Our Growing ABCycList
July 7, 2006Dear ABCycList,
How do you like that as an informal title for our growing mailing list? I’m quite pleased (if I do say so myself) with the little play on it being a “Psych List” – geddit? – as in, we can psych each other up to greater cycling heights (not to be confused with the Psyche List, which is that rather well-subscribed mail list of ABC staff who like to share their innermost thoughts about their tortured psyches). Anyhow, if you think “ABCycList” sucks, let me know.
Since my last email, we have gathered quite a few more names: Annabelle Quince, Ronald (Ron) Foley, Tim Palmer, John A. Thompson, Mark Tamhane, David Mark, Mark Cash, Gary Bryson, Gretchen Miller, Angus Kingston, John Jacobs, Brent Clough, Phil Carrick, Damien Beaumont, Justine Langford, Chris Norris, Steve Burstow, Maryke Steffens, Geoff Pow, Kevin May, David Garlick and Leah Abernethy. Cycling legend John Shovelan (the former Washington correspondent who kept ABC Radio listeners enthralled with his regular bicycle-saddle reports on his US trans-continental road trip) has also been nominated by Tim Palmer to serve as ABCCycList mascot and club captain in absentia (he’s still in the States). Personally I like the idea of Shov becoming a Boonie-Doll style hood ornament that we could all strap to the front of our bikes. Perhaps we should contact some manufacturers…. If we were to add Shov’s US email address to the ABCycList, it would bring us up to a total of 50 names now on the list – which when you think about it adds up to 100 tight butt cheeks (steady Alice).
That’s certainly a force to be reckoned with, and maybe we could seek to us our numbers to exert some pressure on the ABC to address any bicycle-related issues that might exist. For example, MediaWatch EP Peter McEvoy has written with one suggestion:
“Dear ABC Bike Club coordinator, What about agitating for better bike racks and more spaces? The big racks down there are pretty useless – they don’t have many options for locking your bike and my bike has mudguards so can’t even fit. I suggest we take it to the Board. Peter.”
Of course we all know what a rabble-rousing trouble-maker Peter is, but he raises a good point. Does anyone else have difficulty? Can anyone suggest a better design? Another issue I’ve encountered is the slipperiness of the carpark floor, especially at the base of the entry ramp, where the corrugated surface gives way to polished concrete just at the point where you have to turn. Its treacherous when the floor is wet. My bike slipped out from underneath me there once, despite having knobbly mud tyres. I emailed ABC Building Services about it and suggested they should have some kind of textured surface there instead… perhaps a few board members nailed to the concrete would help, eh Peter?
Regards, Nick.
PS. Here’s Mark Whitfield’s contribution to the ABCycList.
Hi Folks.
I reckon we should have a good bike rack right out the front of the building.
Utility and Inspiration combined.
How cool would it be for ABC to be seen to have so many non car commuters?
I mean why do we always seem to be displaying some type of internal combustion engined vehicle in the foyer?
If building management cant cope with good publicity, then we could approach City Council and get some footpath style ones.
Any other thoughts?
Cheers jj
(John Jacobs)
Nice idea… But if you’ve checked out the NSW Police coloured-coded-map-survey of stolen goods shows Ultimo and Pyrmont in the RED … I had my TWO ‘unhackable’ bike locks hacked in the CCTV area of UTS a coupla years ago and my house mate, only 2 days ago, had his $1200 bike stolen from the area…
SO I like the idea.. BUT practically speaking.. I’d personally prefer to stick with the more intimate underground alternative…
Just my thoughts eh?
AL
(Alice Brennan)
Yeah I’d much rather park my pride and joy in a secure area!
Ben
(Ben Cheshire)
So it’s agreed downstairs is fine BUT
The truth is that a parking sign is a better bike rack than those things on B2. That’s why everyone prefers to attach their bikes to the railings.
I think the best design is probably an inverted “U” steel tube fixed to the ground. You can attach a bike on either side.
Peter
(Peter McEvoy)
4:15 PM
there’s a good example of bike racks at the front of UTS (forecourt), Broadway. i brought these to the attention of Building Management before they installed the sub-standard ones we have now (!) you can lock both the frame & wheel of your bike with this design… i think this is the “U” steel tube, fixed to the ground syle that Peter is referring to…
cheers
Justine
(Justine Langford)
I like the new name for our mailing list Nick. Love the idea of parking our bikes in the foyer too.
Assuming that we won’t get permission for that, I think we should lobby for extra parking spaces downstairs and maybe some lockers. Changing a couple of car spaces to bicycle parking isn’t much to ask when you consider how many bikes could fit instead of one or two cars. Anyway we deserve it.
Tip for wet cyclists – I got really soaked riding in earlier this week and the people in wardrobe kindly let me use their big industrial dryer so that I didn’t have to squelch around the office all day. Very handy if you don’t mind sitting around in your undies watching it spin.
I’m very keen on us all riding out together for lunch one day, how about a picnic at one of the local parks? What would be a good day? Which park would be nicest to ride to?
Love
Jake
(David “Jake” Lloydjones)
Hi Folks,
Not to quibble with your choice of parking location, but just to boost our collective confidence in the safety of the locale:
I’ve biked to work nearly every day since this building was opened. I’ve always chained up directly out front in good view of security. I’ve only had my bike tampered with on one occasion. That was when a strange man who used to work for building management got it into his head that it was ‘unpatriotic’ to attach bikes to the flagpole that was out there. He picked the lock, took my bike and hid it in the property storeroom. It was eventually returned, no patriot missiles were launched:~)
I avoided the flag pole and use the street poles and trees now.
So a well chosen spot in this area, visibility, lighting, passing people, can be quite safe.
Cheeries John
(John Jacobs)
depends on what lock you use… during the week, i often lock to a council ‘no standing’ pole about 50 metres down from the entrance of the ABC on Harris street. recently went to park there & noticed on the ground the remains of a bike lock which had been snipped (not a u-lock) that one not so lucky biker had used to secure their bike… also had the seat of my bike stolen from the outside the front of the ABC (before ‘The Tower’ existed).
cheers
Justine
(Justine Langford)
spokefolk,
all this talk of stolen bikes is making me paranoid.
as for parking in the building, when building B was under construction some discussion went on between the then informal bicyle politburo (before we came under the fatherly loving care of nickilgrimmism) & building management, regarding the bicycle racks to be used. an industry standard as suggested by bicycle nsw was prompltly ignored by the contractor & the present ones, bought as a joblot from abu ghraib, installed.
it’s not too late. power to the peddle people & back to the future…. get racked.
cheers,
jc.
(John Cochrane)
If we are spokefolk (very good), is Nick Grimm then our SpokeMan?
Phil.
(Philip Carrick)