Buying the right-sized bike is the main priority

This week, a few tips for those of you who have bought bikes for Christmas, or who are still to make a last-minute purchase, especially if you’re buying from the internet or from a catalogue.

If you are buying your bike from one of the specialist cycle shops in the Island, then you should disregard most of what I’m going to say, as the shop will have sold you the right size bike, and adjusted it for your height and riding preferences. They will have also recommended that the bike will need a small service, usually free of charge, sometime in the near future when everything has bedded in.

If you are buying without actually sitting on the bike, or if you’re perhaps buying for someone else and you want to keep it a secret, if you know the inside leg measurement of the rider, then you can make a good estimation of what size bike they would need. As a rough guide, and don’t forget people come in all shapes and sizes, if you take 9″ or 10″ from the length of the inside leg, then that should give you the correct frame size to ask for.

This will give a good fit with a certain amount of seat pin showing, note that this only works for adults. If you are looking for a bike for a child, use the inside leg measurement again, but this time actually measure the bike from the seat to the pedal, when the pedal crank is in line with the frame seat tube. Also be aware that people with long arms or torsos may have to go up a size to allow the distance between the seat and handlebars to be comfortable, or alternatively get the shop to fit a longer handlebar stem.

Once your recipient has their hands on their new present, a bit of fine tuning can be done. I usually find that if the rider’s arms and the torso make an approximate right angle, then the gap between the bars and saddle is about right. When the saddle is at the correct height, the rider should be able to put their heel on the pedal when the pedal crank is in line with the seat tube.

For many novices this seems frighteningly high because they can only just touch the ground with their tiptoes, if this is the case then lower the seat a bit until it feels comfortable. In practice though, riders generally slide off the saddle and put their foot flat on the ground when they come to a halt, rather than remain on the saddle and try to balance on one foot. It’s far more efficient and easy to cycle with the saddle at the right height. Try walking a short distance with your knees bent, like Groucho Marx, and see how hard that is, before lowering the saddle too much.

Lastly, if you have bought a bike from the internet or a catalogue, and you’re not too confident about assembling it yourself, then take it to a cycle shop and get them to do it. It may seem an extra expense, but it will guarantee that the bike is safe and roadworthy, and that Boxing Day isn’t spent in Accident and Emergency!

Br(e)aking News

The Copenhagen Wheel – it does everything!
Unveiled on December 15, at the United Nations Climate Conference in Copenhagen, was one of the most amazing inventions ever to be fitted to a bicycle. The Copenhagen Wheel does a multitude of things, it could be called the ‘smartphone’ of the cycle world, and believe it or not, a smartphone is an essential bit of kit if you want to get the most from this device.

The primary role for this retro-fit hub is to turn an existing bike into a self-generating electric bike. This, in itself, is quite revolutionary, because the energy is generated while the bike is being ridden and the unit retains it for future use. But this is only the start, the unit will also record how much effort the rider is putting in, how many calories they’re burning, what the road conditions are like, the levels of carbon monoxide present, noise, ambient temperature and relative humidity. All this can be accessed from your smartphone or the internet, and will enable the rider to plan their exercise or chose a less polluted route to work.

A Bluetooth connection between the phone and the hub, will lock and unlock the bike, change gear and adjust the amount of assistance that the hub provides.

Check it out at http://senseable.mit.edu/copenhagenwheel/index.html

Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen
As expected, cycle campaigners have flocked to the Copenhagen Climate Conference to put forward their point of view. Among the people taking this opportunity were Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, and Manfred Neun, president of the European Cyclists’ Union.

Boris Johnson was telling delegates that cycle hire fleets were the answer to transport in the city, and that while ‘Paris Velib is great, London’s will be the Rolls Royce of bike hire schemes’.

Manfred Neun sent letters to all the members of the European Parliament who were there. In the letter, the Federation claimed that urban traffic was responsible for 40% of all carbon emissions, and that if cycle journeys were tripled, as a result of decreased car use, then around 5% of carbon dioxide emission would disappear.

Igor Kenk – the Mr.Big of Cycle Theft
I see that Igor Kenk, arguably the world’s greatest bike thief, has been put away for 30 months. He has already served 13 months in custody, which under Canadian Law doubles to 26 months, so he has four months left.

Kenk, a cycle shop owner from Queen Street West, Toronto, was operating a drugs-for-bikes scheme which saw police find nearly 3,000 stolen bikes, several kilos of marijuana and packets of cocaine.

To make the case more manageable, he was prosecuted for possession of drugs and the theft of only 10 bikes.

Sprint Bonuses

• Look, the first manufacturer to produce clip-in pedals, have just shown their latest offering to the public. The Keo Blade Carbon Ti uses a linear spring rate carbon blade which replaces the traditional metal spring. This reduces weight and offers a more secure cleat engagement.
• The United States remains flooded with unsold bikes, the stock situation at the end of September was almost 40% higher than in 2008; around 200,000 hybrid bikes and 100,000 racing bikes are still awaiting purchase.
• After all the excitement about Julian Sayarer’s new ‘Around the World’ record, it seems that The Guinness World Record adjudicators have a few points to clarify before awarding the title. The problems stem from what is allowed as ‘deductable’ time during the trip.
• Funding for London’s first two Cycle Superhighways was announced last week. The two routes: from Barking to Tower Gateway and from Merton to the City should be ready by the summer. It’s planned that a dozen Superhighways will be in place by the 2012 Olympics.
• Sport England, which is investing over £800 million in community sport over a four year period, has released results for the first six months of the project. They show that cycling is one of the six sports that had already reached its annual growth target, with an increase of 112,000 participants.

And finally,

Can I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Cycling New Year

Arthur Lamy is the author of Jersey Cycles.

He has written books, guides and articles for, among others, IPC Media, Ottaker’s Bookshops, Seaflower Books and Jersey Tourism. He is a Blue Badge qualified tourist guide and is also a keen photographer.

More information can be found on his website: www.arthurlamy.com