This review is of the untreated Sea to Summit HeadNet, not the HeadNet treated with Insect Shield® Permethrin.

Sea to Summit HeadNet Specifications

Sea to Summit HeadNet in its Stuff Sack

The Sea to Summit HeadNet has a claimed weight of 37 grams and mine when in its stuff sack weighs 26 grams so a nice weight saving on the manufacturer’s weights there. It really is a nice small package taking up very little room.

Sea to Summit describe the HeadNet as …

• Black mesh netting offers better visibility than white mesh;
• Fine, 500 hole per square inch hexagonal mesh which is made of a soft multifilament polyester;
• Packaged in its own tiny stuff sack;
• Elasticised draw cord closure;
• Wide enough to wear with a hat or without

Durability and Performance of the Sea to Summit HeadNet

My comments on the Sea to Summit HeadNet are based on my use of it through most of the 3,000 km of riding my Chasing the Dirt tour. I found I was using the HeadNet most days at times due to flies giving me a hard time, particular on the slow climbs up the hills. I really didn’t encounter mosquitoes when I had the HeadNet so my experiences are very much from a fly protection perspective only.

Visibility

I don’t experience any noticeable detonation in my visibility when wearing the Sea to Summit HeadNet and I was comfortable with riding my bike with the HeadNet on.

Comfort and Protection

Sea to Summit HeadNet Mesh and Toggle

I find the Sea to Summit HeadNet comfort to wear as long as it is not too hot. I did find that it increased the heat around my face to the point that on the slow climbs I would at times feel a real need to lift it up to get some air flow over my face. On the other hand it did not restrict my breathing, but it did without a doubt reduce airflow.

In terms of wearing it over my helmet I didn’t find this an issue at all. The Sea to Summit HeadNet is wide enough for a comfortable fit over a bicycle helmet in my experience.

There is also a toggle to allow for the tightening of the bottom of the HeadNet but I found I didn’t need to this. The way the HeadNet fitted over my helmet worked fine for me.

So does it work? I found it worked a treat at keeping the flies off my face, however, with insect repellant on I still go the fly buzzing around the outside of the HeadNet so if this annoys you, insect repellant is still required.

I tend to pull the Sea to Summit HeadNet over my helmet and lift it up and leave it there, pulling it up and down as needed. However care needs to be taken that the HeadNet does not get blown off the helmet. I suspect that is what happened to my first one.

Overall I am happy with the Sea to Summit HeadNet which is why I purchased a replacement one.

The good, the bad, the ugly of the

The Good

• It works; it keeps the flies off my face which is what I want.

The Bad

• Can restrict air flow around the face meaning that one can get hot with it on.

The Ugly

• Nothing.

Resources and other websites related to the Sea to Summit HeadNet

• Sea to Summit website

Surly Pugsley Yellow Forks Recalled – Source: Surly Bikes

Surly Pugsley bicycles have been recalled by Product Safety Recalls Australia in-cooperation with the Dirt Works Australia Pty Ltd due to an issue with the 135 mm spacing yellow forks fitted to the Surly Pugsley bicycles sold in Australia between October 12, 2012 to May 6, 2013. The forks where made by Aprebic Industry Co. Ltd, of Taiwan.  Please note that the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission recall notice refers to 135 mm forks that are black, yellow or red and are stamped with date code 2012 06 19 on the steerer tube and also to 100 mm forks.  The Surly Bikes recall notice on their website also refers to Surly 100 mm non-offset bicycle forks.  I am assuming Dirt Works Australia only brought in yellow coloured fork 135 mm fork.

Surly Pugsley Fork Defect

Surly Pugsley 135 mm Fork Recalled – Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission

It seems, according to Product Safety Recalls Australia that there is a risk that the fork may bend above the disc tab (disc caliper mounting) during normal use. The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission has reported that Surly Bikes have received one report of a fork bending above the disc brake mount and that no injuries have been reported.

Recalled Surly Pugsley 135 mm fork identifying marks. Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission

The identifying feature of your bike is date code “2012 / 06 / 19″. The date code is stamped onto the steerer tube of the fork. The fork must be removed from the bicycle in order to see the date code. If the date code is not readily visible, it can be seen by rubbing the area with steel wool or a dish scourer to make the engraving easier to see.

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission recall notice includes additional identifying information. This additional information is that the model number FK3175, FK3181 or FK0706 is printed on the packaging for forks sold individually.  Also that Surly Pugsley bicycle models FM3110-3114, FM3175-79, BK3110-14 and BK3175-79 were sold with the recalled forks as original equipment. The bicycle’s model number is printed on the bicycle’s packaging.

My suggestion is that if you own a Surly Pugsley or one of these forks you should contact the bike shop you purchased the Pugsley or fork from to have the fork replaced free of charge.  For Australian consumers if you want further information on this recall please contact Dirt Works Australia Pty Ltd.

Typical Munda Biddi Trail Diversion Sign

The Department of Environment and Conservation has advised that effective May 2013 a diversion is in place on the Munda Biddi Trail in the Lane Poole Reserve south of Dwellingup due to logging operations. Whilst every attempt is made to keep this blog up to date with the state of play on the Munda Biddi Trail riders of the Trail should also check the Department of Conservation Trail conditions and updates page before riding the Trail.

Diversion – Lane Poole Reserve

The Department of Environment and Conservation has advised that a 10 km section of the Munda Biddi Trail in the Lane Poole Reserve has been closed due to logging operations. We can add this to the closures that have come about due to mining operations now … soon it will be the new Munda Biddi Trail!  The Trail has been diverted with a 11.5 km diversion first to the east of the Murray River and then crossing over to ride the west bank. The diversion will stay in place until it is considered safe to reopen the closed section of the Trail.

From what I can gather the diversion when heading south leaves Nanga Road to the north of the Murray River Bridge turning west on Del Park Road, then River Road pass the Chuditch Camp Site before reconnecting with the Munda Biddi at The Stringers Campground.

With reference to the RideWithGPS map above, if you zoom in and switch to the OSM Cycle view you get a better feel for the diversion.

A copy of the diversion map is available for download from my Dropbox.

If you are aware of any changes to the status of this diversion please do leave a comment below.

Aerial photos for the Palomino Dr/Sturges Rd roundabout prior to reconstruction, and after new C- roundabout configuration installed in 2009

This paper reports on a trial of a cyclist roundabout design or c-roundabout undertaken in Auckland, New Zealand by the New Zealand Transport Agency. The cyclist roundabout design was installed at the Palomino Dr/Sturges Rd roundabout in Auckland, New Zealand.  The operation of the C-roundabout was evaluated in terms of its safety, capacity, and the opinions of cyclists,pedestrians and car drivers.

The full paper can be download from my Dropbox and the executive summary has been reproduced below. I am no engineer but I did find this paper interesting and it is good to see New Zealand transport authorities being pro-active on the design of roundabouts.

The purpose of this research project was to evaluate the on-site operation of the C-roundabout design (at a site in Auckland, New Zealand). The C-roundabout (cyclist roundabout) is a new multi-lane roundabout design that was developed by D Campbell, I Jurisich and R Dunn as part of a 2006 Land Transport NZ research project titled Improved multi-lane roundabout designs for cyclists. The primary aim of the C-roundabout is to improve the safety of cyclists at multi-lane roundabouts and make multi-lane roundabouts more cyclist-friendly. The concept of the design is to decrease vehicle speeds through the roundabout to around 30 km/hr by increasing the deflection of the roundabout, and to reduce the widths of approach lanes and circulating lanes so that cyclists are required to travel in the centre of the lanes, like other vehicles. This research project was carried out from 2008 to 2011.

There were two parts to this research:

1. evaluation of the C-roundabout (Palomino Dr/Sturges Rd)
2. evaluation of a single-lane roundabout that had been changed to have two narrow lanes with no reduction in vehicle speeds (Margan Ave/Hutchinson Ave).

1. Evaluation of the C-roundabout (Palomino Dr/Sturges Rd roundabout)

The C-roundabout design was installed at the Palomino Dr/Sturges Rd roundabout in Auckland. The operation of the C-roundabout was evaluated in terms of its safety, capacity, and the opinions of cyclists, pedestrians and car drivers.

Safety

The C-roundabout was successful in achieving a lower-speed environment, with the 85th percentile through speeds being reduced to around 30km/hr. These vehicle speeds were close to the speed a cyclist would be travelling through the roundabout, which made it safer for cyclists. The chances of a cyclist surviving a crash decreases significantly above speeds of 20–30km/hr (Austroads 2009a). The lower speeds are also considered safer for other road users (pedestrians and motorists), and should result in less-severe crashes.

In the 2.5 years following the roundabout’s reconstruction, there was no significant change in the crash rate. There were no cyclist crashes either before or after the reconstruction. There have been no injury crashes since the installation of the C-roundabout design; prior to the reconstruction there were 0.32 injury crashes/year. With the lower design speed we would expect the overall injury crash rate to drop. Further crash analysis in one to two years will provide enough data to conclusively assess the safety of the C-roundabout.

Capacity

The installation of the C-roundabout at this uncongested site (converting a standard multi-lane roundabout to a C-roundabout) had little impact on capacity (based on SIDRA and on-site measurements).

SIDRA modelling indicates that for an uncongested roundabout, conversion to a C-roundabout has very little impact on the average delay (7.5sec/veh before, 8.1sec/veh after), the degree of saturation (0.579 before, 0.568 after) and the design life (12 years before, 12 years after). However, SIDRA calculates a small increase in the critical gap and follow-up headway due to the geometry of the C-roundabout (decreased negotiation speed through the roundabout, narrow approach lane width, and increased roundabout diameter). This could not be confirmed by on-site measurements (gap and follow-up headway) because of insufficient congested periods (total of 13 minutes congested periods in both peak periods).

Delays measurements indicated that converting the multi-lane roundabout to a C-roundabout had no significant impact on the delays.

Regression analysis suggested a drop in capacity for the C-roundabout design when the circulating flows were less than 878veh/hr and an increase in capacity when circulating flows were greater than 878veh/hr. However, as the roundabout had so little congestion there was insufficient survey site data to statistically conclude whether or not this was the case. Further research would be required at more congested sites to confirm this.

The capacity of the Palomino Dr/Sturges Rd C-roundabout was not impacted by trucks/buses as the numbers were very low. Trucks/buses may impact on C-roundabout approach capacity as they are required to straddle both lanes (thus blocking access to one lane)1. However, this impact is unlikely to be significant, as heavy-vehicle numbers are usually low in peak periods. The amount of impact that trucks/buses have on the capacity of a C-roundabout is expected to depend on the following factors:

• Queues and lane utilisation on the approach – the greater the difference between approach lane queue lengths, the greater the impact of trucks/buses on the capacity of the approach. Further research is recommended to confirm this.
• Proportion of trucks/buses – the higher the proportion of trucks/buses, the more likely they negatively impact on the capacity of the approach.

The capacity implications of converting an existing multi-lane roundabout into a C-roundabout were difficult to assess at the Palomino Dr/Sturges Rd site because of the low traffic flows, very little queuing and stop-line delay, and very few congested periods (only 13 minutes in both peak periods).

Road users’ impressions of the C-roundabout (cyclists, pedestrians and car drivers)

The C-roundabout design at the Palomino Dr/Sturges Rd intersection drew positive feedback from cyclists and pedestrians, but a less positive reaction from the car drivers – about half were not in favour of it.

• Cyclists were positive about the C-roundabout and would like to see more of them installed. They found it easier to use, safer, and better for cyclists. They also noticed that car speeds were slower.
• Pedestrians were positive about it and in general found it safe and better for pedestrians. They found it easy to cross, and noticed that the crossing distance was narrower and that car speeds were slower.
• Car drivers noticed that car speeds were slower and the lanes were narrower (the intention of the C- roundabout design), but about half of them did not like the C-roundabout and did not want to see more of them installed. About half the drivers found the C-roundabout more difficult to use and indicated a preference for a standard roundabout.

More than half of the drivers thought that the C-roundabout was ‘safe’ or ‘the same as other roundabouts’, but a significant proportion (41%) thought it was unsafe. The results of the crash analysis did not confirm this perception of the C-roundabout being unsafe, and as vehicle speeds had dropped, it was unlikely to be less safe.

The majority of the drivers thought that the roundabout was actually less safe for cyclists, and were unable to recognise the benefits of the C-roundabout for cyclists.

The drivers’ impression of the roundabout may improve if they are informed of the benefits of the C- roundabout for cyclists and of the cyclists’ support for the C-roundabout. Also, their impression may improve over time as they become accustomed to using the tight, slower roundabout. Further monitoring of car drivers’ impressions of the C-roundabout should be undertaken.

2. Evaluation of single-lane roundabout changed to have two narrow lanes (Margan Ave/Hutchinson Ave roundabout)

This site involved changing two approaches from wide, single lanes to two narrow lanes, without altering the kerbs. The intention of studying this site was to assess whether or not it would be possible to fit a small double-lane roundabout within the same road reserve as a single-lane roundabout, thus improving the capacity at low cost.

It should be noted that the reconstruction of the Margan Avenue/Hutchinson Avenue roundabout did not comply with all of the C-roundabout design principles as it did not involve increasing the vehicle deflection to slow vehicle speeds through the roundabout to around 30km/hr (the design speed for the roundabout was approximately 50km/hr). Thus, the differential speed between vehicles and cyclists was not expected to decrease – ie cyclist safety was not specifically being addressed at this site.

The evaluation showed that the capacity of a single-lane roundabout can be improved (almost doubled, depending on the lane utilisation of two-lane approaches) at a very low cost by converting to the two narrow lanes design.

The crash analysis of the Margan Ave/Hutchinson Ave roundabout showed that the safety of the roundabout decreased after it was changed from a single-lane roundabout. The overall crash rate increased significantly and the injury crash rate also increased. It may not be advisable to install narrow double-lane roundabouts without decreased vehicle speeds at other sites until the safety concerns have been addressed or confirmed at this trial site. To improve the safety of this roundabout, it is recommended that the vehicles speeds should be decreased to around 30km/hr by increasing the vehicle deflection. The safety of the roundabout should be reassessed one year following the above changes to determine whether the increased vehicle deflection has addressed the safety concerns. If the increased vehicle deflection is successful in reducing the crash rate, then it will prove the principle of the C- roundabout – that roundabout speeds should be reduced for safety.

Recommendations

• The principles applied to the C-roundabouts in order to reduce approach and circulating speeds should be considered in other locations where a more cyclist-friendly layout is desirable – ie where cyclists form a significant proportion of the local network traffic. However, it is important to note that an important contribution to the safe and efficient operation of a roundabout is that of a similar treatment on all approach legs, producing a well-balanced intersection. Further research into the key features of the C-roundabout design should be undertaken.

• Single-lane roundabouts can be converted to narrow two-lane roundabouts for capacity reasons at low cost compared with that of the standard design. Further research on the safety implication of this conversion is needed.

The full reference for this paper is:

Asmus, D., Jurisich, I., Campbell, D. & Dunn, R. (2012). Evaluation of the C-roundabout – an improved multi-lane roundabout design for cyclists. New Zealand Transport Agency Research Report 510.

Congratulations to the Department of Transport’s Bikewest unit for recently wining the Cycling Promotion Fund’s Special Achievement Award by a Bicycle Organisation for its cycling promotion and infrastructure development in Western Australia in 2013.  It is great to see the efforts of Bikewest staff being recognised this way.

The full announcement of the award follows …

Bikewest is most recognised for its Cycle Instead social marketing program developed between 2001 and 2003.

Thought to be the first used anywhere in the world of a social marketing campaign purely to increase cycling, Cycle Instead has told West Australians for the last ten years how good riding is for their health, weight control and enjoyment.

Manager of Bikewest for most of that period is Russell Greig who explained the monumental effort that went into the campaign.

“We used extensive qualitative and quantitative research to uncover the motivations that would convince non-cyclists to take up cycling.”

“We found that above all it was mainly those personal motivators of personal health, enjoyment and fitness, followed by saving money, social interaction and the environment that could be used to get people to try riding a bike.”

“The attractive TV ads we did at the time really made cycling sexy and our campaign was seen as fairly ground-breaking. It has been used both here and across Australia,” Greig explained.

The success of Bikewest’s work is evident as WA is experiencing strong growth in cycling participation, which is higher than population growth alone and significantly above the national average.

In addition to Cycle Instead, a successful infrastructure program and increasingly effective integration with the public transport system have been critical to getting growing numbers of people choosing the bike for transport trips.

Bikewest works closely with other state government departments including Main Roads WA and the Public Transport Authority. It has regular liaison with the Royal Automobile Club, the Office of Road Safety and various cycling user groups.

“We have had tremendous support both internally in WA and from national organisations like the Cycling Promotion Fund, which has made Bikewest and our Cycle Instead program the success they are today,” noted Greig.

The Australian Bicycling Achievement Awards are conducted annually by the Cycling Promotion Fund, an initiative of the bicycle industry, as an important forum to promote the benefits of cycling and the difference bikes can make to health, community and mobility in Australia.

The Awards are strongly supported by national peak organisations, federal Parliamentarians and the Parliamentary cycling group.

Cycle the Munda Biddi Trail is reporting that the Shire of Denmark has received Federal government funding to build a dual-use cycling and walking trail from Ocean Beach to Lights Beach near William Bay. Cycle the Munda Biddi Trail are suggesting that the proposed trail is tentatively titled the Wilderness Ocean Walk (WOW) and Ride Path and it is planed to be completed by 2014.

Current alignment of the Munda Biddi Trail and Bibbulmun Track between Lights Beach and Ocean Beach, Denmark

My understanding is that it will allow for the Munda Biddi Trail to be realigned away from Lights Road and allow the Trail to connect back up with the current alignment at Lights Beach and Ocean Beach. This would definitely enhance the Trail in this area for sure.

This may also result in the Bibbulmun Track being realigned as well.  At the moment the Bibbulmun Track leaves the coast just to the east of Lights Beach and takes walkers over Mt Hallowell before descending into Denmark.

Currently the Munda Biddi Trail exits Denmark via the Ocean Beach Road and it would be a concern if the Bibbulmun Track realignment pushes walkers on to Ocean Beach Road. It could be a case of give on one aspect and take on another. I am not sure this would be a win for the walkers whereas the cyclists will get one for sure.

It will be interesting to see how this develops.

Bibbulmun Track “Waugal” Trail Marker

This updated notice from the Department of Environment and Conservation was published on April 29, 2013. It seems that there is a small problem with drop-box toilet (dunny) at the Mt Wells campsite on the Bibbulmun Track. Mt Wells Campsite is located between North Banister and Dwellingup and is the campsite in between White Horse Hills (northern end) and Chadora (southern side).

Source: Bibbulmun Track Foundation

It seems that toilet at Mt Wells campsite is damaged and unusable. The Department of Environment and Conservation staff are said to be working to fix the loo as a matter of urgency and one would hope so .  The Department is advising Bibbulmun Track walkers to bury all human waste 15cm deep and at least 100m from any water source.  This is a good reminder to carry a small shovel when bushwalking or cycle touring for that matter. My personal preference is the Sea-to-Summit iPood. Love that name!   Oh, as Mt Wells campsite is on the top of Mt Wells I don’t think the water source issue is a big one here. Just try to do your business a decent distance from the campsite please.

Source: Sea to Summit

Whilst every attempt is made to keep this blog up to date with the state of play on the Bibbulmun Track walkers of the Track should also check the Department of Conservation Trail conditions and updates page before walking the Track.

If you are aware of any changes to the status of toilet or at Mt Wells Campsite please do leave a comment below.

Bibbulmun Track “Waugal” Trail Marker

The Department of Environment and Conservation has advised that the Water Corporation will be opening the Torbay Inlet Monday May 6, 2013.  With the opening of the Inlet the crossing may become more difficult, i.e., no sandbar.

Interactive Map at RidewithGPS

The Department of Conservation line on the inlet is …

Torbay Inlet channel is rarely more than a knee-deep, however it can reach 1m deep during peak flows. For many months of the year it is easily traversed as the channel is blocked completely by a sand bar. When the channel is open the crossing can be waded using extreme caution. If on inspection the water appears to be flowing too swiftly you may seek an alternative crossing point further upstream where although deeper the current may not be so strong. If you have any doubts at all about the depth of the water and wading across then you should take the alternative route, marked in light green [red] on the map by walking around via lower Denmark Road.

The diversion can add up to 20 km to the days walking, depending on your direction of travel and where you choose to re-join the Bibbulmun Track.

I have less than fond memories of attempting to cross the Torbay Inlet in my end-to-end walk of the Bibbulmun Track in 2003. I revisited my notes from the day we attempted the Torbay Inlet crossing. I had noted that

The 1998 edition [and it seems nothing has changed] of the guidebook underestimates the potential impact of the Torbay Inlet crossing. Upon my last visit to this campsite [Hidden Valley] in October 2003, a review of the register indicates crossing was not possible on many occasions going back to July 2003 due to water levels and the strength of the current in the channel. The winter of 2003 was an average rainfall winter.

On the day we attempted to cross, I managed to get less than half-way into the inlet before the current was doing its damnedest to push me over. We could have maybe swam the channel starting at the wide end to compensate for the flow but in the end decided to attempt a walk around which proved unsuccessful and we eventually bailed to the road and got a lift around to the other side of the inlet.

It is amusing to read in the November 1998 “A Guide to the Bibbulmun Track – Southern Half” (page 273) that “it is very likely that in the future a bridge will be constructed over Torbay Inlet.” I guess the future is still coming.

Source: Duncan C-R @ Flickr

I hope that your experience of the Bibbulmun Track and crossing of the Torbay Inlet is as good as the one shown in this photo

Whilst every attempt is made to keep this blog up to date with the state of play on the Bibbulmun Track walkers of the Track should also check the Department of Conservation Trail conditions and updates page before walking the Track.

Bibbulmun Track “Waugal” Trail Marker

The Department of Environment and Conservation has advised that effective May 3, 2013 campfire bans affecting the northern section of the Bibbulmun Track between Kalamunda and Walpole have been lifted and campfires are now allowed as long as a fire ring is in place at the campsite.

Source: Bibblumun Track for Beginners

Please remember that from Mt Chance campsite to Albany campfires are not allowed on the Bibbulmun Track and only fuel stoves are allowed.

Whilst every attempt is made to keep this blog up to date with the state of play on the Bibbulmun Track walkers of the Track should also check the Department of Conservation Trail conditions and updates page before walking the Track.

If you are aware of any changes to the status of this fire ban or rather removal of same please do leave a comment below.

The Department of Environment and Conservation has announced that effective April 2013 a diversion is in place on the Munda Biddi Trail immediately west of Walpole. This sounds like a diversion affecting the Bibbulmun Track. Whilst every attempt is made to keep this blog up to date with the state of play on the Munda Biddi Trail riders of the Trail should also check the Department of Conservation Trail conditions and updates page before riding the Trail.

Diversion – West of Walpole

Diversion of the Munda Biddi Trail immediately to the west of Walpole

The Department of Environment and Conservation has advised that a 1.2 km section of the Munda Biddi Trail to the west of Walpole has been closed. The Trail has been diverted until further notice immediately west of Walpole due to a damaged bridge used to cross the Kent River. The map shows a 900m diversion is in place along South Coast Highway. Riders are encouraged to exercise caution when riding along the Highway.

A copy of the diversion map is available for download from my Dropbox.

If you are aware of any changes to the status of this diversion please do leave a comment below.