Bicycle No. 12: Sunday January 28, 2007

Despite the sub-zero temperatures, there are still a few hardy cyclists over here, attempting to cross the Charles River using pedal power (via the bridges, obviously). This lovely pink racer was chained up outside the Miracle of Science on Mass Ave in Cambridge, next to this "smoker's outpost" -- the designated spot for the nicotine-addicted and exiled over here. I can't wait to see similar posts springing up across the UK later this year.

Bicycle No. 11: Wednesday January 24, 2007

Finally! I've been so busy house-hunting that I haven't had time to take pictures of bikes. But the snow this morning prompted me to keep an eye out for something en route from Clive's pad to the bus stop, and I was rewarded with this. Not just snow on a bike, but the typical way of storing bikes in London -- chained to a fence and with the front wheel removed, just in case. What a relief!

Bicycle No. 10: Sunday January 14, 2007

It's been too windy to take pictures of bikes recently, but I snapped this one on the Brouwersgracht just before Christmas and thought it would do. I love the shape -- all curvy lines and almost chopper-like handleb ars. The crossbar isn't too high and looks like it would be manageable for a woman (or man) in a skirt. (For the record, I don't understand why bikes have crossbars now -- can anyone explain?) When we move back to the UK, I'll want a new bike for cycling around wherever we end up, and something that looks like this -- maybe in pink or green -- would suit me just fine. But with gears and brakes.

Bicycle No. 9: New Year's Day, 2007

The aftermath of last night's fireworks, encountered on the way back from the bottle bank -- where we deposited the aftermath of our alcoholic fireworks, including an (empty) magnum of champagne. The rains and high winds of New Year's Eve have given way to a beautiful, chilly day, just right for taking pictures of bikes and rocket launchers.

Bicycle No. 8: Saturday December 29, 2006

This is off-street parking, Amsterdam style. Our apartment building only has racks for the bikes from the front-of-building flats, including ours, but as you need at least two racks per apartment, it can get very crowded. I must confess that I have binned one bike (belonging to someone in an apartment that is now vacant). Actually, I didn't bin it -- I locked it up outside but somebody made off with it, despite the flat tyres and generally crappy appearance. Even off-street parking isn't safe in this town: Somebody made off with one of my bikes from these very racks. Bastards.

Bicycle No. 7: Wednesday December 20, 2006

Cycling in London is not for the faint of heart. What cycle lanes there are last for 10 meters, before merging back into the bus lanes. Cars pay scant attention to their two-wheeled foes. And taxi drivers believe that cyclists would deliberately throw themselves under cab wheels were the Dutch system of attributing automatic fault to the car driver in the event of a car/bike "interface" ever to be introduced over here. But the number of these hardy fools seems to be increasing; they're making their presence felt. If you click to enlarge the photo above, you'll see one cyclist powering his/her way down Gower Street, well-wrapped up against the bitter cold and trying to maintain a good distance ahead of one of London's bendy buses. Rather him than me.

Bicycle No. 6: Sunday December 17, 2006

Off to Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds for the weekend -- and a bike crisis. I saw horsies, I saw dogs, I saw plenty of 4x4s, but very few bikes. Irritatingly, I did see a group of cyclists prepping for a country bike ride -- flourescent gear, bike helmets, shiny mountain bikes -- but failed to take a picture of them, posed beautifully in Chipping Campden's historic market place. I dashed out of a boozy late lunch to find a bike -- any bike -- in the village, but this was all I could find. A fine bike used purely for advertising. Oh well, at least it's pretty.