Before we begin, a jolly big “well done” to all of you who entered last week’s contest. The clear winner was Tlatet, who correctly identified that this was an escaped maths lecturer from the Open University. But most of the rest of you did really quite well, so you have permission to go for...
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There’s no doubt about it, the car industry is very successful at marketing. It sells us a dream of driving along the open road… The Dream: The Reality: The Alternate Reality (do watch this one ’till the end!): They tell us about the sporty playfulness to be had in towns and cities: The Dream: The Reality: The Alternate Reality: The tell...
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First there was this on the front page of The Independent last April: Then today, this in The Times (do visit their page and sign up): So now we eagerly wait to see if the other opinion-forming newspapers will fall into line. Rumour has it that The Daily Mail will be next - here’s an advanced...
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Yesterday there was a whole lot of twitterings about this Ross Lydall article. It’s all about how a lorry driver got off scott free after running over a cyclist. James Moor suffered horrific injuries after Nigel Gummer turned his lorry left across Moor’s path, dragging him under the vehicle: ‘Mr Moore had been riding on...
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First up, a big “well done” to everyone who entered our last competition. Sadly it was too hard to pick a single winner, so you all have permission to go out for a Jolly Nice Ride this weekend. Take some sandwiches, pack your Thermos, and make sure you’re all back in time for tea,...
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…after this dramatic footage of a child abduction was released by kidnappers: As you can see, the plucky kid makes a break for it at 1:30, but was brought down by the pack of Lycra-clad snatchers. The kidnappers have issued their demands: “We want some great carbon wheels, ceramic bearings (’cos, they totally make a difference), the...
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I was in New York in the summer of 2005, and one morning found myself in a bookshop flicking through a book of photos of bikes left locked up on the city’s streets. It showed their decline over time from usable transport, to components, to scrap metal. It was depressing, yet fascinating stuff. Anyway, someone’s...
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When I was 18, the woman who’s now Wife gave me one of those leather thong bracelet things. I wore it ’till it started to fall apart, and for the last few years its remains were used as my key ring. Unfortunately, it’s now completely disintegrating, so I’ve made a new key ring. Like the...
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No - not this kind of dead frog, though it does look like an ideal isotonic, carbohydrate-based drink for after a long (or short) ride… No - I mean my Knog Frog Strobe. I was given a red one last autumn, and thought that paired with a white one for the front, it’d be ideal...
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Just too funny - The Shit Cyclists Say, via peopleforbikes.org:
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Man it was cold this evening! I was forced (literally forced) to wear some extra, technical garments to keep warm: A “fleece” under my jacket. This is a bit like a jumper, but made of some sort of man-made fibre. The wonders of modern technology. A hat AND a scarf Gloves. These were my Aldi specials, but...
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Apparently, he was riding a bike and struck from behind by a pickup truck. It seems that he wasn’t wearing a helmet, and as one observer commented, “If Gene Hackman had been wearing a helmet he would be alive today…” Bicycle helmets are well-known for their magical properties in deflecting several tons of fast-moving metal. But...
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There’s something beautiful about a tandem. The way the captain & stoker’s legs are in sync… Heck - even politicians have to agree & work together to keep things moving forward… There have been some improvements in tandem technology over the years. This has led to increased power… … and miniaturisation: BUT. This particular rider is freaking...
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This blog post starts out quite sensibly, but persevere - there’s some silliness at the end… Some people are still obsessed with the weight of their bikes. I reckon it costs between 50p and £1 per gramme to lighten a bike. For example, with road bikes… Giant Defy 4 ‘12 - £600, and 10.22kg Giant Defy 2 -...
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Remember my favourite cycle path on the route into Newcastle? How could one possibly improve on this? It needs more chutzpah, more pizzazz. In an ideal world, we’d get out our blue paint, and make it look like a Proper Piece Of Cycle Infrastructure. But we didn’t have any blue paint with us last night. So...
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Yep - Electric cars are here to save us all. And to celebrate, we have a picture of one for you to caption. Apparently this driver, “…was involved in an accident at a nearby intersection. For some reason, the driver was unable to control the speed of the car, crossed the substation property, went airborne...
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I was at one of those breakfast networking meetings this morning, and got chatting to a woman who’s got some money to spend on the Bike To Work scheme. She lives about a five minute drive from work, and is looking for a bike that’s: Well within the Bike to Work price range. That probably...
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You know that McCracken’s First Law applies: The strength of the headwind is directly proportional to how late you are. If you try to cheat, by grabbing a quicker, sleeker, lighter bike (reasoning that you’ll easily make up the time required to get changed at the other end), McCracken’s Second Law comes into play: The probability of...
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No - it’s not been stolen. This is just a little game for anyone around Tyneside. All you have to do is correctly identify these locations I visited yesterday. There’s a prize of course - you’ll get to feel smug about your local knowledge. We’ll start with an easy pair: Too easy for you? How about...
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Nope. I’ve watched this twice now, and the only word that pops into my head is “crazy”: Hat Tip to @theconchdotcom on that Twitter for this one.
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That would be one explanation for this. Or maybe that this cycle path is constructed directly over a mine shaft. Or a ley-line?: Alternatively, maybe the contract for the path was awarded to the lowest bidder, who then decided that a proper foundation was just an expensive luxury. And no - your eyes do not deceive...
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