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 Tip - Road Position

As well as ranting, this blog is about sharing some of CyclingAge's knowledge. 

I know that people are often put off cycling when they hear of tragic accidents. The two deaths in London last week are very sad. Eight people die on our roads everyday - thankfully very few cyclists are killed or injured in road accidents. However, bicycles are the smallest and lightest vehicles on our roads so we must do everything we can to stay safe. 

One of the most important ways of staying safe is to cycle in the right road position. When there is other traffic on the road, cyclists should be cycling a good step (as in footstep) away from the curb. This is known as the secondary position. This means we are not cycling over drain covers or in the debris that collects at the side of the road. It also means we can react to hazards from the pavement too. But most importantly of all, it means we can be seen by other road users and we have a better field of vision. Cycling a step away from the curb also makes other faster road users give us more space as they overtake us. 

On quieter roads and at times when it would be unsafe for vehicles to overtake us, such as on narrow roads or at road narrowings at things like traffic islands, cyclists should cycle in the middle of the lane. This is the primary position.