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I think you're right about the Brompton thing: chatting with pals shows that the amount of abuse you get on bikes correlates with the type of bike you ride: friends on Bromptons and Dutch bikes get heaps more abuse, perhaps because they stand out more, and those bikes are seen as "girlier".

Harold: Sorry to hear about your wife: especially that it increasses with your baby on the back. Some people are just vile.

Genius.

But if she'd spent ages wrangling with her chain she'd have been bloody grateful.

I mentioned that to contrast with the lovely bloke who shouted as he went past. Don't you stop to ask cyclists if they need help when you see them? I've met a few people who were really grateful to be offered some tyre levers, a babywipe or rubber cement, and people stop more if you're not wearing lycra.

I think I read in the Daily Mail that 80% of cyclists are immigrants. Or dating a footballer, I forget which.

That's a good question - my last three were between 17" and 19" I think, because they were all SUABs.

Thanks! Used to cycle up a monstrous hill in Coventry on a single speed, so London's a piece of cake so far. Aside from the delights of New Cross of course. ;)

Identical! but a dark pink/purple colour. It's in the middle of an estate, so I reckon the kids just grab them for laughs. I was in the shop for 15 minutes! Grr.

Hello! Interesting reading, and thanks for your comments. I will come to drinks! Not this Tuesday, but maybe next Tuesday. I'm not a shit cyclist, and I tend to avoid confrontation. A lot of other women have emailed me with similar, more harrowing stories suggesting it is very widespread and there are a lot in the comments on this post: http://fforphilistine.wordpress.com/2010/08/08/why-i-started-a-hundred-and-one-wnkers/#comments Yes, my chain probably did need fixing: i can clean the chain and fix a puncture, but that's about the extent of my bicycle maintenance abilities. yes, there were 6 in 3 days initially, but there weren't any over the weekend, and I think it's mostly to do with the fact I cycle at least 30 miles a day, always on main roads. So it's actually a tiny percentage of people who are prats. And now some bratchild from beckton has nicked my damn bike just when I was enjoying this whole project.