Nice view from up here

Despite the cold and damp I was woken early on Saturday by son #2 to get up and out on the bike. The weather didn't look too clever but it wasn't actually raining so on went the porrige and out came the bikes. It's been a while since we've had a decent weekend morning ride so despite the rain ( yes it began raining just as we set off) so off we set hopes high and eyes peeled for potholes.
It was pretty cold but not bad and, as usual, we ended at the top of Box Hill. We made our way to the vantage point but it wasn't the best day for a view as you can see from the picture.
The roads were so badly pot-holed on the way back I decided on Saturday afternoon to take the Mavic Ksyrium elite race wheels off the good bike and put on some old ones. The tyre was sooooo tight on the wheel I didn't think it was going to go on but I huffed and puffed, knackered both thumbs and finally got it on. As soon as I Pumped it up and it went down. Now I'm a patient man so I changed it again.
I'm not too sure what was going on but I had to change the tyre and tube three times, each time I changed the tyre and innertube it was punctured. One was a dodgy valve and the next two had a hole??? I checked and checked but couldn't see anything in the tyre or wheel so if its punctured again tonight the tyre might end up in the bin. Life's too short, and I'm not as patient as I thought I was.

Gold!...always believing....

Tony Hadley ( lead singer Spandau ballet) worked for Reed Business Information ( Optician's parent ) once you know. I think he sold recruitment advertising on Computer Weekly or something equally riveting.
Of course that was back in the 1980s when he wouldn't have benefited from decent cycling eyewear or Transitions Gold lenses. Perhaps one of the reasons Tour de France was released by Kraftwerk?
After taking delivery of my nannini Swing Modual 4 frames with Transitions Gold lenses ( see previous post) I finally got to try them out today.
Although this isn't the most flattering photo I have ever taken of myself I thought I would share it with you to show off the lens in the field.
The frame lens combo actually works very well. The frame has a close wrap, ideal for my petite head, and the lens, admitted thick at the edge, was excellent for a murky day in January. No light spilled over the top and the frame feels balanced.
The light enhancement works well and once the sun starts to shine the lens does take on a deeper colour and keep the glare down. I was most impressed by the anti-mist quality of the lens. This may be because it's new. Experience shows that once you have cleaned a lens it is never quite as mist-free as a lab cleaned lens.
This could have been down to the airgap that is built into the design or the coating.

This ventillation is something other makers ( see Evil Eye post) spend a lot of time on so the nannini approach by contarst is quite neat. Either way it worked.

Lens anorak gets new sports frame

Norville recently sent me the results of a project it has been working on to provide Rx lenses for the nannini Swing sports frame. The project may not result in a product for sale but the results are interesting from an optical lens manufacturing proint of view. Having been given the opportunity to try the results I thought I would share my good fortune and give my view.

The manufacture of sports lenses for the swing frame requires notching at both sides and reccessing around the top edge of the lens to allow it to sit inside the frame with what looks like an intentional ventillation gap.
The result of Norville's work is a pleasing, if somewhat 'engineered' look which provides a kind of Caterham 7 rather than Audi TT appeal to lovers of sports eyewear. Swapping the lenses was surprisingly simple despite the technical look.
I've been itching to get out on the bike to try the frame and when the sun finally shone on Sunday I found the frame and the original (brown) sun lenses to be effective. The gap above the frame helps air flow through helping to keep the lenses mist free on cold days.
Further intrigue followed at the weekedn when some yellow lenses arrived in the post ready to pop into the frame. The accompanying letter explained that the lenses were Transitions Gold and the first to be prescription sports glazed in Europe. Unactivated they have a yellow/gold tint and the compensated Rx glazed in makes them very easy to wear, they are very light enhancing,. Not too sure what they will transition into though.


Physically they form a snugger fit to the frame than the sun lenses while still leaving a small airgap so they should perform the same on the anti-fog front.
These look like the kind of lenses you would want to wear on a dull misty day. I don't think I will have to wait so long for one of those as I did for a sunny day. When I have tested them in anger on the bike I will report back.

Happy New Year

I have a confession to make. I wanted to show you a picture of me out on the road bike with the snow in the background. Sad to say I had a long rest over Christmas while the worst of the snow was still around (probably not a bad thing - my knee can recover). When I finally did get to go out it was so cold that I had to give my new lobster gloves to my son to stop his hands freezing. Taking photos didn't seem appropriate.
So you will have to make do with a pic of my garden covered in the white stuff. Sadly it's nearly all gone...... but there's more on the way.
I'll have to get the turbo trainer out of the garage.

Happy New year.