Cycle Blackpool Blog

Don’t let the wintery weather make you lock your bike up in the shed until summer.  We have put together some tips to get us and our bikes winterized and ready for anything that the elements can throw at us.

1. Don’t be afraid of the dark. Fit lights to your bike – white at the front and red at the rear. Try to wear bright clothing to help you be seen, preferably high visibility cycle jackets with reflective strips.

2.  Cycling is great exercise so you’ll soon keep warm but make sure you stay snug, dry and warm before setting off by putting on several layers topped by a breathable waterproof jacket. Take care of your extremities too. Wrap fingers and toes in good gloves and socks. A beanie hat, balaclava or worn under your helmet will keep your head warm.

3. Fitting Mudguards is quick, easy and keeps you and your bike dry and dirt free on wet roads.

4. Check your tyres are not worn. In wet conditions a good tyre tread depth will help your grip on the roads.  Large piles of wet leaves are to be avoided as they are deceptively slippy.  

5. In winter as in summer check your brakes work well before setting off.  Oil your bike chain regularly to ensure a smooth ride. Make sure your chain is clean of mud and dirt before oiling.

6. Take the weight off your shoulders and let the bike take the strain by fitting a bike rack and pannier bag over the back wheel that you can keep your shopping, work clothes or anything else dry in.

Just picked up this great video made in Bristol.  As more and more people get on bikes, they often under-estimate the determination of bike thieves.  So please, follow the advice in this film: invest in a good lock (of at least 10% the value of the bike, lock the frame and wheels to something really solid and remove any ‘removeable’ parts.

If you’ve been the victim of having a bike nicked, you know already what a pain it can be, but with a little bit of thought you can keep your bike safe.

 Hal Grades Your Locks

Congratulations to Karl Proctor who logged the most rides during the Challenge period. Commuting to Anchorsholme School made up a large part of his winning 97 rides and 326 miles cycled.

1st Karl Proctor (Anchorsholme School) 97 rides / 326 miles; 2nd Yvonne Eaves (Danbro Ltd) 94 rides /  381 miles; 3rd Emma Peasland (Sustrans) 92 rides / 281 miles. 

A grand total of 2,503 rides for 13,780 miles were logged by everyone. The theme of the Challenge was to burn fat not fuel. Using the approximate calculation of 30 calories burnt per mile of easy cycling makes a total of 344,500 calories burnt. The approximate CO2 saved was 5,724 kg.

 Congratulations to the prize draw winners –

Week 1: J Martyn-Clark – Blackpool & Fylde College; D McWilliams – Blackpool Council; L Howarth – Blackpool Council; S DeMaine – Blackpool Council; S Muchowski – Blackpool Council; S Hargreaves – HMRC; M Swan – LLoyds C Evans – VoiteQ.

Week 2: A Harrison – Andrew Curran; A-M Kaliszczak – Victoria Hospital; D Close – Innenco; J Weatherington – Blackpool Council; T Heaton – SPS EU; M Hill – Blackpool Council; W Martin – Blackpool Council; A Megson – Post Office.

Week 3: J Evans – HMRC; Y Eaves – Danbro; S Slaney – HMRC; A Roache – Park School; C Allan – DWP Warbreck House; N Pawson – HMRC; A Easter – Blackpool Council; S Coates – Blackpool Council.

Is your bike in need of TLC? Have you ever wished you could mend a puncture or get those gears working in a smooth way without the need of costly assistance? Would you like to fix your brakes so that you stop quickly rather than eventually? Well now is your chance!

Blackpool Council are holding a maintenance class on Thursday 8th September, 6pm – 8:30pm at the Visitor Centre, Stanley Park.

You will learn how to perform:

Brake servicing, Brake block and brake cable replacement, Setting up gears (indexing) and fault finding, Removing wheels, tyres and repairing punctures, General preventative maintenance

The classes will be run by Lyndsay and Doug, Cytech qualified mechanics who will teach the class in a friendly and patient manner. The maximam class size will be six. 

The cost of the class is £20 and includes brake blocks and cables if required. You will be working on your own bike. 

Call Cycle Blackpool tel. 476261 for a booking form. 

During the summer holidays a programme of free BMX coaching will be taking place for young people at the new Stanley Park BMX Track. Sessions will run for 14- 15 years and 16- 24 years. Participants must be able to attend a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 6 sessions, 1 per week for each of the 6 weeks available during the summer. The sessions will take place 2- 4pm during the dates highlighted below, please tick below which 6 sessions you will be attending and complete your registration details overleaf. BMX bikes and helmets will be available for hire free of charge. The sessions will be lead by fully qualified British Cycling Coaches.

bmx coaching booking form

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/road/article/roa20110702-road-Report–Garner-Wins-Blackpool-GP-0.

To mark National Bike Week 18th – 26th June, Cycle Blackpool organised events throughout the week to help both first-time and regular cyclists by providing free Dr Bike sessions and breakfasts. 

 On Monday 20th and Wednesday 22nd we set up camp in St John’s Square under the former bus shelter and next to the hire bike stand. The three bike technicians on hand were kept busy by town centre workers who commute by bike as a way to keep fit and save on petrol and car parking costs. 

On Monday even Radio Lancashire got in on the act by sending a reporter (a keen cyclist himself) to do a live broadcast for the breakfast show.  We have also visited the HMRC offices and Victoria Hospital this week. The picture shows Doug and Lyndsay ready with smiles, work stand and breakfast treats in St John’s Square. 

The new BMX track is really amazing fun, but make sure you ride within your limits.  ALWAYS wear a helmet, gloves, long sleeves and trousers.  Only ride the track from start to finish, and never join the track midway unless as part of an organised coaching session.

Details of coaching sessions will be revealed shortly – there’ll be loads of opportunities to improve your skills this summer!

A copy of the rules is attached, so make sure you read them before using the track.

Track rules

As the summer is upon us so is the start of the drive to get more people out enjoying the sun on their bikes as a family.

There’s a world on your doorstep, waiting to be discovered and there’s no better way to see it than on your bike. Once again Blackpool Council has joined with British Cycling and Sky to bring you Sky Ride, delivering a series of local rides throughout the summer to show people the best bits of the town and surrounding areas. There is something for everyone with the majority of rides aimed at beginners and those who have not cycled for a long time. There are also some more challenging rides for the more experienced riders in the area.

The first ride is this weekend with an easy ride along the promenade starting at 2pm from Middle Walk up the prom and shouldn’t take more than 90 minutes. All you have to do is register your place for FREE at www.goskyride.com

Intrepid CTC Bike Club Officer, Damian Bonsall and three of his pals have set off on a gruelling 500 mile journey across the country to raise funds for the Red Cross.

To find out how they are doing click on this link - http://lelarida.blogspot.com/

You can sponsor Damian’s ride at www.justgiving.com/landsendlancaster