Tips for getting back in the saddle...

[Rossimelons]

hi rossi
Well done for getting back to riding.

The Alice Hospital has a swimming pool for staff, so showers are available there if you want. Lots of staff ride bikes to work. My lovely lady walks to work at the hospital. Depending where you live in the Alice will dictate whether you ride on the footpath or bike tracks. Its flat as a tack.

Your Giant is perfect for riding in Alice.

Suggest you get thornproof tyres and possibly consider slime in the tyres. Other options are tyre liners, and tougher tyres. Glass and three corner jacks are the enemy. Having said that, Alice has a lot of racing bikes with thin tubes and tyres, so its not that bad.

Suggest a helmet, even though you get helmet hair. Good example for the kids.

Happy to go for a ride with you when you hit town. PM me if you would like to.

There is a very active cycling club in town, and early Saturday mornings there is WOW, woman on wheels, who go for a reasonable ride and then drink coffee.

Lots of kids ride their bikes to school, including mine, depends on what school and where you are living.

Simpsons Gap cycle path on the edge of town is magnificent for both riding and walking. 17km one way, sealed.
Re the seat, you should be comfortable riding. If you are not then something needs to change so you can be comfortable.
There are three bike shops in town.
Suggest you consider a drink bottle cradle and drink bottle for rides. Water is great. Freeze half a bottle the night before, the fill up with water before the ride. Nice and cold to drink.
cheers
stevet

Cheers for the info Steve! I didn't know about the pool at the hospital - bonus for me!! I've been told this week that they have a bike cage too which is great. We'll be in Old Eastside so I nice ride to the hospital - 2km each way according to google maps. I used to live in the area so know the town bike paths pretty well but I would love to work my way up to that Simpson's gap ride! The kids will be riding to school hopefully - at this stage it looks like I'll have one at school in Old Eastside and one in kinder at Braitling so if the times are too close we'll need the car, but my kids do love to ride.

I used to knock about on a bike to the pub and back there in my younger days but I've lost all confidence on a bike although I'm slowly gaining some back. I'll definitely look into the Women on Wheels - sounds right up my alley!! I never had an issue with three-corner Jacks but my husband used to ride to and from work and he had constant flats. He's already on me to get some slime put in. It'll all have to wait until we get there now - removalists come tomorrow to take my bike Can't wait to get back to Alice. I've been gone 5 years and I know the town has changed - but I sure did love my life there!

I know it's silly - but wearing a helmet really put me off riding in the past. But now that the kids have come along I do think it's important to set a good example. And for the commute to work I'll def have one on. Can't promise anything about the sneaky little run to the pub though

[V17L]

Hi Rossi,
Just guessing it is Ross Park Primary School. Don't know if you knew about Rona Glynn Preschool attached to Ross Park Primary School.
Snap, we live in Old EastSide as well.
cheers
stevet

[V17L]

forgot to add, soccer is big for kids, with u6 teams available, mixed teams in the younger age groups.
In an earlier time, when my kids were at school, I was president of the Vikings Football Club, so go vikings. The soccer fields where all games are played on is in old eastside as well, so bonus. When I was president, there were around 900 players (all clubs) from u6 to seniors playing every weekend. They used to have a 7 a side comp in summer on Tuesday nights. Lots of fun. There are all the other sports as well, which I am sure you will either find out or know about.

[softy]

I know this is a costly route, although i had the bike already after an accident.
An ebike, pedlec.
This give you the exersice but takes the edge of the legs going up hills. When you get your legs happening again, start to exchange some of the rides with the roadie. Then gradually swap till the roadie is the main bike again.

My ebike gets more of a workout in winter, fitted with hydralic discs and bigger tyres, also mellows headwinds.

[Rossimelons]

Hi Rossi,
Just guessing it is Ross Park Primary School. Don't know if you knew about Rona Glynn Preschool attached to Ross Park Primary School.
Snap, we live in Old EastSide as well.
cheers
stevet

Unfortunately with Ross Park being the most sought after school now, Rona Glynn is fully booked with a long wait-list. Unlike the school which has to accept your enrollment if you live in the prescribed zone, the preschools can refuse any enrollments once they are over capacity. You never know - we don't arrive until after Term 1 starts so maybe a whole pile of kids will drop out and we'll get a place

My daughter is 5 and mad on cricket so I think she'll get involved in that and my husband is a mad NRL fan so we've already got our tickets to the upcoming exhibition game.

[V17L]

Eels v Titans, Anzac Oval. Great idea.
For hubby, Saturday rides for blokes as well with the Alice Springs Cycling Club. Like WOW, they ride and then drink coffee. Great outdoor velodrome as well.
I remember the hassles of getting the kids into the school when we moved to town. It all works out in the end. Excellent place to bring up kids.
I'm at the other end of the schooling lifecycle, with my youngest is at JCU, and you have the same hassles, getting into the uni course, then getting into college accommodation. All sorted on that front last year. Now just have to get our youngest daughter and all her junk back to uni in feb ready for the new term.
Don't know much about cricket, but Im sure you will find out easily. Having said that, we were at Hanuman's Restaurant recently, and my lovely wife went up, introduced herself and got Alan Border's autograph for a friends cricket mad son.
My two daughters did ballet from the moment they arrived in town, to the time they left for uni, and also took classes whilst at uni. Duprada Ballet Company is owned by Lynne Hanton, who used to dance with the Australian Ballet. I used to stir a workmate up as his daughter got into horses in a big way. Ballet was way cheaper than horses, even including trips to singapore and melbourne to dance on stage.
Whatever the kids want to do, there is usually somewhere to do it in Alice.
I have seen over near the Scout Hall, the kids, little and not so little riding around a course in the early evenings. I think it was organised by the mountain bike club, rough riders? Don't know if it is on this year or not. I have been away a lot in the year.
I sound like an advert for the town, don't I. Well welcome back, and see you around the place.
cheers
stevet

[Rossimelons]

I sound like an advert for the town, don't I. Well welcome back, and see you around the place.
cheers
stevet

I've been a walking ad for Alice since I first moved there in 07. I never wanted to leave and have spent the last 5 years waiting to get back. I hope it still feels like home to me - There's something so special about living in a town like Alice - warts and all.

If you see a clumsy rider, sweating her way to the hospital on a Giant Rove that's me

[audrey27]

Thanks for this good thread! I learn a lot from here.