Be under no illusions...

At last Friday's little conflab of cyclists in Albert Square ('Critical Commute') an experienced cyclist I met answered my question about the Coast to Coast: "be under no illusions"...

Oh dear. My mate Ian and I better up the tempo of our preparations - at the moment we are going about it with the alacrity of snails on loose sands. Meanwhile, I've developed serious doubts about the suitability of my bike - the Tourismo 24 hybrid. On a rainy and very windy night last week, I was forced to use my front gears (whatever the technical name is) and I got the chain badly derrailed - it has happened before. I'm worried about a bike that can't tap into its full range of gears if I'm going to have to contend with very hilly sections.

Should I buy a road bike? I need to decide. Soon. I've been thinking about a proper touring bike - some people argue they are the ultimate all rounders, the thing to have if you cover any seizable distance. We'll see...

Zynchronicity

There are nights when 'it' just works. 'It' being... everything! All the traffic lights are green, the wind blows in your direction, the cock-up fairy seems to be on holiday and the bicycle just purrs along nicely, steady on the wet tarmac, the rain having stopped just as you leave work for your nightly commute. Cars make way for you and before you know it you are home. And then you take your son to see Bury FC beat Norwich and get through to round 4 of the FA Cup!

One of those nights. Tonight.

Preparations have begun...

Fellow school parent and friend Ian and myself met yesterday to coordinate details of our proposed Coast to Coast bike ride - we plan to do it in May 08; we also discussed two or three training one-day rides, logistics, maintenance tuition etc.

We'll see - we are both enthusiastic about it, and our wives are suspiciously supportive.

The wind that shakes the barley...

Boy, was it windy this morning! Going into Manchester is meant to be the easy journey - downhill most of the way. The wind however was blowing in a straight South to North line - and it was strong.

It took me 55' to do what normally would take me no more than 45'. The return home, up the hill to Bury, seemed easy by comparison - and took less time.

comment on Matthew Parris' article of 27 Dec

Dear Mr Solis,

Thank you for taking the time to write to me about Matthew Parris's article (My Week, December 7). As someone who regularly rides to work and who likes to go on cycling holidays, I shared your alarm, initially fearing that Matthew had it infor me too. But I think it was immediately clear that he wasexaggerating for effect - and for a good cause: cyclists, as much as anyone else, must share his determination to protect the natural worldfrom litter and pollution.

I have received many similar e-mails and take note of the heartfelt indignation. You may also have seen the piece that ran in the paper onMonday in defence of the cyclist. While I admire the passion of the cycling lobby and myself one of their number, I think we do ourselves no favours when we lose our sense of humour and I hope that you, like me, will continue to enjoy Matthew Parris's excellent writing. That said, two wheels good etc. Yours, James Harding

-----Original Message-----From: Jorge Solis V. [mailto:jorge.solis@ntlworld.com] Sent: 30 December 2007 01:08To: Times CommentCc: Harding, JamesSubject: Comment on M Parris' article "The smug who deservedecapitation"

Dear Sir / Madam,

I'd like to comment on Matthew Parris' article of 27 Dec, "What's smugand deserves to be decapitated?"(http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article3097464.ece)and would be grateful if you could pass the comment on to Mr Parris. I am disappointed at the gross generalisations he makes - I cycle to work every day and know that neither myself nor scores of other regular cyclists I know exhibit the behaviours he so carelessly attributes to all of us. Mr Parris' fundamental mistake is to attribute moral traits to forms of transport (cycling, driving, walking, jogging) rather than to individuals. Not all cyclists are the reckless thugs he depicts - just as not all pedestrians (or indeed drivers) are shining examples of highway-side virtue. Indeed, most cyclists are also pedestrian and motorists!.

Good old Matthew is fighting the wrong battle - he'd do better to directhis anger against bad road users, and in support of responsible, considerate ones - whatever the form of transport employed. He would also do well to acknowledge that, in the UK today, when it comes to road design and 'systems' (how traffic lights work, the location, layout and length of bike lanes), cars and pedestrians are taken into consideration far more than cyclists are. An apology from Mr Parris would be quite in order

Jorge Solis

Back on the saddle...

For one reason or another, I've cycled very little in the last two weeks. My body quickly regains the fat cycling helps me lose - because I eat so much, after my initial loss of weight two years ago I now barely manage to keep balance at 92-93kg - still far from my 'ideal' weight of 80kg. This is unlikely to change.

Work events, shopping evenings, primary school nativity play, high school Xmas concert... all these things have conspired to make me drive more, cycle less. Meanwhile, my mate Ian and I are still planning to do the 'Coast to Coast' but haven't yet put any actual training towards it. Yes, he spoke to a female colleague who - at 44 - has done it in 3 days. Bum! I was hoping we would do it in 4, but now pride is at stake. And I bought a dvd which turn out to be an amateurish account of a CTC bike ride by 4 kids from I-dunno-where.

Zen and the arse of bicycle maintenance

I hope those who took part in today's 'Critical Commute' had a great time. I couldn't join, and the reason was simple: through lack of maintenance and pure neglect, I have worn my tyres out (particularly the rear one) and yesterday I seem to have reached tipping point - got not one but two punctures.

The first one got me on the way in, as I neared Manchester Cathedral. I changed the tube as quick as I could and very carefully went over the tyre, inside and out, looking for bits of glass, nails and such like. It was then I realised that my tyre, which looks perky on the sides, is actually far more worn out than I expected. In fact, it is a miracle it hasn't been getting punctures more often!. There are lots of cracks and cuts and bits of glass embedded into the rubber - I took as many out as I could with my little knife.

In the evening I got to Chetham Hill (ah, my favourite neighbourhood) before I noticed something was amiss. Yes, another puncture. I had another new inner tube but was loth to put it only to see it punctured by some embedded piece of glass I'd failed to detect (in daylight - what chance in the dark?).

I contacted 'Solis HQ' to see if a rescue mission could be mounted, but sadly, 'Support Team' was busy feeding the troops, so I had to examine other options. I could leave the bike chained against a post, take the bus home then come collect it. Too risky, I thought, so I opted for the 'pump and ride' option. It took me six stops to reach home, and twice as much time as it normally would.

So, new tyres are 'go'. I intend to give the bike a wash (turning it over made me realise how filthy it's got!) and, as we are at it, take it for a full service, ready for the winter.
And maybe then I won't miss the January Critical Commute - don't hold your breath though.

Charity begins at home...

Charity begins at home...
Look not the straw in your neighbours eye...
Pot calling the kettle black...

How can cyclists in all forums, discussion lists and blogs I see rant on and on about motorists and pedestrians, while hardly ever mentioning those other cyclists who routinely jump red lights or show crass inconsiderate behaviour towards everybody else - including other cyclists?

Yesterday, in heavy traffic going along Deansgate, in the rain, when pedestrians are at their most distracted, buriend under their umbrellas, a chap cycled between me and the kerb, at full speed in so narrow a space that he actually brushed against my rainmac - any movement from me and we would both have ended on the tarmac. Then he proceeded at the same speed, jumping on and off the pavement, through the red light (Deansgate and John Dalton St).

He was perhaps the worst I've seen for a while, but not the only one by any means. Within a minute there was another chap, who also went through the red light. I don't mean he cautiously slowed down and seeing the road clear slowly pressed on. I mean someone who just went through the light without any perceptible slowing down. I'm not too worried about him hitting a car - he'd come worse off and would only have himself to blame. I'm talking about the fact that this is a busy pedestrian crossing, at peak time, when people are rushing to work.

The last Friday of last month I left work late and, due to an errand, had to go past the central library in St Peter's Sq. Then I realised there was a whole bunch of -mostly young- cyclists. 'Ah' - it clicked - 'critical mass'. Naively, I expected, if not a cheer from the group, some sort of mutual respect between comrades-at-arms, despite the age gap. Instead, despite my carrying more flashing lights than a blooming Xmas tree, I got some of these people carelessly stroll on my path, then stare at me rudely as if they were about to swear.

I work in the city centre and incidents like the ones described above are all too common - going counterflow is just par for the course. Yes, some of these are hooded youths in black tracksuits, or Chinese students or Polish workmen in their building-site gear. But not all, not by any means. Many are fully kitted, 'proper' cyclists (OK, some wear black skateboarding helmets) with reflective gear, lights and the works.

Does this matter? Yes it does - how can anyone hope to promote cycling if our image is dictated by people who show little consideration to others, hold other road users in contempt or disregard for the rules of the road? Yes, the highway code isn't perfect and we all know how close the latest edition was to including nonsense about the use of so-called cycle lanes. But elementary things like traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and the flow of traffic need to be respected.

Change for the worse...

The junction of Cheetham Hill Rd and Trinity Way has just become a lot more difficult for cyclists travelling north on Cheetham Hill Rd. They have built a traffic island where before there were just markings on the road. In the past, it was easy for me to change lane by simply positioning myself in the queue of traffic turning left into Trinity Way, then just 'cheat' by carrying on north on Cheetham Hill Rd.

Now I can't do that. I have to position myself on the lane going straight on, much earlier and in greater traffic. This has coincided with the end of British Summer Time - so it has to be done in the dark (mind you, with more lights than a Xmas tree I wonder if I'm not more visible now than in daylight).

My point is that, once again, changes on road layout have been introduced with not a thought for the needs of cyclists. Now I'm forced to often ride in between queues of slow moving traffic, including many heavy-goods vehicles. Or I have to dismount and use the pedestrian crossing.

Beirut

Time spent in Beirut: 72 hours. Bicycles spotted: 4 - yes, total. Here, cycling is not a sport but the resort of the deserving poor - those who through hard work have managed to rustle up a mountain bike to go to their jobs as cleaners or security guards.

The traffic does not really lend itself to cycling. Or walking, for the matter. Or indeed driving - it is that kind of traffic that knows no rules and owes no consideration to anyone. But there again, among the plush office blocks and apartments there is the odd civil-war block of flats, still standing, in some cases still inhabitted, riddled with bullet holes and sorrounded - like in Manchester not too many years ago - by a bomb-site, an open-air car park where once a building of some sort stood.

Darkness comes so quickly

I can never get used to this: darkness does not come gradually - one week it's an October indian summer, sunny evenings in mild weather, the sky blue and red for long enough so I can make it home without the bike lamps on. And today, dark from the onset - and this is before the clocks change this weekend!

I don't know if it was the darkness, but it was a bit more eventful a journey than it would normally be. First, I had to stop at a chemist, and my route on from there took me past Manchester's Central Library just as a group of cyclists was congregating for the monthly 'critical mass' bike ride. I thought "great, a bunch of fellow cyclists to cheer me on". Far from it - one of them actually did a 'pedestrian' on me and just stepped across my path as if I didn't have lights on, reflective vest, the works. This time I didn't fall off my bike, but I certainly had to stop in a hurry. Did he care? Did he heck! He looked at me with the contempt youngsters believe to be the cool reaction to their own stupidity, and turned his back on me. Call me prickly, but a bit of courtesy would not have been amiss.

On the road, I had a car overtake me and turn left - luckily it happened to be the way I was going, but I hadn't signalled, so I could have been going straight across in which case I'd have ended under the wheels. And on Bury Old Road I had a big 4x4 screech and beep right beside me, all of a sudden - not at me, but because another car had failed to get out of their way quickly enough.

The truth is, while I am as determined as ever to cycle every day if possible - and I still thoroughly enjoy doing it - my fall just over a month ago has shaken me a bit. Perhaps I was naive before: I knew people had acccidents, but they didn't happen to me, I was sooo careful and sensible... alas, it ain't that simple now, is it?

After a few drinks following a school disco...

Last night was the school's Halloween Disco - long awaited because us dads had agreed to let the wives take the kids home while we went on (2nd year in a row) into Bury for a few beers.

After those few beers one of the group, who has started cycling 10 of his 26 miles to work, reminded me that we had (jokingly, I thought) agreed to do a major cycle ride - eg the Coast to Coast. But he's been on the website and all, so I was challenged last night to make good on my word. 'Yeah, summer', I said. 'No: spring' came the reply.

So, we better start preparing - body, mind, soul and bloody bike...

New rear wheel

Spokes. I had been losing spokes at a rate of 1 every 6 weeks (average). The first time I took the bike to the shop I bought it from, in Prestwich. Trouble is, it's not really the most convenient thing for me as it is 1/3 of the way to work. So I started taking the bike to the Bicycle Boutique, a little workshop-cum-shop near the University, very popular with students etc (they themselves have expanded recently, taking over a bigger workshop next door).

Anyway, last time they told me they could no longer guarantee they'd be able to true the wheel. Also, I was unhappy at breaking spokes as a matter of routine. So this week I left the bike with them on Tuesday, had a couple of busy days where I needed to drive, and yesterday I picked up my bike, fitted now with a brand new rear wheel (it set me back £30).

I hope this will solve the problem. I really can't think of anything I'm doing that prompts spokes to snap, so my money is, alas, on poor quality in the first place (I did by a cheaper bike!). Not that £30 can be buying me top notch either. Let's wait and see

Through cloud and sunshine

Look at you, through morning fog and mist
Look at you, emerging from a cloud
Reflective vest, red warning lights and proud
Lycra-clad goddess who makes morning mist lift

It's different in London

I spent a couple of days in London last week. One evening I managed to spend some time around St James' park, the Mall, Birdcage Walk and all those. Of course we know London is bigger and all that - but really, there's a lot more cyclists on the road as a proportion of total traffic. And in numbers there seems to be variety - both in terms of the type of cyclists - from lycra boys to skirt-clad girls with a handbag slung in a rear basket (can't think of a better way to attract a thieve!). This includes its share of nutters - like the one wearing a horse-riding helmet! There is also great variety in the bikes they ride, from fold-ups (lots of fold-ups) to racers to hybrids to fancy European models made for gently going up and down roads in a flat-ish city.

On the minus side, London cyclists and bikommuters are - on the road - like all Londoners: impatient and unforgiving. True, it is not easy to go through central London, what with all those pesky pedestrians - UK and foreign, and of the latter there's a lot more in London than in Manchester - getting constantly in the way, jumping red lights etc. But one feels that, just like motorists rev the engine at the traffic light, cyclists also have that 'killer instinct'. Perhaps it is because many of them are converted motorists who can't afford the congestion charge?

3rd party insurance

After my recent nasty-ish fall I have become more cautious in many respects. Not overtly, but it's all about the little things, the going a bit more slowly, trusting pedestrians even less, perhaps ringing that bell a bit more often and with more energy. And I have been thinking about 3rd party insurance. I mean, let's face it: what IF I hadn't manage to avoid the bloody woman whose stupid recklessness caused my fall? She could have been injured - and then, who would pay for the damage, in blood and treasure, but yours truly? And then you hear the horror stories of motorists with good lawyers managing to turn the table on you?

I had the good sense of emailing GMCC's yahoo group - the response was immediate and the overwhelming recommendation from the bunch of people who responded was... join CTC. So I have! Membership includes insurance, and anything else I may get on top will be a bonus.

Gadgets

I have been thinking about some gadgets cyclists or bikommuters like myself could use, and others that would help with that intractable problem - sustainable transport. Here goes:

- Mask: yes, there already are masks to combat the effects of pollution (enthusiasts of such masks will tell me that my lungs are heavy with the detritus of carbon combustion from bus diesel engines and the like). But what I am talking about here is a mask that will help condense the moisture in the atmosphere (amply abundant in Manchester except on sunny and dry days, either in a hot summer or a very cold winter - both rare). This would help rehidration without the need to carry your own supply.

- Exercise bike: no, not the stationary kind. Instead, this will be a bike that is powered not just by foot pedals, but by the arms - so it provides all round exercise. Not an entirely new concept: the other day I saw a wheelcher for a person that could only move one arm. It was operated by a single lever which was used both to steer and to power the vehicle.

- Generator: you've seen the cycling trainers - rollers to turn your bike into a stationary one so you can improve your technique, get some quick practice at home etc. Why not extend the concept and use this effort to generate electricity? Power your electric shower for instance - either take it in turn with your partner / flatmate to power each other's hot showers, or perhaps more daringly, create a shower where you pedal for hot water!

- Modular car: OK, not a cycling gadget, but if it helps with traffic, pollution etc why not. This wold involve a small two-seater (think 'Smart') which could attach seamlessly (by retracting rear wheels, collapsing the hatch door at the back etc) to another, to make it into a four seater. And why stop at two cars - attach three or four and presto, you've got a people carrier!. It will be easier when fuell cell engines become the norm.

Rainfall and fall 2.0

A week ago I made my way home in an hurry. It was raining. I followed my usual route. It was about 17.30 and I got to Cheetham Hill. I was going down the road towards the traffic lights next to the New Robin Hood Hotel, there happened to be little traffic and so I allowed myself to gather speed.

At the bottom of the road, waiting for the traffic lights (I thought) were two women, one of them talking on her mobile. This one turned and (I thought) looked me in the eye. I thought "Ok, she's got me", as I continued down to make the green light. And then, all of a sudden, the women stepped on the road, right in my path. My reaction was purely instinctive: I applied the breaks. In the rain, with the momentum, the bike skided.

Next thing I know, I'm laying on the road, on my right side, right arm outstretched over my head, at the feet of these wretched two women who glanced at me as if I was some sort of worm or slug, and then walked on. I did consider chasing after them, and worse - I shouted at them instead, not obscenities but the tone was clear enough. It was then that I realised something hurt, and that I was a bit out of puff.

Still, I had to get home to make tea for the family (long story - Wedsnesdays are really hectic) so I soldiered on. I was angry though, and had a very sore shoulder and side. Took some painkillers, but the following day I went to A&E, where they told me nothing is broken, just sprained (they took x-rays of my shoulder, but not of the ribs). A week on, I still feel uncomfortable. I cycled today for the first time since the fall, and it was fine - but writing, typing, or just laying down on my side still hurt a bit.

Thinking about it, while I blame these pedestrians for the accident, I do realise I did let my guard down for a moment, ie I allowed myself to gather speed down hill when I know the area to be full of shops and bus stops and therefore full of pedestrians who are often less than careful. A few months ago a colleague from work suffered a similar accident in the very same spot - outside the Robin Hood Hotel. In her case, she ended up with her foot in a cast for 7 weeks, so I can count myself lucky.

Mountain bikers

No, I'm not a mountain biker - but I did go camping to the Lakes recently. On my walks I came across a group of keen bikers doing a descent that, on foot, required some concentration - loose earth and slate chips that could turn slippery at no notice. Why anyone would want to up the risk factor hundredfold by launching themselves down the slope on two wheels is beyond me.

Halfway down there was a little stream. Of the 8 or so bikers, half stopped at that point and stepped across, bicycle on shoulder. The other 4 performed a spectacular jump - it looked great, but I would hate to see one of those stunts go wrong.

The last mile (and a half)

My daily cyclommute is 7 miles and on the way down into town it takes me on average 45'. That said, the first 5.5 miles take 30' - 35'. If I set off at 9am from Whitefield, I pass Manchester Cathedral at 9.30am. Where do the other 15' go?

The answer is: city centre traffic design. Yes, I am a bit of a zealot when it comes to traffic lights - I may sometimes join pedestrians when the little green man lights up, but otherwise I never go through red lights. The problem is that, once you reach the Cathedral, traffic lights multiply like rabbits on all main roads leading anywhere. This is compounded by the one-way system. I can't help but think that this is all design with the car in mind, with some provisions to appease pedestrians by providing them crossing points at frequent intervals (in the understanding that, at busy times, they will ignore all lights and just cross when and where they want to), and cyclists just do not feature in these calculations.

I have tried de-touring to side-streets. I have actually measured myself against other cyclists whom I knew were going to the same destination and stuck to the main roads, so I can say that side roads may give you the impression of saving you time, but in effect they make no difference at all - not with any consistency, at least. You see, it all hinges on how the gods of traffic lights look upon you: some mornings they show you nothing but green, other times they conspire to slow your progress to a miserable crawl. The former usually happens in sunny weather, the latter tends to coincide with rain (at least in my memories).

I could, of course, join the legion of cyclists that to their shame simply ignore traffic lights and treat busy crossings as challenges to their balance skills and hand-foot-eye coordination. But I just don't want to - the moral ground, once you get to it, is a very comforting place and I'd like to remain there and feel entitled to be sanctimonious when I want to.

More seriously - and I never thought I'd hear myself say this - the solution... is revolution: pedestrianise more of Manchester, off-set by a park-and-ride scheme (perhaps building on the successful and free Metroshuttle) and thus create the conditions for a network of pedestrian and cycling avenues into the heart of the city.

You may say I'm a dreamer...