Smallwheel Sitings

What a month February has been.
Just in the past week, I've seen a couple of small wheelers.
The first was a Raleigh RSW

Small steps

Where I live, the provision for cyclists is a bit patchy.

But let me say loud and clear that it is a lot better than it was when I moved here just under twelve years ago, and it is a lot better than most other towns and cities in the United Kingdom (!)
By the way, I live in an officially designated "Cycle Demonstration Town", for what it's worth :-)

Taking, as an example, the route from our house to the town centre (most of which I travel almost every day by bike), there are four major road crossings:

Boris Bikes - taking the positives

It is easy to list this problem or that problem with the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme (aka Boris Bikes).
In summary, the main issues appear to be:

• expensive to set up and operate
• limited scope of the scheme - there are only docking points in a fairly central area of London, and a few inner surrounding districts, and the hire charges make it prohibitively expensive to do more than cycle from one docking station to another.
• issues about bikes to hire being in the right places
• issues about docks to park bikes being full
• not aimed at the under 14s, and thus making the scheme unattractive to families with children under that age who might travel to London for a day out (like our family, for example!)

However, the scheme also has many good points:

Boris Bikes - a second (and third) opinion

My view of the Boris Bikes (aka the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme) might be misrepresentative.
After all, everyone has different needs, and differing views (and prejudices!)
So here are another couple of views:

Boris Bikes - first observations

I was in the Capital of the World (aka London) yesterday.
I had a quick look at the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme
(also known as the "Boris Bikes" scheme, after the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson)

"Boris Bikes" outside the Natural History Museum, London.
The rack is full, so no more bikes can be "docked" (ending the hire period) here until somebody hires one !!

First thing to think about is eligiblilty.
A quick look at the TfL website reveals a big issue for us ...

Pointing the way to Glorie ...

I was down at the railway station today, and look what I saw ...
... a "Pointer Glorie".

Pointer Glorie spotted at the railway station 

Snow Cycling

We don't get much snow here - just an inch or two (three to five centimetres), usually.
I just keep cycling (with a pair of gloves on!)
Anyway, here are my tips for riding on light snow:

1. lower your saddle a bit so you can get both your feet flat on the ground

The Socialist Plot that is cycle lanes ... Or not ...

As brought to my attention by the "Biking in Heels" blog, some folks with an interesting world view (that is the most polite way I can think of to put it!) seem to think that encouraging cycling is a BAD THING.

February Folders

Popped to the supermarket on the way home from work today.
Locked up my bike in the rack, and next to me was...

...a Di Blasi folding bike.