Friday

It’s been an exciting week, and one with the promise of summer coming. Not only have I officially ridden all the way home without lights, but also it’s the first time this year I have ridden without long sleeves.

It doesn’t sound that exciting, but it feels like a turning point in the year, when cycling becomes a pleasure instead of a battle, and you start considering the bike for more journeys, when you otherwise might have considered the car, or just staying at home in the warm.

If you are heading out to social events on your bike you’ll need somewhere to lock it up securely. If I were you I’d aim for something less extravagant than this bike rack, which seems more than a little over the top. I’m all for basic, strong-looking racks which allow you to lock up the bike without pretending to be some sort of set from a children’s TV show.

It was in this spirit of approaching summer and possibilities that I was racing along and overtook this bicycle. I must have been racing to have overtaken such a power-assisted machine, as surely putting an engine on a bike shouldn’t make it slower?

However hard the website tries to make it look pretty I will say that they at least got the name right. It really does deserve the model name, Ugli-der. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a more “Ugli” bike before.

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