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: look behind you!

On my ride in this morning, I was struck by how few cyclists seem to know what's going on behind them. On a personal note it's irritating because fellow cyclists might not know that you're trying to overtake - and they're taking up half the road because of their position.

On a safety note, it's important to know how many monstrous trucks or impatient vans are revving up behind you, so you can be prepared to take the necessary action.

Cars, motorbikes, vans and trucks find it reassuring to know that you the cyclist are aware of their presence behind you.

And I've seen it argued that if a car or truck can see your face occasionally, they recognise you as a human being not just a bicycle, and may behave better.

Don't take this to extremes. Looking forwards is important too. I'm talking occasional but regular glances back, not riding with your head pointing the wrong way ...

Useful links:

Rather pompous sounding article but good tips on "Vehicular Cycling" at Wikipedia
There's a fear-inducing American site called Bicycle Safe, worth a read
Very long but decent article about bike safety by Myra VanInwegen

Cycling tip du jour: using your bike as a washing line

In this kind of weather, you can get soaked pretty quickly. So what should do with wet clothes?

Easy. Hang them up all over your bike. You'd be amazed by how many hooks there are on your bike - handle bars, back rack, main frame, even pedals. By the end of the day, assuming your bike is actually in doors somewhere (e.g. at work) you should have much drier clothes.

Tip - make sure you have other clothes to change into. I'm not recommending running around naked at work. Though I must confess I haven't tried it ...

Does your bike feel like it's flagging? Time to give it some air.

My previous post was all about speed. I have a little update. I changed my front tyre last night as I happened to have a spare Schwalbe Marathon in my shed (long story). I finally checked what the make was of my existing tyres, and it turns out they're called Maxxis Detonators - or, as I now know them, pin cushions. They seem to absorb glass and nails as methodically and surely as a sponge soaks up water. The website does call them "training" tyres - does that mean they're not for actual racing or indeed road use of any kind? Anyway, off one of them came, and off the other one will come as soon as I can get another Schwalbe.

Pump it baby

But that's not what I want to talk about. Because at the same time I pumped up my tyres to very close to the limit recommended. I set off with a bit of trepidation this morning. It was definitely a "harder" ride and my rack and paniers were shaking and rattling like never before. But ... my whole ride was transformed! It was like moving from a scooter to a motorbike, or sludge to crisp snow. It felt like I was going about twice the speed with so much less difficulty. I realised that I'd spent the last two or three weeks with a nasty feeling of going through treacle.

Pumped up in the sun

So the moral - should you need it - is that it's worth investing in a really meaty pump and filling up those thar tyres!

With the sun shining, the canal looking lovely, and much more wind in my hair (well, helmet anyway) it was one of the most delightful rides of the year.

What makes a cyclist go faster?

I had an odd experience on the canal a couple of days ago. (I know, this sounds like the beginning of a dodgy story possibly involving unsavoury characters, a heron, and a canoe). But read on, it's cycling related, I promise.

This is not the Regent's Canal! Source

OK, so in the very quiet bit just West of London Zoo, I see a long stretch of empty towpath. It's dry and I can go as fast or slow as I want. I decide to experiment with speed. (No, this is not, I tell you, a dingy tale of class A drugs and depravity). I'm on a hybrid Giant Zero, as regular readers will know. To you and me, that means it's a "normal" looking bike with straight handlebars. I think to myself - what if I kind of pretend I'm on a road bike/racer, and kind of squat down like they do on the Tour de France or this fellow in the picture going down a mountain?

A new feeling on the bike

It's interesting doing it because as soon as I lean forwards, I realise that I have to loosen up my shoulders, which I'd been holding very tight. I lean so my head is nearly on the handlebars, and all of a sudden it's a completely new feeling with my legs pushing in a different way. I look at the speedometer thingie, and see that I've suddenly increased my speed by about 4kph, and I still feel I've got more in me.

Position or wind resistance?

Clearly my bike's not designed for me to bike like that and I'm sure that if I kept it up for a long time it would get mighty uncomfortable. But then I start doing a bit research about speed. These seem to be the key ingredients for going faster:

What are the factors that make you faster or slower?

• Fitness and practice. Clearly you need these just to get started on faster biking
• Drag or resistance from tyres. This seems to be why some people swear by thinner tyres, pumped up to astonishing levels of pressure. It reduces the resistance on the road. But there seems to be some dispute about whether the actual width of the tyre really makes that much difference. The consensus from what I can tell is that pumping up your tyres high every day will make quite a difference
• Resistance created by rider. This is where my experiment seems to come in - if you're bent down, there's less body for the wind to push against. This is apparently called a "racing tuck".

Just like me, he's got his head right down. Similarity ends there. Source

• Weight of bike/rider. Again there's disputing how much of a factor this is, but clearly you're going to have to work harder to go faster if you're carrying around half a tonne of bricks in your panniers
• Gears, pedals, "rotor rings" and suchlike. There's quite a lot of anecdotal evidence that upgrading your pedals, getting a more efficient set of gears and changing to "rotor rings" (don't worry, I'd never heard of them before either) might improve your speed
• Wind drag on the bike itself. From what I can tell, the effect of this is pretty negligable
• The type of bike you have. Mountain, Road, Hybrid, reclining, other. Some cyclists claim that there's about a 15MPH difference between when they ride their MTB and when they ride their road bike!

Take it easy though

I guess it should also be said that you're not going to be going very fast in the city if:

1) you're battling against a headwind
2) you're in a monsoon-like downpour
3) you're weaving between several bendy buses on Oxford Street

But these seem like an interesting start in terms of speed, and I'd be interested to hear whether others have views ... when you do want to go fast, how should you do it?

Further reading and links:

- Good archive thread with quite a lot detail in bikeforums
- Good review of what rotor rings look like and are on Bike Radar
- Long but reasonably interesting video about aerodynamics etc on Wonderhowto site

"Wish I'd started earlier..."

Nice comment in the showers at work (sorry for putting that image into your heads) - colleague in his 40's, after we'd had a bit of a chat about our cycle in and compared notes on bikes (God we're dull aren't we?!), he said:  "I only wish I'd started biking to work years ago". I assumed he was talking about physique. "You mean - in terms of fitness?" I asked. "No", he said, "so I wouldn't have had so many miserable years on the tube".

Sort of know what he means. Once you're out there above ground it seems inconceivable to be forced to go under there every day.

And it made me think - it's never too late to start. Then I had my shower. The shower room was so hot, by the way, that I think (again, forgive the unpleasant image) I was more sweaty after it than before.

Still a bit of confusion over "two tings" bike guidance on the Regent's Canal, London

I had a funny experience on the canal this morning which I can share with you as I had helmet cam on. Being the good citizen I now am, I was dutifully tinging away as I made my merry way down the canal in the beautiful sunshine.

I went past the two lady joggers you see first with no problem. But when it came to the men - well, it was just odd that the reaction on hearing the tings was to run diagonally across the path. I kind of guess he was thinking "I have to get out of the way" while I was thinking "I'm just warning them I'm here". I sort of think this is probably the source of all canal conflict. In fact it's probably how most wars are started - unclear intentions and misinterpretion. Discuss.

Clever trick of freezing your bike water bottle - but be careful!

I thought I would be extra clever as I knew it was going to be what we British call a "scorcher" here in London (29 degrees forecast) - so I put my water bottle in the freezer overnight. I cleverly didn't fill it up all the way, as any fool knows that water expands and didn't want my water bottle to explode.

I took it out before the school run, thinking by the time I started my "commute proper" it would be nice and melted.

A dry journey

I hadn't done my calculations properly. The ice remained stubbornly solid in the bottle throughout my commute of nearly an hour. As a result, instead of beautiful cool water, I got ... nothing. Until I limped through the office doors.

Clearly there's a moral. I think probably about two hours of freezing might be optimal. Or take it out of the freezer first thing. Or - radical thought - perhaps just put some ice cubes in it!  Any other "keeping cool" tips out there?

The ultimate in bike desirability - silence

I had to make a pretty big detour on my way into work this morning. It was partly because large sections of the Regent's Canal seem to be shut down for repairs at the moment. But also because I was being driven slowly mad by the rattling of my bike rack. It was fitted to my lovely new bike when I bought my LCM (London Commuting Machine, actually a Giant Seek Zero) from Chamberlain's in Camden. But as I've been riding it pretty intensely every since, several screws worked loose -  and in fact on closer inspection, had popped out. So my bike has been rattling and it's also not great having your child on the bike seat while you worry about whether the whole rack is going to give way.

So I made a detour back to Chamberlain's. Sure enough, they're as lovely as ever and wasted no time in replacing the offending screws and bolts. They have a lovely way of selling stuff to you too where you actually feel great that you've bought something - in this case, I walked out with a bottle of chain lube. I'm impressed to say they didn't charge me for the screws or fitting them. I was sorely tempted by a fancy light you can buy with its own battery pack - but for £99 I didn't quite feel I could afford it.

Anyway, by now I was feeling rather late for work, so I got back down on the canal and sped off. I suddenly noticed something. The silence. It was fantastic. Obviously there's the slight sound of the wind in your ears and the low hum of the tyres on the towpath. But the bike itself - completely quiet.

That somehow felt better than having any number of gadgets or gear. Going at speed along a lovely stretch of canal with hardly another person in site - it's about as close to flying as you can get without actually taking off.

Consequently, when I finally did arrive at work I was in rather a good mood, rather exhilerated, and yes, a bit knackered. But nothing an enormous coffee and a muffin couldn't sort out.

So cyclists - fix that bolt, get that chain sorted, declare war on rattles. And sing along with me "Silent bike, holy bike ..." OK, perhaps forget that last bit.  KC

Banksy is not the messiah - he's a very naughty boy

I'm loving some of the graffiti along the Regent's Canal in London. This one is just West of Camden Market. I'll put up a couple of others I've spotted over the past few months. Links to sites which show more would be appreciated!

and here are the others:

Keeping your jacket smart in a backpack

I know the entire www was in a fever of anticipation after yesterday's entry about smart clothes. So, the trick with a jacket is to put it in plastic - the kind you get at dry cleaners - then fold neatly and flat much like a shirt. Try to keep it flat as it goes into the backpack. I think I looked almost smart today and not crumpled. And if you knew me you'd be surprised by that.

Man surprised to read about his own death on a cycle forum

I was reading the very well known Bike Radar forum and was depressed to read about another fatality - this time in Leeds. There was a moving tribute thus:

Hate to get all maudlin, but saw the worst of sights yesterday on my cycle to work. Was happily freewheeling down the Otley Road into Headingley, then just past Woodies there it was – some poor guy over the bonnet of a VW Polo, sheet over him, ambulance staff not doing much of anything, pedestrians pale and crying.

It was his cleats that got me – shiny new red Look cleats on his shoes, the only part of his body which was visible from under the sheet. He must have started out that morning, fussing over how new and awkward they felt on his pedals, maybe worrying he’d aligned them wrong and they were screwing up his knees. Then it all changed.

Easy to see what had happened. He must have been bombing down the bus lane, and a car coming the other way had turned right; neither had seen each other due to the heavy stationary traffic.

It doesn’t half hit you hard seeing something like that. I felt naked and exposed after it, and looked at other cyclists on the road like we belonged to some sort of fraternity.

Anyway, be careful out there roadies. Slow down for those blind junctions, and assume everyone else on the road is an idiot.

Lots of nice comments, then this:

Just to say hello and i was they guy on the bonnet of this crash, i am ok, not dead, it was just a suspected back break hence the blanket and non movement - bikes bugged, but i am fine now.

Then this a bit further down from someone else:

Must be weird reading on the internet that you're dead. Pity about the bike.

I found it quite extraordinary - but the tone of the forum seemed to be that it's pretty standard stuff to come back from the dead! Have a look yourself, if you like, at Bike Radar

Don't trust me - I'm just a blogger

A nice anonymous person just pointed out very politely that I'd completely got my terms muddled. I've been happily banging on about "fixies" as if I knew what they were, but of course it turns out that I don't. I kind of thought that anything on wheels with just one gear was a fixie - but in fact a fixie is one where you can't freewheel and (I now think) has the brake as part of the pedal system ... (correct me if I'm wrong!).

The moral of the story is don't look for clever answers here - it's just a place to air issues to do with biking. I see myself as an enthusiastic amateur who picks up little bits of knowledge over the years. The real experts are out there! I suspect I need you more than you need me!

Love and karma all around. As they may have said in the 70's.

Now that's what I call a commute ...

Happened across this - a perfect antidote to all of us London commuters moaning about traffic!

pleasant commute from lucy Martin on Vimeo.

Where do cycling accidents actually happen?

This is a depressing post I'm afraid - but my attention was drawn to this map on a site called City Beast. Many of you may know about it already. But it logs all the fatalities and serious accidents which have happened in recent years, and shows the roads where most collisions have taken place.

I wasn't too surprised to discover that Theobold's Road, which I've blogged about quite a lot, is one of the most dangerous.

If you dare, have a look. And then avoid half the roads in London!

My bike has now got just one gear ... it used to have 24

This one's really for Paul, but may have some interest for others wondering what to do with a knackered old bike ...

I've gone on before about the idea of converting a multi-gear bike into being a "fixie". My main reason was that I was getting a new bike and it didn't seem like it was worth the money to buy a complete set of gears, chains etc. So my oft-mentioned brother-in-law did a conversion job for me.

The result is very nice. A simple bike which feels like it isn't going to go wrong. Lighter too. You have to make a bit more effort but he's set it on a low enough ratio that I can get up most hills without difficulty. When you go downhill you feel like a bit of a prat as your legs spin round at an alarming rate - but hey, I'm used to looking like a prat. Anyway, I said I'd take some photos, so here they are, hopefully showing the important innards:

Volcanic ash making London quieter?

I keep expecting to breathe in gobfuls of Icelandic ash, which is apparently spewing out of a volcano and blanketing Northern Europe in dust.

Well, the net effect for me is - there are no planes, and London is suddenly quiet! It's rather lovely. (sorry, people who were booked on once-in-a-lifetime holiday taking off today).

In other news, I'm now back on my first ever London commuting bike - my brilliant bro in law converted it, a few years back, to a one-speed after the gears got knackered and I knew I was getting a new bike.

Having tuned it a bit and pumped up the tyres, I'm quite enjoying being on fat wheels, with wide handle-bars, quite unable to go fast down hills ... it's a good way of enjoying a quiet London.

In case anyone's wondering what the hell I'm going on about - ash, Iceland etc - all planes in the UK are currently grounded due to volcanic ash in the atmosphere - see BBC News, for example.

Cyclescheme and a new bike?

I feel a certain amount of disloyalty saying this, but I'm thinking of buying a new bike. The problem is that my current one needs:
- new wheels & tyres
- a new chain and set
- a new seat
- possibly new brakes and gears

The time comes when you think - well, that will probably cost about the same as a new bike. But inevitably I'm looking at spending a bit more than just the cost of repairing my current one.

My requirements are:
- needs to be tough as some weeks I do 100 miles over London's pot-holes and along the fairly rough canals
- needs to be light and fast
- needs to be strong as I'll be carrying a child on the back sometimes and normally I have paniers
- I don't want to do too much maintenance as I'm a lazy fool
- I think I may be prepared to spend about £600 - with the Cyclescheme through work you can get the bike for about half that price

Doing a bit of research and consulting my ever-obliging and highly knowledgeable bro-in-law, I was thinking of a Chris Boardman hybrid. I got quite excited. But imagine my horror when I discovered that the sole supplier of Chris Boardman bikes seems to be Halfords. And wait for it - the Cyclescheme does not have Halford's as one of the preferred partners.

So I'm back to square one and the deadline is in about 5 days. Any ideas?

I had an accident this morning - and it's on helmet cam. I'm OK, by the way

I had a miserable commute in this morning. I was told by a van driver that I needed to learn how to ride a bike within 3 minutes of leaving home. Then this happened. I was riding along the very busy Bayswater Road quite happily. Suddenly, as I tried to accelerate after a light, my chain completely slipped and I was peddling on air. I completely lost my balance and knew I would crash. By some miracle, I managed to fall right on to the pavement and not the road (there was a taxi very close behind me) and I got away with a few grazes. It was shocking more than anything else and seems to prove to me that you should always have a well-maintained bike if you're messing around on the big roads. I suspect my chain is getting old and it's certainly making a lot of creaking.

Anyway - see what you think as I had my helmet camera on at the time.

An example of poor indicating

I feel like a bit of a grumpy old man since I've been using my helmet cam - perhaps I should stop it. Anyway - I can't help showing you this van. It wasn't really that dangerous but it shows how important it is to indicate. I had no clue what he was doing or when and he kind of drifted into the middle of the road. It's on that really fast bit of road going down Theobold's Road towards Farringdon Road in London EC1.