Leather Straps - Ideal For Chaps

Great day’s riding today, in spite of (or perhaps because of) the weather. It rained hard a few times during the day, but not while I was out in the elements. But, miracle of miracles, I had a tailwind both on the way to work and on the way home!

How often does that happen? Never, that’s how often.

Anyway, before my first appointment, I dropped in to see one of my other clients who’d made some thing for me. Wendy runs Bridles Buttons & Breeches , and works in leather for the horsey set. She can do anything from making a beaten up old saddle look like new, to making brand spankin’ new gun cases and riding crops.

Well I ride a steel horse, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t benefit from some quality leatherwork, and I’d got Wendy to make up a pair of leather straps for my Carradice saddle bag. I’ve been using a couple of re-usable zip-ties to hold my cable lock in place:

These are OK for a temporary solution, but hardly befitting the quality of the bag . . . or the saddle it’s hanging from.

Hmmm - much better. The thing is, you’d think that leather straps are just leather straps. But I was really pleased with these ones, and once I got to the office, proceeded to tell everyone about them. I got a few odd looks - no idea why.

Anyway, I also found the pages for the Tweed Cycling Club today. No - they’re not a local outfit that’s just up the road, but a bunch of chaps who prefer the more traditional approach to riding a bike. I was particularly impressed with their photos, as well as advice for cyclists. For example . . .

Luggage is best conveyed by a porter. When this is not possible, a capacious saddlebag will swallow all that is needed for a well-attired weekend away. Duck cotton and canvas are impregnable to the elements and easily repairable in the event of a mishap. Longer journeys or camping trips may require the addition of a rack and panniers.

Speaking of Tweed, then when I got home I found that the latest edition of the CTC’s magazine, Cycle, had arrived. There were three things to note with this. Firstly the brilliant article on P22 about Edward Burdon’s between-the-wars cycling. It recalled a world that I’ve never known, but envy deeply - from the quiet roads, to 3-speed state of the art, and B&Bs that didn’t need to be booked weeks in advance. Edward clocked up 73,000 miles in nine years - a feat that puts my 3,000 miles for this year firmly in it’s place!

Then there was an advert for these Dromarti shoes :

I’m not sure if the red leather isn’t appealing to the cad in me - is this really the sort of thing a thoroughly decent chap would wear? Frankly I don’t care - I. Want. A. Pair! So if you have £160 in your pocket and don’t know what to do with it, UK size 10½ would be just lovely.

And finally there was the inclusion of the ballot paper for the CTC Council Election. GULP! That’s me, my name, and some stuff what I wrote! Actually it’s stuff I believe in, and this is a serious election.

During the day I’d received an email from the nascent Newcastle Cycling Campaign pledging their vote, and a twitter message from one of my proposers for the nomination - Carlton Reid. So that’s four votes (we get two in this house too, and WILL be voting for me ) in the bag. Just another few thousand to get in the next fourteen days.

So if you’re a CTC member in the North East, please make sure you vote (it’s a freepost postal election), and ideally, please vote for me!

Workout:

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 09/29/2010
• Time: 18:38:21
• Total Time: 1:38:00.00
• Calories: 1431
• Distance: 30 miles
• Average Speed: 18.37 mph

Filed under: Bike Culture, CTC National Council Election, Cycle

Tags: Bridles Buttons and Breeches, Brooks saddle, Carradice saddle bag, chaps on bikes, CTC, gentleman cyclists, photos, Wendy Duffin