Articles

Man's Noblest Invention: The Bicycle. by Joe Diomede, Cloughjordan Cycle Co-op. Tel 0505-42871 www.cloughjordancyclecoop.com

Now that everyone is worried about global warming, higher oil prices and
the future of our planet, what a great time to get out that wonderful
simple invention; the bicycle. Many of you reading this may have one in
your shed, or may have looked at yourself in the mirror and thought, hmm
I better get doing some exercise. Well the bicycle is one of those
inventions that fulfiills many needs.

Before I go on, let me start by saying I run a small bicycle shop in
Cloughjordan, Tipperary. Many people ask me how a native New Yorker came
to open a bike shop in Cloughjordan, well my family and I arrived in
Ireland for the first time in August 2005. My son was five, my daughter
one. My wife and I had heard of an interesting project in Cloughjordan,
the Eco-Village project. What better way to visit Ireland we thought
than by bicycle. So we loaded up the tandem, and a solo bicycle, got off
the ferry in Roslare and slowly pedalled our way to Cloughjordan. We
liked what we saw, so before cycling down to Cork, we decided to make
the move to Cloughjordan to be part of the excitement that was happening
there. I also noticed it was a village without a bike shop. Having
worked in bike shops for the past 16 years from New York to Southern
England, I thought how great it would be to have my own small shop.

Cycling here we were met with many comments about how brave we were to
cycle all that way with two children. Our kids grew up on bikes, nearly
in trailers from birth, cycling long distances was nothing new to them.
As for my wife and I, our first date was cycling from China into Tibet
over a decade ago, so 450 miles around Ireland with two children was not
as daunting as it may sound to people who had not been on a bike in
years. The fresh air, camping, and lovely country roads were wonderful.
We looked quite a sight with our tandem, solo bike, two trailers in tow,
heading down the road, but the friendliness, cups of tea and great
curiosity we stirred was great fun. Family cycling is such an ideal way
to expose the kids to the great outdoors. The country roads look a lot
more daunting from the seat of a car. Once you are out on the road, you
realise that drivers in Ireland are still courteous, and a friendly wave
is much more common than an angry face. Sure you have to use some
caution, bright clothing never hurts, but to get out on a ride with a
smiling child on the back of your bike, or your 7 year old on his or her
bike going out for a picnic connects us all to a past we think is long
forgotten. Well with the way the world is heading, those of us who are
on our bikes, and use them more and more, will be seen as the pioneers.
The equipment now available for family cycling has never been better.
Trailers, child seats, and tag-a-long bikes which convert any bike into
a tandem make family cycling a pleasure, and leaves no excuses why not
to lead a more active healthy lifestyle with your children. What a great
way to enjoy the beautiful areas around Tipperary.

If family cycling is not what you are looking for, or maybe you don't
have any young ones around, there are still plenty of reasons to get on
your bike; companionship, fitness, touring, what about global
warming? There are plenty of clubs in Tipperary to fulfill any need
you might have. At least four clubs come to mind as I write this. You
can get out for a fast spin with the more race orientated clubs, or go
out for a social ride with some of the other clubs set up more for
casual rides and seeing the countryside. The Irish calendar is full
of events to challenge you if a challenge is what you are after, or
raise money for a charity while doing yourself a good turn as well. The
choice of fast lightweight road bikes has never been better, there are
touring bikes, hybrids and mountain bikes to take you to wherever your
heart desires on two wheels. Nothing is more satisfying than arriving
somewhere under your own steam.

If utilitarian cycling is where your heart lies, than there is good news
there as well, trailers, racks, and panniers have never been so popular
as they are now getting in Ireland, and the world over. This is also
good news because when products get more popular, that means there is
more choice of good quality items at reasonable prices. The choice of
bikes out there for lifestyle cycling is also growing, it would be hard
not to get a bike to suit your exact need.

The wonderful thing about cycling is that it seems to be better value
than it has ever been. The quality of bikes available now is amazing
when you compare it to a short 10 years ago. Yes you can pay 3000 euro
for a bike if you are a keen racer, but you can also pay 300 euro for a
bike that will be a well made bike and last you a good many years if you
look after it. Like anything, buying quality always pays for itself.
Don't be lured in by cheap bikes for yourself or your family. Support
your specialty bike shops. A small bike shop in a village or town is a
valuable asset, but if you don't use it, you will lose it. Nothing makes
a bike ride more tedious than a poorly assembled bike, or a very heavy
bike that saved you a few euro, but cost you a lot of enjoyment. I like
to say, "The bike makes the biker" if you want your chid or yourself to
enjoy riding a bike, get a bike that is enjoyable to ride.

The world awaits you. I just set up 2 local farmers on bikes to cycle
arround Cuba for a few weeks, and I also just sent 2 more people on
fully loaded touring bikes to explore Ireland and the rest of Europe for
the next 6 months, the sky is the limit. I myself have done lots of long
distance cycling and have pedalled a fully loaded bike for uncounted
miles. I also love to ride my lightweight racing bike with a few friends
on Sunday mornings to the shores of Lough Derg, or up to the Silvermine
Mountains. The Wicklow 200 in June, and a two week tour of France in
July with my family. C'mon, get on yer bike!!!