It's enough to make us commuters green with envy ... looking at Mike Carter's trip on a bike around Scotland

I've been avidly reading Mike Carter's account of his travels around Scotland. Is this the sort of thing which us townies dream of?  I think so. Really, we'd much rather be cycling down a lonely glen than getting squeezed between several double-deckers ... here's a sample from this week's offering from Mike:

"I rode along the Ayrshire coast, the magnificent muffin-shaped island of Ailsa Craig seemingly acting as a pivot point as I swept around the wide bays, a quick loop around the Stranraer peninsula and then along the bank of the Solway Firth, indented with sandy coves and estuaries. For the first time in nearly two months I could see England, the hills of the Lake District rising in the distance, shimmering across the water like some mystical Avalon. I felt a tad emotional. Which was ridiculous, of course, but idealised and sentimental notions of home burn brightly. And somehow, when you have travelled every yard under your own steam, the sense of journey is magnified a thousand-fold".

Great stuff.  More can be found on the Observer website

Is there a "Sunday biking" syndrome?

I don't normally cycle on a Sunday. But I had occasion this weekend to travel to the Fulham Road from East London. In a slightly rose-tinted way, I was imagining clear empty streets, what little traffic there was pottering about as if in the countryside. I was imagining a throw-back to a more polite, easy-going society where drivers nodded and waved at each other and cyclists politely waited at the lights without that stressed look you see on weekdays.

Then I hit Brick Lane and the remnants of the Columbia Road flower market. If anything, there seemed to be more people and cars around than usual. Carrying things. Like flowers, and trees. And it didn't change for most of the rest of my journey (admittedly I did get rather lost and took a few bigger roads than I wanted to). It seems that London is not a city which has a rest on its roads on a Sunday.

The only observation I would make is - there was a slightly more leisurely attitude among cyclists - and more couples doing a bit more ambling along in pairs.

Oh - and how nice not to be wearing silly cycling clothes for once.

Never never clear your nose ...

... when you have a fellow cyclist behind you

Do yellow lines on roads have magical properties?

Has anyone else noticed this? You're cycling along beside traffic and you have to cycle over either single or double yellow lines (yes, we're frequently forced into the gutter!) and suddenly all normal control seems to go. Once, around that horrible section in Shoreditch outside the Town Hall I actually stopped my bike and got off on to the pavement, convinced I had a puncture as my whole bike felt so wobbly.

I examined the bike - and sure enough, there was nothing there at all. I then got back on the road and found that the same feeling could be achieved by going back on the yellow lines. What does this tell me?

Either that yellow lines have magical properties. Or they're deliberately concocted to feel a bit "slippery" and weird, so when cars and bikes go on them, they quickly want to get off. From what I can see looking around the web it seems that the paint they use can be sort of rubbery, so that may account for the odd sensation.

Speed bumps too?

This is now going to sound a bit nerdy ("when doesn't he?" I hear you cry) but I also wondered whether you can slightly benefit from this paint syndrome when you go over speed bumps, which can be terrible things especially if you're going at a fairly decent clip.

Here's the thing - I've noticed that if you aim your wheel so it goes over a painted part of the speed bump, you feel less of an impact than if you go for the other sections. Of course many bumps don't have the paint, so it doesn't apply. But try it - and let me know if it works for you.

Battling against the wind this morning made me think: can you attach a sail to a bike?

Good grief. Talk about struggling against the elements. My whole journey along the Regent's Canal this morning was far more like sailing than cycling. Sometimes you feel like you're barely moving, such is the intensity of the opposing wind. But it doesn't stop there. Even on the big roads you get sudden gusts which threaten to push you out into traffic. And for some reason, if you're travelling East to West in London, which I do in the morning, you're always going into the wind. I did actually read somewhere that in England the "posh" bits of cities tend to be in the West and the "poor" bits in the East, as the rich don't like the idea of the smell from the poor parts being carried by the prodominantly Westerly wind to them.

Anyway, I got to thinking - what if you actually could make biking a bit more like sailing and harness some of the wind? Clearly ludicrous for London commuting, but perhaps out in the open?

Clearly the main thing about sailing is that you use the wind to tack and you have to go diagonally when you have an opposing wind - and that wouldn't work on a bike as you'd never get from A to B. But who knows - if you had a prevailing wind, could you winch up a sail for a few minutes to help you along?

Needless to say many have got there before me - and a quick search on the net reveals some pretty funny drawings and photos, including this one from Grant McClaren who built his own sail-bike:

More details can be found on his site here:

http://webpages.charter.net/gmaclaren/sailbike/1.html

I also like this one from a site called "Patently Silly" which seems to find amusing patents which will never come to fruition:

and here's that link:

http://www.patentlysilly.com/patent.php?patID=6932368

And finally there's a nice entry in a book which I'd never heard of before called "700 Things for Boys to do"

http://chestofbooks.com/crafts/popular-mechanics/The-Boy-Mechanic-700-Things-for-Boys-to-Do/How-To-Attach-A-Sail-To-A-Bicycle.html

Cool lights for bikes - spotted on the Regent's Canal

I followed someone for a while this morning on the canal. At one of the many bridges, I was surprised to see that her lights were on at the back - I hadn't noticed it being on before.

Then we went through a very dark area where the natural light is obscured by scaffolding and some huge boards, making a kind of graffiti alleyway. Sure enough, her red light went on again, and soon turned off once we'd got into the full light.

Sherlock began to think: aha - she's got some kind of a cool sensor thing on her light.

My investigations led me to Google. And then to this link, where I found the "Busch & Muller Dtoplight Senso Battery Rear LED" (£27.99 from Evans) which I think is a match to hers. I must confess I didn't know this kind of thing existed, and now I'm a bit envious as I love all the gadgets and lights and I'm a firm believer that you can't have too many on a bike.

Anyway, here's the link for those interested:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/busch-muller/dtoplight-senso-battery-rear-led-ec006389

What are the signs of unfitness?

OK, so I'm finally back "in the saddle" after two weeks of holiday. Little or no cycling in the last fortnight, so I was intrigued to find out how much my fitness had declined.

First odd sign: the bike felt strangely wobbly when I got back on. A guess an indication that my balance has deteriorated a little.

Next thing I noticed: a definite lack of breath, feeling a bit puffed after only a little cycling down the canal. It all felt a little more of an effort, and I certainly couldn't pick up the kind of speeds I am used to. I determined to retain a bit of that holiday spirit and take it a bit easy, enjoying the scenery etc.

Slight muscle twinges ... yes, a definite feeling that the old muscles were being asked to do something new, and that if I was to do something very quick or unexpected, I'd probably pull something.

But the competitive spirit is hard to suppress ..

It's a bit sad isn't it ... I'm only back for a minute or two, and I instantly feel that slight sense of "Hey, how come he's going faster than me?" ... "I'd better speed up and I'll show who's quickest...". How childish and silly, but I suspect I'm not alone. I have to consciously try to suppress this instinct.

Karma rating? *****

Great to be cycling again, and great to be having some decent excercise.