Category: General cycling advice
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Seven reasons why you should buy a bike GPS
When you first start riding distances, whether day rides or bike tours, buying a bike GPS can seem expensive and unnecessary, especially when you already have a smartphone with an app such as mapy, RideWithGPS, or Komoot. Indeed, many long distance bike tourists go without, relying on a smartphone or paper maps. Having used a GPS for over 10…
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How to embrace the beauty of a winter bike ride
Here in the Northern Hemisphere, it is thick winter. The days are short, the temperatures down, the weather often unpleasant and we have just had a week of snow. But if you can brave those first few steps out the front door, this time of year can be glorious and memorable to ride in. It…
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Why Autumn is the best season for riding
Here in the northern hemisphere, it is full on autumn: the leaves are falling, the days are getting colder and the nights are getting appreciably longer. This is really my favourite season for riding, and it should be yours. I’ve written about this before but let me list the ways. The colours are glorious Yes, I…
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Cycling across a map of Tiny Perfect Moments
A few months ago, I read a review of a new film called “The Map of Tiny Perfect Things”. Judging by the review and the trailer, it appears to be about two teens who find themselves reliving the same day again and again, Groundhog Day-style. In an allusion to the conclusion of the earlier film,…
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Living in the fierce urgency of now: Martin Luther King, 2020, and bike touring…
What connects Dr Martin Luther King Jr., the year 2020, and bike touring? At first sight, asking this question must put me in contention for the so far non-existent prize of “Most Blatant Demonstration of Bathos 2020”. Two very serious subjects – Martin Luther King and the year 2020 – followed by a trite one:…
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Why Autumn is the best season to ride a bike. REALLY.
A few Sundays ago, as I had breakfast, it was cold and the brief glints of sunlight that got me out of bed had been replaced by grey skies and pouring rain… Yet I couldn’t wait to get out on the bike. Maybe it’s because I was born in Autumn, but it is my absolute…
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Five Tips for buying a bike
One of the positive side effects of this awful time has been that a lot of friends have asked me for advice about buying a bike. I have given some advice on why I think that a touring bike is a great buy if you are intending to ride for day trips and want something…
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Why you should buy a touring bike even if you never intend to go touring
One of the positives of this difficult time – Spring/Summer 2020 – is that a lot of people are rediscovering the pleasures and practicality of cycling, helped by the amazing weather. If you are thinking of taking up cycling again, my simple advice is: go for it. There has never been a better time. But…