tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10599030417825375602024-03-14T07:46:36.259+00:00UK MAMBO - Live or Die Trying<b>.....................A Slightly Tongue In Cheek Look At Middle Aged Cycling.....................</b>Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-50203348857364303182013-08-08T14:22:00.000+01:002013-08-09T13:59:51.361+01:00Proud to be a MAMIL. Part 1<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l00-GS-gAGQ/UgObKZr_sII/AAAAAAAAZq8/He-VHBRWYYs/s1600/mamil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l00-GS-gAGQ/UgObKZr_sII/AAAAAAAAZq8/He-VHBRWYYs/s400/mamil.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Edit: Having written a
large amount here without coming to a natural conclusion, I am making this into a series. You can't just write about MAMIL's without veering off in other directions to help fully justify or or further illustrate the concept.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I wrote some time back about what is a MAMIL (<a href="http://ukmambo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/what-is-mamil-exactly.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>). It was
a tongue in cheek look as to what a MAMIL is and what makes him what he is. It
blurred the boundaries as to what MAMIL’s are with those of cyclists in
general. In all honesty, after reading it back, I feel I have not been fair to
MAMIL’s (myself included) and in general it was a wide ranging moan at how
cyclists are perceived by non-cyclists (insert your own derogative term here).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This is not fair to MAMIL’s we are a breed apart from other “sub
cultures” within cycling. So I intend take a little to time to look at this
topic a little more seriously (though tongue in cheek will never be too far
from the surface – it’s a drug and I can’t stop myself).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">To kick off let’s have a serious think about sub-cultures, I
myself have been guilty of the crime of using sub-cultures in terms of cycling,
it is very convenient when trying to get a message over in a blog. Truth be
told there are no sub-cultures, other than those we have decided upon
ourselves. Do we differentiate between different car drivers? In general terms
we don’t – they are people (myself and most cyclists included) who drive cars,
but somewhere cyclists started being called cyclists and not bike riders, the
difference is subtle but important. Instead of focusing on the mode of
transport we focus on the people that use that mode of transport – focusing on
the individuals inevitably means that the focus will then drill down further into
segregating the individual cyclists into groups, the human mind works in this
way, it is the basic concept of project management to divide a large and relatively
unknown thing into smaller and more manageable sub-sets that our brains can
cope with, and in the case of cyclists a lot of people need help in
understanding this other worldly group. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This division ends up with us having hipsters, commuters,
racers, tree huggers, MAMIL’s etc. All said and done though it would not be
very useful for this post if I was to ignore this grouping and it would make my
further following pronouncements and insights irrelevant – so for convenience
sake I will just happily agree with the division of cyclists into groups rather
than render the rest of this post irrelevant!<i> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>EDIT: I still think
Hipsters are a breed apart not only from cyclists but human life forms in
general – so they shall always be a sub-culture, I guess they wouldn’t want it any other way anyway.</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Having totally distanced myself from sub-cultures (hipsters
excluded) I shall now happily type away detailing the MAMIL sub-culture of
cycling, I am too old to care if I am two faced (we shall return to this theme
forthwith). Whilst being middle aged does not make you part of a sub-culture, how you choose to express yourself at a given age point does, and how MAMIL's act and behave (and spend) does define them from many other cyclists.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">MAMIL’s are an elite (in my opinion at least) group of people, we have seen far too
much in life, we have lived through the Chairman slapping us and our peers down,
frightened of our youth at the time, and our new fangled ways of integrating
the computer into the company (yes even in our day business was aggressive, many a time I have stabbed a work colleague with my quill pen) and
we have had to deal with the young upstart in later years, who mostly come up
with banal ways of integrating a Twitter and Facebook campaign into the
workplace – so revolutionary I know. We have tried to explain to said young up-start
about the constraints of using a 3<sup>rd</sup> party applications to drive
business forward but also forget the fact that the young upstart doesn’t even know
HTML beyond the ability to use bold and insert a picture into his post on some
message board. We have even learned the art of being forgiving of their blinkered
ways and instead bemoan the poor educational system and their reliance on being fed
ways of being online by all seeing companies that make a fortune from the
ignorance of these young’uns (whilst silently cursing for not having thought of it ourselves).</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IvyzmNCKuFA/UgOaNLFBqmI/AAAAAAAAZqs/2oaIspL3i3Q/s1600/Man_bb2a78_310086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IvyzmNCKuFA/UgOaNLFBqmI/AAAAAAAAZqs/2oaIspL3i3Q/s320/Man_bb2a78_310086.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lycra and fancy dress all in one piece of clothing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;">MAMIL’s aren't just sad Lycra clad weekend warriors with waist bands
that are sometimes stretching the technical capabilities of the aforementioned Lycra.
Yes some of us do look bad in Lycra or any tight fitting garment for that matter – but do you
know what, we are just too old to care. Let me give you an example to better
explain my point. A teenager (and I do know of them as a couple are residing, all
be it grudgingly, under my roof as I type this) will move heaven and earth not
to embarrass themselves. A MAMIL has embarrassed himself so many times that to
be honest one more thing won’t even register on any scale. A teenager will
spend hours in front of the mirror trying out the latest dance moves to appear “cool”
(OK not a term used any more but I still use it) on the dance floor – a MAMIL
will do the opposite – we will practice dancing in the most “un-cool” way
possible, in the hope of having the chance to humiliate our teenage child at
the most public of public events possible, yes we will look stupid but it is
worth it just to see the mortified look on our kids face. You may say this is
cruel? I would argue that a) we are supposedly suffering humiliation at the same time and b) it is
a life lesson and part of our parental duties to teach our beloved offspring humility. These are my excuses and I am sticking with them. As a note here to fellow MAMIL's reading this - if your teenager is giving excessive amounts of grief, I find shouting out the car window as I drop them off for a rugby match something along the lines of "Bye bye mummies little solider, don't let the big boys hurt you" often let's them learn who the true power lies with. I have even heard of parents who pick up their children from the school gates in fancy dress but I believe this is something that should be held back as the "Atomic" threat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">So where is the above taking us? Well firstly you need to
understand that you cannot mock a MAMIL in the hope of shaming them into
submission – we shall not be turned! We discovered in middle-age, the elixir of life. This elixir
is not some potion – we have read Harry Potter to our kids (but often skipped
ahead because they fell asleep far too early in the story) we know that those magical potions don’t really exist. We maintain the use of common sense as to what will work, unless of course we read about some new all-powerful "go-go berry juice" that will make us pedal faster and longer, then we will ignore common sense and pay exorbitant amounts of cash in our endless search for higher average speeds. The spam e-mailers have never really latched on to this, don't they realise that adding the word "Viagra" into our spam email filters is easy, if only they understood what really piques our interest their emails would soon be marked for "follow-up" in many a MAMIL's in-box. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">We have discovered
the freedom and quiet that can be achieved on the open road, on-top of a self-powered pedal bike. It is funny that something we turned our back on in our late
teens when we got our first car (in those days insurance was still reasonable
and you could actually drive a car after you had past your test) is in fact the
thing that saved our ever vanishing sanity in our wiser years. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">After a few seasons back on the
bike, I look at forums and see the posts of fellow MAMIL’s about their joy in
discovering the bike again – we all admit failure in our descriptive abilities
but in our hearts we hope that fellow MAMIL’s will telepathically understand
the sensations we are trying to convey. The discovery of re-found and hard won freedoms,
athletic exertions however limited, the freedom of not having bickering kids
further deadening our already failing hearing in the back seat of the car, the joy of
fresh air and newly found objectives, goals and achievements. MAMIL is not a tag we are embarrassed by (though as previously mentioned being embarrassed is a long lost feeling anyway) but an acronym we revel in, yes it is misunderstood by many people as to what it truly is and means, this is the point of this and upcoming posts - I will try and explain the mindset of our group, what motivates us and why. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RH5kXcEE5OI/UgOapD1Yj_I/AAAAAAAAZq0/l7n2hNhEKNI/s1600/apple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RH5kXcEE5OI/UgOapD1Yj_I/AAAAAAAAZq0/l7n2hNhEKNI/s320/apple.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is that a nappy? Or are you just pleased to see me?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;">From birth our goals grow quickly, from being able to
make it through the night without a nappy or accidents, to dreams in our 20's of conquering the corporate world and having
the latest top model as our partner. By middle age you either have achieved
these aims and realised they weren't all they were cracked up to be, or you have given up trying realising they are outside your abilities. When you get back on the bike, you have a whole new tranche of
goals that God willing, are still achievable and to be honest a whole lot more
rewarding. Maybe it is doing 100 mile in a week or doing a 100 mile sportive,
maybe your time and finances are more adaptable and your goal is to do the
LEJOG which gets further refined into doing it within a given time-frame. Mind you, in a perfect
circle of life way, we find ourselves going backwards into clothing that
in some ways resembles nappies again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Either way, buying a bike gives you a whole new set of goals that
you can try to achieve and you are the one that sets them and achieves them
– not some mealy mouthed ass kisser who wants you to generate a report that
finds some uncorrelated link between how the companies’ profits have increased
since the point in time the aforementioned mealy mouthed weasel joined the company. The
chairman will totally ignore this as he is probably a fellow MAMIL and he realises
that however hard you search it will always be an uncorrelated
link and he has his mind on breaking 25 minutes in this weekend’s 10 mile TT anyway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Being a MAMIL is more than just riding a bike, though this
is the sub text for all other things, it is about a view on life, either found
or extrapolated through riding a bike, phrases such as “I do as I please”, “if
only they knew” and “screw it, just do it” are the underlying currents of
future thoughts and actions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">So that’s the tone set for the upcoming “MAMIL the series”,
it is far too much for one post, for that read “I need to think this through
more” – keep an eye out for the next instalment – same MAMIL channel same MAMIL
time.</span></div>
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Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-28540442877031724932013-08-06T15:17:00.001+01:002013-08-06T15:17:14.238+01:00Prudential ride London 100 - my thoughts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NdPjtei5yQA/UgEFNGsUjzI/AAAAAAAAZqc/nI8C7AQ1fVY/s1600/rllogo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NdPjtei5yQA/UgEFNGsUjzI/AAAAAAAAZqc/nI8C7AQ1fVY/s320/rllogo2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Well this is going to be quick!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I don't have one, because I didn't get a place on it! What a total waste that was - pay all my London taxes and mayoral charge and don't even get a paid place on a sportive for it - moan moan moan.... I still got the spam mail on how to train for a 100 mile sportive from Prudential - thanks it wasn't needed on a number of levels, not least because it was just rubbing salt in the wound.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Two things, firstly I hope they keep a list of who they rejected this time and offer a place to them next year and secondly went on the traffic free spin around central London on the Saturday - all in all this was well organised so well done to them for that, but an 8 mile spin with a large number of erratic riders coupled with a bottle of champagne at the half way point I don't think is going to help improve my fitness much.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Anyway congratulations to those that did the ride and to those that pulled up for things other than accidents - well I best keep my thoughts to myself. The most disappointing element of the weekend for me (other than the abject rejection I was feeling) was the poor camera work on the men's race - who exactly was in the peloton? Makes you realise how well things like the TDF are filmed.</span>Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-67549742915688353742013-07-26T15:49:00.002+01:002013-07-31T12:26:03.595+01:00The Nostrodamus of Blogs strikes again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-achfcw0kRDc/UfKMFtT7gvI/AAAAAAAAX1Y/iyJiKwSEhWM/s1600/sandal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-achfcw0kRDc/UfKMFtT7gvI/AAAAAAAAX1Y/iyJiKwSEhWM/s400/sandal.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So as ever I write something and then a little later I pat myself on the back for looking into the crystal ball of cycling.</div>
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Regular readers will remember I wrote a post back on the 29/1/13 about how I think segregated cycle paths and me might not get on well together - you can read it <a href="http://ukmambo.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/segregated-cyclepaths-and-me.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</div>
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Well I read the first stirrings from Sustrans on the controlled (read eventual speed cameras) coming out way on cycle paths - read it <a href="http://www.bikeradar.com/commuting/news/article/sustrans-want-reckless-cycling-speed-demons-off-shared-bike-paths-37940/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HERE</a>. It is the tip of the iceberg and more will follow (remember you read that here).</div>
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Government (read nanny state) are dying to get their hands on cyclists - for far too long we have been "sticking to the man" by being unregulated - read not so easy to fine. I fully expect the call for licensing of bikes that go on roads before too soon, in fact I was channel hoping and saw one of those "police stop camera" or whatever on TV. There the reporter did a bit on bikes and seem 100% confident that bikes would be regulated and licensed soon - of course he never thought about all the practical difficulties of it!</div>
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Another reason that Government (local, national and regional) will not cater for the current and confident cyclist is because they already know we are going to ride our bikes. If they are going to spend public funds on something they will have KPI's (key performance indicators) to judge the success of the policy, inevitable and obviously this will be the increase in number of cyclists - they will not go for average miles per cyclists as this a) far less sexy and b) very difficult to get an accurate figure on. How do you increase the number of cyclists on the road? Well obviously you have to make it feel safe for all those people who waiver on whether to do it or not - therefore you need safe and slow bike lanes - we all want safe but we don't necessarily want slow - this will leave current cyclists left out on all sides - drivers will expect and demand we are on the cycle lanes and new cyclists on the cycle lanes will want use to be as slow as them so they feel safe - this also will include pedestrians wandering all over them as they are convenient for them to push their prams on - the Government will do nothing to stop this as they will effectively be getting extras footpaths for their outlay.</div>
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As I stated before I am all for the introduction of safe bike lanes but really the way it is going it is not going to work unless you are a beardy, woolly jumper and sandal wearing, liberal on your cargo bike, doing your 4 miles a week on a bike exercise, just so you can look extra trim for you next naked bike ride protest.</div>
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I weep for my children and not only because they have me for a dad.<br />
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Edit: 30/7/13 - I see another thing about controlling bike lanes (well shared ones) has hit the press. Local authorities are now pushing for speed bumps / chicanes to be put on bike lanes to slow cyclists down. Read it <a href="http://www.bikeradar.com/commuting/news/article/speed-bumps-and-barriers-could-be-installed-on-shared-use-paths-38018/" target="_blank">HERE</a><br />
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I am going to offer up some free advice here - want to avoid bikes crashing into pedestrians? How about making them bike lanes for bikes only and have pavements for pedestrians? Surely if they are shared use then they should be called pavements and we all know cyclists aren't allowed on pavements.<br />
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There really is a need to understand by local authorities that cyclist don't want shared paths - they need dedicated lanes. Everyone one in all levels of Government seem to think that cyclists are wooly wearing bearded liberals who don't use the bike as a genuine and speedier form of transport (in heavily traffic towns at least). For us the bike is not a fun recreation on a nice sunny day, it is a way of life and we are the people who ride daily and need the help the most.<br />
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<br />Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-21312415656686956752013-07-24T15:31:00.001+01:002013-08-08T14:29:39.766+01:00Lemming Pedestrians<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a8ErlfOyelM/Ud7cWDlNTwI/AAAAAAAAX00/eiAYG1OC7V0/s1600/arctic-lemming-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a8ErlfOyelM/Ud7cWDlNTwI/AAAAAAAAX00/eiAYG1OC7V0/s320/arctic-lemming-03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Over the last few weeks - I have been assailed by Lemming Pedestrians from all directions.<br />
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Before proceeding, it is probably best that I describe this species of human I am calling the "lemming pedestrian". This less cuddly suicide hunter is a person who walks across the road without looking, or steps into the road right in front of a vehicle. I can only assume that the reason for this is because they want to end their dull miserable lives - it cannot be for reasons such as they are too busy worrying about being late for work, reading a text or that they only think cars are on the road (and we all know cars make a broom broom noise) because that would make them really stupid and it would be wrong for me to assume that a person is that thick, despite their obvious desire to end up literally brain dead. <br />
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All I am asking for that these pedestrian lemmings do this by sticking their head in an oven or shooting themselves, any other way in fact, that does not mean they endanger others who are quite happy to be alive and would like to continue doing so.<br />
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My route into work takes me up Tooley Street outside London Bridge station, here the Lemmings seem to mass regularly (though not exclusively)
in great numbers. I can only guess that the large amount of aggression
and tutting they endure from fellow train travellers when they try to
throw themselves in front of trains (leading to major rail delays) has
meant they have resorted to throwing themselves in front of cyclists (or
maybe just me). I would like to point out that my 6.9kg push
bike is nowhere near as effective as a 50 ton train (O.K. the train weight
thing is a guess). Additionally I am assuming
that the train driver is going to get a lot less hurt that I am when you are hit.<br />
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So having identified Tooley Street as London’s prime
location for mass suicide attempts, I decided to be extra vigilant, keeping
a wary eye out for these suicide loving critters. This initially led to me not using the bike lane
and overtaking vehicles on the right. This cunning plan came to an end on day
one; very quickly I learnt that cunning critters are not so easily fooled and in one
traverse of Tooley Street I ended up doing 3 emergency stops to avoid hitting them as they jumped out in front of me from behind buses and lorries (or any other vehicle
that they figured I would have no chance of seeing them behind).</div>
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Not to be outdone, I started using the bike lane on the left
of the road (in itself no mean feat with all the taxis pulling over to the left
with no warning or indication). Day one was fine – I had out foxed them – but by
day two they had figured out my cunning ruse and two of them managed the most
audacious jump in front of me, that were timed to perfection. As I sit here typing this I am still amazed at how I managed to stop in time and not kick their teeth out as I flew over the handlebars in a forward roll (no time to get my weight back on the saddle).</div>
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To further detail my study of the lesser spotted coffin chasers, I can confirm that they are an all female species and they make an "Oh eek" sound just before they think they are going to die. I am assuming the sound cannot be one of surprise for surely if you run out from in front of a bus into a cycle lane you cannot be over surprised if you meet an oncoming bike - now if I was a giraffe then I might expect an "Oh eek" sound, implying surprise at seeing me on a London street, but a bike in a bike lane is not a surprise.</div>
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Given their failure to kill themselves up until this point I am expecting more guile from these fluffy death lovers over the next few weeks - from now onwards I will keep a vary eye out for them jumping from the top of a bus or up out of a man hole cover - I really have no idea what pre-planed ruse they will try next in their determined push to reach Nirvana.</div>
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Writing all this, reminds me of the famous <span style="font-size: small;"><span id="mainhead-content">Petronella Wyatt in the Daily Fail and her mother who apparently gets hit by cyclists on a regular basis (<a href="http://road.cc/content/news/66303-petronella-wyatt-just-how-many-times-has-her-mother-been-run-over-cyclists" target="_blank">or not as the case turns out to be</a>) whilst we are on the subject of that lying (or more politely "extremely lazy") journalist, a new link has just occurred to me. In her column she stated (assuming she wrote it) that she had a thing against cyclists as she remembers her mum having an affair with one, she used to see his bike parked outside her mums house. I am assuming that it is the same mother who was also hit by the cyclist in the street (maybe the same one she was having an affair with in her younger days - that clue I give to the police for free). But isn't this the same </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="mainhead-content">Petronella Wyatt who had an affair with Boris Johnson, another person famous for being a cyclist? I can't be bothered to check out the facts - I am training to be a daily fail journalist, but if it is true, then what they say about the apple not falling far from the tree - seems to be a very real thing!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span id="mainhead-content">Anyway - back to the death loving pedestrians (whom I now am thinking are all controlled telepathically by </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="mainhead-content">Petronella Wyatt's mother). It must be the case that these people are either on drugs or being controlled telepathically by a sinister super brain - I swear to god people cannot be so thick as to cross a road without looking, so there must be another element to this? If we exclude </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="mainhead-content">Petronella Wyatt's mother and drugs (after all I see the programmes on telly where customs are catching all the drugs being brought into the country) then there must be something else - but what? ................ (this is me racking my brain for a reason)............ I give in - it is just going to have to be them being dumb twunks. Given this revelation - I shall now start to call them as such when they next throw themselves in front of me - it's not my anger but reasoned logic.</span></span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pZoV05B5-CU/Ue_lBOogIhI/AAAAAAAAX1I/0p_OI2xikhk/s1600/cloak_1466279c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pZoV05B5-CU/Ue_lBOogIhI/AAAAAAAAX1I/0p_OI2xikhk/s320/cloak_1466279c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me on my bike - can you take you cloak back please Harry?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span id="mainhead-content">I forgot to submit this post for a few days - but no fear it has allowed me another paragraph - yesterday evening whilst winding my way down Tooley street I was able to have a multi-muppet incident. As ever I stop at the red light at the pedestrian crossing, the lights went green, I started to set off only for 4 lemmings all at once to jump in front of me. I slammed on the brakes only for the idiot on a bike behind me to crash into my back (I don't think he has heard about covering his brakes when in traffic) after dislodging his handle bars from under me seat (no mean feet as I think he was still trying to pedal forwards and therefore took about 15 seconds) I set off again only for more lemmings to jump in front of me again - seriously this is a death wish of the highest order! Later on the same ride I rode through Lewisham on a busy dual carriage road (well one lane and a bus lane) so as I went down this wide fast road at about 25 mph a pedestrian walked right out in front of me, the whole road was clear except for me - seriously have I got an invisibility cloak on?</span></span><br />
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Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-806551059959221742013-05-15T15:37:00.002+01:002013-05-16T01:08:32.678+01:00Help - middle age has hit!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l_Oj_7HQEv4/UZOdhjxo8OI/AAAAAAAAXzM/zzkMCQOPaPE/s1600/old_git_on_brompton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l_Oj_7HQEv4/UZOdhjxo8OI/AAAAAAAAXzM/zzkMCQOPaPE/s400/old_git_on_brompton.jpg" height="325" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least he is not wearing sandals.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
OMFG – well that’s a statement that I haven’t used before –
but considering it is a young person’s term, I figure I had better use it now
before it is too late, but sadly I fear it is too late. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
An old school friend – a
peer – has decided to buy a Brompton! Therefore the only logical conclusion I
can draw from this is that as my peer has become middle aged I therefore must be also.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
So why is a Brompton a sign of middle age? Well let’s just
look at the facts; it is practical, it looks dull and functional. To choose a
bike for these reasons means that aesthetics have taken a back seat to
practicality. Surely there is no greater sign of mid–life, than making a
purchase based on these sensible reasons. For me a bike purchase has to be
about gadgetry level and looks with practicality taking a back seat.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
If I were being sensible I would buy a Brompton because then
I could cycle and use trains when required and not be forced to travel at
certain times. But then I would have to sit on a T-bar bike with small wheels
that if I am honest looks like a giraffe with hamster’s balls hanging underneath it. Given the
alternative of a super sexy carbon frame with fairly pointless ridges to reduce
wind resistance (but the curves are sexy which is all I care about) a wardrobe
stuffed with overpriced lycra based products and the computing ability to put
an army on the moon used to navigate me the 55 miles to Brighton, I know what I
will be wasting vast amounts of money on! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Of course, I do have to caveat the above to take into
account regarding Bromptons being for the middle-aged; the occasional super fit hipster zooming along believing he is
being all ironic, riding he Brompton in his skinny jeans and suitably
fashionable top (what constitutes a suitably fashionable top I cannot
accurately say as I am not a hipster – come to think of it, what constitutes
ironic is lost on me also).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
The Brompton also offers up additional problems that my post
illness fitness levels, cannot cope with. I will detail this theory of mine for
your benefit (and sit back and wait for the haranguing I will get from our
foldable bicycle fans). Bromptons have small wheels and owners I believe
suffer from wheel size envy (think penis envy, as it is much the same). Every
time they see a road bike with those big sexy wheels on them the riders feels
they must at all costs overtake that bike and show that although he has small,
indeed despite the fact he has small wheels, he is just as much a man, if not
more, and will prove it by overtaking that big wheeled bike. This would lead to
extreme levels of tiredness – such levels as my poor broken down body cannot
currently cope with.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Life is simple with a Brompton, whilst I may sit there
spending hours reading about various grades of carbon and how they are layered
up to ensure maximum lateral stiffness, before making a frame purchase, a
Brompton owner will just give an extra hard turn on that little bolt thing in
the middle of the frame – problem solved, lateral stiffness is max'd up.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
In a desperate attempt to put him off the idea of buying a
Brompton I have suggested that using the same logic he should sell his Porsche
and buy a Skoda – after all they are practical, safe, well built. Additionally
they are excellent value for money (unlike a Brompton). After all if he is
giving up on life as a trendy go getter by buying a Brompton, why waste money on
a flash car as well? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
My final chance is in the pub tomorrow – I shall suggest
to him that instead of train / Brompton that he goes for the far more healthy
and sensible option of cycling the 11 miles into work all the way on a sensible
road bike – this will have the benefit of also reducing his waist size as well
as stopping him look like a fool / tool on a Brompton. After all I am beholden
to him as his friend to stop him from becoming prematurely old and unfashionable (it
is my cross to bear I know). Either that, or I can hope he has a mid-life crisis and decides to buy an overpriced bit of carbon bling for a bike - and I know just the bike for him.</div>
Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-81568246329764491712013-05-14T18:02:00.001+01:002013-05-14T18:02:33.944+01:00Summary of Mayor's "Cycling in London Vision"<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Overview - May 2013</b></span><br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4-4mOeFbicw/UZJr3tC_DvI/AAAAAAAAXy8/Oqs4z8wZKjc/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4-4mOeFbicw/UZJr3tC_DvI/AAAAAAAAXy8/Oqs4z8wZKjc/s400/Capture.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">There is no doubt that the profile of cycling, particularly in London, has increased significantly. Both positive headlines about Team GB’s cycling successes in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and negative headlines about cyclist fatalities and injuries have contributed to this. There have also been high-profile campaigns such as the London Cycling Campaign’s “Go Dutch” initiative.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />In March 2013 the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL) announced that TfL will invest an additional £640 million directly into cycling over the next 10 years, on top of the £273 million previously identified in TfL’s 10-year base plan. Shortly afterwards, the Mayor published “The Mayor’s Vision for Cycling in London: An Olympic Legacy for all Londoners”. This post sets out the main points in the vision document.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /><b> </b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Analysis</b><br /> </span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Mayor’s cycling vision document sets out his aspirations for cycling and the support</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> required to deliver the Mayor’s aim of doubling cycling over the next 10 years – and ultimately </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">achieving a 400 per cent increase in cycling by 2026 – based on 2001 levels – so that cycling </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">makes up 5 per cent of the transport modal share. The Mayor continues to believe that a modal</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">share target for cycling of 10 per cent by 2026, as recommended by the London Assembly, is </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">not achievable. The outcomes of the vision set out in the document are:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• a “Tube” network for the bike – a network of direct, high-capacity, joined-up radial and</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">orbital cycle routes, many running in parallel with key Underground, rail and bus routes</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• safer streets for the bike</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• more people travelling by bike</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• better places for everyone.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Mayor of London has published his vision for cycling in London. This post</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">outlines the main points </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">– the vision </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">offers to maximise cycling and make areas better places to live.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The main elements outlined to deliver the outcomes of the vision include:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• a “Crossrail for the bike” route that will run for more than 15 miles, very substantially </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">segregated, from the western suburbs, through the heart of London, to Canary Wharf and</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Barking. It will use new, segregated cycle tracks and the Mayor believes that this will be</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">the longest cycle route of its kind in any European city</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• a new central London grid of bike routes in the City and West End, using segregation, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">quieter streets, and two-way cycling on one-way traffic streets</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• a new network of “Quietways” – direct, continuous, fully-signposted routes on peaceful </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">side streets, running far into the suburbs, and aimed at people put off by cycling in traffic </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• substantial improvements to both existing and proposed “Superhighways”, including </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">some re-routings</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• major improvements to the worst junctions, making them safer and less threatening for </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">cyclists. Spending on the existing better junction review will be significantly increased, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">and it will be fundamentally recast to prioritise major improvements to the worst junctions</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• work to make heavy lorries (HGVs) safer.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Mayor says that he will more than double London’s cycling budget – to a total of almost </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">£400 million over the next three years. He goes on to say that over the next 10 years cycle </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">spending will total £913 million, more than treble previously planned levels, including around</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">£300 million available to boroughs. This will include dramatic spending increases for outer</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">London. However, the funding earmarked for spending beyond 2016, when the next Mayoral</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">elections are due to take place, may be subject to amendment by subsequent administrations.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Mayor also says that he is looking to the boroughs to deliver extra funding and resources</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">in parallel. So what are the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">four outcomes of the vision in a bit more depth. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A cycling “Tube” network</span></u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The vision is of a London cycle network that is easily understood, heavily used and appeals to</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">all types of cyclists. It will include two types of branded route:</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1. Superhighways – high-capacity routes largely on main roads for fast commuters</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2. Quietways – slightly slower but direct routes on low-traffic side streets for those wanting </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">a more relaxed journey</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Where there is a conflict between modes, the approach will be to make a clear choice rather </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">than an unsatisfactory compromise – routes will be segregated where possible and pavements</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">shared by both pedestrians and cyclists will be avoided. The vision document says that to</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">support this, the London Cycle Design Standards are being revised, although it does not say</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">if and how stakeholders are being involved in this process. It does say that specific standards </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">of service and maintenance for each of the new routes will be developed in discussion with</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">the boroughs.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Mayor commits to creating a central London bike grid of high-quality, high-volume</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">cycle routes, in partnership with the central boroughs, of which the east-west “Crossrail”</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Superhighway will be part. With boroughs’ agreement, the Mayor wants to open up a number</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">of central one-way streets for two-way cycling. The aim is to deliver the majority of this grid</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">by 2016, subject to borough agreement. The vision document says that route planning has </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">already started, so central boroughs should already have heard from TfL and be involved in </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">discussions.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The vision includes better Cycle Superhighways – both delivering future Superhighways to</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">higher standards, albeit with the somewhat unvisionary caveat of “closer to international</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">best practice”, and substantial improvements to existing Superhighways. No specific mention</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">is made of liaison with boroughs on the Superhighways. However, the document does say that</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">some parking along Superhighways may need to be removed in partnership with boroughs.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The vision also includes a cross-London network of Quietways on low-traffic back streets and </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">other routes, which will have good surfacing, be clearly signed and will be particularly suited</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">to new cyclists. The Mayor is looking to local budgets to add to TfL funding to help make the</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Quietways, particularly the off-road routes through parks and along waterways, safe to use at</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">night. The aim is to open the first Quietways in 2014. As with the central London bike grid, the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">document highlights that the routes will be agreed with the relevant boroughs.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Another key element of the “Tube” network is the plan to increase cycle spending specifically </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">dedicated to outer London from £3 million to more than £100 million, linked to TfL’s analysis</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">that shows that more than half of the potentially cyclable trips in London are in outer London.</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> <br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Mayor plans to select “willing outer London boroughs to make into “mini-Hollands”, with</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">very high spending concentrated on these relatively small areas for the greatest possible</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">impact”. The Mayor says that “in many ways this will be the most transformative of all our</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">policies”. All outer London boroughs are invited to apply for this scheme. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Letters inviting expressions of interest have been sent to the leaders and chief executives</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">of each of the 20 outer London boroughs and that interested boroughs should submit outline</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">proposals and ideas by June 2013. The successful Boroughs will be selected in autumn</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2013.</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><u>Safer streets for cyclists</u> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Although the vision document states that cycling in London is much safer than it was in</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">terms of the rate of cyclists killed or seriously injured (KSI), 2011 casualty figures show there</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">was an increase of 22 per cent in cycle KSI casualties compared with 2010 when there were</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">467 KSIs. The document cites fear of injury as the main reason more Londoners do not cycle</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> and recognises that more needs to be done to improve the safety figures and perceptions </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">of safety. It also notes that serious accidents and deaths involving those on bikes happen</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">disproportionately in two ways: while cyclists travel through the busiest junctions and in</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">contact with HGVs.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The document recognises that TfL’s existing better junctions review has lacked adequate</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">resources and a focus on the worst junctions. To address this the Mayor is increasing the</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">budget from £19 million to £100 million – with the vast majority being spent in this mayoral</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">term – and prioritising early and major improvements with the worst junctions. TfL is also</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">reviewing its traffic modelling systems to “take better account of cyclists”. The document </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">states that full timetables for the junction changes will be announced as soon as possible, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">but makes no mention of whether and how stakeholders will be involved in the recast and</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">enhanced better junction review.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The vision for HGV safety is that no lorry should be driven in London unless it is fitted with</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">safety equipment to protect cyclists, and driven by someone fully trained in cycle awareness.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Steps to achieve this include:</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• the Greater London Authority (GLA), TfL and Crossrail ensuring that all their vehicles and</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">those of their subcontractors conform to the highest practical level of safety equipment</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">and all drivers are fully trained in urban driving techniques – i.e. gold level accreditation</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">of the Freight Operators Recognition Scheme (FORS)</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• building on the experience of the Olympics identifying how to get HGVs out of traffic at </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">the busiest times of day</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• funding eight full-time Met Police officers to investigate HGV collisions with cyclists</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• continuing to support boroughs through Local Implementation Plan (LIP) funding to </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">address HGV and cyclist safety issues with the caveat that “all future TfL cycling funding</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">for boroughs will be conditional on ensuring their own fleets and contracted services</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">adhere to best practice”, although it does not give any further details of this requirement.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The vision document notes that the multiple functions of the road network mean that the</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">safety and liveability of town centres need to be considered alongside other functions</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">including moving people and goods. However, there is no mention of the work of the Mayor’s</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Roads Task Force, which is currently conducting work in this area. The vision says that a caseby-</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">case approach will be taken on the use of 20mph limits on TfL roads, but the speed limit</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">will be reduced to 20mph at several locations on the TfL network where cycle improvements</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">are planned.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Additional measures to increase safety include:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• expanding the number of Met Police officers, from 39 to 50, to improve enforcement</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">against antisocial road use behaviour, including by motorists and cyclists</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• funding children’s cycle training at all schools in London and more funding for adult cycle </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">training (delivered through the boroughs), although no further details are given. </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">More people cycling and better places</span></u><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Measures and approaches put forward in the vision document to encourage more people to </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">cycle include:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• delivering 80,000 additional cycle parking spaces in residential locations, stations, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">workplaces and other places by 2016, including a “cycle superhub” in at least one central</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">London mainline rail station, with storage for thousands of bikes, good security, London’s</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">largest Cycle Hire docking station and good cycle routes radiating from the hub</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• encouraging communities to design their own safe cycling routes to school by providing </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">funding, for which schools and boroughs can bid, to pilot “Cycle to School Partnerships”</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">to initiate such approaches</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• expanding the Cycle Hire scheme, including working with boroughs who wish to pay to </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">expand the size of docking stations</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• exploring the potential of electric bikes</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">• encouraging cycling through the boroughs and other partners, recognising that </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“boroughs will play a key role in our plans by helping to develop, fund and deliver better</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">and safer routes for cycling”.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<u><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Better places for everyone</span></span></u><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><u> </u></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The section on “Better places for everyone” is the least specific on measures and reiterates</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">some of the specific elements previously cited in the document, but linking them to wider</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">benefits – including better neighbourhoods, more prosperous places, better transport and a</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">healthier city.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Mayor’s vision for cycling articulates a step-change in the Mayor’s ambitions for cycling</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">in London in a way that no other document from the Mayor has done to date. It includes a</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">number of innovative and new policies, and new funding as well as reiterating some previously</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">announced approaches. However, it does not give clear direction to TfL to prioritise walking</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">and cycling as the general rule on London’s streets and, while a large slice (£400 million) of </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">the proposed total funding is to be spent in the remainder of this Mayoral term, it appears</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">that significantly less is planned to be spent per year for the remainder of the 10-year period</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">that the vision document covers.</span></span><br />
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<br />Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-87770774072785007762013-03-28T11:29:00.001+00:002013-04-18T14:45:10.271+01:00Just how long?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h8QbkilfDvQ/UVQo0VxaZRI/AAAAAAAAXm0/kquph1S68rE/s1600/sun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h8QbkilfDvQ/UVQo0VxaZRI/AAAAAAAAXm0/kquph1S68rE/s320/sun.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please come out to play!</td></tr>
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Pre-Christmas I was on a roll. I was really pushing the fitness levels up and the weight was coming off to a very competitive level. Then I got flu (as mentioned previously) I haven't even looked at my bike for 3 months!<br />
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Last night, with more than a little trepidation having spent so much time away from the bike, I got on the saddle with the turbo trainer. The idea was that I would spend 40 minutes peddling at a cadence of 90 with little resistance, just to get the legs used to the idea that they are part of the body of someone who owns a bike.<br />
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Well the 40 minutes was done - this morning the body and legs feel no pain but I have to admit my heart was not in it at all. I think it is the thought of all the effort I went to in getting to a fitness level that was to be the platform for greater things this year - now I have to start all over again and really the end of March is too late to make the summer into a stellar affair. Yes I can build the fitness up again but it is going to be the end of May or June before I get back to where I was in December - all in all it is very depressing.<br />
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The other problem was that the whole 40 minutes dragged by - there was no endorphins rush, just the dreadful realisation that I have to do this now or sell the bikes. I have never felt this before but I know I have to grind out the next few weeks and get back to my love of cycling and the feeling of pleasure it gave me. For me this pleasure is only really there when you at a reasonable level of fitness - then for me, a ride is more fun.<br />
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So here's to the next few weeks of grind - I only hope we get some sort of summer this year so I can have some nice weekend rides and the commute is a sunshine drenched amble rather than a cold and wet drag.<br />
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Edit (18 April 2013): Well since writing this post I GOT ANOTHER COLD! So it was not till last night that I managed to get on the bike again, I now officially give in on getting anything done this year.Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-5377547547158274862013-02-26T15:38:00.005+00:002013-02-26T15:38:57.853+00:00What more pedals! Clipless pedals part 3 - Road Pedals<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">I have hesitated from posting this third post on clip-less pedals, mostly for the risk of appearing to be a total fool - or at best the most indecisive cyclist in Britain and maybe the world. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">But then it occurred to me that if I was honest, at least it will help others by reading my ongoing narrative - and yes I do believe it is an ongoing narrative as there is yet one more type of pedals to try out.So in my previous two posts (<a href="http://ukmambo.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/pedals-pedals-and-damned-pedals.html" target="_blank">Post1</a>- <a href="http://ukmambo.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/pedals-again-world-of-clippless-pedals.html" target="_blank">Post2</a>) on pedals, the story took us from the world of flat pedals to SPD's (mountain bike pedals). Not to be confused with SPD-SL's which are road pedals by Shimano.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In order to help out the confused I think a few illustrative pictures will help make the above more clear.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">These are SPD pedals and cleats</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KQluusuGoKk/USujcvk24ZI/AAAAAAAAXbU/_7FPkrmC9iw/s1600/p2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KQluusuGoKk/USujcvk24ZI/AAAAAAAAXbU/_7FPkrmC9iw/s320/p2.jpg" width="310" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">SPD pedals with platform</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-adupOorfXMo/USukMp1pIzI/AAAAAAAAXbk/2c7AqvoN5fw/s1600/p1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-adupOorfXMo/USukMp1pIzI/AAAAAAAAXbk/2c7AqvoN5fw/s320/p1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">SPD pedals with less of a platform</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zgzCeRCEIhI/USukOfSiYQI/AAAAAAAAXbs/ybtdeE-a2zA/s1600/mbc3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zgzCeRCEIhI/USukOfSiYQI/AAAAAAAAXbs/ybtdeE-a2zA/s320/mbc3.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">SPD Cleats</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Now we are all on the same page as to what I am talking about, let's have a look at the pro's and con's of SPD pedals. Well they are clip-less which is an advantage in itself, but I suppose the main advantage of this clip-less system lies with the cycle shoes you can wear - basically shoes for SPD pedals have the cleat recessed within the tread of the sole - therefore they are more useful for walking about on. Now this is a major advantage if you are doing cyclocross or mountain biking where you might have to carry your bike up some mountain or muddy hill but I personally don't find myself doing these things - ever! </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">So fantastic you can walk around in your cycling shoes –
this is the story I bought into, as a rule I was using my bike for
commuting and I needed to walk to and from where the bike was parked to the office, very quickly I discovered though, I was riding my bike far more than walking to and from it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Initially I had bought the SPD pedals in the first picture, as I
reasoned that I needed a platform just in case I wanted to ride my bike with
normal shoes. The truth is that those occasions were rare to none and that the platform pedals are very heavy. So in an effort to remedy this I bought a second pair of
lighter SPD pedals (as per the second picture). They were 60%
the weight of the first pedals and they were still easy enough to do short
distances on (on the rare occasions when I needed to) in normal shoes. So lesson number one – don’t get hung up on
needing a platform, really think about how often you are going to cycle around
in normal shoes and realise that even a minimal platform will be fine for the
few occasional miles in normal shoes.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">About a year ago I built a new go faster (read penile
replacement) full carbon road bike <a href="http://ukmambo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/i-havent-really-posted-much-recently.html" target="_blank">LINK</a>. As this was an out an out road bike –
I reasoned that it really wasn’t the done thing to have SPD pedals on it (despite
my purchase of a lighter set of SPD pedals). I faced the reality that it was time to go
for road pedals and shoes. The reasons were primarily vanity in making
sure my road bike fitted in with convention but also on a more pragmatic side –
I could get far lighter pedals and also I was not that happy with my <a href="http://ukmambo.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/pedals-pedals-and-damned-pedals.html" target="_blank">SPD shoes</a>.
I was getting foot ache often in my right foot, basically I think my shoes were
too narrow for my slightly wide foot. As I was going to need to buy new shoes, now seemed as good as time as any to make the switch – besides I reasoned that
I could keep my old pedals on my commuter bike along with my uncomfortable shoes.</span><br />
</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">But what pedals to go for? For
me there were three main types to consider. SPD-SL (Shimano pedals), LOOK
pedals, or Time pedals. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">In the end I went for the Look pedals. All three pedal
types use different cleats but they all fit into the same road shoes. To be
honest there are going to be as many different views as to what are the best
pedals – I just went with the LOOK ones. I liked their lightness and I liked the
variable float cleats you could buy. Each brand has various pedals at different
price ranges – just go with what you prefer.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">In order to illustrate the difference – here are some more
helpful images:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k4dlUIcR_Gw/USycNPhLZYI/AAAAAAAAXb8/LcAUZCtYv7A/s1600/lkmp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k4dlUIcR_Gw/USycNPhLZYI/AAAAAAAAXb8/LcAUZCtYv7A/s320/lkmp.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Look Keo Max2 Pedals</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XOY8sdTzOUU/USycos_uFVI/AAAAAAAAXcE/jFXQ6WOpUu8/s1600/look-keo-cleats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XOY8sdTzOUU/USycos_uFVI/AAAAAAAAXcE/jFXQ6WOpUu8/s320/look-keo-cleats.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Look cleats</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">To go with my new pedals I needed new shoes – I went for
these rather natty shoes “Sidi Genius 5 Pro/Fit Road”. So here comes the revelation!
These shoes are just way more comfortable than SPD’s (I realise that this
is somewhat personal). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xbfvF2AwTO0/USydDtfo2LI/AAAAAAAAXcM/7Lkn_wWsMYk/s1600/sidi-genius-5-pro-fit-road-shoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xbfvF2AwTO0/USydDtfo2LI/AAAAAAAAXcM/7Lkn_wWsMYk/s320/sidi-genius-5-pro-fit-road-shoe.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Sidi are a very well-known and trusted brand, but more
than this, road shoes are designed for being comfortable on the bike not for
walking in, they are also generally lighter. Additionally road cleats have a
bigger platform and you just get a better spread of weight on your foot, now
all this may not be that noticeable on a short ride - but start going over 50 miles
and you are really going to feel the difference. Most notably, after riding on
the new LOOK pedals for a month or so I switched back to my old shoe / cleat
combination and I found the exit / entry to be much more grabby – the Look
cleats are just that more smooth to get in and out of as well as being more
comfortable and lighter. Such is the improvement that I went out and bought a
second pair of LOOK pedals and have put them on my commuter bike, all the
previous SPD pedals have been sold on eBay but sadly the SPD shoes sit there
languishing at the bottom of my wardrobe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">So where do we go from here? Well I do have one issue with
the Look pedal / cleat combination and that is I can only get one sided pedals.
You will have noticed that all my SPD pedals were dual sided, really this
shouldn’t be a problem, but I am probably more poorly co-ordinated than most when
it comes to pedals. I often have the situation of spinning around the pedals
trying to get them the right way up, not a major problem on the weekend but on
the commute with regular stopping and starting at the myriad of traffic lights and it becomes a bit of a burden, so I am considering – wait for it – Speedplay pedals!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Really I can’t justify the cost of Speedplay right now (they
are the most expensive option) when in general I am really happy with the LOOK
pedals – but I know all too well, that I will find a way to justify the change
at some point.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speedplay Pedal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0aSErqu53gQ/USyeeJD9pdI/AAAAAAAAXcg/5sR5eFpTKbU/s1600/spc6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0aSErqu53gQ/USyeeJD9pdI/AAAAAAAAXcg/5sR5eFpTKbU/s1600/spc6.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speedplay Cleats</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Edit - Just a quick warning about the LOOK cleats – they are about
as durable as warm margarine – be prepared to go through a
couple of sets a year – I wear out the left cleat at twice the speed of the
right as generally when I stop at traffic lights I put my left foot down, it is
not a major thing as you can buy a new set for £12 but do not expect them to
last like the metal SPD cleats.</span></div>
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Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-85523039391474609452013-02-25T17:30:00.002+00:002013-02-26T10:25:29.326+00:00Sick, Sick and Tired and Sick<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pE91h9RX0dA/USufgwwCNpI/AAAAAAAAXbE/1PyrSirgaG4/s1600/hot-thermometer.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pE91h9RX0dA/USufgwwCNpI/AAAAAAAAXbE/1PyrSirgaG4/s320/hot-thermometer.gif" width="184" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Pointless post time! I really think the only reason for writing it is so I can at least pretend I am doing something bike related.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I have flu (real flu not man flu) and it just wont clear up fully - a week off work and then last week was very stop start with me going into work but really struggling to complete anything and then collapsing in bed as soon as I got home - often not waking until the next morning - or worse yet, waking in the middle of the night and then not being able to fall asleep again, leading to me being even more tired the next day and I have just spent the majority of the last weekend in bed. My main problem is that I seem to have the immune system of a one week old ancient Aztec bay that has not been breast fed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I wouldn't mind but I was just turning the corner on my fitness and starting to get some benefit from the hours spent on the turbo trainer, now I feel like I am back at square one and I am still not recovered! This is all very depressing and all the more so when you have dreams of being a biking god in the ensuing summer (well I can dream can't I)?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I am sure this all a lot worse for cyclists / athletes, not only is a cold / virus robbing you of your current day but also robbing you of all your previous hard work and fitness gains - I shall now stamp my feet and say "it's not fair"! So I head into the vicious cycle that is illness - the weather is fine for cycling into work - but I am not well enough and I end up being crammed into a train with the army of the great unwashed with all their variations of the flu virus, maybe by next winter I will be well enough to cycle into work and then the snow will force me back onto the train (or the flu incubator as I now call it).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">As you tell from this post - I am not in the best of places currently. I think I need a "crook cyclist" group therapy session - actually cancel that - they will just pass on their various colds to me as well.</span></div>
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<br />Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-31031156021460617142013-02-19T17:22:00.002+00:002013-02-19T17:24:16.557+00:00Bike Theft - one small step.<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TFd7aB3C0y4/USO01hfNa0I/AAAAAAAAXaM/_ljtAmWrHac/s1600/bike-thief-sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TFd7aB3C0y4/USO01hfNa0I/AAAAAAAAXaM/_ljtAmWrHac/s320/bike-thief-sign.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">I saw this article in the Independent a couple of days ago, and I thought it worthwhile enough to inform my glorious readers about.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">To summarise:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">It has always annoyed me that it is so easy to sell stolen
bikes quickly and for a decent amount of money. Being a member of
cycling forums I hear about expensive bikes being stolen every week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>That’s why I’ve started this petition calling on eBay and its subsidiaries</b><b> to make frame numbers mandatory on listings on its site.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Frame numbers are found on every bike and can be used by owners or
police to identify stolen bikes. Forcing sellers to list frame numbers
on online ads will make it harder for thieves to shift our stolen goods.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">eBay goes to considerable effort to protect the intellectual
property of music and film companies. It removes auctions for designer
items it suspects are illegal copies and requires motorists to enter a
registration number when listing a car for sale.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Now we are asking that eBay </b><b><b>and its subsidiaries </b>do the same for bikes.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">If eBay do this and we all take the responsibility to note our frame
numbers and lock our bikes up properly we can start constricting the
marketplace for stolen bicycles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This all seems sensible and simple! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Now it may annoy those people who want to buy a cheap stolen bike - but it would be a very simple matter for the police to run a list of serial numbers of stolen bikes against those for sale. The main way to restrict the theft of items is to reduce the places they can be onward sold - this coupled with the police taking the time to visit local markets and check a few serial numbers and there would make a serious dent in the ability of thieves to sell stolen bikes (this is ignoring Gumtree but that place is beyond hope). It would also help those unfortunate people who buy stolen bikes unwittingly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">One of the things that has annoyed me about owning a bike is the total disregard there seems to be about theft of bikes - I have written about it on this blog a few times. There seems to be an attitude amongst cyclists that as long as it isn't there bike being stolen then let's just ignore it. It is almost like people in a WW1 trench being glad that they guy next to them got shot and not they themselves. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Whilst I am at it (and it appears to be a growing trend, I am going to set myself up against people who are pro cycle lanes again) I was very annoyed when I read an article recently (and no I don't have the link any-more) where they were so busy arguing that the only reason that cycling was not growing faster, was due to lack of cycling lanes, that they dismissed out of hand theft as one of the reasons. Yes, it is not the main reason, but it is a contributing factor a certainly significant enough not to be dismissed in such an out of hand way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">There is a correlation here that has not be taken into account - the bikes that are the main targets for thieves are the light ones - owners of such bikes therefore need to carry around a gold secure lock, a lock that more often than not weighs the same as the bike itself. It may be fine for the beardy cargo bike owners, to carry around a heavy lock for their bike, a bike which people don't want to nick anyway, but for those of us who are sad Mamils, with our ultra-light carbon penile replacement bikes it is a real issue. A quick 4 mile jolly to the shops, becomes an exercise in logistics and padlocking that soon means the car comes out of the drive instead - so yes all that hassle means we don't use our bikes for little trips, even though we would love to.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Apart from everything else I am old fashioned enough to not accept the idea that bikes (or any item for that matter) should be allowed to be stolen. For me (as with many others) our bike is more than just a group of mechanics - it is something we genuinely care about and an object we have invested real time and attention to looking after and it means more to us than the sum of its parts.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">So go have a read of the article and maybe sign the petition - it costs nothing - and who knows you may be the next person to be shot in the trench, so help end the war now.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/kickstarting-the-fight-against-bike-theft-8497331.html"><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/kickstarting-the-fight-against-bike-theft-8497331.html</span></a></div>
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Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-73111737993485005822013-01-29T13:52:00.002+00:002013-02-26T16:17:55.731+00:00Segregated Cyclepaths and me.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c_H4xYxEQJI/UQfUDqpQhBI/AAAAAAAAXZ8/HWxjkXsyeQs/s1600/police.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c_H4xYxEQJI/UQfUDqpQhBI/AAAAAAAAXZ8/HWxjkXsyeQs/s1600/police.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I Think I had better start this post with a disclaimer:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">"I am 100% in support of segregated cycle pathways - I have no doubt that it will increase the number of everyday cyclists and offer safer routes for a majority of cyclists - at a personal level though, I have a different opinion (runs and ducks for cover).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">As mentioned above - and I will say it again (just in case some readers were perplexed and enraged when they read it, and didn't fully take it in). This post is about my own personal views on segregated cycleways and how they may be better for the general good of cycling but PERSONALLY they may not be for me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">It is fairly clear, to even the less than perceptive reader of this Blog, that I am a MAMIL - I like to ride as fast as my tired and aged body will carry me, I have to travel a reasonable distance to and from work (24 miles) and I am inherently idle and therefore like to get up as late as possible - this means I am always racing against the clock to get to the office on time or home to meet my loving family.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I have very little experience of cycle paths - only those in Lewisham - come to think of it, I can't imagine many UK cyclists having much experience on segregated cycle paths! My experience in Lewisham (my bete noir) is of a cycle path infested with people who seem incapable of walking on the pedestrian part of the pavement (even though it is far more luxuriously paved). I have change the use of this cycle path from one of risk free and joyful cycling, to it being a mid-point breather, this is because I can go no more than 10mph due to people wandering out around in front of me for most of its length. I have no desire to damage a pedestrian and more importantly (given they are people are probably from Lewisham) myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I have seen pictures of those wonderful segregated lanes in utopia (better known to most people as Denmark and the Netherlands) with a large number of people happily pootling their sensible bikes along safe and friendly paths, it is without question the way cycling should be - enjoyable and safe. But it just isn't what I want! Yes I want the safety, but I don't want the gentle ride into work. I guess, I don't ride for the need to get from A to B in a practical way. I ride for exercise, I like going fast and I like feeling tired at the end. No this does not mean I take stupid risks and break laws, it means that I like the exercise (in fact it is the only regular exercise I get).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">If someone like me wants to ride on these utopian paths, I would not be welcome - I would add speed and risk to other uses, in a place where risk should not be. So what would the other option be - well the same as it is now, the roads. Only this time there would be less cyclists and far more angry drivers wondering why I am blocking "their road" when there is a perfectly accessible cycle path. But if I am cycling 25 - 30 mph on the road I will be within the law, whereas on a cycle path I am sure I will breaking some new man made speed limit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">It occurred to me yesterday as I drove to the airport at 1am. that there is an ton of pointless man made traffic controlling measures (yes fine during the day when there is lots of traffic) but as I sat there at the 15th set of red lights waiting for no traffic to pass from the other direction before being able to set off again, and seeing someone, coming from the other direction, get flashed by one of the 40 or so traffic cameras en route (the road was dry and totally empty) it occurred to me just how much those in control, feel the need to control every facet of our lives - long gone is the belief that people can act sensibly depending on the situation. Sadly this is probably true given the idiocy of 50% of people - but it is still sad and limiting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Cycle pathways I am sure, will be the same. As time passes, more rules will inevitably follow, if you want to ride on the cycle path I foresee a 10 to 15 mph speed limit being one of the first things to be implemented. No doubt we will get policemen, looking to make up their pension fund, hiding behind bushes with speed cameras and helmet avoidance awareness pamphlets. While health and safety is laudable, it will remove one of the most important elements that cycling offer me and others like me - freedom.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Edit: For reasons of fairness and because I have no axe to grind on any subject (I'll leave that to others) I feel I should link this article <a href="http://aseasyasridingabike.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/no-you-are-not-held-up-on-dutch-cycle-paths/" target="_blank">HERE</a> - which basically says all I have written above is wrong (it is not written with reference to my humble Blog post though). But I would like to point out that judging by the videos posted as evidence, the writer has a very different view of what constitutes "fast cycling" than I have.</span><br />
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Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-8444239235649110182013-01-17T17:46:00.002+00:002013-02-05T13:56:15.958+00:00H.I.T. Training<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oMwFMZpLZ0U/UPg47P7b0OI/AAAAAAAAXZg/-Oh9nOxMq6o/s1600/kc0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oMwFMZpLZ0U/UPg47P7b0OI/AAAAAAAAXZg/-Oh9nOxMq6o/s320/kc0003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">So I have seen the TV programmes, I have read the articles,
"H.I.T. training is the way forward", I have done a reasonable amount of base
fitness training (1 hour Heart rate zone 2 and 3 sessions on the turbo and a
couple of visits to the gym) and this coupled with my 24 mile commute has meant
that whilst in no way am I fit I am at a bearable level for a 47 year old
cyclist.</span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">It is winter and damn cold out there right now! So what
better time to get on the turbo trainer and try to build on the base fitness?</span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I have been using the heart rate monitor on my Garmin Edge
800 and as mentioned previously it has added a new level of gadgetry to my
training. It has made using the turbo trainer a far more absorbing thing
(though that still isn’t saying much). I have been making workouts on my Garmin
which I then carry out in the evening when I get home in the garage.</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Three weeks ago I set up a HIT training workout and have
dutifully carried it out three times. The workout is like
this:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">1) 25 mins warm up (Heart Rate Zone2)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">2) 40 seconds flat out </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">3) 5 mins recovery (eventually getting to HRZ2)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">4) 40 seconds flat out</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">5) 5 mins recovery</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">6) 40 seconds flat out</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">7) 5 mins recovery</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">8) 40 seconds flat out</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">9) 5 mins recovery</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">10) 40 seconds flat out</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">11) 15 mins warm down</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">OK so that all seems sensible! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">What that little list of actions of steps does not show
though, is just how frightening and painful those “40 seconds” are. The first
one you feel a bit of a buzz, after the second one you are hurting quite a bit,
by the end of the 3<sup>rd</sup> one you are feeling sick, and by the 4<sup>th</sup>
one you worry that you may be having a cardiac arrest (for sure you are at your
heart rate max). </span><span style="font-size: small;"> The 5<sup>th</sup> one
seems to involve tears, praying to your God and wishing that a car would run
you over taking you out of your misery, though this is not going to happen on
the turbo trainer, but you can still hope.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The great thing about HIT training (so I read) is that it is supposed to
lead to on-going weight loss and increased aerobic fitness also it is quite a
quick exercise to carry out and you need do it only once a week (though a
maniac like me is still going to be doing at least 4 other non- HIT sessions a
week). I personally have a feeling that it is like child birth – you go through
what I can only describe as unimaginable pain – yet a week later you forget
that pain and happily skip off to the turbo to do it all again, by the 3<sup>rd</sup>
40 second interval you suddenly remember how painful it all is.</span><br />
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<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I am not sure what writing this article is going to achieve? If I write this all down, then maybe it will remind me of the pain and I will never do it again? I hope I can bear with it for a few months and then come the sunny weather I will notice the benefit. I have a real dream to complete a few 70 mile rides and a few 100 mile rides this year, I really want to go up a level in distance and also being able to do the distance with more ease, though all it will mean is I will go faster and still be as tired at the end of the ride!</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I think given I am 47 that it really is now or never that I push myself to a higher standard. The first year was just getting used to exercise - the second year it became much easier and the distances greater - now I want to up that distance and then next year my cunning plan is to be able to do long rides back to back (then the TDF beckons - not)! Cycling is only going to give back what you put into it and the benefits of reduced body fat etc. are a nice bonus.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I will report back on firstly whether I keep it HIT and secondly whether the benefits were felt - I suppose this curiosity is what will keep me going with it. Either way I don't suppose it is going to harm me (though during the 5th interval I do sometimes doubt that).</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My "Dig Deeper Wimp" steerer cap arrived in the post and I have screwed it on - time to see if it works!</span></span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-26005305743219260152013-01-07T14:04:00.000+00:002013-01-07T14:06:36.162+00:00Into 2013 and beyond!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lhlp1Nazw08/UOrVeR0EGDI/AAAAAAAAXZI/mJawLueA_V4/s1600/LazyBear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="176" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lhlp1Nazw08/UOrVeR0EGDI/AAAAAAAAXZI/mJawLueA_V4/s320/LazyBear.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wake me up when 2012 ends.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It has been a long time since I last made a post but to be
honest, it has been fairly dull on the biking front recently (this is ignoring the LA doping, Olympics and TDF etc. fairly deftly, but to be honest you don't need my ill informed opinion on these matters). </div>
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<br /></div>
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2012 was an awful year if we are honest – far too much rain
(as confirmed by the met office saying it was the second wettest year ever
since records started). It was more of a case of just cycling in when it wasn’t
too wet out there and the motivation of having something to aim for was not
there either <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>as I had not signed up for any
events after the night ride. My weekend riding partner had hung up his pedals
for the year straight after the night rider event so I had no-one to cycle with
on the weekend. I still haven’t made the step (giant leap in my case) of
joining a cycle club – this is down to wanting to make sure I have weekend free
if called upon by the family to take someone to a school match or do some job
or other and a fair amount of laziness and certain amount of personal “lone
wolf” syndrome. This year will be no different but I think next year (time
permitting and required amount of MTFU’ing, I will make the plunge).</div>
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<br /></div>
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In 2012 having made it through the first “organised ride” of
my life and realising that not only could I keep up with most people but in
fact was faster than most (though these are very amateur riders mostly) I am
therefore planning a spread of events (3 or 4 in the 75 to 125 mile area)
across the Spring / Summer to keep the motivation up throughout the season.
Last year the ability to ride into work everyday move from the motivational
category to the mundane.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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My new secret weapon for this year is a Gamin Edge 800 that
I got as a Christmas present. Apart from the ability to keep on course in
events, my training is taking on a far more structured form with the use of
heart rate zones.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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So are the heart rate zones of any use? Well after using
the device about 10 times I can say I do feel there is a quicker advance in my
training and what’s more, you are able to better measure the improvements. But
there have also been a few surprising benefits, none more so than I am actually
using the turbo trainer now! This is down to the simple fact that playing with
heart rates gives you something to do other than look at cadence all the time –
this breaks up the boredom and has removed the thought of me setting an old
telly up in the garage to keep me entertained. The other benefit is I no longer
feel the need to race every day I commute into work – now I just do the ride in
the HR zone I think I need and pace myself according to that. With the excuse
running through my head that I don’t need to race that person who just shot
past me as I am doing scientific training. This my brain has decided is a
viable excuse and therefore does not set me off in a sweating / panting frenzy
trying to overtake the guy again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I have started the year off as I hope I will complete it
– I hope to fit into my week one HIT training session (which I can no longer
fool myself into thinking I have done because the ride data will confirm or
deny it). One cross training session (thus making use of the gym membership I
never use) one longer ride of 3 hours plus and a couple of 1 hour gentle
sessions ending in a 10 minute burnout. This coupled with riding into work,
this year at a more sensible rate (well mostly) I hope will make me into a
fitter person generally speaking and hopefully a better rider.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am fast thinking though that I need to have two stores of
online ride data – one for turbo sessions and another for road riding. I think
the turbo trainer I bought, has a dodgy resistance gauge because even on its
lowest setting I can only use the small front chain ring if I want to ride for
more than 5 minutes without being totally knackered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The speed figures that come out between on
road ride data and those from Turbo trainer sessions vary by about 300%.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I have noticed though is that I am a bit of a wimp! I
never push hard enough and rely heavily on high cadence rather than raw power.
There is no way I am forking out for a power meter to confirm this but my lack
of hill climbing speed would confirm what is fairly obvious to me and all those
passing me on the hills – I really need to work on keeping the cadence but
adding more muscle into it. Never having been one to miss out on a gimmick, I
have covered this problem with an astute £5 purchase of a steerer tube cap which
has “DIG DEEPER WIMP” written on it – that should do the trick!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-38428295996557376292012-09-24T17:47:00.000+01:002013-08-09T13:39:56.581+01:00What is a MAMIL exactly?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oIWjMnkktmc/UGCLs82RluI/AAAAAAAAXYU/Q9ifG3eAim4/s1600/mamil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oIWjMnkktmc/UGCLs82RluI/AAAAAAAAXYU/Q9ifG3eAim4/s1600/mamil.jpg" /></a></div>
<i>EDIT: if you want to read a more full series of posts on the MAMIL you can see the first one <a href="http://ukmambo.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/proud-to-be-mamil-part-1.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></i><br />
<br />
<br />
Recently there have been a few articles in the mainstream press about MAMIL's (middle aged men in Lycra).<br />
<br />
Before reading any further I have a confession to make, I am a MAMIL and I am proud of it - I feel I should be sitting in a group in some community centre with everyone standing up and applauding, meanwhile the group leader gives me a manly pat on the back and a middle aged woman sits beside me wiping a tear drop from her cheek.<br />
<br />
<b>So here is a brief outline of what my interpretation of a MAMIL is:</b><br />
<br />
1) middle aged (obviously) for me I reckon this is 40 - 55 years old<br />
2) money to spend<br />
3) loves gadgets<br />
4) wears Lycra<br />
<br />
<b>Here are some other interpretations:</b><br />
<br />
1) suffering from a mid-life crisis<br />
2) wastes money on pointless cycling items he doesn't need<br />
3) Rides around looking like a fool in Lycra<br />
4) Rides around looking fat in Lycra<br />
5) Rides around puffing in Lycra<br />
6) Rides around on a bike in Lycra, when he should be driving a car like other sane people<br />
7) Rides through red lights wearing Lycra<br />
8) Rides on pavements in Lycra, knocking down old ladies who are not in Lycra <br />
<br />
Note a trend? There is a heavy focus on Lycra, it is as if people are going out in public dressed in a gimp suit! <br />
<br />
I will attempt to move away from stereo types and exaggeration and take a look at what a MAMIL really is, and ask why do middle aged men get all dressed up and go out on their bikes? People assume men should stop using a bike once they pass their driving test - only children and those on a drunk driving charge should be riding a bike surely.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>This is a list of my thoughts on why I and many others are MAMIL's</b><br />
<br />
1) Cycling is a sport that you can do in your later years. It is possible with a sensible level of effort to still be able to mix it with people 20 years younger and even be faster than they are. Often it is your aerobic fitness that counts along with your weight / strength ratios. Yes of course someone genetically the same as you but younger putting in the same effort will be faster but given all the variables you stand a better chance on a bike than you do on a run. This I think is a major appeal in cycling for older people.<br />
<br />
2) I think cycling appeals because it is a social sport - it is something you can do at the weekend with a friend and have a bit of a chat en-route, for me and many others it is a social and physical activity.<br />
<br />
3) There is the gadget element - bikes offer infinite permutations of equipment across a broad range of items and prices. Older men man have spent their previous 20 years glueing back on the hand of the stars wars action figures, carried out minor engineering miracles to keep a favourite toy going, or to make sure that a shelf can handle 3 kids swinging from it. In our DNA there is a love and appreciation of mechanical things.<br />
<br />
Often nowadays, cars can no longer be fixed without a raft of special tools and computers, besides all that, the car engine is often hidden by some plastic cover designed to make it look "cool" and to stop you fiddling with it beyond adding water and oil. But bikes on the other hand are totally accessible, fairly easy to tinker with and build and are, to the eyes of men in the know, a thing of beauty!<br />
<br />
4) We want to stay healthy - many sports are just too likely to give painful injuries. Last time I had a rugby kick around with my sons I broke two ribs - my sons are just too damn big and my bones a lot less dense than they used to be. But I can cycle all day and unless my eldest son decides to make any effort, I can still beat him at one sport. Besides (and no I wont admit it to them) I enjoy getting out, on the rare occasions we cycle together, with my sons<br />
<br />
Why should men accept that they have to grow fat and unhealthy just because they have passed 40? Gyms have lost their allure often, either our joints just can't take that heavy pounding any more, or we can't stand looking at some 20 year old thinking he is the bees knees, when we know we were twice as fit at his age but nowadays it would take two of us just to spot him. Also (and maybe this is just me) but I seem to be a lot more sensitive to the unwashed masses in the gym now than I was before (or maybe young people wash less nowadays).<br />
<br />
5) We get a little time at last to have a hobby - it is not just about the physical side of cycling that appeals, there are a plethora of gadgets for us to read and learn about; and what can be better if we find that must have gadget, we can then buy it! We justify the benefits we will feel from that carbon bottle cage that is 2 grams lighter - maybe it will be difference between first and second on the imaginary TDF we cycle in every day we cycle off to work.<br />
<br />
6) We get away from it all - there is just so many benefits to getting some quiet time, either in the garage building bike things, or out on the road. It offers such an opportunity to de-stress that it is hard to explain. Often when I come back from a ride the noise in the house is a real shock.<br />
<br />
7) Cycling is a practical exercise, you see the world about you, or if you are like me you get to commute to work (I am not going into all the cost savings, health benefits etc. in this post) maybe it is a middle aged thing but I can't see the point of spinning my legs in a gym going nowhere fast and I loathe getting on public transport (maybe it is that not liking the small of unwashed people again)?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>So why the negative connections to the term MAMIL? </b><br />
<br />
<br />
1) I suppose the one item from above that annoys me the most is the
"mid-life crisis" tag.Why is it that everything a man does in his
mid-life a crisis? Maybe there are some logical reasons for what we do, once a man passes 40 he doesn't go a bit mad, but it seems that the media takes the easy route of labelling everything we do as a mid-life crisis, in just the same way they have to label us MAMIL's <br />
<br />
2) Do MAMIL's waste too much money on cycling? Yes we do! Is that such a bad thing? If you own a cycle store a MAMIL is heaven sent, as explained above, we love all the gadgets and have the ability to buy them. Do all the gadgets make a difference - well yes they do. Do they make as big a difference as their cost - well no of course they don't - does that matter - hell no! If you can afford it then why can't you have it? What is annoying though is when you compare the money you spend on a bike etc. to that of your spending on a car - the bike is many times cheaper, but we have been conditioned nowadays to accept the spiralling cost of car ownership and it seen as a necessity and a bike as a luxury item - I am sure it was that way round 50 years ago even. <br />
<br />
3) Your other half (sorry "better half") - how should she feel about this, after all you are out on your bike instead of lying on the sofa at home. Obviously I am going to have to make some assumptions here but I would think the following applies:<br />
<br />
a) You are out on your bike - not in the arms another woman. My wife is all I need, and my bikes are my hobby (though my wife thinks I treat them as if they are mistresses). My bikes take up my attention and thoughts outside of the family, I worry about when I should clean or service them, not about should I try and continue my youth by chasing another woman.<br />
<br />
Once I forgot my phone when I went out to the shops, my wife needed to contact me, She thought about going to look for me, but she admitted she would not have gone looking around the pubs but around the bike shops instead.<br />
<br />
b) My bike keeps me fit - what wife wants her husband unhealthy and fat before his time (feeders excepted).<br />
<br />
c) When we have a dinner with friends, fellow MAMIL's have loads of exciting things to talk about rather than get into some argument about politics.Gear ratios can take up many an hour of dinner conversations!<br />
<br />
<br />
4) So how do you justify buying expensive bike bling? Well if your wife thinks it is fine to always buy her shoes from ASDA then I guess you have no right to buy bike bling. But as no woman wants to buy all her shoes at ASDA I think we are safe in using that as an excuse for buying more expensive components. Besides we get years out of our bikes as opposed to one season for a pair of shoes which often cost more than a reasonable level carbon frame!<br />
<br />
5) And this is probably the main reason for all the media slagging off - it is so cool to be negative about something. It is real easy to be a critic and laugh at someone else, but a damn sight harder to get off the sofa and push yourself to be fit and slimmer.<br />
<br />
A MAMIL will ordinarily have a more positive outlook on life, maybe be a little less cynical. Yes that's it the word I have been searching for CYNICAL - the mocking of a MAMIL is far too easy, be cynical and delude yourself you are cool, after all MAMIL's are far too busy living life (or too busy deluding ourselves that we are just one more training hill away from being called up to Team Sky) to waste time in arguing back to cynicism. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wydllt_7CCg/UGCMJWT8LbI/AAAAAAAAXYc/W4zR1BQgV7U/s1600/lycra-bulge-620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wydllt_7CCg/UGCMJWT8LbI/AAAAAAAAXYc/W4zR1BQgV7U/s320/lycra-bulge-620.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>The dreaded Lycra </b><br />
<br />
OK that is all the non-controversial things covered, now for the tricky one - LYCRA. It is fair to say that a fat man in Lycra is not a good sight! So I suggest we take a sensible approach here, yes Lycra does help;<br />
<br />
a) padding in all right places<br />
b) gets rid of the sweat<br />
c) reduces drag.<br />
d) lightweight<br />
e) dries quickly <br />
<br />
The above advantages do pale into insignificance when compared to the sight of a fat man wearing it, at least for the more refined people. So for all would be MAMIL's I suggest the following approach - if slightly overweight start off in more normal clothing, then as you progress and the fat starts to go - then introduce Lycra in step process, keep the baggy clothes covering the flabby parts and introduce the Lycra where it will not induce onlookers to vomit (or much worse mock you). Nowadays there are so many choices though, where you can wear baggy shorts over Lycra - so you can get the best of both worlds with a little compromise.<br />
<br />
The advantages of proper clothing though are not to be underestimated, there will always be the people who mock and have an indelibly burned image in their head of someone in Lycra who really should have known better from a few years back. But provided you are reasonably healthy (as most cyclists are, or soon will be) then wearing Lycra should not offer up such disconcerting sights.<br />
<br />
The thing that does rile me personally though is the people who say "I rode my bike once 50 miles and I didn't need Lycra". Well yes maybe they didn't, maybe they made it without too much hassle, but please tell me where it says I should put myself through unnecessary discomfort just to meet their satirical requirements? I have never dressed to impress (much to my wife's chagrin) and I as sure as hell am not going to do it on a bike where there are practical considerations to take into account as well. As a final point I would just like to say, even if you think we look a fool in our Lycra, quite frankly we are just too old to give a damn about what you and others think.<br />
<br />
So forget about hugging a hoodie - hug a MAMIL - we are a much more maligned section of the community! <br />
Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-58124806481959004712012-09-07T14:54:00.002+01:002012-09-07T14:59:15.838+01:00Oh wait - something sensible of Cycle SafetyFirst of all apologies for total lack of posts recently! Just been one of those times where other things in life have taken precedent.<br />
<br />
For those of you who missed this on BBC News today - he is a video of a news piece on cycle safety. What is the best part though is Chris Boardman's discussion of cycle safety after the report, he gives a balanced argument about the benefits of cycling and what needs to be done to improve safety.<br />
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If you didn't see it, then it is well worth a view - I sense cycling may have a new and media savy (at last) spokesman!<br />
<br />
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<br />Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-43543064064196591012012-06-13T12:39:00.001+01:002012-06-13T17:26:21.731+01:00London Nightrider - post event.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2PIjwAadHxw/T9h6sdjYzXI/AAAAAAAAXVY/WcgrTnssAOc/s1600/photo+%283%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2PIjwAadHxw/T9h6sdjYzXI/AAAAAAAAXVY/WcgrTnssAOc/s320/photo+%283%29.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do you think we look like we need a nights sleep?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Previously I have written about the Nightrider event prior to doing it, and in the natural course of events there now follows a post dealing with the post event. Firstly lets get the main point out of the way - yes I completed the course and I may also, modestly state, the I think it was completed with a reasonable amount of panache.<br />
<br />
My first draft of this post included a whole lot of info of how I managed my diabetes during the ride - but this made the post far too long and in retrospect I think it is a subject that demands a post of it's own, so I will work on that for the next post. <br />
<br />
The week prior to the event I completed a fast but not too punishing 30 miles ride and then rode into work two times during the week (Tuesday and Wednesday). On the Thursday I took the bike for a service, this was a mixture of a check-over but also just to get a professional spanner merchant to check over my self build. The bike ended up needing both the front and back wheel trued (I have hit a number of potholes at speed during training), also the rear mech hanger needed straightening and I needed a new front derailleur cable as I had not connected that properly when I built the bike - but apart from that error the mechanic said I had done a very good job which left me feeling more than a little chuffed! I also stocked up on energy bars, drinks and Gels and hydration powders and Mars bars. <br />
<br />
<br />
Peter (my ride partner) and I had a 12:35 start - this was the last start of the night. We chose this time deliberately because we thought it would be better to have people to chase after as we expected to be going a little faster than the majority and certainly the last thing I wanted to do was to set off early and then feel the need to try and be one off the first people in. Whilst we wanted to do a reasonable speed we did not want to be pushing it beyond a comfortable fast pace - we are both mid to late forties and sadly I don't think either of us have got used to the idea that we cannot race everybody; a case of the mind being willing but the body wants to be in the armchair having a nap.<br />
<br />
I spent the whole week prior to the event weather watching - and what a turbulent week it was - gale force wind on Thursday and Friday and flooding on Sunday evening and Monday, all I can say is God was feeling gracious to me and the 3,000 other riders! Saturday night / Sunday morning was rain free - a little cold but nothing too bad. How we were so lucky to get that small window in the appalling weather I will never know but I am eternally grateful for it!<br />
<br />
So, that was the bike ticked off, weather ticked off and me half ticked off all that was needed was to get the ride done. I have never done an organised bike ride like this before so the whole experience was new - I got a couple of hours nap during the day to help me make it through the night and Peter and I turned up at Crystal Palace (our start point - the other was at Alexandra Palace) feeling fairly refreshed. I was lucky in that Peter had a roof rack for our bikes and we were able to park only 1/4 of a mile from the start.<br />
<br />
I have to say that the whole event was well organised (as it was) but I will make my two complaints now about things that could have been done better.<br />
1) The food at the halfway point needed to be more Carb orientated (but I brought my own anyway).<br />
2) the second stop had too few toilets and their was a long queue (once again I avoided this by seeking out a secluded bush). The second stop is where all the water you have taken onboard at the start, suddenly needs to go away.<br />
<br />
Apart from the above two minor quibbles I thought the event was very well organised and every element was hassle free. We turned up and registered in about 5 minutes and got our free High-Vis vest. We then nervously chatted for a few minutes and had a go a pretending to stretch. A quick visit to the toilet before I left confirmed that I was not the most nervous person who had left that day!<br />
<br />
Once we were on the the move things soon settled into a rhythm. It was very clear within 2 minutes of setting off that people were going to be completing this event at varying speeds. Within about 4 minutes we had already overtaken 15 or so people. This filled me with joy - not because we had overtaken people but because we knew there would be a nice mix of riders out there. Through the course of the night we met riders of varying degrees, some like Peter and I who were going for a time rather than managing a distance and others who were out there and had every intention of enjoying the view and taking as long as they damned well please. One thing remain consistent though - we were all in this together. I never saw one person at the side of the road with a puncture that didn't have at least one or two people helping them out, people chatted easily at the numerous traffic lights; at the half time break I had a nice chat with a couple in their 60's (I think) who were doing the ride on a tandem. <br />
<br />
The only time I didn't enjoy the ride was just after we set off from the Alexandra Palace break - their was an initial nice downhill and then there was a long double hill climb - this was before you really had a chance to get warmed up and made the start of the second half far less enjoyable than it could have been for many. I had seen a fair few walk up the hill to the Alexandra Palace break and this was understandable - it was steep and at the 35 mile point, but the hill directly after the break was a cruel and long one and given the vary abilities of the cyclists should have been avoided (if possible) I think. Probably 1/2 the cyclist ended up walking some or all of this hill.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XmZhotilaww/T9h7AUJw3KI/AAAAAAAAXVg/O5j4l1cjBJc/s1600/this+fast.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XmZhotilaww/T9h7AUJw3KI/AAAAAAAAXVg/O5j4l1cjBJc/s320/this+fast.png" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My bike computer has a "moment"</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Peter and I managed to complete the course in 3 hours and 50 minutes ride time averaging about 17 miles an hour. This was 2 mph more than I had expected given the hills and numerous traffic lights. With respect to traffic lights generally all riders stuck to them, certainly at the start - by the end when the roads were empty and legs were getting more and more tired from stopping/starting and clipping in all the time a number of lights were jumped - but I saw no one doing this in a dangerous way and without taking care to check the path was clear.<br />
<br />
My main regret of the night was not to have worn contact lenses! I use clear cycling glasses to keep wind and insects out of my eyes - normally on my commute I am focusing on the road and cars and don't need prescription glasses. But this ride was different - there are many sights to see - especially after 3am when the sun is coming up - I totally missed the detail of these sights - I also missed a lot of the arrows pointing out the route - I had to rely on seeing riders up front and the way they went or Peter shouting behind me to turn right or left, he was my personal SatNav.<br />
<br />
Miles 50 to 60 of the ride seemed to go very slowly, punctuated by the strong smell of London Zoo when you ride past it (I have never noticed that before). Completing this ride makes you realise just how close all the parts of London are and how small the centre of London is compared to the hours you spend stuck on a stuffy tube travelling around it. Travelling at 20 to 25 mph around the centre of London areas just fly past. Another little favourite of mine was flying through Canary Wharf (I was having a bit of flashback to the Halfords professional tour ride that took part there the week before). I hate Muswell hill though!<br />
<br />
The end of the ride was very cruel in having to climb up crystal Palace Hill at the end of all those miles - I think that I saw 90% of riders walking that bit - but it may have been different at other times. Then there is a short downhill bit to the finish which is just long enough for you to gather your composure and finish with grace and speed.<br />
<br />
I would like to give a special thanks to the people working at the event - they were supportive and clapped and cheered all riders and gave them words of encouragement. There were staff placed at various junctions throughout the ride to send people in the right direction. One of the worse sights I saw was a few people taking what looked like to be short cuts - for example you could save a mile or so if you went along Picadilly rather than go left down towards Trafalgar square, these people I am sad to say were fellow Carbon Bike warriors (or wimps) and I think they are just fooling themselves for taking shortcuts. Some of the nicest things I saw were people on tandems doing the ride together - husband and wife going up a hill with the husband telling the wife to ignore the people overtaking them and to just worry about her line and getting up the hill at a steady pace (even though I had the sense he wanted to be with the people doing the overtaking). Or the young couple about 2 miles out from the finish, the woman was obviously totally knackered and he just had his arm around her helping her muster up the final energy to completed the ride and what would obviously be a major achievement that they would remember. These are the people I like to ride with - out there doing there bit for their charity and also having a go at facing a big personal challenge and not giving in. Some people I saw seemed to be inadequately prepared in equipment and personal health, they looked like a flight of stairs would be a daunting obstacle - but there they were walking up that last hill or stuffing their breakfast down at the end of the ride like they hadn't eaten in a week, well done to all of them!<br />
<br />
I would also like to thank Diabetes Care UK for letting me ride for them - I hope my sponsorship help with the ongoing battle against Diabetes. One small request though - next year don't give us things to put on our head! They don't fit on a bike helmet - a simple sticker to put on our his-vis vest or and armband would be better - no really it would!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vvjnmkkjC_k/T9h7hDOdL1I/AAAAAAAAXVo/_RJ_tfaR9iM/s1600/photo+%282%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vvjnmkkjC_k/T9h7hDOdL1I/AAAAAAAAXVo/_RJ_tfaR9iM/s320/photo+%282%29.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think I was having a John Inman "moment" on Westminster Bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Would I advise people to do the ride - yes I would - but you need to make sure you get a few good rides in beforehand. I would definitely recommend doing at least three or four 30 mile rides and one or two 50 mile rides beforehand and get some general fitness training. If you can, do as I do, and commute some or all the way into work (you would be surprised how much you enjoy it). With this minimal training under your belt - the ride will be well within your range and the fitter you are the more you will enjoy the ride, but don't forget to your glasses / contact lenses!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-53787293600598617972012-06-07T12:16:00.002+01:002012-06-07T12:24:00.726+01:00London Nightrider - Pre event post.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As per my earlier post <a href="http://ukmambo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/nightrider-london-bike-ride.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> - the night of the <a href="http://www.nightrider.org.uk/" target="_blank">LONDON NIGHTRIDER</a> event is drawing very close. I wanted to post about it and how it went etc. But last night I thought that maybe it would be better to do a post both before and after the actual event. Once you have completed something, your opinion of it changes and you forget some of your initial fears suddenly those big obstacles you thought you would face turn out not to be so big - after all why worry about something you have completed? Therefore I have decided to write the first half of this post before the event and I will complete it next week when I have done it.<br />
<br />
Firstly lets deal with why I decided to do it? Well after being hit by a car back in December last year it took me until March before I could ride again - I have written about this already <a href="http://ukmambo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/well-that-hurt-lot.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. I knew I needed to give myself a challenge otherwise I felt I would spend the year not really progressing in my cycling and start to get bored - yes 22 miles a day is OK but it has become fairly routine and I had plateaued as to increasing my fitness, and I was bored of reading about people doing 100 mile rides in a day on a regular basis without actually experiencing it myself.<br />
<br />
After the bike crash I had an insurance payout which I was allowed to invest in a new go faster road bike - I invested in a self build <a href="http://ukmambo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/i-havent-really-posted-much-recently.html" target="_blank">very slick bike</a> (I must
do a proper post on it sometime) this bike demands a rider who goes places it
would be a total sin not to use it properly! So I had the bike, I had
the basic fitness need - lastly I needed a reason. I was told about the London Nightrider event and it seemed a like a good one to aim for - further than the London to Brighton (it is 100km - plus travel to and from start / end) and different in that it was through London at night - I felt it would offer up something different and certainly a different aspect on London.<br />
<br />
I am riding the event for <a href="http://www.diabetes.org.uk/" target="_blank">Diabetes UK</a> (if you would like to donate you can do so <a href="http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/McNamara" target="_blank">HERE</a> through Virgin Giving - go on I know you ant to). The reason for choosing Diabetes UK is because I have been Type1 (i.e. I need to inject 4 times a day) diabetic myself for 30 years.<br />
<br />
Before I started this challenge the most I had ridden in a day was 40 miles (and that was only twice) and these were both very much stop start affairs and at quite a gentle pace. My partner in crime for this event (and training buddy) was Peter. Peter has done a number of longer distance rides up to 70 miles and so doesn't face the fear of the unknown I do, he also happens to know the country lanes around us very well and so was able to lead me on weekend rides of about 30 miles through nice areas. The problem with Peter is he loves hills - the man is mad! I on the other hand, hate them with a vengeance - on one particular ride up a two mile hill which I think had 7 or 8% gradients at points the only thing that kept me going was the thought that I will kill him when I caught up with him at the top - fortunately I couldn't even breath let alone kill anyone by the time I reached the top. On the plus side I am faster than Peter on the flat - sadly this is down to my new "go-faster" bike. Because I had basic fitness from my commuting these 30+ mile rides turned out to be fairly easy (even with hills) and more notably when you push yourself to do a little further distance it was amazing how quickly it improved my fitness, to the point where I wasn't even registering my ride into work each day. Very quickly it got to the point that I felt quite comfortable doing 30+ miles and on a couple of occasions carried on for a little extra - I now knew that I had done the London Brighton 54 miles and it was not so much of a challenge - it was also important for me to ride close to the distance of this event just to be certain psychologically that I could do it.<br />
<br />
Had I not been diabetic - I think this event would not represent so great a challenge - but the balance of:<br />
1) Getting enough carbs during my ride,<br />
2) Coupled with making sure I have enough insulin inside me to actually convert those carbs<br />
3) At the same time making sure I don't have too much insulin so I hypo on the bike<br />
4) Trying to factor in how much energy I am burning - dependant on the effort<br />
5) The delayed reduction in blood sugar from post exercise (and I assume on such event during as it is going to take a number of hours)<br />
<br />
All of this is to be honest a total nightmare - especially as I have no previous experience to use - this is my first proper endurance event. Common and practical sense says I should take the ride easy - but my own madness will not allow me to do this - so I guess we shall see!<br />
<br />
Right now - I have all my gels, food, bike, lights, injections, blood sugar level tester sorted and ready to go. But the weather seems about ready to play it's last trick on me - the weather forecast is predicting rain for the night - of all the things I didn't want to deal with was rain and wind - the rest I can accept facing but I will be bitterly disappointed if the weather doesn't join in the fun and hold of the rain. There has been so much rain lately that even I gave up cycling into work in April - I just tired of being soaked every day. For about a month I hardly rode at all - not only was my fitness not improving for the event - it was actually getting worse! It got to the point that I bought a second hand turbo trainer to get some bike hours in at all.<br />
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I would say that out of all the things (aside from dealing with the diabetes in this new environment) the weather has been the most difficult to accept and deal with - only I could be in a country complaining about drought and then when I decided to train for the heavens to open for the wettest April on record and a more than average wet May. People were joking that it had rained non-stop since the hosepipe ban - but I knew it had rained non-stop the moment I signed up to do this event!<br />
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<br />Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-13398331344043794212012-05-28T12:12:00.002+01:002012-05-28T12:13:15.848+01:00Baby Steps - Training for longer rides<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZeVJYIMkx8Y/T8NdlM2txXI/AAAAAAAAXU8/j-hEEk4QhIA/s1600/BabyWalker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZeVJYIMkx8Y/T8NdlM2txXI/AAAAAAAAXU8/j-hEEk4QhIA/s320/BabyWalker.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Some of you may have read my earlier post about doing the London night ride - 65 to 70 miles overnight around London on June 9th.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">It was with a fair amount of trepidation that I signed up for this - after all 24 miles a day commute is not the same as sitting in a saddle for 4 or 5 hours with non stop cycling and I am still horrified by the idea of doing more than two hills in a 24 hour period. But my way of thinking was, unless I set myself a target I would never push myself hard enough and take the time at the weekend to get the distances.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">So I have made the commute into work every day</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> - this itself is a step forward given the weather of the past two months. Additionally two weekends ago I did a 25 mile fast ride and then on the Sunday a 40 mile ride (with many hills). Last weekend I did a 54 mile ride (with more hills than I though existed in the UK) - I was determined to get over the 50 mile mark just to see how my body would react - strangely it didn't complain at all and I had no aches the following day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The most surprising thing of these extra weekend miles is how much it has improved my commute - the miles now glide by with minimum fuss and plenty of extra speed and lack of tiredness. I really think this night ride has forced me to take a leg up in my cycling endurance, I have been shocked at how much improvement it has given me with what is in essence very little effort and the returns have happened so quickly. I have never know such a quick jump in ability of a sport for so little.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So although the jump from 25 miles to 50 might seem great - it really isn't that much of a step up other than in time and willingness to do it. I supposed it helps that my cycling buddy is a complete nutter, he loves hills (both up and down) with a passion that I can only summon for my immediate family. I tend to make it up some of the hills he chooses (like the 2 mile 10% one last weekend) by repeating the mantra that I will kill him when I get to the top, unfortunately by the time I get up the hill I am far too knackered to do anything other than breath - he on the other hand is having a leisurely lay in the grass waiting for me to turn up (on the flat he is cannon fodder to my more expensive bike though).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So my goal for this year of cycling was to make longer distance rides and to have then be comfortable and enjoyable to a reasonable degree - I think now I am making great steps towards achieving this - I am now starting to reap the benefits of training my body muscle type. i have always been a Sprinter - max of 20 seconds flat out effort then a nice breather. By gradually forcing myself to up the cadence (now an nice average of 90) and keep to the lower gears rather than forcing and crunching the higher gears - my knees feel great and miles just melt away behind me, I was also taking out some of the slower club riders on the road at 40 miles. Therefore I am pleased to announce that I am getting better at this cycling lark!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So what about the baby steps in the title? Well I think I have taken the time to build up my general fitness - I have learnt about bike maintenance and build - I have taken the time to learn to pedal better and then to increase the cadence but as far as distance is concerned - I think I need to be more brave and just go for the longer rides earlier, some things require a bit of bravery and less of being a baby. </span><br />Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-15542853748110366912012-05-24T11:24:00.003+01:002012-05-24T11:25:00.921+01:00Cars that pull out in front of you from side roads.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B2TenLtCztE/T74GY2U58jI/AAAAAAAAXUw/FrPs2cX3jNU/s1600/wrongway1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B2TenLtCztE/T74GY2U58jI/AAAAAAAAXUw/FrPs2cX3jNU/s400/wrongway1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This morning I was in the car and on my bike (obviously not at the same time). I drove about 14 miles taking the kids to school and then rode about 12 miles into work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">During the car drive I was very concious of the number of cars that pulled out of side turnings into my path. Maybe because I do most of my miles on the bike nowadays, I was suddenly more concious of the cars pulling out from side roads in front of me. The reality is when I was on my bike the same proportion of cars pulled out in front of me too (maybe even less).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">So where is this all leading? Well I think the point is that drivers generally are fairly aggressive on the road and it is not a thing aimed at cyclists in particular - they do it to fellow car drivers to the same degree. Three things are different though;</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;">Cyclists tend to stop more slowly - our brakes are not as good as cars (well at least a well maintained car) additionally when we slow down or stop it takes a lot more effort to get back up to speed again.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;">Cyclists are a lot more vulnerable in a crash (thank you captain obvious) and additionally we do not really have the option of swerving out of the way without considerable risk of potentially being hit from behind by a car overtaking us.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;">Cyclists often have a feeling of persecution (contentious I know) this may be because of the above two previous points - but I think we need to realise it is not just a personal thing - generally speaking, car driving on the roads is awful!</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I think we need to start looking at how bad driving on the road is done by a significant minority of drivers in general rather than making it a bike Vs. car argument. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">If driving standards generally were improved I am sure not only cyclist would be very happy but also other car drivers. When I drive I see some atrocious acts of driving by some people on the road, it has always made me laugh in comments sections when the drivers lobby complain about poor cyclists and how they break the rules - and then blaming them for the accidents, yet these same drivers, daily on the road, are berating their fellow drivers for poor driving. Yet as soon as it gets to discussion time, it becomes a tribal matter with drivers and cyclists in opposing camps, with the main variation being that most cyclists are car drivers and most in the drivers camp do not cycle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">So why does it become so tribal? It becomes tribal because we allow it to. Often the theme of discussions seems to be driven by a sanctimonious few cyclists, who abhor the car, it's emission and the capitalist scum driving them. From the drivers side it is driven by the total petrol head who has no life, no driving skills (although he thinks he is Jackie Stewart) and no chance of getting laid unless he can trick a woman into his car with his impressive selection of "Max Power" stickers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The army of us in the middle get drawn into these arguments and with the best will in the world discussions get polarised with digs from the trolls on either side to stoke the fires of argument. Forget reclaim the road - we need "Reclaim the Discussion" - the 99% of drivers I meet on the road are reasonable and considerate - yes they make mistakes and those mistakes put a cyclist life at risk. Yes there is a need for all drivers to exercise a higher level of patience but this is only going to be achieved by reasoned discussion. As for drivers without insurance, who as a general rule I find to be the worst drivers on the road, they need far stiffer fines, as does what is currently called "Dangerous Driving" (or know to cyclists as "he almost killed me").</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I try and do my little bit - at dinners, I talk to my driving only friends about the hassles faced on a bike and hopefully they will take more notice of the cyclist in the future (baby steps get there eventually) and as for cyclists who jump red lights at dangerous intersections (not at empty pedestrian crossing) I generally mutter "twat" loudly under my breath as they go through, maybe peer pressure will eventually make them think twice?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The only certain thing is, the more we allow discussions to be become polarised the less likely we will be friends on the road.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-68185497966850809672012-05-22T12:58:00.002+01:002013-04-30T12:14:51.380+01:00Build you own bike - go on I dare you!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zq6HHISiE1g/T7t_-AaaEDI/AAAAAAAAXUk/BGeeJk60zVA/s1600/dr1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zq6HHISiE1g/T7t_-AaaEDI/AAAAAAAAXUk/BGeeJk60zVA/s640/dr1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My self build De Rosa R838</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I haven’t really posted much recently – there have been two very good reasons for this. Firstly the weather depressed me so much after a month of continual rain – and ongoing until this week, secondly and more importantly I have been building a new road bike and this is what I want to talk about today in the hope it may give a few more of you the conviction to try.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">First of all lets deal with why. Why go through all the trouble of building your own bike when you can pop in a shop and buy one ready built? There are two reasons I strongly recommend this approach both tangible and intangible. The intangible is simply the satisfaction that you get from doing it yourself – despite the fear your LBS and posters on forums give people about building your own bike, it really isn’t that hard. Secondly (the tangible) why should you have to have a bike that has components that have been chosen for you? </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I think it first best to talk about the tangible in more detail. When a bike is delivered in to a shop the company that built it has been driven by one very important factor – price point. As I trawled around bike shops I very soon noticed that on road bikes from £2,000 upwards the frame very often was of a much higher specification than the components. Why would you have a bike with a frame costing £1,800 plus with components 3 or 4 iterations down the scale (e.g. Sram Apex, Shimano 105 or Compag Athena? The difference between these and a higher level groupset may only be £200 – so you spend £2,000 - £3,000 and yet you immediately feel the need to upgrade – surely it would be better to spend and extra £200 and have a groupset you want? </span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Companies making the bike may want to put on cheaper components but it might take the bike above the £3,000 price point! Don’t take my word for it any honest salesman at your LBS will agree with me on this point. And then of course soon afterwards you feel the need to have a groupset that justifies your frame and you then go and blast another £800 of hard earned money to get that groupset, good for the shops though as you keep on spending and replacing parts before they wear out. It makes perfect sense to me, to start with everything how you want it (within your skill and price bracket). Even worse is when I have looked at some high end carbon bikes they have cheap heavy alloy seat-posts, and who is to say that the bars they provide as part of the spec are at the correct drop for you, or the bar tape is what you like. The list is endless as to the items that you eventually replace. When i bought my first bike – I got what I thought would be a spec I would never need to change – within 2 months I was fiddling and changing a majority of the parts, eventually it became silly replacing items on a frame that did not warrant them..</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Additionally, when you build your own bike it stands to reason it will not be your first bike, I had parts (saddle and wheels) that I had upgraded on my old bike – they where good quality parts and expensive – they would get very little use left on the old bike – so I simply transferred them to the new bike and put the original wheels and saddle back on the old bike (immediate £600 saving).</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Another thing you are always warned when you buy a complete bike is that if you were to buy the parts individually they would cost a lot more – yes that is true but it doesn’t take a genius to source parts at well below the list price on the internet. For example the frame I bought cost me £800 – it’s list price was £1,700. The difference was that I bought an ex-display frame, not used on the road but it did previously have the original parts attached. I had serious doubts about buying a heavily used carbon frame second hand and I am nowhere near brave enough to buy direct from China / Taiwan which seemed like a lottery. Additionally I wanted a top quality carbon fibre not something built with cheaper materials – the only way I could guarantee this was to buy a known frame / build.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">All in all by careful buying I saved around £1,400 on list price for the items I bought – because I was waiting for the insurance cheque for the personal injuries I received in a crash (this paid for the bike with some cash to spare) it gave me time to investigate the exact parts I wanted and time to find the best price (lots of eBay hunting and waiting).</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As for the intangibles – building the bike was incredibly therapeutic, I really enjoyed the experience of building the bike and even found myself taking more time than was necessary just because the experience was so rewarding. All the items I bought came with very complete manuals and fitting instructions. Generally the process I followed was: </span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Choose the best product for me – reading many professional and customer reviews</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Wait and take my time to get the best price for a new part.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Watch a u-tube on how to fit the product</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Read the manual</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Install the item</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Un-install the item </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Re-install item getting it inch perfect</span></li>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I also bought some additional tools I needed like a 2 torque wrenches, chain tool and proper wire cutters (mostly on eBay where I saved a lot) – I already have many other general items like spanners, hex keys etc. If you take your time and fit things with care I believe you do a better job then a skilled technician, mostly because the bike is your pride and joy and you will not accept even the slightest error (for example I adjusted my break leavers and bar tape about 5 times before I was happy with the set-up). The only item I didn’t install was the BB30 bearings – the tool to do this was about £90 (cheapest I could find) so it made sense to pay the LBS £10 to fit it. The other advantage of DIY bike build is there is now nothing on the bike that I don’t know about and understand in-depth. I can fix just about any issue now – though I still am not so hot with the front derailleur!</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Obviously I would not recommend building you own bike if you have not had a shop bought one first – you need to know what you want and about how you cycle before deciding on the parts that best suit your needs.</span><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Next post will be about the bike itself what it has on it etc. But I can recommend if you have the time / desire and are not in a rush, take the plunge and build your own bike, you will not regret it.</span></span>Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-47875492068858126742012-05-08T11:38:00.001+01:002012-05-08T11:41:55.671+01:00Another I told you so - house price drop!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RYMSTTrd34M/T6j4V7mKBuI/AAAAAAAAXUY/TjeCpqHSN1s/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RYMSTTrd34M/T6j4V7mKBuI/AAAAAAAAXUY/TjeCpqHSN1s/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
So I told you in <a href="http://ukmambo.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/big-house-price-fall-comming-soon-heres.html" target="_blank">this post</a> four months ago that house prices had reached a tipping point and why (it was all to do with the buy to let mortgage relief).<br />
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And here you have it - <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/houseprices/9251560/Housing-rebound-runs-out-of-steam.html" target="_blank">house prices fall at their fastest rate for 6 months in April</a>. Really these things are sometimes just too easy to predict I think.<br />
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Now back to cycling.....Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-17801867484976689452012-05-07T18:11:00.002+01:002012-05-08T11:40:25.964+01:00Customer Service and buying online.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oB0_cytQJ-Y/T6j4DbysmoI/AAAAAAAAXUQ/G3d8La6hUUg/s1600/bad-service.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oB0_cytQJ-Y/T6j4DbysmoI/AAAAAAAAXUQ/G3d8La6hUUg/s320/bad-service.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
As I have hinted here I am building a new bike (a later post on that and what I learnt will be coming) overall I have greatly enjoyed the process and learnt a lot but on one occasion the "buying on-line" experience left me more than a little frustrated. So sit down, grab a brew and let me tell you a story (and a warning) - I am not sure why I am writing this post - anger, a bit of bad publicity for the offending party or just to get the last two miserable weeks of my chest.<br />
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I have been building a new road bike myself from scratch - Wednesday two
weeks ago, I had everything in place (De Rosa frame, wheels cockpit
etc.) I just needed to order in the groupset. I decided on the Sram Force
groupset with a Sram Red BB30 chain-set. I dutifully checked out prices and
found Shiny Bikes was offering a good deal and fast delivery (next day) -
I wanted to build my bike that weekend and was a very excited and happy chappy that all my plans were now coming together.
Sadly the delivery didn’t come that weekend – I was mellow about it but
disappointed – I figured it was the usual Parcelforce laziness (so much
for the next day delivery, I had expected Thursday for the delivery or Friday at a push)!<br />
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By Wednesday the following week I was more than a little annoyed that the
delivery had not come – so I rang Shiny Bikes – apparently they had
packed my original order wrong but had forgotten to repack it. My call helped
remind them they don’t only have to take my money, they also have to
deliver the goods (<b>Problem 1</b>). So I called them the next day to confirm
they had dispatched my order as I no longer trusted them to keep their word. "Yes" they confirmed and it would be with me for Friday – yippee.
I took Friday off work so I could take the delivery and build the bike
overnight and get the Bottom Bracket fitted at my LBS (the bottom bracket is one
area I am not going to pay for the tools for).<br />
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By 6pm Friday I was sweating – still no groupset! So I called Parcelforce – apparently they had a 4 hour power-cut in their Coventry
office so were unable to deliver that day - go figure? (<b>Problem 2</b> – it was a
Parcelforce error, but hey Shiny Bikes use them – it wasn’t my choice).
So there then followed a 2nd weekend with no new bike – and my chance to
get it to the LBS to get the bottom bracket fitted.<br />
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As I was absolutely guaranteed delivery for Monday – I took Monday off
work, again, so I could build the bike and get it to the LBS for the bottom bracket –
things were desperate now as I had a bike fitting arranged for
Tuesday. Sadly the delivery didn’t arrive till 6:15 pm so the LBS was
closed and I was going to miss my fitting (<b>Problem 3</b>). I had to cancel
the bike fitting (luckily for me the place doing the fitting were
understanding and didn’t charge me a fee (thanks guys).<br />
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Anyway I thought – at least the groupset has now arrived so I can build
the bike and maybe persuade my wife to take it to the LBS the following day. I
stopped eating my dinner when the delivery arrived and flung open the box –
showing everyone in my family my new toys – sadly one of the toys was
missing! Shiny Bikes warehouse had once again come to the fore and
forgotten to deliver the bottom bracket (<b>Problem 4</b>). Well I reasoned at least I can
build up the bike to a reasonable degree and then get the bottom bracket fitted a
couple of days later when they actually deliver it. But Shiny Bikes hadn’t finished yet with their
ruining of my day – whilst checking through the order I also discovered
they had sent me the wrong cassette an 11-25 instead of an 11-28.
(<b>Problem 5</b>).<br />
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So I called them back this morning – “so sorry” they say, we will fix it
all. A little later I get another call – "sorry we have run out of Bottom Brackets
and it will take a week to 2 weeks to restock" (<b>Problem 6</b>). I have seen
how fast their next day delivery is – if they think something is going
to take two weeks I will probably be drawing my pension before it
arrives! Then just to cap it off they have also run out of the cassettes
(<b>Problem 7</b>) – this they say they can get in the next day and will post
ASAP – I wait with baited breath - NOT! It is incredible that they can
allow themselves to run out of stock in the first place but then to sell
what they don’t have in stock to a poor punter like me (who pays
immediately) is disgraceful.<br />
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Just so you know I went to “HighonBikes” and got a replacement bottom bracket and cassette – I
have ordered about 15 things from them and they really do deliver the
next day (and it is free). I have a feeling Shiny Bikes needs a new
warehouse manager – maybe someone who can read and count?<br />
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I have bought hundreds of items on the internet, never before have I
know such a catalogue of errors, if it wasn’t so important to me I would
have laughed. Anyway so many errors, I figured they would at least make
it up to me with a discount – they did offer me a discount – yeay! 1.3% -
Booo! Basically I got the cost of shipping back (which I am sure they
are getting back themselves anyway) I have had bigger total discounts in
a sweet shop.<br />
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I am not one of those angry people but in all honestly I feel like I
have been treated like dirt, it has really made the whole new bike
thing change from an exciting experience to total misery and a lot of
additional cost. A cost that is worth it for something like a new bike, but not
just to sit at the door waiting for the postman. I have always received
excellent service from a myriad of bike sellers. I feel fellow cyclists
look out for one and other – Shiny Bikes may be a symptom of the
growing popularity of cycling – we now have our first person who acts like a
second hand car salesman – all in all very depressing. Maybe you have
had a good experience with them – I for one will not bother shopping
there again, no company that makes that many errors on one order can be considered a sensible seller! I am going to need to get on my new bike just to dissolve
the unhappy memories of what they put me through.<br />
<br />
As an example of customer services, I ordered some shoes from Evans Cycle store - when they arrived they were the wrong colour - to cut a long story short it turned out they had the wrong colour information on their website. In order that I was recompensed for their error, they replaced my shoes with the next model up (extra £50 for no extra cost). We all make errors, but only real seller admit their fault and take corrective action. As buyers we should demand that level of service or take out custom elsewhere. <br />
<br />Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-44772825774107349372012-05-03T12:14:00.001+01:002012-05-03T14:10:43.097+01:00A must read blog post (by someone else).<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IqKfV2HzpFM/T6Jocmb94MI/AAAAAAAAXUE/GUe12rwp1mM/s1600/London-Elections.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IqKfV2HzpFM/T6Jocmb94MI/AAAAAAAAXUE/GUe12rwp1mM/s320/London-Elections.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This article <a href="http://cyclelondoncity.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/boris-johnson-ive-been-very-critical-of.html?showComment=1336042333947#c9012319196005169211" target="_blank">LINK</a> expresses my feelings exactly about the current Mayoral election in London and the cycling lobbying.</div>
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As you may have have guessed, I am into cycling in quite a large way and I commute to work in London most days. I also agree whole-heartedly with the aims of Londoners on bikes and Go Dutch groups. My problems has been with the fact that the group comes over and is to a greater extent left of centre, this has not been in an overt way and they are in a very tricky situation in balancing between the needs of cycling and party politics, and I don't think this has been achieved. This means they are going to alienate themselves if Boris Johnson wins the election. The truth of the matter is that only a very small % of people are going to use their first vote only based on cycling (though I will be using my second vote for this purpose).<br />
<br />
I think a better approach would have been to remove themselves from political sponsorship and rather than saying "vote XYZ because they have offered the most for cycling" would have been to say "XYZ has promised ..... we believe that this is positive" - nothing different in the message with respect to cycling but it distances the group from the political agenda. Despite the above criticism, they did do an excellent job in getting all the main candidates to endorse their aims - but now the relationship they have with the eventual winner of the election is important to get that endorsement converted into real actions. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Cyclist need to remember we are only 2% of the voting public and although proper infrastructure may be important to us to the vast majority it just isn't. We need to be sending out a message about the benefit to others by cycling being safe. For example - more people on bikes means less congestion on the roads and public transport, proper infrastructure would mean more people cycling, imagine the changes to congestion is 10% of drivers went on their bikes? Imagine a safe route to school for your kids on a bike - no more having to take them in yourself every day or paying for public transport. </div>
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<br /></div>
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There are lots of positive messages we can get into mainstream thinking - things most cyclist take for granted, for example, reduced healthcare bill from a healthier population. These are the messages we need to get into other peoples heads. Most people still think it is Road Tax not VED - most cyclist know this but most drivers don't, so how are they to know of all the other things we as cyclists take for granted.</div>
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<br /></div>
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In terms of lobbying we really need to start thinking about being in the shoes of the 98% and not get carried off in our own little world, this is basic negotiations tactics - sell you idea by focusing on the benefits of it to the other party.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So please read the LINK and let's get our message out to the 98% in a positive way.</div>
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</div>
<br />Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-21129810801104716542012-04-03T10:43:00.003+01:002012-04-03T10:43:58.943+01:00NightRider London Bike Ride<!--[if !mso]>
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It is now time to take it up a notch. </div>
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I am one year into my cycling – I have progressed from total
newbie to someone who is considerably fitter but feel like I have plateaued, I
am much wiser as to how to spot danger on the road and far better equipped in
terms of bike, components and clothing. And when I get my insurance cheque
through and build the next bike I feel I will have a bike (all parts lined up
and waiting for payment) that will meet my needs no matter how great given my
current and future cycling needs.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The question then is how do I progress. To be realistic, it
is fine doing my 22 miles a day on my commute but I will never really reach the
potential that I would like to reach, also at 46 it is not going to get any
easier, so really it is a case of now or never. Additional to this, weekends
are just too busy (or I am too tired) to make the effort to go for a long ride
and I really want to be able to do longer rides and be at a level of fitness
where I enjoy them rather than them being a struggle and ultimately a miserable
affair.</div>
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<br /></div>
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It therefore occurred to me that I was going to have to bite
the bullet and sign up for a charity ride. I have been warned off the London –
Brighton ride by people telling me it is just too full and the levels of
cyclists too great – to me it just felt like it was not the right one to start
with. I still may do it one day – just to say I did it, but it didn’t feel like
the one I wanted to break my duck on.</div>
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So I have decided to ride on the Night Rider (<a href="http://www.nightrider.org.uk/">http://www.nightrider.org.uk/</a>) it is
done with Capital Radio in supporting help a London Child. I will be riding for
the<a href="http://www.diabetes.org.uk/" target="_blank"> Diabetes UK Charity</a> (more on this later). The ride is 100KM (63 miles)
around London at night time, taking in most of the main London landmarks – it
seems like a fun idea, it certainly is different, and with a total of 3,000
cyclists starting at two different points (north and south London) so it should
not be too crowded. The route is on the map below.</div>
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1. Crystal Palace –
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2. National Maritime
Museum</div>
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3. Tower Bridge –
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4. St Paul’s
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5. City of London</div>
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6. Canary Wharf</div>
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7. Mile End Stadium –
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8. Emirates Stadium</div>
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9. Alexandra Palace –
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10. Hampstead Heath</div>
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11. Camden Lock</div>
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12. ZSL London Zoo</div>
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13. Regent's Park</div>
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14. Covent Garden</div>
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15. London Eye</div>
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16. IWM London –
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17. The Oval</div>
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18. Houses of
Parliament</div>
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19. Hyde Park</div>
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20. Royal Albert Hall</div>
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21. Battersea Power
Station</div>
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I am doing the ride with two (I hope three) other friends – all
of a similar age and all of them have done long rides before (so no pressure on
me then)!</div>
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In later posts I will go through the training schedule I
have decided upon and also give a link for anyone who may want to sponsor me
(pretty please). Also I want to go through why I am riding for Diabetes UK (I
am Type 1 Diabetic (I inject 4 times a day) and have been for nearly 30 years)
and the lessons I learnt in stepping up and training for an endurance event
whilst being diabetic).</div>
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So please come back for later posts and updates.</div>
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<br /></div>Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1059903041782537560.post-76912395790014067522012-04-02T12:53:00.000+01:002012-04-02T13:04:39.841+01:00Lezyne Super Drive front light review<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NXvcK-6wY_A/T3mRwYXoISI/AAAAAAAAVnU/1oTK-uEVH-Q/s1600/lezyne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NXvcK-6wY_A/T3mRwYXoISI/AAAAAAAAVnU/1oTK-uEVH-Q/s320/lezyne.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Let me start this by saying that (as regular readers of
this blog will know) As of February 2012 – I had spent four of the last 6
months unable to ride – this was partly due to a (non-cycling related) broken rib
and also a lot due to the fact that I had been t-boned at 25mph buy a car
making a right turn (think of it as making a left turn if you are from a
country where they drive on the wrong side of the road).</div>
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Between the above, and the fact that in September last year a
driver made a left turn into me whilst I was cycling down a dedicated bus
(cycle) lane, and you can see why I feel slightly more cautious on the road –
this lead to two items being purchased </div>
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a) A helmet that I will actually use as it
is not too hot to wear (<a href="http://ukmambo.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/review-of-specialized-s-works-prevail.html" target="_blank">LINK</a>) </div>
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b) A Lezyne Super Drive front light.</div>
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So that’s the reason for the purchase dealt with – now why
did I choose this light? Well there was 450 reasons for this purchase, namely
450 lumens.</div>
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So what is 450 lumens? 450 lumens = one bright light that
gets you seen, it is bright enough to cause a pause in the thinking of any
driver pulling out from a side road, that delay means they are less
likely to think they can chance pulling out in front of you, requiring you to
slam on the anchors and curse to no one in particular about what an idiot the
driver is. In essence - bright light means you get treated with more respect.</div>
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450 lumens also does not come cheap though – the retail
recommended price for this baby is £100 (well £99.99 but let’s be real) I am
sure you can get it a bit cheaper though. This is a lot of cash to pay for a
light, certainly the people in my office think I am a little crazy paying so
much for a single light. But really how much of a price are you willing to pay
to avoid an accident or severe damage to your bike? Also the price is less than many other less bright lights.</div>
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The size – this is about 6 inches long and pen like – well a
thick pen. But it is definitely not too bulky for the handlebars. It is quite
heavy when compared to the cheaper plastic lights you can buy – but this is
down to having a metal surround (therefore strong) and a very large lithium ion
battery. What I really didn’t want was a separate battery pack – too much
weight and too much fuss – so although not the lightest kid on the block this
is still acceptable given its performance and the weight is down to having high
quality and strong case. The case itself comes in either black or silver.</div>
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The light has 4 settings High, Medium, low and medium
flashing. Being that I don’t tend to ride off road much – I tend to use this
light only on Medium flashing setting. In this setting the battery seems to
last for about 3 to 4 hours. The rechargeable Li-Ion battery provides 1.5 hours
of juice on the full 450 Lumen mode.</div>
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You have one rubber button on the top to select the light
mode you want (this can be done with gloves on) and underneath it has a rubber
bung to the charging point. One complaint I have about this light is that the
recharge point is a little difficult to access though by no means impossible.
It uses a standard USB mini connection to recharge the battery – so you can
probably use the charger you use for your phone (unless it’s an iPhone) on this
light – therefore it is likely you can recharge this light at work and at home.</div>
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The useful function of this light is if the battery is going
low it automatically switches to low constant setting – not sure how long this
will last for as it has only happened to me with 10 minutes of my ride left but
it lasted that time with no issue.</div>
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The handlebar mounting is also better than most as it allows
you to swivel the light left and right. Because of its brightness I would
definitely have this light pointing slightly to the ground or you will have
blinded drivers swerving into you. Although the light mount is well thought out
I have found an issue with it becoming loose on the handlebar – you need to
tighten it very tight and then not adjust it up or down or it will work loose.
This is mostly because it is holding a greater weight than the average light,
so get the angle right and tighten it hard then it should be OK with no more
moving. To be honest the only way they could improve this is to make the
tightening nut have larger handles.</div>
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So that’s all the serious stuff – now let’s have a look at
one of the fun elements of this light – when on flashing mode (although at half
power) it lights up the road signs for 200 or 300 meters ahead of you – it is
quite fun because if someone has just overtaken you and they are obviously
faster than you – it is fun to watch them still push on at a panic because they
think you are still right behind them – in reality it is your light and you are free-wheeling a long way back – just for the fun of this, the light is worth
every penny!</div>
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<b>Mambo Score 8/10</b></div>
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<br /></div>Idle Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18086168732392336805noreply@blogger.com1