Giro have launched a new range of ‘classic’ helmets for urban cyclists, Reverb, which boasts a self-adjusting fit system and comes in a range of colours (we’re not sure about the orange/black combo though).

This promo video features artist Chris McNally riding the sunny streets of San Francisco…

Ok, so Muttley wasn’t really involved, but I did stumble across an amazing penny farthing race at Herne Hill Velodrome last weekend. The track is one of the oldest in the world, having been built in 1891, and even hosted the track cycling events in the 1948 Olympics.

My name’s Emma and I’m a slow cyclist.

Not for me this dashing about in head-to-toe Lycra, weaving in and out of traffic and pedestrians, trying to make it everywhere in record speed.

I used to be that way, but over the past six years my attitude has altered hugely. I’ve changed my bike, my style and my attitude – and I couldn’t be happier.

I’ve ditched the leggings and the fluoro jacket, which is great but it’s also meant ditching my all-weather attitude. I hold my hands up now and say I rarely cycle in the rain – although judging by the past few weeks, I may have to revise this if I want to get any cycling done this summer.

My biking fashion isn’t the only change, mind you. I’ve also done a u-turn in my style of cycling. I’ve invested in a beautiful red upright with just three gears so, I have little choice about my top speed. This is partly to accommodate my growing baby bump, but that’s it’s also just one factor in a whole load of brilliant reasons to cycle slowly in London.

Turning down the speed makes me feel much safer on two wheels – not to be underestimated when you’re responsible for the safe carrying of an unborn child! I feel I can react more easily to drivers, spot potential hazards ahead and generally get out of the way of trouble. I used to feel that was more likely when zipping about, but now I’m convinced that you’d be in trouble before you had time to react. Slow and steady is no bad thing when it comes to getting there in one piece.

Most of all, the new way of cycling gives me time to look around, appreciate my surroundings, notice the seasons, the smells and the noises of this great, big hulking city that I love with a passion. I’m not saying that you’re oblivious to these sublties if you’re speeding along, but you definitely miss a lot.

I’ve learned not to underestimate the simple pleasure of the year’s first whiff of mown grass in Burgess Park, or the inescapable smell of charcoal that signals great swathes of south London from Elephant to East Dulwich are having barbecues on a balmy summer’s evening. I love noticing unexplored streets and watching construction projects rise up before my eyes. Nothing beats wrapping up against the autumn chill and pedaling through a misty park or setting out on a crisp, frosty morning with the sun low in the sky.

I’ve always had snatches of feeling transported back to my youth by travelling by bike but this happens more and more these days, thanks to the Birdie, my more stylish attire and a calm easy riding style. In my six years of being a London cyclist, I’ve never felt happier in the saddle, and, with baby Haines on the way, I can’t wait to introduce a whole new generation of bikers to its pleasures.

Guest post by Emma Simkins
iheartbikes.squarespace.com
@EmmaS_MC

Question: what do patterns of use for commuting cyclists look like?

Innovation lab Kitchen Budapest have mapped over 62,000km of data from the Urbancyclr app in an attempt to find out (although some may find the result slightly cryptic).

Ever wondered how people get onto their tall bikes?

Petor (bike mechanic at the London Bike Kitchen), and reputably a man who owns more bikes than he has outfits to go with them, gave me a demonstration…

PS. Check out this video of a 12-foot tall bike
PPS. Then check out this video of a tall bike world record attempt

“When I’m balanced on two thin wheels at 30 miles an hour, gauging distance, adjusting course, making hundreds of unconscious calculations every second, that idiot chatterbox in my head is kept too busy to get a word in. I’ve heard people say the same thing about rock-climbing: how it shrinks your universe to the half-inch of rock surface immediately in front of you, this crevice, that toehold. Biking is split-second fast and rock-climbing painstakingly slow, but both practices silence the noise of the mind and render self-consciousness blissfully impossible. You become the anonymous hero of that old story, Man versus the Universe. Your brain’s glad to finally have a real job to do, instead of all that trivial busywork. You are all action, no deliberation. You are forced, under pain of death, to quit all that silly ideation and pay attention. It’s meditation at gunpoint.”

Taken from Tim Kreider’s article for the New York Times — Cycle of Fear

Illustration by Marcus Nyblom