Helen Pidd on the Raleigh Gran Sport

It's been a while since Helen Pidd has contributed a cycling review in the Guardian's Weekend magazine, although I haven't been buying it every week, so I might have missed one or two.

The Raleigh Gran Sport. Photo courtesy of The Guardian

This week, she's back with a review of the new Raleigh Gran Sport, a bike that reminds her of the first new bike she ever owned, a Raleigh racer.

Helen is one of those unfortunate people who suffer from the experience of joint birthday and Christmas presents. While my birthday is on 10 December, it's just far enough away from Christmas to avoid such a fate, although I'm sure my dad would have insisted on me having both a birthday and Christmas present, so in one sense I've always been lucky.

Helen's first new bike, however, was a dreaded joint present and when she took it down the local recreation ground she discovered that racing bikes were no longer the big fashion statement they used to be. All the kids were riding brightly coloured mountain bikes with lots of gears. Oh dear!

The problem for Helen, however, was that Raleigh makes virtually indestructable bikes so Helen was stuck with her out-of-date bike throughout the nineties when everybody else was riding mountain bikes. Still, you live and learn, Helen and hey, you did alright, here you are writing about bikes for a major national newspaper. It all turned good in the end, eh?

Helen Pidd much prefered the Trek Madone (above)

Anyway, the Raleigh Gran Sport reminds Helen of her first new bike, that old Raleigh racer, except that it doesn't really cut the mustard. While, she claims, 'hipsters' buy secondhand Raleighs these days for hundreds of pounds, she doesn't seem too impressed by the new version of her old racing bike. In fact, she makes an analogy with the Wonderbra, claiming that the bike, like the bra, "promises more than it can deliver."

Pidd says the Raleigh Gran Sport is 'a decidedly average bike' with an unresponsive steel frame and an unsatisfying ride. It was, she said, 'like trying to snog someone who won't properly kiss you back'. She wasn't happy with the metal pedal cages which, she said, scraped the ground whenever her feet weren't in properly (which was often in London traffic). The gear shifters were 'being deliberately difficult' – unlike the Trek Madone which she described as 'easy and pleasurable and similar to 'stroking a friendly cat'. Changing gear on the Gran Sport, however, was an effort.

While Pidd's original Raleigh was made in Nottingham, the new Gran Sport was constructed in South East Asia now that the company is Dutch-owned (since 2003). According to Helen, the company manufactures 850,000 bikes annually, but she reckons some of the quality of the old Nottingham-built bikes has been lost in translation. "Or am I just nostalgic for my youth?" she asks.

But Pidd still believes the Gran Sport is currently a trendy ride and that her ten-year-old self would have been happy about that.

For the original article by Helen Pidd, click here.

Rain stops play

It's not cold out there but it's wet so there won't be any cycling today. Andy's not going anyway as the bike is still in the repair shop. I think he gets it back today, but as I sit here in my conservatory I can hear the rain and see the droplets on the window, so a ride is out of the question. There is a rumour of snow on the way, I think on Monday, so hopefully there will be a ride tomorrow. I had planned on another urban ride to mum's to have breakfast, but that's now off the agenda and besides there are things to do today so it's just as well we're not going out.

And here's where I get my brake fixed. C&N Cycles, 32 Station Rd, Redhill.

My bike still has a non-existent rear brake and I really must sort it out, but taking it into the repair shop round here will mean no ride for me next weekend as I'll have to pick up the bike (a bit like Andy's current scenario). The ideal situation is to ride it to Redhill, put it into C&N Cycles and then ride it home again, but I need the motivation to do that as it means a lot of hassle. In fact, let's go through the hassles of riding to work:-

1. I'd have to press up a shirt and fold it up neatly so it can fit in my rucksack.
2. I'd have to take shower gel and a towel for showering on arrival.
3. The office shower, I'm told, is not working, meaning I'll have to go to the local leisure centre so I'll also need to take swimming trunks as I think the showers there are communal.
4. I'd have to take my bulky U-lock to lock up the bike outside of the leisure centre AND I'd have to remove the saddle to prevent it being nicked.
5. After showering I'd have to cycle back to the office.
6. Oh, I'd also have to take a pair of trousers in my rucksack to put on in the leisure centre.

What a hassle! Although I know one thing: I'd feel great. One day I'll do it and hopefully soon.

Actually, I think NoVisibleLycra should do another Redhill run as I've found a new route AND, virtually next door to C&N there's a new caff!

Botley in the fog

There's a certain irony to the fact that on Friday night I stayed up late watching John Carpenter's The Fog – and ended up not going cycling on Saturday morning – but was out on the bike Sunday IN THE FOG!

I didn't leave the house until almost 9am, meaning I returned close to 11am and had originally set out just to reach Warlingham Green, but once out in the air I was motivated to head for Botley Hill.

Botley Hill Farm in the fog, Sunday January 6th 2013

What was mildly annoying was the fact that my rear light had packed up, although I was unaware of this as I pedalled along the 269 hoping that the cars behind could see me – obviously they couldn't! It wasn't until I turned right into The Ridge that I noticed it and decided to head back to Botley Hill and then home along the 269 off-road.  I had been planning a round trip that would have taken me past the Golf Club, into Woldingham village and then up the rather punishing Slines Oak Road. Taking the off-road track that runs alongside the 269 is a risky business. It normally means I get a puncture, but fortunately I didn't get one. I say that now, but for all I know my tyre is flat as I write this at 1736hrs and I won't find out until next Saturday when I set out for the Green to meet Andy. Perhaps I'll check mid-week.

There was thick fog all the way to Botley and back and what amazed me was the motorists without their lights on. They must have thought: it's gone 9am, the streetlights ain't on, therefore why should mine be on? The answer is simple: because visibility is virtually nil! I was about to cross the 269 to reach the off-road path on the other side for my return trip and I'll be honest, I couldn't see ANY traffic coming my way, but hey! Just in the nick of time I saw a car coming towards me – no lights on – and had to put a spurt on to reach the other side without being hit.

With fog comes dampness and when I reached home I had to change before breakfast – which today consisted of fried mushrooms, onion and tomato on toast washed down with some jasmine tea, no milk! Lovely stuff!

Nothing but fog and sheep and no rear light so I headed back to Botley

I wish I'd gone out earlier, but I'm still feeling very lazy and subdued after Christmas. I had trouble getting through from Wednesday to Friday last week and while I had a late one on Friday (watching The Fog) I still managed to get nine hours sleep.

Andy's been out of action because his bike has been in the repair shop, but he will be back next week and I'm sure we'll be meeting on Warlingham Green at our usual time on Saturday morning.

The Christmas decorations came down today – and I've seen many abandoned Christmas trees lining various pavements – and for the first time ever, I decided to plant our tree in the garden. I'll keep you informed of its progress, but I'm hoping it will do well. Mind you, I discovered today that stinging nettles still sting even where they're virtually non-existent. Enough already!

New Year's Day 2013 – to Botley Hill!

The Botley Hill Farmhouse, 1055hrs on New Year's Day 2013

Took a late morning ride to Botley Hill on what was a fantastic day. Blue skies and sunshine to kick off the new year, although it must have rained heavily overnight as there were some big puddles en route.

Large puddles on the roadside like this one were commonplace

There were a few cyclists out on the road but not that many cars, which was good, and there were some familiar faces too, like the female runner accompanied by her male cyclist who I'm guessing has two roles to play: her guardian on the lonely country roads and possibly her motivator and pacemaker. As always when I see them, I see them twice – once on the outward bound ride and then again on the return trip. This time, on the outward journey, the male cyclist was taking a highly visible leak in the woods by the roadside. I met them again when I stopped at the Botley to take these photographs.

Yours truly at the Botley Hill Farmhouse.

NoVisibleLycra wishes all readers a Happy New Year!

Garner's Pickled Onions – a very poor show!

We're nearing the end of that dead time between Christmas and New Year and there's no cycling today. It's been raining ever since I woke up and it's still raining now. One thing that has characterised 2012 is rain. Since April it's been virtually non-stop, meaning that those greedy sons of bitches over at the water company have absolutely no reason whatsoever to announce a hosepipe ban – they'll have to find other ways of funding their extensions and foreign holidays.

What I do like about the festive season is sitting around doing nothing but watching schmaltzy movies on the television, normally American. There's one on now starring Adam Sandler, but it can't be any good as I've spotted British comedian Russell Brand – he who is not funny, full stop, and is famous only for a ridiculous haircut - although he's a pretty good writer, it has to be said.

Garner's Pickled Onions – no longer the Jesus of Cool.

Anyway, the festive season. I love it! It's the only time of year when you can eat mince pies mid-morning and have a brandy and ginger wine in the afternoon, along with a pickled onion, some stilton and a few cheese biscuits. Mind you, I'm a bit disappointed this year with Garner's Pickled Onions. They used to be the cream of the crop as far as pickled onions were concerned. I love them because they're crunchy and tangy and a million times better than other brands on the market. Until now!

I bought a jar of Garner's from Waitrose the other day and when I opened it and tucked in, the pickled onion I chose was horrible. So horrible. So SOFT! So horrible (and soft) that I had to spit it out (I rarely spit out food). I had to dig around for a nice crunchy pickled onion, which is not normally the case with a jar of Garner's as they're all crunchy. And hell! Let's be honest here: there's nothing more disappointing than a soft pickled onion. Nothing!

I'll be thinking twice the next time I consider purchasing a jar of Garner's. I'll have to ask mum to make some pickled onions – they're genuinely crunchy. When you tuck in to pickled onions, you need something a little challenging. My mum's pickles were the nearest to a challenging snack item (if you excuse those extra fizzy Haribo sweets) and I was elated, some years back, when I discovered Garners. They were the nearest mass-produced version of my mum's pickles on the supermarket shelves and now they've gone and blotted their copy book – BIG TIME!

What else have I been eating? Ah yes! Stilton! A once-a-year indulgence, but worth every penny! Oh, and paté, lovely with a bit of bread or some cheese biscuits.

Right now it's really coming down outside. The rain. We've got a nice pre-prepared curry on the go and I've just had a large glass of red wine. I'm going to have another. Then what? Well, how about a New Year's party down in the sticks?

I'd better sign off. It's lunch time. Well, it's 1415hrs so a late lunch time, but I'm still smarting about the Garner's. I'm going out there in a second and I'm having another one and it better not be soft or I'll, I'll, I'll get even somehow, you mark my words.

More urban ride images – the waterfall in Grove Park

The waterfall, Grove Park, Carshalton, Surrey, holds many childhood memories.

More urban ride images...

Playing fields which extend for miles and miles on the outskirts of a housing estate.

Urban Ride – take two (12 miles)

While I was up at 0600hrs, I loitered about and didn't hit the road until 0830hrs after tea and peanut butter sandwiches, well, one peanut butter sandwich. In fact, I loitered with one intention – not to go cycling, but in the end I persuaded myself that a ride was needed. Outside, the weather was looking good: clear blue skies and no sign of rain clouds.

Urban ride, urban imagery – where's some graffiti when you need it?

The big debate going on in my head was where to go – the Tatsfield Bus Stop or the urban ride over to Carshalton to see mum. I chose the latter and headed down West Hill, turning left on to the Upper Selsdon Road and then left into Helder Street before a right on to the Brighton Road and then first left and up the hill towards the roundabout on Pampisford Road.

I travelled past a vast expanse of playing fields, skirting around the edge of a housing estate and then crossing the A23 and turning right towards Five Ways. I hung a left into the industrial estate, followed the road round on to the Stafford Road and headed towards the top of Wallington High Street. The lights were red but soon they were green and I went straight across, the gym on my left, heading down towards the mini roundabout at Boundary Road and hanging a right towards Carshalton High Street. A left turn at the lights took me on to Ruskin Road, past Carshalton Park, into Benyon Road and across the lights at the Windsor Castle, past Wanash Gardens (a block of flats) past the BP Garage and right into Alma Road. At the bottom a left turn on to Shorts Road, under the railway bridge and left on to Westmead Corner and then left again into Rossdale.

I stopped for a breather on the industrial estate

An ambulance was parked up outside the house of 'Uncle' John's house. Real name, John Clark, a former teacher, and his wife Beth. John Clark is now 83 and the ambulance was for him. But all was fine and soon the ambulance and its paramedics were gone. I enjoyed a cup of tea and a few biscuits with mum and then headed back, using a different route. I went into Shorts Road but took Dog Shit Alley to West Street and then cut through Grove Park, coming out at the far end of Carshalton High Street and riding towards Wallington Green and the Duke's Head pub.

I crossed the lights by the pub, past Wallington Grammar School on my left and onwards to Beddington Park, also on my left, followed by The Plough, another Young's pub on the Croydon Road and then up to the T-junction where I turned right towards Five Ways and then second left up Denning Road, through the housing estate and emerging on the Bramley Hill roundabout. I went straight across, hung a right into Nottingham Road, past Whitgift School and down to the lights on the Brighton Road where I turned right and headed towards the Esso garage where I turned left and made my way to the Upper Selsdon Road.

I cycled past the Conservative Club, past the old Rail View pub (now simply The View) and then under the railway bridge, right into Carlton Road, left into Essenden Road, right into West Hill and home.

I ate porridge with more peanut butter and a mug of tea followed by a wash, shave and shower and then off to Pimlico to have lunch with some relatives – a very, very tasty curry.

Heavy winds slow us down

At 0600hrs this morning it was windy. I could hear it rattling the house as I plodded around making tea and a peanut butter sandwich. Oddly, when I peaked through the net curtains in the bedroom the world outside was still and – more importantly – dry.

The B269 looking North from the Botley Hill pub.

Once outside, the true power of the wind made itself known as I struggled against it riding up Church Way and then along the Limpsfield Road towards Warlingham Green. It slowed me down considerably and I called Andy to let him know that I was en route but pedalling into the wind.

Had it been raining, I would have felt like a North Sea trawler captain standing at the wheel on the bridge of the small vessel, facing swollen seas and driving rain. It seemed to take an age to get anywhere, but eventually the Green showed itself and there was Andy.

Mobile phones are now so commonplace everybody takes them for granted, I thought as I cycled towards the Green, but when I was a kid one of my great little fantasies was having a real walkie talkie, as we called them. The very idea of contacting my pals using our own communications system was my idea of fun.

Back in the day, the nearest I came to having my own walkie talkie was two yoghurt cartons connected together by a piece of string. Having a mobile phone, of course, is just like having your own walkie talkie and as I dialled Andy prior to reaching the Green, memories of walkie talkie fantasies flooded back to me.

We headed towards the Tatsfield Bus Stop in the wind and progress was slow, but the weather was truly invigorating. The wind picked up and then quietened down and repeated the process all the way to our destination, although it seemed to die down a little once we seated and tucking in to our mince pies, cereal bars and tea.

We watched passing cars and cyclists for a while and noticed that the wind, while slightly milder than it had been on our outward journey, had calmed down a little as we prepared to head back home.

When we reached Botley Hill the weather was fantastic. Fast-moving cloud overhead, a strong wind behind us most of the way and there was no sign of rain. I felt great all the way down the 269. I waved farewell to Andy as he branched off halfway along and I continued towards Warlingham and then Sanderstead, enjoying the freshness of the air – a truly great day and the weather was excellent.

There had been rain, but it must have been early in the morning as there were puddles everywhere. Now, as I write this at 1523hrs, there has been more rain and it's damp and grey outside and there are spots of rain on the conservatory window.

Andy's just sent a text saying he won't be cycling tomorrow or Monday, meaning that I'll have to motivate myself. The key is to get out there. If I can cover just 10 miles I'll be happy so let's hope for no rain. I'd like to go everyday from now until New Year's Day, but for now I'll concentrate on motivating myself for tomorrow.

27th December – rain stops play (but we get drenched)

When I left the house at just gone 0700hrs the weather seemed fine: a little cloudier than Boxing Day but relatively warm and nothing to worry about. It had been raining, but I figured there would be no more and we would reach the bus stop dry. How mistaken was I?

Andy and met at the green as usual and then headed off towards the Tatsfield Bus Stop. Within 15 minutes we were huddled under a tree on the 269 debating whether to abort the ride. The rain grew steadily heavier and we could see the droplets hitting the puddles in the gutters. At some stage I remarked to Andy that the Tatsfield Bus Stop was the next (and only) cover.

At this point on the 269 we decided it was time to head back home

Oddly, I was prepared to go for it, but when Andy suggest we take a rain check (it was definitely raining) we stood for a minute under an ever-green tree and considered our position.

"Let's see if it stops," I said.
"It normally carries on all day," Andy replied.

Turning back is not something NoVisibleLycra likes to do, but there are occasions when it's the only option. It was a fair distance to the bus stop and had we continued we would have been drenched, making sitting down at the bus stop an unpleasant experience.

"Let's head back," I said.

We headed back towards the Green, said goodbye and vowed to go cycling today (28th December) but I decided to abort last night. To be honest, I needed a lie-in. It turned out to be a good 'abort' for two reasons: one, I had a broken night with people returning home from nightclubs at 2am in the morning and not saying goodbye to their female companions until 0445hrs in the morning; and two, when I did wake up around 0820 hrs it was raining.

It's now 0917hrs and it's still raining. I seriously doubt if Andy went out.

I'm having a problem with my rear light – it won't switch off. When I went out to the garage yesterday morning it had somehow switched itself on and remained on through the night. How it did this I don't know, but I dismantled it, pressed the on-off button a couple of times and it seems to be working again.

Let's see what Saturday brings.