The Pink Bag Man

Don't give a damn what you think

It's not unusual to spot a lady cyclist with a pink bag in Dublin. However, when a guy cyclist has got one, as Tim Vine puts it, Alarm Bells... :) Or perhaps he is some sort of a clown, eg, take a look at his unevenly rolled trousers.

Or more likely,  this guy is a devoted father and cyclist from a well-wheeled family. He accompanied his daughter, who rides a scooter to school. Mystery solved.

I took the picture on 31 January 2013 on the canal cycle path.

The Painting Holder

L'art pour l'art

As I was waiting for a friend in Donnybrook I suddenly noticed a guy cycling along the N11, holding a framed painting in his hand. Then he crossed the road and continued cycling on the pavement. It is neither safe nor benevolent towards pedestrians, but an artist must do what an artist must do, art for art's sake.

I shot the photo on 5 April 2013 next to the entrance of Donnybrook Fair. Unfortunately, I was too slow and caught only the backside of the frame. It looked more impressive from the other side...

The Family Connector

Two cyclists, three wheels

In order to be a cyclist, one doesn't have to ride a bicycle. Half a bike and relative with the right equipment who's willing to tow you is all you need, as this young fellow demonstrates.

I was asked whether the adult in the photo is the former Irish footballer Liam Brady. Frankly, I have no idea. Is it him?

I took the picture on 12 May 2012 on Charlemont Street near Ranelagh.

The Coverer

Did you really need the car today?

Need to carry sensitive materials on your bike? No problem, cover your basket and your secret is safe. It's that easy.

On a different subject, how do you like her HiViz vest? It reads: "Did you need the car today"? Although some cynical motorist would repond positively, obviously the right answer is "no". Brilliant.

I shot the photo on 11 February 2013 on Grand Canal Street. As I tend to do in many occasions, I took another picture, this time focusing on the basket:

Don't judge a basket by its cover

The Tall-Booter

Cowgirl On Bike

The rain is lashing and puddles are everywhere? It's still not a good enough reason to give up cycling for the day. Long boots would do the trick and you don't even have to roll up the trousers.

The photo was shot in Grand Canal Street on 7 March 2013.

The Plastic Bag Sitter

Don't like me saddle gets dirty

It wasn't the first time I came across a cyclist who sits on a plastic bag rather than a proper saddle. After all, bicycles are a cheap mean of transport, so why spend money on replacing a part that is prone to get damaged or stolen soon after?

However, the previous ones matched the plastic bag on the seat to their clothes (or vice versa), either a white shirt or blue socks. This guy wasn't as fashionable as them.

I shot the photo on 27 July 2012 on Heytesbury Street, off South Circular Road.

The Chameleon

CC - Chameleon Cyclist

The chameleon is one of my favourite animals. I like the way it changes colour in order to camouflage (if you're looking for a great comedy film on this topic, I highly recommend Zelig by Woody Allen).

One day I saw the guy above, waiting for the green light on N11 while texting. Suddenly the Aircoach appeared and I almost could see the cyclist anymore. I was impressed how he blended in. I'm not quite sure, he might have even changed hue for that.

I shot the photo on the 5th of April 2013 just outside Donnybrook Fair. Note that he used his mobile on red light, so he wasn't at great risk, yet I would have got off the main road if I were him.

The Electric Biker

Half cyclist/half motorist

I haven't made up my mind about electric bikes. On one hand it feels like cheating, for the bicycle is not purely operated by muscle power. On the other hand there are still pedals and the cyclists does contribute to the journey. I even tried two models and couldn't decide whether I like it (really appreciated the effortless cycling uphill in mountainous Slovakia in a warm summer day) or not (it felt like fooling no one but my own lazy body. Sporting, it was not).

Let's remain inclusive and consider the few Dubliners on electric bicycles, like the the lady above, genuine cyclists. It does, after all, occupy far less space than the average car.

I took the picture on 15 February 2013 on the Grand Canal cycle path.

The Followers

We're coming dad

Good parents accompany their children on the way to school. Parents that are even better do it on bicycle. The kids do some physical activity before school, which helps them concentrate in class (a link about the link between physical activity and concentration). In addition, in an ever chubbier nation, every little activity helps.

I shot the photo on 7 February on Leinster Road in Harold's Cross. I've seen these lovely family quite often on this route. Well done.

The Rubbish Carrier

This baby is rubbish!

The authorities in Copenhagen installed trash bins that had been specifically designed with cyclists in mind (see one of the photos in Copenhagenize). In Dublin, however, we are not there yet, thus cyclists need to carry their rubbish with them all along.

The photo was shot on the 15th of March 2013 along the Grand Canal. And another photo from a slightly wider angle:

Newspapers are rubbish

The Trouser-Roller

Roll up

One of the down sides of cycling, at least in the eyes of some people, is that the greasy chain can make the trousers dirty. It's probably not a big deal when one wears a special cycling gear, but may have disastrous consequences for the common urban commuters.

On the face of it, it sounds like a valid reason to prefer other means of transport. However, as the cyclist above shows, it is merely an excuse and one can easily roll up the trouser legs. When there's a will, there's a way to cycle.

I took the picture on 31 January 2013 on the Canal cycle path. And there's one more photo:

When there's a will there's a way

The Men Lover

I like men

What could we say about this cyclist? She's obviously into men and not afraid to show it (not that there's anything wrong with that) :)

I came across her along the canal cycle path off Charlemont Street on 21 February 2013. And there's another zoomed out version:

Waiting

The Superman On Bike

What was a man with a cape doin' with my father?

Dublin can get very blustery from time to time. The wind can turn every showerproof jacket into a superhero cape. While I was waiting for green light I imagined this cyclist fighting all the villain motorists out there... :)

I shot the photo above on 21 March 2013 in Rathmines.

The Pedestrian Disturber

Get out of MY way!

Cynical motorists would say that it's a shame how 99% of the cyclists give the rest a bad name. True, not all the cyclists in Dublin are law-abiding citizens (amusingly enough, Dublin's motto in Latin is "Obedientia Civium Urbis Felicitas" or in English: "The citizens' obedience is the city's happiness". Think about it the next time you hang around). Yet, the situation ain't that bad and it's not limited to cyclists (jaywalking and bad driving are the norm). And it can always get much worse. :)

Sometimes, however, I come across cyclists that the only relief I have seeing them cycling is that they could have been even more harmful behind the steering wheel of a car. Take for example the girl in the blurry photo above. She had overtaken me by breaking the red light in three traffic lights before the picture was taken, just for me to pass her again a hundred yard down the road. Eventually she stopped at the red light, blocking oncoming cyclists (like the arrow-misreader or even closer to the racers). I took out the camera and was ready to shoot when the light changed. As you can easily see she turned right, cutting off pedestrians who crossed while they had green.

How rude. This is certainly not the right way to win the hearts of other road users. I guess she just didn't care.

I took the picture on 23 January along the canal path.

The Queuers

To infinity and beyond

One evening, as I was cycling along the Grand Canal, I came to turn left towards Harold's Cross when I noticed ten (10!) people on bike queueing, waiting for the red light to change. There were two more cyclists behind the woman in purple that aren't visible in this picture so it adds up to 12 or 13 cyclists including your humble cyclist.

A few years ago such a wonderful view would have been virtually unseen in Dublin. Nowadays it's a commonplace.

As you can see from the photograph, so many people can fit into such a narrow space when on bike. Conversely, as an average automobile carries about 1.5 persons, try to imagine how would it look like if all these cyclists were to use a car instead...

Feel free to send a link to this post the next time you hear a driver complaining about cyclists who supposedly get into their way...

I took the picture on Robert Emmet Bridge on the 19th of March 2013. I took another one, just in case:

Cyclist X 10

The Metro Cyclist

Paper boy

I'm not a big fan of the Metro Herald newspaper. Frankly, It's rubbish (luckily a recyclable rubbish, even though, sadly, it's not always being recycled by its readers). Nonetheless, I admire the brave guys who give out this paper. They stand there, always with a smile, rain or shine (or more recently, snow), daylight or darkness, trying desperately to push the paper to whoever happens to pass by. Marketing in its most crude form. And above all, I spot many of them cycling to/from work. Well done!

I took the picture on Barrow Street on the 18th of February 2013.

The Racers

We wait for no one!

Dublin's cyclists are second to none. That's meant literally, they can't accept waiting behind other cyclists. It could be an acceptable behaviour in a racing track, but in practice it means that the two nitwits on the right were blocking cyclists who come from Ranelagh and want to turn left into the cycle path and the imbecile on the left was virtually begging cars and lorries to knock him off...

I took the picture on 7 March 2013 on the Grand Canal cycle path.