Brought to you by Going Going Bike

It’s Sunday and that can only mean one thing here at Going Going Bike, it’s time for the The Wheelie Good Round-Up. We hope you enjoy this week’s chosen nuggets of cycling goodness…

Bike thieves aren’t all bad
Not all bike thieves are bad? Well they are in our eyes but some are remorseful it seems. Earlier this week, we put up a story from the US about a thief in Aspen, Colorado, who returned a stolen bike to a police station with a note apologising for the theft. We were alerted to a similar story more local to the UK by a twitter follower. In this case, a bike thief in Aberystwyth returned a stolen bike (a Raleigh Rave MTB) to the owner with a note that said: “Sorry we borrowed your bike. We needed it as a getaway vehicle on Friday night. Apologies again.” We’re not quite sure of the legitimacy of the photo as Police in Aberystwyth say no theft of a Raleigh Rave mountain bike in the town had been reported but it is a nice story if true.

Cycling chat-up lines
Cycling is a very social activity. When stopping at the traffic lights, we often engage in conversation with our fellow cyclists. If that cyclist happens to be an attractive member of the opposite sex than all the better. Flirting is great though we all know a cheesy chat-up line can often seal the deal when you ask for a phone number! Luckily there are some choice cycling themed chat-up lines out there. If you have any more, let us know here at GGB.

Spread those wings
The GGB office was in fits of laughter after seeing the promotional video below for the Bike Butterfly invention. The Bike Butterfly is essentially a solution to stop pedestrians walking out on the street as you cycle. The wingspan of the butterfly wing acts as a guard against a pedestrian collision. Of course the video and website page are about a spoof product but we think the Bike Butterfly may have legs (note loose catepillar joke here) for use elsewhere…

Rake bike
German bike designer Dieter “Didi” Senft this week revealed his fully functional giant bike built with 111 garden rakes. Deiter is more commonly known for being the “Tour-Devil” at the Tour de France but is also known for making eccentric looking bicycles. The rake bike is his latest invention. We suspect it might just be seen somewhere along the Tour de France route this year. We’re just hoping no one slides off the seat on to the top tube otherwise they may have a bit of a nasty accident with those sharp rake edges.

A gold plated bike
As expensive bikes go, you’d think a gold plated bike would cost the earth. Not so. This week a gold plated bike will go up for auction at auctioneers Dreweatts but is only expected to fetch £2,000 at auction. The gold plated bike is a customised Italian Tommasini gent’s tourer with a 35cc engine. It has a gold-plated frame, and gold plated parcel rack with the saddle, brake levers and pannier bags all made from the finest leather. This gold plated Tommasini is one of only two ever made and was purchased in 1995 from a Swiss luxury vendor. We’re sure it would fetch more than £2,000 on the GGB marketplace!

Here comes the science bit…

Global Cool wants you to lead a green and happy life. This article can help you to be green by:
1. Walking or cycling whenever you can
2. If you can’t cycle them make sure you’re using public transport rather than the car.

For more great cycling news and stories follow us on Twitter or Facebook

Pics: trindade.joao (CC) and Going Going Bike

Brought to you by Going Going Bike

Welcome to our usual weekend round-up of what’s topical, hot and not in the biking world. Enjoy…

The alternative bike shelf
Last week we featured an item on about a bike shelf. That bike shelf was a piece of furniture that hung your bike in the home but also doubled as a shelf to put books or ornaments on. This week we bring you a bicycle that is the shelf itself. When we say shelf we may be pushing it but it does count as a bit of storage furniture in our minds. The bike in question, a 1947 Husqvarna (see photo below), belongs to Mikael Colville-Andersen of Copenhagenize fame. The wall-mounted bike is used as storage item for various objects such as flip flops, hats, coats and umbrellas. What a fantastic idea!

A trike like no other
I’m guessing many of you like me started out on your bike journeys at an early age on a trike bike. Devin Graham probably did, which probably explains why as a grown man, he likes going down hills at extreme speeds on his bastardised version of a trike. Not content with going 55 kph down Powder Mountain in Utah, Devin has now invented the extreme sport of trike drifting, which looks to us as equally dangerous. It looks fun, but I think I’ll get my adrenalin kicks trying to ride in London traffic. Enjoy the footage shot by Devin and his friends below…

Bicycle still chic with the fashion set
The fashion industry’s love of the bicycle doesn’t seem to be diminishing in anyway. The recent shows in London, Paris and Milan all confirmed a love of all things cycling. In Paris, Sonia Rykiel’s spring and summer collection for 2012 was themed around a city cycling theme (main picture). Elsewhere, British label PPQ incorporated bicycles (made by UK handmade bike maker Rule Bicycles) into their catwalk show at London Fashion Week. Not to be outdone, Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana produced a specially commissioned bike for its Milan show. Unsurprisingly it is Pink Leopard Print.

Wear your tyre wear
What do you do when your old tyres are ripped to shreds? Throw them out? If you were creative enough you would think of a use for them just as Australian jewellery designer Jeni Oye has with her latest Bicycle Bracelet pieces. The bracelets feature old bike tyres (which have been cleaned up) that are placed on curved aluminum. The pieces, like the Vittoria Rubino bracelet featured below, aren’t cheap however at £110. Jeni is also known for her sprocket necklaces.

Illustrating the quirks of biking
We’re regular visitors to the excellent Bikeyface blog. Since June 2011, Bikeyface has been producing illustrations to raise awareness of issues related to biking and principally her own experiences of urban cycling in Boston in the US where she lives. Her most recent illustrative effort had the GGB office in stitches as it is something that rings true with our own experiences – Why do drivers and pedestrians think we know everything about the urban environment we all share. We suspect you may be bookmarking her blog for future reads.

Here comes the science bit…

Global Cool wants you to lead a green and happy life. This article can help you to be green by:
1. Walking or cycling whenever you can
2. If you can’t cycle them make sure you’re using public transport rather than the car.

For more great cycling news and stories follow us on Twitter or Facebook

Pics: PA Images and GoingGoingBike

Brought to you by Going Going Bike

Welcome to the Wheelie Good Round-Up and this week’s selection of the wacky & weird, entertaining & enlightening, in the world of cycling…

Storage that double as a shelf
Bike storage within the home is always a problem where space is limited. There are of course numerous solutions that allow you to hang your bike on the wall including the Cycloc system we sell on Going Going Bike, but for something really aesthetically pleasing we draw your attention to the Bike Shelf from US furniture designers Knife & Saw.

As you can see from the picture (right), the Bike Shelf is essentially a shelf that doubles as a place to hang your bike in your home. The shelf is designed to easily install into wall studs for maximum strength.

On the boards and on track
Last week, GGB were lucky enough to go to the test event at the new Olympic Velodrome (see our blog on that visit here). We remarked to ourselves while watching how great it would be to get on some Velodrome boards somewhere and have a go ourselves in a GGB track day. The video below, a bird’s eye view of a professional going around Manchester’s National Cycling Centre Velodrome track, only wets our appetite and to be honest makes us scared at the same time given the speed he is going at. Check out the video for yourself.

The no-contact dynamo light
There is much to like about a dynamo powered lights. No need to buy replacements batteries for one. However dynamo lights tend to be overly large with the further complications of wires and the weight of dynamo hubs. The dynamo powered Magnic Light, invented by German inventor Dirk Strothmann, could however be a game changer. The Magnic Light is a self-contained brake mounted light that does not even require contact with a wheel to work. How does it work? High powered magnets in the light unit react with the metallic rim of a wheel to produce eddy currents. These currents are absorbed by a generator kernel in the Magnic Light unit with the subsequent energy powering the lights. Mr Strothmann is raising money to fund production of the Magnic Light via Kickstarter. Check it out in this video…

Bikes help Godiva ride again
This summer’s Olympic Games are just not about a celebration of sport. There is a Cultural Olympiad taking place that runs concurrently with the Games itself. One of the 12 public art commissions by the Art Council for the Cultural Olympiad will be Godiva Awakes, a 30-foot model of Lady Godiva that will be powered by 100 cyclists riding tricycles. Lady Godiva is known for her infamous ride naked on horseback in Coventry in protest against her husband’s oppressive tax regime. A series of images of the whole Godiva Awakes project coming together can be viewed here.

Mind your head
Investment into cycling facilities by local authorities are very much welcome but a recent cycle path development in Axminster in Devon appears to be a bit of investment blunder. The path at one point goes under a tunnel that is too low height wise to ride under. On top of that the tunnel becomes unrideble when it floods. This tunnel section of the path has a height restriction of just 1.8m. This means that if you are taller than 5ft 9ins you may have a problem cycling or walking through it. A sign has now been put up that reads “Low bridge ahead. Cyclists dismount” as you enter either side of the tunnel but it may be still a case of mind your head as you walk under it.

Here comes the science bit…

Global Cool wants you to lead a green and happy life. This article can help you to be green by:
1. Walking or cycling whenever you can
2. If you can’t cycle them make sure you’re using public transport rather than the car.

For more great cycling news and stories follow us on Twitter or Facebook

Pics: PA Images and GoingGoingBike

Brought to you by Going Going Bike

Hope you enjoy our usual collection of the more wonderful and weird bite-sized nuggets from the biking world…

Bicycle Aerobatics
There is trick and stunt cycling and then there is Ines Brunn. This German lady, who now lives in China and runs a bicycle shop in Beijing, is known the world over for her displays of artistic cycling. In other words, her fixed gear bike is a moving prop for some more gymnastic forms of riding. The video below shows off some of her moves and her motivations for riding a bike as well deciding to live in China. She is truly one inspiring woman.

What type of cyclist are you
We all love our bikes but we have differing levels of obsession with the bicycles we ride and the type of cycling we do. Rich from the wonderful Brain Farts of a Bike Tart blog has had a go at trying to classify what type of cycling obsessive exists out there. We just love to ride here at GGB but you may be different. See which category of rider most describes you from Rich’s blog post or you may want to suggest a new one to him.

What does a cyclist do
We love this little photo image about the different perceptions that people may have of us as cyclists on the road. It hits the nail right on the head..

A helmet that folds
Cycling helmets are great for protecting your head if you choose to wear one but they are a bit of a pain to carry around. If you are a commuter, it would be nice if you could fit one into your bag without it taking up all the space in it. French design studio Agency 360 may have come up with a solution with their Overade bicycle helmet. The helmet can be folded in half to a more compact size. The Overade is yet to go into formal production as more safety tests are required but the helmet is thought to offer the same amount of protection as a normal helmet. Agency 360 have a background in bike design having worked with Look Cycles and being involved in the design of the MY16 folding bike.

Never too old to attempt a record
Last week, we brought you a story of a 90 year old still out and about cycling (an incredible 6,000 miles). This week, we carry along a story with a similar vein though this time a world record by a 100 year old cyclist. French cyclist Robert Marchand has set a new age group world record for the hour. Riding at the Aigle velodrome in France, Robert rode 24.251 kilometres within the hour. Mr Marchand’s name is synonymous with France’s cyclo-sportif events, even having a mountain pass named after him – Chapeau Robert.

Here comes the science bit…
Global Cool wants you to lead a green and happy life. This article can help you to be green by:

1. Walking or cycling whenever you can
2. If you can’t cycle them make sure you’re using public transport rather than the car.

For more great cycling news and stories follow us on Twitter or Facebook

Pics: PA Images and GoingGoingBike

Brought to you by Going Going Bike

It’s that time again for some bite-sized biking nuggets from us here at Going Going Bike. We hope you enjoy this week’s selections…

1. Fool a bike thief
Looking for a cheap anti-theft device? We’ve got a suggestion but we’re not sure it really is that effective – rust stickers. The rust and scratch stickers are designed to make your beautiful bike look rusted and scratched so that any passing thieves won’t give it a second look. Rust stickers designer Domonic Wilcox confirms that his bike has yet to be stolen since he put them on his lovely new bike. The stickers and some of Domonic’s work can be found here.

2. The alternative Highway Code for cyclists
The Highway Code has specific rules for cyclists. These are contained in sections 59 to 82. Generally speaking there is some good advice in there. It is well worth having a refresher on some of the rules. Having said that, we think we prefer the take on sections 59 to 82 that is taken by Cycling Embassy of Great Britain Founder Jim Davies on his Lo Fidelity Bicycle Blog. With much humour Jim adpats the rules to give a more accurate experience of a cyclist. The post had us in stitches here at GGB’s offices.

3. Trick riding on a road bike?
Our video this week is a stunt and tricks video – on road bikes. Yes, road bikes. There is not a lot of give in a carbon road bike frame or fork but as these guys show in the video much of the technique in doing bike tricks is bike handling and these guys do it very well. I’m not sure I would be trying it on any £11,000 bike of mine though. Both bikes used in the clip are the Alize model made by US frame maker Neil Pryde.

4. Never too old to cycle
You can only be inspired by 90 year old Norman Gregory. Despite his age, Norman clocked up almost 6,000 miles on his bike last year and while he’s not been out too much this year due to the cold spell, he’s still clocked up 350 miles. It appears Norman, who is from Cockfield, near Bury St Edmunds, has commuted on a bike all his life, even cycling the 200 mile trip from his university in York back to home Suffolk in his youth. We hope we’re still on the bike at his age.

5. Four wheeled cycling
Bicycle wheeled transport can come in many forms. There is the Unicycle, the Bicycle and the Tricycle but hands-up anyone who has heard of the quadricycle. I didn’t until I came across the spider like bike called the StoM Bouquetin. Odd as it looks, the StoM is a beautiful looking piece of engineering. Unsurprisingly, given their close design nod to a Quad motorcycle bike, quadricycles are more likely to be used out on trail riding.

Here comes the science bit…
Global Cool wants you to lead a green and happy life. This article can help you to be green by:

1. Walking or cycling whenever you can
2. If you can’t cycle them make sure you’re using public transport rather than the car.

For more great cycling news and stories follow us on Twitter or Facebook

Pics: Aggrrh (CC) and GoingGoingBike

Brought to you by Going Going Bike

Once again it’s time for our usual mix of bite-sized bike-related items that we hope will bring a smile to your weekend. Enjoy…

1. The man who lived on his bike
No explanation needed for this week’s video – The man who lived on his bike.  This one-man art project sees our rider in various guises spending his days on the bike (while it’s moving) at work, rest and play in Montreal over 382 days.  Just to warn you there is a naked man on this bike though his bits are blurred out in this version of the video…

2. Online urban cycling book
Looking for some bike-related reading material while you sip on that espresso post ride? We recommend Urban Cycling, a book by Katie King Rumford, which examines the problems of biking in urban areas by suggesting alternatives and solutions to those problems. Katie is a graphic design artist and the book, which is lavishly designed with some awesome photography, was a final student project for her graduate level graphic design program. There is an online version of the book that is free to read using Issuu – read it here. It’s definitely worth checking out.

3. Bike valet service
It seems all sorts of businesses want to get that cycling pound now cycling is increasing in popularity. In London, this has seen the Crowne Plaza London – The City, offer a bike valet and repair service. This particular Crowne Plaza hotel encourages guests, who stay with them, to bring their own bike. The hotel’s concierge will be on-hand to complimentary valet park the guest’s bike at the hotel, while there is also a cleaning and repair service if needed. The hotel also offers a residential package that offers bike hire as part of the stay at the hotel.

4. Wheelie good record
It has all been about cycling related world records on the Round-Up recently. This week, we bring you news of the world record distance for a wheelie without pedaling (called a manual). Sixteen year old Zach Hutlelin travelled 686.25ft/209.2m on his Specialized P.3 mountain bike around a specially designed course at Markham Park in Sunrise, Florida in December. The record, which has only just been recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records, topped the previous distance of 334ft/101.8m by Jim DeChamp. Having seen some of the more extreme downhill manual riding, we think we’ll leave this trick to the youngsters.

Here comes the science bit…
Global Cool wants you to lead a green and happy life. This article can help you to be green by:

1. Walking or cycling whenever you can
2. If you can’t cycle them make sure you’re using public transport rather than the car.

For more great cycling news and stories follow us on Twitter or Facebook

Pics: mjb84 and incentivetravel

Brought to you by Going Going Bike

It’s Sunday and that can only mean one thing here at Going Going Bike: it’s time for the The Wheelie Good Round-Up. We hope you enjoy this week’s chosen nuggets of cycling goodness…

1. Barbie Cycle Chic
Cycle chic appears to have reached Barbie with the dolls’ maker Mattel launching the Barbie Glam Bike. The Glam Bike is a cruiser type bike, painted in Barbie’s signature pink with glittery decal. Barbie herself has forsaken a pair of heels for a pair of purple flat sports shoes while her clothing is more glitzy sports casual than anything. Mattel promises that Barbie’s legs actually move as she rides on the bike (well when you move her around on the bike anyway).

2. Magnetic attraction
When is a bottle cage not a bottle cage? When it is not a cage at all. US firm Vincero Design has come up with a patented way of making a water bottle sit on a bike as if it was floating without having any cage support to keep it in place. Instead of a cage, Vincero have placed a lightweight mount (16g) on a bike frame. This contains a high-powered earth magnet. When this interacts with a similar magnet on a specially made Vincero bottle, the power of both magnets holds the bottle into place. The mount and one 20oz (591ml) bottle will retail for a competitively priced £33.99 in the UK when it is launched here in the next month.

3. Death defying mountain biking
Mountain biking downhill on a technical course is scary at the best of times for any amateur but doing it on the side of a mountain where there is only a minimal path and a big drop off if you fall strikes us as just madness. This doesn’t seem to be a problem for the guys in the video below who show great skill navigating such a death defying course. I’m not sure I would walk on such paths never mind ride a bike over it…

4. Shane Warne’s cycling rant
The growing popularity of cycling in Australia is not shared by everyone it seems. On Friday, high profile former cricketer Shane Warne went off on a rant on Twitter about cyclists and cycling. From an original tweet, where Shane pleaded cyclists should cycle single file on roads (there’s no doubt his fuel guzzling vehicle was inconvenienced in some way on a journey yesterday), he then proceeded to tweet comments that bikes needed to carry registration number plates, and that cyclists should stop being so aggressive to motorists. He also retweeted the usual old uninformed clap trap about cyclists have to pay road tax. The law in Australia is basically the same as it is here in the UK. Roads are paid by general and local taxation. We don’t normally encourage a bit of sledging but we wouldn’t blame you after reading some of the comments on his timeline.

Here comes the science bit…
Global Cool wants you to lead a green and happy life. This article can help you to be green by:

1. Showing you that cycling is really super cool and everyone should do it.
2. If you can’t cycle then just make sure you get on public transport rather than driving.

For more great cycling news and stories follow us on Twitter or Facebook

Pics: Going Going Bike and K.Steudel

Brought to you by Going Going Bike

Well it appears our little round-up of cycling related bite sized goodies was a hit judging by the number of page visits last week. We hope the round-up helps bring a smile to your face this weekend. Let’s get started…

Crocheted cycling shorts

Star Wars cycling style

For more great cycling news and stories follow us on Twitter or Facebook

Pics: Weird Asia News, Culture Cycle and Burton