Commuting by bike Archives -

How did you get into cycling and how did you improve in the beginning?

May 21, 2020 Nicola charity bike ride, Commuting by bike, Life purpose, Women cycling

A member of one of the social media groups that I’m a part of asked the question “How did you get into cycling and how did you improve in the beginning?”. It’s a great open-ended question and elicited some great answers so I’ve pinched some of them and publish them below. I’ve removed all the names for privacy but each paragraph represents a new comment. Enjoy….. “My husband got into cycling because it was the fastest way to commute to work. Somehow he convinced me to buy a bicycle and join him on rides. Actually hated riding because I didn’t

how to return to riding your road bike after buying an e-bike

November 7, 2019 Nicola Commuting by bike, E-bike, Women cycling, women's bikes

A friend of mine suggested that I write a blog post about how to return to riding your road bike after buying an e-bike. She recently bought herself an e-bike to commute to and from work, and due to a holiday and other life obstacles had a break from riding her road bike. She found it difficult to return to the human-powered riding mainly because of the physical exertion that was required. She actually answered her own question while we were discussing this quandary, but I thought it was worth exploring the topic. For her, the answer was to think

What are the seven types of female cyclist?

May 9, 2019 Nicola Children riding, Commuting by bike, Cycle groups, Cycling Club racing, Mountain bike riding, Track cycling, Women cycling

For a bit of fun (please don’t take it too seriously), I’ve identified seven types of female cyclist. I’ve deliberately used the word cyclist because that’s what I call myself, but I know that many of the groups I’ve identified wouldn’t use that term. With my arbitrary categories I also acknowledge that some women move from one group to another – An ‘Occasional rider’ could catch the bug and become an ‘Obsessed road cyclist’. And women can be more than one category at the same time – an ‘Obsessed road cyclist’ can also be a ‘Commuter’, a ‘Mountain biker’ and

all businesses should have these facilities for bike commuters

February 12, 2019 Nicola Commuting by bike, Women cycling

Last year I attended a cycling summit at the Lend Lease building at Barangaroo on the edge of the Sydney CBD and I was very impressed by the great facilities for bike commuters. I think all businesses should be incorporating this type of amenity to encourage more people to ride to work. I interviewed Paul Morgan from Lend Lease via email. Q: How many bikes can you accommodate in your bike parking area? We have 1,100 bike racks. Q: Whose brilliant idea was the facility? The Barangaroo development has received Green Building Council of Australia 6 Star Green Star awards

Amy Gillett Foundation making roads safer for cyclists

August 28, 2018 Nicola Commuting by bike, Cycle groups, Women cycling

I’ve been admiring the great work of the Amy Gillett Foundation for many years, and felt it was about time I wrote about the terrific activities they undertake to make the roads safer for all cyclists. I was lucky enough to meet CEO Phoebe Dunn at a cycling event a couple of months ago and we recently corresponded. Q: I know the AGF was founded in memory of Australian cyclist Amy Gillett. How has it evolved since Amy’s tragic death 13 years ago? Our singular focus on cycling safety remains unchanged. Over the years we have worked hard to reach

A cyclist’s message to drivers and other road users

May 29, 2018 Nicola Commuting by bike, Women cycling

I came across a great Facebook post last week that was a great cyclist’s message to drivers by fellow cyclist Brett Lambkin. So I contacted Brett and asked him if I could republish it here with some minor edits. I urge all the cyclists who read this to share it widely with all their non-cyclist network to help educate other road users, particularly car drivers. It sums up my own view perfectly….Over to Brett. I am done arguing online with other road users so I’m just going to summarise my arguments and then let it go. Cyclists are LEGALLY entitled

You need good lights for a road bike to see and be seen

April 3, 2018 Nicola Bike retail, Commuting by bike, Women cycling

Like many road cyclists, I ride early in the morning to avoid traffic, and to leave the rest of my day free to work or play, so I use lights for a road bike to see and be seen. This means that for several months during the year I leave home in the dark. One thing that constantly amazes me is that I see other cyclists riding around with inadequate or even no lights on their bikes. They are also often decked out in dark clothing on dark bikes. I’m not sure if they are trying to be really ‘cool’

Keep safe while commuting by bike: 5 useful tips for new bike commuters

September 19, 2017 Nicola Commuting by bike, Women cycling

It’s really important to keep safe while commuting by bike so when fellow rider/writer Amanda Wilks of Mountain Bike Reviewed contacted me and asked if she could contribute an article I was keen to publish it. Over to Amanda….. If you love to cycle and care about the environment, choosing to ride to work can help you both improve your fitness level and reduce harmful emissions. However, for the uninitiated, commuting to work can present some problems – maybe you aren’t sure how to make sure you’re seen by vehicles, or maybe you want to avoid showing up to work

A guide to buying women’s clip-in cycling shoes

July 5, 2016 Nicola Bike retail, Commuting by bike, Women cycling

I meet a lot of women who are reluctant to try women’s clip-in cycling shoes on their bike. They are nervous about falling off their bike if they forget to unclip, or in some cases believe that clip-in shoes are just for super serious cyclists. But I think they are for anyone who plans to do some significant kilometres on their bike. And there are some good reasons why you might want to become more attached to your pedals. Clipping in can stop your foot slipping off when applying power, help align your foot to ensure maximum efficiency, and potentially

Is it safe to ride a bike on Sydney roads?

May 3, 2016 Nicola Commuting by bike, Cycle groups, Women cycling

Lots of women tell me that the reason they don’t want to ride a bike is because they don’t feel safe on Sydney’s roads. Therefore they seek out opportunities to ride on bike paths so they can avoid interacting with cars. Interestingly the more experienced I become as a cyclist, the more I prefer riding on the road, rather than bike paths. I find that most Sydney bike paths (and there aren’t that many of them) are cluttered with pedestrians listening to loud music via small bud earphones, dog walkers, slower bike riders and small children on bikes. All of