Page 8 - Whitehorse Wheels October 2020 issue_Classical

Whitehorse Cyclists from Australia make cycling trips all over the world, and now they
have almost finished a round tour of Skane. Soon after 9 o'clock on Friday morning 17
very fit but everyday cyclists from Melbourne rolled in to Dove Street in Lerberg,
where Karin lives.
"We met them some days ago, at Glimmingehus on the east coast of Skane, and we
began talking. It ended with me inviting the whole gang to my house when they come
to visit the Kulle Peninsula", says Karin, and she continues: "I am busy researching my
family history; my grandfather's cousin emigrated to Melbourne in Australia, but I
have not succeeded in tracing him. So I thought that perhaps someone in the group
could be able to help me. A long shot, but still."
The majority of the Whitehorse Cyclists club of just over 300 members are what we call mature youth.
"Nearly all of us are pensioners. We have some club members who are over 90 years old, but they have
now begun to use e-bikes", says Barbro Roberts, who
is a sort of tour guide for this hardened group of
mature, unpretentious cyclists, and she adds: "Cycling
is a way to socialise while keeping your body healthy
at the same time".
They are doing a couple of overseas trips every year
and have already ticked off Cuba, Vietnam, Thailand,
the Netherlands, Poland, Moscow, and Berlin to
Copenhagen. Some have also cycled along most of
Europe's rivers such as the Loire and Danube.
"They ride at least once a day on their trips" say Lars
and Annamaj Andersson, who live in Dalby, near
Lund. They are not only good friends of Barbro
Roberts and her husband Steve, they are also co-organisers of this two-week tour around Skane.
The planning of the adventure began more than one year ago. "They all paid for their own airfares and
food, but we arranged the hotel bookings and other practical things", Barbro Roberts and Lars Andersson
explain.
The Australians started their 14-day journey in Malmo. Then they pedalled their way around the whole of
Skane. The tour will end this weekend, with a visit to Ven and Helsingborg. The group will have completed
700 km in the saddle.
Text & photo: Goran Stenberg

Review - CARBON BELT DRIVE BIKES ─ WORTH A LOOK?

As a diversion to the current state of lockdown I have been looking at an aspect of cycling which we rarely
give a second thought to namely, bicycles driven by a carbon belt. At first glance they look very much like
you average hybrid, but there are significant differences.

So how does one define a carbon belt driven bike? Well, it goes like this: ─

• there is only one (1) chainring instead of the usual three (3);
• a carbon fibre belt takes the place of a chain;
• at the rear cutout/lugs, the carbon belt is connected to an enclosed hub which has between 3 to 14
gears; and
• gear changes are accomplished by a twist/rotary shifter on the handlebars.

Let’s take a look at each of the dot points in turn. I have 2 hybrids each with 3 chainrings; having only one
ring per unit is a saving in weight, approximately 300 grams I estimate. Any weight saving must be a plus.