Introductions - I cant wait to get back on my bike(s); Geelong, Australia

I have always liked cycling recreationally anyway. But from late teenage years I seemed to have too many things going on, and I didn't have enough time to spend on my bike, not to mention 20's - getting married, emigrating, starting a life in a new land (originally Irish - now Australian), 30's - raising kids, keeping down jobs, paying mortgages, parents died in my 40's - realising life is getting shorter!! - So I have been enjoying my return to the bicycle for a couple of years now. In fact, I've gotten more into cycling than i ever had been as a youngster - must be making up for lost time. Last year I rode around the bay - 210 kilometer ride, in Melbourne Australia - great day out after months of practise. I've been trying to get the family interested, and my wife and two of our younger kids had a weekend rail trail cycle in January, with a stay over in a cabin. We had a ball!, and I bought my daughter (11 years old) a bike so we might do the great Victorian bike ride this year - 1 week cycling trip. Only thing is I've caught some bug at the moment and am really low on energy for the last 6 weeks - I need to hurry up and get better, so I can get back on my bike. In the mean time I'm checking out web forums such as this to feed my appetite :)

Welcome to Bike Forums! It's great that you're getting the whole family into riding.

What kind of bike do you have?

I have a trek roadbike, bought 2nd hand, so i don't really know - but it has ultegra gears and it's alum frame, I think it's 2005 model. I love it, goes really well. I also have a scott sub 20 that i have for commuting into work and back - 30 kms round trip, just haven't done it in a while. I got Fiona a monaco bicycle, made by an Australian manufacturer - Apollo. I need to get her to be able to ride up to 100 kms a day and feel comfortable.........

Seeing as how it's basically almost 'fall' there, have the temperatures/conditions been comfortable for cycling?

Hi Rollfast,
It is the first day of fall in Australia, the temprature dropped to 66 F today, but it will still be into the mid 80's F for the next 6 weeks or so. Then it can get a lot colder in the winter months, down into the low 40's F in Geelong where I live. But I love cycling and the temperature has never put me off before... But I might think twice if it's cold with a head wind into the rain, right now I haven't been on a bike in 6 weeks so I reckon I'd go out in any weather:)

Hi Rollfast,
It is the first day of fall in Australia, the temprature dropped to 66 F today, but it will still be into the mid 80's F for the next 6 weeks or so. Then it can get a lot colder in the winter months, down into the low 40's F in Geelong where I live. But I love cycling and the temperature has never put me off before... But I might think twice if it's cold with a head wind into the rain, right now I haven't been on a bike in 6 weeks so I reckon I'd go out in any weather:)

Snow has never put me off if the conditions will allow biking as they are my private transportation. It might be a long trek if you wanted to go surfing however.

Have the bushfires hit badly this year? I haven't heard as much, I blame all the other garbage going on here and elsewhere for blotting important things like that from my knowledge. I know people from NSW and VIC (St. Kilda/Melbourne and Brisbane especially) but not much else other than Machka (and she's an exile of sorts).

Hello and welcome to BF!!

Snow has never put me off if the conditions will allow biking as they are my private transportation. It might be a long trek if you wanted to go surfing however.

Have the bushfires hit badly this year? I haven't heard as much, I blame all the other garbage going on here and elsewhere for blotting important things like that from my knowledge. I know people from NSW and VIC (St. Kilda/Melbourne and Brisbane especially) but not much else other than Machka (and she's an exile of sorts).

Ok - Snow might put me off, I grew up in Ireland, and I remember trying to cycle in snow and icy conditions - not very safe....

It's still in the 80's over here this week - so we are enjoying an extended warm period. We didn't have bush fires TG this year but we had freak storms a couple of weeks back with flooding in melbourne, golf ball sized hail stones and lots of clean up work after. I have friends who had been cycling in the storm - and they have bruises to prove how bad it was.

Hello and welcome to BF!!

Hi Roadbiker - thanks for the welcome. I am planning on doing a ride in May - should be sorted by then - will wear the yellow bracelet - if you dare let it our of the US!