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life in the peloton - mitch docker with tom southam. bluetrain publishing softback. 240pp illus.
having watched pretty much every stage of the giro d'italia this year, though many aspire to the life of a professional cyclist, personally, i'm rather glad that a) i'm too old, and b) i never had the ability even to turn amateur. aside from the endless travel, even between stages in a single grand tour, there's the demanding need to ride a bicycle very fast, even when every sinew points to doing precisely the opposite. in other words, though the plaudits to be gained for the successful are undoubtedly worth striving for, in short, it just seems like far too much work.
despite having written thewashingmachinepost for a large portion of my hebridean life, i'm still largely uncomprehending of the means of progression from the amateur milieu, to that of the professional ranks. having witnessed at first hand, the speeds at which the professionals ride, and still have breath left for polite conversation, i simply cannot fathom how one gets from slow to (that) fast in a matter of a few years. even in the times that i have valiantly attempted to follow prescribed training programmes (if a tad half-heartedly), the speed at which i reached the village signpost at bruichladdich was really no greater than previously achieved.
there have been many books written and published, augmented by the occasional podcast or youtube video, providing an insight into the life of a professional, which, superficially at least, informs those with such pretensions, whether it's a lifestyle that might appeal. in truth, that's probably the only means of learning; i doubt that representatives from team ineos (for example) ever turn up at a careers day presentation at islay high school, keen to recruit as many of the quicker pupils as they can.
the career of australian former professional rider, mitch docker, stretched from 2006 to 2021, beginning his career with drapac-porsche and ending with jonathan vaughters' ef education first. though his sole major victory is confined to being a member of the winning team time-trial in the 2014 giro d'italia, his experience as a rider brought him a string of impressive results including 6th in the 2011 gent-wevelgem and 9th in the 2017 edition of dwars door vlaanderen. aside from that, a 15 year professional career qualifies him as a font of all knowledge when it comes to understanding how the peloton works, and how to work in the peloton.
"Throughout my racing career, I was always learning, and asking questions - to better myself and to learn. [...] Maybe this book helps you master and understand racing and life as a pro, or maybe it just opens the door for you as a fan to know that little bit more."
to do that, the book has been thoughtfully divided into relevant sections, the first of which is entitled 'into the peloton', but enticingly subtitled 'how to get a pro contract'. that which follows, and this applies to each and every chapter, is a bit like having a conversation with your big brother; condescension is entirely missing in action. granted, the author's potential entry into the pro ranks was hardly the path available to many. ag2r rider, simon gerrans found an aspirant mitch docker a place in a french amateur team, an opportunity answered with "thanks, but no thanks."
docker opted to remain in melbourne and race as an amateur with the drapac team. "...I had a plan in place and confidence in the people around me who I believed could get me there, my way." perhaps little surprise, therefore, that chapter two is headed, 'How to get a team interested'.
part of docker's progress towards becoming a full professional involved a period as a stagiaire, once again benefitting from the aforementioned simon gerrans and the ag2r team. should this prove a pragmatic means of achieving a contract for the intrepid reader, docker lists a series of top tips for those who might find themselves in a similar situation. the second of these - "Keep your mouth shut as much as possible" - must have been hard to obey for a self-confessed "...bit of a talker". but just to keep it real, undermining any delusions of grandeur we may have regarding the cycling vocation, the author advises "Don't fart in the lift."
unlike the majority of career paths, where there is usually an imposed cunning plan, that of the cyclist rarely runs true. "It's a common misconception that a pro cyclist receives their race programme on a PDF in January and, with it set in stone, can go away and design a pathway to their goals (or even try to plan something social, like a wedding). perhaps a pertinent example might be that of visma lease-a-bike, who had expected to field wout van aert as team leader for this year's giro. his accident in the e3 harelbeke earlier this year put paid to that, meaning that christophe la porte, not oriinally pencilled in for the giro, had to cancel any plans he might have had.
the author proceeds to provide, as far as is possible, a manual for both the neo pro and those still climbing the ladder towards that ultimate ambition, highlighting the cobbled classics, mastering your craft, and, with luck, the grand tours. and he doesn't shy away from some of the more arcane skills required by the professional rider, such as the bane of many: the echelon. "A lot of riders will wait to start rotating at the front of the peloton, trying to save energy until it really counts. The reality is that you need to start riding the moment before the wind hits." he also records that it's important to have friends in the echelon; probably something that it's better to have achieved, prior to becoming involved in your first echelon.
mitch docker has undoubtedly learned a great deal during the course of his career as a professional cyclist, something that he has scarcely left behind him; this book is a literary extension of his 'life in the peloton' podcast. it transpires that he might just be the ideal rider to have penned this book (with assistance from the irrepressible tom southam). not everyone considered to be a "...bit of a talker" has the ability to translate their acknowledged verbosity into the printed word. in this, mr docker has succeeded, and then some. i gained the impression that, were i ever to meet the author in debbie's of a saturday lunchtime, not only would we hit it off admirably, but the ensuing conversation would feel like a continuation of one that actually never happened.
as to the presentation of the book, guy and taz at bluetrain have never been shy in bucking the trend. from the book's colourful overall design (leo field), to the well-judged typography, illustrations by one of the uk's top illustrators (ste johnson), and images (keith george), 'life in the peloton' is as chatty to look at as it is to read. though i am, of necessity, a quick reader, i completed the 240 pages across two evenings; it really is that compulsive. whether a career as a professional cyclist is a box you need to tick, or whether you, like me, harbour an inquisitive streak as to the machinations within the peloton, you will turn the last page a far better informed individual than you were when you started.
of course, fifteen years as a professional rider, travelling hither and thither, not always as per the original schedule, and having to exert far more energy in the process than the average office worker would expend in a lifetime, is bound to have repercussions. but there is a happy ending.
"When you lose that love for racing - as I eventually did - you start to wonder if you've also lost your love for cycling.
"Stepping away from the sport slowly has reconnected me to the love of riding a bike."
life in the peloton by mitch docker and tom southam is available from monday 27 may excusively from maap.com
sunday 26 may 2024
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................no ifs or butts
a few weeks past, i met with members of the team working towards the installation of an offshore windfarm between the north coast of islay and south-west of the isle of colonsay, my visit was to form the basis of an interview published in the last issue of the island's community newspaper, and took place in advance of the third and fourth drop-in events being hosted by the team, following one on jura and another on colonsay. one of the questions i had posed was whether they were required by legislation to undertake these explanatory events, or whether they were doing so because they wished to do so.
it transpires that it was the latter; there is currently no onus upon the windfarm proposers to consult with any of the local communities that might be affected by the siting of a large number of wind turbines within sighting distance of all three islands. the rationale behind doing so, according to the project manager, is a genuine desire to keep residents informed about a development that might potentially affect portions of their lives, and to understand any positive or negative reactions ahead of time. assuming this to be a genuine pursuit, it forms a major departure in circumstances; those of us who live on the outer edge are, by now, well acquainted with outside agencies dropping major developments upon us from a great height, without so much as a by-your-leave.
you need only take a look at the number of new distilleries that have sprouted in recent months.
such conditions are hardly unknown elsewhere; i'd imagine that the hs2 rail development fits that particular bill quite well. and as intrepid velocipedinists, we should also be aware of matters proceeding in a similar vein. hands up all those who found themselves struggling with the square taper bottom bracket, and immediately writing to the major manfacturers, asking for a whole slew of new bottom bracket standards that would render the entire industry incompatible with itself? similarly, i'm unaware of any professional cyclists who begged their component sponsors to develop hydraulic disc brakes in the quest for untrammeled victory.
those, and other so-called technological advancements were also dropped upon us from unimaginable heights. many will query my point, for though what i state is perfectly true, bicycle stuff hardly compares with having to view 35 huge wind turbines on the horizon, where once there was only a horizon. however, as we are undoubtedly in thrall to the professional milieu, irrespective of any claimed immunity from such matters, the fact that it's darned near impossible to purchase a quality road bike that sports rim brakes, or a complete lack of top componentry from the three major manufacturers that might be found compatible with a square-taper bottom bracket is undeniable.
how long before those of us with a fascination for either, find ourselves trawling the bargain bins to find replacements for worn out components?
but those processes have not ended. slowly but surely, road bike chainsets are acquiring integrated power meters, whether there is any real point to such integration in the first place. we have previously discussed the advent of the power meter, predominantly on the basis that few of us are suitably qualified to comprehend the data which they provide, and little of which is likely to impact on our day to day, unless we have specific sporting aspirations. and now it seems that swiss apparel manufacturers assos, are becoming complicit, by way of a partnership with whoop a company recently highlighted for bringing artificial intelligence to their online coaching system, which itself depends on wearable technology.
in this particular case, assos have integrated a pod into two styles of bibshort, capable of concealing a whoop 4.0 sensor, allowing the cyclist to track their health and fitness data as they ride. it seems likely, however, that sales will be purely to those intending to make use of the pod, since there would be little point in acquiring a pair otherwise.
at least it won't follow in the footsteps of rapha's early bibshorts which contained a rear pocket for your race radio.
saturday 25 may 2024
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................adopting a stance
wooden snare drums come in two distinct flavours: single-ply solid shell, and multiple ply, the least of which i've come across, consisting of three plies (not necessarily all of the same wood type). i own five wood shell snare drums, of various woods and numbers of plies, so i cannot speak of those made from a single, steam-bent single plank of wood. the most well-known purveyors of the latter, are craviotto and noble and cooley, though there are other less well-known brands. early slingerland radio king snares from the 1940s and 50s were constructed in such a fashion, and much sought after nowadays.
since the single-ply, steam-bent version is more labour intensive to construct, they tend to command higher prices, and i have just recently read many contributions to a drum forum discussing the pros and cons of spending large sums of money to acquire what are often beatifully made snare drums, against any perceived sound value over those constructed from multiple plies. the argument/discussion bears particular comparison with those on cycling forums related to whether there is any real point in spending around £2,600 on shimano dura-ace di2 as opposed to £1,700 on shimano 105 di2. the same discussion could just as easily be made concerning campagnolo super-record wireless as opposed to chorus mechanical, or two differing sram groupsets of your choice.
if nothing else, it proves that, whether cyclists or drummers (or both), we're all pretty much the same.
the nub of the drum discussion was a post from an owner of a particularly expensive craviotto snare, who valiantly admitted that he was less than impressed with its sound, no matter the variety of tunings he had attempted. as with pretty much any online discussion, what started out as a serious attempt to discover where he might be going wrong, ultimately descended into arguments over the marketing of so-called luxury drums, which feature exemplary craftsmanship and looks, but, at the end of the day, are still just drums. one individual even went so far as to state he'd take a steel maxwin snare over a craviotto any day.
to place that in cyclist's parlance, it's the equivalent of riding a £99, sunday supplement mountain bike, rather than a pinarello dogma.
but, to an extent, the point was well made. though it would border on the insane to ask geraint thomas to ride the £99 jobby instead of his pinarello, both have wheels, pedals and gears and will fulfil the basic functions required of a bicycle. i doubt any of us would choose the cheaper option over the pinarello, but for many non-cyclists the choice matters little. however, whatever the expert drummers might think of spending unjustifiably large sums of cash on boutique snare drums, there is a difference to be experienced.
under acoustic conditions, in a small room, even an uninformed audience might appreciate the sound and tone of an expensive drum. however, move to larger venues, where the drumset is amplified through a public address system, it's pretty much impossible to tell the difference between one snare drum and another. however, from the drummer's point of view, while there may be an infinitesimal difference in sound between cheap and expensive, the confidence and satisfaction to be gained from playing a quality instrument should not be undersold. i own five 14" wood snare drums, all of different depths and woods; i can tell the difference between them all when playing them in the croft, but sat in a local hostelry, with a noisy audience and an even noisier bass player and guitarist...
i'm sure you know where i'm coming from.
a singular conclusion, highlighted from the drum forum discussion, was that, if you could afford it, or simply desired the opportunity to purchase what you perceived as a snare drum of calibre, then that's exactly what you should do. there may, in fact, be no appreciable difference in sound between cheap'n'cheerful and expensive luxury, but if it makes you feel good about your drumming, then that's the way to go.
which, i now realise, is exactly what should be the case when it comes to bicycles. as i sit here at my laptop, an advertisement showing in my web browser portrays a specialized s-works tarmac bicycle at a retail price of £12,000 (though they have a bit of a nerve charging £34 delivery on a bike at that price). owning and riding one of these would make no difference whatsoever to my abilities as a rider, but if it made me feel as if it did, and i had the money (spoiler alert: i don't), then why the heck not? my ritchey logic, which costs considerably less, is outfitted with a twelve-speed campagnolo record mechanical groupset. the latter is way too good for me, but it makes me feel better than when i rode campagnolo potenza, even though the latter worked every bit as well as its big brother.
of course, it could just be that the marketing is starting to work.
friday 24 may 2024
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................wax on. wax off
prior to my move to the hebrides, my gainful employment was curated by an aircraft catering services company at one of scotland's former major airports. like many seasonal industries, it employed seasonal staff, frequently those on summer break from universities and colleges. during my second summer in the stores section of the business, one of the seasonal staff was not only a fellow cyclist, but lived nearby my own place of residence. therefore, when our shifts and days of work coincided, we would ride together to and from work.
though neither of us were dyed-in-the-wool cyclists, my velocipedinal companion's grandfather had apparently been a cyclist of note, in the age when it was necessary that bicyclists carried out their own maintenance. he had handed down the habit of returning from any given bike ride, removing the chain and placing it in a bath of diesel fuel. while this soaked overnight, a second chain, removed from the same bath of diesel would be fitted to the bicycle, ready for next day's commute. this, he assured me, was a process carried out on a daily basis, as evidenced by his unnaturally clean and well-lubricated chain.
it is a practice that i did not choose to emulate, quite possibly on the grounds that i was likely too lazy to do so. in my case, return to the homestead usually meant parking the bicycle in the bikeshed and rushing indoors to scoff as early a tea as cooking would allow.
this laissez-faire attitude has long been tempered by life on a hebridean island, where the weather patterns and salt-sea air have demanded that i pay a tad more attention to my bicycle's well-being, lest a rash of ferrous-oxide begin to replace its painted exterior, beginning, most likely, with the chain. though winters on islay are invariably wet and windy, ensuring that i frequently return from a bike ride dripping from head to toe, it behoves me well to at least give the chain a quick wipe with an oily rag, if only to prevent it turning orange before the dried-out me has an opportunity to degrease and lubricate its links.
however, though hardly a new means of chain lubrication, the act of waxing the blighter has, once again, become popular amongst the professionals. and whatever they do, we must follow. but while a lad brought up as a 'one drip per link, three-in one', sort of fellow finds himself eager to learn more, the idea of waxing the chain perhaps engenders more questions than answers. for instance, is there a particular type of wax that ought to be employed? could i simply light a scented candle and drip the wax onto the chain, one link at a time (always assuming my aim is true)? or is it necessary to acquire bike-chain specific wax and proceed from there?
according to the latest issue of cyclist magazine, cycling ceramic offer everything the intrepid waxer will need to emulate the professional milieu: protective gloves, a prep bag, a cord from which to hang it, a container in which to submerge it and, of course, the requisite block of wax. the only thing missing is a suitable means of melting said block of wax, a problem that would probably prevent me from adopting the process in the first place. let's face it, if i found the fitting of tubeless tyres to be incessant faff, what price chain-waxing?
of course, there is one further nail in the coffin of chain wax adoption, namely, a campagnolo chain. as detailed to the point of boredom, vicenza still prefers that its chains be affixed to the bicycle by means of a specific, included chain rivet, featuring a guide-pin, and requires the oft-discussed campagnolo chain tool. the accompanying literature clearly states that, should the chain require to be removed and re-fitted for any particular reason, it is inadvisable to re-use the aforementioned rivet (or any of the others, for that matter). on pain of acquiring another of the rivets with guide pin, and fitting it several links distant from the original. this is a process that campagnolo advises should be carried out only twice.
waxing a bicycle chain reputedly reduces wear and tear on the drive-train, and under normal circumstances, a rider ought to expect a lifespan of around 900km, but if riding in wet weather, the wax ought best be replaced after each ride. i believe i can encapsulate the kernel of the foreseeable problem by pointing out, this is scotland, where rain is our birthright. why else would the island be almost obliterated by whisky distilleries? daily re-waxing combined with a campagnolo twelve-speed chain does not a happy cyclist make.
and i believe that is the effectively sound reason behind vicenza producing an ultra-link to join the 13 speed chain that forms part of its gravel ekar groupset, but is also available for their twelve-speed chains. i can see a few raised hands at the back of the room, so i'm just going to say, if you'd bought a £150+ campagnolo chain rivet tool, would you leave it in the bikeshed and buy a £16.99 ultra-link?
wax or no wax, one has to consider a decent return on one's investment.
thursday 23 may 2024
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................rationale
any tour of an islay distillery will, of necessity bring you into contact (not literally) with the mill room, in which the dried, and possibly peated barley is transformed from a handful of dessicated grain into varying levels of refined powder to be employed in the subsequent distilling process. in the older and even one or two of the more recent distilleries, the machine responsible for transforming the barley will likely be painted red and feature a brass plate proclaiming it to have been manufactured by the porteus company. the porteus malt mill went out of production in the 1970s, not because it had been superseded, or didn't work properly, but essentially because they never broke down. the company effectively went out of business because there was never any need for it to be replaced.
therein lies a salutory lesson as to the rationale behind capitalism. it's why computers are not designed to perform at peak level indefinitely, or why the bodywork on motor cars is not as well protected from the elements as it undoubtedly could be. it's also why cycle clothing purveyors rarely maintain one design for longer than a single season, introducing a new, better version a few months later, sales of which will hopefully maintain their forward financial progress. and one of the reasons that computers appear to be less productive as they age, is generally the result of a symbiotic relationship with the software producers.
the product cycle of the latter was generally reckoned to be eighteen months; if you purchased version 1.0, it was likely that you'd wait a year and a half before not only were you offered version 2.0, but by that time, you'd hopefully be crying out for it. the latter state of affairs was explicitly encouraged by the promise of must have new features. the commercial future of the software company effectively relied upon the purchase of a continuous stream of upgrades.
there would also appear to be a level of complicity between the producers of computer hardware and software. as the former become more powerful, the latter take advantage of this fact to produce software that can benefit from the upgraded performance. and so it goes, until even ipads possess more computing power than was present in the entire nasa space programme. however, the proliferation of illegal software copies meant that the majority of software producers have shifted to the subscription method, one that has proven pivotal in their continued success.
in the good old days of yore, were i to have purchased a legitimate version of adobe photoshop (for example), delivered on a dvd installer, the emergence of upgrades that i could scarcely afford did not prevent continued use of my purchased copy. however, under the present-day subscription model, though i receive regular updates as a part of my monthly payments, the moment i decide to end these, for whatever reason, not even the most recent version will continue to work. this potentially leaves me with a sizeable number of files that i can no longer open. in other words, i, and all other subscribers, are trapped. the continued modification of computer operating systems virtually guarantees that my now ancient dvd copy will no longer be compatible, always assuming i could find a dvd player from which to have it installed.
which kind of calls into question the upgrade paradigm currently (not) employed by the bicycle component industry.
i almost ask this question as a result of the flurry of media activity surrounding the recent release of sram's red axs groupset. this has seen review videos from gcn, road.cc, dave arthur and several others, along with a multi-page review in the recent issue of the comic. it has been hard to be an interested cyclist without having bumped into sram's latest somewhere along the road. a purchase price in excess of £3,700 for the non-powermeter version sets it outwith many velocipedinal pockets. but i do wonder how, in the grand scheme of all that is reputedly great and good, this is all supposed to work?
as a confirmed campagnolo aficionado, i am more than content with the record mechanical groupset that adorns my ritchey logic. but how enthused (or distracted) would i have to be, to ditch my black carbon and take advantage of sram's latest? or, perhaps more to the point, what of the hapless roadie who already owns a bicycle festooned with sram red wireless? with no first hand experience of sram's latest, i am unable to comment on its efficacy, but while i don't doubt it demonstrates an improvement over its predecessor, is it likely to prove equitable to an outlay in excess of £3,700? and other than those in the market for a very high-end bicycle with the red axs groupset fitted as original equipment, who's likely to buy? with all the major component providers leaning towards enforcing installation by authorised mechanics on penalty of opting not to honour the warranty, i personally would be very wary of spending such a large sum of money on pain of breakages or malfunctions becoming my sole responsibility.
handing it over to my (non-existent) local bike shop would simply add an extra layer of expense.
the continued development of stuff that seems already to work admirably is open to continual debate, but bearing in mind the sad story of the porteus malt mill, it's not too hard to understand why endless cycle component upgrades continue ad finitum. and i can only presume that we're the mugs that are paying for it all.
wednesday 22 may 2024
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................return of the jedi
it appears to be a little-known fact that tom ritchey, one of the originators of the mountain bike, had, at one point in the company's timeline, sold the whole affair to specialized bicycles, a substantial percentage of which is owned by merida bikes. the latter, founded by the taiwanese tseng family, continue to own the majority share in the family business. and then there's greg lemond, founder of his own bike company, subsequently sold to trek bicycles and, after a great deal of anguish, bought by its rightful owner in 2008. tom ritchey was also able to re-acquire his own bicycles from specialized, prospering today as an independent manufacturer bearing the founder's name on the downtube.
others have fared less well in the independence stakes. at one time it was part of the cunning plan that ernesto colnago's grandson, alessandro, would take over the reigns on his grandfather's retiral. the spanner in that particular works arrived via the purchase of colnago (ironically, given the title of this piece, on star wars day 2020) by uae-based chimera investments. with this particular piece of knowledge, it makes a great deal more sense that the title sponsor of the current pink jersey wearer, is joined in its world tour venture by one of italy's (sic) most revered marques.
a number of years ago, when ardbeg distillery was skirting the edges of marketing sensibility with the commissioning of two orange county choppers decorated in the corporate colours, soon followed by a dragster tractor (yes, really) and one or two other eccentricities, i mentioned to their management that perhaps they could offer a limited range of ardbeg green pinarellos, given the marque's ownership by l. catterton, a subsidiary of ardbeg's parent company, louis vuitton moet hennessy (lvmh). sadly, that particular option has effectively evaporated, following the subsequent sale of pinarello to mining billionaire, ivan glasenberg (for a rumoured price of £170 million).
i realise that we have broached these parameters only recently, but cyclists across the world ought perhaps to gain succour from the fact that messrs. ritchey and lemond were able to regain control of their velocipedinal namesakes. however, undermining the optimism just a smidgeon, it's worth noting that both the above were dealing with other bicycle companies, within which we must assume there is still some love of the bicycle to the exclusion of untrammeled profits. italy's two principal brands are in the possession of large, money driven investment companies, presumably a tad more concentrated on an appropriate return on investment. though i would hardly attempt to exclude the possibility, it does seem unlikely that either ernesto or fausto would have the same success in regaining ownership of the bicycles that feature their respective names.
the other major italian marque, that of bianchi, is owned by cycleurope, a company that is, itself, owned by swedish holding company, grimaldi industri. that would presumably make re-acquisition by edoardo's modern-day successors, should they wish to do so, considerably more difficult.
but perhaps all is not lost to the universe of investment and holding companies, international monoliths who possibly view cycling as an avenue to treat their shareholders and investors to a ringside seat at the giro, vuelta or le tour. aside from that, a bike company within the cloud, is quite likely to appear simply as a column on the corporate excel spreadsheet. but maybe the jedi are already using the force, creating what i believe might be referred to as 'the thin end of the wedge'
only a matter of weeks past, the demise of kona bicycles was prophesied due to their wholesale and unexpected departure from america's sea otter expo. owners of kona bicycles, kent outdoors, recently re-named from kent watersports, would, by its very name, give the impression that the owners are as much invested in the sporting realm as tom ritchey and greg lemond. you might imagine that the boardroom features an inordinate number of surfboards balanced againt the wall, while an extravaganza of kona bikes occupies the majority of parking space at kent headquarters. but kent outdoors is, in fact, hierarchically owned by private equity company, seawall capital, more likely, one might assume, to have teslas and cadillacs slotted into its own parking spaces.
but the expiry of kona has possibly been exaggerated, due to its reported purchase by the original owners, dan gerhard and jake heilbron. for one thing, it offers succour to the downtrodden to learn that a famous bicycle company is about to be owned by individuals with 'real' names, and minus the word 'investments' used as a suffix. as part of their future plans for the company, gerhard and heilbron are joined by "...a team of dedicated, experienced kona employees."
and already the two are bucking the trend by suspending their direct to customer sales in favour of renewing links with the network of independent bicycle stores that support sales of kona bikes to eager customers. and it seems there might be other advantages to small is beautiful, to wit: "private ownership allows us to be more streamlined, more flexible, and quicker on our feet. this, combined with the support of our suppliers, means we can deliver high quality bikes in a distinctly kona flavour at super attractive prices."
in a world that has become strategically dominated by investment companies, wholly obligated to their shareholders and the seriously flawed concept of perpetual growth, it is gratifying to learn that there are still those with a vested interest in the realm that was once, and is again, not only their means of livelihood, but the principal objective of their endeavours.
"tenacious, resilient, straight talking, gritty and sometimes covered in grease, we are committed to keeping the distinctly kona flavoured bike buzz flowing, and helping people find freedom and fun. we are back. we are still here. let's ride."
tuesday 21 may 2024
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