Tag: Newbury

West Berkshire Spokes AGM 2018

Posted on by Secretary

Banjo Cycles

The Annual General Meeting of West Berkshire Spokes will take place at 2pm on Sunday 10 June 2018 at the Café in Banjo Cycles, Unit 4 & 5, Norman House, Hambridge Road, Newbury RG14 5XA.

All members are encouraged to attend the AGM.  We would love it if a few more people got involved in the day-to-day running of the organisation, since there are a number of positions on the committee that are vacant or likely to become vacant at the AGM.

Below are links to a draft agenda, the current constitution and the minutes from the last AGM:

The final agenda will be provided at the AGM meeting itself.

Bike Maintenance Class

Posted on by Secretary

Two people fixing bikes

Would you like to learn basic bike maintenance skills, such as performing routine checks, adjusting brakes and gears, and fixing a puncture? We are running a FREE bike maintenance workshop at Ace Space in Newbury on Saturday 19 May between 14:45 and 17:15.

You don’t need to bring your own bike, but if you have particular issues that you would like us to look at, then we are happy to do so. Unfortunately, our insurance limits us to making adjustments rather than repairs, but if we can’t fix the problem, then remember that Spokes members get 10% discount on parts at local bike shops including Banjo’s, Specialized and Bikelux.

Where possible, we ask that you book your place in advance. Contact us to find out more and to make a booking.

Social Bike Rides for 2018

Posted on by Secretary

With the weather just starting to brighten a little, we thought it was time to start thinking about our social rides programme for the coming year. We have put together a programme of twice monthly rides between March and October, which take place on the first and third Saturdays of each month.

Run by trained ride leaders, our rides are aimed at the cyclist who wants more than a family ride, but who doesn’t want to go as fast as a ‘club run’. We go at a relaxed pace (about 10-12 mph) and the regular rides are generally somewhere between 20 and 30 miles, with a longer ‘Big Wheel’ event in the summer. Each ride passes a café, which gives us the option for a pit stop depending on how the group feels.

We limit rides to 10 people plus ride leaders, which we feel is a manageable size. All rides are published on LetsRide, which is a free to use website run by British Cycling and we encourage everyone to book a place on each ride they want to attend.

West Berks Cycle Forum (December 2017)

Posted on by Secretary

The main topic of discussion was the Kennet & Avon towpath, particularly the sections west of Newbury and east of Colthrop, which Spokes has flagged as being in need of complete reconstruction in order to make them safe for cyclists. Mark Evans had been invited from the Canal and River Trust, but unfortunately he couldn’t make it due to an emergency call-out. However, Cllr Steve Ardagh-Walter managed to set up a separate meeting with him on 9 January. In the meantime, Spokes members will carry out an audit of the canal towpath to document the issues in more detail. We will be looking to get a commitment to add these sections to their maintenance programme as soon as possible and also to change their maintenance inspections to better take account of the needs of cyclists. We realise that funding may be an issue, so we are already looking at different options.

We were delighted to be told that following the recent public consultation, West Berks Councillors has agreed to progress the first section of National Cycle Network Route 422 in Newbury between Faraday Road and the Wyevale roundabout. This will see on and off-road provision for cyclists with new sections of route as well as improvements to existing sections.

Spokes gave a presentation on cycle wayfinding based on the results of an audit of cycle routes between Newbury town centre and the top end of Faraday Road. This had identified numerous issues, including a lack of consistency between on-street signs, on-line cycling journey planners, and the printed version of the Council’s cycle map. We also found that cycling information was completely missing from the finger-posts and monolith maps in the town centre, with several conflicting or missing signs adding to the confusion. Some of the issues have arisen as a result of individual schemes being introduced over a number of years with no holistic review of signage. Fortunately, many of these issues can be picked up as part of the NCN 422 scheme.

The minutes for the December meeting of the Cycle Forum (and minutes of previous meetings) can be found on the About Us section of the Spokes website.

Dr Bike – Free Bike Checks in Newbury on 28 October

Posted on by Secretary

two people fixing bikes

Are your brakes making funny noises? Are your gears a bit clunky and don’t change when you want to? Do you wish you could mend a puncture? Then bring your bike to Newbury Town Hall between 9.30am and 2.30pm on Saturday 28 October and we’ll check it over, make adjustments and teach you how to maintain your bike.

While most of us recognise the need to keep our cars maintained in order to keep them running efficiently and pass their MOTs, we are often not so good about keeping on top of our bike maintenance. We are always spotting people out on bikes that have a variety of maintenance issues from minor niggles to more serious problems that could be putting their safety at risk.

Thankfully, bikes (with a few notable exceptions) are fairly simple machines and the most common maintenance tasks can easily be carried out with a minimum of tools. Our Cytech accredited cycle mechanics will be available to show you how to check your bikes for faults, make adjustments where required and advise on any repairs that needs to be carried out.

Remember that all Spokes members get 10% off parts at several local bike shops, so if you do need any repairs, then you can be sure of getting good value for money while supporting a local business.