Bike Beatz//Jill Scott, Golden

It’s time to stop what you are doing and dance. Here is Jill Scott's 2004 track Golden. She can sing, she can ride a bike, sometimes with no hands. 
I’m surprised we didn’t hear more of this tune last Summer what with the Olympics and all the gold medals. Let’s all copy Jill by pouring ourselves a bowl of freedom, putting on some yellow and riding our bikes to the beach.

Mexico's Agustín Melgar Velodrome

I needed to buy some pink bar tape in a very particular shade that I may well have made up. As I couldn’t find it in any of the two bike shops I looked in, I decided that if there was a shop selling all kinds of made up bike dream items it would be near the station called ‘Velodromo’ which is a ride just east of the city and surely a mecca of bikeness. 

 There is not much going on in this part of town. The velodrome has one of those serious testosterone muscle gyms inside and it isn't especially open to the public but if you walk all the way around you'll find the main entrance, find someone and you can totally Spanish your way in. If you look like you've cycled all the way from London and are the most excited you've ever been, this helps. 

This is what a stitched together image looks like when you leave Photoshop back in the UK.

This velodrome was built especially for the 1968 Olympics. The kilometre time trial, match sprint, tandem match sprint, individual pursuit, and team pursuit were the five track events held here. The track is a seven metres wide, 333.33 metres long Schürmann design banked at 39 degrees. There is space for 6,400 spectators to get their Mexican waves on. It was originally made out of doussie alzeiba a strong African hardwood but was renovated to concrete in the 1990s. It's beautiful. 

 At this velodrome in 1972, Eddy Merckx set the world one hour record at 49.431km which remained undefeated for 12 years. 

 The Mexico City metro opened in 1969 a year after the Olympics. Here, all the metro stations have a logo for non-readers. Velodromo has a picture of a bike, obviously. There is another station called Niños Héroes which is named after six Mexican teenage military cadets who died defending Mexico in 1847's Battle of Chapultepec. One of these young men was Agustín Melgar who this velodrome is named after. 

 And here it is in action: 

 I'm so glad I didn't watch this before I went. The velodrome was eerily deserted and that might just be the creepiest music ever. Although, many may prefer that tune to Vel-o-drome which I have have been repeating on a loop to the whole of Mexico in an equally creepy voice for oh about a week now. Good luck getting it out of your head. You're welcome. 

Jxxx

P.S. I still haven't found bar tape. 

El Coche Nos Cuesta

What cars cost us.

What an amazing weekend.Did you nail it?

Here is a nice little rest from the images of traffic and pollution that you probably associate with Mexico City. This was earlier today on Paseo de la Reforma which is closed to cars for 24km every Sunday from 7am until 2pm. It's so nice to see families and friends having some good old fashioned wholesome fun to end the weekend. Probably before going to church and watching the Antique Roadshow. The Last Sunday of every month they close an additional 35km which is even more awesome. 

Here is a great video illustrating what we are paying for excessive car use from the ITDP an international non-profit organization that promotes sustainable and equitable transportation worldwide. They work with local and national authorities to promote transportation solutions that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, pollution, poverty, travel times, traffic accidents to improve the economic development and quality of life in the cities where they operate.

Bike Beatz// The Smiths, Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before

This is the only song by The Smiths I can bear. There, I said it, I’m not a fan, I like happy music you can shake it to, don't hate me. This song gets a get out of jail free card mainly for using the word ‘way-laid’, the best use of a portmanteau* in a song until ‘Bootylicious’ came along. Look at them all riding around Salford in denim clad convoy (The Smiths, not Destiny’s Child). I love a band that rock their own merch.

*Ok, waylaid isn’t a portmanteau. It means ‘to lie in wait’. If it were it would mean to be way delayed. I’m going with the latter. I need a word that means more delayed, you know, for when just delayed isn't enough.

Have a nice weekend.

Sueños Sobre Ruedas

There is this long road in Mexico City called ‘Reforma’. My brain links words to songs by association, so every time I ride along this road I sing Informer by Snow changing Informer to Reforma. Anyway, the reason I’m sharing this is because of an outdoor photography exhibition that is running along Reforma (I can’t not sing it) by Chapultepec Park called Sueños Sobre Ruedas which means Dreams on Wheels. Curated by Copenhagenize’s Mikael Colville-Andersen, this exhibition shows examples of how Mexico City’s urban cycling culture is growing and cycling is becoming a feasible travel alternative. A perfect example of this happens every Sunday when Reforma is closed for cars until 2pm allowing everyone to cycle along it without stupid cars getting in the way.These 80 pictures show the journey of urban cycling in Mexico City from 2006- 2012. It's definitely grown a lot, I can't wait to see what the city looks like in ten years.

Me and this guy. I'm wearing my version of a yellow cycling jersey. It has sequins. Obviously.

I love this colourful birds eye view print.

Maximum respect to these riders in Dia de los Muertos face paints. Good job not sweating them off.

This Señor has made his bike into a knife sharpening station. I see him everywhere. I never have my knives on me.

Penny Farthings and Stoopidtall bikes

These days you don't see many PFs roaming around town (WHICH SHOULD BE RECTIFIED IMMEDIATELY). If you do see one please give them lots of space and watch how they get up on it.
They are so high up but not as high as this guy who can only get down with the aid of a lamp post. Really stoopidtall. 


If you need me, I'll be outside, gluing all my bikes together.

Carhartt x Vans Reflective Kicks

I can’t resist a guy who turns up the right leg of his jeans to reveal a reflective seam. I can, I have some self-control.

However, I do love clothes that are bikey without being all in your face about it. A perfect example of this is the new Carhartt x Vans collaboration. 

They’ve taken the classic Vans Era style, kept it sleek and simple and added 3M pack reflective material to the upper that illuminates when light hits them in the dark. 

So just walking around in the day they just look like sleek, simple classic Vans in the Era style with embossed Carhartt logo leather tabs and canvas heel pieces. Perfect for the undercover secret cyclist. And those guys, you know, the ones with the jeans with the seams.

Available online at carhartt-wip.com for £70.

Milkman = Maximum Points

If you play commuter bingo, you probably give yourself maximum points for seeing a milkman. Really? Just me?

Unless you go out really early in the morning or come home really early in the morning, you'll not have seen one of these guys for a while. They totally still exist though, just.

A milkman sounds like a superhero. I love them. Mostly because they are one of the only things I can ride faster than.

They don't just deliver milk these days. Find your local milkman here.Oh and this:

Bike Beatz// Bat For Lashes, What's a Girl To Do

Next time I have to be somewhere fast, I'm going to pretend there are scary Donny Darko type creatures on BMXs behind me. 

Have a great Saturday.

My Brother went to Tokyo and all he got me were these bike pictures

Thanks bruv. I'm green with envy but appreciate this so much more than a Toblerone that has obviously been purchased at Heathrow Airport. Also, emails titled 'Bike Porn' always get opened first. ALWAYS.
Here's what he got me from India.