Fixie mania

East London's become the kingdom of fixie heaven - for ones 'in the know', this means fixed wheel racing type bikes. It's always been a trend for bike enthusiasts, but in the last year it seems to have somewhat grown into a fad. Right, so sales of ordinary bikes in London have doubled, if not tripled, in the last couple of years (some say it was related to the tube terror attacks, others argue it's the rise of tube fares and the sheer convenience and freedom of riding a bike in town). No matter what, general awareness and interest in bicycles has hugely grown in London, and supposedly cool hoxtonites and east londoners haven't missed out on that one. Ok, so who am I to comment - being both an east londoner and a newly fixed wheel convert? What I have been witnessing, much to my amusement, a development of what I call 'bike porn'. Like car show offs, bike show offs like exposing, touring their newly purchased 2 wheel drive, flashy, shiny, expensive and of course, fixed. "I'm cool, I can afford to live in a cool part of town, so therefore I adhere to the coolness of owning a fixed wheel bike". Well nearly. Why have they become so popular? Is courier chic the new trend? When is biker chic going to grace the pages of Vogue or Elle? Soon perhaps; sporty is in, so why not? So couriers ooze coolness, confidence, power and freedom - they own the streets, swerve between traffic, avoiding cars, bendy buses and flirting with danger. It's the beauty of relying on nothing else but your legs - and alert mind. Then there's the coolness of being fit, though slightly scruffy - being on the streets all day doesn't help... So yes, many couriers live in east london. Many couriers ride fixies. Many artists and trend following/setting designers also live in the same part of town (it's cheap, arty and of course, cool). So inevitably, fixies have become part of the uniform. In the same way as drinking organic lager at the foundry or doing your vintage shopping down bricklane has. There's nothing wrong with that, but somehow, it seems to have lost - or at least seems to be losing- part of its unique, special charm. As Sheldon Brown's website beautifully describes: "When you ride a fixed gear, you feel a closer communion with your bike and with the road. There is a purity and simplicity to the fixed-gear bicycle that can be quite seductive." So true. wow.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html

Un-ethical Coke

Another reason to give up coke...
Not that I drink any coca cola, but here's yet another reason to really NOT buy it. Of course, it rots your teeth (or arguably damages your brain if you opt for the sugar free version) makes you hyper, bloats you and just generally doesn't have any health benefits, but it's also totally unethical. Nothing new perhaps but I picked up a leaflet the other day, explaining and condemning Coca Cola's actions in India. Coke Justice claims that Coca-Cola is destroying lives, livelihoods and communities, by highlighting a 'pattern of abuse' emerging from their factories in India - water scarcity, pollution of land and water and pesticides in drinks. Their global campaign has already put much pressure on Coca-Cola, and has led them to lose money from sales and legal fees in India. Hardly anything compared to what they earn globally, but it's a start and definitely another dent into their somewhat frail reputation. I really like this campaign and think more should be done to support it - www.cokejustice.org

East versus west

I've always been a big fan of the east London, of EC1, the City and beyond. Some friends swear otherwise. 'West is best'... A half hour cycle trip to the other side of town only reinforced my sense of belonging to the east side. Although people make their niche wherever they are, the polished, clean west part of town just isn't my thing. I've been there on quite a few occasions, admired the charming, well kept, terraced houses, cool cafes and shops, but the hoards of tourists and visitors -like me!- are just a real turn off, which was perhaps made worse by two close shaves on the road with typically pretentious, disrespectful drivers.
So back to the east side... As soon as I hit Clerkenwell road, I had the strange sensation of feeling at home again - as if I'd left town for the afternoon. Whizzing past the quiet, empty Guardian offices, overpriced loft spaces and studios, a wave of peace and happiness took over. Then past down the ever busy Old street, the concrete maze which is the Barbican, the superimposition of modernity and a few old landmarks (the jellied eel van off Aldgate doesn't count). The real grey, gritty, dirty stuff. Go further east it gets worse, but that's the London I love - both transient and present, filthy and fascinating, dirty and yet arty. I hear it's one of the most 'rooted' and historic place in town. Home sweet home, east London.

Sugar Rush

Easter eggs, warm weather and bank holidays - it all seems too good to be true. First day off and I already feel I've overdosed on sugar, drinks and general merriness. Three more days to go, god knows how (un) rested I'll be after a supposedly long break. A trip to Borough Market this morning - for an overpriced tea session-seems to have topped it off. A sugar laden cupcake and macaroon, washed down with mild coffee, seemed at the time like a great late morning boost, but less than two hours later - and a few cycling miles away- my artifically, sugar induced high, had worn off, leaving me even lower than at the start. This seems to be a regular pattern for me and for those who often succomb to sweet treats - and Easter is just one other excuse to unleash the sugar.
It's a widely known fact that sugar is a great boost - it's immediately absorbed into the bloodstream- which is why all the branded energy bars, are full of it. Fine when you're physically active, but it's a simple fact that most of us would rather simply sit around and scoff leftover easter eggs. And the more sugar we ingurgitate, the worse we feel in the long run.
So ditch the sugar, don't polish off all the easter eggs (in one sitting) - go for a walk in the sun or on an egg hunt instead!
On the delights of sugar:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar#Sugar_and_hyperactivity