Combing my hair….

Bikes at School (Photo by Towodo)

Been reading a couple of blog posts about bike advocacy recently. Firstly an uncharacteristically downbeat post by Bike Snob NYC on David Byrne’s role. Rather a depressing read, essentially it seems to argue that the bike is not a viable form of transport because we can’t all live and work in gentrified Manhattan. Secondly a thought provoking post by Karl McCraken questioning whether if to effect change cycling advocates should abandon widescale action and focus on winning gains in small areas of towns and cities.

Personally I am convinced by Karl’s analysis and unconvinced by Bike Snob. In terms of changing the culture, small areas with flourishing active travel modes demonstrate that there is a possible alternative future and celebrity endorsement works. We may all know that unlike David Byrne we need to commute daily but cycling has suffered for too long with a ‘bicycle clips and plastic mac’ image.

But changing the culture is not enough, changing our approach to the built environment has to happen for those who might feel warm to cycling to put it into practice. My cycling commute is 34 miles a day. Most people don’t want to do that. Hey there are some days I don’t want to do that. I do it at the moment because I know I am investing in fitness for the summer. Cycling is part of my life and it is more than a transport choice. So I am atypical. Now consider the person who just wants to get to work. Let’s say 5 miles is a reasonable maximum one way trip for someone like that. Then where they live and where they work becomes critical. If they work in a business park built in green belt just off Junction 37 of the M1 the likelihood that it is an easy, five mile max, cycle commute from where they live is lower than if the office is in the centre of a town. If they live in a new housing estate in Stocksbridge  even if their workplace is in the centre of Sheffield it is not a likely commute.  600 new homes approved, 10 miles from the centre of Sheffield, how many extra cars on the already cyclist unfriendly A616 as a result? We need to be tougher on what gets built where, so that people who want to adopt sustainable and active travel modes can readily do so. Changing the culture so they want to is not enough.

And while we are tightening up the rules on what gets built where we need to tighten the rules about what counts as good development. When Sheffield Council can refuse planning permission for a small supermarket because there is no car parking and argue parking on the road is  potentially a problem, they are still thinking that accommodating the car is the answer. It isn’t, we need more small supermarkets so people aren’t tempted to get into their cars in the first place.

With the first closely run general election in nearly 20 years it will be interesting to see if politicians have the appetite for the difficult truth that some freedoms (such as for an unpolluted atmosphere) come with an associated price tag of restrictions.

Sheffield Supertram tracks represent a real danger for cyclists. At any time there is the risk of a wheel dropping into one of the two parallel groves, in the wet there is also the risk of sliding on the metal tracks. The best route to take is to cross the tracks at 90 degrees, but this is rarely possible. A particular problem is Hillsborough Corner which links two main routes out of the city to the North West. The video shows me negotiating the corner from South to North, but it is actually more difficult in the other direction as the road slopes uphill and turning from Langsett Road into Ripley Road to head up Walkley Lane is effectively an impossible manoeuvre to do safely when the road is wet.

I believe that cycling safely in traffic means being part of the traffic. This includes occupying the lane rather than hugging the kerb and asserting your right to be there. This isn’t always easy and in hilly Sheffield you do have to recognise that climbing some of the hills requires a measure of defensive positioning – if you are moving at 7 mph and cars are passing you at 30mph there is little choice.

Descending fast needs good brakes. Initially my first Tikit caused me some concern in this respect, but with advice from the Bike Friday Yak group I swapped out the pads for some Kool Stop Salmons. Highly effective, but tough on the rims. The disc brakes on my Alfine Tikit are just the business, enabling me to confidently descend at speed. The importance of this is illustrated in the video where you see I need to leave a bus lane on the left, occupy the main traffic lane and then rapidly turn right.

The video was recorded at 8am on 29 January before it was fully light – a first test of the GoPro HD Hero mounted on my helmet. Quite impressed. It captures what you can see looking forward, but the vertical range of your eyes is far wider than the camera and when you look to the side your eyes swivel but the camera doesn’t!

Tony Gore on his Airnimal heading for the Col de Sarenne

In a discussion in yesterday’s Guardian Bike Blog about car free cities, dan1973 used the single word ‘Sheffield’ to start a comment about the limitations of the idea.

That the car will always reign supreme in hilly places, is a popular misconception it seems to me. While it is true that some of the UK’s flat cities are also the places where there there is the highest concentration of cyclists, it is also true that Read the rest of this entry »

Nigel Bennett on Pea Royd Lane

Sunday saw us on Pea Royd Lane for the National Hill Climb Championships. It was a good field with some 150 competitors and Read the rest of this entry »

Monsal Head Hill Climb (Photo by Greg McNeill)

Autumn – season of mists and mellow fruitfulness -and suffering. Hill climb time trials are an exercise in masochism. I love the indifference shown by the photographers in Greg’s image above. Voyeurs wanting to see the national championships do not have far to go from Sheffield this year. Details on the South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire CTC site here

Recently Chris Rust pondered whether Alpine Road in Upperthorpe is a tougher climb that Hunter House Road in Hunters Bar. The answer is almost certainly Hunter House Road, as both have sections of 14% gradient, but Alpine Road is far shorter. Which led me to do some research more broadly. Hills with such steep inclines are relatively common in Sheffield – to date Walkley Lane is looking one of the toughest climbs in the city.

(Table shows distance, estimated cycling time and metres climbed in the right three columns)

And unfortunately this morning so did average speed, distance and cadence.

Turning sharply on the descent of Walkley Lane, I went one way and the computer went the other. Centripetal or Centrifugal Force. One or the other. Anyway it hit the deck, bounced and no longer works. Closer inspection reveals that the two tabs which lock into the bracket on the stem have sheared off.

Something else to replace. Cycling should save you money and get you fit. Trouble is the fitter you get, the more often you seem to end up shelling out.

Pleased to see Sheffield Pedalready at Sheffield Station handing out details of their 2009 ride calendar. Of particular interest are their Urban Routes series. These rides are designed to help cyclists find the best routes through the city. Details here. I’ll probably join the Northern Commuter Routes ride on June 13 – Hillsborough tram routes pose a real threat to cyclists – I’ll be interested to see the best ways to avoid them.

Meanwhile, which dedicated cyclist hasn’t sat in the office on a sunny day and thought ‘why can’t I be paid to ride my bike?’ Well here is someone who does get paid to do just that. The reality doesn’t quite match the daydream unfortunately.

Sheffield Cycling Paramedics (Photo by Mike Lee)

Since November Yorkshire Ambulance Service has been trialling cycle paramedics. The trail follows established cycle paramedic teams in Leeds and York. Now the Sheffield Telegraph reports that the trial has proven the cycling teams can get to central locations quicker than car or ambulance based teams and the service is to be extended.

Photo courtesy of Mike Lee, who also furnishes the following information. The bikes are Marin Point Reyes with upgraded wheels and suspension added, and with the medical kit the bikes weigh in at more than 40 kilos.