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Friday 30 November 2012

Sunday 25 November 2012

@cyclingtips shows the Stelvio Pass off in all its glory

Beautiful photos of the Stelvio Pass at Cycling Tips - really, stunning stuff by Jered Gruber taken on November 23rd. Enjoy.
Very, very nice

Friday 23 November 2012

BMX boys (and girls) have a lot to have fun on these days

Had a bit of a mooch about the 'new' Bicycle motocross (BMX) track at the National Cycling Centre yesterday.  You have to say that the whole set up there is superb.  Back in the day when the Velodrome sat there in splendid isolation, it looked, well, pretty bleak.
The Manchester Velodrome is by no means the most beautiful building in the world but the addition of the new bit really adds some critical mass to the whole area - you feel as if you are actually somewhere rather than have just stumbled upon the disused husk of a giant something or other.
Starting ramp
Anyway, the BMX centre looks like great fun. In keeping with the tradition of describing places in relation to familiar things - like football pitches, london buses and Nelson's Column - the whole area is about the same size as a football pitch and about as high as Nelson's Column.  You should now have it's dimensions indelibly fixed into your mind.

First and final turns
I never owned a BMX as a kid, I stuck with the Raleigh Grifter until I got my first road bike.  A few mates had them though with one coming a horrendous cropper in an incident with a teddy bear and a mag wheel - I can hear the cries of anguish to this day.

Thursday 22 November 2012

Nice things to lock your bike to No2

As bike racks go, this little fellah takes some beating.  It is at the National Cycling Centre (Manchester Velodrome) though so you'd expect it to be pretty good.
Although it's not exactly over-subscribed with bikes, at least the owner of the BMW 1250GS is making good use!
Busier in the summer presumably

Wednesday 21 November 2012

Can't go slow in Manchester?

Beyond anything, this blog is trying uncover and champion all aspects of cycling culture principally in Manchester and the surrounding region.  From people pootling to the shops on upright town bikes in the sunshine to the grand tours which are piped into my front room by Eurosport and everything in-between.
What I find most interesting is how cycling can unify disparate groups of people.  I've banged on before about how I see the bike as a democratising vehicle and one which brings people of different genders, classes and races together.
So, it is therefore always really pleasing when you shine your torch into a hitherto dark corner and discover a fully functioning and energetic group of bikers who are doing their own thing in their own particular way.
Just such a thing happened to me the other night when I had my eyes opened to the cantgoslo cycling sub-culture.
No such word
Now, I had been sort of aware that this group existed as I'd seen their stickers around and about.  To be honest, I thought it was something to do with Norway - with the Oslo reference.
However, I was delighted to discover that it is in fact, a group of passionate fixie riders who, when you boil it down to its fundamental elements, rag around on their bikes, eyeballs out, enjoying themselves. That's what cycling is supposed to be isn't it?  Fun.
They put on events - like film screenings at Cord Bar in the Northern Quarter and regular 'races' around the city.
The accoutrements of this world take their lead from what you might call the courier look: very urban, beards, earrings, tatts, caps and other stuff.  There are few references to pro-cycling save for a commodity fetish for 'old school' hardware.  You have to say, it looks pretty good, apart from the beards perhaps!
If you want to know more then you can find them on Bacefook or check out their website.  
Enjoy and ride safe.

Monday 19 November 2012

2013, Froome's year?

Chris Froome has been talking up Team Sky's chances for next season and he thinks it could be a magnificent year for the team.
By his reckoning, Sky could nail the Giro and Tour with Wiggins and himself respectively.
Much has been said about the Giro route being suited to Wiggo - time trials etc, but does the 100th Tour route suite Froome?

France, in yellow
Well, it's hilly and we all saw his superb form in the Tour's mountains last year.
If it pans out this way - Froome being given a shot at Le Tour - then next year's event will provide mouthwatering dual between Froome and Bertie on some memorable stages.
There are hills, hills and more hills on next year's parcours right up until the penultimate day.  The double ascent of Alpe d'Huez on the same day should be spectacular too.
I'm already looking forward to it. A bit sad? Possibly but we need something to keep us going throughout the winter!

Friday 16 November 2012

You have nothing to lube but your chains

So, there was no other way to avoid it, today I decided to get stuck in and clean my chain.
The science and materials in cleaning the drive chain on your bike are remarkably complex and you can find much advice via your preferred search engine.
I am going to add to the rump of information out there but hopefully demistify the process somewhat by revealing my simple guide to how I clean my chain.
The wonderful Sheldon Brown reckons that chain maintenance is one of the most controversial aspects of bike mechanics owing to the various schools of thought as to how you should tackle your filthy chain.
Essentially, my approach is a quick & dirty solution: clean it.
The materials you need are:
Some hot water with detergent (washing-up liquid) in, a rag, some degreaser, a scrubbing brush, lots of elbow grease and some oil to lube up once you've finished - lube up your chain I mean obviously.
It's really not difficult to maintain a healthy chain with 'little and often' being the mantra. Once you've removed the worst of the filth with a dry rag, wet the rag and remove a bit more.  Then spray degreaser and remove lots more.
Remember to use elbow grease liberally during the process.  Repeat steps two and three until chain is clean - scrubbing brush can be used at this stage.
Shiny links
You'll know when it's clean as it'll look like metal again rather than being black and it won't mike a grinding noise in the links.
To lube up, just dot some oil on each link and let it soak through.  Remove any excess with a different dry rag.
Do the same on your cassette, chainrings and jockey wheels and your bike will love you for it.  A well maintained chain lasts approximately 4,500 years longer than one left to the elements so it's well worth doing.  It also makes your bike sound nice too.
Go forth and get scrubbing!

Thursday 15 November 2012

Maintenance lessons with @BritishCycling in Manchester

This Saturday, British Cycling is hosting an intermediate bike maintenance class at the Velodrome.  Coming in at a pretty steep £125 per person, you'd expect it to be absolutely bob on in terms of advice and guidance for how to get the very best out of your bike.
The day long event, including lunch and refreshments, covers basic stuff like changing an inner tube and some other set up stuff.
Building your knowledge of how to maintain your bike and keep it moving when events conspire against you, is a great skill to have.  There's nothing worse than puncturing on your ride home from work in the rain.  However, with a bit of knowledge you should be back on the road again in a few short minutes.
Stiff link anyone?
I hope the people who go get their money's worth and make the most of it.  At the time of writing the link above says there are eight places remaining.
It reminds me actually, I need to clean my chain.

Wednesday 14 November 2012

@andycronshaw weighs in to cycle safety debate

Wiggo's and Shane Sutton's crashes continue to make headlines and generate many column inches in our newspapers investigation just what should, or could, be done to make riding safer in the UK.
The piece below appeared in the Manchester Evening News a couple of days ago as they continue to weigh in to the debate.

I agree with everything Andy Cronshaw says in the article but would add that being assertive on your bike is one of the best ways of keeping safe.
I've always taken the view that if some loon is beeping their car horn at you, then that's a good thing as it means they've seen that you're in their way.  Or to put it another way, I'd rather somebody shout some obscenity at me rather than knock me off because they 'didn't see me'.
At times it's a really fine line though and you can easily put yourself in more danger but assertiveness is generally good while recklessness is, well, reckless. 

Thanks to @cyclinstructor for the head's up.

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Fallowfield Loop, Manchester bike lane par excellence

For me, The Fallowfield Loop is a bit like Halfords: you know it's there but you never use it because it's not for 'real' cyclists.  But today I decided to swallow my snobbery and take a ride along the route from Chorlton to Ashton.
I have to say, it's really good and pretty much exactly as I'd anticipated: decent surface for the most part, a fair few dogs, bridges, leaves, bit of art, and puddles.  There wasn't much litter though which is always welcome.
Anti-tank system
For the uninitiated, the Fallowfield Loop is an eight mile bridleway running from Chorlton in South Manchester to the City of Manchester Soccer Dome in East Manchester.  It includes just one detour onto the road at Levenshulme where you have to negotiate a mahoosive Sainsway supermarket.
It's a former railway route and hence, it's basically flat all the way.  It is punctuated with regular anti-tank defence systems which mean you have to either get off and lift your bike over a piece of tubular steel or slalom through the defences while making a 'woosh' noise if you want. 
The only bad section is by a new housing development next to Fairfield Station. The current path disappears around the back of the houses and degenerates into a loose pile of hardcore rather than a sealed surface.  However, it seems that the path will eventually link into the new houses when somebody moves the block & mesh fence.
Sustrans reckon it'll take you 57 minutes to ride the length of it which seems quite generous.  It's a great  thing all told and should be celebrated.

Monday 12 November 2012

@cyclehatred. For women?

Cycling safety has been on the news and political agenda for most of the year mainly thanks to The Times' cities fit for cycling campaign.  While there is still something a little bit odd about The Times taking on this campaign with such gusto - it's like a badly fitting jumper - it is undoubtedly welcome and long may they continue with it.
I have to confess, I don't see The Times every day so I don't know if the campaign appears in print everyday or not.  Things always feel more real wen they're printed on paper don't they?
In the aftermath of Wiggo and Shane Sutton getting knocked off, the focus on cycling safety has intensified. 
The whole churn of media coverage which ensued has highlighted the intensity of feeling from all sides when it comes to cycling with the righteous two-wheelers pleading for better investment on one side and a foul group of unthinking spite-mongers vomiting their embittered rants via social media on the other.
For everybody's entertainment, the @cyclehatred twitter feed captures all this hate and redistributes it to the world.

Reading through the bile, it is clear that some are spoofs, some are from frustrated rational people who 'don't really think  that' but others, you can just tell the ones, really mean some of it.
What is really surprising about it to me, is the amount of women who tweet such horrendous stuff about other people just because of their chosen method of transport.
It's not that I don't believe women are capable of hate - they are often the worst - but it is just so much more unpleasant and unexpected to hear some lass with a cutesy twitter name demanding the death of cyclists like its the most normal thing ever.
No doubt some of these people will have 'runs on fairy dust' stickers in the back windows of their cars which, while I despise, I don't believe they should be killed for possessing.

Sunday 11 November 2012

Well observed Rapha parody

Excellent parody of Rapha over at Jahvahaah.  All in a good cause too. 


A lazy weekend post culled from The Guardian.

Friday 9 November 2012

Nice things to lock your bike to No1

Who says that Sheffield stands have to be boring?  Betws-y-Coed, certainly don't think so.
Have a look at these beauties which are just outside the train station next to the excellent Alpine Cafe which does a superb Victoria Sponge.

Nice, if not a bit twee

Thursday 8 November 2012

Wiggo in Van Slam Sham

Having won as many Olympic medals and anybody else in your country's history, and becoming your nation's first ever Tour de France winner does not insulate you from the painful reality of cycling in the UK.
This is what Bradley Wiggins has discovered after being knocked off his bike by a van.  How pathetic that sounds: Tour de France winner knocked off bike by a van.
Dutch vans are different
It was Marx who said that 'History repeats itself first as tragedy and second as farce' and he was absolutely right.
Every day, people are knocked off bikes and nothing is done about it.  The £billions which is spent on road building and other pet projects to appease certain lobby groups is frankly disgusting for a nation such as ours in the early 21st century.
The mockery of cycling by the likes of Clarkson, his posher alter-ego but equally loathsome Quentin Wilson or the crowning turd, TV cook James Martin, has a logical conclusion and it ends with people getting knocked off - simples.
If you listen carefully, you can hear the conversations taking place in offices and over garden fences right now: 'I was going to ride my bike to work but if that Brady Wiggin fellah is getting knocked off, then what chance have I got?'
But, could there be a positive backlash?  Could Bradley's accident - which I confess, I don't know who was at fault for - actually have a galvanising effect on cycling safety?  Well, optimistic perhaps but without optimism what do we have?  Jeremy Clarkson, that's what. Eugh! 
One final thought, it should be interesting to hear Wiggo's account of what happened - he rarely pulls his punches.

Wednesday 7 November 2012

The Cycle Race

Loving this cartoon of The Cycle Race by @davewalker and shown on the wonderful cadenced tumblr site.

Enjoy.


Tuesday 6 November 2012

Can Parliament Get Britain Cycling?

It's a year since The Times picked up the cudgels and decided to campaign for safer cycling in the UK. Only the most mealy-mouthed observer would accuse the paper of commercial opportunism in pursuing this campaign which started after a reporter, Mary Bowers, was knocked off and almost killed while riding to work.
As you might expect, the campaigning weight of a, some say the, national newspaper has taken the debate into the the arena where change can be affected: parliament.
Earlier in the year when Times editor James Harding and Jon Snow from Channel 4 news addressed the transport select committee, they provided a very robust argument on both the why and what of future cycling in the UK.
Now, Parliament has taken things a step further with the announcement that the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group is holding an inquiry to '...examine the barriers which are preventing more people cycling in the UK.'
APPCG lead out team
This inquiry is going to be vital in shaping the future direction of cycling strategy and I'd encourage everyone with the faintest interest in cycling to respond to the Group's call for evidence.
You can do this via The Times' online survey if you like and can ignore the inherent London-centric questioning (take my bike on the Tube?).
The deadline for submissions is December 5 2012 with the final report, which will be written by Prof Phil Goodwin from Bristol Uni, published in mid-April 2013.
Get involved.

Monday 5 November 2012

Hill climb blues

Greg LeMond once said about cycling that "It never gets easier; you just go faster." For me that quote encapsulates much of what cycling is about for everyone from Tour de France winners to the semi-serious club rider.
You do not have to be a cyclist to understand that cycling for more than say, 30-40 miles, is about endurance, effort and, occasionally, pain.
As you strain every sinew to grind your way to the top of a steep incline, you can be forgiven for thinking that you never want to see your bike again.  Wishing you could be spirited away to the top of the climb or placed in some nearby tea shop in the company of a steaming brew and a cherry scone.


Granny ring ahead
Of course, this doesn't happen as you select your lowest gear and try to maintain forward momentum.
But gradually, you get stronger and fitter.  Hills which you used to suffer on now roll beneath you and go unnoticed.  It's still hard, you still have to apply pressure to your pedals to get there, but you are going and, more importantly, going faster.
Soon you begin to understand that everyone else you are riding with is in the same boat: everyone is suffering on the climbs it's just that some suffer at a higher pace.
That everyone suffers provides excellent encouragement to the club rider: not in any schadenfreude way but knowing you are not alone can be a welcome tonic.
There's a good article on riding hills on this blog if you're interested. 

Saturday 3 November 2012

£1.2m for new bike infrastructure in Salford

It's been a few years since the famous libeiterian politician Norman Tebbit helpfully suggested that the 4 million unemployed people his government presided over should get on their bikes and find a job - just like his dad did.
Bless. This is not the place to explore the siesmic economic shifts which were applied to Britain in the early 80s and analyse whether the ownership of a bicycle would have helped a metal basher from Birmingham get a job in a call centre.
5 bees, two lions and a ship - Salford's coat of arms
But, the unusual thing is, is that this thinking has just re-emerged, in Salford.
Now, I don't suggest for a minute that Salford City Council has adopted Tebbit's view that unemployed people are all lazy scumbags and they could get a job if they pulled their collective fingers out.  Rather Salford Council's announcement this week that it is to spend £1.2m on cycling infrastructure to '...help local people access jobs...' should be seen as a progressive step in trying to get more people to cycle sensible distances to major centres of employment.
£1.2m doesn't sound like a game-changing amount of money for Salford but the more politicians recognise the value of and logical argument of the bicycle, the better for all of us.
The list of works includes:

  • A 1.8km two way, off road cycle route along the A5063 Broadway, the main traffic route to the Quays, and improvements to its junction with South Langworthy Road. 
  • A cycle route from the University of Salford to Salford Quays, which links in with £10m worth of traffic calming schemes on the A6, and runs along Trafford Road to link up with Broadway. 
  • A shared pedestrian/cycle path along Regent Road, which is currently unpopular with cyclists due to heavy traffic, and improved cycle routes along Langworthy Road and Weaste Lane which will also link with Broadway. 
  • Alongside this the Council aims to improve cycling along the River Irwell to the north of the University of Salford in a bid to take up to 1000 car journeys a day off the roads. 
  • Improvements will be carried out to bridges, junctions, signs and crossings along the route as well as creating a path to be shared by cyclists and pedestrians between Woden Street and Fairbrother St, Ordsall. Irwell River Park will also become part of the National Cycle Network as route NCN 556 and will link Salford Quays to Salford Central Station, Salford University, the A6 Chapel St and new developments at Salford Central and Greengate. 

Friday 2 November 2012

South Manchester Cycling Reporter

It's amazing how often cycling features in the South Manchester Reporter.
As highlighted in an earlier post, one of the members of Chorlton Velo - Kiwi Chris - recently had his trusty steed stolen from outside of the Tesco on Barlow Moor Road at 8am on Sunday morning.
The South Manchester Reporter has this week given Chris a quarter of a page on his quest to get his bike back.
Chris, his bike and some bananas
Yes, this is a great story for a local newspaper: expensive bike, trusting punter and an element of humour - Chris was in the shop to buy a banana for the club run.
They say that 'there's no such thing as bad publicity' so let's hope it helps Chris get his wheels back.
I have it on good authority that articles about cycling in the South Manchester Reporter and the Manchester Evening news regularly get masses of hits on the website.
Further evidence then that cycling has now moved far beyond a marginal interest activity.
Indeed, our sport is more popular than ever and it is only where it collides with the non-cycling world that it gets too painful.  Apart from riding uphill into a headwind of course.
Ride safe.

Thursday 1 November 2012

Route 62 - South Manchester

Route 62 of the Sustrans National Cycle network links Lancashire with North Yorkshire and, in the process takes in some of the more pleasant environs of Greater Manchester.
The part I'm most familiar with is the section which follows the Mersey Valley along its meandering course in-between the river's source in Stockport and the place where the same course is obliterated by the Manchester Ship Canal somewhere beyond Carrington Moss.
The route is well signposted and, in the main, is bike friendly with only a few obstacles in the way for you to negotiate.
The main issue with this section though is that it is very much a shared surface.  While it may not be a problem for many cyclists to share the path with joggers, horses, dogs and push-chairs, it's not really conducive to the continuity of riding you might be after. 
That said, it's a lovely place to visit with loads of wildlife to spot too - you can even get a pint at Jackson's Bridge if you like.
I can imagine hat riding the length of this route would be a great thing to do - maybe this is one for the spring?