Back to work

With some encouragement from Karen at Bicycle Recycling, I've got back to work on the Malvern Star. The odds are that it is older than I thought and could be from the 1960s or earlier. While I’m still looking for a new/old axle, I’ve realised that I shouldn’t waste time and use this opportunity to do other things such as clean up the chainring.

This week is the one year anniversary of my ‘conversion’ to cycling. Its easy to remember because I started riding the first week I started a PhD at Macquarie Uni. A bit of a 'lifestyle change' as they say. I’ve gone from being a ‘haven’t cycled since I was a teenager’, to a ‘200-300km a week commuter/leisure/sporting cyclist’ and some would say ‘cycling evangelist’. I’ve gone from just one bike to four (but only two or three ever work at the same time). Yes, it’s a bit of an addiction but I’m trying hard not to become a 'cycling fetishist’. I used to drive everyday but now only once a fortnight. I’ll get rid of my car soon. What prompted me into cycling was a simple mixture of factors; 1) time it was quicker than driving and less stressful; 2) costs: when petrol went over 1.40 a litre I knew I was wasting too much money, and; 3) fitness: I hated gyms, got bored with swimming and was not into team sports. Getting into cycling has completely changed the way I see the city, in fact I like Sydney a lot more than I used to. Its a much more interesting place when you get around on a bike. I can talk the benefits of cycling forever, but at the end of the day, I simply enjoy my time on the bike.