What a waste! Danny takes Ranger to task: More than £2m per mile to paint parking places blue?

Please don’t forget the photograph above, come election time in May.

“50 Ways the new bike can change your life”

On Bicycles is a great little book of short essays about Bike culture, gear and hints and tips from a wide cast of cycling writers.

With subjects as diverse as  safety,  how to park your bike, choosing a style, cargo biking, E-bikes , hand made frames , choosing a bag , route planning, health, economics,  attitude, bike culture and sub-cultures and political activism it has a little something for everyone.

It’s easy to dip in to and find something new and interesting no matter what kind of cyclist you are (or want to be) and will give you ideas on parts of bike culture you may not know so much about yet. It’s a well illustrated and nicely printed little book for the daily commuter and the first time rider alike.

Amy Walker is the cofounder of Momentum magazine, in Vancouver; an informative, beautiful and very succesful urban cycling magazine.

EVERYTHING NEW is at least 10% off, including bikes.
Many items at 20% and 30% off.
It will end on 21.1.12.
It does not apply to online orders.

Image by Romie Stanley, on 500px

Olympic champion, adventurer and columnist for the Telegraph James Cracknell bought a Christiania from us – and wrote about it in the Telegraph’s Motoring section.

Back in 2010 Cracknell was struck by a lorry whilst cycling across the United States. He has told the tale a number of times and here again, this time explaining how, from the assault and through having his driving licence taken away, he arrived at the decision to go Christiania.

Ironically, it’s the short journeys that cause the most problems and take planning that we normally wouldn’t consider: prime examples are nipping the kids to swimming practice, popping out for a pint of milk -

We don’t find it ironic – it’s a well documented conundrum to which many people have found the ideal solution.

So I began figuring out ways to work around it, like when I recently filled up the trolley on a weekly supermarket shop and then asked the store manager if he could look after my shopping while I cycled home and back three times with a crammed rucksack.

Ah, you found the solution too…

And now, in a bid to reclaim independence and be of some use around the house (at least on the transport front), I’ve bought the tricycle.

We’ve said it to you personally, we’ll say it again: congratulations! You have just joined the avant-garde of British transport.

Cracknell then goes on to explain Christiania trikes. Somewhat inaccurately – you’d better read about them here.

Although the trike’s box is decked out in 2012 Olympic colours, I don’t anticipate Sir Chris Hoy beating a path to my door to give it a spin around the velodrome next July.

And yet we wouldn’t be surprised if Sir Chris beating a path to our door – we find Christianias pretty essential for town living. James Cracknell’s rowing partner Sir Matthew Pinsent would attest – he’s got one too.

They are visually well crafted and intellectually stimulating:

1. The Alpe d’Huez and its winners
   
2. The nicknames of the Peloton
   
3. The Classification of Riders
   

The ultimate winter tyre available today would have to be Continental’s ‘Top Contact Winter II, which was designed for our northern winters. With tread that extends well into the shoulder area and a Safety System Guarantee which covers the tyre against punctures for one year from date of purchase. This means that If you receive a puncture during this period, you can return the tyre to us for a free replacement. The tyre also includes a FREE INNER TUBE!
£50.00

If punctures are troubling you but snow isn’t a concern then a Marathon Plus might be what you’re looking for. With 5mm of SmartGuard protection and rolling resistance that is comparable to the Marathon we recommend them for those who are relying on their bikes or trikes to be ready to ride all the time.
£32.00 – £35.00

If you’re looking for a more cost effective everyday commuting tyre then Schwalbe’s Marathon, which comes in almost all sizes, or the economical Continental’s ‘Tour Ride’ would be ideal. Both offer puncture protection, have suitable tread for all year round, and are a great price.
£25.00 and £15.00 respectively.

If speed and weight are important then Vittoria offers the Randonneur range with Aramid 3D Compound which is designed to deliver over long distances and abrasive surfaces, but retain the dynamic characteristics of sporting tyres.
£23.00 – £30.00

The ride is this Saturday, 26th November.

From Rubbish‘s website:

Team Rubbish has been v busy prepping for the upcoming Rugby Ralph Lauren Tweed Run. For those of you who haven’t a clue about this tweedtastic event, it’s a ten-mile bicycle ride around the Capital, taking place Saturday November 26th. Lots of our pals are taking part, so we thought we’d do the right thing and create a short film providing top tips on how to conduct oneself on the ride. Created exclusively for us by Pencil, we’d like to send a big shout out to composer Daniel Pemberton for the rocking soundtrack [hear him score, I mean his score on The Awakening among other marvellous moving moments], super bike store Velorution for the props [it is the best bike store on the planet], and director Ian Anderson for his patience with Mrs Rubbish, who bossed him around no end and made sure a lot of leaves were thrown all over the team for the final few shots…

UPDATE 27.11.11: Here is a well edited video from Mark (see how many Velorution bikes you can spot):

And the official promo from Ralph Lauren is also worth watching:

Our workshop is offering 10% off basic and general services until the end of the year, parts included.

Call 020 7636 6535 to book.

Here are our standard (pre-discount) rates.

We would be happy to issue gift vouchers redeemable at the workshop: perfect for your friend who already has all the gadgets. A voucher puchased now will attract the discount even if used in 2012.

Image via Trackosaurus Rex

Nice shot of Garance by the Sartorialist.

What seemed so far-fetched when we opened in 2005, can now be called realistic: 35% modal share for bicycles in London. See more here.

Above the £5 coin designed by Pippa Sanderson

Cyclabet was shown at ArtCrank, London.

Also alphabet-inspired are these removable tattoos by Matthew Sutter, produced by Tattly: