Fire - Wind - Water - Earth

"Dwell in the Valley of Kings, Melbourne, exposed to the elements, development brings." - Pegz

Two years and eight months ago Kinglake was devastated by possibly the worst firestorm every experienced in Victoria, Black Saturday. Although the return to normality for the local peeps has been slow and arduous, the wilderness has sprung forth like a phoenix.

We experienced everything from wind to drizzle to hail to sun as we climbed from Whittlesea into Kinglake and back around in a 70km loop. The ride around Yan Yean reservoir and up to Kinglake goes through some of the most delightful scenery that Victoria has to offer and although the elements were against us it was one of the most rewarding days in the saddle I have had. Italian steel was out in force and the Moser climbed beautifully up the 7.5km ascent with the gradient being very kind to a slightly heavier frame. A massive "Thank you!" to the local CFA too as they stood out in the rain making sure that we could fill our bidons to stay hydrated (you still sweat when it is raining) with big smiles on their faces and cheerful words of encouragement.

Snaps below.

 "It's raining sideways; is this a good idea?" - Rewind

 Titanium is the new steel... get ready...

 Hammer time! Rewind style.

 Sub-arctic climb through the regrowth.

And it begins again...

So excited right now. Fresh back from the Les Dix Alpes tour of Italy, Switzerland and France (Moi Aussi) and feeling like I have been reborn. The BH carried me well over the alps although there is something about carbon that just doesn't feel right. I was trying to explain this to a friend last night but it is a little hard to put into words. The '84 steel Moser is decked out with Campagnolo Athena but weighs in around 10.1kg, the '97 carbon BH on the other hand is decked out with Campagnolo Record and weights in at a super light 6.7kg. Strangely though the BH just isn't as nice to ride. The gear changing is noisier and not as smooth, descending is sketchy, like skydiving with a bed sheet for a parachute. The BH however climbs and accelerates better given the weight of the bike and the stiffness of the carbon.

This leads to a dillema about choice of frame materials and I just might have just found the answer..... the answer is 42, no just kidding. The answer is TITANIUM! Thanks to eBay and the strong Aussie dollar I have finally found the 58cm Eddy Merckx titanium frame I have been looking for at a bargain basement price and it is currently being shipped to Washington DC and then will be checked and rerouted to Melbourne.

The fork is Time carbon and I'll use carbon wherever else possible to keep the weight down. Not sure on componentry yet but am strongly considering an SRAM Red Black edition groupset based on weight, price and reputation. Wheels will be an issue as I think I have almost deystroyed the Campagnolo Neutrons on the BH putting down extreme power over the Galibier so if you have any advice on your favourite manufacturers and materials for a light weight (sub 1.6kg) but extremely strong wheelset let me know.

Enjoy the pics!

Drool...

Is that an Eddy Merckx? In titanium?

Don't try and lift this frame or you'll feel the combined wrath of Jean Paul and his fearless sidekick Sofia Hazelnut!