Capital Cycles
Suit Your Commute With Your Capital Companion

It’s true – you can get fit while looking fashionable and it does NOT require an expensive, smelly gym.

Grazia magazine has teamed up with Cycletta – the new women-only cycling event. Instead of donning lycra and pointing your head down, Cycletta is about getting on your Dutch bike, going for a ride in the beautiful countryside, having a chat with your friends and yes – TONING UP WHILE YOU DO IT!!

Cycling burns an average of 470 calories per hour and helps with the following:

Lifts your bottom
Tones your thighs
Firms your stomach
Helps lose that belly
Burns inches all over

So think about it. Next time you get on that stinking sewer train to work, think of the sun shining above you and the thought that if you were cycling to work today, you would be getting fit whilst having a more pleasant commute.

To see our range of affordable Ladies Dutch Bicycles – click here

I’ll keep this article short and simple:

Experts have speculated that fuel could reach £2 a litre before the end of the summer. Even if it does not go this far, there is only one way it is going to go from here – UP

Well here’s a thought for all of us – the most uneconomical trips we take are the short ones. It might be to the shops or friend’s house, but one things we hadn’t had to consider until now was what it was really costing us every time we turned the key.
Even in a economical car (we have a diesel Ford Focus that does 60 mpg on the motorway), it will only manage about 20 mpg in town. So, if we are paying £2 a litre, that means that every 20 miles is costing you £8.00.

Two short trips a day will easily make up this sort of mileage.

So why not save money and get fit in the process? Ride a bicycle instead.

As the winter starts to close in and the days become shorter, there is no reason why it should stop us from cycling. What does matter though is that we remain warm and VISIBLE.

This can be done very easily and with us, very affordably. We have a great selection of reflective bicycle gear to suit all budgets.

To see it all, click here

The Daily Mail Femail magazine today gave a massive full page article talking about the benefits of dropping 4 wheels for 2: help the environment, save on travel costs and drop a dress size.

They recommend a number of Dutch bikes, including: – Carolina (best all rounder @ £449.00) and the Azor bike (the best for vintage charm @ £836.00). They discuss the wonderful virtues of owning a Dutch bicycle with its high, swept back handlebars meaning you sit up straight with your tummy tucked in and your head held high.

Well, the good news is that we can sell you a similar bicycle for a fraction of the price. We have stunning Dutch bicycles to suit every size shape and requirement, starting at just £154.95

To see our bicycles – click here

We all know what sort of winter we have had – a long, slow and rather depressing one. Well, it seems that our wonderfully stoic British patience is going to be rewarded.

The weather this week and next is expected to peak 25 celsius and the summer is set to be one of the warmest on record.

If you want to get the most out of it, get fit for the summer and save money then why not get a bicycle?

To see our fantastic range of beautiful bicycles – click here and you could be on the road in under 24 hours.

Honestly, which would you rather be doing?

THIS:

OR THIS:

You choose. One will cost you over £1200.00 a year and have you at the mercy of delays, disease and strikes. The other can cost you nothing (except the bike (from under £200)) and allow you to arrive where you want, when you want.

Think about it

With spring upon as and more people getting onto a bicycle, we have responded to demand and are proud to introduce the brand new 2010 Modern Dutch Hybrid Bicycle.

Very simply it is a beautiful, reliable and multi-purpose 18 speed Dutch style bicycle. It offers you variety as well as comfort and aesthetics as well as functionality.

For only £199.95, this bicycle comes complete with: Shimano TZ50 18 speed gears, dwept back handlebars for a comfortable upright ride, dynamo lights, full length mudguards, rear carry rack, side stand and much more…

Whether or not you should wear a helmet is a big issue in the world of cycling. At Capital Cycles, our view  is while it is certainly a very good idea, there are other things that you can do to make  yourself safer on the road. Here are a few ideas:

• Always wear a reflective top, even during the day. It is not only useful in the dark when light reflects, but it is also a single, large block colour which catches the eye during the day.
• Keep your lights on, day and night.
• Avoid listening to your mp3 player when you are cycling. Hearing is one of only a few senses you have and it is worth keeping on high alert.
• Assume that every car around you is unaware of your existence. How often do you see a car going down the road with the wing mirrors folded in? If the driver doesn’t even notice that, how would they EVER notice you? Assume they are all useless.
• When at traffic lights, get in front of the traffic but do NOT jump the lights.
• Before you turn off the road, position yourself so that you are clear to see.
• Keep your tyres well inflated and your brakeswell adjusted.

Well, these are some of our top ideas. We cycle EVERYWHERE and these are the things which we see to be totally paramount.

Finally, the spring is upon us, the perfect time of year to get on your bicycle:

1. The days are getting longer
2. The sun is starting to shine down on us
3. The temperature is much warmer
4. Summer is on the way and we all want to look good for that holiday on the beach

Cycling is the PERFECT way to get fit. Whether it is cycling to work, to the pub or just down to the shops, just 30 minutes on your bicycle every day will be en onough to get you on your way to the fit, healthy and happy body that everybody wants for the summer.

As well as all of this, you are also saving money!

Get on your bicycle today – click here

Arriving this summer 2010, will be London’s first comprehensive cycle hire scheme. Following on the success of the bicycle hire concept in Paris, Londoners will be able to hire bicycles for a fee. You will be able to pick up a bicycle from any one of 400 stations across London, use it, then drop it off at any station you want.

 There are two different fees which every user will have to pay:

1) ACCESS FEE
1 day = £1
7 days = £5
Annual pass = £45 (+ one-off payment of £3 for membership key)

2) USAGE FEE
up to 30 minutes = free
up to 1 hour = £1
up to 1 and a half hours = £4
up to 2 hours = £6
up to 2 and a half hours = £10
up to 3 hours = £15
up to 6 hours = £35
up to 24 hours = £50

PENALTIES
late return = £150
damage = up to £300
non-return = £300

Well, while we are thrilled to see more of an effort to get people on a bicycle, here are our concerns:

• It is only really economical if you are a cycle hire member (£45/year) and use a bicycle for less than 30 minutes each time. Use it any other way and it will be no cheaper than an Oyster card.
• What if you use a bicycle for a 30 minute journey and there are no spaces in the docking station at your destination? You will have to find another station, pay for the extra time, park away from your intended destination and probably miss your meeting.
• London, sadly, is awash with vandalism and theft. What if someone (a non-member) either damages or steals a cycle hire bicycle which you have just used? You will have been the last registered user and you will receive the penalty.

It will be a great way for people to see if cycling is ‘for them’ and if it is, then I strongly recommend you buy your own bicycle.