Bodmacity

I had a lovely afternoon spent with Jake. After dropping Amy off we popped into Sainsburg’s and Jake helped to choose the items for our picnic on Hilly Fields. As a treat because he was such a good boy I bought him a gingerbread man. When we got back to the car Jake said. “My enjoying myself!”.

Back at the house I threw the picnic stuff into the cool bag and we headed off. Jake has rediscovered his trike and has pretty much learnt the art of steering. The pedalling is almost there. Once I get him going on a slope he quite happily keeps going on his own steam. In fact this is a ‘marker’ of his age at the moment. He is learning to do things for himself and to be a little more independent. Things like taken his top off or brushing his teeth or getting into the bath.

Amy measured his height recently and in the last few months he has shot up. This means that he can do a lot more. His jumping is excellent. He can jump from 1/2 a foot and land confidently without a wobble.

I’ve digressed somewhat. We had a lovely picnic, tearing pieces of bread from the baguette and adding roughly hewn pieces of cheese and torn ham. Great stuff!!

In the evening almost an hour after I had put him down he was crying out. I thought he would go back to sleep but it got more insistent. Eventually I went up. He said “I called you and you didn’t come. I was calling for mok”. Yes, I felt terribly wretched. We went downstairs to get some milk and spent half an hour watching Big Brother with the sound off. Jake aptly pointed to the screen and said “Daddy watching Cbeebies!!”. Never a truer word…

I’ve taken the plunge and bought my pannier. It’s a Carradice Bike Bureau. Last year I used my rucksack which wasn’t too bad, although my back did get pretty damn sweaty during the summer months. I would have continued using this bag except that now, I need to heft a 17″ laptop to and from the office. For the last few weeks I have been doing this and my back has been getting very sore.

I did a little research into laptop bags. Most of them just carry a laptop and not a lot else. I wanted one that would carry the laptop and all my gear. This includes a change of clothes, ipod, phone, keys, toolkit, puncture repair kit and my lock as well as a few other bits and bobs. My choice was largely decided after reading this excellent review.

So after a little umming and ahhing I decided to take the plunge. I went onto the Carradice site and bought the cordura version. I was prepared to pay the 10 odd pounds extra for the cotton duck version but unfortunately it was out of stock. The bag arrived two days later.

It looks slightly different than the one in the review. The flap that protects the bag when on the bike has an ortlieb style reflective diamond instead of a strip. This is also bigger and now covers the height of the of the main flap. Also the buckles are now black instead of silver plastic. I find the whole look understated and pleasing to the eye.

Inside the bag there is a partition for the laptop. My 17″ is too big to fit in lengthways but there is plenty of room sideways. All my other gear fits in nicely with plenty of room to spare. I’m not sure if the supplied strap will be comfy enough so I may have to replace it with something that has a little more padding. It’s a very well-made bag though (mine was made by Kelly) and I look forward to using it on Monday.

You can find my long-term review here.

What he’s doing:
1. Jumping from the sleepers in the garden and keeping his balance
2. Copying the way Gabriel says ‘sorry!’
3. Being a little bit naughty
4. Using his step to get to things
5. Weeing in his potty(no accidents for a while now). In fact the potty has pretty much been replaced by the big toilet

I have now been cycle commuting for three years now. I’ve been cycling four different routes in that time:

1. Clapham Junction – 9 miles.
2. Waterloo – 6 miles
3. Richmond – 14 miles
4. Feltham – 23 miles

Most days I cycle to Waterloo otherwise I will try to get to Richmond and if the day is nice and I am feeling energetic I will go all the way to Feltham and avoid the train altogether.

It’s been interesting, beneficial in terms of health, but sometimes irritating when other road users(that includes cyclists) are thrown into the equation. What follows is a list of useful tips and information for anyone starting a cycle commute. These tips are biased towards a cycle-train commute because that’s what I mostly do(apart from route 4).

Starting out
1. Start small. Cycle a couple of miles to start with and do this for a week to build up your strength and stamina. Build up to cycling your full commute three/four times a week and see how you feel. Don’t overdo it because then you will not enjoy it.
2. Plan your route. Test your route at the weekend. Once you have the basic route memorised you can ‘tweak’ to suit the weather conditions and traffic.
3. Keep your chain well oiled. Rub off the gunk and spray it every couple of weeks. Do this more frequently if the weather has been nasty. Every so often give your faithful steed a good clean.
4. Smile at other cyclists

Must haves
1. Get hold of some ‘technical’ tops. Cotton is a no-no as it holds sweat and makes you cold and clammy. Camping shops such as Millets sell polyester, high-wicking, fast drying garments and they are quite cheap. Look out for the end of season sales to get some bargains. Get some long sleeve as well as short sleeve tops for cooler days.
2. Get some shorts. Don’t bother with over trousers because they will make you overheat. Invest instead in some decent baggy cycling shorts. If you are caught in a shower these will dry very quickly.
Let’s talk about lycra. I have found that I can comfortably cycle 23 miles without lycra shorts but will get a bit claggy at the end. So lycra shorts would be worth considering for longer commutes as they provide not only padding but also do not hold sweat and dry quickly. It’s best to wear something over your lycra on the train so that you don’t scare your fellow human beings unnecessarily :-).
3. Get a puncture repair kit or even better a spare inner tube. Don’t forgot some tools too. I’ve had two punctures in one year. You probably will have a puncture at some point.
4. Get a rain jacket. I bought a heavy one but in hindsight a lightweight one would be better as it packs smaller. Sometimes if it’s not raining heavily I prefer not to wear one as I tend to overheat and sweat. Rain is good!
5. A lock
6. A pump
7. Rucksack or pannier depending on your needs. I have been using a rucksack but I now have to carry a laptop so I will be investing in a pannier system
8. Helmet, remember safety first

Good to have
1. Water bottle holder and bottle, useful if your commute is longer than five miles.
2. Clipless pedals and shoes, once you get used to them and have christened them by falling a couple of times(it will happen believe me) these are great and make the commute more comfortable. Get mountain bike shoes that have a proper sole that you can walk in.
3. Cycling gloves, still on my list of things to buy.
4. Padded cycling underwear. Cheap and easy on the bottom although for longer commutes will get sweaty, so lycra shorts are the way to go.
5. If your budget can stand it then merino wool tops are fantastic. They are great when it is hot or cold, efficiently wick sweat away from the skin and can be worn several times before needing a wash. A long sleeve merino wool top will cost around £30.

What to take
Try to pack just the essentials. The aim is to keep weight down as much as possible.

1. A change of clothes. This includes underwear, socks and your work attire.
2. A hand towel for drying the face after the ride.
3. Puncture repair kit and tools.
4. Deodorant, products e.g. hair gel, moisturiser
5. Other items including keys, lunch, ipod, book etc.
6. A drink of water or some diluted smoothie with a pinch of salt. If you are cycling more than 6 miles it is useful to take an energy bar or banana in case you feel the dreaded bonk coming on.

After the ride
You will probably be quite sweaty after your arrival at the station. A quick wipe of the face and a glug of water does wonders though. You will soon dry off on the train. If your workplace has a shower then fine. Personally I find that a quick wash of the face and armpits followed by deodorant and some face moisturiser(I am a new-age man after all) is enough for commutes of 10 miles or less. The underwear will need changing. Socks can stay unless it has been raining. If your office has a smart dress code then you will have to keep a pair of shoes at work. I am lucky enough to work in a casual office so my cycling shoes are fine.

I’ve probably missed a few things but this should get you going. You don’t need all the gear to start with. As your confidence builds you will know what is right for you and what you need to make your commute comfortable. Remember once you’ve taken the plunge you won’t regret it :-).

It was a lovely sunny day this morning. I decided to deviate from my normal route and take the cycle path that starts at Peckham library. This route follows the old Surrey Canal and winds through Burgess Park. It was like a mini peloton out there, with lots of cyclists of differing abilities and levels. It was good to see! Unfortunately I took a wrong turn and ended up half-way down the Old Kent Road which wasn’t very pleasant.

At Waterloo it was teeming with people due to an earlier derailment. The queues for the ticket machines were huge. This is the down-side to doing a cycle-train commute 🙁 .

I tried out my Agu rack bag on the ride. I had hoped that I could simple detach it from the bike and put it in the rucksack. This didn’t work as well as I thought because I spent a good while rearranging items in both bags before the bloody thing would fit. It’s a nice bag and useful for a small shopping trip but I think I’ll leave it at home on commute days.

The title is taken from the seminal Cult track. I should have been singing that one yesterday when the heavens opened while halfway down the Old Kent Road. It reminded me of the tropical downpours while we were travelling. The exception being that it was bloody cold.

I arrived home looking somewhat like a drowned rat. My shoes seemed to be ten times heavier what with all the water they had sucked up.

This morning they were still soaking wet so I have taken the train to Waterloo(shudder).

Jake woke at 3am last night with a coughing fit. Of course, once he had woken the little lamb didn’t want to sleep. I brought him into our room and tried to get him to go back to sleep. He wasn’t happy with this idea and started asking for ‘mok’ and ‘medcin’. I thought it wouldbe better if Amy went into the other room so at least she could get to sleep.

I snuggled Jake under the bedclothes and told him to relax while I got the mlik and medised. He wanted the milk in bed with him. I guess it was a bit like a hot water bottle. He kept chatting away for a quite a while. Then I heard that word “out”. This means he wants to get out of bed. I told him that if he didn’t want to go to sleep them he would have to go back into his own bed. Daddy was tired after all!! He agreed to this so again he snuggled under the bedclothes. I told him to think about all the animals names that he knew and sang a little song. After this he said “more” so I sang again. Within 10 minutes or so he was asleep, or did I fall asleep? I’m not really sure :-).

I turned 40 last week. I have to say I was less upset at the prospect than when I turned 30. To mark this auspicious occasion we all went on a family trip to Center Parcs in Suffolk. It was a great weekend. We hired two bikes and a trailer. It was great fun to pootle along roads devoid of cars surrounded by the calming influence of the forest.

Jake was a little poppet. We arranged 3 hours of activities on Saturday for him at the Bumblebee club while we went to the World of Spa. We were a little worried that he would be upset at the prospect of us leaving, but he loved it. In fact he spent most of the weekend talking about it :-).

In the main village square there is a large fountain which Jake referred to as ‘ the popping water’. Every time we went there we would say “is it the popping water? I think so!!” in a dramatic voice. Then Jake would copy this by saying “I think so!” which was very cute.

Next time we shall have to bring our own bikes, as the bike hire is quite expensive. Also my bike was rather knackered although Amy had a spanking single speed tourer.

I have been trying different routes to/from Waterloo. Two reasons mainly. One to avoid the Old Kent Road and two to avoid repetition and to keep the ride interesting. I have been experimenting riding down back alleys and little used roads, but I am always led to Old Kent Road. I have downloaded the route offered to the TFL Journey Planner. It’s a little wafty so I will have to memorise it or take along some crib notes. It is also a little longer so is more suited to the ride back home when time is not so important.

I now have to carry my laptop which is very heavy when combined with a change of clothes, tools, lock, water bottle etc. Last week I started strapping as much as possible to my rack using a big bungy cord. This was effective in keeping the weight of my pack down, but takes an age to strap down securely. I had the bright idea of buying a small rack bag. This would, in theory be quicker to remove from the bike and be able to carry more in a secure manner. After arriving at Waterloo I will only have to detach the bag and place it in my backpack. This should only take a few seconds.

I have opted for a AGU Yamaska 475 rack bag which I got for £28 including P&P on ebay. I liked this one because it has a bungy on top which can be used to attach a jacket. It also has expandable sides as well. My only worry is that it will not fit into my laptop bag. We will have to wait and see.