Quietly coming back to life

I'm just really sneaking in a post to keep my blog from getting the digital equivalent of cobwebs and to let you know that karmacycle is still alive and well, cycling through London. As ever, I've been tweeting more than blogging but it is nice to come "home" to the blog every now and then.

Like thousands of Londoners at this very moment, I'm hoping my bike clothes might just dry out before tonight, after a nearly biblical soaking this morning. If you're in the mood, and know you have the means to get dry later, riding in the rain is one of life's great pleasures. You feel a bit like you're at the helm of a fast ocean-going vessel in the driving force 9 gale, sea lashing at your face.

All I need is a sou'wester to complete the picture.

A bientot, mes braves.

Extreme nose blowing and a new invention - the "third sock"

This is a compilation of odd observations: 

* Up til this morning, I have never seen a person blow their nose on a leaf.

* In the park, I saw a couple - on two bikes - holding hands as they biked along. Dangerous, but nice.

* And strangest of all. I saw a police car flagging down a car which had gone late through red lights. Fancy that - the police actually stopping a car for a minor traffic infringement.

~ I also have a tricky question. A certain rather delicate part of me got pretty much frozen on my way in this morning. I'm wondering if anyone has yet invented a ... "third sock"?~

Give your paniers a pit-stop. Cycling tip du jour, Monday

My bicycle paniers were a disgrace. "Stuff" gets shoved in at the beginning and end of every day. I'm good at removing clothes and food, but bits of paper, batteries, lights, old puncture repair bits, inner tubes, remnants of burst sweet packets, plastic bags, coins, straps, nuts and bolts - you name it - remains in there from week to week.

Can anyone else claim to have more "rubbish" in their
paniers? Source: karmacycle

I eventually got driven to distraction and grasped the nettle. I simply tipped everything out on my desk (sorry, colleagues), emptied any nasty bits straight into the bin, and sorted through it all.

In reality it only took about 15 minutes and was quite satisfying. Among my finds was a £45 credit note with E Chamberlain bikes, so I made a profit too.

Come on cyclists of the world. You owe it to yourself to empty your paniers too.  Does anyone have more stuff in their paniers than me?

Who's been struck in the head by a pigeon, while biking? It happened to me this morning

I can't resist telling you this one - perhaps it's a common occurrence for cyclists.

I was cycling gently through Victoria Park this morning, near the lake by the Pavilion. My 3 year-old daughter was in the child-seat behind me.

Suddenly a flock of pigeons flew across the path - towards the water. I was right in the middle of the flock. Normally you'd expect them to avoid you. That's what birds do, isn't it?

Lovely photo by professional photographer
Simon de Glanville - Source

Well, one came thwacking into my head. Luckily I was wearing my helmet, which took the brunt of the hit. It didn't really hurt, but was pretty shocking. And unusual, I would have thought.

A quick query on Twitter was inconclusive about whether people get hit reguarly.

But this was revealing:

almacdSE1 @karmacycle I get pigeoned a lot in east London. Round Aldgate. Odd.

 

Anyway, if you have anything to add about the subject of being hit by birds while biking, please add to this blog by hitting the comment button!

Don't bother changing your cycle clothes - cycling tip du jour, Tuesday

Nicole Jackson at the office in her cycling clothes
Photograph: Martin Godwin/guardian.co.uk
Source - article about forgetting clothes

I've done this by mistake today, but quite like it. If you're not too stinky and not too wet from your ride into work, why not just keep your cycling clothes on all day? Today I had a few informal meetings and no-one seemed to mind my get-up. In fact it triggered off a few conversations about cycling and how we should set a work-place trend to wear cycling gear. Make all those people in smart clothes look out of place!

If nothing else, the impression you leave is that you're rather sporty. Useful for closing that deal?

The creators of this blog accept no liability in the event of employee dismissal, clients deciding to go with alternative offers, being laughed at during meetings, having noses held during workplace encounters, or generally any other ill effects associated with wearing of aforementioned clothes in the workplace.

But go on - give it a go. And tell us how you get on.

Cycling tip du jour, Monday. How to stay warm on your bike

Any soldier will tell you that the sure way to demoralise an army is for the men and women of the forces to have cold, wet feet.

Cyclists and soldiers need
dry warm feet. Source

Personally, I'm a complete wimp about my hands - the moment they start getting cold, I'm misery.

And the final part of the anatomy - ears. I once arrived in Canada in the midwinter with boots and a coat, but nothing around my ears. I practically passed out with ear-pain before I'd gone a block.

So, cyclists, now that it's getting "proper cold", the key bits of gear, in my view, are:

- some combination on your feet to keep warm - thermal socks, tough shoes/boots and ideally waterproofing
- good gloves (I've got my eye now on some Sealskinz, said to be fully waterproof too)
- ear cover. I've got a tube of material which normally goes round my neck, but can be lifted up to the head to go around the old lug-holes.

There you go. The rest of the body generally can get pretty warm just by the effort of cycling, assuming you've got something half decent to stop the wind.

May I recommend that for a nice reminder of how cycling in the winter can actually be possibly more saitsfying than in the summer, have a look at ibikelondon's excellent article "Are you ready to cycle through winter?"

Cycling tip du jour, Friday. How to calm down after a near miss or angry incident

They should be our friends! Source
Motorcycle News

I needn't dwell on the details, but I had a terrifying moment yesterday - a little bit of politeness on my part - allowing a fellow cyclist to go ahead of me - with me slowing right down - nearly saw me mown down by a motorbike rider who'd shot off from nearby lights at full throttle. Of course he swore at me because as far as he was concerned I was a xxxxing idiot in his way and hadn't got out of the road.

OK, we can talk about blame and whether I shouldn't have done the polite thing, whether the design of the road is right, whether motorbikes should take more care etc etc. But the issue for me is - how can I prevent something like that eating away at me, and stop me simmering with resentment....? How should you calm down after an incident like that?

A few responses from friends on Twitter certainly helped:

muppixdotnet @karmacycle learn to ride a motorcycle yourself, then surround yourself by typical cyclists. Guarantee you'll learn a lot.

lardychap @thefixedfactor @karmacycle zen. Works for me. That and the knowledge that being angry doesn't bother the other person at all. Fixed helps

moriati23 @karmacycle Several days of bitter resentment and fantasising about 'Great Escape' style motorcycle + wire revenge is the only way to go.

thefixedfactor @karmacycle Zen. There are a million near misses in London every day. There are two million angry people. You don't have to be one of them.

sussexlad @karmacycle ah, motorcyclists. always surprising how they are not our side isn't it?

 

It's so darn difficult to stop yourself getting angry, but I think the Zen answer - or, as I've recently put it - calm-a-cycle - is the only way to go. Somehow, to remember that you are not alone, that it does not help to get angry, that there is nothing you can usefully do, all helps. In a slightly defeatist way.

 

I've also wondered, on a more constructive note, if us cyclists should in some clever way join forces with motorbike folks - online of course - and share a few experiences and thoughts (in a nice way) so we get a better understanding of needs/priorities/fears.

 

Does anyone know if a such a forum/place exists? Would us cyclists be welcome on a motorbike board?

 

Anyway, I'm feeling much more zen-like this morning after a nice ride in today - so have a good weekend all, and remember - calm-a-cycle