Out Of The Darkness And Into The Studio?...

We’ve now officially entered winter here in the UK (Canadian, Scandinavian and Eastern European audiences may now snigger freely). Up until recently it’s been unseasonably mild, the narrow winding lanes characterised by a glistening, greasy film of water channelled from the fields interwoven with layers of equine and bovine dung. Sticky under tread during the milder weather, this becomes a veritable skidpan when the mercury dips below zero-even 28mm section commuting rubber starts dancing the Samba. This largely explains why I’ve hardly moved from the Univega in several weeks- that and the fact I’ve been busily testing some dual-purpose on/off road kit.

The most exciting being Magicshine’s MJ816E- a retina ruinous front light capable of a whopping eighteen hundred lumens at full power, yet returning a consistent 105minutes from each three and a half hour mains fuel-up. Even allowing for the technological trickle-down, £135 for a system this powerful is remarkable. More surprising are the diminutive dimensions of both head unit and seat-post mounted battery (although if you were feeling flush and yearned for eight-hour playtimes, there’s always the option of a 17.4Ah bottle type). In real terms, there’s sufficient presence in flood setting for navigating rural backwaters at around 30mph, warning of ruts, holes and of course, excrement from around three hundred and fifty yards. Not impressed? Well, oncoming 4x4s dipped their beams from about four hundred yards and with all guns blazing; forest trails were easily tackled at 23mph.

Toggling between modes is child’s play courtesy of the clever handlebar mounted switch featuring an integral colour coordinated indicator, which automatically kicks down to conserve battery life- meaning you’ll always stand a sporting chance of getting home safely. However, careful positioning of the lamp is essential to prevent dazzling and potentially more serious injury to rabbits and other small mammals. The same rule follows through the suburbs and round town, dropping to the sidelights gives plenty of presence to at least 350 yards without being lost among the festive illuminations or causing undue distress to oncoming vehicles and pedestrians. Bonita (Sales@magicshineuk.co.uk) kindly supplied our sample but those of you living in a different corner of our globe might like to wander round to http://www.magicshine.com/ for a dealer closer to home. Winter also brings wet, smelly feet. Not everyone likes overshoes or indeed the bootie type road/mtb footwear. To address this particular affliction and therefore, potential social isolation, Stuffits have dropped their shoe-dryers on my doorstep. Basically,these foot-shaped inserts sit in the shoes overnight whereby the aromatic red cedar filling and dual wicking fabric outer suck the moisture out. This extends to the half a pint of sweat (probably more under strenuous riding) emanated by our tootsies, thus keeping odour at bay. Available in a choice of pink, red or black and in men and women specific sizes, early impressions seem favourable, supping away most of the moisture assumed in ninety minutes’ soggy riding in seven hours but I’ll add some more provocative elements to the mix before drawing final conclusions. If you can’t wait until then they’ll command a very reasonable £24.95.

Slipping into a seasonal lull isn’t an option for me and a lot of fellow freelancers seem sympathetic to this philosophy. Continued momentum and avoidance of creative paralysis induced by too much introspection is crucial. This might involve features planning and similarly familiar territory or something more grandiose. My late father wrote several books and without leaving myself open to overtly simplistic “A” level Freudian theory, I’d like to follow in his size nines. Potential collaborators have been only too keen to rally enthusiasm but to date haven’t delivered anything tangible so it may be a question of blazing the trail myself.
The other avenue I’m (cautiously) keen to pursue in an artistic/semi commercial context is fine art/model photography…Traditionally this has proved a minefield thanks to the falling prices of high quality camera equipment attracting the unfavourable “Guy With Camera” who has no other objective than to letch at women for his own personal and deeply sordid gratification. Stories concerning this particularly unsavoury genre of male are legend-the most poignant example being of a model looking to expand her fashion portfolio. Having answered an advert, she arrived at the address (A dingy back street flat) to discover she was expected to assume a wealth of “Glamour” poses (Despite expressing in no uncertain terms she was only prepared to do fully clothed catalogue assignments). When she refused to pose on all fours wearing nothing but a G-string, GWC showed his true, vile colours but thankfully she managed to make good her escape-unharmed.
Unfortunately, semi/professionals with proper credentials, location and a female chaperone to avoid compromised integrity are all too often tarred with this ruinously mucky brush. Running said risk, I would be interested in working with aspiring models on an images-for-portfolio basis in a UK studio setting. Models will need to verify they’re at least twenty-one years old (driving licence, passport or similar photo ID), bring a chaperone of their own and be prepared to sign a model release/consent form before shooting commences. Want to know more? Feel free to drop me an email: Roadpathtoenlightenment@gmail.com

Reflections in a Freelancer's Mirror

I am very fortunate to have such a ready supply of interesting goodies to play-er, I mean work with. Take this pump-spray lube from Green oil. In place of harmful isobutane propellants, the contents are pressurised by pumping the top-cap ten times- the same motion as inflating tyres with a mini-pump. Being of comparable dimensions, it slips effortlessly inside panniers and seat packs while being permitted for air travel. Filling it with petrochemical products goes against the ethos somewhat but has proved a a boon for quick, impromptu lubing of chains, cables, pivot points etc. Talking of which, the White Lightning Clean Ride lube not only keeps transmissions clean but works a treat on my barber's clipper set too. Having performed the annual Waxoyling of the Ka chassis, consuming the remnants of my last home-brewed batch I had to pop out and purchase some commercial product to treat the door cavities, wings and boot. The remainder was blown inside the fleet as a quick "While I'm at it" top-up with the Univega receiving the lion's share-frame forks and racks were all given a generous helping of the amber nectar to keep Joe and Joanna rot purely academic.

P clips might lack glamour but they're an extremely effective way of attaching racks and fenders to bikes without eyelets. Time was when I was literally drowning under an avalanche of the rubber coated gizmo's but they've reached a state of inexplicable scarcity now that a high end low-rider rack comes into my possession. Mercifully, a wander round the web has unearthed a supply so hopefully the Univega's front end will soon sport said TIG welded lovelies....Obviously I won't be hauling their 15 kilo maximum payload but they will offer more carrying capacity without my venerable trailer becoming the default option.

Taking a more exciting deviation, I'm delighted to see manufacturers continually recognising and moreover, embracing the mantra that Lycra, while lovely on the chain-gang isn't quite so endearing round town. This waterproof, breathable budget jacket from Madison and Lezyne's Town Caddy satchel being prime examples. Finished in a very fetching blue, the jacket combines cycling cut with civilian practicality- pockets that fall conveniently to hand when mooching round the shops or taking a trail side breather immediately curried favour. That said, I've only been a few miles in it so conclusions are somewhat premature.

Lezyne's Town caddy is a stylish bag marrying messenger kudos with office practicality-space for laptops and "storage by numbers" compartments for tools and other everyday nick-nacks-there's even a bottle opener integrated into the cam buckle. Beautifully chic but I'll have to rack up some miles before we are bewitched by its designer charisma. Long, steady mixed terrain meanders suggest the DSP dual colour wrap is every bit as good as it looks. The tactile rubberised texture not only offers insulation from rider fatiguing road and trail buzz but unparalleled grip in heavy rain. Objectively, it requires greater care when applying and ingrained dirt mustn't be removed using the time-honoured soapy water and brush routine (this will strip the technical coating). Playing devil's advocate £28 is a lot to shell out on bar wrap and two-tone effects are easily created using two packs of traditional bike ribbon. Nonetheless, it seems very hard wearing in either 2.5 or 1.8mm guises so should last a few seasons-even on the everyday bike.

Shrouded in romanticism, being freelance has a much darker side-one synonymous with the "creative professions" generally. My reasons for pursuing this route are complex but on a strictly personal, day to day basis, my love for the written word, cycling, photography coupled with un/related passions brings its own reward. Most of the time, the sense of being driven is positively intoxicating-especially when copy flows like the proverbial waterfall. Equally, hunched over a keyboard editing copy and images into the wee small hours, the continuous need to produce bigger and better features/explore new audiences can quickly distort a sense perspective. Not everyone has the temperament to cope with the relative lack of social intercourse/camaraderie taken for granted within staffed studio and office environments. Then there's getting paid-I've been relatively fortunate but am still owed a sizable amount by one publisher who seemed surprised when I politely advised I would be delighted to contribute but only upon receipt of three month's outstanding money. Loving my work is one thing, being a busy fool is quite another.