My New Iron Horse

Click pic for full size.
After six years of faithful (and un-stolen) service, I've pensioned off my Claud Butler bike for a brand spanking new Specialized Globe Comp Hybrid. It's nice and light, with carbon forks and larger wheels. And it's driven through a Shimano Nexus eight speed internal gearbox, which I'm finding quite responsive and speedy so far, definitely a step up from the 3 speed t bar on the Roadmaster dragster of my youth. It's excellent being able to shift gears at low speed while weaving through the traffic,or stopped at the lights (I do stop at lights!).

I bought it on the government's "Cycle to Work" scheme, where I basically buy the bike over twelve months as a salary sacrifice. Combine the twelve easy payments with no VAT and income tax deductions, it means about a forty percent saving on the cost of the bike. A great scheme for getting people's bums in saddles. I'm co-ordinating the scheme at KLP, and am the first to buy a bike (of course!).

Cycle to work

An interesting article by Emily Thornberry, an Islington MP, about riding to work. Well written, and presents some good arguments to jump on your bike in the morning.

I think (and have told her) that she has been very irresponsible for her to be pushing such a strident anti-helmet message, whatever her personal opinion may be (I think it's patently obvious she thinks they are useless). There is apparently some "research" that proves that motorists are more likely to drive closer to a cyclist who is wearing a helmet. Tosh! Email her and tell her what you think.

Also please note that the page sponsor for this story is none other than Royal Dutch Shell!

Rant over. Basic message is GET ON YOUR BIKE!

Free Wheeling

If you have a short commute and still don't cycle to work, why not? Emily Thornberry busts 10 persistent myths about this easy, green and healthy way to get on the move

Saturday June 16, 2007
The Guardian

'You cycle to work? You must be mad," used to be the reaction when I told people about my commute. Today, especially in London, cycling to work is at last becoming "normal": it is no longer the reserve of Lycra-clad men.

Joining the swarm of cyclists travelling south towards central London from Islington in the morning, I feel like I could be in Amsterdam or Copenhagen - where cycling accounts for a third of all trips. But in the UK, we still have a long way to go. Just 3% of commuters here cycle, with around 4 million people still driving less than three miles to work - a 20-minute bike ride each way. If all of these people swapped their cars for bikes it would save around 1m tonnes of CO2 a year.

Click here for the full story.