Sky riding

On Sunday 10th August the inaugural Sky Ride for Sheffield will take place, its free! Its CAR FREE! Sheffield is seen as city that isn't cycling friendly, not due to the people or the organisations managing the city but due to the geography which is something you just can't change but believe me it's not all that bad.

The Sky Ride has been running a number of years and involves closed roads within the city being given over to cyclists and pedestrians alike, these roads aren't huge major arteries which will cause massive problems for drivers but they will allow people and especially children ride their bikes through the city without the worry of traffic. This is not only a great idea it's something I believe Sheffield should adopt as a monthly if not weekly activity. Closing the roads makes the city centre much more pleasent to enjoy your surroundings and not to have the stress of cars. Maybe this event on Sunday could pave the way to changing peoples attitude to a hilly city and make cycling much more accessible to people of all ages.

Why don't you give it a try, if you don't have a bike don't worry I have a number of hire bikes available, go on you may just enjoy it!

www.goskyride.com/sheffieldskyride

Weston Park Hospital Bike Ride

This weekend Matt and Rich from Forde Recruitment will be out riding the Leeds to Liverpool canal on two of our hire bikes, Ruth and Rihanna. I know everyone will wish them all the best and hope the rain keeps off long enough to get them the 80 miles to their first stop. All the best guys.

Progress report - Your views

After what can only be deemed a very slow start work on my new premises at Sheffield Railway Station are now speeding ahead with walls growing out of the ground like bamboo on steroids. Yes it's mucky, yes it's dusty and blimey it ain't half noisy in there but at least work is really starting to happen now.
I know it's been painful for some, the closure of the cycle store just to see an empty room as you locked your bike on platform 1 was frustrating to say the least but now things are happening I hope you can see the great potential East Midlands Trains is creating here. This will be one of the biggest cycle hubs in the country and I will be making sure it is kept up to scratch. My shop will after all be front of house and I want the cycle hub to be a success.
I want your ideas on how this can happen, I've got plenty of my own but it's important that you, the people who use, it can have a say. So I'm asking for honest realistic ideas on how the place can be made efficient, friendly and inviting to regular and new users alike? Place a comment below.

Riding with patriotism

Yes yes we all know the Tour de France is coming to Yorkshire but did you know that there was a bicycle tyre made especially for it?

Quality tyre manufacturer Schwalbe have only gone and produced a special batch of Durano tyres emblazoned with the white rose and and dedicated to the Yorkshire 'Etape'.

I've got a stash in the workshop and at £30.00 each you can put a little bit of patriotism on your road bike this summer. Limited stock so hurry!

Road tyres made for the Grand Deprt

Name one of my fleet of hire bicycles

From day 1 at the Station I will be offering Cycle Hire.

I will have a fleet of 8 black Marin Fairfax hire bicycles available for hire from a few hours to 2 weeks. I plan to name each one individually and I'm now looking for suggestions on a theme: I'd like every bike to carry a women's name being with 'R'. Yes I could go on Google and just get a list of babies names... but where is the fun in that?

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Name one of our Hire Bikes

Email me or better yet leave a comment below with your top three suggestions. I'll have an 'official' naming ceremony once the Cycle Hub is active and the name you suggested is selected you could be the first to take your bike out for a short adventure on the streets of Sheffield, along with a free Russell's Bicycle Shed Pink Hivis vest.

So get your thinking caps on first five people to suggest names get a Pink Hivis.

Coffee

I've just been told by my doctor I need to cut back on the coffee, its hard to do when you are a cyclist. Coffee and cycling seem to be inherently linked maybe its the opportunity to have a refuel after or during a hard ride or maybe its just a stop off on a relaxing ride through the country but either way you generally can't go anywhere these days without seeing a cyclist friendly cafe. Whether you are speeding through heavy traffic on Old Street in London past the most famous and amusingly titled cycling cafe Look Mum No Hands or you are cycling through Hope on your way into or out of the Peak District at the Woodbine Cafe you are sure to find a cafe catering for you and your bicycle.

One such cafe exists here in Sheffield; Amici & Bici is a cafe and social for cyclists and coffee lovers alike. You'll find it on Abbeydale Road on one of the busiest arteries into Sheffield City Centre and one of the flatest routes out of the city into the countryside. Its a great place to stop off for coffee and cake after a ride or a sandwich before. I'm also there on Tuesday afternoons helping you stay on the road doing all those little jobs that can niggle on you as you ride, gear changes, brake blocks, flat tyres etc.

I'm always on the look out for new cafes to visit especially those that cater for cyclists, why not tell me about your favourites, they can be anywhere in the world!

They also do decaf so at least I can still enjoy a cup.

Snowsports and Cyclesports

I've just got back from a public presentation about Snowsport for Sheffield and the great things they have planned for Sheffield Ski Village at Parkwood Springs. I remember the ski village opening and its now such a shame to see it, along with other 'City of Sport' venues, in tatters. What Snowsport for Sheffield are looking at is a new venue, a centre of excellence as it once was for the youth to develop and build their skills not only at snowsports but mountain biking too.

This is great news for Sheffield and if everything goes to plan could end up with that iconic venue being brought back to life and will mean more, better and accessible facilities for cyclists too, building on the blue trail already in place there would be uplift for a downhill section which was in its infancy when the ski village closed. It will also help to breathe more life into the huge resourec available so close to the city.

If you want to know more why not follow them on twitter @snowsportsheff or at www.snowsportforsheffield.co.uk