Sydney - Fixed!

Right, so a few of you here are Aussies yourselves, but most are of Vic/WA origin (that I've met), so here's a quick hello and fixed guide to Sydney.
Rule #1: The car is king. Don't fuck with it.
Provisions are made for bikes, in that you're allowed to cycle along the hard shoulder of every motorway. This may or may not result in death. You're also allowed to cycle along the Parramatta Road. I wouldn't recommend this either as I was nearly killed by a Mack truck, 3 utes and a handful of cars just for being, erm...there.
On the plus side, there is a beautiful topography for cyclists. Sydney, being a harbour city has a lot of hills, which present themselves at a relentless consistency. If you're near the water then this is pretty much a given. Ben Boyd Road and New South Head Road are a couple of obstinate little fuckers that I managed to come across within the first couple of days.
[ame=http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/113105]New

[ame=http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/113101]Ben

But the rewards for putting your back into the climbing are pretty spectacular. You get descents to die for and views like this:

(No comments on my non-bling bike thanks)
I'd probably drop a gear inch or two from London, but it's still all do-able.
Oh, and I burnt the fuck out of myself on the first day - I'm now recommending zinc cream to anyone who asks...
Spotted 3 other people riding fixed. Which is probably roughly the same proportions as London seeing as I've only seen about 100 on bikes fullstop in my little ventures out.

Tim Tams and Violent Crumbles for all at the Stonemasons the week after easter - cheers...

You love it you slag.

can we get some pics of your bike with some bondi bikini babes?

tackle them hills at bronte! a much nicer beach i reckon.

Head up north to Freshwater if you want a really good beach!
The inner west is wikid fun to spin around as well, and hit Cheeky Monkey Transport in Newtown for all your fixed needs! Best bike shop in Sydney!!

matt (baddesigner) tackle them hills at bronte! a much nicer beach i reckon.

Tomorrow's mission.

dogsballs can we get some pics of your bike with some bondi bikini babes?

Tomorrow's mission also...

And get yourself some SPF30+!

Just look at that clear water... the endless blue sky, high sun..... whimper whimper :(

no hipsters on fg bikes? who said sydneysiders are trendier than melbournians

make the most of that climate brett...fckn terrible here

that burn should come up a nice cancerous tan colour in a few days/

I used to think riding in Oz traffic was kinda shit.. then I visited Cairo..

Dale will gobble ya knob if you bring hippy back Fruit Tingles and Cherry Ripes.

and a six-pack of Coopers Pale for me.

I used to like that. Then had some after drinking nice UK products for 2 years.. urgh.. not such a fan any more.
I'm going to have to open a Euro beer hall if I ever get back to Oz.

Oh, and I burnt the fuck out of myself on the first day - I'm now recommending zinc cream to anyone who asks...

age of 21 had a melonoma on my back me, hence why i've been in the lovely uk for the past 6yrs - be careful mate, I really mean it

Good bumpage.
The irony of the situation was I lived in Sydney for a couple of years and didn't suffer any serious sunburn. But having been back here for 5-6 years meant I'd totally forgotten how to deal with the heat and sun. So it wasn't a situation born out of ignorance, more forgetfulness.
Not seen anything like it since I've been back though, no more than 2 sunny days at a time strung together.

Good bumpage.

always spreading the 'slip, slop, slap' message

I ve seen one fixed gear in manly

That said, I burnt my shoulders well on my 40 mile ride last sunday in London. Lovely weather, wore a singlet ... WHAM! looking like an angel with red wings. 30+ for me in the UK even, from now on.

Is there an LFGSS equivalent for Sydney?

I've been looking on here: http://www.fixed.org.au/forums/f18/

I'm moving there at the start of May. Be great if any Sydneyites on here fancy meeting up for a ride/beer when Im there.

Dredging a bit here but I'm heading out to Sydney for a month, will be taking my bike hopefully. Anyone got any pointers for riding over there? I've heard its fairly hilly, this doesn't bother me too much as it can't be worse than where I am currently. Will take my helmet with me but would like to know how hot the fuzz actually are on enforcing the law? I wear a helmet the majority of the time but I don't want to get busted by crusing to the local pub without one.

I live in Melbourne, but...

These laws aren't in yet, but yeah, apparently the cops up there will pull you up and fine you if you're not wearing a helmet. So regressive.

I cycled around Sydney for a year or two without a helmet. I got pulled over a couple of times and only received friendly reminders so you should be fine, but as @WestcoastPete says, the laws are about to get a lot more punitive.

As for cycling in Sydney; it's not as good as London, but it's not as bad as, say, Paris. The car is king and there are roads that you just have to learn to avoid.

Also, traffic lights and laws work a bit differently, and you'll be taken by surprise when you appear to have a green light but pedestrians keep crossing the road that you're trying to turn into. They have right of way so try not to yell at them too much.

The other big difference is the weather. The humidity always seems to be above 70% so you'll struggle to get anywhere without sweating buckets.

Thanks for the info, you too @WestcoastPete!

I'm taking my helmet out with me, I've seen that cars seem to have priority over bikes yet pets have priority over everything. Seems a bit backwards to me! Peds crossing sounds a bit like Europe, similar thing going on there.

Are drivers generally aggressive or fairly passive? Is it fairly easy to avoid the roads that aren't good for cycling? I'll probably just stick to the cycle paths as I'm only there for a month, just taking my bike to jam round the city.

Not wishing to start a 'which is better' spat, but having spent several years cycling in both London and Paris, I don't think Paris is any 'worse' than London, I actually find Paris less stressful and with better cycle lanes than London. A couple of years in Sydney too, including commuting Bondi to Botany Bay by bike for a while. Agree for the weather, hot hot sun, and lots of hills. You might as well wear a helmet, during the day at least, just to keep the sun off your head. Keep hydrated.