The Cycle Hub

I am very thankful to my Californian friend Dee, who’s also a keen cyclist and good friend.  I mentioned a while ago that the water bottle he kindly gave to me back in the 1980’s is still going strong.  He was so impressed, he got hold of a more up to date version, also from Bob’s Cycle Center in California and sent it to me.  So here are both on my bike, while I admired the view from the top of Dunstable Downs.

So thank you Dee and thank you to those folk in Bob’s Cycle Center.  I’ll need a new frame if I get any more water bottles!

Can anyone in California guess what my bike is leaning against?

1. They were fairly economical – £20 from Boots (July price)
2. They seem good quality
3. They keep flies and flying insects out of my eyes (eye hitting an insect at 40mph is disconcerting)
4. My kids say I look super-cool wearing them
5. As “sports” glasses they have a good “grip” and don’t fall off
6. Quick and easy to get used to them
7. The right level of light-blocking

Why not follow this link to an interesting little website that’s popped up recently.  Very stylish.

Sometimes it is quite comical seeing someone riding a bike when the seat is too low or too high.  Yet without achieving the optimum height, cycling is inefficient or even painful and likely to lead to knee problems.  Just try walking along with your knees continuously bent, as if you’re lowering your overall height by 4 inches.

It is important to have a good starting point, as I have tried to show in the above photograph.  My right foot is at the bottom of the pedal stroke and just a slight bend in my knee.  If my leg was straight, I might feel as if I was getting the right leverage on the pedal but I would be wobbling from side to side on the saddle, plus I’d not be able to reach the ground without stepping forward off the saddle.  In the above set-up, I can just reach the ground while sitting on the saddle.

Having a saddle which is too low (and often I see this with casual novice cyclists) is going to be hard work and probably lead to a problem somewhere in the leg, with knees being especially vulnerable.  This is a real problem with MTB / Mountain bikes with their relativey high bottom brackets.  Having played around in trying to achieve the optimum saddle height on my daughter’s MTB, it became very apparent.  There’s no way she can both reach the ground safely while having the saddle at a height allowing her to stretch out her legs as she should.

There are some other points to consider with getting the right saddle position:

• Consider the angle of the saddle
• The shoes you wear might make a difference (i.e. ordinary shoes, as above, or clip-in types like Look or Shimano SPD)
• Brooks leather saddles take time to break in as the leather stretches and moulds itself to the cyclist’s shape.  Remember to tension the saddle, as per instructions.  Failing to do this could ruin a lovely saddle and have you sitting in an awkward position
• It is worth spending time and a trial-and-error approach to get it right.  Go for a short bike ride with an allen key in your pocket.
• Don’t be afraid to make smaller changes after a few weeks or months

Rachel taking the Boris Bike challenge

“If you think I’m EVER going for another bike ride…… and by the way, did you know I HATE riding bikes?” exclaimed Rachel, although it had to be said, she did voluntarily come along.  I have to hand it to Rachel, she is to be applauded for her efforts yesterday.

Credit is undoubtedly deserved; a life long loather of all things cycling, did say she’d come along “for the atmosphere” and to see what all the fuss was about.  This is how the day went….

We parked in Westminster, quite close to one of the many entry points, it was really easy finding a car parking place.  The solution to the question over 4 people and 3 bikes was solved, as it often is, by Hannah jumping onto the pannier rack of my bike and Rachel wobbling behind on Hannah’s bike.  We made it to Parliament Square and then rode along Birdcage Walk (past the annoying, irritating running commentary coming out of a PA system) to Buckingham Palace and around onto The Mall and the rest area.  We left Rachel there to enjoy the various stands while the 3 of us went to do a complete loop.

The supplied map said it was 15km (i.e. about 10 miles) but it felt much less.  We did the loop and was a bit disappoiinted in some ways.  There were more irratating commentators along the way and, unlike previous years, no drummers by the tunnel – a big shame.

We met with Rachel as arranged and, incredible as it sounds, she was quite keen to get her hands on a Boris Bike.  It wasn’t too difficult finding one but a real fiddle in try yo get one out of the docking station, even after entering the right code.  Does anyone actually read the 35 pages of terms and conditions?  We were off, just as soon as the rain was turned on!  Fair play to Rachel, she could easily  have given in but she didn’t, she just plodded along in a pretty positive way.  I seem to remember she mentioned something about not liking cycling!

We made it around and time to hand back the Boris Bike.  This proved tricky as every single docking point was occupied in 3 locations!  Rachel was starting to get anxious but it was mild compared to another woman claiming conspiracy theories around the authority’s cunning plan to extract more money from casual users.  Eventually we succeeded but it meant a longer walk back to the car, in the rain.

I just wanted to add to my gripes concerning the commentators.  As dreadfully irritating, obnoxious, cringing and just plain naff as they were, I couldn’t help to feel real joy when an engagement had just taken place and it was announced over the PA system.

So there y’go, the London Skyride 2011.  Another brilliant day of Central London being given over to bikes.  It is such a heart-warming sight to see little kids (some with stabilizers on their bikes) riding along with others on expensive sophisticated road machines.  Come the revolution……

Rest area in St James Park, before the rain

It’s not every day we get a chance to ride over Westminster Bridge.

I’m looking forward to taking the kids to the London Skyride 2011 as it has been so great over the last two years.  Having said that, the weather looks horrible with heavy rain forecast for Central London in the morning, so I’m not too sure how things will pan out.

At least the tunnel will be dry.