Betty is approached…

I mentioned yesterday that I had found a new way to secure Betty whilst travelling on the train – a bungee around the handrail.

This new way of keeping Betty secure has a number of advantages. When the train brakes, Betty is often prone to take a tumble. Ordinarily, this is only painful for me, and occasionally, Betty. However, there have been times when this tumble has prompted Betty to try and kiss the legs of a passenger standing next to her (not good, Betty, not good). On one occasion, it was a pushchair – every time the train braked!!!. The train would set off, get up to speed, brake for the next station and Betty would loose her footing and take a tumble. I’d get out of my seat, pick up Betty, set her straight and the train would set off again. Rinse, spin, repeat.

Now there was no harm done to either pushchair or the occupant, but it did give rise to an interesting conversation where I was subtly trying to suggest that, if we were to swap the pushchair around with Betty, then Betty would not continue to tumble (as she would be resting against the doorway) and said occupant might be less disturbed by this re-occurring incident. Phrases like “This happens every time the train brakes, coming into a station.” And “If the bike was there then, it wouldn’t fall over.” and “Are you getting off at the next station? I’m travelling most of the way.” were being deployed. To no avail.

Although I wasn’t ignored by the owner of the pushchair, perhaps I needed to be a little less subtle. Maybe a “Look, if we swap round, so that the bike is leaning against the doorway, so that when the train brakes the inertia would push the bike into the doorway, rather than over into your pushchair, and your pushchair would naturally rest against the bike, rather than the bike tumbling into the pushchair and disturbing me and youngster, that might make a better journey for us all.” Might have done the trick. But I wasn’t thinking, at best, and a coward, at worst.

Eventually, they got off and I was able to move Betty to a more secure position. Lesson learned – hence the bungee (see yesterday’s post).

This time, though, it was Betty’s turn to receive the kiss.

I’d secured Betty with the bungee and we were both enjoying the journey to work – it’s a great trick as anyone who tries to quickly steal Betty finds her incredibly heavy because they have to take the train carriage with them!! At one point, another bike user (not a folding one this time) also got onto the the train and rested their bike against the doorway. The train set off and I waited for the inevitable CRASH!!

It didn’t take long. The next station as I recall. The person got up out their seat (been there) and chained the bike around the handrail, while I just sat there, ever-so slightly smug (but not too smug). When we got to our destination he asked what bike it was. “A Bickerton!” I reassuringly asserted. “Nice bike” he retorted. “Thank you” I said. “I know.” I thought.

It reminded me of my days when I used to commute with a non-folding bike. It also made me very glad to be the proud owner of Betty - a Bickerton Portable, no less.