Published Writing
I love to write almost as much as I love to teach. Not only do I enjoy writing about cycling for the bike magazines, but I also get to write a lot of reports in my day job as a scientist. Below is a selected references list of my cycling-specific published works and a few other interesting products I have written. I seem to get a lot of work from people who have read my articles in Bicycling Australia and Mountain Biking Australia, many of whom do not read every issue. This list will allow anyone to check out my other articles too.
1996. M Hanslip and S Robey. A different position. Bicycling Australia 7(7):11. As an advocate of the forward position for time trials I just had to write something in response to Steve Hogg’s article against forward positioning. Phil Latz was kind enough to grant me a page in BA. My co-author on this one, Sean, was doing a lot of bike fitting with me at the time (in his bike shop).
1996. Beating around the Bush Capital. Australian Mountain Bike, October:32-6. Then editor John Stevenson invited me to write an article for his magazine after we got to know each other on the internet. John decided a good intro article to get my feet wet in contributing to the magazine would be about riding around Canberra.
1998. Indy pit stop: Tuning your Indy forks. Australian Mountain Bike, December:58-9. John left AMB not long after I wrote my first article and it was about 18 months before I got to contribute my second article for the new editor, Tim Robson. Tim put me to work answering technical questions, which gave me a place in each issue, as well as writing mechanical how-to articles.
1999. The AMB home physical. Australian Mountain Bike, January:56-7. A quick run-down on keeping your bike working well.
1999. Dirty tricks—drivetrain maintenance. Australian Mountain Bike, February:60-1. My gig with AMB came to an abrupt end as EMAP Australia, the publisher, was going rapidly broke and Tim had to cut loose all the external contributors in one fell-swoop. I was grumpy for a long time about this.
2006. Carbon's soft spot. Bicycling Australia 138:74-6. After trying, unsuccessfully, to get BA to accept an article of mine the editorial leadership changed hands. New editor Nick Raman was much more receptive to my ideas and quickly got me cranking out lots of articles. This was a fun period for me. This first article in a series about frame materials was obviously about carbon fibre.
2006. Pumping good value. Bicycling Australia 138:94. A mini-pump review.
2006. Steel is real. Bicycling Australia 139:60-1. Steel is still a terrific material for bike frames. Although well into the 21st Century it is noticeably expensive and heavy compared to alternative materials.
2006. Gloves for your feet. Bicycling Australia 139:98-9. The Lake thermoplastic shoes are still the most comfortable cycling shoes I have ever tried. I was sorry to have to give these ones back to the distributor.
2006. The art of compromise, part 1. Bicycling Australia 141:64-70. A three part article on the compromises one is forced to make when designing a bike frame.
2006. It’s round and it rolls. Bicycling Australia 141:76-80. Different bearing options for bicycles were discussed in this article.
2006. The art of compromise, part 2. Bicycling Australia 142:90-4.
2006. Zipping along. Bicycling Australia 142:120-1. A comparison review of two Zipp wheels; the 404 with ceramic bearings for singles versus the 404 with steel bearings and clincher rim.
2006. I Byron et al. Vegetation matters. Canberra: Bureau of Rural Sciences. One of my scientific reports. This was my first report from working at BRS (which started in 2006) about some of the human issues in land use in Australia.
2007. The art of compromise, part 3. Bicycling Australia 143:64-8.
2007. Important link in the chain. Bicycling Australia 143:92. Review of the Rohloff chain. I suggested this one to see if they actually lasted longer than Shimano chains (as advertised). The trochoidal pins do indeed grant longevity to the chain. They last a long time.
2007. M Hanslip and I Byron. Testing proxy indicators of adoption in NRM. Canberra: National Land & Water Resources Audit. I was hired at BRS to assist Ian with his heavy research load. Late in 2006 he pulled the pin and left for a new department, leaving me to pick up all of his projects. This report allowed me to make use of my extensive statistical experience and to impress enough people to get a promotion into Ian’s former position.
2007. M Hanslip and S Kelson. Socio-economic conditions and trends in the rangelands. Canberra: Bureau of Rural Sciences. A solid report that did not find the traction that we had hoped it might. Sadly that was pretty much the story of too much of the Bureau’s work in 2007.
2007. M Hanslip and I Byron. Sourcebook for social and economic surveys: Assessing landmanagers’ capacity to change and adopt sustainable management practices. Canberra: National Land & Water Resources Audit. Another left-over project begun under Ian’s leadership and finished by me. This one made many people unhappy as it was seen to tread on their hegemony, but it was really aimed at regional managers who needed this information to do their job.
2007. J Pickworth et al. Collecting social data in fisheries: Trialling a supplementary social survey. Canberra: Bureau of Rural Sciences. For a while my job was all about surveys. In this case Julia used Ian’s methodology to trial a fishermen’s survey and with Ian’s absence I got to help out and also to do the statistical analysis of the results.
2007. Things that go ‘boing’. Mountain Biking Australia 22:46-9. A review of different suspension types on the market and their relative merits.
2007. The wonders of “Ti”. Bicycling Australia 146:122-5. A continuation of the frame material discussion, this one my favourite frame material - Titanium.
2007. Merida Warp 6. Bicycling Australia 147:110-111. I reviewed this time trial bike just after purchasing my much more expensive Felt DA. If I had not purchased the Felt I would have bought a Warp and been very happy. This is a terrific value TT bike.
Warp 6
2007. The science of speed. Bicycling Australia 147:90-4. A discussion of some tedious and esoteric details one can use to get more speed out of the time trial without going into the wind tunnel.
Felt DA
2007. Shock talk. Mountain Biking Australia 23:68-72. A primer on suspension nomenclature.
2007. Santa Cruz Nomad. Mountain Biking Australia 23:86-7. A review of my all-time favourite mountain bike. I still want one.
2008. Material values. Mountain Biking Australia 24:70-3. Whereas BA gave me space to discuss frame materials one at a time over several issues, MBA had me cram it into a single issue. This was easy after writing all the other articles.
2008. Trek Fuel EX 9. Mountain Biking Australia 24:74-5. I loved reviewing this Trek so much I bought one afterwards. I am still riding it. Good bike.
Top Fuel EX 9.0
2008. Giant Yukon SX. Mountain Biking Australia 24:80-1. This entry-level dual suspension Giant impressed by behaving well above its price point.
2008. M Hanslip et al. Social and economic data for regional natural resource management in Western Australia’s Southwest Catchment. Canberra: Bureau of Rural Sciences. For some reason we ended up doing three huge landholder surveys simultaneously. It wasn’t supposed to happen that way. It kept up busy for a long time.
2008. R Kancans et al. Understanding natural resource management from a landholder’s perspective in the Southern Region of Tasmania. Canberra: Bureau of Rural Sciences. I could not juggle three big survey projects so Robert took the reigns of this one and did a nice job with it.
2008. M Hanslip et al. Understanding natural resource management from a landholder’s perspective – Northern and Yorke landholder survey 2006. Canberra: Bureau of Rural Sciences. The third of the three survey projects.
2008. X-Fusion Velvet R fork. Mountain Biking Australia 25:21. These forks really impressed and I am surprised they haven’t had a bigger impact on the MTB market.
2008. Stromlo heats up. Mountain Biking Australia 25:44-6. Home of the 2009 World Championships, Stromlo has received a lot of attention in the past few years.
2008. Mongoose Otero Super. Mountain Biking Australia 25:64-5. The Otero was a decent bike, but it did not need the adjustable travel suspension which just complicated matters.
2008. Beat the Winter blues. Mountain Biking Australia 25:70-4. Some ideas, taken from my skills classes and training programs, about how to while away the winter without staying off the bike.
Riding off-road can be wet Trudy in Victoria
2008. Training for the Alpine Classic, part 3. Bicycling Australia 152:128-31. You’ll notice that this series started with part 3 and ended with part 2, kind of like the 6-movie Star Wars saga. This instalment talks about climbing better.
2008. Buying my sound system. Australian Hi-Fi 39(4):84-5. I love good music and fancy sound systems and I wrote about shopping for mine.
2008. Shimano SLX. Mountain Biking Australia 26:24-5. Shimano sent me a prototype SLX ensemble, which I got to ride for many months. Good stuff.
2008. Avanti Scratch. Mountain Biking Australia 26:64-5. The last of the bike reviews I did for MBA - they got tired of shipping the bikes to me in Canberra - I hope to be able to do more in future. I enjoyed the 29” hardtail enough to buy a custom Titus Exogrid Fireline.
Titus Fireline
2008. 24 Hour Preparation. Mountain Biking Australia 26:68-72. How to put together a winning (or at least competent) 24 hour race team.
Night riding needs the right lights 2009 Scott 24hr race
2008. Training for the Alpine Classic, part 4. Bicycling Australia 153:106-112. Speed work to ensure you get to the end of the Classic in minimum time.
2008. ESI grips. Bicycling Australia 153:132. Funky feeling silicon grips that I still have on my bike.
2008. M Hanslip and S Cartwright. Future direction in natural resource management research in the Rangelands. Canberra: Bureau of Rural Sciences. The sequel report to the Rangelands report I wrote earlier. This one did not find much of an audience either!
2008. WTB Prowler tyres. Mountain Biking Australia 27:42. Fat, chunky, grippy tyres for Freeride.
2008. Fit to Ride. Mountain Biking Australia 27:90-5. Setting up your mountain bike for more comfort.
The race face Kathryn concentrating on the descent
2008. M Hanslip et al. Understanding natural resource management from a landholder’s perspective – Border Rivers-Gwydir landholder survey 2008. Canberra: Bureau of Rural Sciences. The managers in the region saw the reports I had done for other regions and requested that we do one for them.
2008. Training for the Alpine Classic, part 5. Bicycling Australia 154:104-7. This part was about pulling everything together so you have a good day at the Classic.
2009. M Hanslip et al. Vegetation Assessment: Chapter 7. This section of a much larger report on landscape uses in Australia with regards to vegetation looked at people’s interaction with the plant life and some of the their motivations in doing so.
2009. Oval Concepts bar system. Bicycling Australia 155:122. Morgan Nicol’s company produces some wonderful modular handlebar bits. I got to review a stem, aero-bar and drop bar system.
2009. Training for the Alpine Classic, part 1. Bicycling Australia 155:96-9. This is really the beginning of this series. How to ease into a training program.
2009. Anger Mgmt helmet review. Mountain Biking Australia 28:26. A cheap helmet with a weird name that is surprisingly comfortable for its price. I still wear it.
2009. Tour de MTB. Mountain Biking Australia 28:86-92. Preparation for stage races in mountain biking.
2009. Training for the Alpine Classic, part 2. Bicycling Australia 156:114-16. The final segment of the articles that has brought me the most feedback from the public of anything I have written.
2009. Freedom of choice. Mountain Biking Australia 29:56-8. A tyre choice primer.
2009. Indoor trainer. Mountain Biking Australia 29:62-3. A few exercises to do on an indoor trainer. Accompanies an article about trainers.
2009. Stromlo triple treat. Mountain Biking Australia 29:82-4. A brief look at three years of national championships at Mt Stromlo.
Standing atop l’Alpe d’Huez BA editor Simon feels triumphant in France, in my jersey no less
2009. Hey! You need a coach!, part 1. Bicycling Australia 159:54-60. The first instalment of my new project where I take two club cyclists and prepare them for elite road nationals.
2009. Snake safety. Mountain Biking Australia 31:94. An introduction to the real dangers posed by snakes to mountain bikers in the Australian summer.
2009. Hey! You need a coach!, part 2. Bicycling Australia 160:76-80. The second instalment of my fun project where I take two club cyclists and prepare them for elite road nationals.
2010. Hey! You need a coach!, part 3. Bicycling Australia 161:104-8. The third instalment of my fun project where I take two club cyclists and prepare them for elite road nationals.
2010. Fitness Fast! Mountain Biking Australia 32:60. Several ideas of how to keep fit when you are pressed for time so that you can still enjoy your occasional rides.
2010. Hey! You need a coach!, part 4. Bicycling Australia 162:66-70. The final instalment of my project when I go to Ballarat and watch my cyclists ride the elite road nationals.
2010. M Hanslip & S Burrell. Keep that fat off this winter. Bicycling Australia 164:104-110. Combined advice from a coach and a dietician to keep active and eating well over the current winter season.
Trek Superfly 100 Elite
2010. Core strength. Mountain Biking Australia 35:44-7. A primer on core strength workouts to vastly improve your mountain biking prowess (and your body function too!).
2010. Vertebrae Ceramic Cable Housing. Bicycling Australia 166:102. An Australian cyclist/engineer developed these cable housings (that look like vertebrae, hence the name) which are made in the USA, packaged in Spain and shipped from his base in the Canary Islands.
2011. It’s Not Too Late. Bicycling Australia 167:132-5. A 12 week training program to get ready for the Great Ocean and Otway Classic ride.
2011. Spinergy Xaero-lite Wheels. Bicycling Australia 168:90. These might be Spinergy’s cheapest wheels with the PBO spokes, but they were really great to ride on.
2011. Thresholds. Bicycling Australia 169:114-16. Everything you ever wanted to know about heart rate thresholds, but didn’t even know you should ask.
2011. Pedalling dynamics. Mountain Biking Australia 38:92-6. How to set up your clipless pedals, and why you should think about trying flat pedals for a while.
2012. Hutchinson tyres. Bicycling Australia 173:106. Quick review of the Hutchinson Atom and Intensive tyres - both good tyres by the way.
2012. Riding with kids. Bicycling Australia 173:60-4. Ideas for riding parents to include the kids.
2012. Take a seat. Bicycling Australia 175:76-9. How to select the right seat and then adjust it properly for maximum comfort.
2012. Dropper posts. Mountain Biking Australia 40:66-71. Group test of four on-the-fly height adjustable seat posts (Joplin, Reverb, Hi-Lo, Command Post).
2012. Around the Bay in a day. Bicycling Australia 176:122-7. Training for the big ride in October (part one).
2012. Around the Bay in a day. Bicycling Australia 177:80-4. Final preparations for the big ride in October (part two).
2012. Solo or pack. Bicycling Australia 177:72-4. Better yourself as a rider by combining solo and pack riding activities.
2012. Power2Max. Bicycling Australia 177:118-9. Review of a new, and very nice, power meter.
2012. Elevation revelation. Bicycling Australia 178:88-92. Get more from your climbing with a new approach.
2012. 3T bars. Bicycling Australia 178:118-9. What’s in a bend? Three 3T bars ridden and compared.
2013. Get your Garmin on… Bicycling Australia 179:78-82. Use your Garmin to the max: build your own maps, exploit public websites, train with power and more.
2013. The Dirt Diet. Mountain Biking Australia 44:58-60. A bit of physics applied to the bike; or, why 100g on the wheels = 100g on the frame.