The essential individuals of cycling series, Budapest: Joss Alcantara

Hi Joss! Can you tell me a littIe about yourself? 

I was born in Venezuela, in a port city called puerto la Cruz, since then I lived in many different places: Aruba , Caracas, margarita island then Grenada  and now Hungary.I always loved vehicles and machines. Specially cars. I even have1966 mustang convertible.  Back in Venezuela. Sadly back there the general situation has been exponentially worst for the last 15 years that made me decide like many others.to leave the country  Now I have lived in Budapest since 2010, I came with my suitcase and a scholarship to study Hungarian. I chose Hungary because of my Hungarian Heritage.

Here's Joss trying his new invisible, horizontal submergable bike, one handed...

What do you do now in Budapest?
Now I am studying to later work as a hotel or restaurant manager, I work with bicycles on the side.

Joss's workshop in downtown Budapest

How did you become so well known in cycling circles?
I have become pretty well know in Budapest in cycling circles because I simply love what I do, in one side I fix, renew, and restore these old city bikes. So many people know about me because of that. On the other hand I also work with high end exotic collectible bikes. Many bike stores know me for showing up with a different cool bike every time I go.

How and why did you develop your love of cycling?
I developed my love for cycling and bicycles very much since I arrived to Budapest. Before that I always loved motorbikes, cars and any mechanical machine or vehicle.   But I arrived with no money for any of these things. After a couple of months of being in Budapest I managed to save some money to buy a bicycle, I bought it for 13.000ft. I did not know anything about bikes back then.  The bike turn out to be a piece off junk and I had to fix many things on it, or at least try to fix them. Of course I needed to do it myself because I had no money to pay a mechanic.

I actually never managed to fix the bike. One day I find this other used bike in a bike store that was 15,000 HUF and I was able to buy it using my current bike as a part of the payment.  I definitely lost money But now I had a bike that was working very well. Later I switched bike again, and slowly upgrading, fixing, and selling. I started to make a little profit that helped me to buy the parts that I needed for the next bike. And in the process I developed a personal taste for bikes.

How could the cycling experience in Budapest be improved?  There is many things to do to improve cycling in the city, the biggest problems are: theft, rules of the road that not everybody knows and a society that grew up with the car as the main mode of transport.

If someone, new to the city would like to get hold of a cheap bicycle, what's the best way to go about it?
If you just arrived to Budapest and want to buy a bicycle, and you don't know Hungarian, the best options are: to find bike stores that also sell used bikes. The (Budapest) used bikes for sale on Facebook,. The Szimpla bike market, and other students that are selling their bike.I would not recommend normal markets to buy a bicycle, because there is a big chance that the bike is stolen. And even if you don't get in trouble, you will be supporting the thieves.

Another important thing is: always use a good lock, I will say one costing no less than 5000HUF. It is also helpful if you have some form of documentation as proof of purchase for the bike. And if you know nothing about it, have it checked by a bike store to make sure you a riding one that is safe.

Can you give me some thoughts on the cycling culture in the city?
Just like in college, there are many different groups of cyclist: The mountain bikers, the road bikers, the "Fixie" riders, the BMXers, the commuters etc.In the last few years the culture of cycling has been growing a lot. I see every day more and more people cycling, and I am happy about that. It has become not only a mode of transportation, but a cool trendy thing

Copenhagenisation: Making cities more cyclable

The majority of world carbon emissions now emanate from cities. So working toward cleaner, greener urban environments (which in the process are much more enjoyable places to live!) is vitally important if we are to begin to tackle climate change.

One term that has developed to encapsulate the pursuit of this goal is “Copenhagenisation”.  A strategy in which urban planning and design are devoted to making the city less dependent on the car and more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists, contributing to places which are “lively, safe, sustainable and healthy” (Gehl). This is really vital when you take into account that transport consumes both 20-25% of the world’s energy and emits a similar figure of carbon to the atmosphere. 

This concept of course originates from its namesake, The Danish capital, Copenhagen.  Renewed interest in the progression of the city from congested and hazardous to a cycling Mecca came as a result of the United Nations conference on climate change which it hosted in 2009.

Why cycling?  While all forms of sustainable transport must be developed, personally one of the issues with public transport, along with price, is the lack of freedom, to find your own way at your own speed. This perhaps one of the reasons why from the 1950’s onwards the mass movement away from public transport to the new cheap and available automobile occurred. Well, why wouldn't you? The development of cycling in urban areas leads to whole range of positive externalities: More cyclists means less drivers. Individuals who are healthier, less stressed with the prospect the daily commute newly invigorated. Cities are quieter, safer and pedestrians have more time to linger and really enjoy their surroundings. Fewer parked cars means there are more open spaces which can be used in a variety of ways from green spaces to markets to ….well what however far you imagination can stretch….

Source

The concept of Copenhagenisation has developed gradually but there have been two key individuals: Firstly  Mikael Colville-Andersen filmmaker, photographer and urbanist ^[famous for his, “Copenhagen Cycle Chic” blog devoted to the women (and men) who stylishly navigate the streets of the city, coined and popularized the phrase through a second blog Copenhagenize.com which seek to export some of the practices and lessons learned in the Danish capital.

Source

 Secondly, Urban designer Jan Gehl. instrumental in the evolution of Copenhagen, now shaped to meet the needs of people rather than cars.

While Gehl and Colville-Andersen may arrive at the problem from different points they advocate a number of the same things; for example the need for a change in the culture of urban cycling, moving away from a domain for Lycra clad speedsters to a form of transport open to everyone, recognised, as the normal method for getting around town. This concept has, in varying degrees spread throughout Britain, Europe and across the globe.

One way to prove this has been the expansion of the copenhagenize.com blog with sister sites devoted to Munich, Bogota and Portland to name just three. Gehl has gone onto integrate these ideas, in a more concrete sense, into a number of cities worldwide. His influence leading to changes in street design and big increases in those choosing two wheels over four. Take New York for example, where a change in policy has been met with almost immediate results. A 26% increase in cycle commuters between 2008-2009.

The Situation in Copenhagen

“We have spent 30 years not in great haste and making lots of mistakes figuring out how to get half a million people to cycle to work each day”  Colville-Anderson.

Copenhageners: They're are a hardy bunch! 

Nearly 40% of all the citizens of Copenhagen cycle each day with the city seeking to increase this even further to 50% by next year. This success is not simply as a result of an addiction to everything two-wheeled. Changes have been achieved through a long process of both carrots and sticks: There are very strict regulations regarding cars in the city, parking spaces are a limited commodity while vehicle registration tax is extremely high. At the same time $49 million was spent between 2006-2009 developing cycling facilities, including replacing busy roads with bike motorways. Cycling in the city has now perhaps proved so popular, that at certain times there is even bicycle congestion.

Potential Problems with a policy of Copenhagisation?

There are three things all cities must do in order to successfully Copenhagenise:

1.        Improve pedestrian and cycle access into and throughout cities
2.         Encourage people to spend greater time in public spaces
3.      Improve the quality of public space (Many cities have followed a well trod quick fix for this in particular).

 The key, as Colville-Andersen has acknowledged on many occasions, is that genuine change will not be achieved over night. In the case of Copenhagen the city’s first dedicated cycle lane was installed just 30 years ago while current success is as a result of many years of lessons learned from policy dead ends and mistakes.

“There was a political will to make it happen, funds were allocated. Funds are still allocated. We’re not bike friendly because it’s a flat city. We ride lots because of visionary political decisions.” – Colville-Andersen 

It’s this process of trial and error that has been undertaken that can really benefit other cities. Similar results can be achieved within a much shorter timeframe by simply incorporating the ideas that worked while staying away from those that failed. Of course no two cities are the same but as Gehl points out:

“depending on culture, religion, climate and topography there are good solutions for every city”.

Drivers and Cyclists: with friends like this…

Something that is required in every case is sufficient political will surprisingly not everyone likes bikes or cyclists! This is where the problem could lie. A great deal of time and money is required to change the prevailing culture. For many place both are a limited resource. I’ve previously written about the cycling renaissance that has occurred in my current home of Budapest, huge numbers either returning to or experiencing for the first time travel by two wheels. In the process overwhelming the current facilities.  But in general, in Copenhagenisation we have an exciting opportunity to experience our cities in a more healthy and sustainable way and at a speed of our choice.

Vérmező Bicycle station

Situated in the northern corner of this large park on the Buda side of the city.

Completed in 2013 it is the third project resulting from a cooperation between the Swedish embassy, the municipality of Budapest and business Sweden. All the projects are underpinned by the principles of the Swedish sustainability program, which seeks to promote an environmentally conscious lifestyle.

The new station has been designed to promote the urban cyclist. With opportunities not only to linger, either to meet friends or to enjoy a moment of tranquility during a busy day as such the park offers lots of good quality seating, solar powered lighting and finally an interactive installation created from used bike parts. There is also a bike service point to correct any niggles that you may have using the service stand and tools or pump.  

The art installation . All the red inlay of the "Y" are used bike gear rings.

Local talent in the form of landscape architecture students from the Corvinus university were used right through the development of the project from initial design ideas to creation of the station. Perhaps as a result, there certainly a lot of interesting touches, of course there is lots of pleasent landscaping using a variety of different plants but also different kinds of gravel being used and so you get an interesting sensation underfoot when exploring the area

Personally Having visited the station on a number of occasions you always notice passers-by spending a little time to explore themselves, reading the information boards etc.

 the tools have been removed

Unfortunately some of these are rather more curious than others! Despite all of this positivity the park has become a victim of the realities of everyday life in the city, with a few of the tools already stolen.

Further pictures from the station:

Heavy duty pump with spanner and levers 

A nice little detail on the tables.

Gives a better view of the landscaping of the space, use of different materials and solar powered light.

The New Budapest "Bubi" bike sharing system

 April (fingers crossed!) will see the introduction of the Budapest Bicikli bike sharing service, affectionately known as "Bubi" to the streets of the city.

The Bubi's - boxfresh!

One of the many docking stations that have sprung up around the city

Over 1,000 bikes will be available from 76 docking stations across the city The Bubi's, pleasing to the eye have been produced by the famous Csepel (pronounced chepel) company. Through the use of the innovative "String bike" drive the cycles will be unique. Stringbike is claimed by manufacturers to be both more hardwearing than the traditional chain system and delivers much smoother gear change. 

The European Union, commonly used as a scapegoat in Hungary has covered 85% of the startup costs for the scheme, almost 29m Euros. The minimal environmental impacts, intrinsic to the scheme will be complemented with many docking stations utilising solar powered lighting. While circulation of bikes (either from full to empty access points or for service/repair) will be acheived through the use of specially designed bike trailers. 

Fingers crossed the Bubi will prove to be a great success!!

Hello! Nice to meet you! I would like to introduce to....my bike!

Winter Communting

Hi all! Hope your having an excellent holiday period and wishing you the best of luck for 2013!

I just wanted to spend a little time on winter commuting.

The high street proved a little challenging then usual that morning...

Here in the Budapest the weather so far hasn’t been too bad, one really cold week along with a few dustings of snow. We’re lucky here, although the temperatures drop a lot lower than the UK, because of Hungary’s landlocked position means there is a lot less moisture in the air and as a result a lot less frost and ice. So apart from snow, cycling here in the winter is a lot less hazardous (although you do have to take into account the drivers of Budapest!)

Beautiful Budapest looking suitably wintery

I spend around 1hr 15mins commuting each day so experiencing the daily weather conditions first hand. As a result I have developed a strategy for dressing that can deal not only with the temperatures on really cold days but also and importantly stop me from overheating! 

So what you can see above is a photo of all the kit I wear on a really cold commute.

If we go from left to right and top to bottom you can see:

Cycling shorts - a must for any cyclist and made from skin tight synthetic with padding just where you need it!

very cool example of cycle shoe covers

Cycle shoe covers - This is the first winter I have used covers, they have been a revelation! For some reason I suffer a lot from the cold with both my hands (more of which later) and feet. I use an old pair of mountain bike “clippy” shoes to cycle which have a lot of ventilation, so unfortunately when temperatures drop I really feel it!. Most shoe covers are wind and waterproof (or at least shower proof) and are put on before the shoes and stretched over the top then secured underneath (mine have to Velcro tags which fit together).

Neck warmer (also known as a Buff) - I have acquired loads of these over the years. Neck warmers are a simple yet great innovation, can be used as a hat, bandana, sweat band etc or simply round the neck and cover the lower face. It’s because of this that having a few to use is important, as you can imagine they can get a mangy after a few days use. As you can see the one above is nice and bright and is half fleece which in really cold weather makes a big difference. A good buy although rather expensive would be a Merino wool version (more of which below).

Merino wool socks - Really great innovation in recent years, a wool which is anti-bacterial, warm and importantly doesn’t have that scratchy, itchy feel of traditional wool. These Icebreaker ones also have a really good fit too.

Arm warmers – Again something new this year and extremely versatile. During the autumn i was wearing these on my arms along which just a cycling shirt. As the weather go colder they went back in the draw but one day I had a brain wave and popped them on my lower legs. The work very well and keep me toastie. A note on guns, the arms warmers have an elasticated end the sits on the top of your bicep. Now im skinny, as such (size S!!!!) warmers do fall down from time to time. A good excuse then to do a little work on your guns!

Trousers -  I have been use these travel trousers for years and years full of holes, which I have attempted to fix. Yet synthetic, they dry quickly and are quite windproof with loads of pockets I just roll up the legs and go.

Cycling gloves -  This is a real minefield! Each person’s hands differ hugely, as do the gloves offered by different companies. I’ve had some real disasters with gloves in the past. Buying possibly “Bargain” options and then paying twice as much again to get some gloves that do the job properly. As mentioned before this is something really important for me as I suffer a LOT with my hands in the cold.  Its hard to define the pain experienced cycling with cold hands as your body try’s to push to warm back to your fingertips.

Anyway my current gloves work very well having good padding for longer rides, are waterproof (although in practice not for a sustained period) and are highly windproof.  A few nice extra features the reflective strips on the backs of the hands and really handy “grab” tags on the wrist end of the gloves which mean you can manage either to put on the glove using the other gloved hand or which I do on many occasions, with my teeth!

When buying gloves important things to bear in mind are: The fit, is there enough room to move fingers properly and grab things without being too bulky? (bear in mind gloves that are too tight will be just as painful in cold weather as too loose) Are they sufficiently windproof? (you will find out pretty quickly!) Are they waterproof (particularly relevant for the UK)? For those like me who suffer a great deal it’s a good idea to look for gloves where you can fit thinner liner gloves inside. On the photo there are some old luminous running gloves but I also have some silk ones which for the weight (extremely thin and light) are very warm and breathable.

Running tights -  Once again Very handy in cold weather. Skin-tight, synthetic leggings make a real difference. Why running tights? Well I’m adding to my kit over time and not a millionaire so combined with the cycling shorts they do the same job as specific tights and also give me the flexibility of using them for other activities too!

Hat – We leak a lot of heat from our heads. To prevent this during the winter you have a few different options: if wearing a helmet you can get hold of “skull caps” often very thin and windproof. There are helmet covers, fabric that stretches over top of specific helmets covering vents. I just use a running hat, thin and relatively windproof, again it gives me greater flexibility and does the job well.

Lifa/polypropylene top - This classic is produced by Helly Hansen, but there are others out there. A trusted part of any outdoor enthusiast wardrobe, the main benefits are that while keeping you warm the top can transfer a great deal of moisture (or if you’re a boy, sweat!) away from the body, so excellent for any high intensity activity in colder temperatures.

 One of the other real advantages is the fit, as goldilocks said it’s just right, not super tight like contemporary “compression tops” yet not baggy either. The fabric has a few negatives, synthetic (effectively plastic, it can be put in the recycle bin when finished with!) after one or two (a single use if you are working really hard) it can get very smelly! Secondly these tops aren’t that cheap, especially when you can easily find cheaper (albeit generally vastly inferior) products in any shopping centre. Rest assured though these tops will take a huge amount of wear and tear (and the required washing!) while generally maintaining fit and performance.

example of pit zips

Windproof fleece – I wear this only for the really cold days, Quite a heavy fleece, purchased before soft-shells flooded the market. Importantly it is made from windproof fabric (in this case Gore Windstopper), so protecting the upper body from wind chill. One of the really useful aspects of the jacket is the so-called “pit zips” large vents that can be found on the inside of the arms and can be opened/closed in order to regulate body temperature. 

Any other business… Other things that have proved really handy include: Getting anything prepared the evening before! You can waste a lot of time each morning, searching for half a pair of gloves or cycling shorts! Keeping an eye on daily/weekly weather forecasts, this helps a lot when considering what to wear. A thermal sports bottle, this has been a real benefit recently. A double walled sports cap bottle, meaning I can fix some hot juice each morning and quickly warm myself up when I get to work.