but once goldfingers Kooka took our Sundae in hand, it worked superbly well with all 27 gears working efficiently. Thanks Peter. Hope to see you and the lovely Hanna in Cowra in 08 unless her Dad decides to come out instead.

LATE NEWS (Tues 24): Now in Wagga after spending 4 days at the Avan gathering in Swan Hill, Victoria. Anzac Day tomorrow.