Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Folding bikes, Aberdeen beach and The Loneliest Teddy In The World



To the Santa Monica/Venice boardwalk of Scotland, for breakfast at the Washington Cafe in bright sunshine as surfers attempt to surf, joggers jog, swimmers shriek with agony at the cold of the North Sea, and The Loneliest Teddy Bear In The World gazes mournfully out to sea. Ah yes, Aberdeen in summer.

The Downtube folding bike is...well, it's OK in the urban setting. The hotel I'm staying in has a tiny car park and it was just unfeasible to get the camper down there. So the bike is an ideal way to zip about the city. Or A bike would be. the old Edinburgh Courier I used to keep here was much more the thing. The Downtube's short wheelbase and 20-inch wheels make it a bit wobbly for someone as heavy as me. Fat Man on a Bicycle...

Hate that twistgrip derailleur, too. And Dr Yan Lyansky's design is OK, but the vicissitudes of Scottish rain (the bike was kept for a month or two outside at Pacific Quay in Glasgow)has left it unexpectedly brown-stained over the white paint. Also, I have to say that I had the embarrassing experience of taking the front wheel to the Shetland Bike Project to get a burst tube fixed. or in fact replaced, as I'd fitted a 1.75 tube, not the 1.5 it needed. Thing is, nothing I did could get that tyre off. Must be age. Or bad resin tyre levers.

Anyway, it's back in the camper now as I have to fly to Wick tomorrow. All will be explained.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

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Mickey
www.TheWhiskyTrench.com