There’s something going on, y’know. It seems that this thing where women cyclists in That London are at more risk than men are just refuses to go away. According to this report by the BBC , women account for only 27% of the capital’s bike journeys. Yet of the eight cyclists killed by drivers of lorries, [...]
Amongst my various searches of the Creative Commons pictures on Flickr this evening, I found this one from Austria: Apparently, it’s a warning for cyclists to watch out for giant suitcases. Or a warning that giants shouldn’t leave there handbags in the street. Probably. Or something like that anyway. Actually, on the subject of Creative Commons p […]
One of the institutions of British cycling is the British Heart Foundation’s London to Brighton Ride . With 27,000 riders heading out to cause traffic mayhem (the roads on the route are closed to proper, tax-paying traffic…) the ride’s about 60 miles, and the event has been run since 1980. But actually, it’s a pale [...]
It’s pretty clear what’s missing from this one, so your task is to think of a suitable caption for this photo from Bristol: As winter is coming, our [virtual] prize this week is practicality in itself - a nice thick pair of woollen socks. These are ideal for keeping your toes warm, or increasing the [...]
I really, really like the Superhighway Manifesto of the London Cycling Campaign that I posted about at the weekend. The trouble is, the odds are that the people in overall charge of traffic & transport in your (my) local authority don’t actually ride a bike as an everyday mode of transport. So the fine words [...]
A great way to protect your bike from getting stolen is to park it next to something far more attractive / easier to sell for ready cash. I’m guessing that’s what’s happened here, with these two completely unlocked bikes I saw yesterd
Actually this is Oxford Circus. Until now, it’s been a victim of the "keep the people away from the cars by fencing them in" logic that traffic planners love. You know the sort of thing - put fences between the people and the cars, so the drivers feel that it’s "safe" to drive faster than they [...]
A great way to protect your bike from getting stolen is to park it next to something far more attractive / easier to sell for ready cash. I’m guessing that’s what’s happened here, with these two completely unlocked bikes I saw yesterday:
As I said, neither bike is locked, though that lamp post is pretty securely chained down. Or at least it would be if the lock used on it had been tough enough to resist attack from my Daughter’s nail clippers.
What really puzzles me though is the question as to which bike is the decoy?
The one with the drop handle-bars, 531 tubing & shifters mounted on the downtube, or the full-sus BSO? Or maybe they’re both decoys in an area notorious for lamp post thieves?
I’m a huge fan of Yehuda Moon, and last Friday evening I started doodling bike stuff on a napkin in a restaurant – just to keep Daughter entertained.
What I came up with was this (now re-drawn – I don’t routinely take colouring pencils with me to restaurants!) – a little morality tale about the rights and wrongs of stealing bikes (click to enlarge):
Personally, I’m a little uncertain about the power of prayer when it comes to protecting your bike from being stolen. I’d much rather put my trust in a good solid lock, a public location, and a sturdy anchor point to lock up to!
While I was walking through town today, I saw a guy ride up & park his bike outside a shop before popping inside. He was just nipping in to pick something up, so didn’t bother to lock it:
This is a mistake that people frequently make (just the once though . . .), which leads to the inevitable sign in the shop window . . .
STOLEN BIKE!
(A photo of the missing bike goes here)
Last Friday, I nipped inside this shop for just a second. Sadly, my faith in the honesty of people round here was rewarded by my bike being stolen. It was my pride and joy etc, etc
I was tempted to grab the guy’s bike and take it just around the corner that this shop is located on. But cyclists can get funny about having their bikes stolen – funny as in psychopathic.
What’s the answer to this sort of problem? Probably to get something like an Axa Defender fitted to your bike – it’s a cheep, but surprisingly effective immobiliser for just such situations:
True, the thief could carry your bike off, but at least that should slow them down enough for you to vent the full wrath of a cyclist robbed on them!
A U-lock integrated into the bike design. It enables you to lock the bike to something, or for those just-nipping-into-the-shop moments, to render it un-ridable, by locking the steering.
It reminds me a little of those rear-wheel locks you see on classic bikes (my Pashley, or instance), with a huge score for convenience.
I guess there’s also the added advantage that any attempt to break it is likely to damage the bike frame too, so there’d be no point . . .
The picture I have in my head is of Mr T riding up on a tiny little BMX, which he then locks with one of the chains from round his neck. Made me laugh, anyway.
This is a brilliant idea – via Bike Hacks. It’s a bunch of ‘rust’ stickers that you can apply to your swish and fast ride to make it look like a pile of junk that’s not worth stealing. Given the intelligence of the average bike thief, you could probably apply these to your full-carbon road bike.
Now, if only someone would make a set of stickers to apply over the top of that nice Campy 11-speed stuff to make it look like a dodgy knock-off . . .
Here’s a great video by Carlton Reid, produced for Northumbria Police. It shows genuine bikes being stolen by genuine thieves, as well as some tip-top advice for how to Lock Your Bike [.co.uk] and avoid this pain yourself:
Read more on Quickrelease.tv’s page for this film, which also features two other excellent videos employing the skills of an extremely good-looking model.
This video comes via Andrea at Velorution. Just watch the truck come bowling along, desperate to overtake the cyclists . . one of whom was Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, who was out scouting routes for a cycling super highway.
I’m with Andrea on this – it’s time for some power to be exercised by the Mayor’s office to stop this sort of mayhem.
Boris is famous as a cyclist for not routinely wearing a helmet (maybe ‘cos it would mess up his hair?). But it looks like yesterday was one of those days when he was lidded up. Who wants to bet with me that some nutter in the press will make an issue of this? I can just see the headlines now . . .
Tousle-Haired Boris, who routinely rides without a helmet, was lucky to escape when a parked car was dragged into his path by a passing truck
