We march to the tune of our own drum in NZ

We're special in New Zealand - we have our own individual style ...

Everything was fine until he added the purple shoes!

Of course it's not too big ... it's just more comfortable on the cross bar - Yeah right!

Too small ... No, she's just waiting till I've gone away before she has a go

weeeeeeeeeeeee!!! (I couldn't resist that - what with the port-a-loos in the background)

Is it a bike, or is it a train? ... No, it's super boy!

You can just hear these lads thinking "Cooool, can I have a go?"

A modern Penny Farthing ... or, now that we're metric, should it be a Ten Cent Dollar?

People having fun on bicycles ... it just doesn't get much better!

These are a few shots that I had left over from the summer - the opening of the Twin Streams cycle path, and the Give City Cycling a Go event.

Bus journey

I went on a bus today - these are the bicycles I saw through the window ...

It took a while to work out the physics of photographing a moving object from a moving bus ... I missed a few!

Great city bike here with the owner practising the age old art of pushing it up a hill

This guy had incredibly tight jeans on - it was touch and go whether he was going to manage this particular movement!

But he was successful ... perhaps in a little pain, but successful!

As I took this shot, I wished that I had travelled by bicycle rather than riding in this tatty graffiti covered bus! She looks so free ... I was stuck in traffic!

I got off the bus and all at once things were better ...

Bicycle peeps around town

Here are just a few Auckland peeps hanging with their bicycles around town ...

Neat little folding bike - ideal for apartments

I only just managed to catch this guy on his BMX - but I'm glad I did ... cool ... just plain cool!

Father and son (I think) out for a bicycle adventure ... again, a nice little folding number ... in red this time (the bike, not the people, silly!)

Arriving at uni in style!

Shiney things

oooooo it's sooooo exciting! - lots of shiny bits are turning up

... at vast expense of course, but I just calculate 'cost' in tanks of petrol. We don't own a car - no tank, no petrol ... so all the shiny things are really quite cheap!! This also works for shoe purchases - because we don't have a car, I need to buy lots of shoes for walking to places instead (it's called active transport - a bit of terminology always helps when getting this idea past the Husband!)

Beautiful boxes!

Sumptuous saddle

Beautifully packaged and you get a lifetime guarantee .. that's pretty rare nowadays to say the least!

Gorgeous grips

Really round rims

Shiny shiny bling for bicycles!

She just looks radiant I think - I gave her back the white mudguard section she originally had and she just gleams all over!

Wheels threaded and ready for action - front wheel with dynamo hub (for lights)

Back wheel with 8 speed internal gears (and yet to be added hub brake)

Starting to come together ... but oh no!!! wheels don't fit!!

It turns out the wheels are strange British size - back to the drawing board! ... tune in next time to see what happens next ... dum dum dum!!!

Happy Birthday me

Well, this has really crept up on me but it is Auckland Cycle Chic's first birthday! Consequently, this is also the first birthday of my alter ego Unity Finesmith, who has become so integral to my real life that I sometimes wonder whether she is more me than me!

So what does one do on ones blogging birthday ... I thought about mentioning all the amazing people that I have met, both online and off, through this blog; regurgitating some of my most favourite posts over the year; or waxing lyrically about all that it has meant to me ... but in the end I decided that birthdays should be fun and make you laugh.

This video brought me to tears; it just sort of tickled my sense of humour - so I thought I'd share

Happy birthday me!

Christchurch - infrastructure

Christchurch has grabbed all of my best ideas ...

Like the one where you take car parks and turn them into mini parks

Ok, so it wasn't my idea but here is one we prepared earlier in Auckland on Parking day

They also have quite large ones too ... just perfect for a small cafe setting perhaps ...

San Francisco has really got the hang of this and is pledging many public 'parklet' spaces to the city.

Ok reality check here - Christchurch also has some of these ... but they don't seem to be so 'in your face' and EVERYWHERE, as they are in Auckland.

But what were EVERYWHERE were these fabulous cycle lanes. I LOVED these! I gave some serious thought as to why cycle lanes make such a difference to me, and I realised that it was because it made me feel welcome. I felt that I had a right to be there, that I was a validated road user and that this space was for me ... no competition ... not for cars or pedestrians ... but for me! I like that.

There were also crossings and these large red croquette hoops ...

This was a really nice touch. Here is the Husband demonstrating their real purpose ... so thoughtful ... so Copenhagen!

A beautifully well worn (quite large) cycle icon ... Christchurch we love you, keep up the good work!!

Christchurch - day 3 (OK, so I'm a bit behind!)

I have been a little sidetracked by the new website recently ... consequently I'm a bit behind but I can not leave good bicycle photos un-posted so ...

Lots of people cycle in Christchurch ... with their clothes on!

It's so refreshing to see so many people just getting on their bicycles to go somewhere ... not really on purpose ... but just simply getting about!

Oh and don't start me on the bicycle lanes (top right & bottom left) ... I loved them soooo much, I'm going to give them a whole post on their own! Watch this space.

Look at this picture above - not only are cyclist accommodated and respected, but old people can cross the road too ... you'd never get that in Auckland!! I tell you, it was like being in another country!

There were clusters of happy people taking cycle tours ...

... and children riding by themselves without fear or head-to-toe fluoro ... and this is in the middle of the city!

You get the feeling that cyclists are respected ... you feel loved ... like they care. It was a real pleasure to cycle in Christchurch.

I even spotted this 'Copenhagen Bakery' - how cool is that! Christchurch has definitely got its role model sorted ... I think Auckland is using Moscow as it's role model!

Moscow traffic

Interestingly, Auckland is on the 'the world’s 20 cities with the worst traffic jams' lists even though we have a fraction of the population of any other city listed - now that's quite an achievement.

Oh, and the bicycles ... beautiful bicycles

Pretty bicycles ...

And even at the airport you get the feeling that bicycles are welcome.

BIG News!

Well, I've been secretly beavering away lately, with my partner in crime Su Yin Khoo, on a new cycling website for Auckland.

We ummed and arrhed for some time over a name for this website, and decided that it should be something catchy, memorable, exciting and dynamic ..... (drum roll please) .... introducing ....

Cycling in Auckland

What can you do - it just seemed to say it all!

So why? Well, the main reasons are - to bring together many of the different cycling clusters in Auckland, to raise the visibility of normal everyday cycling in the city, and to encourage 'almost' cyclist to get on their bikes and give it a go by sharing our experiences and knowledge about cycling in Auckland.

And we even got a bit of publicity from Scoop

So ... check it out ... at

http://cyclingauckland.co.nz/

Feedback welcomed

Progress so far

My new old bike is now well and truly in bits ...

Mucky chrome bits

Stripped ex-painted bits

Trying to look as much like a bicycle as possible

Just to remind you - this is what she will look like ...

(courtesy of Old Bike)

And some of her 'features' on this page

Just out of interest, we visited Motat museum the other day ...

... and I spotted this. I wonder whether I should take any of these 'hints' when riding my beautiful old new bicycle.

I particularly like:

" Don't walk your bicycle more than absolutely necessary. It attracts unpleasant attention"

and

"Don't start till you are certain that not only your wheel but your costume is in perfect condition" ... that's definitely my sort of 'hint'

And one for the Husband ...

"The brake should not be indiscriminately applied. It should only be used in real cases of emergency."