“Venimus, Vidimus, Vicimus”
Well it’s not quite “We came, we saw, we cycled” but seeing as the Romans weren’t big on riding bikes……
Hopped on the train down to York last week to spend a few hours rummaging through charity shops, weaving in and out of Spanish tourists, and photographing religious nutters, before getting the train home slightly drunk.
A bridge too far.
Last Sunday morning I hopped on the train with my camera and my bike and headed down to York to meet some of the nice folk who ride fixed gear in that neck of the woods, and take some pics at the ‘A Bridge Too Far’ alleycat.
Rest of the set here
In the sticks
I’ve been putting in quite a lot of miles recently just riding around Northumberland on my own except for a camera or two. The beautiful countryside is criss-crossed with loads of smooth and practically empty lanes, with the occasional pub/cafe, perfect for cycling.
Dualism Straps
I’ve been riding with these straps fitted since early February pretty much everyday and everywhere and I couldn’t be happier with them. Hand made in Manchester by the very nice chap who is Richard Martins, and with probably some tea and biscuit based assistance from his other half Lei-Mai, they are a product of their love of riding fixed gear.
The straps themselves are a pretty simple but effective affair, with 2 heavy duty fabric straps running through the pedals and velcroing back onto themselves. Yes there are loads of other ‘similar’ offerings out there – Jol, Hold Fast, Wig, etc but none of them do what these do at this price! Not only are the well made with good materials, and they keep their shape really well making it super easier to get your feet in – no more reaching down to lift the straps up to get your feet in, but due to their ‘2 strap’ design you can adjust each length separately to get a perfect fit.
Get yourself some here http://dualismstraps.tumblr.com/
Barcelona
We went to Barcelona the other week with the fixed gears and had an awesome time if you haven’t already heard. All the pics here were taken on my phone (as usual) as my DSLR stayed in the safe in my hotel room the whole time due to Barca’ being literally full of thieves, my habit of falling of my bike and breaking things (usually bones) and because I’ve not had the films from my lomo developed yet. I’m saving the actual riding kind of shots for a post on Breaksof10.com when I pull my finger out and get it sorted, so ladies and gentlemen without further adieu I give you ‘Barcelona’
Blasting off the cobwebs
I’ve been dying to get back out into the countryside and do a half decent number of miles for what seems like ages now, especially as we’ve booked flights to Barcelona at the end of March to blast about on the bikes. So with the snow finally gone (from the roads anyway) we hopped on the train to Corbridge yesterday and peddled back to Newcastle, and worked up a hunger for a pit stop at Bread Point for some meaty buns.
And then the sun appeared…
The weather over the last few weeks has been pretty bleak, I’m sure you’ll all agree. But Old Man Winter seemed to bugger off for a few hours yesterday (probably down the bookies), it was possible to ride without a coat, beanie and 2 pairs of socks, and more importantly without the constant threat of smashing your face on the road. So what else was I going to be doing other than this?
Once upon a time…
in a park not really that far away…..
With summer (and riding everyday with friends) being well and truely behind us for the next couple of months it’s time to have another look through the shots I took when I could wear shorts instead of thermals.
So first up from summer is a few of the shots that took one evening in Gosforth Park of the Newcastle Polo Team (??). I’m personally not into playing, but it is fun to shoot. I’ll definitely go and take some more once the boys have found a new spot to play on over the winter, unless they decide to meet on a weekend. I’d meant to post these just after I’d taken them, but the bottom line is I’m shit!
Enjoy the pics and the memories of better weather.
Cameras and Cranksets 
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