.. _Bicycles:

Bicycle and mechanics
=====================


.. rubric:: Cycling in the city

I adopted the bicycle as my main mean of transportation when I moved to Grenoble. 
I have come to think it is the best one when living in a city, here are a few reasons why:

    - Fast and convenient -- no endless search for a parking spot, no traffic jams, no waiting 20  minutes for the tram at off-peak hours, ... 
    - My favorite way to unwind after work.
    - I can look after and repair my bike myself.
    - Environment friendly.
    - Economical -- no extra insurance, no gas, ...
    
And when it comes to inconveniences like rain, quite common where I currently live (Gothenburg, Sweden), or snow, I have become an adept of the Scandinavian saying

    Det finns inget dåligt väder, bara dåliga kläder.
    
    *There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.*

However, in the case of cycling, it needs to be extended beyond clothing to include cycling equipment such as suitable tires. 

    |snow|


.. rubric:: Bike kitchens

One thing I like about (non-electrical) bikes is the possibility to repair them oneself. 
I find it really satisfying to be able to diagnose and fix myself most issues I have with my bikes. 
A great place to learn bicycle mechanics is a *Bike Kitchen*, that is a Do-It-Yourself bicyle workshop where one has access to tools, second-hand spare parts and help from volunteers. 
Bike kitchens come with a large variety of structures and operating models (exclusively volunteer-run or with few employees, membership mandatory or not to access the workshop, ... ) 
but they have the common goals of promoting bike riding, reusing and recycling old bikes and teaching bicycle mechanics.
 

I have been a volunteer in two of them:

 - `uN p’Tit véLo dAnS La Tête <http://www.ptitvelo.net>`_ in Grenoble
 - `Cykelköket Göteborg <https://www.cykelkoket.org/>`_ in Gothenburg

and this is where I learned almost everything I know about bicycle mechanics. 

What I like about bike kitchens:
 
  - Learning more about bicycle mechanics,
  - Helping others,
  - Sharing my knowledge and enpowering people,
  - Meeting and exchanging with people from various cultures and social backgrounds,
  - The conviviality with the other volunteers, e.g. shared meals, evening hangouts, ...


Some external resources about bike kitchens:

 - `L'Heureux cyclage <http://www.heureux-cyclage.org/?lang=en>`_: French network of DIY bicyle workshops (mostly in French) 
 - `Wiklou <vhttps://wiklou.org/wiki/Accueil>`_, le wiki francophone du vélo (in French) 
 - `List of publications about bicycle workshops <https://bikeworkshopsresearch.wordpress.com/publications/>`_
 
 
.. rubric:: Traveling

I have also discovered long distance cycling, which is a way of traveling during the holidays that I enjoy. 

    - Châlons sur Sâone - Tours (6 days, ~ 600 km, summer 2019), in France, partly along the Loire river, with this bike:
    
      |diaferia|
    
    - Gothenburg - Helsinborg following `Kattegattleden <https://kattegattleden.se/>`_ (3 days and half, ~ 400 km, summer 2020), along the west coast of Sweden, with this bike (picture taken during the trip with the luggage on):
      
      |RD|

    - Dalslandsleden (3 days, ~ 360 km, summer 2022), starting from Vänersborg, in the region west of lake Vänern (biggest Swedish lake)
    
    - Around lake Vättern (2nd biggest Swedish lake), starting from Jönköping (3 days and half, ~ 430 km, summer 2023)


    
.. |diaferia| image:: assets/velo_diaferia2.jpg
    :width: 250
    :alt: My travel bike with luggage
    
    
.. |snow| image:: assets/velo_neige.jpg
    :width: 250
    :alt: My mountainbike in the snow
    
    
.. |RD| image:: assets/velo_RD.jpg
    :width: 250
    :alt: My mountainbike with luggage