The Slovak Tricyclist

Reliant Regal Bicycle

For people who are afraid of two-wheeled rides, someone came up with the tricycle. It's pretty much like a bicycle, but it curbs manoeuvrability in favour of stability. A fair-trade off for some, unthinkable for others. Personally, I recognise the benefits, but I wouldn't use one myself.

I came across these two chatty girls in Namestovo, a small town in Northern Slovakia on 3 September 2012.

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 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 Wheelbarrower

He wheeled his wheel-barrow through streets broad and narrow

I like unusually-shaped bikes and this wheelbarrow-like* bicycle was no different. Think of the possibilities it opens. It looks quite similar to the courier bike. It's also a working tool, like the bicycle of the ladderman.

I took the picture above on the 22nd of February 2013 on Pearse Street.

*Thanks to the follower stripymoggie, who brought to my attention that this model is known as "CargoBike Long". It is sold not far from the photo location.

The Cyclist Wannabe

Skateboarding Track

The cycle path along the Grand Canal doesn't serve solely cyclists. If you cycle along, you've probably seen pedestrians walking on it all the time. Joggers love it in particular, as they see themselves faster than other footwalkers. And, as you can see from the photo above, teenagers on skateboard also love to use this fabulous facility. Who knows, perhaps one day he will also become a cyclist.

In any case, it demonstrates how cycling infrastructures serve the whole community, not only cyclists, ergo it's a wise investment. You can read more about segregated cycle facilities here.

I took the picture last week, on 12 February 2013, by the canal.

The Pinkish Wheel Rider

Cycling in running shoes?

I usually adore cyclists in suit and this guy was no exception. It's hard to pinpoint what made him so likeable. Perhaps it was the white athletic shoes he wore that looked awesome. They really blended in well with the frame. Or maybe the pinkish wheels and the bluish shirt that seemed complementary. Whatever it was, I couldn't take my camera lens out of him till the lights changed.

I took the photo on 26 July 2012 by the Grand Canal/Lesson Street.

The Israeli Artistic Cyclists

Come here!

So it's not a real cyclist in the photograph alright, but nonetheless an interesting figure on a bicycle. Penny Farthing looks cool painted orange with a weirdo trying to catch a butterfly on 'em.

From the Hebrew inscription on statues, you could have inferred that the photo is from Israel. To be more precise, it is from the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv where I happened to visit a wonderful exhibition on Murano glass back in April 2006.

Since we are already focusing on the Israeli art scene, let's talk about another cycling statue. About a hundred kilometre southwards, near a town called Beersheba (or Be'er Sheva), one can find the "Sculpture Trail" in a place called Hatzerim Forest (which, in the middle of the desert, is not quite a forest at all). I was there in January 2006 (on a desert sojourn) and came across another special pair of Penny Farthing, this time with a head of a horse.

With all the horse meat that is being discovered in numerous "beef" products sold across Europe nowadays, this sculpture was most certainly ahead of his time. So next time at the bike shop, make sure your bicycle doesn't contain traces of horse DNA. Wink wink.

This bicycle make contain traces of horse meat

The Macauist

Reading under the sun

In Dublin, it never gets too warm (and currently it's pretty much freezing). But other corners of the world do. And where and when it happens, people know how to enjoy every moment of it (or heat).

See for example the lovely rickshaw tricycle cyclist I encountered on a day trip to Macau (I spent some time in Hong Kong back then). As he had no customers, he spent the day reading the daily news.

I took the picture on 30 September 2004. The average temperature that day was 27 degrees Celsius (source. I can confirm that it felt very sticky). The location is Largo do Senado, the main square of Macau.

The Motorcyclist Wannabe

Size doesn't matter

Many time cyclists find themselves gazing at other cyclists' bicycles, just to check what they've got down there. In this case, however, the cyclist compared his rather standard pair of bike with that enormous monstrous gigantic motorcycle.

But as the cliché goes, size doesn't matter. They're all cyclists after all.

I took the picture on 31 August 2010 on Robert Emmet Bridge, Harold's Cross.

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 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

The Unicyclist (3)

One man one wheel

We've already met a unicyclist before, in fact more than one unicyclist. But it's always nice to see that this magnificent skill is being maintained by so many cyclists in Dublin. This particular unicyclist was on fire, well, at least his juggling clubs or torches were.

The photo was taken on 14 July 2012 near the entrance to Stephen's Green shopping centre.

The BMXer (2)

It's showtime

The last BMX rider we had was a bit scary.  The current one wasn't scary at all, just a young lad on a relatively small bike. The cobbled street is just beautiful, although experience shows that cycling on it can feel a bit shaky.

I took the picture above on 21 October 2012 in Temple Bar.

The Tiny Wheeler

Small wheel, big will

Folding bikes come in handy. They're so tiny so they can be stored virtually anywhere. On the other hand, when in use, they look rather silly, more of a circus bicycle than a serious mean of transportation.

Nonetheless, in Dublin's Cyclists we love all cyclists and welcome everyone on board. Especially cyclists like the one above who was amongst the very few cyclist who stop on red light behind the designated road marks. Well done!

The photo was taken on the 22nd of May 2012 on the Grand Canal cycle path off the N11.

The BMXer

Cycling is cool

I'm not quite sure what to tell about this cyclist. Perhaps just that when I saw him, tattooed all over his arms, getting on his bike it felt like a brilliant picture. But he looked a bit cranky, so I was scared of taking a frontal picture of him, thus I sneaked behind his back (chicken me).

The photo was taken on July 1st 2012. You probably recognise Swan Centre in Rathmines on his left.

The Pusher

Keep Pushing

The cogs, the chain, the pedals and all that clockwork mechanism that sets the bicycle in motion demonstrate the brilliance of the 19th century designers. Bicycles are here to remind us that, as the edge inscription of the £2 coin puts it, we are "standing on the shoulders of giants".

Yet, sometimes, when the mechanism doesn't work one needs to push his or her bicycle or tricycle down the road.

I took the picture above on 5 July 2012 near Stephen's Green Shopping Centre.

The Unicyclist (2)

One man One Woman One Wheel

We've already had a unicyclist in action on Grafton Street a while ago. The picture above shows that unicyclists are moral and walk amongst us.

I took the picture above on 18 August 2012 at St Stephen's Green, as can be seen from the beautiful Georgian doors at the background.

The Tandemists

In Tandem bike

Tandem bicycle is a great invention. It allows couples (or even more than two people. To borrow from Archimedes, give me a tandem bike long enough, as many saddles and pedals as I need and an endless plan on which they can all ride and I shall cycle the whole human race) to cycle together and it is actually more powerful than standard bikes.

In Dublin, one can usually spot tandems in Phoenix Park, where they are for rent. It is rarer to see them in the city centre. That's why I was happy to see this French couple in Westmoreland Street, just off O'Connell Bridge. What a serendipity, I was on my way to Phoenix Park...

The picture above is from 22 July 2012. I was there for long enough to capture another photograph of this beautiful way to tour Ireland.

Are you done with your shopping?

The Tricyclist

Tricycle

Last time we explored a rather bizarre option for riding with three wheels. Using tricycle is the more conventional way to do so. I quite like it because it provides a stable option for cyclist who want to pedal, yet are afraid of losing balance (not everyone is as good as The Balancer).

I met this lady on 28 April 2012 in St Stephen's Green. She was pretty quick, so by the time I hit the button of my zoomless camera she was quite far.

The Long Chainer

Chain reaction

 

We've already mentioned a few recumbent cyclists or "Low Riders" before. However, I thought this type of cyclists tend to show off only in big cycling events. Apparently they also use them on a day-to-day basis.

I hadn't realised before how long can the chain of this bike be. I also loved the shopping bag the guy hung on his shoulder (had he come from nearby Tesco?) and the Star-Spangled Banner design of his bicycle.

 The picture was taken on 19 July 2012 by the river Dodder in Rathfarnham.