Cycling In The Middle Ages

Approaching 40 seemed a good time to invest in my first ever brand new bike. Now I have had my share of hand-me-down, second-hand and rebuild bikes so it was not going to be a minor life change. Or so I thought...

Now, two years later, on silver side of 40 and on reflection it is clear things have changed. The bicycle is a folding Ridgeback Attache with Shimano 7 speed hub geers. For the none technical, hub geers are the kind that predated those fancy french deraillieurs. Good old Sturmey Archer manufactured the ones on my Nan's bike!

So the folding bike has changed me, not because I fold it very much. Firstly, being brand new it was precious and so my parking behaviour changed. Unwilling to leave it out for either the weather or criminal elements, it came with into the house and office. Initially it came in folded, which is quick and easy but since it is always easier to wheel than carry, this became less the case.

The real change was in my style of cycling and the way traffic treated me. Before, on a hybrid that amused fellow cyclists no end when the crank fell off mid-cycle, cycling was all blood and thunder. Most of the thunder was to work past the fact that old bikes do not run smooth. I was fighting friction.

Then I would typically arrive perspiring but not any more. The new bike's small wheels slowed me down yet it was so much more of a joy to ride. With a rack and panniers there was now no need for a rucksack - also know as back-sweat extractor! I could arrive fresh, no need for a shower, thus any slowing in journey time was made up by not needing to rehumanise.

The second aspect that changed was the effect the new bicycle had on the way traffic treated me. Drivers make snap judgements about cyclists. Somehow, being middle aged, helmetted and wearing fluorescent bib astride a new looking folding commuter bike brought some respectability. This still was perhaps the biggest surprise yet in hindsight it should not be. Human nature is like that.

What is clear is that it is not just those new to cycling who can benefit from a rethink. A tweak in your transport can change things markedly, affecting not only your behaviour but that of others. For me, these changes have made my commuting so much pleasanter.