Cycling in today's world

Riding a bike is a skill that many acquire at an early age and, rather like walking, once acquired it can stay with us; never to be forgotten. Today we live in the age of the motorcar but despite this cycling clings on as a popular activity. In Britain though its role has shifted away from being an important means of transport to and from work towards being more of a leisure pastime.

But nothing stands still for long and it now seems that another shift is underway which is taking cycling in a different direction, even encouraging many who would never have seen themselves as cyclists before to revisit the saddle. I am, of course, referring to the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle or EAPC for short. In just a few revolutions of the planet it seems that one of the features of cycling that had previously discouraged many - arriving sweaty and breathless at one's destination, legs complaining - has been eliminated. The speed with which the availability and popularity of these machines has grown is quite remarkable, so fast, in fact, that our governments have struggled to come up with understandable and sensible regulations that apply to their use. Speed and power limits; controls determining the way that electric motor assistance is activated; age limits for electric bike sales; these are just some of the regulatory controls that have been introduced in the last few years and with the bike market changing rapidly, new features are constantly being introduced to satisfy the emerging demand so it is likely that the regulations will change again, in order to keep up. Contrast this with the 'ordinary' bicycle which may be ridden almost anywhere, by anyone, without regulatory interference. It is, rather like sailing, one of the few remaining freedoms open to us in this way.

Two years ago, as part of a European tour in our campervan, we visited Holland, a place that felt as if it was a different world, largely because the bicycle is still accepted by Dutch people as a primary, everyday, form of transport. Of course one can always argue that Holland is a flat country and it makes perfect sense, therefore, that cycling should remain popular but this argument falls flat when one looks at cycle use in the less hilly areas of Britain. The dominance of the motor car owes much more to cultural influences than the shape of the landscape, car ownership and use being seen as a sign of higher status here. Sadly this has been the dominant thinking for so long now that our infrastructure, particularly the roads, are not generally designed with the more vulnerable cyclist in mind.

Then along comes the electric bike. At first these are hideously expensive toys, attractive only to those with large amounts of money to spare. But gradually, as is the way with many new technologies, things get cleverer and more affordable as new brands emerge. Even some car manufacturers start offering their own electric bike models.

On a recent visit to the centre of the city of Glasgow (a place we rarely visit) I was surprised by the prevalence of chunky tyred electric bike riders weaving in and out of the pedestrians on one of the car free streets, these clearly being used for local deliveries within the city. The quieter country lanes near where we live have always been used by cyclists wanting to avoid main roads but now we see a high proportion of them with electric motors assisting them up the hills. And where there are cycle paths, which provide a safer environment for those on two wheels, it seems as if a whole new population of riders has emerged, less obviously fit nor tightly clad in Lycra shorts but keen cyclists nevertheless. All this has happened in a relatively short period of time, just a few years, which is far too rapid for anything else to have changed in the surrounding infrastructure. Our roads are still full of stinky cars and lorries which present just as much of a threat no matter what type of bike is being ridden there. So where are we now heading with this emerging technology pushing along the humble bicycle?

Before considering this it is worth noting that the bicycle is not the only thing to which electric motors have been added. Electric scooters seem to have emerged simultaneously and these were swiftly banned from use on public roads or paths for reasons known best to the legislators. 'Segways' with their two wheels side by side can be seen in some European cities being used by the local police to get around and more recently motors have been fitted to wheelbarrows, some of which can be ridden, just like the electric suitcases seen at some airports. Electric wheelchairs have been around for many years and 'wheeling', as it is known, is seen as acceptable as it provides mobility for those who might otherwise lack it. But when electric powered quadcopters become commonplace one wonders how acceptable these will prove to be. All this ignores the electric cars, vans, buses and even some lorries which are now proving ever more popular on our roads. I suppose we should not be surprised that electric motors fitted to just about anything are so commonplace. Toothbrushes, food mixers, saws, valves, lawnmowers, window blinds, surfboards, gates; the list is endless.

If we were starting from scratch today, designing a world for us all to live in, then it would make perfect sense to take into account the electric bicycle, a motorised form of transport that we have now come to accept, albeit with some reservations. Charging stations for electric bikes might be fitted outside supermarkets and the parking area would look vastly different to what it does now. Cycle lanes would be significantly wider to accommodate cargo bikes, many with trailers towed behind, which would mean the space available for four wheel vehicles would be severely restricted or else separated entirely and moved elsewhere. Once again Holland is the model for this.

Realistically changes like this are unlikely to come about quickly in Britain but as the cost of electric bikes comes down perhaps we are looking towards a time when many more choose to ride instead of using the car. As a result it seems inevitable that there will be increased conflict between cyclists and other road users in the years to come. There have already been changes in our Highway Code which have shifted the balance of responsibility towards car drivers and away from cyclists in general, providing guidance for two wheeled riders on how they should position themselves on the road for maximum safety and for motorists on how much space to leave when overtaking a cyclist and also on giving way for cyclists and pedestrians at junctions. How much further our legislators will go in the future remains to be seen. Tomorrow is a world away but the recently elected labour government has a transport secretary who seems determined to promote more 'active travel' so perhaps there is some hope.

So what is it that has prompted this particular blog episode?

In case nobody has already guessed, we have recently purchased electric bikes. We are not city dwellers so will be using these largely riding for pleasure on some of our quieter roads, roads that have hills, both steep and bendy, which is where the electric assistance will come in useful. The interesting, and unexpected, challenge for us arose because our nearest bike shop is many miles away, far too far to cycle, so we had the new bikes delivered to our home, each one arriving in an enormous cardboard box.

Inside the box are all the parts of a bike so all that is required is a full day's work to assemble these into a working machine. Download the video first to see how it is done then crack on with the small collection of tools that are provided, in all quite a satisfying experience. Once the fully working bike been created there is just one more requirement before we can zoom off down the road - the rain has to stop. 

Musically challenged

I have written before on this subject, explaining how music came into my life and how it has stuck with me so as to provide me with a new interest in more recent years. So I thought an update here might be appropriate. This is, after all, a place where recent events are recounted and recorded.

The instrument I now play, a concertina, comes in various shapes and sizes, mine being what is described as an 'Anglo' (see photo). It distinguishes itself from an 'English' concertina by having two different notes on each button, one on the pull and one on the push (or squeeze) and with straps that pass over back of the hands. It has been an interesting journey to master the complexity that comes with this instrument since part of the process of learning any new tune is to decide which of various alternative button combinations to use. Some of the notes are replicated in different places on the instrument so the choice will often depend upon how fast or how smoothly one wants to play, some button combinations falling easier to the fingers than others. This decision-making process is common to other instruments too. Stringed instruments like the guitar and the violin can play notes in different positions on different strings so I guess this is not unusual. There is, however, an extra impediment to take into account in playing the concertina since it is a wind instrument and it therefore needs to breathe. It can make noises both when it sucks air in and when it blows out but if a tune has too many notes played in one direction, blowing out or sucking in, then it can either run out of air or become too stretched to draw in any more. When either of these situations are approaching the player senses this (one's playing is likely to become quieter in an effort to preserve the air that is left in the bellows) and sometimes we make use of the 'air' button to draw in or expel surplus air. Any tune where this happens regularly probably needs some rethought, a different combination of buttons, to eliminate the problem.

I take great delight in explaining things like this to other musicians and watching their faces as they try to grasp what it means to play a concertina. It took me by surprise when I first noticed that for most concertina players, including me, facial expressions whilst playing are impossible. Indeed any distraction is likely to cause a disruption to the tune being played as the human brain, well mine at least, has difficulty coping with any additional load to the senses. Having said this, there are those who can sing and play simultaneously so perhaps the failing is simply inside my head.

I have recently had opportunities to play my instrument and also to explain some of its workings, first of all to a small group of young schoolchildren at a local primary school and then to a local Friendship Group, mostly older people. To the older group I played a tune which I thought would be familiar to them although I was fairly certain that the name, 'Trumpet Hornpipe' would mean nothing. However when I told them it was a tune played by the cabin boy on a pirate ship called 'The Black Pig' some of the faces in front of me immediately lit up. A shout from the back confirmed it...'Pugwash!', as this was the theme tune from a TV cartoon series popular more than sixty years ago. As I played the tune some of the audience began stamping their feet or clapping along with me, a real delight to any musician.

More recently I attended a music workshop run by a band of young musicians as part of their ceilidh music tour. The band members seemed to be able to play not just their own but each other's different instruments as well, all with amazing ease. At first I felt uneasy about what was to be expected of me. I had put myself in the hands of this talented group of young players who now wanted me to play, not necessarily a tune with which I was familiar, but something they had chosen themselves. Thankfully their talents went beyond playing music as they were also capable of engaging with those much older than themselves and making them feel comfortable and willing to join in, slowing down the learning process so that we could all play together. I may have had nothing else in common with them but this did not matter for I did have something I could share, something they understood and could relate to. I had gone to the event not knowing what to expect nor what I would be playing and came away buzzing, my head filled with the tunes we had played. So would I do this again? Most certainly, indeed I then signed up for another music workshop run by another performer, again not knowing what to expect.

This second workshop was a totally different experience. It was run by a talented composer and performer called Nigel Gatherer who had booked a local community hall to contain the fifty musicians who had signed up for it. Some tunes had been disseminated in advance, both for printing out and in audio format for those unable to read music. Although all new tunes to me there was even a Zoom session in advance where we could meet Nigel and at the event itself he was both entertaining and patient towards his mixed audience. Perhaps the main message I came away with is the effect that making changes to the way we play, the speed, the volume, the type of instrument, can all enhance the quality of the music itself and make it into something that can give pleasure to those listening... and that this can be even more important than making the odd mistake.