..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
i'm even more chuffed than the last time i was really chuffed
i'm aware of the fact that it is somewhat disturbing that i should discuss the washingmachinepost in the very same pixels that are thewashingmachinepost, but run with me on this for a few paragraphs and let me introduce you to our mutual admiration society of sorts. as those of you with obviously nothing better to do, and who have been reading for a while will possibly realise, there is no real strategy behind the post. unlike the mainstream cycling press, both in print and on web, i have not identified my target audience, run focus groups, consulted widely and had market research gurus advise me accordingly. originally i just sat down every second friday and wrote something; lately it has become my second job with the avowed aim of turning me into an eccentric millionaire - i don't have any money.
but it's really fun, i enjoy it and it seemingly keeps a sizeable number of bicycle people happy. and one of those people is anthony robson, an edinburgh based cycling obsessive like myself who edits an online publication entitled citycycling.co.uk, though rather delightfully eccentrically, it doesn't only have stuff about city cycling. anthony contacted me a few weeks ago to inform that he wanted to feature thewashingmachinepost as citycycling's website of the month. now i ask you - how cool is that?
so, along comes august and, true to his word, anthony has indeed featured these very pixels on his pixels. you can perhaps see what i mean about a mutual admiration society. however, rather brilliantly, mr robson has managed to nab the incomparable jacqui phelan as a columnist. how the heck did he manage that? for those of you too obsessed with skinny wheels and bendy bars to have the faintest idea of who jacqui phelan is, you would need to have been au fait with the early days of mountain biking across the pond. jacqui rather famously featured in one of the original muddy fox adverts and almost single handedly landed them their high profile at the beginning of the uk mountain biking years.
citycycling arrives on the web every month, in either html format (you can read it in your web browser) or in pdf format which can be downloaded and enjoyed offline, or printed out to enjoy while soaking in the bath. anthony is currently promising something i have failed miserably to do with any consistency, and introduce citycycling podcasts starting from september. an indication, if one were needed, that the man is obviously more organised than i.
so when you've finished with your portion of post, click across to citycycling.co.uk - i think that, like me, you'll be rather pleasantly surprised.
posted on friday 1st august
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................simply easy does it
i know that i have filled many of the pixels before with my rather simplistic philosophy that bicycles are delightfully simple technology. but the part that is becoming increasingly more complex, is why so many folks make it oh so much harder than it really is. i'm sure that every mechanic in every cycle shop the length and breadth of the world, could regale with stories of owner or user ineptitude, and i have managed to acquire one or two of my own through maintenance of a small fleet of hire bikes.
it's not that i wish to point fun at those who have come unstuck or just plain confused, when attempting to deal with an amalgam of technology of an order of magnitude simpler than the modern family car. us roadies are perhaps not required to be au fait with the intricacies of the average linear pull braking systems (the non-trade mark version of a v-brake), but it seems rather disturbingly common that hirers who require to entrust a bicycle to the innards of an overstuffed estate car, instead of unhitching the brake release, have unbolted one brake from the fork in order to remove the wheel.
sadly, replacing the brake with attendant spring seems similarly beyond the technical ability of the allen wrench wielder, so i dread to think what the holiday cycling was like. i do rather feel a degree of sympathy for those attempting to raise the handlebars on bikes with aheadsets, however, having loosened every bolt in sight before discovering that all that happens is boatloads of movement in the front forks, why is it not possible to put things back the way they came? have we become so used to things becoming more and more sophisticated that we've lost the ability to appreciate the simplicity of an object of great utility such as the bicycle?
yes, i know that those of us infatuated with the formula one of cycling, are becoming ever more used to a new technological addition to our obsession on an almost weekly basis; used to read road signs, but now we use gps; used to pull/push a gear lever till the chain slotted on the desired sprocket, now it's heading electronic. that's almost liveable with because that's what floats our boat (so to speak), but here i'm talking about the everyday bicycles that get you from point a to point b.
even as a schoolboy, i knew how to adjust a sturmey archer three speed gear, and how to centre a side-pull caliper in the frame. i could even mend a puncture. so how come, only a week ago, i was asked to supply a tyre and tube to a touring cyclist (resisting the temptation to ask why he wasn't carrying a spare tube, and why he hadn't checked the tyre before leaving), and was then asked to fit both because the chap in question wasn't sure he could manage it. i know that many a motorist leaves home without the faintest idea where the spare wheel or jack are sited in the vehicle, but surely it is incumbent on a touring cyclist to have the wherewithal to mend a puncture or replace a tube?
or has this become a can't do culture, and have i asked more questions than i can answer?
posted on thursday 31st july
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................staying put
rollapaluza has, if you'll pardon my stating the opposite, come a long way for a company that makes fun and money out of staying in the one place. with many of the initial races taking place with the commercial and moral support of rapha, everything seems to be on the up, about to culminate in the biggest sprint to date. on 8th august, in the rather snazzy surrounds of the kingpin suite in bloomsbury bowling lanes, london, the prize list tops out at £2000 ($4000).
this ride in profile has not gone completely unnoticed in legit cycling circles, with champion masters sprinter and multiple national title holder, dave le grys stepping up to the rollers just waiting to be knocked down by the equivalent of cycling's proletariat (that's you and me). unfortunately, dave also has in his palmares the cycle land speed record of 126mph which might give him somewhat of an advantage over those of us who can only pretend to be pretenders. and even more unfortunately, one of those available to fulfil the position of le grys team mate, is world junior team sprint champion, pete mitchell. maybe we're all just racing for third. or are we?
this will also see the very first outing or rollapaluza's refurbished four-up racing rig meaning that the racing on offer can now approach genuine team events such as the tag team race held over 1km (metaphorically, that is; the bikes don't actually go anywhere at all). there are already over 40 riders entered and half the ticket allocation has also disappeared into eager rear pockets.
but, and this is a big but, come salford nocturne on 30th august, the opportunity to gain a sound trouncing at the legs of the master will present itself when chris hoy (yes, the chris hoy) will take on all comers. now that should prove seriously entertaining.
the kingpin rollapaluza event is sponsored by condor cycles, selle san marco, and swrve clothing.
just a quick name check for our pal kasper daems, who will be riding for rollapaluza cc. if you've no-one to support on the night, cheer for kasper
posted on wednesday 30th july
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................merrily we roll along
there's a strong possibility that, if you haven't already planned to visit islay this weekend to take part in the ride of the falling rain, you may have left it a bit too late. having overheard a mobile phone conversation (couldn't help it - the guy was standing right outside the window) about how this poor chap was bereft of accommodation, due to not having confirmed his provisional booking, it seems likely that anyone turning up on spec with family in tow had better be keen on camping. it seems that may be the only option.
to be honest, i'm not too sure whether it's considered good form to simply turn up at any of the world's cyclo-sportives expecting to pay your money and simply take part. it seems most unfortunate that, if that is the case, then one of the few events where we've definitively encouraged same, is rather let down by available accommodation. however, you can't say we didn't warn you (well you can, but we'll ignore it), and it seems that a fair number have built this weekend's ride into their annual participation schedule, and will be massing (relative term) outside debbie's on sunday morning.
whereas something like october's braveheart ride features a 44 mile and a 20 mile ride, we have tried to be even more flexible than that. it is in the nature of the island that there are numerous roads to just about anywhere, so participants can cut back to the start at varying points of the day; the nominal total distance is 100 miles, but there's certainly no shame in cutting that short if you'd rather. none of us will think any the less of you, but possibly wonder, as we near the 80 mile mark, whether discretion might not have been the better part of valour several score miles earlier.
if you're planning to join the ride of the falling rain, i and the other resident members of velo club d'ardbeg look forward to welcoming you, and hope that you won't be too disappointed if it stays dry.
posted on tuesday 29th july
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................nick rawle
what do you do when you realise that sitting in an office pushing pens and bits of paper might well become the pinnacle of your career? in my case, i upped sticks and moved to islay and have never regretted a minute. nick rawle, originally a freelance photographer, found himself in a similar situation (probably not alone in that), so he upped sticks and decided to cycle from land's end to john o'groats.
well, ok, there's just a wee bit more to it than that; nick's dad died from bowel cancer when nick was only seven, so aside from dragging himself free from the rat race, the idea is currently to ride 3200 miles and raise one pound for every mile his specialized mountain bike and he will cover all the way to the top of scotland. still, even charity cyclists need a break from time to time, and let's be honest, where else would you rather spend a few days of rest and recreation than on islay over a hot and sunny weekend.
despite the fact that it must seem a bit of a busman's holiday to go for a bike ride with at least a portion of the velo club peloton when you're supposed to be having a break from cycling, that's exactly what nick did yesterday morning. giving himself a taste of some of islay's finest b&b hospitality at lambeth house, at least our sunday ride meant he could leave the panniers in his room. so why am i telling you all this?
lots of cyclists pedal from lands end to john o'groats, cycle across europe, cycle round the world even, in the fine, altruistic motive of raising money for charity - and there are many charities across the world who must be extremely grateful for the invention of the bicycle and the wonderful people who pedal same. i don't intend to make a habit of publicising charity rides, but nick had the spirit to come over to islay for a few days, he's a thoroughly great bloke, and i don't see that a few words and a photo could possibly harm his fundraising activity.if you'd like to contribute to his worthy cause (so far he's raised £2184), or maybe just read his online diary of the trip so far, the money part is here justgiving.com, the wordy bit is here at 3200pictures.
and best of luck to nick for the next bit.
posted on monday 28th july
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................sportique active body care
so you get back from the sunday morning ride, after the obligatory espresso (or, as chance would have it yesterday - an ice cool soya cappuccino); helmet off, gloves on top of the microwave, say hi to mrs washingmachinepost and head upstairs for a shower. having changed back into civvies, munched a more than adequate lunch, and just before popping the bike into its shed/garage/fabulously furnished apartment, it seems highly prudent to scrub the carbon from top to bottom, check that niggling wobble in the rear wheel, sort the rattle in the left ergopower lever (slightly sticky cable) before lubricating the chain with green oil.
so how come we take all this time and effort to look after the bicycle, but generally spend a bit less both financially and timewise on the engine? i do have to put my hand up here and admit that i have long been guilty of the above scenario - sometimes i'll even have two espressos. but in the wildly differing weather experienced here on the outer edge, and doubtless emulated in a variety of other dissimilar locations, it has become increasingly necessary to consider at least parts of that engine.
in winter, i could often do with some of that stuff channel swimmers plaster over their bodies to give protection from the elements, and in the heatwave that has landed on our shores over the past weekend, having feet ensconced in admittedly finely crafted leather and carbon shoes for several hours a day, while providing the extent of propulsion, creates alternative problems. so i was rather overjoyed to receive a vast array of sport and body products from sportique active body care with which to pamper my epidermis over the coming weeks/months. since there are simply too many fine creams, washes, powders to cram into one review, i have taken the executive decision to review these in manageable chunks (whether for you or me, i'm not rightly sure), so for starters let me present my findings on hard day's night foot cream and its best friend sportique foot powder, along with the less sporty but no less fun, shaving cream and after shave balm.
even if you don't suffer from dry skin on the soles of your feet, or perhaps less unlikely, niffy ones, there can be little more enervating, either before popping under the duvet for a good night's snooze, or after dripping out of the shower, to smother the uncleated in hard day's night foot cream. smooth and subtly aromatic. the powder can be shaken inside those sporty looking socks to care for the tootsies while they are being put to good use at the end of the cranks. incredibly fine and satisfying.
if, like the majority of the uk's male population, the foamy stuff splodged all over your face in the morning comes out of an aerosol can, reverting to the age-old skill of slobbering shaving soap using one of those quaint little spiky brushes can be almost as challenging as trying to beat brian smith to the top of a french hill. but it is rather fun, and using a tin of sportique shaving cream is a whole different experience for your face. i really can't quite explain why or how this is, but i'm pretty sure i'm not going back to spray foam. after scraping off that five o'clock shadow, smoothing on some sportique after shave balm removes any sting and smoothes out the skin ready to gain those extra eight seconds in a low velocity wind-tunnel.
of course, all this is ancillary to riding the bicycle, but hardly in attempting to lead a normal life - sometimes it's necessary to become a convincing civilian. but surely the post is not so naive as to think sportique are the only folks that can care for that carefully honed, muscular physique? of course not, but what makes the sportique range just a tad different, apart from the sheer luxury of use, is its exclusion of all non-natural ingredients. take the tin of shaving cream, for instance; not only calendula (apparently not a roman emperor), chamomile, comphrey and yarrow, but dead sea clay. foot cream? olive, apricot and almond oils - could even have it for dessert.
check the sportique website for points of sale in your country. there are plenty more products to review, and they'll be slotted into the post in the very near future. meanwhile, prices: hard day's night foot cream in a 180ml tube costs £13.40 ($19.95); foot powder £7.90; shaving cream in a 150ml tin £11.90 ($17.95); 150ml bottle of after shave balm £10.50 ($12.95). i've just discovered a whole new world.
sportique products are sold in the uk through sigma sport, london-paris and c3 products
posted on monday 28th july
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................indy fabulous
thewashingmachinepost's jez hastings rode an independent fabrication featherlight all the way from london to paris, courtesy mosquito bikes. so it seemed like a good idea to let him tell you what it was like.
usually, on saturday morning (after a long week in the wilderness) i head for the kitchen where i fine grind, sometimes by hand (if i am in the mood), fresh coffee beans purchased from debbie's. then, fire up the bialetti espresso machine (you have to have a stove to do so; preferably wood burning or peat, hand cut the year before) and take time to dream of the most useable bike i have ever ridden (and i have been riding road bikes/trikes for over thirty years).
wonderfully, my dream came true whilst on the londres-paris sportive a few weeks ago.
like all good stories it started sometime before: having been associated with mosquito bikes for over 20 years it came as no surprise that whilst looking for a bike to ride this prestigious event, the wise mosquito folks came up trumps. at the london bike show last october, phil suggested that i may like a shot on an independent fabrication, or indie fab as they are know by those that know.
bp suggested that maybe a good way to test such a steed would be over 600km, such as the l2p 2008. it did not take too long to think about it, and to cut a long story short there i was on the line up at hampton court astride an indy fab featherlight. what was even more delightful was the knowledge that the company is a workers' co-operative in somerville mass., and with such values as similar to here at the post and of course, mosquito, hence their involvement.
"every frameset we build is custom, built for an individual customer from start to finish here in our somerville factory. but how custom is custom? at indy fab custom means every tube, every length, every angle, and every option is selected to meet our customers' needs and desires. if that isn't enough, we have a state-of-the-art ppg certified paint shop that is set up to handle your custom paint requests, any color, any shape, essentially any scheme that you can come up with. your bike will be as unique as you are."
...as they'd tell you in sommerville.
twenty years ago one could not just hop on a bike and ride 600kms. (unless, of course, one had some serious physical, if not mental, challenges) but mosquito and indy fab have moved that along. very definitely. and so this is exactly what i did. i put on my own saddle and pedals, (well 'graham-the-best-mechanic-in-the-world' did), but that was all. everything else was as delivered from the shop floor. the frame, although normally custom made for you, was from the showroom, and was an example of exquisiteness beyond belief. fine steel brazing and a paint job to die for; duck egg blue with red feathers enunciating the featherlight label. roger, mosquito's bike fitter and head mechanic at mosquito had done yet another superlative job. it was as if i had always been on this machine and it was ever thus - it was poetry. along the kent lanes, heading at some lick towards dover, it performed stunningly - responsive, compliant (we all use that word, but i really mean it) and comfortable all at the same time. we are never, at our age and income bracket, ever going to purchase a tdf replica (even in our dreams) but rather, if we are truthful with ourselves, children and loved ones, a machine that covers a multitude of habitual activities will suit. and this fitted like a finely tailored one.
personally i am not a 'sh-youknowwho' chap, but i was pleasantly surprised at the smoothness of the dura-ace gears and brakes although i would, personally go for the more characterful and fine agricultural feel of campagnology. but then i do own a leica camera, a 'grays of inverness' telescope and even a very old inherited hardy's fly rod.
the indy fab frame certainly became a talking point amongst fellow riders. many of whom were on full lightweight items from the main carbon players of the bike world. the indy fab sported an understated paint job (what, with red feathers? ed) and fine brazing giving rise to interest from all participants - i would like to say it was my souplesse and style but unfortunately not. over the mont cassel cobbles, it sucked up the harshness with none of the tingly finger syndrome or 'soredayinthesaddle' feeling that one would expect. by the second day i wasn't going to give it back. it was fun, fun, fun and an utter delight too. if i owned one it would certainly be the bike i would put down as an heirloom, and without doubt, one my offspring would be fighting for it.
going back to my saturday morning dreamtime i firmly believe that indy fab have touched on something for our age group; raced in the late seventies/early eighties, rode for riding's sake, bred in the nineties then returned to a feeling of esprit and dénouement of a time stolen by having to grow up. the indy fab takes me back there with a modern, yet stylish slant. maybe for you it will be able to recall such idiosyncratic feelings that are only brought about by the harmon/kelly collaboration. the last proper race bike i had that was duck egg blue (i've had a couple) was a raleigh gran sport with a much saved/begged for campag record groupset. i wish i could have bought a raleigh international but...
(how i loved that bike and how i cried when it was stolen. i had spent pennies and pounds and worked even harder to own it.) so many memories of racing, trialling, 24hrs, youth hostel weekends (just a change of wheels), and so so many miles actually i looked back on the last year i rode that machine (1983), and i did over 12,000 miles. so i was pretty attached. i would do it all again but this time with this indy fab and more too.
perhaps i have lingered upon the reminiscent flavour too much, but this is where i believe that indy fab has pitched its truly superb piece - the angles make it responsive, yet excellent in its execution and very easy to ride and spend up to eight hours a day on. it also has a turn of speed that would require one to belt through corners on a local 'crit' circuit too. go on, try one, but don't forget once bitten, once again smitten.
i want one...please.
jez' indy fab featherlight was a 54cm steel frame and carbon forks, with a shimano dura-ace 7800 groupset, a chris king headset, itm bars and stem and mavic ksyrium sl wheels. tyres were schwalbe ultremos. thanks to phil, roger and gill at mosquito bikes for all their assistance.
posted on sunday 27th july
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................garmin edge 705 gps
i've lived on islay for almost twenty one years, and much of that time we have been a car free family, apart, that is from a period of temporary insanity when i had to spend far too much money on petrol, servicing, car tax, insurance - i'm sure you've all been there, and probably still are. islay is a slightly larger island than you'd expect, witnessed by the annual ride of the falling rain which allows us to cover 162 km with very little route overlap, and still many kilometres of road untouched by skinny tyres. but despite islay's size, relatively speaking, it's a small place to stay, and i'm pretty sure i've covered all the roadway available to me, and i certainly couldn't get lost.
so you will doubtless be wondering what the heck the company colnago is doing with a garmin edge 705 gps unit strapped to its carbon fibre stem; luckily for us all, i'm here to tell you exactly that. after testing the sportstracker software purveyed by nokia and happily displayed on their gps enabled mobile phone, it seemed perhaps a good idea to try out one of the purpose built gps units that has no other reason in life other than to accompany a bicycle everywhere it should choose to go. as befits a machine that costs in excess of £300, it has more bells and whistles than the london sinfonietta, far more than could be examined in one review, and therefore i'm going to lead you (and i) into this world of sophistication gently. in other words, there will be a part two at least, and possibly even a part three.
i have never been one for computer games of any description, mostly because i'm too lazy and uninterested to learn the rules and operating procedure, before clicking buttons or casually handling joysticks and the like. there is almost a similar tendency when confronted with such as the edge 705. to ease the pain, there is an easy start booklet that is surprisingly helpful, as well as a more expansive tomb provided in pdf format on an accompanying cd.
charging the battery is a necessary first step, since power is provided by an internal lithium ion. there's a handy representation of a battery on-screen when the power is plugged in, displaying an increasing red overlay that turns either blue or green when fully charged (difficult to tell which colour with the backlight off). according to the specifications, battery life, when fully charged, should be a perfectly acceptable 15 hours. never having cycled for that length of time, i'm willing to take garmin's word for that.
then it's computer science time.
in its basic format, the edge displays three distinctly separate screens which you can sequence through, using the mode button on the bottom left of the unit. incidentally, very unlike the nokia phone, the buttons are man-sized and pretty easy to access and press while cruising at my normal 50kph (who laughed?). setting the displays and other seemingly endless pages of numbers is done via the menu button on the right (cunningly logical). since the edge also features a heart rate monitor (the box contains an ant+ enabled chest strap), in order to relate to the different zones available and the calorie counter, assuming you wish to avail yourself of same (and why wouldn't you?) it's necessary to input age, weight and maximum heart rate.
being keen to get the edge up and running nice and quickly (impatience is a virtue), i have, for the time being, chosen to ignore all the hr related functions other than the straightforward hr display. the other bits will arrive in part two, along with the virtual training partner and intervals - value for money if nothing else. the main concern of any first time user will be the main display, showing up to a maximum of eight panels on-screen at any given time. the clever part of the garmin is the method of accessing all the various bits needed by each individual user. in between the start/stop and lap/reset buttons at the bottom of the unit is a mini joystick. moving this backward or forward moves through the options available in each screen, and when you've found the bit you want to select, you simply press it down. hardly ground-breaking, but darned effective.
so, having maxed out to eight panels, it's time to decide what you want displayed on each. i'd love to give you the impression that my computer skills are second to none, and that this part was an absolute breeze; sadly the instruction manual is slightly obscure when it comes to this. and even more sadly, i e-mailed garmin's technical support via their website to enquire how one went about altering the initial options displayed. it's two weeks since i sent that e-mail, and i'm still waiting for an acknowledgment, let alone a semblance of a reply. if you're going to sell it, you need to support it. however, if all else fails, footer like there was no tomorrow, something that eventually provided the solution.
it transpires that flicking the aforementioned joystick sequences through the panels, signified by the top of the panel highlighting in the user definable highlight colour (pink anyone?). depressing the joystick displays the considerable number of options available, and again moving the joystick allows selection before pressing to implement. i chose to go with speed (in metric- kph or statute - mph), average speed, distance, time, heart rate, average heart rate, calories and cadence. the screen font used for display is ideal for the purpose, being easily seen from the cockpit even with the full eight panels usefully employed.
aha, cadence, i hear you say. yes indeed; inside the box is a garmin sensor (again ant+ enabled, and therefore wireless) that zip ties to the left chainstay, roughly level with the last centimetre or so of the crank. affixing a magnet on the crank to line up with a mark on the sensor, the number of crank revolutions per minute will be displayed wherever you've set it on the screen.
this very same sensor uses the other end to accept signals from a magnet fixed to a spoke on the rear wheel. surely, one is entitled to ask, the gps unit can calculate speed from the satellite without the need to plonk a magnet on the wheel? fearless to the end, i asked; apparently there are parts of the world where the gps can experience weak signals, therefore the magnet/sensor acts as a backup. additionally, if you wish to use the bike on an indoor turbo trainer (surely not?) the fact that the magnet is on the back wheel means speed will still be displayed. because gps rarely works indoors. clever.
the sensor, in this case, was required to sit right at the apex of the hp section of the colnago's chainstay, because it needs to be sited to pick up the cadence sensor. in practice, this turned out to be no problem at all due to the 'gummy' rubber base on which the sensor sits. to fit the 705 at handlebar height, the edge comes with two distinct mounts; one fits perpendicular to the stem (to my mind, the obvious and more satisfactory choice) while the other allows mounting on the bars. the mount employs a slide on/slide off slot that keeps the unit extremely stable and rattle free, no matter what road surface being traversed at any given time. the display can sense which way it is being held and alter the format from portrait to landscape as necessary.
so what else does it do? well, something that i thought i was going to get with the nokia phone, was a map that showed me exactly where i was. opening paragraph notwithstanding, watching a black triangle moving swiftly along uiskentuie strand is a novelty that will take some time to wear off. and that's what the map mode does, selected by pressing the mode button until a map appears. conveniently, you can also place two info panels at the top of the map so that you are still suitably informed while watching that black triangle. straight out the box, a garmin edge 705 contains rudimentary mapping - if you want, or need, a degree of sophistication in your cartographical viewing, it becomes necessary to purchase a miniscule memory card and slot it in the base of the unit, a card that contains mapping relevant to the area under consideration. to this end, garmin kindly supplied two cards; one with scotland on it, and one with european cities. the latter might not be over used. these, as far as i can find out, cost around £130 each. at the top of the right-hand side are a couple of buttons that allow zooming in and out on the map display as necessary, something that it's quite easy to do while pedalling - well, maybe not in paris-roubaix.
the third mode in my currently available selection is elevation, unfortunately not overly stretched in the principality. most of the bumpy bits on islay are round the outside, so i haven't used this display very often because it's not a great deal of fun watching a flat line for 70 odd kilomtres. however, in the pyrenees... briefly depressing the power button shows up an on-screen slider which can be increased or decreased by means of the joystick and brightens or dims the backlight. in general use, unless you're on a road with heavy tree covering, or a tunnel (i would imagine) the screen is perfectly legible without using the backlight.
and there's more.
it's possible to set the unit to auto start and auto pause after the start button has been pressed at the start of each ride. this is a great boon that gives it the edge (if you'll pardon the pun) over my long serving polar heart rate monitor. the latter would end the session whenever it failed to receive a signal for a modest amount of time, meaning that anytime spent in debbie's would have me return to a blank screen. the garmin stops recording when the bike stops, and simply starts again as soon as the 705 registers a gps movement. perfect.
after having been out and about making the numbers increase with alacrity (always having remembered to press start at the outset), on returning to washingmachinepost towers, it is simply a case of pressing stop followed by reset. this button pressing sequence saves the completed ride info, then resets the numbers to zero - apart from the clock.
major brownie points to garmin for giving us macintosh compatible software, allowing long-time apple users such as myself to seemlessly use the extra curricular features. garmin freely provide a downloadable piece of software called garmin connect which runs just fine on my macbook pro, and presumably does the same on any computer from the dark-side. plugging the supplied usb cable into the edge and the mac, allows the software to recognise the garmin, alert you to the saved sessions contained thereon and invite you to upload the recorded info. the connect software can then provide a graph of any of the parameters employed during the ride as well as overlaying the route on a simple map of the area, in this case, islay.
of course, it doesn't all stop there. in this day and age of the world wide web, it's possible to upload the same info to a portion of the garmin website which allows the sharing of your ride with the world, should you choose so to do, as well as overlaying the route on a google earth map. and just like normal google earth, you can zoom in and out.
now, if you consider that all i have done is describe the basic functions of the edge 705, and there's a lot more to explore yet, suddenly the price being charged really doesn't seem very much at all. i have this excellent piece of technology for three months, so watch for the follow up articles to this one, and for my doctorate in computer science. maybe i could borrow a powertap hubbed wheel and juggle even more - purely in the interests of research.
if you can't wait for more, nip out and buy one; i really don't think you'll be disappointed, particularly if you're following a serious training regime.
to be continued...
thanks to simon gilbert of garmin uk for assistance with this article posted on saturday 26th july some of us have too much time on our hands, and spend that amount of so-called 'spare time' researching the web and the like, eager for snippets of gold-dust with which to regale you of an evening or, perchance, daylight hours. i cannot cast aspersions, since it is the very bread and butter of thewashingmachinepost because, sad to relate, not everybody is desperate to let me know of their own volition. but not only i spend my hours thus; the he should know better jez hastings has a contribution to make too, even if we are eagerly awaiting his bicycle review. many have questioned my sanity in not only naming a website after a kitchen appliance, but spending evening upon evening filling its pixels with articles of varying depth and interest, but there are those who contrive to make me seem a paragon of rationality. yellow jacket, the beach crazy cyclist, is a series of stop frame animation episodes featuring a cycling toy with its arms permanently fixed in a first over the line pose, followed by a phalanx of domestiques, and a chap in a black jersey who appears to behave in the manner of dick dastardly from wacky races. perhaps unsurprisingly, this character is known as black jacket. of course, because it's a beach (yes, a real beach with sand) there's a crab called craby, an avid supporter of yellow jacket and not shy of giving his nemesis a quick pinch in the back. the world would undoubtedly be a saner place if i were making all this up, and i'm quite sure that many of you think that i am. worryingly, i'm not, and i haven't even mentioned the black udder cows.if ever there was a convincing reason for a clampdown on doping in the peloton, this is it. posted on friday 25th july here we are, only a few days along from featuring some rather nifty wool jerseys from wiggle, and along comes the daddy of them all, and even in short sleeve format for those lazy, hazy days of summer. yes, even the outer edge manages the occasional day of sublime weather now and again, and on such days it is incumbent on the trendsetting cyclist to be encumbered with sartorial elegance befitting the climate. what better way to accompany the c-record t-shirt than to give the game away completely and have a merino wool/acrylic jersey emblazoned with the moniker of vicenza's finest componentry. prendas ciclismo's research and development team (which, i am reliably assured, never sleeps) has found a treasure trove of campagnolo short sleeve jerseys in blue and black, along with the coolest garment ever to be seen in a coffee bar near you, a light blue, long-sleeve version of same. the former retail at a mighty £69.95 ($140) reduced from an original £109.95 ($220), while the oh so desirable long sleeve is a smidgeon dearer at £74.95 ($150) also reduced from £109.95 ($150). having pointed out that the weather is hardly long-sleeved, wool sweater jersey time, rather pales into insignificance when confronted with these. prendas open at 9:00am on monday morning - clog the switchboard. but it would be even better if it was christmas and we could point our nearest and dearest in the direction of the prendas website. posted on friday 25th julyone flew over the cuckoo's nest
why isn't christmas in july?
