Rothera Cycling Caps

I came across Rothera after reading a great feature about Gary Rother over on Headset Press, and their comprehensive and endorsing review inspired me to order my own cap. Now, after a few weeks of using the cap in some very wet and very cold conditions I couldn't be happier with it.

All Rothera caps are handmade to order by Gary so there is the opportunity to customise exisiting models or have a completely different version. I wanted the functionality of their winter cap, which is fleece lined but liked the look of the Sweney model. The caps are water resistant as standard and made from a quick drying, breathable material. So if you get caught in the rain on the ride to work it's not going to be soggy when you put the cap on to go home. A definite bonus when wearing one in the rainy autumn days of Britain.

The quality of these caps is obvious when you first get hold of one, and at a price of $48 including the delivery I think it's great value seeing as how often it will get used. It's also always nice to support the guys that are doing things themselves and the level of customisation is great, showing the benefit of dealing with small companies.

The Discerning Cyclist

Another great cycling site is thediscerningcyclist.co.uk, full of great reviews of stylish cycling gear alongside some very cool illustrations. Sharing a desire to highlight quality clothing to ride in, the site does not just focus on cycling specific gear. Definitely worth a read or just browsing to check out the great illustrations and pick up some ideas.

Autumn delight

On a sunny day, Autumn is my favourite season to ride in. Warm enough to not freeze and not so warm that you end up dripping in swear. Cycling every where also gives you the chance to fully appreciate the colours of the season.

Woodguards - the elusive beautiful mudguards

I've been eyeing up a pair of wooden mudguards for a while now, especially at this time of year when the weather is less than kind to us. The guys at Woodguards make beautiful examples, made from reclaimed timber and brightly coloured formica. Each pair are handmade in Edinburgh by former furniture makers whose skills can be seen in the attention to detail and finishing of the mudguards.

At a cost of £142 they are definitely, as they say, for your best bike. You can buy them through their site or through Freshtripe.

The beautiful photography is supplied by Stuart McClay

I've been rubbish

An apology to anyone reading this (does anyone really read it?). I haven't written any new stuff in a long time, mainly because my time has been taken up with other projects and I didn't have the time to write about what has turned out to be an amazing summer for cycling, in Britain anyway.

The main reason I've been away has been the organising and training I did for the Ride to Weymouth. This was a 162 mile ride from Birmingham to Weymouth in memory of my brother. The ride was a great success and so far we've raised over £3,000 for Lifeblood (donations still greatly appreciated!).

So now I'm back, will try and post a bit more regularly. Oh and the last post I wrote about the evolution of my bikes, well it didn't take long for me to turn my red bike green, really happy with how it looks now. It did me well all the way down to Weymouth too.

&bike magazine

Dreamt up by two journalists who love cycling in all it's many guises, &Bike is a great new addition to the online cycling world. As you would imagine the writing is top notch, witty, informed and playful with the articles being accompanied by great photography.

Articles so far have ranged from the role of  and renaissance of British steel, to the Bicycle Style Police (BSP) keeping an ironic eye on your cycling gear. I'm still relatively new to the world of cycling and love reading about all the different ways people use their bikes and the adventures they get up to. In many ways it's similar to Boneshaker in it's approach to writing about the world of cycling without having to focus on the pro side of things or which carbon frameset you should ride.

At the moment they just have an online presence but are considering writing a magazine, the weekly Sunday Read is a nice touch and I'm sure will be the perfect read in front of the fire after a cold, wet and windy wintery ride.

You can read more on their site, facebook page and twitter feed.