Right about now, how many of your friends or work colleagues have been saying: “the weather’s picking up a bit, maybe it’s time to get the bike out again?”
Perhaps you’ve been cycling all winter. But when spring arrives, we all see folk who have that ‘time to ride a bike again!’ twinkle in their eye. Well, yes, but we’d say just have a moment to take stock first.
The price of car (and bus) fuel isn’t going anywhere other than up. Believe it or not, but the currently meagre offering for high standard active travel infrastructure in the Outdoor City is actually going the same way, thanks to tens of millions of pounds of new investment already secured. (We hear this from the politicians and decision makers we chat to every now and then to keep our eye on things. Look out for changes in Crookes, Nether Edge and the Sheaf Valley soon, for example).
All good reasons to plan making more journeys by bike this year, we reckon. But remember, thinking about cycling as ‘free’ transport is in no-one’s interests. (We wrote about this in an earlier blog). The 20p / mile bike travel allowance you should all be getting for work journeys is not just to pay for cakes to fuel your hill climbing,, after all.
Whereas it costs around £3,000 a year to run a car, and around £750 a year to get around Sheffield by bus and tram, we think you should budget about £1 a day for cycling, maybe £240 a year for a 5 days a week commuter cyclist.
So consider how important your bike is going to be this year, and how you’d like it to keep you moving, day in, day out. If it grinds to a halt one morning, do you really want that weight on your shoulders of getting it assessed and fixed, and having to wait for a bus, or wait in the rush hour car queues for a week or two? And also what about those Sheffielders who’d like to cycle more often, but can’t afford a decent bike, let alone keeping it serviced? How long do they need to wait to join you out there?
Before the pandemic, we launched Russell’s Bicycle Club, for people who don’t have the time or inclination to set aside a few hours with spanners and oil every week or two to keep their bikes running smoothly. Club members get 2 services a year, on the spot tweaks and a free hire bike if a serious repair turns up, all with the aim of keeping the cyclists of Sheffield moving smoothly, without stress.
Post pandemic, we’ve now relaunched our Club at 2 levels all to make sure members can enjoy regular cycling week in week out. Now, we’re also aiming to link Club membership to a new scheme we hope to launch later this year to help more deprived ares of the city start and stay cycling. (Keep any eye on our monthly newsletter for more details soon).
You’ll know that bike parts have rocketed in price for various reasons over the last two years, so our Club membership has had to rise a bit to compensate. It’s now £132 / year, paid at £12 a month for 11 months for the Commuter Club, and just over £17 over 11 months for the Enthusiasts Club members - who get a gold rated D Lock, more comprehensive services and free labour for any repairs.
When the sun comes out in March, everyone tries to get their bikes fixed. So if you find your own bike needs a service or repair after its winter break, you may well have to wait a few days (or more) to get your bike mended and ready to go.
And if you (or your loved ones) ever find their bike breaks down on the way to work, or in the middle of the Peak District, you’ll inevitably have some non-cycling waiting time on your hands, that could have been avoided with a regular check and tweak.
So if you (or anyone you know) wants to keep moving without the risk of any cycling down time, maybe join the Club? It’ll be a Wait off your mind.