Friday, July 11, 2008

Adrenaline Gateway

As part of the Adrenaline Gateway project the area around Lees Quarry near Bacup now has several mountain biking routes. There must be a train out to Bacup.......

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posted by Ian at 11:15 AM
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Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Ian has a new bike


Ian has a new bike, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.
It's actually cobbled together from components I took off another bike and a frame, fork and other bits I got off Ebay. The stand over height is ridiculous, I didn't realise how small the frame is until bits started going onto it. I need to replace the pedals and get my nerve up and then I can go play.

The bike was built for me by GBH bikes on Whittle street, Manchester (just off Tib Street), M4 1LT. If you're on Facebook you can join their group. I videoed the build and will be producing a few short clips about it.

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Friday, April 11, 2008

Mancunian bike news

Oscar hands out 3000 bikes. Every council should have an official bike (and other stuff) recycling program similar to the one run by Oscar.

Flat boosts cyclist's medal hopes.

Man charged after cyclist injured. It's not all good news, sadly.

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Friday, March 14, 2008

I [bike] Manchester 2008

This year's festival celebrating two wheeling in the rainy city starts later this month. Find out more at the I [bike] Manchester website.

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posted by Ian at 11:39 AM
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Thursday, December 06, 2007

Traffic wardens on bikes

PArking attendant is the new name for traffic wardens isn't it? Manchester now has Parking Attendants on bikes who can get around town faster and ticket a wider area. Hopefully they'll do something about all the people who park in the cycle lanes in Rusholme.

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posted by Ian at 11:37 AM
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Thursday, November 01, 2007

RIP Harry Hall

Harry Hall, founder of the eponymous bike shop currently on Whitworth Street West, has died at the age of 78.

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posted by Ian at 2:15 PM
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Thursday, September 20, 2007

Police bike ban after death

Most of Manchester's bike riding Police are out of the saddle for two months after the death of a rookie Community Support Officer in an accident. It's a shame, I've become used to having them around. And how exactly are the rookie bike cops going to get the experience they're judged to lack if they can't ride their bikes?

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posted by Ian at 9:36 PM
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Sunday, June 10, 2007

Manchester Naked Bike Ride 2007


Naked Bike Ride, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.

It's strange how quickly you can get used to standing around in the nude on a city street. We stripped off early so the BBC and local station Channel M could get footage of us for their news programmes, then set about getting body painted. I put my shorts back on for a while, then felt silly about it.

There must be several thousand photos of the ride floating around, because it seemed that every single camera phone on the route was whipped out to get a shot. Canal Street loved us, as did drinkers in the Kro on Oxford Road and various other beer gardens along the way.

G7UK has some video footage, and the Daily Mail has a piece about the Brighton and Hove ride.

Here's my photo set on Flickr, and here are all the photos there labelled "Naked Bike Ride".

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posted by Ian at 4:12 PM
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Saturday, April 28, 2007

Critical Mass- April 2007


We are traffic
Originally uploaded by spinneyhead.
Manchester Critical Mass. It's been years since I've done one of these. It looks bigger and better than ever. There was even a sound system.

After the ride we went to Platt Fields to play cycle polo. I'll post pictures of the ride and the polo soon.

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posted by Ian at 8:57 AM
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Tuesday, April 10, 2007

More bikes for Manchester

The local Friends of the Earth are calling on Manchester council to improve facilities for cyclists in the city. Proper policing of the on road cycle lanes would be a start, the number of drivers who use the advance stop lane at lights as a gap to roll into whilst waiting for them to change is ridiculous.

Obviously, a few dumb drivers have started complaining about cyclists using "their" roads in the comments section. My comment-

The public road system is for the use of all the public, not just drivers. Vehicle Excise Duty is a tax on the right to use a motor vehicle on the public highway, not a payment for the upkeep of that highway.

As a public resource, it is up to councils and the government to decide how the roads would be best used for the benefit of all people. Successive governments have failed to do this- giving ever more priority to the car at the expense of the rest of us- and it's about time the emphasis swung back.

I've travelled around Manchester by bike, on foot, by public transport and in cars. In most circumstances, the car has been the least efficient way of getting around.

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posted by Ian at 9:08 AM
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Friday, January 05, 2007

Manchester Bicycle Exhibition

With portraits of Manchester's cyclists, Research results about cycling in Manchester, Bicycle sculptures and crazy bike designs, Films about bikes and critical mass, Premiering a new documentary film made especially for the exhibition about cycling in Manchester.

Opening Friday 30th March 8pm
After the Critical Mass bike ride, which meets at 6pm at Central Library M1.
Exhibition at The Basement, 24 Lever Street M1 until Friday 20th April

If you'd like to play music at the opening night event or if you'd like to put on a bicycle related workshop or event whilst the exhibition is on, get in touch!
The kinds of events/ workshops we hope to add to the timetable include bicycle polo class, bicycle mechanics, how to build a pedal powered television/blender etc, countryside bike ride etc etc.


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posted by Ian at 9:13 PM
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Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Velodrome a victim of its own succcess

MAnchester's Velodrome is replacing its track seven years ahead of schedule because the venue has been so busy. Larch wood is being imported from Siberia especially to lay down the new surface.

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posted by Ian at 10:58 PM
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Tuesday, November 14, 2006

The Levenshulme Bicycle Orchestra

Greetings, please dismount from your cycle.

We are an orchestra that play using various instruments including a bicycle and/or bicycle bits and pieces.

Levenshulme is a place in south manchester where some of are living, a bicycle is the best form of transport in the world, an orchestra implies a unified ensemble - a little bit like us.

This website aims to: Document levenshulme bicycle orchestra - Tell you where we are playing - Show some of our art - Have downloadable music/video - Distribute art and music; zines cd's and tapes etc, - Be a hub for our creative efforts

vis Mancubist

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posted by Ian at 12:52 PM
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Sunday, October 01, 2006

I missed Critical Mass again

I used to be aregular (almost a decade ago) but nowadays I always forget that it's the last Friday of the month until too late in the day. Indymedia has some pictures of September's Manchester Critical Mass.

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posted by Ian at 5:12 PM
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Sunday, July 02, 2006

112-mile odyssey of M60 cyclist, 75

AN ELDERLY cyclist was found pedalling along the M60 after getting lost and going on a 112-mile ride.

Stanley Smith, 75, was on the road for more than 12 hours as he cycled around Greater Manchester trying to find his way home.

After leaving home in Davyhulme at about 11am, he took a wrong turn and ended up in Warrington before turning round and heading back east.


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posted by Ian at 11:31 AM
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Thursday, May 25, 2006

Bucket Bike in Manchester

A Manchester councillor has demonstrated a Danish style bucket bike as part of publicity for Bike Week (17-25 June). The conversion involves bolting a box top the front of an ordinary bike (rigid I assume, I can't see this working with suspension forks) and, I guess, turning it into a trike.

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posted by Ian at 4:34 PM
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Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Cycling paramedics for Manchester city centre

From Friday we're going to get pedalling paramedics in the city centre.

From Friday two paramedics will be using highly-equipped mountain bikes to shave vital seconds off their response times.

More like minutes, which is great news for anyone in the centre needing medical attention. Just so long as no-one's so stupid as to demand they get off and walk along pedestrianised streets.

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posted by Ian at 11:39 AM
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Friday, May 12, 2006

Love Your Bike

Manchester Friends of the Earth and the City Council set up the Love Your Bike site and campaign a few months ago. I was reminded of it last weekend and went back to have a look.

There's a section on the site called Love Lanes, where you can enter your commute on a Google powered map and answer questions about the quality of the roads on the route and what would make the journey better. I'm a sucker for mapping hacks and just had to dive right in and add mine. It needs to be approved yet, but if you happen to see a journey from Withington to the Co-op tower on Miller Street, that's mine.

Cross posted from City Hippy

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Friday, May 05, 2006

Slow Down

Manchester has already started cutting the speed limit around schools to 20mph. I cycle along one such section on the way to work, though I'm not sure how many of the drivers pay attention to it. Now they're being urged to spread the 20 zones to all built up areas.

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posted by Ian at 11:07 AM
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Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Love Your Bike

SAVE MONEY
Save on fuel costs and park for free

BURN CALORIES
Stay healthy, burn over 300 calories an hour

GET THERE ON TIME
Avoid congestion, get there faster,

Cycling is fun, healthy and you'll save money. This site is packed with information and links to all things cycling and provides practical advice on cycling to work. New cyclists can select one of the Love Lanes routes to work and regular cyclists can join in too by helping to spread some love.

Brought to you by bike lovers at Manchester Friends of the Earth and Manchester City Council


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posted by Ian at 5:37 PM
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Tuesday, March 21, 2006

MEN- "Medal miracle for our Emma"

CYCLING miracle Emma Davies Jones has won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games - just five months after breaking her back in a road accident.

The Cheshire athlete revealed there were times she wished she was dead after she suffered terrible spinal injuries when she was knocked off her bike on the way to a training session at the Manchester Velodrome in October.

She said: "I would tell my mum I wished that I could go to sleep and never wake up."


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Friday, March 17, 2006

Manchester Bicycle Film Fest



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Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Ride In Peace

via Lord Rich, the announcement of the Ride Manchester closing down event-

Ride Manchester

Bicycle Sale on sat feb 25th

12 noon – 5pm

We are selling off :::
complete bikes, part bikes, second hand spares at reduced prices, freebies, and childrens bikes for £ 5.

None of the tools are for sale.This will be the last opening day of the Ride Manchester Project.

If you want to bring bikes and stuff of your own to flog it to other punters or try and swap it, then feel free..

Ride Manchester will then go into "an extended period of dormancy". We can be contacted via thisl email address if anyone wants to contact us or has any proposals about carrying on the work of ride manchester. Ride Manchester will not be offering any services for the forseeable future.

Distribute to whoever might be interested..

R.I.P. ride in peace.

bq.—————www.ridemanchester.org.uk———


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Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Manchester 4x4 Action - Riders of the Apocalypse!

On Saturday, a group of cyclists pissed off with the ever increasing amount of dirty, dangerous and downright ridiculous 4x4s which are accelerating climate Armageddon took to their bikes and donned skeleton outfits to shame 4x4 drivers.

I meant to go into town to catch some of this, but missed it.

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posted by Ian at 8:40 PM
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Sunday, January 08, 2006

Ride Manchester video blog




Ride Manchester have a workshop where they rescue and rebuild abandoned bikes for sale. They also allow you to build your own bike, if you have the time and inclination, which is what I'm doing with my poor vandalised commuter. I took the frame and all the other bits I'd salvaged along on Friday to strip it down prior to resurrection. Whilst I was there I interviewed Adam about the project. Click on the image above to see the video.

The lease on the workshop runs out soon and Adam is off to Cornwall. It would be a shame to see the project go under. It's one of the many things I'd love to do if I had the time, but I don't. So it's up to someone out there to carry on the good work that ride Manchester has begun.

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posted by Ian at 5:21 PM
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Friday, December 16, 2005

More cycle paths for Manchester?

Manchester will receive an extra £80million in funding for transport infrastructure to improve public transport and cycling facilities.

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Friday, December 09, 2005

UCI World Cup event at Manchester Velodrome

I can't make it tomorrow, but I'll try to get there on Sunday.

From BikeBiz-

BBC Grandstand is televising the event on Saturday and Sunday but organiser Alan Rushton wants bums on seats so the TV cameras can zoom in on the growing popularity of track cycling. And if track enthusiasts want to see more world-class events staged at the Manchester velodrome, it's important to fill this one to the rafters...

Tickets are available in both standard and premium seating. Standard - is for unreserved seating. Premium is for reserved, numbered seating in the home straight (Block N) and the back straight (Block E).

Book via http://www.worldtrackcycling.com or tel: 01372 464 666

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