Bike Culture

You may have noticed that I’ve changed the header image for this blog. Alternatively, you might be a first time visitor here, and you’re just wondering where the exit sign is. Whatever. Anyway, here’s  your chance to prove that you’re super knowledgeable about all things two-wheeled. The five little sketches of bikes up there are actually...
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I never could ride a skateboard. First of all, during the first skateboarding explosion in the UK in the mid-70’s, my parents wouldn’t let me have one because they were “too dangerous”. They may have had a point though - I next tried skateboarding in 1990, landing cripplingly well on my left hip. Not...
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. . . but you’ve gotta love them for it, the scamps! This video is via The Messenger of Doom, and features a bunch of guys and girls getting together for a bit of bike fun & racing. Not someone’s-gonna-die alleycat racing. But not quite as sensible & organised as some events I’ve been on...
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This is a totally shameless plug for someone who’s just left a comment here. David Hembrow’s got some great writing on cycle culture & safety, and is also a maker of beautiful traditional English willow baskets for bikes. These really look the bee’s knees - so much so that now I’m wondering about having...
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Our local council has tried to do the right thing for cyclists. They spent some money & put in quite a lot of effort to uncover & re-surface the old railway lines (”Waggonways”) that crisscross the area. These make for excellent cycling surfaces, being as they’re all pretty flat. BUT The council also fell into the...
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Yesterday I mentioned Billy Connolly’s bicycle joke, which seemed particularly relevant after seeing this German bike-promoting advert on Copenhagenize. Somehow, I just couldn’t find any actual footage of the scene on the Michael Parkinson show. And that was a little annoying - I thought you could find anything on the Internet. SO I tried a...
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I came across this on Copenhagenize, and just had to show it here, ‘cos it reminded me of a gag told by my favourite comedian, Billy Connolly (who just happens to be a bit of a cyclist too).You can see the video after the joke, because by then, you’ll have guessed what the film’s...
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Omigosh! A real bicycle race . . . coming right past our front door! An ideal way to spend half an hour - waiting in the drizzle to see over a hundred bikes come whizzing past in a little over two minutes. Actually, it was great fun - mugs of tea & a chance to...
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So here’s where I am with the Pashley tandem I bought a few weeks ago. As I write this, it’s components are in a small box. In front of that is the frame - stripped of everything except the head tube badge. Over the weekend, I’m going to strip the paint and clean up...
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I came across these this weekend, while I was supposed to be researching for an article I’ve got to get submitted by Friday. Oh, the seductive lure of the internet! First up, we have Freemans Cycles - a UK-based, family-run bike shop that’s been going since 1890.  I found them because I was looking for...
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