Australian Bicycling Achievement Awards

This year’s Australian Bicycling Achievement Awards will be presented in Canberra today at an event to be opened by Heart Foundation CEO (ACT) Tony Stubbs and with the key note address from Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Maxine McKew.

“2009 has been a landmark year for cycling, with this year’s commitments to fund bicycle infrastructure blowing away previous investments by all three levels of government,” said Stephen Hodge, spokesperson for the Cycling Promotion Fund.

Queensland Minister for Transport, Rachel Nolan, is leading the way nationally with $100 million invested in cycling infrastructure and programs in the last year and will receive the Award for Contribution towards Cycling by a Politician.

Making cycling on of her department’s top 5 priorities, projects included the $68m Kurilpa cycle and pedestrian bridge in Brisbane’s CBD, the world’s largest Travelsmart behaviour change project to 324,000 households and the largest ever cycling centre built in Australia, the $9m Royal Brisbane Hospital Cycle Centre that will hold in excess of 750 bikes.

The Minister for Infrastructure, Anthony Albanese, and Tasmanian Greens Senator, Christine Milne, each gain an Honourable Mention Award for Contribution by a Politician for negotiating the $40 million National Bike Paths Fund.

The Sunshine Coast Regional Council will receive the Local Government Award for Special Initiative to Encourage and Promote Cycling. They have invested $6 million in bicycle paths and on-road facilities and committed $20 million for the next five years.

The Bicycling Achievement Awards have been held by the Cycling Promotion Fund annually since 2002.

Awards finalists will join Federal MPs and Senators from around Australia and principal partner the Heart Foundation, to celebrate cycling encouragement and promotion and the role cycling plays in supporting active living across all ages.

According to the Award’s Principal partners the Heart Foundation, physical activity, including walking and cycling, plays an important role in reducing the risk of cardiovascular and other chronic diseases.

“Physical inactivity is a major health problem in its own right. Disturbingly, about half of Australian adults (54%) are not sufficiently physically active to gain health benefits. Physical inactivity costs the health budget an estimated $1.5bn a year and causes 16,000 premature deaths a year, “said Susan Anderson, National Director - Healthy Weight, Heart Foundation.

“It is particularly concerning for the future health of Australia when you consider that the last decade has seen a rapid decline in the number of children walking or cycling to school and few adults choosing walking or cycling as a mode of transport,” she said

“The innovation and success recognised in these national awards show us all that the future of cycling in Australia, whether as a recreational activity or mode of transport, is healthy, environmentally sustainable and more active than ever”, said Hodge.

“The record investment in infrastructure over the last year and commitment by individuals and organisations across Australia is making the choice to cycle easier and safer,” he concluded.

Winners of the Eighth Annual Bicycling Achievement Awards are:

• Cycling Promotion Award of the Year (Professional) – Warren Salomon, Bicycle
  
• Cycling Promotion Award of the Year (Honorary) – Joint winners: Damian Maclennan, Sydney Cyclist and Paul and Di Truebridge, volunteers - Pedal Power ACT.
  
• Contribution to Cycling by a Politician – Hon Rachel Nolan MP Minister, Queensland Department of Transport. (Honourable Mentions – The Hon. Anthony Albanese, NSW and Senator Christine Milne, TAS).
  
• Award for an educational institution for innovation in encouraging cycling to school - Bowden Brompton Community School, South Australia.
  
• Local Government Award for Special Initiative to encourage and promote cycling – Sunshine Coast Council, Queensland (Honourable Mention - Blue Mountains City New South Wales).
  
• Award for Contribution Towards Cycling by a Bicycle Retailer – bikerepairs.com.au, New South Wales
  
• Special Achievement Award by a Bicycle Organisation – BIKESydney, New South Wales (Honourable Mention – Brunswick Cycling Club, Victoria).
  
• Award for Bicycle Friendly Business – The Munda Biddi Trail Foundation, Western Australia. 

Learn more about the Cycling Promotion Fund.

Pearl Izumi Shoes

More than 50 years ago in Tokyo, a father produced Japan's first bicycle racing apparel for his son, a promising racer. Today, Pearl Izumi USA, Inc. has evolved into the world's foremost line of technical- performing and quality manufactured sports apparel. The name Pearl Izumi USA, Inc. is derived from the gem "pearl" and an area of Japan known for its clear water "Izumi." Literally translated, our name means, "fountain of pearls." 

We have secured the dealership for Pearl Izumi shoes and have them instock now. The range covers Road, Mountain and Touring Shoes. The road shoes are also SPD compatible for those people interested in using dual purpose pedals in their road bikes.

"Pearl Izumi products are built to last a lifetime, and that is how long we stand behind them. Our products are fully warranted against defects in materials and workmanship."

Check out more info from Pearl Izumi. Note prices listed are US prices and not applicable in Australia!!

Free Parking

We are pleased to announce our Liverpool store will be moving. We have been able to secure ONSITE parking. This has been a big problem for us for the 5 years we have been here, but we are extremely excited about being able to offer ONSITE parking to everyone. The new store is also bigger and will allow us to expand our range even more.

We are still a couple of months away, with trading commencing Monday 2nd August at 9am.

Free Parking Flyer

Shimano Dyna-Sys

10sp MTB SHIFTING IS NOW HERE!!!

Shimano has been making mountain bike drivetrains for more than three decades, including eight generations of Shimano Deore XT (the original MTB drivetrain) and six generations of its flagship XTR group. Each generation is a reflection of the riding that defined the sport and the technology that defined the era. True to this legacy, our next-generation Dyna-Sys drivetrain brings with it the legendary quality, durability and performance riders expect from Shimano, all packaged to meet the ever-evolving demands of today’s riders.

Through Dynamic Systems Engineering, Dyna-Sys brings together the rider, the bike and the trail. Intuitive gear combinations account for how riders deliver power through the drivetrain; optimization around the 32-tooth Primary Driving Gear lets riders get the most out of modern suspension designs, and even the roughest, rockiest, muddiest trails can’t shake Shimano’s most stable off-road drivetrain to date.

Dyna-Sys is more than another batch of iterative improvements—it is a comprehensive redesign made up of a multitude of thoughtful details, features and revisions that together add up to more than the sum of their parts.

Read more about Shimano Dyna-Sys 10sp MTB groupsets here.

Dyna-Sys is available in Shimano SLX and XT Groupset options. These are available as an upgrade kit containing Shifters, Cranks, B/B, Front Derailleur, Rear Derailleur, Cassette and Chain.

Shimano SLX Dyna-Sys Upgrade

$749 fitted

Shimano XT Dyna-Sys Upgrade 

$999 fitted

Check out a review of the Shimano XT Dyna-Sys here.

2011 Giant Recreational Bikes

Giant have just released their 2011 Recreational range of bikes. The range is certainly much more appealing than previous years, and although still very early in 2010, is great to see we have some new bikes to wet people's appetites.

We can also announce that our Fairfield Heights store is now also a Giant Dealer. It is great that we can service our whole area now with Giant Bikes. 

With just over 300 bikes delivered across our stores, we are working frantically to get them built up and on the floor for everyone to see. As you can imagine this many bikes to assemble is a task in itself. We can however give you a sneak peak at the range. 

Check out the 2011 Recreational Catalogue here, or alternatively check out some of the bikes on BikeExchange.