bicyclerepair.co.uk

If you are going to ride a bike, you soon figure out that it will need a bit of maintenance along the way. This starts off with keeping it clean, then progresses to oiling the chain and...before you know it...you are wondering whether the headset bearings are integrated or not!



This is a journey I have been on over the last few years and the next dawning realisation you will have is that you need a reliable LBS. LBS is cyclo-speak for "Local Bike Store". No matter how confident you are at bicycle maintenance (as I have mentioned before, I positively enjoy getting my hands dirty), there will come a point where a lack of knowledge or tools will have you seeking expert help. I am very fortunate to have just that expert, right on my doorstep.



Close to both my work and home is bicyclerepair.co.uk. This is a store run by ace bike mechanic, Willy Bain. It is an unusual bike shop in that it does not sell bikes. Instead, it concentrates on providing bicycle maintenance and repair and selling all manner of cycling accessories. Willy stocks a seemingly ever increasing range of cycling accoutrement's from parts, to nutrition supplements, to clothing, to lighting, to helmets and much more. I have been impressed recently with the expansion of his ranges, particularly for clothing. As you can probably tell, I spend an unhealthy amount of time hanging around the shelves of bicyclerepair. It is a fault I am happy to admit to and plan to continue (even if Willy is not so sure!)

Willy truly is a bike genius. There seems to be little that he doesn't know how to sort. I am sure he has forgotten more about bikes than many of us will ever know. Whether it is a simple or complex task, he seems to tackle it with ease. Many is the time I have sweated and thrashed over something for hours, only to take it in to Willy and him sort it in two seconds! He even guided me through my first attempt at wheel-building recently (I am very proud of the rear wheel on my fixie these days!) and if he can do that, he must know what he is on about!


The shop is always full of bikes (and often full of bikies too. One of the things you soon realise if you ride a bike around South Glasgow is that everyone knows Willy and they all seem to like hanging around in his shop - especially me) of all different kinds. I thought at first that this must be some kind of summer rush but I have come to realise that no matter what the season, bikes will need repaired! I am sure I read somewhere that Willy knows about all forms of two-wheeled transport and I can vouch for this having seen the plethora of machines that regularly fill his store. These range from children's scooters, to the most blinging carbon time trial bike I have ever seen! I even once saw a tandem combining upright and recumbent sections in there!


So, to paraphrase the Ghostbusters, if your bike needs sorted..."Who you gonna call...?"


Happy Riding,

Col.

bicylerepair.co.uk can be found at 359 Pollokshaws Road and on the phone 0141 423 9010.

35

It's my birthday...today...I am 35...and I am really, really...happy about it!

Sometimes it pays to take a step back and look around. I have been trying to do that a bit more lately and do you know what? I like what I see. I am a very lucky man. I have a beautiful wife, whom I love very much and who I know loves me (that is a very special thing and not as common as you might think). I have the two most fantastic kids I have ever clapped eyes on (they really are truly remarkable and having my son sing happy birthday to me this morning while my daughter ripped open my presents at the speed of light, really amazing). I live in a lovely house and I am reasonably secure financially. All in all, I have everything I could have possibly wished for at this age.

Above all though, I realise that I am very fortunate to be fit and healthy and able to enjoy all of these aspects of my life. Long may it continue.

Please have a drink on me tonight,

Col.

Weather

Everything I read about the Etape Caledonia 2008 includes pictures of idyllic Scottish countryside filled with happy cyclists, dappled in glorious sunshine. It seems that the weather last year was absolutely perfect. Just right for an early morning ride. Not too hot, not too cold.

I have obviously been praying all year for something similar. However, it is looking less like this is going to happen... The weather here has been awful for the last few weeks. It is cold, windy and wet (and then some). This doesn't normally bother me too much (if you don't ride in the wet in Glasgow, you don't really ride much at all!) but it is getting a bit silly.

I got home from my ride on Wednesday night to find a huge puddle in the middle of my lawn and two of the local ducks swimming in it! You can see the male of the duo in the picture having a little sit down under my kids climbing frame!

I guess you have to be a little bit mad to be a cyclist and I certainly felt it that night. Everyone else was rushing to their cars or homes after work. I chose to go on a training ride to the Glennifer Braes! Probably not my wisest move but I felt good about it once I was finished. I wanted to check a couple of things before the EC came around.

I wanted to check what kit would work best in the wet (I certainly got a chance to check that!) and to check my climbing form (I haven't been riding too many hills recently, just because of route choices). The good news was that I felt good on the climb. I rode it in 11.38, which is almost two minutes faster than when I last did it in February. I also managed to climb a significant proportion out of the saddle, another pleasing factor. Just hope I climb as well on the day, Shehallion is a bit bigger than the Braes though...

Only 9 days to go,

Col.

Tour de Force

I have always been a lover of sporting non-fiction. In the run up to the Etape Caledonia this has escalated above even my normal levels. I have practically been devouring any literature to do with cycling. It was due to this that I stumbled upon the excellent Tour de Force by Daniel Coyle. I was in my local Borders and I had pretty much read everything else in the cycling section! I was to be pleasantly surprised. It is an excellent book and surprising in it's honesty. I would have imagined that a book like this, written by someone close to Armstrong, and privy to his personal affairs would have been very bland and controlled. Not so. Coyle gives a detailed account of his time in the Armstrong camp (he and his family moved to Spain and followed Armstrong for a year - no mean feat in itself!) without offering any rigid opinions on what is going on. He allows the reader to make up their own mind. His writing style is excellent and as a result the book will appeal to cyclists and non-cyclists alike.

I have a couple of favourite bits from the book, that I will share with you. Coyle speaks at length about Armstrong's training methods and in particular his relationship with the infamous doctor Michele Ferrari (the good doctor is widely regarded as a doping genius. He has been charged in the past with doping offences pertaining to cyclists and Armstrong has latterly tried to distance himself from Ferrari following public out cry). Interestingly, Armstrong also has another well known trainer, Chris Carmichael, who has made a fortune from his association with the Tour de France champ. It is an interesting area and here is a section from the book on the subject.

Whatever the balance*, it was clear that Armstrong was close to both men; both served his needs in their own way.

*To explore this question, I took a poll. Here are the results:

• US Postal Directeur Johan Bruyneel (diplomatically): "I would say that both Ferrari and Carmichael are important to Lance. Each in their own way."


• Armstrong Agent Stapleton (emphatically): "Ferrari's the trainer but Carmichael is the coach. He's got final say."


• Postal Team Chiropractor Spencer (carefully): "Ferrari's brilliant, and I think there's no doubt that Lance listens to him carefully. On the Tour, I can say that Carmichael is just not that involved. I think he's busy with TV stuff."


• Current Postal team mate Landis (incredulously): "Come on. You've met them both. Who would you listen to?"


• Former team mate Vaughters (knowingly): "That is a very interesting question. There are a lot of people who would say that is THE question."

I particularly like Landis' comment. However, my favourite part of the book covers a different topic altogether. It is when Coyle describes the riders preparation for the Tour de France. It describes a level of conditioning unknown to almost all humans...

"A privileged equilibrium between quality of muscles, acuity of intelligence and force of shear character," the French philosopher and writer Roland Barthes called it. Stepping out onto the razor, the riders call it, a journey into the realm of physiological irony. On the bike, they feel invincible; the pedals seem to float. Off it, they move slowly, delicately. Body fat plummets to malnutritive levels, they are hollow cheeked and paper-skinned; they might get out of breath climbing a short flight of stairs. White blood cell counts drop by 30 per cent; their bodies become vulnerable to all manner of colds and disease. They push elevator buttons with their elbows to avoid germs. They sniffle. They live on the boundary between pathetic sickness and intoxicating power. They push, like Icarus, to see how high they can fly.

I love the term "stepping out onto the razor". I wish I were approaching that level in my preparations. Unfortunately, the only razor I need worry about is the one hovering over my leg hair. But then that's another story...

Col.

Fundraising Update

We are at less than two weeks to the big day now. My nerves are starting to jangle. I am feeling pretty good about the ride itself and I am still really looking forward to it. However, I am feeling a little pressure due to the amount that is riding on it (pardon the pun), quite literally.

So far we have raised just over £1500. This is an awesome amount and I have been truly overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. I have received donations from friends, family and associates. I have even received donations from people who I have never met! Some people have donated because they know me. Some because they know the disease. Either way I am very, very grateful and just hope that I can do them all proud.

If you would like to donate, please visit the fundraising page here.

Take care,

Col.

The Bike

I cannot believe that I have gotten this far and I have not yet really mentioned the bike. After all, I would struggle to do the Etape Caledonia without one! For me one of the great things about cycling is that it provides dual enjoyment. Yes, I love riding my bike but I also just love bikes...

Over the last couple of years in particular, I think I have spent as much time building and mending bikes as I have riding them! I think it is a man thing. We all seem to like to have a passion or hobby that we can get truly over-indulgent about. For some men it is cars, for some it is computers but for me it is definitely bikes. There is something about the cogs and sprockets and oil and grease of it all that just appeals. I blame my Dad, who has always been an inveterate tinkerer and DIY kind of guy.

Now, if you were thinking of buying a bike, there are (broadly speaking) two ways that you could go about it. You can buy a complete bike from a bike shop (as most sensible/ normal people would do) or you can buy it piece by piece and then build it all up into your pride and joy. This second route is definitely not cost effective (or time efficient for that matter) but it does provide almost limitless scope for pouring over catalogues and websites of components and specifying each individual part just the way you want it. I could spend hours (what do I mean could, I do spend hours, just ask my wife) pouring over cycling magazines looking at the specifications of various bikes and components. What more could a man dream of...

When I returned to cycling about ten years ago, I purchased a cheap Claud Butler road bike from the guys at Craig McMartin's on Pollokshaws Road. It was a good starting point (both from the point of view of riding and my introduction to bike "fettling"). I then went on to a Specialized Allez (lovingly bought for me as a birthday present by my wife). This was/ is an awesome bike. It may have a relatively low spec by some peoples standards but I have always loved it. It has suited me well irrespective of the type of riding. I have used it for general riding, racing, time trialling and it is currently in use as my winter bike with mudguards and panniers.

As I started riding (and reading) more, I began to lust after a faster bike (This is an interesting concept in itself as the thing that makes the most difference to how fast a bike goes is nothing to do with the hardwear, ie the rider!). I was so impressed with the Specialized Allez that I was keen to keep the same frameset. There are bikes higher up in the range than the one I had but none of them tickled my fancy. I searched around and managed to find a frame only deal that was the same as mine from what was Oldham Cycles. I duly bought it and set about choosing the components.

I wanted to give Campagnolo a try rather than the all pervasive Shimano groupsets. At the time, there were no Specialized bikes with Campag(nolo) components. I have always been a sucker for aesthetics as far as bikes are concerned. Things have to match. No purple bar tape and red saddles for me. The theme for this bike was black and white, styled on the La Pierre bikes ridden by the Francais Des Jeux team at the time. Bearing this in mind, I chose a black groupest, Campag Mirage. Not the best by any stretch but visually awesome and the poor mans Record! I asked Glasgow's finest bike mechanic, Willy to order a groupset for me and to build the bike up (this was one bike I wanted to be perfect, so no home build here). I chose Campag Vento wheels to keep the theme going throughout the bike. Finishing kit was mainly Specialized, with a carbon pave seatpost and stem.

I think the outcome was near perfect. The bike looks awesome and rides like a dream. It is light (comparitively), smooth and comfortable. It gives off a real air of speed. I think (I am being very honest here, particularly bearing in mind what is to come) I would be happy riding this bike for many years. It suits perfectly the type of rides that I do, usually one or two hours with no huge climbs.

However, when I signed up for the Etape Caledonia, my mind obviously started to wander...(as I said, boys love their toys) To give you some background to my musings, there is a theory that Aluminium (from which the Specialized is made) can give a slightly harsh ride. I have steel framed bikes (a very forgiving material) and I can vouch that the ride is definitely different. It is a slightly softer, less twitchy experience. Does this take away from the feeling of speed? Hard to say. The general feeling (within the cycling community) is that Aluminium is not a great frame material for riding long distances. For this type of riding, the preferred materials are steel, titanium or carbon. Carbon is theoretically perfect as it has a very high strength to weight ratio and can be formed into nearly any shape. For me, titanium is just something to be lusted after as it is outwith my price range...)0:

So it was that I plumped for a new bike (in reality it had as much to do with the fall in the Bank of England base rate as it did my mood!) I have always admired the Specialized Roubaix (a carbon, high spec version of my Allez, specifically designed for riding longer distances) but they have changed it a bit recently and I am not so keen. It is also pretty dear for what it is. Then I saw a new kid on the block, the Ribble Sportive Carbon. I saw it and instantly had to have one...

The only problem is that a few hundred other folk seem to have had the same idea. The bike has been sold out for months. I telephoned the guys at Ribble (they were very helpful) and was advised that the frame should be back in stock at the end of April (it turns out they were coming from the Far East - Taiwan? and Ribble had paid for air freight rather than sea to try and get them quicker). Unfortunately, April has come and gone and still no bike. I have all of the components and the wheels, just no frame...

I think they may have now arrived in the UK. I may still take delivery of it before the Etape. However, it will still need to be assembled and there is a limit to the number of favours I can ask of Willy. Also, do I really want to be riding 81 miles on a bike I have never sat on before? I am not sure. I would ideally have liked to get at least some training in on it before the event. I suppose these questions will all get answered over the next week or so but it is looking more likely that the Sportive Carbon will be a very nice finishing prize, rather than my steed for the day. Not to worry, it is the legs that count really...(0:

Happy riding,

Col.

Fat Boy

Last night I had my weekly visit to my own personal torturer, Gordon (aka my personal trainer - see previous post on Impact Fitness). This particular visit was important as I was due to have my body measurements taken.

I will try and explain. As a way of monitoring his clients fitness, and to help set them achievable goals, Gordon takes body measurements from each of them at their first visit. These can then be repeated at a later date to check for improvements. I had my measurements taken about a year ago, when I had my first Impact Fitness session.

The measurements include standard parameters such as height, weight and "circumference measurements" (waist, chest, bicep, quads, calf etc.) . There is also a measurement of body fat. This is done using what looks like a large pair of pliers that are used to grip your various spare tyres! A calculation is then done to determine your percentage body fat.

Now, before I reveal the results, I should say that I have been feeling pretty good about myself recently. I have definitely lost weight since I began my training. I can feel it in my body and I notice a difference in my clothes (my jeans don't fit). Having said that, I have not been having a particularly great week. I've been a bit under the weather, I guess with a virus (my son has not been well either over the last couple of weeks and we are a very caring family...). This, combined with some truly Glasgow-esque weather, has scuppered my plans for a long ride this week (I did go to cycling club on Wednesday and had a great time. Forty miles, including my first "race pace" group riding of the year but this has definitely been the exception rather than the rule this week).

So, before last nights session, I wasn't feeling at my peak but then I guess we all have bad weeks, or bad days. I was having what Bridget Jones would called a "fat day". My diet had not been particularly good and, as I said, I was feeling a little under-exercised. Not a great mental state of affairs for such an ordeal but hey-ho. It turns out that I have a body fat percentage of 20.3%. This seems like an awfully high number to me but Gordon assures me it is not too bad. It places me in the Good category (the categories being Poor-below average-good-very good and excellent). I suppose I should be pleased although it is higher than I had hoped for (my perception has definitely been skewed by an article in Cycling Weekly last week, where one rider had the bizarre level of 1.5% - truly abnormal) I guess what is important is whether it is an improvement on last year? I will look out the other figures and let you know...

Col.