|
News Archives
July 2007 Well it’s winter in Welli, and time for a quick update. After my adventures in Australia with the NZ Team (read the August issue of NZ Endurance Sport Magazine for my take on the last trip…) I had expected to be either traveling to the USA for a trip with the Jazz Apples team or to Mexico for the Junior Worlds, but sad to say both trips fell over for me due to budgetary constraints. I know the Jazz Apples did a fantastic job, and I expect the Juniors I worked with in Aussie to also step up on the world stage, so best of luck to them! I’m hoping to be asked to do more work for BikeNZ over the summer season, as I have really enjoyed the experiences I have shared with the various riders and team personnel I was fortunate enough to work with… I have definitely been making the most of my time at home though; the shop is ticking over nicely considering the average weather NZ has been enduring this winter, and I have been having fun working on some cool projects. I have become the official bike builder for Bike Fixation (http://www.bikefixation.co.nz/) who are the NZ importers of the very fine Lynskey titanium range of frames. David from BF also imports Alpha Q carbon forks as used by CSC. Check out the website for more info and revel in the incredible prices David offers this beautiful kit at. I will also be carrying a frame or built up Lynskey, as well as a few sets of wheels, so stop by and check them out if you have a minute…
Hopefully, whether it’s on some custom bling or your trusty old beast, you are all able to get out on your bikes this winter – perhaps even inspired by this years exciting Tour de France! I look forward to seeing some of you soon. Please get in touch if you need any work done on your precious steeds, as I am here and available should you need me, or feel free to stop by if you are riding in the neighbourhood. Pedal on, Oli March
18th 2007 5th of February 2007 Hi folks!
Another all too irregular update, but at least it's been so long
for good reasons this time! It's been a very busy year with major
renovations to the house, work being flat out, and all the usual
stuff that keeps us all so busy in life. Thanks for reading and CU soon, Oli 3rd of May 2006 Hi folks! Another way too sporadic update! After several months of inadvertently inflicting severe head injuries on any client who dared to venture into the dank recesses of the Cave, I have fluked a lovely clean and bright workshop (with ample headroom) close to home - very close, in fact! Having found this convenient and very suitable new space has clarified my ideas about what Roadworks means to me, and hopefully to you too. I've spent considerable time running through several different options, and after much careful thought I have decided my business should remain essentially a slightly sifty underground repair-only outlet, so apologies to any of you who were hoping for me to go full retail!
I always have a lot of stuff going on in my life and my wife is working part-time, so we're sharing the responsibility of the household/children stuff. Also, I am trying to broaden my horizons a tad, so fixing bikes 40 hours a week just isn't practical or desirable for me right now... I will mainly be available by appointment, but will be attempting to be in the workshop between the hours of 9.30 and 3 Monday to Thursday, and noon till 6 on Fridays. Please ring first though to avoid coming all this way to find me out riding (yeah, right!).
I look forward to catching up with any of my old regulars who are still prepared to put up with me, and I also look forward to meeting any new clients who are keen to try an alternative to the traditional Local Bike Shop format. Please note that I still have access to all the best wholesalers in NZ, so if you need something please try me for a price before you order offshore. I can't promise to beat all the great deals out there but if I can come close I'll try. I won't be stocking bling gear, but with a couple of days notice I can obtain virtually anything your bike desires... Thanks, folks! (and thanks to Deb and Wheels for the site update!) All the very best, Oli Oli
Brooke-White P.S. In other news, I am very proud to announce that I have been selected by BikeNZ to be one of four mechanics wrenching for the New Zealand Team at the UCI Mountain Bike Championships, being held in Rotorua 22-27 August 2006 (http://www.2006rotoruamtb.com/). I am looking forward to being a part of this showcase event that will bring the very best of the World's mountainbikers right to the people of NZ...
12th
of November 2005 CU on the Bike, Oli 17th of March 2005 To all the friends and supporters of Roadworks, Firstly, I want to say from the bottom of my heart thanks for your all your concern and support - it's been much appreciated... I'm afraid the news as far as the shop goes isn't good, though. After my latest visit to my rehab specialist, he's determined that the nerve damage I sustained in the crash is more severe than first thought, and it isn't repairing itself as fast as it might. It turns out I may even need an operation to repair some damaged muscles and tendons that weren't diagnosed initially. This means that I'm going to have to officially close the shop, as my energy has run out for keeping the premises in the hope that I'll be back soon when I'm still clearly months away from being able to ply my trade, even if I don't end up needing surgery. As you may also be aware, this is the second closure of several months in the last financial year, which has placed me in an untenable financial position and rendered me unable to afford to keep this incarnation of Roadworks going. I am going to treat this as a positive, however, and use the off-season to recuperate my shoulder, ride my bike (carefully!) then think about coming back in spring in some shape or form. I know
everyone would like me to keep the shop going, and of course I want
that more than anyone, but I have to be realistic. I have to take
the time to recover properly, and stressing about getting back to
work as fast as possible isn't making that happen any sooner. If
I was to go back, it would be straight into the quiet time of the
year when I actually need to be If you have any property in my care contact me, or I will contact you, and we'll arrange to return it to you. I will keep you all posted about the future of Roadworks when I know myself... Once again, thanks for everything and all the very best, Oli 8th of March 2005
Roadworks team member Alex "The Maniac" Tashkoff finishing the Karipoti 14th of February 2005 Hi guys, I know rumours have been going around about my shutting down Roadworks completely, but that isn't going to be the case. I'm probably to blame for starting them, as my initial diagnosis was that it would be 3-4 months before I would be able to work, so I was very pessimistic about my future. This initial diagnosis has proved unfounded and everything looks good for me to be back on deck in a short time. At this stage I am looking at getting Roadworks back under way in around the next three weeks, depending on my Doctors say-so...No bookings just yet, though!!! I have been very lucky to receive the best news possible for an injury such as mine, and that is that I'll have no long term effects and should be back to full strength very quickly, so I aim to take advantage of my rapid healing. I will keep you all posted... Thanks for all the get well soon messages, and the massive support you'veall been sending me. They have all helped my recovery immensely. Cheers, Oli 11th of February 2005 Hi there.
I thought I'd better post an update...As I said in the last notice,
the damage is a broken scapula, several ribs and associated muscle
and nerve damage... I've had some doozy crashes over the years -
sliding out at 70kph on the road, 3 metre launches into space off-road,
sprinting into the back of a parked car in a race, see-saw incidents,
top-tube surfing stupidity, not to mention countless other inane
accidents, but I've never hurt myself so badly as on a gentle evening
ride with my sons!! A hidden hole in some grass on Mt Vic caused
me to do a very rapid OTB manoeuvre and, according to an eyewitness,
I only saved my head and neck from a drilling by tuck-and-rolling
and slamming onto my shoulder. At this point, I'd like to thank the aforementioned anonymous eyewitness for helping to scrape me up. I'd also like to thank Adrian Heke for assisting me down the hill to my rendezvous with Jacq, the Holden and A&E. The two people I'd like to praise the most though are my 11 and 9 year old sons Kester and Harry who had to ride all the way home to get Jacq, as I didn't have my cellphone with me (I know, I know!). This involved them riding across Newtown in rush hour - no mean feat! They displayed cool heads in a crisis, and followed the Emergency Plan to the letter...Well done, Boys!!! I started Physio on the 10th of February, and removed my immobility sling the same day. We're still not certain how long it's going to take me to come back, as a lengthy rehab looks likely, but it's going to be at least 3 more weeks, and probably more like 4-6 realistically. This is lots better than my original prognosis, but we're not out of the woods yet. We're still hoping to hang onto Roadworks, but it's proving financially less and less viable by the day, so we're thinking it might be better for the family to shut down now, cut our losses and make yet another comeback later in the year. Of course I'll let you all know what's happening right here, so check in from time to time...
26th January, 2005 Hi people, I'm afraid I have some bad news for my friends and customers. I am out of action as far as riding or repairing bikes goes for at least 3-4 months. I have badly broken my scapula and several ribs in a bad crash on Mt Vic last night, and have been told it's 3-4 months before I can work and 6-9 months before I'll regain full use of my right arm. At this stage the immediate future of Roadworks is uncertain and I'm going to have to totally re-evaluate my situation over the coming weeks. If you have further questions, contact me on roadworks@paradise.net.nz Cheers to you all...CU, Oli 12th of January, 2005 New bike of the month - Paul Larkin's newly built up Teschner looks awesome. Paul is looking pretty sharp too, in his Roadworks jersey!
5th of December, 2004 A date that will echo forever in the Hall of Fame of Roadworks. Team Roadworks won the vets section of the Makara Peak Rally Creek to Peak MTB event this year! Thanks heaps to Race Organiser John Randal for taking time out from caring for many cold and muddy mountainbikers to be my team-mate. He laid down such a scorching second lap that he pulled us up into first place. I haven't won a bike race of any kind since 1986 so I'm fully buzzing! It was hard conditions out there - a cold southerly started dumping rain on us at the start so it was slippery slurry on the top of the whole course, which made it interesting and dirty, but very fun. Congratulations to all the competitors both in the Creek to Peak and, later in the day, the much tougher Tour de Peak.
Both races made for a truly great event despite the challenging conditions. Roadworks was one of the sponsors this year, and I'm going to make it an ongoing sponsorship. The job the Makara Peak Supporters do on our behalf is absolutely awesome, and they have created one of (if not the) finest mountainbiking resources in New Zealand, and I consider it an honour to be able to assist in a small way... Thanks for reading. CU, Oli 20 November, 2004 Roadworks is go! I'm proud and pleased to announce the opening of the new Roadworks at 8am on Monday the 22nd of November 2004. Please pop in and pay me a visit, even if you don't need any work done at the moment. The new phone number is 389 3340. I look forward to hopefully seeing you all at some time soon. Thanks for your patience while waiting for me to get this off the ground... All the best, Oli 12 November, 2004 I'll
tell you a bit about the new Roadworks. It's at 199 Rintoul St Berhampore,
and it's a cool little shop. As I said in my last post, I'm not
going to change the basic premise of Roadworks. That is I'm not
going to suddenly become a full-on retail outlet. I'm happy being
a workshop with parts available, so I'm not going to be full of
new bikes. I do hope to All the best, and remember Old School Rules! Oli
How the new shop would look with a big Roadworks sign September 2004: Roadworks customer Richard Tait (right), with Dario Pegoretti, framebuilder to the stars. Photo taken in Italy, 2004.
Pegoretti custom frames, such as the one pictured above, are available from Roadworks. 21st of June 2004: Dear friends and customers of Roadworks, It is with some regret, and also some anticipation, that I wish to announce the closure of my shop effective from Friday the 25th of June 2004. I will be returning in new premises after taking some time out to re-consolidate. The reason for me closing right now is the effect working in the garage is having on my health. I have had at least one major health meltdown every winter since I opened up, all of which have been caused by the complete inability to heat the shop when the cold weather hits. I feel I need to find a work environment that is more conducive to my health, and enables me to stave off the small colds that can become big problems in a sub-zero shed. I'm sure many of you will agree that things aren't working that smoothly at the moment anyway. I want to find a place that is reasonably handy to town, but that is closer to my home and family too. Some basic amenities that a garage can't offer wouldn't go amiss either... My wife Jacq and I are in the process of working out a way to make sure that when I come back my hours will be much more handy for you all, and that there will be systems in place to ensure that my work, and your repairs, aren't disrupted so much by the family crises that seem to befall the Brooke-Whites on an all too regular basis! Rest assured that the flavour of Roadworks won't be changing much at all. I will be making sure that my focus is still on the service and repairs that have given me the niche that I occupy in Wellingtons cycling scene. I'm very grateful to you all for helping me do the work I love. Thank you all for your business, support and friendship over the last few years in Holloway Road, and I look forward to announcing the Mark 2 Roadworks very soon... Cheers, Oli In
remembrance of the old workshop and for your virtual sifting pleasure:
a panoramic view.... 5th of May 2004: Well, after the busiest summer ROADWORKS has ever had things are starting to mellow out a bit. I'm still ticking over nicely, but the jobs are spread out in a more even and relaxing fashion. I'm taking the down-time as a chance to catch up with heaps of stuff that goes by the wayside when things go berserk around here, like fixing all the damage that Karapoti did to my bike! This means that I'm officially adopting the Winter Sifty Hours of 10-ish to 3-ish. Many of you may say that's an increase on my Summer hours, but I can't help that! I advise you to ring before coming up. Even more than usual... When I'm not working, or hanging out with Jacq and Bodhi, I'll be trying to get in plenty of MTB rides with my two eldest sons, Kester and Harry. We love riding on Makara Peak MTB Park...The Kennetts and Co, and those good people who are carrying on their awesome work, have built us all an incredible playground! The boys love to go up Koru, along Sally Alley (especially the hot new section!), back the same way then down SWIGG and Starfish. For boys of 10 and 8 this is a challenging, but totally do-able, ride. Fantastic! I feel so lucky to be able to share my sport with my children, without having to push them at all... Hope all your wheels are turning smoothly. All the best, Oli 8th of March 2004: Karapoti
Classic 50k Ironman
NZ I'm so proud of you
all…If I have left anyone out, please forgive me and let me
know and I will place you in the Roadworks Hall of Fame.
March 2004: Roadworks Team Kit available now!
January 2004 :
Ralf Hawleys' beautiful custom Serotta Legend TI-Built Jan '04. January 2004 :
"On the Beaten Track: Roadworks team member Alex Tashkoff is all grins after finishing the arduous 11kn Creek to Peak race at the 2003 Makara Peak Bike Rally at the weekend. The event, which is the third to be held at the park, consisted of two races, and rally director John Randal says interest is increasing each year. "The Tour de Peak race, which is for the more fitter and experienced riders, attracted 79 competitors - 25 more than in 2001," Randal says. Funds raised from the rally will support volunteers who have helped turn the gorse-covered farm into an award-winning mountain bike park.
For information about Makara peak and the supporters club, visit www.makarapeak.org.nz"
Although he didn't make it to print, we thought you'd like to also see the other half of the ROADWORKS team, Oli, shralving the Starfish vert.
20 March 2002 - Oli featured in The Evening Post: Roadworks saddles up extreme riders By MATHEW LOH HO-SANG
Mountain bikers are renowned for exploring the back of beyond and for many Wellington riders when it comes to servicing their machines it's no different. Off the beaten track, in a garage at the end of rustic Holloway Rd, Te Aro, is the workshop of choice for "extreme" cyclists. Roadworks is the brainchild of Oli Brooke-White, 38, who after nine years fixing bikes for the now-defunct Cycle Services on Cuba St, set up on his own. "I've been involved in the cycle industry since 1979 and two years ago it was the right time to go into business in my own right," Mr Brooke-White said. ". . . it is a good feeling to get there on your own reputation." Turnover had doubled this year compared with his first. "I definitely have developed a niche with the full-on extreme riders," he says. "For example, I work on bikes for the Coast to Coast [race], 24 hour races and I had six bikes in the recent Mizone Endurance [race from Bluff to Cape Reinga]." His growing reputation, fuelled purely by word-of-mouth, has sparked inquiries from throughout New Zealand and even a couple from Scotland and the Netherlands. "But because I spend a lot of time with my boys, Kester and Harry, I only work 25 hours a week which means I'm constantly turning away customers," he said. His garage workshop in Holloway Rd is always in demand. "My customers love coming up here and often drop in on lunchtime rides. I think they like the fact that I'm off the beaten track and they can tell people about their mechanic - `a guy in a garage in the middle of nowhere'."
Garage Brand –
Specialist cycle repairer Oli Brooke-White in his Holloway Road
workshop. (Photo:
Ross Giblin)
|
I
would like to congratulate all my friends and customers for their
awesome efforts in the Karapoti and in Ironman…It is always
rewarding to see all your hard work and training come to fruition.
I hope you all got what you wanted out of your race…I know
I sure did!
Master
2 Men
Before
Xmas, Roadworks rider Alex Tashkoff appeared in the Western News
newspaper:
Mount
Victoria resident Jason McCarty won the men's Tour de Peak race
in two hours, one minute, while Newtown rider Robin Wong won the
woman's race in two hours and 18 minutes. She also came 7th overall.
 |
 |
 |