mike.

A ride in the park

Wed, 30 May 2012 15:44:00 +0100

I spent this morning riding round Highwoods Country Park in Colchester, mapping a route for Keep Colchester Cycling, including a little quiz along the way.

I’ve never really appreciated or even thought of going for a ride in the park, but after today I can thoroughly recommend it. The cycling infrastructure in Highwoods in general is fantastic, and when that’s teamed with beautiful scenery and a sunny day it really is something special.

Chapeau is yours for the taking

Tue, 29 May 2012 13:39:10 +0100

Chapeau! will open its doors for the first time on Thursday 7th June, kicking off with an evening of talks and music in partnership with fifteen Queen Street.

Although the planning for Chapeau itself only started about four months ago, the idea has been tumbling around in my head for a lot longer than that. From the moment I sat on my very first bike I knew cycling was something very special to me, and apart from a couple of years when I was physically unable to, I’ve been riding bikes ever since.

It’s been incredibly exciting to see Colchester embrace cycling over the last few years, and the incredible gains in cycling infrastructure that has come with it. Of course there’s a long way to go until everyone can use the road in harmony (something i’ve written about before), but it’s a start and now is the best time to capitalise on the momentum and drive forward.

So what do we want to achieve with Chapeau? Through working with various organisations in and around Colchester such as Re~Cycle, Colchester Travel Plan Club, Cycle Colchester, Colchester Cycling Campaign, Keep Colchester Cycling, SusTrans and Hub & Spoke Harlow to name but a few, it has become pretty obvious that there is a desperate need for a focal point. Currently there isn’t anywhere to host, let alone facilitate discussions either within or between groups and organisations such as these.

We’d like Chapeau to be that place, the glue that brings all of these groups and organisations together. Our aim is to provide somewhere for meetings, discussions, rides and chats. Somewhere that can be a one-stop destination to allow all of the cycling groups and cyclists in Colchester to communicate with each other.

In order to do this, Chapeau will host bike-themed evening events run by members, led rides for all abilities, maintanence workshops and classes and will host the Keep Colchester Cycling hire fleet. We will also be selling refurbished vintage beautiful & unusual bikes in partnership with local charity Re~Cycle.

Building on the enthusiasm and momentum of the last year, as well as the frustration we have dealt with as a result of failed projects such as the Bike Guru Café. There have been opportunities before, but nobody has seized them and realised their full potential.

This is where we believe Chapeau can succeed, but it will be down to the cycling community to make the most of what we are able to offer.

If you’re interested in getting involved, be it through hosting an event or ride, or would like to help us get the shop ready then please get in touch.

A little project i'm working on

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:23:24 +0100

Raleigh Bicycles range circa 1977 (source)

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:34:34 +0000

Raleigh Bicycles range circa 1977 (source)

University of Essex, UK.

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:30:40 +0000

University of Essex, UK.

We are Two Squares

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:47:58 +0000

singyamatokun:

Very pleased to announce Pmmikes and me have re-launched Two Squares.

Please visit our new design duo portfolio site. Showcasing the website design, illustration and personal projects we have produced over the last year.

Get a ganders at some sneaky peaks below!

how much?

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 09:42:22 +0000

how much wood can a wood chuk chuck?

how long is a piece of string?

how many roads must a man walk down?

I have no idea what you’re talking about

Regards, Mike.

Oh No! Video Games!

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:21:00 +0100

My buddies at video games journalism site Oh No! Video Games! asked me to design them a new website. I duly obliged of course.

Illustration by Alex Davis

Home

Contact

The Bike Guru

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 10:39:37 +0100

I’ve been pretty busy recently working on a new website for The Bike Guru, Wivenhoe’s local bicycle mechanic, coffee shop proprietor to be and all round nice guy.

Home:

Workshop:

I'm selling (one of) my bike(s)

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:20:47 +0100

So i’ve got way too many bikes and want to get another. I’ve also got no money so that means I need to free up some space in the stable to make room, and so this is that.

I’m selling my 1970s Raleigh Super Sport, specs are as follows:

23” Frame, electric blue with silver highlights and original stickers etc.
27” Maillard 36 spoke wheels, pretty much new tubes and tyres.
Raleigh Custom A cranks, Huret 10 speed gears.
Weinmann colour coded brakes (500 front, 730 rear)
cork bar tape
Lights front and rear

If you’re interested, drop me a line on here or on twitter @pmmikes

Now on to the juicy bit, the photos:

@singyamatokun hard at work on the latest @ohnovideogames...

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 17:19:08 +0100

@singyamatokun hard at work on the latest @ohnovideogames artwork.

and everyone at @15QueenStreet surely does.

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 22:19:44 +0100

and everyone at @15QueenStreet surely does.

Re~Cycle at Glastonbury

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:55:00 +0100

This year Re~Cycle are setting up shop at Glastonbury Festival in the Green Futures Field.

They’ve got all sorts on offer, ranging from Re~Cycle branded merchandise to drop-in sessions with the Bike Guru and even cycle-powered mobile phone charging!

Drop by for a chat and find out what they’re all about.

I did another bike thing

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 23:36:01 +0100

I did another bike thing

Re~Cycle - Bikes to Africa

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 22:26:00 +0100

I mentioned it briefly in my recent On the Trail post, but I thought I’d share with you what i’ve been spending the majority of my time doing recently.

I finished uni for the summer about a month ago and realised very quickly that I was incredibly bored. I mean, I wasn’t exactly doing a whole bunch when I was there, but being back at home there was almost nothing to stimulate me. A few years ago, when I was one of the leaders of an Explorer Scout unit, I was lucky enough to get the chance to visit a local charity called Re~Cycle and help out a bit.

Re~Cycle are a charity based in Colchester, Essex which take donations of unwanted or unused bicycles, give them a health check and get them back up-to working order, then (believe it or not) ship them to partner organisations in Africa. These organisations in turn distribute the bikes to poorer communities to make their lives easier. Suddenly a 15 mile trek for water is a whole lot more manageable, and bicycles are invaluable to health workers. I can’t really do what they do justice here, so head on over to their website to find out more. So the idea of sending bicycles out at all is a pretty incredible feat on its own, but get this: they send a full container of 400 to 450 bicycles EVERY MONTH and have been doing so for the last 10 years or so. It’s run almost entirely by volunteers five days a week and the first time I set foot in their Colchester warehouse I knew it was an exciting place to be.

Some recipients in Africa with a bicycle donated by the Royal Mail

So, I turned up at the door one day in May and asked if there was any way I could help? As it happened, they needed someone with a little computer experience to manage the website amongst other things, that’s me right? The next day there I was in the office and the rest, as they say, is history (plenty more history to be made too, I hope!). It’s incredible seeing the work in action and very inspiring stuff to see people making a difference at a grassroots level.

Oh, and look out for the Re~Cycle banner at Glastonbury as they’ll have a stall selling merch, giving info and running a Dr. Bike service courtesy of the Bike Guru.

If you want to donate a bike to recycle then you can find details on the website here, although there’s no collection service, so it might be worth finding a place closer to home. Luckily there’s a place for that too: UK residents click here and foreigners click here. If you want to volunteer then check out the volunteer page on the site here or find out how to contact them here.

The first of my cycling quotes prints

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:28:09 +0100

The first of my cycling quotes prints

On the Trail

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:21:39 +0100

I’ll come right out and say it: I’ve been neglecting my blog a bit recently, but there’s been a good reason. Honest!

Since I finished uni for summer a month ago I’ve been helping out with Keep Colchester Cycling and Re~Cycle, two local bike projects doing some fantastic stuff both in the community and all over the world.

The long and the short of all this is that each day i’m cycling a couple of miles back and forth from Colchester, more often than not following the river along the beautiful Wivenhoe Trail. So of course I did what seemed the logical thing at the time and bought myself a new toy in the form of the HD808 #11 minicam. It shoots full 720p, is about the size of a car remote unlocker and was a snip at £25, so it’s ideal for what I had in mind… filming my journey and plastering it on the internet.

Here’s my first trip, it’s a bit noisy and shaky as i’m still working out the best way to go about it, but you might well enjoy.

Wivenhoe Trail to Re~Cycle from Mike Polom on Vimeo.

The Royal Wedding: Calm down dear!

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 10:19:00 +0100

So this Royal Wedding malarkey, eh? What’s that all about?

Source: Royal Wedding Tat

I’m not a Royalist, neither am I a Republican. I am just a guy who isn’t really that interested in celebrity affairs at the best of times let alone hyper-celebrities like the Royal family. Yes, I appreciate they bring in a lot of money for the country (£160m a year in pure profit according to some figures) and I do quite like the whole idea of having a monarchy, it’s quaint and cute and although I hate to say it “British”.

However, what I object to is the hysteria and media saturation that seems to have come along with the Wedding. It’s got to the point now where photos of His Royal Highness shaking hands with a woman wearing a plastic hat is enough to bump a terrorist attack in Morocco, hundreds killed in protests in Syria and nearly two hundred deaths to a tornado in the United States down the BBC News front page. Call me a cynic, call me a spoilsport, but let’s get some perspective eh? What we’ve got here is just another celebrity wedding which is equally as full of gold and as gaudy as that of Peter and Jordan or whoever else is in OK magazine.

Hold on before grabbing the pitchforks and coming after me though. I do understand that this is a wonderful occasion and it is a pretty big deal that Kate Middleton could potentially be at William’s side at the throne. In times where all we seem to have to look at on the news are images of death, destruction, red numbers and patronising politicians telling us we can’t understand a simple voting system, a distraction like the Royal Wedding is something I do welcome. I’m sure you’re all going to be enjoying the free day off as much as I will and for that I am grateful. Just please stop shoving it all in my face quite so much.

As for the wedding itself? Well, i’ve got a few complaints and I guess as I’m here I might as well sound off about that for a bit. The invites, what the christ is going on there eh? Gordon Brown and Tony Blair have been omitted from the wedding guest list much to the dismay of many members of the Labour party. Love ‘em or hate ‘em these two were our Prime Ministers from 1997 to 2010, however the happy couple decided that “this is a private wedding and not a state occasion” and therefore have no obligation to invite previous prime ministers. Hold the phone! Last time I checked the taxpayer was forking out for the thing and we’ve even got a bank holiday out of it. Sounds like a state occasion to me! No matter, at least they didn’t invite anyone inappropriate… ah. The Syrian ambassador. To be perfectly honest I can kind of understand how his country’s treatment of protesters managed to slip through unnoticed until now given the media blackout of anything not related to the wedding. Sadly though someone did notice and his invitation has been politely withdrawn.

So, rant over and taking a deep breath I guess I really don’t have any problem with the wedding itself. It’s a great public occasion and I’m sure it will make a lot of people very happy to be able to celebrate together. However I still find it astounding that objectively more important news stories are being chucked out in favour of tabloid style celebrity interest stories. If you are celebrating on Friday then have a great time, but please keep it in perspective.

addition: 30/4/2011

Turns out I did have reason for concern, yesterday the goernment sent out word to the NHS that it must save 37% over 5 years. Obviously this was hardly mentioned and the public hardly noticed. The stories were there, but they were simply buried under the amount of wedding hysteria.

The VAF Isn't Naff!

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 12:55:38 +0100

So it turns out the Visual Arts Facility is a hot topic, who would have thought it eh? The post I made last week seems to have gathered some support.

Before I go any further, I should state that I have no official connection or affiliation with either Firstsite, Colchester Borough Council or mace, the construction company building the VAF. I have friends who are artists, designers, illustrators and know a few of the people who work for Firstsite, but in a strictly social capacity and they were just as surprised to see I’d started this campaign as everyone else.

I’ve had emails of support, an article in the Gazette (the most commented article all week!) and numerous criticisms, some better articulated than others. Thanks to those who support the petition, and thanks to those who put forward valid and well constructed counter arguments. All in all though it has been a very interesting and exciting issue to explore. The petition has gathered fifty signatures so far with more being added every day so please make sure you pass it on to your friends, famiy, colleagues and anyone that wishes to pledge their support. This is a great opportunity for Colchester, and despite a shaky start should not be missed out on.

A very interesting article by the Chairman of the new Turner Contemporary in Margate appeared in the Independent today, suggesting that investing in culture makes economic sense. While it is to be expected that someone with such vested interest in the TC would of course sing its praises, he does seem to have a point. They suffered the same hostility from local residents as Colchester’s building has, they are also much worse off than Colchestrians. Margate is an incredibly deprived area and suffers greatly from lack of jobs and failing businesses. So why did they decide to invest in an art gallery? It’s more than just one building. By creating something positive in the area it pulls in businesses and people, creating a thriving area for shopping and sightseeing. I know this all seems like a long way off for Colchester but quite honestly it isn’t that far away. The TC opened last month. Already they’ve had 40 small firms open their doors since January.

Yes, the VAF is a bit late and yes it has gone beyond the original budget but this is not the fault of the building itself or Firstsite. Rather than directing your vitriol at them, why not consider aiming it at those actually responsible such as Colchester Borough Councillors and others involved in the planning and ask how they can ensure future projects come in on time and on budget. Or you could just choose not to reelect them at the looming Borough Council Elections!

My point is, and has always been, that regardless of setbacks we are incredibly lucky to be presented with such a rare opportunity for regeneration in a run down part of town. This facility will make a difference but how much of a positive impact it has depends on the way it is managed and whether it receives the support it needs.

Show your support by signing this petition.

Why Can't We All Just Get Along? Part 2.

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 14:50:00 +0100

Last Friday I wrote a piece calling for more harmony on our roads, and as it turned out I couldn’t have picked a better day to do so.

The Independent ran with a crusade about the lack of safety for cyclists, whereas the Evening Standard decided it was the perfect time to regurgitate their usual line that cyclists are worse than Satan himself and should all get off their bikes immediately (no, seriously!).

With summer just around the corner and everyone jumping on to their trusty two wheeled steeds it seems now is the perfect time to go all out to promote safety on our roads, and the AA have thrown themselves headlong into it by handing out free cycle helmets in London. However as those who read my blog last week will know it’s not just the job of cyclists to be mindful, motorists hold just as much responsibility for harmony on the roads. Brilliantly the CTC have responded by handing out copies of the Highway Code to motorists in a bid to get everyone up to speed.

Source: CTC

It doesn’t stop there either! CEMEX have also taken initiative and given their drivers cycle training in a hope that they’ll be more aware of what it’s like to be on two wheels and maybe think a bit more carefully before pulling out next time. Cyclists can also get into the cab of a truck and experience the difficulties drivers face, such as poor visibility, so we can act accordingly. All this is fantastic news as LGVs are 20 times more likely to collide with cyclists than cars.

So it looks like maybe, just maybe, we can get along after all. Don’t forget to do your part be it as a cyclist, pedestrian, or motorist.