Cannondale tandem bike at the start of the Brisbane to the Gold Coast Cycle Challenge

While 99% of the bikes in the Brisbane to the Gold Coast Cycle Challenge were drop bar road bikes, I saw probably half a dozen tandem road bikes, mostly with couples on them. They all seemed to be Cannondale bikes.

Cannondale tandem bike at the start of the Brisbane to the Gold Coast Cycle Challenge

Cannondale tandem bike at the start of the Brisbane to the Gold Coast Cycle Challenge

Other bikes I spotted included a handful of fixies, a recliner bike, flat bar road bikes and mountain bikes. And there were also a couple of lunatics riding Brisbane City Council City Bikes. I bet they had a blast.

Start of the Brisbane to the Gold Coast Cycle Challenge

I rode my Cell Bikes custom fixie (set up as a singlespeed) in the 100 km Brisbane to the Gold Coast Cycle Challenge. My total distance in the saddle for the day was 125 km, including riding to and from the ride. I averaged 30.9 km/h for the 100 km Brisbane to the Gold Coast Cycle Challenge part of the ride.

This particular Cell Bikes custom fixie was purchased in 2011 and has 4130 cromoly frame and forks. I have fitted my Cell Bikes singlespeed with Shimano PD-R540 SPD-SL pedals, Halo Aerorage track wheels, Vittoria Rubino Pro tyres, a Selle Italia SLS Kit Carbonio Flow saddle, and an extra water bottle cage on the down tube using Elite VIP bottle cage clamps. I also carry a Top Peak saddle bag and a Maxxis Compressor micro pump mounted under the bottle cage. Otherwise, the bike is pretty standard including 46/16 gearing.

Cell Bikes singlespeed just before leaving home for a 125 km day in the saddle

Cell Bikes singlespeed just before leaving home for a 125 km day in the saddle

Waiting for the start of the Brisbane to the Gold Coast Cycle Challenge

Waiting for the start of the Brisbane to the Gold Coast Cycle Challenge

Cell Bikes singlespeed just before starting the 100 km Brisbane to the Gold Coast Cycle Challenge

Cell Bikes singlespeed just before starting the 100 km Brisbane to the Gold Coast Cycle Challenge

Mostly road bikes as far as the eye can see before the start

Mostly road bikes as far as the eye can see before the start

Mostly road bikes as far as the eye can see before the start

Mostly road bikes as far as the eye can see before the start

Cell Bikes singlespeed in endurance mode

I am riding the Brisbane to the Gold Coast Cycle Challenge 100 km ride on my Cell Bikes singlespeed this weekend. I was planning to ride non-stop, so one of the challenges was getting enough fluid on the bike to stay hydrated. I stopped at Bikeway Coffee Juice Bar and took a few photos of my setup.

The Cell Bikes fixie frame has one set of braze-ons for a water bottle cage on the down tube. It does not have a second set on the seat tube like most road bikes. The solution was a set of Elite VIP Bottle Cage Clamps with a stealth black Elite Custom Race Resin Cage purchased from Wiggle. I have read that sometimes these mounts can slide down the frame tube. Because I have only had it on the bike for a couple of rides, I have tied a piece of spectra line around the top tube as an insurance measure. Over the last 70 km of riding, the cage clamps have not moved, so I may remove the spectra line after the Brisbane to Gold Coast ride.

The cage at the back of the saddle is less successful. This is a Tacx bottle cage saddle mount with a stealth black Elite Custom Race Resin Cage. The Tacx saddle mount can be set up with one bottle cage or two. I originally set it up with two cages, but even with bottles only half full, unfortunately it sagged. I set it up with only one cage for this ride, and the first bump going out of our street, it sagged again. I continued riding to see whether it would eject the bottle. Sure enough, halfway down Highgate Hill at about 50 km/h, the bottle launched from the cage. I can’t blame the Elite cage. They were not designed for saddle mounting and have performed faultlessly on my frame mounts for thousands of kilometres. The Tacx saddle mount, on the other hand, should not move from the position that I mounted it in.

The upshot is, I will be removing the Tacx saddle mount and just riding with two bottles mounted in the frame. It looks like it will be at least one stop on the Brisbane to Gold Coast ride for me this year.

Cell Bikes singlespeed at Bikeway Coffee Juice Bar

Cell Bikes singlespeed at Bikeway Coffee Juice Bar

Three bottle cages on my Cell Bikes singlespeed

Three bottle cages on my Cell Bikes singlespeed

This is the position I wanted the Tacx bottle cage saddle mount to be in

This is the position I wanted the Tacx bottle cage saddle mount to be in — an upright position would minimise the chances of the bottle being ejected

No matter how tight I did up the bolt on the Tacx bottle cage saddle mount, the bottle kept sagging

No matter how tight I did up the bolt on the Tacx bottle cage saddle mount, the bottle kept sagging

Elite VIP bottle cage clamps

Elite VIP bottle cage clamps — the spectra line is my insurance policy against the clamps slipping

Elite VIP bottle cage clamps

Elite VIP bottle cage clamps

Enjoying the view of the Brisbane River and CBD

Enjoying the view of the Brisbane River and CBD

Blackboard art at Bikeway Coffee Juice Bar

Blackboard art at Bikeway Coffee Juice Bar

PRO-TEC Classic helmet — thanks Wiggle!

I recently won a PRO-TEC Classic helmet through a Wiggle Facebook promotion. The PRO-TEC Classic helmet is great and looks much better with my singlespeed than a standard road bike helmet. Thanks Wiggle!

PRO-TEC Classic helmet with my singlespeed

PRO-TEC Classic helmet with my singlespeed

PRO-TEC Classic helmet

PRO-TEC Classic helmet

Australian Standard Certification sticker

Australian Standard Certification sticker

PRO-TEC Classic helmet

PRO-TEC Classic helmet

PRO-TEC Classic helmet from Wiggle -- note the Australian Standard certification

PRO-TEC Classic helmet from Wiggle — note the Australian Standard certification

Bike art? — my two Cell Bikes singlespeeds

Bike art? -- my two Cell Bikes singlespeeds

Bike art? — my two Cell Bikes singlespeeds

Bike art? My two Cell Bikes singlespeeds.

With a casual glance you would think that Wonder Woman (orange bike) is the faster bike. In fact Bumblebee (yellow bike) has a higher spec list and is the faster bike.

Wonder Woman has been built up as my cafe/commuter bike around a Cell Bikes fixie frame mostly with parts that I had lying around. For some of these parts, this is the third bike that they have been on.

Bumblebee started out two years ago as a Cell Bikes custom fixie, but has had numerous parts upgraded, many of which are now on Wonder Woman. Bumblebee is one of my fitness/training bikes and I often ride it 40+ km.