Canberra Winter - here it comes!

This is mainly for Sir Lex, because it harks back to his thread about winter
gear...

If yesterday morning wasn't enough of a taste of things to come, wait till
later this week!

This is my first winter on a bike, and every day is a learning experience.
Last Friday's fog was a bit freaky (eek! Fun riding to work in the dark AND
the fog - not!) and yesterday I realised, too late, it was time to bring out
the winter gloves. There's something nasty about numb fingers on the
controls...

Quite a learning curve. I don't want to bring out the Dririder Nordic 4 too
soon, but not keen on freezing either!

betty

 

And here I am in Townsville trying not to let my sweat drip into the engine
while I work on the Pig...at 8:00am...

 

Oh you are mean!!!!! <grin> Poor poor you, sweating by 8am..... ick! I used
to get like that when I lived in Sydney - so I moved to Canberra 10 years
ago. I really do prefer the cooler weather.

Of course, I didn't ride back then.... I wonder how much I'll love the cold
after taking these ageing bones through winter on a motorbike... stay
tuned - my challenge is to get to spring without wussing out and taking the
car to work!

betty

 

a padded bra has other advantages

 

Cambra fog is the worst, worse than -12 @ 140km/h

Watch out for frost on bends (hmmmm, whats that white stuff? waaaaagh)

 

Geez, it hasn't even gotten to a steady -5 yet!

I've ridden through 2 Canberra winters and never had problems keeping
comfortable, apart from the finger tips getting a bit slippery because
of the ice build up on the clutch and brake levers...

I will always remember arriving at work one morning last year,
completely covered in head to foot in a coat of ice, thanks to the fog
sticking to me, and the cold freezing it onto me!

I only wish I could ride through this winter too, I don't mind the cold
much (mumble grumble stupid Canberra bike thieves!).

The only ice problem I have heard of in Canberra is on the road that
goes around Black mountain towards the city (Parkes way?) where the
trees lean over the road and create shade that occasionally causes black
ice on the city bound lanes. You have been warned.

Apart from that, just be naturally cautious (as you are always want to
do on a bike) and assume that every cats eye and lane marking is covered
in ice during winter...but hey, we already knew that line markings, cats
eyes, and those frigging annoying slow-down bumps that are meant to wake
up car drivers on some off-ramps or at roundabouts are always dangerous,
even in normal temperatures, didn't we? Didn't we?

Have a good winter!

 

Thanks! A friend also told me about black ice on Anzac Parade (that's the
one going up to the War Memorial, isn't it?)

Thanks for all the other ice advice as well (cats eyes and lane markings.)
Tell me - the green paint that the govt has put across a lot of off ramps so
we can give bloody pushbikes supremacy on the road - is that stuff slippery
as well? This is going to be quite an experience!

betty

 

I took the cage in on Monday morning, had to cart some computers around
town. I rode in Tuesday morning though, two layers on the legs and
three on the torso, and my neck sock, I was toasty! My summer gloves
also did themselves proud But then again yesterday morning was
above 0 with no fog.

I hope we get a few more relatively warm autumn mornings, the missus and
I have decided to go on a road trip around victoria at easter, so my
warmer bike gear will have to wait a month.

I haven't had to ride much at night yet, and when I have it's always
been on street lit roads. As I live out near Bungendore, riding home on
very dark roads this winter will be inevitable. I should get around to
investing in a brighter headlight bulb one of these days too, I want to
be able to see when kangaroo's are planning playing chicken with me

 

Do it now! These globes are very cheap, available all overe town at Autopro, Supercheap, etc,
Big W & K Mart too. I don't think I've ever seen as much rooicide as between Bungendore and
Qbn.

Gary

 

Make sure you relay the brighter globe as a burnt out switch block can ruin
your whole day.

Boxer
(Running a 100/130 watt bulb in the Beemer)

 

Yes indeed...I completely forgot about those! They're all as bad as each
other, on par with those yellow 40 zone signs painted on Sydney roads
that I dealt with before I moved to Canberra...had lots of tyre slips
and slides on those yellow squares, even going in a straight line! Even
in a car they're dodgy in wet or damp weather...

 

2 weeks ago, at midnight it was 40 degrees, and our stations air con failed.

now at midnight we registered 7, cranking up th eheat and polartek jumpers.

I even ordered my self in some of those dri rider thermals, i figured what
they hey, they cant be any worse than 25 buck rios and at 35 bucks a pair of
long johns, cheeper than some other brands of em

Thermal socks too

 

I'd be very surprised at black ice on Anzac Parade. Regular ice that you
just didn't notice, sure, but black ice needs very special conditions,
including restricted air flow. Anzac Parade is very exposed.

All paint on roads can be slippery, but the stuff that is used to colour
code lanes etc. is actually pretty harmless. It's only the big white
torched on things (such as arrows) that can be lethal.

 

It's a funny thing: When I was commuting in from Tarago I'd leave at
about 06:00 with the sun just rising, it's be quite nice up until about
20km from Bungendore when I'd plunge into the fog. The fog would
usually last until that last hill coming into Queanbeyan. ;-)

Queanbeyan-Bungendore isn't so bad for kangaroos, the last 12km of dirt
to my place is much worse (just ask Marko!)

It's also thick with wombats, wallabies, sheep and rabbits (at least 1
casualty from each species to my truck in 2 years).


BTH

 

It's a funny thing: When I was commuting in from Tarago I'd leave at
about 06:00 with the sun just rising, it's be quite nice up until about
20km from Bungendore when I'd plunge into the fog. The fog would
usually last until that last hill coming into Queanbeyan. ;-)

Queanbeyan-Bungendore isn't so bad for kangaroos, the last 12km of dirt
to my place is much worse (just ask Marko!)

It's also thick with wombats, wallabies, sheep and rabbits (at least 1
casualty from each species to my truck in 2 years).


BTH

 

How many paddocks did you have to drive through before you "accidentally"
got the sheep?

 

What for? Are you gonna be there to cook it?

(Actually, I hit the sheep just around the first corner on the
Bungendore side of Tarago).


BTH

 

Explains the free sausages.

-----sharks

 

Never say never....