198 – Soggy cycle to work

Rain and cycling…not a good combination! Plastic bags cover the leather seats and handlebars outside the Business Car Manager office

Plus shopping baskets and cycling safety

I cycled to work Friday morning. I thought the light shower was virtually at an end, the forecast was for a sunny day, so I set off…and the rain suddenly got a lot worse. Not the greatest piece of judgement! It took a while to dry out.

And then into my inbox that morning popped this nicely humourous piece suggesting Conservative leader David Cameron should get a shopping basket for his bike. I was intrigued. I had to read more.

Apparently David Cameron has had a second bicycle stolen in the space of 10 months. The press release suggested that he should fit a shopping basket to his next bike if he wants to deter thieves. It seems such bike apparel a real turn-off for street-cred thieves.

The release, from cycle insurer ilovemybike.co.uk provided five tips to reduce the estimated 500,000 bicycles stolen each year in England.

1, Aim to spend 10 per cent of the bike’s value on a stout lock
2, Fit a shopping basket – even bike thieves have street cred
3, Do not allow the bike lock to rest on the ground – it is vulnerable to attack
4, Don’t advertise your bike’s value – put tape over the brand name
5, Don’t forget to insure your bike – shop around as some policies are much better value than others

Andrew Davis, director at ilovemybike.co.uk, added tongue-in-cheek: “A shopping basket of the correct size would be ideal for carrying parliamentary papers as well as putting off thieves.”

On a more serious note, the National Audit Office suggested more could be done to improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists, despite the fall in the number of deaths.