Design of the cycle highways

The artists impression (showcasing some excellent Photoshop skills) from the TfL website basically looks like a normal cycle lane painted blue. In fact taking a closer look at this picture you realise its a bit of a marketing disaster. Not only does it show a scared individual cycling in the gutter but also it shows a London bus driving in the cycling lane. Not exactly dream conditions.

The limited information that has been given so far suggests that the cycle lanes will be:

• Separate from motor traffic wherever possible
• Painted blue
• Following the route of main roads

Definitely nothing too “revolutionary” there. The description on the TfL website is slightly more positive:

Direct and continuous - The routes will be clearly marked from start to finish so you’ll have no trouble following them. You’ll also see information along the way about journey time and links to other cycling routes.

Comfortable - We’ll be improving road surfaces along the route so you can pedal more comfortably.

Easy to find - Each highway will have a clear and unique identity.

Safe - Signals, road markings and continuous cycle lanes at junctions will help you keep safe.

Suggested routes

The first two routes that are currently under development are very direct and a decent cycling length. However, they have limited space to develop larger cycling lanes to accommodate the suggested threefold increase in cycling users that the scheme aims to achieve. If the lanes did eat further into car users space then there would be a highly negative effect on rush hour traffic. Perhaps the standstill would be enough to encourage motorists to switch to pedal power as they watch even the slowest cyclist beat them to their destination.

Route 3

• Barking to Tower Hill via the A13 and Cable Street
• Opening: May 2010
• 9.8 miles (estimated) so roughly 39 minutes bike ride (riding at 15 mph)
• View map

Route 7

• South Wimbledon to Bank via A24, A3 and Southwark Bridge Road
• Opening: May 2010
• Follows Northern Line to Bank
• 8.9 miles (estimated) so roughly 35 minutes bike ride (riding at 15 mph)
• View map

Remaining routes

• There are also 10 more routes that will be developed after the 2 pilot routes are completed.
• TfL appear to be aiming for completion of all 12 routes before the end of 2012. However, considering the length of time taken to develop just 2 routes I can’t see that happening.

  
Image source: TfL

Marketing gimmick or positive step forward?

If Boris’ big blue bike lanes catch on then the outcome can only be positive. After all, any cyclist would be crazy to wish away good cycling lanes along major routes. It is important however not to have the wool pulled over our eyes. The new mayor of London famously cut spending to the London Cycle Network which resulted in 400 new cycle lanes been scrapped.

There are three measures of success here. The first is weighing up the quality of the cycling highways compared to traditional cycling lanes. If the superhighways delivered the promised improvements such as greater road comfort, more room to cycle and priority over traffic then they may raise the bar of what is expected from a cycling lane thus prompting improvements across the network of cycle routes. Conversely if the cycle superhighways end up being just a glorified cycle lane then the benefit will be marginal to cyclists.

The second measure of success is the completion of all 12 cycle lanes. In a positive scenario all 12 would be completed by the end of 2012 as promised. This would have a strong impact to the London cycling scene. If however the scheme is scrapped before completion, which may well happen depending on the feedback from the first two cycle routes and a negative backlash from motorists, then a lot of time will have been wasted.

The final measure of success is the positive impact it has on the number of cyclists and on the awareness of cyclists as fellow road users. If drivers end up paying more attention to cyclists then maybe less accidents will occur.

What would be nice to see in future initiatives is a more united front between the mayor of London and London Cycling Campaign rather than arguments over who is right as this does not portray a positive image to us cyclists. I look forward to May 2010 and giving the first cycle superhighways a test run.

Cycling in London is up, but do we have Boris to thank?

Sold out summer of cycling – an indepth review of the Boris cycling initiatives by Boris Watch

Copenhagenize visits London

And falls in love with a bespoke bikes shop in Finsbury Park

Not enough bikes to go around

Manufacturers struggle to keep up with demand

Excuses people give for not cycling

Who isn’t bike commuting and why not – 18% say because there is not a safe route available (Via EcoVelo who have recently reached 1,000 posts!). Don’t they realise that gardening is more dangerous than cycling? 

Should cyclists pay road tax?

A resounding no

How to enjoy the bike

Unfortunately as cyclists we are often the target of abuse. Cyclinginfo looks at how to rise above it

Doing a victory salute

Cozy Beehive looks at how to give the perfect victory salute

Recycling bike parts into art

The ultimate clock for a cyclist?

Fat Cyclist fought the law and won

The evil crime committed: Throwing rocks off a cliff

Girls on bikes

6 reasons why the world needs more girls on bikes

More than Wimbledon centre court

Over 15,000 people have looked at the top 50 cycling blogs list. That is more than the capacity of Wimbledon centre court! I plan on updating this list twice a year but for those of you who can’t wait here are some of the blogs that have been recommended to me:

• Bicycle touring pro
• Real cycling
• Cycling info
• Path less pedaled
• A practical cyclist

The streets in Hanoi are nothing like I would have expected. I was amazed to see motorbikes and bicycles happily travelling on completely the wrong side of the road against the flow of oncoming traffic without a care in the world, I counted up to 5 people on a single motorbike and I watched as an elephant walked down the street with no one even batting an eye lid. To the outsider the roads look like absolute chaos but no doubt to the Vietnamese it seems completely normal. By the end of the holiday I would be putting my cycling skills to the test on these roads.

Halong Bay

Luckily my first cycling experience for myself and my good friend Mat (seen above) was in the more sedate environment of Halong Bay. For 90 dollars we purchased a 3 day tour of the bay and were taken to a small island near Cat Ba. The island and the bay in general are extremely beautiful and I would recommend them to anyone. What I wouldn’t recommend however are the rented bikes we were provided with. The breaks were questionable, the gear changing was none existent and the wheels were very wobbly.

After a slow start on my rusted bike, I encountered the first hill and I was certain the bike would not cope. Sure enough upon applying heavy pressure on the peddles the bike began shifting through gears and progress was impossible. Defeated, I returned to the dock where I was greeted by 10 bemused Vietnamese that could not speak a word of English. They attempted to rent me a motorbike instead, though that would be admitting defeat. After persisting with getting a new bike I acquired another highly wobbly bike and went to catch up with the rest of the group that had long since abandoned me.

The surroundings however, more than make up for the scrap worthy bikes. The island we visited remains untouched by tourism. After a quick refreshing drink we walked through the jungle and had a look round a cave filled with bats. The bike ride back was much more downhill and we even had a race. I came second. Out of two.

Hue

With the first cycling experience in Vietnam out of the way it was time to take on the crowded Vietnamese roads. We continued our holiday by taking an overnight train to Hue. Renting a bicycle in Hue costs $1 for the whole day and is the perfect way of seeing all the ancient monuments in the area. Cautiously I stepped onto my bike and scouted the road before setting off. However, I soon got into the Vietnamese experience and began navigating my way across the busy roads. Vietnamese drivers always have one hand on the horn to warn you when they are either about to do something illegal or overtaking you. As I rode along children would frequently shout “Hello!” upon the sight of a tall Englishman standing out from the crowd. “Sinchao” I shouted back.

Upon arriving at a monument someone would always come up to us and look after our bike for a few Vietnamese dong. The car above is the one the monk Thich Quang Duc used to travel to the site where he set himself alight in protest. Later that day in Hue things took a turn towards the unexpected.

The first local to approach us while we were cycling was a friendly old chap that insisted on taking us to get food. We agreed and we showed him some English currency that he had never seen before. He was absolutely amazed and promised us he would put it in his temple and light some incense candles for us.

We were pleased with our local cultural experience and after a change of bikes due to a flat tyre we set off again.

Soon afterwards we were again approached, this time by a woman inviting us round for tea. We discussed rice fields, schooling in Vietnam and Halong Bay that she had never been to. As a thank you we gave some money to buy a Vietnamese to English dictionary for her child to study.

It was good to have these local experiences though it did ultimately cost us. Absolutely shattered we retreated to the comfort of the hotel and the air conditioner.

When cycling around Hue and leaving the bikes at monuments what I found quite interesting is that they come with a built in lock that slides around the back wheel. This would be quite useful as a secondary lock in the UK.

Visiting Vietnam

If you are considering a cycling holiday in Vietnam then I recommend bringing plenty of changes of clothes as the temperature is very hot. In June that we visited it was around 36-38 degrees celcius. It is also not easy to wash clothes yourself as the humidity outside means they are slow to dry. The hotel will happily do your washing for a fairly cheap price. Renting bikes in Vietnam is cheap but quality will vary so make sure you check first. It is also worth negotiating if you feel you are paying too much.

I really recommend Vietnam as it is a place of extraordinary beauty with many friendly people to welcome you. There is much to see and do in the country and things are well priced. I also visited Cambodia which was absolutely fantastic and a different experience. It is great to visit new parts of the world and I’m already thinking of my next trip to the region to visit Laos. I’ll leave you with this awesome picture that shows the versatile uses that the Vietnamese find for their bikes:

I’m off travelling! Until the end of June I will be in Vietnam and then Cambodia. Its a great trip that I have really been looking forward to. Though I will miss this blog and you guys – I may even hop on a bike while I’m out there.

In the mean time enjoy Bike Week if you are in the UK and make sure you check out these excellent posts if you haven’t already:

• Top 50 cycling blogs
• Online cycling games
• Ugly your bike to prevent theft
• Top 6 things we cyclists love to do to annoy drivers
• Best quotes heard whilst on a bike
• Bike apps for the iPhone

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam by desden

Businesses are losing out on trade, Maritime and Transport union is getting much flack and in general people are not too happy.

However, there is more to this than the predictable chance for newspapers to throw around the word: “Chaos”.

I mentioned at the start of the article that delays were been caused to “routine journeys”. This hints at the heart of the problem of why London bike adoption trails that of other major cities. People, myself included, fall into routines and do not question the way of doing things. When was the last time one of those daily tube users, stopped, took a breather (which is hard to do on the tube) and asked themselves: Could I possibly do this journey in a different way?

During the tube strike people are asking themselves this question. The London Cycling Campaign has the answer ready: Go by bike! 

Marketing materials, organised groups of cyclists following the routes of the tube lines (bike tubes) and a tube strike website where all part of the arsenal that London Cycling Campaign had prepared. Whilst bloggers have reported varying degrees of success for the bike tubes themselves, the success of biketube.org.uk is undeniable and it reportedly received over 30,000 hits in the run up to the strike. More importantly this experience may have been an eye opener for many commuters.

However, one day is not really enough. For real change to happen people need to continue to ask themselves this question. Then we may see real changes on the road. This is why I want the tube strike to continue.

From those that tried cycling for the first time there has been much positive response. Yesterday evening looking at the Facebook statuses of many of my contacts, people were saying how much they enjoyed cycling into work and how they had not considered it before. Many of my non-cycling friends spoke about how they feel fresher and more awake from cycling. The Times has a good article on people that took part and saw it as a positive experience that would not have occurred if it wasn’t for the strike. I believe this is the push that people need to adopt cycling. 

Sure there will be backlash against cycling with people tweeting about the danger of too many inexperienced cyclists but the overwhelming evidence is that more cyclists means more road safety. Therefore the existing cyclist community should embrace beginners. It can be scary out there for people when they first take up cycling but there are many benefits to be enjoyed.

Only time will tell if this experience will have a lasting effect on the London transportation scene. To those on strike I say go ahead and strike for a few more days it may end up doing a lot of good for London. For the regular cyclists out there, ask your colleagues - why are they stuck on the tube day after day doing a journey they don’t enjoy?

Some useful links:

• http://www.biketube.org.uk/
• Bike to work: Bike the Strike book special from popular cyclist Carlton Reid
• Beat the popular reasons for not taking up cycling
• Is it time for you to buy a bike? Make sure you get the best deal possible with our negotiation tips
• Defeat that puncture that has stopped you getting into cycling for ages with our online bike repair resources or recommended bike repair books.

Bike route tracking on the iPhone

The first set of applications I will look at have the purpose of tracking your bike route.

Click for full view

The limitation you need to be aware of with most of these apps is that they will rapidly run down the battery and are heavily dependent on GPS signal quality.

Trails

This is a highly recommended iPhone app that allows you to record, import and export your tracks. These can then be loaded onto popular track websites to be shared with others. I enjoyed using the easy interface and the ability to edit the track to correct GPS errors.

iTunes link | App website

EveryTrail

This free application is a little buggy but  useful. I particularly liked the photo button that will GEO tag the location of a photograph for easy reference.

iTunes link | App website

Distance Meter Pro

I was recommended Distance Meter Pro by JSLeFanu a while back. The application allows you to track your route and then export it to either TrainingPeaks.com or MapMyFitness.com.  The accuracy is better in this app than some of the other ones I tried. There is also a free version.

iTunes link | App website

iMapMyRide

iMapMyRide is focused on workout tracking. I found the application a bit buggy and it struggled with GPS signal. The companion website also tends to be a heavy on the advertising and not very user friendly.

iTunes link | App website

Cychosis

Cychosis has received the most positive reviews on the App Store out of all the applications featured. What I particularly like about Cychosis is the easy goal tracking which encourages you to cycle more and stick to your training schedule.

iTunes link | App website

*Update MotionX

Late addition to the list but I have a feeling this will become one of the most popular route tracking bike applications. I have not tested this myself so check out the iTunes link to take a look at the app. Thanks to Dale for the recommendation.

iTunes link | App website

General iPhone bike applications

If you don’t want to track your route then maybe this second set of applications will be what you are looking for.

The Bike Computer

The bicycle computer app is one of the most fun gadgets you can have on a bike. Many-a-time I have used it to try and break my speed record.

The problem with porting this great gadget over to the iPhone is that the GPS function can work with varying success which can obviously skew your results heavily. Its worth a try however if you are in an area with good signal.

iTunes link | App blog

Bicycle Gear Calculator

Great application to have on your iPhone though you can just as easily use Sheldon Brown’s Tool.

iTunes link | App website

Cycling Grub

This application acts as an RSS news aggregator so you can get your cycling news fix. London Cyclist was recently added to the list of sites covered which include BBC Sport and Bike Radar.

iTunes link | App website

Bike your drive by REI

This application allows you to calculate calories burned, money saved and carbot offset for each ride. Its a great way to give yourself an extra pat on the back for being a cyclist. This can then be shared with others at evertrail.com.
iTunes link

SM Heart Link

I could not try this application as it is not available in the UK however it seems like an interesting concept. You can track your heart rate using fitness sensors that then feed into this application.
iTunes link | App website

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this list of iPhone bike applications, if I have missed any let me know in the comments. What I would still like to see is a iPhone app that shows you how to do basic bike repairs and one that could perhaps locate the nearest bike shop.

Have you ever been shocked at the high price of repairs that bike shops quote? The solution is simple and is available in the books listed in this post.

Whilst we have already covered online bicycle repair resources books can be an authoritative source of information and sometimes easier to follow. The prices range from around £10 - £14 but each one has the opportunity to pay for itself many times over. First of all lets start with a quick comparison of the top sellers:

There are some commonalities between the repair books. They all have introductions to the kind of tools you will need, they are all written by huge bicycle enthusiasts and all have troubleshooting sections which are great for resolving common problems such as squeaking breaks. Let’s have a look at each one individually.

Mountain Bike Maintenance: The Illustrated Manual (US version of book )

In terms of illustrations this is the clearest of all three repair books. Each step has its own colour picture making it very easy to follow.

The book has large clear headings so you know what each page is covering and the content feels well spaced out. Where other books may switch between components, which can be confusing, this book focuses on one component per section. For example V-brakes are covered first, followed by cantilever brakes and then disc brakes. This also makes it very easy to use as a quick reference guide for repairs and adjustments.

Mel Allwood writes in a very clear style and of all three books I found it the easiest to follow. This makes it very well suited to beginners. The vast majority of repairs you are likely to come across are covered. However, for more advanced repairs and a wider coverage of components it is best to look elsewhere.

Just a quick note on the availability of this repair book. I personally ordered it from Amazon.com rather than .co.uk as it worked out much cheaper, even with shipping.

Zinn & The Art of Road Bike Maintenance (US version of book)

This is the only book out of the three to opt for drawings rather than pictures. At first look you may think this would be a disadvantage. However, I found that the illustrations were clearer than the pictures found in Todd Down’s book.

Navigation is fairly good with bold headings to guide the reader. However, this bicycle repair book does suffer from too often switching between components leaving you sometimes thinking “which component am I reading about again?”

On the whole however the book is well written and instructions are easy to follow. A wide range of components is covered and also there is fairly good coverage of more advanced repairs. The text won’t leave you wishing for more information as is often a downfall with Todd Down’s book. This book is catered for beginners to midrange users.

Worthy of a mention is the highly resourceful emergency repair section which is useful for repairs while out on a ride. I particularly enjoyed the picture of a cyclist smacking their wheel against the ground to straighten it with the word “klonk” printed next to it. The appendix also includes some useful extras such as a troubleshooting index, road bike fitting guide and a torque table.

Bicycle Maintenance & Repair: For Road & Mountain Bikes (US version of book)

The illustrations in this bicycle repair book can be described as unclear and insufficient. The pictures that are included tend to be too focused on one part of the bike to work out what is going on.

The text also tends to be hard to follow. Take for example one section that simply reads “True the wheel.” Logically after this you would expect: “(See section V-II page 38)”. No such luxury in this book.

Whilst I did enjoy Todd Down’s writing style I found this book lacking in detail when it was most needed. For example there is a detailed explanation of the history of breaks which is very interesting however when it comes to actually adjusting breaks far too little space is dedicated to it.

Overall bicycle repair book review

For complete beginners I would stick to Mel Allwood’s: The Illustrated Manual and as experienced is gained move on to Zinn. I would recommend staying away from Todd Down’s book as I simply found it lacking in detail where it was needed and badly illustrated. Obviously your choice of book will depend on the type of bicycle you are repairing.

There is a great satisfaction that comes from been able to do your own repairs and maintain your bike rather than rely on bike repair shops. These books help you do that.

Often people argue about the value of a book versus online repair websites. The truth is that books will inevitably become out of date and will be limited in the range of components they can cover. I believe however there is still a lot of value in a book as it has been very well thought out and can be great for beginners. Ultimately you will probably find yourself complementing a book with an online resource such as the Park Tool Repair website. If you have used and fallen in love with a bicycle repair book please leave a recommendation.

Don’t miss out on future updates by subscribing either via e-mail, RSS or twitter.

• It was calculated by looking at over 100 cycling blogs
• The rank is based on a number of elements such as Google Pagerank, Twitter Rank, Alexa Rank, number of comments and Technorati Authority
• Certain blogs have been excluded where the primary focus of the site was not really on the blog as I felt this would be unfair
• I have not included London Cyclist on the list for two reasons. 1. It is clearly an awesome blog 2. I did not want to be seen as biased
• Where blogs have a twitter account I have linked to this in the rank number on the left
• You may look through the list and think: “Why didn’t you include X blog” – I realise I may well have missed a great blog so apologies if I have but these are all the ones I could find in a reasonable time frame. Feel free to email me any suggestions for future lists
• UPDATE: I have added a few more twitter links that were originally missed. Apologies!
• UPDATE: Number 50 has been changed to Bike Noob because the Bike Geek appears to have been deleted
• UPDATE: Epicurean cyclist now has a link to their new blog
• UPDATE: I now have a list of blogs to be included in the next update. Keep sending me more!
  

I hope you enjoyed this list. Please help spread the word to fellow cyclists:

You may also enjoy these posts:

• Best quotes heard whilst cycling
• How to commute faster - speedy cycling tips
• Negotiating the price of a shiny new bicycle

For all 4 posters see: Campaign Live. It is interesting to see the adverts are of cyclists that are not wearing helmets.  Not that a helmet would have helped in the recent clip that emerged of a near miss by the mayor of London as a lorry slams into a parked car.

The BBC has this clip:

6:45, alarm goes off. Not a great start to a Sunday, my Sundays rarely start before midday. ho-hum. Anyway, it’s downstairs for porridge before putting the bike in the car and heading an hour north, for today was the 65 mile JDRF cycle challenge.

The weather forecast wasn’t great, with some showers predicted, but with a 10am start, I was hopeful of missing the worst. What I didn’t expect was a monsoon, lasting from 9:45 until about 11:00, soaking everyone through and turning what could have been a pleasant day into a thoroughly miserable one. I was aiming for 4 hours, an average speed of 16.25mph with no breaks.

Unfortunately, my speedo enjoyed the rain even less than I did, packing up with a mile down-and 64 to go. Cue the car overtaking me through the deepest puddle in the Malverns, soaking my legs and shoes with cold, muddy water. Take the hint motorists, you have wipers and heaters; cyclists don’t.

Happily, by the time I’d reached the first rest stop after 20 miles, the rain had gone away and the sun had come out. Checking the time, I’d done the distance in 80 minutes, 15mph, not enough. Time to get a spurt on.

The second leg was a happier affair, the sun shone, and I averaged 17mph, even with a few hills and a bit of wind. It was hard going, but with the speedo coming back to life it was easier to pace myself, and keep to a constant-ish speed. I passed a group of riders that had left an hour earlier than we had, and sailed straight past them at the 40 mile stage. That felt good. Reaching the second rest stop after 42 miles was a nice feeling, Mr Andrews from JDRF awaited me with his selection of nutri-grains, tracker bars and bananas on display, so I loaded up, adding to the jelly babies and homemade flapjacks consumed so far. Hard constant cycling burns somewhere between 600 and 800 calories per hour, and I’m a bit of a fan of eating. Seemed like as good a time as any.

45 miles came and went, and the rain came and stayed. For the remaining time it was probably the most miserable time I’ve ever had on a bike. The roads became increasingly rough and undulating, full of pot holes and whatever had fallen off the last farm truck that passed that way, the wind picked up, I lost all sensation in my feet, and my speedo gave up again. The company who ran the event on the day (it wasn’t JDRF) had decided not to put mile markers out; your motivation evaporates quickly when you have no idea how far you’ve been, how fast you’re going, and how far you have to go.

I made it back to the centre in 4 hours, 28 minutes. It’s a little slower than I wanted to go, but I think i’m allowed to make excuses. It’s an average of 14.5mph, including my two short stops for food and water bottle refills. I’d showered, changed, had a brew with the parents who arrived at the finish line, then driven the hour or so back home; and they were still people on the course.

I’d meant to keep a video diary of the day and take my camera on the course, but I dared not risk it. I took my phone for emergencies in a sealed waterproof bag, and that’s full of condensation, so I apologise for a lack of photographic evidence. Instead, I’ve attached a picture of a rainy road-that’ll do for now. The nice people from JDRF took some pics and I shall upload those to the group as soon as I can, but for now, I’d like to say thank you to JDRF for the organisation of the event, Andy Blackmore for the training advice and help, but most of all thank you to every single person who has put their hand in their pocket and donated to my fund at justgiving.com/edbarrow. Even when the going got really hard with 50 miles down, back aching, muscles screaming, I still averaged 12mph on the final section. The only reason I could keep those pedals turning was to show you guys that this really was a challenge, personally, physically and mentally. I took it seriously and that the generosity you have shown really does mean a lot. I’m not the one who has done anything special-you are.

From my heart-thank you.
Ed xx
http://www.justgiving.com/edbarrow