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a decent set of snappers

it may just be me, but i'm sure i've detected a resurgence in cycling photography. there has always been the illustrative cycling photography (and i mean no disrespect here) provided by some experts in the field and featured in the monthlies and the comic, but i'm sure i've noticed an increase in the artistic approach: photographers such as camille j macmillan, ben ingham, tim kolln et al. however, the demand for cycling photography can't always justify making it the sole subject of a photographer's shutter. and that may just be part of the reason why we are all benefitting - the wider a photographer's range of subject matter, the more informed the end result becomes. (this is all conjecture on my part - i usually have to 'fix' my pics in photoshop).

while the post likes to concentrate on road cycling, a photographer described in rouleur as a 'widely acclaimed and award winning mountain bike photographer and although an off-roader... still has a soft spot for italian bikes and campagnolo'. as far as i'm concerned, the latter point is as high a recommendation as you can get.

the man in question is geoff waugh, who describes himself on his website as a photographer of alternative sports, mountain biking and motorcycling, and you can view a large selection of his works at photobox. in fact, not only can you view a myriad of geoff's pics, but you can purchase prints at phenomenally reasonable prices. the photo above can be had as a 6"x4.5" for only £3.99, up to a 16"x12" for £16.99. there's even a 16 pack set of postcards for £14.99. and while you're there, there is a beautiful selection of 58 photos from the cat and beck hillclimb - all available for purchase at the same prices.

just the thing for the clubhouse/sitting room/bikeshed/christmas present. oooo, now i'm rather glad i thought of that one.

posted on sunday 2 september 2007

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behind bars

if you cast your mind back a week or so, i professed myself rather enamoured with the r700 oval concepts stem, principally because the four bolts holding the front plate in position threaded in from the rear instead of the front. a handy advantage of such a system relates to where the threads are - if you get it wrong and strip the thread, you're only looking at a new face-plate rather than a new stem. but this system also stops the bolts from having to face the elements as well as presenting a smoother face to the world.

and having oft mentioned my dislike for anatomic bars, it was a pleasant surprise to find that oval concepts' r710 road bar is available in a classic bend with the shallow drop so beloved of the italians and thewashingmachinepost. at the time i said that i had asked if they (uk importer, upgrade bikes) might lend me one of each for a road test and, nice gentlemen that they are, they did exactly that.

bars and stem are now fitted to the company colnago, and you shall have my report as soon as i have ridden a few (hundred) kilometres. the bars retail for around £55 ($80) while the stem is £50 (also $80).

posted on saturday 1 september 2007

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i see a pattern here

there have been, and still are, some professional cycling teams with startlingly good names: chateau d'ax, saunier duval, relax fuenlabrada, karpin galicia, and my current favourite, slipstream chipotle. in fact the post is going to adopt the latter as it's 'team du jour' for one outstandingly good reason - their cycle jersey is emblazoned with an argyll pattern. and as we all know (especially if you've just looked up wikipedia like i have) that the argyle (or argyll, as we prefer to spell it) pattern is said to have been derived from the tartan of clan campbell, of argyll in western scotland. and guess where the post is based? exactly, so i will allow no arguments against this unilateral decision.

and although there is only one token scot in the team for next year, in the shape of david millar, and the team is based in america, there are other reaons to be cheerful. aside from their high profile anti-drugs stance, the title sponsor chipotle is a chain of mexican restaurants across the pond. while i have absolutely no idea what a burrito is, it worries me slightly that the team is known as 'slipstream powered by chipotle'. considering that mexican food has somewhat of a fiery reputation, the part that says powered by takes on interesting connotations.

anyway, aside from the summary adoption of the team, they are running a competition on their website to design the team jersey for 2008 - anything goes as long as it includes the argyll pattern. you've only got until 15 september to get entries to jonathan waughters, so click now to the slipstream website and sharpen those crayons.

by the way, you might also like to take a gander at the chipotle website, because despite there being no bicycles on it (obviously an administrative error), it is rather cool.

posted on saturday 1 september 2007

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the missing link

how often do you replace your chain? it's a question often seen in cycling forums and constantly asked in the q&a columns of our favourite cycling magazines. one theory is that we force ourselves to purchase two chains (two campag ten speed record chains will relieve your bank balance of around £54 - $125) and swap them over every 800km.

it's a plausible theory but for the fact that a campagnolo chain cannot (according to campagnolo) simply be separated and re-joined with the same rivet. to accomplish this relatively simple task, we require to purchase a replacement link kit at around £11 ($26). using this method, it's debatable whether running the same chain for a while, is cheaper than buying a new cassette every couple of years. (it's perhaps worth mentioning that campag also specify purchase of their rivet tool - another £43 ($110)).

i'm aware that scores of chains on the market now arrive with one of those clever little chain links that look as if they were designed by escher - one side pulls against the other and maintains chain tension. trouble is, even though i know they work mechanically, i just don't trust them. i'd far rather have my park workshop rivet tool clamp the whole thing nice and tight (but flexibly), but it's beginning to seem that the only alternative to the somewhat expensive campag connection is the above option, unless i pop a shimano chain on the colnago, and i'm sure there's a special place reserved for cyclists who put a shimano chain on a campagnolo groupset - a place i have no intention of visiting.

now, if you rummage through the chain specifications available on-line (it was a slow day - ok?) it seems that shimano and campagnolo are the only two still pushing rivets through the side plates, while all around are inventing ways of dumping the rivet extractor and twittering with sideplates. so does this mean that the big two know something that the rest don't? or are they just so far entrenched in their ways (i'm sure tullio would have had no truck with wibbly connectors)?

however, while i was looking around, i discovered the wipperman stainless steel chain which, of course, you all knew about but were too absorbed to let on. although the price is a tad higher than the standard fare (quite a lot higher) stainless steel would seem the very fabric that could solve most of the ailments that afflict the average chain (principal offender - ferrous oxide). all those who took part in the ride of the falling rain earlier this month will doubtless back me up on this one.

there's even a version with titanium rollers, but fortunately i couldn't find a price for that one.

posted on friday 31 august 2007

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rides, exhibitions and festivals of the falling leaves

septober is a great time if you're a cyclist like we are (we are 'we' aren't us?): the vuelta starts and runs along for three weeks, briefly overlapping the tour of britain. unfortunately the post will not be in glasgow for the finale this year because the islay jazz festival interveneth and one has drums to hit. it's also the start of the cycle show season, with eurobike first off right at the beginning of september and followed by cologne, paris, interbike usa and the cycle show at earls court.

and if it's not cycle shows, then it's film shows, or rather the london bicycle film festival (bethnal green) in the middle of october, coinciding with the rouleur exhibition in the host gallery london, and the launch of rouleur's 2007 photographic album on 10th october (hands up those who'd like one of those for christmas?).

in fact, carefully attuned to the accusations of turning the post into a rapha fest (if they keep doing stuff - what's a post person to do?) there are a number of events planned throughout october by the maestros from perren street. the launch preview party is from 6-8pm on 10 october, with the exhibition running from 11 - 21 october. on 14th october, there's a bike ride from richmond park to the host gallery, a night ride to brighton (how cool is that?) on the 19th october and a mass ride from the gallery to catford hill climb on 21 october. if you need more details, i'd suggest contacting rapha.

fortunately, two of us from thewashingmachinepost are undertaking the not inconsiderable expedition south for the cycle show on october 11, and due to the timing of trains from euston, we should have ample time to get to the host gallery to have a look. and as soon as i can find more details about the rouleur book, or even get my hands on a copy, i shall let you know. photographers featured are timm kolln, camille j macmillan, ben ingham, gerard brown, geoff waugh and olaf unverzart.

oh, and rapha will unveil their autumn/winter collection. obviously if you're a cyclist in london (or close by), you need to take the month off.

posted on friday 31 august 2007

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those mavic wheels - later that same day

sometimes, just sometimes, i get to keep test products for a wee while longer than i'd initially hoped. and that is to be greatly welcomed, because most quality products behave entirely as expected when new, but the real pudding test is whether they continue to behave in a similar fashion as time passes by.

in an ideal world i'd be testing stuff for months on end, but that would be stretching the generosity a mite too far, and would put undue pressure of space on thewashingmachinepost bike shed. so it gives great pleasure to update my review of mavic's r-sys wheels after subjecting them to good roads, crap roads, wet roads and cattle grids for a shade over a month. have they become true ileachs? read more...

posted on wednesday 29 august

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rivetting

the first week of each month has taken on a new significance over the past year or so, chiefly because that seems to be the preferred time for cycle magazines either to appear through the letterbox or be sandwiched inside one's copy of the guardian. it's also joined by the comic's weekly appearance, so there is often a very prolonged silence at washingmachinepost towers, broken only by the slow turning of pages.

and now it looks like september is going to reach overload proportions, since that most luxurious of printed matter on cycling from perren street is due for release on tuesday september 4.

having recently featured photographer camille j mcmillan in these very pixels, it is a pleasant surprise to find that he has been to paris roubaix to photograph the hallowed showers that are part of the hell's heritage, while ben ingham, richard hallett and rouleur editor, guy andrews have visited brooks saddles of england. the guardian's cycle correspondent, matt seaton brings us more rain, accompanied by gerard brown's photos of a very wet tour of romandy, and the author of 'in search of robert millar', richard moore, continues the theme writing about the psyche of the grimpeur.

of course, there's more, including an interview with malcolm elliot, but acquiring a copy of your very own would seem the ideal to satisfy major cycle lust. issue six is on sale from 4 september at a cost of £9 ($16).

and jo burt's in there too.

posted on tuesday 28 august

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whatever way you look at it

as a lead up to the vuelta start this weekend, cycling.tv and eurosplot are both covering the eneco tour - an exciting, high speed tour of the dutch and belgian street furniture finishing with a bunch sprint. the, the next day, we see a high speed tour of dutch and belgian street furniture ending in a bunch sprint. facetious? yes - true? also yes.

if you're one of those who delights in the bunch sprint (and there's nowt wrong with that) then this is a veritable feast, though without boonen and pettachi. and it's only fair to say that those of us with a preference for roads that go up, the vuelta promises to satisfy on a number of stages. however, there's another way of looking at it - backwards. under the saddle of matthe pronk's unibet canyon bike, is a small camera pointing in a rearward direction and sitting you right on the edge of that comfy armchair everytime he's in the bunch.

it has always worried mrs washingmachinepost how close they all ride in the peloton, and i will admit to the odd moment of nervousness myself. however, mostly we only see this from the air or one of those motorcycles that always seems to get in the way. now we can see it from slap bang in the middle. unfortunately, pronk hasn't featured in a sprint so far, or we could all wear ourselves to nervous wreckness (sorry for the word-making) or even seasickness (they wobble a fair bit you know) at high speed. still, it's worth watching the coverage just to shout 'look out, he's behind you'

just in case anyone's wondering, despite the cynicism above, i am thoroughly enjoying the race, hills or no hills. and at the moment cavendish is leading the points competition and reached his eighth win in his first season as a pro.

posted on monday 27 august

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bike and the mechanics

there's usually a spate of articles like this around late october, early november, but since it's been somewhat of a dreich summer, there may just be the need to drag all this forward a smidgeon. i'm blaming it on global warming, meaning that we need to re-organise monthly mechanic duties as a result. and just in case you figure this is all planned, it's really because of necessary maintenance that had to be done on the company colnago.

so how do you know when to embark on the maintenance? in this case, i'm really only here concerned with cables or wires, principally because of large quantities of precipitation prevalent through what has laughingly been refered to as 'the british summer'. it's generally the rear that feels the pain first - rear gear wire and rear brake wire (if only because the front wires are shorter, especially the front brake). campag and shimano wires are usually stainless steel and last pretty well, but in this case i'd had to replace the rear brake cable a few months back and it turned out to be not of that ilk. it's often hard to tell the difference when the wires are new, but stainless doesn't rust - galvanised does. tell tale signs in my case was a rattley rear brake lever suggesting the cable wasn't releasing after application of the brake. since this could also be due to gunk in the rear caliper, it's always an idea to remove the caliper from the bike and check that it springs back into position after physically closing. as an added benefit, removing the caliper from the frame will check that the bridge bolt hasn't stuck on the threads or, just as bad in a steel or alloy frame, stuck in the brake bridge.

assuming all is well with the caliper (and mine was just fine thanks) it's more than likely to be the wire, and even if all looks hunk dory on the exposed section, the problem has usually hidden itself inside the outer cable - water just sits in there and corrodes away while the bike shelters in the bike shed. in the case under consideration, that's exactly what had happened. to remedy, i replaced the inner wire with a teflon coated version, easily recognised because it's shiny black (in this case i used a fibrax cable, but i'm sure others manufacture a similar product.) generally it would be a smart idea to replace the outer cable too, at least half of which is hidden under the bar tape, but since the flying snake carbon outers conceal a teflon inner, internal corrosion was unlikely. if you've got standard shimano or campag outers, you really ought to change the outer cables too, and take the opportunity to replace that mucky bar tape (did i say that out loud?).

and while the gear wires inhabit shorter lengths of outer cable under the bike ribbon, if you were like me and daft enough to encase the run under the bottom bracket in a teflon outer, now's the time to alter your modus operandi. though it seemed like a good idea at the time, all the crud in the world (and we'd to wait around five minutes while a herd of cows plopped along the glen road today) seems magnetically attracted to the inside of the teflon tube. take it from me, this does not enhance gear changing - it won't be there for much longer. but if shifting isn't what it used to be, and gear mech adjustment isn't making a lot of difference, it's probably the gear wire's fault.

as we're about to enter autumn (or fall, if you're across the pond), there's no point in leaving this any longer - it'll only get worse. and while you're at it, now's a good time to change the chain, ride it for the autumn and early winter, then change it again in the new year. sadly, maintenance doesn't seem to be too high on many cyclists' lists - it's far more interesting to drool over shiny new carbon fibre, than it is to keep the current steed in reasonable operating condition. if basic maintenance is either beyond you or beneath you, pop the bike into your local bike shop and have a professional take care of it.

from time to time i'll endeavour to interrupt this happy little world that we inhabit with shiny bursts of bicycle reality. you'll thank me for it some day.

posted on sunday 26 august

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inspiration

i always find it continually interesting what it is about cycling, particularly road cycling, that catches the imagination of many of us in different ways. take me for example - i've spent the last ten years writing articles on thewashingmachinepost, and yet i've never taken part in a road race, and placed many an article about robert millar despite never having met the chap.

so i can readily identify with those who feel compelled to to illustrate their own fascination in different ways. one such is a belgian lady by the name of an wauters who makes drawings of cyclists - mostly belgian but sometimes other nationalities - from both past and present. she has even indulged in a few comics. she started a website as an outlet for her drawings, all inscribed with the left hand after an early handicap left her bereft of a useable right hand.

but it doesn't just stop there. aside from the drawings, ms wauters also hand-paints cycling miniatures and creates small scenarios, often featuring team cars and cyclists. these are quite fabulous, though i can find no evidence to suggest they are for sale.

several of the drawings are available as downloadable 'wallpapers' for your computer desktop, one of which i have peeking at me from behind a myriad of open programmes on the mac (see above). robert burns is the man who said 'if we could see ourselves as others see us' and while not a totally apt quote in this instance, it's fascinating to see others' visual take on this beautiful sport.

lest you think i have become multilingual overnight, i should point out that ms wauters site is entirely in dutch - a language in which i am anything but vaguely competent. in other words, i neither speak nor read a word. so i am indebted to ron steenvoorden of islayinfo.com who was kind enough to give it the once-over and translate enough for the basis of this short article. take a look - you will not be disappointed, even if you don't speak the lingo.

an-wauters-wielersite.be

posted on saturday 25 august

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british racing pink

i feel that i have let you down on this one: apparently, for the last thirteen years, sacramento, california, has held an annual pink week celebration, and i have been blissfully unaware of its existence. i know that several of you are now asking why this should be of any interest at all, apart from to those living in sacramento. well, the week runs from 11th until 17th of november and features a bike parade on the very first day. quite what format this parade takes (do the participants and their bicycles require to be pink?) i do not know, but to quote from the website: 'the main purpose of the holiday is to celebrate, observe and commemorate the color pink for pink's sake. pink week is essentially a non-profit art piece with absolutely no political, religious or social agenda other than pink.'

granted, the bike parade is not the mainstay of pink week, but it is interesting to note how much the colour has invaded the world of cycling over the years, probably initiated by the giro d'italia. despite the race's initiation by la gazetta dello sport in 1909, it was 1931 before the leader's jersey took on the same hue as the newspaper, a tradition that continues to the present. pink jerseys have also surfaced in the tour de france on the backs of riders from the spanish once squad as well as marco pantani's mercatone uno team. while the reason for both changing from their original yellow was to avoid a clash with the leader's yellow jersey, this seems to have been forgotten of late - saunier duval seemed more than happy to clash throughout the three weeks of this year's tour. and you can understand why an italian team would opt for pink, but once were spanish.

pink shirts were, at one time (post second world war it would seem - prior to this, evidence would suggest that pink was a 'male' colour, while blue was for girls) regarded as 'cissy' if worn by those of the male persuasion, but more recently have become the bench mark by which all other shirts are tested. while it's an entirely throwaway fact, the forefront of the 'pink revolution' was a mr j lewis ritchie llb(hons) who has been credited by many as the first to popularise the pink shirt.

however, if we concern ourselves with pink in relation to cycling, this seems almost single handedly to be the work of the chaps at rapha who, if they are not producing totally pink garments (mortitolo club jersey, stowaway jacket), they are trimming many of their others with the selfsame colour, even down to the spout of the recently introduced bidon. simon mottram once told me that the pink stowaway was rapha's response to repeated calls for high visibility, and as an alternative to the garish yellow often purveyed in the name of cycling alertness. and there's no doubt it has a certain charm of its own - territories ruled by the british empire were often designated by the colour pink on maps of yesteryear. on this basis alone it seem justifiable to refer to it as 'british racing pink'

and whether in an attempt to follow rapha or not, both exte ondo and assos (witness an offering from the latter's forthcoming 'six-day' range) have embraced the colour pink. preceding even rapha, however have been various incarnations of lampre, and even thewashingmachinepost's hero, robert millar, had varying degrees of pink when riding for the 'z' team - it appeared in the jersey, on the bikes and even on the handlebar tape (mmm, now there's an idea).

applying pink to hardware has been fearlessly spearheaded by chris king, through their 'pretty and strong' line of componentry, purchase of which results in a donation to breast cancer research. originally started as a limited edition, its popularity has even carried through to the soon to ship chris king wheelsets, which will only be available with pink hubs.

so why pink and cycling? i don't really have a satisfactory answer to that one, though considering its 'effeminate' past, perhaps its down to the sheer pain and suffering of the cycling milieu, that allows us to wear pink and prove the converse. only this week was consternation being expressed that poor david beckham may have to play three ninety minute games of football (soccer) in a seven day period. obviously far more enduring than three weeks of riding one of the grand tours. maybe t-mobile should drop the 'it's magenta' posturing and finally admit that their jersey is pink. (rgb: 228,35,142; cmyk: 5,100,0,0)

posted on saturday 25 august

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kneezapoppin

you would think it a long shot, connecting rapha's new 3/4 length bib-shorts with colnago bicycles, but i have just the answer we need, and i'll show you how simple this all is when you're a cycling anorak like wot i am.

according to rapha's website, the first sighting of 3/4 length bib-knickers (if we fancy calling them that) was on the legs of edwig van hooydonck (why don't we have names like that?). winning the 1989 ronde van vlaanderen aggravated a recurring knee problem due to the atrociously wet conditions, so how to give the knees the protection they needed?

van hooydonck didn't have the luxury of a pair of rapha 3/4s, but did have the original idea of longer shorts stretching below the knee. granted you can achieve a similar effect by wearing leg warmers below a pair of regular bib-shorts, but it's just not quite the same is it? think style. and since summer seems to have been shining somewhere other than the uk (islay hasn't been too bad, but i could have done with these for the gran fondo) grabbing a pair as september and autumn loom seems like kindness to those knobbly knees.

the rapha threequarters continue their usual attention to detail and style. fabric is thermoroubaix fabric with fleece lining, running a contrasting white stripe below the knee with rapha logo, seams kept away from front and back of the knee, grippers on the hem, the seriously practical addition of a zipped rear pocket (bet edwig didn't think of that one) and a black elastic seat pad. price is only a tenner more than their regular bibs (best shorts i've got, and highly recommended by phil deeker of 300cols fame) at £130 ($220).

so what the heck has this got to do with colnago? fellow anoraks will have sussed from the begining, but van hooydonck started with kwantum, continued with superconfex, on to wordperfect and to rabobank via novell and buckler. and on what make of bicycle were those bosberg attacks launched?

i rest my case m'lud.

posted on friday 24 august

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the wizards of oz

i'm not sure what it is about down under, but it seems that may be where it's at, or at least where it's from right now. we've had stylish clothing from solo, apres velo'soff piste clothing, and these seriously droolworthy bikes from baum cycles in victoria, australia. baum have previously featured in the post at the end of last year, not least because each model, styled in either steel or titanium, is named after the very coffees we delight in at debbie's on a sunday. (ristretto, espresso and cappucino).

baum cycles first saw the light of day under their own name in 1996, and eleven years later they can reasonably be regarded as having reached the pinnacle of their craft. the best selling frame is the ristretto with 80 percent of sales and is fashioned from grade 9 3/2.5 titanium tubing. the ristretto can be had either with titanium rear stays or a carbon wishbone version. fork is a reynolds ouzo pro and jared of baum cycles has gone out on a limb and said that we will never see an internal headset on any of their custom made steel and titanium frames. preferentially they would specify chris kings headsets, and we know how ck feel about the integrated trend (yes, i know i go on about this too often - come the revolution etc.:-) since baum are custom builders, prospective owners have the option of fully brushed, raw titanium or 3/4 painted. normally i would favour the former, but after seeing a selection of ristrettos, i'd undoubtedly opt for the latter. all up weight of a 56cm painted ristretto frame is 1.2kg.

continuing with the coffee theme, a variation on the ristretto, masquerading as the cubano, uses the same quality titanium but allows the luxury of scalloped chainstays (improving heel clearance). the cubano can be had with a ck headset or a tune bobo, and forks can be reynolds ul or thm carbones scapula sp. this model cannot be had with the brushed titanium finish - 3/4 paint only.

prices are reassuringly expensive: export price for the ristretto is around £2,200, though you'd have to factor in shipping and probably customs duty, while the 'basic' cubano is just the wrong side of £2,500 - with thm fork, just under £2,900. if this hasn't frightened your bank manager, and your significant other doesn't read the post anyway, persuade your cursor to head towards baumcycles.com where a fully trained advisor is waiting to help satisfy your coffee fix.

you can view a gallery of pics here. thanks to jared bailey of baum cycles for providing the photos.

for those endeared of the bikes but mystified by the coffee, a ristretto uses the same amount of coffee as an espresso, but half the water, while a cubano is an espresso with rum.

an earlier version of this article was entitled the road to caffeine addiction, but then i got very clever when i remembered that the wizard of oz was written by frank l baum. hence the new heading. don't you just hate smug gits?

posted on thursday 23 august. updated 24 august

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