Ch-ch-ch-changes!

No, I'm afraid this isn't a David Bowie based post. I figured I'd just rip off his song title to illustrate the ch-ch-ch-changes (sorry) I've made to my new bike.

The beautiful original cream tyres on my Gazelle were, well, past it. Cracked, dusty and tired there was no way I was going to risk going on an adventure without immediately replacing them. After all, I didn't want to be riding a death trap.

I wanted to replace the old tyres but if possible keep the cream colour as they look lovely against the dark green frame. With the Gazelle being my first vintage bicycle I had no idea where to start looking for replacement tyres, as Tamworth isn't the sort of town to cater for the more traditional bike.

As a regular reader of Lovely Bicycle!, cream tyres feature a lot on Velouria's blog, and Schwalbe Delta Cruisers seem to be the tyre of choice. A quick search on the web confirmed that I could get them in the UK at a reasonable price, so what was I waiting for?

Mucky pup...

Ahem. The cream tyres may be a problem to keep clean - maybe I should've opted for black after all?



Chillin' at the castle

See! You can't even see the dirt from far away!

I made the decision to take the front rack off the bike, which to me, did nothing for the overall look of the Gazelle. Without it, it feels less cluttered and the bike is 100 times more gorgeous, not that it wasn't before mind you! The rear rack is more than enough for me and what I carry, although I may have to get some funky bungee straps to aid with my more bulky cargo.

When I bought the bike the dynamo light was totally knackered so it had to go. I'd like to replace it when I have the time but I need to do a bit of research to see if I can use the original light with a new dynamo set and how best to fit it to the bike.



Wheeeeeee!

So, those are the little changes that have been made to my bike so far and I'm quite pleased! What do you think?

Oh, go on then. Here's some David Bowie.

What?!

The other day I stopped off at the supermarket on my way home from work, locked up the Gazelle and popped in to grab a few bits. Back outside, as I attached the pannier to my bike I noticed a group of young girls on their bmx bikes watching me getting myself ready to head home - feel free to use the picture below as a visual aid. Honestly... this was them.



Yeah, but no, but... what you lookin' at?



Intimidating? Uhh, yes!

As I cycled away I overheard one of the girls comment, "Why would you wanna ride that?"

Forgive me if I'm being stupid, but wtf? Why would I want to ride a bicycle? The girl on a bike really did ask that question. God, I need to get out of this town.

Okay, okay, I'll cut her some slack. The more I thought about this comment from Sharron* she can't have actually meant what I thought she meant, can she? I mean, its fairly obvious why someone would ride a bike. It keeps you fit and healthy and above anything else it's great fun! OH! Sharron must have meant the style of bicycle i.e. upright, traditional and darn beautiful.

It is a fact that 50% of bicycles in Tamworth are of the mountain variety, and the other 50% are bmx bikes. So to 'fit in' in this town should I have opted for a bike that I already own or a bike that I can do sweet jumps on? Well neither, thankyouverymuch.

I'll happily stick to my fabulous new bicycle and hope that I can inspire other ladies in this town to follow suit and see that traditional is not something to be scoffed at.

(*Name has been changed to protect identity)

Gazelle Implala

Oh my goodness, it's been an age sice I last posted. The nights are drawing in and winter is definitely on it's way. But...

 

I'd like to introduce you to my new bicycle! She's a 1975 Gazelle Impala, a bicycle make that I'd only really heard of through Lovely Bicycle! Isn't she a beauty?

As you might know, I'd been dreaming of getting a traditional bicycle for such long time and had been saving hard all summer but with one thing and another I never actually got round to buying one. Looking for cheap books on ebay I found myself once again dreaming about bicycles and typed 'vintage bicycles' into the search bar. There were loads! After an age of searching and a failed bid on a vintage Raleigh I found the bike that would be mine. With my heart racing through the bids I was soon the proud owner of a vintage Gazelle, and at a bargain price to boot! 

Since getting her I had to replace her original cream tyres with some new Schwalbe Delta Cruisers, which I hope will last for years to come, only because I'm a very lazy bike owner. 

I never imagined that I'd find a bicycle on ebay after I had my heart set on a new Pashley, but I would definitely recommend it for those of you that are on a budget. There are some real gems out there, but be prepared to search hard for the right bike for you. I think myself lucky in finding a beautiful bike in such great nick.

So, would you consider buying a vintage bicycle on the internet over a brand new one?

If so, happy bidding and good luck!

A beautiful day for a bike ride!

Having the day off today I decided to make the most of this fab weather and go for a spin on my bike. I headed out of Tamworth towards Wigginton on a ride that I do a lot with Kellie, but as she's sunning it up abroad this week, I'm on my tod.

Please excuse my pasty whites

Look at this lovely house for sale, shame it's just out of our price range.

HELLO! I just love these yellow gates on Sunnyside Farm.

These pots are lovely aren't they?

Wigginton Manor.

Eye eye.

*Thhhuuuuptt*

With schools off for Whit Week I thought I might have seen more families out and about on their bikes, sadly no. I did see (and was overtaken by) a few lycra clad gents on their road bikes, I tried to keep up but couldn't be bothered didn't want to miss any of the view.

Look at all these broad beans! The field went on for ages

and potatoes! Lots and lots of potatoes - I hope they'll be sold at our farm shop when they're ready.

Canal in Fisherwick

 Packington pig

Poppies

What a feast for the eyes! I'm now sporting a rockin' farmers tan on my arms, ending just below my elbows. Where did the sunshine take you today?

The sweetest thing

"When can we go out for our next bike ride, Daddy?"





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I overheard a little girl asking her dad this as I cycled past them. How sweet?! What's the sweetest thing you've overheard whilst out on your bicycle?

My dilemma

I'm not sure how I happened upon Dottie and Trisha's bicycle blog, Let's Go Ride A Bike, but it is a place that I am always more than happy to visit. I've cycled, mainly for fun, for a lot of my life but it was here that I realised that cycling is more than just a sport and a bicycle is more than just a piece of equipment. Bikes can be used to get to and from work, carry your groceries home from the shops and cycling can be another mode of transport aside from the car or bus. It sounds silly but I never thought about using my bike for this everyday stuff as I more or less used the car to do these things.

It was only when I started reading bicycle blogs that I realised I too wanted to use my bicycle for more than a bike ride every now and again. I'm nowhere near the stage where I'll be car free, although sometimes I wish we were, but for shopping trips and getting to work (except for those 'orrible night shifts) I do want to use the car less.

Now, my poor bike is really feeling his age - I've been using him a lot lately and he's developing a different squeak every day. I think the road to (semi) retirement is getting closer for my dear Marin and a new bicycle to keep him company in the garage is just what he needs. Well, to be honest I've been after a new bike for ages and now seems to be the right time to do it.

When I first started looking for a new bicycle, I immediately fell in love with the Pashley Princess. Handbuilt in Stratford-upon-Avon since 1926, she's quintessentially English (a very odd thing for a Welsh girl to want!) and extremely elegant. Miss Sarah at Girls and Bicycles, another great bike blog, has put together some fab information about her experiences with her Pashley in her posts, Pashley 101, Pashley 201 and Pashley 202.




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  The Pashley really is a beautiful bike... Miss Sarah sells it well.

But! The more I read about Dottie's Workcycles Azor Oma, I'm in love!





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She seems more solidly built than Pashley, if you know what I mean, but just as pretty! Dottie has a thorough review and lots of beautiful pictures of Oma, so you can see why she's on my wish list.

Then I discovered the Velorbis Dannebrog through another review by Dottie (she's a busy girl)



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Isn't she's pretty in red? I want to try her out too.

My head hurts. There's too much choice - what is a girl to do? Truth be told, I think I've fallen for the Pashley. My first crush is hard to beat so I need to get me a sweet test ride from one of my local bike shops and take it from there!

Which one would you go for?!

Milestone

I want to break into song! My bike computer broke the 500 mile mark whilst I was out on my bike ride the other evening! Woohoo!

Even though I've had my bike for years, I only bought my computer towards the end of last year so I'm really chuffed with how far my little legs have taken me!

So ladies and gentlemen, in honour of my mini milestone, I give you The Proclaimers...



Bless their strawberry blonde, bespectacled faces. This is one tune I will most definitely be humming on my next bike ride!

It had to happen

I got my first puncture in about 10 years on the way home from my bike ride a couple of nights ago.

This...

...is what caused me to get a flat a mile from home. Do you see the white dot in the middle of my tyre? Doesn't it look innocent?

Thinking I'd cycled over some glass, imagine my horror when I found the King Kong of thorns protruding through my tyre.

I hoped my patch job would be enough to get me through my bike ride this evening...

Me and my tyre made it home in one piece!

Bike Ride Treat

After spending all day cooped up inside at work, I was so excited to have had a bike ride planned in with Kellie this for evening. The weather has been wonderful all day which teased me no end and it also made work extremely quiet - nobody in their right mind would want to sit in a dark room and watch films when the sun has come out play!

Kellie met me from work and we headed up the canal to Polesworth. There were loads of people out on their boats and even more people enjoying the beer gardens along the way. We passed by Pooley Farm and after a quick history lesson I discovered this beautiful house was once owned Edwin Starr - thank you Mrs Croft, your lessons are the best!




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How pretty is that? I know, and right on my doorstep!
We got off the canal and cycled through Polesworth and headed for Twycross, through some amazing countryside. Now, Tamworth isn't the most picturesque of places but hop on a bike and cycle five minutes out of the town centre and you will find the prettiest villages.

On our cycling travels we saw flamingoes. Yes, you heard it right, flamingoes! Twycross Zoo was on our route and the bird enclosure can be seen from the road. Next time I'll bring my camera for some action shots.

So after about 19 miles of struggling cycling I finally got back home, devoured my dinner and in honour of this post by Dottie from Let's Go Ride A Bike, I had a cupcake. These things just have to be done.

Happy cycling!

Hello. My name is Emma...

...and I'm a bike perv.

There, I said it. I feel I ought to be straight with you from the very start - it is only fair. I also love baking and sweet holidays, but there's more of that to come.



Argh! Check out the lycra cycling shorts! They're long gone thank the lord, but my old bike still remains. My beloved Marin Palisades Trail bought from Beics Betws after many, many months of hard saving from my Saturday job working in the local fruit and veg shop.

I love that bike, but I feel the time has now come to get a new one. After 17 years I'm still quite attached to him to say farewell, so for now he stays put. So, the saving has started from my full time job to get me a beautiful new bike. Oh the choice!