Newsletter - Life Cycle News | November
Sent: Mon, Nov 2nd 2009, 15:33
- Message
-
Welcome to November the edition of the electronic newsletter from Life Cycle UK the cycle promotion charity. In this issue:
Postal dispute latest
Top gear!
Pedalling against the flow
£14m for Bike and Ride to stations
Know Your Bike
Doctor Bike surgeries -- free of charge for community events
China goes electric
CREATE Festive Fayre
Folding fella wins top prize
Yike Bike
---------------------------------------------------Postal dispute latest - no more bikes
A postman blogger calling himself Roy Mayall leaked some terrible news recently. "We are all going to be issued with electric trolleys. Bikes are obviously not 'modern' enough. So the entire stock of Royal Mail bicycles is to be scrapped."
What a horrifying thought! As Roy goes on to say: "The advantage of a bike is that it can be ridden, it can be pushed; the entire stock of each office can be maintained by one man with minimal expertise (and anyway, Royal Mail bikes are almost unbreakable); they can carry a lot of weight, are easy to ride, and are generally a simple and dependable way of moving volumes of mail. "
We might also point out that post bikes are British made, pollution free, almost silent and have a very low carbon footprint. What's more they have character: they're part of the Royal Mail's identity. Here at Life Cycle we're hoping for a speedy resolution to the postal dispute. And we desperately hope that the fleet of trusty Pashley delivery bikes (one of the largest in the developed world) is safe.
---------------------------------------------------Top gear!
Life Cycle's youth project Bike Generation goes from strength to strength. We were recently asked by Sir Bernard Lovell School in South Gloucestershire to develop and deliver a session in mechanical engineering. The school is piloting the new National Diploma in Engineering for the Department of Education & Skills and wanted a theoretical and practical session focussing on gears. We were happy to oblige! Life Cycle developed a session and then worked with sixteen pupils to teach them about gearing and help them achieve the learning outcomes of Diploma.
The day was a huge success and as a result Life Cycle has been asked to develop this course further by the Kingswood Partnership so that it can be offered to other schools running Diploma courses in the the future.
One of the young people commented: "The people helping us and teaching us were great. The workshop was very nice, lots of tools and good source of information."
---------------------------------------------------
Pedalling against the flow
Lots of cyclists zip down one-way streets against the traffic flow. It's unlawful to do so in the UK, although in many European countries it's been the norm for many years.
Now the Department for Transport is authorising a trial in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea in West London, in which a small plate saying “Except cyclists” will be attached to poles carrying no-entry signs. If the trial is successful, the department intends to extend the policy to the rest of Britain and permit thousands of one-way streets to become two-way for bikes.
The city of Munich recently made 20 percent of its one-way streets two-way for cyclists. In Germany and elsewhere in Europe such exemptions have proved to be safe to use as well, and they provide valuable short-cuts for cyclists. Bring it on!
---------------------------------------------------£14m for Bike and Ride to stations
More intelligent decisions from the Government! Yes, really. Andrew Adonis, Secretary of State for Transport (and keen cyclist) announced another £5m on top of the £9m already promised to transform cycle parking at railway stations in England and Wales. There will be 10 'cycle points' offering repair and secure storage, and 10,000 new parking spaces for cycles.
---------------------------------------------------Know Your Bike
Life Cycle's new ultra-basic intro to bike maintenance have taken off big time. Called Know Your Bike these two-and-a-half hour session provide a gentle introduction to cycle maintenance. They explain how a bike works, how to set it up for maximum ease of use and comfort, how to check it over and to carry out a range of simple maintenance tasks. It's also a great opportunity to pick up advice about matters such as luggage, locks, lights, clothing and useful accessories.
Places cost just £10 and the fee includes a free book Bike Easy: top tips and expert advice for the new cyclist (worth £6.50) and useful multi-tool (worth £3.50). A subsidy from Bristol City Council's Cycling City team (thanks guys!) has enabled us to make these courses such good value.
All the places on Know Your Bike courses to date have been booked up within a few days. So, due to popular demand, we're running a couple more. They take place at the Life Cycle Centre, Daventry Road, Knowle from 10.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m.on ...
-
Friday 20th November
-
Saturday 28th November
Please give the Life Cycle office a ring on 0117 353 4580 to book a place. Top tip: be quick!
-------------------------------------------------
Doctor Bike surgeries -- free of charge for community events
Life Cycle UK runs countless Doctor Bike surgeries every year. Our wonderful mechanics resplendent in their white coats, tool kits at the ready, check people's bikes over and carry out instant repairs and quick fixes. The result is rideable bikes and confident riders.
For a limited time we're able to offer community groups based in the Bristol City Council area free Doctor Bike surgeries. It's the perfect addition to events such as festivals, carnivals, fun days, or any occasion where people are likley to bring bicycles.
If you're planning such an event between now and the end of March and you're interested in having a vist from Doctor Bike, then talk to Charlie at Life Cycle UK on 0117 353 4580. This special offer has been made possible thanks to funding from the council's Cycling City project. Bless!
-------------------------------------------------
China goes electric
We've lamented in previous Life Cycle newsletters the decline of cycling in China, two-wheeled people-powered transport having given way to four-wheeled petrol power. Now, however, the bike is bouncing back: in electric-assisted form. Last year, the Chinese bought 21 million e-bikes, compared with just 9.4 million cars. Read all about it.
---------------------------------------------------
CREATE Festive Fayre
Bristol's CREATE Centre Festive Fayre is fast approaching! Attracting hundreds of visitors every year, it's the perfect way to pick up affordable, natural, recycled, organic, fair-traded, eco-friendly goodies. Bike down to CREATE for...-
Food. Local, organic and fair-traded produce such as hampers, chocolates, honey, ales and wines, tea, coffee and herbs. Also poultry, vegetable boxes, mince pies, puddings and Christmas cakes to order.
-
Seasonal paraphernalia. Recycled, fair-traded and hand-made calendars, cards and wrapping paper. Hand-crafted tree and room decorations, candles, napkins, wreaths etc.
-
Gifts. Natural health and beauty products, locally hand-made or fairly traded jewellery, wooden gifts, ceramics, art, clothes and fabrics. Books, eco-gadgets and environmentally sustainable stocking fillers.
-
Plants. Herbs, indoor plants, seeds, bulbs and live Christmas trees.
The Life Cycle crew will be there selling gift vouchers for bike maintenance courses or cycle training sessions, and offering advice and information about all aspects of cycling. Do come and say hello.
The Festive Fayre runs on Friday 4th December 4.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. and on Saturday 5th December, 11.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.---------------------------------------------------
Folding fella wins top prize
Andrew Ritchie, inventor of the legendary Brompton folding bicycle has been honoured by the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace. The first Bromptons appeared in the 1970s and the distinctive design has remained fundamentally unchanged over three decades, although it has been refined and improved continually.
In 1976 Ritchie, while working as a gardener, obtained backing from friends and founded a company named after the Brompton Oratory, the London landmark visible from his flat where the first prototypes were built. He sought to licence the design but after five years began manufacturing the bike himself.
After collecting the Prince Philip Designer's Prize, Ritchie said he was still thinking about how to make the bike lighter and to improve its ergonomics further.
If you're a Brompton owner you might be interested in Life cycle's special Brompton maintenance courses. You'll learn how to make adjustments and fix simple problems, including removing and refitting the back wheel, a task that has defeated many a Bromptoneer! We're planning more Brompton courses for 2010. If you would like more information please give the office a ring on 0117 353 4580
---------------------------------------------------Yike Bike
This is the Yike Bike, designed by New Zealander Grant Ryan with engineer Peter Higgins, both based in London. Resembling a high-tech penny farthing it’s not strictly a bicycle since you can’t pedal it. Instead it's powered by an electric motor and rechargeable batteries. Balancing on a Yike is something of an art: you ride it with your hands by your sides and your feet out in front of you. The price? £3,000 Yikes!
---------------------------------------------------Everyclick
Here's a way to support Life Cycle at no cost to yourself! Simply use the Everyclick search engine. Every time you search, a tiny donation is made to Life Cycle UK. It takes a few seconds to register and then away you go! As you surf the net you’ll see the donations clock up remarkably quickly. -
- Sent
- Mon, Nov 2nd 2009, 15:33
