THE new bike hire for the city has been delayed so it was great to see the bicycles unveiled.

The Preston Park Velodrome is a truly wonderful place to be on a summer’s day, the sound of leather on willow from the two cricket pitches and the chance to ride on the track. The cricket sometimes gets in the way of the cycling but we’ll leave that argument for another day.

The track was the perfect place to unveil the bikes though and their arrival in the autumn cannot come soon enough.

At £1.80 per hour or £72 per year there will no doubt be a great debate on whether they are worth it.

The annual fee is a great idea though. Many of us in the city lack space to store our bicycles and this will offer the chance to use one without having to maintain and store it in the hallway.

Of course it’s always nicer to own your own bike and Brighton and Hove has a fantastic number of cyclists helping to keep the roads quieter.

This is despite the fact that it is a very difficult place to ride around in.

The hills are really tough to take on at times.

But this year celebrates the 200th year of the bicycle so it is great the city will celebrate that with the launch of its bike hire scheme – albeit a little late.

When we get stuck behind cyclists we must all try to remember that most cyclists are also drivers so if they weren’t on their bike they would be in a car, making the roads even more clogged up.

So if you are behind someone then please be patient.

Cycling has such great health benefits too. Remember that when you get stuck behind the lycra-clad weekend warriors.