UMBUG Video Commute Project

UMBUG would like to collate a library of cycling videos from across Manchester to promote cycling and we are looking for UMBUG members to film their commute.

your entire route to work;
sections of your commute that fellow cyclists would find useful or interesting, for example:
dedicated cycle paths,
how to navigate a tricky junction or
a new road layout;
any footage that promotes cycling to work.

To film your commute, the Environmental Sustainability team have a GoPro Hero video camera with a handlebar/seatpost/pole mount that you can borrow. Please contact UMBUG at umbug@manchester.ac.uk to borrow it.

Please use the video mode rather than time lapse.
Resolution should be set to 1080-25.

The camera comes with a Quick Start Guide and you can find more detailed information in the GoPro User Manual.

Please just let us know if you have any alternative equipment suggestions that would make filming with the GoPro easier.

We will also happily accept footage filmed on your own camera if you have one.

You do not have to worry about editing the footage (unless you want to). When you return the camera, will we download the files and edit them. If you are interested in editing them yourself, GoPro Studio is a free and user friendly option.

Happy New Year! We hope you enjoyed the festive break and found time to get out on two wheels every now and again. The first Corridor Cycle to Work Breakfast of 2016 is happening this week, on Thursday, 7 January at the Royal Northern College of Music.

All cyclists old and new from Corridor Manchester organisations are invited to come along and enjoy the free breakfast, which will be provided from 07:45 – 09:30. As usual, you can register on Eventbrite to speed up your sign-in, or simply turn up on the day. Dave from Revolve MCR will be on hand from 8am onwards offering free bike health checks too!

Sustrans Bike Life survey

Sustrans has launched the Bike Life survey, the largest ever survey of attitudes to cycling in the UK. In Greater Manchester 4,000 people of all ages were randomly interviewed over the phone and 11,000 UK-wide. The consistent finding across all cities was that people want a lot more money spent on cycling provision – an average of £26 per head out of the current £300 per head for transport. People want to cycle but they just don’t feel safe enough.

You can read more about the findings here:
http://www.sustrans.org.uk/bike-life/overall-survey

UMBUG bike shelter guardians

Your shelter needs you!

We’re looking for shelter guardians to take responsibility for their campus bike shelter. This involves:

reporting faults and abandoned bikes
putting up posters
being a point of contact for other shelter users
monitoring shelter capacity (one day per month).

If you are interested in becoming a shelter guardian, please email umbug@manchester.ac.uk.

Shelter guardian poster

Moustache e-bike test riding session

Manchester Bike Hire have organised a test riding session with Italian e-bike manufacturer Moustache Bikes.

When: Wednesday 16th September 16:00-18:30
Where: outside the Boathouse in Platt Fields Park

If you would like to try an e-bike, please come along and invite any colleagues, friends or family that may be interested.

You can find out more about their bikes here.

Life on 2 Wheels Cycle Challenge

The latest Transport for Greater Manchester Life on 2 Wheels cycle challenge (formerly the Better By Cycle challenge) gets under way again on Thursday 3rd September 2015. Get out and about on your bike and log your journeys online for a chance to win prizes. TfGM’s Life on 2 Wheels campaign aims to encourage people to jump on their bikes and give cycling a try, whether it’s to save money, get from A to B, or stay healthy. The challenge is free to enter and you could be in with a chance of winning individual prizes throughout the challenge as well as workplace prizes for the 3 workplaces with the highest average number of journeys per participant. If you like a bit of healthy competition, you can see how you compare to your friends, family and colleagues on the leaderboards, including one for the University of Manchester (just remember to select The University of Manchester when you sign up – listed under T).

Oxford Road developments

The Oxford Road bus priority works will begin on 31 July for eight weeks and have been timed to coincide with the closure of Oxford Road for the demolition of the Precinct bridge. The first step will be to build a trial bus stop on Oxford Road, below the Hathersage Road junction, opposite Whitworth Park. The stop will feature Manchester’s first physically segregated ‘Dutch-style’ cycle bypass which will pass directly behind the bus stop platform. When the trial stop has been built, TfGM will ask users for feedback so that they can monitor and evaluate how cyclists, bus users and pedestrians interact at the stop. The main work to transform Oxford Road is scheduled to begin later this summer.

From 10 August to 6 September, Oxford Road will be closed between the junctions with Hathersage Road and Booth Street West/East to allow the demolition and removal of the Precinct bridge. During the road closure, there will be no pedestrian or cycle access under the bridge and alternative routes will be signposted.

Find out more on StaffNet.

UMBUG-branded hoodies and t-shirts for sale

*** now closed ***

We’ve been asked about UMBUG-branded hoodies and t-shirts by a number of people, so we’re going to get a batch made up. We’ll need to bulk-purchase, so please place an order with us at the link below before 26^th June. T-shirts will be about £10 and hoodies about £20 – the final figure will depend on the number ordered. They will have the UMBUG bike logo on the front and “UMBUG University of Manchester Bicycle Users Group” on the back.

To order:

Please follow the link to this doodle poll http://doodle.com/fdwteifdmdscwn69
FOR EACH GARMENT, please enter your email address and click the relevant garment/size button
On 3^rd July we will get a quote from the manufacturers and contact you all requesting payment by bank transfer
When the hoodies arrive you will be emailed to arrange collection

Sizing guides:

Garment	Standard T-shirt		Lady-fit t-shirt		Hoodie
Size	Width (cm)	Length (cm)	Width (cm)	Length (cm)	Chest (inches)
XS	XX	XX	41.5	62	34
S	48.5	69.5	44	63	36
M	53.5	72	46.5	64	40
L	56	74.5	49	65	44
XL	61	77	51.5	66	48
XXL	66	78.5	54	67	52

Early sign-up for the Manchester 100 bike ride in aid of the Christie

Would you like to cycle the Manchester 100 bike ride in aid of The Christie on Sunday 6^th September 2015?

A great ‘Century’ ride – a choice of 100 mile or 100km route along beautiful lanes through a wide sweep of Cheshire, helping to raise funds for the Christie Hospital. Starting and finishing at Wythenshawe Park, Manchester, the route heads first to Northwich, taking in Delamere Forest and Nantwich (the half way point) for lunch before heading back through Middlewich to the Finish.

Advanced entry fee: 100 km £19.50, 100 miles £20.0

For more details and to sign up online, visit: http://www.bike-events.com/manchester100

Free evening talks for cyclists

The Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative have organised a series of free evening talks for cyclists at their shop over the Summer. Each talk will last around 40 minutes followed by a Q&A and will include free refreshments. Advance booking is required.

Tuesday 19 May, 7:30pm
Registered blind athlete Steve Bate talks about his incredible achievements, which include climbing El Capitan solo (rated rock climbing’s toughest challenge), winning the national para-cycling road and time trial championships, and his road to the Rio 2016 Paralympics.

Thursday 28 May, 7:30pm
Jamie Still is the organiser of the Great Manchester Cycle – a golden opportunity for 7,000-plus cyclists of all abilities to enjoy a unique cycling experience on closed roads in Greater Manchester. Who better to offer advice on getting prepared for this (or any similar distance) big ride?

Tuesday 2 June, 7:30pm
Tim Lawson is the man behind Secret Training and a founder of SIS. It would be hard to think of anyone better qualified to deliver an informed talk on sports nutrition.

Wednesday 10 June, 7:30pm
Inspiring local cycling advocate Amanda Phillipson is a Breeze Champion and a SkyRide Leader and Cycling Instructor. As the first female captain of South Manchester’s Withington Wheelers (established 1931) Amanda delights in dispelling the myth that cycling clubs are not welcoming to women.

Week beginning Monday 22 June (date TBC) 7:30pm
Matt Crampton is a multi medal-winning track cyclist. His achievements include a silver medal in the 2006 Commonwealth Games Team Sprint and gold at the 2013 keirin World Cup. Born, bred and still based in Manchester, Matt truly is a local hero. (Kind of speaks for itself! Should be a good one, for more serious cyclists or Commonwealth Games fans.)

Wednesday 1 July, 7:30pm
Manchester cycle lawyer Jane Bedford McLaren offers an insight into how the law affects UK cyclists, and how to protect yourself – both physically and legally.