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have you ever seen the rain?

it's december, so it's probably going to rain somewhere, and that somewhere can be defined by the west of scotland, where even kids' nappies are fashioned from goretex. climate change notwithstanding, rain in the hebrides hasn't changed that much in the last thirty plus years; if you're going to be defined as a cyclist, rain will be an integral part of your birthright. otherwise, chess or indoor bowls might be a better option. for that reason, i have long contended that hebrideans are the flandrians of the west, but recent weekends have given cause to doubt that categorisation.

two weekends ago, islay and its surrounds were afflicted by an unexpected and uncommon covering of frost and sub-zero temperatures. recalling advice dispensed by the mighty dave-t, i opted to attend the regular sunday morning ride, turning up at the approved meeting place several minutes ahead of the appointed grand départ. the mighty dave told me years ago that, if the road was carpeted with white frost, i'd be quite safe; it's when nothing can be seen that the problems begin (black ice). despite not doubting the great man's veracity one iota, i did find myself unclipping every now and again and testing the friction co-efficient of the white road surface, but it turns out he's probably correct.

despite this, i was brian-no-mates all morning.

last weekend, i cannot deny, the rain was torrential. it started out fairly minimal, but as the morning progressed, it just became wetter and wetter, and as i passed the remote cottage at saligo bay, even i was beginning to doubt my own sanity for riding in such conditions. but, as the saying goes, 'skin's waterproof'. i am constantly aware, however, that my attitude might be considerably different were i to be commuting to somewhere in particular. and i did have to apologise in debbie's for leaving an entire swiming pool of water under my chair.

i have soundly castigated my erstwhile sunday colleagues for their inattention to the task at hand; apparently exhibiting a total lack of backbone is the new black. but even i thought this lack of moral and physical support would scarcely continue into a third weekend.

i was wrong.

despite the rainfall being less onerous than last weekend, there was considerably greater wind yesterday: 70kph to be more precise. but assuming you have (as i do) a decent set of waterproofs, where would be the point in ownership of that nature, simply to remain indoors when the weather turns wet? yet, as i stood in the rain at springbank, i kinda knew that no-one else was likely to turn up. three of the usual peloton had already indicated their unlikeliness to appear, but that scarcely excuses the remainder.

what concerns me, however, is the change in tenacity that may have been engendered by zwift and its peers. though not one that appeals to yours truly, there's now an option to riding in the rain, wind and cold, one that was not to be found a decade ago. and even the original promoters of 'pain and suffering' at imperial works have gone as soft as putty, allowing so-called cyclists across the world to participate in the annual festive 500 from the comfort of their own indoor pain caves. i always equated the festive 500 with the challenge of completing the distance, even when meteorological conditions were less than favourable.

which leads me to the title above.

incidentally, the title at the top of today's monologue comes courtesy of creedence clearwater revival, from the 1970 album, 'pendulum'. drummer, doug clifford, was one of my early percussive heroes, whose camco drumset is now featured in an american museum.

monday 18 december 2023

therapy

the primary objective, if i may be so bold as to classify it as such, is to ride your bicycle as often and as far as time and effort will allow. as an unashamed creature of habit, my year is peppered with short, but necessary rides on alternate friday afternoons, a solo ride on the 'cross bike come saturday, and then, assuming anyone else can be bothered to turn up, the sunday group ride resulting in a cheese and tomato toastie as just reward. mid-week rides are a non-entity, particularly at this time of year, with its dark, dark nights, frequently inflected with driving rain. this is not entirely due to the latter, but the evening saturation of boy racers; though it's hard to see them from the croft, i well know the parcours over which they speed. were i to be unexpectedly found round one of those bends, i seriously doubt their reaction times are quick enough to keep me alive.

so i remain indoors and write this stuff.

the more perspicacious amongst you will have noted the disconnect that soon becomes potentially a problem if not addressed at some point of the weekend ride season. i can tell from the noises emanating not only from my own bikes, but from those with whom i ride, that, at sometime in the continuum, mechanical malfeasances are guaranteed to arise. depending on your ability to block out irritations, such noises will either demand a future appointment with a spanner, or more frequently than you'd think, the persistence to keep riding in the hope that it will simply go away, or stop the bicycle working altogether.

allow me at this point to classify my sunday morning colleagues as a bunch of wooses, all of whom have left me to my own ministrations on the past two sundays. one was cold and freezing, the other the sort of weather than encouraged noah to built a large wooden boat, but if an old fart like yours truly can ride in such conditions, the youngsters of the peloton can surely do likewise?

however, during the first of those solo rides, i detected a distinctly rough transmission when climbing, suggesting that the chain and cassette were no longer talking to each other in a civilised manner, particularly when in the largest three sprockets. the quick fix, to avoid earnest examinations, was to replace the two former bedfellows. it is but a matter of days since i replaced the bottom bracket bearings, and this seemed th final piece in the puzzle.

i know of those domiciled in mainland scotland who would simply drop the bike in at their local bike shop, leaving the alleged drudgery to the guy or gal with the workstand and a toolboard. those of us on the outer edge are less well favoured in such matters, assisted by a personal sense of pride in maintaining one's velocipede; the problem is mostly one of time, and occasionally, tools. however, replacing a cassette and chain (even a campagnolo chain) are relatively easily undertaken, especially on a saturday when an afternoon schools' wind band concert effectively prevented any riding. however, what started out as a potentially exasperating impediment, transformed into a thoroughly therapeutic hour or so with a very expensive chain tool and an array of spanners.

my days as a bicycle mechanic are somewhat distant; any such contemporary undertakings are mostly viewed as necessities rather than opportunities, but it proved highly instructive and satisfying to carry out even relatively menial mechanical procedures, with little or no time pressures about which to care. in fact, having completed the campagnolo stages with a smile on my face, i opted to replace the 110mm stem that has featured on the specialized crux from day one, with a carbon-wrapped 120mm alternative. boy how i wish i'd done so six years ago.

of course, a bit like a hard fought pay rise, it will be only a matter of days before the euphoria subsides and any untoward sounds appearing over the next few weeks will be treated with the disdain they so truly deserve. such being the case, i will once again rue the necessity to curtail any cycling opportunities in order to remedy the situation. but for now, i find myself as a self-righteous, born again mechanic, debating whether i really ought to consider replacing the press-fit bearings on the specialized 'cross bike.

don't try to talk me out of it.

sunday 17 december 2023

it's a wrap

if memory serves correctly, i received a bicycle as a christmas present on two occasions when i was a kid, a practice i cannot deny has always seemed a bit counter-productive. i do understand that frequently, well-meaning parents spend a bit more on christmas than is the case for birthdays, and on that basis, a bicycle at christmas time seems perhaps more justifiable. but when we're looking at children still on the growth curve, there must often surely be little in the way of return on investment?

several years ago, my daughter and son-in-law returned to the hallowed isle for christmas and new year, bringing a veritable truckload of presents for their own two boys, as well as those destined for other family members. one of the presents for their oldest boy was a brand new bicycle, disappointingly, outfitted with stabilisers, despite mrs washingmachinepost and i having previously gifted a balance bike in order to circumvent the notorious training wheels as he grew. to add insult to injury, given that her father has been a cycling obsessve for more years than she's been alive, there had been no attempt to consult over which might be the best future option, ultimately purchasing the bicycle-shaped-object from a nearby supermarket, rather than from a bona-fide bicycle shop.

it seems almost pointless to state that the christmas present was not the ideal size, with the saddle requiring raised to its maximum height on christmas day, bearing in mind the fact that the weather on scotland's west coast would likely prevent the poor child from making full use of the bike until nearer easter (as proved to be the case), at which point, it was too small. to paraphrase a well-known saying, "you're never a prophet in your own family."

however, assuming that you've done your homework as regards frame and wheel sizing, as well as which particular genre of bicycle would make the best of presents, there remains the not insignificant question as to how one might wrap the darned thing, always assuming you find yourself predisposed to undertaking just such an inordinate task, and having suitable quantities of wrapping paper to hand. personally, i'd be very unlikely to carry out such a thankless task, preferring, perhaps, simply to wrap a token length of ho!,ho!,ho! paper along the top tube. however, as is common knowledge, there are many who are a lot cleverer than yours truly.

in this case, i am grateful to the nice people at cycleguard bicycle insurance for having done the research that i have embarrassingly ignored. matters, however, do not start encouragingly, when stating the glaringly obvious: "wrapping a bicycle can be challenging...". i tend to think we may already have sussed that part of the equation, but i'd be inclined to begin with making 100% sure that you actually want to go ahead with acres of christmas paper and sellotape. one of the more pragmatic suggestions was to simply hide the bicycle somewhere off-stage (or within a friendly neighbour's house) and wrap the bicycle helmet that you will, of course, have purchased as an essential accessory. but assuming you're hell-bent on making as much of a fool of yourself as possible, the cycleguard folks have provided an essential process list.

ever one to take the easiest route, i have shamelessly plagiarised that very list.
the process of wrapping a bike requires a lot of gift wrap and sticky tape:
1) cut out enough wrapping paper to wrap up the wheels first.
2) then wrap up the frame of the bike.
3) following that, wrap up the seat post and the stem.
4) take a much-needed break.
5) the finish line is near. now, wrap up the handlebars.
6) next, tackle the seat.
7) and finally, wrap up the pedals.
of course the above process bears a striking resemblance to monty python's blue peter parody, explaining how to play the flute (blow in one end, and move your fingers up and down the holes), and should you be of a similar mind, there are alternatives, the most sensible being placing the whole enchilada within an oversized gift bag; yes, there's a cost, but probably more practical than shredded nerves on christmas eve.

or, if your kids are reasonably adventurous, you could hide the bike at a location of your choice and leave a trail of clues that will (hopefully) bring them to their eagerly anticipated christmas present.

however, wrapping the slippery blighter is the very last item on a list that ought to have begun several weeks previously. is the recipient still growing and therefore, is it possible that they'll grow out of it before better weather prevails and allows unfettered use? and don't buy a bmx for someone who harbours ambitions of following in the tyre tracks of mark beaumont or markus stitz. it's worth bearing in mind that strategic questioning leading up to the festive season might not reveal the right answer. a friend of mine who operated a local bike hire some years ago, bought in a slew of mountain bikes because that's what customers indicated they were after. in fact, mountain bikes were the very opposite of what the majority actually needed.

it might be worth enquiring of friends' parents what their kids are riding; no sense in alienating them from their support group by gifting a teenage mutant hero turtles emblazoned cycle, when the rest idolise wout van aert. and do me a favour; don't buy it from a supermarket. get it from a genuine bikeshop, a retail outlet with the experience to advise on fit and sizing, and in a position to assemble it correctly and accede to its future servicing needs. i can't be the only one to have witnessed kids on christmas bikes with the front brake on the wrong side of forks pointing inwards instead of outwards, with seatposts well past the maximum height mark and tyres in serious need of inflation.

remember: a bicycle is not just for christmas.

thanks to cycleguard for doing the research that i simply hadn't.

saturday 16 december 2023

misplaced loyalties

i have been writing thewashingmachinepost online since march of 1996, making this the longest running and oldest bicycle blog in the known universe, and, in fact, pre-dating invention of the word 'blog', itself a contraction of the word weblog. the latter was coined by jorn barger in december 1997, two years before peter merholz shortened it to the term we're mostly familar with nowadays. in its original format, i liked to think of the post as a 'website', and tended to knock back against anyone who referred to it by what i considered the more derogatory term, 'blog'.

either way, it is what it is, and it appears that in modern society, being considered a 'blogger' is a status to which one ought to aspire. of the cycling blogs that surfaced soon after my own early attempts, i'm unaware of any that still exist, either implying that i am a stalwart of the genre with an irrepressible sense of creativity, or simply too dumb to know when to stop. i confess to my own naivety towards the commercial possibilities of the medium, learning only a decade ago, that it is possible to earn a few pennies for providing reputedly 'genuine' product reviews. despite this having been pointed out by several colleagues, i have remained obstinately untrammeled by anything that might be seen as financial compensation.

of course, the whole aspect of so-called 'social media' has changed dramatically in the past twenty-seven years, while the post has remained firmly stuck in the past, at least as far as its format is concerned. admittedly, i dabbled in podcasting when it first reared its creative head, and if you scan the contents below, you'll probably find a video or two that demonstrates precisely why i didn't persist. and think: i opted for vimeo over youtube to post those early videos. however, though many may disagree, i am of the opinion that, if i have any strengths at all, it lies with words, and not the agonisingly slow and time-consuming process of making podcasts or videos.

and to briefly return to the obstinacy mentioned above, i have persisted with the (type)written word in the face of those alternative methods of communication.

the title, as many will be aware, was sourced from graeme obree's construction of his hour-record and 4,000 metre pursuit bicycle from washing machine parts, the kernel of which was then applied to paraphrase the title of a well-known american newspaper. in fact its earliest appearance was on the front of a birthday card sent to an erstwhile friend of mine in an attempt to replicate the front page of said newspaper. and prior to its re-constitution as a 'weblog', it made its entry into the world by way of a few brief features in islay's local newspaper. so while its age is calculated from that first online appearance, it is, in fact, even a few years older than that.

and, of course, as expected, it has occasionally invoked a sense of confusion, due to washing machines (other than the obree connection) having very little in common with matters velocipedinal. in the very early years, i once received an e-mail from a well-respected london hotel of considerable status, asking me to quote for two industrial-strength washing machines and a tumble drier. i can but presume they'd surfed no further than the title.

but in a general sense, i doubt i am so very different from those who blog (a word that has become both noun and verb) about all manner of subject matter, in that i frequently receive offers of content from presumably well-meaning third-parties. having stupidly acquiesced on at least two occasions, i now reply to the effect that i write thewashingmachinepost because i like writing thewashingmachinepost, and i'm not in the habit of accepting external contributions, other than those i may commission. these are predominantly skewed in favour of the correspondent, and whichever commercial concern they represent.

in return for providing a link to a specified website or page, after having given pixel room to a thinly disguised marketing ploy, my reward will be a presumed more than welcome potential increase in traffic to the post. if such matters were of concern, i would surely pay greater attention to my webhost's site statistics, informing yours truly of how many individuals have visited my scribblings, from which country and just how long they remained within the browser window. but more recently, several of these offers of content, purport to be as a result of the impeccable match between the world of cycling and those of the correspondent.

i am more than acquainted with the knowledge that the world is populated by those whose cognition may err strongly towards the aberrant, blissfully unaware of the eccentricity demonstrated by their perspective on life. but i still find it something of a stretch to make a tangible connection between an e-mail which arrived only yesterday, that had as its subject title, 'great content idea for your blog' and began, 'as a landlord, the key to success is ensuring tenant satisfaction and retention,' and the more usual fare that populates these black and yellow pixels. the e-mail concludes, 'let me know if you're interested in posting it on your site?'

the hard questions are the worst.

friday 15 december 2023

packing it in

in the harry potter series of books and movies, the name that must not be spoken is that of voldemort, a character loosely based on lance armstrong. but though the latter ought not be mentioned in velocipedinal circles, the real word that no-one wants to hear is seat-pack, if only for the fact that such an item has an uncanny knack of undermining the pretence of professionalism and acquisition of street-cred. however, unless your sunday ride peloton has the great good fortune to have a following skoda, or you happen to be participating in a hot chillee ride, there's no denying that you will have to carry stuff.

according to velominati by way of rule #29, there is no room on a road bike for what they disparagingly term man satchels. the following rule #30 infers that any necessary cargo ought to be carried within at least one of the ubquitous jersey rear pockets. however, though it may be a sign of deteriorating times, my rear pockets are generally filled with an essentials case, a tyre jack, a mini pump; and assuming the weather to appear favourable, a stowaway waterproof jacket. intermittently, a digital camera might make an appearance. in weather such as that which deluged the hebrides last weekend, it has become necessary to carry a spare pair of gloves to pull on, following coffee and a cheese and tomato toastie.

augmentation is a bummer.

all of the above leaves scarce room for a spare inner-tube, a couple of tyre levers, a multi-tool and a sliver of spirited soap. (the latter has come in handy when the crud on the edge of the wheel rim prevents the tyre lever from sliding along smoothly when removing the tyre). quite how the velominati square their advice regarding the outlawing of man satchels with the over-riding need to maintain a svelteness in the saddle, is likely a discussion for another day. therefore the majority of us have become slaves to the under-the-saddle seatpack.

but the other reason that no-one mentions seatpacks is a result of their utilitarian persona. none that i have come across have, in any way, enhanced the look of any bicycle you care to mention. in the days of washingmachinepost bike reviews, i generally endeavoured to photograph the bicycle prior to installing the seatpack. to do otherwise risked undermining the effects of the oft vaunted wind-tunnel testing. if you're looking for someone to blame for this undeniable set of circumstances, point the finger directly at the professional classes.

in direct contrast to the cycling habits of you and i, the professionals invariably have more than one following team car, replete with everything a self-respecting modern-day hero might require. a ride with rapha in provence around ten years ago brought this very much to the fore, when our every pedal stroke was shadowed by a former team-sky jaguar estate car. sadly, there the identification with the professional milieu ended, based entirely on the dismal numbers displayed on my garmin.

but, a bit like bicycle saddles, there are surely already sufficient seatpacks available on the market, from which the amateur classes could make their clandestine choices? a cursory investigation on the interwebs discovered more than thirty (some of which make the word hideous woefully inadequate). which makes you wonder why the appearance of yet another, merits a press release and a brief feature in one of the industry's premier trade publications? though i will refrain from naming and shaming, i do feel it would have been sufficient to add it to the company's already substantial range of highly recommended products, and possibly even incorporating it within an advertisement.

but a press release? what would the keepers of the cog make of that?

thursday 14 december 2023

rapha's fixie culture

my son-in-law is misguided enough to be somewhat obsessed by football/soccer, though i do hope that he grows out of it as he gets older. and where i failed miserably to inculcate any appreciation for the way of the saddle within my own offspring, he has succeeded in brainwashing his own two boys, where they are of the impression that football is actually a sport. and in the best tradition of fathers-in-law, i find it prudent to undermine his fixation by frequently pointing out how much less sturdy are overpaid footballers than the likes of johan museeuw, wout van aert and mathieu van der poel.

i can't be the only one who finds it iniquitous that footballers fall over at the least provocation, prior to being stretchered off the field suffering from dandruff. there are several professional cyclists who have finished major races with a fracture of one sort or another, wrapped in so many bandages that certain events look like the mummy, part iii. the most popular response to the statement 'you know you're a cyclist... is 'when you crash and your first thought is for the bike'.

however, though the steady increase in the retail price of contemporary carbon fibre makes that response ever more likely, chances are the second thought would be for the eyewateringly expensive bibtights, paper-thin jerseys or solid gold shoes. while i am secure enough in the crime-free environment in which i cycle, not to have concerns (or insurance) over the disappearance of my ritchey while consuming the weekly double-egg roll and soya latte, i have had several discussions with myself over the uninsured costs of replacing particularly expensive jacketage or other velocipedinal garmentage. and while it's possible to darn cotton socks, or sew a denim patch over a hole in my jeans, fixing a pair of lycra shorts or bibtights is far less straightforward.

several new year's rides ago, clad in a pair of rapha pro-team sky badged bibshorts, the nose-bolt on a review brooks replica leather saddle snapped after only 4km of riding. figuring i could live with the minor discomfort, rather than return to base, i held on to the bitter end. readying for the post-ride shower, i discovered that the partially dismembered saddle had worn a hole through not only the lycra, but the edge of the chamois pad. those of you in possession of rapha pro-team bibshorts will be well aware that they are rarely given away free in a lucky bag.

fortunately, rapha has long offered a free repair service on the majority of its apparel, a service of which i have taken advantage on three separate occasions. cosmetically, it's well nigh impossible to effect an invisible repair due to the nature of the fabrics employed in quality cycling apparel, but i can live with that if i still have unhindered use of the garment. in fact, not only are the shorts in question still in regular service more than ten years later, but so are the dark blue padless bibtights invaded by a rogue mudguard stay several years previously.

rapha still offer this free repair service, and have recently upgraded it by partnering with amsterdam-based united repair centre (urc). urc specialises in providing high-quality clothing repair services as an alternative to purchasing new items. they not only aim to extend the lifecycle of clothing items, but also provide training and employment opportunities to newcomers with refugee backgrounds, young adults and other job-seekers effectively ignored by the labour market. however, rapha will not necessarily have to send repair items to mainland europe, now that urc have opened a new repair workshop in london.

sustainability manager at rapha, adam gardiner said, "The new partnership with URC will enable us to elevate our repair offering as a business. URC's business model means as well as keeping our products on the road for longer, those repairing the products are given career opportunities to learn and develop. We are incredibly excited to work with URC and see them as a truly holistic sustainability partner and a model to aspire to."

this extension of a service that imperial works has offered since entering the market in 2004, is seen by rapha as part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability and a lessening of its environmental impact. this particularly in the light of recent criticism of the fashion industry for its frequently cavalier attitude towards renewable practices. so, assuming you clothe yourself in rapha garments, during any unfortunate rider/ground interfaces, particularly in wintry conditions, you can simply concentrate on the bike's condition.

with reference to the article heading, rapha's original commuter style clothing was known as the fixie range. i still possess a pair of fixie knee-length shorts.

wednesday 13 december 2023

shaping the future

as esteemed members of the velocipedinal cognoscenti, we are familiar with the strategies that shape our particular corner of our particular world. to condense all into two words, let's simply agree to refer to it as the 'sponsorship model', of which we are all aware and even more aware of the fact that applies to weaker minded individuals, but obviously not to you and i. bicycle, apparel and component manufacturers strive to ally their products with teams and riders, hoping to commercially benefit from such associations.

of course, we're way too perspicacious to fall for such ministrations; none amongst us would ever purchase a colnago simply because pog wins races aboard the marque. and our technical awareness would scarcely have us fall for the attempt to convince that the gravel genre requires specifically branded derailleurs or footwear. however, the cognoscenti are in the minority; it is the great unwashed who sustain the marketing strategies of those dependent on our hard-earned. disappointingly, this acute observation doesn't accommodate the average commuter or leisure cyclist, few, if any of whom are swayed by such blatant commercialism that depends predominantly on the creation of heroes.

who didn't hanker after a cervelo cyclocross bicycle when watching wout van aert disappear into the distance midway through saturday's exact cross event?

but our little corner is hardly based on pragmatism. were that true, none of us would be riding with twelve cassette sprockets across which the chain travels under wireless control. nor, indeed, would we be found guilty of spending the gdp of a small african country on a new carbon track bike that may only experience intermittent use, and on which we're only marginally quicker than the steel loaners hired out by the velodrome.

mr and mrs commuter and mr and mrs leisure could quite honestly care less about hypothetical speed.

however, that particular realisation is not the nub of potential problems we might experience in the future. to a degree, this is a parallel situation to one discussed not so very long ago, concerning financial investment in bicycle companies by others for whom the bicycle is simply a means to a financial end. obsession with cycling is an optional extra. it's hard to decide if pierer mobility ag is one of us, or one of them. their website landing page proudly declares 'passion and performance in everything we do', and you may be inclined to see the relevance in that statement from a company that owned felt bicycles, at one time the marque favoured by jonathan vaughters' slipstream sports, and arguably one of the first to develop the now ubiquitous aero frame.

according to their shareholder structure, almost 75% of the company is owned by austria's pierer bajaj and konzergesellschaft, with 25.7% owned by unannounced others. and if you check that last paragraph, you will note that i said they 'owned' felt bicycles, having opted to sell the brand only two years after purchase. pierer new mobility has given the reason for the sale in a brief sentence: 'ebikes are the future'.

i confess i've never heard of pierer ag, and i'm willing to bet that few others have either; and therein lies the potential problem. pierer have unilaterally decided that bikes with batteries offer a higher potential for a suitable return on investment, but there is the possibility of this becoming a bit of a runaway train. around thirty years ago, a friend and i started a small cycle sales and repair business on the island, choosing giant bikes as a company that offered the best support when far from centralisation. in the supplied brochure were two standard bicycles, with hub gears, chainguards and swept handlebars.

several of our potential customers expressed an interest in that particular style of bicycle, so we enquired about ordering a couple as demo models. that proved to be a redundant request; giant informed us that those were not available in the uk, due to 'insufficient demand'. but keeping them unavailable seemed hardly the ideal way to stimulate demand.

earlier last week, the bank of scotland announced that it was to close its bowmore branch in may of 2024, citing a dramatic shift away from personal banking in favour of their smartphone app and computer banking. however, it is hard to deny that all banks have invested a great deal of effort persuading their customers to adopt such electronic banking methods, then when that has succeeded, they claim that their customers are less inclined to visit their bricks and mortar banks. meanwhile the profits unaccountably mount up and staff numbers decline.

and if i may be so bold as to twist that to fit the preceding scenario, if the e-bike does become 'the future', will the larger manufacturers cite this as evidence that the majority no longer desire an acoustic bike, using that as the pretext to desist from their manufacture? i agree that my hypothesis is a tad extreme, but the modern world bears little similarity to the black and white world once promulgated by rapha. today's universe is largely controlled by untrammeled growth and keeping the shareholders happy.

if that means batteries and motors...

tuesday 12 december 2023