bikes and things

Really well shot too.

It’s Your Ride from Cinecycle on Vimeo.

Cycle Safe London.

Looks like some of the guys from londonfgss.com have set up a site monitoring all the bits of info about cycling in London and the dangers it poses to cyclists.

Some interesting if scary stuff on there.

Just on the way back from a great trip to North Wales. Had superb weather if a little cold. Five of us went up and the usual hilarity ensued after a few too many pints of Guinness is a small town local pub. Did the Dragon’s Back trail on the sat then the MBR today. Looking forward to getting back and getting a nice roast dinner an getting showered.

The rest of my pics are here and Matt uploaded a few too.

Coed y Brenin – Andy and Vaughan, originally uploaded by cephal0pod.

Jim and I decided to do a biggish ride this weekend. We got up early on the Sat and got the train from Waterloo to Guildford and then cycled down to Emsworth. We too a little detour to Hindhead for some cake. That turned in to a large hill just for that but nevermind. We wound our way through lots of little villages to the South Downs and then had to slog it out over the downs to get to Chichester and then Emsworth. There was a fair old headwind so we took it in turns sitting in front with the other tucking in to the slipstream. Total milage was around 45 miles but a very hard 45 miles. Plenty of cheese on toast when we arrived at Jim’s parents place and then a nap on the sofa and some well earned chilli! A force ten storm came in overnight but fortunately had blown over by the morning.

After a late start on the Sunday we eventually headed off to Brighton. The plan of staying on top of the South Downs was never going to work so we headed over them past Chichester and then sat behind them to shelter from the wind. We had the wind with us for most of it until the end. The route we took avoided most of the A roads and went through the wealthy villages of West Sussex. 3 punctures from Jim and a snapped chain with me but we got there in the end. The hardest part was the climb back over the South Downs up on to Devil’s Dyke to enjoy the view. By this time the sun had started going down and was getting cold fast. We grabbed a photo or two and then headed down in to Brighton for Fish and Chips at the Regency. Around 58 miles and lots of hills.

A few weeks in to having the Condor Acciaio and up to around 250 miles on it so far. I fixed the speedo too. It’s taken a while to get used to it really as I’ve been riding the fixed around town for a few years now and the mountain bikes off road. This certainly feels and handles very differently. For a start it feels much longer in the cockpit area than the other bikes. I had a proper fitting at Condor for the frame and components but I usually have a much shorter set up for riding off road. The fixed is also a frame size smaller.

The first thing I had to get used to was having a freewheel round town. To start with it felt like the bike was running away from me due to not controlling speed with my legs. I also found that riding through traffic was a lot harder as I found the lack of fixed made balancing a bit more difficult. Gradually I’ve been getting used to it and now feel a lot more comfortable riding it. I also find it physically more demanding riding to work. With the fixed you keep your momentum and it’s relatively easy. This just pushes you to go faster all the time. Being steel it does have that lovely snap out of the saddle and feels great when you get the power down. Overall it feels great and I’m definitely getting used to the more stretched out position.

Going to do a ride from Guildford to Emsworth this weekend with JIm and then on to Brighton the next day taking in some of the scenery on the South Downs. Should be great!

Just got back from a 45 mile road ride with Gary. Over to Tooting, then Wimbledon and two laps of the park before heading home to meet the landlord. Possibly the coldest ride I have ever been on. The cold air was getting in to my feet via the vent at the front and numbing the whole of my feet. Time for a pair of winter shoes or some thicker socks!

Got up to Wales today with Gav [Erik couldn’t be moved from his bed] and went round Whites level in traditional boxing day fashion. The weather was fantastic and not a cloud in the sky. The winter light casting along the singletrack was fantastic. Didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped due to my shoulder still being quite sore after the crash. Shame the Cafe wasn’t open but the service station did for today. The rest of the pics are here.

Also had a go at recording the trail with the GPS on the iPhone. Results below. Looks like it lost the signal for a while so not great. Trying out a few apps to see which is best. This one was called TrailGuru.

After a long drive from Cambridge to Bath yesterday I settled in back at Mum’s house and awaited Father Christmas this morning. He arrived promptly as usual and I got a range of amazing books [mainly photography], a Holga camera and enough money to pay for my Seb Rogers photo course in March. All good!

Went out this morning for a supposedly quick ride on the road bikes with Dad which turned in to a 22 mile ride through Atworth and over to Lacock taking in Bowden Hill which is a bit of a lung buster. Fairly fast paced ride but none of our preferred pubs were open so went back for a hot whiskey at Dad’s place and then went back to Mum’s for lunch. Had lamb which was ace!

Off to Wales for a trip to Afan with Gavin and also Erik who is over from Germany for Christmas.

Picked it up this morning and rode very carefully home. Few pics here. Not sure if it was worth waiting so long. Read the full saga. Bit mucked about by Condor but it is a nice bike. Just wish they had been a bit more truthful about the cyclescheme cost which they charge on top and also the delay in getting it. A bit boring to hear “it’ll be here in two weeks” each time you call.

Went out again a little while a go and did a few more miles on it.

Went through Forest Hill, Catford, Greenwich, Canary Wharf, City, Waterloo, Camberwell, Peckham, East Dulwich…

…for 2008. Finished work yesterday and have got two weeks booked off. No more Microstation, InDesign or Outlook! Looking forward to spending some time back in Bath and getting as much cycling in as possible.

Gav and I are doing the now almost traditional Boxing Day ride at Afan. A lap of Whites level and then back to the top to do the Skyline descent.