Cycle Shorts...

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/altura/womens-progel-short-ec027168

So as I mentioned before I have been doing a little bit more cycling than usual, meaning that I have spent rather more hours in the saddle than usual. I am also considering doing the 30 days of biking challenge through April.

I have unfortunately been suffering with a bit of a sore bottom, and I think that it is the time to invest in some proper padded shorts. I previously bought a cheap pair of Muddy Fox shorts from Sports Direct but they were pretty poorly made, and the seams had been stitched about 5 times so they were pretty uncomfortable.

Its time to invest in a better pair. Today I went on a research trip to a few local cycle shops and chatted to some very helpful sales assisants. Apparently the key to choosing the right short is all about panels and padding. The more panels the better! Padding is more about personal preference, and there seem to be billions of options including gel padding varying thicknesses.

I had a look at a few different brands, one brand that was in every shop was Altura, and it is a brand I often see worn by other cyclists. I'm not sure if it is because this is stocked by Evans Cycles (one of the biggest cycle shop chains in London) or because of genuine popularity. Evans currently have a big sale on cycle clothing and so I splashed out a bit and bough a pair of Altura Pro Gel shorts, reduced for approx £40 to £25. I bought online as my size wasn't in the shop, which is a bit of a pain as I couldn't try anything on. They will arrive next week and I will let you all know how they are!

Cycle gang!

http://www.vintag.es/2012/09/riding-bike.html

My normal commute is pretty quiet. It's a short ride along a road that is only moderately busy, there aren't many other cyclists about, and even less scary HGVs.

Recently I have made a couple of journeys, in the morning rush hour, into the city. There are so many more cyclists around! I was actually quite shocked, especially as the weather has been so awful! 

I actually really enjoyed sharing my journey with others. Cyclists of all shaped and sizes riding all types of bikes, all with the common goal of completing their journey swiftly and safely. There was a feeling that we were looking out for each other. As this was a new route for me I was able to watch how the others made their way through the traffic and navigated the intermittent bike lanes.

I discussed my surprise at the enjoyment of cycling in a pack with some cycling friends, most of them who regularly commute through the morning rush hour. They were nearly all of the opinion that pack cycling was stressful and dangerous! They complained that wreckless cyclists would routinely put others in danger, and that their behaivour would make them look bad. 

Do you like cycling in a pack? Or do you prefer the quiet routes? Happy cycling!

Beautiful Bicycle Artwork!

Anthony oram

Rebecca Kaye

Oh, dear Molly (via notonthehighstreet.com)

Monty's Vintage shop  (via notonthehighstreet.com)

Ooh I wish I had the wall space for all of these!!