Happy first birthday NOLOGO single speed!!

I was cycling through London at night this week, and I had the sudden realisation that my bike is a year old! I bought the bike last year after selling some artwork, it was of my first proper sales through the gallery and I was feeling chuffed! 

DrummerPie (aka Mr Menna Cycles) had just got a Charge Plug fixie on the Cycle to Work scheme and it was making poor Claud (hand me down Claud Butler Odyssey hybrid) look heavy and slow. I decided that it was time for an upgrade, and we spent a whole weekend scouring the bike shops of London for my dream ride (on a budget!). After trying loads of bikes that I though I would like, mostly girly Pashley style beauties, I realised that actually all I wanted was a simple, light machine that would take me rather speedily from A to B.

We ended up at Hackney Cycles on Hackney Road, I picked up the aluminium frame and it was love! I could have had a variety of colours, with a snazzy chain and colourful grips, but instead I went for all black. Boring, but hopefully a theft deterrent. 

I swiftly switched the handlebars from straight to bullhorn, more comfy and easier on the wrists, and it was go go go!

At first it felt very strange riding such a light responsive bike with skinny wheels, but soon I realised that me and the bike were going to be best buds. This is the first and only bike that I have felt 'at one' with, and finally I could keep up with the group on longer rides! Despite not having any gears it is absolutely fine for the city, and I can even get up most of the tricky hills. 

Since buying this bike I have cycled so much more. I invested in better kit for the winter so I could keep riding even in the grim weather, and I miss it if I don't ride it for a few days. I now have a second bike with gears which is for longer rides and I plan to take around France this summer, it's comfy and I love it, but the NOLOGO has a very special place in my heart.

In terms of maintenance I have not had many issues, but here is a list of some of the problems I have had...

Back brake- this broke within weeks of getting the bike, I'm pretty sure it was faulty from the start. Hackney Cycles replaced this no questions asked.

Wheels no longer true- ruined over the summer by cycling up and down Bishopsgate. I will eventually replace these with stronger wheels.

New rim tape, new brake blocks, new tyre (specialised armadillo) I expected to replace these things, as I knew these would be the bits that made the bike cheap! I still have the original front tyre, but it is full of holes and will need replacing soon. 

I can honestly say that this is probably the best £200 I have ever spent (£230 if we include the handlebars) it has made me love cycling, and now I am blogging about it and making YouTube videos! 

Here's to many more years of riding this bike, and to the future happiness it is sure to bring! 

How to wrap bullhorn handlebars - updated!!

This video is an updated version of one I made around this time last year on my other channel. You can see that here...

http://youtu.be/sVbz-H1rcKA

The tape is from www.decathalon.co.uk and is B-Twin Gel tape, I can't find it online but they had lots in store. It was mighty cheap, under £10- so we shall see how it lasts. So far its very comfortable!

Lost Lane #13

Last week I embarked on my first long ride out of London for the season! For christmas we were given a fantastic book called 'Lost Lanes' by Jack Thurston, by some excellent friends who know us rather too well. We have been waiting for the weather to change ever since so we could get out and give it a go!

The book not only describes the routes (36 in total!), but also suggests great places to stop for lunch, or tea and cake - thats my kind of cycling! What makes using the routes even easier is that you can download the GPS of the route for free, and access the maps and instructions online to print out.

We got the train from Waterloo to Westhumble, which is basically at the bottom of Box Hill, a little concerning but I was assured that there would be no extreme uphill. The route snaked around the flat plains of the surrounding farmland, and although we crossed a few big roads, in general we were on peaceful quiet lanes. There was even a portion of off road track, which we were very glad was dry!

About two thirds of the way around this circular route I was about to feint with hunger, and so as we were feeling rather pleased with ourselves for cycling so far we stopped for a pub lunch. The Plough at Leigh had loads of outside seating, so we could soak up the rays on this beautiful day. The menu had something for everyone and the food was delicious, as was the beer. The landlady was super friendly, and there was even a pub dog! Excellent.

After stuffing our faces we headed quite slowly back to the train station, passing a field with so many deer it is, it looked like that scene from Jurassic Parl (you know the one?) We also passed a small field of alpacas, and about a billion beautiful pheasants. The whole route was around 23 miles, not including our trip to and from Waterloo station, and it felt totally manageable.

We are really looking forward to getting out of London again and trying out some other routes, next stop Essex!