Cycling in Glasgow

[Moniker42]

I'll just have to get down to the practical issues, then. Scouring every last page of the Internet to determine the best possible bicycle for my ends. Finding a lock that requires a team of firemen to remove without the right key. Bike satnav. A helmet that doesn't give me a tri-stripe mohican after a few minutes. And last but not least, how to afford all this new gear!

I shall be pestering the cycling dealerships of Glasgow with vague questions in the near future.

[AlanM]

I have a helmet to thank for still being here. I was travelling along Dumbarton Rd (westbound) at Partick Cross when a Private Hire Car turned right from Dumbarton Rd into Benalder Street. I hit his front wheel and was thrown over the bonnet landing head first on the road on the other side of the car. If I hadn't been wearing a helmet I would have sustained serious injury..or worse

[dougie79]

Im with you on the helmet front Alan, I was knocked off my bike in shawlands by an ar*ehole going through a red light. Was a bit brused but lived to tell the tale. I think the £20 was well worth it. I often use the cycle track from partick to Balloch, it runs along part of the old railway then along the canal side. Great on a nice summers day and you can get a nice cold beer at Balloch.

[Lucky Poet]

Looks like I'm very much in the no-helmet minority here . Ach weel, plus ça change.
M42, I'd give serious thought to one of these: >Link<. About the best urban bike you can get for less than silly money, imho. (And I'm not even on commission.) As for bike satnav, yes please! I nearly ended up in Cumbernauld once by mistake, then not long after somehow failed to find Lanark, ending up going round in confused circles for about an hour.

[Cyclo2000]

Hi guys.
I've been a Racing Cyclist most of my life (see Glasgow's Cycling Heritage for related posts).

On the subject of helmets
A pro's don't wear 'em except when racing and only then cos they're compelled
B if a car hits you these skid lids won't help much
C By all means buy one if you think it'll help.

I have one, wear it on club runs (compulsory) but hardly ever if I'm just out for a ride on my own
In all the years I've cycled I only knew one guy who got a serious head injury (through tailgating a van that suddenly stopped. He went into the back of it). During the same period of time 3 people with whom I'm aquainted have been run over by cars whilst walking - no-one is yet suggesting that all pedestrians should wear a helmet...

In terms of city riding, the best advice i can give you (which is the advice the CTC authorise) is to ride AGGRESSIVELY but you might prefer to think of it as ASSERTIVELY
That is to say
A Ride well out from the gutter. Do not let your self be intimidated. Believe it or not, most drivers will respect your space and go round you. If you hug the kerb you'll get debris in your tyres and drivers will try to squeeze past you.
B Obey all traffic signals and usual laws. Stop at lights and wait your turn. If you behave like a car and position yourself like a car drivers are more likely to treat you like a car.
C Never ever under any circumstance ride on a pavement. Pavements are for pedestrians and on the bike you are not of them.
D Make use of every cycle path you can. Cycling among busy traffic is dangerous and smelly.

In terms of cost you need to budget at least £400 IMO, and £500 if you can. Decent bikes cost about £300, much less and your usually buying a toy. The Edinburgh Bicycle Co-Op will furnish you with something serious for about £250 but they are the exception rather than the rule and that would be for an MTB style bike rather than a racer. For riding on the road consider a road bike rather than an MTB, the fat tyres etc. on mountain bikes and all that suspension will only rob you of forward motion. Why work harder than you need to?
Consider clipless pedals and shoes. No-one who has ever bought them's regretted it. Same goes for a pair of proper shorts and real cycling gloves. If you're cycle is more than a couple of miles you'll get a real benefit from 'em. Several manufacturers make a padded under pant which you can wear under street trousers if you don't fancy lycra.
Most serious guys will concur that the ideal starter pack is
A road specific bike.(from about £350) A pair of shorts. (Halfords have em from a tenspot). A pair of gloves (from a fiver) Pedals and shoes (£50 together for cool looking Shimanos that can be worn as trainers too) and a waterproof jacket (from £25). Thus nearly £500. Of course, if you can find a decent second hand bike you could knock hundreds off that figure.
Ribble cycles currently have a great offer on a Kryptonite lock, £19 from £35. Buy one! Remember to remove your front wheel and lock it to the frame. If your saddle has a quick release take it out and take it with you.

See ye on the road! Allez douf!

Links
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/productdetail.asp?productcatalogue=KRYPLOCK360000000000
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/SpecialEditionBikes.asp
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f%5FProductID=7814&f%5FSupersetQRY=C107&f%5FSortOrderID=1&f%5Fbct=c003155c002912
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360031621&N=Giant%20SCR%204
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360032981&n=Saracen%20Tour%201%202008

[Lucky Poet]

Excellent post. I totally agree about road bikes being best, and mountain bikes (esp. with suspension) best being avoided for road stuff. It always makes my day seeing some geezer in trackie bottoms bouncing along. I've got a soft spot for my wee courier as a good work-a-day machine for trundling about the shitty streets though, it's served me well (apart from when the bottom bracket took a fit). I need to get another road bike actually, and some of those Ribbles are really nice & not that pricey, but I'm a bit skint just now. If anybody fancies making a donation, get in touch

[Cyclo2000]

At lunchtime I met a chap on an On-One Inbred, a single speed MTB fitted with slicks. He's commuting between Cumbernauld and Grangemouth via the canal path. V. nice and worth a look cos they're v. cheap. He was off to speak to big Alistair at Wheelcraft in Lennoxtown - the only really good roady shop now that Bike Pod has closed. (there are a couple of guys working in Dales who know their stuff though).

On-One's sister company are the estiminable Planet X, they make the Pompino fixed wheel bike which is also worth a look if yer interested in the cycle couriers favourite ride, the fixey.

[Lucky Poet]

It's never up there with real skinny tyres of course, but you can get a surprising turn of speed out of inch or inch and a quarter tyres on an MTB type thing. I'd miss my gears I think, even though I'm only using 8 just now, being cheap and cheerful (or at at least cheap). I've never actually tried a fixed wheel I must admit. My old man used to use one every winter when I was wee, having got into the habit from club pals in the '50s. I gather it's impossible to learn how to use them without forgetting not to stop pedalling and getting shot over the bars at least once Not sure I've got the guts to try that one, though that Pompino does look nice, in that stripped down chic way, and probably weighs about 4oz.

I actually had a very brief and not illustrious career as a cycle courier about 10 years ago, in Edinburgh where I lived at the time. I lasted all of a day and a half before thinking "no amount of money's worth this" and scarpering. I tip my hat to that lot, they're a different breed.

[boom-headshot]

Not quite on topic — but I have a bike that I have no use for (unfortunately recurring illness has put an end to my cycling days).
The bike is free to a good home.

It's a gents mountain bike — unbranded but with Shimano brakes and gears.
In good condition with new tyres.
Comes with pump, water bottle, speedometer.
Even throw in a cycling lane sign.

PM me if you are interested.

[Dugald]

A very generous offer Boom-headshot. i tell you, I'd have been up hammering at your door before you had signed off on your computer!

[boom-headshot]

No one has snapped it up so far.

[Lucky Poet]

Hey boom-headshot, sorry to hear you'll not be cycling anymore. If nobody here takes you up on your kind offer (I've already got one and I live miles away anyway), there are a couple of places in Glasgow that take unwanted bikes and give them good homes (or recycle the bits if they're knackered!): >Link<

[boom-headshot]

Thank you for the link - I will leave the bike available on here over the weekend and if it hasn't gone I will donate it to one of these organisations.

[Osiris]

No one has snapped it up so far.

That's shocking, you can't even give stuff away thesedays. I would have taken it too, as I was building a bike and looking for spares, but i've done with my project now.

you could try putting it on freecycle as well if that site is still going.

Jas

[boom-headshot]

Glad to say the bike now has a new owner from HG