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Journeys
July 8, 2016
jour·ney (jûr′nē) n. pl. jour·neys The act of traveling from one place to another, especially when involving a considerable distance; a trip. A distance to be traveled or the time required for a trip: a 2,000-mile journey to the Pacific; the three-day journey home. A process or course likened to traveling, such as a series of trying experiences; a passage: the journey from addiction to recovery.
Tags: journeys
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Adventure Cycle Touring
July 8, 2016
Before cycle touring, I’d done a lot of mountain biking day trips but the first time I did a multi-day “adventure” trip was in Scotland in 2006. The trip turned out to be a big challenge, but it sowed the seeds of later ideas about “travelling by bike”. Bicycle touring - a definition A bicycle tour is when you decide you are going out on your bike but instead of looping back you stop somewhere and then the next day you cycle a bit more.
Tags: cycle-touring
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A reflection on ‘The Bicycle Diaries’ by David Byrne
July 3, 2016
Originally posted on Slowquest in 2011. David Byrne’s primary mode of city transport during his career as a musician and artist is a bicycle. In a conversational style, Byrne talks about his observations whilst riding his bike. On a podcast of ‘the Bike Show’ on Resonance FM, there was a feature on how when you cycle, your brain is in an alpha-wave state. Your conscious and unconscious minds are slightly better linked and thoughts are more easily able to bubble over from one to the other.
Tags: Bicycle DiariesDavid BrynePsychogeographyBookBook Review
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16 reasons you might enjoy reading about my Cycle Touring Adventure in Europe - Weave of the Ride
July 2, 2016
Weave of the Ride is a book I wrote about cycling from England to the Caucasus between 2007 and 2008. It is a tale of wanting to make a change and have an adventure. Do you want to read about beautiful but unusual places, unique experiences and freedom and how to discover these things yourself? If so read on about Weave of the Ride. It is the story of going from one lifestyle to another.
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Surly Long Haul Trucker Adventure Touring Bike Review
July 1, 2016
I recently visited Oakham Cycles to test ride the Surly Long Haul Trucker. I wanted to check it out because it is a go-to bike, good value, used and recommended by many for adventure cycle touring. Having always built and ridden my own bikes based on mountain bike frames and with the abundance of specific adventure touring bikes now available I wanted to compare the bike considered to be the benchmark to other bikes I’ve ridden.
Tags: Adventure touring bikeLong haul truckerSurlyReviewBike
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Ways to Make a Protest More Effective
June 30, 2016
Whilst studying at Goldsmiths in 2011 I did a project where I was looking at how protests usually work and thinking about how to make them more effective. More Noise Instruments, drums, speaker systems. No pop music is allowed though as pop music is usually made in order to be a commodity and be sold which is not in the spirit of a protest. A protest is more about collective unity and expression, not profit.
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Coast HL27 Headlamp Review for Night Running, Hiking, Mountain Biking with Adjustable Zoom / Dim
June 21, 2016
You might be more likely to find this headlamp in a hardware store than an outdoor shop. However, this lamp ticks many of the boxes in the search for my ideal headlamp. Are you looking for a headlamp for night running, hiking or mountain biking that is good value, rugged and has an adjustable brightness and zoom? The Coast HL27 might be for you. The Company Coast started off producing knives for filleting salmon in Portland Oregon.
Tags: HikingBikingLampLightHeadlampHl27CoastRunningMountain bikingheadlight
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List of adventure, expedition and bike packing bikes 2016
June 1, 2016
I recently came across an excellent resource on cyclingabout.com. It is amazing the level of research that has gone into the list. The number of companies offering bespoke touring bikes is mind boggling. This is why I’ve been through the list and picked out the ones that appeal to me. I’m on the search for a new adventure bike. I recently tested a Surly Long Haul Trucker. It is a great bike.
Tags: Adventure cyclingTrekking bikeExpedition bikeTouring bikeMountain bikingCyclingBike
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What defines a life well lived?
May 26, 2016
If you asked someone “Define a life well lived”, how would they respond? Possible responses may include: Having as much fun as possible Plenty of good memories Comfortable material situation Well travelled Well read Leaving a legacy for family, for all humanity Taking each in turn. Having as much fun as possible Fun is when you feel happy in a sustained way. Fun is about activity. Activity that produces feelings of happiness.
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How to Build a Decent Mountain Bike for £410.93
May 3, 2016
Update Summer 2017 Upgraded the bike with a Brand X Dropper post. Update October 2016 After riding weekly with local club Wakerley Wheelers, the bike worked great. Upgrades I’ve made have included: a rear mech with a clutch system and a chain device. The chain had a tendency to fall off so these are the modifications I’ve made to fix it. I like to build bikes. However, after finishing one bike, I always have a few parts left over.
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A Writing Manifesto to Keep the Words Flowing
May 3, 2016
Get up early in the morning to write. 6 am and earlier. I tried writing late at night and got into a counter-productive routine of falling asleep at 10.30 pm, waking up at 2 am and working for a couple of hours. That could be your ideal routine but I’ve found the morning to be best for me. Give yourself the chance to write the ‘rubbish first draft’.
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Transboundary Mountain Bike Trail in the Caucasus
April 25, 2016
I wrote this doc in 2014 and took it round to a bunch of NGOs in Tbilisi with the aim to getting some assistance to build it. Friend Tom Allen is currently travelling to the Caucasus to create a hiking trail so thought I would put it out there as part of the awareness raising about the benefit of these kinds of projects. Note that mountain bike trails are generally different from hiking trails.
Tags: TrailMountain biking