Welcome to the website.
The workshop is now situated at 20/22 Avenue Mews a much bigger premises shared with ChaChaCha retro furniture and vintage clothing.
A warm welcome to customers old and new.
I hope to increase stock of new Raleigh bikes, and to have one or two quality 2nd hand bikes available.
There is a growing demand for fixed/free singlespeed bikes. I will soon hold at least 1 of these in stock:-
Fixed
From time to time I'll be promoting Special Offers. As of Monday 7th July, 2008, these products are on offer.
Tifosi Q3 Sunglasses black frame, Fototec lens were £45, NOW £30!
Plus buy one pair Q3s, get one pair of Tifosi Kilo sunglasses HALF PRICE!
Were £30 now £15 with 3 interchangeable lenses.
Torch front and rear light set inc. batteries, .........£15
Inner tubes with Presta valve (skinny ones) or Schraeder (fat) valve which sell for £4.50p each, I will sell at 3 tubes for £10, a saving of 33%! While stocks last.
Fabulous Knog Gecko front and rear lights, which retail at £28, I
am letting these go at £25 per pair, a saving of 11%!
Raleigh Special Products 150cm coil locks SRP £29.99 on offer at only £18 Raleigh locks
Take a look Here/Panniers.These MSX Panniers are a great product at this price! £25 each £50 pair
Waterproof and made of tough material.
Pop in to the workshop at 20 Avenue Mews, to take advantage of these great offers. Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m to 6 p.m.
12th May 2008.
Just testing the water. I am interested in hiring a venue in Muswell Hill to host a presentation by Chris Hopkinson, the only British finisher in the solo category of RAAM, the Race Across America.
If you are interested in attending such an event please e-mail me: cliplesspedals@blueyonder.co.uk.
29th July
'The coldest winter I ever spent was Summer in San Francisco', credited to Mark Twain.
Anyway, I rented a Giant Carbon Fibre road bike, with a compact 50/36 set up and 12-25 cassette at the rear and set off from the baseball stadium.
10 a.m on a cold, foggy Monday morning. I've brought bibshorts, PBP shirt (so vain, but proud to wear it!), Montane Featherlite shell and Shimano sandals. It's bloody cold, but hopefully the weather will improve in Marin County. There aren't too many cool dudes and dudesses out on their impeccably stylish fixies.
A flat ride round the Embarcadero, the road which skirts the bay area and leads via Fisherman's Wharf to Chrissy Field, the Presidio and The Golden Gate Bridge. There's a raging headwind to contend with as I swing Westwards towards the Bridge, which slows me to a crawl.
The aim today is to climb the tarmac road from Fairfax up to the top of Mt. Tamalpais and return via Mill Valley and Sausalito. The climb is about 600m, perhaps 700m when one adds on the Seven Sisters, a series of mini passes which ascend to the Observatory near the summit.
Six years ago I climbed from Bolinas Bay on the West side and suffered like a dog, having no idea what I had let myself in for and running out of water. 700m ascent in approx 11kms. Today I would be coming up from the East.
The ride out across the Bridge and beyond Sausalito sees a change in the conditions, as the fog lifts gradually and the temperature increases. A cycle track through a nature reserve leads to a 10- 12 minute winding climb near Corte Madera which takes me to Larkspur. Moving away from the blanket of cloud, the mercury begins to rise even more. Even though it's a Monday, there are plenty of roadies out and about, and a large proportion are women.
Following a busier road with a cycle lane, I locate the Left turn on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard which should lead me to Fairfax. Rather stupidly, I have come out without a map, and receive false directions after I fail to explain that I wish to take the tarmac road over the mountain, NOT the firetrails. People are very helpful, and warn me that it is quite a climb.
Arriving in Fairfax about 30 miles later, having topped up with water and a Snickers, I head off up the Bolinas road. At first it's shady, but soon the road is exposed to the sun and although the gradient is not too severe, the poor road surface and my own self-doubt begin to make this quite testing.
By the side of the road, there are distance markers which count up the distance travelled, which is helpful from one point of view, but shows just what slow progress I am making. ( I ain't no climber!). After 4miles at about 6 % and very little traffic, the road plunges down for 2.5 miles. All that climbing wasted. The Observatory disappears from sight and is replaced with the blue waters of Alpine Lake, and it's dam.
The road now immediately shoots up via a series of short sharp hairpins. The 36/25 combi is tough going for me in my lardy state. Mercifully the way is shaded otherwise it would have been another kind of ordeal. After 4 miles of this I meet the Bolinas downslope at Ridgecrest Boulevard. Turning left, I think that I have reached the summit, completely forgetting the Seven Sisters. (No, not the Tottenham version!).
These are a series of hills which remind me very much of the rollercoaster roads of Shieldag on the Applecross Peninsula, or the relentless up and down singletrack road from Dounreay to Tongue along the top of Bonnie Scotland.
Leaving the trees behind, the landscape opens up affording great views of Bolinas Bay on the right, and the Tamalpais Nat. Park and beyond on the left. There are numerous hiking trails with stupendous vistas, and not a soul in sight. The Seven Sisters have multiplied and there seems to be about twenty in 2008. The bottom gear is in use continuously.
Finally, the road plummets downhill towards Mill Valley. A windy, twisty descent of about 12 miles. Some of the roads at the bottom are precipitously steep, and I overshoot several corners and central yellow lines. My hands hurt too from gripping the hoods and braking.
I'm planning a stop in Sausalito because my stomach is rumbling. Two slices of toast and jam and a Snickers is not enough for this ride. Finding a cafe, I set about a Tuna melt Bagel like Mountain lion with a rabbit. Not a pretty sight. On the road again, there's a stiff pull out of the town, but what's worse is a strong headwind which has me crashing into the kerb. Luckily I unclipped just in time. This is like a wind tunnel on full blast.
I pass a couple of Amercan tourers who have ridden from Alasksa. Bravo, Bravo. I wish I was 20 odd again. The ride back across the bridge is cold and blowy. Arriving back on the Embarcadero it's a game to try and catch all the lights on green. the bike lane is great and the drivers have been courteous throughout.
A great day out.
