A Monster is Created

Through a series of happy accidents, we've created Monster Bike Events with Cycle Circle. 
It all started when we discovered that Oxford Cycling Co-operative were selling their seven seater "conference bike" through Going Going Bike back in March.
Once we'd bought that, we needed something to transport it in. At 6 feet 6 inches wide, there was nothing standard available to fit the bike. We eventually found on eBay an old Decontamination Unit (back in Oxford!), minus showers, that was 7 feet wide.  We then realised that this rather large box trailer would make a perfect mobile workshop. 
In the meantime, the test run of the seven seater bike went well except the pupils at the Abbey School Autism Unit in Faversham felt the name was a bit boring, so they renamed it The Monster Bike. We liked it so it's stuck! 
Consequently, over the last few weeks the Decontamination Unit has been transformed into Monster Bike transportation and the Bike Lab. 

A sneak preview of the Monster Bike Events branding

Adding to these the Cycle Circus, a collection of  weird and wonderful machines that include Clown bikes, Gliders (sort of unicycles with trainer wheels) Cyco Cycles (words fail me... its a sort of fixed wheel trike you steer with your body...) and our famous rollers and obstacle courses. As well as our fleet of test ride bikes. 
You've got the ingredients for Monster Bike Events. 
Monster Bike Events will have it's inaugural outing next Wednesday, 13 June 2012, at The Gulbenkian on the University of Kent Canterbury Campus.

Cycling in Dublin

When I visited Dublin a couple of years ago the traffic was horrendous. It was like London before the M25. Everything was going through the streets of Dublin. And it was crawling through. The noise and the fumes and the dirt was awful.

The City is now trying to create a cycling culture. Which is fantastic and the situation is ripe for it. Cyclists have got to be able to get around the City quicker than motorists!

They have invested in a cycle hire scheme. They've introduced a Cycle To Work finance incentive package. They let cyclists ride through the pedestrianised shopping areas (unlike some cities such as Canterbury). The Council has given up it's ground floor car park to provide 140 CCTV monitored public cycle parking spaces. And the council is investing in creating a cycling infrastructure. Again this is being done in a canny way. By using their existing canal towpath network they will get more bang for their bucks! Smart.

What is obvious and why this is more likely to work is that there appears to be firm council support for cycling and instead of approaching it in a bits and pieces sort of way there's been a conscious effort to create and follow an holistic strategy to change people's behaviour and make cycling an attractive alternative.

Here's a link to an RTE programme all about the emerging cycling culture in Dublin:

http://www.rte.ie/player/#v=1070805

A new bridge and it's NOT for cars!

This weekend and next weekend a rare - and consequently exciting - event is taking place. A new bridge is being installed. But it's not for motorised vehicles. It isn't even connecting a road. It is a bridge connecting a bridleway by Kingston in Kent that was cut in two when the Canterbury bypass was built some twenty odd years ago. So it's a bridge for walkers and riders of horses and bikes.

It's quite a pretty bride too.

To install the bridge the Highways Agency will be shutting the A2 from 8pm on Saturday evening until 6am on Sunday morning this weekend and next.

There's more detailed information here - http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/24211.aspx

If it's not going to be officially opened, I think we should all get together and do a grand ribbon cutting event ourselves! Do you think the Queen will come?

Dave Smith's Road Positioning Advice

Had a great day cycling from Canterbury to Reculver and back providing mobile Dr Bike and First Aid support to the ride in aid of the Christchurch University St Gregory Development Project. I noticed that on the few occasions when we were on the road, most of the cyclists positioned themselves firmly against the far left side of the lane right up against the curb. Years of cycling proficiency has resulted in many experienced cyclists thinking this is a safe position. 

When we got back to Canterbury I popped into Waterstones to buy a book and have tea and cake. Whilst sipping my tea I noticed a book on the display shelves by Dave Smith called Cycling for Fitness. Flicking through it I found a section on safe road cycling which kicked off with a quote from the Highway Code along the lines of "always cycle as far left as possible". I've checked my new copy of the Code and thankfully it does not give the same advice. 

Dave Smith's book was originally published in 2001, which was a while ago, but Cyclecraft was first published by TSO in 1997. 

Dave Smith then goes on to advise cyclists to position themselves on the left of Giveway lines at T Junctions to turn left and on the right of Giveway lines to turn right. Now in my book, that's downright dangerous and if this book is popular a new edition should be published correcting this dreadful advice. 

Just to clarify this, when you are approaching a T junction on a minor road, you should take control of the lane, that means moving to the centre of your lane, then when you get to the Giveway lines you should be in the middle of the Giveway lines whether you are turning left or right. To do this safely and effectively you should be looking all around you throughout the manoeuvre and signalling if there is a driver there to tell. If it is a wide lane or junction then you should move slightly to the left or right of the middle of the Giveway lines depending on which direction you intend to go.

Given Dave Smith's credentials as an Olympic sports coach I'm sure the rest of the book is spot on.