Craigieburn By-Pass ride, Sunday 18th June, 2006
The ride was planned to explore the new path along the Hume Freeway from the Northern Ring Road to Craigieburn. We met up in the grounds of the Pipeworks Fun Market, in North Coburg. At first, the party was Robert on the former Python, Alan and Diane on a tandem, Eric on a road bike, Steve Nurse on the Formicone and George on the yellow Swift. Since the Formicone, tandem and converted Python haven't been mentioned in ride reports, here is a short description of each.
The Formicone (Ant) is an upright bike made by Paioli in Italy on a Meccano principle. It was a commercial venture, which reached early production, but doesn't seem to have caught on. The frame is made up of straight lengths of steel tube, articulated by hinging cast light alloy brackets. By using different lengths and numbers of tubes and brackets, Paioli made a range of different bikes on the same system. Steve bought his from the Canberra Museum, which was selling off excess exhibits. It is a fairly compact tandem, with a conventional chain drive, but only one speed, plastic wheels and drum brakes. He rode it solo as a semi-recumbent by sitting on the rear seat and pushing the front pedals. With only one speed, he had a tiring day of it. He has put up a web page on the design and his bike at modularbikes.com.au
Robert has converted his Python to conventional steering, by replacing the frame in front of the seat to put a conventional steering head over the front wheel, which still has the bottom bracket mounted in its centre, with the same out-and-back drive train. It still folds for storage, but not to steer. It is low, but too comfy to count as a low racer.
Alan many years ago built an upright tandem from an upright bike and additional tubes, with rear suspension and a rear disc brake, both unusual features when it was built. The front end, which is not much changed from the donor bike, is more characteristic of the period. He hasn't used it much, partly because it was too long to fit on the car, so it has been stored away since it was built. Although it doesn't fold in any of the usual ways, Alan has used the rear suspension movement to fit it onto the top of the car.
We left Pipeworks more or less on time, found our turnoff from the Ring Road path onto the Hume Freeway path (whoever built the path seems to think that signage is for pussies) and shortly afterwards caught up with Wesley Kozlowski, who had not found us in the Pipeworks car parks and had set out on his own. We followed the path over mostly flat country and then some undulations into Craigieburn. We entered the north end of Craigieburn on Amaroo Road and Grand Boulevard, which are fairly bike friendly. Robert, Wesley, George and Eric rode up Mount Ridley to enjoy the views (good, but see them before they are built out) before joining the others for lunch at Plarre's bakery in Craigieburn Plaza shopping centre.
At lunch we were joined by Rodney Williams and Frank Szentmiklossy, both on wedgies, and by John Kuljis, on the Xevon, without Komett. The enlarged group set out back to the freeway along Craigieburn Road East (not very bike-friendly) and picked up the path at the freeway, returning the way we had come, finishing with coffee and a viewing of the bike stall at Pipeworks. The total return distance to Pipeworks was about 30 miles (that's 48km, if you've forgotten Imperial measurements). The afternoon was overcast, unlike the morning, but not windy, and there was no rain. There were no mechanical failures or the like.
The path is newly built, wide and smooth and runs near to the freeway, but not too close, and our only difficulty was navigation, mainly in Craigieburn. It is easy and reasonably scenic, with very few road crossings and no on-road riding between Pipeworks and Craigieburn. Take a recent map: pages 7, 8, 180, 386 and 387 of the 2006 Melways are enough.