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pretty vacant

mrs washingmachinepost and i have been watching a sunday evening christmas movie since the beginning of the month, not so much because we are dyed-in-the-wool christmas afcionados, but more to annoy the heck out of our daughter, who vehemently sticks to 1 december as the official time to begin celebrating christmas. there's no more satisfying payback than texting her at 8pm on a sunday evening, informing her which particularly hopeless christmas movie has appeared on this week's agenda.

however, whether she's right or not in delaying any festive appreciation until the first day of december, there's no avoiding certain amounts of preparation for events that will take place later in the month. the schools' wind band with whom i play each week, will hold a christmas concert on wednesday 10 december, featuring a wide variety of christmas carols and other seasonal goodies. if practice were left until 1 december, i dread to think what the end result would be, so rudolph, jingle bells and others have been joyously practised since the schools' return from the october break.

and the services of my regular adult band have been engaged to play at bowmore distillery on the evening of saturday 6 december, so it seems only prudent to check that we all remember the same songs in the same way. hence yesterday afternoon's get together to check that we're all playing from the same (metaphorical) sheet music. there is strategic planning involved in something as apparently simple as a band practice, mostly because our accordion player attends college on the mainland, and quite some distance from the ferry terminal.

however, those arrangements always seem to be at the behest of someone else, and though originally timetabled for saturday afternoon, it was then altered to saturday evening, then changed to next saturday, and at the last minute, all was once again altered to saturday afternoon. those of you perspicacious enough to have followed me so far, will perhaps recognise that a saturday afternoon band practice, by its very nature, obviates any opportunity to go cycling. though i had intended only to head to debbie's for lunch and back again, the possibility of a slight detour on the return trip was not thought entirely out of the question, but all came to nought when scheduling reverted to saturday afternoon.

don't get me entirely wrong; i do thoroughly enjoy playing drums, even if only a portion of my smaller set. i think i'm allowed to mention that i'm not totally in favour of much of the material filling the set list, but there's always some way to find the means to survive. for instance, when the music dictates that a shuffle is required, i need only think of steve gadd and steely dan, and that alleviates my concerns over some of the scottish and irish tunes that are allegedly popular with local audiences. when you live in what can only be described as not the centre of the musical universe, you effectively play whatever is required.

as a creature of habit, i have been in the habit of riding my bicycle every saturday and sunday (and any other opportunity that presents itself) for many a long year, so the disappearance of any chance to ride my bicycle yesterday had left me feeling disenfranchised. as i stowed my drums in the porch following a couple of hours of music-making and sat down for the traditional saturday pizza (i did say i was a creature of habit), weekend life just didn't feel the same (predominantly because it wasn't).

between schools wind band, pipe band, work, and my other band, there's always the likelihood of a clash of priorities at some point of the week. i'm sure most of you would concur; i very much doubt i'm the only cyclist thus affected, but the one aspect that yesterday highlighted is that, while riding my bicycle on a saturday is a regular affair, i've now realised that it's a great deal more than a habit.

sunday 23 november 2025

bike fit

somewhere, within the deepest, darkest recesses of what's left of thewashingmachinepost bike shed, lies the rusting carcass of a headset press. thankfully, not one of the expensive ones as purveyed by the likes of park tool, or even a to-die-for campagnolo version, but a budget version sourced from, i forget where. when first purchased, it was used to insert a 1" chris king headset in a colnago c40; the thought of attempting to carry out the latter process with a chunk of wood and a hammer on such expensive componentry simply didn't bear thinking about. i once completely destroyed highly expensive alloy headset via such a method, very much to my embarrassment and financial deficit.

for better or worse, the need for a headset press has dramatically receded; both my regular bikes are entirely bereft of headset cups; the bearing surfaces are integrated into the head tubes of both, meaning bearing replacement entails simply dropping two cartridge bearings into place, and reinstalling the forks. it really couldn't be simpler. the only perceived downside is any mechanical or inadvertent damage to the internal bearing surfaces, effectively rendering the frames persona non grata.

however, in the halcyon days of the old-skool headset, any 1.125" headset would fit any 1.125" head tube, though replacing the crown-race was often a bit of a challenge. the switch to cartridge bearings, however, has meant an almost total absence of brinelling, the tiny dents impressed on the inner surface of the lower cup and the crown race as a result of incessant road chatter or poor headset adjustment. or both. but removal of the need for headset cups has meant that the manufacturers can not only install whatever bearings their little hearts desire, but change them for each subsequent year's model.

that could, if pursued to its logical conclusion, result in a similar malaise that afflicts the motor industry. you could own a 2018 model of a particular vehicle, but you'd then have to verify that any replacement part was specified for that particular year. in the bad old days when i still owned a motor car, the garage ordered me a new exhaust system as replacement for the disintegrating version bolted to the car's underside. though they assured me they had ordered the correct part, the supplier delivered an exhaust system that simply didn't fit the floor pan profile due to a reputedly undocumented, mid-year 'improvement'. whether they told the truth or not was largely incidental; i had to wait a further week until the correct system was delivered.

my specialized crux has been in my possession since 2016. when time came to replace the headset bearings, i was insufficiently well-informed to know whether the 2020 crux featured an identical bearing set, entailing a web search to verify i was about to order the correct replacement. as it transpires, today's crux wears the exact-same bearings, so no real problem, but the search for replacement bearings for the press-fit bottom bracket wasn't quite so simple. i need hardly point out that component manufacturers have completely undermined the definition of the word standard, by having created so many cotton pickin' bottom bracket standards in the first place.

that same bike sports a sram rival groupset, but given sram's present of a new rear derailleur dropout hanger to the velocipedinal world, if i have need of replacing the rival rear mech, will the latest version be compatible? or, should i damage the threads on the thru-axle skewers, do today's cruxes possess the same spindle diameter? i can only imagine the carnage created if somebody, somewhere, decides that the trend towards shorter cranks might benefit from different pedal threads (if only i was kidding).

thankfully, tom ritchey has seen fit only to offer two logic framesets: one rim-brake and one disc-brake compatible, with standard bottom bracket threads and headset bearings that are the same today, as they were when i acquired my logic over eight years ago. having watched a recent video demonstrating the minuscule differences between successive colnago headsets, and how the wrong spacing washer fits, but doesn't work properly, i fear for tadej pogacar's returement present from cambiago. when the video presenter held up both versions, i found it hard to distinguish one from the other.

i do understand that the industry's incessant tinkering is aimed at providing us with better bicycles, but i do hope that someone, somewhere is taking notes.

saturday 22 november 2025

authenticity

my reader may recall the mention of the purchase of a modern-day example of a slingerland radio king snare drum, an item i have deliberated and procrastinated over for many a long year. this particular brand of snare drum originated in 1936, first appearing in the catalogue the same year that drummer, gene krupa, became the marque's principal endorser. originaly consisting of a single-ply, steam bent maple shell, later versions featured a less exclusive three ply, mahogany/poplar shell, before it disappeared from view around 1957. the name briefly resurfaced between 1963 and 1966 before it was gone, allegedly for ever.

but earlier this year, the slingerland name was revived by the founder of drum workshop, don lombardi, with initial offerings of limited edition radio king snare drums, replicating almost exactly, the drums of the 1930s/1940s.

though i had long lusted after an original model from that era, a drum made almost 90 years ago was never going to be in pristine condition, and i long dithered over the wisdom of owning such an instrument when i live such a long way from anyone who might restore it if those years had taken a greater toll than hoped for. the introduction of what is said to be an almost exact replica, down to the slingerland branded washers on the lug screws, seemed too good to be true, so i broke open the piggy bank and bought one in white marine pearl, just like gene and buddy played. according to many who own original models from the 30s and 40s, not only was it a visual replica, but a sonic recreation too.

it transpires that such a dedicated level of authenticity is not only favourable to yours truly, but equally applicable to the owners of original radio king snares. as highlighted above, some of these can be near 90 years old, many of which require replacement parts, items which become rarer and more expensive as the years roll by. whether deliberately or otherwise, modern day slingerland have sought to ensure that snare strainers, internal mufflers, rims and lugs are all but identical to the originals, meaning a ready supply of replacements that feature the same fitments as the originals. if your 1940 radio king snare is minus the detachable snare lever (for example), the new one is completely compatible, and should fit straight from the box.

authenticity such as described effectively extends the slingerland lineage to the latest drums, perhaps justifying the price tag, but certainly not leading to accusations of drummers such as myself, simply playing copies of the original. but what works for drums, doesn't necessarily work for bicycles, though i should point out that nobody is actually saying that it does.

quirk cycles is an award winning steel and titanium custom bike company, offering frames that are designed, produced and assembled in-house in an east london workshop. they produce bicycles using "...innovative additive manufacturing processes, modern materials and 3d print technology." you can read a lot more on the website, where they wax lyrical about how quirk bicycles differ from their peers, citing a raft of awards which surely testify to the quality of the end product. i think there is little doubt that the latter is highly desirable, yet, to all intents and purposes, a quirk bicycle looks no different to many others currently available.

so what, you might ask, encouraged rapha clothing founder, simon mottram, to emerge as lead investor in the company, as quirk seek to "...shape a new chapter for performance bikes [...] one that's driven by design and the thrill of the ride." you will, perhaps, excuse my cynicism as the mental image of an east london workshop turning out design driven bicycles that might herald a new chapter in performance bikes lodges in my mind. i'm a tad unsure just what that statement actually means, especially since i'd imagine a majority of currently available bikes are 'design driven'.

in answer to my original question posed in the last paragraph, mr mottram is quoted as saying, "what drew me to quirk cycles is their absolute authenticity." at the risk of extending my cynicism a smidgeon further, i cannot deny that i harbour genuine doubts over just what simon means by 'authenticity'. though it's a word i used earlier in this discussion, it was in relation to a snare drum that appears to embody the exact definition of the word, seeking in every way to reproduce a verisimilitude of one which existed nine decades previously.

if we accept my argument as essentially sound, i can't quite fathom the grounds for describing quirk cycles as authentic. given that they produce bicycles of quality, employing contemporary materials and techniques, but with apparently no attempt to relate those to an undefined authenticity, contemporary, vintage or otherwise, what makes them different from any other? does this imply that specialized, trek or van rysel, for example, are inauthentic? does mr mottram see metal bikes as embodying authentic qualities, as opposed to those made from carbon fibre? i think it quite excellent that simon is still tangibly involved in the bicycle industry in a meaningful way, and that he has applied his enthusiasm and financial wherewithal to assist a small, bespoke, british frame builder.

yet, the word appears once again at the behest of founder, rob quirk, where he says that his bicycles are "...built for cyclists who value authenticity and performance in equal measure."

not for the first time this week, i have the feeling i'm missing something.

image: bikebiz.com

friday 21 november 2025

favourless

a good friend of mine (thank you james), was kind enough to send me a summary of the global cycling purchasing index, an index that summarises whether market conditions, as viewed by product and procurement managers, are expanding, staying the same, or contracting. as i have made perfectly clear on previous occasions, my comprehension of numbers is somewhat on the weak side, so i cannot claim to have understood everything contained within the five pages of the summary, but if i have interpreted the contents even half-way correctly, it would appear that all is not rosy within the bicycle industry at present, some three years or more after covid lockdowns ceased to be a topic of conversation.

a bit like the hitchiker's guide to the galaxy, where the meaning of life, the universe and everything had been distilled to the number 42, it appears that market conditions, when inserted into the global cycling purchasing index, can similarly be reduced to a single indicator. in this case, it currently sits at 98.8. to place this in some sort of context, in june of this year it could be read as 101.6; anything above 100 indicates expansion, and anything below signifies contraction. therefore as the world and its bicycles head inexorably towards christmas, things ain't looking too good for the industry.

these numbers are, of course, derived from survey responses, presumably arranged across the sector and designed to gauge the state of the nation in a reasonably accurate manner. so, when the summary informs us that 66% of respondents assessed the current situation as bad or very bad, we need only learn that, in june this year, that number was less than 50%. of course, in all such situations, it should be remembered that there are 'lies, damn lies, and statistics'. it could very well depend greatly on when and who was asked, and how those responses were finalised into the number 98.8

it is a number of years since i was regularly in touch with people inhabiting the cutting edge of velocipedinal commerce, so i am not in a position to either confirm or deny this assumed state of the industry. the past summer on the isle seemed to have brought no more nor less cycling visitors to its shores, while the two e-bike rental outlets appear to have been every bit as busy as in previous years. for a short while, a young lad, still at school, joined the velo club sunday peloton, providing the first indicator that, despite being a bunch of old farts, we were still to be found worthy of consideration.

however, over recent sundays, it has been my sad duty to report that either i was riding solo, or in the company of only one other. granted, some folks have been on holiday, and others have new families to consider, but if cycling on islay ever had a definable cachet, it has probably disappeared along with one of our ferries. granted, islay is hardly the poster island for cycling activity, and it would be highly suspect to categorise the state of play by casual observation of the hebrides, but i do wonder if it can still be considered as true, that 'cycling is the new golf"? so far as i can see, membership of the islay golf club is several orders of magnitude higher than that of the velo club, a statistic that shows no real sign of changing anytime soon.

but in an initially unrelated state of affairs, i was researching an article this week, hoping to identify just how much christmas has changed in recent decades, and in the course of that research, i came upon the notion that a train set for christmas still holds favour and fascination for both children and adults alike. however, for many a long year, receiving a bicycle for christmas was also a notable commonality, but it seems that this particular practice may have fallen foul of the very change i was charged with researching, for i found no mention whatsoever.

to this, i can at least partially testify; every christmas morning, i undertake a christmas day bike ride, no matter how brief. i like to classify this under the heading of tradition, but i'm not sure that would stand up in court. however, as i wend my way around the highways and byways of the principality, child-sized bicycles are conspicuous by their absence. and to pin the tail on the donkey, there are generally no adult bicycles to be seen either.

should we worry that the 98.8 will decrease in 2026?

thursday 20 november 2025

reality bites

my saturday ride is traditionally undertaken on the cyclocross bicycle for at least a couple of reasons, both of which are related to my penchant for the genre, despite being singularly incapable of replicating any of the skills required, other than occasionally falling off. a few hundred metres from bridgend city centre (a little hebridean humour there) is a curve in the road under the trees which conceals any oncoming vehicles in both directions. this is an important distinction because the road is relatively narrow, and meeting one of the distillery pot-ale tankers can be an eye-opening experience. wishing not to muddy the waters any further, i regularly opt to turn onto a short footpath, signposted as nancy's path after a former local resident who used to regularly walk to the village shop even before the path was constructed.

sadly, very few folks walk the path nowadays, since walking tends to be a little-used means of transport these days. cars are by far the predominant means of getting from a to b, no matter the brevity of the journey. midway along said path, is a mild obstacle, created by a frequently filled puddle on the road-side of the drystone wall. as vehicles plough through this at speed, they displace large amounts of puddle-water over the wall, creating a muddy squidge through which the intrepid cyclist must travel. to add to the potential difficulty, the water is peppered with gravel simultaneously displaced from the road puddle.

as advised on several previous occasions, the 'cross bike is shod with a pair of challenge chicane, 700x33 cyclocross tyres, rubber which features a minimally bobbled centre tread, bordered by a shallow wall of knobbles which provide a tactile grip on mildly troublesome sections of offroad. however, though they have proved more than adequate on the carpet of wet leaves along nancy's path and the grassy dunes that comprise uiskentuie strand, what they are less capable of handling is even a few centimetres of mud, something that borders each end of the above mentioned puddle.

fortunately, those 'borders' are relatively brief, equating with my minimal bike-handling skills; though the wheels squirm a tad on the way through, hard ground is reached before embarrassment becomes a highly likely outcome. when first riding through this obstacle, i was in the habit of slowing to a crawl for safety's sake. however, as the weeks and months have passed, my velocity has increased to the point where you could be mistaken for assuming i am fully in control.

as is the case for many of the skills required in cyclocross - and by extension, gravel riding - the only real manner in which such abilities can be acquired, is to experience them at first hand, preferably on a repetitive basis. i can well recall my early days riding at speed (a guy can dream can't he?) across wet grass, as well as attempting to ride up the small gravelled river opposite the strand. it seems highly unlikely that any bike handling skills can be honed from the saddle of a bicycle clamped in a turbo trainer.

yet this would seem to be the unspoken claim of rouvy, purveyors of online cycling verisimilitude, and the darling of the modern-day velocipedinist. they have recently introduced cartoon likenesses of several, high profile gravel events, such as the sea otter classic, unbound gravel, big sugar, crucher in the tushar and the rad dirt fest. i am trying very hard not to point out the glaring problem that i perceive with this concept. despite watching the introductory youtube video published by rouvy, i'm just a bit unsure that they have recognised that which i believe remains the unspoken word between us.

i'm sure you'll agree that describing how "...users can take in the challenge, as well as the majestic scenery" and that they "...have the opportunity to build confidence through familiarity, as well as planning race day strategy" would tend to suggest that the well-meaning folks at rouvy have created their very own blind spot.

or am i missing something?

tuesday 18 november 2025