New Bike!!!

Just before Christmas I found my beautiful new bike on eBay!

It's a Carlton Courette vintage lovely, hand built with Reynilds tubing, so it's light too. 

The plan is to restore it slowly and get it up and ready for a bit of touring in the summer. 

It's great to ride a bike with gears again, and also to have a slightly more girly bike!  I love that it also has a rack for panniers, it's a real treat to arrive at a destination without a sweaty back!

We Biked the Borough! (Of Lambeth)

Lambeth council organised this event providing a route around the borough, using the existing cycle routes along quiet roads. At each park were hubs with different cycle based activities, including cycle yoga, Dr Bike mechanics offering free bike checks, pedal powered smoothie makers and HGV training-this was great! It's quite unbelievable how little lorry drivers can see, the advice is stay back, and if you need to get in front be aware that they can only see you if you around 2 metres in front. 

From what other people have said this years Bike the Borough event was much smaller and had much less at each hub, but despite that it was still a lovely day out, and great to explore some of the bike routes I have never used before.

Poorly husband after a clash with a taxi :(

Poor Pie was knocked off his bike (actually it was my bike!) last week. A taxi driver let his passengers out whilst waiting in a line of traffic and one of them opened their door into him as he cycled past. It was a very shocking and horrible accident, both of the passengers walked off and the taxi driver had to be convinced by passers by not to leave the scene. He was convinced that he played no part in the accident.

Pie was taken to the Royal London hospital via ambulance, with a query broken leg. After a long wait and X-rays he was sent home with the diagnosis of severe bruising. It is now 5 days on and he is still sore and limping, but off crutches and feeling better. 

This was an accident that could have been prevented by the taxi pulling over properly to the curb, and not unlocking the doors until he was sure that there were no dangers. It would have been much worse if Pie had cycled into on of the passengers. It also would not have happened if the passenger had looked properly before they opened their door. 

Both Pie and I cycle and drive in London, and incidents like this just highlight how careful we both have to be doing both. 

Bobbin Chrome Helmets- can I have one please?

I have recently started reading the London Cycle Chic blog by Caz, I really like the way that she emphasises that you do not need to look like a total dork to be comfortable cycling! Cycle chic even has its own web shop with many many exciting goodies, that are both stylish and practical.

I am really lusting after the Bobbin Chrome Helmet, it comes in gold and silver and I think it is just amazing! I think that given the choice I would go for the silver one, I like that it would mirror it's surroundings! My current helmet is a cheap one from Decathalon and its white, a practical but boring choice. It was an upgrade from my even cheaper, and very uncool, Halfords helmet that I used when I cycled in Edinburgh, maybe it's time for a change?

When I finally get on of these dream helmets then I would also love to get on of these reflective bows, they attach to you helmet giving even more visibility! I reckon they would also attach to a backpack or jacket, and they are a bit more fun and flexible than stickers.

A little trip out to Richmond

Today we took a trip out to Richmond Park! After a hearty breakfast at Mary's cafe we headed out over vauxhall bridge then followed the Thames path west along the river then followed cycle route 4 through Putney and Sheen. It was a lovely cycle, not too many busy roads, and we even saw the queens flyover!

Just as we finally got to Richmond Park, after my first real hill on a single speed, phew! It started absolutely chucking it down! So we took shelter under a big tree, along with many other cyclists and runners, until it eased off. Unfortunately by this time we were absolutely soaked, so made a beeline for the nearest shelter and hot drink at the kiosk outside Pembroke Lodge. After a restorative hot chocolate/latte we realised that the weather was not going to get better and our plans for a leisurely cycle exploring the park would most likely end in being very miserable and soggy. 

We decided to head into Richmond, all downhill thank goodness, and caught some amazing views of the river on the way. We then had a bit to eat and got the train/overground home. I love that you can take bikes on trains so easily! I'm not sure we could have happily cycled home, as it was we had quite an adventure and a lovely day out. I am looking forward to going back in better weather to explore the park properly, and I want to see some deer!

Knog Blinder USB- product review

I know it's summer time so lights aren't too high on the priority list, but I have been meaning to write this review for a while!!

This winter I needed to get a new reliable front light. My previous lights had been either large AA battery powered beasts or tiny little single flashing LED lads from the pound shop. Anyways both of these were rubbish as main lights, and costing me a fortune in batteries.

I already had a Knog Gecko back light. I was really impressed with its waterproof sillicone design, and battery life. It takes 2xAAA batteries and seems to keep on flashing forever! I also really like that with the Knog designs how easy they are to get on and off and that I don't need a fitting on the bike to attach it to. 

After trawling reviews on Wiggle.com and various other sites I chose the new USB rechargeable Blinder. No batteries!! I'm in! 

Now it's main feature is that it is mentally bright!! I cannot even look directly into it when it is flashing, I'm hoping that this makes me pretty difficult to miss on the roads! The rechargeable battery lasts for absolutely ages, and so far no problems with it not being waterproof. It's also really neat and takes up no space when tucked away in my backpack. 

Pros...

So easy to get on and off the bike, not fitting attachments needed

Rechargeable

It tell you when to recharge with a small red light, but does not dim.

Insanely bright

Several flashing modes

Light and small

Cons

Sensitive switch, can sometimes switch on in my bag (now I just attach it to the outside)

It's sometimes tricky to get the night out of its waterproof case in order to plug it in to charge

Sillicone colour-I got the clear case (it was the cheapest) and the light flashes back into my eyes when riding. Get a darker colour case, or be prepared to customise with black electrical tape. 

At around £30-35 depending on where you buy I would say this is definitely worth the money. It's a briliantly designed bike light, and the peace of mind that I will never have to make a stop for emergency batteries again/carry extras with me, makes me very happy!

A note on Knog...

My husband has not been very lucky with his Knog lights, he had a Skink back light which after about 6 months let in water and stopped working. In this case we tweeted Knog and after a few emails back forth they sent him a brand new one from Australia! He didn't even have the reciept, great customer service. It's still working fine a few months on.

He then bought a USB knog blinder (this time kept the reciept) and after one charge it then never charged again! He took it back to cycle surgery and they replaced it, he has had no problems with the new one... So far...! 

From other reviws i have seen i think that  some batches have quality issues. this is something to be aware of. I have never had a problem, and when there has been an issue I have found Knog to be incredibly helpful and effecient in replacing this light completely. 

All in all I am a big fan of the brand, and would always recommend them to a fellow cyclist! 

New Bike Blog

This new blog is an extension of my main art blog, specifically dealing with bikes and cycling. I have cycled in London for around 3 years, and I use my bike almost every day. I recently upgraded from a heavy hybrid to swish new road bike (see the post below), and ever since my enthusiasm for the sport has rapidly increased!!

In this new blog I hope to include product reviews, share my experiences of riding in London and possibly post up some inspiring cycle based art! My husband Pie is also a cycling enthusiast, so I imagine he will be contributing also!

My New NOLOGO bike!

I really enjoy cycling, and after briefly cycling in Edinburgh in my final year, (on a fantastic vintage folding bike) I fell in love with quick commutes and free exercise!

Since I moved to London I have been riding my husband's hybrid touring bike, a very well build Claud Butler which has survived many miles and even a minor collision with a van. Claud is a great bike but very heavy and pretty slow, it is also starting to cost me more and more money to maintain as it gets older.

I have been researching getting a new bike for a while, at first I thought I would probably like something a bit more feminine, maybe a Dutch bike with hub gears and a comfy saddle? My requirements were that I wanted a brand new bike with all new components, it had to be light enough to carry up a flight of stairs to our flat, and it couldn't break the bank!

After a weekend of browsing bike shops all over London I had a moment of realisation that very possibly what I wanted was a single speed bike! This was not the plan initially, and i had been worrying about riding without and gears!

I found a bike shop on Hackney road selling aluminium frame bikes for £200, with new everything and a choice of colours for the frame, wheels and handlebars. You could pick your size and colour choices and they would built it for me within 3 hours. They also had a selection of 'women's frames' without such a high cross bar, but there were heavier, and I'm not sure they looked as nice.

The back wheel has a flip flop hub, so can be ridden single speed with coast or fixed gear. The owner also threw in a heavy duty chain lock for £10, bargain.

So far I am really pleased with it!! I chose all black, i didn't want flashy colours, hopefully looking as boring as possible will deter bike thieves.

It is so light, and I am finding that I can go pretty fast! I was worried about not getting up the speed very quickly but it does not seem to be a problem. The brakes are sharp (sometimes a little too sharp!) and everything feels tight, it is also just a pleasure to ride and puts a big smile on my face!

So far I would really recommend this bike to anyone wanting something very simple and light, and I think it looks really good without being too showy.