OFO - A good reason to buy a real bike.

Recently, a company by the name Ofo set up shop in my home city of Oxford and being of a two wheeled persuasion, lots of people have asked me what it's all about. So I thought i'd investigate.

Here are the facts. Ofo is a bike hiring service, dubbed “Uber for bicycles”, you download their app, find a bike and away you pedal.

Full disclosure, I live just out side of the city and I did have to ride my own bike to get to the nearest ofo bike.

The app includes a map that tells you all the locations of all the Ofo bikes so you can easily find the one nearest to you. It showed me that the closest one was at the Park & Ride. Which makes sense. You've parked up, but don't fancy paying the extra for the bus. Then unlock an ofo bike and head into town. For me, this is where the problems began.

I scan the bike that was there and received an error message: Bike is locked, out of authorised zone. Off to a flying start. The Park & Ride is not in the authorised zone! So I checked the map and the next nearest bike was at the train station – another 10 minute cycle.

Just outside the station I find the distinctive yellow bike and attempt to unlock it. Success this time, the timer starts. This is how the app knows how much to charge you. (There is currently a six week free trial, but in the future its £1.00 an hour).

So I decide to take a little trip around the city.

The bike it's self is ok. They have been designed for all types of rider, so it's a fixed gear with a low cross bar, responsive brakes and pretty light weight. I have to adjust the seat almost immediately as the last user left it on the lowest setting. I've never used a fixed gear bicycle before and I did learn that I don't like them, so the day wasn't a complete waste.

I decided to stop in the centre of town. To end your journey you simply slide the in-built lock into place and because your app and the bike are connected, the timer stops and your journey has ended. However, I hadn't stopped at a very good place and I spotted a bike rack just ahead, so I thought I'd just unlock it again, put it in the bike rack and that'll be that. Except that when I turned on the app it still thought I was riding.

But it was locked!

Seeing no way to resolve it I called the ofo phone line that is printed on the bike. They told me that there is an issue with the app and they are working hard to resolve it but there was nothing she could do right now. So that was it, I had no choice but to leave the bike where it was and walk back to the station.

I think my biggest question still remains with these bikes.

Exactly who are they for?

I assume they are supposed to be aimed at students, but then I would argue that you can pretty much walk across Oxford (for free) and even if you went a bit further, the bike would be out of the authorised zone.

Time will tell if this actually takes off but for now I wouldn't recommend it. You'd be better off spending your money on a real bike.

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Book Review: Shop Class as Soulcraft

Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into The Value Of Work

Author: Matthew B. Crawford

Let it never be said that this blog isn't diverse! Yes, this weeks two wheel adventure takes the form of a book review.

One note before we begin. This book was published in 2009 so i'm a little late to the party with this review. Fortunately it's content should be of interest to those who enjoy motorcycles and motorcycle culture.

Matthew B. Crawford has a Ph.D in political philosophy and owns his own independent motorcycle repair shop. Whilst this may seem like a contraction at first glance, Shop Class as Soulcraft, goes a long way in describing how these two subject go hand in hand, particularly for the author himself.

If shop class is a term you are unfamiliar with, it is a subject that is taught in American schools. Essentially what we would call in Britain “Design and Technology”. Although shop class has a lot more to do with motor mechanics and according to the author, it's on the decline, along with similar types of jobs that require working with your hands rather that just your brain.

In a series of articles exploring the idea of “the value of work”, interwoven with the authors personal stories, it looks deep into how we perceive manual work as something that doesn't require as much brain power as high paying, management type jobs. When in fact it is precisely those manual jobs that require more brain power. It also highlights the decline in “Craftsmen” and the rise in “knowledge workers” and how being self-reliant is no bad thing.

I will say there were a few things I didn't like about the book. Now I might not be the sharpest bulb in the shed, but this is a tough read. Especially at the beginning, I felt as though I could have easily been reading his actual Ph.D thesis. He goes into great detail about all of the topics covered in his book, but if you aren't put off by talk of mathematical theory behind Volkswagen Bugs, then this could be the book for you.

Despite that, I think the book is full of enough interesting ideas to keep you turning those pages, but to be honest the areas I found most interesting were the authors personal stories. From his beginnings as an electrician then working in a Porse repair shop as a teen, getting a Ph.D and a high paying job and then jacking it all in to open his own, independent motorbike repair shop, his own life is an inspirational tale that will leave you wondering if there is more to life that sitting behind your office desk.

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Two Wheeled Heroes: William Morris

RIDE MORRIS CYCLES

William Morris is something of a legend in the automotive industry. Being from Oxford, his name is well known to me as much of his life and career was based here.

For those who don't know the name, William Morris was one of the founders of Morris Motors and if you don't recognise that name, you will surely recognise the car they are probably most well know for; The Morris Minor.

But obviously i'm not here to talk about cars.

A few months ago I visited the Morris Motor Museum in Long Hanborough, Oxfordshire. You can read all about my visit in my previous blog post here.

I found lots of interesting things in the Morris museum, including some truly stunning cars, but the most interesting thing of all was that William Morris actually started his career on two wheels.

In 1893, aged just 16 years old, Morris started a business repairing bicycles in his parents back garden. Not content with just repairing bicycles he also started making them. It was during this time that Morris also began racing bikes, becoming a champion in Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxford. He'd compete on bicycles that he'd made himself as a way to advertise his company.

Then in 1896, he opened his first shop on Oxford High Street and also the workshop on Longwall Street. One of the first bicycles that Morris built was a custom bike for an Oxford vicar, the Rev. Pilcher. The Reverend was, by all accounts, a very tall man and required a 27 - inch frame. While I found out this story at the Morris Motor Museum, I was disappointed to discover that they don't have this bicycle on display there. It is, however, on display at the British Motor Museum in Warwick. And what do you know, I was there just a few weeks back at the VMCC Banbury Run!

And here it is. Kept in immaculate condition, looks as good today as it probably did over 100 years ago.

This photo is of the Morris works in 1903. Eight men including William Morris himself. (The man in the suit!) On a side note, I absolutely love this photograph, look at those t-shirts. This was over 100 years ago and they wouldn't look out of place today. Just the t-shirts. Although I am all for bringing ties, caps and waistcoats back to the work place.

Although Morris owed much of his earlier success to bicycles, he could see the future was in the motor industry and in 1908 sold the cycle business and focused his attention on the automobile.

Of course this isn't the end of the story for William Morris, it is, in fact, just the beginning. He would go on to do amazing things, including designing and building some of the most popular cars in British motoring history. He was also a great philanthropist, often giving generously to charities and worthwhile causes, like building 1700 iron lungs in his factory to give to hospitals across Britain. He also began a car manufacturing legacy here in Oxford and it's one that continues to this day.

If you would like to find out more about this two wheeled hero, I would recommend taking a weekend trip to the Morris Motor Museum in Long Hanborough, Oxford.

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VMCC Banbury Run 2017 – Sunday 18th June

This past Sunday was the 69^th Vintage Motorcycle Club's Banbury Run.

I first heard about the event watching a repeat of “The Motorbike show”, when good ol' Henry Cole covered it a few years back. It's held at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire. As it's not too far from me, I thought i'd go along. In a spectating capacity, obviously.

So what is the Banbury run? Well, it's somewhere between a race and a ride out. Approx 500 vintage motorbikes leave the start line and the goal for most of the riders seems to be, make it around one of the three routes available in a reasonable time! The routes are based on class of vintage bike and when I say vintage, I mean vintage. The Banbury run is only open to motorcycles that were made before 31^st of December 1930. Class A are veteran bikes built prior to 1915. Class B are early vintage (1915 – 1924) and Class C is late vintage (1925-1930).

Some absolutely amazing bikes were being ridden here. Traditional classics, some flat tankers and even some strange two wheeled contraption that can best be described as a steampunk segway. It's truly astonishing that some of these machines are still here, some over 100 years old and still running.

The conditions on the day were far from perfect. It was one of the hottest days of the year so far and even for the spectators it was a struggle in the red hot sunshine. I wouldn't want to imagine what it was like for some of the riders. Especially some of the gents dressed in tweed.

Which brings be on to the picture above. As you can imagine not all of the bike are perfect runners and unfortunately this chaps machine broke down just in front of me, not far from the start line. What I saw next will stay with me for a good, long while. This gentleman took off the petrol cap and blew a long, hard breath into the tank. He was literally giving mouth to mouth resuscitation to his motorbike! The best thing is, it worked and he was soon on his way again.

Included in the price of a ticket was also free entry to the British motor museum itself. It's great museum thats more gears to cars than bikes but a really interesting place to visit. It even has the first bicycle made by William Morris, who you might remember from my previous post and a full post about him is in the pipeline.

Next year is the 70^th Banbury run and I can't wait to come back again.

Hope to see you there!

Oxford Bike Week 10th - 18th of June 2017

This week is National Bike Week, a week of rides and events all over the country, celebrating everything thats great about getting out on two wheels. (The non-motorised kind!)

In my home city of Oxford, cycling is obviously very popular amongst the town and gown alike. There are lots of cycling events scheduled this week and hopefully I will get to attend a couple. All of the events can be found at www.bikeweek.org.uk/events

One of the ideas behind Oxford Bike week is to encourage more people to get out there and do some cycling.

I think cycling is not only good for the environment and your general health, but it can also be good for the soul. There are some amazing buildings and landmarks that I get to see and enjoy that I would otherwise miss if I were driving.

Like thousands of other people, my journey to work sends me through the heart of the city. It can be tough sometimes, especially with our current infrastructure but cycling through this beautiful city does have a few perks.

So here are my top five soul stirring sites of my daily commute. (I'm no expert on these places and I'd like to thank Wikipedia for the information).

NUMBER 5: Osney Bridge

When I first started cycling into Oxford I used to dread it. For a novice rider it can be a little tough to get over, but after a while I got used to it. But it really is the point in my journey when I know that I'm in the city.

NUMBER 4: The Oxford Playhouse.

The playhouse was built in 1938. A wonderful looking building that has seen some of the greatest actors and actresses of all time. Sir Ian McKellen, Judi Dench and perhaps most notably Richard Burton and Elisabeth Taylor, who now have a studio within the playhouse named after them.

NUMBER 3: The Randolph

Possibly the best hotel in the city. Certainly the best looking!

NUMBER 2: Ashmolean Museum

Exactly opposite the Randolph, is the Ashmolean Museum. The ancient Egyptian stuff is a particular highlight but don't take my word for it, if you've got time, park up your bike and have a look. It's free 

entry.

NUMBER 1: The Eagle and Child

Not just a great place to get a pint after a long cycle, but an amazing part of Oxfords history. A group of poets and writers known as the Inkings used to meet here. Amongst them were such literary greats as C.S Lewis and J.R.R. Tolken.

So thats about it. And this is just the quickest route to work for me. I know there are many, many more site to see around the city.

So why not give it a go yourself, who knows what you might find.

Restoration Desperation

As previously mentioned i'm pretty handy when it come to repairing bicycles. I can handle a puncture or two and I've replaced my fair share of brakes. So with this in mind I thought it might be fun to try my hand at a restoration project.

It was about a year ago, my neighbours were moving house and out on the front lawn was an old bicycle. We got into a conversation and I asked about the bike. She said it belonged to her husband and he used to ride it to school everyday, back in the 70's.

She then told me they were about to take it to the tip. (For any none UK readers, the tip is a recycling centre).

I don't really know why, but I felt like I couldn't let this bike go on the scrap heap. I wanted to save it. At least what was left of it. So we did a little deal and I got to keep it.

It wasn't in the worst condition. The wheels turned, so that was a start. It had been in a garage for, who knows how long. It must have been a while.

Which brings me too my first problem with this restoration. This bike belonged to my neighbour, who rode it to school. It didn't really click with me until I actually got on the bike around six months later. He rode this to school. As a child. This was a child bike! I suppose I was just so excited by the idea of fixing up something that was around 50 years old, that I didn't stop to wonder why the handle bars and seat were so low.

I was initially disappointed as I wanted to restore something for myself. I wanted a cool, vintage bike that I could call my own. But basically it didn't fit.

So, what did I actually have here? Well it the classic Raleigh Hustler. Unfortunately I can't work out the exact date. The model is from around the 60's and 70's and according to some online sources they are quite rare. Not sure how true this is, given the low prices people have sold them for but none the less it's a pretty cool, little bike. This one is a two tone green affair, with a few small rusty bits, and some pitting on the chrome, but this just adds character, right?

The first thing I did was inflate the tyres. They are the originals and to my amazement they still hold air. In reality, if I were to give it the full restoration treatment I think I would replace both wheels entirely.

Next, I remove a weird plastic bracket thing that was added on at a later date. I raise the seat a little and giver her a test ride. It's difficult to describe what the bike was like. It obviously hadn't been ridden in years and it shows. Also it being a child's bike, it was very difficult for me to ride with my knees under my chin. But nonetheless it did ride, all three gears worked and the brakes worked.

After that, a couple of weekends is all it took to get 50 years of grease and grime off and a wire brush for some of the more stubborn rust patches. But I think the best discovery was the Sturmey Archer Hub. All of the detail was buried under the dust and muck and uncovering it just made the whole bike look ten times better.

To be honest, if I were fixing this up for myself I would love to spend more time on it, but I think what i'm going to do is try and find it a new home. Some younger, smaller framed person might think it's cool!

Oxford Bus Museum & Morris Motor Museum

Last week I visited the Oxford Bus Museum & The Morris Motor Museum in Long Hanborough.

First thing to say is this blog will not do the museum justice. I would whole heartedly recommend a visit. It's only £5 entry to two museums and you will get to see some amazing vehicles. Obviously, as the name suggests, it's home to a number of classic buses from around Oxfordshire, but it also contained a few two wheeled surprises.

First up a 1923 Raleigh Motorcycle, it was a little worse for ware, but then at 94 what would you expect. But it was exactly the kind of thing i'm interested in. Raleigh made their name as bicycle manufacture, certainly thats what I know them as. But to see one of their motorbikes was just fantastic.

Also amongst the wonderful vintage buses, was a BSA Bantam. Unfortunately I didn't get the year of manufacture but based on the rust i'm going to say old! I know from the “old man programmes” that I watch that BSA are considered one of the best british bike manufacturers out there. And whilst this one too has seen better days it's still a thing of beauty.

One of the reasons I wanted to visit this museum was i'd heard a whisper that inside the Morris Motor side of the museum there is a selection of vintage bicycles. And boy, it didn't disappoint.

To be honest, its not the largest of collection at around 40 or so bikes. But what they do have are amazing. Most of them are around 100 years old, including some thing from 1869 called the “English Boneshaker”! I discover a couple of bicycle made by Rover and BSA. There is also a companion cycle, which is a little bit like a tandem but it allows you and a fellow rider to sit side by side, both of you can control the steering but only one of you can control the brake. I wonder why these aren't in production any more.

One really interesting area I discover is a display all about Morris Motor Cycles, but there is so much to the story I think i'll come back to this at a later date.

All in all, a really great place to visit. Pubic transportation isn't really my bag but I still found it interesting seeing all of the vintage buses, signs and ephemera, definitely worth the entry fee.