The Tennisyclist

See you in (tennis) court!

Cycling isn't necessarily the only physical activity most cyclists do. Yet, most of the time it's hard to tell what other sports a cyclist likes to do just by looking at him or her on bike. In this case, however, it was quite easy to infer what she likes to do while not cycling. Personally I love tennis, though I haven't played it for the last six years or so. Currently I'm more into ping pong.

The photo was taken on 17 November 2012 in Richmond Street South, Portobello.

The Pedalling British Guard

Ein zwei polizei, drei vier grenadier

Cycling doesn't mean one must sacrifice fashion. You can wear virtually everything while cycling, though some clothes are considered more appropriate than others. When I saw this cyclist, I thought it's quite cool she wears a red jacket and fluffy furry dark hat, a yellow purse, zebra tights and chinchilla boots, yet pedalling along.

Perhaps the fact that the week before I had paid a short visit to London made me imagining her marching past Buckingham Palace with the Queen's Royal Guard.

I took the picture on 10 December 2012 on South Circular Road, not far from Camden Street (we're still talking about the fair city on the Liffey, not the big smoke on the Thames).

The Boot Cyclist

Bicycle heading to heaven

Christmas is here. This long weekend is the climax of two months of preparations and a mad shopping spree. Yesterday, for instance, was nuts. Within five minutes I experienced two near misses in Terenure area. First, I was nearly knocked off my bike by an SUV driver who decided to overtake a car from the left, which happened to be my cycle track, without checking his mirror. His wife seemed to scream at him immediately so he stopped a few inches before he gave me the kiss of death. Farther down the road, I was calmly passing a traffic congestion, but then I saw a cyclist pedalling towards me. She didn't cycle in the wrong direction though, but rather turned to her right, cutting my path off, without yielding. She said 'sorry' all right, but we were a foot away from a head-on collision!

Cycling in busy times isn't fun (remember The Rush Hourers?). It can also mean danger, for other road users, occupied by their Christmas preparation amok, don't pay attention to the rules of the road. In this respect, Xmas drivers are totally mad!

Having said that, there is still light in the gloom of Christmas road madness. On the way back home I noticed the bicycle above poking out of the boot of that Mercedes. The first thing that came to my mind was that someone is coming back from a cycling trip. I wanted to call it "the boot cyclist", ie a cyclist who sits behind the wheel and keeps his bike in car. But when I examined the picture I took, it stroke me. This pair of bikes was a Christmas present!

Indeed, Christmas is a wonderful time when kids get presents. The lucky ones get bicycle and join so many other cyclists. The gift giving is not limited to kids, also many adults may get a two-wheeled present. No wonder that the recent census reported (PDF) a huge increase in cycling around Dublin.

The photo was taken yesterday, 21 December 2012, on Harold's Cross Road.

Wishing a happy Christmas to you all!

The Pirate Sitter

Aye aye captain!

The Jolly Roger has made a skull and crossbones a pirates' trademark. Thus when I came across the cyclist above and noticed his jolly seat cover, I couldn't help imagining him ruling the high seas rather than cycling in Dublin.

I took the picture on 14 November 2012 on Rathgar Road.

The Handbagger

Hold the meeting, I'm there in no time

Not so long ago we introduced the bag holder who uses one hand to hold an Aldi reusable bag while cycling. The guy above does pretty much the same, but with style. With a mobile phone in his left hand and a leather handbag in his right it doesn't seem that holding the bag is a necessity for this chap but rather a matter of choice.

I took the picture on 14 September 2012 on Aungier Street.

The Wide-Leg-Opener

 Keep legs wide-open

It was probably the suit he wore that was too stiff or his frame's top tube that was too high. Whatever the reason was, I found the cyclist with the green backpack on the right pretty amusing. Who knows, in previous life he might have been a ballerina rather than a cyclist.

The photo was taken on 7 August 2012 where N11 meets the Grand Canal.

The Catalan Photographer

Love, bicycle & camera

On a cold winter evening I was walking along Barcelona seaside when suddenly I saw a couple on Bicing (the Catalan version of Dublin Bike, Boris Bike and similar bicycle hire schemes) approaching from behind. My camera was in standby already, so I was prepared to capture the scene. As they were progressing, I realised that the girl isn't just hugging the guy, but also holding a camera. That means that your humble cyclist features in some photo/video somewhere, possibly in Spain.

The photo was taken on a chilly winter day on Barcelona beach on 9 January 2010.

As you have probably noticed already, this is the first post to feature a none-Dublin cyclist. This blog is still "Dublin's Cyclists" and aims to show the world some of Dublin's most peculiar cyclists. However, as cycling is a global phenomenon, it would be beneficial to include cyclists elsewhere. What guides me in choosing photos is that the photos should be taken by myself and be interesting or introduce a "type of cyclist". Hope you'll all enjoy from the global cyclists to come.

The Folks In Socks

Dr Seuess

Who doesn't know The Fox In Socks (by Dr Seuss)? There are quite many foxes roaming around Dublin, but none of them wears socks. Nor rides on bike. Nonetheless, I've seen quite many people in suit wearing lovely colourful socks. I call them The Folks In Socks, after the famous children book.

I saw the guy above on 6 June 2012 by the Grand Canal near Ranelagh suited up. Yet he wore a nice pair of socks. The right sock even protected his trousers from the greasy chain.

That's all folks.

The Bag Holder

Try to go straight

It ain't easy to keep cycling straight when you hold a heavy plastic bag in one hand. So this cyclist was doing pretty well. Yet a small pothole or some other obstacles (and this road has got plenty of them, though a few months ago the council repaved some roads in the area) could have resulted in an unpleasant consequence. Unfortunately, this unsafe practice is common (see for instance this cyclist).

I took this picture in Rathmines on 25 June 2012.

The Sun-Dazzled Young Cyclist

Is it green already?

Cycling against the wind can be tough, but cycling against direct sunlight is simply annoying. Therefore, kudos to the young fella who managed to do it!

The Photo was taken on 24 May 2012 by the Grand Canal.

The Multi-Cyclists

So where are we heading to?

It's wonderful to cycle solo. It's even better to find a partner and cycle in tandem. But how about 6-7 cyclists on the same bike at once, each pedals in a different direction, put together to create a monstrous bike?

Sounds like a great attraction to me and apparently it works!

The photo of the young lads above was taken on 6 October 2012 at Stephen's Green. The same day I also spotted another group on the very same bike, this time in action in Church Lane. This resulted in two more photos:

Only the leader allowed to enjoy sunshine

Off we go

The Bicycle Repairman

Fixing Anywhere

I tend to think of bicycles as something you buy in a bicycle shop or at least order online. That's why I was surprised to see this mobile bike sales and repair service in Grand Canal Dock. But hey, a pop up bicycle shop sounds like a brilliant idea.

I came across this service on 4 September 2012 just off the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre (formerly known as the Grand Canal Theatre).

The Ad Dragger

Knuckle-Dragger

Bicycles can be a good method for advertising. Companies that send cyclists around town to advertise are more environment-friendly than those that pollute the air with car for the same purpose. It's also better for their brand. Well done O2.

I took the picture above on 20 July 2012 in Wicklow Street.

The Leg Exposer

 Sexy legs and I know it

Some people like to wear cycling gear while cycling, whereas others don't mind do cycle in their day-to-day clothes. I know some cyclists find tights very useful and even comfortable, but I rather keep my body shape private.

The guy above, a friend of our good old friend, the Tight-Arse, was spotted in a cold rainy day on 27 April 2012 in Camden Street. I liked the contrast between the short-dressed cyclist and the guy in yellow raincoat from Metro Herald next to him.

The High-Sitter

Riding a tall bike

A key element of cycling safety is that the rider can put his or her feet on the ground safely at any time. Having this in mind, when I saw this cyclist pedalling down Harold's Cross I was concerned. It looked awfully dangerous to me. I cycled behind the guy for some time, but lost him about a mile down the road when he broke the red light in Leonard's Corner (South Circular Road). I doubt he could have actually stopped abruptly, if he had wanted to.

After seeing this extraordinary bike, I read more about Tall Bikes on Wikipedia. As I originally suspected, there are some mounting and dismounting issues with this kind of bicycles. However, Tall Bike cyclists (or as I like to call them: The High Sitters) enjoy an increased visibility and a "wow effect" that supposedly gives them an advantage over "short bikes". Well, it might be true for empty roads, but it's not the case in normal urban commuting that requires an infinite number of sudden breaks.

I saw this guy on the 1st of November 2012 in Harold's Cross. There are two more photos below, the first gives a similar view whereas the second provides a better perspective of how high the rider actually sits.

You can read more if you want to build your own tall bike.

Another glimpse at the high sitter

Notice the height difference