About Nick
I only started cycling because an Osteopath suggested it would ease a back problem that had plagued me since childhood but I got hooked quite quickly. I was 29 and hadn’t done any exercise since school.
The first long ride I did was 14 miles from my home in Harefield to my parents’ house in Burnham. It nearly killed me but the journey belonged to me, I made it happen and it only happened because of me and me alone.
I’ve done all sorts of day rides : London to Brighton, London to Cambridge, London to Oxford, London to Southend, and many other organised rides with Bike Events ( www.bike-events.co.uk ). I’ve done overnight rides like the London to Brighton and the (in)famous Dunwich Dynamo which runs 120 miles from Hackney to Dunwich.
I love the buzz, I love the freedom, and if the phrase ‘use it or lose it’ really is true I don’t want to lose anything!
My Bikes
The exact number of bikes I own is a sensitive issue – the main ones are:
Enigma Etape
A Titanium frame manufactured by a small company near Eastbourne configured to my specification featuring Shimano Ultegra groupset, Fizik saddle and either Fulcrum Racing Zero tubeless wheels or when touring MAVIC Open Pro/Ultegra hub wheels.
Cervelo S5
A fast and fabulous Carbon frame with a mixture of Shimano Ultegra DI2 gears with Dura-Ace brakes and Spin-On-These Black Shadow carbon wheels.
Forme Monyash 2 gravel bike
Living out in rural Suffolk the roads in winter are at best wet and at worst semi-flooded in agricultural slurry so with disc brakes and an aluminium frame designed to accommodate larger tyres and mudguards this bike is almost invincible.
Specialized Secteur
held in reserve for special visitors (mainly Bruce and Elliot) this is an Aluminium/Carbon frame road bike configured with Shimano 105 transmission. This was my first road bike and its bright red paint job and pure white saddle are as eye-catching now as when it was new in 2011.
All four bikes run on Continental Grand Prix 4 seasons tyres.
Brompton
A foldable city hybrid of the above bikes and the best 60th birthday present I received.
