# The small joys today thread (a bit of Yang for FoA Yin of late)
**URL:** https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730
**Category:** Pub
**Created:** [September 19, 2013, 4:09am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730 "2013-09-19T04:09:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 781
### Author:  [@jaseyjase](https://fixed.org.au/u/jaseyjase)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2026, 2:33am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730/15607 "2026-08-07T02:33:52Z")
Silly question, mine of course.
He had gift vouchers to use for his shoes.
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### Author:  [@jaseyjase](https://fixed.org.au/u/jaseyjase)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2026, 2:04am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730/15608 "2026-08-10T02:04:39Z")
SJ: Freshly refurbed EOT facilities in our temp office (we move into our new building in November)
NSJ: Glitch in hot water system has meant cold showers the last 3 weeks
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### Author:  [@Ernestra](https://fixed.org.au/u/Ernestra)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2026, 2:49am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730/15609 "2026-08-10T02:49:39Z")
A little ride this morning. Tweed Shire, Northern NSW (only a metaphorical stone’s throw from Qld border)
Small Joy : Seeing a beautiful Python beside the Trail. I did stop and take a Pic. Cool morning here so the snake was a bit lethargic. Pythons also are very lethargic when they have had a big feed but this one did not appear to have just had a feed.
Also had the first Maggie swoop of the season. Not a very concerted effort though.
Brisbanites will be planning their Ekka public holiday bike rides so be warned my Queensland friends !
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### Author:  [@jaseyjase](https://fixed.org.au/u/jaseyjase)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2026, 5:16am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730/15610 "2026-08-12T05:16:00Z")
SJ: Heading over to Melbourne this weekend for my boys BJJ tourney. Been a few years since ive last been. Making it a bit of a family get away.
I’ll be sure to ask all the fixie riders to do a skid.
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### Author:  [@P\_N20](https://fixed.org.au/u/P_N20)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2026, 5:33am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730/15611 "2026-08-12T05:33:07Z")
Roughly where will you be?
That will determine if you’re likely to see any fixies.
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### Author:  [@jaseyjase](https://fixed.org.au/u/jaseyjase)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2026, 7:31am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730/15612 "2026-08-12T07:31:50Z")
Tournament is at the Sports Centre at Albert Park, we’ll be in a Air BnB near by, but then the other days we’ll be in the city.
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### Author:  [@Ernestra](https://fixed.org.au/u/Ernestra)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2026, 10:56pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730/15613 "2026-08-30T22:56:44Z")
A feel-good little video with a delightful cameo role by a famous Aussie cyclist called Harry.
(Who is wearing a B2GC cycling top.)
Harry appears at about 15 minutes into the video.
Highly recommended, it’s a gem and only recently released 🙏
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyjTIaULJAI)
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### Author:  [@jaseyjase](https://fixed.org.au/u/jaseyjase)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2026, 2:34am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730/15614 "2026-08-31T02:34:35Z")
SJ: A zone 2 ride being an actual zone 2 ride with the boys
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### Author:  [@familyguy](https://fixed.org.au/u/familyguy)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2026, 2:59am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730/15615 "2026-08-31T02:59:35Z")
SJ: 60km@20km/h with 950m vertical gain. Didn’t die.
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### Author:  [@familyguy](https://fixed.org.au/u/familyguy)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2026, 9:18am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730/15616 "2026-09-06T09:18:43Z")
NSJ: got swooped, took a good strike to the helmet.
SJ: it was a Grey Butcherbird, probably my favourite bird, so that’s ok.
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### Author:  [@heavymetal](https://fixed.org.au/u/heavymetal)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2026, 2:02am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730/15617 "2026-09-07T02:02:49Z")
> [@familyguy](#):
>
> NSJ: got swooped, took a good strike to the helmet.
The swoopy bois are out in force at the moment. Got a good clip to the ear on Saturday, and on his 2nd go round he hit my shoulder. Never had that happen before. All up I think it was 5 different magpies having a go at me on the weekend.
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### Author:  [@warthog](https://fixed.org.au/u/warthog)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2026, 6:32am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730/15618 "2026-09-07T06:32:51Z")
They are. One bugger hit my helmet hard but it felt like he got it with his body. Didn’t do it again. I reckon it knocked the wind out of him.
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### Author:  [@Ernestra](https://fixed.org.au/u/Ernestra)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2026, 4:48am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730/15619 "2026-10-04T04:48:39Z")
In Brissie this weekend.
So out for a snoop around of some old haunts, on the bike. Good time of year for it, as it’s warm but not too hot, and some of the trees are in spectacular flower.
And many of the roads were very quiet this Sunday morning which was good.
Some of the good old hidden secrets are still there. Newstead House, said to be the first sizeable house built north of Sydney, was built about 175 years ago. Nearby is a magnificent little Cantonese community Joss House, built in 1886. And last but not least, around the corner is the iconic Breakfast Creek Hotel, built in 1889, and said to be the favourite watering hole for generations of politicians, unionists and business people.
Some time later I found myself heading west on the Enoggera Creek bikepath. Very pleasant and quite busy with walkers, runners and cyclists but not impossibly so. i crossed the notorious Raymont Road, which is “a bit steep”
One day about 35 years ago I was out riding with a gung ho sort of a bloke when he turned to go up Raymont Rd. He was on an Eric Hendren racing bike with 42/52 chainrings and a corncob freewheel. I said to him “you are going to have to get off and walk” to which he replied “death before dishonour” and he went about about ten metres before his cranks stopped turning and he gracefully fell over into the gutter 😆
Soon I was gliding through the leafy suburbs of Ashgrove, always a pleasure on a nice day.
Then Into some “tiger country” around the little suburbs of Rainworth and Red Hill, where streets with a gradient of less than 20 percent are few and far between. Zigzag is actually the name of one of the streets ! In the “old days” before Sat nav systems, delivery vans and trucks would notoriously get lost or stuck on these steep and narrow streets. They still do occasionally.
It ended up taking me 2 hours to complete a little loop, with a total distance of about 35 km.
Heaps of fun on an old road racing bike.
But not 42/52 and corncob freewheel.
I used 36/46 chainrings and a 14-28 freewheel.
Only had to get off and walk about a 50 meters total.
Taken at the front steps of Newstead house
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### Author:  [@warthog](https://fixed.org.au/u/warthog)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2026, 5:53am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730/15620 "2026-10-04T05:53:01Z")
Good photos on your Strava. 😎
Looked like a good morning. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Zach](https://fixed.org.au/u/Zach)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2026, 8:13am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730/15621 "2026-10-04T08:13:55Z")
found a $50 note on Raymont Rd a few weeks back, paid for my haircut!
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### Author:  [@P\_N20](https://fixed.org.au/u/P_N20)
#### Post date: [October 6, 2026, 7:22am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730/15622 "2026-10-06T07:22:55Z")
> [@Ernestra](#):
>
> Heaps of fun on an old road racing bike.
Is that your Van Werkhoven?
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### Author:  [@Ernestra](https://fixed.org.au/u/Ernestra)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2026, 4:46am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730/15623 "2026-10-07T04:46:06Z")
Yes, it’s a VanWerkhoven frame that I purchased from a friend almost 2 yr ago.
It has been knocked about a fair bit, lots of scratches/gouges and the odd dent in the frame. But it is a good fit for me and I have done a backyard touch up on some of the paint defects 😆.
I’ve got no idea of its past history but I reckon it’s circa 1989, and it has the trademark lurid colours that were all the rage late 1980’s 😱
I also suspect that most of these VanWerkhoven bikes were made for Roadies in Queensland and Northern NSW.
I don’t think that a lot of them were made before Cannondale/Klein (and others) “disrupted” the Road bike market Down Under with their fat aluminium tube frames in the early 1990’s.
I’m just running it with a 6-speed shimano downtube shifters, a Campagnolo RD and a Shimano cassette (that I probably modified slightly to give good indexing!)
Overall I think it would have been a “State of the Art” Club Racer in the late 1980’s.
With the right gear it would be very nearly as fast as any serious 2026 Carbon Road bike. Perhaps just a tad heavier, perhaps a tad less aero, and a tad more flexy.
In the right hands, bikes like this terrify modern Roadies when they get caught and dropped by them 😆
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### Author:  [@P\_N20](https://fixed.org.au/u/P_N20)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2026, 1:17am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730/15624 "2026-10-08T01:17:14Z")
Sweet. Any idea of the tubing used?
I ‘interviewed’ Andrew Van Werkhoven a few years back about his framebuilding gig. I put a summary up on BNA at the time - not sure if you saw it.
A surprise to me was that he wasn’t a cyclist! He also trained another SE Queensland framebuilder Cern Soren (of Soren Son) before he hung up the torch.
I really like the frames that came out of that group - Van Werkhoven, Soren Son, Berretto, Hendren - typically bold paint jobs and interesting details.
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### Author:  [@Ernestra](https://fixed.org.au/u/Ernestra)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2026, 12:54pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730/15625 "2026-10-08T12:54:10Z")
Unfortunately I did not see your BNA interview with Andrew Van Werkhoven, frame maker.
Surprising, as I generally saw most BNA Retro topics, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles, you can’t see everything, because of it’s relevance to me I would have found it quite enticing !
The frame tubing is probably 531, or perhaps 501. There is no Reynolds brand stickers on the seat tube, but there are the small “Reynolds 531” stickers on the fork sides. Takes a 27.0. seatpost
To my eyes, the frame is a quality build, everything appears to reflect operator skill and use of top notch lugs, dropouts etc. I can’t make much judgement on the paintwork because there is extensive scrapes and a few dents.
Of note, it’s not a super-tight geometry, there’s (just) room for 28 mm tyres, and there is basically NO toe overlap with 170 mm cranks, 25 mm front tyre and size 45 shoes !
The only minor criticism would be the braze-on front derailleur bracket. IMHO, these things add NO benefit on a traditional (narrow) steel frame. Just make it difficult to use smaller-than-average chainrings for seniors and ladies who struggle to cope with traditional 52/42 rings in hilly terrain.
Thanks for your information about the identity of the framebuilder. I knew almost nothing about him, except that he was based somewhere on the Gold Coast, and that I first saw his bikes in action at a Club race in Brisbane 1989. In those days the club races were handicap events, which I quite enjoyed, sitting out the front, waiting for the big guns to catch me. We were all on Steel, but the aluminium apocalypse was just around the corner !
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### Author:  [@P\_N20](https://fixed.org.au/u/P_N20)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2026, 10:12pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/the-small-joys-today-thread-a-bit-of-yang-for-foa-yin-of-late/62730/15626 "2026-10-08T22:12:17Z")
> [@Ernestra](#):
>
> Unfortunately I did not see your BNA interview with Andrew Van Werkhoven, frame maker.
Here it is!
_Recently I was lucky enough to have a chat with Andrew Van Werkhoven about his time building frames._
_Andrew taught himself how to build frames in ’84 or ’85 when working at a bike shop and got hold of some frame tubes. Andrew wasn’t a cyclist, but custom frames were in demand and so Andrew started his business._
_Apart from a few later models, most Van Werkhovens were ordered through bike shops. Andrew preferred dealing with the shops than directly with the end users. Customers would record their specifications, requirements and colours which would be sent to Andrew to produce. Any frame oddities were at the customer’s request. Eg; triple triangle frames._
_There are no serial numbers on Van Werkhoven frames, and no build records were kept. An ‘Engineered by Van Werkhoven’ decal on the seat stay would only be applied to frames he built, however, not many frame repairs on other marques received Van Werkhoven decals._
_Most of the painting was done in-house, apart from some later models that were outsourced._
_Andrew started electroplating because nobody else was doing it, he soon found out why. Some Van Werkhovens were chrome plated._
_Of all the frame builders in SE Queensland at the time, for the most part they all kept to themselves. However, Andrew did teach Sern Soren (Soren Son) who owned BBC Cycles at the time how to build frames and sold him some equipment to get started._
_In the early 90’s Andrew went back to his main trade of machining as there was no money in frame building and the demand for custom frames had waned as good quality production frames were readily available. He considered moving into aluminium, but decided call it quits._
_Andrew has a Van Werkhoven hanging in his living room that his son bought for him second hand not too long ago._
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