New year, same rain

It's amazing how quickly your fitness evaporates when you don't do much riding isn't it? 
Having not ridden my bike since before Christmas - happy new year by the way dear reader - I was back on my trusty steed this morning fresh after a winter overhaul.
New chain, cassette and wheels in place, it was great to be back on two wheels but far too hard for my liking!

Get cape, wear cape, ride

It's lashing down now too - welcome back to the world of cycling in the UK's north west in January...

Autumn - getting the difficult cycling clothing choice right

Summer is most certainly leaving us with a bang rather than a whimper this year. 6.45 this morning was bloody cold in Manchester - I was glad to have opted for the warming values of a semi-fleece as I rode to work. 
There was brilliant sunshine though too - low in the sky so I had to shield my eyes. It looked very moody as I rode through the hanging mist with dew dropping off the trees - very picture postcard it was too.

So, while I was congratulating myself at my choice of attire, I was met with a vision of insanity coming toward me. Bloke, mountain bike, trainers (trainees), running shorts circa 1983 and vest. Not a running vest mind, a cotton vest. Pale blue ribbed for extra discomfort.
This unusually clad guy cut a bizarre and red raw figure as he pushed himself along. Unless this chap was mentally infirm, then you do wonder how on earth he managed to make those sartorial decisions. And if he is mentally infirm, then who's looking after him?
Poor sod, I thought as I rode on.
Ride safe

Knock, knock, knockin'...

It's been about a decade since it last happened but last night on my relatively innocuous ride home I managed to get the knock and it was a pretty awful experience let me tell you.
The knock - aka the bonk or hitting the wall if you're a joggist - is caused when you use up your stores of glycogen in your muscles and liver and begin the process of burning sugar in your blood to fuel your ride. This depletes pretty quickly leaving you in a semi-hallucinatory jellified state dreaming of home.

Froome mid-knock dans le tour

My ride started in good style climbing up out of Uppermill and to the summit of Huddersfield Road. It was here that it both literally and metaphorically went down hill.
Weak doesn't event come into it as I freewheeled down to the shop in Middlebrook and re-fueled with a can of pop and a double-decker. I eventually came round enough to get back on and struggle the final 16 miles home.
It was slow going and even managed to get dropped by some hipster guy on a sit-up-and-beg pushing the pedals with the arches of his feet - grim.
I arrived home white as a sheet and quivering.
The moral of the story? Eat breakfast and don't try a fuel your ride on grapes alone.
Ride safe.

Winter? Pah!

It's May and it's beautiful outside. Still a bit chilly first thing in the morning with that weird cold air / warm sun arrangement. Makes it difficult to know exactly what to wear.
One thing's for sue is that the overshoes, snood, thermal tights have been abandoned to the bottom of the 'drobe for another year. Yes, spring is finally here.
As it turns out, winter wasn't as bad for cycling as you'd expect. According to this piece on BikeBiz from the cycle to work alliance [whoever they are] cycling commuter numbers were actually up year on year to 'unprecedented' levels.
They reckon they have the evidence for it but, call me a cynical old fool, sounds like a bit of PR puffery for the alliance members to me - most of whom are bike retailers.

I mean, how would they know, really know, that 20 per cent more people cycled to work this winter over last? And this is on top of a 9 per cent growth reported the previous year.
Logistically, it's just impossible to understand behavior in that detail in my humble view. 
Ah, but its based on statistics, probabilities extrapolated to provide an answer within a margin of error either way. Well, maybe, but I'd like to see a bit of the data behind the headline before I start believing everything I read. 

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.

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.

Manchester Bike Hub is go!

So, the hotly anticipated Bike Hub cycle parking facility has received its official launch and it has now become clear how much cycling infrastructure you can get for half a million quid.
What you get is 200, bike spaces, lockers for some users, showers and an Edinburgh Bike Co-Op outlet.
The facility which is in the basement of City Tower in Piccadilly Gardens, will be open from 6am to 8pm and will cost users £100 or £200 per year for membership.
While I think that any investment in cycling facilities is a good thing and should be applauded, you do have to ask yourself if this will really encourage new people to take to the road and commute to town on their bikes.

Presumably the on-foot exit/entrance 

After all, this is what this facility is all about: getting more people to ride bikes to work.
Consultation was undertaken last year on this infrastructure which I remember responding to.  It was a classic case of consulting on a pre-agreed plan as what we've ended up with here is pretty much what was described by the questions of the consultation.
So: card access, mechanical advice on-site, showers and undercover spaces is what it's all about.
There may be a little bit of 'build it and they will come' about the Bike Hub but at least it is there and we can see if it does have an effect.  Will more people take to the streets or does it just offer an alternative for existing cyclists?
It'll be interesting to see how well this small step works out when it opens properly on November 12th. 

Lighting up time

One day last week on the daily commute home I cruised past this chap on a mountain bike. Wearing jeans, trainers and a sports-casual jacket (him, not me), my first thought was 'good on him, the more people on bikes we have the better.' This was immediately followed with the thought: 'do yourself a favour pal and get yourself some lights.'
I've had mine on my bike for a couple of weeks now but with the clocks going back on Sunday, there'll be a good few sets of lights dusted off this weekend.
It's a rather depressing thought that we'll have to wait until the end of February for it to be light at 6pm again.  But if you want cheering up, it's only eight weeks until the winter solstice and the days start lengthening.
I use three lights: one rear, two front. Lighting technology has come on leaps and bounds over the last decade or so with the development of LED technology.
I've always really rated Cateye lights as , apart from anything, you can but replacement brackets and the like rather than having to buy a whole new light because a plastic clip breaks.
You really do get what you pay for with lights and, with that in mind, I pepped up my front luminosity with a Moon 500.  It's a neat little unit which charges via a USB and it's bright.

The light of a silvery moon

While the high viz top may be de rigueur among certain parts of the cycling community, I think they are a option, while a decent set of lights are an absolute must.
So, if you're going out riding this weekend, go and treat yourself to some lights first.  It's nearly Christmas after all!
Ride safe

What's in the bag?

Among all the important questions facing the cycling commuter is the one about how you are going to transport your stuff to and from work.
Over the years I've tried various different options including every rack / pannier configuration you can imagine, ruck sacks of varying sizes and even a over-the-shoulder newspaper style bag which was disastrous.
I find panniers a pain, as your bike end up out of balance.
Finding something that works for you is a matter of trial and error but I'm happy to pass on a few tips which might make it a bit easier for you.

Busy day in the office

• Leave your lock where you lock your bike: it's probably the heaviest thing you'll carry so don't take it on a tour unnecessarily, it has no interest in sightseeing.
• Travel light: only carry what you really need. Pour moi: shirt, socks, trollies, keys, wallet, phone.
• Find space for a puncture kit, pump and some tyre levers.
• Be careful with food: Yoghurts and nectarines are both a disaster waiting to happen.
• Zip it: loads of bags have zips these days which are good for keeping your stuff inside.
• Keeping dry: if you don't have an outer cover for the bag, put your stuff in a plastic bag to keep all the rain out.
• Being seen: Many people opt for those day glow HUMP things. Me no like. Get something with reflective fabric if you want, but most importantly, have decent lights on your bike.
• Smaller is always better.  The bigger your bag, the more stuff you'll carry.

So there you go, hope it was of use!

Just 2% of people in Manchester cycle five times per week

At least that's what this research form the Department for Transport says.  Although based on a sample of just 500, its likely to be statistically accurate.

Courtesy of The Guardian. Fortunately not a party political map 

It really goes to show the huge cultural shift that is required in the county to get that figure closer to the high figures recorded in other places - in Holland 59% of journeys in cities are done by bike.
Let's face it, Holland can be pretty bleak in terms of its weather as anyone who's been to Amsterdam in the winter will know.  Yes they have much better infrastructure for bikes, but the real difference, the thing that makes people take bikes out, is that cycling is engrained into their culture: kids ride to school, parents ride to work and elderly people ride to tulip arranging classes.
The encouraging lesson is that there is no fixed reason why Britain cant do better - look at Cambridge's figures for example. After all, if you go back to the 1950s, many more journeys were made by bike right here in Blightly.
Let's hope the wonderful year of cycling we've had so far, boosts these figures by the next time they're done.
The Guardian has produced a lovely map of the data which you can find here

Look, pedals

One of the first things that happens to anyone who has used one of the various forms of clipless pedals is a moment of sheer terror. One moment you'll be happily cycling along when up ahead the lights will change to red.
'Ah ha, no problem' you'll think. A bit of brake, avoid the pothole: Bob's your uncle and Fanny might well be your aunt.
Then, with your speed at around half a metre per second, the sudden panic sets in as you realise you're still attached to your bike by your feet.
Frantic pulling ensues before you finally remember to twist your heel. Your foot pops out and you stabilise yourself about 1/10,000 of a second before you would have fallen over to the sound of an imaginary swanee whistle, making everyone at the bus stop opposite smirk.
Fortunately you learn this lesson PDQ and your clipless pedals soon become a close friend.
I recount this lesson as I've recently switched to using Look pedals for the very first time and I confess, I'm struggling to adjust a bit.

Like a decadent night club: lovely but a bugger to get into

I've always used SPDs, even on road bikes. Probably because I rode a mountain bike for years, I just really get on with SPDs.
While I haven't come close to toppling over with the Look pedals, I find them much more difficult to clip in rather than clip out.
So, while with SPDs from a standing start, you are just up and away, the amount of faffing around you have to do at 3mph trying to get the Look pedal and plate to the right position is a bit of a pain in the arse I'm afraid to say.
Obviously, I need to persevere and I'm sure I'll get my technique down in due course. But it's particularly important when cycling through traffic to get out in front of cars from the lights - make them see you and all that jazz.
This is quite tricky to achieve when your trying to marry two components which are necessarily invisible to you.
The resulting pedalling with the arch of one of your feet is ungainly and not especially effective.
I'm sure I'll get better at it in due course.

Free cycling training in Manchester

Hats off to the people over at Bike Right on Ashton New Road who are giving away free bike training to commuters.
The fear of the roads is a huge barrier to increasing cycling for commuting or pootling to the shops - journeys which could easily be done by bike.
Training has to be one of the central tenants of any effort to get more people on two wheels along with better infrastructure and some dry weather.

A dead rainbow, yesterday

There is a positive to all the rain we have here - it has rained every day in Manchester since February 26th 1982 - it enables you to spot obstacles in the road more easily in two distinct ways.
Potholes become more easily identified as they fill up with water and diesel spills (known by children as dead rainbows) reveal themselves in all their colourful slippery grandeur.
So, I'm trying to be positive about the rain as it is the only course of action really.

Steel fork failure

If you are reading this post because the title has recently happened to your bike, then I really hope you are OK.
I'm posting this as a lesson, to myself and to anybody else who's interested.
Having not come off my bike for four years, I've now had three spills this year; two of which happened within 6 weeks of each other. My most recent bike accident (see 8 Aug 2012) was as a result of a catastrophic failure of the steel forks on my bike.
It was a pretty horrible experience all round: riding along in the sunshine one minute, then out cold with blood coming out of my head the next.  Throw in some short term memory loss and this was one of the worst spills I've ever had.  Fortunately I was in the bit of bike like which crosses the Mancunian Way above Chester Road underpass and so not on the road. It could have been much, much worse though so I do consider myself to be lucky.

For forks' sake! New two-piece fork system

Having had a good look at the forks it's clear that the weld failed on one side of the steerer tube inside the fork crown - to the right side of the holes which take the break calliper bolt - leaving the opposite side very vulnerable to lateral movement.
Probably just too many years of riding on the superbly surfaced British roads for them.
Anyways, I'm mostly healed now and was finally able to whizz them out and measure the steerer tube so I can order some new ones.  So it should be up and running again before you can say antidisestablishmentarianism. 

GPS cycling tracker experiment in Manchester

There are a whole host of smart phone apps and other widgets which track your routes and provide you with a whole host of data relating to your ride.
I've used a few of them over the years and have just decided to give Strava a go.
First impressions are that it's really good: easy to use, has lots of little bits and bobs to keep you interested in using it and, up to now, has worked for the duration of my rides.
Admittedly I've only used it on my daily commute so far, so it remains to be seen how it will respond to a longer ride.

Yes, that's a full 23 meters of climbing

The two main problems I've had in the past with other GPS trackers are: it draining the battery before I've finished the ride and the GPS dropping out leaving you with an incomplete or inaccurate reading.
But, so far so good for Strava.
Apparently I can add the routes to this blog which I'll do in due course - presuming, that is, that I keep on using it.
I'm using the free version at the moment so don't have all the whistles and bells.  That costs $59 per year - love you long time.
Ride safe.

Undercover

I count myself a as rather fortunate when it comes to parking my bike at work.  For years I had to leave my bike locked on the streets of Manchester City Centre, open to the elements and in the eyes of ne'er-do-wells.
A couple of years ago the inevitable happened and I had my bike nicked.
It was a really nice Cannondale and was, at the time, the first brand new bike I'd ever owned.
Even back to my royal blue Raleigh Grifter, I've always had second hand [pre-loved in current parlance] bikes.
So I was gutted to find my lock attached to a Sheffield stand with no corresponding bike.  The thing is, whoever took it must have cut through the rear triangle to get it free - buggerists.
So, following that episode, I made it my mission to seek out alternative accommodation and I found some under my feet.
My pride and joy now resides, safely I hope, in the basement car park of my work building.  I even have a rag and some GT85 next to it to give it a bit of a once over when it rains - which is every day.
I recently spotted some very enlightened staff bike parking which consisted of a perspex dome with coded entry and everything.
It so important to keep you bike out of the elements for extended periods, particularly when the roads have been gritted [September - May  in some parts of Greater Manchester].
Have a look at some of the bikes which are kept outside the next time you're walking around and check out the spectrum of chain colours - silver, black through to the full rust orange experience.

Ride safe