Two New Bikes on the Streets of London and a Confidence Boost

A few minutes before you set off on a yet ride home you question your sanity. You know you'll be drenched within seconds and the discomfort that'll follow quickly after. But remember the alternative.

Yesterday I left the bike behind to meet a friend in a pub. That all sounds lovely, I bet. I didn't ride to save myself the worry of locking a bike and riding it after too many beers. All generally sensible, except it was a chance to experience the world off the bike. To get there I had a choice, either to get a bus rammed until the doors strain with steaming damp people, or to walk. I walked and thus was as wet as I would have been if I'd ridden, but in less appropriate clothing. Although I have to admit that the pleasant glow of a couple of beers soon helped with the dampness.

Walking around I was also surprised to see a very strange bike approaching me. So surprised, in fact, that I couldn't coordinate myself to take a picture (and it was on the pavement so I would have felt bad giving the rider publicity). A bit of research back at the Internet allowed me to discover it was a "Stepper Bike". As far as I can tell it allows you to take the gym experience of stepping up and down endlessly, to the streets. All you need to complement it is a screen showing MTV, and to only ride with six other bikes next to you, to complete the gym fantasy. The website already suggests that you will be in the company of beautiful Californian women in short shorts, and girls from Playboy and that's good enough for me.

I'm sure you all already know that the UK Cycle Show is on from today at Earls Court. There's many promotions around which can still get you cheap tickets, and the British cycling world will be there in force. The Internet will undoubtedly be full of the new ranges and gizmos in the next few days, and I hope you find something you like. I won't be there as I've not managed to blag a free press pass this time around, and somehow paying to go seems wrong.

What seems entirely right, however, is a survey that they have commissioned which has discovered that women find cycling men more attractive than football or rugby fans, as long as they don't wear too much lycra. It's fun finding out that you're some sort of heartthrob, when you thought you were just saving money on a bus ride.

Finally, the TfL cycling website has been updated and the bikes for the London hire scheme have been unveiled to real journalists. At first glance it seems surprisingly good-looking and attractive, although built for comfort not for speed, as they say. That's definitely a good thing as it's got to hold its own between the legs of male cyclists who've just had their opinion of themselves boosted considerably.

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