Changing the battery in a Cateye Strada wireless

Posted on 8 June, 2013 by doug

Changing the battery in a wireless Cateye Strada is a fiddly task which normally needs doing about once a year.   Having said that, this is now the second time this year – either crap batteries from Wiggle or the … Continue reading →

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Guest blog – contact lenses or spectacles for cycling? A perspective

Posted on 5 June, 2013 by doug

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Guest blogger Oliver Wastie helpfully addresses a common question of wearing glasses or using contact lenses and how this fits with cycling….. Contact lenses or spectacles for cycling? A Perspective Cycling is one of the most popular sports in the … Continue reading →

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Police: “You must have stolen that bike, you’re not in Lycra”

Posted on 3 June, 2013 by doug

I wouldn’t normally find myself reading the Daily Mail but I was amused by a little article from last week. Cyclist Tim Burton was riding his road bike and pulled over by Avon & Somerset Police.  Apparently he was wearing … Continue reading →

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Q: What is that bike? A: It’s a YikeBike

Posted on 15 April, 2013 by doug

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 Amongst the lovely vintage bikes in the Tweed Run of 2013 this Yikebike caught my eye – I’d never seen one of these and thought it was worth checking out.  It’s certainly novel and I couldn’t help but think “I … Continue reading →

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London Tweed Run 2013 – photos

Posted on 13 April, 2013 by doug
Tweed run

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  We were in London today and unexpectedly came across those frightfully well dressed cyclists taking part in the Tweed Run 2013.  I had vaguely heard of this before but never actually seen it in action. The idea is that … Continue reading →

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World War 2 bicycles at Hughenden Manor

Posted on 3 April, 2013 by doug

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Today we paid a visit to the fascinating Hughenden Manor in Buckinghamshire.  While this is best known has the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli who Queen Victoria was very fond of, it has some unexpected surprises.  It is a … Continue reading →

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Review – Specialized Allez 2013

Posted on 30 March, 2013 by doug

Technicalities Frame: Specialized A1 Premium Aluminium, fully manipulated tubing with smooth welds Fork: Specialized Aluminium fork, alloy steerer and crown, 1-1/8″ Front and rear Derailleur: Shimano 2300 Number of Gears: 16 Shifters: Shimano 2300 STI Chainset: Shimano 2300 Compact with 50/34T chainrings Bottom Bracket: Sealed cartridge, square taper, … Continue reading →

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Enter health study and you might win £100 in vouchers!

Posted on 28 March, 2013 by doug

University College London is undertaking a health study in conjunction with those nice people at the CTC.  It’s all about you as a cyclist and your health history.  It takes about 10 minutes to do and offers you the opportunity … Continue reading →

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New Women’s Cycling Magazine

Posted on 27 March, 2013 by doug

To make sure women cyclists are thoroughly on the map, if proof was ever needed, a new magazine is being launched.  Dedicated to women cyclists here in the UK it looks like they’re off to a good start. Published by … Continue reading →

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Review – nakd snack bars

Posted on 25 March, 2013 by doug

Not far from my office is a health food shop and I often pop in to buy something at lunch time, possibly for our food cupboard at home or simply because I’m still hungry and fancy a snack to keep me going through the afternoon.  The staff in the shop recognise me nowadays and they admit to wondering what I will buy this time, since I have made my way through many of their snacks.  So.  So here we go with a review of what must be my absolute favourite of all my extra lunch time snacks…..

what are nakd snacks?

Nakd are a British company making whole food snacks.   When pointing out their origin, it’s a case of being “gleefully” made in Britain – I quite like that!
Their snacks use ingredients that are natural and are not processed beyond the minimum needed to combine them together for the snack itself.  Many other snacks – even those sold in health food shops – have many sugars, syrups and other gloopy sticky things amongst other mysterious ingredients.  Nakd point out that many of their rivals will include up to 30 odd ingredients that appear to me to be largely pointless.  Nakd are made by a cold pressing process, meaning it’s not stuck together with refined sugars or syrups.
Take a look at their website (link below) and you’ll see a touch of humour in a young company doing very well with what it does – they have their mission and from my point of view as a consumer, they’re doing fine.  I do like companies that aren’t too serious about their corporate approach.  In fact, if I were to start some kind of business myself, it would be just like Nakd!

and the taste?

Surprisingly good!  There’s no mistaking the fruitiness in the Berry Cherry bar at all.  Quite a firm texture and there is a nice moist feel to it but better still with a favourite drink to savour it all the more.  One of the things Nakd play on is that whole foods don’t have to taste dry, bland and be boring – these are far from it.
They have a good “solid” feel to them and are reasonably robust for being carried in saddlebags, bumbags and so on.  If they do break up, they don’t explode into crumbs – i.e. you can still gobble them up easily.
They’re also very filling.  Some snacks are made, in some way, to be scoffed and you’re left feeling just as hungry.  That’s because they’re made of rubbish.  The Nakd bars, on the other hand, are quite filling and substantial as it is pretty much the whole raw food that you’re eating.

the ingredients?

In the Berry Cherry bar, the ingredients are:
37% Dates
26% Oats
12% Raisins
9% Peanuts
8% Apple juice, concentrate
2% Raspberries
2% Strawberries
2% Almonds
2% Walnuts
and a hint of natural flavour
This is just an example, after all there’s a fairly wide range.

And the ethics?

According to the Ethical Consumer magazine, Nakd snacks (and fellow brand Trek) are amongst the very top scoring brands at 14.5.  Contributing to that score is being Vegan friendly.  Mmmmm that makes them taste even nicer!

I promised you their website link

Here it is – click here
Posted in ethical, food, health | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Bicycle art

Posted on 25 March, 2013 by doug

  We came across this and couldn’t help but think how lovely it is.  Never mind the dusting to keep it clean or the odd bit of rust, this is lovely. There must be a 1001 uses for old bicycles … Continue reading →

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DIY Cardboard bike frame

Posted on 25 March, 2013 by doug

A while ago we thought we might have some fun and try to build our own cardboard bike frame.  Here’s how it went: Stage 1 Becky goes into our LBS and asks if they have a cardboard box she could … Continue reading →

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Minimum alcohol pricing

Posted on 18 March, 2013 by doug

I seldom wade into politics in my blog but this time I cannot let the issue of alcohol pass by once again.  It appears Prime Minister David Cameron is back-tracking on a commitment to increase the minimum price for alcohol.  Furthermore he is missing an opportunity to take a step towards resolving some of the misery and needless suffering caused by alcohol in our society.

If the newspapers are correct – and this appears perfectly plausible – there seems to have been some heavy lobbying taking place from other Government Ministers and from the drinks industry to allow things to continue as they are.  Amongst those are David Davis who claims raising the minimum price of alcohol will”…..hit poor people. It’ll hit people in the north. It’ll hit the pensioner having their one bottle of wine a week; it’ll hit the hard-up couple doing the same. It’s going to cost…it’s going to transfer £1billion from the public to the people who sell alcohol, and it’s not going to work”.

Sure, many people will drink alcohol without any problems whatsoever.  By tradition in the UK, having a glass of wine (or whatever) is associated with celebrations, happy times, socialising and so on.  That’s absolutely fine if that’s what people want to do from time to time.  Then there’s more ordinary routine drinking with a bottle of wine over a meal at home with friends – on the surface it could be argued there’s nothing wrong with that either.
However in the UK there are so many problems associated with alcohol and in particular the abuse of alcohol.  This will show itself amongst young adults eager for a good time on Friday or Saturday nights.  All too easily people’s behaviour changes which lead to fights breaking out, people getting hurt, inhibitions dropping, risky behaviour taking place.  I once remember having a discussion with a group of offenders in Hemel Hempstead (this was in the late 1990s and I don’t believe anything has changed)  They described a “good night” out as:
  • take as much money as you can, smoke some cannabis beforehand
  • meeting like-minded friends in the first town centre pub at 9.00pm for a few high speed drinks
  • then go to 2 or 3 other pubs, meeting up with other friends and becoming all the more rowdy as they went along
  • by 11.00pm they would each have drunk about 6 to 8 pints of lager
  • for most they would also be smoking (ordinary cigarettes) and easily get through a packet of 20 during their night out
  • at closing time it was often fun to antagonise someone a bit, not too far, just enough to have a brush with the law or someone in authority
  • a take-away meal would follow – fish & chips, kebab, Chinese etc (and probably thrown up later on)
  • enter a local night club at midnight
  • buy some drugs – amphetamines mentioned as a good choice
  • flirt with some girls, confrontation with boyfriends
  • drink a mixture of spirits (vodka mostly – a good image?) and beer
  • thrown out for rowdy behaviour which continues in the town centre streets (memory very uncertain by this stage)
  • picked up by the Police
  • wake up in a Police cell, feeling awful
  • what a great night out
Then there are the more discreet folk who drink alcohol at home, in private.  Behind those respectable-looking front doors is often a scene of complete despair as the steps of addiction take hold along with the inevitable fall out.  The ‘fall out’ includes diabetes and many other health conditions, the spectre of domestic abuse and violence.  The list goes on.
Will pricing solve these problems?

No, of course not, at least not on its own  Minimum pricing would, I believe, be a good positive step in the right direction.  The use and abuse of alcohol in our society is complex as indeed are the problems arising from it.  Much is to do with society’s attitude towards alcohol as well as the availability.  By availability that includes pricing, supermarkets, licensing and so on.

There is, however, a number of influential people who do have a voice which is in David Cameron’s earshot.  These include Dr Vivienne Nathanson of the British Medical Association who said the “tiny amount” of adding just 30p – 40p a week on the cost of alcohol would be outweighed by the benefits.  The BMA is suggesting the Prime Minister should “be courageous – this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to save lives, to save the country some money.  Both good deals for him”.

I heard on the radio as I was driving to work last week this issue being discussed.  I think it was Sarah Wollaston MP who said words to the effect that people will continue to die while alcohol is too cheap.  She came across as being sincere, forthright and saying clearly how wrong she thought David Cameron was.

My own view on this

  • there is so much needless misery caused by alcohol, I believe the overall balance is heavily against alcohol.  This applies to people claiming red wine is good for you.  I’m not sure about this and I still think red wine does more harm than good; that’s why I’d go for grape juice and without any alcohol
  • the misery includes fights, irresponsible behaviour, risky behaviour, criminal records, health problems which can show themselves in the medium and long term
  • arguably the biggest misery is addiction: I remember talking with someone who was dependent on alcohol and was crying, sobbing in front of me wanting to be freed from the terrible addiction.  Addiction comes about over time, gradually creeping up on people and overcoming it can be very difficult
  • examples of the Government influencing public spending does work (to a point) and examples include cigarettes, car road tax, VAT levels etc
  • alcohol should be regarded as a treat for special occasions, not something consumed every day
  • through example and leadership, society’s attitude should change – binge drinking cannot be socially acceptable (i.e. consider how society has changed it’s view on drink driving)
  • the minimum price rise should be achieved by taxation – the Government needs as much money as it can.  The extra revenue could be used, as an example, to invest further into public health
  • very strong lagers and beers should be additionally taxed to make them become unbelievably expensive.  As it is, some are as strong as wine and I question how many people would ask for “a pint of your best wine please”
  • the Government, David Cameron in particular, must be prepared to act in a way that shows strong leadership.  While it is appropriate for a Prime Minister to change his or her mind in the light of new information or advice, a clear direction is a feature of a strong Government which also avoids being influenced all the time by public opinion.  The Government must act in the best interests of the country as a whole, not just as a way of keeping people happy and then gain popularity
  • MPs and other public figures should not underestimate the influence they can have and to use it for the benefit of those they represent.  Occasionally rising above public opinion can have a cost at the ballot box but some issues are a matter of conscience
  • I have blogged about this before – why I’m tee total
Posted in ethical, health | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Review – Cherry Active drink

Posted on 9 March, 2013 by doug

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One of the nice things from occasionally being approached and asked to review a product is that I personally get the chance of sampling something that is new to me – and which I would genuinely be interested in buying … Continue reading →

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