Environment

You wouldn’t believe the number of reasons that people dream up for not cycling, and staying instead in their nice, expensive, gas-guzzling, planet-wrecking, antisocial, unsafe cars. Via the Bike Darlington Blog, I came across this new research from Cycle England: Two thirds (64%) of women say they never cycle and just 2% cycle every day...
Read more »

I guess I’m just one of those guys who likes to jump on a bandwagon. I’d probably make a great political leader - see which way my people are headed, and then rush after them so that I can lead ‘em. Anyway. This thing about bike helmets. Everyone else is posting about it (like here, here,...
Read more »

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...
Read more »

I’ve heard from several places that cyclists, out in the open air of our cities, are actually exposed to fewer chemical nasties than drivers of cars. It sounds a little counter-intuitive, when you think about the clouds of exhaust gasses we ride through, while drivers have their windows shut and the aircon keeping them...
Read more »

Yesterday the weather was forecast to be mostly good, and I had a meeting scheduled with a client that my SatNav said was only 36 miles away by bike. Hmmm . . . with fuel prices now at £1.30 a litre (that’s $9.60 for a US gallon) (So all you in the USA...
Read more »

I was at a training workshop today on the other side of Gateshead. For once I was in the audience (throwing soft fruit, insults, etc), and I had a few items to pick up on the way home . . . But Gateshead’s still within 15 miles of home, so I just had to...
Read more »

I think I’m going to end up being late for my own funeral. After this morning’s training, I’d left lots of time to get showered, changed, pack my bag with a change of clothes, and head off to my meeting this morning on Wilf, taking it as a nice leisurely ride. But there’s obviously something...
Read more »

Are we addicted to oil? Are you? Am I? First there was a post on the excellent Bike Hugger blog, featuring a picture of a Local Bike Shop’s novel advertising banner (reproduced, left - click through to read their original post), and then quickrelease.tv just posted this analysis from Canada of the true $cost of...
Read more »

The weather forecast for tomorrow is for snow. We won’t get much here (the sea keeps us nice and ‘warm’, but that’s a strictly relative term), and although I don’t mind riding on snowy roads, you do have to take things carefully. So any training session would end up being more about spending time...
Read more »

Help - this is getting ridiculous! Our local TV news ran a piece based on my YouTube video about the shortest bike lane in the country. Apparently I’m now “cycling groups in Gateshead”,  and to protect me from being mobbed / rising up like an angry mob...
Read more »