Bankside Bike Shed

My good friend and amateur frame designer Mark, who has some information on his handiwork at

http://www.welwynmachineworks.blogspot.com/ has pointed me in the direction of a new architectural competition organised by the Architecture Foundation.It is for an innovative and portable modular bike storage facility, which also needs to act as a signpost or branding opportunity.

The details/brief are at http://www.architecturefoundation.org.uk/assets/files/Competitions/Bankside%20BikeShed/Bankside%20BikeShed%20Brief.pdf and we are tempted to give it a whirl.

If there are any ideas on what the ideal bike storage should include, feel free to let us know. We are thinking this is an ideal way of introducing some ideas from Holland and Denmark, where this sort of thing is not exactly thought of as cutting edge, to the UK - where it is.

Big Blue Bike

Following on from my pre-Christmas post about the sudden onrush of cargo-bike envy, I was delighted recently to have spotted a genuine Larry v Harry bullitt on the streets of Cardiff. It turns out that this one belongs to Ben Allen at Big Blue Bike Professional Bike Couriers, who kindly replied to my metaphorical wave hello via email. You can follow Ben on:

http://twitter.com/Big_Blue_Bike

http://bigbluebike.wordpress.com/

Give him a real wave if you see him!

Christmas Wish List

Dear Father Christmas...



The Bullitt Race by Larry v Harry



Please, please please bring me one of these awesome little beauties. I've been good, mostly, and I reckon I really deserve this. I'll make sure there is a stocking big enough and I'll leave plenty of mince pies, sherry and a carrot or two for Rudolph. If I had one of these, I could even give you a hand next year - it's a win-win situation.

Thank you,

Toby, age 39.



Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from a suitably festive Cardiff, decked out in a fresh dump of powder...

Safe Cycling Online and a Brilliant Idea from the LoFidelity Bicycle Club

As a newcomer to the world of cycling on the internet, it is pretty challenging to feel confident what with all the heavy traffic and occassional jugganaut chundering past you close-by. There are lots of difficult new skills to learn - are you a segregationist or a integrationist? Are you a lycra-fiend or simply in a suit? Folding or fixie? There is difficult terminology to negotiate such as "ASL" or "modal share". Basically, as a novice, it is so easy to come a cropper and get seriously hurt. Don't even go near the dabate about helmets or not...

Luckily, it looks like CyclingJim at the Lo Fidelity Bicycle Club has had a brainwave and is going to set up an Cycling Embassy for the UK, based on a similar organisation in Denmark, of course. All the fears of new internet cyclers will dissipate as clarity and confidence spreads. Even more importantly, actual real-life cycling is going to benefit when the goals of the early mission statement start to become reality. At Estudio27, we are very excited about the possibilities of this idea and hope to help as best we can. CyclingJim even namechecks architects in his mission statement, so respect and support to him whatever. Let's see what the future holds.

Planning Can be Thrilling

Cardiff Council is revisiting the Local Development Plan (LDP) that sets out the "vision" for the future of Cardiff. It also sets out what new development is planned and where it will happen. As the reference document for all planning applications for the next five years at least, it is an important document.

There is an online questionnaire, and it would be great if the citizen cyclists of Cardiff could make their views clear so a message is sent about the importance of cycling infrastructure. Responses required by the 10th December.

http://surveys.cardiff.gov.uk/yourcity/capitaltimes/

 Cardiff Council have developed a vision for Cardiff that states:

"By 2020... Cardiff will be a world class European capital city with an exceptional quality of life and at the heart of a thriving city region".

Got our work cut out then, considering Cardiff is ranked about 200th in terms of European cities. Perhaps an wholehearted embracing of properly considered cycling infrastructure, plus a genuine city-wide bike hire scheme would do the trick?

High Visibility, Low Self Esteem

The hi-viz tabard of dreams

I am torn by a dilemma. I fancy myself as an urban cyclist - I diligently read Copenhagen Cycle Chic, I want Mikael to photograph me and wax lyrical about how cool I look cycling to work in the gentle morning light. I want to ride gloriously unencumbered by health and safety preoccupations, helmets or hi-viz tabard.

But, I also want to arrive at work safe and sound.

Although my ride is embarrassingly short, it does include one of the major entry roads into Cardiff, and there is no cycle infrastructure to speak of. There are, however, several lanes of cars, plenty of buses and a worryingly large number of big lorries. So now winter is upon us and dark nights and foggy mornings are the norm, I wear my hi-viz tabard. I hate it, I despise it, but I feel safer with it on. I know that by wearing it, I am associating myself with the respected trades people, delivery people, officials and stewards that are genuinely empowered by the tabard. I know that by wearing it, I am perpetuating the view of cycling as a dangerous minority activity only suitable for those with the correct equipment and ill-fitting tabard. I know that by wearing it, I am further putting off the day when seeing masses of elegant men and women cycling to work in Cardiff in their business attire would be normal rather than just a pipe dream.

But, I also want to arrive home safe and sound.

Better to believe then that the tabard represents my own hideously fluorescent attempt at a personal cycling infrastructure. I rely on the power of the tabard to keep traffic at bay and create a little bubble of Copenhagenesque cycling experience around me. How much simpler if the cycling infrastructure was there for me to use instead, and the tabard could revert to its true calling, clinging to the back of white-van man.