I jumped on the canal in NW6 and started to ride on what I really hoped would be a pleasant ride across London. Away from the cold north westerly wind and traffic, the sun even came out to play a few times on my journey. This part of London is generally very nice and at bit of nature in the city especially in the spring and summer. Spring hasn’t arrived yet in London. A wee bit late because it’s been cold for a loooong time and we even had snow that lasted more than a few hours. The canal does cut through a few parks and next to other green areas like a golf course, so plenty of green to look at. Even the odd wildlife like ducks, swans and the odd heron.

The various councils or the waterways people have been on the canal and cut back the foliage which made the ride much easier than in the summer where it narrows down the path quite a lot.

That also helped me to see the areas that the green leaves in the summer cover, and I really got depressed. The best way to describe what I saw is a landfill, pretty much like the photo. Under and next to bridges, behind and over back fences of factories and private homes and generally just scattered around.

There were piles of junk food packing, tins, cigarette boxes and then all the other garbage. Some places it was clearly people who had come down to the canal to sit on the benches that had just dumped their leftovers. Other places it was companies that just tipped it over the fence – “no-one will know”. And all over it was just drop, no that is a wrong word, thrown out stuff that someone couldn’t be arsed carry to the nearest bin. Yes I know the UK and especially London have a lack of bins, but then carry it with you, take it home and use the bin there.

Some of the saddest sights was the coots building a nest in and with the garbage.

This is not the only place in London where it is bad. The Welsh Harp in NW2, is a big park and reservoir with a walk and cycle way all around. The same goes there, plenty of just thrown stuff and fly tipping. It will take months if not years to clear this up.

At the end of the six or so miles I rather enjoyed getting back onto the busy roads, simply because I could not see this depressing sight.

Do we not care at all ?

On a lighter note: When arrived at the depot and handed over my paperwork so that I could get my parcel, the man behind the counter went into the back office only to come back and look at me a bit confused. He then asked if I had come all the way from SW6 out to Greenford? Yes, I answered. By bus or car? No, on my bicycle and I pointed to my Surly leaning up against the window outside.

You must be fit, man! He said in a very strong Jamaican accent.

Only a round trip of 23-25miles including work that day.

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Four sided : The four sided design made them extremely easy to learn to use. Simple to clip in, no flipping the pedal around to be able to clip in, e.g. just put your foot down and you are clipped in. The four sided design also meant that if you walk around in your cycling shoes or get mud on the pedals, the mud will just fall right off and you still can clip in.

Look : the eggbeaters just looks way cool, great design and the feel of them is like something that will last long and can handle a beating.

Simple : Being new to the game of cycling clip less and cycling shoes, back then, they looked well simple compared to others. Didn’t have fancy screws here and there to adjust them. Which can be a problem for others, if you like to set your pedals up, but I was a beginner, so KISS (keep it simple stupid). There are two settings for clipping out, 15 and 20 deg angle, plenty of float which I read was good if you have knee problems. Which I have especially with my left knee, I only had to change of the angle of one cleat a bit to get it to work, well it was the first time I have ever put cleats on my shoes. In the four years I have cycled clip less I have never had any problems with my knees, so that is a win for the Crank Brothers pedals.

And on top of that, their website look very slick and the packaging the pedals come in felt and looked like this is a good investment.

I have two sets off candy C, because now and again I would like to be able to cycle with out clipping in, the candy’s makes that happen for short distances, which I need. I also got one set off eggbeater SC and a set of eggbeater C on my other bicycles, you can get by cycling with normal shoes on the eggbeaters but you can easily slip.

In the last 4 years I have used both the candy and eggbeaters I have gone trough two set of each. That last pair of candy’s I got just managed to clock up just under 3000 miles before they broke*). That is not very long compared to other pedals out there. Many of my cycling friends use SPD’s and do many more miles than I do before they need service or new pedals.

*) that is mainly commuting with one week long tour over the last 6 months. And definitely not been knocked or banged as they are on my new pride and joy, the Surly Long Haul Trucker.

I don’t do MTB’ing or drop my bicycle onto the road or push hard on my pedals I use the gears. Most of my cycling is commuting in London and the odd cycle tour. And therefore I would like my pedals to last quite a bit longer than 3000 miles before they break on me.

What breaks all the time is the ball bearings, the spring and “hooks” hold on much longer. Though I did break one “hook” on one eggbeater but that is probably linked to the massive pedal strike I had on my fixed a half year before. And with only 3 hooks and therefore only 2 sided the pedal lasted a few more months before the bearings went.

I contacted Crank Brothers last year when my last pair died, and their answer was …

As to your comments on not having to buy rebuild kits; Crank Brothers pedals are designed to be rebuildable as this will provide the longest lifespan of the pedals. Other brands may appear to last ‘forever’ but after they break they will need to be replaced as a complete unit. A simple regrease of the spindle every now and then will reduce bearing wear significantly and reduce the need to do a full rebuild.

Well my argument against this is the friends I know who got SPD’s or the like, pretty much fit and forget their pedals and get many more miles out of them before they even have to think about servicing them. I talked to a friend the other day and he told me that he had a set of TIME pedals which have been going for ten years without service.

I should have some left over bits from my last repair and should hopefully be able to fix the candy C’s. I also do hope that the eggbeaters SC I just got will clock up more miles than just 3000 miles before they fall apart.

I really don’t know if this is linked to the price I pay for them, as I can’t afford the high end titanium pedals that Crank Brothers produce and therefore have to go for the lower end pedals.

The worrying part is that while I was writing this up I checked out ,citycycling always a good read and .anth is top bloke too. In his post on the blog “second fall in as many weeks” he tells us why he came off. He have come of his bicycle the other day because his Crank Brothers (candy) spindle snapped. I’m lucky and haven’t come off any of my bicycle when the pedals have failed but .anth came off quite dramatically. Lucky it was only a scrape to the bicycle and his jacket, though it could have been much worse since it was in rush hour traffic. Sadly as he report no one stopped to ask if he was ok when he was laying on the road all tangled up in his bicycle.

I really don’t fancy splashing out for 3-4 set of new pedals and cleats for my shoes, but if the pedals from Crank Brothers still fall apart I have to. Because I don’t fancy a drop just like .anth because my pedals have failed and I have had four sets fail in the last four years, that is too much.

Raitings:
I would have loved to give Crank Brothers more but because of so many failing in the last four years I can’t. Though the easy of use, when they work, and their look still pulls the rating up. If you still want Crank Brothers do spend a lot of money on the pedals as I do hope that the top end last a longer than the low end pedals. Which I can’t afford to test out for you.

LINK : Crank Brothers

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I’m kinda sad that I didn’t use this blog to list our last problems with running water that wasn’t inside the pipes. Some of you might recall the great flood of 2007/2008 and the resulting lack of kitchen for a year and the bath room for around 3-4 months in 2008. Just because of the “wonderful” tenants upstairs who among other things decided to take the washing machine with them even though it belonged to the owner. They were kind enough to not turn of the water to said machine, which resulted in 2-3 inches of water in the kitchen, hallway and living room upstairs, which of course ended up in our flat. I will not bore you with the other details such as calling out for plumbers, councils, housing trusts and the “brilliant” builders from ROC who had to come back three times to get the kitchen somewhat right. See I’m already going off on one and will leave it at this just for all of us sake.

Anywhoo, we called out wonderful landlady (who was brilliant throughout the great flood) and she told us to call Pimlico Plumbers and get them around tout de suite. Five minutes on the phone and less than 30 minutes later a very nice and friendly plumber arrived, let’s call him Steve because that was his name.

Steve and I then had a look see what could be the problem and agreed that it was coming from upstairs for sure. But the only problem was that in the famous flat upstairs no one was home, so we tried the one above that. Where we were meet by an dear old man who was very sorry for the spill because he had accidentally knocked the tap open and left it running. He haven’t heard it since he is deaf.

We also learned that person above the old gent’s flat is experiencing some issues with the waste pipes. She can’t have a shower while the washing machine is on because the water will not drain fast enough. But she have managed to work around that for the moment, but it is just leak in waiting. So while Steve and I was running around outside, Peli was busy on the phone to the emergency number to our council. Though that proved to be fruitless as the gent on the other end of the phone wasn’t very keen on sending someone out even though we know (from previous experience) that if this goes wrong we will be majorly f’ed. Even though we know that there is a problem with waste pipes and that is the council responsibility, I know that there have to be a big leak before they would even get out here. See what I’m trying to do here … preventative care, but oh no that is not how the council do things.

At least today was just a small leak. The joys of living in the ground floor flat, but at least we have a great landlady.

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Dave DeGobbi’s steampunk inspired creation takes a small city and puts it on a mobile platform! The idea is crazy enough to work both in concept and execution. This creation is supposedly a luxury resort set in a post-apocalyptic world. What wouldn’t I pay for a trip to this exotic paradise?

LINK : brothers-brick – crawler town brings the city to you

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Some people look at Lego bricks and see great potential buried within them. In their hands Lego rises above its childhood origins and gets a chance to aspire, to be part of something great.

In Warren Elsmore’s hands 11,000 Lego bricks have been fashioned into a scale model of the Forth Railway Bridge.

He even made a stunning Lego model of London’s St Pancras station. Use the ling below to see the BBC video.

LINK : news.bbc – Lego bridge

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I do have a weak spot for old industrial craftsmanship, ok CNC, robots are great but each has its place. The Brooks factory is any one’s dream to go and see, you can get right up and close to see, smell and hear how it is done and the craftsmen are happy to answer your questions.

You really get to get a feel of the craftsmanship and the hard work and skill they put into their saddles. We got to see every step of the way nearly from the raw metal to the finished product. And none of the steps is a computerised conveyor belt knocking out 1000 units an hour.

I had taken the old neglected Brooks saddles I got the other day with me. Our tour guide had a look and told me that the B66 could be re leathered though compared to getting a new one I wouldn’t save much. The Team Pro could be saved if I got the paint off and re applied some Proofide. He provided a damaged pot free of charge along with a spanner since it was a sin not to tighten the Brooks after use. A quarter of a turn every half a year was the advice, just don’t let the saddle turn into a hammock, as it will put extra strain on the railings.

We finished the day of with a ride into the city centre along Birmingham’s many canals, for lunch. And then we had a short ride out and back to make room for what turned out the be the best pie I ever have had in a pub. The ride on the canals was quite wet, not muddy just plenty of water to ride through, which caused my Surly to be the dirtiest that any of my bicycles has ever been.

I really do think that the Green B17 Special with copper railings, drool, would suit my Green Surly Long Haul Trucker just spot on, can I get one please ?

LINK : Some more pictures
LINK : Some videos of the production
LINK : Brooks Saddles

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After a little clicking around on the Brooks website I think I figured out that they are a B66 and a Team Pro.

The B66, is the most knackered one, the steal railings looks ok with a bit of rust and dirt here and there. Though the leather is dead, looks very brittle and cracked up, therefore I don’t think the leather can be saved.

The Team Pro, looks like it can be revitalised if I can get the pain off without damaging the saddle. It does have some scrapes and looks a bit rough but I think some proofide would do some wonders. The tightening screw looks in a bit knackers but some cleaning and oiling it should be good as new.

The good news is that I’m going to the Brooks factory in Birmingham on Friday for a tour. I will take the two saddles with me to see their expert opinion if they can be saved.

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I thought that it may be helpful, now that I have done a few trips, to arrange an evening in a pub when I can try to help other people who are planning their own expedition.

So, if you think I can help you with anything you may be planning then do come along!
I will be on the top floor of the Iron Duke pub in Victoria station, London at 6.30pm on Tuesday March 9th until about 9pm.

Since I’m a self proclaimed pootling cycling tourist I will be there for sure, will you ?

LINK : Travelling two, London Meet-Up for Bike Tourists
LINK : Alastair Humphreys, Can I help you plan your expedition?

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So today I started to do a wee bit searching on the net and came up to a few things I could do. Armed with a Phillips screwdriver and my solar light cap I set to work. Pulled out the washing machine, took off the back panel and started to poke around, well I knew what I was looking for. I managed to get the jubilee clip off the last bit of hose before the pump, there is probably a technical name for that bit.

And in there I found a few hair bands, curtain hooks, some paper/plastic bits and 50p in change :)

Oh yeah the washing machine still blinked but it started.

UPDATE : at it finished its circle it made some worrying noises …

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Even the lure from wiggle and £7 didn’t get me to buy one of the denim coloured ones. We went for the bog standard black version on offer at nearly triple the price.

When they arrived they where nicely rolled up, which I still have to figure out how the heck that is done. As the kinda roll up into themselves and you close the “sausage” with the buttons that are in the top mess. This mess runs across your belly so that you don’t cook in them.

At closer inspection I found that some of the stitching were not as even or straight I would have liked. And some of the traps weren’t burned/cut neatly and started to run before I even had put it on. Some of the straps are clearly too big for the clasp they run through. I need to trim the straps and “burn” the ends to make sure that they don’t run any more. I wonder how the wear and tear will be on the too wide straps after a while.

The look of the way they have been put together, is a very rushed job which will just cause the Rainlegs to fall apart with normal use. I would have expected better quality for something that cost £25. But since we got them on offer and they have already saved our legs a few times they are well worth it. I do hope that they are still water proof even when the “waxing” on the back side have started to fall off.

That aside, they have earned themselves back even after a few uses. I have mainly used them in the cold weather we have had of late here in London. Where they have cut the wind away from your thighs, knees and your crotch. Yes they are not warm but they have kept the cold wind away from your body.

I have only used them once in the wet, well snowy slush that came down heavy at times. They really did the job of keeping my tights, knees and crotch dry. Getting wet legs and trousers is a killer to any cyclist in the cold, it takes all your heat energy away.

I can see that these Rainlegs will become part of my everyday cycling gear when touring and commuting. Since they pack down nice and small and easy to put on. Ok the first few times they are a bit of a fettle to get on but you soon figure it out.

The rain I mostly ride in is either a quick passing shower or I’m only commuting for 30min or less in continuous rain. And I never really get wet through just on the front of my legs which can be a pain if you arrive at work or at friends. I’m therefore sure that the Rainlegs with come into their own when I cycle in the wet since they cover exactly the bits that get wet in these conditions.

Rating :

Only between tree and four oinks because the lack of quality when put together.

Just one word of warning, take care when stepping of your bicycle. The Rainlegs are easy to get hooked on your saddle and have caused some comedy moments for us already.

LINK : Rainlegs

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