Safety first

One of the things that bugs me about cycling is cars. I know, that's hardly original... Anyway, after a close shave with a Royal Mail van a few weeks ago and a complaint that didn't get anywhere because I didn't have the driver's numberplate etched on my memory, the new gadget in town is... the Muvi super-small mini DV video camera!

It really is cute. Check it out on Amazon.

Well, it was on offer, so what's a girl to do!?

I can report that it's a great little camera. With an 8 GB memory card upgrade it managed to record a 3 hr ride on Sunday. The only thing I have to complain about is a user-error involving the angle that I had it on the helmet, resulting in a whole ride's worth of footage of my front wheel, and - very occassionally - the back wheel of the person in front of me. So, my setting-it-up skills need some work. I guess that's a drawback: because it's hard to tell what it's recording when you switch it on. But that aside, it's really great. Once I get some footage that is worth sharing, I will upload it for all to see. In the meantime, I'll continue to work on my helmet attachment abilities.

Pimp your bike

Fancy funking up your steed? Well one not-too-expensive way to pimp your bike is to change the gear cable outers, from the dour and ordinary to the bright and funky. Go for some understated pinkness, or maybe you want vampish red cables? Jagwire sell cables sets in a range of colours, containing everything you need for under £30. Not bad at all. You can usuall pick them up on eBay too. It's probably time you replaced your cables anyway, so go on... treat yourself.

Oh, how girlie!

Matching brollies, a cool basket to carry your pooch around in, a floral saddle cover? Yes, it is possible to accessorise your lovely bike without glowing in the dark, so great news for girly girlies wanting something super cute for those trips into town. Basil is a company in the Netherland, and we all know that the Dutch know a thing or two about bikes. Well, one of the advantages of living in a country where cycling is as normal as eating or going to work is clearly that companies make bike bits for "normal" people, rather than assuming performance gear is the name of the game. Yes, I know that sometimes a huge, waterproof, reflective pannier is necessary, but I think if cycling is to become more mainstream in the UK people need to see that cycling isn't just for nerds and eco-warriors; normal girls can bike too, and look funky while they're at it!

The range covers all bases, with 35l panniers, to jaunty shopping bags, wire and wicker baskets, and even a funky umbrella! Shame they don't do matching rain hats... but we're not complaining because they really do have most other bases covered.

Check out the range here and buy some of there stuff from Chain Reaction Cycles or Bonthrone Bikes

Company: www.basil.nl
Product type: Baskets, bags, panniers, accessories
Funk-ometer: 10/10 (florals, brights, patterns)
Green-ometer: Not sure...
Practical-ometer: 10/10
Price: varies
Overall: 10 *****

Bike Bins: good looks, great features, but how green are they?

For some people, cycling is about fitness, speed and distance, on or off road. For others, it's a green way of getting from A to B that's faster than walking and a way of getting out in the countryside that also happens to get you fit. There are probably as many different types of cyclist as there are species of bird! but I definitely fall into the latter category (with a bit of mountain biking thrown in for good measure), so am always on the lookout for "green" additions to my bike kit. I mean, promoting the green credentials of cycling while decorating our bikes with petro-chemical based products is just an extra stick for Jeremy Clarkson and his ilk to beat us with. So let's not go there.

Imagine then how disappointed I was to discover (after mailing the company) to find that the green credentials of Bike Bins are due to fact that they're recyclablerather than their recycled material origins. Oh well.

If you are looking to replace an old, broken pair that really are on their last legs, or you're looking for your first pannier (and can't get any from Freecycle!) then these are probably a green-ish bet. If you don't mind black.

The trouble with recycled plastics, specifically polyethylene (used in the manufacturer of these lovely looking things), is that you can't use recycled plastic and be choosy about the colour. So we can have bright, funky panniers made of non-recycled polyethylene, or we can have black (or grey, or dirty green) recycled ones. Currently, Bike Bins aren't using recycled material for any of their bins, even the black ones, but they have said they will be sourcing it in future, so when Bike Bins rise to the green challenge and offer us a choice, I'll revise my assessment and tick the green box.

Even if they don't really tick the green box, they do still have a lot going for them, although they're quite pricey at £35 each (or £32 each for two or more). Price aside, they're unlikely to break, waterproof, lockable, double as a camping stool (?), and - according to one customer - have saved their bike from damage! Plus, they come in a range of bright, funky colours. What's not to like?

Bike Bins: www.bikebins.com
Product type: Pannier
Funk-ometer: 7/10 (bright funky colours, no patterns)
Green-ometer: 5/10 (can be recycled but made from nasty petro-chemicals)
Practical-ometer: 10/10 (waterproof, lockable, greast carrying capacity, and other imaginative uses possible)
Price: £35 (single) £32 (multiples)
Overall: 7.3 ****

Buy them here.

Hello velo!

Well, after months and months of endless bike-related web trawling, blog lurking, and forum tickling, I've decided to take the plunge and make my debut contribution to the blogosphere. This first post is just a warm up, while I test out the site features and start developing the design and content.

To get started, here's a short post about why it's mellow yellow velo.

Well first, my bike's not yellow, but mellow yellow velo (while probably trademarked) relates to a mindset, a way of cycling, and a way of interacting with the world. That changes each day, in the same way that it's difficult to make custard the same way over and over again. Sometimes it's a runny custard day, when you're in the mood for a blast through traffic, racing to the lights, cruising past queues of commuters. Other times it's a life is sweet kinda day, just tootling around, watching the birds, enjoying the sites and sounds of surroundings, maybe with somewhere to go, maybe just going nowhere in particular, just out a ride. Hmm. Okay, so I've run out of custard/bike-related comparisons now... so moving swiftly on...

I hope you enjoy the site. I'll try not to be too obsessed with confectionary and focus on the biking. Promise.