merry christmas

swains lane this morning

Halt gooey brake pads

I didn't want this to be a review blog, plenty of those, but just wanted to praise my new halt gooey pads (they are friggin yellow too!). For £12, they are the best pads i have ever used. part of thinks even better than my swisstops.

Ben Ingham

Rapha Continental – The Movie from RAPHA on Vimeo.

Really nice collection of films on the rapha blog (there's that R word again), anyone stuck for my present ideas my christmas list can be found on the rapha site also titled "shop". i find it hard to swoon over other brands kit like i do rapha stuff, being a designer & a cyclist is the quickest way to bankrupt yourself i reckon. but hey ho.

Most by Ben Ingham, who also has done lots of nice rapha photography in the past, long my it continue.

I have posted up my personnel favourite of the films (although ingham didnt do this one), its 17 mins long (a long time in this digital world we live in), but worth sitting through, very inspirational shots as well as interview bits with the riders. gets me thinking about planning even more for next year, the states may have to wait for me till 2013 though, i'd love to ride across america, or at least parts of it.

Cecil Sharp House

nothing to do with bikes this time, music, even better. been meaning to post this, saw the brilliant Mount eerie last week in the even more brilliant Cecil Sharp House (aka the english folk dance song society) in Camden. A lovely venue made me feel like i was in a 1950s school in a good way. if you don't know mount eerie check him out, he is one of my favourites.

"i could not get through september without a battle
i faced death
i went in with my arms swinging
but i heard my own breath
i had to face that i'm still living
i'm still flesh
i hold on to life with feelings"