Reasons to Cycle

  • The Kindness of Strangers

    As a cyclist in New Zealand you often feel like a second-class citizen. People try to run you into the curb, they pass as close as they can to frighten the crap out of you, then those same people complain about your (arrogant) presence on “their” road in letters-to-the-editor. On the way home from work tonight I paused to take the pict...

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  • Shopping by bike

    I’ve noticed a bit of stuff on the web recently about the connection between local shops and cycling. Bikeyface has done some great drawings illustrating this (see above and check out Bikeyface.com) and the following video is definitely worth a watch.

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  • Who Does It Better? – The AA’s New Directions and Selling Kiwis on Cycling

    Carefree, carfree, aspirationally attractive people on civilized city bikes. Who is pedalling this… this pedalling porn? The Automobile Association, no less. The AA’s latest cycling focused Directions magazine is noteworthy on a number of levels. But before we go any further I suggest you make a point of adding your voice Directions...

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  • I like Riding My Bike

    Me and Big Red I like riding my bike. I’m not a sports cyclist, triathlon trainer or courier, I’m just a girl with a desire to get around town unhindered by the crippling costs of a car. There’s also the small detail of not actually having a license. Which seems to come with a MASSIVE stigma attached to it. It’s as if I&#...

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  • FYI

    This was recently forwarded to me, so I thought I’d share. 090430Helmet_brochure_for_Velo-city_093 And here’s the latest about the struggles in Fremantle Australia

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  • Bike Spotting: Busy Mums are Getting It

    European city-chic with a hint of New Zealand mountainbike thrown in. Spotted this beauty at my local primary school today after “driving” the walking-schoolbus. As we discussed last week you wouldn’t have seen a bike like this five years ago in New Zealand. Comfortable “sit-up-straight” riding position, mudguards fo...

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  • The many advantages of your bike

    Cute picture of a bike I found on Facebook.

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  • Coffee and Cycles

      Something about coffee and bikes go hand in hand, maybe it’s the effect caffeine has on the brain and body with the added ingredient of a bicycle it can create a great days adventure around the city. Most kiwi’s have no idea the we have some of the best tasting coffee in the world. Like anything good we get complacent with it, y...

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  • Roll On

    It seems like in New Zealand every other commercial is a PSA. What if there was a message that could benefit public health, economic development, and quality of life? From the Oregon Bicycle Transportation Alliance… http://www.vimeo.com/27591364

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  • Memories are made of these.

    We have a lot of ducks and pukeko residing in our neighbourhood. During breeding season, I will often see an adult duck leading a trail of baby ducks along the bank of the creek, looking for food. There is a similar feel to the bicycle rides I do with my daughter. She is more than capable, but nonetheless, I always find myself keeping a watch...

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  • The bicycle’s role in an integrated transport system.

    I’m really enjoying the buzz going around about the Wynyard Quarter development and all the talk of creating spaces for people in the CBD. The consequential rise in the profile of cycling has left me wondering about the future prospects for ‘burb’ dwellers like myself. I live about 12 kilometres from the Auckland CBD. At my ...

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  • Time to celebrate: The bicycle as a functional tool.

    There's plenty of life left in this tyre. It came as a shock the other day when I caught a glimpse of the worn out state of the rear tyre of my bicycle. How did this happen? It was brand new just the other day, wasn’t it? It’s the same as the household tootpaste tube. You never actually witness it emptying. A death by 1000 squirt...

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  • Let them eat cake.

    It was my duty during the week to provide morning tea for my work colleagues. Fortunately, the Goddess in charge of the house is always willing to help out. I have long given up suggesting that I could simply grab something from the local supermarket. “It’s ok”, I say. “Most do it that way”. Few households I know...

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  • Reconnected.

    Personal circumstances required me to use the household’s motor vehicle over the last couple of weeks. Timing and distance meant the bicycle wasn’t the preferred option. Things are finally back to normal and I am once again using my bicycle for all the usual short, local journeys. Because of a self imposed sense of obligation t...

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  • Your money or your life?

    What weeds? I just see fun. I have found owning and running a car has always been an expensive business. A time consuming affair as well. For me, keeping the car on the road has always felt very much like keeping the lawns mown and the hedge trimmed. There are so many other more important things I would rather be doing. My family have only ever h...

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  • How would you wear it?

    I dream of the day when I can ride a bicycle and have styling gel in my hair. Cycling: the non-vehicular way.

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  • And in the blue corner…

    google image It’s shaping up to be one hell of a battle. The truth will get through in the end, but be prepared to be exhausted and bloodied. In one corner you have the dinosaurs and their supporters. They live in some strange dreamland of a bygone era. They are standing staunch and sticking their appendages in the dyke. Doing their best to...

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  • International Perspectives

    Cycling in Berlin. Google Images I was curious to read in the Herald’s Canvas magazine about a New Zealand TV presenter called Camilla Andersen. She describes how she is currently loving the experience of ‘Biking in Berlin’. I’ve just bought a beautiful old bike and I love her. She has a basket on the back. I feel like I&#...

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  • That feeling still lingers: Freedom.

    "How much is that bicycle in the window?" The hills didn’t worry you in those days. You just stood up and heaved a bit harder. Or you just got off and walked. There was no urgency. And every hill climbed was a speedy decent on the return journey. A race to the bottom was essential. Gears? One gear with a coaster brake was par for ...

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  • Are you a weenie?

    If you really want to change the world, don’t be a weenie. Be a teacher. Be kind in helping people overcome their ignorance. If you’re so talented, you shouldn’t be surprised or angry at how stupid everyone else is. Make it fun and safe for them to learn. — Scott Berkun, The attack of the design weenie And that there, ladi...

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