I've got a Bike

London Skyride(s)

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:36:06 +0100

Last month I went on the 2009 London Skyride.

As I’ve attended the two previous (and more sensibly named) Freewheels it’s fairly easy to draw comparisons between them each year.

This year’s event was busier than before - much busier.

So much so that after doing two loops and being stuck in several “bicycle-jams” we all said we might not bother going again the next year.

Personally I am torn - I love the Freewheel/Skyride but at times on the day it was so busy I’d just wished I was somewhere else.

We talked between us afterwards about ways to limit the numbers but all of our ideas went against the spirit of the day - and It’s likely that next year’s event will be even busier if this year is anything to go by.

A few weeks before I’d been on the Skyride Hounslow - it hadn’t been very busy at all - just a fun day out much like the first and second Freewheels that I went to.

Maybe that’s the answer - lots of smaller local rides rather than one big event.

I’ll think twice about doing next year’s central London Skyride - but will definitely be doing any local ones (well, as long as they’re local to me!).

Plus, the Hounslow Skyride was nice and rural…

London Freewheel (2008)

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:30:00 +0100

So, it was the 2008 London Freewheel last Sunday.

There were engineering works from my local station so we started the day with a 3 mile ride to the nearest station.
It was a bit misty and chilly when we left the house which made for quite a pleasant start to the day. It reminded me of commuting to work (and made me wish I didn’t work so far away at the moment).

At last year’s Freewheel I’d not taken enough photos so this time I came equipped.
I brought two cameras, one around my neck on a lanyard and one attached to my bike.
The details of how I attached the camera to the bike are worthy of a separate post (and some photos) so for now I’ll just summarise it as a “Bike Tripod”.

We managed two laps (around 8 miles per lap) before giving up in exhaustion (I managed only one lap last year so there’s clearly a pattern here).

Anyway, as with the year before, we had loads of fun - missed the free sandwiches though!

And here are some of the photos I took.

Shortcuts

Wed, 21 May 2008 17:18:00 +0100

Just worked out a great shortcut to Richmond Park that doesn’t involve any major roads or (more importantly) going up Richmond Hill.
It means I end up in the lower part of the park - if I want to go to the high part I still have to go uphill at some point - but it’s a short steep (pushable) slope instead of a long slow slog.

I don’t mind hills usually, but I’ve not ridden for a while and just don’t have the energy - I’d be knackered and ready to go home before I even reached the park gates.

That’s one of the nice things about bikes, without the constraints of staying on roads; there’s always another way to where you want to go.

Quiet around here

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:39:00 +0000

I have not been posting lately as I have not been cycling lately.

I have a wrist injury so I have been unable to ride, and still can’t use the bike for a while yet.
I’m not being a wimp because of the weather, honest!

Also, I am leaving my job soon and don’t know yet where I will be working, so commuting to work by bike may be off the menu for a while too.

In the meantime, here is a photo I took while riding my bike in Richmond Park a few months back.

Can’t wait to get back on the bike!

Do I look like a cyclist in this?

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 23:30:00 +0000

As I only started riding to work at the tail end of summer I’ve had to start thinking about cold weather clothing almost immediately.

As noted previously I own some tops and have bought some shorts.
I’ve also since bought 3/4 length shorts which cover the knees (strangely enough I don’t seem to mind my calves getting cold) - these have been very good since the mornings started to get really chilly.

Since getting and wearing all this gear, I’d had this growing feeling that I’d been unable to put into words - then I was chatting about keeping warm when cycling in winter to a friend recently who said something like “You can keep warm but you have to dress a lot dorkier”.
That was it, I was dressing like a dork!

Now I’m certainly not part of the day-glow lycra crowd, but I still look unmistakably like a cyclist (and not just because I’m on a bike!).
Even if I remove my helmet and sunglasses and stand away from my bike I still look like a cyclist.
And so, I also look just that little bit silly.

Now it’s OK to look like a bit silly when I am on or near my bike. But as soon as I am away from my bike I really start to stand out like a sore thumb.
I tend to want to change clothes at that point, so I usually do.

The thing is, realising this has been a revelation.
I used to worry about combining certain items of clothing (all in the name of keeping warm of course) and ask my girlfriend “Do I look OK in this?”.

Now, I no longer worry, I just ask “Do I look like a cyclist in this?” and as long as the answer is “Yes”, I’m set.

Telling people that you cycle to work

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 00:09:00 +0000

When I tell people (specifically, non-cyclists) that I ride to work I’ve noticed that I get a fairly common reaction from them.

They usually look at me as if I was mad.
Then I go on to explain my route and point out how most of it involves riding along quiet back streets and by the Thames and the initial “you’re mad” look fades away and they wistfully say something like “That sounds really nice”.

Of course, some still think I am mad.

Before I considered cycling to work I wondered how to do it whilst avoiding the two fast dual carriageways linking my home and my office.
Luckily the <a href=”http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cycling”>free maps I got from TFL</a> are excellent and showed me some great routes.
Without them I may never have considered riding to work as I was (and still am) put off by the speed and amount of traffic on the main roads mentioned above.

I wonder how many more people would ride to work if only they knew how feasible it was.

I shall ride to work!

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 23:12:00 +0100

Confession time, I’ve not ridden to work in almost two weeks (gulp). A combination of wet weather (I lack wet weather gear and mudguards), going out after work, days off and a bad back have scuppered any bike commuting plans.

But tomorrow will be different.
The weather is going to be dry (it’s also going to be chilly, but that doesn’t massively bother me) and I’m fighting fit and ready to ride!

I’d noted before how energised I felt at work after riding in, and I’ve missed that buzz when I’ve travelled in on the tube.

That buzz will return though, for tomorrow I won’t be hanging around the station having just missed my tube home. These things don’t bother the bike commuter. Oh no.

Tomorrow it will be different.

I shall ride to work!

Assuming I can get out of bed on time, you know, with these cold mornings and my back and all.

Sweet ride

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 20:46:00 +0100

This morning’s ride in to work was one of those where everything went just right.

The weather was perfect for cycling, cool but not too chilly.
There were some lovely views of the sun rising over the Thames through the mist.
Traffic was nice and light so I got to ride all the bits where I normally get off and push as it’s too busy.
I even managed to tailgate my way into the carpark at work thereby saving a faff with the security gate.
And I somehow shaved 10 minutes off my time too, I must be getting faster!

I feel energised!

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 18:37:00 +0100

One of the reasons I wanted to cycle to work was to do some sort of regular exercise. I anticipated that if I did it regularly I’d feel a bit healthier and possibly even lose a bit of weight.
Those are all medium-term goals things though, in the short-term I didn’t expect to feel anything other than knackered.

And it’s true, on the first ride in to work I did feel quite knackered.

So, I naturally assumed that as long as I kept it up I’d slowly (and painfully no doubt) move from knackeredness to healthiness.

But what I actually found was that I also felt really energised at work whenever I rode in.
I don’t know if this feeling will go away as I get fitter (I win either way though) but right now it’s proving to be a nice bonus to all the other advantages.

Switching to slicks

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 16:50:00 +0100

Ever since I started riding to work I have been planning to replace my chunky mountain bike tyres with slick tyres.

The main advantage of switching to slicks is that they are more efficient so you go faster. The downside is that they aren’t so good on rough terrain - although I’ve not tried yet so don’t know how bad they actually are.
They look like they will give less grip as they are a lot smoother but according to Sheldon Brown, that’s a myth.

So, I bought the Schwalbe City Jet Tyres from Wiggle.

As I was doing the London Freewheel on the Sunday I planned to spend the Saturday before fitting them.
Note; I didn’t plan to spend the entire day fitting them…

It should have been simple enough but it turned into a bit of a nightmare.

The first problem was that almost immediately my tyre lever snapped.

So I had to go to the LBS to buy some new tyre levers - with these I eventually got the tyre back on, then started on the rear tyre.
I managed to get this done - it was quite a struggle at times as the tyres were brand new so required a lot of brute force to get them on and off.
Once this was done I picked up both tyres to reattach them to the frame - only to discover the front tyre had gone flat - I had somehow managed to pinch the tyre with the tyre lever, damn!
So, I sat down, had a cry, then started on the front tyre again.

Once I had removed it I checked the tyre for a hole and eventually found two very small holes within an indentation mark that looks suspiciously like it had been left by my tyre lever. D’oh!
So I patched the hole, pumped it back up and refitted the tyre.
By now my hands were aching and I really hoped that was the end of it all.

Just in case I decided not to re-fit the tyre yet but to wait and see if my patch held. So, I left it for an hour or so.

After an hour or so I checked it and it was flat again!
Noooo!

Clearly my ham-fisted patching attempts were rubbish.
So, I decided to try a new inner tube or else I might be there all night (it was evening by then).

Well, third time’s a charm they say - and in this case it was true.
The new tyre stayed pumped up.
Woohoo!
I re-fitted the tyres and left the bike for a quick test ride in the morning.

The next morning the tyres were still pumped up and we set off for the London Freewheel.

London Freewheel

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 21:59:00 +0100

So, Sunday 23rd September was the day of the London Freewheel - an organised mass bike rally event in Central London.

As previously stated, this event was one of the reasons I bought a bike so there was no way I was going to miss it.

Some highlights of the day.

Spending the day with a group of really great friends - they even waited for me when I stopped on London Bridge to take some photos (I shot film so no photos to show yet)
The free sandwiches which were really quite good - still can’t see myself buying Hovis bread mind
The general sense of fun and smiles on everyone’s faces - I don’t think I saw a single cross face all day
Riding along the embankment with thousands of other cyclists, which was amazing exhilarating fun
Experiencing some extreme close quarter cycling at some of the choke points as it got very busy indeed
Ringing my bell (not a euphemism) when we went through the tunnels
Ice creams in Hyde Park after, would have preferred a beer mind
Riding over a traffic free Westminster Bridge on our way back to Waterloo Station for the train home

A truly excellent day, and I just hope they do it again next year.

Update: Got my photos back.

See more in my London Freewheel set on Flickr.

Further commutes

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:48:00 +0100

Two days after my first commute I did it again.

In the days between I had studied my maps and worked out some shortcuts. The second time around I managed to shave a whopping fifteen minutes off my first commute time. Get in!

My main route change involved cutting out the “scenic route” along the river and continuing along the pavement for another 5 minutes. I can still take the scenic route on the way home when I am in less of a hurry though. The other tweak involved avoiding most of the bad traffic around Barons Court by riding through a nearby park. So, a win-win then.
Having commuted by bike twice in my first week I wanted to do the same in the second week. Initially I planned to ride on the Monday morning but that weekend the weather turned and it was a lot chillier so I managed to talk myself out of it and went in on the tube instead.
After a crap day at work and a shit journey home on the tube I resolved to cycle in the next day no matter how I felt when I got up.
So, the next day I got up early and got ready to ride. It was still chilly out so I put on two long-sleeved layers - I don’t yet have any longer shorts that cover the knees so I wore my (secret!) lycra shorts under my normal shorts to keep me a bit warmer.
The initial shock of walking outside wearing shorts almost made me want to call it off, then I remembered my resolution and pressed ahead. Once I was a few minutes down the road it didn’t feel so chilly after all and within ten minutes I was nicely warmed up.

With my new shortcut route I did it in 40 minutes (starting to settle into a routine now) - which is still a tad slow but I can put about 10 minutes of that down to crossing roads and waiting at lights (I’ll probably be adding a cycle computer to my gear list soon as I am curious about my timings).

Once settled in at my desk at work I realised how much more energised I felt at work after riding in - the day before I’d felt lethargic and tired - but today I was buzzing with energy - I could get used to this feeling!

I’m now on my 4th commute in two weeks - I’ve not set any targets as such, but it’d be a shame to drop below two days a week now.
Weather looks warm next week though - might aim for 3 days.

My first commute

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:37:00 +0100

So, I had all the gear and had really run out of excuses to not ride to work. I had the maps, had done a test run of the route on a Sunday morning, and all the rain of July and August had gone away to make for perfect cycling weather.

The route

The most direct route between Richmond and Hammersmith involves two long straight roads that intersect about two thirds of the way there - unfortunately, one’s a 4-lane highway with a 40mph speed limit, and the other is a 6-lane highway, also with a 40mph speed limit. I was not ready to cycle on those kinds of roads yet (if ever).
But luckily I can cycle on the pavement (legally!) from the end of my street to Chiswick Bridge.
I then turn onto a quiet lane that hugs the curve of the Thames - it’s a scenic route both in that it’s very peaceful and in that it’s very much the long way around. That lane eventually turns into a mix of quiet back-streets and riverside paths that run along that narrow strip between the A4 and the Thames. This gets me as far as Hammersmith Bridge before I am on some more back-streets for the final stretch to my office which is just across the A4 (the 6-lane highway) from Barons Court tube.

Setting off

So, one September morning, around 8am, I set off for work on my bike. It was around 6 miles and I really had no idea how long it would take me. My main concern was how much busier the roads would be on a weekday morning than they were on my Sunday morning dry-run.

As it turned out it was fine until I got close to Barons Court station - that was when I met the tail end of some backed-up traffic. I didn’t feel comfortable passing the cars on the left as I’d be squashed up between them and a row of parked cars - and the stream of oncoming cars gave me no room to pass on the right too.

I’m really not comfortable in situations like this that demand high manoeuvrability at low speed - so I got off the bike and pushed it up the street. Once past the worst of the traffic outside Barons Court I got back on and waited at the lights to cross the A4. The rest of the route from there to the office was pretty straightforward.
Once at work I checked my watch - it had taken me an hour! Oops! Well, I guess my times can only improve from here!

After locking up my bike and changing (no showers at work unfortunately) I sat at my desk feeling quite knackered but with a massive sense of achievement.

I did it!

Joining the lycra set

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:15:00 +0100

So, I quickly found out that buying a bike and a helmet was just the start of my spending.
Let’s see, I also needed:

gloves
water bottle
water bottle cage
a lock
lights
a pump

and that’s just for starters - I was thinking of commuting to work so I also needed:

puncture repair kit
multi-tool
mini-pump or CO2 cartridges
spare inner tubes
a saddle-mounted bag to keep it all in

the final thing is clothing - luckily I already own some breathable tops, fleeces and shorts so at least I don’t have to buy those.

There’s just one more thing I need to complete my setup and that’s something I thought I’d never end up buying - that’s right - a pair of lycra cycling shorts. See, I’d always assumed cyclists wore lycra for two reasons - aerodynamics and posing. I wasn’t interested in either of those things, I’m not a poser, oh no sir, not me.

But what I didn’t know was that those lycra shorts were padded; and that padding sure makes for a comfy ride. And I can wear them under normal shorts so nobody need know I’m even wearing them - it can just be our little secret.
So, lycra shorts it is. Still can’t quite believe I joined the lycra set, but it’s a damn comfy set all the same.

Buying the bike

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:11:00 +0100

So, having decided to buy a mountain bike I then set about trying to get my hands on one.

We knew of a bike shop nearby so popped in there the following Saturday for a chat.

The chap there asked us what sort of things we wanted to do with the bikes and quickly whittled it down to a mountain bike. (hmmm, why hadn’t I just come in to the shop a month ago!).

He recommended a Cannondale F5 Disc for me - a pretty sweet bike - it even had disc brakes (well, I was impressed). For the missus he suggested a red Cannondale F6 - which she was pretty happy with.

The only problem for me was that I really didn’t like the blue and white colour scheme of the F5 - it also came in a very cool looking matte black but that wasn’t going to be available for 2 months and I really didn’t want to wait.

I asked to see some other bikes and he suggested an orange Kona Cinder Cone. What can I say, I like orange so I was sold.

I took it for a spin around the block - it was my first time on a bike in twenty years - but I needn’t have worried, it was like one of those things that you never forget how to do (I’m sure there must be a phrase for that!). So, I was happy, the size was right, the colour was right and the bike had two wheels that went round and stuff.

Choosing a bike

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:39:00 +0100

So, having decided to buy a bike, I then set about choosing one.

This mostly involved me bugging my bike-mad friends and learning about various types of bikes. In reality, I could have skipped all this nonsense, walked into a local bike shop (or LBS as those in the know call it) and said “I’d like to buy a bike please” and taken it from there. But I didn’t want to do that, I wanted to spend at least a month doing “research”.

I think at the back of my mind I may have been trying to make sure I really wanted a bike before I spent several hundred pounds on one. So, I continually asked my friends lots of daft questions and tried to wind my way through the minefield of contradictory opinions and half-facts that is the Internet.

The first thing to decide is what type of bike to get; it breaks down as follows:

Road bike Also known as a racing bike. Same as what your Tour de France rider uses - although theirs are considerably more expensive than the average thing you might buy in the shops of course. Very light and thin, but quite useless off-road apparently and I’m keen to ride some of the trails around Richmond Park and New Forest and places like that.

Mountain bike Chunky-frames, big knobbly tyres, t-bar handlebars - you can guess from the name that it’s designed for off-road but it performs reasonably well on-road too.

Hybrid/Commuter bike Sort of a compromise between the two. Closer to a Mountain bike than a Road bike in style - though not as rugged or heavy. It ended up being a toss-up between a Hybrid and a Mountain Bike as I definitely wanted to ride the trails in Richmond Park (I live nearby). I also had half a mind to cycle to work (a 6 mile trip each way).

After much umming and ahhing I decided on the mountain bike. Because the hybrid is a compromise I’m worried that I’d outgrow it pretty quickly and then want to get a mountain bike after all. So, I wanted to buy a mountain bike - that was easy enough!

Deciding to buy a bike

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:32:00 +0100

I’m really not sure what the exact trigger was for me in deciding to buy a bike. I’ve not owned or ridden a bike in 20 years so nobody could really describe me as a cycling fan. I can’t even remember the exact point I decided “I’m going to buy a bike”. It’s likely a combination of the following events and factors:

The Tour de France Grand Depart in London. I don’t remember the day itself making me want to buy a bike, but it did give me the impetus to start watching the Tour again on TV (I used to watch it back in my University days).

Following the Tour on TV Watching “le Grand Depart” in London gave me and my girlfriend the hook to follow the tour on TV. Watching the highlights each evening probably did give me the fledgling idea of buying a bike. Not that I had an urge to compete in the toughest annual sporting event in the World or anything like that.

London Freewheel Finding out about the London Freewheel was probably the match that lit the touchpaper that had been soaked in the oil from the seeds sewn by watching the Tour on TV. I have a vague feeling it was this that made me decide to buy a bike. I know I signed up for it before buying the bike - which shows I intented to buy a bike at that point.

So. I’d decided to buy a bike. Now to choose and buy one. Hey, how hard could that be?