It’s been a while since I last wrote about cycling but the Salford Folding Bike Race, which takes place on Saturday 30 August as part of the Salford Nocturne, is well worth a mention.

The competitors, dressed in business attire, will wait 10 metres away from their folded bikes. At the drop of the British flag the competitors will have to run to their steeds before building them as fast as they can and setting off on a four-lap dash.

In true commuter spirit, winner takes all – there’s no second chance when it comes to catching your train… Expect fierce competition, barging and even a little cheating as our commuters race to prove their skills.

The first incarnation of the folding bike race took place around Smithfield Market in London last year and attracted 5,000 people. Here‘s a five-minute video about that event:

The field is limited to just 25 competitors, so if you’re interested – and own a folding bike – submit your entry form by 22 August. And check out the folding bike technology ‘row’ that’s developing.

Mancubist is pretty music-centric at the moment, which I’ll aim to address in the coming weeks, but in the meantime here are a couple more events that I’d recommend this weekend:

Saturday night welcomes this month’s instalment of Helen Of Troy Does Countertop Dancing – or HOTDCD, to shave off a couple of milliseconds. Named after this poem by feminist writer Margaret Atwood, the clubnight features a suitably female-heavy playlist, ‘from Patti Smith and Janis Joplin to PJ Harvey, The Ting Tings and M.I.A’.

The night, which teamed up with the like-minded Girls on Film network in April, runs from 10pm until late at Charlie’s Nightclub on Harter Street and returns on the second Saturday of each month. Join them on Facebook and follow their new blog, Helen Of Troy Does Countertop Writings, which they aim to update twice weekly.

Then on Sunday Islington Mill in Salford hosts an eight-hour music marathon culminating in a set by psychedelic Japanese band Acid Mothers Temple and The Cosmic Inferno (it’s obviously The Weekend For Things With Long Names…). This ‘psyche-fi all-dayer’ also features Vienna’s Primordial Undermind and a bunch of well-fitting local bands, with tickets priced at just £8.

The Guardian seems to love mentioning ‘The’ Islington Mill, by the way – they’ve recently referred to it as an ‘alt.lifestyle commune’ and ‘Andy Warhol’s Factory meets Coronation Street’.

Typical – I start blogging about all the wonderful things happening in Manchester, then make the mistake of checking the Manchizzle and discover that everything’s already been mentioned, namely:

Futuresonic festival (1-5 May), featuring In Search of the Social in Manchester and more social networking than even a 15-year-old webophile can handle.
Highlight (hopefully): a late-night gig at Charlies’s hosted by yours truly
Tip: A limited number of pay-what-you-can Day Passes will be available on each day of the conference

Sounds From The Other City (4 May) is a one-day, Bank Holiday Sunday celebration of musical Salford. Around 50 bands play in tiny churches and pubs along Chapel Street, with each stage organised by a different local promoter.
Highlight (again, hopefully): David Thomas Broughton‘s set at my Salford Arms stage and Craig Wood’s Manchester bootleg archive, from 1973 to the present day
Tip: Most years sell out so book your £10 pass at Quaytickets.com now

Also, a few other bits and pieces:

Vice magazine is back in town this Thursday, 24 April. This time it’s at Sankeys and the lineup features live sets from Metronomy, Operator Please and Lovvers (who I hear are great live) plus DJ sets from Friendly Fires, c90s, Autokratz, Evil 9, The oldboy, Contort Yourself. Tickets are free when you register over at Viceland.

Someone or other at Arts Council England wants you to vote on the country’s most musical city. Mark Radcliffe makes a good case for Manchester – but I think we should all vote for Leicester, which has produced such greats as Mark Morrison, Showaddywaddy and Engelbert Humperdinck. You can’t argue with quality like that.

And finally, bad news for Manchester independents as Mai Bai, the sushi cafe, and Roadkill Records, the Oldham Street record shop, both shut their doors. I was telling someone just last week about Roadkill’s mixtape exchange…

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx6dHmYD6c8]

Yes, Morrissey does enjoy a good ride. As do a legion of bike-riding Smiths fans if the coverage of Sunday’s bike ride is anything to go off.

Gathering at 10.30am outside – where else – the Salford Lads Club, the route takes in several Smiths-related sites, as organiser Ruth Martin explained to Terry Christian on BBC Radio Manchester:

We’re going to be passing by Morrissey’s old house on Kings Road in Stretford, then we’re going to the cemetery gates on the cemetery in Chorlton, down to Holy Name Church on Oxford Road, up to Manchester Ritz, but we start and finish at the Lads Club. There’s going to be events on at the Club afterwards to welcome us home.

That’s quite a big round-trip and with Phil Gatenby – author of Morrissey’s Manchester: The Essential Smiths Tour - on board you can be sure it’ll be the most educational bike ride you’ve been on.

Participants are asked to donate £5 to the Lads Club, which is raising funds after the lead from its roof was stolen. They’ll be treated to a set by tribute band the Smyths, while ‘vintage ice cream van’ Everyday is like Sundae will also be on site.

Interested? Call 0161 872 3767 or visit this Morrissey forum thread.