Self Righteous Cyclist

Late last year my wife and I bought a new house and sold the old one.  During the sale preparation we went through the process of de-cluttering the house and garage.  The question came from my mother in law - "where are you going to put all the bikes?".  It also turned out that a lot of feedback from people who viewed the house (including nosy neighbours) was "what a lot of bikes!"  And then the odd question such as how many bikes do you need?  Do you ride them or collect them?  I was happy to inform people that, yes, 9 out of 10 of the bikes are ridden at least once a week.  Not a bad effort for a single car family of 6. The garage at our old house (which could never have fitted a car given all the bikes) was home to 10 rideable bikes, 2 project bikes and 5 scooters at the time. Having good bike storage is important  when you've got that many bikes.  It means being able to securely store your bike, have a space to work on it and still ...

It’s time to turn my attention to pike paths.  After recently moving house only about 1.5km east of our old home, I was suddenly faced with a decision to continue riding the same way to work sticking to the roads or take an alternate route on the  Main Yarra Trail  and  Koonung Trail  which runs alongside the Eastern Freeway from the Chandler Hwy in Kew all the way through to Blackburn Rd.  I'd ridden and run this trail intermittently in the past.  After the first time riding with a mate one Sunday morning I loathed it.  With high pressure tyres and lines in the concrete every 5-6 metres along the river flats providing an endless bump, bump bump, I found the "road shock" through the body was too much to bear. My neck and shoulder muscles ached from the experience and that was enough to put me off entirely.  Admittedly I was just getting back into riding and my body had not adjusted.  I'd been back a few more times leading the way for a...

This week I'm as mad as hell.  I rode my mountain bike down to the local football ground to meet up with a few other coaches to sort through our gear for the coming season.  I locked my bike up to a secure post in a well lit place about 10 metres away from the building where we   were working, thinking it would be fine.  I walked out an hour later to retire to a local establishment only to discover my bike had been relieved of its lights.These were no ordinary lights, they were  Knog Frog Strobe  lights.  They are great little lights not much bigger than my thumbnail, visible from up to 600 metres away, waterproof and so easy to put on and take off in a couple of seconds, which makes me wonder why I didn't. It goes to show that sometimes I trust people to much to do the right thing.  What I've learnt from this experience  is to make sure my equipment is adequately secured and if it can't be, then remove it from the temptation of ot...

If it's one thing that really annoys me as a Victorian it's the ongoing public debate about infrastructure.  Here's my summary of what I'm hearing right now and my responses to it. Peak motoring bodies like the RACV and Vic Roads see the answer to the city's traffic congestion woes in more roads -  Build more roads and they will drive on it   Public Transport Users Association see improved public transport as a solution -  Build more rail lines and they will ride on it   Toll road operators join the chorus ready to spruik their wares and rub their hands in anticipation of getting their hands on more public road infrastructure -  Do that on the wrong side of town and you might end up with a short political career Bicycle Victoria advocates for improved cycling infrastructure to make this liveable city of ours even more liveable and provide some viable solutions - Buil...

From what I've observed of a lot of riders around my neck of the woods, it's clear that their bikes are an extension of their personalities.  One young lady is often seen pedalling what seems more like a vase on two wheels because it has so many plastic flowers sitting in the front and rear baskets.  The young hipsters favour the fixie in its various guises.  Commuters favour hybrids for their cross purpose ability between trails and roads.  Regardless of what you ride, when sitting watching the passing parade or being a part of it, it's a great sight and makes me glad we are not all riding the same style of bikes.  Although I have read some claims that China's ride to prosperity began on the back of the mass produced bike called the Flying Pigeon that has sold half a billion bikes.  But then again the Chinese communist party has not been widely  known for encouraging individuality. As a keen bike rider I'm often asked what bike I would recommen...

Last week's post generated enough responses to stay on the theme of pedalling caffeine. Occasionally I get the feeling that everything old is new again.  If only the safari suit I've got hanging in the wardrobe became the height of fashion again, I'd be the hippest guy in town.  Yes fashion trends come and go with the seasons and it's no different with bikes.  The number of cargo and haulage type bikes on the road seems to be ever increasing.  Local cafes, bakeries and micro-breweries have embraced these bikes as genuine alternative delivery vehicles, just as they were used before the rise of the car.  It adds to the green credentials of a business who can make a point with their low carbon footprint, low food miles and also provide a mobile billboard.   Now what happens when a coffee cart collides with a bicycle?  Enter the mobile cafe on 3 wheels. Just add coffee, water, milk, sugar, coffee machine, power, a little imagination and th...

If you questioned a cyclist on word association, cycling and caffeine would have to rate highly.  The number of bikes parked outside local cafes across the inner city on weekday and weekend mornings is testimony to cyclists either getting their  pre or post ride  caffeine fix .  Cyclists in the main tend to be a fairly picky bunch and it's no different when choosing their local caffeine peddler.  In fact taking a look at St Ali one new local establishment in my neighbourhood, it would suggest that you would be very unhipster like to turn up to the cafe on anything less than a blinged up or down (depending on your preference) fixie with your courier bag and shiny sliver of a laptop or iDevice for company.  There are bike racks aplenty for those on two wheels and just 5 metres off the bike path and 5 metres from a bike shop. This could be cycling nirvana. Now what about those who in this time poor world we live in don't have time to sit and sip in ...