Those pesky high tech gadgets

One of the complications of riding the fixed is what to do about punctures.
My Giant Bowery has Schwalbe Marathon tyres on it which, until recently, hadn't ever suffered a puncture despite having been on the bike for over two years.
Just hours after meeting up with two of the old ( should that be former) SBR team members and boasting about my winter riding....yes you've guessed it.
Out I went to the bike shed at work, it was about -2 degrees C with snow forecast. As I touched the bike I knew......flat tyre!!! A massive shard of rock salt straight through the thick tyre and Kevlar belt.
I sprang into action: 15mm spanner.Check. Inner tube. Check.Tyre levers. Check. Pump...No. Natty Co2 inflation device.Check. Co2 cannister. Check.
I put the cannister in and pulled the lever, nothing, not so much as a whimper.
As luck would have it there was a fellow cyclist nearby who lent me an old fashioned pump, something I will carry in the future.

Luckily I got home before the snow started in ernest. Sadly it fell so thickly that it was back to four wheels the following day by order of Mrs Optician Editor.
Be careful out there folks.

From time to time the Optician team try out various products under its tried and Tested banner. While this n=1 approach isn't always popular it's a great way for the team members to get used to the features and benefits (or otherwise) of optical products. The opportunity to have products tried in a real world setting is increasingly popular with companies who reap the obvious benefits of promotion.

At the moment I happen to be wearing No7's Duette hybrid contact lens but I am also trying out B&S's Anti-Fog lens treatment from Dibble Optical. This is a gel that is applied and then buffed into the lens.

With all the snow on the ground at the moment and a real nip in the air its a great opportunity to try out the anti fog treatment whilst commuting to work.

Normally when I stop at traffic lights pretty much most eyewear fogs up immediately. But riding with CLs only is not a great idea with grit and debris floating around. In the past most treatments to prevent misting haven't been brilliant but this latest one from Dibble is looking quite promising.The trick seems to be putting it on correctly.

Last week I tried the gel on a pair of clear, prescription Oakleys but wasn't too impressed.While one section of the lens remained fog free the rest steamed up. Water droplets also collected on the front surface This morning I tried the B&S Anti-Fog on some Adidas evil eye halfrim pro cycling specs. These are good performing specs from an anti-fog perspective and the light enhab=ncing lens is great for dingy mornings. I tried to apply a little less gel and buff it less. the result: one lens was comletely clear and the other not bad. I will have to experiment. The vision from the Duette lens is very sharp so all round a pretty good combo.

Kiss the yellow Pearson goodbye

There was a sad moment in the Optician Editor's house this weekend when I finally had to strip down the old yellow Pearson bike and throw away the frame.



I was having a general clear out so the futon and the snooker table became kindling, masses of books, toys and remote control cars headed for the charity shop and the shed was cleared. The faithful old bike suffered terminal damage last year after hitting a pothole in Epsom. A big section of the frame snapped off and basically that was that. It's been in the shed ever since. I did look into a repair but was told it would cost more than building a new frame, having hung onto the bike for such a long time I decided enough was enough. The Campag components were stripped off and the frame set to the tip. As you can see in the picture we had a brief moment together before we parted.

Fiona goes over to the dark side

First entrant to the photo competition. Fiona writes: Not the best photo! The sun was shining and hence the mud was minimal..u can see how dry and sandy terrain was and the clear view of the south downs in the background. The best bit was tha I could 'parade' my personalised dark Oakley J bones. Much to the envy of my friends.

And the dark side? Is it the lighting, the kit......or is that a mountain bike I see.

Photograph that kit

As the weather gets colder I find myself discovering more and more old bits of Optician Ironman Team and Transitions Swedish Bike Ride team kit.


Along with the commute my kit also gets an outing most weekends. This Sunday son #2 and I took a spin up to the top of Box Hill, nice and early, so we could return to a fry up and the Rugby. The pictures don't really do it justice but you get the basic idea of a sea of mist in the valley with islands of land poking out. Plus the Transitions kit.



As a diversion during the winter interregnum I thought we could have a little SBR kit photographic competition. Where are some of the most extreme, exotic or beautiful, muddy, wet places your kit has been? Send in a photo and I'll put them on the blog.



Winners can claim a slot in the yet-to-be-announced Optician two minute questionnaire inside back page feature.

The chain gang part II

I have come to see chain problems as a bad omen. Shortly after my beloved yellow steel Pearson bike snapped a chain the whole frame gave up the ghost. Last night my blue aluminium Pearson developed chain problems, just a frozen link to start with, but I managed escalate the problem to include not only a chain that was too short but a broken chain tool as well.
There was lots of oil and angst around last night in the Bennett household. I will re-size the chain, or replace it, and hope for the best.

Closed season is upon us

Happy days running in the sun

I was hoping to show off some gruesome pictures of my post operative knee (I had an arthroscopy in early August) but there was very little to see really, just a bit swollen. When the dressing finally came off you could barely see the incisions. Then it was holiday time and now the knee is pretty much back to normal. I'll have to see what the physio says later today.
I am trying my very best not to do too much too soon ( the main problem with this procedure apparently) but with a couple of turbo session under my belt and three good rides and nothing to report, fingers crossed, I think I may be OK. Running and swimming can wait a little longer.

Thoughts can now turn to next year's event and how it might be organised. I have already been contacted by ex members of the original Optician Ironman Team but linking in with a wider industry group proved very successful this year so may be the way to go again in 2012.
The big question of course is the challenge. Flat, hilly, mountainous, a bike ride , triathlon or what???

In the meantime I can rest my knee, I don't think so. The Crawley late summer triathlon is already on the horizon.

Any thoughts for events, team membership or anything else, on an ( electronic) poscard please.