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Cycling in lockdown London

Strange times does not quite cover it. It is paradoxical that while we were living with the terror of full lockdown and the paranoia some of us felt while out gathering supplies in supermarkets, working with others indoors or just entering and leaving our own home,  the air was more alpine meadow than factory town. Now that so many seem to be 'over' the virus and lockdown, even prior to the official relaxation of restrictions, traffic is approaching normal levels and for a few weeks the stench of ICE based urban transport will really be apparent. Soon our senses will be once again  numbed by the new new normal or social distancing while living in a polluted hellhole. For a while I did get carried away with the enthusiasm of certain leaders: Andy Burnham, Sidiq Khan about the sunny future of cycling in our cities. Now I'm not so sure. People have cars and like driving them. They don't like doing something they perceive to be difficult, dangerous and a nuisance. For a li
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Season's end?

It feels like this summer has fallen off the edge of a cliff. Our regular group of weekday evening club riders is dwindling and I don't blame those who switching to indoor training or minimising their cycling for the next few months. It does feel a little early to be hanging up your cycling shoes though. On Wednesday we had a testing ride featuring a triplet of punctures and temps barely clinging on to double figures (C). As we were fixing the first two punctures in tandem down a dark country lane, I heard a bang akin to a small calibre revolver. Luckily it was just a botched puncture repair attempt, not someone overcome by despair. At one point a kind (!) Audi SUV driver pulled over and offered to put his hazards on to keep us safe. We must have cut a pathetic site, I said aloud. Soon after I gulped down a gel to keep energy and mood up. Scott would have made it back with a gels, I'm sure. Could probably use them for fuel too. Just as we were warming up we suffered a t
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Tyre rotation, why should I do it?

This customary rambling introduction can safely be ignored. Jump to bold text and below. Video to drop in a few days. Most vehicle tyres tend to wear at different rates and bicycles are no different. Front tyres tend to outlive rears by a significant margin due to two main factors: 1. Gradual steady wear due to the rear being a drive wheel, so any acceleration produces a small amount of abrasion, the greater the change in acceleration the higher the rate of wear. 2. Weight transfer in braking. Both accelerating and braking produce abrasion at the surface of a tyre due to friction between the tyre and road. The greater the forces involved (hard braking, sprinting acceleration) and hence the greater the difference between the limit of tyre adhesion and the rate of acceleration or deceleration, the more slip will occur between the tyre and road surface. An extreme example is when one locks up a rear brake causing the bike to skid and paint a black line on the road. This can produce
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Welcome!

Why have I started writing a blog on cycling? Cycling has become something between a passion and obsession for me over the last few years.  I went from ignorant occasional cycle commuter to regular club rider in 10 years and I've even had a spell working in the business. My year out in Prague made me reconnect with the joy and freedom of riding a bicycle. There are few places better suited than the periphery of that historic European city. There is something for everyone, gentle gravel cycle paths aplenty, low traffic b-roads and full on singletrack and hard core jump forest trails for the Evel Knievel types. I intend to cover some basics in maintenance, with video where useful, talk about club cycling, solo touring and keeping safe as a commuter. I hope you find this blog useful and welcome any constructive feedback, your own take on cycling and of course point out any of my blunders in!
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