…of 2011. There will be much more in 2012 no doubt. We shall see. In the meantime, an end of year portrait of the bike that I call Reggie and a few moments to think about the year ahead. I’ve been on Twitter tonight and lots of people […]
While I was browsing the Cyclepedia app (see previous post), I came across a reference to the Rohloff Speedhub. It’s a gear-changing mechanism that I have never seen but which has fascinated me since I watched Mark Beaumont’s documentary about cycling the Americas. He used one. It is, […]
“In 1815 an Indonesian volcano erupted, changing the climate and affecting crops as far afield as Northern Europe. The resulting famine was severe, with Europeans forced to eat horses – a main source of transportation – for sustenance. To tackle the resulting transport problems, Baron von Drais created […]
Just got an email from London 2012 regarding my application to be a volunteer during the Olympics. I had an interview back in November and more recently I have been contacted regarding my driving licence so I am expecting some news at some point… Here’s what the email […]
I always find these lists fascinating. It’s the mathematician in me I think. Others may find them less riveting so if that’s you, you may like to move on… They cover what is now, most of 2011 (only around 40 hours to go). The top page is fairly […]
I am in bed. The bed is too short. This makes it difficult to sleep. It isn’t my normal bed; it’s the bed in the attic of my brother’s house where I have been staying for the last few days over Christmas. It’s cold and the rain is […]
My niece Annabel has a new bike; a BMC Streetfire (2009) purchased second hand from a director of Cycling Scotland. She’s named it Beatrice. What kind of nutter would give their bike a name?
I’m about to escape the south for the frozen north (well, Yorkshire) for a few days. I’ll be tweeting but probably not blogging so have an enjoyable festive season. Happy cycling ! P.S. If you discover that Santa has brough you a Kindle, iPad etc… on the 25th, […]
I get so envious when I read about people who are planning really big trips like this. Puts my own efforts to shame. Perhaps one day… In his own words: “My name is Chris Gruar, and in April 2012 I will begin my charity cycling trip from England […]
Another 5* review for Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggieย on Amazon.co.uk; “I really enjoyed the relaxed affable style of this author, making his points eloquently without ever being stuffy or superior. Sykes has an endearing almost vulnerable quality which makes his observations very witty; on […]
I won’t let the fact that the person behind this website – Amaya Williams – has blocked me on Twitter (why?) prevent me from praising her website. And her ambition to ‘cycle every country on the planet’. It’s a refreshing twist upon the cycling around the world trend. […]
The new film will be called The Hobbit – An Unexpected Journey and the first trailer has just been released. These two shots from that trailer remind me of my cycle to Berceto, high in the Italian Apennine mountains where I stayed at an idyllic camp-site near the […]
Dear Mr Sykes – Iโm too full of respect to refer to you as Andrew – Iโve just completed reading your โGood Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggieโ and thoroughly enjoyed it, well done, not just for completing the journey, but also the book. You are […]
Reggie, my eponymous bike is going strong, especially after his three-figure Christmas refit at AW Cycles earlier this week (it’s worth paying for the parts and labour just to get him gleaming again). Alf Grant, a prospective UK to Italy cyclist who I met for a chat in […]
And it’s a real shelf, not a virtual one! Can you spot it in this photo taken in Waterstone’s Reading Broad Street branch?
It’s not just WordPress!
Yes, it does appear to have one. I spotted this fading sign a couple of weeks ago and took a picture when I passed the ally, leading off of West Street earlier today. I hasten to point out that the establishment no longer exists :(. A little bit […]
There is some dreadful design in Britain. No. That’s wrong. There is a lot of dreadful design in Britain. It’s the endless obsession with doing everything with a ‘best value’ hat on. Central government, local councils, companies. They are all guilty. ‘Best value’ is of course a nonsense […]
We are often encouraged to ‘go Dutch’ when it comes to improving our cycling habits, but a new report from the European Cyclists’ Federation would imply that we should ‘go Danish’ instead. By doing so, we could help the EU achieve a quarter of its target for reduction […]
The ‘site stats’ section of the administrative pages of this website can be a fascinating place to spend a few moments. Alas, only for me… I noticed yesterdayย that someone hadย arrived here after having searched the term ‘9781849142137 synopsis’. That number is the ISBN for Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe […]
It’s been a funny old day. I wandered into Reading just before lunch with a simple plan; checkย whether Good Vibrations has yet arrived on the shelves of Waterstones in Reading (answer: not yet, but I did leave it displayed on the customer in-store computer for all to see) […]
The Guardian have Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie on offer; only ยฃ7.99 with free postage & packaging to anywhere in the UK!
I do hope I haven’t caused some kind of diplomatic incident by posting the video entitled Why Are Cyclists Using Video Cameras? on the blog yesterday. It was picked up from CyclingEurope.orgย as a point of discussion on the forum of the Dutch website De Wereldfietser or in English, […]
In these days of email, Facebook, Twitter, online bank statements, it is a rare event that anything arrives in your physical letterbox that is remotely exciting. But today, I got something that was! Amongst the erroneous bank statements (addressed to a former lodger), union rants & home insurance […]
I have similar encounters to this guy a lot less regularly, mainly due to the fact that I normally cycle to work at 6am. (Yes, I amย an idiot.) However, on the occasions when I do cycle during rush hour, I have to say that it’s a regular occurrence. […]
…because it is now snowing on WordPress! Apologies to the software designers for slightly exaggerating the effect. A temporary change of background to a festive blue until the season of joy comes to and end with the snow in January. ๐
