Doh!

Do you think that someone in the Woolworths PR department missed the point with this? Or is it just an attempt to start a viral marketing campaign that didn't quite work?

 

What's better than a craft beer?

Craft beer that you don't have to pay for of course :)
Thank you Archive for a $25 'beer-th day bar tab'. You rock!

They grow up so quickly....

Remember this little fella?

 Well four months later he's done a lot of growing up, and he's had an outfit change as well

 He's still got his curiosity though - shame about the dignity :)

 

Unboxing goodness

It's always a happy & exciting time when you receive a "care package" from a bike shop or company. It's a bit like Christmas even though you know exactly what's in there and exactly how much it cost.

So what's in the box this time? A variety of Velo-Orange goodness

These will go on the Roadrat, which is slowly being converted from an urban runabout to a touring bike.

On the front we have some Chris's Rando bars - a little different to regular road bars with an upward sweep from the stem, a longer section before the hoods and a slight flare on the drops (which I can use without my belly bouncing gently on my knees). These are very comfortable - so far they feel the best drop-bars that I've used, although it gets uncomfortable with your hands either side of the stem. This is mounted on a shiny VO stem and holds a 'baguette 'handlebar bag.

The seat is a leather 'Model 3' saddle, modelled on a Brooks B17 but made from Tasmanian cows. Leather saddles are traditionally used by long-distance riders (not racers) as over time they apparently shape themselves to the individual shape of your backside. This is known as an 'arse hammock'. The break-in time is supposed to be painful but I'm not finding it too bad, possibly because I'm only riding 20km at a time. It's mounted on a shiny VO seatpost, and suspends a 'Croissant' saddle bag. This is large enough to be useful but small enough to theoretically not be noticeable when you ride. Unfortunately the buckles on the fine-looking leather straps keep knocking into the seatpost with a distinct and incredibly irritating 'tick' every time I hit a bump - I need to do some masking with tape.

Finally there are Sabot pedals. I'm a big fan of flat pedals and most of the ones I ride are BMX pedals. These look a little more understated but still have a massive and very comfortable platform. Although the combination of flat pedals, no straps and narrow handlebars means wrestling the bike up hills is hard work.

As it's a Friday I was able to pack a complete change of clothes in the bags today - a carefully rolled and surprisingly wrinkle-free t-shirt and some undies in the front bag and a pair of trousers in the saddlebag. Flat pedals meant I was able to wear the shoes I rode in in around the office without walking like a constipated gazelle, and all I needed was a hip-pouch for essential tools and a camera.

Sadly at some point I'm going to need to bite the bullet and  put those new-fangled gear things on though.

Lover of the light

Something a little different to my usual indie fare today, got sent this by a mate for both the song and the location

It's filmed at Rhossili Bay in Wales, just south of Swansea and a regular surfing, biking & kiting haunt when I was back in the UK. It's one of the most stunning beaches I've been to in my life, but at low tide the walk down to the sea is a long one when you're carrying a 7'6 mini-mal in a rainy cross-wind. The heather-covered hillside was the scene of the infamous 'topple off the bike sideways, roll through a nest of nettles, fall down a 3' drop and land in a bramble patch' incident. Ah happy days.

Can't stop - don't wanna

We watched Premium Rush last night, a 'fixie' film that is wonderfully crap in all the best ways

Things are getting a little hectic personally for us at the minute, with some big changes being imposed upon us.  Sometimes I'm struggling to keep my head with everything that's going on, so Premium Rush inspired to go for a ride on my fixie this afternoon. I wasn't running red lights, jumping junctions or riding brakeless (there are big hills in Brisbane) but it was a very satisfying ride around a very beautiful city that I'm lucky to live in.

Just like riding a fixie, life can get away from you at times. The trick I'm struggling with is to roll with it instead of fighting it, let it take me to new places and enjoy the ride on the way.

How deep is your love...for carpet?

In a bizarre way I have a slight link to the Bee-Gees as my parents lived in the Isle of Man for a while (where the Bee-Gees were born), I lived in Chorlton in Manchester for a while (as did they) and then I moved out to Brisbane  (as did they). The difference is of course that they went on to have stellar careers whilst I....well, let's not get into that.

The Bee-Gees actually lived in Redcliffe, just to the north of Brisbane, and the town has recently opened an imaginatively named memorial street

 complete with statue

and a presentation wall.

 As you can tell by the crowds, not much happens in Redcliffe

The funniest bit is seeing how the local shops have cashed in on the Bee Gees legend. The music is playing in all the shops (I have had a medley of their 'classic' tunes on constant repeat in my head), there are commemorative t-shirts and postcards for sale and all of the op-shops and clothing shops have a distinctly retro style. But my favourite was the local carpet shop, which had 'How deep is your love - for carpet' painted in big letters across the front window. The owner of that place is a thinker.