Ice Cold Milk Update from Canada

Tom sent this report;

"Spring has finally sprung - with long, sunny days and the temperatures well into the 20's (plus 20 that is!)
Ice Cold Milk has undergone a few changes - the studded tires are being rested for the season and I have upgraded the forks to something with a bit more bounce.

Otherwise, all is going well - the Gates drive has certainly attracted some interest, and the steel frame has received some appreciative comments from the "Enthusiasts". The hub gears continue to give faultless, smooth changes even on the rough trails. All in all "big grin riding" continues!

Only one problem - the name. Ice Cold Milk seems somewhat inappropriate at this time of year, Jo thinks Chocolate Milk might work if I don't keep it clean - no chance!"

And here's a link to Tom's bike: http://www.flickr.com/photos/milkbikes/sets/72157628986517931/

Return of the Bull:it (for non hipsters)

After being damaged on a road test the Bull:it has been a bit neglected as things have been very busy with the commute bikes and the ADL. There was also the issue that I am probably too old and conservative to really enjoy riding brakeless. On the track it is great when surrounded by experienced riders but on the road with everyone on the their phones I was not keen and it meant it could only be ridden slowly.

As a bit of an experiment Mark agreed that we should add a brake to the front to allow quicker stopping if a driver did not see you or in a moment of madness you got yourselves in trouble...

The wheel parts arrived on Saturday AM so I built the wheel, swapped in some other prototype forks with a brake mount (hence they have big gaps which would not be the desired final production look), went and bought a brake lever and then it was done. A cool looking bike that can be ridden in normal clothes, without rolling up your trousers, and still not get oil on your trousers.

I have been for a spin around town on it and it certainly turned a few heads. It needs a front wheel tattoo to balance it up with the seat tube. I did not use the front brake much as it is nicer to control the speed through the drive train but it is reassuring to know that it is there. The disk brake also keeps the lines cleaner and means that the white paint on the super deep Velocity B43 won't get damaged over time. You also get the same braking performance in all weather conditions which was handy today in the heavy showers.

The bike feel is the same as before and is great around town. I might even take it on a trip to work this week... but now with stopping confidence. All I need to do now is change my image towards the hipster :o)

ArtDA - Mudguards

Made a slight addition to the front mudguard - aka woodguard, made by Simin from Squaretree up in Edinburgh. We added another stay to the front to keep the nose up. The balloon tyres coupled with the shape of the dork crown meant that the very tip of the guard touched the tyre. I love how they look on the bike, even more than before :)

Bespoked, done and dusted

Can't believe the show has come and gone already... It was awesome. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hi - great to hear what you think and nice to be reassured that I'm not completely insane!! Looking forward to next year

"ArtDA"

Some great pics taken by a friendly French photographer, @whiteandcream

Bespoked, Setup Day

Here we go again people: Bristol Bespoked Bike Show again!

Adventure Race Result

So the makeshift mapholder held up through all the rain and the ADL once again made me feel very sure footed on the trail. Easily taking on drops that I would otherwise have faltered at. The only issue I had was one a created. I lost all brakes with over 1 hour to go. I should have put new pads in on Saturday. This meant that for the last hour I had to run down every hill in my bike shoes and because of that I now have black toe nails and expect to lose them soon.

It is at least 2 years since my last race so I was pleased with the result. We finished 3rd in the Male pairs category although we were very late back and got penalised for that. My navigate was a bit rusty but on the whole we were going in the right direction.

Think I might do one again soon. Link to results below.

http://www.openadventure.com/results/1112/northdowns/male_pairs.html