Seventy-five percent of my book is now written. A pesky 25 percent is still brewing. The book’s first chapter goes through the copy-editing mill next week, via a copy-editor with an interesting history of his own (more on that later). […]
Continue ReadingI’ve finished the cycles-begat-automobiles chapter of the book. It’s 65,000 words long. This “chapter” is really a book and I’ll probably flesh it out even further and bring it out as a standalone e-book: pedalling petrolheads will love it. However, […]
Continue ReadingOver on BikeHub.co.uk I have released the news that the Bicycle Association is to support the national roll-out of London Cycling Campaign’s #space4cycling. This isn’t the first time the industry association has made such calls. Back in the 1928 a […]
Continue ReadingDo you have an addiction to petrol? We’re here to help. Join Motorholics Anonymous. Our famous and long-established twelve-step program is a proven course of action for recovery from addiction, compulsion, and other behavioural problems associated with Motor Dependence. The […]
Continue ReadingThe very first motor cars – such as Henry Ford’s Quadricycle – didn’t just use bicycle wheels and bicycle chains they also used bicycle lamps and other brass accessories, including bicycle horns. A typical bicycle horn had a rubber bulb […]
Continue ReadingAccording to a report from Transport for London, in 2012 there were 134 deaths of non-motorists: 69 pedestrians, 27 motorbike/scooter riders and 14 cyclists. Perhaps amazingly, the death rate in 1870 was almost the same as today (albeit the mix […]
Continue ReadingHow dare she! The scamp. This graphic is from the Illustrated Police News, as are the other two below. There will be more in the book. All three are from the 1890s. Battersea park in London was a favourite haunt […]
Continue Reading1914 is the cut-off point for my book. Neat, because that’s 100 years ago, but the book does stray a little bit beyond that date at times. The cycles and automobiles chapter, for instance, mentions the Great War. There are […]
Continue ReadingTo the New Year. BY A BICYCLER. All hail, O first of Jan.! thou greatest day (For swearing off) of all the merry year; When whiskey topers drop to lager bier, And beardless youths demand a “raise” in pay. When […]
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