Be seen at night

Lights and reflectors are a legal requirement if riding at night. They also help keep you safe. Here’s why

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I find it really quite shocking how many people I see cycling without lights after the sun has gone down. I know this is happening earlier and earlier at this time of year, which is somewhat depressing, but not having lights is both incredibly dangerous and illegal.

The law is pretty clear on this. Between sunset and sunrise cyclists must have a white front light, a red rear light, a red rear reflector and 4 amber pedal reflectors to cycle on public roads and paths. CTC, the national cycling charity, has further information and explanations.

Everything I’ve read on road safety (and I’ve read a lot) underlines that this is the legal minimum. If you really want to be sure you’ll be seen, you should invest some combination of reflective clothing, wheel reflectors, extra sets of lights or helmet-mounted lights. For one thing, those front and rear lights won’t help you be seen from the side. It’s no good being nicely lit up front and back if a car ploughs into you side-on when you’re crossing a road or hits you when pulling out of a side road – government statistics show that cyclists are particularly vulnerable at junctions.

For accidents that occur at night, the main reasons given included the cyclist wearing dark clothes or not displaying the lights

The most common reason motorists give for hitting cyclists is that they didn’t see the cyclist. This is described as the ‘looked but failed to see’ problem, and it’s likely to affect cyclists – and motorcyclists for that matter – more than other road users because we’re smaller, making us harder to see. There’s likely to be a psychological element, too: there are more cars on the road, so drivers expect to see them; because they’re not looking for cyclists they don’t see us. Motorists’ mental search image is car shaped, not bike shaped.

It’s notoriously difficult to get accurate statistics on road accidents as studies have shown that an appreciable proportion are not reported; the same research shows that reporting rates for cyclists tend to be lower than for other road users. But some information is available. Far more cyclists are killed or seriously injured (KSI) during the summer months than in winter; most KSIs occur in the light (78%). This is likely to be because far more people cycle when it’s warm, sunny and bight. However, severity is greater during the hours of darkness and a collision is more likely to result in death – 11% of fatalities take place in the dark on unlit roads. For those accidents that occurred at night, the main reasons given included the cyclist wearing dark clothes or not displaying the lights (the third reason was alcohol, but that’s a whole different blog post).

I have three sets of lights on my bike. Two static and one flashing. 

There’s no doubt that having lights on your bike makes you more visible, and that makes you safer. A motorist might not see a bike, but it’s hard to ignore bright lights shining directly at them. If you want to stay safe on your bike at night, and reduce your risk of being hit by car, you need to have lights and reflective clothing. But don’t just take my word for it. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) states on its website: “Cyclists riding in the dark without adequate lights and reflectors are at greater risk of being involved in a road accident.”

Sam Jones, CTC campaigns and communications co-ordinator, said: “At CTC we always encourage safe and responsible cycling, and would advise cyclists to use lights and reflectors as required by law.”

I’ve only addressed being seen here, but if you ride at night on badly or unlit roads, you also need to be able to see. Broken glass, rubbish, debris and potholes can all damage your bike or even cause you to take a nasty spill.

It’s simple, really. Lights are a necessary part of your cycling kit. Stay safe, be seen.

It's not just about lights, though. I also use reflective ankle bands, a reflective vest and have reflective highlights on
 all my night-time riding clothes. 

Review: Yoga for Cyclists by Lexie Williamson

VERDICT: a useful, easy-to-read book that should help any cyclist remain fit and flexible; this practical training manual is a great addition to your cycling bookshelf

I’ve put in quite a few miles on the bike by now, and a few weeks ago I started to develop a bit of a niggle in my upper thighs. Not the horrible, sharp pain of a damaged muscle, more the dull ache of an over-used one. To fix this, I turned to yoga, and this book.

As a British Wheel of Yoga and Yoga Sports Science qualified instructor, author Lexie Williamson knows her stuff, and she’s also talked to several experts in the world of sports training. Yoga is fast becoming a powerful weapon in the trainer’s arsenal, improving flexibility, core strength, balance, breathing efficiency and mental focus. Lexie explains how the unnatural slouched posture and repetitive nature of riding takes its toll on the body – hence my aching leg muscles.

Yoga is fast becoming a powerful weapon in the trainer’s arsenal, improving flexibility, core strength, balance, breathing efficiency and mental focus

The book is split into sections covering such topics as why yoga is so good for cyclists, breathing and the all-important stretches. This last is split into legs, arms and wrists, back, core and so on. The research to back up Lexie’s claims is presented in an accessible and highly readable manner, and I really appreciated this empirical approach. For example, I’ve always thought of yogic breathing as one of the more esoteric elements of yoga, but here it’s explained that a more efficient breathing technique delivers more oxygen to the muscles, meaning an athlete can perform more strongly – simple really.

This book suffers from the same problem as all yoga guides: it’s much easier to correctly adopt a proper pose if shown first. The instructions are clearly written and easy to follow, but the written word plus one image can never adequately replace an instructor. This is presumably why Lexie also advises her readers to join a class.

All the stretches have been adapted for cyclists and I’ve been performing several of them after being on the bike. I can report that they really do help; I can no longer feel that niggling muscle. I’ve also joined a weekly yoga class on Lexie’s advice. There’s also an excellent chapter on flow poses – a series of postures that lead into one another – which I’m very much looking forward to incorporating into my training.

Tech spec
Yoga for Cyclists by Lexie Williamson • Published by Bloomsbury • 194 pages • RRP: £16.99 • ISBN: 978-1-4081-9047-0 • This product was a present

Sitting pretty

Comfort in the saddle is one of the most important things about cycling. Here are my tips for ensuring your sensitive bits stay sore free

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I was asked recently about keeping a comfortable seat when on the bike. If you spend any time at all cycling you really don’t any chafing, rubbing or bumping against your most delicate areas. Cycling is meant to be enjoyable, and bruised and battered ladybits are certainly not my idea of fun.

There are four very simple things you can do to prevent pain down there. Here’s my advice.

Saddle
Pretty much the first thing you should invest in after buying your bike is a new saddle. Your butt and other delicate areas are going to be in contact with the saddle almost constantly, so it’s worth spending as much as you can afford.

It’s best to get a women’s-specific saddle. Why? Because women have wider apart sit bones and wider hips than men. If you use a men’s or unisex saddle then it’s likely to be too narrow and not support your sit bones properly. I also think a central cutaway is a good idea. This allows the saddle to flex more, so it’s less likely to jounce against your bits.

Getting the right saddle really makes a difference.

Try out as many saddles as you need to until you find the right one for you. Most bike shops will be happy to let you have a bit of a ride around so you can test out how the seats feel.

The seat on my main bike is the Selle Italia Women’s Diva Gel Flow. This came highly recommended and I love it. It retails at £79.99, which isn’t cheap but is way less than many out there.

Positioning
Once you’ve found your ideal saddle, you need to make sure it’s in the right place. There are three adjustments you can make for this. First, height. Sit on your bike. You should just be able to touch the ground with your toes. When pedalling your leg should be very slightly bent at the knee when the pedal is in its lowest position. Adjust your seat post until you achieve this.

You can adjust the saddle along the seat
rails to increase comfort.

Once you’ve got the height sorted, you need to look at position and angle. Start with angle. It’s best to first position it flat and go from there. You can then angle the seat up or down depending on which feels best to you. This will depend on your riding style – do you sit up quite straight or tend to hunker down? I have quite an ‘aggressive’ riding style, meaning I lean forward. So my saddle is angled downwards and away from my pubic bone to reduce the risk of bashing against the seat.

You can also move your seat about 4cm forwards or backwards along its rails (the metal tubes under the seat). This will move you closer or further away from your handlebars. The ideal position should mean your body and arms form a right angle. You can check this out in a mirror or ask someone to watch you riding. Again, experiment until you find the most comfortable position for you.

Padding
Cycling shorts and tights come with pads. It’s recommended that you wear padded shorts for any rides longer than about two hours. But I say that even if you’re only doing a half-hour commute, if padded shorts make things more comfy for you then wear them.

I’ve got a mix of padded and non-padded shorts and leggings. The non-padded ones are generally meant for running and quite often have reflective patches so runners can be seen at night.

Padded shorts can take some getting used to, but they do help.

Padded shorts really do make a difference. I wore them on the London to Cambridge and my god am I pleased I did. I even occasionally wear them on my short work commute and can even feel the difference over that five-mile distance.

They do feel a bit weird when you first put them on – a bit like wearing a nappy, probably – but you soon get used to them. And it really doesn’t matter if you’re doing 100-mile sportives, commuting every day or just pottering around on the weekends, if wearing padded short or tights means you’re more likely to get out on your bike, then wear them.

Go commando
Yes, you did read that right. Leave your knickers at home (or if you’re commuting to work in your rucksack). Padded shorts are meant to be worn sans pants anyway – the chamois is specially designed to sit next to your skin to reduce rubbing, so wearing undies will negate all the work that went into perfecting the design.

I decided to experiment with pant-free riding after wearing padded shorts for the first time. Previously – in running shorts – I’d had a bit of chafing where my knickers rubbed against the shorts. Using padded shorts (with no knickers) resulted in no chafing. Hmm, I thought, would this work with normal shorts too? In a word, yes. And I’ve been happily riding undie free ever since.

The chamois provides a layer of padding between
you and the saddle.

If you’re worried about cleanliness and don’t want to wash your kit every day – and let’s face it, who does? – do what I do and invest in some baby wipes. A quick wipe of the crotch area leaves everything fresh and clean for your next ride.

Review: Anker Astro Mini USB Charger

Keeping my iPhone battery charged is necessary if I’m to get home after a long ride out; will this portable charger do the job?

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In its pouch, the charger, plus cables, fit
easily into my backpack.

I couldn’t do half the riding I do without a smartphone and Google Maps. Or I guess I could but it would involve paper maps and lots of stopping to figure out where I am and just wouldn’t be as enjoyable. As it is I just attach my iPhone to my handlebars, key in my destination and follow the directions.

However, having the screen on all the time drains the battery, especially on longer rides to Battersea Park and Richmond. In fact my first trip to Battersea could have ended in disaster when my battery life was down to 10% in a totally unfamiliar part of east London. Luckily I got to Bethnal Green before the phone died and knew my way home from there.

I still don’t know what I would have done. I might as well have been in the middle of nowhere – no cab offices to be seen and not a chance of finding a black cab. I don’t know my home phone number or The Chap’s mobile number, because they’re safely stored in my phone. And therefore would have been totally unaccessible. I guess the best I could have hoped for was finding a corner shop whose proprietor would let me phone a local taxi service.

It was this near-disaster that made me realise that I needed some way of charging my iPhone while out and about. I needed a portable charger. I wanted something that could fully charge an absolutely dead phone, but was small and light that would easily fit in my rucksack or saddlebag; it also had to look good.

After a bit of research, I went for – to give it its full and somewhat unwieldy name – the Anker Astro Mini 3000mAh Ultra-Compact Lipstick-Sized Portable Power Bank Pack External Battery USB Charger. It comes in a variety of colours, and I chose pink. I make no apology for liking pink; anyone who thinks pink is too girly clearly hasn't watched Grease enough times.

Pouch, charger, USB cable and pink iPhone
cable (purchased separately).

The charger is cylinder with USB and micro-USB ports at one end. It comes with a USB-mini-USB cable, but if you want to use it with an iPhone you'll need to buy the relevant iPhone-USB cable. Luckily a pink one is available for iPhone 5S. You can charge the product via the mains if you've got a USB plug, or via a computer. An orange light comes on while charging; this turns green when the battery is full.

I've used this a couple of times now and it does exactly what I want it to. After a longish ride to Battersea Park my iPhone battery was showing more than half gone, so I plugged it into the charger while I had lunch and by the time I was ready to head home the phone was at 100%.

I make no apology for liking pink; anyone who thinks pink is too girly clearly hasn't watched Grease enough times

It's small and light enough to fit in my small rucksack and will easily slip into a saddle or handlebar bag. But describing it as 'lipstick sized' is something of a stretch, unless your lipsticks are flipping massive.

The only drawback I've found so far is that there's no way of knowing how much charge is left in the battery. A small window with a percentage, as found on phones and laptops, would be really useful. As it is, I have to charge it after every use as I don't know if it'll have enough power left to charge my iPhone next time around. There's no way of telling if the battery has totally run out of juice either – until you actually use it, by which time it could be too late.

Pros
• Small and light enough to fit in saddle or handlebar bag
• Fully charges iPhone from empty

Cons
• No way to gauge how much charge remains
• Not 'lipstick sized' as described

Tech spec
Weight: 76g • Size: 9x2x2cm • RRP: £39.99 (currently available from Amazon for £13.99) • Supplied with micro-USB cable and travel pouch • I bought this product myself

We are the champions!

The London to Cambridge – my first-ever sportive, and it won’t be my last

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We did it! On 27 July CP and I cycled 60 miles between London and Cambridge. And it was AWESOME. In fact the whole weekend was fantastic, with lovely food and drinks with lovely friends and a great festival in Lloyd Park in Walthamstow.

I was pretty nervous the night before the event. I had never cycled 60 miles in one day before and I’d never taken part in one of these ‘sportives’. I don’t know how to fix a puncture or change an inner tube, and what on earth would I do if I buckled a wheel? I was also concerned about the amount of time I’d be spending in the saddle.

Never having taken part in something like this before, I really didn’t know what to expect. Would the route be well signposted? Would I turn up at the start line and just find a few people milling about? Would it be properly organised? Would there be medical people on hand? It’s entirely possible I worry too much.

As it turned out the event was fantastically well organised and I had nothing to worry about. Not only was the route fully signposted, there were volunteers pointing out the right direction at every turn and roundabout.

Our start time was 0830, but CP and I arrived early because she’d managed to forget her number and registering card. We didn’t know how long it would take to get replacements, but it was sorted in mere minutes and we quickly progressed to the start line.

As soon as I was on my bike all my concerns were forgotten. Cycling’s like that for me. Everything bad disappears, and it’s just me and my bike and a great big smile on my face.

We were quickly outside of London and cycling along country lanes through picturesque Essex villages and crop fields

The ride itself was so enjoyable. We were quickly outside of London and cycling along country lanes through picturesque Essex villages and crop fields. Sailing through the first rest stop, where lots of other cyclists were taking a break, felt amazing. We had a quick toilet break at the next stop and then another – taking time to munch on a flapjack – at the penultimate stop. The rest of the time we were in the saddle.

Mechanically we had no issues at all. I think that’s because CP used up our quota of punctures on the Friday she came to mine. Three punctures in one day. One of which was just five minutes after getting a new inner tube from Halfords and the chap there saying there was nothing in the tyre. Luckily we took the bike to someone who knew what they were talking about the next day. A very nice lady at Dr Bike fixed the puncture and pulled three bits of glass out of the tyre.

We finished the event in 4 hours and 14 minutes, according to my Strava. I don’t know how this compared with other entrants, but I was thinking it would take about six hours, so I was incredibly pleased. Our parents, who were meeting at the finish line, had been looking forward to cheering us across the line, but we actually arrived there before they did – oops!

So we had a great time and between us raised more than £600 for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. I'd like to thank everyone who sponsored us. I'm so incredibly touched by how generous my friends are.

Now I want to do more sportives. More and longer. A 100 miler is my next goal.

A happy me after completing the ride.

The London to Cambridge bike ride

This Sunday it’s the London to Cambridge ride – so am I ready for it?

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London to Cambridge: 60 miles and around six hours of cycling. That’s quite a challenge and I have to admit I’m nervous. I keep thinking about backing out, but I’ve told so many people I’m doing it (raising £270 for Breakthrough Breast Cancer in the process) and I’ve got a friend coming over from Switzerland to ride with me, so there’s no chance.

London to Cambridge: 60 miles and around six hours of cycling – that’s quite a challenge

I guess the lesson to learn there is that if you really want to force yourself to do something properly challenging, make sure you tell lots of people and ideally get a friend to do it with you. On the other hand, if you want to be able to quietly give up, tell no one! I’m not really the giving up type, though. Once I set myself a challenge I tend to do it.

Be prepared
I do feel like I’ve trained a decent amount. I cycle to work four days out of five. That’s 10 miles per day, 40 per week, and while that’s not a huge distance I have been pushing myself to do it faster so as to build up my fitness levels.

I’ve written previously about cycling around London. Well on those rides I’ve been gradually building up distance: a 12-mile round trip to Victoria Park, an 18-mile one to Kenwood House. Then 22 miles to Greenwich and back, until finally, the biggie – a 45-mile round trip right across London from Walthamstow to Richmond.

This last ride was fantastic. Just under 24 miles on the way there, via the Lea River tow path and Victoria Park. Then past the Gherkin, the Shard, the Cheesegrater and the Houses of Parliament. Although Google Maps tried to take me through Horse Guards Parade which was blocked off for an event and meant I had to do some emergency route recalculating. 

We start off at Pickett's Lock, luckily not too far from home.

Google Maps isn’t perfect and there was one part of the route that I just couldn’t work out. I cycled round and round looking for the roads mentioned but couldn’t find them. In the end I just headed in the direction I thought looked right and it turned out OK.

The ride back was even better. Shorter at just under 22 miles, it took me along the south of the river to Hammersmith Bridge. Then a lovely route through Kensington Gardens, Green Park, along The Mall and then Victoria Embankment.

I stopped for lunch in a pub in Richmond, so it really was an enjoyable day out. And so should Sunday be – the organisers make it clear that the event isn’t a race. It’s meant to be fun, and I’m sure it will be. My family (I’m from Cambridge) will be waiting for me at the finish line, and we’ll be going for a meal – something to look forward to on the long ride!

The finish line at Midsummer Common, Cambridge.
Photos from commons.wikimedia.org.

Review: Abus Liix Design Sumo lock

I like this lock which combines cute good looks with some sturdy protection

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The Abus Liix Design Sumo lock.

Bike locks aren’t the most exciting of purchases. A lock’s job is to keep your bike secure, and so long as it does that then anything else is unimportant. Unless, of course, you’re like me. I want a lock that looks good in addition to performing well.

The Liix Design lock from Abus is wrapped in material with a red and white polka dot pattern. The print makes it look ultra cute. But that cuteness disguises a really heavy-duty chain-link lock, while the locking mechanism itself is encased in thick plastic. I haven’t had any qualms about leaving my bike while it’s protected by the Sumo.

The lock wraps nicely around my handlebar post.
Photo by Idoru Knits.

The polka-dot material is pretty thick, so nicely protects my paintwork from getting chipped by the metal chain. It’s also waterproof so should help keep the lock rust free – an important feature in rainy ol’ Britain. When not in use it wraps neatly around the handlebar post, keeping it well out of my way when I’m cycling.

I’ve got the 85cm version, and this is the longest available. It’s just long enough to fit through the front wheel, frame and round a handy post. I would have preferred something a bit longer, maybe 100cm. But then it wouldn’t fit so snugly around my handlebar post, so swings and roundabouts really.

The print makes it look ultra cute, but that cuteness disguises a really heavy-duty chain-link lock

I’ve also found that the key can quite easily fall out of the lock, which means I’m quite likely to lose it. My other lock securely held onto the key until the locking mechanism was fully engaged, which felt a lot safer.

This lock is available from Amazon for £32.99, plus p&p. I bought the product myself.

Pros
• Heavy-duty metal chain
• Protective covering
• Looks good

Cons
• Could be longer
• Key falls out

The 30-day abs challenge

The bike means I get plenty of CV exercise, but it’s time to do some toning training, too

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The challenge in full. I'm not looking forward
to day 30.

With all the cycling I do at the moment – an hour commuting at least four days a week plus longer rides at the weekend – getting enough cardio/fat-burning exercise really isn’t a problem. What I am missing out on is toning and load-bearing training.

So when a friend signed up to the 30-day abs challenge on Facebook, I thought I’d give it a go too. It’s a simple enough idea: take four ab exercises (sit ups, crunches, leg lifts and planks) and slowly build up the number you do over a period of 30 days, with every fourth day being a rest.

At the time of writing (16 June), I’m 16 days in, just over halfway. And it’s certainly getting challenging. Today is actually a rest day, but yesterday (15 June) comprised 75 sit-ups, 95 crunches, 42 leg lifts and a 60-second plank. That was hard. Tomorrow will be even harder.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to complete the challenge. Day 30 requires 125 sit-ups, 200 crunches, 65 leg lifts and a 120-second plank. That sounds like an awful lot to me, although I will be building up to it daily, of course. I also figure that I can do it in two sets if need be – half in the morning and half when I get home from work. Although I think this isn’t really in the spirit of the challenge, the site doesn’t actually prohibit it, and I’m of the opinion it’s better to do it that way than not do it all.

Yesterday comprised 75 sit-ups, 95 crunches, 42 leg lifts and 60-second plank; that was hard

The site, 30 Day Fitness Challenges, has plenty of other challenges, too, lots of which are toning/strengthening training. So after I’ve done the abs challenge, I’m going to try some of the others. It might be a good idea to alternate between arm and core challenges.

Review: Selle Italia Women's Diva Gel Flow saddle

A new bike means a new saddle. Find out how I got on with this model from an Italian company specialising in bike saddles

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I’ve learned that a new bike requires the purchase of a new saddle pretty darn quickly. I suspect this is especially true for cheaper models, as one of the ways manufacturers can save money is on the seat.

Much as I love my new bike, the seat was causing some serious chafing in areas you really don’t want chafed. I could have changed it for the saddle that’s currently on my hybrid, which is perfectly comfortable, but I wanted something a bit special. Also I intend to carry on using the hybrid and don’t really want to have to swap over each time.

The Selle Italia Women's Diva Gel Flow saddle.

As this is the bike I’ll be doing the London to Cambridge on, I was prepared to spend a bit more to ensure comfort. I also did a lot more research this time. In fact my last saddle was a case of ‘I need a new seat; that one looks nice.’ It also only cost about £20.

Turning to some trusted cycling sites, notably Wiggle and Total Women’s Cycling, it soon transpired that most women agree that the Selle Italia Women’s Diver Gel Flow saddle is about the best there is. This retails at £79.99, but it’s currently available on Wiggle for £55.99.

It’s available in both black and white, but I particularly liked the white version. The silver and pink highlights nicely match my grey and pink bike, and this is a neat, nice-looking saddle that doesn’t look out of place on a sleek road bike.

During my research, two pieces of advice stood out to me. First was that your saddle should go unnoticed; second was if you’re saying that your saddle is ‘exactly what I want, except for this one thing …’ then it isn’t exactly what you want.

I forgot about the seat completely and just enjoyed myself – which is entirely the point

After fitting the new seat I took the bike out for a short ride to test it out. It was only when I stopped at a junction and actually thought about the reason for the ride that that first bit of advice came back to me. The only thing I noticed about the new saddle was that I hadn’t noticed it. By the end of the ride the front of the saddle was pressing into my pubic bone, which was quite uncomfortable, but there was no chafing.

The silicone gel inserts are nicely positioned for the sit bones, providing excellent cushioning. I also found that I was seated very securely, with no sliding forwards or backwards. The large cutout adds to the comfort.

I had deliberately put the saddle in the zero position to begin with, knowing that I might have to tilt it forward slightly. So when I got home I adjusted the saddle accordingly.

Of course a short ride was fine as a test, but I needed to get the bike out for longer to be really sure. A 13 miler this weekend was perfect. And the saddle performed exceptionally well. No chafing, no rubbing and no pressing into bones. On the way out I was deliberately concentrating on how things felt down there and there really was nothing to report. Coming home I forgot about the seat completely and just enjoyed myself. Which is entirely the point.

The silver and pink styling nicely matches my
grey and pink bike. All photos Idoru Knits.

London by bike

A bike, Google Maps and an iPhone are all you need to explore our great capital city

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One of the great things that my bikes have done for me is really open up London. Anywhere within a 20-mile radius of my house is in striking distance, without having to find a route by public transport.

Kenwood House in Hampstead.
Photo by IdoruKnits.

And it’s so easy. All I do is think of somewhere I might like to visit and look it up on Google Maps. Using the bike directions service, I programme the route into my phone, which then attaches to my handlebars, and just follow the blue line. It isn’t perfect, sometimes the route updates rather slowly and I end up missing a turning, and when it’s sunny it’s impossible to see the screen until I cycle through a shaded bit. But it mostly works and it’s mostly great.

What’s really nice about cycling is that the journey becomes part of your day out

So far my adventures have taken me to Victoria Park, an exhibition of bugs made from rubbish at Pitfield Gallery, Kenwood House and Highgate. I’ve also got plans to visit Mudchute City Farm, Greenwich Park, Rye Meads RSPB reserve and Richmond. Tate Modern is within easy reach, which I’ll probably combine with a walk to Borough Market. I always choose places with nice cafes or pubs, where I can have a sit down and a spot of lunch.

I’ve got a couple of favourite shorter rides too. One to Stoke Newington via Walthamstow Marshes and one to the Butler’s Retreat on the edge of Epping Forest. This weekend I'm planning a trip to Battersea Park via Victoria Park, along the Lea River and Hertford Union Canal.

Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington.
Photo by IdoruKnits.

What’s really nice about cycling is that the journey becomes part of your day out. My ride to Kenwood House took me past a stunning art deco cinema that I would never have seen had I not been on the bike. The ride to Victoria Park takes me along the River Lea and through Walthamstow and Hackney Marshes – it’s almost like being in the countryside.

I’ve started taking photos while I’m out and about, sharing them on Instagram and Twitter (I'm idoruknits on the former and @IdoruKnits on the latter if you want to find me). I hashtag them #londonbybike and I’m hoping to get others doing the same - wouldn’t it be great to share all our photos of our bike trips in the city? So next time you’re cycling somewhere, take some shots and Tweeting! Remember the hashtag, though, so that I can search for your photos.

Beautiful Rhododendron in the gardens
of Kenwood House. Photo by IdoruKnits.

A new bike and some delivery woes

It was only a matter of time till I bought a road bike, but I didn’t expect actually getting hold of it would be quite so traumatic …

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I love my hybrid – Millicent has been there for me through all weathers and on all terrains, on short rides and long(ish). But I’ve been hankering for a road bike for a while, ever since I got back on a bike really, so it was only a matter of time till I gave in to that desire.

I’ve been sporadically checking out the ladies’ road bikes on Wiggle, searching for one I like the look of. I didn’t want to spend too much – certainly not as much as £1,000 – which cut down my options quite considerably. There was a 2013 model Bianchi bike (the Women's C2C Nirone 7 Dama Sora), but that was £800, and I decided that my limit was £700. The bike was beautiful, but I wasn’t about to break my budget.

This was back in January and I’d been looking for something as lovely ever since. In March I came across the Felt Women’s ZW100 2014. Metallic grey with hot pink highlights, this had to be the bike for me. Even better it only cost £599 – a whole £100 under my upper spend limit. What’s more, my brother (The Cyclist) receives a 12% discount from Wiggle, so ordering it through his account saved me just under £72!

Metallic grey with hot pink highlights, the Felt Women’s ZW100 2014 had to be the bike for me

Unfortunately I then had to wait till the end of April for the bike to be delivered. I don’t know why it took so long. The other frame size was just a couple of weeks, so I’m guessing that the size I needed had completely sold out and Wiggle was waiting for more to be manufactured.

So I waited for the rest of March and throughout April, until I received an exciting text from Wiggle saying the bike would be delivered on 18 April. This confused me somewhat as that was Good Friday, a bank holiday. But I figured that courier companies don’t necessarily stop work because it’s Easter, and even if the office staff weren’t in the drivers might still be out and about.

And that's when everything started to go wrong. It's quite a long tale, and I'm going to recount it exactly as it happened so you can draw your own conclusions. If you're in a hurry, though, you might want to skip to the end.

You had one job
Good Friday had been designated gardening day, so we plugged the doorbell ringer in the kitchen so we’d hear it and went about our business. By 6pm nothing had arrived and I sadly had to accept that I wasn’t going to get my bike in time to ride it over the Easter break. I emailed the courier company, UK Mail, hoping there might be someone in on the Saturday to answer it. No such luck.

My brother then received an email from Wiggle saying the bike would be delivered on Tuesday 22 April. Great – except that there wouldn’t be anyone at home that day. In fact there wouldn’t be anyone at home till the following Friday. But of course I could just go online and change the delivery date using the consignment number that Wiggle had provided. Except I couldn’t. UK Mail still had the delivery date as the 18th and wouldn’t let me change it to the 25th.

I emailed them again, asking for the delivery date to be changed. No response. The delivery driver phoned on the 22nd saying he couldn’t deliver the bike. He put a card through the door and went away. Which meant I could now use the card number to rearrange delivery for Friday. That evening I happily went online, entered the card number into UK Mail’s automated system and … it still had the delivery date as 18th, and I still couldn’t change it.

By this time I was pretty pissed off, and I contacted Wiggle asking if they could sort something out. I also tweeted a couple of quite angry comments to UK Mail’s Twitter account. The following morning I got up early to phone UK Mail as soon as they opened. I spoke to a lady there who, after a couple of attempts – her system crashed every time she tried to do something; not exactly confidence inspiring – said delivery had been rearranged for Friday. I went off to work happy that everything was sorted. I even considered contacting Wiggle again to tell them it was all OK.

Mid-morning, however, I got call from a chap at Wiggle, who was very apologetic. He'd phoned UK Mail and it turned out that the bike was down for delivery that day – Wednesday, not Friday after all. He'd managed to get it changed to the 25th. Come Friday I wasn't convinced the bike would turn up so I asked The Chap for photographic evidence when (if) it did. And at 12.52 the image below arrived.

What could be in the box? A bike, obvs.

Friday evening was dedicated to giant box opening and attaching pedals and handlebars to Florence. The rest of weekend was dedicated to stroking and testing out Florence. I never did receive a reply to my emails from UK Mail.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Florence. 

Review: Shimano Women’s WM34 Touring Cycle Shoes

I test out my first-ever cycling-specific footwear; are they worth the cost?

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Why buy cycling-specific shoes? Well, for those of us terrified at the very idea of clipless pedals – attach your feet to the pedals? What if you lose your balance and don’t unclip in time? – it’s really about power and protection.

The shoes have much stiffer soles than normal footwear, and this transfers more of your pedalling effort directly to the pedals. The more rigid soles and tougher uppers also provide more protection for your feet, which is especially important for anyone cycling on the road a lot. I hadn’t really considered the need for special footwear until I decided to do the London to Cambridge. After some 60 miles of cycling I might appreciate having the right shoes.

I noticed the extra power immediately. For me this translated to higher gears, giving me lots of extra speed. My commute is now under half an hour, and that’s got to be a good thing – a shorter commute means longer in bed! I’m sure I must be burning calories, as well as miles, more quickly, too.

I noticed the extra power immediately – and I’m sure I’m burning calories, as well as miles, more quickly

I love the look of these shoes. Dark grey with pink highlights, they look like trainers. I wanted shoes that I could wear off my bike as well as on, and this pair definitely fulfil that criterion. The hard soles do make walking a bit difficult; you wouldn’t want to go very far in these, but for transitioning between the bike racks and the office, or even popping out to the shops during lunch time, they’re fine. As you’d expect, they’re perfectly comfortable to cycle in.

It did take me a while to get used to wearing these. Those thick, hard soles meant I wasn’t getting the same ‘feedback’ from the pedals as when wearing my usual light walking shoes. I felt I had less control, like my feet were more likely to slip off. This didn’t happen and I feel fine with them now.

The list price is £64.99, but I qualify for a discount with Wiggle and got the shoes for £57.19. Compared to some other pairs out there, this is cheap, but it’s still a tad more than I was planning on paying. However, I do think the shoes have improved my cycling and I’m pleased with my purchase.

Price: £64.99
Available from: Wiggle
Disclaimer: this product was bought and paid for by me

Review: Muc-Off Bike Care Essentials Kit

Winter rain makes keeping your bike clean essential. Find out what I thought of this kit from Muc-Off

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As an all-weather, all-seasons cyclist, my bike tends to get pretty mucky, and obviously I want to keep it as clean and shiny as possible. I had been using just soap and water, but this wasn’t really up to the job. Roads in winter tend to be quite oily and it wasn’t easy to get the layer of black off my bike, especially the wheels.

The kit in full. Cleaner, protector, brush, sponge and tote
bag to keep it all together. Photo by Idoru Knits.

That’s where Muc-off’s Bike Care Essentials Kit comes in. The package includes a sponge, a wheel and component brush, a Nano Tech bike cleaner and an after-clean bike spray, which protects and shines, and it comes with a tote bag to keep it all together. This all represents the first two parts of a three-part programme; the third, lube, is sold separately, and all elements in the kit can be bought separately too.

It’s much less labour intensive than soap and water and the end result is cleaner and shinier

It’s really easy to use, especially if you have a garden hose. Just wet your bike, spray it all over with the cleaner and then leave for a few minutes. Give it a good going over with the brush and sponge and rinse it all off with the hose again. Then spray with the bike spray to get rid of excess water and help protect against grease.

It works, too. It’s much less labour intensive than soap and water and the end result is cleaner and shinier. The bike spray really does help keep your bike clean between washes. You do use an awful lot of the cleaner, though. About a quarter of the bottle each time, so just four uses until you need a replacement, costing £8.50. There are various other kits to buy, however, which might save you some money.

My only real criticism is the sponge, which after just two uses has started to fall apart, with bits coming off. This is because I used it on the wheel spokes, so possibly my own fault, but I would have expected a sponge meant for cleaning bikes to hold up when attending to the spokes.

The sponge has unfortunately already started to fall apart.
Photo by Idoru Knits.

Cost: £25
Available from: Muc-Off
Disclaimer: this product was bought and paid for by me

New bike alert

I’m looking to upgrade, and this is what I want

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I think it’s safe to say that in just a short time I’ve become something of a cycling convert. I’ve had an awful lot of use out of my little hybrid. Commuting to work most days as well as heading out for rides on Sundays, through rain or shine (mostly rain!).

When The Chap bought me this bike we deliberately went for a cheap model as I had no idea if I’d carry on cycling – we didn’t want to spend hundreds of pounds just for the bike to end up in the shed for the next two years before getting Freegled. I also particularly wanted a hybrid so that I could use it for both commuting and for cycling along the River Lea towpath if I so wished.

At £599 this is apparently an entry-level road bike, although 600 quid sounds quite expensive to me

But now I feel it’s time to move on. I’ve always loved road bikes, or racers as I called them when I was a kid. After doing some research and trying out some bikes, including the very lovely Bianchi Women's C2C Nirone 7 Dama Sora, I have made my decision: the Felt Women’s ZW100. At £599 this is apparently an entry-level road bike, although 600 quid sounds quite expensive to me.

The bike has been specially designed for female riders and made for comfort, with a ‘relaxed geometry’, which allows a more upright riding position than some road bikes. This means it should be ideal for regular commuting.

I’ll be ordering the bike after payday (end of the month!), and will of course blog about it when it arrives.

The Felt Women's ZW100

Review: Craft ladies’ performance bike stretch jacket and dhb ladies’ merino zip neck base layer

The winter weather has really tested my cycling kit this month. Find out what I thought of my new jacket and base layer

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The last couple of weeks have provided me with the opportunity to really test out my winter cycling wardrobe. While this winter on the whole has been really rather mild, the last couple of weeks have included at least one very cold day and lots and lots of rain.

The base layer
When I took the dhb base layer out of the packaging my first reaction was “This is too nice to keep as a base layer – I could wear it to the pub!” The fit is absolutely spot on and I love the bright raspberry colour (it’s also available in grey).

The merino mix fabric is so light and thin it seems impossible that it could keep you warm, but so far I’ve mostly only needed the base layer and my winter jacket. In fact I’ve only twice had to wear another layer. It’s also incredibly comfortable to wear, and I speak (type?) as someone with very sensitive skin.

The dhb base layer. Love this colour.

The top is great at keeping you toasty while wicking away sweat. Unlike my other (cheaper) ones it doesn’t start to smell sweaty after a couple of outings, which is a bonus. I tend to push myself pretty hard on the bike, so yes, I do sweat, and I don’t want to start smelling a bit musty after just a couple of rides, or be constantly washing my kit.


My only gripe is the lack of choice regarding colour. All women’s cycling kit seems to be either pink or black/dark grey. Now I actually like pink, but that doesn’t mean I want everything I wear to be in this colour, and I don’t really want to be head to toe in black either. The combination of black leggings and top is just too ‘mime artist’ for me. A nice purple or turquoise would just add to the choices available.

The jacket
Combined with my Craft ladies’ performance bike stretch jacket, I haven’t really needed any other layers this winter. The jacket got a proper testing a couple of weeks ago, when, about halfway home, a light rain turned to a downpour of biblical proportions, complete with hail stones and high winds – I can reliably report that hail stones blown into the face while riding sting a lot.

By the time I arrived home my bottom half was absolutely drenched. In fact my shoes were still wet the next day, despite being left on a radiator all night. My top half, however, protected by the jacket, was completely dry.

By the time I arrived home my bottom half was absolutely drenched – my top half, however, was completely dry

It’s pretty hot in the looks department too: dark purple with turquoise stripes and silver light-reflective accents. I like long sleeves and the jacket doesn’t disappoint. The elasticated cuffs keep the wind out when I’m riding, but what I really like is the long ‘over-cuff’ which covers part of my gloves and provides an extra layer of warmth.

I’m generally not keen on tight clothing, so I’ve had to get used to the ultra-fitted look of cycling gear, and when I first put on this jacket I was a bit unsure. However, on the two occasions that I’ve had two layers on underneath it was fine. The fit is actually really good now that I’m more comfortable with the snugness of cycling clothing.

The Craft jacket. Sorry no photos of me wearing the clothes.
I tried but couldn't do it with my iPhone.

Both these items were given to me by family members as presents and were bought from www.wiggle.com; the jacket is no longer available.

Something to aim for

Never one to do things by halves, I’ve got a rather impressive goal in mind for cycling this summer

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In my last post I mentioned that I was thinking about a particular goal. Well anyone who knows me on Facebook might have noticed an announcement: I'm doing the London to Cambridge ride.

The ride takes place on 27 July, and I've managed to recruit a friend, the lovely Claire, to do it with me. She lives in Switzerland so we're going to set up an online training plan so we can share what we've been doing. It's about 60 miles, mostly over flat terrain. The ride starts at Pickett’s Lock along the River Lea, which is quite near home, and finishes at Cambridge's Midsummer Common. If the weather's nice it should be a lovely.

I've gone from not having even sat on a bike for about 20 years to being A Real Cyclist in just six months

I am, I admit, a bit apprehensive. I've only been cycling for six months, and so far the furthest I've been in one go is 16 miles. This was on Sunday (12 January), a ride from home to Enfield Lock and back along the River Lea tow path. It was really nice: no roads, lots of wildlife and a good distance for a Sunday ride. The important thing, however, is that I did it with ease. In fact I could have gone further. I'm pretty sure I could easily do 20 miles and probably do 25 at a push.

Training day
My training plan is to continue to cycle to work every day and then go on progressively longer rides at weekends. I’d like to be able to do 20 miles by the end of February and 40 by the end of May. This should mean I can do 60 miles by the end of July. But after Sunday I'm pretty sure I can already do 20 miles. I'm extremely pleased with myself about this. I feel like this is a real achievement – I've gone from not having even sat on a bike for about 20 years to being A Real Cyclist in just six months.

The ride is to support Breakthrough Breast Cancer, so I've got to raise some money. I'll be setting up a Just Giving page very soon. You can find out more about it all, and hopefully sign up, by going here.

The London to Cambridge ride: 60 miles of cycling fun.