Cycling in Bedfordshire

Cycling in Bedfordshire.
As you will have noticed, Cycling in Bedfordshire is a very wet experience right now.
We have some localised flooding, so i am updating this site.

The latest page is the Cycling directory, feel free to ad your cycling related website to it.
If anyone requests a link from my list of pages, i can make a  link direct to your website.
Today is new years day ,2013.
New years resolution are to Quit smoking, get out on the bike more. ((to name but a few)
So far so good day one of stopping smoking A OK (so far)
Today is 3/1/2013
So far so good , although I been craving nicotine for all day.
Well its day five I'm still off of the cigarettes, that ride to Luton will be a definite possibility.
The weather is still not good but looks to be better than last week, I cant cycle when its either really damp or cold.
My asthma really kicks in if I over do things, i tend to ride well within my limits.
I have a lot of things on the go right now, the forum to finish seo research etc etc.
day 8 still not smoking.
Im starting to feel a bit better now, even went to halfords looking for a rear rack for my winter bike.
How is it that such a simple task as fitting a bike rack, looks so complicated.
Its an easy job of course, but the racks don't seem to have all the fittings for my bike.
Either that or, the ones that bolt to the seat post looks like its going to be sitting at an OD angle.

I Se that this little site is getting more and more visitors now, im not going to update the forum until i Se a few registering on it.
I am about nearly every day updating here and there, this cycling site is not the only one i have.
I do my best but could really do with some comments now, even if its some advice for what else could be of help to fellow cyclists.
Everyone likes pictures :o) now where is that camera...
I have put some pictures of my winter bike, on a new page.
On the rhs you wil se a page saying, winter bike.
The bike may be old , but rides quite nice.
Gears all index pretty good, and cost me 20 quid so im not complaining.
Well im still off the nicotine its now been 6 weeks or more.
I took the winter bike around the block and it nearly killed me.
My lungs always play up when I quit, and what with the cold weather .....
I did it though then the next day it snowed, so what can I do??










To all the silent readers, be seen and be safe

Cycling in Bedfordshire
While out shopping i picked up a new set of bike lights, £7.99 from the Bedford maplin.
If you go there just ask a member of staff to point you in the right direction.
I have tried them, both front and back lights are brilliant.
The front light is 3w, and is way brighter than my other front light that cost me £34.00.
Modes are full 50% and flashing, powered by 2 AA batteries.
The rear light is powered by 2 AAA batteries and has 2 modes, flashing and constant.
More on the front light.
   On a dark country lane  it lights up both kerbs, then the beam reaches out to a fairly tight beam.
As i said before , it is very bright, im not sure how long the batteries will last, but for the money its a very good light.
 The rear light is way better than anything i have had before, dont be put off by the low price.

They are half price at the moment, i am sure you will be very pleased with them.
More to follow .
Bedfordshire cyclist.

Cycling in Bedfordshire

Cycling in Bedfordshire.
Im doing my best to ad new cycling related pages, on a nigh on daily basis.
While the weather is naff, im going to concentrate on this blog.
Bedfordshire is a great place to cycle,especially north beds.
Even though i have all the kit for wet weather riding, right now i cant find the motivation.
My winter bike is an old Peugot mtb, with front suspention.
To be honest i only bought it as it was up for sale for 20 quid.
What drew me to it was the bar ends lol, on closer inspection i noticed both wheels were running true.
When i got the bike home i looked it over, and realised it had hardly been ridden.
Everything on the bike was original, so i pumped the tires up a little and took it for a spin.
After re adjusting the saddle, i setoff around the block.
All the gears worked very slickly, im starting to smile by now.
Brakes were better tha my other bike and it was surprising easy to peddle.
I have never liked mountain bikes, but found myself warming to this old girl.
My trip around the block took me through, Stevington, Oakley then back to Pavenham.
Its just over seven miles, since i picked up this bike ive replaced the tires, from knobbly 1.95 to some slimmer 1.5 kevlar road ones.
Ok the bike is no lightweight , but is both comfortable and good enough for winter riding.
Gearing wise it has a tripple up front, and top gear is a lot higher than i imagined.
As for the smaller sprocket on the front, your legs gonna be a blur to get any speed. :o)
Its now rigged out with lights, heart rate monitor etc.
I am going to put a rack on the back for my luton jaunt.
I picked up a small rucksack, thinking it would be ok to ride with but, after trying it i dont get on very well with it on my back.
I intend to put some pictures on here, of both bikes and some of the Bedfordshire rides i go on.

Here is another bedfordshire cycling website.
http://bedfordshirecyclist.wordpress.com

This time of year im not so keen to get out on the bike, but when i do i want to make sure A im warm enough and B im easy to se in the dark. Cycling in the dark around this part of Bedfordshire means exactly that. This may sound obvious to most people but a good set of lights is amust for 2 reasons. Firstly you can se where you are going and se anything lyng in the road, secondly motorists will know you are there. On my bike i have an led type of light on the front, it has a good beam and lasts for hours. I also have a ight mounted on my helmet, the flashing type. Also on the back of the helmet is a red flashing light. Then i also have a rear light that also flashes, with these lights and a high vis waistcoat type jacket thats about all i can do. I find that the light on the helmet also illuminates my bike computer. I have seen a woman around here with no lights on her bike what so ever, when she either falls off or gets knocked off her bike she may well buy some. Safety while riding should be more important than anything else. When i turn left and head for Stevington there is no street lighting, or houses till i get there. Stevington is approx 3 miles. Three miles on these dark bumpy country roads is not good even with a good set of lights. North Bedfordshire sure is a pretty place, without having to go far for some nice country views. Now that my back has got better im hoping to really put some miles in in the new year, all be it at an average of 12mph. On my wish list is a trip to Luton (my home town) There and back will be around 60 miles, so thank god i have a nice relationship with my saddle. Wel im off to start another page on bike security, something i passed on and got my Last hybrid stolen.

Cycling in Bedfordshire.

Cycling in Bedfordshire. Hi im Steve and Cycle a lot in Bedfordshire, im just north of Bedford. As i se so many cyclists going through my village, i thought i would make a site where cycling related info could be found. Bedforsdhire has some great cycling routes, Around here there is very little traffic and some nice scenic rides. I live in Pavenham, its about 3m north of Bedford, like many people i cycle alone at the moment. I'm an average cyclist no speed demon but have been cycling and building / repairing bikes since i was a kid. (im 50 now) Cycling has changed a lot over the years and now days a lot of people wont ride a bike unless, it is about the same weight as a crisp packet. More on that later. If you are looking for a nice route to cycle through, Oakley Pavenham, Bromham, Stevington is quite scenic. To get here from say bedford is easy enough, follow the A6 out of Bedford towards Kettering. The A6 is a busy fast road but does have a cycle lane, from Bedford you will only be on it for about 3 miles. Take the Pavenham exit and follow the pavenham signs, stay on this road and you will go through Pavenham,Stevington,,Bromham. Once you go down the hill at Bromham , you come to a t junction. Turn left to go back into Bedford. There are hills but nothing major, very little traffic. This route is good but the roads around here can be a little bumpy. Cycling around this part of Bedfordshire you could easily think you was in Devon. The people around here are great, i once got a flat and had 2 people offer help in the space of less than a mile.


Bedfordshire cyclist.