Ross and I went for a ride to Hanging Rock at Blackheath. I had heard about it and seen photos but they don’t compare to actually being there. The sheer size of the mountains is remarkable. Looking over the edge gave me a feeling of weightlessness, as if I was floating, suspended in the air or something. Quite a good daytrip.
I knew about Glenrock from Trailflix and since I’ve been doing uni in Newcastle for over 12 months it was about time to check it out. I started at Gun Club Rd and followed the track all the way to the end which is where the above series of photos are taken from. I headed down and to the left where I came to a sewage treatment plant, not quite picturesque so I turned around and went to the left. This took me to a viewing platform of Glenrock Lagoon (I think) I didn’t bother reading the info panels. There were some walkers gathered there and some douchebag and his girlfriend taking myspace/facebook profile photos. I got sick of their giggling so jumped back on my bike and headed a little further down the track and came across this nice water crossing.
I should have looked at the maps a bit more before I went as I just kept following the tracks, but that’s half the fun of adventure! So I pushed on through the creek being careful not to slip over and gave the wheels a good wash. I bit further on and I ended up at a powerline junction between two valleys. I looked at the hills for those tracks and didn’t feel like that sort of punishment so I followed this track that was on the ridgetop and I came across a newly built bridge. Turned out it was a fully developed bikepath called the Fernleigh Track. I had a choice of slightly uphill or downhill so my instincts told me downhill. As it was newly built the surface was brilliant so it wasn’t long till I was in top gear flying downhill dodging mums & prams and scaring little kids as I whizzed passed. All of a sudden I came across this awesome tunnel!
Turns out that the Fernleigh Track follows an old railway line. Trains used to pass through this tunnel. It goes underneath the Pacific Highway, I didn’t know this at the time and kept riding downhill till the bikepath ended… I was hoping it’d be a loop. So I’ve no idea where I am and ask the closest person who happens to be putting on a business shirt in the street from his car… He tells me that I’d ridden underneath the Pacific Highway and I’d have to ride back up hill. DAMMIT! I spotted the communications towers at the top of the hill on Gun Club Rd and I was a good 30mins ride away. Anyway I made it back alright and as I was packing up the bike I got talking to a dude who popped his tyre. He said to give him a call to team up and do some riding, so hopefully my next adventure into Glenrock will be just as fun.
This is a follow up from my creaking cranks post. I picked up the required tools to pull the bottom bracket apart. A crank puller and the crankset spline tool. Cost me about $50 all up but it’s worth it because I’m sure I’ll use it again and I got to see the problem rather than paying the bike shop to fix it.
Step 1:
Using an 8mm allen key, remove the bolt holding the crank in place.
Step 2:
Using the crank removal tool. Thread it into the crank then using a shifter or a 16mm spanner, rotating clockwise will push against the crankset to remove the crank. I had to use a rubber mallet on one side to help shift it. Perhaps this unequal amount of tightness relates to the creaking noises. Do the same for the other side.
