Hanging out in London hipster-bikey-heaven at Look Mum, No Hands! It's been a brilliant three days in London and my time is coming to an end. I've been staying and visiting with my family here which has been fantastic! In my spare time, I've been wandering aimlessly, hopping on Barclay Bikes, and even managed to convince a fellow cargo biker to take me cycling.
My first London mocha
My international leg started with a missed alarm and frantic dash from Portland, a delayed plane in Houston, and horrible traffic for the lovely Gold family to kindly pick me up from the airport. They successfully got me into the city and tought me about public transportation which I have been thoroughly enjoying.
Marble Arch
Hi, Ben!
A guy taking a photo with an iPad.
One of my favorite parts of traveling is just walking around and watching the world. London has a new (1 year old) bike share program, the Barkley Bikes. You pay a yearly/monthly/daily fee to access the bikes from anywhere in town. If you return the bike within a half hour, it's free. Above that, the cost gets much higher the longer you have it, to help encourage high turnover. You really see them in heavy rotation!
The bikes are heavy, functional, and heavy. They have fenders and lights built in, an easily adjustable seat, and a rack/bungee combo up from for your belongings. My few complaints are that the computers still have loads of bugs to work out and can be frustrating and that my butt slides off the seat. That's it! As David (my cargo tour guide) pointed out, these bikes have been a huge help in encouraging my people to get into cycling.
The bikes are heavy, functional, and heavy. They have fenders and lights built in, an easily adjustable seat, and a rack/bungee combo up from for your belongings. My few complaints are that the computers still have loads of bugs to work out and can be frustrating and that my butt slides off the seat. That's it! As David (my cargo tour guide) pointed out, these bikes have been a huge help in encouraging my people to get into cycling.
Boris bikes!
In use
Off I go!
Riding in London!
London cycling is CRAZY compared to Sacramento's plush bike lanes and trails. I have never been more grateful for our cycling infrastructure as I am here (except for in Stockton, that's still the worst!). Bike lanes have been added to tiny corners of a few streets, they go nowhere, and don't provide much assurance of your safety. despite the haphazard and begrudging acceptance of bikes on roads, there is still a huge number of cyclists! I am so impressed at the number of bikes on every corner, in the road, and missing from the Barclay racks.
Pretty bike at the flower rack.
Bromptons and other folders rule here.
Full racks at the British Museum.
The rare teeny weeny bike lane.
A green box at a stoplight. Notice the encroaching car.
A protected bike path!
The super bikey highlight of my London time was certainly having David of Covoy Cycles bring out his brand new Bullitt to Hyde Park and taking me around while he rode a Barclay.
Hi David!
David is the only Bullitt distributor in London and rides aroun for work and with his kiddos. The Bullitt certainly makes the most sense for using in the city. I would never trust a trailer on the narrow streets and the maneuverability of the Bullitt is unmatched by any other longjohn. A Mundo/ long tail designed would probably do well as well but it's pretty comforting to have the kids upfront when the double decker buses are bearing down from behind. The cover would also be really helpful in the unpredictable London weather.
The Bullitt is gorgeous! It's a perfect mix of fancy carbon and slick lines while still being practical. This is a bike Jose needs. I was worried about the different steering but with David's guidance--"don't look at your front wheel and you'll be fine," I was rolling normally and quickly (relatively) almost off the bat.
The Bullitt is gorgeous! It's a perfect mix of fancy carbon and slick lines while still being practical. This is a bike Jose needs. I was worried about the different steering but with David's guidance--"don't look at your front wheel and you'll be fine," I was rolling normally and quickly (relatively) almost off the bat.
Jealous, Jose?
Hyde Park was wonderful to bike around! No cars, beautiful scenery and monuments, and confusing directions to keep it interesting. I got yelled at by an angry jogger but David pointed out that she just needed to ride a bike. It was so much fun! David, I cannot thank you enough. We had great conversations about biking and cargo bikes in our respective homes and even got some riding footage for Less Car, More Go (Liz Canning's amazing crowd sourced cargo bike documentary--formerly (R)evolutions Per Minute, look it up!). David even recommended this awesome little bike cafe that I'm sitting at now--Look Mum, No Hands. They make a lovely mocha and let me use their wifi.
Hyde Park!
Tomorrow, I leave in the middle of the night (says cousin Debbie, it's really 5am) to fly to Sardinia. Because of the Portland debacle, I am sleeping in my clothes and setting at least 3 alarms. There, I'm renting a bike an riding 50km to the wedding location! The adventures will continue! I've managed to ride each day (more Barclay Bikes today) except Sunday when I couldn't get to a bike between falling asleep before midnight and running out tithe airport an hour late at 5:30am. The rest of Sunday was spent stuk in the airport and on planes so I've decided that Sunday never existed. Easy!
Cargo bikes in London!
Kona Ute
A Mundo! V.1?
Crazy couriers!
Horse riding coppers!
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