Gibby comes to town (Damyang ride)

Last week Jenny and I had a week off so our friends Gibby came down from Seoul for a couple of rides. We had some mixed luck with the weather. On Tuesday it started snowing. It didn't seem all that bad at first, but it just kept snowing. The snow kept getting in our eyes on the downhills and we just did a lot of freezing in general.


Tuesday Lake Loop


The Gwangju reservoir was still partially frozen over.


I love this coffee shop. We were both surprised and relieved to see it was open so we could get a hot drink.






By this point it got really bleak. We decided to take a break at a rabbit restaurant so we could warm ourselves on the heated floor.


The side dishes in this restaurant were amazing, especially this sour plum (mae shil) dish.


Hot steamy rabbit stew!

Wednesday Damyang Ride (68km)
(gpx file download)




The weather was glorious on Wednesday so Gibby and I took a ride out to Damyang. We stuck to the farm roads for the majority of the trip and we even managed to get completely lost (see below).













We stumbled across this very noisy dog farm. Poor dogs.


We were shocked by this jazzy bus stop in a tiny farming village. We didn't see any buses on this route. I've never seen such a nice bus stop in Korea.

Sean and I came across this restaurant some time ago but we never checked it out. Gibby and I decided to eat there as it looked pretty interesting. It was AMAZING!









The restaurant was next to a small bamboo forest.


All the food was served in bamboo trays (these are just the side dishes by the way).


This is a bottle of daetongju. It's bamboo soju and it's delicious! It comes in a real, fresh bamboo container and has to be opened with a hammer.


















This lake was frozen over despite it being a really warm day.


Finally, some bamboo makkoli!

Colour Schemes (saddle and handlebar tape)

I have a dilemma, but it's not all that critical.

Now I'm starting to get the parts together, what colour saddle/handle bar tape should I go for? My frame is British racing green. Do I go for black or antique brown to compliment it? A trivial matter, I know, but it still plays on my mind. Have a peep at the saddles below.

The Suspense is over!

Finally the suspense is over! Here it is, my brand new Donhou frame. It's beautiful! I'm going to be assembling an expedition bike over the next month or so, and this is its very core. It's time to start sourcing some more parts. Thank you Tom!

This time tomorrow!

Woohoo!

This time tomorrow my new frame should have arrived. Excitement is reaching fever pitch!

For now I'll leave you with the song "This Time Tomorrow" by the Kinks. Fitting, huh?

Plans scuppered

There go my plans for cycling this week. Bollocks!

Brooks Saddle Cover - A review

Brooks Rain Cover

So I purchased a Brooks B17 Imperial saddle about a year ago. It's a great saddle, but with one downside. As it is made of leather it needs to be protected from the elements, more specifically the rain, otherwise the leather could become damaged.

My initial solution to this was to use a plastic bag.  They're cheap, can be found almost everywhere, and they can be stuffed under the saddle when not being used. They are very effective, but have a few flaws. Plastic bags are not very durable, they rip easily. They pretty unsightly/noisy when riding. If you use them on a stationary bike people sometimes remove them because they think that some litterbug has just dumped rubbish on your bike.

I decided to try out an alternative, so I bought the Brooks rain cover. In South Korea they only sell the version with Brooks logo, which is not to my taste. It's a bit obnoxious, shouting out that there is an expensive saddle on the bike. I used a marker pen to black the logo out. Initially I was happy with the rain cover. It kept the seat dry. YAY! Job done.

However, this week I left my bike out in a light wintry rain for a couple of hours. I was confident that it would be fine, but when I got the bike back to my house I removed the cover only to realise my seat was damp. On closer inspection it transpired that the waterproofing on the Brooks cover had worn away, deeming it useless. I've only had the cover for a few months so I'm not all that impressed. I should have saved the money and stuck with the plastic bag.

Living in South Korea I suspect that I have one of Brooks's older rain covers, which Brooks themselves admit were not very effective. Apparently they have since been improved, but I don't think I'll be buying another Brooks rain cover anytime soon. I've got a cupboard with dozens of plastic bags in so I should be fine with them in the meantime until I find a better rain cover.

*** UPDATE ***

I have since purchased a Brooks Flyer Special which included a newer version of the Brooks Rain Cover. The new version doesn't have the giant logo on it, which I think is a great improvement. Also the durability of the waterproof lining is vastly improved. I have cycled many miles on this rain cover during the current monsoon season in Korea and haven't had any major problems. The seam at the nose of the cover leaked a small amount of water, but nothing serious.

Shimano DH-2N72 Dynamo Hub

It's arrived! I ordered a Shimano DH-2N72 Dynamo Hub last week and I came back to work this afternoon to find it waiting on my desk. I'm really excited about this piece of kit.

So now I need to look into buying some dynamo lights. I'm thinking about buying either the Lumotech IQ Cyo or a Supernova E3 Pro. They are both pretty dear. The Supernova is supposed to be much brighter, but it is also more expensive. Oh well, I've got some time to sit on it.

Valentine's SHAKE! Dance Party! Saturday, 11th February, 2012.

The 11th (and final) SHAKE! is here!!
It's been 24 months since our first party so come help us celebrate our 2 Year Anniversary, our farewell, and VALENTINE'S DAY!


When: Saturday 11th February (02월 11일 토요일). 
Where: Myoungwolgwan (명월관) in Hongdae. 
How much: 5,000won.

(((DRINK SPECIALS before 12:00)))

Same place, Same time, Same price!

For more info & updates:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/486383645724/
www.shakeseoul.blogspot.com

This will be our LAST party!!!!!!
Stay tuned to the blog for future SHAKE! news and mixtapes...

...we may return!

COME OUT, WYLE OUT, DANCE & SHOUT ABOUT!
It's gonna be insane!!!