I hate these vehicles with a passion. They’re completely unsuitable for the UK and most of Europe
You can’t see the space immediately around you, they’re extremely dangerous to cyclists and pedestrians and would be illegal to produce in the UK. They need to be banned
Cars are getting bigger, making the roads less safe for people to walk or ride their a
#bicycle
.
After
@EuCyclistsFed
and others raised the alarm, EU Commission is now going to deal with imports of large American pick-up trucks
Next year’s Christmas tree sorted!
We’d talked about getting a living tree. This one’s a little small but hopefully after repotting it, it’ll grow enough in 11 months 3/3
Chase the Sun. Ride from one coast to the other. In one day. Sun up to sun down. With the fantastic
@WillPoole
and Robin. Plus loads of other fantastic fools I met on the way
I’ll report more tomorrow. I’m just managing a half pint then straight to bed
@chasethesun_org
The best thing about burning over 4000 calories on a ride? Replenishing them afterwards
I’m my case, that’s sitting on the sofa, stuffing sweets into my gob
Oh boy. Mersea loop with
@IslingtonCC
today. Hot and very long. Apparently 205km averaging 25km/h is a little tiring. Slightly concerned as I’ve signed up for the 205 MILE Chase the Sun on the 22nd June. A lot more training needed 🥵 🚴♀️ 🛣️
Woo hoo! My feature on basic bike fitting is in this month’s London Cyclist, the magazine of
@London_Cycling
Thanks Diego from
@lonbikestudio
for lending me a flat bar bike for the shoot.
Neither my
@ternbicycles
or
@BromptonBicycle
are the correct wheel size for my trainer
Oh boy was it HOT! At one point I thought I had heatstroke so got in a support car. It registered 43 degrees. 10 minutes of air con and a very tasty banana, I made it up the Col du Vars. Damn proud. Not the steepest, not the longest but the hottest ride of my life
My son has taken to cycling with his knees pointing out. He finds it hilarious
And yes, I’m aware he’s ready to have his saddle raised again. At 4 years old he’s adamant he knows best. Who am I to argue 🤷♀️
@luhc
@AngelaRayner
Congratulations
@AngelaRayner
. You worked hard, you showed integrity, you won
Excited to have some hope for the first time in years
If anyone sends out anti-Islamic or antisemitic tweets, I will report you. Two already today
Muslims are not responsible for the actions of Hamas
Jews are not responsible for the actions of the Israeli government
I’m not responsible for the actions of our government
Cyclists! Please help
A friend is completing her masters at UCL. Her dissertation explores barriers to cycling as transport with a focus on bike theft. Can you please fill in & share the survey?
There’s an “outside London” option. Answers are anonymous
I’ve been working with
@carlafrancome
to find her the ideal bike for riding in the alps. There are some specific criteria because she’s got an injured back. Needs to perform like a road bike but not in a road position 🧵1/10
Errrmygadddd. Today- the sun was shining, Kate and I both got our legs out in shorts, and dived into a bike shop to try out a few options.
Plus- we went out and about to test ride some models around London Fields.
OH YES! What a great day off. ☀️🚲
Thread 🧵 1/9
The ride down to Embankment this morning was fantastic. At 9am, I was the 400th person to cycle the route. Not bad for a Sunday
Things became decidedly unfunny when we crossed into
@RBKC
and the cycle lanes immediately disappeared. So dangerous and completely unnecessary
An absolutely lovely day out in the Kent hills with this crazy crowd
The Hell of the Ashdown was actually quite pleasant! Brasted Hill needs its letters rearranging though . Who thought a 17% climb after 95km was a good idea?
@billhulley
@carlafrancome
@tim_ovenden
An absolutely brilliant day cycling with
@carlafrancome
to meet
@cowphilosopher
in Windsor. 70km through the city and pretty much straight down the river. Thanks to Matthew from
@IslingtonCC
for leading the way
So today’s ride was a bit “interesting”. It started with riding up a wall. Not a literal wall of course but when your legs are already knackered and it’s between 15-20%, it feels like one. Only a handful of people rode the whole km 1/
Come see me in my fit studio, part of
@lonbikestudio
’s fantastic new shop and workshop
Use coupon code NEWHOME at checkout for a 10% discount on full and quick fits
@BBCLondonNews
Cycle lanes which are physically separated from pedestrians and cars. Paint is not a safety feature and shared paths are a danger to all
A government which doesn’t pit drivers against cyclists will help. I’m voting for that
#IndependenceDay
I often recommend yoga and stretching to clients for strength and stability
I took my own advice and did one of Fitt’s free videos
They’ve got a paid version but most of their floor work is free, including 39 marked as cycle recovery
Turns out it is possible to bike fit a Brompton
Fitting jig to get find ideal saddle position then real world testing in the park with a pocket full of tools
Plus I got to meet and go for a ride with the wonderful
@Auntiekay28
Not my normal bike fit but hope it helps!
An outrageously good night! More pics to follow
Thanks to everyone who made the opening event for London Bike Studio and Hackney Bike Fit an incredible success
Now let me get back to my drink..:
Been going through some very old bicycles in my parents barn. They bought these as police auction a job lot 35 years ago. This old Triumph has a speedometer and mile counter!
Today was a good day
Boss level at London Bike Studio
First two bike fit clients seen
Mechanics booked into next week. Boom!
Next week’s party details to follow
My space is nearly ready! The wall and door are (almost) in place
Diary is blocked out and I’m spending the day updating my website and docs to show the new address
Good things are coming
Massively overlooked part of bike set up
Moving your saddle back and forth rolls your pelvis so changes your point of contact on the saddle and the shape of your lower back
For every 6mm back, lower saddle 2mm to maintain leg length
Bike ride ✔️ , mild but very windy, layers were on and off. Thank you
@HackneyBikeFit
for the saddle advice, moved it back 10mm and so far I’ve had no coccyx pain 💚. Now home for homemade chilli and chips
Updates from day 2
#LeCure2023
Absolutely stunning start of the day.
Off the blocks with the fabulous
@carlafrancome
and a group of other likely lads and lasses, including the Prof, who leads the
#BreastCancer
research project we’re funding. Over £270k raised this year!
Le Cure day 3
Freaking tired. Incredible, scary, knackering and amazing
2 of the most epic descents ever
WTF, 10% average climb with 19% sections! Seriously?
Got photos of 5 Col signs but I missed at least 1
Please sponsor me. More updates tomorrow
Really fun if windy Windsor loop, the the Cinnamon Bun cafe and back. Windsor is such a beautiful place and the Thames was lovely today. Taking in both Richmond and Great Windsor parks was ace. Bring on riding in sunshine, I’ve got a taste for it now
@carlafrancome
Done! Wow. Just wow, that’s a long way
Averaged nearly 22kmph, which I’m happy with. Especially as my front derailleur gave up the ghost and I was stuck spinning like road runner on the flats
More updates tomorrow. I’m drinking this then heading to bed
@markoftheD
@helen_springall
Sometimes things don’t go, after all, from bad to worse
Sometimes muscadel faces down frost, green thrives, crops don’t fail
Sometimes a man aims high and all goes well
So that’s a verse instead of a line but it reminds me to be optimistic in these weirdly hateful times
Fantastic day out on
@rapha
women’s 100km ride today. Sooo many female riders. Thank you to the lovely people at
@IslingtonCC
for letting me tag along when my usual riding buddy
@carlafrancome
couldn’t make it
What width handlebars do you ride? I routinely find standard sizing is completely off. I ride a 36cm bar. At 161cm, I'm pretty diddy though
#Cycling
#BikeFit
@AnyKeyFitness
What a weird comment. Do you think I post every photo I take?
I don’t post pictures of other people’s kids without permission. We’ve shared those on WhatsApp group
I’m sure the ladies won’t mind though
Quickly come back from laps of Swains Lane with
@carlafrancome
and heading straight out to the Velodrome to shadow
@fdn_bikefit
.
How did this become my life?
#LuckyGirl
Right cycle twitter. We’ve found a potential climbing bike for
@carlafrancome
. The person on eBay selling it 0 presence and their name is trustX. Do we trust them? How do we protect against fraud and stolen bikes?
An amazing day out with the British Heart Foundation’s London to Brighton ride
Didn’t have an auspicious start with an early puncture, still in London 🧵
Pouring rain on both journeys but a fantastic party at Islington Ecology Centre. The kids were over the moon at being given balloons to take home
Got a few funny looks, but who cares. I’m just impressed they were still holding them when we got in
And here it is! Studio painted and ready for equipment and decorations
A front wall and door would help too but they’re on their way
Time for a G&T in the bath before heading to the neighbours party
Happy New Years everyone!
Keep cycling x
@owentrucker
It’s been cleared and painting started. Unfortunately the 2nd paint bucket was the wrong colour so only managed to line it out
After 2 weeks with the kids off school, getting my hands dirty was bliss!
@bolderston_mark
What’s Road Tax? We haven’t had road tax since Winston Churchill abolished it
I pay for road upkeep with my council tax, as do you. I am insured
Overreaching can massively affect your back position. Saddle up and back, stem 20mm shorter and bars down 8mm. Small changes, big results
#bikefit
#cycling
Got taken for a ride! Went out this morning with one of the guys from my course for a couple of hours up the country lanes. Such a brilliant way to get to know a different part of the country
Yesterday he mastered pedalling, today he rode to nursery with his brother for the first time. Couldn’t be prouder. One minor child to lamppost contact 😬
#cycling
#cyclinglife
#LearnToRide
Did you know that around 90% of people have a leg length difference?
It’s normally not an issue if it’s under 1cm, except on a bike
#cycling
#leglengthdiscrepancy
Great fun working with Nebiyu today. He rides with
@BCNtweet
and someone from the club recommended he came in for a quick fit
Hope your knee feels better next ride and have fun at
@RideLondon
A good weekend. My longest ever ride, but something else has topped that
I’m top of the
@UCOisans
leaderboard! Not for height obvs but distance. There are some seriously impressive cyclists in this group
Thank you
@Johnny_d_Oisans
for pointing this out. Could have missed it
This is a bit above and beyond my normal fit before you buy service but I’ve enjoyed the challenge and
@carlafrancome
is such a special person. It’s been a pleasure working on the project 🧵 10/10
@herdyshepherd1
@Thomas977673521
We had a peacock live in my parents garden for several months. Just turned up there and would wander in and out through gaps in the neighbouring fences
Eventually found out it belonged to a vicar a couple of streets away. Got an amazing vase of feathers he left behind
And this is why we do it
Nearly £300,000 raised so far this year.
New blood tests developed to detect secondary breast cancers. New ones being developed
So today’s ride was a bit “interesting”. It started with riding up a wall. Not a literal wall of course but when your legs are already knackered and it’s between 15-20%, it feels like one. Only a handful of people rode the whole km 1/
Feeling an absolute doofus
Since buying my new Liv I’ve changed the crank set, cassettes, wheels, saddle, chain. I’ve stripped it down and thoroughly cleaned it
Just ordered a new stem. Forgot that Liv is Giant and have wider steering tubes 🙄
And I call myself a professional
To all of those lovely people who’ve contributed to my bike hunt, thank you
As she’s revealed, this has all been to find the awesome
@carlafrancome
her new bike
We’re going shopping on Thursday 🛍️ 🚲
Like a Specialist Sirrus (I’m not sure this is quite the right model), but we’re looking at a carbon frame, disc brakes, flat handles where I can get to the brakes properly, and raised handlebars as I just can’t quite get into a road bike position. … 4/5
Finally jumped on the train back to London and limped from Stratford back to Hackney. 70km in total instead of the 215km I was aiming for. Oh well, at least I can get my bike properly fixed before Chase the Sun in 3 weeks 🙀 🚴♀️ ☀️ 5/5
First 5k run of the year. There’s a reason I love to get up and out
Love might be a little overdoing it, takes quite a lot to drag me out of bed but I’m always happy when I make the effort