The Sabot, Minnow, O’pen BIC or Optimist are all popular junior training sailing dinghies in Australia. You want your child to learn to sail, but which boat should you buy? Let me declare my biases first. I learnt to sail as a junior in a Sabot. We now own a Sabot and Minnow which my daughters have recently learned to sail in. I have sailed both dinghies. I have also sailed O’pen BICs, … more »
The Miche Pistard WR track wheelset is possibly the best value-for-money off-the-shelf track wheelset for training, and club and junior racing. I purchased a Miche Pistard WR wheelset from Wiggle, delivered to Australia for around $300. They have been a bullet-proof set of track wheels for training and club racing. General description The Miche Pistard WR track wheelset has 24 spokes radial laced on the front wheel, and 32 spokes three-cross laced on … more »
Trying the track at Chandler Velodrome in Brisbane, Queensland is relatively simple if you are already part of a cycling club that rides on the track — most clubs will happily introduce existing members to riding on the track. However, many riders who want to ride on the track are not yet part of a cycling club, so following is a simple guide to getting on Chandler Velodrome for the first time. The information … more »
A hot knife is a very handy item to have in your tool kit if you sail boats and need to cut ropes. A hot knife can cut and seal nylon and polyester ropes in one action, preventing fraying and leaving a nice, clean rope end. If you only need to cut ropes one or twice a year, it can be hard to justify the cost of an electric hot knife, which can … more »
This little ditty was inspired by a holiday at Noosa Heads in Queensland, Australia. Despite all the leathery-skinned, wrinkled old people (they were probably a lot younger than they looked!), young people were still sun-baking on Noosa Beach and ending up badly sunburnt every afternoon. We used to walk along Hastings Street in the evenings having a competition to see who could spot the most sunburnt person. You can swap Noosa for your … more »
If you are new to track cycling in Brisbane, then you are probably wondering about the various cycling sessions held at Chandler Velodrome every week — what is the track cycling scene in Brisbane? Knowing what is on offer may influence your decision on which cycling club to join, as well as help you find sessions that suit your age, ability and fitness. To ride on Chandler Velodrome, you will need to hold … more »
I have had three training sessions with Repsych Training and Development recently on Chandler Velodrome and wondered how steep the banking angle really was. The velodrome banking angle is quite deceptive because of the curve of the track. From the grandstands, it appears quite shallow banking; when you are riding around the top of the banking, it appears very steep! Track statistics on the internet are scarce. About the only (semi)-reliable source I … more »