KoroJ's Blog

Since my last blog I've done a lot of short rides but I've been as slack as Gremlin at not getting anything written up!!

I've continued experimenting with the Go Pro in various positions and after trying the side of the fairing and the front above the headlight, the next variation was on 24/08, when I tried mounting the GoPro facing forward on the right pannier. The only trouble was that at the time, I was doing some slow riding so half of the frame is taken up by my fat arse shuffling about on the seat....particularly on the left handers!! That was OK and though and in some ways it’s a better perspective than on the front of the bike because you don’t get quite so disoriented as when the camera is on the front of the bike with no reference? (clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl28YXSe9A8 )

On Saturday 31/08, I had a mentor session which involved taking him for a ride a ride over the Makara Hill, then back to the carpark above parliament, on Boulcott St, for a Slow session on bike control. For this one I led out to Makara and tried mounting the camera on the topbox facing the rear, then followed him back with the camera on the front above the headlight. I think I prefer this position because on the side of the fairing, the mount requires a couple of extra stems which result in more play and therefore shake, but on the front, the camera attaches straight to the mount and the stem can be pulled down close to the base, so it’s a smoother picture, although I’ve been experimenting with Image Stabilisation on Power Director. After that session I went for a short fang out to the coast from Wainui’, so I filmed going over the Wainui’ Hill and back (I didn’t have enough battery life to film the coast road). That turned out OK and the result is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLnjWtpPgGk (I can’t be bothered searching and adding freebie music on YouTube, but I do add music to my copies…..Coldplay’s ‘Fix You’ fits nicely on this clip)

Sunday 01/09 was a Wgtn Uly ride around Whitemans Valley, a coffee at the Short Straw, then over Haywoods to the bowling alley at Kenepuru. For this ride I tried the camera on the TopBox again, but the extra pace and cushioned mounts on the topbox didn’t achieve great results and it certainly needed the stabilisation applied. It is a lot better catching the other riders in the group from in front and particularly when I teed-up with JohnM (there were two of us on that ride) to stick close for the descent down Blue Mountains Rd. I haven’t dropped that vid to YouTube because it’s 22minutes long and far too boring without the music…..probably even with the music!!?? I did manage to win the Ten Pin Bowling with scores of 133 and 174….but I didn’t get a prize, just a fine at the next meeting!!!!....and it took a week or two for the new tin hip to come right! (mental note: include lunges at gym). The next group ride, I will try mounting to the flat surface on the back of the right pannier.

For the weekend of 13-15/09, I left work early on the Friday and gapped it up to Whanganui because Ann’s mum was in hospital and had been deteriorating. Ann had been up there for two weeks and it seemed more logical for me to go for a fang than have her come back to Welly for the weekend (not that one could class a ride up SH1 & SH3 to Wanganui as a fang!) It was good to spend the weekend with Ann’s whanau though and to be able to see Margaret one last time before she passed away.

Yesterday I needed to go to Lower Hutt to have the Spa Pool water tested…..so I figured I better make sure the Rimutaka Hill was still there!!?? Oddly enough it is and I had a jolly good fang with the GoPro mounted above the headlight. There wasn’t too much traffic so the ride was fairly smooth and what really surprised me was the number of cages that made enough room for legal and almost legal passing manoeuvres!....there were still a couple of real dickheads though. The result was OK (here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnaG-tmgnY4 ) and for the trip north, Led Zepplin’s ‘Kashmir’ fits very nicely. Or if you prefer something a little more bouncy and flowy, Led Zepplin’s ‘Ramble On’ coupled with Goetye’s ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ almost fits perfectly.
The return is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lojfaYuOrts and Crosby Stills & Nash’s ‘Almost Cut My Hair fits very nicely thank you.

It’s only 5 weeks until the Capital 1000Km Cruise now so I should really do a conditioning ride or two, but next week I have a Uly meeting to attend all Saturday and an intro IAM Social Ride on Sunday…after that, who knows what will come up?