About bikes, cycling and cycle to work - Tredz Blog

Volunteer for Sustrans!

My local bike path leads almost directly from my path straight to work. That’s about 8 miles of pure luck I reckon. I get to cycle to work along a beautiful sea front, avoid traffic, get some air in my lungs and generally arrive in a great frame of mind every day.

All good, but of course it hasn’t got anything to do with luck. Sustrans, the charity that provides routes for sustainable methods of transport, is the reason I get to cycle to work and don’t have to compete with cars for tarmac space.

Winter cycling

Think you've got it hard cycling to work in the UK? This US news article should help put things into perspective:

"On a freezing november morning in Chicago, Megan Mason puts on leggings, several polyester tops and a fleece, a windbreaker, four pairs of gloves, and silk sock liners. She ties a bandana over her head, dons earmuffs, snaps on a helmet, safety-pins a scarf into a cocoon around her head..."


And it bugs me when my one pair of winter gloves doesn't feel enough.

Getting doored...

Cycling to work today, I avoided getting nicely slapped in the face by an absent minded (the polite version) driver. He quickly heard my screams and didn't open the door fully, saving himself a Tredz employee shaped dent in his bodywork.

I always try and cycle away from parked cars, but that just isn't possible a lot of the time.

This is why a recent post on EcoVelo caught my attention:

Dear Motorist,

Did you know that something as simple as opening your car door can cause serious bodily injury to a cyclist? Let me explain.

In many places, slow moving vehicles are required to travel near the right side of the road to allow faster moving vehicles to pass. Naturally, cyclists ride near the shoulder since they are nearly always traveling slower than automobiles. Here’s where your car door comes in. See, if you’re parallel parked and open your door to exit the vehicle, you may be opening your door into the path of an overtaking cyclist. As you can imagine, a cyclist traveling at 10-20 mph who collides with a stationary car door is likely to get seriously injured, as well as do serious damage to the car.

Here’s a simple thing you can do. Before you exit your vehicle, take a moment to check your side view mirror to be sure there are no cyclists coming up from behind. Doing so may prevent someone from getting hurt, and save you a trip to the body shop.

Thanks from all of us bike riders, some of whom may be your friends, neighbors, or loved ones.

Our best advice? Always assume the motorist is going to do something unexpected (or just plain dumb). That way you won't be suprised when they do.

Bike to Work book

Carlton Reid and Tim Grahl, two infamous bike commute pushers are on the verge of releasing the print version of their new commuting book: Bike to Work.

Even better, they have recently announced they'll be releasing the thing in it's entirety on-line. Free.

Bigger exposure = more real sales and all that. Well, here's hoping it works. We'll push you in the right direction the moment it becomes available (in both real and virtual reasons), but for the time being check out the 50 page sampler.

Great advice is well worth sharing, so spread the word!

Cycle to work - the future

The authors of Copenhagenize and Amsterdamize discuss cycling to work with Carlton Reid of Quickrelease fame. The latest in a series of Podcasts in support of his new book, Bike to Work, it highlights the success of the political will in cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen towards making the roads safe for cycling.

They contribute toward a chapter in his book called: The Future is here. Hinting that our cycling future here in Britain can be glimpsed in our more practical and forward thinking continental counterparts.

Well, thats the idea anyway.

Essential listening for anyone interested in cycling in cities.

Cycling in the rain

Being based in South Wales means that we have to be pretty adept at riding in certain conditions.

I'm not talking about searing sunshine here...

Bikewhenever, an American commuting site has some pretty handy advice for those of you who aren't too comfortable cycling in the rain:

cycle to work shorts

Last week we took a look at what you'll need to keep your tyres running on your cycle to work.

However it's all well and good though being able to cycle, but if you're wet and cold you might wish that you'd woken up to a puncture and had the perfect excuse to get the bus.

The be prepared ethos of the commuter is as prevalent to the choice of clothing as it is to tyre choice and maintainance. And none more so that the part of you that's got the most contact with your bike. Yup, this is our guide to keeping your arse comfortable, or: choosing commuting shorts and trousers.

Cycle to Work with smugness

Anyone who cycles to work can usually do so with an element of pride verging on smugness. After all, the benefits of this practise are well documented:

• saving money on ludicrous fuel costs;
• getting fit whilst commuting;
• doing your bit to make Al Gore your mate;
• starting the day with energy not traffic queues.

But there's a huge bonus when the motorway you'd normally use is a car park. This is the M4 at 6:45 this morning. An oil spill had produced a massive tailback and made everyone very late. Well, my ride time also had 2 minutes added to it while I took a couple of photos if it makes those drivers any happier.

Cycle to work

Our boss is constantly on the move. His frequent long distance commutes make a car a necessity most of the time. But he still manages to cycle to work when other commitments don't tie him down. And when it's not raining. Or predicted to rain. Or if he gets a 'bad feeling' about the weather. But aside from commitments, the weather, ill potents, the weather last week and needing a safer method of transporting his £20,000 iBook he does cycle to work pretty regularly.

I'll shut up now (I like my job), and relate in his words why his cycle to work this morning both rocked and sucked:

What rocked about my cycle to work this morning:
Beating the commuting traffic,
beautiful fresh air,
feeling alive at your desk (Ed: that must have worn off by the time I saw him).

What sucked:
Forgetting my beanie and getting chilled ears,
stopping at work and not getting 20 miles in.

I love my car but I know my Specialized Rockhopper is faster, more economical and a damn site more enjoyable.

Local cycling news

The ban on cycling on Cardiff's busiest shopping street is being lifted, except between 10am and 4pm. This makes the 500 odd cyclists who use it anyway on a daily basis law abiding citizens again - for an eighteen month trial period at least. So my younger sister is no longer a hardened criminal, which is good news.

The reopening of Queen Street will provide a quicker route to work for many and hopefully encourage riders who would prefer to share space with pedestrians than cars.

The ongoing argument between whether cyclists belong next to cars or peds won't be solved here, but it's nice to see that Cardiff Council is thinking of cyclists at all. Hopefully local riders will repay the favour and not use the space as a daily drag spot.