Another wet and windy weekend and again both bikes stayed in the house, warm and dry.
It’s quite frustrating but I’m sure I’ll be out soon. I need to go to the bottle bank on the Dahon and I also want to get out for a ‘burn’ on the Trek – we’ll see if I can get out during the nights this week…
On a Saturday morning, the bike is far superior to the car.
Needing to wash some clothes, I realised I was out of the required ‘fluids’ so needed to head to the shops. The sun is out today so I had no hesitation in breaking out the Dahon.
The roads around Rochester Bridge always get gridlocked at busy periods due to poor traffic planning around Strood so I figured that if I took the car, by the time I got to the shop and found a parking space I’d have finished the shopping if I’d travelled by bike.
I was right, it was gridlocked. No problem for the Dahon though and the convenient cycle lanes!
It’s a great utility bike.
I’ve got some time off work on the horizon! 
I’ve already got some interesting rides in my head and more may be added. Hopefully the weather will hold out until after my holidays so I can get out and have some fun. I’ve thought of some long rides and also a ‘challenge’ – only time will tell whether or not I get around to attempting any of them.
I’m looking forward to getting out on the bikes.
Watch this space.
Okay, I’ve been far too lazy this weekend and the bikes haven’t been out at all. I’d planned a long ride (60+ miles) for today but didn’t get up in time. Can’t keep doing this.
I’d not only planned my route but also prepared my kit and laid it out in the hall waiting to go. I slept until gone 10am – I’ve been tired and busy recently so I did need the sleep but I missed out on my ride. GRRrrr.
Must make sure I don’t waste any more good cycling days.
So, the question on my mind is will I get out this weekend or not?!
I want to go out on a long ride, not just a cycle around town but something substantial. I think I’ll start planning something and then keep my fingers crossed that the weather holds and I don’t get too lazy.
Better charge the camera battery just in case.
Oh, and the NiteRider light.
Sad news, a Tour de France spectator has been killed as she was struck by a Police motorcycle whilst crossing the road.
Two other spectators were injured when the bike slid into the crowd.
My thoughts go out to the family of the lady.
Link: BBC News story
Phhh. It’s too hot. I’m not built for this temperature. It was around 30 degrees Celcius today (86F for the old school guys) and that’s too warm for me.
This week, parts of the UK are to suffer a heatwave. I like warm sunny weather with a nice cool breeze; I do not, however, like hot, muggy days like today! 
I hope things cool down by the weekend so I can spend some time on the bike.
In my previous post I mentioned the transportation versus sport ‘thing’ and that got me thinking more along the lines of the ’sport’ aspects.
As I said, I consider the Trek my sport bike and it serves me well on long rides (e.g. 58 and 44 miles), however, as my sister found out, a road bike is much better… on the road.
A true road bike would enable me to cover these long distances much quicker and with greater ease. I like that idea: gliding along the road, slicing through the air.
But there are some negatives:
Getting on a slick, fast road bike in my normal clothes, or my cargo/combat trousers* I wear on the Trek, just wouldn’t work. There appears to be an unwritten rule these days that if your bike has thin wheels and drop-handlebars then you have to wear psychedelic body-hugging lycra – whatever your age and state of fitness.
I don’t want to go down the path towards lycra-wearing.
I don’t want to ride my bike looking like someone from the Tour de France who’s got lost. I can’t do it. I can’t subject myself, or the public, to the lycra-encapsulation of my body! 
Apart from the three points above, a road bike sounds like a great idea!!!
*Lots of pockets for phone/camera/keys etc
Somebody recently asked me how I choose which bike to ride: do I take the Dahon or the Trek? It wasn’t really an easy question to answer but I said something along the lines that the Dahon slowed me down and made me enjoy things more, made me look around and see what the world was up to. The Trek, on the other hand, makes me travel fast, head down, legs pumping.
This weekend I’ve been reading the latest CTC magazine, ‘Cycle‘ (June-July 2009) and one of the stories nailed it.
The Dahon, to me, represents “Travel and transport, not sport“. On page 50, in an article on ’slow cycling’ it states the following: “Walking is obviously transport, whereas running is a sport.“ And that’s how I see the difference between my two bikes: the Dahon is transport and the Trek is sport. I expect to break sweat on the Trek, I expect to ache after it. Whilst on the Dahon, my world (and my mind) slow down and I learn again to look, listen and enjoy what’s going on around me.
The article in Cycle goes on to say:
You don’t have to practice slow cycling all of the time, but every keen cyclist ought to have one bike they can jump onto and pop down the shops, wearing whatever they have on at the time…
Slow cycling is practical cycling. Do you need a shower after walking to work?… Slow cycling is also safer and less stressful.
[CTC magazine, Cycle, June-July 2009]
So, that’s how I see my two bikes!
Had to get out and test the new Schwalbe Big Apple tyres tonight, I was eager to see if they lived up to the hype.
It was almost 9pm and the sun was just setting so I kitted the Dahon out with my Cateye lights and the Frogs and hit the road. Surfaces cycled in the test included: tarmac/road, grass, shingle and Rochester’s cobble/block streets. The BAs definitely DO improve the comfort of the D7HG and also the general handling. The wider profile tyres give it a more ‘normal’ feel – the Kwest tyres were just a little too thin (especially as I’m 6 foot tall and ## stone!)
So, according to me (!), the Big Apples improve the looks of the bike AND the ride and handling.
Definitely a recommended upgrade!
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Just listened to: Dave’s Weather
