I had been meaning to take my refurbished BSA on a proper ride for a while now but I hadn't got 'round to it for one reason or another. I did about 60 miles on it today.
There are no loops for my saddle bag on the saddle. There is no rack to store things. There are no bottle cage mounts on the frame. I dug out a bar mounted bottle cage (as was probably normal when the bike was new) so that gave me somewhere to put a water bottle. I squeezed a puncture repair kit and a multi-tool and my phone in a small saddle pack. The bike has the original frame pump and it works. I was riding in civies - shorts and t-shirt so had no jersey pockets.
I had to hand over my hard-earned cash for some over-priced pre-packaged sandwiches which tasted like cardboard. I was left afterwards with a pocket full of change. I was caught out by an unexpected heavy shower but had no jacket.
Normally I would have had my ever-present Carradice saddle bag on a ride like this. I would have had somewhere to put sandwiches and snacks so could have had nicer food for my ride, I could have had a spare bottle of water instead of having to ration it (it was hot and sticky). I would have had a waterproof jacket stuffed in the bottom of my saddle bag so I wouldn't have got soaked. I would normally have had proper mudguards so my feet wouldn't have been completely soaked by water flung up by the front wheel.
People ask me why I carry so much stuff with me when cycling but to me it makes perfect sense and for me makes cycling a more enjoyable experience to have all the supplies I am likely to need. I guess everyone is different.
I'm pleased with the bike and it rides great. I was concerned I might struggle on my planned route with a 42/24 bottom gear but in reality I didn't even need to get out of the saddle. It is such a nice period piece and has clearly seen little use and probably has all original components apart from the tyres (I should really bin the brake pads as they're so hard they're like lumps of wood and not much good at actually stopping the bike) but I am tempted to stuff originality and stick a rack and some proper mudguards on it and fit some saddle bag loops (or a Brooks saddle
) so I can carry the kitchen sink with me.
I'm in no hurry and not chasing PBs, for me cycling is more enjoyable when I'm properly prepared for the road and fully self-sufficient. I know I'm going against modern thinking but surely I'm not the only one.
There are no loops for my saddle bag on the saddle. There is no rack to store things. There are no bottle cage mounts on the frame. I dug out a bar mounted bottle cage (as was probably normal when the bike was new) so that gave me somewhere to put a water bottle. I squeezed a puncture repair kit and a multi-tool and my phone in a small saddle pack. The bike has the original frame pump and it works. I was riding in civies - shorts and t-shirt so had no jersey pockets.
I had to hand over my hard-earned cash for some over-priced pre-packaged sandwiches which tasted like cardboard. I was left afterwards with a pocket full of change. I was caught out by an unexpected heavy shower but had no jacket.
Normally I would have had my ever-present Carradice saddle bag on a ride like this. I would have had somewhere to put sandwiches and snacks so could have had nicer food for my ride, I could have had a spare bottle of water instead of having to ration it (it was hot and sticky). I would have had a waterproof jacket stuffed in the bottom of my saddle bag so I wouldn't have got soaked. I would normally have had proper mudguards so my feet wouldn't have been completely soaked by water flung up by the front wheel.
People ask me why I carry so much stuff with me when cycling but to me it makes perfect sense and for me makes cycling a more enjoyable experience to have all the supplies I am likely to need. I guess everyone is different.
I'm pleased with the bike and it rides great. I was concerned I might struggle on my planned route with a 42/24 bottom gear but in reality I didn't even need to get out of the saddle. It is such a nice period piece and has clearly seen little use and probably has all original components apart from the tyres (I should really bin the brake pads as they're so hard they're like lumps of wood and not much good at actually stopping the bike) but I am tempted to stuff originality and stick a rack and some proper mudguards on it and fit some saddle bag loops (or a Brooks saddle
) so I can carry the kitchen sink with me.I'm in no hurry and not chasing PBs, for me cycling is more enjoyable when I'm properly prepared for the road and fully self-sufficient. I know I'm going against modern thinking but surely I'm not the only one.
.
