Tag: cycling
-
The view from the cycle path
The other week I wrote about how the view on my ride to Newton Dee is different all the time. Today it looks like this. The cycle path had a thin coating of snow which made a nice crunching sound as I cycled along it. What do you think of my hat? I got it…
-
Never put cyclists between parked cars and traffic
I was nearly doored this morning by a motorist opening her car door on us as I cycled passed. Fortunately I always take a wide berth around parked cars – for this very reason – and as it was the door missed the three of us by mere centimetres. It was a mother dropping her children…
-
Appreciating weather
I took this photo on my ride to Newton Dee today. I go to Newton Dee at least once a week, sometimes twice, if I’m lucky. The view is never the same. Sometimes it’s rainy, sometimes sunny, sometimes dark and gloomy, sometimes sparkly white with snow, sometimes frosty, sometimes clear blue skies, sometimes a mix…
-
Bobbin bikes
Elizabeth took her new wheels for a spin today. She let me have a turn. Her new bike is a Bobbin bike and is exactly how a bike should be with mud- and chain guards, a step-through frame, and a basket on the front for carrying things. Without the mud guards she would end up…
-
The photographer’s muse
One of my Aussie friends is a photographer and many years ago I was a muse of sorts for his art. Last week he was sorting through some photos and found some of these old ones. Here they are, photos taken of me in my home about 15 years ago. Stewart is very talented and…
-
Why do some people hate cyclists?
After being the recipient of some verbal abuse recently I got to thinking about what it is that aggravates some people by the sight of cyclists. Why do people have such a passionate dislike of cyclists? To be clear, the cyclist-hating types are a minority and on the whole my experience of motorists here in Aberdeen lifts my…
-
Some cool things from the #cycling Twitter feed
Before I go to bed each night I read the #cycling Twitter feed. There’s some good stuff there. Here are some of the things I’ve seen recently. I thought this was very funny: a car drove into a high-viz shop. Attention pedestrians: Please keep your high-viz attire on at all times, even indoors. Because you…
-
Don’t swear at mothers cycling their kids to school
I was cycling my daughter to school this morning – she is only 6 years old – and a man in a van shouted at us, “You should have a fucking helmet on”. I was wearing a helmet. I was wearing a Hövding which is the safest most effective helmet you can buy. I understand that the man…
-
Party preparations!
We’re having a party this evening and I ordered Marks and Spencer catering which I collected this morning. The lady in M&S asked me how far away my car was parked and I had to explain that I would be taking it all on my bike. I think she thought I was nuts. But it…
-
The mighty bakfiets
I’ve started cycling Busby (bakfiets) again. I’ve had it with Harald (Butchers and Bicycles). We cycled to Newton Dee on Saturday and took both cargo bikes. The plan was the children could cycle themselves as far as possible and when they got tired we’d put their bikes in Busby and they could sit and ride in…
-
A tartan skirt on a bakfiets
I had a request for a photo of myself cycling in my tartan skirt. Ben took this pic today. I love my skirt so much. It’s like wearing a woollen blanket.
-
Government loses fight to poison the people
I’ll acknowledge there’s a bit of click bait with my title but it’s not so far from the truth. Yesterday the high court ruled that the British government’s plans for tackling air pollution are so feeble they’re illegal. Air pollution from motor vehicles kills 50,000 people every year and the government is required under EU law to keep pollution within…
-
The Haemorrhoid bike seat
First there was the condom poncho. Now I bring you the Haemorrhoid bike seat. I just got this new seat for my bike. The fantastic bike shop let me try three different seats for comfort. This one was the best. I haven’t ridden any great distance on it yet so I can’t give a full review but…
-
Harald in lights
I got some fairy lights for Harald. What do you think? I think he needs more.
-
The condom poncho
I got myself a poncho for cycling in the rain to keep my knees dry. Otto London make some really nice ones and I got the clear Festival Poncho which is only £24. I was thinking I looked pretty cool until Ben asked me why I was wearing a condom. I gave my iPhone to the…
-
How can I be an effective activist?
I’m so frustrated with the city council and their lack of action in building cycling infrastructure. We know that cycling infrastructure encourages people to ride their bikes and we know that when people ride their bikes there’s less pollution, less traffic congestion, and less of a strain on the NHS because those people are engaging in physical…
-
Harald’s got balls
-
Cargo bikes are the future
This trailer for a documentary about the cargo bike movement makes my eyes all watery but in a happy and hopeful way. I relate so much to what the narrator says – the thought of spending my life taxiing children around in a polluting motor vehicle and living in the suburbs makes my heart sink. I…
-
A rainy autumn day on the bike path
We ran out of biscuits today which was potentially disastrous. My choice was either to bake some biscuits or cycle to Newton Dee to buy some more. Of course the virtuous thing to do would have been to cycle to Newton Dee to buy the *ingredients* and then return home to cook them but I’m not that virtuous. And so…
-
Moan, moan, moan – that’s all I seem to do
I feel like I’m always complaining to the Aberdeen City Council. It’s just that they keep making silly decisions and not doing what I suggest. This week they announced their plans for pedestrianisation of an historic street in the city centre only their idea of pedestrianisation is to make it a thoroughfare for buses. Don’t…
rachel.blog 