Cycling is good for you

On a fine October afternoon...

2011-03-17T21:00:00.000+01:00

...a while ago now, there were two people who had a ride to the beach. The sun was shining and the weather was excellent. The autumn breeze was refreshing as they rode down the cycling lane next to Paral·lel Avenue in Barcelona. Then, at the end of the avenue, they turned right and there they were, the end of Les Rambles with its Columbus statue pretending to signal America but signalling...France? Italy?

They turned left and cycled next to the sea, bordering Port Vell' ('Old Dock'). The white boats and the sun reflecting on the water were a delightful sight. It was impossible not to take a picture.

After a few shots, the riding continued. People walked, talked and lingered calmy on the seaside, enjoying their time. Finally they got to La Barceloneta and left the bike. It was time to walk for a while now, accompanied by the fading lights of the sunset.

A wonderful Sunday afternoon.

Some white stuff from above

2010-12-01T19:30:00.000+01:00

Last weekend, just before I headed off to Innsbruck, it started to snow in Vienna. It also did when I returned on Sunday evening, and it still does!

Now that's quite some snow for Vienna.

And as every year, they have trouble clearing the roads properly. So the streets look more grehish, and are pretty wet.

By careful when cycling. Take it easy, don't rush! (see our full winter cycling guide for more tipps)

It's not necessary to leave your bikes at home though... But if you don't wanna ride, take your bikes in. Otherwise there will only be a piece of rust left after the winter...

Gray with colors

2010-11-20T15:06:00.002+01:00

Winter in Vienna generally means gray. A lot of gray sky. It's cloudy and foggy. If at least it would snow! But it very rarely does. What to do?

I survive this time of the year by wearing some colorful clothes. An additional benefit of this brightening up is that it also increases visibility. Today I set off with Paula for a short gift shopping trip. Since it's cold one has to wear proper protection anyhow. My choice of the day was a blue and red woolen combination. Feels much warmer already, doesn't it? What are you favorite winter cycling clothes?

Ready ...

... and go!

First I had to cycle on some narrow bike lanes. I get by by cycling on the outer edge of it, otherwise I'm too close to parked cars.

Before getting to the ring, I can ride in the opponent direction of a one-way street. That's a really nice treat for cyclists heading towards the center.

Next I could ride a long stretch along the ring bike path. It's incredibly beautiful in autumn when there are a lot of yellow leaves everywhere, but rather bare-branched in November. I passed a few Christmas markets. Well, not really my piece of cake, certainly not yet. Too much consumerism and drunk people everywhere. Christmas seems to start earlier and earlier each year. And each year we have less Christkind and more imported Santa Claus.

I was heading towards Mariahilferstraße, generally a hopelessly crowded shopping street. Although it was not so bad on the stretch that I visited, I still could not find bike parking and had to attach Paula to a traffic sign post.

The shop I went to was crowded but at least they don't play Christmas songs. I found some nice birthday present for my mum, and that was all in needed. Great that I could combine with a relaxed bike ride through town on a Saturday morning :-).

A short stop in Dresden

2010-11-13T22:54:00.001+01:00

It's already a few months back that I visited Dresden, capital of Saxony in the East of Germany. I arrived by an overnight train, pretty early and the place was still sleepy. Still, quite a few people were already up and bright on their way on bike everywhere.

Of course, one of the first things I noticed were rental bikes and out came my camera.

The texts speak for themselves, for example:

With me you are never stuck in a traffic jam.
With me you can park anywhere.
With me you burn at least 300 kcal an hour.
With me you get without "respirative dust badge" through town.

To rent and bring back a bike one simply has to call a phone number and tell the number of the bike. Preregistration (with the mobile phone number) is therefore necessary. For more details see the nextbike webpage. Their "Rent a Bike" system is used in many cities throughout Germany. Quite interesting concept, because it works without the usual "stations" (but for so-called non-official locations one is charged more).

Also noticeable were the elegant (but way too many) German traffic signals near the center and the enjoyable beautiful Baroque architecture.

Funnily though the place is also filled with street maps showing the car parks around the center. There is even an access to a parking right in the middle of the otherwise beautiful main square with the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady).

Typical is also the use of bikes for commercial advertising by shops and restaurants. Seems to work well.

Moreover, there is also a large number of bike racks around most shops. A lot of them also carry ads for shops, pharmacies etc. Not as charming as the bikes in the pictures above, but still useful for cyclists looking for suitable parking.

And last but not least, a few shots of cyclists in Dresden. Enjoy!

Learning how to ride a bike

2010-10-31T18:38:00.003+01:00

In Mussoorie -- a small town in the foothills of the Himalaya ranges -- I had the pleasure of watching a little boy taking the first steps towards becoming a cyclist. He was on a pink-and-yellow bike that was actually too small for him. Attached to the rear wheel there seemed to be a construction for training wheels, but the wheels were missing. His father walked beside him and gently held on to the seat/backrest.

When they went uphill, the father pushed a little more from behind. On the downhill parts the father, in addition, secured him by holding on to the handlebar. Though the young fellow already did a good job himself. By now he certainly already masters his bike.

Can you still remember how you learned to cycle?

My first bike was a pink Barbie bike which I got at the age of three. Back then we still lived in a city, and I was only allowed to ride it (with training wheels) in the flat and at a trail along the river. Shortly after we moved to the west -- and countryside. My grandparents had a house, and I practised cycling on the small drive in the front. I learned to cycle without training wheels just like the Indian boy did. Someone was holding on to the seat and let go after a while. Turns where the hardest part, but well, eventually I got it.

These days special learner bikes are state-of-the-art for children that want to learn cycling in Austria. Does anybody have experience with them?

A Puky learner bike

When it rains in Uttrakhand

2010-10-24T13:58:00.003+02:00

In India there are essentially three seasons -- the hot, the wet and the cool. In September I was again in India, partly still during the Monsoon. There were major floods in Uttrakhand. It was amazing to see how people got on with the amount of water.

Many tourists wrapped themselves up in cheap single-use raincoats in bright colors. They were available for 10 Rupees only. The footbridges (actually also used by cyclists, motorbikers and monkeys :-)) were full of such crowds.

Cyclists and even motorbikers protected themselves from the rain by carrying umbrellas. I was impressed with their ability of driving with one hand, particularly when the road conditions got bad and potholes etc. could not be seen anymore because the water level on the streets was too high.

The rain continued, but we had already planned to travel from Rishikesh to Mussoorie. Even though we went in a car, I was sometimes worried that we would make it through rapid streams flowing over some low bridges or through flooded underpasses -- something that I would personally only risk with a four-wheel drive, but in India even overloaded motorbikes did. Well, we had to get through the water because there was simply no other option. Unfortunately, after a few such adventures, the horn didn't work anymore. If you know how important blowing the horn in India is, than this is a rather frightening experience (earlier I wrote more about general traffic in India if you're interested to know more). Moreover, there was constantly water condensing on the windshields which drastically decreased the visibility...

Along the way we also saw trucks sunk in the rivers, fallen trees blocking the streets, and more and more streets that turned into rivers creating a lot of (at that time invisible) potholes.

Well, we made it to Mussoorie alright. And since this was a hill station, we were not worried about the rain so much. However, due to flooding and landslides the phone lines were blocked for quite a while, and for a few days also the highway and railway connection to Delhi was closed...

Cycling the campus

2010-10-14T20:29:00.006+02:00

Long time since I wrote last, I must apologize. I was off on holiday in India, and then got pretty sick for a while. But now me and Paula are back!

This semester I attend my first Hindi course which takes place at the Institute for South Asian Studies at the Altes AKH. The Altes AKH is a very special place in Vienna. It is a former hospital (hence AKH = Allgemeines Krankenhaus) in the 9th district. These days most of the humanities of the University of Vienna are located there. It has a lot of green an peaceful courtyards with restaurants, shops, bookstores etc. There are also a lot of benches and trees there to quietly read a book...

The Altes AKH campus is carfree (apart from delivery), but cycling is allowed. There are also plenty of bike racks all over the plot, much different to other university sites. It was possible to park Paula directly at the entrance of the Institute for South Asian Studies, nice. Cycling should always feel so easy and comfortable :-).

Pasta bicicletta

2010-09-22T15:29:00.000+02:00

A great thing about living in central Europe is that one can easily reach many different neighboring countries and enjoy their unique langages and cultures. From his last visit to Italy my father brought me some very special pasta. The noodles are bicycles in six distinct colors. What a sweet idea! (although I fear that I'm already considered a nerd among my family)

I have to mention though that actually cooking them without destroying their shape was not that easy.

But some bicycles still survived. Buon appetito!

A trip to the central cemetery

2010-09-17T08:09:00.008+02:00

robably it's not to everybodies taste to spend her/his weekends on a graveyard, but I like to visit the Zentralfriedhof in Vienna from time to time. The Zentralfriedhof is the biggest cemetry in Vienna. It is located in the outskirts of the city (in Simmering) and can easily be reached by bike. There are also various connections by public transport (e.g. trams 6 and 71).

I set off in the morning at the Donaukanal bike path ...

... and continued along some more narrow paths. However, it's always interesting to discover new parts of the town. I can't even remember where that church was, but it looked so fancy that I took a picture.

The Zentralfriedhof is a nice place for a walk -- or even bike ride. Because it's prefectly fine to cycle there. The central cemetry is pretty big, so a bicycle is a convenient way to move around. But there's also a bus system operating there, and one can also get special permissions for cars (handy for old and disabled people). Still, I left the bicycle at the door and just strolled around.

Pretty much in the center of the cemetery is the Karl-Borromäus-Kirche, a quite big and facinating Art Nouveau church (build in 1908-10 by Max Hegele, a student of Otto Wagner).

There are also some macabre discoveries one can make. For example, don't be shocked when you find an "Abort" sign. That just is an old expression for toilets. At another toilet I saw some really cute pun, but for some reason I just cannot remember what it was exactly (if you want to find it out yourself: enter at the main entrance, turn left and pick the first toilet that crosses your way).

Some of the graves are pretty old. I particularly like the old jewish section. Among tourists, the memorials to famous composers and musicians (Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Strauss, Brahms, Falco, Joe Zawinul -- you name them), writers and all kinds of other important people are very popular.

According to my late grandma, one of her brothers was buried at the Zentralfriedhof in World War II. I don't know where that could be though, and maybe it's just a name written at some memorial. But I don't even remember his name. Still, gives the whole trip also a vague personal touch.

I enjoyed the stroll and the bike rides there and back. Do you usually head off for recreational rides on weekends? Been to a cemetry recently?

Further information on the Zentralfriedhof Wien

Wikipedia Zentralfriedhof (in English)

Der Wiener Zentralfriedhof (in German, very detailled information)

Friedhöfe Wien (in German)

Triomphe de l'Auto?

2010-09-12T14:44:00.005+02:00

Generally I found Paris to be a very bicycle friendly city. However, the (probably) biggest road in Paris, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is still invested by cars. They are loud, stinky and the come in large numbers. I walked along the whole 2 km stretch, from the Place de la Concorde to the Place Charles de Gaulle (with the famous Arc de Triomphe).

The sidewalks were crowded, and I did not see a bike path or anything of that sort. Apparently the Champs-Élysées is famous for it's cafés and shops. I don't see how anyone could enjoy a coffee outside at a stressful street like this though. There must be times when the traffic is not so bad.

I saw very few cyclists who dared to cycle in the heavy traffic. I bet it's not very enjoyable. The only time when the Champs-Élysées is in the hand of cyclists is at the final of the Tour de France.

Finally I reached the end of the Champs-Élysées. I alone because along the way I lost my Japanese companion. To get to the Arc de Triomphe as a pedestrian, one has to use an underpass to avoid the huge motorised roundabout. Pretty grim.

So at the end, one stands on this island surrounded by cars and no way to go.

A young fellow on a Vélib' -- after taking some advice from policemen -- dissapeared in the pool of cars encircling the arc. After all, it can't be that bad. Probably just takes some getting used to in order to comfortably cycle on the Champs-Élysées and about?

Paris is more beautiful on a Vélib'

2010-09-08T21:28:00.004+02:00

Vélib' is the popular bike share program in Paris, France. Vélib stands for "vélo liberté" (bicycle freedom) and "la ville est plus belle à vélo" (cycling makes the city beautiful) is their welcoming slogan. End of August I stayed in Paris for two weeks, and luckily I also had the time for a spin on a Vélib'. Here are some of my impressions...

Me on a Vélib' near Paris 6 University

Vélib' was launched in 2007 and is run by the outdoor advertising company JCDecaux. Surprisingly there are still no ads on the bicycles (as compared to the Vienna Citybikes, which are run by Gewista, in fact a part of JCDecaux).

Bicycles

The bikes are grey, and come with a cockpit-like view (with some instructions explaining how to deal with dead angles of trucks etc.). They are equipped with all necessities -- dressguard, chainguard, a very stable basket in the front, lights, cable lock etc. What I particularly like is the very stable double kickstand. The bikes have three gears and two handbrakes. Personally I am a bit bored by the grey color, and I would prefer a coaster brake. But that's about all, the bikes are comfy and easy to ride.

A Vélib' -- simple and sweet

Stations

Awesome!!! I have never seen such a huge density of stations of a bike share program. There is a Vélib' station every 300m, and not just in the center but throughout the town. Comparing the station maps of the Viennese and Parisian bike share system is an eyeopener to why Vélib' is so much more successful (and a real alternative to other means of transport).


Vélib' stations in Montmatre and near the Tour Eiffel

The bike can be picked by the user, so it's advisable to check the functionality of it first (this is not possible at the BiCiNg system, for example). For regular users, there is a quick release option directly at the bike stand. After the journey, a receipt can be printed. By the way, the menu at the screen is available in many languages. Thumbs up for functionality!


Vélib station and quick release

Availability and costs

There basically two different ways to get to ride a Vélib' -- you need a 1 year Vélib' card or a 1 day or 7 day pass which can be purchased at the stations (with a bank/credit card). Signing up costs 29, 1 and 5 €, respectively.

The first 1/2 hour of every ride is for free, then the rate increases starting with 1 € for the second half hour etc. I think 1/2 hour is quite sufficient, I have never even used a shared bike for so long (although there, the complete first hour is for free).

Vélib' card of my landlady, with receipt of my ride

Cycling in Paris

Despite Paris being a huge and busy metropolis, cycling (and walking) there is extremely relaxing. People are very laid-back and don't take all the traffic rules so seriously (apart from when they drive a car, which is good). Although I made a few mistakes when I had to choose my lane before junctions etc., nobody ever honked or shouted at me. What a pleasant surprise! It's great to not feel "in the way" while cycling.

Cycling on a busy wide road

Bike lanes are not always easy to find (or even access) and it's not always clear where they continue. However, they are clearly marked and I felt really safe on them. No riding in door zones or bike lanes built on sidewalks or anything of that sort. Great, I enjoyed it a lot.

On a segregated bike path

Resume

Having tried the Vienna Citybikes, the Barcelona's BiCiNg and now Vélib' in Paris, what can I say? Well, my perfect bike share system has the density of the Vélib' stations, the lovely red BiCiNg cycles and the ease of access (and costs) of the Citybikes in Vienna :-).

What are your experiences with shared bikes? Have you used Vélib' in Paris yourself?

Further information

Vélib' official website (in French, here are summaries in English and Spanish)

Wikipedia about Vélib' (in English)

an-Architecture blog: "Urban bicycle schemes in Vienna and Paris" (great comparative study of Vélib' and Vienna Citybikes, in English)

e2 Video: "Vélo liberté" (explaining the design, the success and other positive effects of Vélib', in French and English)

Compartida, la vida es más

2010-09-04T17:18:00.013+02:00

This title is a tag line from a TV mobile network company ad broadcasted in Spain during this spring (Spanish readers, correct me if I'm wrong ;)). It means "Shared, life is more". As a linguist, I am still pondering over the sense of grammatical unfinishedness of the tag line, but bear with me, "professional defect", I put a great dose to control myself but am not always successful...But that's another matter.

There were different ads (you can see them in Youtube) with the motto, but if I had to choose I would take this one:

Until the end of the ad, you are not sure what it is about...then you see the motto and start noticing some details...which ones do you get? Do you think the motto is appropriate? And, last but not least, do you like the ad?

The more I watch it, the more I am amazed on how well it was orchestrated!

Travel diary - Day 4

2010-08-31T09:31:00.002+02:00

On my latest post we arrived at Korppoo on Monday night. It is a small town that has less than 1000 year-round inhabitants but a lot more in the summer. For Tuesday, we had only 30 kilometers’ ride left, which was substantially less than the 150 kilometers we had travelled that day.

Röda huset

So, in Korppoo we stayed at an inn called Röda huset (The Red House). In the morning, when I was walking in the garden of the inn, I found this.

What is missing there? Can you see it? The bike is not locked, in fact, there’s no lock at all. When we were heading out on the road again later in the morning in front of the local grocery store this sight was repeated: there were five unlocked bikes in the bike racks at the store. People don’t seem to lock their bikes in Korppoo. Do you have any theories about this that you would like to share? People do lock their bikes generally in Finland, and there’s a lot of traffic and tourists in the archipelago, which is otherwise sparsely populated and mainly rural.

The weather on Tuesday was sunny and warm, and we were in no hurry to reach a ferry. The road was interesting too, so we pedaled of a good pace and enjoyed the ride. Soon it was time to take the last rope ferry and return to the island of Nauvo, which is where we started the whole journey.

The ring road is connected by these yellow rope ferries.
They go across straits constantly without fixed
schedule until the ring road is closed in the fall.

So, the ride of the day took only a couple of hours, and we arrived at Nauvo well in time. We went to the beach which is located right next to the guest port and sunbathed a bit. I took the first swim of the year (in August, well in time) and had tiny little fish bite my toes.

At the beach

It was quite sad to return the bikes to the Västergård and leave the holiday behind, but still, one’s own bed is the best one.

BTW, there is something important that I need to tell you about the archipelago just in case that anyone goes there. There are ticks in the archipelago, and they can be dangerous because they spread diseases. One disease is lyme borreliosis, which can lead to paralysis but can easily be treated by antibiotics in the early phase. The other disease they spread is brain inflammation which can lead to coma or death. So, if you ever go to the archipelago, take measures to prevent tick bites and check for bites every night. You don’t want to be hospitalized for life just over a stupid tick bite.

A tick. Small but potentially deadly.

That’s it then! I would have much more pics and stuff to tell, but you’ve probably have had enough by now ;)

Links:
Day 1 (morning)
Day 1 (afternoon)
Day 2
Day 3

Travel diary - Day 3

2010-08-26T22:53:00.006+02:00

The last post ended with me and my sister staying overnight in Laupunen, which is pretty much on the half-way on our journey through the Southwestern archipelago. We are at the northeastern point of the route, and today I shall tell you about the southwards heading road. The day's journey of 150 km (much of it by ferries) was probably the most interesting and anticipated one out of all four days, because it is the furthest away from the continent and we entered the outer archipelago. That is where ships and rope ferries replace bridges and islands get small and distances between them get longer.

The third day, Monday, began with saying goodbyes with our kind hosts. After a couple of kilometers ride it was already time time for the first ferry crossing. It was a big ship called Aurora, and it was the second and the last ferry that cost money on the ring road. The day was half cloudy and rather warm, but the wind in the archipelago is very strong, so we got the chills as soon as we embarked on the ferry. So, if one goes to the archipelago, I recommend to take some warm clothes with them even in the middle of a heat wave.

Sea view from the ferry Aurora

We weren't without company that day either. While waiting for the first ferry, we saw a group of four cyclists that were taking the same route with us that day. Those people were almost on every ferry and raft that we used that day (total six of them). One of the cyclists rode this funny couch bike.

A more comfy way to ride a bike

Norrby nature trail

On Monday's route there were many sights to choose from, and the first place we decided to go to was the Norrby nature trail. It goes through several different environments that are typical to the archipelago, and on the way one can pick blueberries, wonder lichen species or admire the view. The whole experience peaked at the highest point of the island, on the Kasberget, which is a great lookout. There was a lookout tower and a map to which one could compare the amazing scenery of water and forested islands that opens up below the feet. After this not-too-difficult climb and having bellies full of blueberries in Norrby we continued the ride towards the town and visited the church. Now, a good thing about rural places is that one never knows what kind of wild life comes across to your path. Right after the visit to the local 300 years old church we sighted an eagle flying proud above the village on its territory. Only 30 years ago white-tailed eagle were almost extinct from Finland mainly because environmental pollution caused the eggs to crack. When there were only a few of them left, they were widely protected and provided for clean food during the winter, and nowadays there are several thousands of white-tailed eagles in Finland and some hundreds of new ones are born every year. Even though eagles are nowadays common, it still gives you the goosebumps to see the flight of this big and beautiful bird.

Iniö town church

As you can see, the other bike has fallen in front of the church because of a failing stand. While we were waiting for the next ferry, we met the group of four cyclists again. My sister, who is tall and blond and generally thought as pretty, greeted the group and gave them a little smile and a complaint of a bike that would fall on the ferry. Obviously, once my sister turned her charm on, they had no other choice but to fix the stand for us. Sometimes it is useful to have a pretty twin sister ;)

Romance on the Dalen -Mossala ferry

By the time we arrived at Houtskär we were rather hungry, and decided to have lunch some time soon. The day's ride had been quite enjoyable and effortless, so we had postponed lunch a bit, and got a recommendation of a place that is known of having the best burgers in the archipelago. We couldn't resist the lure of that. Unfortunately, the guest port of Näsby, where the restaurant was located in, was not easy to find. However, the burgers, even my veggie burger, were really good.

A rope ferry crossing at Houtskär

Boat sheds

After lunch we continued the ride heading east towards the Kittuis port, where the next, and the last, car ferry on our journey was to leave. The route was interesting, forested, and had hills of varying sizes. Unfortunately the weather was turning worse and I could feel a drop falling on the skin every now and then. We arrived at Kittuis just in time to see the ferry disappear behind a nearby island, what a luck! We were 5 minutes late. There we stood in the rain having smokes and wondering what to do next, and we found out that the next ferry leaves in 2,5 hours. There was a little shop/bar nearby, and we decided to go there to wait. We spent couple of hours drinking coffee, gossiping with the bartender and catching up with three days of missed news, and made it in time for the next ferry. BTW, Kittuis port is right next to an international ship route, so if you stop there for a coffee, you might see a passenger ship going to Maarianhamina and then to Stockholm, Sweden. Those ships are basically floating combined malls, hotels and bars, so it's a 24 hour party there.

Passenger ship on its way to Åland

In rainy Korppoo we had only a few kilometers left to ride before the town and our accommodation. The next time I'll tell you more about the town and a funny little thing with their bikes that you will find surprising and maybe even stupid. See you later again!

Links:

Day 1 (morning)

Day 1 (afternoon)

Day 2

Day 4

Painted-on bike symbols in Paris

2010-08-21T23:11:00.005+02:00

I've only been in Paris for a week, but gathered more impressions than I can deal with. It's even harder to sum it all up. Paris is many things I love -- stunning, green, multicultural, open, relaxing and (within the last days) also sunny. Despite its size, I walk most of the time or use the metro. Throughout the week I work, but I try to catch hold of some special features that Paris offers. Well, among many other things, Paris is famous for the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. Let's have a look at some other paintings today...

What I particularly like are the cycle paths and bike lanes throughout the town. They are really wide and clearly marked. Some of the bike symbols are boxed in green. Can anybody tell me the meaning of that?


Segregated two-way cycle path and bike lane in Paris

Cycling is generally allowed on bus lanes, which offer a huge area for cyclists to cycle more safely on the road. In Vienna, the Wiener Linien try hard to avoid something like that from happening (but a few bus lanes are already open for cyclists, too).

Bus lanes can be also used by cyclists

In some places one can find a special version of so-called bike boxes in front of traffic lights. Such bike boxes are easy to implement (in fact, just a little bit of paint is required), but are a great safety feature for cyclists cause motorists see them. It would be great to have more of those in Vienna, too. So far I only know of one such construction near Mariahilferstraße, but the IG Fahrrad is already working on changing that (read more about their last protest).

Cyclists can wait in the front at traffic lights

Last but not least, one of the greatest bike paintings I have ever seen: bike crossings. In Paris, they are really well marked, with painted-on arrows and bicycles. For cyclists it's obvious where bike lanes continue after the junction, and for people in/on other vehicles it is clear where cyclists are to be expected and where to watch out for them.

Navigating was never that easy

Paintings are so simple, but yet so efficient. Let Parisian painters rule the roads!

No cyclists in Paris? By no means! There are hundreds and thousands of them, everywhere and very chic. But be patient, I slowly have to sort out my pictures :-).

To Paris by train

2010-08-19T09:33:00.007+02:00

Since beginning of this week I'm in Paris, France. Not for a holiday, but that doesn't matter. I still intend to enjoy it as much as possible :).

I was traveling by train all the way from Vienna, which took me about 12 hours (including a stopover in Frankfurt, Germany). Some might say that this is too long for a train ride and prefer to fly. I love train rides. According to my grandma I already enjoyed my first big train ride without parents at the age of 3 (we moved houses between two towns in Austria). My granny feared that I would start to cry because I would miss my close family, but instead I happily looked outside the window, pointed at sheep and giggled.

IC (Intercity) train of the German railway company DB at Frankfurt train station

Features of the train station Frankfurt am Main [click on the picture for an explanation]

Many happy train rides in my early childhood followed, and my grandparents were many times part of it. My grandpa -- although already retired at the time -- had once worked for the ÖBB, the Austrian railway company. Thus my grandparents traveled a lot by train, and took us kids along. Very often we visited Bregenz, the capital of Vorarlberg, went on a boat trip on the Bodensee and left a poem on my dads windshield (my grandma and me always made up some rhymes on the way).

I had a great time back then. And I still have. I can travel in trains for hours without getting bored. I just look outside the window, watch the landscape, the people at the stations and so on. I love to see the changes in all these things rather than getting in a plane on one side and getting off at a completely different place. The part in between is just missing, don't you think?

Crowds at Frankfurt (my stopover)

My longest train rides were from Vienna to Macedonia (more than 26 hours) and from near Barcelona to Vienna (almost 24 hours). Compared to that, the train ride to Paris is peanuts. I love that Europe has such a well-established railway system and that it is so comfortable and fast to travel by train.

Few bicycles at Frankfurt main station

Ok, there are also many things that should be improved. Letting the regional problems aside, the transeuropean connections have the problem that one cannot buy one ticket online (or, for that matter, even find out how much a ticket would cost), but has to go to the train station. When I went to Barcelona last year, the ÖBB travel agent itself offered me a flight rather then a train ticket (how sad!). Another problem is the the basically non-existent international bicycle transport. These days bicycles are not allowed on high-speed trains, and I could not even send a bicycle (as a paket) by train. Ok, in Paris there is the bike share system Velib', but such systems don't exist everywhere. On the other hand, one can easily carry a bike on a plane, and transport a bloody car on a train. When are these railway companies ever going to implement existent European rail passengers' rights?

"The railway companies are obliged to enable passengers to bring their bicycles onto any train, if they are easy to handle, if it does not adversely affect the specific rail service, and if the rolling-stock so permits."

What I liked about the French railway system SNCF so far? The retro conductors (they even still wear these fancy hats!). And that the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) are pretty goddamn fast.

More about Paris and Velib' coming soon...

Arrival in Paris Est

Travel diary - Day 2

2010-08-16T14:59:00.011+02:00

A week ago I wrote about the beginning of the bicycle journey to the Southwestern Archipelago, and today we shall continue where we left, at the farm of the Taattinens.

After a well slept night, breakfast and some goodbyes me and my twin continued the journey along the northern section of the ring road. The weather was really nice, the sun was shining and it wasn't too hot. We had a quick stop at Merimasku, where we visited a local church. It was old, maybe from the 1700's, but in my opinion it was not quite as awesome as the Seili church. Nearby the church there was a parked German tourist bus that had a carrier for the bikes. Later on we sighted the bus and the Germans often because they followed the same route for the day.

On a scenic bridge

After Merimasku the road changed: bike lanes disappeared and we had to ride among the cars. Fortunately the worst tourist season was over and there wasn't too much traffic. The good news was that the terrain changed and there were fewer big hills on the way, although many smaller ones. In my opinion, also the views changed for better, because there were many scenic bridges, agricultural landscapes and even oak forests to be admired. We rode the first 20 kilometers to Velkua a rather good pace and sighted the German tourists every now and then. Unfortunately we started to have some problems with the bikes: the other one's stand started to fail as did the gears in the other one. Apparently our bad luck hadn't abandoned us quite yet ;)

After a couple of hours cycling in a nice weather we arrived at the Velkua port. There was a couple of hours left until our ferry, Kivimo, would leave to the Hakkeenpää port, so we parked our bikes and had lunch there. Velkua port has excellent services: there are restaurants, a guest port, beach nearby and even a shop and a man selling blueberries and smoked fish. Actually, I had forgotten it, but this was not the first time that I had been there. A few years back my friend took me and two guys for a double date in a deserted island nearby. It was great: skinny dipping in the moonlight and barbequing with friends in a natural beach. I didn't quite fancy my blind date, but he bought me a dinner in the restaurant were I was eating now once again, only with my sister.

Susku at the Velkua port restaurant

After the dinner the port started to fill with travelers, including the German tourists. They couldn't fit the bus into the small ferry, so the tourists came with their bikes and the bus took another route by land to the Hakkeenpää port. The ferry Kivimo was full of our German friends and their bikes. Once again it was time to sit back and enjoy the marine scenery in a beautiful day.

Bikes on Kivimo

A sunday at the sea

After we set off to the second 20 km of the day's ride, the weather in the afternoon started to get too hot in my taste. We had to stop ofter for a drink, but there were plenty of beautiful places and bridges to have a break at. This was a rather pleasant piece of the journey, although I was already really looking forward to the next day, when we would enter the outer archipelago. The difference is that the inner archipelago is mainly connected by bridges but the outer by ferries. Also, the landscape changes and becomes more marine in nature.

A couple of kilometers before our next overnight place we were stopped by four Russian cyclists. They inquired if we knew where their overnight was supposed to be, and surprise surprise, it was the same place where we were going. We guided them to our hosts, but they didn't know English so we had to do a little bit of translating before settling down ourselves. Our accommodation was in a small cottage by Tamminiemen lomamökit. There was no running water, but there was an old fashioned and clean wood-heated sauna. But the dry toilets were 200 meters away, so we just went into the bush.

Before bed time, we had spared plenty of time to do some exploring in the environment. The cottage was located in Laupunen, which has a guest port and a couple of nice stops with shopping possibilities. The other one sells handicrafts and has farm animals and the other one has a design store and a fancy restaurant. We went to dine in the fancy restaurant at the guest port in Laupunen, and I have to say that the food was excellent, creative, and worth of every cent that it cost. Mmmm... goat cheese, greens, and berry sauce on a bread, slurp! After the dinner it was already time to heat the sauna and wash up. I was quite happy with good food in the belly and sore muscles softened by the sauna. In the night we decided to go for a little night row in a boat. The boat wasn't too good, but the night was beautiful, take a look.

Summer night

The next time we shall continue with the 3^rd day on the road. Bye 'til then!

Links:
Day 1 (morning)
Day 1 (afternoon)
Day 3
Day 4

Travel diary - Day 1 (afternoon)

2010-08-11T12:45:00.007+02:00

On the last post I told you about the first day's morning. So, we were traveling by the bad luck ship Linta, and that's where we'll continue today.

Linta makes a stop at the Island of Seili before it continues to its destination to Hanka port. Susanna was eager to see the island, so we took a couple of hours stop there. I have been on Seili before: it has been the location of a marine research center of my university since the 60's. I was there once for a field course, so I knew my way around. The island has a controversial history as an island of no return and for its booze-colored history. There has been people living and agricultural activity since the 1500's, and in the 1600's it became a hospital island for the leprosy patients. Basically, if you went in, you never got out again. In Seili the patients made moonshine to get some extra income, for the living conditions weren't exactly comparable to modern hospitals. In 1785 the last leprosy patient on the island died of old age (!). In the same year an asylum was founded on the island, and in 1889 it became an asylum for women only. That's why the grave yard of the island has only tombstones with women's names on them. The asylum functioned until the 60's when the island became a university island.

Seili, the island of no return

When we arrived at this infamous island, at first we went to see the wooden church. There we payed for a guide to tell us about Seili and the church, and it definitely was worth every cent. She told us about the ill and the crazy, and also about the geological history of the island. You see, the whole archipelago is slowly rising up from the sea. Actually, Seili used to be a group of islands, and in the leprosy hospital days the church point used to be an island where the patients were living separate from the mainland. The contemporary church was built in 1733. The strange feature in almost all of the archipelago churches is that they have models of ships hanging from the ceiling.

The church of Seili. The church ship is named Agent.

After the guiding me and my sister Susanna decided to go explore Kirkkoniemi (the church point) that has an amazing but unknown natural lookout. Take a look:

On the lookout

Nowadays Seili has only one or two all-year inhabitants, and about a dozen summer inhabitants and researchers, so its quite peaceful there, despite of the occasional tourist groups. Actually, a couple of weeks back the Russian president Medvedev and the Finnish president Halonen took a trip together to Seili, so it definitely is a destination good enough for some fancier people too.

The church and its graveyard, inhabited by unfortunate women.

After a couple of hours exploring, we took the next ferry to the Hanka port. There we stepped on our bikes and took off to the ride of the day towards our overnight at Merimasku. Rymättylä was a very challenging piece of journey because the island has lots of huge hills. I have to say that I found it pretty rough but my sister did better because she is bigger and stronger than me. This was the most difficult day when it comes to riding bikes, about 25—30 km of conquering big hills.

In the end of the ride the friendly hosts were expecting us with a room prepared in a house at the farm Taattinen. Now, this was not the room that we had booked, and there had been some problems with the reservation too. However, we got a hot shower, hot meal and lots of mosquito bites. Despite of a few shortcomings, the farm was a very nice place to stay overnight. There was a bar downstairs in the main house, above which there was a restaurant and on top of the whole thing a room for weddings and stuff. In fact, there was a wedding reception while we arrived, and the bride was just about to be stolen. In the night, when we had some time to explore, we found a horse, sheep, a tiny little lamb, and lots of cats and dogs to make friends with. The farm animals were free to wander in the yard as they wished, and all of them were very friendly and enjoyed petting. There were also variety of different types of swings, a pool, and a trampoline. That place must be like an amusement park for kids, and I have to say, being adult, that I also enjoyed it quite a bit. BTW, the farm has bikes that visitors can borrow.

My next post will be about the second day.

Links:
Day 1 (morning)
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4

Animals at Taattisten tila (farm Taattinen)

Travel diary - Day 1 (morning)

2010-08-08T10:14:00.045+02:00

As you may remember, I've been dreaming of taking a cycling holiday in the Southwestern Archipelago for a while now. I asked my twin sister, Susanna, to come with me. Actually, she was very eager to come, and she enjoys organizing things, so she made the travel time table and reserved accommodation and bikes. We decided to have a 4-day holiday with 3 overnights and make it as cheap as possible without being uncomfortable or losing essential parts of the experience. Altogether, the nights, bikes and ferries cost us 175 euros each.

My twin, Susanna.

The Southwestern Archipelago is a part of Finland, but Swedish is spoken there widely. There are even more islands in the archipelago than there are lakes on the continental Finland, and it is very old area of human habitation. There are many many natural and cultural sights, so if you are into nature or culture, you can enjoy this tour. If you combine this with cycling, you get some exercise for you body too, not only for the mind. A road goes through the archipelago, and it is connected by numerous ferries and bridges. This road is called the ring road, and there are signs marking it so that travelers wouldn't get lost.


Map of the ring road. Click for a better version. Our route was Nauvo-Rzmättylä-Kustavi-Iniö-Korppoo-Nauvo.

Ring road signs. Follow the logo, and you'll be all right.

During the next couple of weeks I'm gonna publish here a sort of a travel diary about our trip in several parts, and here's the first part. I hope you enjoy!

Day 1

Susanna and me woke up early in the morning to make it to the first ferry in time. Unfortunately things didn't go quite as we planned: first, we didn't get our stuff together in time, and we had to leave later than planned. Also, the trip to Nauvo port took longer than we had expected, a bit more than an hour by car. Finally, there was a really really sad sight on the road. A fox had been ran over by a car, and his friend was wandering around on the road all confused. As we both are animal lovers, we couldn't just leave the poor thing there and picked it beside the road so that the friend of the killed fox wouldn't be hit by a car too. Also, the roadkill could have caused accidents to other motorists. Well, that sealed the fact that we wouldn't make it in time to the first ferry.

When we finally arrived at Nauvo, the place where we were supposed to pick up our rental bikes, was closed, so we waited for an hour and went to check the port in the meanwhile. We got our bikes at 10 in the morning from the local tourist info. Our bikes were Finnish Tunturis, 7-geared road bikes. Helmets and a pump were included, but we also rented bike bags, which turned out to be very useful during the trip. The bikes are ridden in a forward-leaning position, which took a bit of time to get used to because I normally ride in an upright position. However, after a little while the bikes felt really nice and comfy. The local company that rented the bikes, Västergård, was kind enough to deliver them to the center of Nauvo for us. The website says, that they can actually deliver bikes anywhere you want on the ring road route.

Well, we were left with a couple of hours before the next ferry would go, so we took a little test ride in Nauvo. Nauvo is a really idyllic little village in the middle of nowhere, but it is probably the biggest town that one faces during the ring road trip. There is a fishermen's market, market, and a pharmacy in the town. At the port there are several cafés and restaurants and also little shops that sell tourist stuff and clothes.

Nauvo port shopping area

My sweet Linta ;)

This is Linta, the first ferry on our trip. The student fee for a traveller and a bike is 5 euros, I think that for a non-student it was 8 or something. Before we continue the story, I have to tell you something about my earlier encounter with Linta, a flashback, one might say. Three years back I was on a field course on Seili, the island that we were heading at this time too. Me and my co-students had spent a full week on Seili, and it was our last day on the island. We had been spending the day at sea on a research boat, and when we arrived at the Seili port, we faced a sight that one does not easily forget: Linta was drifting away from the port platform and was colliding to the coastal rocks. The engine was broken, and we were supposed to leave the island that evening (I had a flight to Prague the next morning). There's no other way out of the island, so we were quite worried whether we would be able to get back to civilization. After a few phone calls we found out that Linta is being towed to another port to be fixed. Actually, the engine that was broken was a spare engine to replace one that had been broken earlier in the summer. Fortunately, someone had managed to dig out a spare engine of the spare engine, and the next time Linta came and the front bridge opened, there was a huge antique device puffing smoke and making lotsa noise on the deck. I have to say, that all the sight was missing, was Arnold Schwartzenegger with a machine gun on his one hand and a hot blond on the other. Anyways, we got out of the island, a little late, but still back to the civilization.

Now, let us return to the year 2010, 8/31. When we embarked on Linta, and the ferry went off to its journey, an alarm noise started howling at the engine room. Of course, the ferry had to go back to the port, and a ship mechanics was called on. What a bad luck ferry! Fortunately, the ship captain or the officer came to the deck and announced that we would get going in half an hour and that all could help themselves to the free coffee in the upstairs restaurant. Well, that kept at least me and my sister happy enough, and we climbed onto the upper deck with our coffees.

So, what should we learn from the experiences of the first morning? Make sure that you have lotsa time and not-so-serious attitude, because as some infamous Murphy said, everything that can go wrong, will ;)

Well, I think that here's enough text for the day. So many things happened during the first day, that I'll tell you the rest in the next post.

Links:
Day 1 (afternoon)
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4

Minor differences

2010-08-06T11:43:00.004+02:00

I found this comic today, and well, I think there is some truth to it.

But why? And are cyclists somewhere in the middle? Any traffic psychologists out there?

Personally I think a similar behavior has got to do with speed. More precisely, with the fact that we are made believe that cars are fast (if not perfect, in every possible situation). And when they are not, we freak out.

Florence-Tortosa: a trip on a bike prototype

2010-08-03T10:00:00.002+02:00

Two weekends ago I was in the wonderful Renaissance fair of Tortosa. During the 16th century, this city in the South of Catalonia was a flourishing city as it was located in a strategic place in the Aragonese crown, just on the way of the three important cities at the time: Barcelona, Valencia and Zaragoza.

During this Renaissance fair, many activities related to this time are held. One of these activities is always an open air exhibition about some topic related to Medieval and Renaissance times. This year it was related to Leonardo's prototypes and surely, there was this:

It made me think about Anna and the apron I brought her from Florence and I thought I had to definitely take a picture of it :).

Next to this wonderful prototype there was this explanation:

After reading this text and the specialized article, The Leonardo da Vinci Bicycle Hoax, Anna mentioned I don't know what to think about the sketch that originated the prototype. Is it really a forgery? To the general audience it doesn't, as the divulgative text next to the prototype I saw shows, but specialists doubt. What to think then? Go with the flow or be skeptical? Be genuine or a forgery, both cases may have its merit. If it is by Leonardo, we will reaffirm our belief that the man was a genius; if it is a forgery, we may praise the forger for his/her cunning thoughts, because we all have believed the sketch to be genuine.

The bicycle, a status symbol?

2010-07-29T17:52:00.003+02:00

We all know that cars are status symbols. But what about bicycles? I think they are too. It's not so much about expensive bicycles though, more about style.

Still, over-priced bicycles are on their way. I finally got the message when I strolled through the posh center of Vienna last night. A bicycle in a shop window at the Graben.

Well, nothing special as such. I've seen bicycles advertising clothes many times, and so has Sonja (see "Bikes in commercial use"). But this time, the bicycle itself was actually for sale in a boutique. And for what it is it was by no means cheap:


3400 € (= 4443 $) for that bicycle?!

Ok, the ride looks neat. But who pays that much for such a bicycle?

(Probably those who pay that much for a shirt etc.)

Mystery of the abandoned bicycle

2010-07-25T06:12:00.008+02:00

This is just a little peculiar story that took place last Friday in Turku, Finland, and that was covered by several national newspapers and tabloids. Here's a loose translation of the version in Turun Sanomat.

The abandoned bike. Image published in Turun Sanomat.

On Friday morning this sight on the river bank promenade made people wonder what had happened to the bike's owner. It seemed like a traveller had been mugged because bags and camping stuff was lying around in a random pile, and some of it was tied on the bike. There were rumours about four suspected owners: a drunken German tourist, a thief, a man wearing a uniform cap, and a portuguese lifestyle traveller.

The police suspected that the owner had fallen into the river Aura, so they called on the emergency services and divers and launched a huge search operation. The situation was extrodinary because nobody had actually seen the poor guy falling into the river. However, they found no body and the mystery wasn't solved.

Later in the evening they found the man they were looking for nowhere else but in safe police custody. The man had talked so unclearly that the policemen didn't know which language he was speaking. When they finally could communicate with the hero of the day, they found out that he was the owner of the mystery bike, and that most of the rumours had a hint of truth: he was a Portuguese lifestyle traveller that was wearing an uniform cap and had been arrested outside of a restaurant, although the story doesn't clearly tell if he was drunk or not.

What can I say, life is a sarcastic bitch (just like Lacey on Rock of Love). In the end, all is well and nobody drowned. Apperently not even the bike was stolen. The police suffered a blow on their credibility, and the policemen of Turku are a laughing stock of the country, but that's not really news, is it?

P.S. A week from now I'll be on a cycling holiday in the archipelago, so my next post will be about that. I promise to bring you lotsa nice holiday pictures!

About fairness

2010-07-23T09:04:00.005+02:00

A few days back I got this fairness flyer on the Donaukanal bike path:

"fair cyclists" flyer -- to read the back click here (in German)

It is obviously a flyer dedicated to cyclists. A lovely and really positive sketch in the front, certainly. A not so promising text on the back. It starts with "Already cycled fair today?", and tells us about some major problems of the Donaukanal bike path: it's crowded and there are a lot of conflicts between cyclists, pedestrians and playing children. It aims to educate people to ride slowly and carefully.

Why, you ask, is this necessary? Isn't it a bike path? No, it isn't. It's one of these horrible constructions that are typical for Vienna -- a combined foot and bike path with no separation of foot and bike traffic at all. No separation, because in most places it's also way too narrow. All this is pretty bad on a nice day, because it gets really crowed -- with cyclists, pedestrians, playing children, joggers, dogs, pub crawlers etc. Unfortunately, though, this is a major connection for cyclists traveling from North to South. It's used in many different ways. There are people cycling to work, road cyclists, recreational seekers, and even bike tourists. And it is a foot path and a playground. It's like cycling through a busy park (generally not allowed in Vienna). Well, have a guess. This just cannot work out.

What does the city do? Hand out flyers to cyclists and tell them to slow down. Fair enough, but that's obvious. It would be much fairer, if they -- in addition -- say something like "Ok, we know this design needs improvement, but bear with us. We are going to rebuild this stretch to create a real fast bike connection and comfy recreational area for your convenience. Simply because we appreciate you cyclists/pedestrians/joggers/children and want to provide you an adequate infrastructure. No more, no less."

PS: It would be great if the city wouldn't just bother about the Donaukanal bike path in the summer, but also clear it properly in the winter (really, snow and ice isn't so much fun to cycle on). Cheers!

Self-made Sunday: trailers

2010-07-18T23:31:00.009+02:00

Always wanted to own a bicycle trailer but never had the money to buy one? Here are some ideas to get you started on building one yourself. If you have succeeded, let us know!

The first time I thought about a post about self-made trailers when I came across this beauty on the WNBR in June. It's simply a lowered shopping cart with a welded on frame that connects it to the wheels and the bicycle. Smart idea!

If would like to build your own cargo trailer, I recommend to have a look at:
How to Build a Bicycle Cargo Trailer 1 (on wikihow.com, including many pictures)
How to Build a Bicycle Cargo Trailer 2 (on ehow.com)
Bicycle Trailer (from a plastic box)
Build a Bicycle Trailer (more of a text instruction)
Building a bicycle trailer (lot of links to DIY trailers, and load carrying alternatives)
Bamboo Bicycle Trailer (free plans)

There are many ways to build a bicycle trailer. Find your own style!

Cycling in a heat wave -- it's not about shorts, it's about ventilation!

2010-07-15T09:22:00.017+02:00

Heat waves in Austria are not something pleasant. The houses are built for cold temperatures, not warm. Currently I experience:

outside: 37°C (= 99 F) in a city full of concrete, few trees
asphalt: 50°C (= 122 F) according to some measurements by Asfinag
office: certainly > 30°C (= 86 F), estimated 32°C (= 90 F) during the day in a metal-glass-house with no air conditioning whatsoever
home: 28°C (= 82 F) and no air conditioning, almost no cooling at night

Anybody out there with more?

Cyclist in Jaipur, India -- around 43°C (= 109 F)

Ok, we all agree. Warm weather is hard to bear. And it sucks even more in places with insufficient infrastructure. In Austria, we have no culture of air conditioning (which I generally appreciate because a lot of energy is wasted on cooling) but also no Siesta culture (like in Italy or Spain) and no "heat holidays". Read why we all could do with a Siesta.

Trust me, 43°C in India felt much cooler. Just because houses are build and cooled in a way that inside it has a reasonable temperature (namely below 25°C). Here, I am supposed to be productive throughout the day in an office with a temperature beyond 30°C. Mental work is incredibly hard under such circumstances!

So you might understand that I'm not concerned about sweating during the few minutes of cycling per day. In fact, sweating is a natural process that helps my body to stay cool and healthy. Additionally, every bike trip is welcome because it provides some extra air flow ;-).

But how to deal best with warm weather and sun? Here's what other bloggers suggest (if I missed something, please post it in the comments so that everybody benefits):

"How To: Fresh Summer Cycling" by Dottie from Let's Go Ride a Bike
"Cycling in a Heatwave... Making Friends with Florals" by Velouria from Lovely Bicycle!

And here are my 50 cent for temperatures above 32°C (= 90 F):

DON'T:

tight clothes (tank tops are not always the best choice)
spaghetti-strapped shirts (skin heats up more and risk of sunburn!)
thick clothes (no jeans)
black stuff
synthetic fabrics
slippers (can be slippery on the pedals)
alcohol
cold showers (you'll heat up even more afterwards!)
sunbathing

DO:

thin and loose clothes (for ventilation, I like skirts and baggy trousers)
long clothes and sleeves in order to stay cool when exposed to sun (when I'm not cycling I prefer long wrap-around skirts)
light colors
cotton and linen
sandals
suncream
sunglasses
cap, hat or scarf on head (no headache!)
drink, drink, drink -- preferably just tab water
eat low-fat and light food (I like fruits and Maki a lot)
park your bike in the shade (saddle and grips can heat up pretty bad)
particularly avoid exposure to sun around lunchtime
shadow (sometimes I stop a few meters before the stop line in order to avoid sun, or simply cycle along a completely different route)
visit cool places (museums, shopping centers, A/C restaurants and cafés)
avoid getting close to many cars (their engines emit a lot of heat, the metal reflects sunlight), choose shadowy and quiet side roads or cycle paths
wash your feet and forearms with water
at home: close windows and shade the whole place during the day, only open the windows at night completely (mosquito nets help)
be very careful with gas appliances and ventilate the room regularly (to prevent possible CO toxications)

What are your DOs and DON'Ts to outlast a heat wave?


This is me (in my Indian style clothes) on a hot summer's day [taken by Velouria at our cruise along the Danube]

---
Just found: Temperatures in public transport in Vienna (in German)

Cycling between the fronts

2010-07-11T08:55:00.009+02:00

Do you know people who cycle daily because cycling is their job? Who comes to your mind? I naturally always think about bike messengers, mailmen, rickshaw whallas and bicycle taxi drivers, newspaper deliverers, ice-cream sellers and that kind. Recently I also came across cycling policemen in Vienna.

But what about people in very rural areas? There are generally little paved streets and it's tough going. Countrymen use tractors and robust four-wheel drive. Sometimes, however, such vehicles are too big. The military, for example, uses bicycles to patrol at the Austrian border in Burgenland:

And here's a picture of the Fietspatrouille, Dutch solders on bicycles in Afghanistan:

Is your military also on bikes? Or the police? What comes to your mind when you think about the bicycle as a military vehicle?

It certainly reminds me that not everybody riding a bicycle is automatically a good person (and not a bad one either). Many people ride bicycles, just because it's convenient for them or because it's their job. Some I like, and some I don't like.

Discover your town!

2010-07-07T22:22:00.017+02:00

Whenever I think about city-cycling I think about the German campaign Radlust which deals with the promotion of federal cycling traffic. The term "Radlust" could be translated to "the joy of cycling". The aim of the campaign was to -- literally speaking -- mobilize the unused potential of the bicycle in cities (nearly all households in Europe own at least one bicycle) by remembering their owners about the pleasure of movement:

>> If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea. << (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

Whenever I cycle on the weekend myself, try new bike routes or generally explore areas that I have never been to before by bicycle, I too feel this enthusiasm and pure joy of cycling. Last weekend was one of these occasions...

I put on my new stripy jersey dress, carried Paula up from the basement and set off for the unexpected. Also with me, a map printed from anachb.at (useful Viennese-area route planner), sunglasses, a hat and some of my cameras.

My first target was a café in Oberdöbling, a rather posh part of Vienna. I met up with some colleagues for an entertaining extended breakfast at the Wannenmacher bakery. The route was easy to remember, but 4 km more or less uphill. No bike racks at the café or nearby, but after some scrabbling around I found safe parking for my Retrovelo Paula.

Almost lunch, I reactivated Paula again. Goal: the Viennese zoo at Schönbrunn (I wrote about the place earlier, if you would like to have more background information). Start and end point were about 10 km away from each other, with a lot of steep up and downs along the way. Plus, the route suggested was not at all easy to find. I already missed the first turn.

Some of the streets were that wide...

...others were incredibly hard to find (for example very narrow foot path with exceptions for cyclists).

I had to look up the map regularly, but didn't get lost again. The route was strange though. Once it send me through a park (no cycling allowed), another time I drove through a restaurant (typical obscure traffic planning à la Vienna :))...

...and even ended up at a blind alley with a pedestrian underpass at the end.

Hard to believe, but I did make it to Schönbrunn alright :). Of course I exceeded the proposed 36 minutes of cycling time -- but no hurry, no problem. Even on such a lovely warm summer's day I found a nice bike rack for Paula inside the gardens. Had lunch at the Kaiserpavilion...

...ice-cream at the Rhinos and generally stayed inside cool places, like the aquarium and bird house (don't see the giraffes, they stink).

Warm weather makes tired, so after some more strolling around and photo shooting with Paula...

...it was time to return home. There was still some 9 km to go. Along Mariahilfer Straße, and up and down the Gürtel bike path in the evening sun. A lovely way to let the day die out.

For all the photographic glory see my flickr album "from döbling to hietzing and back". Or even better: just go on your own discovery tour around town, and take part in the final round of the LGRAB summer games.

The four of us out of town

2010-07-03T19:06:00.017+02:00

A few days back Velouria (from Lovely Bicycle!), Jaqueline, Paula and me (anna) headed off for a day trip along the Danube. For not-so-regular readers of our blogs let me note that Jackie and Paula are not real human beings, but our dearest city bikes. Although lifeless they acquired the status of a good companion, and henceforth they shall be treated as such.

Initially we had only planned to cycle as far as Klosterneuburg, but continued along the Danube on the EuroVelo 6 route till Greifenstein. So all in all we cycled about 45 km (that is 28 miles).

Map of the tour [plotted using anachb.at]

The combined foot and bike path along the Danube canal brought us out of town. This path is generally very crowded but not wide, so one has to ride carefully. Having passed some initial chokepoints, we sat down for a short rest at Nussdorf and bought some bottled water for the trip.

Coffee at Nussdorf (still Vienna)

Most of the rest of the ride was in 30 km/h zones (between Vienna and Klosterneuburg) and on the "real" bike path. After a while we swapped bikes, and I got the chance to ride Jackie, an 80s version of the prominent Austrian Waffenrad by Steyr. She was surprisingly easy to ride, and very stable. Her handlebars are smaller than Paulas, and she's equipped with 28" wheels. I also enjoyed to ride a bike with a coaster brake again. Velouria indeed has a good taste regarding bicycles :).

Me and Waffenrad Jackie

Velouria and Paula in a 30 km/h zone (they seemed to get on well, too)

We passed corn fields and ships and finally had a break on an artificial island between Greifenstein and Korneuburg (there's a hydro-electric power plant). Only there we realized that we had actually cycled quite a bit. Refreshment was due. It was very hot, and due to the nearby river a lot of mosquitos were after us.

Some parts of me, Jackie and Paula in Greifenstein [by Velouria]

I felt that we were much faster on the way back. However, I don't think it mattered so much that we were cycling downstream, as it was generally very flat. Thus even with such heavy bikes as ours, it's an enjoyable and easy ride in the current heat.

Velouria and Jackie on the way back towards Vienna

I also tried to shot some shadow pandas. Well, there is still room for improvement :).

Call me superwoman.

All in all, a really nice and relaxing trip. Thanks to Velouria (and Jacqueline) from Lovely Bicycle! for the nice company. Paula and I got on well, too, and intend to do more leisure rides throughout the year. Read why.

Further Information on this trip
donauradweg.at (all information about the Danube bike path in Austria, German)
-- order folders for cycling trips (for free, German)
-- Donauradweg 2010 (download the Danube bike path folder, German)
EuroVelo 6 (route across Europe, from the Atlantic to the black sea)
anachb.at (route planner in and around Vienna, German)

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I guess this counts as "riding a greenway" for the LGRAB summer games :). I'm looking forward to what places other people encounter.

Cycling greenways and why it might become a habit

2010-06-30T20:07:00.004+02:00

I am a utility cyclist. At least, I still like to consider myself as one. I hardly ever cycle "just for fun" or "because the weather is so nice". I cycle when it is the most efficient way of transport.

In fact, that's also why I don't cycle so much anymore. Since two months now I live only 5 min from work (by foot!) and a similar distance from the nearest grocery shop. What initially sounds great also has some side effects. I simply don't get enough exercise. Every day I feel less and less energetic and less efficient at work, but am more tired and more distracted with other things. Cycling from and to work was not just the perfect way of moving my butt, but also a good isolator between work and leisure. I am missing both of these positive effects, but am trying to replace them by something else now.

The missing exercise I started to replace by short morning runs at the Danube canal bike path (in fact a combined foot and bike path). I've been known to run quite a bit a few years back, but it will take a good while to get back into shape. However, I still miss the cycling. Jogging is just too slow and doesn't get me anywhere nice. It's also way more exhausting and I need a shower afterwards. But still I can't feel the wind in my hair!

That's why I now thought about recreational cycling on the weekends. Because it will serve a lot of purposes: my bikes will be ridden regularly, I will do some exercise, see new places and occasionally also spend some time with friends who are interested in weekend trips. I never really liked the concept of recreational rides much, but I think it's just because I know a lot of people who only cycle in their free time but would never use the bicycle for transport...

What do you think about leisure cycling? Any experience?

Read soon more about my first recreational ride with Paula, Jacqueline and Velouria (from Lovely Bicycle!) along the Danube bike trail...

Radfahren in Wien -- a review of Vienna's new bicycle guide

2010-06-27T16:50:00.004+02:00

"Radfahren in Wien" (Cycling in Vienna) is an extensive handbook with a lot of useful information about cycling. Although it is strongly related to Vienna, I can highly recommend it for a general German-speaking audience (in particular, if situated in Austria). This is, because it is an exhausting and wittily written, smart and neatly designed handbook on almost anything you ever wanted to know about cycling.

"Radfahren in Wien" by Alec Hager and Johannes Pepelnik

Background

Both authors, the jack-of-all-trades Alec Hager and the lawyer Johannes Pepelnik, are well-known and highly appreciated in Austria's bike scene. Among others, Alec Hager is chairman of the Viennese bicycle advocacy group IG Fahrrad, co-founder of the free bicycle magazine Velosophie and brought the Bicycle Film Festival and many other bicycle-related events to Vienna. Johannes Pepelnik is not just a bicycle lover but also offers a profound knowledge on traffic regulations. He also published the guide "Rechts-Berater für Radfahrer" (unfortunately already sold out). If you ever have a bike-related law problem in Austria, he's your man.

By the way, the publisher Falter Verlag offers Holland bicycles and Ortlieb bike bags along to newspaper subscriptions. Better than a road tax vignette for free (the usual give-away in Austria,) isn't it?

Content
It's hard to describe what kind of information the book contains. Simply because it's almost anything. The obvious beginning is a purchase advice with an extensive discussion of the various types of bicycles available, including their parts (and how to maintain and repair them!). Including, of course, a long list of bicycle shops and other useful addresses in Vienna. I was pleasantly surprised about how much effort they put into the comfort of cycling (what position to choose, what to do when something hurts etc.). I think it's this kind of avoidable discomfort that most people ignore when buying a bicycle (and than maybe completely stop cycling because it's no fun like that). Necessary and useful accessories are also considered.

So once you have a bicycle and know everything about it, they continue to teach us about bicycle-related traffic rules. Most of the research on this I have done by myself (by directly reading most of the StVO) before, so I know that it is a pain to find your way trough the jungle. This book does not just tell you the rules (which are by no means well-known), but also offers useful information about "invisible guidelines".

A very valuable chapter is the about the safety of cycling. Various typical situations are sketched and explained. Of course, they also describe how to not even get into critical situations. It's this knowledge that helps to avoid accidents, and makes beginners more confident about moving in traffic. In fact it contains useful information for everyone who moves in traffic (thus, simply everyone). Their main advice is "cycle outwardly offensive, but inwardly defensive". I completely agree.

Another big section of the book is about advocacy. They explain Vienna's traffic history and the rise of various bicycle advocacy groups. A very useful and informative part is the collection of pro and contra arguments to certain never-ending discussions (helmet laws, compulsary use of bicycle infrastructure in Austria, number plates for bicycles a.s.o.).

Finally, after all these hard facts, the suggest some tours in and around Vienna. But do not be misled that all of them are peaceful and easy family tours. They also consider interesting mountain bike paths and ambitious tours for road cyclists. Just another proof of their goal to make every cyclist happy (which I think they do).

Useful sketches and explanations for dangerous situations

Layout and Style

The book is a color print with a lot of lovely photographs and extremely useful sketches (e.g., of dangerous situations for cyclists). I particularly like their "10 ..." collections at the beginning of the chapters, e.g., the 10 mostly used excuses for not cycling, the 10 most popular bicycles, the 10 most important rules for safe cycling etc. The book is very well structured and charmingly written. It's obvious that the authors know what they are talking about.

Moreover, it's important to note that the book -- although full of useful information -- is actually quite small and easily fits into a handbag. Another feature is a loose small map of the inner part of Vienna (inside of the Gürtel) with smart choices for bicycle routes, certainly very valuable for newbies in this area.

Conclusion

I believe that everybody should have a look into "Radfahren in Wien" -- be it an "old" cyclist or a newbie, or even a person that doesn't own a bike yet. In fact, even people who spend a lot of their time in/on motorized vehicles can profit from its detailed descriptions of critical situations with cyclists (and how they can be avoided). With its 16.50 € is certainly not the cheapest book, but it's worth every cent and an investment for a long and happy bicycle career :).

On the other hand, it is certainly not a "tourist guide". For tourists with an ambition to go on small sightseeing or long scenic tours in and around Vienna I recommend to look at the bikeline guide books (they are also not limited to Austria).

Details
"Radfahren in Wien" by Alec Hager and Johannes Pepelnik
publisher: Falter Verlag, 2010, 2nd edition, paperback, 320 pages plus folding map
price: 16.50 €
order the book online

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This review contributes to the LGRAB summer games. For more reviews on English literature on cycling, have a look at their website and other cycling blogs.

Bikes in commercial use

2010-06-25T15:05:00.010+02:00

One rainy day a couple of weeks back I decided to overcome my shyness and went to the city center pretending to be a tourist. With my tiny pink Asian camera, I took photos of interesting bikes. Here's a few pics taken that day that are concerning commercial use of bikes.

You have to get an official permission for
outdoor advertising, and pay quite a lot of
money. Some creative small entrepreneurs
have figured out that it is allowed to lock
bikes almost everywhere...

A sweet retro bike advertising clothes
on a major store window

Selling bikes on the hallways of an
urban mall, just outside the sports
apartment.

A café on wheels. I have seen also tricycle
ice cream shops in Turku.

A postman's bike. (Does this count as commercial?
(Itella, the local mail service is partially controlled by the state.)

How are bikes used commercially in your city?

Living trendy

2010-06-22T19:43:00.015+02:00

I do all my grocery shopping on foot, because it's easier after work and very close to home. Thus I almost thought that I would not be able to complete the "Carry a load on your bike -- groceries, etc." task of the LGRAB Summer Games.

Well, it so happened that I had to go shopping for other purposes. I'm rather lazy when it comes to housework, and although our new couch is pretty nice it gets dusty quite easily. What to do?

For a while know I was tinkering with the idea of buying a fancy throw-over. Today I finally grabbed my "new look" bike bag and Paula and headed off to the 20th district with a mission.

Couch with "new look" Lilly

The ride there was really pleasant. Paula is so fast and easy in flatland areas, and the upright position feels just awesome. Although the Friedensbrücke (bridge across the Danube channel) is currently under construction and for motorists only drivable towards the center, cyclists find segregated bike paths in both ways :).

Temporary bike path on Friedensbrücke

Upon arrival at the shop, I parked Paula on the sidewalk. Generally, this is always allowed when the sidewalk is wider than 2.5m (see StVO § 68 (4)) but one should of course try to find parking nearby. It's safer for everyone, including the bike.

Ok, I knew this would happen. I did not just leave the shop with an enormous throw-over, but also two cushions, two covers, a big stainless steel bowl and a huge lemongrass scented candle. The lady at the counter looked a bit worried about how to put and carry all of that in plastic bags, but I just said "It's alright, I'm here with my bike!". At the end I dealt with one bag that contained the cushions and covers and my bike bag with the rest. Such an easily detachable bag is really useful when it comes down to taking it into shops (as compared to baskets). My expanders did the rest.

Paula with the heavy load on the left and the "soft" load on the right

The ride back was easy-peasy too. I really did not feel the extra weight at all -- only when I carried Paula downstairs in the house. Bike parking in my new home has become somewhat easier as there is plenty of space available. On the other hand, the stairs and doors I have to vanquish every single time are a bit tricky and exhausting, too.

Anyhow, this is what I bought ...

My purchase

... and this is what I got.

Couch in new look

And when will you set off for your next shopping trip by bike?

A not so naked bike ride in Vienna

2010-06-19T16:41:00.016+02:00

Yesterday, the time has come again. The time of the "bare as you dare" bike ride in Vienna. If you'd like to know the story behind it, you may read my comments and look at some pictures from last year. This year I went there on short notice straight after work. It was rather cold and the weather forecast not too promising. I did not bother to take a bikini with me because it was way too cold for me. Very few people, however, did. Brave. I hope they didn't catch a cold.

Cyclists at Schwarzenbergplatz

The first thing I noticed at the Schwarzenbergplatz (the meeting point) was the bicycle police. So they really do exist. What a pleasant surprise! I had speculated about their existence earlier, if you remember (see the post "Bicyclist robbed bank").

Secondly, I wanted to use the remaining time before the start to decorate Paula and search for some friends. For that I had brought two pendants from China for my bar ends.


Paula's decoration for the Naked Bike Ride

There are always a lot of different people and bicycles to see at the Critical Mass rides in Vienna. I think bicycles can reflect the personality of the owner (just like cars do, too). One can see various personalized tall bikes, swing bikes, tandems, cargo bikes, tandems, cruisers, low riders, fixies, road bikes, old and new city bikes. It's always a pleasure to look at so many beautiful bicycles at once. This time I got stuck at a punch of cruisers that drew my attention. But it was not one-sided love. Their owners also liked Paula, so I started out the ride among the cruiser gang. They also have a facebook group called PedalMachine, in case you have a cruiser/low rider/chopper yourself and are interested to join their activities :).

The cruiser gang

During the ride, I also bumped into some old friends and could add some pictures to my "animals on bikes" collection (a penguin and a lion). And it rained -- heavily. I had some protection with me, but was too slow to put it on. Luckily it didn't rain long, but got significantly colder. Still, a very nice ride. It was a lot of fun :).


Me and Paula enjoying ourselves

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By decorating my bike I have completed another one of the tasks for the LGRAB Summer Games. Join, you still can!

Simple bicycles

2010-06-15T22:52:00.008+02:00

I must admit, I do own a fancy and also expensive bicycle, but it's not that important. Of course, my Paula is a hell of a nice ride, but for simply getting from A to B I can do with almost anything. For example, I still use my old mountain bike for many trips, especially when the road conditions are not so good. Does one really need many gears and fancy equipment?

Well, all our bikes are nothing compared to bicycles in India. Indian bicycles are very simple. The vast majority is exceedingly old, heavy and single speed. There are no lights nor reflectors installed. The saddle as well as the carrier are huge and seem comfy and stable, respectively. The most beautiful piece of an Indian bicycle is the big shiny bicycle bell. Fantastic!

A typical Indian bicycle

The brakes are mostly rod brakes. As opposed to other rim brakes, when force is applied to the hand lever, the friction pads are pulled upwards against the inner surface (facing the hub) of the wheel rim. In Austria such brake systems can only be seen on vintage bicycles, but even there they are more than rare.

"Hero" is a popular bike brand -- great name!

DIY-Locks are common. I particularly like the chain locks :-).

What a beauty! (secured by a chain lock)

Apart from “normal bicycles”, rickshaws and special bikes for the transport of goods, I have also spotted several hand bikes (e.g., used by disabled people).

A lot of stuff can be transported on a hand bike

Finnish cycling culture

2010-06-11T08:38:00.002+02:00

People around the world have different attitudes towards cycling. The attitudes even vary within Europe. In some cultures cycling is a sport, in others it is a way to get around. Some people do it just for fun. There are also presumptions on who should ride a bike and who should not. I've been writing here more or less regularly since the last fall, and so far haven't gotten around to tell you about what cycling is and who ride a bike in my culture. So I'll tell you about that today.

Let me start with how common it is. This is the view from my front door.

Those blue sheds are bike racks. And the view from my window on the other side of the building is pretty much the same. Cycling is very common among students because it is practically free once you've bought a bike, and it is falso faster than buses. The city's cycling infrastructure is rather good, and it is safe to ride a bike here for anyone, even children ride a bike to school. A few days back I sighted a mother riding a bike with 4 kids; two of them riding their own bikes and 2 in a carriage pulled by the mother. The kid in the next pic is on a Saturday ride with her father.

Also the elderly like to ride a bike. I've seen this lady cycling about 5 km away from the city center, so she's very fit for her age.

Many people, including me, do their shopping by bike. This is one of the bike racks of a local car market. Actually, the market is only 2 km from the city center and surrounded by bike lanes, so it is very easily approachable by bike. It has become the favorite car market for many cyclists.

Many elderly ladies like to do their shopping there.

Men cycle just as much as women, and its not a matter of age or shape either.

Actually, many bums and boozers also ride bikes. They seem to prefer ladies' bikes, probably because they are easier to mount when your coordination isn't just right. We Finns have a habit of drinking beer in parks and river banks. This gives the poor an opportunity to make good money by collecting empty bottles without having to humiliate themselves by begging. Many of these “recycling professionals” ride bikes, because it is easy to load the heavy bottles on them. They prefer ladies' bikes too, probably because it cannot be easy to mount a men's bike with a big load.

So, cycling in Finland is not a hobby or way of life; it is simply a good way of getting around for ordinary people. Cycling Finns don't usually identify as cyclists because cycling is nothing special here. However, I dare to say that it is not merely a matter of practicality: it is very enjoyable to choose a nice and cool bike ride to the city center instead of a sweaty bus in a hot summer day. I take the joy of life out of the small everyday things, and a warm summer breeze on my cheeks as the wheels gently roll on the pavement is one of them.

Cycling is a part of everyday life in Finland.

A perfect match for the tiger bike!

2010-06-09T07:12:00.004+02:00

A while ago Anna spotted a tiger bike in Vienna. She claimed that it's "the one and only" which is true, but there's another self-made "one and only" in my city! She's often sighted in the city center locked in street lights, trash cans or bike racks. So far I haven't been lucky enough to sight the owner of the bike, but one day I may stay hidden stalking the bike until I spot her ;)

I have difficulties determining the species of this one. It could be a hybrid of feline species such as tiger and leopard. If you have a theory, please let us know! So here it is: let me present the Safari Bike!

Crossing streets

2010-06-04T08:12:00.013+02:00

This is my friend Alberto crossing a street in Vietnam. He told me that there are about 90% scooters in the modal split there, and that people even take them into shops etc. The noise level is very similar to Indian cities, however, there are already more cars in those places.

In Vienna, many streets have traffic lights. So crossing a street as a pedestrian (and often also cyclist) is done by the following procedure:

approach the junction
(press a button)
wait
wait
wait
cross

You're a poor guy/girl and have to cross once more? Too unfortunate. You'll have to wait again, because there are hardly any "diagonal" traffic lights. I don't know how there are called technically, but I mean those where you can use cross diagonally because all the vehicular traffic has a red light. In Austria (and most other European countries I know, apart from Ireland) motorists have green at the same time as pedestrians and cyclists on, e.g., a parallel segregated bike path. Of course, car drivers have to yield those, but sometimes there are dangerous situations, especially on bike paths that are somehow visually detached from the road. Be aware!

Many times on small roads I find that the traffic lights are not necessary because a) there is not much car traffic in the first place and b) pedestrians have green when most of the car traffic has too, anyhow.

In Vienna, there are a lot of traffic lights for cyclists. The seperate ones are pretty neat, as long as they are not "on demand" lights (it takes ages for them to turn green, and especially when I wear thick gloves in the winter, they are not so easy to use).

Two "on demand" traffic lights for cyclists in the 3rd district

However, most of the time cyclists' lights are included in the pedestrians' ones. This is a big disadvantage, because cyclists are much faster than pedestrians, and we could do with a much shorter clearing phase and hence a longer green phase (cyclists are actually much closer to "normal" traffic than to pedestrians). Especially on the Gürtel bike path, cyclists have a huge disadvantage due to these joint lights as well as due to turning cars -- we just miss the progressive signals at almost every junction, i.e. on average every 50-200 m. By the way, this is called "Grüne Welle" (green wave) in German. I like that term, but I would like it even more if it would refer to bike rather than car traffic.

How is it like in your town? Are there many traffic lights? Special ones for cyclists? Green waves for cyclists?

Self-made Sunday: paint the frame

2010-06-01T08:45:00.008+02:00

You're right, today is not Sunday. But hey, I took these pictures on Sunday, so I hope it still counts. In fact, I even saw the motif on Saturday on my way to the grocery shop...

What? Well, a bicycle!
Nothing special, you say, you see bicycles every day?
Well, not this one!

This one is special because it is personalized. Here I present you the one and only tiger bike.

It's really a nicely painted yellow-black diamond frame, but unfortunately only half of the job was completed. Or is it supposed to be like that? I don't know. The spider nets at the handle bar indicate that the bicycle isn't used that much. Some bits are also damaged, like the fenders. Still, I have hope, so I left a note for the owner :).

"Awesome bicycle!"

Back on track

2010-05-26T20:10:00.017+02:00

What a day! First day after me being sick on the bike again. You must know that I live very close to my work now (only 5 minutes by foot) and don't have to cycle there anymore, so I grap every opportunity to ride my bike to places elsewhere. Today these were, all at once:

my doctor
a bike shop
the Vienna University of Technology to meet a friend

Here's the story:

Setting off at home, I picked up Paula from the basement. There is a huge bike storage room in the house, but there are less stairs from our compartment in the basement to the street than from the bike storage room, so I keep my beloved there for the moment.


I even dressed up today (slightly).	Paula in the basement.

Next thing I set of to my doctor who is located in the 18th district. That's actually uphill from where I live, but even in my recovery mode doable. I just took it a little bit easier than usual, no big deal. I was even early, so I could spend some time with Paula in a park nearby. As you can see I had a rain jacket with me. That's because the weather in Europe is currently very unpredictable. Thunderstorms and sunshine are interchanging many times a day...


Uphill and objects on the bike path.	Paula and me in all our glory.	Close-up

After meeting my jolly German doctor I was all positive about my health and set off to the next station -- the Citybiker bike shop. I was there recently for an initial service of Paula and spotted some cute bicycle bags. Unfortunately they didn't have the color I liked, so I went there again to pick up my new bicycle bag. How do you like it? I think it's a winner, wait for the review! I already got compliments of people at a café nearby the bike shop (for my nice bike and the bag). Congrats Paula, I'm proud of you.


Paula at the Gürtel bike path	Yeah!	Brandnew bike bag!

Talking about compliments: on the ride to the bike shop I chatted to another cyclist at a red light. He was impressed by my sweet retro bicycle, and I had to tell him about some technical details and the price. Quite nice conversation. I almost missed the green light, and only managed to capture the gentleman from behind.

Nice chat at a red light.

But this was not the only conversation I had. At a junction on a secondary road a young fellow on a Citybike approached me and asked where the return station at Karlsplatz is. As it was on my way, I even guided him there.

The Karlsplatz is nearby the University of Technology where I met my friend Alberto for a coffee. I know Alberto through the Mobility week workshop in Budapest last summer. He works at the Research Center of Transport Planning and Traffic Engineering (Hermann Knoflacher also works there, I wrote about him earlier). It seems that everybody there commutes by bike, thumbs up from me :-). Alberto works on the OBIS project. OBIS stands for Optimising Bike Sharing in European Cities. You can visit their homepage on obisproject.com. As such he's quite an interesting person to know and talk to. Needless to say, most of our conversation circulated around cycling and traffic :-). I should conduct a proper interview with him one day, remind me. Unfortuntely it always takes ages before we actually meet (believe it or not, but preparations for today's date already started in February!). Yeah, we're such busy people, aren't we?


"Grrr!" to people who park on the bike lane.	Can you see Paula?	Alberto and his bike in the office.

Getting back to my bike I noticed that it had rained in between. Luckily I had put a seat cover on Paula, and my butt stayed dry ever after. What a practical thing to have!

On the Ring bike path on the way back home I overtook two guys advertising a mineral drink. At a red light they catched up, and once again I had a little chat and was offered a bottle. No photographic proof of the sweet guys, but at least of the encounter as such.

Chatted to more cyclists, and even got a drink for free :-).

Finally back home, and Paula went to the basement again. I'm eagerly waiting for the next trip with her :-). By the way, as soon as I reached the flat, it was pouring again. Lucky me!

Heavy rain again, but I'm inside.

Moreover, by all this, I completed two tasks for the first category of the LGRAB summer games in just one afternoon:

say hi to a cyclist at a red light
schedule a bike date with a friend -- dress up!

I'm waiting for an applause :-).

A short story about the back pedaling brake

2010-05-24T20:39:00.010+02:00

Yesterday I saw a nice video clip about the pros and cons of a back pedaling brake (also known as coaster brake) in one of my favorite programs called Karambolage on my favorite tv channel Arte. Arte stands for Association Relative à la Télévision Européenne and is a quality European culture channel. They broadcast in German and French. Many of their own programs can also be viewed online on arte.tv. Unfortunately I could not find Karambolage. But the text of the clip (here in German and French, by Corinne Delvaux) and the pictures are available on their website. It roughly translates to the following:

Wir sind in Berlin. Das sieht man doch am Fernsehturm im Hintergrund, oder? Gut, dieser Herr ist Franzose und er freut sich, denn seine Berliner Freunde haben ihm ein Fahrrad geliehen, um die Stadt zu besichtigen. Super.

We are in Berlin. That's obvious because of the tv tower in the background, isn't it? Well, this gentleman is a Frenchman and he is happy that his Berlin friends lent him a bicycle for sightseeing. Great.

Unser französischer Freund steigt also auf das wunderschöne Hollandrad, von denen es in Deutschland zahlreiche gibt und auf denen man so wunderbar aufrecht sitzt.

Thus our french friend climbs on his beautiful Holland bike, one of which there are numerous in Germany and on that one can sit so lovely upright.

Aber was macht er denn da? Unser Freund hat anscheinend ein Problem. Er kommt wohl nicht vom Fleck! Was ist denn bloß los?

But what does he do? Obviously our friend has a problem. He makes no headway! What's up here?

Also, irgendetwas stimmt nicht, obwohl das Fahrrad doch ganz normal aussieht… Neuer Versuch, es sieht so aus, als wolle das Fahrrad einfach nicht!

Well, something doesn't work although the bicycles looks perfectly normal...
New try, it seems like the bicycle simply doens't want to!

Nun, unserem Freund wird langsam klar, dass er sein Gleichgewicht nicht durch kurzes Rückwärtstreten halten kann, und auch das Pedal kann er nicht in die gewünschte Position bringen, nein, es weigert sich hartnäckig, sich auch nur einen Zentimeter nach hinten zu bewegen.

Finally, it awakens to our friend that he cannot balance himself by quickly pedaling backwards, and he also cannot move the pedal in the desired position, no, it stubbornly refuses to even just move an inch back.

Unser französischer Freund hat soeben Bekanntschaft mit einer deutschen Besonderheit gemacht, und zwar mit der Rücktrittbremse. Sobald man bei diesem Fahrrad das Pedal nach hinten tritt, bremst es. Es steht augenblicklich still. Dieses System erleichtert das Erlernen des Fahrradfahrens leider gar nicht… man bekommt das Pedal nämlich nur schwer in die richtige Startposition.

Our french friend has just made the acquaintance of a German specific feature, namely the back pedaling brake. As soon as one pedals backwards, the bike brakes. It stops immediately. Unfortunately this system does not simplify learning cycling at all... because it is hard to find the right starting position for the pedal.

Das System wurde 1903 von dem Deutschen Ernst Sachs erfunden. Sieht er nicht fabelhaft aus? Ein Großteil aller deutschen und skandinavischen Stadtfahrräder sind damit ausgestattet, in Südeuropa konnte es sich allerdings nicht durchsetzen. Hier sehen Sie eine hübsche Werbung von damals für die Rücktrittbremse der Firma Fichtel und Sachs.

This system was invented by the German Ernst Sachs in 1903. Doesn't he look handsome? The majority of all German and Scandinavian city bicycles are equipped with it, but in the South of Europe it could not take hold. Here we see a nice commercial from that time for the back pedaling brake by the company Fichtel and Sachs.

Schauen wir uns das mal an: Alles passiert in der Nabe des Hinterrades. Hier das Modell einer Nabe. Wenn der Radfahrer das Pedal nach hinten tritt, wird dieser Konus in den Bremsmantel hineingedrückt, beide verkeilen sich und üben einen Druck auf das Nabeninnere aus, wodurch das Fahrrad gebremst wird.

Let us have a closer look: Everything happens in the hub of the rear wheel. Here is a model of a hub. If a cyclist pedals backwards, the conus is pushed in the brake casing, they get wedged together and impose pressure upon the inner part of the hub, by what the bicycle is decelerated.

Genial, oder? Bremsen, die sich nie abnutzen und die in jeder Lebenslage funktionieren. Selbst beim scheußlichsten Wetter: Sehen Sie selbst, auch wenn es in Strömen regnet, funktioniert dieses Bremssystem hervorragend und das Fahrrad bleibt sofort stehen, was, wie Sie zugeben müssen, bei einfachen Felgenbremsen meistens nicht der Fall ist.

Brilliant, isn't it? Brakes that never wear out and that work in all circumstances. Even in the most nasty weather: See for yourself, even when it's pouring, the braking system works perfectly and the bicycle stops immediatly, something, that you have to admit, most simply rim brakes don't do.

Und hier eine andere ältere Werbung, die ebenfalls sehr hübsch ist und die Vorzüge der Rücktrittbremse im Gebirge preist. Wir erlauben uns allerdings, einige Vorbehalte zu äußern: Die Rücktrittbremse macht das Rad schwerer, was das Erklimmen von Gebirgsstraßen nicht gerade erleichtert. Die Probleme stellen sich jedoch vor allem beim Herunterfahren: Die Benutzung der Rücktrittbremse empfiehlt sich bei Gebirgsabfahrten nämlich nicht. In der Tat kann die Überhitzung der Nabe das Bremssystem kaputt machen...

And here is an older commerical that is is very neat too and advertises the advantages of the back pedaling brake in the mountains. However, we dare to express our concerns: The back pedaling brake makes the bicycle heavier, that's something that does not make it easier to crest mountain roads. The real problems, however, appear when riding downhill: The use of the back pedaling brake is not advisable for descents. In fact, overheating can destroy the hub of the braking system...

Watching the new neighborhood from above

2010-05-20T18:14:00.002+02:00

I am sick these days and stuck in my house with a bad internet connection. So what should I do in a half-furnished flat apart from lying in bed? Well, let's have a look outside the window:

This is what I see from the bedroom window. In fact that's quite a strange view for Vienna. The unusual thing is the view as such (no house opposite that's blocking it, to be precise) and the amount of trees. By the way, the funny-shaped golden and blue thing is the chimney of an incineration plant.

Nearby there are also a lot of restaurants, garbage cans and bike racks. Yah :-).

Ok, that get's boring after a while. So let's move on to the street. Not so boring, cause there's a tram stop right on the other side of the street. And a building site. And around the building site there are "no go" signs and diversations for the rest of the traffic which can't drive on rails. A few days back my better half observed one of those smartypants in a car that ignored this warning and hence landed in the ditch. I haven't seen that myself, but I see a lot of cars and cyclists that think they can just follow the tram and be alright. Some get very confused when they find out that they can't. Well, some road signs do make sense!

What do you see when you look outside the window?

Apart from that I hope that I will get well soon so that I can participate in the LGRAB Summer Games. My mind's already set for it :-). Great idea, girls!

FEEL FREE! -- Advertising cycling and why I still don't like E-bikes

2010-05-16T14:27:00.001+02:00

Lately I have seen some billboards with bicycle ads. In fact, the don't advertise bicycles in the sense of bicycle brands, but cycling as such. There is, for example, the Citybike Wien ad which obviously aims at young people:

This picture is from an article by the Greens in Simmering.

In contrast, there is the Wien Energie ad about E-bikes:

More about the E-bike test on the Wien Energie website

Nice picture, but in my humble opinion, there's too much of a hype about E-bikes these days. Ok, they do make sense for old and disabled people, parents who daily transport their kids and shopping by bike, etc. For the average person, however, they are pretty useless. Not just that they are expensive, they are also slow (with the battery one can only go 25 km/h, which can be easily achieved without one on a lighter bike) and ugly. E-bikes for "business people"? Well, if you dress correctly and drive in a reasonable speed, then you really don't sweat that much. Men in suits and women in dresses cycle up and down the Gürtel bike path in Vienna every day. And although it is quite hilly, none of them gives the impression that they have to put in a lot of effort...

Ok, to be fair, it requires a little bit of "training" to find out which clothes are comfy to wear (meaning, that ones has to get used to dress according to the temperature and weather in general) and how to ride efficiently (speeding in the city is useless because it just means that you'll have to wait longer at a red light), but there's no difference between E-bikes and other bikes. Well, if you still feel that an E-bike is something that you need, let me know why. Maybe I just overlook the obvious.

I probably shouldn't be so negative about E-bikes. After all, E-bikes are better than no bikes :-). And to be precise: I actually do like the idea of E-bikes. Just not they way they are advertised (namely with the wrong target audience in mind).

What do think about E-bikes? Is there much demand for them where you live?

Special spring cycling moments

2010-05-12T21:05:00.005+02:00

You may remember my enthusiastic post about meeting friends while cycling and that being able to have a little chat with another cyclist at a red light is a great advantage of not being trapped in a car. Well, it's not entirely true that conversations with people in cars cannot happen (and I don't mean the common "Get out of my way" shouts). But see for yourself:

These kids were really curious and sweet. They talked to the guy in front of me, happily waved at all the cyclists around, and giggled a lot. I quite like to be apprechiated like that :-).

Other nice moments: shorts. Interesting what one get's to see. For example this beauty:

By the way, I always liked the idea to have a tatoo on the right leg that looks like an oily sprocket mark... But then I can also just use my mountain bike carelessly, and I get such a (non-permanent) mark for free :-).

A new plus and a new minus in the 9th district

2010-05-06T22:12:00.002+02:00

Since a few days I live in the 9th district in Vienna. Generally, it has a dense network of bicycle infrastructure -- a lot of bike racks and a lot of bike lanes. In fact, too many bike lanes. And some of the new ones in horrible positions: in the door zone, and on cobblestones. Who the hell plans something like that? Certainly not a regular cyclist... By the way, in Austria we have the law that any bicycle infrastructure available must be used, so on many such "bike lanes" I am forced to either ride illegal or unsafe.

On the other hand, I can also report something good. Maybe you remember, that I once complained about illegally parked cars (aka parents) in front of schools, on the bike lane, and the sidewalk. Well, after seeing this many times, I finally wrote some Emails to one school and the city council. And well, within a few days a got a reply and within a month or so these pillars were built (very impressive and fast reaction :)):

Such pillars are not exactly what I like (in fact, it's not on a long enough stretch and people still block the bike lane), but it's a start. I also hope that some parents will get the message and not just simply block bicycle infrastructure elsewhere.

Upcoming carfree conference and workshop in York

2010-05-01T19:33:00.026+02:00

Last October at the "Mobility week workshop" in Budapest (you can read about my experiences in these articles) Sonja and I met a few young and enthusiatstic volunteers who work for the World Carfree Network in Prague, Czech Republic. That's also how I learned about some nice events they organize in York, England, in June and July. But before I will come to that, let my briefly introduce you to the WCN...

The WCN grew out of the Car Busters, an international organization which was founded within the carfree movement in 1997 (by the way, their magazine is still called Carbusters). They bring together organizations and individuals dedicated to promoting alternatives to car dependence and automobile-based planning at the internation level. To that end they run various projects, publish the mentioned quartly journal, coordinate the world carfree day, organize conferences etc. Read more on their website worldcarfree.net.

A cartoon from Carbusters' photostream on flickr

From June 28 to July 1 this year they organize the 9th Towards Carfree Cities Conference in York, England. It's basically adressed to everyone who is interested in mobility and building the environment, in particular, professional transport and town planners, urban designers, grassroots campaigners, architects, academics and policymakers from around the world. Interested? Then read their folder and visit their conference homepage.

Moreover, and that's what was actually pointed out to me by Dasha, there is a youth exchange organized right before the conference from June 23 to 26:

"3E by World Carfree Network Europe – A capacity building seminar for young NGO leaders to equip, encourage and to empower the youth on their rights and role as citizens in a democracy."

What this means in practice is 30 young people interested in equality, environment, urban planning and sustainable transport gathering in York, UK, for four days of workshops, seminars and discussions.

During these days you would present and discuss the theory about the traffic power hierarchy. A structuralist way of looking at the city and the problems with cars and automobility. The participants will be working round this topic in small groups, exploring the city of York and in the end of the seminar each group are going to present one example of the traffic power hierarchy that they have found on the streets.

Their intention is that the participants will learn a new way of understanding and working with transport issues in their home cities and develop their thoughts around the topic.

The participation fee is 50€. If you are from Europe and between the ages of 18 and 30, this would allow you to have 70% of your return travel to York paid, and also you would receive a 20% discount on conference registration (via a special link). Your food and accommodation during the four-day youth exchange would also be covered.

For further information visit the project's website. If you would like to attend please send a motivation letter and an estimate of your travel costs to info@worldcarfree.net. Deadline is May 15.

Moving houses by bikes?

2010-04-27T07:41:00.011+02:00

Yesterday I moved to the 9th district. I hate moving. Of course, it's nice to live in my own apartment (and in a house with a big bike room :-)) rather than just a room in a shared apartment, but this putting-things-into-boxes and clearing everything is just a pain. I organized a moving service (2 strong guys and a truck) who did all the hard work of carrying my stuff, so at least that was very easy and relaxing for me. Earlier, when I had less crap, I used to move by (my friend's) car and public transport. But once one has to transport a lot of furniture, moving by car is too much of a pain. And by no means cheaper than just renting a service for 2-3 hours (ok, that depends on the distance, they usually charge 1 €/km for people who move countries).

Lately I read an article on derStandard.at about a few people who have established a moving service by cargo bicycles. They charge 25 € per half hour and transport up to 100 kg per bike. That's much more than I paid for a truck and two guys, who I reckon are also much faster. Thus they can't really do it commercially yet, but I like the idea as such. You should definitely have a look at the pictures (just click on the one I linked :-)).

www.heavypedals.at

By the way, one can win "them" for the 15th of May. So in case you are planning to move within Vienna soon, have a look at their website www.heavypedals.at. Unfortunately I had to be out by Friday, but I would have loved to see them in action ;-).

Insurance issues

2010-04-23T19:11:00.018+02:00

A few days back my bike and a branch from a nearby tree on the Guertel bike path "collided". The branch got stuck in my chain and blocked it. Nothing bad happened, but I had to fiddle it out and missed a green traffic light. Still, it made me think about my safety.

"Twisted Branches" by TexasEagle

Do you have special bike insurances? Are you insured in case of an accident? Is your bike insured against theft? Overall, do you feel safe and secured when riding a bicycle?

I'm going to tell you what kind of insurances I have and what I like and don't like about them.

Well, I always had a personal liability insurance. This should cover me in case of a traffic accident (if someone hits me or I hit someone). It's standard in Austria to have that, so nothing special about that. Generally, it is included in the household insurance.

Moreover, I am a member of a bicycle lobby. In their membership their are subsidiary liability, defense and accident insurances included. Due to the facts that they arrange such deals for all their members and that the insurances are subsidiary, this is a very cheap way out. Just for such purposes, it's a good idea to join a bicycle lobby, but moreover additional benefits and, e.g., regular magazines are included. Most of these bicycle lobbies work local, hence it's the best idea to ask other regular cyclists (or google) for information. In my case, Argus and VCOE (both Austrian-wide) and IG-Fahrrad (Vienna) offer great deals. Highly recommended!

For my old mountain bike it would be stupid to have a theft insurance, but my new Paula get's noticed everywhere. And I would, of course, like to protect her. There are various ways to obtain a bicycle theft insurances in Austria. One of the most secure (but also most expensive) ones is certainly this one as it also covers the theft of parts, e.g., saddle. Well, this one is too expensive for me, so I decided to buy an extra package to my household insurance. It costs me about 3 € per month. Of course, the bicycle is only insured when locked.

"Bike lock" by Lethean

I don't have that, but for some road cyclists, mountainbikers etc. it certainly makes sense to have some kind of a sports insurance. But this only really makes sense if you are a (semi-)professional, it's useless for everyday cyclists like me.

Although I feel well-protected, I'm not so happy with all these insurances. I prefer the Swiss velovignette, which I discussed earlier. It's a very cheap and reliable liability insurance, and it's also possible to purchase cheap additional accident and theft insurances . The only drawback, however, is that it's mandatory.

What I don't like about insurances is, for example this: My household insurance automatically covers my cars, motorbikes and other motor vehicles against fire, burglary and theft. My cars and motorbikes? I don't bloody own one! My bicycle, on the other hand, is only insured when it's locked and parked in the house. What's the point? I want to use my bicycle to get from A to B, not to do round trips! Next time, I'll have to be more careful with my insurances. In case anybody knows about household insurances in Austria that don't include cars but bikes, please let me know :-).

Suddenly Vienna seems so peaceful...

2010-04-18T11:29:00.001+02:00

After being back from India (see posts from Nagpur, Delhi and Jaipur) and its stressful traffic, I do appreciate the peaceful and almost empty streets in Vienna. Everything seems so organized and easy.

Gürtel bike path in Vienna

One can walk miles along a busy road, because there is a sidewalk. And even think about something completely far away, rather than watching out for all those cars and motorbikes that pass by!

Me cycling between all the fancy old houses in Vienna

I would not have dared to cycle in India, but I also did not have a chance to do so (no bike rental or anything of that kind is around). Ok, I suppose I could have easily bought a cheap bicycle, I have was really keen. But I wasn't.

Still, I miss the place. India is very fascinating, and especially for a me as a vegetarian a land of milk and honey (once I got used to eating with my fingers). I will definitely go back and explore more of it.

Sunset at Juhu beach, Mumbai

Elephants, camels and hand bikes

2010-04-13T07:29:00.003+02:00

One of the last places I've seen in India was Jaipur. It was a real treat after the stressful time in Delhi. Although there was a huge crowd of taxi drivers waiting and hassling me at the train station, the city itself was very relaxing.

Ok, it was hot too, even up to 43°C (that's 110 F). Jaipur is a city in the desert state Rajasthan in North India. People are encouraged to safe water and energy, even more than usual. On the streets I've seen elephants and camels being used as pack animals. Apparently -- as a local told me -- the price for a young camel is not very high, but the food for it is costly :-).

Jaipur is also called the pink city, because all the buildings in the center are painted in the same tone. To me, however, it looks more like a rusty red, but feel free to post your own interpretation of it. Here are pictures of a street, taken from windows in the famous Hawa Mahal:

All in all, Jaipur was very pleasant place to be. Some of the streets are still crowded but there are no bad traffic jams as compared to Delhi. I guess that cycling would be pretty ok and safe here. Indeed, I saw a lot of fashionable cyclists, and even hand bikers :-).

Bike trends

2010-04-09T20:24:00.011+02:00

Do you remember having certain bikes in fashion at certain times? To me it looks like bikes have now fallen to the same pit fall of fashion fluxes as everything else. You know, fashion is a way to keep the market economy growing: you have to buy new stuff all the time when the old goes out, even if it's still usable. Although, if you are smart, you can trick the system – it goes in circles! Those bikes that were in fashion decades ago are the hottest thing right now :) So ask your mom or uncle if they have “vintage” bikes, and you'll have the hottest bike in the neighborhood.

Was there a time before bike trends? I never noticed them until the 2000's. I thought that a bike is a bike is a bike. When it's got 21 gears, it's a fancy bike. However, now judging by the variety of so many different retro bikes, other people must have thought differently. Anyways, the first trend that I remember started from a music video. I don't remember what the band was or when it was shot. It must have been in the beginning of the last decade. It was a retro music video. A bunch of boys were riding their cruiser bikes on a hot summer road. The next summer cruisers were everywhere, and apparently they did come to stay, because they are still everywhere.

Cruiser

After the cruisers came the trend of trick bikes and those light bikes that you can fold in the middle. What are they called? Actually, I'm not sure if that counts as a trend because I never saw anyone using them. If no-one uses them, it cannot be in fashion, can it? However, there was some pretty heavy advertising by the biggest selling Finnish furniture store (not Ikea, that's Swedish!). The foldable bikes were probably of pretty crappy quality, although very practical when travelling. Just like a mini-laptop :)

Jopo

The next trend was Jopo. Do you have them in your country? There has been a Jopo trend before, about 40 years ago. A fiancé of my friend told me that he has an old Jopo somewhere, not one of those modern cheap china copies. He is planning to restore it into usable condition in the spring and, if it is ready in time, he has promised to lend it to Anna when she finds her way to Finland in the early summer (YAY)! I have never tried a Jopo. The trend of the next summer has been predicted to be Poni (=pony), which looks exactly like Jopo to me, apart from the text on its frame. There's also an overlapping eternal granny bike trend. Women love them. My bike is a granny bike, or a classic, one might say. In addition to Jopos and grannies, fancy paintwork seems to be in fashion too.

Classic granny

Flower power on a modern cruiser

Well, fashion changes. People do too. If you get tired of your old outdated bike, please, give it to someone or sell it at a flee market. Or give it to charity, e.g. send it to Africa. There is a home somewhere for the old bike too. Usable bikes don't belong into the dump, no matter what the fashion says.

Rickshaws in Delhi

2010-04-03T21:57:00.006+02:00

To be honest, I did not like Delhi. It's a stressful, noisy, overpopulated and dirty city. The whole place is covered in a thick pall of smog. The streets are filled with mostly men, and a lot of them are shamelessly staring at women. Not a pleasant place to be.

Maybe my bad experience is also connected to our arrival. One of the first things that happened -- even before we reached the hotel -- was a taxi breakdown in the middle of a busy street. It was hot, dirty and uncomfy. And it seemed to take forever to get out of this straining situation.

Security controls are everywhere, at train and metro stations, hotels, restaurants, sights, you name it. The city seems very paranoid. On the other hand this is also very labor-friendly, as some of my Indian friends say. Well, I just hope that my negative films survived all this unavoidable x-raying...

The good sides of Delhi? One can see an endless number of rickshaws spread all over the city. The fares are very cheap too. For example, we were offered many rides from the train station to cheap hotels in Paharganj (a district nearby) for just 10 Rupees. That's roughly 0.17 EUR or 0.22 USD, which is also the rate for short autorickshaw rides.

As the city and streets are very busy, Delhi is also the first (and so far only) place in India where I have seen actual bicycle infrastructure -- bike lanes, traffic lights for cyclists and special parking. However, I wouldn't enjoy a bike ride there, I'm pretty sure about that.

Besides, apart from the "Blow horn" or "Please honk" texts often written on cars in Nagpur (see previous post), I saw more "Keep distance" messages in Delhi. And actually also a sticker on a single taxi that said "Please don't honk" with a picture of a little girl holding her ears. A message that should be heard quietly. Maybe then I would consider coming back.

"Hey, your rear light doesn't work..."

2010-03-28T11:31:00.002+02:00

I often say that to fellow cyclists who obviously have lights on their bikes but don't want to use them in the night.

Recently I got a very nice answer to that: "Shit, that one too. Thanks a million!"

The guy was really grateful that I told him as he had only recently replaced his front light but not noticed that the one in the back was also broken. Well, how should he? A bicycle does not have a flashing warning lamp in case something is damaged...

I hence encourage everyone who sees a cyclist with a non-working light to tell them. It can be life-saving. Not every cyclist recklessly and purposely cycles around as a bike ninja.

"Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery" by Rick Smith

What you can do as a cyclist for your own safety? Check your lights every time you set off in the dark! And make sure you carry spare batteries if you use battery-driven lights.

Spring is coming!

2010-03-23T15:17:00.005+01:00

Hello everyone! Sorry that I've not been writing much for a while. I'm writing my bachelor's thesis and it takes all of my energy, and I don't feel much like writing anymore after 8 hours of typing and stuff. So, today I'm just posting some images of bikes and cycling in late winter and early spring.

At worst/best we had about half a meter of snow. This shot was taken in February. I just love it how the snow piles up on the seat during the winter :)

This is one of the bike racks on the front yard. They are covered, but still snow and water blows in the shelters. Also there is no way to lock your bike to anything solid, unless you have a really long wire lock like the one in the image below. There are bike racks where you can lock your bikes but unfortunately my bike is incompatible with them. In this part of the studet village there's no locked shelters either. Note the last bike without a seat. Such a fun ride :D

A little detail of my bike.

And that's my sweet ride :). She's very cosy at that particular corner.

Neighbours' kids' bikes. I love kids' bikes, they are sooo cute :) Even though I'm not a big fan of kids themselves. The one covered in snow is actually a police bike: it's painted in white and blue just like Finnish polis cars and it says "police" on the side

This shot is taken in the end of march. In the spring you get the worst road conditions of the year. During the day the snow is melting and it turns into slosh or water. Then during the night, it freezes again, sometimes in a smooth surface, sometimes in rough forms. That shiny surface is the smooth version with a thin layer of water on top. It is very difficult to walk on such surface. Cycling is possible, is you have studs. You can see that there's gravel on the road. In these conditions it does absolutely no good. Gravel is dark, and dark bodies radiate more warmth than white bodies. This means that every little stone soon melts its way through the ice, and so the gravel ends up underneath the ice, not on it. When you walk there it looks like there was gravel, but there's not, so it makes it even more dangerous. Those people in the pic are walking very carefully...

Now this is a very nice example of the spring challenges that even anna would appreciate :) (She takes rough conditions as a challenge. Very good attitude!). So, this is what happens when slosh freezes. You get really rough and dangerous patterns on ice. This is easy to walk, because it is not that slippery, but I wouldn't venture there with high heels! For a cyclist this is bad, you can imagine if you ride in on one of the deep tracks. However, it is much easier to manege this when it's still frozen. During the evening, when its all slosh, it's veeery challenging. Actually the worst conditions that I've experienced. Loose snow or sand is nothing compared to slosh. I can't really describe what it feels like. Maybe a bit like if sand was slippery, if you can imagine. Studs are absolutely no use with this, what you want is really thick well patterned tires. You really have to control your bike well if you are venturing there. One tiny mistake and you're down. And it's no fun at all to be covered in dirty slosh. This was taken a couple of hours ago, and its snowing now. So, fresh snow on this makes it even more fun :P

And here's one more fun example. So, there is bumpy, but slippery layer of ice, on top of which you get a thin layer of water. Here's a little lower part of the road. There's like 10 cm of clear water underlayed by ice. You can't really see the patterns on ice even when the water is clear when there's a lot of it. This means that you have to make a choise: risk falling down in an icy pubble or walk you bike and get wet feet. The boy chose the first choise and survived, and the girl chose the second one. I heard her say "no way I'm riding through that!" even thoug the boy had shown a good example. Well, I probably wouldn't have gone through that either...

So, my winter riding experiment is soon ending, because the winter is gone soon. I have learned to ride my bike a lot better than before and interpret the varying road conditions. I have learned to ride in blizzard and deep slosh. Also, now I know how to take care of a bike that is in winter use. This winter has been the most beautiful in a decade or so, and I'm very glad to have experienced it on wheels. And a tip for those that are considering of venturing the roads next year: now is the time to buy the studded tires! They are one sale, and I've seen them up to -70%.

So that's it for today! Happy spring time!

Traffic in India

2010-03-20T10:01:00.013+01:00

Beep! Beep! Apart from left-hand traffic this is the first thing one notices after coming to India. It’s the cars, autorickshaws and motorbikes blowing their horns on the crowded roads. Unlike Europe, however, this noise level does not indicate stress or anger. People honk for various reasons -- before and while overtaking, to indicate a turn, before stopping or changing lanes.

The main roads here in Nagpur are quite wide. More than 5m in each direction are separated by a small concrete wall. There are not many rules (or at least nobody cares about them), but the “law of speed” applies. On the very edge of the road there are stands, huts or garbage. Cattle, street dogs and pedestrians walk there, cyclists come next, then autorickshaw, motorbikes and cars. By the “law of numbers” cycling seems rather safe -- even at night, although the bikes don’t carry any reflectors or lights. Safety is also neglected by other transport users -- cars don’t have many safety belts (and if so are mostly not used), motor bikers rather carry their helmets on the arm (if they have any) than on their head…

Bikes are mostly used by poor people and schoolchildren. The majority of bikes is old, black, heavy and single speed.

What I really like is that women even cycle in colorful saris. I have worn a sari too, but I’m not comfortable enough yet to walk (or even cycle) on the street in one.

We mostly get around by taxis or on foot and visited a park, a few Hindu temples and Muslim shrines and shopped a little. During the day temperatures of 40°C are already reached. I deeply respect all the people here who do their work in this weather. Even in a light kurta I prefer going out early in the morning or in the evening. A lot of the daytime is devoted to sitting or sleeping under a fan -- timepass, as they call it here :-).

Seen in the 7th district in Vienna

2010-03-17T10:06:00.000+01:00

A machine that sells inner tubes for bicycles 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There's a similar one in front of the Cooperative Fahrrad. I really like that idea and hope there will be many more. Cause sometimes an inner tube can be everything you need in the middle of the night or a weekend :-).

A so-called Schlauchomat

Meeting bikey friends

2010-03-12T10:34:00.017+01:00

Did you ever recognise a friend on bike while cycling from A to B? It happens to me about once a month that I accidentially meet a friend waiting at a red light. I really like these moments and little chats, it cheers me up and suddenly all the time waisted at these red traffic lights seems much shorter and more valuable :).

Yesterday at Alserbachstraße I bumped into Bea who is a co-blogger on Velosophie.at. She still has some problems with her cycling bag that she keeps losing (it's a click-in system for the rack). Nonetheless she's very stylish in this ugly wintery weather.

Bea on Alserbachstraße yesterday
(it's bloody freezing, snowy and windy again -- buuh!)

Already last week I met up with Velouria from "Lovely Bicycle!". She's again in Vienna but unfortunately had a non-bike-related accident that keeps her from hopping on a bike these days. Since we test rode a Retrovelo Paul and a Globe Haul in November, I couldn't wait to introduce her to Paula. Needless to say, she was very impressed and a little jealous. Later on we had a cheap coffee and a nice chat in the warm.

Velouria on Paula
-- more pictures in her article "Retrovelo Paula (Thou Shalt Not Covet!)"

Girls and bicycles

2010-03-08T20:26:00.009+01:00

I must admit that I almost forget the importance of today -- it's International Women's Day, and probably a good idea to think about women and transport as well. If once written how little influence women have on traffic planning and how much of difference that could make (see "Women and transport").

Through Alec's article "Girl.Pedal.Power: Selbstbewußtsein per Rad" on the Austrian bicycle culture platform Velosophie.at I found this interesting video about school girls in Darlington, UK, who started to think about the use of bicycles in their town and compared it to the bicycle-friendly German city Bremen. Here's their video "Beauty and the Bike" in which they talk about their experiences:

If you got interested -- read more about their project "Beauty and the Bike" in German and English.

What are your reasons to (not) ride a bicycle? Do you prefer cycle lanes or rather not have them?

Barcelona and bike therapy

2010-03-05T20:39:00.008+01:00

Does city life stress you? Are you fed up of being unable to unwind? Do you think cycle would help doing so? Then you need to try bike therapy!

I read about bike therapy a few weeks ago and it immediately caught my attention. I never heard about it and, judging for the little amount of information I found, it is a new practise. Mainly, bike therapy consist in combining cycling and relaxation exercises to reduce stress and gain tranquillity. The bike stroll must indeed be in a place which would favour all this.

In Barcelona, the BACC (Bicicleta Club de Catalunya - Bike Club Catalonia) association organizes free bike therapy sessions on the sea front and on natural areas of the city. For the sessions, participants must bring their own bike or use a Bicing bike. I wanted to try it out one session which is to be held on Saturday 13, but all available places have been filled, so I am afraid I will not be able to tell you how it was. However, if you have experienced it do not be afraid to share! :)

Besides, these bike therapy sessions the BACC is committed to many other things related to cycle. For instance, they teach adult people to cycle in their "Biciescola d'adults" (Adult bike school) and organize other courses, they give advice or tell about recent news related to cycle. If you wish, you can visit their web site at http://www.bacc.info/ (it is in Catalan, but you can use Google Translator, I think they have incorporated it. It will be not the best quality in the world, but it will help you grasp what is the BACC about).

Wow! Bike blossom time!

2010-03-03T21:27:00.009+01:00

It's really amazing. On the weekend the temperatures went up, the sun returned after a few months of just gray sky -- and suddenly there are many many more cyclists to be seen on the roads. Spring time kicks in, yeah!

Today I even decided to cycle without a cap and without gloves. The wind in my hair just felt so lovely. Oh, how I missed that! On the other hand, my hands got really cold. On the way back from uni I wore some thin gloves again...

Truly amazing to see the bike paths in the rush hour. It's bike blossom time! Yeah, baby :).

And you're really cool if you find a chewing gum that matches your bike ride.

My first bike ride with Paula

2010-02-27T10:12:00.004+01:00

Those of you who followed my blog already now that I ordered a pigeon blue Retrovelo Paula in December which just arrived a view weeks back. Due to lack of parking facilities in my house, it was parked in my boyfriend's apartment while it was still snowy and icy out there (in such situations I rather stick to my old mountain bike of which I know how it behaves) or I was out of town. Finally, yesterday, I took Paula for a ride around town. Here are some impressions of her first glance at Vienna (more are on my flickr album):

Paula in the corridor

Paula being carried three floors downstairs by me

Paula on the Gürtel bike path

Paula in the office (showing off :))

Paula near Augarten (happily moving in the rain)

Paula on the Ring bike path

Paula looking for companions

Paula on Mariahilfer Straße (shopping street that should be a pedestrian zone)

Bikes of my life

2010-02-23T21:30:00.005+01:00

My first bike was a little and blue. I think I was around 5 years old then. I was very fond of it. I don't remember much of that time, but there's one memory concerning that bike. The memory is vague, I'm not even sure whether the bike was actually mine or my twin sister's. Anyway, we were living in Eskilstuna, Sweden, in a suburban block of flats in a Finnish district. There were some kids that often bullied us and other girls on the block. The bad boys, as we called them, stole that bike, and I was very upset. I can't remember if we got the bike back or not.

When we moved back to Finland, getting new bike took a while. Most of my life we lived in rather small communities and suburbs that had schools, so there was no need for any other transportation besides your feet. One of my home towns was Outokumpu, a town of less than 10'000 people. The school was 2 kilometers from my home, so I walked. My mother was unemployed and single, we couldn't afford bikes anyway. However, some of my friends had bikes, and I often bummed rides on their rack. In the wintertime we sometimes walked, sometimes skied, but my all-time favorite was the kicksled! We had two of them and the downhill on the way back home was so much fun in a clear winter afternoon. You stand on the skids and kick, and you can give a ride to a friend in the chair. I would still love to use one, but road maintenance is usually too thorough in big cities. However, this winter has been so snowy, that kicksled would be more practical than bike. Imagine parking a kicksled next to the bike racks at the university :D

A kicksled, or a kicker. Much more fun than walking!

So, I was bikeless for around 15 years. I think I was around 20 when I finally bought one. I needed it in order to get to work and because I was sick of the public transit. The bike was an 80s Finnish blue Helkama that was practically dug out of its grave. I bought it used, and it was just as crappy as one could expect of a bike that cost 60 euros. Brakes and gears didn't work properly. Once, when I was riding to work, the chains came loose and I had to ask the factory night mechanic to fix it in order to get back home.

A couple of weeks after that I finally went to Biltema, and bought a sleek black ladies bike with 200-300 euros. It was nice, reliable, and pretty one-geared bike and I was happy to ride it for 2 months until it got stolen in front of a police station. Obviously it wasn't insured and I couldn't afford to buy a new one, so I had to go bikeless again.

The next winter I went to university and got a new job at a flee market. About a year after the theft I saw a beautiful red Titania bike at the flee market. It was love at first sight! So, I called the client and asked for a test ride. The bike felt good, but had a lazy rear brake. I negotiated the prize a bit lower to about 60 euros and that night I was happy to ride my new bike home instead of a bus :)

This is my classic urban ladies bike, Titania Terässiipi.

I still ride the same bike. I've spiced her up a bit, and she's still the only one I've got and the only one I need. She's my good old urban steel princess; the best, prettiest and most reliable city bike on the block.

All the crap they sell...

2010-02-21T12:41:00.002+01:00

Last August a young man got killed in Salo (40 km from Turku) because of a crappy front fork. He was cycling to work, and the fork gave in. His head hit the pavement and he died. The fork was like this:

The springs had rusted through, and inner pipe slid out of the outer pipe. The poor boy's bike was a Nishiki Reno 26, but these dangerous forks can be found in many other bikes too. Apparently there are thousands of these alone in Finland. The manufacturer is Taiwanese Dah Ken and the model was RST 281R. (source hs.fi). There's an unverified hearsay that the poor guy had just taken the bike to a professional maintenance.

The road traffic safety department in Finland is considering of pulling these forks out of markets. Guys, be aware of what you buy! Of course we tend to think that products on the market are safe, but sometimes not all aspects can be thought of by the authorities.

My solution to keep the risks and costs down is to buy things that have few moving parts and therefore don't brake easily. It's stupid, but I don't even have a vacuum cleaner (I've had some bad luck with them). In stead I use wipes. The same goes with bikes too, although they are not exactly space technology. My bike is single-geared and has fixed front fork. Nothing moves that doesn't absolutely have to.

Anyways, if you have similar fork to the one in the picture, check its condition!

The city as playground

2010-02-19T11:06:00.004+01:00

I don't see many teenagers around here riding bicycles. Are they (or their parents) too afraid? Is it not necessary to get around because public transport is good enough (or parents drive them around)? Or is it just not cool to do so?

I remember being made fun of by other kids when I cycled to and from the grammar school in the neighboring town. Maybe it was because I didn't attend the extended elementary school in my town as most kids did (Hauptschule in German, a school from 10-14, but without a general qualification for university entrance -- see Wikipedia for an explanation). But actually I believe it was because of that stupid looking bicycle helmet that my mum made me wear. The "bicycle helmet fashion" in my area started in the early 90s, and the first helmets were really really ugly and uncomfortable. It created a very negative image of cycling amongst young people.

Better motivations for kids to cycle are those fancy trial riders, e.g. Danny MacAskill from the Inspired Bicycles Team in Edinburgh:

Cycling is really fun, and can be very challenging and cool if need be :).

Cooking and cycling

2010-02-13T11:32:00.003+01:00

A few days back I received a lovely gift from Anna, our co-blogger from Catalonia (if you're curious about that place, visit her blog about Catalan language and culture). She's been to Florence, Italy, a while back and bought some bike-related clothes for me -- a T-shirt with the imprint "Free Bicycle Love" and an apron.

The apron has a drawing of the bicycle by Leonardo da Vinci on it. As far as I know it's not sure whether this is a hoax or true. As a matter of fact the first bicycles have only been used almost 400 years later. See my earlier blog post "The bicycle is a great invention!" for some more details. There is certainly some mystery to the invention of the bicycle.


Leonardo's bicycle ...	... and my new apron

If you're interested in the subject (and Leonardo da Vinci's bike) you may want to start your investigations by reading about "The Leonardo da Vinci Bicycle Hoax" (text of a paper presented at the 8th International Conference on Cycling History, Glasgow School of Art, August 1997, by Prof. Dr. Hans-Erhard Lessing).

Anyhow, I'm very thankful for the apron (I'm a rather messy cook) and amused by the mystery that surrounds this drawing.

Having said that I should finally also mention "The Hungry Cyclist" who is pedaling the world for a perfect meal. If you don't know what to cook yet, you might find some inspiration there. I'll probably try some of Anna's potato recipes this weekend. Have a lot of fun cycling and cooking too!

Velosophing

2010-02-09T22:06:00.003+01:00

As some of you already now, I am co-blogging on the Austrian bike culture community velosophie.at. This website has developed from the homonymous free bike magazine velosophie, that is enclosed in the Standard newspaper a few times a year. The back issues are also available online.

The velosophie blog on the very same homepage exists since May 2009 and so far different people wrote about bike related topics: Alec, Thomas, Bea, Inga, Eva, Karo, Günne and me. As you can propably guess, so many people create a fair mixture of opinions and topics . On Sunday a few of us met for dinner and the exchange of ideas. Was a lot of fun, and hopefully also fruitful.

We're there to entertain YOU (at least the German speaking part). So keep an eye on velosophie.at, watch our progress, and -- most importantly -- let us know what you think!

Velosophie Blog Team: Thomas, Bea, me and Alec

Paula has arrived!

2010-02-06T09:22:00.009+01:00

Last week, actually on my birthday, I received a call from the Citybiker bike shop. They let me know that my Retrovelo Paula has arrived and that I could pick it up in the next few days after they had built it together.

So finally, after a few weeks of impatient waiting, I could embosom my new steed :). Unfortunately it is rather big and does not fit in the bike room in my house (see some pictures in an earlier post). So currently it's parked in my boyfriend's apartment (on the 3rd floor, no elevator). I hope that I will find a better solution soon.

More pictures of the bike in action will follow :).

Media image of cycling

2010-02-02T08:47:00.000+01:00

Last Saturday anna wrote about the image of cycling in Austrian media. Today I'm writing about the same subject in Finland.

I reviewed about 30 articles that were published on January 2010 on 5 newspapers' websites. Cycling was by far the best represented in the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, which had a half of the articles.

Many of the stories were about accidents and sports. I couldn't be bothered with the sports stories, but there were a few stories of cyclists being hit by cars. Anna mentioned that there are more and more cyclists being killed and injured in the traffic accidents these days in Austria. Well, I don't know about the how it is in Finland altogether, but Turku the numbers have gone down as the cycling infrastructure has improved. I don't think that the cyclists are blamed for the accidents even implicitly.

The rest of the articles were about varying subjects. There were a couple of articles about bike thefts. One theft story was a funny thing from Denmark: a thief had stolen a bike, but he didn't notice that there were 3 kids on the back of the 3-wheeled bike, and so he stole the kids too :) Fortunately he was a good-hearted thief and took the kids back home following the eldest one's instructions.

There were also a couple of articles related to the health benefits of utility cycling, and an article that appealed to the motorists to consider cyclists while driving. All 3 of the cycling accidents on the news were caused by irresponsible motorists, so this plead was not made for no reason.

One article was about cycling infrastructure in Joensuu, eastern Finland. The writer was pleased with the city infrastructure, but hoped that bike lanes were better maintained in the wintertime and that people wouldn't cycle on the sidewalks. Riding on the sidewalks is a common problem in Finland. You are not supposed to do that, but sometimes you've got no choice. For example, there is a busy road (uncrossable without traffic lights) on the way to the supermarket where I do my shopping. For about a 50 meters, the bike lane just disappears on that side of the road (see the pic). It seems unreasonable to take the long way round and wait and cross roads to get back to the place where the lane starts again. Besides, all the bike racks and university buildings are positioned on that side of the road that has no bike lane. A bit stupid, eh? Solutions like that are driving us on the sidewalks. Also, in the winter it is very dangerous to ride on carved icy car tracks among cars. If you are not willing to risk your neck, you sometimes have to choose the illegal sidewalk.

There were also a couple of really nice pieces of news. One of them was an article about a man, who is cycling all the way from Finland to Greece. Other one was a webportage about pimping bikes. It seems to be in fashion nowadays. I've seen some fancy paintwork like zebra bike and a flower bikes in the neighborhood.

However, the piece of news which made me really happy, was the one about proposed changes in the traffic law :D A working group is pondering on the issue of cycling on sidewalks and they also hope to make cycling otherwise as convenient as possible. You see, promoting cycling is a part of many local and sectoral Agenda21 plans (e.g. Turku plan) in Finland, and it is also an essential part of the national sustainable development strategy. Here's some of the things that the working group had thought of:

the right to ride a bike the wrong way on one-way streets
giving up the compulsory use of bike lanes (I didn't know that it was compulsory :)
allowing cycling on sidewalks
introducing bike pocket, which is a space in traffic lights in front of the cars that is reserved for bikes . This would mainly benefit those, who like to ride really fast among the cars (not me with my single-geared!)

Nice plans, eh? :D

To compare the image of cycling in Finnish media with the Austrian one, it seems that the image in Finland is much more positive than the image in Austria. It is recognized that cycling among cars can sometimes be dangerous and that it is not the cyclist's fault. There were also some positive articles on cycling infrastructure and legislation. The nation and municipalities are clearly trying to improve the situation of cyclists in the traffic. Also, the press, especially Helsingin Sanomat, brings forward the health benefits of cycling, and also the fun part of it. I'd like to think that the press reports about cycling in a positive way in part because Finnish media is supporting the national sustainability strategy.