STUFFE

THE BEST CYCLING PICTURE EVER, CONTINUED
I have no idea what the story behind this shot is, or was, but no one can deny that this guy has it going on. Chopper bike, checked trews, and a lady looking on admiringly.

That's HOW I ROLL, BABY. (He might be saying).

(Found on Bike Hugger, original image from the Smithsonian)

HEART ON YOUR SLEEVE - AND CHEST
Of course, the sun has disappeared the very instant I began to think of these, but Howies have a stylish "Vive Le Tour" t-shirt as their t-shirt of the week.

Also worthy of note, and not so time limited, are Brian Opsal's lovely cycling inspired shirts, including this Bernard Hinault inspired number, and (perhaps for Lamby) this Pantani shirt.

And of course, no round up of bike shirts would be complete without the artwork of Richard Mitchelson, whose "Tete De La Course" series are really nice. (Series 1, Series 2)

Urban Cyclists could do a lot worse than check out City Cycling's Red Bubble store, which does include some pro-cycling shirts, one of which is a Maillot Pois (Polka Dot) shirt subtle enough to not write cheques your legs may not be able to cash...

HOW TO EMAIL
Nedroid Picture Diary has some invaluable advice.

ISO TRUSS FRAMES
Cozy Beehive blog looks at these unusual Carbon Fibre frames. in this post.

VELO ORANGE
They've updated about their "Grand Cru" cranks, in this post. One paragrpah caught my eye in particular;

I do apologize for being out of so many items. The super busy spring season really cleaned us out and we've once again seen growth beyond what I'd anticipated and planned for. The good news is that we should have two containers of products, including several new items, sailing in July.

In some ways, that's a pain, after all, we all want our stuff. But looking at it another way, a company like Velo Orange, who make nice things that they care about making well, is so successful that they (briefly) can't meet demand - that has to be a good thing, and more power, and more success, to them.

SHUTT & ALWAYS RIDING
It's also good to see nice chaps, and manufacturers of top quality gear Shutt Velo Rapide going from strength to strength - their latest venture is a tie in with Always Riding;

Shutt Velo Rapide, UK manufacturer of fine handmade Sportwool™ jerseys, has today teamed up with online e-tailor Alwaysriding.co.uk to create a new range of cycling jerseys inspired by the heyday of British Motor Sport.

BING MAPS TOUR DE FRANCE APPLICATION
Podium Café has an article about this, which will include commentary from Podium Café on the stages. Click a stage in the sidebar to see the route map and profile - move your cursor along the profile to see a rider follow the route. The application also includes weather forecasts for the stages!

It's better seen than described, so click here to check it out, it's very impressive.

SCIENCE OF SPORT TOUR DE FRANCE ROUND UP
If you don't already read the Science of Sport blog, it's well worth a look. They're looking forward to the tour like most cycling fans, and they've collected some relevant prior posts, and some new commentary here - do add them to your rss feeds if you're following the tour this year.

CYCLOCOSM
A single heading for two good posts, first a bit of pre-tour talk, including a look at the "Radioshack won't start" rumours, and an interesting snippet on pre-tour coverage in the US;

I’m sick of the sad-music-for-Lance, evil-music-for-Contador recaps of last year, the LA vs. AC previews...

Which struck me as a bizarre spin on things from the broadcasters, given that a lot of the acrimony and division in the Astana camp last year seemed to stem from the Armstrong camp either not supporting, or lending only half hearted support to Bert as the self evidently stronger rider.

Cosmo also looks at the rules related to bunch sprints in this post, unpicking what the UCI says about what it's ok to do, and not do in the race for the line.

LE TOUR DES VINS
For a different look at the Tour De France, you could do a lot worse than Jack Thurston's "Tour Des Vins de France", a meander through the tour's stages sampling hop and grape. Mrs. Monkey has personally approved this approach to the tour, and is following Jack's articles with great interest.

WOMEN'S CYCLING
Podium Café have an interesting round up of the field for the Giro Donne, which runs from 2nd to the 11th of July. It's a treasure trove of links, related to the Giro Donne in particular, and women's cycling in general - have your bookmarks folder open when reading it.

INFOGRAPHICS
Information is Beautiful looks at the work of "Always with Honour", a duo you may not have heard of, but whose work you'll almost certainly recognise if you're a fan of Good Magazine's "Transparency" features.

Also well worth a look is this FIFA player value infographic, examined by Flowing Data - what would you do to improve it?

CHAPEAU
To Karl on Sea, who completed his Ironman triathlon. You can read his race report on his blog, and still sponsor him (a surer proposition now, if you were wavering, as you know he's completed the race) here. Monies will be going to Macmillan Cancer Support, an excellent charity that provides practical, medical, emotional and financial support to people affected by cancer, and advocates for better cancer care.

Shutt Velo Rapide Shorts - Review

FIRST THINGS FIRST
My "first look" at the Shutt VR Standard bib shorts is here. It's probably worth reiterating that I paid for them, and got no discount or special treatment you couldn't get yourself (see the "First Look" post for full details).

THE PREAMBLE
A couple of weekends ago now, the weather finally cleared enough for sane people to consider doing their morning rides in shorts. Having let my Shutt standards sit in the wardrobe for a couple of weeks since purchase (I was back in 3/4s, as it had mostly been perishingly cold) I was keen to give them a proper test, and decided on my favourite 60 mile route as the ideal first run.

Since then, I've also worn the shorts for a commute, and this review is based on those experiences.

WORN
Pulling on the shorts, two things are immediately apparent. The first is the quality of the lycra they're made out of - it's a nice, satin touch material, not the wet feeling shiny stuff we're used to in cheap shorts.

The second thing is the length, or rather, the shortness of the leg. I have to say, I like this. we will talk of it more, but Mrs Monkey (not given to flattery) remarked that it was a very fetching look, and I approved too.

Once the bib is donned, another thought springs to mind, and that's that the sizing is small-ish. At this point, I'm not overly concerned - all bib shorts work best when in the "on bike" position rather than stood up straight.

RIDDEN
One thing is apparent as soon as I set off, and that's that that nice cushy pad we discussed in the "First Look" at these shorts isn't all show in any way. The Pro-Logo Nago PAS saddle is a stern challenge to any pair of shorts, and the ShuttVR standard's pad does a great job of taming it. It's not a complete job, but the Shutt standard bought me some time in the saddle feeling mostly comfortable that my other shorts haven't.

The length (or shortness) of the leg is another thing that you notice too. The closest thing I can think of to this is the experience of wearing white trainers - there's a period where you're constantly catching sight of your feet, and for a split second thinking "GOOD GOD!" and then remembering what they are. This is how you will feel about your thighs for a little while in the Shutt Standards. Rest assured, it's a good look, trust Mrs Monkey.

Unfortunately, the smaller sizing became apparent as well - I think, for my next pair, I'll go with a size XL. In my case, the size L is near, but the bib isn't quite long enough for me. As a result, I ended up with some of that lovely padding in an area that, let's say, did not require it, and some adjustment was needed from time to time to relocate the pad. Oddly, this was more apparent on the commuting ride (I guess because the ride is more stop/start, and my position on the saddle changes more) than on my 60 miler.

I must also mention the mesh back and straps - I was surprised at how much difference this makes to long ride comfort. It was hot on the 60 mile ride, and my Nalini shorts would have been pretty hot & sweaty at the back. The mesh of the Shutt Standards did a great job of dispersing this heat and sweat.

IN SUMMARY
The best shorts I've ridden in so far, and better than anything else I've found in the price range. For £29 plus postage, you get a really comfortable pair of shorts at a price equivalent to pairs with less comfortable pads, less comfortable lycra, and lacking nice features like the mesh back and straps of the Shutt standard.

Be aware of the short leg (to avoid a stripey bike tan, don't start wearing them mid season if you've previously worn longer shorts ;-)) and the smallish sizing (think dhb sizes, which run small too).

VITAL STATISTICS
I am 6'2" tall, 33" leg (pants inseam) and have a 32" waist.

The shorts reviewed are the Shutt VR Standard bibshorts, in size L.

You can read my "First Look" at the shorts (with pictures of the pad &c) here.

STUFFE

BICYCLE DELIVERY - MATTRESS
Where else but Portland? You get a discount if you arrive by bike, and can have the mattress delivered by bicycle too. That's a hell of a trailer. (From Utility Cycling).

Also from Utility Cycling is this primer on running errands by bike.

JOSEPH ADOLPHE
Lines and Colors has a piece on this artist. At first sight, the portraiture looks fairly conventional, until you see the underlying patterns and textures. I love his pen and ink illustration in particular.

SHUTT SUMMER RANGE
There have been sneak peeks floating about of this range, but it was officially launched yesterday.

I've banged on about the benefits of sportwool previously - the jerseys are well priced, the material is sourced in the UK, and the jerseys are made here too. The red "ringer" club jersey is very smart in particular.

AIOTM! (aitom!)
It's back. Richard Herring's "As It Occurs to Me", a weekly comedy show/podcast returns for a second season this week. You can find the podcast here. (Bear in mind that it's usually *VERY* sweary & occasionally pushes the boundaries of taste - if you can handle that, its very funny though).

The show is based around what's happened to the cast over the previous week, and goes out unedited - last season was fantastic, with Richard's evident panic at writing a show's worth of new material every week becoming hilariously more evident as the season wore on. It's also probably the only outlet for Emma Kennedy's many stories about pooing in buckets (see season 1). If you're in London, you can see the show being recorded (as well as some extra material before the recording, if I remember right) at the Leicester Square Theatre, the link for tickets is here.

FUN?
Mikael at Copenhagenize set the cat among the pigeons with some of his periodic po-facedness recently. Fun? Ride your bicycle because it is EFFICIENT. Karl on Sea responds in this piece.

MOTIVATION
Doesn't everyone need a little Pascal now and then? (From cyclocosm).

MONKEY TRAIL
Nothing to do with me, but knobbly tyred types might enjoy this write up of the new trail at Cannock, from Redbikes.

STUFFE

LE VELO
My French isn't really up to making much of the lyrics, but I love this video and the tune. It's by Eddy la Gooyatsh, and the video even features a cameo by Richard Virenque. Eddy's album "Chaud", from which this track comes is available on eMusic.

GET IN SHAPE
This post from tredz make me chuckle. Lots of sites are full of earnest advice about how to prepare for your first big cycling event. At tredz, they do things a bit differently...

THE GOOD NEWS...
Citycycling #58 is out today- read it here. It also doesn't feature anything by me.

...AND THE BAD NEWS
Issue 59 will be the last City Cycling. Anth explains why here.

Anth is one of the few people to read this blog, and has been kind enough to publish some of my writing in City Cycling, along with more talented and more reliable contributors.

City Cycling formed part of my education as a nascent bicycle commuter, filling the gaps experience had yet to fill, as well as giving me numerous laughs and pauses for thought. The magazine also was an early example of a publication catering to those not interested in yearly "Which £1000 bike" pieces - a bikeshow in pdf form, if you like. Anth can be rightly proud of what he's acheived in 5 years of publishing, I think.

THE RIDE JOURNAL #4
Issue 4 launches on 27th May 2010, and features a piece by Anth on grasstrack bicycle speedway. If you've not read "The Ride"before and wonder what it's about, issue 2 is available as a free download from their site here.

SHUTT VR
The nice chaps at Shutt have doubled the discount available to clubroom members to 10% - all you have to do is sign up at the clubroom page on their site. If you're thinking that you'd look and feel great in sportwool (and you're probably right) head for the clubroom here.

STUFFE

FIRST THINGS FIRST
A somewhat redundant bit here, as if you know about The Velocast, you already know about their new team kit. But on the offchance that you don't, John and Scott have teamed up with Shutt Velo Rapide and Rocket Fuel Style to offer a sportwool jersey and hand made cycling cap respectively.

Quite a lot of shows and forums do kit, and it tends to be nice, but usually fairly run of the mill synthetic jerseys. I'm quite excited to see Velocast going for something as nice as the Shutt jerseys - sportwool is a really practical fabric for cycling. Merino (its main constituent) doesn't stink the way synthetics do, and manages your temperature much better. (Sometimes riding in synthetic jerseys you'll be forever donning & removing gilets &c to try & stay comfortable - that just doesn't seem necessary with merino). It's pricey (although Shutt's prices tend not to be that much more than a decent quality polyester team jersey) but nothing else is quite like it. If you've never owned a merino / sportwool jersey, this offer is a good opportunity to pick one up & give it a whirl. If you have owned one, you'll know already of course.

The other thing you should be excited about is the people they're using - I've spoken about Shutt before, they're good at what they do, and take a pride in it (they also source and manufacture here in Britain). Rocket Fuel have a similar attitude to their work, and have done really nice bespoke caps for cycling teams, as well as offering a range "pret a porter".

There's a page showing the proposed designs, and information on how to express your interest here.

(Oh, and if you don't know about the Velocast, and have the slightest interest in cycling, you can find the podcast, which will make you happier than a cyclist with a garage full of bicycles, here).

THE BIKESHOW PODCAST
Another Monkey favourite returns this week, Resonance FM's "The Bike Show", presented by Jack Thurston. OwenP (whose blog you should be following, it's better than this one) reviewed The Bike Show as part of his round up of cycling podcasts. For me, the joy of the Bike Show is its coverage of different topics within cycling, from bike jumbles, to camping out to follow the Tour of Flanders, to pressing issues like LGV safety in the capital. Jack's a great presenter and interviewer, and his show is well worth listening to.

GIRO D'ITALIA
Cosmo has an interesting take on the action so far, in this piece "Maybe all Grand Tours Should Start in the Netherlands";

"in real-world wind tunnels, cycling’s as much about Spider Sense as anything else. Finding your way onto the right wheel; anticipating nervous moments and getting a good position before the battle starts; knowing which splits will take care of themselves and which you should bury yourself closing—these are the elements that get Grand Tour champions through the first week."

Time will tell, I guess, but my personal take is that the Giro's organisers have made these first stages a little too chaotic. Whilst I'm no fan of the sort of "freeway" racing we sometimes see, there has to be some kind of middle ground that leaves the riders less susceptible to caprice than stage 2 and 3 seemed to.

Cyclingnews has this round up of the favourites' performances, from the Gazzetta Dello Sport. I can't help thinking that they're fundamentally underestimating Sastre. One of his qualities is the way he creeps up the GC seemingly without anyone noticing - added to which, he seems a thoroughly nice bloke. Whilst that latter quality isn't something that matters too much in racing, it's a quality that's endeared him to this monkey - I hope to see him do well once the race hits the mountains.

I was also gutted for Christian VandeVelde, who's out of this year's Giro following a crash (fortunately not as nasty as last year's). There's more detail over at Team Garmin-Transitions' site. I can't help thinking that I should stop picking VdV for my fantasy Giro team, as I seem to be jinxing him.

Whilst there's been a degree of outrage about a certain Mr. Vinokourov getting into the Maglia Rosa, he has, at least, served the full ban he was given, and no one's made any exceptions to get him a pro-tour ride ahead of time. I'm not sure it's reasonable of us as fans to expect the returning rider to be repentant and penitent as a condition of allowing them to race.

Which isn't to say that I wouldn't rather have seen someone else in pink, but the way people have been talking, you'd think Vino had an EPO drip attached to his bike, or something.

Sort of on the topic of the Giro, I'm finding it very difficult to become enthused abotut he Tour of California, in this first year that it runs at the same time as the Giro. Maybe it's different for folk in the 'States, but it looks a bit second string compared to a race with as long a history as the Corsa Rosa - hopefully I can get into the swing of things once racing starts.

REMEMBER THE CLASSICS
Pavé blog has a nice round up of stuff that they didn't have chance to post in the spring.

Not sure I agree with him about the new "trend" in cycling photography - personally, I'd call that underexposed, although it's of a piece with the "hipstamatic" iPhone app in that it fetishises the limitations of poor lenses and expired film stock. The irony of the B&W shot is that black and white film is so forgiving of hamfistedness that you'd have to try hard to underexpose as far as the example pic seems to. Ilford's HP5+, a monkey favourite, has to be seriously mishandled, or poorly scanned to lose so much shadow detail - knowing that makes the new style seem terribly affected, somehow.

FLORIDIANS!
Bike Commuter blog has a worrying piece about some local legislation being proposed, HB971 into which a provision has been inserted;

"Unbeknownst to Florida Bicycle Association, a mandatory bike lane use provision was included in the Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles bill. The bill also allows local governments to permit mopeds, golf-carts and other motorized vehicles on sidewalks and trails."

the thought of being forced by law to use some of the poorly thought out, even more poorly maintained and downright dangerous strips of green paint that pass for cycle infrastructure in the UK fills me with dread - unless that in Florida bucks this trend, this is a worrying development. The article provides a link for concerned Florida cyclists to contact their governor on the issue.