whilst i'm on the subject of bad driving...

whilst this morning's crash is still on my mind, if anyone is reading this that is, now's the time to pop over to the CTC and lobby your MP.

if you haven't heard about their plans, they're aiming for some key changes, specifically to lower speed limits, make drivers more liable for their actions and to target bad driving generally.

anyways, it's all worthwhile and here:
CTC campaign

and perhaps more importantly, please do react to this one too:
Highway code amendment

if you haven't seen this yet, a revision to the code, specifically:
"Use cycle routes when practicable and cycle facilities such as advanced stop lines, cycle boxes, and toucan crossings where they are provided, as they can make your journeys safer" quote from CTC
it's the 'where they are provided' bit that's scary, there's no option in there...

from what i understand, this means that if i'm injured by a driver near a cycle lane and try to make a claim against said driver, it's highly likely that their lawyer would argue 'contributory negligence'

it does make you wonder if anyone has looked at the cycle lanes in london, to me the combination of potholes, glass, dog sh*t and parked cars make them much more dangerous than the road itself...

british summer time...

... finally felt like it hit this morning. bright, sunny and i only needed one pair of gloves...

just as i was enjoying it, i see someone get whacked by a car. not the usual into the side and over, but a full frontal.

when the poor guy finally got up, the shock had took away his ability to speak or walk and all he managed was 'ffaaaacckkwwwwwaarr'

then i found myself feeling sorry for the driver, that was weird, he looked... ummm... 'sorry' i don't know if it was genuine guilt (he can't have looked before he pulled out) or the fact he was surrounded by 3 cyclists and a motorcyclist, all looking rather stern... so i offered my 'witness' skills and left...

Scary...

posted on gearhead.
bike safety video... with monkeys...

Cuba...

oh... the one thing i should have said... can't get used to this order thing...

my (very) recent interest or should i say re-awakening to the wonders of cycling, was down to a sponsored trip to cuba in aid of the back up trust (www.backuptrust.org). i was expected to ride 400km from havana to trinidad, so thought i better get some miles under my belt first.

i've got a bit of a soft spot for back-up due to the amazing help they gave my best mate after he had a fall, broke some vertebrae and ended up in a wheelchair... sounds too simple that doesn't it? sadly it is... he's an inspiration, and i credit some of that to backup who played a part in his amazing recovery and positive outlook on life.

so... the plan was... 4 ABs (able bodied, that's me and yes, i had to ask what it ment) and 7 wheelchair users fly out to havana have a day there and then get on with it. sounds simple enough, but with cuban accessibility meaning only two flights of stairs to your bedroom (easy for me, not so easy when you rely on wheels) the trip quickly became more than just the ride.

everyone who came along inspired me in some way, though i have to pick out brod, for impressing me with his mileage (especially considering he'd done approx. 2 miles in training) and jason (the guy in the picture), a paralympian and all round nice fella, for helping me use up all of that energy i had left with some fartlek.

in the end, we didn't cover as many miles as we hoped, the cuban roads (and hills...) made tough work for someone using a handbike (front wheel drive... powered by your upper arms... jeez...)... but it was one of the most amazing things i've ever done.

if you do decide to ride cuba, there are a few things i'd recommend, buy a good saddle (and leave it and anything else you can for your cycle guide, cycling socks (even dirty ones) are valued), bring pens (you'll make lots of friends) and develop a taste for rice and beans. then go with it... and enjoy the chorizo spam, it's 'interesting'

p.s. that's a pic of me in a handbike. i managed 10 metres before my arms felt as if they'd come out of their sockets.

my bikes

i'd like to pretend that i'm showing you these as somekind of background/intro type thing... but i'm not really. i'm just very proud of my bikes...

first up is my surly cross-check, i bought it as a replacement for a ridgeback that i'd been riding for a year or so. the same ridgeback that had been giving me serious jip with my shoulder, turns out through bad advice and ignorance (that bits my fault) i'd bought a bike that was just about large enough for a child, but sadly not a 5'10" 13 stone adult...

so, lesson 1 learnt, choose your bike shop carefully.

after some serious research, well... i found a link from the surly site... i checked out brixton cycles and what a top bunch they are. after popping in to pick out something similar to my ridgeback and spend around the £500 mark, i found myself ordering a surly, using some of the parts from my old bike... it... ummm... only cost me £700... oops.

anyway, i can't sing it's praises enough. it's been through a few changes since november, drop bars being fitted and a flip-flop rear wheel (thanks brixton!) but it's going from strength to strength. in fact the new singlespeed thing has been a bit of a revelation, it's like being a kid again and with no gears to worry about (which has also been lovely maintenence-wise on london's salt encrusted roads) you just concentrate on the ride...

so, surly=fun and singlespeed=more fun. great.

which leads me into bike number 2... i had been back to BC (brixton cycles) to look at singlespeeds, a specialized langster (which looked wicked with the moustache bars BC had put on it) and a fuji track bike, both coming in around £400... then i decided to it made more sense to use the cross-check and once again swop parts to something else...

i did look at a surly karate monkey for a bit of fun... then an on-one... but in the end, i went for a compact alu frame with carbon forks. yes, i know that's a bit of a jump... i just loved when i saw it in edwards (camberwell, super nice shop). i'm still not sure i made the right choice, don't get me wrong, it's been great fun and it's nice and easy to navigate around london with, but after popping out for an hour or two on the surly today i may have changed my mind (again)... i think i just have to realise that they are such totally different rides (after all, i used that line to try and convince my girlfriend that i wasn't being frivilous with a 2nd bike...) and it's great to have the option... btw, please excuse my pikey garden in the pics, i'll sort it in the summer... i will...

so, whatever your ride of choice, single or geared, i'm probably looking at it and thinking it would be a nice addition to my set...

I love my bike(s)

it's reached that point...
after all, i talk about bikes until peoples eyes glaze over (and then carry on), i get excited about buying handlebars (but they are lovely on-ones...) and i'm thinking about my next bike when i'm still breaking in the most recent one (2 and counting... looking for that 'project' next)... so... god knows if anyone will read it, but i thought i'd start a blog...