More Cake-Loving Cyclists and The City...

What do you get when you cross the opportunity to ride around one of the nicest boroughs in London with the chance to eat some rather lovely cakes? A lot of keen cyclists attending the first public BikemindedRBKC Cake & Coffee Cruise!

After the success of the inaugural ride for invited Bloggers, me and The Boy* attended the public ride last Saturday. Tickets sold out for the event which was brilliant news! It was fantastic to see such a huge turn out for the ride (and Super-Kathryn above, checking them all in) especially knowing what an absolute treat everyone was going to get for their £5...

The meeting-point for the day was of course Pedlars for the 1st Coffee of the day and a chance to meet even more cyclists... and catch-up with friends!

It was wonderful to see some of my favourite cyclists including Sam (top photo with The Boy), Adrian (Left) and Mr Ibikelondon.blogspot.com himself Mark (right) - all of whom I'd not seen properly since the Tweed Run earlier this year!

There was a slight cycling twist to the day for us - we did the ride on Boris Bikes instead of the Pashley and the Cannondale! Due to after-ride plans we'd made, we had to leave our beautiful bicycles at home and hire these for the day. I must admit, it felt like I was cheating on my Pashley being on another bike all day, but was incredibly handy... and I have to say my Tights seemed to match the bike - one iconic London Landmark with a bike that is fast becoming another London icon ;)

Head Scarf: Tie Rack

Earrings: Topshop

Denim Jacket: Gap

Knitted Jumper-Dress: M&S

Beig Ben Tights: Henry Hollans

Bag: Vivienne Westwood

Necklace: Tatty Devine

Shoes: Topshop

Speaking of fashion - I have to mention the most Dapper Chap on the ride - Mark! His outfit along with his classic Bicycle and Panniers was the perfect combination...

... and I admit to having serious Brogue envy, even if they are Men's shoes - they were utterly gorgeous!

The route, cycling pace and the cake-stops were fantastic - but the best part about the ride this time round was watching everyone enjoy themselves and the wide range of people and bicycles who came to the event. There were mature cyclists, some very young riders and a variety of bikes - including quite a few Boris Bikes too!

It just goes to show the absolute ease of taking part in a ride such as the Cake and Coffee Cruise - it's open to anyone & you are guaranteed to meet the like-minded via Bikeminded and make new friends along the ride. 

Once again, a massive "thank you" must go to Kathryn for getting me involved in such a wonderful cycling project & I hope we get to work together on something again soon.

Further pictures from the Cruise can be viewed on Flickr here.

*and as always, a special thank you to The Boy - without your photography skills and general support, a lot of this wouldn't happen. 

Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme: A Chic 1st time user!

It's Day 2 of the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme, and I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the newly registered members of it!

Meet Tyla: she lives & works in London and is an enthusiastic and rather chic cyclist, which is exactly what we like to see :) Today was Tyla's first time using the Scheme. She tells Vélo-City about her initial experience using the Cycle Hire Scheme in London...

 *What was the nature of your journey today?
The nature of my journey was leisure & to commute back home. I hate changing at Green Park as it's very crowded and stuffy and I nearly passed out the night before at that station! I chose to cycle to Holborn instead - a lot more comfortable way to move around :)


*Was this your 1st time on one of the bikes?
Yes, the very first time. I was Boris bike virgin till this evening.

*Where did you start and end your Cycle Hire Journey?
Southwark to Holborn.
 
*How long did your journey take?
About 10 minutes plus about 15 minutes messing around with a certain Jools before I got on the bike (!) and 5 minutes of double checking and panicking afterwards if I docked it correctly.

* Did you find it easy to use (from taking the bike to docking it at the end)?
It was fairly easy. The bit with docking it and trying to pick a different bike was slightly confusing but I am guessing there is a couple of minutes block between returning and picking a new bike. When I dropped off the bike, I used a docking station that was labeled as 'coming soon' but all the lights were working so I am hoping that I won't get overcharged. The downside is that the web service is not working at the moment hence I cannot even check if it all worked alright.

* The bike itself - what did you make of it?
I liked it. It was bit heavy compared to mine but I guess it added stability. Adapting the seat and changing gears was easy and I like the bag holder at the front!

*Did you get any interesting reactions from people while you were on it?
People starring, pointing and gesturing in a kinda 'Oh look it's the new bikes' way! Drivers were polite and stayed out of my way unlike when I am on my bike. I won't mention certain Jools who had to document every step of the way and including nicking the bike to have a ride of her own...

*Did you see many people on Barclays Bikes on your Journey?
Nope. I saw one person earlier in the evening but no one on my journey.

*What was your reason for joining the Scheme?
Because I love cycling and I prefer to bike between places in Central London than get on the Underground. Plus it's dead cheap.

*Would you recommend the scheme to other cyclists... and if so, why?
Yessss! Because it is a fun way to commute and well, it's so much cheaper and greener than any other mode of transport in Zone One.

*Your Cycle-Chic today is fantastic... What are you wearing today for your ride?
Today I am wearing...
"Baxter" black skinny jeans: Topshop
Shoes:  Hush Puppies 
Jacket: Diesel
Black top: H&M
Jewellery: Kizmet Jewellery
Coral-Red handbag: Topshop



Many thanks to Tyla for this interview! You can catch more of Tyla over on her Flickr Stream.

Saddle Up London!

Today sees the official launch of the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme in London. I'm not one of the people who registered for it, but I'm very keen to have a go when the casual scheme launches! Be great to see these bikes in action in London: it's always fabulous to see more people cycling around the city. There has been talk of perhaps extending the scheme to allow Oyster PAYG customers to use their cards to pay for the hire - be interesting if that were an option, as I would certainly use it.

As highlighted by Mark over on his wonderful i b i k e l o n d o n blog , the scheme will hopefully inspire a new wave of Cycle-Chic across the City, with the casual user being able to hop-on a bike and go for a ride to get across town quickly. (thank you Mark for selecting me in your Chic round-up).

If all goes to plan, I should be heading out on Sunday for a cycle though East London, starting at an insane hour of the morning... hopefully I might spot some of the Barclays Bikes and people using them.

Have you signed-up for the scheme? Have you given one of the bikes a go yet? Drop me a comment and let me know! :)