The fabulous people at top cycling site, road.cc, have awarded Ordinary Cycling Girl their ‘Blog of the Month’ for July. Am I thrilled to be their featured cycling blog? You bet! And very, very flattered. Thanks guys. (more…)
It’s fair to say that when it comes to cycling, both the sporting world and the personal preferences of riders here in the UK tends to be dominated by road and mountain bikes. There’s certainly a lot more publicity for these types of cycling on social media and the television, but others, like BMX cycling for example, receive far less media attention. (more…)
If you’ve recently bought your first road bike you’re perhaps considering trying clip-in pedals. For many cyclists, making the switch from regular pedals to clip-in pedals is a move that’s laced with trepidation and fear. And because clip-in pedals require the shoe to be held in place with a spring ski binding-like mechanism, it’s no surprise that many can find it a difficult transition to go through. I know that it was for me. I was terrified of falling off and took some persuasion to give them a go, but after buying my first pedals a few weeks after getting my road bike, I can honestly say that once you’ve tried them, you won’t go back to riding without them.
If you’re wondering whether to go for it and make the switch, I’ve compiled the following beginner’s guide to clip-in pedals. Let’s start with a few good reasons to consider using clip-in pedals over ‘standard’ ones… (more…)
After choosing the right bike frame your wheels should be your next most important consideration. But what should you be looking for when it comes to upgrading your wheels? Do you know your rims from your hubs? Your bearings from your nipples? PedalSure.com have put together this guide on wheel composition to help set you on the right track.
Cycling is now one of the UK’s most popular hobbies, but it’s also becoming the method of transport for the daily commute. It’s easy to understand why people are choosing to cycle to work – it keeps you fit and healthy, allows you to meander through rush hour grid lock and saves you precious pounds when it comes to fuel and parking. Plus, at this time of year you can enjoy some rare British sunshine – just don’t forget to wear sunglasses and apply sun cream! Whether you regularly cycle to work or are considering giving it a go, here are some essential items to improve your daily commute.
To mark Bike Week 2015 I’m very flattered to have been asked to contribute to a feature in the Independent. Very flattered indeed! (more…)
My goodness, what a hectic few months it’s been! Since I last posted a lot has happened at OCG HQ. We’ve had a house move, a new school and an operation! Thankfully, Little Man is fine after his op and is raring to go again. Miss OCG is enjoying her new school and the new OCG HQ is starting to feel like home.
Our new house is not too far from the old one, only 12 miles or so away but far enough away to mean new cycling territory and I think that was just what I needed! Some new places to explore! I’ll be honest, it’s a little more hilly than I had bargained for and with a couple of months out of the saddle my fitness could be better! But the sun has started shining and it has some heat in it (so no more Raynaud’s problems for the time being) and the local scenery in my new little spot in Nottinghamshire is glorious!
So, there’s been a few changes… (more…)
You may recall a couple of weeks ago, my twitter was alive with excitement as Miss OCG and I were kindly invited along to London to visit Pineapple Dance Studios to dance to music from the Annie movie. I couldn’t resist getting my dancing shoes back on after having had such a blast as part of Team Honk at the Comic Relief Danceathon and Miss OCG was beyond excited to be taught some moves from Strictly Come Dancing choreographer, Richard Marcel! As a huge Strictly fan, I was rather chuffed too! (more…)
Cycling continues to take the UK by storm as people seek a healthier, more environmentally friendly way of getting around, which got me thinking as to which cities and areas in England are the best places for riders to get on their bikes?
Toothpick have put together the Healthy Access study which provides data focused on the percentage of people who cycle at least once a week for any amount of time. The findings are really interesting!
So, which are the top five boroughs in England for cycling? (more…)
Yay! We have some warm sunshine! It’s so lovely to wake up and see the sun shining and then to feel some heat in it is even better! So this very welcome change in the weather has got me looking for clothes to wear. I’ve been hunting out some super cool cycling t-shirts to team up with my jeans this Spring and Summer.
Here are my six favourite cycling t-shirts out there in the shops at the moment, all priced under £25. Bargain! (more…)