Fat Bloke on a Bike: An Unlikely Adventure

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And the next thing you know, you’re tutting at people who get in your way, the ones who are trying to keep a steady pace, muttering “bloody tourists” under your breath. The idea of having a car following me with a roof rack stuffed with new bikes, a la Tour de France/Yorkshire/GB etc. Anything of the right height would do and I’m sure a better solution will evolve, given time, but I don’t think it’s a major issue for now. It’s an exquisitely cosmopolitan city, there’s great food, great music, great history, great architecture, great art – there’s just so much to see and do.

In fact, it ends up being so high off the ground that you (or at least I) may need a step to get on and off the bike! If you need more than three fingers to fill the gap, you can add up to four more below using your other hand. So what we folding bike riders need is a quick and simple solution for finding preferred height that we only have to do the once after each unfold.I mentioned in a previous post that I had recently bought an S2L as an addition to my M6L; a bike I could take out for a quick spin, and something nippy I could use as a ‘racer’ in the Brompton World Championships. Alas, I have yet to find a way of attaching it to my Brompton, but at least I’ve been able to make use of my much-neglected, entry-level, near-vintage hybrid, and maintain my cycling-legs, without getting frozen, drenched or bedraggled. However, you need to remember to centralise the brake and fit the cable so that the brakes are snug but not binding (ideally, you will have noted where the cable was secured previously). No missing or damaged pages, no creases or tears, no underlining or highlighting of text, and no writing in the margins. There were of course a number of regular bikes too, though proportionally these seemed to be much fewer.

I’ve also been tinkering with my bikes, and despite the atrocious weather, even managed to do a bit of riding. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. One of the stays is fastened to right-hand side of the forks, the other to the front axle via the left wheel nut.

You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. I know of some people who use the two-sided pedals as they stick out less and are generally less obtrusive, but the trouble here is you always have to wear your cycling shoes, whereas with the one-sided SPDs, at least you have the option of wearing normal trainers if you wish. The nearest I’ve heard of, and something I know some people swear by, are the quick release versions made by MKS, the EZY MM-Cube clipless for example, but these are quite expensive by comparison, and I’d be worried about losing one of them when folding the bike in a hurry (like when your train suddenly arrives and you have to do the double-speed-fold trick)! If you have the bike and can swim decently – I’m afraid that while I represented my house at ‘big school’ in breast stroke as a kid, I now swim with all the grace and proficiency of a house brick – then you have a great chance of mounting a challenge to the great and good who you might not get near if it was solely down to a foot race. Again, I haven’t had much chance to try it out, but what I can say is that, whilst not cheap, it is a well made product and provides a very good, secure grip for virtually no extra weight.

I have in fact heard a number of suggestions such as measuring the seat height against a part of your body (your navel for example); attaching a piece of cord of the correct length to both the frame and the saddle so that when the saddle is at the right height, it is taught; or, marking the seat with a pencil or an indelible marker pen. Obviously, as I’ve discussed in an earlier post, the ‘whether to lock or carry’ debate is not a clear cut one, despite what some Brompton owners may think or say.Speaking as someone that enjoys cycling and is happy with what they weigh, I really resent the idea that I'd have to lose weight before I become qualified to own something better. I even went on a most enjoyable cycling holiday in France by bike (not my own, I hasten to add), which I managed perfectly well, but can’t remember too many details about, because, part of the time at least, much like Rowley Birkin QC, I’m afraid I was very, very drunk. The author nicely balances his personal experience and challenges with a good knowledge of the routes he follows and the sights he passes on this journey, and it makes his book eminently readable. A more ‘professional’ way might be to remove the rear wheel – but that would obviously take a bit more effort.