An interesting initiative is being considered by the Christchurch City Council. Following a deputation to a Community Board by a dog walker, the Council has agreed to to promote and encourage the use of bells on bicycles.
The concern …
Category: Bikes & equipment
Reviews of bikes, equipment, gear, etc.
Guest Post: Statistics, Dollars, and the Intangible (Priceless) Benefits of Cycling
Guest blogger Robert has a look at his wallet (and a few other measures) this week:
It was good to see the recent post from Lennyboy sharing the reports of an increase in numbers of cycles using the shared Hagley …
Cycling and the Law: What is a “Cycle”?
This is the start of a planned series of articles to help readers understand some of the legal ins and outs of cycling in NZ. I get lots of questions about this, and clearly there is a bit of confusion …
Product Reviews: GearBest Cycling Accessories
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And now for a word from our sponsors… well not quite, but I did receive a request from international online retailer GearBest to have a look at some of their cycling accessories (they also stock a wide range of other …
Spark Bikes bikeshare now in central Christchurch
Christchurch now has another piece in the puzzle for a cycle-friendly city, with the launch of the “Spark Bikes” public bikeshare scheme in central Christchurch last Friday. As mentioned previously, five stations have been set up across the central …
Cargo Bike Blind Spots
The have been a number of articles (here) recently about large trucks and how scary their blind spots are – a bike parked in front or to the side just can’t be seen. Large trucks have turned up …
Guest Post: RAD Bikes
This guest post is from Catarina Gutierrez – enjoy!
RAD is that small shed you’ve seen on the corner of Tuam and High St, across from C1 Espresso {update Jul ’15: now at The Commons, cnr Kilmore and Durham…
Bus Bike Racks continue to grow
As many of you will have heard, various changes were made to Christchurch bus services in December. For example, we now have a network of high-frequency “orange/purple/yellow/blue line” services across the city. One relatively unheralded outcome of the new bus …
Defensive cycling: Looking left
I’ve been cycling around many different place in New Zealand for quite a few decades now and over time I’ve become aware that there are things that cyclists can do to make themselves safer on the road. So I thought …
Bikes and buses – starting to think about multimodalism
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Great cities allow people to get around them in many different ways and to mix and match transport forms. Christchurch already has some facilities that allow mixing and matching to happen, so I thought I’d reflect on this for a …
Are bike lights becoming too bright?
It wasn’t that long ago that motorists could quite reasonably grumble about the lack of decent lighting emanating from most night-time bike riders. However, technology has moved on at a rapid pace and now you can get a decent set …
Guest Post – Cycling in Shanghai
Here is another guest post by intrepid guest blogger Robert. Watch for a few more as he travels around the world…
Biking in other cities – How does Christchurch compare? This is the first of a series of articles that …
M is for Maintenance
Over the past few months, my bike has been looking progressively more haggard, with various things not quite working as well as they should. The gears weren’t shifting properly, the brakes were a bit so-so, there was a bit of …
Bike Share Plan coming to Christchurch
An interesting news article in The Press on Friday announced that a trial of a bike-share scheme for City Council staff would begin in Christchurch. The hope is that the trial would ultimately lead on to a roll-out of a …
THE fluoro coat is for sale!
I’m just putting the word out that I’m selling the fluoro coat that I created for the first Cycle Style Fashion Show in Auckland. So if you, or anyone you know, would like to own a designer ‘statement coat’ that …
Sound System Bike Trailer
Unfortunately Ciclovia/open streets planned for the 14th July was postponed until 29 Sept, but we had a volunteers briefing on the Thursday 11th and I took along the mobile sound system trailer I had built up for the Ciclovia to …
Handy Tips: Beating the Punctures
It seems to be a perennial problem these days, the prevalence of broken glass (or other detritus) on the streets and the subsequent punctures that can result. It’s a pain for the amount of inconvenience this causes, so what can …
Christchurch Otautahi Cargo Bike Annual Rally (CHOCBAR) – take 2
The first attempt was rained out so this Saturday (11th May) we are gathering for a ride of cargo bikes, tadpoles, bike trailers, stretched bikes, Bakfiets, or any other pedal-powered vehicle that can take more than a couple of saddle …
Cargo Bike Power
A nice article in last Thursday’s Mainland Press (on the cover no less), highlighting the usefulness of cargo bikes of varying styles around Christchurch.
I remember reading an article a couple of years ago where local property tycoon Antony Gough, …
Be Safe Be Heard
Autumn usually brings a flurry of articles about being well lit up when cycling, but I think an overlooked area of cycling safety is the ability to warn cars of your presence on the road. The bike bell is very …