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Riding with Muggs |
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Two options to join Muggaccinos: Either: 1. For life time membership offering special, but as yet, unspecified benefits: a) complete 7 page application form; and b) post cheque made payable to “Come in Sucker” for $5,000 to "The Scribe". |
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Or: 2. Turn up at advertised arrival time listed in “Ride Calendar and Bullsheets” with your trusty treadley, resplendent in cycle clobber, with a smile on your dial, and enough dosh to cover your cakes 'n caffeine at Nosh Stops, ready to conquer a few hills.
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e-mail Bank Teller ScribePJ@bigpond.com to put your e-mail address in the weekly 'group broadcast reminder e-mail' which Bank Teller transmits mid-week summarising the following Sunday ride and raps-up last Sunday's ride. |
"Hills are your Friends!!!"
Muggaccinos' 1st Commandment is "Hills are your friends* and mountains are your mates." Fortuitously, the perimeter of the Greater Sydney provides lots of beaut steep climbs, and there are few things more satisfying than conquering, with your mates, another marvelous climb.
Prima facie, climbing steep hills on a bicycle may seem difficult. However, with ultra light bikes and very low gears, the strain to climb a steep hill is no different than cycling fast on flat roads. Mass production in China of 50% circa of all high grade bicycle frames (steel, aluminium, carbon fibre, titanium) now sold, has evidenced bicycles reduce by approx 50% in real terms over the last 12 years, rendering them available to most Australians. A competitive bicycle costs as little as AUD$1,200 new, albeit one can pay +AUD$9,000 for a top line bicycle.
Alas, too many bike shops sell you what is on their shop room floor rather than what will enable you to climb the +60 brill KOM Climbs in Greater Sydney and the Illawarra which are set out in KOMpm.com.
Most cyclists who ride with Muggs have a triple chain ring 52/42/30T or a compact double front crank 50/34T. If you have a traditional double front crank of 52/39T, it can be a big cost to switch to a triple. However, cost effective ways to achieve a lower gear ratio are available (explained in clause 11. Gearing to climb steep hills in Tips for new road cyclists who want to ride with Muggaccinos) such as -
(i) replacing your rear cassette with a 11/28T cassette for $75
(ii) fitting a mid-length rear derailleur ($100) which will enable you to fit a 11/34T rear cassette ($85), or
(iii) replacing your front 39T small chain ring if it has travelled +20,000km with a 38T chain ring ($15).
Several of Muggs' stalwarts can advise you re the optimum solution if you want lower gearing, and where to get the best bargains.
Caution:
All cyclists
are welcome to join Muggaccinos’ Sunday rides provided they
are
comfortable cycling over 50km on public roads.
If you are not yet confident cycling >50km, let us know and one or two of us will
arrange to meet
you on a Saturday for a shorter ride, say from Berowra to Pie in the Sky, Nth Cowan
'n back, to assess your progression rate.
Read "Tips for new road cyclists who want to ride with Muggaccinos".
If you want to get into recreational road cycling with the goal to be riding Muggs' 100km circa rides within a few months, we will help you complete that goal.
Riding with Muggaccinos regularly, is predicated upon -
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joining Bicycle New South Wales or Bicycle Victoria for $20m public liability cover, or extend your household 3rd party policy to obtain public liability coverage beyond the boundaries of your property in case you cause an accident whereupon another Mugg or 3rd party is badly injured and sues you big bucks for negligence;
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notifying Scribe if you materially disagree with any clause(s) in Muggs' "Risk Participant Liability Acknowledgement" contained in Risk Warnings; and
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general concurrence with Muggs' "Ten Commandments"
Contacts:
Location: Northern Sydney
NSW Oz - DownUnder
Webmaster: ScribePJ@bigpond.com