Hallelujah

[William Gregor]

My new bike, in the shelter at Etchingham train station at around 3 in the morning on Christmas Eve eve. I'm about to move the saddle back maybe half an inch. This will make all the difference in the world: suddenly I'll be able to ride hands free again. Stability had eluded me on my shakedown cruises.



I'd have preferred a horizontal top tube, but as the man said,

It is a truth universally acknowledged that you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just might find you get what you need.

Yesterday we went on our first proper outing. The photo op with Kipling is a local ordinance.



The road to this bike was not a straight one. It started with research into a Waltly, titanium frame fabricators in China who supply many companies: too complicated. Next I tried Burls: also complicated, as his usual supplier is in Russia, which has been in the news a lot for some reason... After very careful consideration I then chose Woodrup, and steel: that didn’t go quite as planned. Finally I landed on the Sabbath Aspire, a model name I presume they chose because it's their cheapest.





While I was prepared to add a derailleur or similar monstrosity, a magic gear presented itself. If it had been as immediately comfortable as a custom built bike, I would've questioned the natural order of the universe. It’s still pretty great.

"Now we're cooking with gas" is an old saying I've never said before now.



Note to self: when flipping images, make sure it's not too obvious.





These days it definitely needs a clean when I get home.



Here's our old machine, which flooded the kitchen, awaiting collection from a white goods enthusiast.


Another washingmachinepost

Tidings of good cheer.

speaking of Tide

There's a scene in The Sopranos where Tony gives Dr Milfi [sic] some Tide laundry detergent as part of gift basket because the movie The Prince of Tides had come up in his therapy. Alas, I can't find that exact scene on YouTube. Here's the rest of it, if you're about ti'd out:

And yeah, I photoshopped that spirit level in.

[close]

Not all wise men agree that titanium in the shape of a bike frame is a gift worth giving to ⅓ of a godhead, but it pleaseth me.

[Auguste Comte]

And so it came to pass that there were two Sabbaths,



so gorram affordable were they* and such is my need. Having twins is my best chance of everlasting ti. (Shame those 10 year warranties don't run consecutively.) Thank god for spare and cannibilised parts.

They won't be identical; seatpost and stem of silver and cranks of black await the one on top. Either that or I'll swap cranks. Wild, I know.



* £690 for the frame alone, £750 with forks. x2, that’s the same I paid for a single 'best bike' predecessor. Little did I know last summer when I got the crazy idea to get two Planet X Spitfires that something better would come along to make the twice-as-nice dream a reality.