Oxford in Winter Photos

January 3rd, 2009 — cycling photos-

Santa and Cyclists

cyclist

Wrapping up against the cold

cyclists

3 cyclists by Long Wall Street

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Tandem Cycling

January 1st, 2009 — cycling-

tandem

A couple riding a tandem. As taking their photography I couldn’t help hear part of their conversation.

“compared to your daughter you…..”

And they cycled off into the distance, leaving us uncertain whether the tandem is an extension of marital bliss or an extension of a nagging wife.

tandems

Tandems are great fun. They can be a lot quicker, especially on descents and the flat. They are not necessarily slower up hills, but, it needs good technique between two riders, especially if of different ability.

A tandem has double the pedalling power with only slightly more frictional loss in the drivetrain.
It has about the same wind resistance as a single bike.

High performance tandems may weigh less than twice as much as a single bike, so the power to weight ratio can be slightly better than that of a single bike and rider. Tandems can reach relatively high speeds, especially downhill and on flat to rolling terrain.

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Armadillo Tyres

December 30th, 2008 — commuting-

One of the best things I bought for my commuting bike last year, was a pair of Armadillo tyres. I have only had one puncture in the past 12 months - and that was a large nail, that could have punctured a car tyre. They are not completely puncture proof. But, my own experience is generally backed up by others who have used them. In my experience, they definitely have reduced the incidence of punctures on my commuting bike (which is good because I don’t carry a spare tube and tools on my commute)

I have toyed with the idea of putting them on my winter training bike. However, I have been put off because they are slightly slower. It’s hard to quantify how much slower, but, it’s not a huge difference.

They are also seem to be much longer lasting than other tyres. My commute involves a rough canal path and they haven’t needed changing for 12 months of commuting. So even though they cost £25, they are good value.

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Car vs Bike

December 29th, 2008 — cycling-

car v bike

On average I cycle 7,000 miles a year; I also probably drive on average 7,000 miles a year. - Which is the best form of transport - in my  opinion?

Cost - Bike is the clear winner. Bikes are cheaper to buy and cheaper to run (cost per mile cycling)

Tax. - Bikes only have VAT. Cars need to pay road licence and petrol tax (50p a litre). Also with the cycle to work scheme, buying a bike can lead to big tax savings.

Parking. - Bikes can be parked almost anywhere (within reason) It will be free to park and there’s no risk of receiving a parking ticket. With the car, you may be forced to park along way from the shops and pay significantly for the privilege.

queens lane

Versatility. - In city centres, the bike can go places a car can’t - down canal paths, small streets, streets closed to traffic. In Oxford, the one way system gives a big time advantage to bikes. On the other hand there are roads and junctions which are just not practical for cyclists, unless you fancy riding against 3 lanes of speeding traffic.

Speed.  In city centres, many commuting journeys are quicker than car / bus. It depends on your journey and speed. But, for anything over 3 miles, the car will be quicker.

Comfort of Journey. Cycling can leave you wet from sweat or rain. It’s pretty tough cycling in cold rain or freezing conditions. There are things you can do to reduce sweat, and good waterproofs will keep you reasonably dry. But, the car has a clear advantage.

Fitness. With many people leading physically inactive lives, cycling is an excellent way to get a minimum level of aerobic exercise. Most people in the west are unfit and as a result levels of heart disease have been increasing. Cycling everyday enables you to reduce the risk of serious diseases such as heart disease.

Obesity. Driving will do nothing to burn extra calories. As part of careful diet, cycling can definitely help you lose weight and reduce the health risks of obesity.

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Winter Cycling Photos from Yorkshire

December 27th, 2008 — cycling photos-

I’ve been riding up in Yorkshire. The minor roads are pretty dirty with mud from tractors, but, when the sun comes out they are very quiet at this time of the year. It’s a great feeling to be able to cycle on roads free of cars. One day, the sun even came out so I took some photos.

Cycling through the muddy lanes

The Road from Ilkley to Bolton Abbey - as many bikes as cars, but it’s prety muddy.

Group Mountain bike ride from Ilkely

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Best of Cycling Info 2008

December 23rd, 2008 — cycling-

I started the blog, cycling info, about14 months ago, so 2008 was its first year. Thanks to all the readers and especially those who have left comments on articles. For next year, I have plans to write more cycling tips articles; I will also be doing more interviews with people from across the different aspects of cycling. I’m off to Malaysia on boxing day, so the blog might be quite over the holiday period, but will return to normal posting frequency in the new year. Don’t forget you can receive free email updates or subscribe by RSS to receive all the latest posts.

Favourite Cycling Articles

Cycling Tips

Cycling Books

Cycle Training

Cycling Interviews

Time trials

tejvan

Cycling Personalities of 2008

Cycling Advocacy

Holidays

Cycling Photos

coooke

Procycling

Humour

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Emergency Stops on A Bike

December 18th, 2008 — cycling-

A key part of the driving proficiency test is the emergency stop. An emergency stop can often be an important part of cycling. The difficulty is that if you slam on the brakes, the back wheel will start to skid and you could lose control. Therefore, a good technique is to know how hard you can brake without losing control. Obviously if the weather is wet, it will be much more difficult.

  • Find a stretch of road where you can practise.
  • Get upto a decent speed.
  • Then apply the brakes hard, putting slightly more pressure on the front brake than the back break.
  • As the back wheel starts to skid or lift off the ground reduce pressure on the front brake slightly you have found the maximum that you can apply without losing control.
  • If you lean your body weight to the back of your saddle and keep head low, you will help stabilise the back wheel and reduce incentive to skid.

In wet conditions don’t apply more pressure to the front brake, you will have to allow more time and distance to stop.

This technique is important for descending and technical time trials. It is important for knowing the speed that you can approach a tight corner.

See also: Tips for faster cornering on a bike

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Urban Bikers’ Tricks and Tips

December 17th, 2008 — books, cycling-

I was looking through Waterstones at the various cycling books. Many cycling books are really quite similar. They give the same basic articles on training, eating, how to mend a puncture e.t.c. The problem is that there’s no reason to buy books like this because I have read all about it before. I must have about 5 books which all give similar training advice and the same maintenance tips. I was trying to look for something a bit different - new ideas and new perspectives on Cycling.

Urban Bikers’ Tricks and Tips: Low-tech and No-tech Ways to Find, Ride, and Keep a Bicycle is quite a good read. It includes

  • Handling unexpected problems / accidents on bikes
  • Dealing with road rage
  • Buying a bike and preventing it getting stolen.
  • Dealing with ‘helmet hair’ - apparently a big disincentive for women to cycle.
  • Common reasons for crashes and how to avoid them
  • Cycling manoeuvres. It deals with a lot of the ‘unofficial cycling manoeuvrings you do on a city commute - like riding alongside stationary traffic.

For any commuter or city cyclist, I would recommend it. At least it offers something new.

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Chris Hoy - Sports Personality of the Year

December 15th, 2008 — cycling-

Chris Hoy

Just a brief note to say congratulations to Chris Hoy for winning sports personality of the year. He faced stiff competition from many other Olympians such as Rebecca Adlington and World F1 Champion - Lewis Hamilton.

I was pleased Chris won the award - not just because he is a cyclist (though of course that is very nice), but, he seems a consummate professional and worked incredibly hard to get his 3 Olympic Gold medals (in addition to the countless World titles). His team collegues say he is great to work with and always encouraging the younger riders.

Its truly been an annus mirabilis for UK track cycling and Chris Hoy’s victory is the iceing on the cake. Now, all we want Chris to do is still be here in 4 years time so we can win a few more golds in London.

The British Cycling team won team of the year, and David Brailsford was named coach of the year.

By the way, the last British cyclist to win sports personality of the year was Tom Simpson in the 1960s.

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Cycling Accessories for Winter

December 12th, 2008 — winter-

Warm Saddle

Heated Cycling Seat

Well, its pretty cold out there, but, I can’t help but think this heated cycling seat is going to be another of those cycling inventions that just don’t catch on.

On a serious note, I suffer from Reynaulds diesease - cold hands and cold feat. I survive winter cycling through:

  1. Battery operated socks
  2. Hot Pads, which you push down your socks

Hotteeze Heat Pads x 10pcs at Amazon.co.uk

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