Blimey it's been cold this week, so cold in fact we've had the first October snow in London since 1934. Well Monday was quite sunny, but got colder as the day progressed, Tuesday was super cold so I put my super warm Gore jacket on but was too hot. Wednesday morning was even colder cold toes and fingers really grim. Happily my winter boots rocked up on Wednesday afternoon so I fitted cleats and rode home in them. I can conclude that Goretex lined winterboots are really rather excellent, quite how I've managed without them for so long is a mystery, granted it was warmer today but it rained as well, the joy of riding home in the cold and wet and having warm dry feet has to be experience to be believed, blooming marvellous. I expect very much that I'm going to wear my new winter boots pretty much everyday till March so it'll be interesting to see how the hold up.   Read the rest of the entry...

Well the clocks have changed and that's the start of the six months of cold and gloom that makes up the British winter. Still Monday was a fabulous day a bit colder but clear as a bell my commute in was hampered by my lungs really not wanting to work. Three stops for Salbutamol reinforcement in Leyton, Hackney and Clerkenwell and I got to work just a few minutes late, although that's as much down to me struggling to get my shoes on; it's a long story involving ratchets knives and mud.... I woke up to a frost this morning so I decided to go thermonuclear and drag out my thick Gore winter jacket, stepping outside I realised it was certainly a wise choice to put it mildly, anyway my lungs behaved and I arrived at work toasty in warm, and on time too. I was dreading the ride home in the dark and the forecast was for rain, clouds scudded in and out all afternoon and I was sure I was going to get wet. The afternoon cracked on darkness fell and I left for home, warm and illuminated, and even better was fast on my way home, I've not felt ...  Read the rest of the entry...

never die they just become really nice singlespeeds, which is of course ace. Earlier in teh year I got an old Kona Kilauea from a friend for a bargain price for the frame a few nice bits and some tat, anyway a few months later and it's been cleaned up, loved and rebuilt with bits I had around the flat and some replacement bits purchases second hand. I think it looks lovely for a Pub/Winter/Epping bike. Anyway it rides ace the narrow flat bars a re a bit twitchy and make it a bit harder than I'd like to loft the front end but around Epping where it'll be used almost exclusively that's not really a problem. The narrow bars are actually ace for zipping through trees. I can't quite put my finger on it but I can really skip the back end round things, that I can't seem to do on the Chameleon, and certainly I seem to be better at just riding over roots and ruts and carving through stuff, I guess riding a cros bike really helps. I was on the homeward stint of my ride to collect a Guardian and a pint of milk and I bumped into ...  Read the rest of the entry...

I've bought a selection of new choons in the past week, and they're all really quite good, well apart from the Goldfrapp hippy album, what on earth went on with that, I'm guessing they must have broken out the crack pipe, it's not dire but it's not the usual groovy electro funk that is Goldfrapp. Happily Hot Chip's Made in the Dark is superb, poppy and electro and just cool, I really like it, bought purely on a Soulwax remix as well. I succumbed to teh HMV sale and ordered a load of Ellen Allien as well which is just wonderfully precise minimalist German Techno, I'm really liking Orchestra of Bubbles the Album she did with Apparat whose also on her Bpitch control label. I think my next purchases will probably be by Nathan Fake and or more Ellen Allien, oh and possibly some Kiki if I can find a stockist....   Read the rest of the entry...

I've sent all the money for an Independent Fabrications frameset to Tim, order sheet posted today, oh and for those who are wondering I've asked IF to decide what size wheels it comes with. I'm proper excited now, maybe here as a Christmas treat maybe not, I just have to decide how to build it up now...   Read the rest of the entry...

Well it was today I think the first grim one of winter, left the house at 07:38 into gloom, cue lights on the way into work, miserable, then it started to rain, and at that point the mayhem started. Why is it that whenever it gets cold and wet drivers seem to start to just get worse than ever a couple of sketchy moments this morning, hugely apologetic drivers as well which is nice I'd just prefer it if they looked. Didn't see you is a bit of a rubbish excuse when it's grey and I've got a USE Joystick on in flashing mode, didn't see me, you mean you didn't see a car shaped lump and just pulled out anyway... Ride home was miserable as well. still I snook in behind a roadie on Lea Bridge road and got towed all the way to Bakers Arms despite his best attempts to shake me and get me to take a turn, I just sucked wheel it was magic.   Read the rest of the entry...

Well the past three weeks of fending off a cold, recovering and not stopping riding finally caught up with me yesterday, getting up at my usual time and post breakfast and showering I was just shaky and week, so I had a day off of work sick, the minute after I'd called in at 9.15 I got back into bed and slept until 2pm, I guess sooner or later fatigue just catches up with you. I had an early night as well, and a bit of a lie in today too. My North Downs trip canceled I decided that it was too sunny not to ride especially when I actually wasn't feeling tired or sick for the first time in ages, so I rode in Epping doorstep CX riding is just ace I've found a new way into the forest as well which means that I now ride about half a mile on road to the start of my ride which is ace oh and my new entry point means a start with an offroad downhill, I'm really getting the hang of just skipping the Scottt over obstacles as well, just lifting and hopping it's very satisfying just to hover effortlessly ...  Read the rest of the entry...