..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
an apology
in a report of the eurobike show posted on 14th september, we may have implied that dario pegoretti had a connection to the firm of milani cycle frames. dario pegoretti apprenticed under his father-in-law luigi milani of verona, who was in no way associated with the family of the current milani brand. i'd like to apologise to dario for any part of the article which may have been misconstrued and for any inconvenience caused.
the article has now been amended at dario pegoretti's request.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................mule bars
when i was at college - and that wasn't yesterday - there was general consensus that if you bought the local supermarket's own brand cornflakes, you'd gain more nutritional value by throwing away the cornflakes and having milk on your cardboard box. not being one for buying cornflakes, i didn't ever try this as a practical experiment. and to be honest, i don't know of anyone else who did. thankfully (i hope) things have moved on a way since then; the concern for our health and wellbeing nowadays means that it's impossible to serve up any form of packaged food without a chemistry lesson on the side. while i'm not sure that i'm well enough qualified to understand half of that stuff, i take it in good faith that the boffins have our best interests at heart.
unfortunately, in the early days of carbo bars, while the endless list of ingredients on the back certainly promised exactly what us hard-working/playing cyclists needed/wanted, one or two of them tasted similar to the apocryphal cornflakes or cornflakes box. probably in much the same way as nasa's space food is supposed to taste. but as we've probably all found to our cost over the kilometres, bars full of energy only really work if you eat them, and if they are tasteless cardboard, then you're probably not going to. i know of very few cyclists who stick with one energy bar, save those who are receiving sponsorship from one of the purveyors of same. there's always the possibility that the next one will be the one to satisfy the needs in the energy and taste department - but there's always just one more to try.
as one who regularly packs a graeme obree powerbar (a jam sandwich) in my back pocket(s), energy bars are not something that frequent thewashingmachinepost musette. but like i said, there's always just one more, and in this case, the one more comes from mule bars, based in salisbury, uk, which was a bit of a surprise; my mind had always identified these as american. one of the principal needs of the honed athlete (my hand is optimistically up) is an energy bar with a variety of flavours - there is nothing less inclined to promote regular use than either naff flavours, or only one that tastes palatable. personally, i rather favour a company that has the wit and wisdom to provide either bizarrely named flavours, or just bizarre flavours.
i had in my musette for test, the following: pina colada, hunza nut, mango tango and chocolate fig fiesta. i have no real idea what a pina colada is in the real world, but the bar tasted particularly fine - not too strong, not too weird, and moist and chewy without sticking it in the microwave for a few seconds before setting off. all four flavours bore the same characteristics, though obviously with differing flavours. if i'm looking to choose a favourite, it would have to be the hunza nut; i could eat a ton of these (at the appropriate time, you understand). least favourite would be the chocolate fig fiesta, but that's mainly because i don't like chocolate very much. however, it wasn't anywhere near as chocolatey as i'd feared, so i coud munch on a couple of these a day without too much hassle. mango tango does just what it says on the tin, and i've still no idea what a pina colada is, but i did enjoy it.
if there has to be a downside to mule bars, it's the difficulty of opening the wrappers: i, to my great regret, cannot ride a bike no hands (it's lucky i've never won a stage in the tour) and i figure it takes both to open the wrapper. of course, it may just be that i'm totally inept.
the two latest flavours from mule bars are liquorice allsport and strudel. the former, i really have no desire to taste at all, because i absolutely hate liquorice, but strudel - heck yes. to their great credit, mule bars are signatories to one percent for the planet and their mango tango and hunza nut flavours are fairtrade accredited, something worth considering at point of purchase. and talking of which, you can either search the mulebars website for a dealer near you, or purchase them online direct. a box of two dozen retails at £33 including uk postage which is under £1.40 per bar. if you need the opportunity to try out all before making a more focused choice, you can have a mixed box (four of each flavour) for the same price.
well worth a place in one of those three rear pockets.
posted on thursday 20 november 2008
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................ag courier bag and bits and bobs
half of me often wants to shout out a warning and tell them not to be so stupid, while the other (smug) half figures 'if that carrier bag goes into the front wheel and lands them flat on their face, they've no-one to blame but themselves'. because i'm sure we've all seen them on their shoppers or supermarket £50 jobbies with the plastic carrier bag hanging off the handlebars and dangling perilously close to the front wheel. a front or rear bicycle rack is often the ideal way to transport stuff, because no bicycle is an island - if you're going to use your bicycle in the real world, then at some time in in your life, week, year, you're going to need to carry more than will fit in those three rear pockets.
there is, of course, the inevitable pannier, some of which rather cleverly convert to a back pack to drag round the supermarket and fill to overflowing, or stick on the back after parking the machine, and head off into the hinterlands. but not every bike has the wherewithal within its construction to fit a rack, especially if pride and style points dictate that its flowing lines be not interrupted by a four point fixing. in this case, (pun intended) there is the ubiquitous courier bag, favoured by some, disdained by just as many. if you are, indeed, a bicycle courier, it's likely part of the dresscode - a huge, swallowing capacity for almost everyhting chucked in its capable direction, slung over the back and probably the best thing since sliced bread.
there are almost as many makes as couriers, brightly coloured, streetcred coloured or simply black and distressed, and in varying capacities depending on the demands about to be made of them. and in a similar way to riding fixed, their attraction has exceeded that of the humble courier; there seem just as many besuited gents on folders bearing badged bags as there are skinny boys with dreadlocks on fixed. however, judgement is not mine, or yours to make - courier bags were born out of necessity; that others find them just as practical is surely a good thing?
but cycling is offered up as a panacea to the ravages made on the planet by our motorised brethren, a mode of transport bearing an efficiency that can be matched by few, and one whose carbon footprint is as slim as bradley wiggins' tyres. so is it not fitting that implements and accessories employed by the righteous, should feature similar greenery? of course they should, and seattle's alchemy goods, whose slogan turning useless into useful have found the ideal marriage between motoring and cycling: their messenger bags are constructed from recycled inner tubes and car seat belts. i'm not sure that they can claim first place in the 're-usung inner tubes' stakes, or seat-belt straps, but the method of adjusting said seatbelt is pretty darned smart. and ingenious to boot.
considering the required strength of your average seatbelt, it's no wonder that alchemy guarantee their goods for life. and if you can rmember the last time you were on a decidedly not green aeroplane, the adjustment method supercedes anything i've ever seen before in this context. just before take off and landing, the illuminated signs and the waitresses, are eager to point out that you should fasten your seatbelt (very funny billy connolly anecdote about that) even stretching to a demonstration of same: lift the top spring flap, pull the belt through, and close the flap on top to hold in place. congratulations, you've also just adjusted the shoulder strap on an ag messenger bag.
the bag sent for test used 73 percent recycled materials - i can tell, because there's a number stamped in the top right corner of the logo to tell me. the bag is built from flattened inner tubes, sealed together, and alternately covered with scotchlite tape to highlight your existence when out at night. there's a zipped pocket on the outside under the hugely generous, velcroed to death flap. and the zip tag is made from a schrader valve extricated from one of the very tubes used in the bag. it seems almost superfluous to mention that the entire edifice is waterproof, and as tough as old tubes. the inside is lined entirely with coloured polyester fabric (i think), edged in royal blue, and has numerous little pockets for keys and pens and cycle widgets. there are also a couple of very useful pockets on the outside ends should you need easy access while riding (race radio?).
it's a very impressive piece of luggage - since seattle is not noted for it's blazing hot, sunny weather, the design and construction are just the top of the soya milk as far as the uk is concerned. and buy it in the uk you can, through the enterprising auspices of urbanhunter. the cost is a sprightly £125, considerably less than you could pay for a designer manbag, yet alchemy's goods are all handmade. since it would be ashame if such enterprise stopped there, you can also acquire an id card (£10) or credit card holder (£6) also made from recycled inners, and the schrader valve zip tags (£5 for two) can also be had separately, should you find it fumbly to open or close your jacket en route.
step lightly on the planet.
urbanhunter.biz | alchemygoods.com
posted on wednesday 19 november 2008
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................still there waiting for you - london-paris 2009
i don't get out much. at least, i don't get out much off the island, and it will probably surprise you not a great deal that when i do leave for scotland, england or wherever, it's generally for some cycling related enterprise. in the spring of 2008, it was off to the big smoke to visit cyclefit, rapha and mosquito bikes, in early october, london yet again for the earls court cycle show, and end of october to ride the braveheart storm in kilmarnock.
but the high point of the season, for the past two years, has been riding from london to paris in the company of a few hundred other like minded souls. in 2007, we cycled from hampton court palace golf club, down to portsmouth, took a ferry to st malo and pedalled north to versailles over the course of the subsequent two days. in 2008, the route had changed, leaving from the impressive grounds of hampton court palace itself and cycling to dover (getting lost a few miles from the ferry terminal - me, that is). the route was continued on the french side of the channel, after jez emptied the entire contents of a cup of espresso over the counter on the boat. from an overnight stay in calais, we pedalled to amiens via some very fine paris roubaix cobbles, and the following day all the way into paris and the eiffel tower. riding up the champs elysees (forgot it was cobbled) which had been closed just for us, alongside double british road race champion, brian smith, is undoubtedly the high point of my cycling career (such as it is) to date.
but it wasn't just that - i met many other wonderful folks, and had riding time with david harmon, a man i am now proud to call my friend. and absolutely none of this would have happened had i not been given the initial opportunity by graeme freestone king, support mechanic on the ride. so if this is the time of year when you sit down at the weekend with a copy of the comic, or browsing websites ready to choose your cycling target for 2009, i would urge you to seriously consider london-paris.
the professionalism of this tour is totally transparent (sven thiele, you have my utmost admiration): you need simply get on your bike each morning and ride to the finish. in france you are accompanied by motorcycle outriders who close all the roads through towns and country; there is a technical support van following each of the four groups (based on travelling speed) - if you puncture, your wheel is replaced and the puncture fixed as you cycle and each group has a lead car from the organisation and one from the french side of the equation. there's a lunch stop each day, with food and drink provided, your luggage is transported to the finish of each day's stage, and every rider is taken by coach to the hotel for the evening, and collected again the following morning. both dinner and breakfast are taken care of.
this year we finished at the eiffel tower for the first time - amazing doesn't begin to describe it - but stayed overnight in a novotel, some considerable distance away. since many participants expressed a desire to have their families join them in paris, at the finish, the 2009 edition has accommodated this by placing all in a luxury hotel adjacent to the finish. riders have the option of staying on in paris, or being repatriated to london st pancras on the eurostar, with the bikes returning in a custom fitted truck to await collection on your return.
i cannot praise the experience enough - i loved every minute, and despite all the economic hassles that have beset various currencies, the 2009 price has only increased by around £50 ($75) to £749 ($1123). and believe me, it's worth every penny or cent. if it sounds like the sort of event that you fancy partaking of, click over to londres-paris.com and sign up now. guest riders for 2009 will be stephen roche, brian smith, and geoff thomas, originator of the geoff thomas foundation, a benefactor of the 2009 ride (each rider is encouraged to raise sponsorship distributed amongst the ride's nominated charities - it's only fair that the less well off benefit from our fun). guest riders will spend time in each group riding with the merely mortal.
so what exactly are you waiting for?
posted on tuesday 18 november 2008
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................precision bicycle components
with more and more of us purchasing our componentry over the internet, much to the disappointment and detriment of the local bike shop, the perhaps less obvious corollary is that more and more of us must be fitting same to our beloved velocipedes. and that could, conceivably, be a problem. the notion of sticking with your friendly local shop, is a commendable one; while there are still complaints about staff being rather aloof unless you know your onions from your power shallotts, this applies to the minority these days (i hope). what most cycle shops do have are trained mechanics who understand the difference between a threaded component being stiff to fit, or simply stripping the thread as it goes in. and if you have purchased your shiny carbon widget elsewhere, be not suprised if they tell you just where to stick it, or the rather large bill received after fitting.
the majority of shiny stuff arrives these days, with warnings and torque settings plastered all over, some of which are to indemnify the manufacturer, and some to prevent you completely trashing the merchandise with completely the wrong tool for the job. i know this because several of my more recent test subjects have contained leaflets, booklets and stickers pointing out that said component should only be fitted by a qualified professional. since i do receive a modest stipend from some of this work, i have stretched the bounds of credibility to include myself in this category, citing as evidence, the expensive array of tools that have accumulated over the years to ensure safe fitting or repair of anything on which i need to lay my hands. even the previously simple procedure of fitting a chain has grown proportionally more complex and delicate as the number of sprockets on the rear wheel has increased.
granted, there are many of us who are quite some distance from our nearest local bike shop, making it almost a necessity to do it ourselves - an aspect of island life i have used as an opportunity to learn many of the repair skills i like to think are within my grasp. but as componentry becomes ever more expensive, lighter, and some cases, fragile, it ill-behoves the ham-fisted to be carrying out these mechanical endeavours on their own behalf.
is there a solution? well, apart from maybe availing yourself of one of the many mechanics' courses held at a local bike shop, or through one of the institutions set up to teach just what you need to know, asking a few questions might just ease the process. most of the online cycle retailers that i can think of, provide either an e-mail address or telephone number - if you are at all in doubt as to the skills required to fit your prospective purchase, then asking someone with more detailed information and knowledge can't hurt. can it? if you can curb those conspiratorial thoughts that they might just try to sell you some tools that you think you don't need, it seems quite a logical process to me. otherwise, you could check the manufacturer's website for any advice or downloadable manuals that might give similar information.
whichever path you choose, including sticking your head in the sand and pressing purchase anyway, rest assured that the problem isn't going to get any better. in the market economy in which we thought we all lived, the need to bring out 'new' and 'better' at least once a year is on an accelerating pace, and many of the materials used, such as carbon, lighter alloys and titanium etc, are ex-military, where the engineers and mechanics trained for many a long year to service these to a high standard. there was/is a reason for that.
it would do you well to ponder upon this, just prior to hammering that chris king headset into a carbon fibre head-tube using a bit of four by two and brute force. don't overestimate your own abilities.
photograph from the rapha continental builders series.
posted on monday 17 november 2008
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................thirty days
i'm not generally in favour of paying pixel service to cycling blogs of a differing hue, not because i'm arrogant enough to figure that you should read none other than the post, but because i'm always worried that it descends into a mutual admiration society. while that's all very well behind the scenes (and to a certain degree, that's the way it is) if all we did was point out what everyone else's scribblings were about, it would become like the present day pop industry. few folks are writing much in the way of decent pop tunes, so the manufactured bands are scraping the archives for oldies but goodies; this means in about twenty years time, there will be nothing worth plundering that hasn't already been plundered.
and it would mean, in the world of cycling blogs (yes, i have capitulated and accepted my blog status - even though when i started the post, blogs were unheard of) that the same old same old would simply circulate ad finitum, as we all congratulated each other on the finesse of our accomplishments - or otherwise. however, from time to time, it either becomes necessary so to do, or, in this case, just a nice idea.
michael robertson writes velodramatic from somewhere in california - geography was never my strong point, though i think he stays in san jose - and like me it's a labour of love and obsession, because also like me, he earns his daily crust doing something else, though i do envy his seemingly unrestricted access to riding during a working week. that's not something i ever seem to get enough of. i also envy him his vastly superior photographic skills. however, we do seem to have similar impressions of the bicycle world - up to a point. i don't think i've read any mentions of colnagos on velodramatic in the recent past, but we can't all be perfect.
however, something we are both agreed on is our admiration, sometimes bordering on obsession, for the philosophy and clothing that wends its intriguing way from perren street in kentish town, london. i've paid a number of visits to the european headquarters, while michael has had the luxury and geographical proximity to visit the north american control centre in portland, oregon. the most recent visit was in conjunction with his current series on velodramatic; thirty days of rapha.
guesswork isn't really necessary for this - michael has decided to wear rapha for the daily commute to work, weekend rides and a trip to portland over the thirty days day of november (hence, obviously enough, the thirty days bit). michael's extensive rapha wardrobe is all purchased by him; rapha don't supply him with any of it (though it might not be a bad idea if they did so now and again, for the column pixels they're currently getting) while he doesn't quite stretch to having a complete new ensemble for each day of november, it's mix-and-match time, some of which might stretch the rapha style edict to its limits and just a wee bit past. but what the heck, the envelope only gets pushed by the frontiersmen and frontierswomen casting convention aside and facing up to style challenges on their own terms.
still, there's just an outside possibility that rapha is the only cycle clothing company to which the thirty days extravanganza could reasonably apply. i have nothing whatsoever against any of the world's other cycle clothing practitioners, but some may be a tad on the garish side for wearing to the workplace day after day. rapha is the secret handshake.
so whether you are a rapha acolyte or critic, it ill behoves you to miss out on the remaining fourteen days of velodramatic, while you can still review the story so far by accessing the archives. if nothing else, it gives food for thought, though it is worth bearing in mind that michael lives on a west coast of an entirely different hue and nationality, where life moves at a different pace and cultural expectations might be at variance with our own.
or then again, perhaps not.
photographs copyright velodramatic 2008
posted on sunday 16 november 2008
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................please try this at home
you may remember a few weeks ago, i mentioned how we had set up port mor wheelers, at port mor centre in port charlotte, dedicated, if that's the correct word, to getting kids to have fun on bicycles. since this was the last week's activity this year, mostly because as we get into december, there are other pressures on parents' and the kids' time. something to do with christmas. but things have been getting better and better every time (every second saturday in our case) and we've managed to retain reasonable numbers despite often fierce wet and windy weather.
since we've been concentrating on making sure none of them realise that we're teaching them new skills - it's all presented as a bit of fun - the improvements have probably gone unnoticed by the kids, but jez and i, and most of the parents have noticed the real difference as time drifts by. one youngster of about five years old turned up on week one with stabilisers on his bike and a rather obvious balance problem on his bike. we took the stabilisers off his bike on that first week, and he's now battering around in and out of marker cones with the best of them. if we'd achieved nothing else, this alone would be testament to the effectiveness of getting more kids on bikes.
much of the interest lies in bmx - chris hoy's first choice of pedals - and one of port charlotte's teenagers, who is particularly adept at bmx skills, has come along every week to demonstrate jumps, wheelies, 360s and other things that bmx riders do. neither jez nor i are close followers of the genre, but we're trying to make it fun for the kids - not us.
there is, to my knowledge, only one velodrome in scotland at present, and edinburgh city council are intent on flattening that; if there are any others, they're definitely not on islay, so if we want to introduce track racing to junior cyclists, a bit of ingenuity is necessary. banked turns are pretty much out of the question, but at this stage, that's a minor quibble, and fixed wheels - who's worried? so we laid out a large oval using the ubiquitous marker cones to simulate a track, and held a team sprint competition; fortunately we had six over eights and six under eights this week, so there were no arguments over 'she's had more shots than me' when we set up some team sprints.
for those unfamiliar with the event, there are three riders in each team: first rider does one lap, second rider pulls off after two, and the last rider sprints like crazy for the line. after only a few shots, the kids were already sorting themselves into who should ride in each position to give them a better chance of winning - quite brilliant.
so for any of you well meaning cyclists out there who fancy running a similar setup, just go for it - we had great difficulty getting our lot to agree to stop when the two hour session was over, and this is not only the future of the sport (perhaps), but possibly the world's future motorists. when jez and i are old, doddery and decrepit (at 12 noon every second saturday), we'd like as many car drivers looking out for us as possible.
thanks to all the parents who've remained faithful and brought their kids along every second saturday, in sometimes not very nice weather, and thanks to the kids who put up with two boring old farts telling them what to do. thanks also to francois bernier of bon appetit catering for copious quantities of juice, biscuits and coffee.
posted on saturday 15 november 2008
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................pictures at an exhibition
the lines between cycling and art continue to be blurred. oft-times one blends into the other, and happily this seems to be something that is taking hold of most of the cycle industry. whether it be colour, design, form, function or coffee. at one time we needed italian roadies to provide a style factor against which we could compare our shabbier selves - occasionally i catch a glimpse of someone on a bike who has let all this pass them by, but it's hard to deny that the gestalt is a particular uplifting experience. especially on a wet and windy day - and there will be more than a few of those in the forthcoming months.
and it is probably with those very days and nights in mind that the enterprising folks at rouleur magazine have seen fit to hold yet another annual milestone in the cycling world. there's the braveheart dinner, the british cycling awards dinner, the dave rayner fund dinner and as of 28th november, the annual rouleur photography exhibition. last year rapha/rouleur stepped outside the cocoon that is the way things are done around the time of the london cycle show, and held their own mini show, along with the photography exhibition. this year the photography exhibition has acquired a life of its own, being shown at no.51 grays inn road, right next door to condor cycles.
the very best photographers working in the cycling world will be exhibiting: ben ingham, camille j mcmillan, geoff waugh, gerard brown, olaf unverzart, rein van de wouw, taz darling and timm kolln. as an added bonus this year, there will be some illustrations from the wonderful jo burt. if there's an empty space on the clubroom wall or somewhere that her indoors will grant some leeway, prints will be on sale.
if you don't own a copy of the rouleur 2008 photography annual (might i ask why not?) than now's the time to go and see what you're missing on the big screen (so to speak) - if you already own the book, this is the enhanced verison. open from 12 noon to 6pm weekdays (late night wednesday to 7:30pm) and noon to 5pm on saturdays, the show finishes on december 23rd.
christmas present time.
the exhibition is sponsored by carhartt and condor cycles.
posted on friday 14 november 2008
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................genius takes many forms
if you haven't heard by now that the chaps and chapesses in portland, oregon are keen on their cyclo cross then you lead a very sheltered life. a sport that has a long, illustrious history in the benelux countries has exported to america with zest, resulting in one of the most active cyclo cross scenes in the world. however, the possibility that some of the greats from its european history may frown upon the goings on in portland, are no doubt increased by the latter's annual need to hold a single speed cyclo cross world championship. and where rapha and independent fabrication are able to collaborate on the ideal jersey and threequarter bibs to maintain and uphold the great traditions and style of european cyclocross, those previously mentioned chaps and chapesses in portland are demolishing both from the opposite end.however, sparks of genius from such anarchy often surface: one completely pointless, but truly inspired piece of lateral thinking concerning the description single speed, was displayed at the sscxwc08 by chris king components marketing guru, chris distefano, often referred to as the other chris. chris kitted out his cross bike with shimano dura-ace and a rear cassette bearing eight identical sprockets, and two front chainrings both with the same number of teeth. so while he could change gear throughout the race, he remained in the same gear; absolutely brilliant. apparently he tried the same thing last year and they disqualified him - some people have no sense of adventure.
the rest of the race seems to have been just as bizarre, but i do not need you to take my word for it, since bicycling magazine offer a video of the proceedings - watch out for the foam. and if you'd like a closer look the weekend's events, you may also want to click over to pdxcross for some truly excellent photography.
thanks to graeme raeburn for pointing me in the right direction
posted on friday 14 november 2008
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................identity crisis
i have the great good fortune to live in a place where trafiic is a whole heck of a lot lighter than most locations in the world. well, most that i can think of. and though the existence of several (eight at the last count) single malt distilleries means that there are more than a few forty foot trailers trundling up and down what's left of the roads. actually it's the latter that are causing the roads to fall apart in the first place, but that's sort of a side issue. the fact that this is a small island and most folks know everybody else, almost all the island's truck drivers exhibit a degree of courtesy to thin blokes on italian carbon fibre, that you'd be hard pushed to equal on the mainland. and in most cases, the same goes for other forms of motorised transport: buses, cars...well, that's about it.
the hairy time comes with the arrival of the tourist season(s), when mainland drivers run hellbent on importing their frantic driving style to an island that would rather they didn't. many of the tourist traps are hidden away in obscure corners of the topography, accessible by single track road, and the prevalence of 4x4s (it used to be barbour jackets) with ever larger wing mirrors, means that occasionally those of us on two wheels are in danger of finding out just what is in those roadside ditches.
at the risk of becoming like the last few two wheels columns in the guardian, one has, at some in one's cogitation, to consider the worst case scenario. and given that i generally carry only enough money for a dod of carrot cake and a double espresso, there is no wallet containing the currently all important id. in fact, there is not one whit of evidence about my person that would advertise my identity to a passing tractor or flock of sheep. so maybe, just maybe, remedying the situation would be a smart move. undoubtedly, but i really don't want to fill another scarce gap in one of those rear jersey pockets. us finely honed athletes have not spent many hours, kilometres, and a substantial portion of our income lightening both mind, body and bicycle only to be saddled with a heavy passport, drivers licence or other form of who am i, and what blood group?
as is generally always the case, i'm not even close to being the first person to have these deep, dark thoughts - the difference is, someone else did something about it. road id is the brainchild of father (mike wimmer) and son (edward) who are based in erlanger, kentucky, usa. it consists, basically, of a wrist band, shoe id, ankle, or shoe pouch in one of two formats: road id original, and road id interactive.
the former is a straightforward, substantial woven strap, fitted with a stainless steel engraved plate, bearing your name, address, telephone number and emergency contacts. maximum lineage is seven, it costs $19.99 (about £13.50) and can be had in black, blue, red, yellow, pink, and purple. you can achieve the same effect in a shoe id that fastens under the laces on a trainer; a fixx id, which is like a military dog tag ($24.99 - £17) on which you can have a laser engraved image on one side, and emergency stuff on the back; the ankle id is just like a slimmer wrist version; and the shoe pouch just looks silly to me because it's a mini wallet stuck to the front of your trainer. if you change your name or contact details, you can have a replacement steel panel for $16.99 (£11.50).
but this is the twenty-first century, and we need no longer adhere to mere letters and numbers engraved on a piece of metal - hence the interactive version. externally, this version is available in all the previously described variants, but instead of a list of emergency contacts, the interactive bears a web address and a serial and pin number on the reverse. typing this into a web page, or phoning a supplied engraved number, gives access to a customised emergency response profile. this allows input of name and vital statistics, up to three addresses, up to five emergency contacts, up to five doctors' addresses (on the nhs?), a medical profile, health insurance details, a photo and additional information such as a holiday address or phone number.
all this stuff is updateable at any time, so if it's out of date, it will be all your fault. the first year's subscription is free, with each subsequent year charged at $9.99 (about £6.75). in fact, as i directed my way through all the info contained on the road id website, i could find fewer and fewer reasons not to get myself one of these. of course, the road id is american, and anyone who finds a scruffier me at the side of the loch gorm road (is my bike ok?) would be very unlikely to try to call an american toll-free number. however, mike trimpe of road id assured me that they also offer a usa number that can be dialled internationally, or several other more local numbers in london, australia, mexico and amsterdam, should you live within hailing distance of any of the above.
so here's what we're all going to do: log on to roadid.com, select type and colour, and order one each, because i cannot think of any reason why we should leave ourselves bereft of this simple safety net while we're out enjoying the smugness of being a cyclist.you know i'm right.
posted on thursday 13 november 2008
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................schwalbe ultremo r road tyres
tyres seem to be similar to saddles in a way. the sx force saddle that arrived on the museeuw worries my bottom not a lot - in fact not at all, but a conversation i had the other day was aghast that i could even sit on the thing. i really like brooks saddles, lots of folks don't, either for the impending discomfort that their reputation would warn you against, or because they don't look 'fast enough' on modern carbon fibre (i tend to disagree, but that's a whole 'nuther article).
unfortunately much of this prejudice for or against particular saddles or tyres (or even bikes) is often based on not very much at all - i have the luxury of often having had the chance to try at first hand, but i'm just as willing to hold a grudge against stuff i haven't even seen. i didn't like shimano sti levers before i'd even tried them in practice, and that may well have had a bearing on my eventual experience when they turned up on a real bicycle.
however, about two years ago, schwalbe kindly sent a pair of their new (at that time) ultremo tyres; all in black, five grams lighter than the michelin pros i was then riding, and with the coolest lettering on the side that has ever been seen on a pair of road tyres. in fact, if i'm disarmingly honest, that's probably what swung it in the first place; that the original ultremos turned out to be some of the finest rubber i had ridden in many a long year, was a fine bonus. naturally enough, tyres don't last forever, especially on islay's roads, so when the test pair died i bought another pair, and have continued to do so on all my wheels since (did i ever mention that i'm a wheelaholic?).
in that time, i have suffered no punctures whatsoever (that's blown it now), and am therefore happy to remain with this brand of tyre until something comes along that looks as if it might be an improvement. sadly, schwalbe decided to colour in the sidewall logo - it looked much cooler in outline, but they have now added a letter to the end of the word ultremo: the letter 'r'. 'r' apparently stands for radial which would suggest that we are being invaded by motorcycle tyre technology. schwalbe's improved manufacturing techniques have allowed them to integrate a radial protection belt within the tyre, with the added benefit that the tyre now keeps its shape better, as well as reducing rolling resistance.
nano compounds are all the rage these days, not always for the right reasons, but complete revision has incorporated such into the tyre compound, making the triple compound better than the original ultremo and exhibiting less internal friction (between tyre and tube). in the never ending quest for increased puncture resistance, the 'r' now has a ceramic coating. this is designed to blunt any bits of glass or the like before they make their way too far into the tyre compound. i really have no idea whether the much touted vectran protection present in the original tyre is still present in this one, because i'm none too keen to cut a cross-section through the review samples, and the press info mentions it not at all.
fitting the ultremos, both standard and 'r' is simplicity itself. i confess to having had a bit of trouble fitting non-folding schwalbe tyres in the pst, though they're not alone in this, and it depends greatly on the make of rim. however, since all of us in the resident velo club d'ardbeg peloton are riding ultremos on quite a variety of wheels, i think i can safely say that the ultremos are problem free in this department. one of the few tyres i can fit on almost any rim, without having to resort to tyre levers. so in the very unlikely event that you do puncture when miles from anywhere (you know it to be true), replacing the tube (please don't tell me you still repair tubes out in the sticks) should present no problems. and that's worth several brownie points in my book.
however, the proof of the pudding is in the riding, something that cannot be found out within a few hundred kilometres, so while this article can give a brief overview, it's going to be a lot more kilometres before i have a verdict. but i'm willing to cover as many island roads as necessary to find out, and there will be a follow up presentation a few months down the line. at the moment, i'd be inclined to agree with the assertion that the rolling resistance is improved; i have no scientific data to back this up, but ride enough different tyres and bikes, and these things start to impress themselves upon you. add to that, i currently have two bicycles of similar stature in thewashingmachinepost bike shed, one with original ultremos, and one with the 'r' version, so it's quite simple to compare.
puncture protection is likely to be a longer term assignment, but it would be hard to improve on the original's 100 percent record. worth a try though. perhaps the biggest outward change to the original ultremo, which was available in black only, is the addition of a splash of colour: white, silver, yellow, red, blue and pink (to match the rapha kit). the small print advises, however, that coloured rubber compounds are good, but black ones are better. for the very best performance in grip and durability, choose the ultremo 'r' in black.. you would tend to figure this must be true, because it comes directly from schwalbe's website. i think we may see several of the professional contracted teams on the colour versions because they don't need them to last as long as we'd like them to.
the ultremo 'r' is available in (black only) 650 x 23c only 170g, in the more regular 700 x 23c at a somewhat incredible 180g (15g less than the standard - and it was light), and you can also have a 700 x 25c (black only) at 200g. these tyres are not due in the uk until january 2009, and i have no prices at present. however, if i take the american price and convert from the dollar price ($71.95) it would make them around £45 each. not cheap, and hopefully i can give you a better idea if they're worth it before availability gives you the choice.
posted on wednesday 12 november 2008
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................brompton p-type folding bicycle
what better reason does one need to test a bicycle, than the fact that the style and type has no real central purpose in the environs in which it is to be tested. basically speaking, you don't really need a folding bicycle on islay. well, let me re-phrase that; i don't need a folding bike on islay.of course, that's not to say that such a machine has no place in the rural idyll - not everyone has screeds of space in one of those lovely little whitewashed cottages surrounded by acres of open fields and the occasional cow or two (or three, or four). but if i'm perfectly honest, something like a colnago race bike is just as incongruous in the same environment, but that hasn't stopped me riding one (or two) for the past twelve years. horses (or bicycles) for courses.
brompton very kindly despatched a p-type folding bicycle in my direction for a few weeks of a different type of cycling.
posted on tuesday 11 november 2008
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................it's it
we've had gale force winds since mid-day on saturday, accompanied, as often is the case at this time of year, by sleet, rain and hail. mrs washingmachinepost has decreed that it is nigh on time that we gave the central heating somewhat of a boost, and to top it all, the power just went out about half an hour ago. so this is the perfect time to be thinking about ice cream.
accusations about my mental state of health, notwithstanding, this train of thought and subsequently the pixels you are currently staring at, was brought about not by a surge of anything to the brain, but as a result of reading last week's rapha continental escapade on the rather fetchingly named flamingo grande (why don't we have names for places like that round these here parts?). and i quote:
"later and once inside, my it's-it ice cream sandwich was the second best thing i've ever put in my mouth."
i shall assume that, unless you are a resident of the northwestern united states, you will be displaying the same quizzical look on your face as i had on mine. what the heck is an it's it ice cream sandwich when it's at home? sandwiches in thewashingmachinepost kitchen are generally composed of something stuffed in between two chunks of bread, and i really couldn't see ice cream faring too well under those circumstances. but if an it's it was the stuff of which major cycle rides should be ended, then shouldn't i (we) have the opportunity to do so too?
there is good news and bad news. it's it ice cream is a legend of san francisco invented (if that is the correct choice of word) in 1928, and now subtitled 'the official food of san francisco' it seems quite incredible that after a staple diet of american television shows for many a long year, the first i hear of this superbly named product is as an adjunct to a rapha continental bike ride. why has daniel pasley not told me of this before?
an it's it consists of a scoop of ice cream, sandwiched between two old-fashioned oatmeal cookies, then dipped in dark chocolate. it can be had in vanilla, chocolate, mint and cappucino flavours. i'm never one to admit to an overwhelming desire for either ice cream or chocolate, but you have to admit this does two of two things. firstly in the depths of winter, it makes you look forward to the long hot summers we never actually get, and secondly it creates its own little ball of desire that you could easily get stuck in your head while slogging a 150km ride. the very thing to look forward to at the end of same.
of course, very few businesses survive on one product for as long as eighty years, so there are more temptations in the freezer cabinet: a super sundae (ice cream dipped in dark chocolate and rolled in roasted peanuts); a big daddy (ice cream between two dark chocloate wafers); a super cone (a cone topped with a giant scoop of vanilla ice dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with roasted peanuts). but the piece de resistance is the chips it - a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream between two huge chocloate chip cookies. almost worth a 200km ride - and i don't even like choc chip.
when do we get to the bad news? well, for perhaps obvious reasons, ice cream sandwiches don't travel internationally too well, so there's very little chance of happening upon an it's it ice cream sandwich along with a double espresso in debbie's anytime soon. however, for those of us disadvantaged by distance, the above descriptions give enough information and leeway for most of us to have a shot at making one (or several) of our own. for copyright reasons, we probably can't call it an it's it, at least, not commercially, but it might not be too bad an idea if you click through to the it's ice cream website and bookmark it. depending on the severity of the sunday ride, you can then select that just before the shower and change to keep the optimism going until the next long, hot summer happens along.
of course, if you're reading in northwest usa, we who are about to freeze salute you.
posted on monday 10 november 2008
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................crosswinds - a survival guide; endura stealth softshell jacket
headwinds i can deal with; all you've got to do is grin and bear it - knuckle down on the drops, put it in a smallish gear and slog it out till you can turn into that tailwind that you just know is waiting for you. crosswinds (as opposed to happy-go-lucky winds) are a lot harder to deal with. i'm the archetypal ten stone weakling, and most of the bikes that i ride, including the museeuw under test, are not alarmingly heavy - the ideal fodder for those sneaky and frighteningly poweful crosswinds. the best way round this is to keep pedalling, and keep on the drops; the lower you are on the bike, the less area the wind has to act upon.
but be careful out there.
of course, if you're going to be daft enough to pop out for a coffee in gale force winds while being wind tunneled by horizontal rain, then aside from cross winds (it's known here as the loch indaal effect, because of the way the road curves at the top of the loch, switching the wind direction at every pedal stroke) it makes even more sense to be properly dressed for the occasion. around this time last year, endura sent a waterproof hardshell jacket and stealth-extreme biblongs both of which made life drier for a lone cyclist in winter: this year, to match the tights, i received a stealth softshell jacket which is as stylish as it sounds as if it might be.
the softshell fabric is waterproof, windproof and breathable with an impressibly high entrant fabric front collar. the softshell material is backed with a fine grade fleece to add a degree of warmth to the garment without compromising the stretch or comfort. to aid breathability, there is a zip under each arm as well as on each side panel. the cuffs too, have linear zips leading to the wrists, allowing sealing in of cosiness or egress of hot air. it all depends. there is one taped zip rear pocket, and a similarly zipped front left pocket, with a slotted rubber grommet internally allowing the routing of ipod headphones, should you be one for music while you work. all the seams are ultrasonically welded as opposed to taped, making for a serious degree of waterproofing.
while many of the stealth's competitors opt for drawcords at the hem, endura have placed some of that tacky gloop around the dropped rear tail to keep it from riding up when on the bike. there are reflective endura logos on the tail and each cuff, as well as a bobbled reflective strip that runs from cuff to cuff, via the chest area, and extending to the side panels. each zipped pocket and opening is surrounded by reflectivity too. despite the test jacket being in stealth black (what else?) you wouldn't miss this easily in the car headlights.
if we just nip back to the top once more to revisit those crosswinds, headwind and driving rain, guess what i wore while i was character building? on two separate days i got caught in the crossfire and drenched from head to toe: or at least i would have done had i not been encased in endura (the welcome to great coffee jersey counts as endura clothing). windproofing cannot be faulted, and considering the angles and strength at which rain, sleet and hail connected, neither can the waterproofing. on both occasions i stumbled into washingmachinepost towers dry to the core (ok, so my face was a bit damp). the flexibility of a softshell on the bike, particularly when faced with somewhat adverse conditions, is an ideal bonus, - i wore the stealth jacket when riding a brompton folding bike (review coming soon) in a mostly upright position, and also stretched out on that carbon flax museeuw. sorted on both occasions. however, what often lets a cycling jacket down is the breathability, or lack of; in this case, considering the amount of work that had to be done battling the elements, this one came out tops. the zip/unzip side panels are a distinct help in this, but even when closed and working hard, the breathability is very, very good.
the endura stealth softshell will cost you £150 ($300), and can be had in blue, black or red, in sizes ranging from small, all the way through to xxl. check with endura for a list of dealers in the uk or usa.
endura.co.uk | endurasport.com
posted on sunday 9 november 2008
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