Oxford Cycle Workshop December Newsletter

-----here is our December shop newsletter-----

Intro

• *Sometimes the end of the year can put you on a downer. I m hoping
  this email will pick you up. So if the tinsel most companies wrap the next
  four weeks in isn t enough to make the day feel cheery then hang in here
  with me. Here at Oxford Cycle Workshop we find ourselves falling just
  outside the realms of Christmas shoppers so I hope we can act as a breath
  of fresh air, even if a breath of fresh air is what you re currently
  cursing when setting out on a commute on a clear morning.
  
  

A Different way of giving Shelter Shop Alleycat
My first suggestion for fun is to battle the forces that seem to
reign over Oxford city centre at weekends over these weeks before
Christmas. I realise you d have to be mad to set foot on Oxford s
streets at a weekend at this time of year&& unless you have an
honourable excuse, obviously.

On December 8th we ve organised a treasure hunt style alleycat event. The
Shelter Shop Alleycat s aim is to stock the shelves of our local homeless
shelter just for fun. Turning up to this event will make you feel like a
hero. Instead of battling through the Christmas crowds in the hope of
finding that last pair of Finding Nemo socks for your Gran, you ll be
battling the forces of blinkered festive consumerism for people who d
actually appreciate the extra warmth a pair of 100% wool Finding Nemo
sock can bring. You see the idea makes you feel more heroic already. So
where do you need to be. Well you ll be given an envelope of instructions
from Sim on Broad Street at 2pm and the clock will stop when you check in
with Lydia at a secret location later that afternoon. There ll be prizes
for the best bike dressed as Christmas tree, and maybe a bonus if you re
dressed as a fairy atop fore mentioned bike, but really we re majoring on
the giving, and you ll sleep through December 24th safe in the knowledge
you re a hero (as well as being really really excited about santa coming.
A perfect combination of feelings me thinks).

Check http://www.myspace.com/oxfordalleycat for the full scoop

Bike Cull Blogging and COIN Transition Towns
Okay, so I hear what you re saying. My first topic was asking
something of you, and that s almost selling. So here s a link to one
of many visitors who s passed through Oxford and spent long enough
here to get a flavour. At this time of year, in the current climate
sometimes it s hard to find an Optimist. When it comes to Oxford s
problem with abandoned bikes, maybe it s even harder to find an
Optimist, but American John Kelly has found one, and he s written a
blog all about it and Oxford bike culls generally. Check:
http://voxford.blogspot.com/2007/11/oxford-bike-cull.html
for an entertaining read that reminds us of exciting facts like
20,000 cycle trips are made into Oxford's central area every day . I
think it s at the end of a year we need to take stock, and facts like that
should excite every inhabitant of our great city&.. (one day we ll beat
Amsterdam).

One thing I have felt strongly about for a while now is my belief
that Oxford should be a showcase for how the humble bike, as it can
transform a city from a historic centre in the grip of an evil
affliction to one that feels liberated by sustainable green
transport. Tomorrows COIN lecture explores the idea of Oxford as a
Transition City . Transition City is quite a business like word
for quite an incredible aspiration. Rob Hopkins is a man with
previous experience of working with cities to take them a step closer to a
world without oil, and the reality that will in time dawn on every city
human beings inhabit. It s an exciting project. Check:
http://coinet.org.uk/ for more information.

Spanish Co-ops we like
So with all this change, one of the exciting things will be the
renewed interest in the local. Sadly the bike industry can have a bad
reputation for sourcing products from the furthest flung corners of the
globe, but OCW is here to try and give you a choice. Okay reader, don t
think of this paragraph as a sales pitch, more of enlightenment. One of
the newest and most exciting things to have happened at our little
community minded shop is the arrival of a few new bikes. Don t fret. We
never want to loose the Oxford Cycle Workshop you know and love. An issue
which has made finding a suitable brand to fit amongst our fleets of
second hand machines a difficult year long struggle, but we ve found
something. A bike company whose entire range in made in Spain, under the
same workers co-operative ethos that you ll find at 39 Magdalen Road. The
brand is Orbea. Okay, so two sentences that might be considered selling:
1) They have a massive range from £245 hybrids to distinctive top end
mountain and road machines. 2) They strike us as being really good value
for money, well thought out and well designed bikes. For anything more
check: http://www.orbea.com http://www.orbea.com/
or drop on for a catalogue.

Polo pitches and relished routes
So how about another couple of winter cycling to do recommendations. I
imagine by now you ve heard us bang on about the wonders of Bike Polo on
more than one occasion, so I ll keep this brief. You may have even heard
us on Radio Oxford, yep banging on about Bike polo, or you may have
spotted mentions on the Guardian's media outlets. Since losing to London
in the Bike Film Festival Polo Champs there has been a growing desire to
invite some of these London players to our end of the Thames for some
friendly competition. If you ve been curious to see this Bike Polo thing
in action the place will be Wren Road, North Oxford at the Cutteslow
Community Centre football cage this Sunday from 1pm. My money s on you
being hooked by 4pm&.. and if not then here s the back up plan. Last month
I had the pleasure of receiving an email from Gerard. A generous soul who
shares our desire to maximise your cycling pleasure in our fair county.
His gift to us is to be found on his blog in the form of his favourite
cycle routes. Check for satisfaction:
http://cyclingroutesoxford.blogspot.com/

Oxford Cycle Workshop Special Offers for you

• *Okay so this feels naughty. I don t want this to be a sales pitch, but
  quickly (blink if you re done with commercialism) here are some killer
  deals we have here at OCW. Cateye s EL210 and LD600 lightset are for those
  wanting to illuminate where they re riding, they re RRP should be £40 be
  we are selling them for £27. One down two to go. The next one is a glove
  that is both wind proof and water proof without being excessively bulky.
  It s made by Altura and we ve disregarded the RRP of £30 to sell them at
  £16 until we run out, and finally we continue to sell Kryptonite D-locks
  at £25 despite their RRP of £30. Okay that s it, no more&& though we do
  have ideal stocking fillers of BiCi top tube pads, Velocity rims and
  colourful Knog LED lights I could mention.
  
  

And finally
So readers, I m hoping if you ve got this far you ve found something to
interest you, and maybe even something to help burn a few of these gloomy
winter hours. If not (and may I first congratulate you on getting this far
if that s the case), I m guessing the cycling joke is going to be
traditionally poor and the maintenance tip too much like hard work, so
here s my last ditch attempt.
What I want you to do is stay seated, leave the lycra in the draw
and the OS maps on the shelf. The journey I have isn t going to
require movement, bar a little digit dexterity. First on my list is
for all you interweb networking folks. meandmybicycle.com might just
be your static route to new cycling friends. Taking the now familiar
networking site format, finally someone has added to it the one thing
every other networking site had lacked: a section on my bike . If you
sign up be sure to join our group at:
http://www.meandmybicycle.com/group/recycledbicycles

The next link is to a blog spot that keeps us entertained.*
http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/
*With the year rounding out it feels like a good time to take stock
of the things that have kept us giggling throughout the year and
bikesnobnyc is one such thing.

http://www.sustransconnect2.org.uk/

Our final link comes in the form of something for the future, and
what they need to make that future a reality is your vote. Voting
closes on Dec 10th and I m saying nothing more. I ll see if curiosity gets
the better of you. It s an incredibly worth while click of the mouse.

Cycling Joke of the Month
What do you call a bicycle built by a chemist?
Bike-carbonate of soda

Cycling Quote
A bicycle does get you there and more.... And there is always the
thin edge of danger to keep you alert and comfortably apprehensive.
Dogs become dogs again and snap at your raincoat; potholes become
personal. And getting there is all the fun. ~Bill Emerson, "On
Bicycling," /Saturday Evening Post/, 29 July 1967

Maintenance Tip of the month
Here at OCW we are always keen to see a new bike idea, especially if it s
environmentally friendly. Our tip is obvious for such increment weather.
Oil your chain at least once a week during rain, but this month we
received a product called Green Oil. It comes with the tag line Destroy
limits, not nature . We are currently testing this product and if you d
like an experimental squirt, drop in and see for your self. Their web site
is http://www.green-oil.net http://www.green-oil.net/
and if we like it we ll stock it. So despite these irritatingly long
emails at least our oil wont be irritating to skin or the environment.

And Finally for real.....

I would like to personally thank everyone who uses our shop, tells
friends, or even just reads these email for their support over the
last twelve months. We believe we are doing something important by
offering people choices and it is good when you reassure us of that.
We are eternally grateful for all the donations you have gifted us
over the year whether old bikes, or bike parts.

If you're not blessed with a grave yard of bikes we are also very
grateful recipients of things like your old rags for cleaning dirty
hands and bikes, and we are also so happy when someone wants to
donate some clean hands to help out too. Come in and ask if you
fancy....

Have a fabulous Christmas (it still feels a little early to be saying
that), and you'll get the next newsletter in January.

Ride safe,

Dan

On behalf of all at Oxford Cycle Workshop

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The Oxford Cycle Workshop is Oxford's community bicycle workshop. We
recycle abandoned bikes and promote all forms of cycling and good cycle
maintenance.

Opening times:
Monday - closed all day
Tuesday - Friday: 9.30am - 6pm
Saturday - 10am - 6pm
Sunday - closed all day

Oxford Cycle Workshop,
39 Magdalen Road,
OX4 1RB

Tel: 204 799
http://www.oxfordcycleworkshop.org.uk