Filed under Bicycles …

Dec 10 2008
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Bicycles

A New Helmet

Observe my new helmet!

I had to buy a new helmet, because my old one broke when I was going round the corner near Heaton Park Road (actually, the junction at Heaton Hall Road and Wandsworth Road) and did a huge swerve to avoid some numpty riding a downhill bike. I mounted the pavement and ended up gently crashing to the floor in a tangle of skinned elbows and bouncing craniums.

Whilst I was fine physically, it would have been nice if the idling taxi driver parked nearby could have checked on me, as I lay on the pavement looking dazed. It would have been even nicer if my fellow cyclist, who I swerved to avoid, had done a little more than turn his head to check on me. But I don’t expect any signs of intelligence from taxi drivers or people who ride downhill bikes in city areas.

My new helmet is manly, huge enough to fit my bonce, and comes in lovely 1980′s colours. It’s difficult to not buy a new helmet when you prang yourself and find a bad-ass crack down the back of your old helmet, and I’d like to thank the manager of my local Edinburgh cycles for taking the time out to help me find a helmet accomadating enough for my cranium. Because, in all modesty, my head is fecking massive.

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May 12 2008
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Art, Bicycles, Laptop, Regular, Technology

FastSlowReverse

FastSlowReverse

EDIT Seems to be some sort of clash between vimeo.com and the rest of the universe in regards to video hosting. Anyway, go here to see the video in a player (which should be easy to embed but it’s not) and read about why I’ve only made one arts-related video in the past year.

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Apr 04 2008
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Bicycles, Friends, Irregular, NewcastleGraft Podcast, Review

Training Into the Wind

Click here to see the map I’m talking about.

Being offically ‘old’ this year, it’s my ambition to ride the route know as the coast to coast before I become thirty. As part of that ambition, myself, Alan, and Brian did a training ride today along some of the excellent cyclepaths in the area. We were riding into the strong headwinds on the entire trip out, giving us an average speed of about 10mph, and at one point one of those old gnarly cyclists with legs like granite sped past us.

(I think we got pwned, but Brian says it’s something to look forward to – being old gnarly cyclists, that is, not being pwned)

On the way back we stopped off for a beer and burger combo at a Lloyds sports bar on Newcastle’s Quayside. Although it was only midday, already there was a hen party wearing masks at the bar. I felt a little self-conscious in my cycling gear, but mainly knackered.

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Dec 24 2007
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Bicycles, Friends

Alan’s got a sweet new bike.

My flatmate Alan has been having a rough time with his bicycles recently. After I convinced him that cycling was a good way of getting around, he got his bike stolen. Our friend, Topsy, then lent him a replacement which turned out to be one of Matt Seaton’s bicycle-shaped objects.

But no more! I went down to recyke-yr-bike on Saturday and selected him a bike. It’s a shiny yellow bike, with front suspension, and the best gearset I’ve seen in ages. I always get jealous of people who have steel chainset’s because they look fantastic…

Alan's got a new bike

Mmmm, baby. Alan got me a fantastic christmas present (and card), so I changed his street tyres over to his new bike, which now looks scarily sexy. In fact, I’m pretty jealous of his bike, and considering using it for a few trips along the Tyne.

Of course, that’s all for next year. This Christmas, I’m taking a break from the glowbikes project that I’ve been working with Brian, and I’m not doing any more work until the 28th. The past few weeks have been continual soldering in order to make a large number of SpokePOV‘s, for display on New Years Eve. Until that point… I’m going to eat as much food as possible, open presents, and consume as much coffee as possible.

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Dec 17 2007
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Bicycles

New Togs

So, last Thursday I found myself rolling around the floor near Shieldfield after coming off my bike. It was icy, and some learner driver was parked in the way, and it had nothing to do with the five pints that I’d had the night before. Thankfully, I was riding very slowly, so I only really bruised my knee.

I was one my way to do a day’s training at Isis Arts, a local organisation dedicated to doing new media things, and I frankly didn’t have the best time that day as my knee hurt and I was very hungover. So, in order to make myself feel better I brought myself a set of thermal baselayer clothes.

It’s winter, and it’s the North. Despite the fact that it’s been very mild, people here persist in the idea that living ‘oop north’ means that they are the same as the primitive tribesmen who first came to England by walking overland from France, way back before there was an English Channel. Sadly, this is not the case, because if it was there would be some Helly Hansen tops around in my size.

I ended up going to a less-than-reputable shop in the city centre, where I got a new baselayer t-shirt and a pair of longjohns. I tried the small longjohns on first, and was pretty chuffed when I found out that they hardly fit over my giant calves – yay cycling! So I got medium sizes and took my purchases home. However, when I got back I found that the top – which I had expected to be pretty much the same as my old one – was some ultra-fancy deal. It turns out that both the things I got were in the wrong boxes, and I’d brought a much more expensive top.

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Dec 12 2007
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Bicycles

Temperature Drop

It’s cold outside. Riding home tonight, one of my fingertips on my right hand went numb, and when I stopped at the lights my knees were shaking. Over in the West End, the salt hasn’t been put down on the streets, let alone the cyclepaths, and ice is forming.

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Dec 01 2007
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Bicycles

Critical Mass, Newcastle

Last night, I rode through the streets of Newcastle with about fifty other cyclists.

Critical Mass Riders

This was part of the Star and Shadow’s Cycling Weekend, where they had organised a Critical Mass. A Critical Mass is part of the Reclaim-the-Streets style of social protest, where activities happen in public places as a reaction against the ‘hemmed-in’ feel of modern public spaces. In the USA, Critical Mass has spread across the major urban centres, and thousands of people take part in regular bicycle events that stop traffic.

In Newcastle, yesterday was either the second or third Critical Mass. It was cold and dark, and I can’t really say that it was a great time for it. Why Friday night? Why not Saturday day? I didn’t really fancy riding around for a while on Friday night, but the German market was on in town and I was starving. Myself and my flatmate Alan rode into town, got some Paella from the market, and met up with the other cyclists.

Me and Alan like to ride fast, and the Critical Mass ride was more of a slow crawl around town. That meant that we quickly found ourselves at the front of a long body of cyclists, taking up a lane of traffic, at the peak time of the day, in a city centre. Of course, there were some aggressive drivers – anybody who cycles sees that every day – and taxi drivers and bus drivers were the worst. But the Critical Mass tactic of taking up the road and riding very slowly doesn’t help to convert other road users.

I suspect that a lot of this is revenge against being treated like a second-class road user. But taking part in the ride made me feel shaken up, as I saw some pretty close shaves, and got pretty close to some cars, not happy and relaxed like riding my bike usually does. And it’s that happy and relaxed vibe that Critical Mass should be trying to share, rather than starting a war against car drivers.

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Nov 23 2007
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Bicycles

Ride: Gateshead, Pedestrian Tunnel, and Back.

View Map of Ride

So, yesterday I made it out on a “proper” bike ride, for the first time in ages. I was a bit worried, as what with my erratic sleep pattern and some general faffing about, I only left the house just after 1pm – about two hours before sundown.

The map above shows my route – although you’ll have to zoom in a lot! It might have been a mistake for me to go along the Gateshead side, as I’m not very familar with the route on that bank of the river. Plus, it seems that the Gateshead side of the river (the Keelmans way?) is not as well cared for as the Newcastle side, with some sections out-of-bounds owing to industrial pollution. Eek. There is, however, an amazing section of park opposite Wallsend which you can just whizz through, provided you avoid the dog-walkers.

Seeing as I didn’t know the route so well, I came back through the pedestrian tunnel.

Pedestrian Tunnel Stylings

This tunnel’s pretty scary in some ways – for instance, do they really need to have a permanent sign to warn them when there is a fire in the tunnel? Surely that should be a rare, dangerous event? But the style of the tunnel is quite interesting, and reminds me of that 1950′s style architecture you see used for municipal buildings.

Yesterday was really a test for my new tires, but it also showed me how slack I’ve been in not riding recently. I’ve had a calf injury, that kept me off my bike just as the weather turned from okay to rubbish, and the forecast for this weekend is awful. Whilst I found the tires to be quite good, if a little slower than my slicks, I could really tell that I’d not been exercising enough recently.

Despite my lack of fitness, and the freezing cold, and getting back late, riding always has the effect of letting you see something you wouldn’t normally see. With the damp conditions, I was lucky that I didn’t get soaked, but some of the views across the Tyne where quite breathtaking.

View from Gateshead Park

Near Walker

This post was delayed by 24 hours, as I sorted out the pictures – apologies! No riding this weekend, as my girlfriend has passed her PGCE so we’ll be doing some celebrating.

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