Sore Hands

Ever since I started riding bicycles with drop bars, I've had a very particular issue with my hands. I turned to drop bars in the first place because straight bars -- even with Ergon grips -- made my wrists hurt. I thought it made sense to place my hands in front of me at a natural, neutral angle and drop bars seemed to offer the best opportunity to do that. I fit my brake levers so that they "toe in", which helps even further.

All well and good. Except that every pair of gloves and mitts (fingerless gloves) that I've tried have seams placed right across the part of the hand in contact with the bars, especially in my favoured position over the hoods.

On short rides, this is not a problem. On longer rides, however, those seams begin to press and chafe and then hurt in such a way that sometimes I cycle for miles at a time with my attention reduced down to a small focal point fixated on the pain in my hands.

And then when the gloves come off, I find this --

Lucy Meets Yossi (A Nisnas Partnership)

You may recall my last update on Lucy the Brompton ending with mention of "one further modification to be made -- a purely cosmetic one!" 

Well, now I can reveal what it is:  

wooden fenders with steel inlays, beautifully crafted by hand by the

lovely chaps at Nisnas Industries in Israel [click HERE for details!]

REPORT: Bespoked The UK Handmade Bike Show 2014 (London)

This year's Bespoked UK Handmade Bicycle Show was held for the first time in London. (Previous years it was in Bristol in a venue no longer available and in any case now far outgrown.) I hadn't been before but of course with my interest in custom bicycles and local craftsmanship (as opposed to mass production), I seized the chance to go this year.

I hooked up a partnership with one of the exhibitors, Nisnas Industries in Wadi Nisnas, Haifa, Israel, for a very special exhibition - more about that in the next post!

THE VENUE

** NOW SOLD** My beloved Surly Pacer road bike

UPDATE 13th August 2014:  

The Pacer has finally found a new home and a good one too.

I hope Camilla of Hackney enjoys many happy miles with Robin, as I did. 

Bespoked Teaser: The UK Handmade Bike Show

Here's a peak at the Bespoked Show, happening this weekend at the Lee Valley Velopark (velodrome) in Stratford, east London.

You ARE going, aren't you??

Full blog posts are in the pipeline but for now, just click on the caption in the photo to go to the first of two Facebook albums, where the photos are all captioned for your perusal:

Lucy the Brompton modelling wooden mudguards by Nisnas Industries - Bespoked

Edited to add:  Photos from Sunday are here.

Book Launch Party

"You've Got Mail":
Kathleen Kelly, independent book shop owner, attends a
book launch and nearly gets her knife into Joe Fox, wealthy owner of big
impersonal corporate chain Fox Books, which is threatening to
put her out of business. The tension and mutual hostility is fired
by witty repartee and cutting insults.
Is this what a book launch party is like??

Have you ever been to a book launch party? Until last night, I hadn't. I didn't know what to expect. The only ones I've ever "seen" have been scenes on screen, like the one above. Invariably they are suffused with snobbishness and back-stabbing amongst the literary "intelligentsia". And caviar.

Things are different though when the book being launched is not about Julius and Ethel Rosenberg but one about helping more women overcome barriers to and enjoy the benefits of cycling. 

Last night, I attended the official launch of The Girls' Cycling Handbook by Caz Nicklin. I was honoured to be asked by Caz back in February to review this book in advance of the launch - my write up is here. 

So here we were at Look Mum No Hands! in trendy Hackney (not Manhattan's 'old money' Upper West Side) celebrating the launch of Caz's book. The atmosphere was far from tense, stuffy or competitive. The small group chatting when we arrived was friendly and welcoming. I quickly fell into conversation with Alex Davis, LMNH's brand new (two weeks) social media manager and discovered mutual interests in culture, commuting and bags.

From there, conversations flowed and morphed one into another, punctuated by laughter and occasional hugs and a few photographs.

Public Art III: Village Pride

Last weekend, I found myself passing through "subway" under the A5 in the village of Markyate. I've used this underpass perhaps half a dozen times before but, oddly enough, always (a) in near darkness and/or rain, (b) in a group of cyclists and (c) with my mind focused on negotiating the barriers at each end of the tunnel without slipping or falling over in my road cycling shoes.

This particular sunny afternoon, however, I was pootling along on my own and had switched out my Speedplays for platform pedals. So for the first time, I came into the tunnel looking up and around rather than down. 

And this is what I saw: 

I was shocked! Where had this come from? Had it always been there? 

Book Review: THE GIRLS' CYCLING HANDBOOK by Caz Nicklin

Caz Nicklin, co-founder of the cyclechic.co.uk online retail shop specialising in cycling accessories for women, has a new book coming out on Thursday, 3 April 2014:

The Girls' Bicycle Handbook

Everything You Need to Know About Life on Two Wheels

This book strikes the right balance between depth and breadth: it covers a wide range of topics of concern to women considering taking up cycling or who are just starting out, and gives enough advice and explanation to truly be useful without being confusing. 

Errandonnee #8-12 plus -- or, A Baker's Dozen

Today truly was Errand Day. I had a To Do list and a route planned to make sure I didn't forget any of the places I needed to go, to do what I needed to do.

First up:  an early morning appointment with my GP to talk about my Grumpy Knee.

Errandonnee #8

Date: Wednesday, 19 March 2014

Category:   Personal Care (Doctor)

Destination:  Caddington Surgery

Distance: 0.5 km

Steed: Bridget the Cross Check

What I learned/observations:

1. The "Caddington Surgery" sign on the front of the medical centre building has mysteriously lost the "Caddington" bit. That's a bit strange!

Armchair Critics -- or, What Does Custom Mean and What Does It Get You?

My journey to custom was so personal and need-driven, I have been caught off-guard by the reactions of others.

I may write a properly structured article in future, but meanwhile, copies of online exchanges I’ve had (with friends and strangers alike) may give some food for thought. 

RANT ALERT: Some of the extracts reproduced below were originally "written in anger". I hope I was still civil. However, the initial criticisms -- made as they were from a position of ignorance and assumption -- both bewildered and angered me and I know that comes through. I am still baffled and annoyed that some people seem to browse the Internet ready and willing to throw their opinions at complete strangers without first asking a few basic fact-finding type questions!  

Nonetheless, feeling driven to respond to Armchair Critics served to clarify my own views and to gain a better understanding of the benefits and advantages of having a custom bicycle frame built. In the end, I believe this route is remarkable value for money, given that it has enabled me to continue long-distance cycling for pleasure.