Transition Circle West Update - Bike Maintenance - 18 July

Since the last update, members of Transition Circle West have been meeting twice a month with our usual bring and share vegetarian meal to do a variety of activities, including: textiles skills-sharing; discussing issues from ethical holidays to socio-cultural evolution; sharing herbal remedies; and going on a foraging trip! Most recently we met to discuss the changing role of shops and shopping in the future, and some of us also joined in at the open day for Norwich FarmShare at Postwick. We are currently in the process of creating a resource-sharing library for the group. Our next group meeting will be on Bike Maintenance. Do come and tune up!

Transition Circle West is open to anybody living in the west of Norwich who is interested in getting involved with Transition Norwich and learning about low carbon lifestyles. If you would like more information or to join get in touch with Helen on mshelenpallett@gmail.com

Photo from This Low Carbon Life on community transport

RELATED EVENT: Not About The Bike

Re-cycling has made it to Norwich! With a stash of secondhand bike parts, knowledgeable volunteers and lots of bike tools, I have been waiting for something like Not About The Bike to start in Norwich for a while. Every Wednesday from 10-3 they will help you to mend your bike for the cost of any new parts. So you learn to fix your bike yourself rather than paying a bike shop lots of money to do it. It also means we don't have to buy all of the different tools ourselves - so definitely good on the resources front.

It is all volunteer run so if you can do some bike repairs and are free on Wednesdays, then why not go along and help out for an hour or two.

So that's every Wednesday 10-3 at Unit 6, Beckham Place just past Anglia Square. For more info email notaboutthebike@yahoo.co.uk. Kerry Lane

BOOK REVIEW - It's all about the bike

Back in August on the TN blog, I said that I would like this book for my birthday in November and sure enough it appeared - though as a Christmas present! Still, better late than never.

I've just finished reading the book and enjoyed it a lot. The book is structured around the story of how a life long cyclist decided to assemble the best components from around the world to build a dream bike that would last him the rest of his life. Rob Penn visits people who are the best at their craft - one company has been making leather saddles in the same way for 100 years - another builds frames by hand to fit the rider exactly. On the way, he covers the invention of the bicycle and its evolution from wooden boneshaker to the first form of transport that was available to the common man and enabled people to travel further to work and for leisure - which in turn shaped housing and road development in the UK. There is plenty of humour and I was pleased to learn the origin of the Jock Strap and how it got its name.

I'm not sure that travelling to the USA to get some hand made wheels is justified but that aside, I'm confident that anyone with an interest in bicycles will enjoy a book that is as unique as the finished Dream Bike that adorns its cover. (I will however not be emulating RP and spending £3000 on a bike, I will be sticking with my trusty 20 year old cross bike) (John Heaser/Transition Circle Hethersett)

Kerry @ Otesha - End to End tour 2010

As those of you who read the blog know (see 26-28 July), Otesha are writing a weekly newsletter as they cycle from Lands End to John O'Groats. If you want to keep track of how they, and Kerry in their midst, are doing, you can read the newsletter at the Otesha website, or you can sign up to get it by email.

RELATED EVENTS: National Bike Week - Bicycle Bonus & the Otesha Project – 19-27 June

We are just in the process of signing up businesses to our Bicycle Bonus scheme. So far we have 12 shops/businesses signed up - most from the Norwich Lanes area, including Thorns, Revolutionz and Beaujangles.

Please help!! if you know anyone who works for a local business, especially in Norwich Lanes, please ask them to join the scheme- it is free! All they have to do is decide on a discount or special offer to give to cyclists! They can sign up to the scheme here... http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/bicyclebonusbusiness

Please join the scheme yourself. It's free, you get a hi-viz slap band and a personalised travel report!! Oh and did I forget to mention that you get a discount when you cycle in to the city and go to participating shops and businesses! http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/bicycle-bonus

On the 23rd June there is a FREE bike to work breakfast @ the Forum! Dr Bike, police security marking and of course free breakfast. yum. 7.30am onwards. (Matt Wicks/Transport)

For more info on this and our upcoming bikeweek activities please see
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/where-i-live and http://www.bikeweek.org.uk/

Meanwhile active transitioner Kerry Lane (Reskilling/TN2) is cycling the epic Lands End to John O'Groats for the cause of sustainability this summer with the charity The Otesha Project. She is cycling as part of a group of 17 other volunteers who, as well as carrying their lives on their bikes, will be stopping at schools and youth groups along the way teaching and inspiring them about all aspects of sustainability through theatre and workshops.

She will be writing some updates for the Transition blog on her way, so you can hear all about her adventures. She does however need to raise £1000 to fund the trip so if you would like to donate to a good cause then she has a just giving page and would be incredibly grateful!

To celebrate National Bike Week the TN blog This low Carbon Life is running a whole week to cycling written by Transition cyclists. click here to find all the latest http://www.transitionnorwich.blogspot.com/

RELATED EVENTS: What's Peace Got to Do with Transition? Peace Camp - 26 June

Norwich Peace Camp was partly inspired by the International Peace Cycle, to bring together local peace, community, faith, environmental, charity and other groups, all working in different ways for a fairer more sustainable world.

The first Norwich Peace Camp was in July 2006 and took up just one quarter of the atrium of the Forum. Since then it has expanded and for 2010 the entire atrium has been booked, with great extras including Fusion, where we will grow a ‘Peace Garden’ in the preceding week, and use the Chapelfield screen.

Peace Camp is a chance to showcase our vision and actions to fellow community activists and public alike. Refusing to fight over oil is just one of its many uniting threads. Here are a few more:

Passionate, practical hard work • Belief in fair shares for all, with the implicit need to reduce our consumption if we are to avoid exploiting our fellow human beings and destroying the eco-systems of the planet. • Wish to find common ground with others• Commitment to community - because it makes life joyful, but also because resilient societies enable us to resist shocks ranging from peak oil and climate change to government policy and depression.• Acting locally is what Transition does best. Campaigning globally is where peace activism comes into its own.

Transition Norwich has booked a stall at the Peace Camp on 26th at the Forum. We have leaflets and banner to start with - and can do much more if we decide to. So if you would like to take part or have any ideas please contact lesley7railway@yahoo.co.uk (Lesley Grahame/Communications)

Little Melton Cycle Path – Friday 4 December

We are campaigning for a safe, off road cycle path that will enable children to get to the schools in Little Melton and Hethersett and will enable everyone to quickly reach places of work at the Hospital, UEA and Research Park. There are proposals to enlarge the Research Park and for 1000 more houses at Hethersett – without action the roads will become more dangerous, more congested and more polluted.

Please come to one of the locations below – it just needs to be for a few minutes in order to show your support and maybe get your picture on TV!

08:00 to 08:45 at Hethersett Village Hall – South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon will meet children as they ride to school. A crew from BBC TV is expected – as well as the local press. If you come on your bike please wear bright clothing and have lights as it will only just be light!
09:00 to 09:15 at the pedestrian crossing over the A47 at end of School Lane, Little Melton – MP Richard Bacon will see how dangerous the existing crossing is.

The full details are at http://www.little-melton.org.uk/news/CyclePath.html. If you can help with the campaign then please contact John on 01603 812472 or john@heaser.com or visit http://cyclelinks.org.uk/.