Gout Begins At Forty....

  

Not something commonly associated with seventy odd kilo tea total vegetarians perhaps but I appear to have been bequeathed this excruciatingly painful affliction by my late father. Once thought to be the consequence of a lavish/indulgent lifestyle, received wisdom suggests gout arises from over production of uric acid, leading to joint inflammation.

In this instance we’re talking Podagra-a variant specifically affecting the big toe, which induces sporadic yelps and agricultural utterances when donning snug fitting road/Audax slippers. Anti-inflammatory drugs appear the medical profession’s default option, though research suggests that antioxidants, concentrated vitamin C and upping good (as distinct from junk) fluid intake play a central role in exorcising said demon. Frankly, the mere thought of pharmaceutical cocktails induces palpable resentment, so I’ll seek guidance from sympathetic practitioners and explore naturally occurring alternatives.

Thankfully since riding elevates my mood, I’ve been chasing through the lanes, battling some seriously stormy conditions, hoping improved toxin flushing blood flow will reciprocate. Other casualties included the chain pin function of this long serving Specialized EMT, finally succumbing to fatigue after five years and countless road, trail and indeed, workshop service. No danger of retirement mind, since everything else remains absolutely A1-testament to tooling quality.

On a happier note, spent several fun days in the midlands, which included seeing Jamie Cullen and support perform live at Birmingham Symphony Hall. Lee Cooper has extracted the Holdsworth’s fractured shell and is in the process of cleaning the tubes before introducing its replacement. Temptation to add braze-on bottle bosses creeps in every so often but rebuffed on the grounds of structural integrity-even the most skilfully applied heat causes some very minor weakness, which is unnecessary given sturdy, paint friendly adaptors are plentiful these days. Nonetheless, this has prompted me to rethink livery-there’s no doubting RAL5012 is an extremely alluring colour, only something like RAL 5014 or 5024 signifies a fresh start/new chapter without “specialist” cost implication.

Speaking of which, my titanium fetish continues to blossom courtesy of this Swift-esque “Aire” saddle from Harrogate based SPA cycles.  http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b0s204p2863. Saving 171g on its ferrous sibling adds £35 to the ticket price, though even with regular feeding I’m banking on six hundred miles before my derriere’s completely smitten. While harvesting used Alpha compatible Minolta lenses, studio backdrops and Christmas presents online, an editorial cheque fluttering through my letterbox induced spontaneous investment in a 400mm ti post, which will play a lead role in the Ilpompino’s friskier makeover.