SBUG Christmas Party 30th November 2018

The SBUG Christmas Party will be held at the “Dish and Spoon” Cafe, 1A Scenic Drive, Nowra, opposite the Nowra swimming pool, on 30th November at 6:00pm. The menu will be Portuguese Tapas of your choice.

All those wishing to attend the Christmas function need to pay a deposit of $25 per person into the SBUG Social Account as soon as possible so numbers can be finalised.

Bendigo Bank, BSB: 633 000, Account Name: Shoalhaven Bicycle User Group Inc., Account Number: 156 821 456

Please ensure that you include your name as the payment reference so we know who has paid.

For further details contact Anne Cornish on 0413 389 376 or Les 0477 902 590

SBUG Scenic Cruise on Port Hacking River, Sydney

SBUG are organising a scenic cruise on the Port Hacking River on Wednesday, 12th September, 2018.

The three (3) hour cruise is run by Cronulla River Cruises and starts at 10.30am from the Public wharf, Tonkin Street, Gunnamatta Bay (behind the Cronulla Railway Station).

Morning tea is provided along with an interesting commentary of the history of the area. Fares are: Adults $35, Concession $25. Pay onboard the boat.

Bookings are essential. A booking has been made with the cruise company and a holding deposit paid by SBUG. Those interested in attending MUST contact Jan or John Van Duin on ph 4422 8991 or mob 0401 439 310 to reserve your seats. The cut-off date for reservations is Friday, 17th August.

Some people will be travelling by train to Sydney. Train times are as follows;

Catch train from Kiama Station. Departs 7.55am. Arr: Sutherland 9.35am. Depart Sutherland 9.51am. Arr: Cronulla 10.06am.

Afternoon Train Timetable. Depart Cronulla 14.32pm. Arr: Sutherland 14.49pm. Depart Sutherland 14.55pm. Arr: Kiama 16.35pm.

For any further details contact Jan or John on the above numbers.

SBUG Weekend away to Broulee – 24th August, 2018

Riding Two Abreast

30 May 2018

Cyclists often ride two abreast for a reason.  It’s safer. It increases visibility and reduces the chances of being in an accident with a motor vehicle.

Bicycle riders are one of the most vulnerable road users, and riding two abreast make them more visible.  Two riders cycling side by side can be seen from much further away, than a single rider. Being able to see riders from a further distance will enable drivers to prepare to overtake the riders safely, in accordance with the Minimum Passing Distance law.

Riding two abreast also allows the motorist to overtake the group of riders more quickly as the line is only about half as long. This allows the vehicle to pass the group less time (giving for moving in and out to the correct location on the road).  A good overtake is safer for everyone, the other vehicles on the road, the driver and their passengers and all the riders on the road in the group.

Broken Centre Line Overtaking is legal, when safe to do so.

Unbroken Centre Line Overtaking is legal, when safe to do so.

What do cyclists need to know about riding two abreast?

Cyclists must be within 1.5 metres of each other when riding two abreast.  A third rider can overtake these two riders, but cannot continue to ride beside them.

Riders should be courteous and consider other roads users around them, and if safe may change to single file in some circumstances.

What do drivers need to know when overtaking cyclists riding two abreast? 

Only overtake when it is safe and legal to do so. We want all road users to get to their destinations safely.

Drivers in NSW must provide a minimum of 1 metre when overtaking 1 bike rider or multiple.  When the speed limit is 60km/h or under, drivers must provide 1 metre when overtaking – this is measured from the furthest point of vehicle (i.e. mirror) to the furthest point of the cyclists (i.e. handle bars, cyclists elbow). If the speed limit is over 60km/h, drivers must provide 1.5 metres of space when overtaking.

Drivers are able to cross double lines and go on painted islands to provide bike riders with this distance, if it is safe to do so.

 

A few seconds can save a life so please be patient. Our roads are shared spaces. Mutual respect and cooperation are the key to ensure everyone remains safe. 

Minimum Passing Distance – Update

In May 2018, after a 2 year trial, the Minimum Passing Distance became permanent law in NSW.  Providing space when overtaking cyclists, is helping to protect our most vulnerable road users.

 

What is the Minimum Passing Distance? 

When driving 60km/h and under, a motor vehicle must provide bike riders 1 metre of space when overtaking.

When driving over 60km/h, a motor vehicle must provide 1.5 metres of space when overtaking.

 

The measurement is taken from the widest part of the bike (i.e. handle bars) to the widest part of the motor vehicle (i.e. a mirror)

Exemptions to the law that enable driver to provide bike riders with this space. 

 

Drivers will be exempt from the following rules, as long as it is safe to pass the bicycle rider with at least a metre of space and they have a clear view of approaching traffic:

  • Keep to the left of the centre of the road (two-way road with no dividing line)
  • Keep to the left of the centre of a dividing line – broken and unbroken lines
  • Keep off a flat dividing strip
  • Keep off a flat painted island
  • Driving within a single marked lane or line of traffic
  • Moving from one marked lane to another across a continuous line separating the lanes

Extending the courtesy to paths

When riding on shared path and footpaths, we strongly encourage riders to give pedestrians and other riders 1 metre of space when overtaking.

Bike riders are allowed to ride on footpaths if they are under the age of 12, or are with an under 12 bike rider. This means that parents, guardians, friends and siblings aged 12 years or over are legally allowed to ride on the footpath if they are accompanying a rider under 12. Read more about footpath riding in NSW here.

SBUG Christmas Party

We are now taking bookings and monies for our annual party to be held at Portside restaurant (indoors), Huskisson on Saturday evening 9th December.
Prices for three courses – $35 members and $45 non members if accompanied by a member. ie, if you and your non-member partner come it will be $80 total.

Please pay by direct deposit to BSB  633000  ACC  156821456
REMEMBER YOU MUST PUT YOUR NAME IN THE REFERENCE BOX WHEN PAYING.

We have booked out the whole restaurant but numbers are limited. Pay now and don’t miss out!

Menu and other details to follow.

Review of BIKE WEEK 2017

On Sunday 17th September, 50 riders joined our Bike Week ride from Huskisson to Plantation Point, Vincentia and return. The day was fine and sunny with a light breeze. Riders of all ages and abilities enjoyed an easy ride along the shared pathway beside the picturesque Jervis Bay. Thanks to Shoalhaven City Council, Bicycle NSW and Shoalhaven Bicycle User Group members for organising and supporting this annual event.

   

Photo #1.  Peter Hewlett, SBUG Rides Coordinator, Nam Collins, Bicycle NSW, Sharon Liddicoat, Shoalhaven City Council and Menno Van Doorn SBUG Ride Leader.

Photo #2. Riders at the halfway point of the ride, Plantation Point, Vincentia.

For more photos of the event go to the website Gallery.

BIKE WEEK 2017

Fun and friendly cycling events around the Shoalhaven

Get active Shoalhaven – It’s Bike Week!  Shoalhaven City Council is inviting the community to jump on your bike and join fun filled rides around the Shoalhaven area during NSW Bike Week which is held from 16-24 September 2017.

NSW Bike Week is an annual celebration of cycling which aims to:

  • Increase the use of local cycling infrastructure for transport and recreation
  • Provide a safe and secure environment for new and less confident cyclists to improve their cycling skills
  • Educate the community on the importance of road safety and road rules
  • Promote cycling as a safe and healthy mode of transport for short trips.

There are two NSW Bike Week events in the Shoalhaven:

Saturday 16 September from 2pm Dolphin Point.  Join an easy paced mountain bike ride through the pristine National Park enjoying the terrain and the wonders of nature. On your return, enjoy lunch and cook a BBQ or have a picnic using BBQ facilities available in the park. Meet at 2pm at Lions Club Park, Dolphin Point. Mountain bikes are advisable. Suitable for beginners.

Sunday 17 September 2017 from 9am Huskisson.  Join an easy flat bike ride from Huskisson to Plantation Point. Flat roads and generous shared pathways will make your ride enjoyable while you take in the breathtaking scenery of Jervis Bay.  The ride is 12 km from White Sands Park (next to Huskisson Pub) Huskisson where you meet at 9am to ride to Plantation Point and return. On return, support the Jervis Bay Lions Club who will be providing lunch (at your own expense) at White Sands Park.

Transport for NSW, in partnership with Roads and Maritime Services has provided funding for Shoalhaven City Council to run Bike Week events. A special thank you to Mountain Cycles (Ulladulla), Milton Ulladulla Mountain Bike Club and Shoalhaven Bicycle Users Group (SBUG) for supporting these events.

For further information please contact Shoalhaven City Council’s Traffic Unit on Tel: 4429 3625.

Driver Education

NSW Parliamentary Inquiry – Driver Education, Training and Road Safety

Watch for cyclists sign In February, Bicycle NSW along with 75 other bodies, made a submission to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry in to Driver Education, Training and Road Safety. You can read our submission on the NSW Parliament Inquiry website. Our main recommendations were:
  • To include approved bicycle safety courses in the total training hours for Learners that count towards their logbook.
  • Driver Education be included as a compulsory part of the Year 10 PDHPE curriculum in NSW High Schools
  • Include a Vulnerable Road Users component in the Learner rules testing and practical examination
  • For NSW Drivers to undergo a computer based Rules test every 5 years which must include a Vulnerable Road Users component
  • A high priority be given to ongoing driver education through effective media campaigns
  • Transport infrastructure projects to include a component for the Positive Provision of Active Transport Infrastructure
  • The bicycle infrastructure component of the total transport infrastructure budget be raised to 5%
On May 22nd, we appeared alongside the Amy Gillett Foundation and the Australian Cycle Alliance, to present further to the inquiry on our recommendations and need for greater education across all road users. The topic has garnered significant media interest resulting in news articles and radio interviews. We spoke to 2HD Newcastle ahead of the hearing and discussed the proposal and the work our local affiliated BUG, Newcastle Cycleways Movement have been doing in pushing for the CycleSafe Network. We will continue to update our members and stakeholders as the outcomes from the Inquiry are made available.

L’E TAPE ASTRALIA

L’Étape Australia is the only official Tour de France event in Australia. It is open to riders of all abilities and provides cyclist with the closest experience to riding in the Tour de France an amateur can have.

At the front of the main peloton, there is an official Elite Wave sanctioned by NSW – AusCycling. The best cyclists in the country will come to Kiama, the Shoalhaven and the Southern Highlands to compete in L’Étape Australia.

Cycling manufacturer Shimano issues global review of its cranksets after widespread reports of malfunction and injury

A man in a bike repair workshop holds a part in his latex gloved hand.
Canberra bike mechanic Stuart Carling says, given the number of reports of malfunctioned cranksets, the faulty equipment should have been recognised earlier.()

Cycling manufacturer Shimano has issued a global review of one of its most prolific bike parts after widespread reports of malfunction and injury.

 

At least 2.8 million cranksets globally are set to be the subject of an inspection and review program launched this week by Shimano, the largest manufacturer of bicycle components in the world.

It follows investigations by product safety agencies in the United States and the European Union after more than 4,500 complaints were made in just over a decade about the cranksets failing riders.

The crankset, or ‘crank’, is the part that connects a bike’s chain to the arm of its pedal.

But Shimano’s Hollowtech II model has become notorious for problems with its adhesion corroding over time, forcing the crank arm to split when pressure is applied to the pedal.

A man in a white polo shirt holds a bicycle part.

 

Since learning of the widespread problem, cyclist Henry Strong noticed his Shimao crankset was among those that had started splitting.(ABC News: Jade Toomey)

Canberra cyclist Henry Strong owns two sets of the affected cranks, and said it was frightening to be using potentially faulty equipment while cycling at high speeds.

“The feeling that you might have faulty equipment when you’re doing 75 or 80 kilometres [per hour], that’s quite terrifying,” he said.

“When you’re cycling, something going wrong could, of course, be fatal.”

The issue has been the subject of long-running online forums and dedicated social media pages.

“I don’t think I’ve seen [a recall] like this in this industry, it’s huge, it affects potentially thousands and thousands of people,” he said.

“This is something that should have been recognised years ago.”

Mr Carling counted eight bikes affected by the problem in his small bike workshop in Canberra, even though they were originally being repaired for different issues.

Shimano said it had not been able to determine the cause of the issue, but had now acted on the complaints after a US Product Safety Commission investigation found the fault could have contributed to a serious accident involving an American rider.

“We are deeply sorry that any riders have been affected by this issue,” a Shimano spokesperson said.

Shimano’s Australian branch declined to reveal how many complaints it had received about the issue, and how many units it anticipated were affected in Australia.

The company said it would launch an app in October to facilitate its replacements.

“But it’s too little too late, if you ask me,” Mr Strong said.

“You’ve already had thousands of people that have had incidents, many broken bones, some people hospitalised.

“It appears as though they’ve finally come to the point where they have to acknowledge it, but I think they should have done it a lot sooner.”

A broken crankset on a Shimano bike.

 

There have been long-running complaints of the Shimano crankset arm splitting from the body of the bike.(Instagram: thanksshimano)

Mr Strong, who competes in triathlons, will not be able to use his bike without a replacement before the first race of the upcoming season in two weeks.

“I don’t feel particularly safe using this equipment,” he said.

“We trust that the equipment we buy and invest in will support us, and will be reliable and meet a certain standard.

“I think Shimano has failed to meet that standard by continuing to manufacture and sell faulty equipment for close to 11 years.”

Riders are directed to get their bike inspected at a Shimano dealer, who will decide if it needs to be replaced.

Mr Carling said he was bracing for an influx, but questions about who would pay to fix the issue remained.

“I don’t believe that should be the customer, it is probably going to have to fall back on Shimano, but how are they going to do that?” Mr Carling asked.

A spokesperson for the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) said it was aware of the recall in the US and EU, and that Shimano Australia had commenced an inspection and replacement program for affected cranksets.

“If a supplier becomes aware of a death or serious injury/illness caused by a product they supply, the supplier must make a mandatory report through the Product Safety Australia website,” the spokesperson said.

The Shoalhaven BUG now uses the Stack Team App to post current member news items.