Bromdinium is back

Thanks to some thieving blighters (who shifted their loot on Gumtree), I've had to say goodbye to the Fratello, and dust of the Brompton, which had only been seeing occasional, and usually train-based, service.

In some ways, it's been a bit of a silver lining, not least because the Brompton encourages you to not bother with a bunch of cycling gear, and just integrate it into your life.  The warmer weather helped, at least until this cold snap arrived.

Meanwhile, I have tried out some new kit, mostly Rapha: the rain jacket, the lightweight softshell and the fixed backpack.  Expect some reviews to follow (first off, the fixed backpack is likely to come out as a near perfect thing)

Nutella

Nutella
Originally uploaded by movingtargetzine

I feel their pain

My Brompton is skulking under my desk, thinking jealously about the new Condor Fratello that is chained and d-locked (I hope) outside my flat as I type, thanks to the Cycle to Work scheme. Okay, so the B. won't cope as well with Highgate West Hill, but it shouldn't be too upset. So far my average commute speed is almost the same, and the B. is far more comfortable, at least in terms of riding position (giant wheels and carbon bits smooth out a hell of a lot). And they both share a steel heritage, as well as London design (even if the Condor is cast and welded, or however it's done, in Italy)

It's also a shock to have gears (Compag Veloce compact, with black chain ring), but the Polar heart rate monitor is more of a shock. The B. has lulled me into a fitness plateau! Time to pound the streets, I feel. Braking is also a whole different ball game.

Temptation

A new scheme at work means that a tax-free new bike could be in the offing. A fixed-gear or road bike could be a good alternative for cinema trips... but where to keep it?

Piano Wire

Parris has since published a backhanded apology, which, while ostensibly saying
sorry, succeeds in blaming cyclists for being too humourless and dim to get the
joke. The heaving inbox of his editor, combined with several hundred reports to
the Press Complaints Commission, may have hastened this act of contrition. Which
just goes to show the efficiency of the cycling lobby when roused: web forums
and email groups were humming with exhortations to write in. It could be said
that such an "organised" response gives the widespread sense of revulsion felt
among cyclists a slightly synthetic quality - that is how lobbies operate and
although there is nothing wrong with concerted voluntary action, I can't help
wondering whether we took a sledgehammer to this particular nut.

Matt Seaton weighs in on the Parris issue.