A tribute to the Micropump

I have a confession to make, despite my best attempts to look like one, I am not a pro cyclist (clearly)!! If I was I would have a Skoda estate following me around and on the bike in case I need a quick wheel change and a push up the road whenever I get a flat.

Unfortunately like most mere cycling mortals I have to change my own tyres and when the need arises I still carry an old fashioned hand pump with me on every ride. I know that in order to be getting one tiny step closer to ‘pro’ I should be carrying some fancy gas canisters so I can quickly change the tube, pop a canister and get back on the bike within two minutes, but something within me resists the urge to change, I just can’t make the switch. Perhaps I am trying to maintain a link with the days of yonder... a kick back to a simpler time?

I think I need a winter bike?

So this morning I was out for another ride with the boys and as is now becoming the Melbourne winter custom, I arrive home sopping wet with a filthy bike.

Wife greet's me with the usual "blah blah lots of money spent on the bike.... blah blah Sram Red is not made for this type of abuse... blah blah Tommy Voeckler will go for a breakway stage win at the tour (what?)".

McShiney's Corner: The Bike

The son of Lebanese immigrants, I grew up in the then working class suburb of Preston. Between 1985 & 2006, I only ever owned second hand bikes. I guess by now your wondering, so what happened pre-1985, to which I’d respond, how would I know, I was five idiot?

Taffy's on Looker

A couple of months ago I was out for a ride with a few mates when I overheard them talking about a little known café in Montmorency that provides an awesome breakfast and great coffee... enter Taffy’s on Looker.

Queens Birthday Kinglake and Yarra Glen Sufferfest

Let me start off by saying that as I sit here on the couch writing this I am shattered. Today's ride really hit me hard. I am sure tomorrow I will look back on this ride with much fondness and will talk it up at the next coffee catch up... but right now I am a broken shell of my former self.

We started talking about this ride a couple of week's ago. The Wolfpack thought it would be a good idea to celebrate the combined Ethan's / Queen's Birthday long weekend by heading out for a longer trundle through the hills to Yarra Glen.

Velo Liberte Man Purse

Recently I have noticed a new trend amongst a number of my cycling chums; the ever increasing presence of the Rapha Essentials Case. This uber cool leather purse like storage pocket seems (at the moment) to be the coolest item you can throw down on a coffee table in front of your cycling buddies post ride.

The craftsmanship and style of the Rapha Essentials Case is undeniable, but with dimensions of 15cm x 9cm, and a price tag of $55 it doesn’t provide today’s post GFC budget conscious cyclist with the best bang for his buck.

A Dog in a Hat - Joe Parkin

When I'm not smashing kilometres on the bike or hanging on the internet, I like to spend my downtime reading. I actually read quite a lot and I'm not too ashamed to admit that most of what I read revolves around cycling (that, design and the NASA space programmes of the 60s and 70s).

One book that I keep going back to (and probably now my all time favourite) is A Dog in a Hat by Joe Parkin.

Saturday Morning: 1in20 and The Wall

An afternoon on the sauce is probably not the best preparation for a morning in the hills.

Night Riding

So winter has now officially begun. I celebrated with a very cold ride around my secret night time training loop. It started getting a bit chilly when the thermometer headed south of 5 degrees.