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| cycl:cycling [2026/03/13 10:05] – external edit 127.0.0.1 | cycl:cycling [2026/03/26 19:12] (current) – [Storage / security] Katja Durrani | ||
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| - | # Cycling | + | This topic is part of [[gt: |
| + | ====== | ||
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| - | ## What is cycling? | + | ===== What is cycling? |
| Cycling is the action of riding a bicycle, tricycle, unicycle, quadracycle, | Cycling is the action of riding a bicycle, tricycle, unicycle, quadracycle, | ||
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| - | ## What are the benefits of cycling? | + | ===== What are the benefits of cycling? |
| - | ### Social | + | ==== Social |
| The private car, since mass production began in the 1920s, has mainly moved from a convenient way to run around town and visit the countryside on the weekend to a way to sit in traffic for twenty minutes during the three-mile daily commute to the office. For at least two generations, | The private car, since mass production began in the 1920s, has mainly moved from a convenient way to run around town and visit the countryside on the weekend to a way to sit in traffic for twenty minutes during the three-mile daily commute to the office. For at least two generations, | ||
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| </ | </ | ||
| - | ### Environmental | + | ==== Environmental |
| Bicycles emit no CO2 in use. Governments are not yet really tackling global climate change but in coming years will be forced to do so by extreme weather events, mass migration, crop failures and other consequences of a changing climate. | Bicycles emit no CO2 in use. Governments are not yet really tackling global climate change but in coming years will be forced to do so by extreme weather events, mass migration, crop failures and other consequences of a changing climate. | ||
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| Cycling vastly reduces resource use (including petrochemicals) compared to the manufacture and use of cars. | Cycling vastly reduces resource use (including petrochemicals) compared to the manufacture and use of cars. | ||
| - | ### Health | + | ==== Health |
| Cycling is an easy and accessible way for individuals to incorporate physical activity into their daily lives, reducing the risk of: | Cycling is an easy and accessible way for individuals to incorporate physical activity into their daily lives, reducing the risk of: | ||
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| - increase life expectancy | - increase life expectancy | ||
| - | ### Financial | + | ==== Financial |
| Bicycles are cheaper than cars, don’t require fuel, you don’t need to buy a ticket and repairs are generally cheaper than for a motor vehicle. | Bicycles are cheaper than cars, don’t require fuel, you don’t need to buy a ticket and repairs are generally cheaper than for a motor vehicle. | ||
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| - | ## What can I do? | + | ===== What can I do? ===== |
| - | ### Getting a bike | + | ==== Getting a bike ==== |
| Bikes are cheaper now than they’ve ever been. Your great-great-great-grandma might have had to pay a year’s wages for a bike if she worked below stairs. | Bikes are cheaper now than they’ve ever been. Your great-great-great-grandma might have had to pay a year’s wages for a bike if she worked below stairs. | ||
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| </ | </ | ||
| - | ### Kit | + | ==== Kit ==== |
| All you need is the bike, lights, mudguards and wet weather gear in winter, a good lock and a rack and panniers if you’re going to carry a lot of gear. | All you need is the bike, lights, mudguards and wet weather gear in winter, a good lock and a rack and panniers if you’re going to carry a lot of gear. | ||
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| You really don’t need any cushioned spandex unless you’re riding very long distances. Look to cycling nations for what you need, not North America. | You really don’t need any cushioned spandex unless you’re riding very long distances. Look to cycling nations for what you need, not North America. | ||
| - | ### Maintenance | + | ==== Maintenance |
| Look for a basic bike maintenance course, make sure you can fix a puncture, lubricate moving parts relatively regularly, and carry a pump with you (and tyre levers and a spare tube, unless you’re happy to push your bike home if you get a puncture). Most bike shops will provide an annual service relatively cheaply. | Look for a basic bike maintenance course, make sure you can fix a puncture, lubricate moving parts relatively regularly, and carry a pump with you (and tyre levers and a spare tube, unless you’re happy to push your bike home if you get a puncture). Most bike shops will provide an annual service relatively cheaply. | ||
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| </ | </ | ||
| - | ### Safety | + | ==== Safety |
| By all means get a helmet, but a cycle training course is more important. Of the tiny number of fatalities in London annually (around 10) a helmet would almost never have helped. Motorcyclists are the most vulnerable on the roads, then come pedestrians and only then come cyclists. | By all means get a helmet, but a cycle training course is more important. Of the tiny number of fatalities in London annually (around 10) a helmet would almost never have helped. Motorcyclists are the most vulnerable on the roads, then come pedestrians and only then come cyclists. | ||
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| The safest way of transporting kids is in trailers, which make great prams when fitted with a third wheel. | The safest way of transporting kids is in trailers, which make great prams when fitted with a third wheel. | ||
| - | ### Storage / security | + | ==== Storage / security |
| Most bikes are stolen from shared hallways. A quality bike doesn’t have to look quality. Avoid posh racing bikes (you don’t need one unless you’re a professional racer). Bromptons are highly sought after by thieves. | Most bikes are stolen from shared hallways. A quality bike doesn’t have to look quality. Avoid posh racing bikes (you don’t need one unless you’re a professional racer). Bromptons are highly sought after by thieves. | ||
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| </ | </ | ||
| - | ### Cycling | + | ==== Cycling |
| Cycling can be fitted into daily routines, is relatively gentle and requires no special clothing or competitive element. Changing habits requires an initial effort, and the first few times are always the hardest. Once a change of behaviour is completed for two to three weeks the choice becomes habitual, so it’s starting that’s the challenge. | Cycling can be fitted into daily routines, is relatively gentle and requires no special clothing or competitive element. Changing habits requires an initial effort, and the first few times are always the hardest. Once a change of behaviour is completed for two to three weeks the choice becomes habitual, so it’s starting that’s the challenge. | ||
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| - | ## Further resources | + | ===== Forum ===== |
| + | |||
| + | This topic belongs to the section [[gt: | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== Further resources | ||
| - [Cycling UK](https:// | - [Cycling UK](https:// | ||
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| - | ## Related topics | + | ===== Related topics |
| - [Low-impact transport](litr: | - [Low-impact transport](litr: | ||
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| - [Walking & hiking](walk: | - [Walking & hiking](walk: | ||
| - | ## Specialist curators of this topic | + | ===== Specialist curators of this topic ===== |