Bike pickup and shipment from -- Blackpool?


...another bike?

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What's the search, are you keeping an eye out for the ultimate bike?
 
every self-respecting Dutch has at LEAST a bicycle...
1. The top model. The shiny bike you use for pleasure.
2. The scrapheap. The oxidated bike you can take downtown and dont mind if it gets stolen. Of course, you still lock it with 3 locks, because, hey... Dutch...
3. The concept/collection: That different kind of bike, maybe one you can fold and take with you on the train commutes. Maybe it has a place for the dog. See this wikipedia for images
4. The loan bike. That extra bike you have when friends visit, and you do not want to stay sober (because of the car) while your friend is enjoying him/her self. (most Dutch bikes have a backseat, so 2 can go on 1 bike)
 
I've got three (and a scooter with air filled tires I take with me inside the bus if necessary).
By "scooter" you mean one of those toys with really tiny wheels ("Kickboard" in Denglish) or one with big 20+" wheels ("Kickbike")?

every self-respecting Dutch has at LEAST a bicycle...
Aren't you forgetting the fietscaravan? ;)
 
In British English at least, a scooter has at most maybe 5 inch wheels, and you stand on it rather than sit on it. Something with bigger wheels with a saddle we call a pushbike, assuming it has no gears or pedals, and those are mostly historical curiosities, rather than anything seriously used to get about.
 
In that case a British "scooter" would be a German "Kickboard" (or just "Kinderroller").
A "Kickbike" usually has bigger bicycle wheels (20-28", often mixed) but has no saddle. There is a small but it seems pretty active community in Germany around Kickbikes that mainly focuses on different racing disciplines that are also known from bicycling. In everyday life Kickbikes have an advantage over bicycles in that you don't need an extra ticket for them in trains. Had i known about those 10-15 years ago when I was traveling by train a lot, I would have definitely gotten one. But now it would just be another rarely used toy for me (which is kind of sad).
 
Ah, a 'kickbike' might be a BMX - while the one I had as a child had a saddle, I believe the ones they use for racing don't. You can't get one of those on a train without buying a ticket for it though, the only bike you can take on a train without faff is a folding bike. That said, bike tickets are usually free when you buy a ticket, although you have to stow the bike behind the engine which they'll open up for you, on intercity trains. Or just have to get in everyone's way standing between the doors on electric trains.
 
Ah, a 'kickbike' might be a BMX
No, a Kickbike is not a BMX. That one is called "BMX" in German too. A Kickbike has no pedals.
It seems like what I'm referring to is called "kickbike" in English too. [1] And it seems to be an actual brand name that occupied the whole range of similar products (like "Tempo"/"Kleenex" for paper tissues).

You can't get one of those on a train without buying a ticket for it though, the only bike you can take on a train without faff is a folding bike.
Different countries, different rule I guess. In Germany you can transport any piece of cargo on a train for free unless it's a bicyle. But the train conductor might ask you to leave the train if you occupy too much space. I've seen people transport wardrobes in trains for free. ;)
FoldED (not foldING) bicycles are free too.
A bicycle is pretty clearly defined in Germany. Among others it has pedals. Since a Kickbike has no pedals it is not considered a bicycle and therefore doesn't need a ticket.


[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kick_scooter#Kickbike
 
...On some of the underground you can't even take a bike :)
Some lines you can, like the met, district, circle... But its just the ones that have some overground stations, and only certain hours. The all sub terrain lines like central and Vic, you can't take a bike unless it's one of those fold up ones and collapsed.

I found this out the hard way just recently ;)
 
No, a Kickbike is not a BMX. That one is called "BMX" in German too. A Kickbike has no pedals.
It seems like what I'm referring to is called "kickbike" in English too. [1] And it seems to be an actual brand name that occupied the whole range of similar products (like "Tempo"/"Kleenex" for paper tissues).
Oh weird, an almost full-sized bike that you stand on like a scooter. I don't think I've ever seen one of those, although that's perhaps because of the hills round here.

Do you ride them on the pavement, or on the roads? Bikes, legally should be ridden on a bikepath or a road, never a footpath or pavement, while scooters generally aren't fast enough or large enough to take the road. If these are faster then they might run okay on some roads. Also, do they have brakes? Scooters generally don't while most bikes do (except for strict single speed bikes, which don't have a freewheel and you slow down by resisting the pedals alone). I can imagine pelting down a hill on one of them might be good fun, but somehow less fun when you reach the main road at the bottom if you have no way of stopping once you're above about 25mph.
 
Yes, I think I see front caliper brakes there. Dunno about rear brakes, but personally since learning to use my front brakes, I only ever use my rear brakes to give my front ones a rest, or if I'm indicating right on a downhill.
 
Do you ride them on the pavement, or on the roads?
Legally, in Germany, since Kickbikes are not bicycles they count as toys (like bobby cars or inline skates), so you'd have to use the pavement. However, there is also a law that if you carry a bulky object, you have to use the road, so that you don't block the pavement. Now it's up to interpretation if a Kickbike is a "bulky object".
Ironically, what you are clearly not allowed to use is the bikepath, because it's exclusively for bicycles. (except for those shared bike/footpathes).

If these are faster then they might run okay on some roads.
A Kickbike driver in another forum once told me, that on long distances a trained Kickbike rider reaches about 2/3 of the average speed of a trained cyclist.
If you look for videos of Kickbike drivers (especially in races) you'll see, that they have a quite sophisticated method of kicking, which leads to quite high speeds. Some racers even mount aerobars on their handlebars.

Also, do they have brakes?
Afaik, they all have front brakes, while rear brakes are optional and the more common the more weight your kickbike has on the rear.

but personally since learning to use my front brakes, I only ever use my rear brakes to give my front ones a rest, or if I'm indicating right on a downhill.
Front brakes are clearly the more important ones, but rear brakes are important too, mainly for brake balance - especially if you're mountainbiking on trails with sharp corners or if you're riding on slippery ground where your front wheel would be blocked by the brake before the rear wheel lifts off.
So you should train to use both together.
 
By "scooter" you mean one of those toys with really tiny wheels ("Kickboard" in Denglish) or one with big 20+" wheels ("Kickbike")?
Back then when I had to work in another workshop now and again, the official transit leading to it was a catastrophe. I had to walk a while to a certain train, hope the train is regarding the time table and I get the first bus which never managed to catch up with the second bus I had to take, so I solved the problem by taking a foldable scooter with slightly bigger wheels, admittance for over 100kg strain, air pressure and a handle that can be extended to adult size with me. If you keep the pressure at exactly 4.5 bar, it goes quite well and fast.
It wouldn't even be possible to take a folding bike inside the buses and trams here since they are usually very crowded, so it was the practical solution to walking several long stages. It shortened the time I lost due to the duty stroke by about 20-25minutes which is slightly more than my regular way to the primary workshop. My time is precious, so I try to cut down time lost on regular routes as much as possible.

If I had someone to do it with, I'd probably use it just for fun too.
I never had something like it as a kid and don't know anybody who did and I meant this:
City_Scooter_Big_Wheel_Air_Hudora_Alu_8_Air205_weiss_silber_205.jpg
 
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Front brakes are clearly the more important ones, but rear brakes are important too, mainly for brake balance - especially if you're mountainbiking on trails with sharp corners or if you're riding on slippery ground where your front wheel would be blocked by the brake before the rear wheel lifts off.
So you should train to use both together.
Yes, I've had incidents while I was relearning how to ride a bike as a adult where I've lifted the back wheel and crashed. If I need to make an emergency brake I do pull both levers, but if I can anticipate needing to slow down I generally use one brake at once and alternate. I'm a road cyclist, so don't usually have to worry about slippery ground, so don't have to worry about brake balancing so much. I can feel the bike getting lighter as I squeeze, so I'm mainly balancing the front brake against that to slow down without tipping the bike - I can't detect the rear wheel losing traction as easily, so only really ever use that to scrub a little speed and to avoid accelerating on a downhill - if I'm turning right and will need to therefore use my left (rear) brake to stop before the line, I'll slow down to a walking speed first using the front break then coast up and stop using the rear brake.
 
Edit: Notice the correct use of as a kid.

You mean to say that you're a juvenile goat?

As to cycling, I've noticed that in the Midlands (of England), "pushbike" can refer to any kind of bicycle, including those for used by adults, for transport, and on roads.
It's pronounced something like "pooch-bacg"
 
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