Goodbye summer, Hello autumn

Goodbye summer!

As we plunge into autumn, we say HELLO timidly, as we are aware we have been missing from the blogosphere for far too long!

We are gathering material to carry on showing and sharing Manchester growing cycling culture, in the meantime we send out a request to come and join our Flickr group and to submit your photos of Manchester cyclists out and about in their everyday clothes.

They will be duly credited here on the blog.

We've mentioned in the past that we created this blog to share with others that everyday cycling doesn't require specialised, expensive clothing... but that to enjoy the many benefits of cycling - freedom, ease and speediness to get places - we can all just wear what we would wear if hopping on a bus, train, tram... you name it!

One day we'll proudly showcase images a la` Copenhagen Cycle Chic, but for the time being we'll be celebrating every little steps that this city and its cyclists will be taking.

Bike Babble: Vicky

Vicky, outside Bicycle Boutique

Hello! What are you riding?
A Pashley Poppy - handbuilt in Stratford, weighing 18kg, with some fetching but quite useless Japanese cherry blossom and gingham panniers from RideLow. She is covered in stickers for Boneshaker Magazine and Copenhagen Cycle Chic and is called Maggie May. I love her so much I even had her name tattooed on my arm, which is increasingly a sartorial challenge when working with young people as I have to keep it covered up. I got her in 2009 on the bike to work scheme. She has cork handle bar grips, drum brakes and hub gears.
And where are are you going today?
The Spokes Royal Wedding Alley Cat which was an alternative celebration of Wills and Kate getting married and a chance to be silly on bikes around the town centre!Then went on Critical Mass and a street party in Hulme.
What's the best thing about cycling in Manchester?
The variety of cyclists - from hardcore mountainbikers through to hipster students on fixed gears. There aren't many other cities where there's such a range of people doing great things on two wheels - from bike dance groups to bike film nights...it's all going on.
What could be improved?
The infrastructure in Manchester is woeful and could be improved - in Trafford they've started taking away any cycle lanes that aren't at least a metre wide so that'll be most of them. This means I've lost count of the number of times my flatmate has nearly been killed by a taxi driver, there's always people parked in the cycle lanes and Oxford Road is a bit of a death trap. That said I'd rather be freewheeling with Maggie than sat on a bus.

There is nothing wrong with this man

I spotted this chap, presumably about to set off home by bike. He is dressed in bike-specific trousers, jacket and even shoes, with a high-visibility tabard and pannier cover and a helmet. There is nothing wrong with this man.

The Cycle Chic movement was borne partly out of a desire to "re-normalise" cycling, to make it feel like a normal everyday activity which almost anyone can enjoy. I imagine the man in the picture is happy with his choice of clothing and his bicycle, and I say good for him. Some people misinterpret the cycle chic movement as being against cyclists like the man pictured, but this is not at all the case. What we are trying to show is that his way of cycling is not the only way. He prefers to wear specialist cycle gear but someone else may prefer not to.

The problem here in the UK is that the cycle industry and mainstream media portray cycling solely as a sporting activity, which attracts people who are predisposed to enjoying cycling for sport. What it also does is put-off people who want to cycle a few miles to get around, visit the shops or meet a friend for lunch by making it seem like an energy-intensive activity requiring specialist gear, sporty bicycles and a lot of perspiration. The aim of the Cycle Chic movement is not to find the most fashionable cyclists or to direct hate at sport-focussed cyclists who wear specialist clothing. It is simply a way to try and redress the imbalance in the image of cycling in the UK, where too much focus is given over to sport-cycling and the potential for the bicycle to be used as everyday transport is all too often overlooked.

Silver cyclist

It's nice to see the occasional more mature gentleman cycling down student-dominated Oxford Road once in a while, and looking stylish at the same time.

Bike babble: Richey

 

Richey, Piccadilly Gardens

Hello! What bike are you riding?

A York Free Spirit. I've not seen many of them about, and I'm not sure if that's because there's not many of them or because nobody wants one.

And where are you going today?

I'm going home to south Manchester. I've been out shopping in town today.

What's the best thing about cycling in Manchester?

The lack of hills.

What could be improved?
The existing cycling infrastructure... road markings could be more clearly illustrated, and I think the council has a long way to go in providing cycling facilities.
We like your panda t-shirt.
My panda t-shirt likes you.

Baskets

No matter what bike you have, a basket is always a pretty addition. As well as being rather useful!
Plus, you can customise it no end! Flowers, ribbons, bunting, toys, stickers... you name it. The basket below is from my bike, silk purple flowers are bound to steal a smile everytime I ride.

Walking your bike

Who says you have to ride your bike all the time, the brilliancy of the bike is that with friends sans vélo, you can easily walk your bike, and chat, and have fun... and look rather dapper, as this fine chap illustrates!

Northwest is Best

Photo by LC. Thanks!

Hello! I'm northwest is best, one of the contributors to this fine blog. Cycling isn't one of my passions - it's just something that I do everyday to get around. And when I do cycle, it's in my normal clothes. Well, I call them 'normal', but they're a bit brightly coloured for some people.

Oxford Road

Oxford Road is one of the busiest cycling routes in Manchester, full of students heading to the two universities and people commuting into town. You can see all sorts of bikes and all sorts of cyclists, from front racks to flip flops and ponytails to printed backpacks. The charming fellow at the bottom left has even matched his t-shirt to his bike frame. Bravo!