Search results for:

Just got this bike to restore but I cannot identify the frame. Can anyone help?

more here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/quantocks/sets/72157612066574772/

that's a gorgeous bike, hopster. i'm really jealous. how did you come by it? pleeeeease don't do anything to it but clean it up a bit... it doesn't look like it needs restoration! it's absolutely beautiful.

... but make sure you know your route. do what i do. find the quickest route using google maps. trace it into your a to z. i use green for downhill gradients, black for flats and red for uphill sections. commit the route to memory and visualise yourself travelling it several times the day before. sometimes, if it's an important commute, i'll ride it several times before hand and time myself so i know exactly how long it's going to take. if not, i'll always at least take a taxi along the route so i can be aware of any potential problems. it's handy to know an alternative route, in case of diversions. carefully planning ahead and considering every eventuality means no surprises. good luck, and be careful out there!

What is the cap on the right?

it's a daks cap that i got given about four years ago. it's nice, it's made with a thick silk twill.

so a few days of trolling every single vintage shop in london has produced this:

now all i need is a decent pair of old school cycling shoes. and a reason to wear them... ride, anyone?

but most of that is done with chocolate, no?

nursey: fry an onion in butter and olive oil until it's goopy, chuck in the porcinis and some garlic, fry until the porcinis give up their liquid and then it evaporates (i'm sure there's an official term for that), add some fresh thyme and pour on a bunch of white wine. cook until it mostly evaporates (it'll thicken up and make a sort of a gravy). serve on toast with parmesan on top. mmmmm...

can someone explain how you make the little leaf pattern in the foam? i've alwasy wondered...

my dad used to run marathons but then his knees sorta gave out. he was at a point where he could barely walk they hurt so much. it was really sad to see him in that state, a man who's used to being active and healthy reduced to sitting in a chair. he had replacement surgery and now he's fine! he's probably not going to run again, but he's taken to cycling again to be active. we do live in a pretty amazing time!

my knees, btw, are a bit dodgy from years of skating and snowboarding. if anything, riding a fixed seems to have sorted them out a bit.

ah well done, mate! good start to the year...

Bloody hell. (Or perhaps 'Stone the crows' would have been more appropriate!)

Here's the full hitlist:

[]Woodcock, inside a
[]Partridge, inside a
[]Pigeon, inside a
[]Pheasant, inside a
[]Guinea, fowl inside a
[]Mallard, inside a
[]Chicken, inside a
[]Aylesbury Duck, inside a
[]Goose, inside a
[]Turkey

Glad I didn't get this as a quiz question as I would not have put them in this order. My poor grasp of relative bird size shames me...

i once put my woodcock inside a partridge. ba-boom. thank you and goodnight.

alright. list of clothing bits you probably need:

1. clips for your trouser cuffs
   
2. good wind/waterproof jacket (it doesn't necessarily have to be a bike jacket. you wouldn't catch most of us in hi-viz jackets, but that's your call...)
   
3. decent winter bike gloves -- go with wind/waterproof ones that have a bit of a grip to them
   
4. a warm hat
   
5. a backpack or messenger bag
   7-ish. a helmet (again... up to you)
   
   

that's pretty much all you need for now -- i doubt you'll find that you need more than this for a daily commute. you can get into more specific stuff like clipless shoes/pedals, cycling shorts, base layers, etc later.

ved: dashing tweed. i'm a little obsessed with that suit...

i really want that dashing tweed suit...

go with what the bike was meant for; you'll screw up the geometry if you use the wrong sized fork.

a mate of mine once went to harrods wearing a pair of helmut lang jeans that had some effect that made them look like they had paint splattered on them. the door guy wouldn't let him in because he said he was wearing "site clothes". my mate tried to tell him that a) he'd bought the jeans from harrods just like that, and that b) he was a television producer, but to no avail.

those are lush! good buy. i might head down to the camden stables and see what's about...

I can see a new breed of hipster breaking out.

A full tweed bridges ride or something, for occasions and uniformity would be the best use for this clothing.

oh fucking god yes! let's do a tweed ride!

don't go with those uniqlo heattech socks. they're not warm enough. i got a pair of the assos winter socks. i'm amazed at how warm they are, considering how thin they are.

check this out, brooks cycling shoes from their 1937 catalogue. they can't seriously have biked in those puppies!

hey bonk. those are beautiful... i want one! how do they fit on a head?

yep, i'd love it.

no. fucking. way.

please hook me up with the address...

see? hanging out with hitler in disguise, second from right. ulb iwerks indeed...

i found this 1940s picture of fausto coppi (fausto on the left, his bro serge on the right) on the net recently and i'm a little bit obsessed with it. how fucking dapper are these chaps?!! plus fours and argyle jumpers FOR THE GODDAMN WIN!!!!

and this pic is so ace... it's from a north cotswalds cycle club run from 1937. pure style. check out fiddy in his youth, second from the left, working that tie!

these gents just know how to dress. i figure we never get to wear a tie for work, and i'm holding out for a big comeback for this tie-and-plus-fours-on-the-weekend look. it's the hipster look for 2009, trust me on this one.

seriously, i'm all about old school cycling clothes. fuck the rapha softshell, i've just ordered my 1935 worthy suedette zip jacket...

hey im trying to be a bit inclusive. ive talked to lots of people who wanna play but are nervous about showing up and playing with the big boys...