cycling

Make your bike time count

“Simply riding your bike will help improve your fitness and your handling skills, but there are training techniques you can adopt to make sure you get a decent workout.” Joe Beer with a few tips on how to spend your time in the saddle more effectively.
www.bikeradar.com

That’s me: radical superhero of the streets

“Cycling in London is an extreme sport, little safer than base jumping. A journey begins with trepidation and ends with me slightly high that I’m still alive.” Janice Turner does not depend on timetables or traffic. On two wheels, she enjoys the pleasure of knowing exactly what time she’ll arrive.
www.timesonline.co.uk

Metabolic fatigue

“Every cyclist loves to eat, and half of the fun of cycling is in having a built-in excuse to eat in large quantities.” Yesterday I “bonked big-time” for not having eaten enough. Stephen Cheung explains the factors that come into play.
www.pezcyclingnews.com

News from Tester Tim—aka Tim ‘Fingers’

“Just a quick piece of advice for you fellow bikers. Be careful when your messing with disc brakes, even if you have done it 100’s of times like me. I now have 9.8 digits!”
www.on-one.co.uk

Cannondale Bad Boy Rohloff

Cannondale Bad Boy Rohloff 06, front hub Hope Pro II, front brake Avid Juicy Carbon 203 mm, rear brake Avid Juicy Carbon 160 mm, chainset Truvativ Stylo SS 180 mm, chainring Gebhard CNC, chain SRAM PC991 Cross Step, pedals Crankbrothers Egg Beater Ti, seat post Easton EC70, saddle SDG Formula FXR, bar Ritchey WCS Carbon Flat, tyres Schwalbe Kojak 26 x 1.35, weight 11.2 kg

Bicycle crash statistics

“Contrary to intuition, cyclists riding on bicycle paths have a higher crash rate than cyclists riding on roads, although not as high a crash rate as cyclists riding on sidewalks.” The Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition looks at crash data for cyclists and reaches valuable and often surprising conclusions.
www.massbike.org

The door zone project

“Many cyclists make the mistake of riding too close to parked cars. This is extremely dangerous. Many cyclists have been seriously injured or even killed because they were riding in the door zone.” On her bike, Riin Gill never gets closer than 1.5 m.
www.riinsrants.info

Road positioning

“Cyclists are being told that road positioning is a critical part of riding safely—but are there any rules, or does it require some kind of two-wheeled sixth sense that you can only gain from experience?” Richard Peace answers some of the most commonly asked questions.
www.bikeradar.com

Secrets of pedaling

“Pro cyclists pedal differently from ordinary mortals. When you’re on the road, you can always tell the well-trained cyclists by the way they pedal.” Brief guide to pedaling more effectively.
www.cyclingreviews.com

Danger? What danger?

“But what I hear all the time from people is that they would ride a bike but don’t because they feel it’s too dangerous. I completely sympathise, but, of course, I disagree.” Matt Seaton compares cycling in traffic to a peculiar kind of ballet on wheels.
www.guardian.co.uk

Critical Mass London

“Critical Mass London is a mass cycle around central London. Anyone can get involved, just bring yourself and your bike down to the South Bank on the last Friday of each month, between 6.00 pm–6.45 pm under Waterloo Bridge.” I took this picture on 29 July 2005. Thanks to Doug, you can also watch a video of what it was like to be there. Great fun.
criticalmasslondon.org.uk

Life expectancy

Fact: A regular London cyclist enjoys a longer life expectancy than a Londoner who takes no exercise.

BMX tricks

What a monumental waste of time. You have been warned…
www.cbc.ca

How to not get hit by cars

“Wearing a helmet will do absolutely nothing to prevent you from getting hit by a car.” Only a small proportion of accidents involve the collison with a motor vehicle, yet they account for the vast majority of fatalities among cyclists. Michael Bluejay explains how to avoid getting hit.
www.bicyclesafe.com

Marin Point Reyes

Frame Marin Point Reyes 18.5", fork Pace RC31 XC, wheels Mavic CrossMax XL, front brake Hope Mono M4 180 mm, rear brake Hope Mono M4 160mm, chainset Shimano XT 180 mm, pedals Crankbrothers Egg Beater SL, mechs and shifters Shimano XT, tyres Continental Sport Contact 26 x 1.3, weight 9.8 kg

Bicycle helmet safety institute

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association provides information on buying a helmet and fitting it properly. There also is a long list of product reviews to help with your choices.
www.helmets.org

The Exploratorium’s Science of Cycling

Did you know that bicycle wheels are among the strongest man-made structures ever invented? Find out more by visiting this interesting and informative site.
www.exploratorium.edu

Day after the crash

Yesterday evening I had a massive accident with my bicycle. A car pulled out in front of me and I crashed into it at about 40 km/h. I went over the car like a torpedo and then hit the ground face first. Any injuries, however, are confined to my right shoulder.

Use pen… to unlock bike

Kryptonite, makers of ‘Tough Locks for a Tough World’, are now known to have been selling bicycle locks which are not only more expensive, but can also be opened with a ball point pen. Apparently, this keyless mechanism was first documented in 1992.