Yeah even Monmouth is really not that great when you’ve had the best frickin’ coffee in the world. This is a picture of me drinking the best coffee in the world, not in London, but in Bath. Bath of all places!
We were in Bath this weekend to see my Mum for her birthday and went into town after a run at silly o’clock with Emma. I really fancied a decent coffee after my Costa Macchiato special on the M4 the night before. A quick search online for “Decent coffee Bath” turned up a place called Colonna and Smalls which was via an article in the Independent listing the 50 best coffee shops in the UK. I thought I’d give it a go and was pleasantly surprised with just how nice it was. Everything from the interior, to the staff, to the way in which it’s all laid out and even the mugs, was incredible. They have three espresso coffees and then three brew type coffees. All chosen for their particular characteristics. We said we’d have two flat whites of whatever they recommended.
I’ve never tasted coffee like it. I like coffee but I’m not an expert but this was pretty special. Loads of flavour, perfect temperature, not too milky and a nice strong taste without being mental strong. Incredible.
The attention to detail is immense and goes right down to the tasting notes and the reasons why they don’t think you should have sugar in it whilst at the same time avoiding being patronising and intimidating for those not in the know.
Here’s to the world’s best coffee which I’m still amazed exists in my home town! The trouble is that all other coffee is now inferior and I live in London. Ahh well.
Customer service doesn’t have to be hard but it’s amazing how many brands completely fuck it up. But rather than moan about the bad lets praise the good.
My rear triangle came loose on my new Brompton recently when riding up the Grand Union and back. I’d done it up and then done it up again a few weeks later. It’s not a simple operation but I had assumed that it was in need of some thread lock.
Yesterday I was up at silly o’clock to get to the office and then get a train to Oxford to 9am. On the ride in I could feel it coming loose again. In my boredom on the train I tweeted at Brompton asking if I was doing something wrong. Within an hour I had a reply from their Twitter person who directed me to their technical email. Within 30 mins I had a reply with an informed response and a plan of action to sort it out. No asking for proof of ownership or pushing it back to a dealer etc.
Hi Andy,
Unfortunately once a bolt comes loose it can continue to do so frequently (as you have discovered), to resolve this we will need to replace the hinge spindle too. This is a fairly unusual occurrence and we expect the bolts to stay tight for the lifetime of the hinge bushes at the very least which is usually a minimum of 2 – 3 years.
If you could let me know when it would be convenient for you to take the bike to our Brompton Junction store I will call them and let them know to expect you and have the spindle replaced. If you need to leave the bike with them I will arrange for you to have a courtesy bike until yours is ready, however it may well be possible for them to do it while you wait.
Then followed a few more emails updating me on when they could do it in the store. I popped down and was offered a free coffee whilst they swapped the necessary parts out, which only took 20 mins. No hassle, no suggestion I’d done something wrong, just simply dealing with the issue and sorting it out in a quick and efficient manner. The offer of a loan bike was also a particularly nice touch. Thanks Nev and Marlon! Other brands take note.
I still can’t forgive them for spelling espresso with an x though.
Road riding is the beautiful elegant sport you see on TV when the tour is on Channel 4 and some of the best shots seem to generally be shot from the helicopter. That beautiful bit where the pack splits around a traffic island then regroups is so beautiful, and one of my favourites, the other being the way it lengthens out round a tight bend. It’s like a murmuration of sorts. But this video adds a completely different perspective from within that pack. It’s completely insane and there’s some incredible bike work within the back. The handling is superb§ and as for the speed… mouth wide open.
I took the long way home tonight. Three laps of Regents Park, down the usual route over Waterloo Bridge and then up over Denmark Hill and a left up to East Dulwich. I thought I’d get two nice bottles of beer from Boss Man on Lordship Lane. I parked my bike outside and turned around after hearing a crash.
I turned round to see a pedestrian on the floor and a motorbike on its side. There was a massive Range Rover behind and the driver leaned out of the window to tell the pedestrian (who was still on the floor) what a “stupid fucking idiot” he was and how “he should have fucking looked” before speeding off. No one asked the guy on the floor if he was ok.
Again, no one asked the person on the floor if he was ok!
Things started getting pretty nasty from the biker and his friend, also on another motorbike. I got my beer and then then both looked at me to see if I had seen anything. I went over to see if the guy who had been hit was ok, and also partially to make sure he didn’t get a bad deal – marched to a cash machine etc. There was no damage to the motorbike but the guy was still mouthing off about it. The pedestrian was clearly in a state of shock and had no idea how to resolve it. I suggested he call 112 and ask for police. As he made the call the operator asked for the index of the bike. At this point the biker ripped off his number plate which was held on by velcro! He also grabbed the phone from the guy and started berating the operator. The police were going to take 30 mins to get there so he got the biker got frustrated at the lack of progress and said he had to collect his kids! Off he went, not before making more threats to the guy. His friend arrived again and was wearing a ski mask under his helmet. They both drove off aggressively down the road and that was that.
I’m amazed at the lack of consideration shown to someone who had been injured by not only the driver of the bike but others around. No one offered to help at all. It makes me so sad to think how selfish so many of us have become, being more concerned with our own property than of others and their welfare.
Sunday has now become my regular riding day and I’ve been trying to get out and mix up the riding a bit. Instead of jumping in the van to the Surrey Hills I’ve been doing road riding, exploring different parts of the river and various other rides to have a little more variety. Seeing other people post their rides to Strava has also encouraged me to consider different routes or places to ride without having to drive.
One of the people I follow, Thomas Corrie, recently did a really nice route from Paddington Basin in London heading west up the Grand Union Canal and then got the train back with his Brompton. As usual he took some great pictures on Instagram which further inspired me to go and have a go at it.
Also on Strava is a monthly challenge with aims to get you to go and have a “130k cycling adventure“. I’ve joined it a few times but not got close to doing that sort of distance, the most being about 85k round Kent with Magnus. So rather than go and do a longer road ride, which I knew I could probably do, I thought I’d try and do my first one on the Brompton, to kind of have fun with Strava rather than just doing the obvious. Fucking with it a bit if you will.
The aim was to get up at 7am to get a good start to get back at a reasonable time. I got out at 8.30 which wasn’t too bad. I made my way put to Kings Cross via coffee in Covent Garden. It was a lovely day already and I could feel the sun baking down on me. Sun cream liberally applied I joined the canal by the Central Saint Martins building where people had already assembled to get good sun bathing spots on the terraced area adjacent to the canal.
At first the going was good, nice concrete and slabs with a few gates to avoid. Then along past Camden Market and past that to Little Venice. The usual Camden characters were out drinking and a few sleeping next to the Canal from last nights excess. The trail opened up a bit more once I got past Paddington and was fairly easy going. There were plenty of people up drinking from cans and smoking dope, none of whom seemed to really register my presence. After the posh and well do do areas around Hyde Park and Paddington the surroundings quickly changed to a more rugged industrial landscape. There were plenty of derelict buildings, scrap yards and just open land of no real value it seemed. It felt like a strange hinterland. I kept on and heard the faint sound of a sound system ahead. Soon enough I was cycling past a rave going on in the field to the left of me. A number of casualties were strewn over the sides of the towpath with that familiar smell of dope in the air again.
I passed many dog walkers as I kept on. I’d already got bored of dinging my bell and saying thank you all the time – saying thank you was important though so stuck with it. Each bump also dinged the bell more which drove me mad. I spent ages holding on to it to stop that constant ding ding. At this point I also realised that I hadn’t actually planned any of this. All I was doing was just following the canal and seeing where it which felt amazing. No maps, no GPS, no turn by turn, no following someone else who knew the route – just pedal. Every now and then I did check my phone to see where the hell I was but it didn’t really matter. And most of the place names didn’t mean much to me anyway. I also kept checking the Garmin to see how I was getting on distance wise. Was 130k even achievable? It was at this point the smoother nature of the towpath finished and was abruptly replaced with a deep muddy section which meant using more mountain biking type skills rather than road riding. At this point I did wonder that if it was all going to be like this then I probably wouldn’t be covering much ground and it simply wouldn’t happen. This part of the canal felt particularly isolated and unloved. Soon enough it cleared up and a firmer gravel path appeared and I was on to the main section if the Grand Union. I had been riding on the Paddington Branch according to the sign and went right onto the main stretch north.
The industrial scenery continued with the occasional bridge flying over. I stopped at a few to grab some pictures as the light cascading through the joints was too good to miss. I spent a few moments just admiring the cloudy murky green water and the layering of the light through it.
Further up the path I found myself wandering how long my water supply would hold out for and decided to nip off the trail and find food and water. I fortunately found a supermarket but realised I hadn’t brought the key for my d-lock. Pretty annoying having carried it in my bag all the way but never mind. Bike folded and added into the shopping trolley I got my supplies. Two bottles of water, two Lucozade, one Fanta and a few bits of cake to supplement the gels I had brought. I started back on the trail but noticed some play in the pedals. After checking the cranks/ bottom bracket and the pedals for play I found the rear end of the Brompton had worked loose. The only way of doing it up was to have the chainring off. Fortunately I had a second hex key with me. I guess I would have had to borrow one from a passer by otherwise but I got it sorted and headed off, loaded up with supplies.
There wasn’t anything two eventful after this apart from more people smoking dope, reading books and doing up their canal boats. There were lots of sleepy dogs and a few cats on the boats all just relaxing. It seemed like a lovely lifestyle and made up of all kinds of people from students, hippies, seemingly young professionals to the retired folks enjoying their days. A few made me smile, the guy skinning up whilst Dire Straits blared out from inside at the start of a long guitar solo. Another guy in just his shorts and a hat came past with Pink Floyd on who seemed to be having a great time.
I kept on going and checked the Garmin for how long I’d done. Getting past 50k seemed virtually impossible for a while. But then I hit 65, stopped did a few more just to be sure and then turned around and headed back. On the way there I’d been slightly anxious about not really knowing where I was going and if I would make it back. I also had this fear of falling, or being pushed, in the canal. I think I was more worried about my phone and Garmin than drowning but still it was something I was wary of. I was worried about losing concentration and just tumbling in off a rut or something. Maybe that’s part of riding on your own, a slight unease or anxiety. On the way back this passed and I had a feeling I could actually do this. The kilometres seemed to fly by as it was all familiar territory and I knew what was coming as well as feeling like I had the energy to do it.
In both directions there was so much in the way of nature to enjoy. Lots of swans, ducks, moorhens and their young floating about. The moorhens were by far my favourite. Plenty of blue tits in the hedgerows too and I also had the pleasure of seeing a Heron on the other side of the bank.
I passed the rave again on the way back. Fewer people were raving but more casualties at the side of the canal and a few completely asleep in the foetal position clutching their phones. By the time I’d crossed over the north circular I was starting to feel it a little. I’d just passed the 100k mark and was mentally trying to work out if I would need to do a lap of the park on the way home. There’s sometimes a difference between what the Garmin says and actually what the route is on the map and I added a few more km to make sure. My biggest fear at this point was uploading it to Strava and it coming up and 129.8km missing my target by 200m. It would still have been a big ride but I wouldn’t have got that virtual round of applause I wanted on Strava. Emma likes to ask me “how many stupid little cups” I got today.
By this point my feet had blisters from my shoes rubbing and my hands were really sore. The Brooks leather grips look amazing and are great for short journeys round town but just don’t have any support for longer rides.
I headed in towards Camden and came off the canal by little Venice and did a tiny bit around Regents Park to get to Parkway where I grabbed another espresso to get me home. I then gently found my way back south to Camberwell via a slightly longer route. All I could think of was a pint of cold beer by now and cycled straight to the pub in Camberwell with the Garmin reading 130.2k when I got there. That pint of Brooklyn was like heaven. I added a few more km cycling up the hill home and fortunately it clocked in at exactly the same on Strava winning me my stupid little cup! A shower and more water was needed before returning to the pub with Emma. My eyelids felt like they were forcing themselves closed most of the evening and I slept so well that night!
For once it felt like the Sunday ride was a real achievement rather than just getting out of the house for a few hours. I had totalled six and a half hours of saddle time, not including breaks. Now, next Sunday…
So it looks like my entry got accepted to this. The event consists of racing around Smithfield market on a folding bike dressed in ‘business atire’. The start is a 20m dash to your folded bike which you then have to assemble and race two laps. There’s a series of heats and then a final of five laps.
Whilst deliberate barging, tripping (biting, gouging, etc) is not permitted Nocturne Series encourages ‘commuter conduct’ such as jostling, obstruction, distraction tactics etc.
It looks like great fun and I’m already a little nervous about it. I really need to practice my un-fold technique and see how well I can run in my cycling shoes. If I can make it through the first heat I will be very pleased indeed. I’ve started taking the long way home and sprinting a few sections to try and prepare.
Hopefully my choice of 3 speed will stand me in good stead. Fingers crossed. It’s on Sunday 7th June from 4pm. This little video sends my heart rate through the roof watching it. Would love to get to the final.. lets see. I’m sure there’s pretty stiff competition.
I’m catching up on a few posts I’ve had in mind recently one of which is Leo’s birthday bash at the new BMX track in Burgess Park. I have tried a bit of BMX but not for years now. The last time I had a go was on the old track at Bird in Bush Rd in 2007 and that was an open day where we all took our mountainbikes. I have owned a 20″ BMX at various times but never got into the racing side of it. I did have the option of bringing my own mountainbike but decided that you should really ride a BMX for this kind of thing. Also the full suspension probably wouldn’t have been great for it.
My first thoughts on getting there were to be entirely intimidated by the sheer size of it. It’s big, really big! There’s a couple of lines for the pros that are even bigger. Did I mention it’s big? Standing at the top was nerve wracking, even though I’m pretty confident on rocky trails this seemed like it would hurt more if you came off.
I’d managed to find my full face helmet and set of DX flat shoes for the event. Both were covered in dust from the days where I owned a big 8″ travel DH bike. This was a wise choice as the helmets that were hired all stank and could hear collective coughs and splutters as each person put their lid on and smelt the stench within.
We all got given a bike from the store and a brief instruction on how to ride. Outside pedal down, elbows out and soaking up the bumps. I was hoping for one of the 24″ cruisers but they’d all been handed out by the time I was in line. I had a neat little Haro 20″ which was still good fun. Memories of how steep the head angle and how twitchy the steering is came flooding back.
We were supervised on the first lap as we edged our way around. After the first few without anyone crashing we were left to it and even given controls to the gate which was amazing. The last time I rode I completely mucked up my starts but this time I managed to track stand against the gate and push some proper force out when it dropped. A lot more cycling experience since the last go seems to have helped.
One of the nicest things about the track was the way that the straight sections were all dirt but the corners were all tarmac which reduced the feeling of washing out and I guess also means it holds up far better to abuse. The corners typically get rutted and skidded up.
Dropping in to the second corner was incredible fun with a small lip so you could push into it then scoot round the tarmac setting yourself up for the next straight. After a while we all got the hang of it and groups of similar abilities seemed to form with little races going on.
It was a hot day and having to wear long sleeves was a real pain. I only had an old hoodie so was overheating each time I went round. The course was far more tiring that you might imagine at first but I wanted to keep going and going and going. There were plenty of breaks to have a chat with people but usually not for long as there was always someone else standing at the gate looking for another rider.
After a few normal races we started mixing it up with no pedalling laps which is very hard to do. It’s a great way to improve your technique as one bad move, missed pump or grab on the brakes ruins your chances of finishing. The other one which I preferred was only pedalling on the tarmac, this also had the nice benefit of letting you concentrate over the straights and not thinking about pedalling.
I had a go on the 24″ cruisers and found them far nicer to ride as they felt like they rolled far better and were far less twitchy. At £300 for one it’s tempting to get one and pop down after work occasionally. It’s probably not a sensible idea though. The chances for smashing myself up look to be considerably greater with a little bike.
By the end of the session I was completely exhausted. I think we had around three hours there. The next morning I was so sore. My stomach, shoulders, lower back, glutes and upper arms were all sore from using different muscle groups to my usual cycling types of road and mountainbike. All that pumping and standing up on a smaller bike really took its toll. Still it was a great day out and great to do something different to the usual Surrey Hills ride or road ride round Kent.
