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the mighty dave t's words of the week

"a lunchtime jazz festival gig at the rspb? realistically, how many geese are likely to attend?"

©2018 the mighty dave t, is a prendas sponsored rider and le patron of the thoroughly decent fellows.

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saving the best for last

on the basis that i find myself in disagreement with the application of the competitive milieu to both music and art, when time came for the original islay pipe band to accept the challenge of entering what are referred to in the pipe band words as the five majors, i excused myself from the party and went cycling instead. pipe bands are categorised predominantly in four main grades, four being the lowest and one being the top of the tree. in order to progress from one grade to the next, a band has to place well in each of those five major competitions, before repeating the process all over again the following season.

having stepped back from the competitive realm, i have very little experience of the preamble ahead of stepping into the ring to perform, but i do know that several of these 'majors' offer the bands a 'tuning park', a corralled area in which bands can tune up and rehearse the compositions chosen for the forthcoming performance. for those who know little of such matters, let me inform you that the tuning of a set of highland bagpipes is often a lengthy and painful affair, particularly if you're a drummer, though the latter are scarcely excused from the trials and tribulations of the tuning process.

should any particular piper experience unresolvable difficulty in having the pipe drones achieve perfect parity with each other, or the chanter be deemed of less than perfect pitch, the pipe major is likely to tap the unfortunate owner on the shoulder, simultaneously indicating the adjacent coach park. similarly, it is necessary for each and every snare drum to be within a hairsbreadth of the pitch identified as necessary by the leading tip. the vicissitudes of modern-day kevlar drumheads often mitigate against a few last minute tweaks with an oversized drum-key. those failing to make the cut will find themselves accompanying any hapless pipers to the coach park.

such callousness on behalf of the pipe major and lead drummer are generally accepted as being in the very best interests of the band; in order to achieve maximum points, a band should not only march onto the field with its finest players, but with instruments as close to perfection as it's possible to attain on the day.

you would hope, perhaps, that a similar set of circumstances would be applied to the national team selected for the road cycling world championships taking place in innsbruck next weekend. in the following monologue, i wish to cast no aspersions on the competitive qualities of scott bicycles, pinarellos and the like. nor, indeed, do i wish to undermine the competitive abilities of the selected members of the team. however, the clue is in the event's title: the world road racing championships, a title that presupposes the fight for the rainbow bands will be eked out by the sport's finest cyclists.

concerning myself solely with the british team, mostly on the basis that it's effectively the team of my country and also the fact that i'm less than well-informed as to the composition of the others, i find myself feeling just a bit let down. it is but mere days since i was cheered to point out that for the first time in history, a single nation has provided three different winners of the season's grand tours: chris froome, geraint thomas and simon yates. based on this knowledge, it would not be unseemly, i think, to expect those three to feature in our national team for the worlds.

yet only simon yates, winner of the recently completed vuelta espana, has seen fit to accept the challenge. both thomas and froome have cited particularly 'brutal' seasons as their reason for spending sunday morning having breakfast in bed, but simon yates featured highly in a hard-fought giro d'italia, ultimately won by froome as well as taking victory in spain. froome rode the tour de france, but opted not to visit spain. thomas, though victorious in paris, competed in neither the giro nor the vuelta. thus both yates and froome outnumber the welshman two to one, but only yates will attempt to taste the rainbow.

if the world championships is intended to produce the best rider in the world (if such a thing actually exists), should it not be raced by the best riders in the world? and if thomas and froome have each won a grand tour this year, should we not consider them to be amongst the best in the world? if the uci truly wish to emulate formula one motor car racing, ought not it be a pre-condition that the winners of certain races (the five monuments and the grand tours, for example) are honour-bound to take on the world road racing championships, if for nothing other than national pride?

the punishment for non-participation should be two hours in the middle of the tuning park at the pipe band world championships. that will certainly provide the ultimate definition of the word 'brutal'.

friday 21 september 2018

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quest for the holy grail

it may or may not surprise you to know that there is such an organisation/website as cymbalholics, constituted to serve individuals (such as yours truly) who have a great deal of difficulty in refraining from purchasing far more cymbals than are actually necessary for percussive practice. oddly enough, it's not the shiny metal factor that entices my often incautious spending (never, i might add, to the point of financial destitution), but what might be termed the quest for the holy (sonic) grail. assuming you're willing to scutter about on youtube, search, if you will, for any recording by miles davis featuring a young tony williams and listen to the great man's ride cymbal.

those were originally zildjian cymbals, but more recently, cymbal manufacturers istanbul mehmet, painstakingly recreated a replica set of tony williams' cymbals after his widow took the original set to their foundry to allow direct comparison. of course, the sound is hardly the whole deal; only tony williams could elicit that sound, in much the same way as owning a yellow pinarello will not necessarily win you the tour de france.

the trouble with this situation is that, having admired the sound of just such a set of cymbals, click on an itunes album, or yet another youtube video and suddenly another quest begins. i mean, have you ever heard the sound of jack dejohnette's sabian ride cymbal, particularly with keith jarrett's trio?

my own preference, until recently, has been for italy's ufip cymbals, instruments that are unique in their manufacturing technique. generally speaking, quality cymbals are crafted from a cast alloy, originating as a flat disk before having the bell stamped in the centre and lathing the outer bow. ufips are 'rotocast'; the molten alloy is poured into a rotating mold, replete with bell shape. the logic behind this method is that the centrifugal forces will drive any impurities towards the edge, a part of the raw cymbal that will subsequently be trimmed off and that the bell will be formed as an integral part of the cymbal.

however, knowledge of all the foregoing did not stop me purchasing a set of armand zildjian cymbals, complete with matching cymbal bag, offering sounds that are entirely different from the italian job. and quite frankly, they're cymbals that i didn't really need. oh, yes, i can justify it to myself by arguing that the particular sounds they offer are ideally suited to the sixties and seventies based gigs that i frequently play in a local hostelry. but let's not kid ourselves; i could put dustbin lids on my cymbal stands and the regular friday night patrons of said hostelry would scarcely notice the difference.

that said, there's every likelihood that i'll buy another cymbal or two in the near future in my continued quest for that sound.

i am not, however, naive enough not to realise that a similar modus operandi affects both my equals and betters, even within the velocipedinal realm. there are always going to be those who scour the web pages of ebay and the auction houses of the world for cycling paraphernalia and mechanica to add to a growing collection, either deliberately or as a result of a quest similar to that outlined above for the holy grail of cymbal sounds. and, in a selfless quest to satisfy those thus afflicted, i'm more than happy to draw your attention to a small sale of cycling artefacts through the auspices of gorringe's online auction house.

perhaps the most attractive item in this four lot sale is a french parisienne humber 'special' road racer bicycle, originating from around 1896, expected to realise a price of between £1800 and £2500. the bicycle features all its original equipment, including toeclips and a chain stamped 'perry's humber'. the bicycle is thought to have been made as a special order. there are three further lots consisting of a parisienne humber poster (£400 - £600), one of hennie kuiper's offical team raleigh bicycles from 1976, complete with the original build sheet (£1500 - £2000) and finally a raleigh poster featuring reg harris taking victory from arie van vliet in the 1954 cologne world championship. the latter is expected to fetch between £400 and £600.

if any of the foregoing strikes you as the very items to stick in your stamp album, click the link below. the auction takes place on 25 september. and if you see any nice cymbals while you're there, you know where i am.

gorringe's cycling auction

thursday 20 september 2018

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cycling lôn las cymru richard barrett. cicerone press paperback. 124pp illus. £11.95

wales and cycling could reasonably be described as one of those hand-in-glove situations, following geraint thomas' victory in this year's tour de france. this is not to suggest that the country has been left derelict when conversation turns to velocipedinal matters, but after prince bradley and froomey, at least the emphasis has moved a tad west for a change. but, just as wearing a pair of specialized peter sagan shoes will scarcely make you eligible to wear the rainbow bands, neither will a potter about the lanes of cymru prepare you for those three weeks in july.

thankfully, for us mere mortals, cicerone press are not noted for their sporting excesses, happy to remain more concerned for the geographical well-being of the more average touring cyclist. author and cyclist, richard barrett has produced a compact and bijou volume detailing, as evinced by the book's subtitle, '250 miles through the heart of Wales on traffic-free paths and quiet roads'. a far cry indeed from the cobbled streets of the champs elysées.

this beautifully illustrated and detailed guide does not, however, require that the average cyclist, as mentioned above, attempt to swallow each and every one of those 250 miles in one fell swoop. rather than place hitherto unheard of demands upon the more casual cyclist, barrett has split the distance into five considerably easier stages, leading from the start in cardiff and ending farther north in holyhead. as is frequently the case with cicerone guides, options abound; there is really no need to undertake the stages in the order prescribed by the author, or, for that matter, to ride all of them during one visit.

after all, geraint might be busy elsewhere that week.

the best bits of a cicerone guide, in my opinion, are contained within the opening pages, the portion of the book that prefaces any impending cycle tour. in this particular case, pages 8 and 9 offer a highly informative map displaying the route in its entirety, with corresponding distances appended along the way. and a matter of ten or so pages later, there's a diagrammatic rendering of railway stations adjacent to lôn las cymru, should you wish to jump from here to there, without turning a pedal (so to speak).

to aid in the planning of any such cycling trip, with times based on an average cycling speed of 16kph, barrett has provided colour coded suggested schedules based on four, five, six and seven day expeditions. he also points out that the very existence of lôn las cymru can be laid at the door of the unwitting richard beeching who, in the early 1960s, recommended the closure of one-third of the uk's railway network. some of those former rail routes have subsequently found themselves absorbed into the national cycle network, along which portions of lôn las cymru will take the intrepid cyclist.

lest you have thoughts of your trammeling across wales leading to your becoming the next geraint thomas, the author smartly disavows you of that notion by advising that you 'Leave your best carbon frame and carbon wheels at home.' and subsequently that you 'Attach a bell, which is essential for negotiating pedestrians on shared-use paths.' however, it is not solely cycling matters that are uppermost in his mind, publishing as he has, a list of 'Ten (culinary) specialities to try when in Wales'.

the routes themselves feature not only step by step directions to ensure you enjoy your ride and the scenery, without ending up in deepest yorkshire due to a wrong turning. these are peppered with box-outs describing aspects of the surrounding area that you may find interesting. there is nothing worse than returning home to discover that you'd missed some (or all) of the more notable points of interest.

it's perhaps a mite late in the year to be setting out on a 250 mile adventure, the length and breadth of the welsh nation, if only because the weather may not offer the succour you'd hoped for. however, it's never too early to start planning next year's cycling trip.

cycling lôn las cymru

wednesday 19 september 2018

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a victory of sorts

several years ago, two lads on holiday on islay and staying at the youth hostel in port charlotte cycled round to my humble abode that i might inflate the tyres on one of the bicycles. i'd like to point out that in the majority of cases, i would have told them to take care of such a task by themselves, but in this case, the fellow's mini-pump seemed inclined to mangle the portion of the presta valve that has to be unscrewed to allow the measured ingress of air. my park tool track pump features an altogether less invasive chuck, hence the reason why i had volunteered my services.

as i bent down at the wheel to attempt a straightening of the valve before attempting to inflate the tyre, the two fellows were discussing the previous night's football match. at the time, i thought they were doing so with each other, but it transpired that they were, in fact, enquiring what i had thought of both the match and the final score. it would be central to your understanding of this situation, if i point out that i have no interest in football/soccer whatsoever, hence my paying little attention to the conversation taking place above me (in both senses of that phrase).

it was only a slight alteration in tone and a more querying manner that alerted me to the fact that they were actually asking me and not each other. for it seems that, even in the 21st century, the assumption is still that, if you're a bloke, you must be interested in football, eager to point out the foibles of the recently signed centre-forward and the manifest failings of the goalkeeper, transferred at great expense from real madrid (i think i've got that right). but it's apparently not what you might refer to as a transferable situation.

as evidence for the latter, i might relate a trip into the big city of bowmore one saturday afternoon earlier this year in order to purchase my weekend newspaper. it seems that the scottish rugby team had been well and truly drubbed by the opposition, for a friend of mine was bemoaning this very fact when i bumped into him outside the average market. on the way to this unexpected meet, i had passed two gents for whom the news that their favourite football team were losing by at least a couple of goals was making a less than welcome intrusion into their saturday afternoon.

yet on that very day, the british cyclocross contingent at the 2018 world championships had taken top honours on the junior women's and junior men's podiums, news of which the above mentioned individuals seemed totally oblivious. and, surprisingly to me, were scarcely cured of their own disappointments when informed of these admirable sporting successes. it will not surprise you to know that none had ever heard of cyclocross. football and rugby were (and are) both the centre and slightly left of centre of the uk sporting universe, often accompanied by cricket and golf.

so, this morning, when i sprang enthusiastically into the office, i was ready and willing to appraise all and sundry of the momentous fact that this year's three grand tours had not only been won by british riders, but three different riders, one of whom did not ride for team sky. as you will have been made perfectly aware by now, this is the first time in the history of the universe that the giro d'italia, le tour de france and la vuelta have been won by a single nation, with three different riders; the fact that it was britain that acheived this notable record only makes it more worthy of approbation. guilty as i usually am of engendering conversations regarding velocipedinal matters, i remained uncharacteristically silent on the matter, in the hope that one of my colleagues would see fit to point it out.

in that respect, it was a long, silent day.

this news was deemed important enough to reach page four in monday's guardian newspaper (yes, the very same newspaper that remained oddly silent on the recent tour of britain). according to a quote from a british cycling fan interviewed by the guardian "What we're seeing today is unique and I think it's being a bit missed in the UK. It's three Grand Tours and three different British riders. It's just remarkable." i'd love to say that it's a fact that has brought a subtle, yet smug grin to my disposition, but oddly enough, looking in the mirror, it more accurately resembles that of despair.

tuesday 18 september 2018

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crankalicious science friction chain lube

it has become increasingly noticeable over the years, that, aside from residing at the centre of the known universe, islay also occupies a unique meteorological niche in that universe. though i cannot claim to be fully awake when my alarm switches on each morning, just priort to being informed as to various happenings around the world, the met office happily regales us with the climatic conditions that may or may not brighten the day to follow. we are located some 25 miles north of northern ireland and goodness knows how many cubits west of scotland, yet it often appears that the forecasts for one or other of those regions seem not to apply to this portion of the hebrides.

thus, when planning the following morning's velocipedinal wardrobe, sartorial dilemmas abound. by way of a perhaps poor example, having donned bibtights, long-sleeve jersey and outer shell for an exploratory expedition this past saturday, i found my garmentage to be just a tad on the warm side, particularly since the promised rainfall did not materialise until well after teatime later that same day. on the basis that said rainfall would continue overnight (which, to be fair, it did), i laid out similar garb for the sunday morning ride. i cannot deny that there was sporadic precipitation throughout the mornings perambulations, but very much against recent trends, the ambient temperature had warmed just a tad.

sufficiently, in fact, to create that well-known boil-in-the-bag sensation, but clad in a jacket that in truth, was just too bulky to roll up and stuff in a back pocket.

still, as my mother was always want of saying when i was knee high to a chainset, "pride bears no pain", a saying that probably has little relevance here. unfortunately, this state of affairs is not an isolated incident, for more than just yours truly has declared a state of overheating on arriving at debbie's ready for the day's explorations. but, in the face of often persistent, soaking drizzle (or even mizzle), one scarcely wishes to find oneself rusting due to incorrect or inappropriate mode of dress. and, at the risk of stating the obvious, it is likely not only the cyclists who will feel the wrath of ferrous oxide. it ill behoves any of us to forget the iniquities visited upon the bicycle chain, but it seems many of us do.

thus, the attentive cyclist will not only clean his/her chain with unfailing regularity, but fearlessly apply an approprite lube to keep it running smoothly and prevent the rather scary looking orange rusty coating that often greets the opening of the bike shed door. essex-based crankalicious offer a range of bike-care products hand-made near stansted airport, one of which is the cleverly named science friction ceramic chain lubricant. as luck would have it, the chorus groupset on my ritchey logic received a brand new, shiny chain at the same time as a box contianing a range of crankalicious products arrived at the croft for review.

and even better, providing the ideal opportunity to give several drops of science friction a hard time, it rained quite a lot. despite being told to do so by the instructions on the £10, 100ml bottle, i inadvertently neglected to wipe the excess lube after application, resulting in a less than shiny chain 'pon my return from an extensive training ride (i know you believe me implicitly). subsequently wiped with a rag, the ceramic lube appears to have clung tenaciously for an appreciable period of time, to each bushing along the length of the campagnolo chain, offering a pleasantly quiet ride and fending off rainwater and splashy puddles with aplomb.

a tenner is hardly a colossal amount to offer peace of mind when the weather turns foul, as it inevitably will over the coming months. you may already have your favoured lubes on a shelf in the bike shed, but if you've yet to try crankalicious' 'science friction', might i humbly suggest that you clear a small space on the selfsame shelf.

crankalicious science friction chainlube

sunday 16 september 2018

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dexshell ultralight waterproof socks

life (and by life, i, of course, mean cycling) is full of transitional periods, the majority engendered by seasonal climatic conditions. it cannot have escaped your attention that the majority of garment providers feature both spring/summer and autumn/winter ranges, partly to entice us away from our money, but also because those two transitional periods do tend to necessitate differing velocpidinal garb.

of course such periods of transition need not solely concern garmentage; a rather obvious seguay from one aspect of the sporting season is none too far away. i, of course, refer to the upcoming glorious months of cyclocross, the mindset for which becomes legally enforceable immediately after peter sagan has won the rainbow bands once again. though the modern day competitive cyclocrosser has adopted the ubiquitous skinsuit, those of us for whom mud and hurdles are more a curated state of mind, can effectively wear whatever it is we like, particularly if inclined to stop for coffee when splattered in the gloopy stuff.

supping froth in a onesy is never going to be a good look.

however, one specific item that finds regular favour on the road when precipitation reigns (see what i did there?), is the humble overshoe, the very item designed to (mostly) keep those oh, so expensive shiny shoes, not only free from gloop and gravel, but a preferred level of dessication for your little tootsies. my own favoured pair of overshoes feature a rather cosy, fleecy lining, occasionally just a tad too warm for either of the outer edges of the above mentioned transitional periods. but, while long-sleeve jerseys and bib-threequarters are all very well and sartorially appropriate for the cyclocross meme, a pair of thermal/waterproof overshoes are just an embarrassment.

that, however, may be the least of our worries: done right, cyclocross entails a fair measure of leaping on and off the bicycle, to say nothing of jumping over hurdles. all of which plays havoc with any pair of overshoes. and even over the length of a relatively short 'cross season, that's not great news for a fragile bank balance. which is precisely where a more than welcome pair of dexshell, lightweight, waterproof socks enters the fray.

a couple of years ago, i had the welcome task of reviewing a pair of the same company's bright orange waterproof gloves, items that i still retain in my winter armoury for both their thermal and weatherproofing qualities. thus, when 'cross beckons for a total incompetent to indulge in solo exploration of the undergrowth, i'll smugly don a pair of fluorescent yellow-edged dexshell waterproof socks and attempt to carry off my less than convincing sven nys impersonation. but while #crossis(still)coming, there is the road world championships to consider, training for which continues unabated.

en-route to innsbruck (a guy can dream, can't he?), this coming midweek shows particularly strong winds accompanied by more than a few millimetres of rain. though such winds seem confined to the wee small hours, their effect is likely to impinge upon any ensuing daytime velocipedinal activity. in other words, road splash, accompanied by an ambient temperature that might mitigate against my wearing the previously mentioned fleecy overshoes.

the ideal moment for those dexshell socks, methinks.

there is, however, a potential downside, one that pertains more to fluid dynamics than any failing on the part of dexshell. i have worn the lightweight socks in heavy drizzle and more pertinent precipitation with particularly excellent results, but every now and again, it becomes entirely necessary to ride in persistent, heavy rain and therein lies the problem. no matter whether you ride in boot-like footwear 'neath waterproof overshoes and over a pair of yellow tinged waterproof socks, as sure as eggs is eggs, gravity will drag that rain down each sculpted calf muscle, whereupon it will infiltrate your dexshells. (i feel we know each other well enough to accommodate such brash language.)

and, of course, being thoroughly waterproof, the dexshells simply don't let the water back out until you remove them in the safety of your own kitchen floor. just ask mrs washingmachinepost.

but they are utterly essential.

dexshell ultralite waterproof cycling socks

sunday 15 september 2018

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the repetitive meme

assuming we're all much of the same mind, the act of cycling, whether for work or leisure, is a repetitive action. for those commuting, it may well be far preferable to taking the bus, car or train, but depending on how much you like your job, it might be every bit as onerous, yet more economic than the alternatives. we, of the cognoscenti, do it because we love it; because there's nothing better than dressing head to toe in lycra, polyester and/or sportwool, dragging the carbon fibre kicking and screaming from the bikeshed and heading into the sunset.

i am regularly reminded of how insignificant is my sunday morning bike ride, when followed by one of those 40 foot articulated tankers that service the distilleries or, perchance, a tractor towing a trailer the size of a glasgow tenement. though it might appear to be only an educated guess, the chances are that either of the above are working, while i, on the other hand, am simply playing in circles. it's the same philosophy i have extended to riding in torrential rain and galeforce winds; no matter how wet i become, i can have a warm shower and get changed when i return home.

because i'm not actually going anywhere.

so, rather than moan endlessly about my 'right to the road', i'm cognisant of the fact that i travel a darned sight slower than any motorised form of transport. and based on the previously mentioned knowledge that i'm only playing, if i have to pull off the road into a passing place, so be it. that does not extend, however, to playing second fiddle to vehicles that attempt to overtake on blind corners; in an attempt to obviate the latter situation, i mostly hog the middle of the road, just this side of the white line in the vain hope that it will give any following motorists cause for second thoughts. unfortunately, that rarely happens.

and if i might, once again, contend that we are all of similar mind, any opportunity to proselytise our velocipedinal religion will be taken with eager and unremitting glee. but if push comes to shove and our forceful advice is taken to task by means of dissemination, the repetitive nature might become unduly exposed and we will be hoist by our own petard. granted, this is likely no different from any other sporting activity. golf, for instance, seems not to consist of any great variation of theme, nor swimming or running. (is it only me, or does dissing barely comparable activities engender a warm glow inside?)

though it ill behoves me to advertise this repetitive nature more than absolutely necessary, ian clark has provided an effective remedy to this apparent conundrum. his compact and bijou video about the joys of cycling consists entirely of animated gifs culled from the interwebs and skillfully melded into a single presentation.

"I enjoy making films, having previously posted one about Cuba's cycling culture a few years ago. However, i get frustrated by the number of projects that never come to fruition due to a lack of available time."

one of the almost inadvertent beauties of ian's movie is the uncurated randomness of the footage; basically a case of using whatever he found to promote the joys of cycling that we all take for granted, rather than concentrating on producing specific clips. "I've been experimenting in simplifying the process, by just using the internet and my phone to gather content and edit it in a way to tell a new story. My first attempt was about train travel, with which I was pretty pleased. I wanted then to push a bit further and bring a more human element to my movie clips. As a keen, yet very amateur cyclist, I decided to focus on that. The freedom of cycling is quite universal."

though it would be a simple matter to compare and contrast the simplicity of iain's intent with the growing complexities of the modern-day bicycle, i hope to resist the temptation. moving pictures such as his video, 'searching', edited on a samsung s7, successfully capture what fun the bicycle can be, if only by realising that someone, somewhere saw fit to create these individual gifs in the first place. rather than spend hours persuading the uninitiated as to the joys of the bicycle, it would be far easier and arguably more successful to simply pass on the link posted below.

"If a reasonable number of people watch them, I'll definitely make more. They're a fun way to pass a commute."

ian clark's cycling movie 'searching'

saturday 14 september 2018

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the bare necessities of cycling life

though not a part of a future personal strategy, i have noticed that my travel to scotland from the principality has been on a downward trajectory. in other words, i've become a predominantly home sort of a chap, rarely straying farther than a bike ride from my back door. quite why this is the case, i cannot reasonably fathom, but for the time being at least, it is what it is.

should the notion take me, however, there is a predetermined set of parameters that are followed almost without questioning. as a non-car driver, getting to either of the island's ferry ports is accomplished by bus, a service designed (mostly) to meet departing and arriving boats from the scottish mainland. we're now entering that time of year when autumnal gales will often have ferries diverted from port ellen to the more northerly terminal at port askaig. the disappointing factor affecting the frequency of such diversions is an apparent lowering of the windspeed that makes this necessary.

our principal ferry, the mv finlaggan was reputed to be able to berth in winds of up to 50 knots, when, in point of fact, it rarely sails in winds of greater than 36 knots. and now, either boat often finds itself travelling to a non-timetabled destination due to winds gusting to 26 knots. that's about the equivalent of opening the kitchen window.

anyhow, to return to my onward travel to scotland, depending on which boat is servicing which part of the timetable, the journey to kennacraig on the kintyre peninsula takes anything from two hours to two hours fifteen minutes. the latter is just slow enough to miss the bus connection to claonaig for a ferry to arran, but early enough to garner a booked seat on the citylink/west coast motors coach to glasgow's buchanan bus station. as a vegetarian, i prefer not to dine aboard the ferry for reasons both of cost and lack of variation in their offerings to non-meat eaters (mac'n'cheese anyone?). ensconced within my backpack is a sandwich or wrap of one type or another, augmented by a carton of yoghurt and a small bottle of san pellegrino, consumption of which commences the minute i have found a suitable seat aboard the glasgow-bound coach.

none of the foregoing is likely of any interest to you, but it does have relevance to anyone undertaking a prospective bicycle expedition anywhere at all, but particularly to the more remote areas of scotland's west coast. you see, i know that i'm going to have need of eating prior to reaching glasgow; three and a half hours on a citybound coach, following on from two hours on a boat are almost guaranteed to incur pangs of hunger, hence the packed lunch. additionally, i generally travel light, carrying only a backpack and thus having no need of loading any luggage into the hold of the coach. this means i can board before the majority in order to find a decent seat and on arrival at glasgow, i have no need of waiting around while the driver retrieves any bags from a well-packed luggage hold.

so why, therefore, have i met more than my fair share of cyclists who suddenly find that, on having punctured, broken a gear cable or worn a pair of brake shoes, they have no means of repair? and it's not just a lack of a spare tube; when calling in the hope of my possessing the very item needed to have them on their merry way, not only are they ignorant of what size of tube might be required, but also what valve it need feature, how to replace the inner tube and 'do i happen to have a pump they could borrow?'

we all go off cycling now and again, hoping that a deflationary malfeasance will not interrupt our pedalling pleasure, but just in case it does, we carry at least one spare inner tube, some tyre levers and at least a mini-pump that fits the valve. just the same as my travel victuals are planned to avoid any form of malnourishment. in the good old days of yore, when touring cyclists were 'real' touring cyclists, not only were they well-versed in the art of travelling repairs, but they'd planned ahead for such an occasional misadventure, carrying cassette removers, spare brake and gear cables and a few spokes taped to the left-side chainstay. and both tyres and brake shoes had been carefully examined prior to departure.

i blame facebook.

thursday 13 september 2018

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building the cycling city - the dutch blueprint for urban vitality. melissa & chris bruntlett. island press paperback. 223pp illus. £19.45

cycling, as a means of transport, has moved up the political agenda recently. those of us who believe in the conspiracy theory, would have it that this is in order to deflect public scrutiny from the minstrations over britain's departure from the european union. that particular theory is, of course, undermined by the knowledge that this agenda ascension is also happening in countries other than the uk. so perhaps the bicycle's golden moment is finally on the final landing approach, though it's hard to deny that at least some of this approbation has arrived at the behest of the electric bicycle.

either way, beggars (as we might well classify ourselves), probably shouldn't be choosers; if our overlords and masters have finally realised what we've all known for many a long year, would it be undiplomatic to shout 'hooray' and say 'i told you so'?

more than likely.

the year 2007 is generally reckoned to be the turning point at which the majority of the global population lived in cities, outnumbering those described as residing in rural areas. it's a trend that shows little sign of diminishing; by 2014, statistics alleged that 54% of the world's population lived in cities and by midway through this century, forecasts point towards this number reaching 66%. tautologically, this will undoubtedly entail an increase in size for the majority of the world's cities, an expansion which might well impinge on the rurality from which many of their citizens originated.

as such, those cities will necessarily have to adapt dramatically to not only accept the forecast increase in numbers, but also to adapt and improve their transport infrastructures to cope with differing needs and increased demand. the latter factor will prove necessary not solely to maintain or improve living conditions, but in order to efficiently move people from home to work, to school or to the shopping mall. that there is no 'one-size-fits-all' is made manifestly apparent in this concise book from melissa and chris bruntlett.

it's worth my pointing out at this early stage in my review, that the vancouver (canada) based bruntletts are co-founders of 'modacity' "a creative agency using words, photography and films, to inspire happier, healthier, simpler forms of mobility." according to the preface, having moved to vancouver's east-side, they found a diminished need to use their motor car, ultimately dispensing with it altogether and making all their journeys "...by foot, bicycle, public transit and rental car...". this born-again' status, encouraged them to document their new-found revelatory status, leading to a five-week, five city venture to the netherlands "...to gather...inspiring cycling stories and share them through words, photography and film."

this they proceed to do (understandably omitting the film portion) over the course of the subsequent 200 plus pages, contending that countries such as denmark may have arguably achieved a higher profile with regard to their allegedly superior cycling facilities at the expense of the less ostentatious nature of the netherlands. i do wonder if this is an exploratory poke in the eye at mikael colville-andersen's copenhagenize, given that the subsequent narrative fails to mention him even once. but then again, perhaps i'm too much in thrall to the conspiracy theory.

"The Danish capital of Copenhagen may get a great deal of press and endless plaudits as the world's foremost cycling city - but quite frankly, that is as much a product of effective marketing as (it is) a result of effective policy."

i find it slightly sad that north american outsiders should feel it necessary to start making comparisons of this sort; surely the ultimate aim is to improve the world's cycling infrastructure without the need to indulge in point scoring along the way?

that said, it's hard to fault 'Building the Cycling City' for its comprehensive and well illustrated exploration of the enviable facilities available to holland's cyclists. but the bruntlett's are astute enough to realise that part of holland's success in this respect, is due to the fact that "Cycling remains ubiquitous and normal among Dutch teens. No social stigma, no special gear, just autonomy and mobility." compare this with the apparent philosophy pertaining to british and north american youth, where the bicycle is often viewed as a stop gap means of transport until old enough to drive a car.

there is many a case study described throughout the book, well-documented, clearly and enthusiastically detailed, but staring at the narrative from a safe and hopefully neutral distance, i can't help thinking that, once again, it's a book that preaches predominantly to the converted. perhaps my cynicism extends just a cycle-path too far, but, just as with colville-anderson's book 'copenhagenize', i have great difficulty imagining anyone other than cyclists reading the bruntlett's treatise in support of the bicycle.

as modern-day cities become ever more complex in their needs, it is hard to think of a mode of transport that will better serve residents who need to travel quickly and safely from a to b. the bicycle is not the sole solution; but it quite likely is the glue that conjoins other modes such as railways, trams and buses. it is, by definition, endemic in dutch culture; it's just what they do, untainted by an obsession with the sporting milieu, more common across the rest of europe. the almost insurmountable obstacle in british and american cities lies with a predominating car culture. expecting that situation to change overnight, relies on a great deal more than optimism. and though all of us here need no convincing as to the way of the jedi, it has to be borne in mind that we are frequently in a small minority. it's hard to have folks adopt the way of the chainset if they simply don't want to.

i fervently hope that this book finds its way into the hands of those who make the sort of decisions that affect city life: politicians, planners, transport consultants etc. it's an unfortunate fact that, no matter how many cyclists purchase and enjoy this book, it's more often than not the non-cyclists who make the strategic policies that could turn the netherlands experience into a world-wide utopia.

wednesday 12 september 2018

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...and so it goes

i'm afraid the early part of this discussion is going to sound a tad narcissistic, but is the only way i can find a practical way of approaching the bit that, hopefully, isn't.

i began writing thewashingmachinepost in march of 1996, long before jorn barger coined the word 'weblog' and some three years prior to peter merholz contracting the word to 'blog'. there are, so far as i'm aware, no up to date statistics demonstrating the number of blogs on the interweb, but suffice it to say, there's probably a a great deal more in 2018 than there was in 2011, when there were reckoned to be more than 156 million public blogs in existence. it's quite likely that the number is something of a moving target; writing a blog seems like a great idea until the concept of frequency arises. originally, having transitioned from a column in our local newspaper, i simply wrote one article (of dubious quality it must be admitted) every two weeks, but as the idea took hold, i updated thewashingmachinepost website (not a blog; at that time, the term seemed somewhat demeaning) a bit more often when moved to do so.

there came a time, however, and i'd be lying if i said i could remember, when it seemed a bit of a wizard wheeze to attempt to write something each and every day, from christmas through to easter. having achieved that (not always easily), i've scarcely looked back since. allowing for holidays and the occasional situation where it proves well nigh impossible to post anything, the post has its black and yellow pixels refreshed at least once a day. it probably is hard work, but so ingrained is it to my daily existence, that i pretend not to notice.

currently, it's the oldest cycling blog in the world.

i must, at this point pay tribute to the many cycle companies who have been kind enough to supply kit for review over these years, allowing me to present features of a more substantial nature other than my often ill-informed witterings. however, thewashingmachinepost is scarcely a commercial venture; it was never set up as such and though i receive enough recompense by way of advertising to pay for my annual webhosting, i'm quite happy to keep it that way. if i woke up tomorrow morning thinking "you know what...", there would simply be more bandwidth available for everyone else.

however, not everyone is quite so fortunate. though the wholesale move from print to pixel has not been as drastic as once forecast and many publishers who spent thousands creating ipad versions of their print publications have had cause for a major re-think, there are still many websites in the velocipedinal world, that now take the place of ink and paper. it is also sadly true, that the appetite for cycling magazines of all genres has taken a turn for the worse. witness the demise of cycle sport amongst others and the consolidation of many titles under one roof, where once they revelled in their independence.

it would be foolish, however, to think that any apparently related recession applies solely to the world of print. there has been amalgamation of several once independent cycling websites, one that can only affect the survival of several when their new masters observe the manifest duplication of effort. in such cases, streamlining is almost inevitable. and now, it seems, titles that would once have been viewed as the mainstay of this brave new digital world, have fallen by the wayside.

factory media, owners of the once indispensible road cycling uk, or rcuk, has filed for bankruptcy. along with rcuk, factory media was also guardian of bikemagic, bmxtalk, dirt mountainbike, total women's cycling and rideuk amongst others. of course, the disappearance of the above mentioned may have had little to do with their own individual performances on the commercial front; according to reports, their recently filed accounts show them to have been struggling for a while and the those all but indecipherable gdpr regulations apparently didn't help, with a sizeable proportion of revenue apparently based on advertising and sponsorships.

there may well still be duplication of effort when it comes to print and/or pixel titles and it's entirely up to the readers of both or either to make their choices. but this brave new digital world, which has effectively been thrust upon us from a great height, still affords unrestricted space for pretty much everyone with a vision and a laptop, so it's sad to see some of the better offerings disappear from view (quite literally).

blogs such as this one, with little in the way of onerous financial demands, occupying what i like to think is a niche in the market, will probably survive until we/i go to the great arenberg trench in the sky.

now, hand me those rose-tinted oakleys.

tuesday 11 september 2018

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tell them we sent you

quick mention for those intending to visit islay's shores on a bike during the summer. velo club d'ardbeg recommended coffee/tea stops - in no particular order.

club headquarters at the old kiln cafe, ardbeg distillery. excellent food as well as designer coffees with froth. the single malt is apparently just ginger peachy. open monday to saturday from easter to september, seven days from june to september.

bruichladdich mini market (debbie's cafe), a few hundred yards from the distillery. highly commended designer coffees with outside tables. we like. open all year round with a cycling wall in the coffee corner.

welcometogreatcoffee.co.uk

port mòr bistro. now that the original debbie's is run by her mum, aileen, debbie has taken over the catering franchise at port charlotte's port mòr centre, where you can have some of deb's famously wonderful coffee as well as a wide range of foodtsuffs. highly recommended.

braehouse gallery, portnahaven. sited at the entrance to portnahaven village, the gallery also offers takeway coffees and a range of cakes. there's also quite a wide range of photos, islay souvenirs and other desirable odds and bits. though you can't sit in for coffee and cake, there is a table and chairs outside along with an adjacent bicycle rack for parking.

and recently opened in islay house square, bridgend in the islay studios photo gallery, a fine selection of designer coffees are now available while you admire the surrounding imagery.

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as always, if you have any comments, please feel free to e-mail and thanks for reading.

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portland 2009

• bikeportland.org
• chris king precision components
• chris king cielo review
• courage bicycles
• dirty pictures - pdxcross
• epic wheelworks
• jordan hufnagel
• tony pereira
• sweetpea bicycles
• sacha white and vanilla bicycles

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washingmachinepost videos

• feets don't fail me now
• flip ultra review
• indyfab club racer review
• focus variado expert
• tour de ville
• rapha portland jersey
• river city bicycles, portland, oregon
• sacha whyte, vanilla cycles, portland
• a visit to chris king components, portland
• folding bike race, edinburgh nocturne
• edinburgh nocturne
• shimano di2 electronic shifting
• port mor wheelers cyclocross
• ride of the falling rain
• muvi micro digital video camera review
• david byrne's bicycle diaries
• how to fit hides
• rapha merino jersey
• rapha rainjacket
• rapha quick change
• unboxing a chris king cielo

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washingmachinepost interviews and features

• scribbly bikes | taliah lempert
• cycling.tv interview
• interview with portland, oregon frame builder, ira ryan
• interview with scots cyclist shane charlton
• ben ingham interview
• pain and suffering in camden town - a visit to rapha
• a visit to cycling.tv
• paul mason of solo clothing interview
• interview with velo news illustrator brintoni
• cross interview with simon burney
• interview with trystan cobbett of rapha usa
• interview with anthony mccrossan of cycling.tv
• interview with jamie smith - author of roadie
• interview with chris distefano of chris king components
• interview with slate olson of rapha usa
• a visit to mosquito bikes, march 2008
• a visit to rapha, march 2008
• a visit to cycle fit, march 2008
• pasculli bicycles
• interview with eurosport commentator david harmon
• interview with 'roadie' illustrator, jef mallett
• interview with brian smith
• christine mclean interview
• robert millar interview
• ernesto colnago interview
• simon mottram interview
• cyclevox interview 2009
• sven thiele interview
• luke scheybeler (rapha) interview
• tour de ville
• richard sachs interview
• a visit to chris king components
• paul fournel interview
• justin spinelli - svelte cycles interview
• daisuke yano - rapha japan
• illustrator/animator richard mitchelson
• yanto barker interview
• a conversation with photographer jeff scher
• morecambe and mcwise at the end of 2009
• portland photographer dan sharp
• sacha white - vanilla cycles
• house industries' rich roat
• tweed run 2010
• cyclefit - macklin street, london
• kara ginther interview
• michael barry & camille mcmillan interview
• a trip on the jura fast ferry
• tim dawson's saddles
• the metamorphosis of velodramatic
• crouching tiger tours
• the rapha bicycle collection
• horizon fitness rt women's racing team
• dave seaman's bike shed
• rapha condor sharp
• introducing cervo rosso clothing
• interview with harth huffman
• interview with herbie sykes
• endura equipe racing team
• interview with bella bathurst
• what a size they are
• an interview with aszure's ashley brown
• michael robertson - velodramatic
• simon rose - pitch n sync
• interview with author mike carter
• craig hardie on cyclocross
• photographer anthony skorochod
• chris grove - performance race art
• rapha focus cyclocross team
• endura team training camp
• jon tiernan locke
• sugar wheelworks, portland, 2012
• chris king precision components 2012
• synaptic cycles bike rental
• craig middleton of onix bicycles
• derek mclay of wheelsmith
• 2012 scottish road race champion, james mccallum
• sweetpea farmers market
• craig ryan of foresta frames indiana
• louise mullagh of patisserie cyclisme
• illustrator andy arthur
• cycle artist james straffon
• sweetpea bikes carbon tactical boom boom
• some words with helen wyman
• glasgow's siempre bicycle cafe
• made in scotland
• jimmy mac's new jersey
• the thin blue stripe - rapha/team sky
• glasgow revolution track meeting february 2013
• designing chris hoy's bike range
• the artwork of artist david atkinson
• ira ryan and tony pereira's breadwinner cycles
• the artwork of peter english
• who the heck are jardine lloyd thompson?
• a conversation with illustrator rebecca kaye
• chris baird's miniature peloton
• a day in the rapha condor jlt team car at the 2013 nationals in glasgow
• team sky photographer scott mitchell's 2013 tour de france
• a word in your ear - matt barbet
• rapha usa's hillary benjamin
• richard sachs team re-design
• endura's move to the big time
• heather dawe's illustrated ride through yorkshire
• a visit to glasgow's pronto gara
• derek mclay's wheelsmith workshops
• rapha travel 2014 - an overview
• robert millar's 1984 kom peugeot bike
• taurus corinto city roadster
• an interview with rapha's simon mottram
• revolights city wheels
• rapha team sky wet bag
• the cycle art of mark howard jones
• san marco aspide carbon protek saddle
• endura roller case kit bag
• san marco aspide carbon protek saddle
• redant precision road bike maintenance
• a day at shand cycles
• the imperialists - a visit to rapha's new london home
• robert millar interview celebrating the 30th anniversary of his kom win
• chris hoy's new bike - shand cycles
• dan mather - for the love of print
• rapha condor jlt at the usa pro challenge 2014
• portland's gladys bikes
• yanto barker interview
• glory days vintage bike hire
• factory v handbuilt wheels
• sunderland's fausto coffee
• an evening with graeme obree
• andy mackie's testa della corsa italian and skye bike tours
• ste johnson's illustrated cards
• brian smith on mtn qhubeka's successes at the 2015 tour de france
• tom southam ds at drapac cycling
• a few words with kristian house
• an interview with rapha's simon mottram (2016)
• the illustrations of eliza southwood
• born in scotland, ridden worldwide
• james dow's chalet de aravis
• an interview with mick tarrant of prendas
• few words with ned boulting about the tour de france
• was this the greatest product launch ever?
• rapha's head of design, alex valdman
• a few words with tom ritchey
• an interview with maratona's simon carr
• pro rider cycling
• a cycling cafe on arran
• the man behind the book - a few words with peter cossins
• a few words with andrew meo of rocket espresso
• rowley's hand-painted custom cyclists
• london-paris: ten years after
• the drive-in; maserati and cycling
• having a cross to bear - richard sachs cyclocross 2017
• rich roat - an appreciation
• caren hartley: one half of isen bicycles
• helen wyman's happy new year
• books for the curious: bluetrain publishing
• xavier lopez and bike basque
• james mccallum's what's your meta
• if you think the spring classics are hard, try scotland
• london-paris: later that same century
• a few words with andy mackie of la corsa italian tours
• illustratively speaking - a quick conversation
• the artist as cyclist-nick higgins
• totally cyced - angus king

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clothing reviews

• clothing review | assos airjack 851
• clothing review | assos airprotec bibtights
• clothing review | rapha performance roadwear
• clothing review: |rapha performance roadwear - merino training top
• peugeot cycle jersey
• giro d'italia zipped sweatshirt
• rapha winter cap
• rapha winter jersey
• rapha emergency gilet
• ardbeg winter jacket
• prendas giro d'italia wear
• rapha fixed jersey
• rapha winter tights & bib shorts
• obree, merckx & kelly t-shirts
• gist cycle jersey and shorts
• solo st neith clement sur lie jersey
• rapha limited edition gloves
• cafe de colombia jersey
• apres velo t-shirts
• solo equipe gilet
• prendas ciclismo neoprene overshoes
• campagnolo thermo textran jacket
• solo equipe long sleeve jersey
• prendas windtex stretch winter gloves
• earth wind and rider merino wool jersey
• post hebridean - lightweight softshell jacket, 3/4 bibs and long sleeve jersey
• prendas windtex stretch overshoes
• prendas meraklon oversocks
• rapha long sleeve merino baselayer
• the hebridean review - endura cycle clothing
• rapha condor recycling long sleeve team jersey
• wabi woolens merino jersey
• rapha condor recycling team stowaway
• campagnolo heritage jersey and windjacket
• rapha grand tour gloves and team cap
• how jerseys are made
• rapha gazzetta gilet
• polaris neo shirt
• bruichladdich distillery cycle jersey
• santini twist gel carbon shorts
• opsal sports screen printed organic cotton t-shirts
• endura fs260 pro pro-lites jersey, bib-shorts and socks
• rapha touring shorts
• lake cx400 custom fit shoes
• gage and desoto c-record t-shirt
• showers pass elite 2.0 jacket - part i
• panache lifestyle t-shirt
• rapha silk scarf
• showers pass elite 2.0 jacket - part ii
• rapha new fixed jersey
• rapha cyclocross jersey & bib threequarters
• adidas super pro classic road shoes
• rapha limited edition tweed softshell jacket
• solo maxwell cycles england jersey
• rapha softshell gilet
• rapha belgian kneewarmers
• welcome to great coffee jersey
• rapha winter jersey and winter cap
• endura stealth softshell jacket
• rapha leather town gloves
• endura deluge winter gloves
• endura xtract zip top
• dhb merston long sleeve jersey & rogate thermal bib tights
• rapha merino: fixed baselayer, winter socks & winter collar
• santini threequarter bibshorts
• a variety of buffs
• the crew room bamboo charcoal shirt/baselayer
• white men can't jump colnago cycle cap
• king of the mountain socks
• mavic zxellium | marresi leather road shoes
• walz tartan woollen winter cap
• rapha stowaway jacket 2009
• colomba tricolor long-sleeve jersey
• shutt long-sleeve drywool jersey
• solo luxury merino socks
• rapha tweed cap & race socks
• quoc pham fixed leather shoes
• endura fs260 bib-threequarters
• mavic altium jersey, bibshorts, helium gilet and race socks
• icebreaker merino baselayers
• endura baabaa merino tech jersey
• etxe ondo hilare bibshorts
• le col cycle jersey
• prendas summer mitts
• rapha pro-team mitts
• sue me bamboo/cotton t-shirt
• schlamm wetzikon training jacket
• rapha merino jersey
• rapha cyclocross jersey & bib threequarters
• rapha red softshell & rapha trousers
• rapha waxed cotton gentleman's cap
• prendas new generation long-fingered gloves
• rapha rainjacket and overshoes
• endura dexter windproof gloves and merino socks
• endura baabaa merino flat cap
• rapha long sleeve jersey and merino winter collar
• prendas thermolite and thermocool socks
• rapha bomber jacket
• dhb southsea waterproof jacket
• rapha winter tights & merino hat
• endura baabaa merino armwarmers
• embrocation cycling journal race socks
• le col winter jacket and winter bib tights
• solo possum fur and merino beanie
• le col long sleeve jersey
• dromarti le grande cognac crochet mitts
• river city bicycles merino jersey
• craft elite windstopper l/s jersey & crew neck wool/polyester baselayer
• le col long-sleeve angora wool baselayer
• apolis/rapha transit elite sweater feature
• swobo merino long-sleeve jersey
• galstudio ventoux tweed cap
• rapha pink stowaway
• apolis/rapha transit elite sweater
• icebreaker merino cycling socks
• rapha merino polo shirt
• rapha merino v-neck baselayer
• hincapie sportswear tour lt jacket
• rapha team kit
• rapha womens jersey
• dromarti storica leather shoes
• rapha long-sleeve shirt and merino boxer shorts
• rapha women's stowaway jacket
• derny merino long-sleeve polo shirt, city shorts, & merino socks
• suplest carbon street racing shoes
• ana nichoola curve jacket
• le col mariana s/s jersey and bibshorts
• rapha tweed run merino socks
• swrve clothing
• muxu spanish clothing
• prendas compression socks
• derny city shirt
• rapha workshop apron
• dromarti black and red leather shoes
• rapha long-sleeve polo shirt
• santini unisex slice shorts
• rapha oversocks
• rapha cyclocross jersey & 3/4 bibs
• missionworks dzr rondel shoes
• rapha breton sweater
• rapha + paul smith rainjacket
• rapha ladies softshell and threequarter bib shorts
• rapha softshell trousers
• wabi woolens sports series merino jersey
• rapha track top
• dhb windslam softshell, super-roubaix winter tights, s'cafe aerofit baselayer
• endura equipe exoshell jacket, gloves and overshoes
• rapha softshell winter gloves
• dromarti sportivo leather spd shoes
• dromarti corio long-finger leather gloves
• dromarti gara rosso leather mitts
• outlier four season og pants
• rapha pro team jersey and shorts
• colnago winter jacket and bib tights
• rapha + paul smith windshirt
• rapha enfer du nord armwarmers
• cielo jersey
• cervo rosso national pride jersey and mk2 bibshorts
• cervo rosso merino jersey
• quoc pham leather tourer shoes
• shaun deller cycle cap
• cinelli t-shirt
• rapha jeans
• dhb aeron shorts and race socks
• rapha ladies jersey and gilet
• road holland den haag jersey
• rapha brevet jersey
• renner sport gilet and armwarmers
• hultra hi visibility s/s jersey
• endura team replica kit
• endura uber bibshorts
• velobici merino cardigan
• endura pak a jak showerproof jacket
• velobici merino armwarmers
• rapha cyclocross pro-team bibshorts
• rapha cyclocross pro-team jersey
• santini metis breezeflow jacket
• armwarmers, oversocks & coolmax socks
• rapha city riding socks
• rapha merino roll neck jumper
• hultra ventoux windproff softshell
• cervo rosso intermedio jacket and winter bibshorts
• endura equipe cashmere socks
• endura equipe bib-knickers
• madison stellar ii waterproof jacket
• cervo rosso armwarmers and legwarmers
• velobici ride 't'
• prendas air tunnel gloves and overshoes
• bbb mistralshield windproof jacket
• capo padrone thermal jacket
• cafe du cycliste yolande long sleeve jersey
• vulpine clothing's nick hussey, softshell jacket and merino jersey
• dromarti la grande 2 mitt
• rapha sleeveless pro team base layer
• craft active rain jacket
• vulpine epic cotton rain jacket
• rapha grand tour shoes
• de feet yellow wool gloves
• mavic hc h2o waterproof jacket
• solo retro tec jersey and armwarmers
• rapha lightweight sportwool jersey
• cervo rosso strada doppio 2.0 jacket
• rapha classic bibshorts
• rapha etape act two jersey 2012
• showers pass double century ex waterproof jacket
• endura urban range polo shirt, stretch trousers and argyle socks
• velobici van dapper road jersey and shorts
• vulpine merino polo shirt
• cervo rosso corsa s3 jersey
• showers pass skyline softshell jacket
• endura bowmore single malt s/s cycle jersey
• rapha hardshell waterproof jacket
• prendas winter hat
• vulpine long sleeve t-shirt
• le col b3 winter jacket and bibtights
• carbonaut breakaway jersey
• vulpine long-sleeve polo shirt
• vulpine lightweight harrington jacket and tailored trousers
• glacier cyclocross gloves
• prendas primaloft winter socks
• solo winter jacket, merino baselayer and merino collar
• prendas cordura oversocks
• cervo rosso ibrido jacket
• route clothing t-shirts
• cafe du cycliste, marie josette s/s jersey
• rapha team sky winter cap
• rapha s/s trade team jersey
• this is...cambridge merino cap
• prendas leisure jacket
• rapha bordeaux-paris jersey
• castelli gabba jersey & nano-flex armwarmers
• castelli gabba jersey & nano-flex armwarmers when wet
• solo kilmory jersey
• vulpine merino alpine jersey
• vulpine button merino jersey
• cafe du cycliste henriette s/s jersey
• rapha/raeburn windjacket
• cafe du cycliste cotton cycling cap
• rapha teamsky kids' wiggo jersey
• condor extreme polka dot socks
• rapha transfer trousers
• dmt marathon 2.0 offroad shoes
• cafe du cycliste loulou armwarmers
• prendas super-roubaix gloves
• aldi l/s winter jersey
• endura adrenaline race cape
• fred perry bradley wiggins range track jacket & merino sweater
• endura jetstream l/s jersey
• endura equipe exo waterproof gloves
• vulpine epic cotton raintrousers
• prendas aquatex overshoes
• showerspass outdry waterproof gloves
• castelli nan-flex bibknickers
• this is cambridge blood, sweat & gears cap
• rapha merino mesh l/s baselayer
• solo 3/4 thermal bibshorts
• rapha winter glove system
• shutt winter performance jacket
• rapha winter socks 2013
• endura luminite waterproof jacket
• rapha city riding merino gilet
• look mum no hands podium boxer shorts
• rapha transfer jacket
• shutt vr ltd edition tweed cap
• look mum no hands headwear
• cafe du cycliste heidi jacket
• showers pass crosspoint windgloves
• claret vulpine softshell gilet
• hackney gt alpine green long sleeve cycle jacket
• kora shola yakswool l/s baselayer
• this is cambridge urban sprinter cap
• showers pass crosspoint waterproof socks
• rapha & raeburn l/s henley and quilted jacket
• meccanica off-bike clothing
• vulpine/oliver spencer blazer
• rapha trade team jerseys
• endura movistar replica team kit
• tribesports gent's cycle jersey
• showers pass elite pro jacket
• endura movistar team replica l/s jersey
• stolen goat ltd ed. fausto coppi t-shirt
• lecol pro s/s jersey and bibshorts
• bits and bobs from prendas ciclismo
• rapha lapelled jacket and s/s polo shirt
• proviz nightrider jacket and waterproof trousers
• rapha commemorative pantani jersey
• tic panache fluoro dots cycling cap
• cafe du cycliste antoinette bibshorts and baselayer
• ardbeg's new retro jersey
• rapha king of pain jersey
• this is cambridge sunflower tdf cap
• santini peugeot retro bibshorts
• rapha climbers jersey
• endura equipe infiniti bibshorts and helios comp jersey
• vulpine ultralight quilted thermal jacket
• proviz reflect360 waterproof jacket
• vulpine dogtooth merino silk socks
• rapha deep winter hat
• rapha long pro team socks and merino stripe socks
• this is cambridge grimpeur cap
• rapha reversible city riding jacket
• rapha crew neck merino t-shirt
• cucu barcelona s/s jersey
• prendas ciclismo leisure polo shirt
• rapha pro team bibtights with pad
• endura stealth-lite 2 waterproof bib-tights
• le col rain jacket
• hackney gt alpine bobble hat
• showers pass skyline winter cap
• rapha city range merino button shirt
• isadore merino gloves
• castelli alpha jacket
• this is cambridge omloop winter cap
• showers pass bodymapped baselayer
• mavic cosmic wind jacket
• velobici merino ribbed collar and white tip merino gloves
• rapha pro team softshell
• cervo rosso strada 2.0 l/s jersey
• portland design works 'cross beanie
• prendas de vlaeminck t-shirt
• hoy vulpine jersey and shorts
• rapha softshell baselayer
• rapha data print pro-team jersey
• ashmei softshell jacket
• ashmei merino/carbon s/s jersey
• rapha 2015 trade team jerseys
• vulpine gill waterproof jacket
• endura classics jersey
• café du cycliste louise s/s jersey
• rapha cima coppi s/s jersey, essentials case and cap
• house industries merino vélo jersey
• this is cambridge tom s/s jersey cap and socks
• milltag top bonk schleppers jersey and cap
• showers pass torch socks
• fat lad at the back lanterne rouge l/s jersey
• this is cambridge panache confortare cap
• wonderful socks
• ashmei bibshorts
• santini team z s/s jersey & bibshorts
• the athletic socks, jersey and cap
• prendas super roubaix fluoro gloves
• prendas aqua light fluoro overshoes
• le col hc s/s jersey
• rapha tom simpson jersey and cap
• prendas santini peugeot mashup t-shirt
• rapha long-sleeve club jersey
• showers pass cascade track pants
• rapha thermal classic bibshorts
• vulpine thermal gilet
• rapha cyclocross l/s jersey, cap and socks
• aldi l/s jersey, tights and socks
• showers pass bamboo/merino henley sport
• rapha lombardia l/s jersey and socks
• this is cambridge 1-in-7 cap
• rapha pro team gloves
• aldi l/s merino baselayer
• hoy vulpine winter bib tights
• proviz pixelite softshell race jacket
• rapha loopback trousers
• rapha cotton twill city riding trousers
• prendas aqualight gloves
• showers pass little crossover kids' rainjacket
• endura freezing point overshoes
• red dots scottish winter cycling cap
• svelte clothing s/s jersey and classic bibshorts
• this is cambridge waxed cotton cycling cap
• cafe du cycliste charlotte softshell jacket, jeanna rain bibshorts and lolou legwarmers
• mavic ksyrium pro thermo kit
• vulpine softshell gloves
• this is cambridge pink omloop winter cap
• rivelo winnats bibtights, langcliffe waterproof jacket and symonds winter gloves
• svelte long-sleeve heritage jersey
• rapha merino winter collar
• rapha pro team softshell 2015
• showers pass spring classics waterproof jacket
• rapha shadow jersey and bibshorts
• endura fs260-pro sl thermal windproof jacket
• rapha core s/s jersey & bibshorts
• rapha brevet thermal gilet
• rapha classic jersey ii
• velobici continental l/s jersey
• rapha brevet bibshorts
• svelte l/s merino baselayer
• osloh crank trousers
• rapha city riding wool jacket
• rapha brevet windblock jersey
• castelli perfetto s/s weatherproof jersey
• la passione bibshorts, legwarmers and l/s winter jersey
• snek winter cap
• lumo herne hill harrington jacket
• john smedley merino jig sweater and merino hugh sweater
• rapha 'rivals' merino cycle jersey
• galibier velo ultimate foul weather gilet
• rivelo s/s peaslake jersey and homister bibshorts
• la passione pdp summer jersey
• prendas ciclismo 20th anniversary s/s jersey
• this is cambridge hors categorie s/s cycle jersey, socks & cap
• rapha pro team windjacket
• hilltrek greenspot double ventile jacket
• magliamo merino wool molteni l/s jersey
• rapha shadow armwarmers + kneewarmers
• n+1 cycling t-shirts
• rapha core l/s team wiggins jersey
• showers pass club shoe covers
• vulpine urban cycling jeans & merino boxers
• rapha cyclocross long-sleeve jersey
• rapha mips helmet
• shutt vuelta winter jacket
• rapha merino stand collar windproof jersey
• this is cambridge s/s baselayer
• hilltrek greenspot double ventile jacket - getting it wet
• endura pro sl bibtights
• rapha commemorative peace race jersey and game
• cafe du cycliste lucette gilet
• specialized deflect reflect hybrid jacket
• rapha classic winter jacket
• cafe du cycliste mid-season gloves
• wabi woolens winter weight jersey
• rapha shadow long-sleeve jersey
• rapha festive 500 jersey and core range waterproof jacket
• dexshell biking socks
• rapha brevet thermal jacket
• dexshell thermfit neo gloves
• maratona classics jersey
• rapha classic bibshorts ii
• endura pro sl bibs ii
• rapha shadow blazer
• showers pass atlas reflective jacket
• rapha pro team bibshorts ii
• rouleur + velominati rule#5 s/s jersey, bibshorts, socks and t-shirt
• rapha packable backpack
• louison bobet softshell gloves
• louison bobet bibshorts, long-sleeve and short-sleeve jerseys
• t-labs stelvio t-shirt
• rapha fausto coppi merino jersey
• velobici premgripp and merino socks
• rapha pro-team lightweight gilet
• louison bobet porticcio 69 merino pullover and letouquet74 merino cardigan
• cafe du cycliste boubou collection zahira diamant s/s jersey
• rapha classic crochet mitts
• rapha lines pro team flyweight jersey
• shutt vr custom jersey and pro bibshorts
• arrivee intermediate l/s jersey
• hilltrek greenspot single ventile lightweight jacket
• snek merino armwarmers and lightwieght merino cycling cap
• rocket espresso s/s jersey and bibshorts
• endura movistar team issue gilet and l/s jersey
• this is cambridge men's bibshorts
• rapha colombia kom s/s sportwool jersey
• new ardbeg cletic cycle jersey
• assos r.s. sturmprinz evo waterproof jacket
• this is cambridge a bloc long-sleeve jersey and socks
• hilltrek greenspot single ventile jacket - getting it wet
• snek merino kneewarmers
• rapha ultramarine pro team softshell
• endura pro sl thermal jacket
• rapha city riding range insulated sweatshirt
• endura pro sl thermal jacket
• assos habutightsmille thermal bibtights
• rapha pro team thermal l/s baselayer
• rapha classic rainjacket ii
• giessegi redoute winter bibtights
• t-labs road riding t-shirt
• rapha pro-team insulated jacket
• rapha quarter zip reflective knit jersey
• showerspass trailhead merino/bamboo hooded sweatshirt
• pedal ed nachi waterproof jacket
• pedal ed essential jersey and team winter bibtights
• assos mille gt spring/autumn l/s jersey
• pedal ed kaido l/s merino jersey
• rapha check windjacket
• q36.5 hybrid que l/s jersey, s/s baselayer, wolf bibshorts and merino socks
• assos t-equipe evo bibshorts
• rouleur cycle clothing collection
• this is cambridge omloop l/s jersey, mesh baselayer, thermal bibshortsm kneewarmers and socks.
• rapha transfer hoodie.
• endura long-sleeve movistar team jersey
• rapha limited edition gavia collection
• haramaki - japanese body warmer
• hommage au velo bahamontes lightweight climbing jersey
• prendas/santini bordeaux-paris jersey & cap
• hilltrek hebridean ventile gilet

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equipment and other reviews

• equipment review: | carbonsports lightweight wheels
• equipment review: |fi'zi:k pave saddle
• equipment review: |handlebar camera mount
• thewashingmachinepost colnago c40hp review
• the bicycle as art | taliah lempert
• tour of britain start 2006
• 2006 braveheart ride
• schwalbe ultremo tyres
• ortlieb sling-it
• catlike whisper and kompact pro helmets
• on-one il pompino fixed wheel
• colnago clx
• science in sport nocte
• srm power crank from cylepowermeters.com
• fsa ceramic bearing jockey wheels
• lightweight ventoux carbon wheels
• colnago c50 2007
• fibre-lyte carbon chainrings
• vittoria 30th anniversary shoes + vista pedals
• fulcrum racing one wheels
• eddy merckx chm carbon + wheelsbike 2000s
• fibre-lyte carbon jockey wheels
• rapha fixed backpack
• mavic r-sys carbon spoked wheels
• oval concepts r700 stem and r710 classic bars
• muc-off optix lens cleaner
• brooks swallow leather saddle
• lumie bodyclock light
• ride of the falling rain 2008
• pro-lite piemonte cyclo-cross frame
• ultimate pro-ultralight bicycle repair stand
• rebecca charlton's review: alan a-matrix
• effetto mariposa giustaforza torque wrench
• fsa k-force carbon compact handlebars & os-99 stem
• rapha musette
• chris king classic cross wheelset
• eddy merckx racing alloy
• nokia n82 gps phone & sportstracker software
• independent fabrication featherlight
• garmin edge 705 gps unit
• sportique active body products
• sportique body soap
• sportique century riding cream & deodorants
• fixie inc. betty leeds steel race bike
• bonk breaker energy bars
sportique warming up cream and cooling cream
• sportique massage oils
• vittoria revo kxs twin tread tyres
• nokon gear and brake cable sets
• knog gator front light
• chain-l no.5 - huile de chaine
• museeuw mf5 carbon/flax frame
• brompton p-type folding bicycle
• schwalbe ultremo 'r' road tyres
• alchemy goods courier bag
• mule bars
• carbonsports lightweight rd
• trp r960 caliper brakes
• colnago cx-1
• singular peregrine
• independent fabrication club racer fixed gear
• flip ultra video camera and sport mount
• miniature cyclists
• mavic race sl ti pedals
• focus variado expert
• cyclepowermeters powertap rear wheel
• chris king cielo review
• mavic cosmic carbone slr
• shimano di2 review
• fsa sl-k pro carbon compact chainset
• zero g titanium brake calipers
• muvi micro digital video camera
• colnago clx centaur
• squirt dry lube
• crud roadracers mudguards
• bikefood
• hides
• 2010 colnago ace
• muc-off cleaners and dry lube
• ta specialites 42 campag replacement chainring
• reynolds assault carbon clincher wheels
• cyclo tools workshop tyre lever
• bike box alan
• garmin edge 500 gps
• chris king cielo - the story begins
• a graze box of healthy snacks
• sleepathlete pro-sound pillow
• park tools frame fit pump
• full wood fenders
• two'n'fro claqs
• bikefood carbo powder and munchie bars
• dromarti strada lugged steel frame
• a2z components campagnolo single speed convertor
• 9bar energy bars
• iphone/ipod bike doctor app
• crud roadracers mark two
• lazer helium helmet
• 2011 campagnolo centaur ergopower levers
• the legacy of john boultbee brooks part 3 - colt saddle
• van nicholas titanium skewers
• purple harry's bike cleaning products
• mavic k10 wheel/tyre system
• motorex lubricants and sprays
• sram red groupset
• clif choc chip bar and shotblok
• rapha skincare range
• purple harry's bike cleaning range
• ibis hakkalugi cyclocross bike
• high five zero tabs and 4:1 carb/protein powder
• moonlights rechargeable lights
• edge16 magnetic bottle 'cage'
• crank brothers eggbeater and candy pedals
• respro hump waterproof backpack cover
• pedros workshop vise whip
• andystand
• zimbale leather saddle and saddlebag
• lezyne floor drive track pump
• continental speed king cyclocross tyres & chris king cyclocross wheels
• bbb microboard computer
• demploi canvas belt bag
• aszure team issue carbon bike
• traitor luggernaut three-speed
• vittoria open pave cg tyres
• rapha tour de france cd
• enve 25 carbon sprint wheels
• mavic r-sys slr exalith wheels
• san marco mantra saddle
• cole c24 lite wheels
• trp 970sl brake calipers
• milani acciaio puro columbus xcr road bike
• trion-z magnetic therapy bracelet
• trp eurox magnesium cantilievers
• giro aeon helmet
• rapha seat pack
• bbb digiboard cycle computer
• colnago world cup 2.0 cyclocross bike
• garmin 200 gps cycle computer
• vittoria diamante pro radiale clinchers
• swift little dear bar-bag/saddle bag
• mavic plasma slr helmet
• ibis hakkalugi black lung
• nightrider lights
• beloved every day bicycle
• rapha race bag
• purple harry sanitising spray
• rapha summer embrocation
• shand cycles stoater
• sugar wheelworks ghisallo wooden rimmed wheels pt.1
• sugar wheelworks ghisallo wooden rimmed wheels pt.2
• colnago clx 3.0 di2
• ventoux event bag
• sugar wheelworks/chris king r45 ceramic wheelset
• nuun hydration tablets
• wheelsmith race23 wheels
• wheelsmith race23 wheels part two
• green oil white dry wax lubricant
• shand cycles skinnymalinky
• green oil eco bucket
• bike parka
• nilox 'foolish' hd action video camera
• condor bivio x cyclocross bike
• trakke mule waxed cotton messenger bag
• lezyne mega-drive headlight
• rapha post shave lotion
• morgan blue soft chamois cream
• morgan blue bike wash and polish
• morgan blue warming oil
• morgan blue chain cleaner and race oil
• kask vertigo helmet
• colnago c59 disc
• endura airshell helmet
• bakewell soap co. deep muscle relief rub
• dz nuts inheat embrocation
• rx sport prescription rudy project exowind cycling glasses
• dz nuts inheat embrocation
• portland design works bird cage
• purple harry travel pack
• ism adamo attack saddle
• purple harry wet lube
• rapha liveried pinarello dogma k
• festina tour of britain edition chronograph
• portland design works 3wrencho
• c originals sv888 helmet
• trek domane 5.9
• >colnago acr
• giro air-attack helmet
• gu energy slated caramel gel
• ursa major three musketeer traveler shaving kit
• rolf prima ares 4 carbon wheels
• protecht surface coatings
• fsa k-force cantilever brakes
• dz nuts bald shaving cream
• matrix waxy maize and scottish oats carb powder
• rolf prima vigor alpha wheels
• portland design works alexander graham bell
• ventoux gym bag
• silicon tidds
• wheelsmith race 24 wheels part 1
• 2013 cervelo r3
• unich mini-pump
• aerozine titanium wheel skewers
• mavic zxellium road pedals
• pdw aether demon tail light
• loksak mobile phone case
• a set of rouleur goodies including mark cavendish model
• wheelsmith race 24 wheels in 'cross mode
• axiom annihilateair track pump
• brooks cambium c17 saddle
• bridge street saddlebag
• green oil eco sponge
• ritchey torque key
• salsa celtica - the tall islands
• biologic pango folding helmet
• cervo rosso softshell case
• dmt vega road shoes
• poc octal road helmet
• shand cycles phat stoater
• bike repair app
• osmo hydration products
• multipower energy bars
• sugru flexible silicon rubber
• purple harry super sponge
• cielo racer stem
• kali phenom helmet
• bryton 20+ cycle gps
• secret training products
• ventoux training camp bag
• portland design works ninja pump
• honey stinger organic chews
• challenge limus cyclocross tyres
• fast forward f6 carbon clincher wheels
• brainy bike lights
• 24 bottles stainless steel water bottle and porta bottiglia
• purple harry rider care range
• shand rohloff stoater
• frog 55 hybrid kids' bike
• brooks brick lane panniers
• bellroy waterproof leather travel wallet
• green clean bike cleaner
• crunchy peanut butter clif bars
• chapeau cyclist's coffee
• anamaya meditation iphone app
• rapha cyclocross shoes
• look mum no hands stainless steel hip flask and cage
• rapha climbers shoes
• bodyglide products
• pedros yellow tyre levers
• mavic cxr helmet
• bar fly garmin handlebar mount
• cycling stars trump card game
• brooks cambium c15 saddle
• pedros synlube
• colnago c60
• pedros green fizz bike cleaner
• portland design works lars rover front light
• feedback sports velo hinge
• feedback sports velo hinge
• massif central tdf poster
• nixfrixshun chain lube
• richard mitchelson's cycling wallpaper
• manual for speed 2015
• the king of scotland's ibis hakkalugi disc
• tesco outdoor clothing wash and spray proofer
• clement las cyclocross clincher tyres
• pedros chain pig
• challenge gravel grinder 38mm 'cross tyres
• cherryactive concentrated montmorency cherry juice
• fox cycling online cycle training
• giro empire road shoes
• muc off hydro dynamic chain lube
• cyclops magnetic turbo trainer
• dromarti classic leather road shoes
• tern verge x-18 folding bicycle
• wheelsmith aero 38 wheelset
• sunwise hastings cycling glasses
• wheelsmith aero 38 wheelset part ii
• rapha/bang & olufsen h6 headphones
• flexiseq joint lubrication therapy
• muc off fabric protect
• brooks cambium c15 carved saddle
• mavic cxr ultimate road shoe
• frog bikes tadpole balance bike
• rapha sunglasses
• rapha rucksack
• giro vr90 offroad shoes
• colnago clx 2015
• portland design works owl cage
• vel components multi-tool with co2 adaptor
• ritchey classic series bars, stem, seatpost and saddle
• aldi bikemate bicycle toolkit
• withings activité pop watch
• selle san marco regal saddle
• led lenser b5r front light and b2r rear
• clement crusade pdx cyclocross tyres
• wickens & soderstrom bike cleaner
• bicycling magazine's emoji keyboard
• crank brothers candy 7 pedals
• muc off luxury chamois cream
• wheelsmith aero disc wheelset
• ridley x-ride 20 cyclocross bike
• break fluid blended ground coffee
• quoc pham hardcourt shoes
• crank brothers quattro cleat adaptor
• brooks carbon rail cambium c13 saddle
• crank brothers candy 7 pedal update
• ridley x-ride 20 update review
• specialized recon mixed terrain shoes
• specialized prevail road helmet
• axiom blastair mini pump
• specialized crux e5 x1 cyclocross bicycle
• cycliq fly6 rear light and hd video camera
• challenge baby limus cyclocross tyres
• crank brothers candy #7 pedals final review
• challenge strada bianca 700x33c road tyres
• green oil eco grease in a tube
• ortlieb6 plus, handlebar bag and seatpost-bag
• specialized awol elite adventure bike
• rapha + apidura bike packs
• portland design works bindle rack
• flexiseq active joint lubrication
• selle royal ta+too interchangeable saddle
• unior 1655fh multi-tool
• wd40 bicycle products
• unior tyre levers
• showers pass utility backpack
• lizard skins clear frame protection kit
• specialized crux elite cyclocross bike
• installing a campagnolo groupset
• campagnolo potenza groupset: the prologue
• lizard skins camouflage 2.5mm bar tape
• campagnolo potenza groupset: going for a ride
• specialized turbo cotton clinchers
• four months on a specialized crux elite
• wickens and soderstrom no.3 drivetrain lube
• wickens and soderstrom no.6 bike polish
• ritchey wcs xc clipless pedals
• restrap camouflage musette bag
• ritchey barkeeper levers
• campagnolo potenza; how's it doing?
• 100 climbs mobile app
• rearviz armband mirror
• six months on a specialized crux elite
• specialized sequoia elite
• ortlieb bikepacking bar pack and seatpack
• plan bee anti-chafe and embrocation
• schwalbe one pro tubeless tyres and wheelsmith ascent tubeless wheelset
• laura zabo's upcycled road tyre belts
• schwalbe one pro tubeless tyres and wheelsmith ascent tubeless wheelset part 2
• quoc pham 'night' road shoe
• specialized roubaix comp
• on the rivet chamois cream
• schwalbe one pro tubeless tyres and wheelsmith ascent tubeless wheelset part 3
• limar ultralight+ helmet
• rawvelo energy bars
• feedback sports bike tools
• more than a couple of weeks on a specialized roubaix comp
• veloeye bicycle theft protection
• ride skincare sunscreen and recovery moisturiser
• green oil spray lube
• campagnolo sarto carbon road bike
• hexlox anti-theft system
• chrome industries cardiel orp backpack
• fairbairn fabrication fangs
• chrome industries cinelli barrage cargo backpack
• sven cycles pathfinder light
• brooks weatherproof cambium c17 saddle
• chamois butt'r original and eurostyle
• wheelsmith pave wheelset
• campagnolo chorus groupset part one
• mavic yksion tubeless 28mm tyres
• campagnolo chorus groupset part two
• ritchey logic frameset
• neil pryde bura part two
• portland design works gravity tail light
• portland design works daybot tail light
• bicycle maintenance guide app for ios
• giro empire vr70 knit offroad shoes
• rapha classic saddle
• specialized turbo vado electric bicycle
• endura pro sl road helmet
• compass 700 x 28c chinook pass tyres
• brooks pickwick cotton backpack
• chinook pass tyres part two
• specialized turbo vado 2.0 - the real review

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dvd reviews

• real peloton issues 1 and 2
• pantani-the pirate dvd bromley video
• the eddy merckx story - the greatest cycling champion. double dvd set - bromley video
• the brit pack double dvd set - bromley video
• scott coady's cobbles baby dvd
• cy-yo cycle yoga dvd
• battle of the bikes, obree/boardman - bromley double dvd set
• the final hour - bromley dvd
• ultimate cyclist cd/download. josh horowitz
• quest 2 dvd
• red zinger/coors classic 3dvd set
• flying scotsman - the graeme obree movie
• detour de france dvd
• 23 days in july dvd (1983 tour de france)
• le velo de ghislain lambert
• it's the tour baby! deux - scott coady
• the athlete's guide to yoga dvd - sage rountree
• the road to roubaix - masterlink films
• imperfection is perfection - richard sachs, framebuilder
• the high life - a life in the year of robert millar
• detour - the movie
• klunkerz dvd - the birth of mountain biking
• sportsfreund lotsch
• bicycle dreams - a movie by stephen auerbach
• pure sweet hell - a cyclocross dvd
• a ride with george hincapie
• d'acciaio - a film by ben ingham
• the cyclocross meeting - brian vernor
• brian robinson - an alan pascoe film
• breaking away
• cycle of betrayal - the shay elliot story
• the collective anthology
• jeremy powers cross camp
• mark cavendish: born to race
• beryl burton - racing is life
• l'ultimo chilometro
• janapar movie
• bespoken cycle music by johnny random
• pantani: the accidental death of a cyclist
• a film about coffee
• for the love of mud a film about cyclocross
• alf engers. a film by ray pascoe
• dummy jim - a film by matt hulse
• battle mountain - graeme obree
• time-trial a film by finlay pretsell featuring david millar

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book reviews

• spain - the trailrider guide
• bikie
• the yellow jersey guide to the tour de france
• a century of the tour de france by jeremy whittle
• the official tour de france centennial 1903 - 2003
• flying scotsman - the graeme obree story
• riding high-shadow cycling the tour de france by paul howard
• the ras - the story of ireland's stage race by tom daly
• bicycling science 3 - david gordon wilson
• one more kilometre and we're in the showers
• food for fitness - chris carmichael
• 101 bike routes in scotland - harry henniker
• park tool big blue book of bicycle repair - calvin jones
• roule britannia - william fotheringham
• marco pantani - john wilcockson | lance armstrong - daniel coyle
• michael barry - inside the postal bus
• a peiper's tale - allan peiper | man on the run, (marco pantani) - manuela ronchi
• the tour de france - graeme fife
• viva la vuelta - the story of spain's favourite race - adrian bell & lucy fallon
• les nomades du velo anglais - tony hewson (plus extract)
• velopress special: andy pruitt's cyclist's medical guide | lennard zinn's book of road bike maintenance | lennard zinn's book of mountain bike maintenance
• workouts in a binder for indoor cycling - velopress
• the death of marco pantani. a biography by matt rendell
• heart zones cycling - the avid cyclist's guide to riding faster and farther
• the hour - sporting immortality the hard way. michael hutchinson
• a question of balance. a collection of 24 postcards by jean jacques sempe.
• le grand pelerinage - histoire d'une passion cyclomythique. jack fournier & bruno moreau.
• cycling's golden age: heroes of the postwar era 1946-1967 owen mullholland. velopress
• ascent. the mountains of the tour de france by richard yates
• cycletouring in france - a cicerone guide
• cycling in the french alps - eight classic cycle tours by paul henderson. a cicerone guide
• the tour de france 2006 by john wilcockson
• cycling for health and fitness (revised and updated edition). ed pavelka.
• the six day bicycle races - america's jazz-age sport. peter joffre nye.
• base building for cyclists - thomas chapple
• fausto coppi - jacques augendre
• in search of robert millar - richard moore
• the beautiful machine - graeme fife
• flandrien - stephan vanfleteren
• gracie goat's big bike race
• sports nutrition for endurance athletes - monique ryan
• the racing bike book - haynes publishing
• two wheels by matt seaton - guardian books
• city cycling by richard ballantine - snowbooks
• cyclocross training+technique by simon burney. velopress
• paris roubaix - a journey through hell. velopress
• rouleur photography annual and exhibition 2007
• the tour de france - graeme fife
• cyclist's training diary - joe friel
• the athletes guide to yoga - sage rountree
• the rapha guide to the road climbs of the pyrenees - graeme fife
• sex, lies and handlebar tape - the jacques anquetil story by paul howard
• road bike maintenance by guy andrews
• roadie by jamie smith
• the eagle of the canavese by herbie sykes
• touring in switzerland - a cicerone guide
• we might as well win - johan bruyneel and bill strickland
• heroes, villains and velodromes - chris hoy and britain's track revolution - richard moore
• the tour is won on the alpe - jean-paul vespini
• blazing saddles - matt rendell
• tour climbs - chris sidwells
• riding the storm - geoff thomas
• tomorrow we ride - jean bobet
• the bicycle book - wit, wisdom & wanderings
• campagnolo - 75 years of cycling passion
• rouleur photography annual 2008
• a dog in a hat - joe parkin
• tour de france - the history, the legend, the riders - graeme fife
• cycle for life - nicole cooke
• in pursuit of glory - bradley wiggins
• ten points - bill strickland
• the full cycle - vin denson
• les p'tits velo - janol apin
• weight training for cyclists
• inside stories - a collection of rapha labels
• fallen angel: the passion of fausto coppi. william fotheringham
• paterek manual for bicycle framebuilding - tim paterek
• bicycling for women - gale bernhardt
• hello sailor - michael hutchinson
• pedaling revolution - jeff mapes
• custom bicycles - a passionate pursuit. elliot & jablonka
• graham watson's tour de france travel guide
• a racing cyclist's worst nightmare - tony hewson
• the daily telegraph book of the tour de france
• lance - john wilcockson
• cutting your car use - anna semlyen
• cyclocross - chris hinkle
• olympic gangster - matt rendell
• bicycle diaries - david byrne
• the time crunched training system - chris carmichael
• chris hoy - the autobiography
• ride with me nyc - roos stallinga
• fixed gear culture
• rouleur photo annual 2009
• the wrong kind of snow - woodward/penn
• cicerone guide to cycle touring in ireland - tom cooper
• brompton bicycle - david henshaw
• cicerone guide to traversing the massif central - alan castle
• two wheels on my wagon - paul howard
• the athlete's plate - adam kelinson
• take a seat - dominic gill
• the rapha guide to the great road climbs of the southern alps - graeme fife and pete drinkell
• it's all about the bike - rob penn
• come and gone - joe parkin
• when we were young and carefree - laurent fignon
• 100 greatest cycling climbs - simon warren
• lapize ...now there was an ace - jean bobet
• tour de lance - bill strickland
• bikesnobnyc - eben weiss
• cyclopedia - william fotheringham
• the lost cyclist - david v herlihy
• where to ride in london - nick woodford
• the custom road bike - guy andrews
• the spring classics - velopress
• the peloton - timm koelln
• pocket rocket - steve joughin
• on tour - bradley wiggins & scott mitchell
• brian robinson, pioneer - graeme fife
• ten poems about bicycles - candlestick press
• cyclepedia - michael embacher
• cycling in the peak district - chiz dakin
• vintage people on bicycles
• drink smoke flanders - chris milliman
• maglia rosa - herbie sykes
• wide eyed and legless- jeff connor
• slaying the badger - richard moore
• sky's the limit- richard moore
• the cyclist's friend- chris naylor
• the bicycle book - bella bathurst
• pedalare! pedalare! - john foot
• how i won the yellow jumper - ned boulting
• hell on two wheels - amy snyder
• racing through the dark - david millar
• shay elliot - graham healy & richard allchin
• mud, sweat and gears - ken and maureen nichols
• one man and his bike - mike carter
• cyclosportive - chris sidwells
• excerpt from the obree way - graeme obree
• a bit of an all rounder - john coulson
• salsa for people who probably shouldn't - matt rendell
• team 7-eleven - geoff drake
• the belgian hammer - daniel lee
• bicycle travel journal - nigel peake
• past present future - condor cycles
• nicholas roche - life in the peloton
• bianchi: a bicycle alone in the lead - daniele marchesini
• rouleur photo annual 2011
• the obree way - graeme obree
• the cyclist's guide to hillclimbs on scottish lowland roads
• how cav won the green jersey - ned boulting (e-book)
• richard sachs, bicycle maker - nick czerula
• unsurpassed: the story of tommy godwin - godfrey barlow
• merckx: half man, half bike - william fotheringham
• bike tribes. a field guide to north american cyclists - mike magnuson
• argyle armada - mark johnson
• eddy merckx; the cannibal - daniel friebe
• another 100 greatest cycling climbs - simon warren
• land's end to john o'groats by nick mitchell
• field of fire - jeff connor
• cycle chic - mikael colville andersen
• cycle style - horst a. friedrichs
• born to ride - stephen roche
• cutting edge cycling - hunter allen, stephen cheung
• just ride - grant petersen
• fitness for geeks - bruce w perry
• the dirtiest race in history - richard moore
• cycling in the hebrides - richard barrett
• around ireland on a bike - paul benjaminse
• cycling guide to southern england - harold briercliffe
• the bike owners handbook - pete drinkell
• the road to valour - aili and andres mcconnon
• the eagle of toledo - alasdair fotheringham
• on my own two wheels - malachi o'doherty
• 100 best bikes - zadid sardar
• velo - paul fournel and jo burt
• bike! - richard moore and daniel benson
• mud, snow and cyclocross - molly hurford
• the secret race - tyler hamilton and daniel coyle
• bike craft, design, innovation - the oregon manifest
• between the lines - victoria pendleton and donald mccrae
• raleigh 125th anniversary book
• reg harris - robert dineen
• merckx 525 - velopress
• behind the stare - geoff proctor
• made in england - sowter, feather, peshcke
• bradley wiggins: tour de force - john deering
• allez wiggo - daniel friebe
• the srampagmano tales - scarlett parker
• my time - bradley wiggins
• 21 days to glory - official team sky tour 2012
• coppi - herbie sykes
• everyday bicycling - elly blue
• the cycling anthology issue one
• the bicycle reader - jack thurston
• cycle space - steven fleming
• inside out - tom southam and camille mcmillan
• ride 2: bicycle fiction
• the complete guide to sports nutrition - anita bean
• the rhine cycle route - mike wells
• dennis horn - racing for an english rose - peter underwood
• fitter, further, faster - charlton, hicks and reynolds
• hellingen; a road cyclist's guide to belgium's greatest cycling climbs - simon warren
• paris-roubaix: the inside story - les woodland
• lost lanes - jack thurston
• maglia rosa second edition - herbie sykes
• twelve months in the saddle - john deering & phil ashley
• tour de france 100 - richard moore
• racing hard - william fotheringham
• tour de france 100 official treasures - carlton publishing
• cycling anthology volume two - birnie, bacon
• 100 years of the tour de france - quercus publishing
• riding hard - william fotheringham
• the race against time - edward pickering
• easy rider - rob hayles
• hunger - sean kelly
• va va froome - david sharp
• the rules - velominati
• golden stages of the tour de france - allchin & bell
• haynes advanced road bike maintenance
• land of second chances - tim lewis
• the culinary cyclist - anna brones
• 30 year cycle - chris boulton
• complete road bike maintenance - guy andrews
• the waltonwood journal
• steel soul - andrew g smith
• l'album d'eddy
• 101 - bradley wiggins & scott mitchell
• cyclo cross photo book - balint hamvas
• the long race to glory - chris sidwells
• the elite bicycle - gerard brown and graeme fife
• it's all about the bike - sean yates
• classic cycling race routes - chris sidwells
• project rainbow - rod ellingworth
• life cycle - gary sutherland
• rapha city guides
• the waltonwood journal no.2
• the cycling anthology no.3
• the pain and the glory - team sky
• rouleur centenary tour annual 2013
• reading the race - jamie smith
• wheelmen - albergotti & o'connell
• pocket road bike maintenance - guy andrews
• at speed - mark cavendish
• viva la vuelta - lucy fallon and adrian bell
• the girl's guide to life on two wheels - cathy bussey
• ordinary - john bradshaw
• a bicycle ride in yorkshire - heather dawe
• the monuments - peter cossins
• racing weight cookbook - matt fitzgerald & georgie fear
• racing weight cookbook - matt fitzgerald & georgie fear
• faster - michael hutchinson
• get on your bike - rebecca charlton, robert hicks & hannah reynolds
• lanterne rouge - max leonard
• gironimo - tim moore
• the veteran's guide to gearing up for your ride - tom allen
• the road cyclist's companion - peter drinkell
• 100 greatest cycling climbs of the tour de france - simon warren
• yoga for cyclists - lexie williamson
• the complete history of the world's greatest cycle race - marguerite lazell
• reckless, the life and times of luis ocana - alasdair fotheringham
• on the road bike revised edition - ned boulting
• etape - richard moore
• merckx 69 - tonny strouken & jan maes
• shadows on the road - michael barry
• the complete book of the tour de france 2014 edition - feargal mckay
• climbs and punishment - felix lowe
• the cycling anthology number four
• amigo - nando boers & pedro horillo
• the climb - chris froome
• bike fit - phil burt
• cycle of lies - juliet macur
• eric's big day - rod waters
• kings of pain - rapha
• ocana - carlos arribas
• a clean break - christophe bassons
• the loyal lieutenant - george hincapie
• the road headed west - leon mccarron
• cyclocross 2013/2014 photo album - balint hamvas
• along the med on a bike called reggie - andrew sykes
• the race against the stasi - herbie sykes
• pro cycling on $10 a day - phil gaimon
• two days in yorkshire - pave publishing
• the moselle cycle route - mike wells
• how to be a cyclist - john deering & phil ashley
• great british cycling - ellis bacon
• the moselle cycle route - mike wells
• transport, climate change and the city - hickman & banister
• roads were not built for cars - carlton reid
• ray's mtb indoor bike park - johnathan allen and ray petro
• cycling anthology volume five
• infographic guide to cycling - roadcyclinguk
• bike mechanic - guy andrews & rohan dubash
• 101 damnations - ned boulting
• goggles and dust - velopress
• the great fatsby - elden nelson
• bicycling around the world - jeurissen & johnson
• the danube cycleway vol. one - mike wells
• eat bacon, don't jog - grant petersen
• 20 classic sportive rides in south east england
• hinault - ruben van gucht
• to hell on a bike - iain macgregor
• between worlds - andrew welch
• cycling climbs - nigel peake and claire beaumont
• eat sleep cycle - anna hughes
• bernard hinault - william fotheringham
• cyclogeography - jon day
• alpe d'huez - peter cossins
• the hebrides - peter edwards
• the grand tour cookbook - hannah grant
• kings of the road - robert dineen
• a corinthian endeavour - paul jones
• vélochef - henrik orre
• rapha's mondial magazine
• the great boffo - frank dickens
• the yellow jersey club - ed pickering
• cyclocross 2014/2015 - balint hamvas
• beyond the finish line -philipp hympendahl
• a year in the saddle - giles belbin
• the racer - david millar
• the cycling anthology volume six
• the bolt supremacy - richard moore
• the world of cycling according to g - geraint thomas
• the man who made things out of trees - robert penn
• everybody's friend - peter cossins
• shoulder to shoulder - velopress
• my hour - bradley wiggins
• journey- ben ingham
• the mamils a to z - wilson & rickett
• the danube cycleway vol 2 - cicerone guides
• cycling in the hebrides - cicerone guides
• lost lanes wales - jack thurston
• ventoux-bert wagendorp
• connected - matthias schneider
• zinn and the art of road bike maintenance - lennard zinn
• the bicycle colouring book - shan jiang
• grand tour - richard mitchelson
• lands end to john o'groats - nick mitchell
• art of the jersey - andy storey
• shut up legs - jens voigt
• africa solo - mark beaumont
• the great bike race - geoffrey nicholson
• cycling in the lake district - richard barrett
• triumphs and turbulence - chris boardman
• magnum cycling photography - guy andrews
• the cyclist's bucket list - eliza southwood
• circus - camille mcmillan
• the invisible mile - david coventry
• the cyclist who went out in the cold - tim moore
• boulting's velosaurus - ned boulting
• greg lemond. yellow jersey racer - guy andrews
• river rhone cycle route - mike wells
• reinventing the automobile - mitchell, borroni-bird, burns
• from bicycle to superbike - hadland & burrows
• crapper cycle lanes - david whelan
• brooks compendium
• walking the speyside way - alan castle
• dead reckoning: the photo book
• around the world in eightly days - belbin & seex
• the climbs of south-west england - simon warren
• the men of paris-roubaix - max leonard
• the haywire heart - case, mandrola, zinn
• bike nation - peter walker
• giro d'italia - colin o'brien
• steadfast-my story - lizzie armitstead
• giro d'italia - colin o'brien
• a man and his bike - wilfried de jong
• cycling climbs of scotland - simon warren
• giro 100 - herbie sykes
• higher calling - max leonard
• indurain - alasdair fotheringham
• the hardmen - velominati
• ask a pro - phil gaimon
• butcher, blacksmith, acrobat, sweep - peter cossins
• tom simpson - andy mcgrath
• bike boom - carlton reid
• the time crunched cyclist - chris carmichael & jim rutberg
• the cycling cartoonist - dave walker
• spain to norway on a bike called reggie - andrew sykes
• mrs flying scotsman - anne obree
• simon's cycle shorts - simon bever
• three weeks, eight seconds - nige tassell
• the descent - thomas dekker
• cycling climbs of north-east england - simon warren
• cycling the lancashire cycleway - jon sparks
• chasing the rainbow - giles belbin
• cycling climbs of north-west england - simon warren
• cycling science - cheung & zabala
• anquetil. alone - paul fournel
• rainbows in the mud - paul maunder
• woods. a celebration - robert penn
• duffs fantastic cycling gizmos - graham high
• gravel cycling - nick legan
• cycling podcast - moore, birnie & friebe
• the ronde: inside the tour of flanders - edward pickering
• sunday in hell - william fotheringham
• the all new cyclist's training bible 5th edition - joe friel
• copenhagenize - mikael colville-andersen
• full gas - peter cossins
• the call of the road - chris sidwells
• the wind at my back - paul maunder
• getting started in road cycling - guy andrews and laura quick
• american pro - jamie smith
• cartes du tour - paul fournel
• the road cycling performance manual - nikalas cook
• london to paris - mike wells
• racing bicycles - nick higgins
• the wild atlantic way and western ireland - tom cooper
• coast to coast across lancashire - rachel crolla

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