Commuting

Bike riders in the northern hemisphere keep pedalling through snow, ice and sub-zero temperatures. With our comparatively mild winters, Australians have no excuse for giving up their wheels in cooler months. However, winter does bring new challenges, and riders need to adjust their style and equip themselves and their bikes to accommodate the cold weather, wet conditions and low visibility.

Beating the cold

When the temperature drops instinct tells us to rug up, but ironically, overheating is a common problem for winter riders.

I've been commuting to work by bicycle for more than 25 years; endless hours of stop/start riding on grimy roads pockmarked with deadly potholes. Not only is it a battle against the weather, but you're taking your chances with zoned-out pedestrians, aggressive minicabbers and myopic lorry drivers, too.

But that was the bad old days. The past few years have seen an explosion of urban cycling and the pastime is now basking in something of a golden moment.

They wore silver racing shoes and black leather boots, sneakers and ballet flats, but all of them were there for one purpose: to ride. Several dozen bike lovers took to the streets Saturday morning on a tour of Salt Lake City’s newest bike lanes and innovations as city officials showed off their latest progress.

IBM (yes, the IBM) recently released a global study of traffic, surveying over 8,000 adult drivers in 20 major cities. Perhaps the results are not that surprising - traffic is perceived by drivers as getting worse in the last three years. Thirty percent of those surveyed felt increased stress while 27% reported increased anger. Twenty nine percent reported that traffic harmed their performance in work or school, and 38% reported having cancelled a planned trip due to anticipated traffic.

The vast majority of cyclists are frequently making these errors on the roads. Anyone who recognises and corrects their errors can cycle more safely, confidently and efficiently. Up until last week I was regularly making these mistakes too. However, a 2 hour course I completed last Thursday, by the highly recommended Cycle Training UK, completely changed my cycling technique. Here are the mistakes commonly made and how they can be corrected.

1. Riding where cars can’t see you

New York (CNN) -- When writer-actor John Leguizamo shows up to do a show in New York, fans outside the theater are surprised to see him ride up on a bicycle. "People go, 'Hey, John, I thought you'd be in a limo.'

"This is my limo, my green limo. I'm saving the planet for your kids and your grandkids," says the performer, who has starred in award-winning one-man shows on Broadway and appeared in dozens of films and TV shows.

In the spring, biking feels so comfortable and natural happy cyclists are left wondering why they would ever drive or take public transport. Then summer hits and that pleasant morning ride becomes a sweaty nightmare. One way to fight the heat and humidity is to let the bike do some—if not all—of the work for you.

Good writes:

After watching an inspired doco called ‘The Age of Stupid’, my wife Sarah and I began Mamachari Bicycles at the start of 2010 as a way to learn to live more lightly on this beautiful planet we’ve been blessed with. Since then, we’ve become importers, bike mechanics, bloggers, retailers and in a way, cycle advocates.

Secure parking is crucial if bikes are to be used more as a main form of transportation (or in combination with public transit). The 1,600 sq/ft Bikestation in Washington DC is a good example of how to do it properly, and it's not just parking: They also have changing rooms, lockers, bike rental, bike repair and retail sales. All of this right next to Union Station, and major transit hub. View video here at StreetFilms.org