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Tandem Talk September 2013

Recent Rides
None! Well, hardly any. It’s been quite a wet winter and it appears that our riders aren’t very keen on braving the elements when they could be curled up in bed.

Our last Rec Ride was early July; a rather impressive affair involving 5 tandems and 3 single bikes riding from Vic Park to Crawley. We were pleased to welcome some new riders along from the June Clinic and out of 16 wheels there was only one puncture.

The August Rec Ride was cancelled due to bad weather. Our next Rec Ride is scheduled for Sunday 15th September to Swan Valley Oasis. This time of year, between winter wind and rain and summer heat and strong easterly winds really is the best time for riding, so dig out your riding gear and plan to join us.

The Club Riders have shown themselves to be just as delicate as the Rec Riders, and two of the scheduled four rides were cancelled due to inclement weather. Five of us braved the cold in July to complete the Vic-Park Jandakot loop and last weekend Deanne, Jennifer and Trevor explored the riverbanks between Vic Park and Guildford.

Member News
Deanne and Jennifer recently joined the Gosnells Bicycle User Group (Go BUG) on one of their leisurely Saturday morning rides. This group of very friendly, relaxed cyclists meet at the clock tower in Gosnells at 7:30am every Saturday. Unfortunately we were unable to stay for the coffee stop, which I think means we committed the biggest sin possible in the cycling world. We were also the only drop-bar bike in the group and the only cyclists in lycra. That said, we were made to feel very welcome and we plan to return. The emphasis of this group is SOCIAL. There were frequent stops to make sure everyone stayed together, and the earlier start time compared to WATCAC rides in no way indicated an earlier home time. Jillian Woolmer co-ordinates the rides and she can be found via the Facebook Group “Frocks on Bikes Perth”.

Fund Raising
Please consider placing a box of chocolates at your workplace for fundraising. Adriana would love to hear from you if you can help. A big thank you to Steve Green for raising $50 selling chocolates at his workplace

Shirts
Our Shirts have been made and should be delivered very soon. I can’t wait to see us all out riding in them.

Fit Your Lid
Next time you get out on the bike take a moment to check how your helmet fits.

  • Your helmet should sit level on your head, and the front of the helmet should cover most of your forehead. If the helmet tilts back and exposes your forehead, it’s not going to protect you.
  • Connect the chin strap, and tighten it so that it’s snug beneath your chin-you should barely be able to fit a finger between the strap and your chin.
  • Finally, find the plastic disks that connect the strap coming from the back of your helmet to the strap from the front. This should fit to make a V just below your ears, with the front strap heading straight down in-front of your ear.
  • Push the helmet back on your head. Can you move the helmet more than an inch? Tighten the straps in front of your ears (loosen the rear straps so that the V points still sit just below your ears). If you can push the helmet forward, adjust the straps behind your ears. In the end, you shouldn’t be able to move the helmet more than an inch in any direction.

Of course, if you have taken a tumble or your helmet has been subjected to any kind of impact (say, from being dropped), you should consider replacing it.

Have a look at the following video for more information: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aci99b1soBQ

Helmet Fitting
Helmet Fitting

Happy and Safe Pedalling
Jennifer