Tag Archives: fixie

Learning to ride backwards

I’ve been trying to learn how to ride backwards, hence the title of the post. You’d think this would be a pretty simple exercise but it involves a mind block and disobeying 40 years of conditioning that tells you to move forward.

So yesterday we spent 2 hours in Victoria Park going from track stand to the first few feet of backwards motion. In 2 hours i managed to get to the 180 and ride away point only twice, but it had the added bonus of improving my track stands.

However, i woke up this morning feeling like i’d gone a few rounds with a beater and when i saw the video clip i realised why. In the process of balancing you’re using arms, legs, core muscles and in my case cool facial expressions. And boy do i have a load of bruises on my inner knee from the cross bar. Anyhoo, here’s a vid clip of my attempts and Brendan’s successes.  Enjoy.

Negative energy and the art of quitting

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I have come to realise that the negative effects of the length of time spent in the act of complaining about any given issue, outweigh the benefit derived from any positive outcome generated by the complaining.

You know in this instance i’m talking about TFL (Transport for London) of course. An absolutely lost cause as far as i’m concerned, but the problem is their incompetence over the past year has led me to spend time far in excess of value, bitching and whining about something that will not change. Negative energy for you New Agers and lost energy to boot. So this year i am determined to use their shitty service as little as possible and hence save energy and center myself in positive vibes.

My little fixie will instead carry me on a rainbow of patience and goodwill, around this fabulous city and i will emerge a happier, healthier Londoner instead. See you on the road.