Cycling, coffee and great ideas

Yes, another story about cycling and coffee, with gratuitous cross promotion.  Recently I have seen more of Sydney, than my home base of Melbourne which has been a great opportunity to soak up the cycling culture of a different city.  More about the public opinion of Sydney's self appointed queen of cycling Clover Moore later.  Clover deserves her own post!  This post is dedicated to the little things which make cycling easier.

Last Thursday, 30th October at Milsons Point on the North Sydney side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge the Bicycle Network and the coffee crew from Rapha worked very hard to capture cyclists attention to sign up new members prior to the end of October.  They were there offering free shots of coffee and Carmen's Dark Choc Espresso Nut bars.  Now I'm listening.  Actually I have been a Bicycle Network member for the past 5 years and will continue to do so.  The organisation is the peak body for representing cyclists' interests in Australia, offers some great benefits and a very readable bi-monthly magazine called Ride On.  For an adult it probably represents the best value and best feeling $119 you will spend this year.  Plus you get the first opportunity to sign up for many major cycling events before they are offered to the public.



What really caught my attention was not the free giveaways but the well placed notice board advising cyclists of the local bike shops on the lower north shore and free air.  What great ideas, a notice board to spread the word on upcoming events and local services.  Free air, now where could they put that in Melbourne without it being vandalised by some anti-cyclist?

 But wait there's more according to one regular bridge crossing cyclist

 Right behind that van alongside the bike ramp on to the bridge is a set of tools and a compressor driven bike pump for passing punters. The cops like it too. A couple of times a month there's also 2-3 cops standing there nicking everyone who's jumped the lights and/or ridden on the footpath coming down Alfred St. It's all happening in Milsons Point!

So to keep this post short, keep your eye out for the Rapha van and let me know what other ideas are out there that you would consider beneficial to yourself and fellow cyclists?

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