SO I've been bicycling the sunny byways of our lovely and lively city on my cute little Brompton.
It's time to dust down the digital and get snapping on the fold-away love machine.
Or rather my cute little borrowed Brompton fold-away bike from the Brompton Dock at Piccadilly Station - see below.
Brompton lounging, all cocksure and proud, on Trinity Bridge
The result are some pictures of Manchester at sunny peace with itself.
As the editor of Confidential I avoid clichés like the plague, so I've banned all writers from ever mentioning Manchester and the rain because if they do they prove themselves poor scribes, slave to the commonplace and merchants of the mundane.
They get fired.
But when the sun has got his hat on and people come out to play that's a whole different thing. It's time to dust down the digital and get snapping on a fold-away love machine.
Manchester International Festival has never had it so good. And the city is enjoying itself.
Brompton Dock
You can find the Brompton Dock at the top of Piccadilly Approach close to the footbridge that crosses to Doubletree at Hilton Hotel and Aytoun Street.
The pictures below show how a little internet jigger-pokery will free your Brompton from its locker.
The DockBefore riding get proficient in folding and unfolding the bike - there are instructions at the dock. Do this a couple of times before you start riding so you get the knack of it. It may look complex but, honestly, after two gos even the least mechanically minded person should be primed.
There's a demonstration on YouTube here.
Then get pedalling.
What you'll find is that the Brompton pace is genteel.
The bike is extraordinarily hardy but only has three gears which means there's no point trying to break records on a racer dressed in ludicrous lycra or doing stunts down dirt tracks on mountain bikes. The Brompton is a brogue wearing sort of bike, a sandals sort of machine, and all the better for that.
Frequent membership: £2.50 daily hire charge. Leisure membership: £5 daily hire charge.
You can find more details about Brompton Dock and its pricing scheme here.
Instructions on getting the codes for the bike
Love padlocks on Trinity Bridge
You can follow Jonathan Schofield on Twitter here @JonathSchofield or connect via Google+
