The bit about... The Bicycle

If you've found this blog and are wondering what it's about, then I'll give you a clue - it's about cycling. In particular I'm going to talk about commuting and touring by bicycle, and how such activity affects wealth, fitness, the environment and society in general. 

Along the way we'll explore attitudes to cycling in the UK and abroad, cycling infrastructure (good and bad), highlight campaigns to raise awareness of cycling, and, hopefully, encourage and inspire people thinking of taking up (or returning to) cycling as an everyday means of transport. 

In this first post, I'll introduce my cycling experience and my bicycle - neither being particularly special in that I am not super-fit or particularly fast, and my bicycle is getting quite old and is not really all that exceptional ... Except to me, for whom my bicycle is irreplaceable and priceless. Here it is:

I ride a Dawes one-down (as in a crossword clue - I might come back to that another time). As names go, it's a bit odd, I admit. It is also surpassing rare to find one these days. Dawes has a long history of bicycle manufacturing having been around since 1926, and a reputation for building quality and highly respected touring machines, particularly in the the Galaxy and Super-Galaxy brand. However, there's almost nothing left to mark the one-down's place in history. It was only produced for at most two years (replaced by the similar design and longer-production Sardar), and I suppose did not prove popular.

When I bought this particular one-down from new in 2000, I was taken by its strong 26-inch wheels and robust build, it being marketed as an 'expedition bike'. It is fair to say I was not knowledgeable or experienced enough to make an informed choice at the time, as if I had I would probably have bought a Galaxy with larger 700c wheels, but happy accident and naivety put me in company with a bike that I have come to cherish more and more as the years went by. 

Some facts: it's 20 years old, has the original Mavic wheels, hubs (and bearings), bottom bracket, derailleur and headset. The frame material is Reynolds 631 metal tubing, and the paint is virtually unmarked. It's been round southern England and France and has at various times been used to carry or tow trailers (cargo and kids), child seats and trailer bikes. It once sat unused for a few years in a garage before being brought back out, brushed off and pressed into use as a commuter machine, taking on the worst the winter can throw at it and coming out the other side without complaint. 

It is perfect? No. The riding position is slightly wrong and it is a little heavy and slow. But it does have character, and also that indefinable quality of 'pluck' that no other bike I've ever owned or ridden has in such amounts. It is also smooth (particularly when loaded up) and even after all the years and miles, rides very quietly.

In other words, it works for me. So much so, in fact, that I now ride it exclusively, despite having access to a light-weight and pacy road bike which, although comfortable and quick, just isn't up to the job of daily, all year round commuting on the UK's indifferent roads. I don't ride huge distances, and I'm not particularly fit. My commute to the office 2-3 days per week is just over nine miles each way, and an occasional weekend ride of around 16 miles is about all I have time (and energy) for. If I had all day, I could happily ride 35-40 miles, but I rarely have the time for such rides these days (unfortunately!) Despite this relatively modest mileage, my fitness has improved hugely over the last two years of regular cycle commuting, something I will explore in a later post. 

So what, you might ask? The point is that having a bicycle that fits your needs and riding style can make a huge difference to your enjoyment of cycling. If you are thinking of taking it up for pleasure or fitness, or considering ditching the car for the commute and using a bicycle instead, it is important I believe to have a bicycle that you enjoy riding, as real pleasure can be had in the ritual of pedalling a machine that speaks back to you as you roll along (and then there's the money saving!) Over the coming posts, I'll explore those things that I discovered make my riding experience enjoyable and comfortable, in the hope that others may find it useful. Maybe it will start some interesting debate, and perhaps others will contribute their views, experience and advice too. 

Anyway, welcome along, and enjoy the ride!