East London Cycling Archives
The newsletter of Tower Hamlets London Cycling Campaign Group
November 2002
Day of bike fun for kids!
The Wheelers teamed up with Tower Hamlets Family Welfare Association (FWA)
for a day of bicycle fun in the autumn breeze on Saturday 26th October.
Kids and adults alike learned how to ride a bike and improve on their
skills in Victoria Park where Cycle Training Ltd provided lessons and
bicycles, Youth Action UK lent an obstacle course, and local bike shops
Bicycle Magic and Cycle Surgery donated goodies like energy bars.
It was a gloriously sunny and fresh autumn afternoon which helped the FWA
get a great turn-out from its mainly Somali and Bangladeshi client families:
25+ children and a handful of enthusiastic adults.
Wheelers volunteers supervised the obstacle course, put on slow bicycle
races and provided a Dr Bike to tune any dodgy bicycles that the children
had brought along.
The aim of the obstacle course was for the children to practise those
newly learnt skills. Many of them found the course difficult at first but
they soon got to grips with it. After a few attempts, most were able to
weave themselves around the course without having to put their feet down -
it was great to see!
To further test their balancing skills the children took part in "slow
bicycle" races. No prizes were handed out - many chose to ignore the 'slow'
part of the race - but goodies like fruity energy bars and bike lights from
Cycle Surgery and Bicycle Magic were handed round at the end of the day.
Wheelers Alix and Caroline got to grips with affixing the permanent ink
of security marking kits to the kids' bike frames. Local police had supplied
the FWA with these kits so that bicycles can be traced if stolen.
Later on Wheeler Alexis led a bunch of the more energic kids on a trip
round the park and as the afternoon drew on and the sun began to go down she
cycled with the kids to where the FWA's minibus was parked to take them
home.
A further reward for everyone's efforts came when photographers from
local papers East End Life and East London Advertiser turned up.
Nearly all the children who could not ride a bike at the start were able
to by the end of the day. A splendid time was had by all in the company of
a really friendly bunch of people. Wheelers will definitely be keeping in
contact with the FWA; such joint events have got to be good for getting
children enjoying cycling at an early age.
Big thanks to the Wheelers happy helpers: Alexis, Caroline, Dave, Keith,
Alix and Owen.
Photos, media coverage and contacts:
www.fwa.org.uk 7364 3489
www.cycletraining.co.uk 7564 5990
www.cyclesurgery.com 7375 3088
www.bicyclemagic.com 7375 2993
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Events & Socials
Bike rides
Every month there is a Wheelers bike ride. We often go out into the country,
usually 30 miles or so in total. It's not a race - there are plenty of
breaks and tea stops!
Sat 14th December ride: Meet 10:30 am in Island Gardens ('foot' of the Isle
of Dogs). Around 25-30 miles east along the Thames, but plenty of 'drop out'
points along the way. Not a difficult pace. Cafe stop for lunch, and
probably train back so bring those Network cards!
Saturday November 9th's ride is a bit different, however. Greenwich
Cyclists have booked the Herne Hill velodrome: try a very different type of
cycling! You borrow a track bike with 'fixed wheels' and a professional
trains you how to ride it - loads of fun! Please contact Owen if you are interested
owen@towerhamletswheelers.org.uk 7515 9905 and he'll meet up with any other
takers to ride down there. Afterwards we could ride to Victoria Embankment
for 5pm to see the Lord Mayor's fireworks display on the Thames - always a
'top show'.
In any case, Greenwich Cyclists are meeting 11am Cutty Sark Gardens for a
slow ride there via coffee. Or meet there at Burbage Road for the 1.30pm
start. £10 covers bike & training. Rain cancels. Check on 07905 889005 - Barry Mason
Another ride by Greenwich Cyclists is Sunday November 10th, 'Beach Huts
Ride'. Meet 9am Cutty Sark Gardens or 10am Liverpool Street Station under
the departures board, for train to Manningtree and ride taking in
Harwich/Walton/Frinton/Clacton. www.greenwichcyclists.org.uk
Dates for your diary: November
Sat 9 Herne Hill Velodrome - meet Greenwich cyclists 11am for ride there.
see 'bike rides'
Wed 13 monthly meeting 7pm at the Sundial Centre, Shipton Street; then The
Half Moon, Mile End Rd, nr Globe Rd for 9pm Owen
Wed 27 pub social: Coborn Arms, Coborn Road 9pm Gary
Sun 10 Greenwich cyclists ride from Liverpool Street station. All welcome - Please come along!
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Noticeboard
HGV leaflet
The London Cycling Campaign, Freight Transport Association and traffic
authority Transport for London have produced a booklet warning of the
dangers of cyclists coming up on the inside of lorries at junctions and for
lorry drivers to watch out for cyclists. Tower Hamlets Wheelers are
distributing these with our newsletter (that you're reading!) and attaching
them to parked bikes over the coming weeks. It has also been noted on our
email discussion group (see back page) that cyclists unfortuntately need to
watch out for cars turning left, especially those drivers that don't
indicate. Most cycle accidents happen at junctions, so take extra care at
roundabouts and traffic lights, or after a car has just overtaken you, or if
you come up on the indside of one... please do be careful! www.tfl.gov.uk
Abundant cycle parking...
Well there is if you shop at Asda on the Isle of Dogs! We have been
patiently filling in suggestion forms for the last two years requesting
better bike parking and now it's happened - Asda is now the proud owner of
40-odd shiny new Sheffield stands. They are placed on an inaccessible
ex-road section that arose when the car-park was rearranged (yes really).
Caroline Fenton
Bike fixing class for beginners
9 November 10am -1pm Contact 7613 1135 quoting: TCA1010. Run by Tower
Hamlets Adult Education at Bethnal Green Centre, 229 Bethnal Green Road E2
6AB cost = £2.55 or FREE if you can show proof of benefit. Bring a notepad & tools if possible.
Gwyn's gone
Gwyn Owen, our former cycle officer at the council (before Lyndal Peters),
has now left to move to Leeds. He'll be sadly missed as he did a great deal
to improve the lot of cyclists in Tower Hamlets. More in the December
edition of this newsletter.
We've gone monthly
There's so much great stuff going on I can't fit it all in the bi-monthly
newsletters that you get in London Cyclist if you are an LCC member. So East
London Cycling is now being produced every month. If you would like to
receive the 'in-between London Cyclist' ones in the post, please send a
cheque/PO for £5 (or more!) payable to 'Tower Hamlets LCC' to Alix
Stredwick, 109b Roman Rd, E2 0QN. This will cover printing and postage and
will also help print more copies to hand out to passing cyclists. To receive
it by email (PDF file) email Alix with 'newsletter' as the subject. Please
consider donating anyway! * thanks *
Pub nights
Don't forget our pub nights every month & after meetings. See 'Dates for
your diary' (opp). Keep in touch via our e-group (see back page) & website:
www.towerhamletswheelers.org.uk
No hitch in Shoreditch
The long-awaited removal of the Shoreditch one-way system for cycles and
buses is due to be completed shortly. A celebratory cycle ('peleton')
departs on Sat 14 Dec from Shoreditch Town Hall at 2:30pm, cycling round the
triangle. Back at 3pm for tea & cakes! Hackney LCC are involved so please
join them: www.lookbothways.org.uk www.hackney-cyclists.org.uk
Victoria Park
If Victoria Park's gates are locked when they should not be, call Peter
Murray 020 8533 2057. This happened to Wheeler Susan Winch-Furness, who
wishes to thank 2 helpful cyclists!
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Media Moguls!
Wheelers took the London media by storm when we provided 'bicycling bus'
services during the tube strikes, to escort tube users who wanted to try
cycling. BBC Essex radio interviewed us LIVE at Bethnal Green tube station,
going out to 300,000 people. Then word got round and BBC London radio did a
pre-recorded interview for the second strike and we were shown on BBC London
TV news to 3 million viewers! In the future we hope City of London cycling police will
assist our 'escort', and Newham and Redbridge LCC groups are already
organising how they can extend the 'bus' to their areas. Our 'snowball' of
events and campaigning keeps getting bigger - please join in and help us any
time!
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Cycle Show 2002
Wheeler Martin Harris had a nose round this year's mega international cycle
exhibition in Islington and spotted these:
no-nonsense commuter bikes
Trek and Raleigh had ones fitted with mudguards, straight handlebars,
derailleur gears with reasonable perspex chainguard and a rack. (As an
aside, I know that Giant do a similar bike that looks as though it costs
£300 - judging by the components - but retails at £200.)
racing bikes
Pinarello (big supplier to Tour de France pros), Merlin and Litespeed
titanium bikes: once you pick them up, you'll want to buy one they're sooo
light! The downside is the cost at £2,500 - frameset only!
interesting accessories
e.g. the helmet with built-in periscope-like rear view mirror; an L.E.D
strip which you sew onto your glove and is used as a turn indicator: stick
your hand out and press the button; trailer that turns into a
sun-lounger...! (for you easy riders...)
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