Newsletter - Life Cycle news | May

Sent: Wed, May 5th 2010, 09:21

Message

Welcome to the May edition of Life Cycle UK's e-newsletter. In this issue:

Bristol Prison project kicks off
Fix your bike for free in our Bike Kitchens
...or come and learn how to fix it
Bristol World Naked Bike Ride
Bike activities for kids and families
...and for young people
Bristol Bike Festival
Free guided rides to Sunrise and Glastonbury festivals
Bike carnival costuming workshops
'Pollygate' controversy
£5 cycling lessons!
Ever thought becoming a cycling instructor?
Life Cycle on Facebook (finally!)

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Bristol Prison project kicks off

This month we're starting our BikeBack project with Bristol Prison, in partnership with SOFA Project. Initially funded by Bristol Cycling City, our mechanics will train prisoners to fix up bikes in a new, fully equipped workshop at the prison. The project aims to give prisoners meaningful employment and training, while at the same time providing affordable bikes to people living in Bristol.
 
Any donations of bikes or ideas of where to source them will be gratefully received (contact Josh at bikeback@gmail.com).
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Fix your bike for free in our Bike Kitchens

Life Cycle UK has been funded by Cycling City to set up Bike Kitchens across Bristol. A Bike Kitchen allows you to fix your own bike by providing access to professional tools and advice from an experienced bike mechanic. You only pay for the parts you use. We have teamed up with Jakes Bikes in Stokes Croft to provide 8 Bike Kitchens. Feel free to drop in with your bike between 6pm and 8.30pm, every Thursday from 6th May to 24th June.

Location of Jake's Bikes
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...or come and learn how to fix it

Our summer programme of bike maintenance courses is now up on the website. Click on the courses below for the new course dates.

Know Your Bike is our bike maintenance course for absolute beginners. It costs £10 for Bristol residents - an absolute bargain!

Our Bike maintenance workshops are designed for the more experienced cyclist.

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Bristol World Naked Bike Ride

A date for your diary? The Bristol World Naked Bike Ride 2010 will take place on Sunday 13th June in and around the City Centre. The event aims to promote the idea of car-free Sundays  in the city centre. The 'dress' code is: as bare as you dare! Joining the fully nude contingent, riders in London last year wore shorts, bras, swimwear, body paint, wigs and sunglasses.

More information
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Bike activities for kids and families

Bristol Cycling Campaign is organising a series of short family-friendly cycle rides in Bristol. Explore hidden places and rediscover your city from new angles! These 'Discover Bristol' rides are running every other Saturday throughout the summer starting 1 May 2010. Distances are short (max 6 miles / 2 hours) along off-road routes or on quiet streets, with plenty of stops.

For more information see www.discoverbristol.org.uk

 Life Cycle UK is also running holiday cycle training courses for 8-11 year olds in the coming half term. The courses run for 2 hours a day for 3 days - see our website for details.

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...and for young people

Life Cycle's youth project, Bike Generation, runs all sorts of bike-related activities for young people, including bike maintenance courses, BMXing and mountain bike rides. See our website or contact Nigel Cooksley on 0117 353 458- for more information.
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Bristol Bike Festival

Here's a date for your diary - the first ever Bristol Cycle Festival will take place between September 11th and 25th 2010. What it will entail is still to be decided, and everyone who loves cycling is welcome to attend the launch event on May 5th (that's probably today!), Ground floor, 35 King Street, 7:30pm to share ideas.
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Free guided rides to Sunrise and Glastonbury festivals

The fabulous Spoke 'n' Chain are organising guided cycle rides to the Glastonbury and Sunrise festivals in June. Starting in central Bristol, the routes will take riders on quiet roads through some of the best scenery in Somerset heading through the Chew Valley and climbing up over the Mendips, before dropping down to Wells and on to the festival sites. The rides will be led by experienced cyclists, and a support vehicle will be on hand to carry your bags from Bristol to the festival sites and deal with any breakdowns.

*Sunrise Festival* - Ride leaves 8.00am Thursday 3rd June - Book by May 31st

*Glastonbury Festival* - Ride leaves 8.00am Thursday 24th June - Book by
June 17th

To find out more and to secure your place contact cyclefestivals@googlemail.com
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Bike carnival costuming workshops

 

Spoke 'n' Chain are also running two Carnival bike decorating workshops at the Create Centre in Bristol on 15 and 22 May, 10.30am to 3.30pm.

Come and try your hand at amazing bicycle art and get set for Bristol’s bike carnival. Help to create an eye-popping carnival bike or decorate your own mean machine to make it stand out in the crowd.

The workshops are free of charge and no need to book - just drop in.

More information

 

 

 

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'Pollygate' controversy

Life Cycle encountered a spot of controversy this week when an ad to promote safe cycling featuring one of our instructors was criticised in the Evening Post because the riders were not wearing helmets. Here at Life Cycle, the last thing we want to do is to stop people cycling if wearing a helmet puts them off. We think it is more important to get people to cycle safely and confidently, and the decision of whether to wear a helmet is down to the individual.

The CTC has some useful information on the pros and cons of wearing helmets.

 

 
 

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£5 cycling lessons!

It's not too late to claim your £5 one hour cycling lesson with one of our experienced instructors - now open to people living in Bristol, BANES and North Somerset. We aim to give you the skills to cycle wherever you want to go. Call us to book: 0117 353 4580.
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Ever thought of becoming a cycling instructor?

Life Cycle UK runs four-day instructor training courses in Bristol every month. Each course covers the theory and the practice of teaching children and adults to ride safely on-road. Places cost £450 per person, but a bursary of £300 is available for instructors training in England, bringing the cost down to just £150 (provided you pass, that is!).

For more information see our website
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Life Cycle on Facebook (finally!)

Fans of Facebook might like to know we now have our very own Facebook site. We intend to use this as another way of letting people know what we get up to.
 
Life Cycle Facebook page
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Sent

Wed, May 5th 2010, 09:21