We’re directly involved in a few aspects of Bikefest. Together with Allegro, we’ll have a stall at the Treadlie Market – a three day event nestled within the Sustainable Living Festival ‘Big Weekend’. The Bikefest Treadlie Market will feature everything you need to fuel a life of two wheels (including coffee!).

We’ll have some of our favourite things on display and there is a special track for test riding the Allegro bikes we’ll have built up. The market is at Birrarung Marr will run Friday 17th (12-8pm), Sat 18th (10-6pm) and Sunday 19th (10-5pm). The wonderful “Roll Up” Bicycle Valet crew will be in attendance, so you won need to bring three locks. Find all the details here.

We’re also running a Bike Swapmeet on the Saturday. Together with some other horders we’ll be opening up our sheds to make some room for new projects. Come down to Birrarung Marr between 11am and 3pm and you might just find yourself a bargain.

Of course, there are a bunch of other great events, so make sure you check out the full program here. See you down there.

CX in Melbourne continues to grow and here we have a grab-bag of tid-bits of news about it, photos of bikes we’ve built for it, and info about where to go and do it.  Read on if you like the idea of slipping over in the mud and hurting yourself.

First of all, we wrote a little piece about DIY cyclocross conversions that was published in Treadlie Magazine.  Here’s a page to give you a taste:

The magazine is on sale pretty widely, including at our shop.  We built the bike that the article is about and Jed raced it at the Dirty Deeds Prologue.  It’ll be given away at the end of the series.

Huw is also racing on a bike that regular readers of our site will have seen photos of.  It’s a nice vintage Batavus painted in team colours with most of an M900 XTR group set on it.  Here’s how it looked after the Prologue:

No wonder it looked like that.  It was ridden through through this:

At about the same time we built a bike at the opposite end of the CX spectrum for one of our customers – a very modern super-lightweight Focus CX bike.

Here’s how they look side-by-side.

Then somewhere in the middle is a Crosscheck we built up for another customer.  This one has a great-value SRAM Apex  group set on it.

Here’s another Crosscheck we built with wheels that use a new rim we’re excited about – the H+Son TB14.  The rim is nice and wide, has eyelets and a welded joint but is still around the 500g mark.  It’s sufficiently strong for anything short of mountain bike use or loaded touring. Kristan, who had only picked up the bike on the Friday morning of the Prologue, “never wins anything” (his words) yet managed to take out his handicap event. He was going so fast this was the best shot taken of him on the night. Photo: Cory Boardman.

These rims were also used on the Focus where we laced them to Phil Wood single speed hubs.  The hubs had seen a heap of use and were 120mm spaced, but because they are Phil hubs they were in perfect mechanical condition and it was a simple matter of getting replacement caps to convert them to 130mm for the new bike.  This toughness and adaptability means that Phil hubs like these will keep seeing use for at least the riding life of their owner.  They’re the sort of component you might hand down to your grandkids.

All these bikes are being ridden at the Dirty Deeds series.   Even if you miss this (or if racing isn’t your thing) then there are still a bunch of good rides going on now that a CX bike would be perfect for.

If racing is not your thing, or you feel you need some practice first, Karl is organizing the CX Social series - short fun rides around the Yarra trails with a BBQ and beers afterwards.

Then, for those not afraid of getting up really early to do lots of kilometers and climb lots of hill there are the There Will be Dirt rides.  But beware – Angry, who organizes the rides, has always ridden a single speed and has always been faster than he admits, and has never been daunted by distance, weather or hills.  Now he has gears!

For those intimidated by the length of the rides, and the early starts he and Blakey have organized a bimonthly Gravel Grinders ride.  These rides start later, are shorter, and leave from a train station, so that the whole ride takes place somewhere nice among the trees.

If none of this sounds weird enough for you, there’s always cyclocross’s ugly half-breed cousin Monstercross.  Monstercross bikes are like CX bikes but are designed to take larger tyres than are sanctioned for CX races.  Monstercross is less about racing and more about using a fairly minimalist bike where you might otherwise use a mountain bike.  We wrote about Rawland a while ago, who make some monstercross bikes.

Another good basis for a Monstercross build is actually the Surly Crosscheck, which can takes tyres up to 45mm wide.  Here’s a photo of a customer’s Crosscheck built up in true Monstercross style – Schwalbe Marathon Extremes and wide flared bars so you can throw the bike around in the drops without hitting your wrists on the bars.

We’ll be talking about the suitability of your current bike for touring, what to look for in a touring bike if your current one isn’t going to work out, what sort of gear to bring, and I’ll be going on and on about how nice it is to bike tour in Tasmania.  It’ll be very informal with lots of Q&A and show and tell.

It’s on Sunday the 27th of Feb from 2-4PM.  It’ll be held here at Commuter Cycles (14 Prentice St.).  We’ll have some bikes, parts and luggage for the show and tell, but bring your own bike and any gear you’d like to ask about or show people.  Also, please RSVP to info@commutercycles.com.au just so we have an idea fo numbers.

The Melbourne Bikefest is fast approaching, and we’ll be running a couple of the events.    The Bikefest is a celebration of Melbourne cycling culture in all its forms and there are a heap of great events on.  It’s one of the only times of year that hipsters, vintage bike nerds,  cargo bike enthusiasts and lycra-clad racers hang out together in the same building!  Check out the full list of events here: http://www.melbournebikefest.com.au/program

We’ll be running a couple of the events – the Treadly Awards and the (Second) Bicycle Black Market.  They’re both free and they’re both events that we’ve previously held here at Commuter Cycles.  This year, all the Bikefest fun – including the Treadlies and Bicycle Black Market – will be at 1000 Pound bend (361 Little Lonsdale Street), so it’s even easier to get to, and there will be lots of other interesting bike stuff to check out before and after.

Read on for more info or follow us on Twitter for updates…

First up:

Treadly Awards

SATURDAY 27TH NOVEMBER
1:00pm – 3:00pm

COST: FREE

Presented by: Commuter Cycles

No festival is complete without an award ceremony, so for the third year running Commuter Cycles is hosting the 2010 Treadly Awards.

The event celebrates everyday cyclists and their bikes. We’re rolling out the red carpet, awarding prizes to the folks (and bikes) that stand out in the following categories:

Sexiest Commuter Bike
Biggest Load Carrying Capacity
Most People on a Bicycle
Fastest Puncture repair
Best Dressed (+ least lycra) on a bicycle

There will be great prizes up for grabs and even if you don’t enter, plenty of fun for spectators too.  If you love your bike, and ride it to get from A to B, the Treadlies are for you!

And then:

Bicycle Black Market

SUNDAY 28TH NOVEMBER
11:00am – 4:00pm

COST: FREE

The Bikefest Black Market is designed for anyone who understands that the optimum number of bikes to own = n +1, where n equals the number of bikes currently owned.

Get your 2nd hand cycling goods away from the prying eyes of race day officials. Barter, trade or just bring cash. Featuring the rarely seen collections of five carefully selected stallholders. It’s like a swap meet, but black market sounds so much more exciting.

Zero Carbon Moreland will be here too, to talk about what they’re doing.

As I’m sure you’re all aware by now, Cyclocross is the new black.  Or the new tweed ride.  (Or something cool anyway.)  Just ask these guys….  Hipsters discussing CX

The Brunswick Cycling Club is running a great 3 race series which we’re using as an excuse to host the inaugural Bicyle Black Market – an opportunity for all of us to either fill up (or clear out in the case of stall holders) our bike parts bins.

We’ve had a couple of really nice cyclocross bikes through the shop recently.  We grabbed a photo of one – an amazing Lynsky titanium beast equipped with a new SRAM group.  Nice hand-built wheels with Chris King hubs and Open Pro rims.  The bike is a pretty amazing mix of light, stiff and agile.

There was a great cyclocross race in Warburton a while back, in which Huw raced, using an old Peugeot with really noisy Mafac brakes set up single speed.  He did pretty well even though in the final analysis his gearing was way too high and his brakes could have been a bit more powerful.  this just goes to show that even if you don’t have an amazing cyclocross bike you can still give it a shot.

There’s even a series of races coming up to try you luck at.  Check it out here They’ll be running two categories, one for 700c cross bikes and one for mountain bikes.  There are some pretty strict regulations for what counts as a cyclocross bike in UCI events (tyres under 32mm wide, etc) but I don’t think they’ll be pushing that for this event.

If you’re looking for some inspiration for a build of your own check out this site or come in and have a chat with us.

Finally, if you think of a bike to make, and it doesn’t meet the UCI regs, then we have the perfect venue for you to source your parts.  Under cover of darkness, away from the prying eyes of roaming UCI officials we’ll have a bunch of unshaven men with long jackets selling the good stuff.  Time trial bikes with 650c front wheels, saddles with lumbar support, cyclocross tyres in 38c, fairings and EPO all in the one spot.  After the event we’ll be screening something Cyclocross related to get people fired up for the next race.  Shoot us an email if you’d like to set up a stall, otherwise just rock up and check out the stalls.  Bring your monstercross bikes.  23rd of July, from 5pm.

No film festival is complete without an award ceremony,

Just like last year, this event is to celebrate everyday cyclists and their bikes. We’re rolling out the red carpet, and will  be awarding prizes to the folks (and their bikes) who stand out in the following categories.

• Sexiest Commuter Bike
• Biggest Load Carrying Capacity
• Most People on a Bicycle
• Fastest Puncture repair
• Best Dressed (+ least lycra) on a bicycle

Gear from Knog and Crumpler is amongst some of the prizes up for grabs. But if you’re not entering, this will be great day for spectators too. We’re firing up the BBQ and putting on drinks, and afterwards rolling down to the Bicycle Film Festival screening in the city.

It’s bound to be a a lot of fun, we hope to see you on the day.

Details:

• 3-6pm Saturday 28th November 2009
• @ the Commuter Cycles  workshop, 14 Prentice Street Brunswick.
• Registration for Award Categories - just turn up!
• BBQ  (Vegetarian and Meats), Drinks – Gold coin donation in our Movember jar
• We’ll be leaving the Workshop for Saturday Night’s BFF Screening - Program Here

More information on the 2009 Melbourne Bicycle Film Festival -here

Download our 2009 Treadlys poster for your fridge - here

Starting on Friday, 30^th October 2009 there’s

Death Becomes Her

A ‘Girls-only’ alley cat race. Registration and ride starts at 6pm from Melbourne Museum. To  get on board bring $10 for entry for teams of two. You’ll also need your bike lock, bag and spare gold coins. As it’s Halloween, dress the part for this ‘Ghouls-only’ event. Prizes for best/worst dressed (you could even score a free service from us!).

And if you’ve still got legs, Borrow Grampa’s bike from the shed and join us on Saturday 31st November for the

2009 Woodend Annual Vintage Bike Rally

The ride starts at 2:30 at the Woodend Clocktower, and meanders 23kms to the historic gardens of the Cosmopolitan Hotel, Trentham. Refreshments are available at the halfway pit-stop - The Pig and Whistle Hotel, Trentham. For those who over hydrate at Cosmopolitan Hotel, there’s a courtesy bus to take you (and your bike) back to Woodend.

If you want to join the Commuter Cycles team, we’re getting up there a little early to make a day of it.

Meet us at the Commuter Cycles workshop for a 10:00 (sharp) departure. We’re taking the 10:35 Vline
service from Southern Cross to Woodend.

More details, Give Rus a call on 0423 388 167.

And if you’re not completely funned out, Otesha are having a

Spring Garden Party

on Sunday 1^st November, from 12 to 5pm at 79 Gladstone avenue, Northcote.

The event is a Otesha fundraiser. For $10, you get a lazy day’s entertainment and the warm fuzzy feeling that your helping Otesha and it’s youth education programs about sustainable consumption.

Performing on the day is Monique Brumby, the Unconventional Cellist, TheTaylor Project and Pete Coles.

Just bring you picnic rug, there’ll be food, drinks and plenty of other activities. Otesha guarantee there’ll be something for everyone.

More info at Otesha.org.au

See you when we open again on Wednesday!

An important day in the commuter cyclist’s calendar, it’s a fantastic opportunity to encourage others to give cycling a go. For those of us already bitten by the bug, it’s a day to pat ourselves on the back and remind the bean counters that cycling is a valid form of public transport.

With some help from Moreland City Council we’re offering commuters a free tune-up, breakfast and REAL coffee.

All we ask for is that you register – this way the statistics are in that people are actually riding on the day.

So bring your bike and empty belly, and we’ll provide the fuel and chain lube to get you going for the day….

The details:

• Wednesday 14th October 2009 – From 7:30am 10am
• Hot and cold breakfast provided – Coffee too!
• @ 14 Prentice street Brunswick -The Commuter Cycles Workshop
• Register here

You may have read about it in recent press,  RMIT is running a pilot for Bicycle sharing, in the hope it will encourage more folks to consider getting around by bicycle, and to use the service for short trips around the city. 

The various bike hubs allow people to pick up a bike and helmet, and drop them off on the other side of town. Sure beats a taxi, or relying on Melbourne’s PT network. 

Fingers crossed, the success of this program will encourage the bean counters to take this on as part of Melbourne’s long term infrastructure. 

For more information on the project, pop in to the hub (Our Workshop) or check out the common bike website. After a $5 registration, each ride under three hours only costs a gold coin. If you drop the bike off to a different hub, or stay out for an additional hour, another gold coin covers costs. 

For more information, registration, bikes- drop into the hub at Commuter Cycles or read up on all the details at 

commonbike.com