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is a bell necessary on a bike?
in the early 1990s, having moved to the hallowed isle, i thought it a wizard wheeze to use my bicycle as a means of returning to scotland when intending to visit parents, friends and colleagues. arriving on a fully-loaded bicycle also meant the possibility of a few kilometres of touring while i was there. nice work if you can get it.
the irony of that first expedition was the route taking in the island of arran, one that i had seen from our previous home on the scottish west coast for over twenty years, yet never once visited during that time. i have never been one particularly adept at reading maps, not so much from the directional point of view, but definitely from a topographical angle. in other words, as far as my route finding was concerned, the world was perfectly flat. thus, when sailing towards the islay ferry's mainland port at kennacraig, on viewing a rather steep looking road while stood on the boat deck, i congratulated myself on not having need of riding such an imposing gradient.
you will have guessed by now that the aforementioned ascent was at the very outset of my bike ride, meaning that my overloaded bicycle had to be dragged kicking and screaming up a 14% incline. as i reached the summit, i cannot say that that it didn't occur to me to question why road signs pertaining to steep gradients always seem to be at the top, but never at the base. why would a 14% downhill be anything to worry about?
i won't pretend that first trip from islay to prestwick via arran went swimmingly well. a poorly designed cycle route leading from ardrossan to irvine made the going less than amenable, not eased by passing behind a housing estate from which copper piping was thrown in my direction. however, as one familiar with the area, finding my way from a to b was never particularly onerous.
i've since ridden from london to paris on a couple of occasions, but that was in the company of several hundred other cyclists, guided the entire distance by motorcycle outriders and a lead car. i've ridden in portland oregon on two separate occasions, but the city's cycling infastructure made that relatively easy and on most occasions, i was riding with local residents. my few days in provence with the nice people from rapha was once again guided at every step of the way and always featured mechanical assistance only a hand-signal away.
embarrassingly enough, solo riding in london was far less successful. yes, i had maps, but simply downloaded from google and bereft of a whole bunch of necessary street names. maybe an orienteering class wouldn't have gone amiss? however, if i had need of heading off into the sunset in a more convoluted fashion than described above, i think that particular evening class would be checkbox number one.
or is modern technology trying to tell me otherwise?
i have featured more than just one device on the post that promises to make the art of getting lost as distant as the valve radio has become. from the ubiquitous gps handlebar-mounted devices, have come increasingly smaller items that only stop short of providing a quality double-espresso, the most recent of which i know being the shoka bell. naive enough to expect this simply to be a bicycle bell, this device which naturally enough, connects to a smartphone via the inevitable bluetooth, offers an impressive eight different sounds including a user recorded message all of which can be adjusted for volume.
nope, me neither.
the internet of things demands that each time the shoka bell is rung, it is shared with others, warning other cyclists of awkward difficulties that might impede their progress. this is actioned via 72 light-emitting-diodes on top of this compact and bijou device. were that not enough, it also works as a light and an alarm. though my faith in technology has diminished as the years pass, and while still more than intrigued as to where it might head next, i do wonder about the distraction some of this technology provides to the average and not so average cyclist.
as one who ostensibly lives in the middle of nowhere, i find my surroundings of great interest, combined with my paying attention to traffic conditions in order that i arrive home in the same condition as i left. in a more urban setting, i would imagine the latter mode of perception is one that has need of being honed close to perfection. it's a jungle out there.
thus, a phalanx of gps enabled doo-dads attached to the handlebar, all connected to a smartphone in a back pocket and designed to ease any lapses of directionality, will surely divert the attention from the bike ride itself? i do realise that many individuals cycle as a means to an end rather than for the simple enjoyment of so doing, but it often seems that kickstarter is hell-bent on removing the last vestiges of innocence and wonder that cycling provided us with when we were young.
remember those days?
thursday 4 august 2016
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