Bike Buddy? What is that?

From https://italianbicycles.com.au

Bike Buddy? What is that?

Hello Everybody!

How have you all been throughout this summer in Australia and New Zealand? Have you ridden your bicycles enough? Whether you answered yes or no please tell us: how does it feel 3 months later?

Summer is by far together with Spring one of the best ever time to ride your bicycle. You can start riding back onto it, you can practice more riding to become a far better rider or, you can bring your fitness status to a pro-level. No matter your cycling ambitions, health, routine exercise, training level: your bicycle can help improving it all so long you want it too.

Very often one of the most common question we hear from our customers is: "I am not sure I able to ride or willing to ride alone, do you know anybody cycling that route in....?". At times they forget we are based only in Brisbane and sometimes in Melbourne, as such question comes to us from any corner of AU and NZ. Whilst we would love to help EVERY time, sometimes we truly don't know much about the area.

So, why the need for some riders to bike along a route with someone else? One would think for safety? Indeed safety is one important aspect, because if anyone experiences a puncture or the rare condition of a broken bike components - it should not happen if you have purchased a decently crafted bicycle and you took adequate care of it - then being in two or more riders can make a big difference. Generally though, a charged phone, a bottle of water and small cash can make a big difference too - for more info please refer to our previous posts on commuting riding below.

However this word we hear all the time, safety, is not the only or the sole most important reason. You ride with a bike buddy to share the fun, the pleasure, the experience, the journey and the exercise you will benefit from. I think in 2015 there is no need to state once again the massive positive impact riding a bicycle will have in anyone physical health. Whilst, a good dose of positive impact is indeed shared with the rider's mental health too, providing numerous significant benefits. One among all is the mighty feeling of being able to detach for a period of time from the high tech, highly noisy, highly fast, highly pressured and highly constraint environment we spend most of our time these days: work. Yes, not every work place is the same but at times, we all desire to escape from it don't we? :)

In this blog we did explain it many times: a bicycle is indeed a mean of transport employed to take you safely from point A to B. Sharing the route to University, Office or the Gym with other cyclists or bike buddy is a phenomenally brilliant experience, which will provide tonnes of benefits to you both mentally and physically. Try it out and you won't regret.

 

If you were too busy to organize a trip or perhaps you are non-confident of your capabilities to plan a route or to organize a bike buddy for yourself, then have no fair coz help is near. Jump on google/bing and type "bike buddy in @@@@@@" where @@@@@ = your city/town. Literally, there are very many programs in major cities of AU and NZ, you only need to look for these and contact them for information. Some of these programs can be free, membership based or very complex and structured in the number of services they provide: don't be overwhelmed! All you need to start is a bike buddy program to ride your bike with a rider companion and share the fun. 

Remember this, a great bike buddy experience and a safe journey start with you, with your bike - a decent one not from big store market nor massive production bikes since they won't last and most important your proper frame size -, your planning. There is plenty of info available on how to manage all of these aspects in our many posts below.

If you cannot find a bike buddy program in your area then, create one of your own or speak to your local council or community center to initiate one. There is nothing truly more rewarding in life than creating a fantastic solution to improve people's life: we are positive you can do it!

We trust the info above have helped you to kick in and start riding your bike again. Remember, riding a bike has enormous benefits for your mental and physical health. Do it safely and share the fun with your bike buddy! :)

That's all for today! Speak to you all soon.

Many Happy Ride!

Maria, Mario and Roberto at Italian Bicycles

Commuter cycles: an easy guide for stress-free bike commuting!

From http://ItalianBicycles.com.au

Welcome to 2015!

Another year is awaiting us with new wonderful experiences. During the Christmas holidays a lot of us have listed several "new year resolutions" and there is nothing wrong with that. Best though is when at least 50% of those can be achieved, perhaps even 25% because it still represent a little step towards reaching our goals and as we all know, every little bit counts!

Today we wish to talk to you about commuting on a bicycle: how to start a comfortable and stress-free progression from your car to your bike when commuting to and from work. Most people are always scared of this idea, mainly due to little knowledge of bikes, rules and sometimes lack of motivation. This article today aims to provide you with all of these including some tips for your safety and the safety of your bike when commuting under any condition.

So, how do we develop a safe and effective bike commuting program to and from work? Well, as anything planning is fundamental, however, it does not need to be too heavily articulated, we can make a good one very simple!

Here are few steps to start with:

1) Define your entire trip back and forth: start with a GPS or Google map or a simple paper map of the exact route you will be pedaling. Along the itinerary it is very important to know of any possible pit-stop point, any bike shop or grocery store to refill your bike with needed parts or yourself with food and drinks. Most important, find a route that is less likely to be overcrowded with cars and thus jammed, it is not a great idea to ride along cars that do not move as many more hazards (doors opening, continuous stopping, sudden lane changing) may well occur;

 2) Check your whole equipment: a functioning happy bicycle of course, but not just that. Check your helmet and its straps, a safe well strapped helmet can spare you injuries and police fines! Check your lights and bike reflectors, these are all accessories that when working can provide a positive difference to your commuting experience. Ensure your tyres are well inflated to the manufacturer pressure - read on the side of tyres - also, be smart and carry an extra little tool and tubes to change the latter in the unlikely event you have a severe flat tyre. If you don't know how to do it then a bike shop along the way will definitely help you. When possible, always check your bike and all of its major components - group set, brakes, wheels, saddle, handlebar - before your commuting ride. Keep a constant eye on these components and they should not let you down during the trip.

3) Prepare a treat for your body: summer temperatures can be exhausting even in the morning, whereas in winter the cold and the reduced visibility can affect your ability to reach your final destination in time. Make sure you carry extra water for you on the frame and in addition to water in your hydration pack or in your bags. In fact, easily it may happen one day you will forget to place that water bottle inside your bags and thus having one on the frame will help to stay hydrated, particularly during long distances or very hot days. Do not underestimate the sun penetrating within your helmet, it can seriously give you severe burns, thus carry a minimum of 30+ or 50+ protection cream to apply it on your neck, behind your ears and in other sensible clear spots not covered by clothes. Be aware though, if you put a little or too much cream in your face this may as well play against you! In fact you could sweat during the ride and the combination of sweat and sun cream will indeed go through your eyes and mouth making your ride a much more difficult one and certainly unpleasant, or borderline dangerous if your eyes start burning. 

4) Clothing and the Onion factor: remember, nobody likes to enter an office in less than acceptable conditions. You are no exception. With a tiny little step you can achieve this goal all the time, it is easier than you think. Seasonality has its influence indeed but you should be prepared like an onion, capable to drop or add a layer when needed. Cycling clothing is a huge field! These days there is so much available but don't be fooled by high prices and highly technical clothing: all you need is a combination of light, breathable clothing easily visible or reflective or with reflective bands plus, capable of reducing penetration of water and sun through into your skin. Cotton is the number one textile recommended, however while it is perfect for SUN the same it is not for RAIN, thus with rain a combination of cotton with synthetic fibers can result in more comfortable rides. Be very selective in the textile fiber you decide to wear: skin rush and excessive sweat are not nice companions! 
Finally, find out ahead of areas within your work place where you can change, shower or store working clothes. These days most public sector and big private employers are definitely providing necessary spaces and facilities for bike commuters. If your company does not, well, be a modern ambassador by proposing the idea for these facilities to be made available for you and your colleagues. Remember, it promotes physical activities, it is very low impact on the environment, it can increase productivity and it is cheaper than feeding petrol to a car everyday. Also, in most situation you save time out of traffic jams!

5) Take a test ride: after ticking point one to 4, try and ride the exact same itinerary when you are relaxed, free from any sort of stress, perhaps during week end. Time yourself and when possible do different test trials. The benefits will be for you to learn as much as possible about your future daily road trips and maximize the info to your own advantage. The more you know, the more comfortable and effective your ride will be.

6) Secure & safe parking for your bike: nobody enjoys to realize their bike is gone when it is time to go home. Your lock strength and the way you lock your toy is important, however it is indeed more important the location you leave your bike at. If the place is safe and secure,  with people walking through and perhaps with CCVT available, then this is already a great advantage on your side. A good lock and a proper locking procedure (check photo provided above) would do the rest.

 

7) Review all steps from time to time: keep up to date with info regarding pit stops, bike shops, grocery shops, road closures (check local City Councils website) and facilities near you or along the way. Remind yourself everyday to HAVE FUN!

This article was written by Mario, Maria and Roberto at Italian Bicycles. If you think this article was useful please share it on your facebook, twitter and Google+ account :)

Thank you very much and see you soon around here!

From https://ItalianBicycles.com.au