Happy New Bike!

Happy New Year! I haven't quite devised any resolutions for this year as like most people, I never tend to keep them. However, I have found a mountain bike that could be mine, so I don't keep poncing George's.

It is a mountain bike, however it has two flat tyres and probably needs more work doing that my untrained eye can spot. But the price is excellent, as it's free!

It belongs to my mate's dad from back home, they've put it in a free ad in the paper and still haven't managed to shift it (a definite sign of quality).

Nevertheless, with a bit of elbow grease and a few blog posts, I should have shown you how to rescue a bike from the scrap heap.

When I was told about the bike, they mentioned there was a girls bike there too. Immediatley I thought they were poking fun at my traumatic experiences, but they haven't read this blog. I think.

My mate's parents used to go biking together, which is why they had both. Perhaps my sister could take over the other bike and help teach me when I move home from university.

But what do you think - should I add Coach Simson into the mix? What do you think? Do women make better teachers?

Have A Wheely Good Christmas!

Ah don't you just love Christmas - the festive joy, togetherness and of course the presents.

Well this Christmas, my house took part in our third annual secret Santa at university and as you may have read on my Twitter - I have received my awesome present early!

Coach Woodward was my secretive gift giver this year and has given me a cool pair of Oakley gloves to help me with my biking. He had to give me my present early, so I had the chance to use them before the deadline for my blog.

                                 My snazzy new gloves

Apparently they will help keep my hands warm, help my grip and combat the pain I get in my thumbs from gripping the handle bars too hard.

But most importantly they have lime green on them - my favourite colour!

Look out for another post soon as I try out my new gloves.

The Future-Biking-And Me

Coach Ali proposed an interesting concept to me. As I have been making so much progress with my biking, maybe I could consider it as a mode of transport in years to come?

I currently have a car, which is my main mode of transport between my home in Kent and my University in Staffordshire. However I plan to move into London when I graduate to chase my journalistic dreams and riding a bike may be the cheapest, healthiest and possibly fastest way to get to work...


This would pose some problems though:

1. Is cycling in London really safe, with all those bendy buses crushing people?
2. Can you realistically cycle to work, all sweaty and in a suit?
3. Would I need to wear one of those snazzy pollution/swine-flu-masks? (see below)
   
   
   
   
   
   
                                  I AM YOUR FATHER
   
   
   
   It seems riding around on a bike can even lead to becoming a bit of a hero. Boris Johnson rescued a woman from some menacing hoodies.
   
   Maybe I could become a vigilante on a bike to...new blog idea...Fight Crime With Laurence?
   
   Do any of you cycle to work? Or used to cycle to work? Apparently my uncle started riding to work when his car was out of action and shifted his beer belly in a few weeks...
   
   I may definitely need to consider it then, my diet of cheap Asda meat, snakebites and Subways is doing nothing for my physique.
   

Wax On-Wax Off

For every exciting thrill and success in learning to ride a bike there is a boring, gruelling and monotonous job waiting.

Whether this is fixing a punctured tyre and slowly looking for bubbles, as you gently squeeze the entire circumference of an inner tube in a bowl of water.

Or

Looking around an entire shop for new helmets, trying on every single one and assessing it for shape, size, weight, safety, price and how cool your big bulbous head looks in it.

Or

Scrubbing down a muddy bike with hot saopy water after a ride.

Well this week I shall be doing exactly that- washing my bike. Unfortunately not in a wet white t-shirt like some reader requested...I know you must be devastated.

Me washing down 'old Bertha' outside our house...
& yes as you can tell by the traffic cones & broken bed-we're students.

To wash down a bike, let the mud dry and then use the soft side of a sponge to wash the downtube and then rest of the bike liberally with warm soapy water!

If anyone actually had to look that up before doing it then you should be ashamed.

Look out for another biking trip this week!