Italia

by Barry Khan

Talented photographer and Web designer Barry Khan has put up a few of his pics from a recent trip to Italy on Flickr. We are off to Sicily soon and I can't wait to immerse myself in their wonderful culture and stylish people. Hopefully we'll get to do some riding as well and if we can look as chic as these guys I'll be very happy.

by Barry Khan

                 

Portland Design Works Cupholder

Not sure why it's taken me so long to find out about Portland Design Works but I managed to pick up one of their Bar-ista Cupholders for my commuter bike this week. As the colder mornings and evening draw in I think this is going to be one of my best buys ever. It works very well and holds the cup very firmly in place.


The product inspired me to look into PDW a bit more and it turns out they have a whole host of awesome bike accessories. They set up business to produce 'beautiful, simple products for urban cycling' and seeing as they work out of one of America's best cycle cities they seem to be flourishing. I'm really interested in getting one of their 'Little Silver' pumps, just need to find a UK stockist.

Birmingham Bike Trains

Birmingham Friends of the Earth are organising 5 bike trains to run into the City Centre on September 22nd to celebrate World Car Free day. Along with Sustrans and Birmingham based Pushbikes they aim to provide a safe and fun environment in which to ride to encourage more people to commute to work by bicycle. They have some more info on their site along with a map of the routes and a registration pack.

Plus, Craig from the awesome 6/8 Kafe will be there to warm you up with a nice cup of Joe once you reached Victoria Square.Unfortunately I don't work in town but it sounds like a great excuse to ride in to work in style and at a leisurely pace.

Cycling makes you happy.

Cyclists already know this and many other studies have shown that cycling helps to boost levels of seratonin and the extra sunlight will help vitamin D intake which both make you happier. The infographic above shows the correlation between bicycle sales in a country and the Satisfaction with Life score for that nation too. With the exception of the French, who never seemed to be satisfied, the more bicycles sold makes for a happier nation. 


Now it could be Denmark's strong social values, progressive tax model, fantastic welfare system and beautiful residents but I reckon it's probably all the cycling they do.