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WHO, WHEN, WHERE:
Ride Organiser, Phil Johnston aka Scribe  0434 715.861 is a Team Leader at the at the Bicycle NSW 2010 Spring Cycle, responsible for 15 Volunteer Route Marshals along the 3½km Sector 1C from start of Western Distributor to Cnr Bowman and Banks St Pyrmont, and won't be participating in this ride
David aka CricketTragic, Jean aka ChiliDog, Ron aka Draughtsman, Bazza, Jane aka Neo-Luddite, Bill aka Glasgow and Pete aka CampyAficionado are starting from St Ives @ 7:50am. 

If you are 80% sure of starting at either Hornsby or St Ives, can ya let Bank Teller know and he will add you above.

Phil aka Bank Teller, Andrew aka Auditor, Anthony and Lisa aka Snipper who took the 43km direct route along Cattai Ridge Rd to Macq Sq Windsor. 

Last Sunday had everything, including some things you don't want namely, rain, flat tyres and mechanical breakdowns.  Early on Anthony suffered two flats whilst ascending Galston Gorge in the rain.  Anthony's new bike came with Michelin Pro Race 3 Tyres, which are beaut at holding tight corners 'cause the rubber is soft.  Problem is they wear fast and don't have much puncture protection with no Kevlar.  As most crew know, Phil reckons that Mr. Tuffy tyre liners which last up to 10 years, are the bees knees, particularly if you want to ride soft non-puncture resistant racing tyres, or you want to max the life of your tyre, by giving it an 'inner' layer' of puncture protection.  Phil sells Mr. Tuffy's for $11 each ($22 a pair), 'cause some crew only want one in their back tyre where over 70% of flats occur due to the extra strain due to your body weight and back-wheel-drive.

About 15km before reaching Windsor, Phil's front cranks started letting out some horrible cracking noises.  Andrew and Bank Teller thought it must be a dodgy chain link, 'cause what else could it be.  Within 5km of Windsor, the noises had subsided somewhat, but his front crank because looser and looser.  Later that arvo, Phil's long-term bike mechanic, Siggy, diagnosed it in Hornsby carpark, "a shattered bottom bracket".  Siggy was hopeful that Phil hadn't damaged the front crank thread, which would mean having to buy a new front crankset - Big Bucks!!!.  But Siggy wouldn't know until he took them off. 

Siggy knew that Ian aka Flash had a spare new FSA 68mm English thread bottom bracket with CNC machined external cups, whereupon Phil high-tailed it to Ian's to pick it up, then to Siggy's, and voila, an hour later, Sig had Phil's problem fixed. Fortunately, Phil hadn't damaged his crank threads. Phil will bring the remanents of his old FSA bottom bracket to show interested crew who aren't Luddites, 'cause it is important not to continue pedaling, if your front chain-ring becomes loose, unless you have deep pockets. Given the disintegration of one of the CNC cups, it is surprising that his bottom bracket deteriorated so quickly, because he didn't have the pedal to the metal, unlike Pete aka AnotherBeanCounter, Ron aka Draughtsman, Jane aka Neo-Luddite and David aka CricketTragic who throttled 67km via Sackville Ferry, whilst our scenic shortcut to Windsor along Cattai Ridge Rd and Scheyville Rd was only 43km.