And so begins the next frightening stage of my life

The human backside wasn’t designed for lengthy journeys in the saddle of a fold-up bike. It’s hard work!

A mile to my local station, and then four miles from Liverpool Street to my office. The worst road surfaces are where you’d least expect them: the supposedly gold-paved paths out of the City.

Still, it’s a damn fine way to lose weight: not just through the exercise but through the stress of avoiding being turned into road jam. And, it doesn’t matter how cool you think you look throughout the average day, if you ride one of these you do look like an idiot.