I’ve been annoyed for a while now by a clunking noise my bike was making. It’s a new bike and I got it in January, but I have already put 1000 miles on it, mostly commuting but with several leisurely rides thrown in for good measure. It sounded like it was coming from the chainrings … Read more
It is a well-known fact that the city of Plymouth benefits from having the rather lovely Drake’s Trail, a (mostly) traffic-free cycle path that leads from the city all the way to Tavistock, via Yelverton, and includes the Plym Valley path. Indeed, Plymouth is the end-point (or start-point, depending on your direction of travel) of … Read more
With great expectation I’ve been awaiting the route and dates announcement for the 2013 Tour of Britain.Last year, I cycled out to meet up with my friend Simon and his wife, after which we cycled out to Merrivale (a Devon stage King of the Mountains segment outside Princetown) and I was rather hopeful that the … Read more
Dear Police, Like most people, I admire you for the often tough job you do and I understand that you are under-resourced, and your budgets are being squeezed from all sides. Yet despite this, you continue to do the job, and I’d like you to know we’re grateful for that. Since they were small, I’ve … Read more
A good cycle route is one that goes somewhere people want or need to go. That’s a very simple concept to understand, but apparently some people have trouble with it. On NCN27, between Yelverton and Tavistock, lies the hamlet of Grenofen. Once, before Grenofen Tunnel was re-opened as a cycle route, NCN27 skirted the edge … Read more
Yes, indeedy – I am now a British Cycling Ride Leader. Well, all truth be told, I’m an assistant Ride Leader as I don’t yet hold a valid first aid certificate. Once I have the first aid certificate, I’ll be auto-promoted to full Ride Leader. I attended a one-day training course yesterday in Plymouth, along with 9 … Read more
In the UK we have Advanced Stop Lines (ASLs) at many traffic lights. Some people call these the “cyclist’s box”. Rule 178 of the Highway Code says this about ASLs:“Advanced stop lines. Some signal-controlled junctions have advanced stop lines to allow cycles to be positioned ahead of other traffic.Motorists, including motorcyclists, MUST stop at the … Read more
Plymbridge Road, going towards Plympton* Somebody far wiser than me once said the hill is not in the way, the hill IS the way. (If you know who to attribute this to, please let me know?) On my new commute I have a fair few hills, which reminded me of this thought. See, we can … Read more
I’m an experienced cyclist, aren’t I? After all, I ride confidently in heavy traffic, and I ride thousands of miles every year, I know my Highway Code, my commute is 12 miles one way and I’ll often go out on my bike for a whole day’s riding. And yet, I feel like a complete novice! … Read more
Woohoo! After quite some time I have finally taken receipt of my new bike. It’s a B’Twin Triban 3, which you may or may not know, is an entry-level road bike. I decided to get a new bike through Cyclescheme as there were clear savings to be made. Fortunately my employers are very cycle-friendly (our … Read more
This is a picture of a road. Not just any old road, but a newly(ish) surfaced road in a newly regenerated old neighbourhood in Plymouth. Specifically, this is Ker Street in Devonport. The architects clearly tried to retain a link to the charming past of the area, a past that is reflected in the many … Read more
I used to commute around 4 miles each way to work, with Devonport Hill being the nearest to a “proper” uphill along the route. In my previous job my commute took in Greenbank Road, from Cattedown Roundabout to Mutley Plain, and Ham Lane, which has a 15% incline, so Devonport Hill (as far as I’m … Read more
“No thanks, I need to take the car as it’s far quicker”“But it must take FOREVER to cycle there!”“Cars are far quicker than cycling” Sounds like something you may have heard before? I bet it does! After all, cars can go stupidly fast and we all know that, don’t we? So it must be obvious … Read more
I recently submitted a Freedom of Information request to Plymouth City Council, asking several different things. Some of the questions I asked were: What is the actual amount the council spends annually on building and maintaining roads, for the past four years? What is the actual amount the council spends annually on building and maintaining … Read more
I recently moved, and as you can imagine, it was very hectic leading up to the day, and has been rather busy since.It was with some sense of sadness I said goodbye to the house where I’ve lived for the past 9 years. That’s the longest I’ve ever lived anywhere, and until we moved, my … Read more
Back in September 2012 I blogged about on-going roadworks in Plymouth, which while essential, made things far worse for cyclists than what was necessary. I emailed Plymouth’s Cycling Commisioner about this, with some suggestions of small changes that could have made things better for cyclists. She told me she’d put my suggestions to the relevant … Read more
On Tuesday, 23 October 2012, I was cycling along Embankment Road in Plymouth when I was overtaken by a Dial-a-Cab Plymouth taxi in a dangerous manner. Swearing under my breath, I let it slide, and further along, at the junction with Elliot Road, I filtered past the same Dial-a-Cab Plymouth mini-bus taxi (and some other vehicles) to get to … Read more
As I’ve said many times to just about anybody willing to listen (or just within earshot, even if unwilling to listen!) my hometown of Plymouth has the potential to be absolutely fantastic.Situated on one of the most stunning bits of coastline in the world, it has so much to offer to residents and visitors alike. … Read more
Winter is sneaking up on us, and it won’t be long before we have ice on pavements and cycle paths. Obviously we won’t have ice on most roads, as roads actually are gritted by the respective councils. In Plymouth, I want to set up a cycle gritter, which would basically mean a trailer towed behind … Read more