Adequate Riders

Winter rollin

2012-01-27T16:52:00.005Z

This how I've been rollin for longer rides at the mo. Bullhorns, Shimano SPR road pedals, saddlebag, lights, back race blade mudguard, looking stealth in black, winter bib tights, jacket, gloves, overshoes, snood, cap and helmet. No such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.

2012. Year of the Dragon

2012-01-22T21:41:00.002Z

Went into Liverpool today to check out all the fire cracker mayhem. Pretty rammed.

Art. Out of Proportion Portraits

2012-01-21T21:30:00.005Z

These are all purposely out of proportion on purpose and they all have blank eyes, this was to mimic alot of religious paintings, alot of which denoted figures with blank eyes. I always wondered about this since they say the eyes are the windows to the soul. Does that mean there is no soul to religion? Shit, sometimes i do give some thought to stuff.

Manchester Velodrome. Bike Jumble.

2012-01-17T22:28:00.004Z

I love the Velodrome and I love a mooch about bike stuff with loads of bike nerds. There were a lot more stalls and more people than last year but it was still great and getting cheap shit is always ace. There were some total amazing bargains to be had, shame it is only an annual event.

Art. Grey

2012-01-16T22:49:00.002Z

Dark times, dark moods.

Art. Smokin Guy

2012-01-04T21:28:00.002Z

I painted this straight on. Eventually I realised the only way to try and, 'mask' it's shitness was to give the dude a ciggy.

Art. You Can Have The Money And My Heart To

2011-12-31T18:51:00.005Z

This painting actually won an award, actually a National award.....i know surprising. It started off with a bunch of money I had left over from a trip to Brazil. I just thought I'd use the money in an apt painting. For some people money and material things are more important than life, love, friendship etc etc.
Happy New Year.

Art. Band

2011-12-14T21:22:00.003Z

Our band could be your life.
This band was so, so cool. So uber cool, no one knew of them, so cool they were never photographed. I painted their band media shot. So, so cool that they needed no name.

Art. I See Through You

2011-12-02T20:32:00.003Z

Words.

Art. Statement

2011-11-28T21:23:00.005Z

I love words, I love people who can use words to describe and express. I can't write to save my life. This painting is just my words and I painted them mainly for the fact that if I spoke them, I'd just mumble and end up having to repeat them and then their impact is lost.
I painted this after a night out with a group of people and as always I came home alone. The main thing about this was a did it out of frustration and drunkenness. I drew the straight lines on the canvas and just wrote exactly what I felt at 4am.

Art. Boy In The Corner

2011-11-25T22:41:00.004Z

This was as close to a self portrait I have ever come to doing. It was not a great time in my life and the words across the board are random questions and statements I was asking myself at the time. Alot of them were over written numerous times, to the point were it is unreadable in parts. I guess 'cos I was questioning myself alot. I wish I was good with words and expressing myself.

Art. Graphite Man

2011-11-22T21:23:00.006Z

I took this canvas out of a skip and I painted over it with a mix of black and purple. It stayed that way for ages, then one day I was going out on a date and I turned up to take the woman out and she decided she didn't want to go. I was kinda livid, normally I'm just told, 'no chance' when I ask for the date, I've learnt to accept that.
Anyway, I went home and this is what I came up with. It's graphite stick man with a painted white shattered heart. Perhaps it's a subconscious self portrait from that day?

Art. Half of Half of Half

2011-11-14T20:02:00.006Z

This was probably the first painting that I produced. I didn't have a clue how to paint, let alone what to paint so I thought I'd keep it simple and just have a bit of fun experimenting with colour and do a simple shape.
Eventually, I started it and after a night of just painting the canvas a bunch of times and streaking it with contrasting colour while one layer was still wet. I just enjoying this process but had no idea what to do next. I ended up masking out the square shape and sort of worked out a pattern that was sort of half of it's shape multiplied.
I did a whole series of painting like these and gave them to friends but for some reason I'm incredibly fond of this piece. Perhaps because it was my first, the simplicity or just the slab of colours?

Art. I Forget How Big I'am and Garden animals

2011-11-13T20:37:00.006Z

It's been a while since I put any 'art' on here so I will put some up over the next few days and weeks. Whoop!
I've often been drawing and creating animals and creatures. It's pretty fun taking fave animals and blending them. This is just a plain Elephant, no strangeness to him.
The Giraffes are a bit strange with their markings.
The garden animals are made from spare bits of wood but they do have a bit of strageness to them.

Big Ed's leaked photo

2011-11-11T14:56:00.003Z

That's just how I roll. I haven't seen or heard from the enigma that is Big Ed and then out of the blue he work's his magic. Lovin' yer!

Hell Of A Weener

2011-10-31T17:49:00.006Z

Last year I made the Hell-o-Weener flapjack. This year I was asked to create another Halloween treat.
This is what happens with some spare time and my idle hands.
Chocolate, sponge and marshmallow make the, 'Hell of a Weener' cake.

Red Bull Minidrome

2011-10-24T22:52:00.009+01:00

Victoria Baths in Manchester is a fantastic venue. Architecture and heritage blend together to make a brilliant viewing gallery for any event that will fit inside the walls of the empty pool. The Red Bull Minidrome was a perfect size for the pool. It looks so awkward, almost impossible to ride which I guess is why the last few riders in the finals all seemed to be sponsored by Red Bull and all seemed well used to riding the tight track.

Mike Watt

2011-10-23T21:31:00.003+01:00

Mike Watt is the reason I've been flyin' the flannel for the last 20 years.
Firehose. Minutemen.......Our band could be your life.
He lives in Pedro. He works the thud staff. He jams econo.

Rapha Super Cross

2011-10-18T21:13:00.012+01:00

The Rapha Super Cross Series was just looking like a great idea. Promoted and hyped in a way that was corporate enough for the Rapha brand yet, left enough to still appeal to riders instead of fashionistas.
Windermere was a beautiful setting, especially in the glorious sun. The crowds had turned out, the 400 free Rouleur cowbells rang out, the Duvel beer and Frites were at hand. It did have an extra special feel to the event. The course was pretty technical in parts, thick, sticky mud, roots, a few climbs and hurdles enough to give the am's and pro's a few problems. 153 riders took to the start of the Senior race before the Elite Race.
It was great seeing the pros attack the course at a speed most riders could only dream of. Nick Craig and Paul Oldham both suffered early mechanicals yet still killed it on the course.
Fantastic day riding, Fantastic spectating.

Hard Times

2011-10-18T20:42:00.005+01:00

I've used these never been worn Vans 438's as my spare change money boxes. They were full so needed to be weighed in at the supermarket. Right shoe came in at £26.66. Left shoe came in at £29.22.

Inadequate runners. Update.

2011-10-13T22:02:00.002+01:00

Update for Team Sano. I didn't win the marathon but I did manage to do it without walking. 4 hours 33 minutes.

The BMX man

2011-10-11T20:50:00.007+01:00

Two weeks ago it was insanely hot weather. My first cyclo-cross race of the season was in Manchester and with the temp at 29degrees it was basically an off road crit. As usual I only got my shit together at the last minute and never packed my bibshorts and top. This didn't really bother me cos I normally ride in my Levi's, but it did make me stand out from the skinsuits and lycra. As the laps went by some kids in the pits spotted my United t-shirt and started shouting for 'the BMX man'.

Inadequate runners

2011-10-02T17:41:00.003+01:00

I'm doing the Liverpool Marathon on 9th October. Eight weeks ago I had to buy myself some new pumps to run in. I bought some Mizuno Wave Riders based on the funky sounding name which was as good a reason as any to me.
There is nothing fun about running long distances and the state of me after doing an 18 mile run doesn't fill me with confidence for doing 26 miles.

Julian & John, Belle & Sebastian

2011-08-17T22:10:00.002+01:00

This is how I'm rollin' at the mo. Under the influence of Anti-hero and Scottish indie pop. The touring bars with a sweep in them are helping my neck out when I'm ridin'

Liverpool has no dress code

2011-08-17T21:41:00.005+01:00

I love a character, someone who is treading their own path even if it is in 5inch heels. This dude is prove not everyone in Liverpool wears a trackie or North Face.

Gentlemans Pistols

2011-08-08T14:48:00.003+01:00

Listen to the Gent's. Go and see the Gent's. Amazin'

Eddie, Eddie, Eddie!!!

2011-08-01T22:40:00.004+01:00

Another week, another over the top gig. Scream for me Manchester, Scream for me! Iron Maiden. It was everything that I hoped for and expected. The Trooper, Number Of The Beast, 2 Minutes to Midnight, Running Free, lights, action, a 15 foot tall, guitar playing Eddie The Ed and a 30 foot Final Frontier Eddie. As stupid as they are brilliant, classic metal, dads and their lads rockin' together.

Dean Hearne and Purple Aki

2011-07-27T21:50:00.011+01:00

This is Dean Hearne. He once had a ponytail, for which there is no reasonable excuse and he once won the Urban Games Dirt Jumping Contest, which he informs me, was technically the European Dirt Jumping Championship so that therefore made him the European Dirt jumping Champion. His next major achievement was getting last place, (the wooden spoon) in two consecutive Backyard Jams. He would have attempted what in extreme television terms they call a 'threepeat' but they stopped having those Jams.
Dean is testament to the highs and lows of BMX contest riding. He was at Rampworx in Liverpool for the first time in years with the Animal bikes crew. It was cool catching up with him, laughing, drinking tea and talking about scallies, his new Fairdale single speed bike, his favourite yoga position and his personal fitness trainer and his regime of lunges and exercises which easily brought us onto the subject of Purple Aki.
Dean had never heard of the legend that is Purple Aki. Luckily, Ben Lewis was able to drop some knowledge and confirm the infamous, bogeyman status of Mr Arobieke, a man so feared that a Crown Court Judge described him as the living embodiment of an urban myth, a real live Candyman. If you've never heard of or seen Purple Aki then I urge you to look him up on Wikipedia, You tube, Facebook or Images etc,etc.
I think Dean will be checking out who is watching him next time he is doing lunges just incase he ever hears the words, 'you look like you workout.'

Birkenhead Park. Yani. Wet

2011-07-19T21:35:00.004+01:00

Sunday was a wet, wet, wet day. It was also the Birkenhead Park Crit so I went to see Yani race. Chris Boardmans dad was driving the lead car around the course. It was a grim day that was more like a late October day rather than a summer July day. The conditions were sketchy on the standing water surface and there was a big crash taking out about 8 riders which required an ambulance to attend. Yani was at the front of the pack alot and actually pulled the pack around for a few laps before blowing up at the end. Yani is a beast.

Flaming Lips 2

2011-07-17T22:25:00.001+01:00

Flaming Lips

2011-07-17T21:41:00.010+01:00

I went to see The Flaming Lips play a gig at Jodrell Bank, I'm not a big fan of theirs but figured it would be a very unique gig and using the huge Lovell Telescope as a backdrop projection screen just seemed an amazing idea.
It was a very sunny day which melted into a warm, clear night and Wayne Coyne spoke before the gig about how stoked he was to playing in that location. It was a great show, big space ball, lights, lazers, huge hands, huge balloons and a fucking huge telescope.

It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt

2011-07-11T19:59:00.003+01:00

Not a good week at the office for some. I'm not a computer nerd so I bet this link hasn't worked, if you got the computer skills to pay the bills then you work it out.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/gallery/2011/jul/11/tourde-france-2011-crashes#/?picture=376709842&index=14

It's way further than a mile. Adequate Swimmers.

2011-07-04T22:19:00.012+01:00

A few months ago my friend from work, Sarah, entered us into a swimming race called The Dee Mile, which is abit of a lie since it is over 2000metres long. It takes place in the River Dee at Chester and the finishline is the suspension bridge.
After a few months of training we were ready for the race. That didn't really matter in the end as I messed up our chances of actually making it to the startline. You had to register no later than 6pm, then you had a 30 minute walk to the start which was at 7pm. What with me titting about on our way there we arrived in Chester so late that it meant Sarah had to jump out of my car and run to register us. Our pal, Debbie followed in her car, the only parking spaces we could find was on the main High Street. Next thing you know we're having to get changed into our wetsuits in shop doorways, obviously getting weird looks from shoppers and OAP's on their way to Bingo.
So we are very late now and we are having to run to the startline. As the three of us are running, a lady walking her fawn coloured, pug dog, trips and takes a heavy fall. We can't rush past her, so we go to her assistance. As she's laying on the floor, she lifts her head up and a blonde wig slides off her head onto the floor, were the pug instantly attacked the wig. It was a near perfect colour match, you couldn't tell were the wig started and the dog ended. Debbie wrestled the wig from the dog and as discreetly as you can do such a thing, handed the wig back to the lady, while I helped get her to sit on a bench.
It was a bit of trippy scene and I'm sure the lady was a bit freaked out as to why people were wearing wetsuits. Anyway, we were the last to make it to the startline but we weren't the last out the water. We swam like silky otters.

Howard Cooke WTF

2011-06-20T22:35:00.007+01:00

After a few weeks I eventually cleaned and fixed up Howard's bike. It rides really smooth and it fits him pretty good. H doesn't rides bikes very often and it showed straight away, to say he looked wobbly is a bit of an understatement. It literally only took 2 minutes before he went completely over the bars and was lying facedown on the floor laughing. Amazing. H skates with his unique, 'out of control, control' style but he rides a bike just straight up, out of control.

Take That

2011-06-12T18:40:00.003+01:00

I've never been a Take That fan and I've never been to a stadium concert before.
Seriously, it was enjoyable. Jason was my fave just for the fact that he really is just a passenger on an endless gravy train.

R I P Roscoe

2011-06-01T22:11:00.003+01:00

A long time ago I met Roscoe when he was just a pup in Toronto at a Metro Jam. Sadly, he passed away recently. He was the best dog in BMX. I guess at some point Taj thought I should see Roscoe again. Ace photo.

Duck off, that's quakers

2011-05-27T17:04:00.004+01:00

Lennon and McCartney wrote about, '40,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire'. I have no idea what that would look like but I do know what 40,000 blue rubber ducks looks like.

Art. I Forget How Big I'am

2011-05-27T16:59:00.002+01:00

I've painted a quite a lot of animals but I've given most of them away, painted them on card or painted over them but I did find this one.

Chain And The Gang

2011-05-18T22:42:00.003+01:00

I know there is a cycle term, 'Chain gang' but this is Ian Sventious latest band.
Ian is the living walking the fine line between genius and madness.

Art. What Woman Wants; Shoes

2011-05-09T20:50:00.008+01:00

This painting was originally one of a trio of paintings that I had called, 'What Woman Wants' and it was a painting of a handbag, a painting of shoes and a painting of a cock. Now I know that sounds very sexist, but in Spinal Tap fashion I prefer to say sexy. It was actually more of a social statement on 'wag culture'.
This painting was an original one and I always liked it but I did do another version of it in which the shoes were brighter red, shinier and the heels were alot longer and came to a sharp, spiked point. I did this version as a present to a lady I met through some friends. Before I was introduced to her she had been described to me as a dominatrix, the full leather trenchcoat and high heels instantly confirmed she was slightly different, when she took off the coat to reveal a pvc corset I did think it was slightly unusual attire for a Monday evening dinner with friends. She was instantly a very amiable person, humorous, very social and a pretty good cook. Apart from the dress sense I can't really say she seemed so dominant or scary. After dinner everyone was joking about her and how i hadn't seen her room. Now, the things they said about it I thought was just to joke and wind me up, it wouldn't be true? Sure the lady was dressed a little eccentric but she was so pleasant, I imagined a dominatrix to be a really mean, hard faced bitch. Before I went home, I was escorted into her room.
I guess it was just an ordinary room.........for an ordinary dominatrix!!!!!

Triple art and six degrees of seperation

2011-04-26T18:55:00.008+01:00

The other week Sandy Carson dot com went to a book launch party in Austin for a new Ed Templeton photo book. He told me he had something to post to me, eventually a tube arrived in the post. It was a poster from the book launch signed by Deanna and Ed which included a little Ed drawing, skate nerd stoke out for me. Thanks so much Sandy.
The same day as it arrived I picked up two prints that Clifford Unsworth had done for me from his art degree show. I'm loving these prints so much, simple, twisted and truthful.
Weird thing is, these all arrived to me on the same day and Clifford and Ed know each other. Six degrees and all that.
Clifford Unsworth. 'Problem Solved'
Clifford Unsworth. 'Let Me Liberate You From Your Underwear'

Easter Egg Run

2011-04-25T09:23:00.003+01:00

Each year this thing gets bigger and bigger and I don't think they even take Easter eggs to the hospitals anymore.

Mr Ricky Feather. Feather Cycles.

2011-04-13T22:44:00.004+01:00

Ricky Feather, is a good dude and he just got married, Vegas baby Vegas. He's a rad BMXer and he had the balls to set up and start his own bike frame company. Do that interweb thing and search 'Feather Cycles'

Gabe update

2011-04-13T22:36:00.003+01:00

Gabe is ace. He is now the second most famous artist I know since he has just been accepted into The Royal Academy.
He also lost against me at the roller racing at the weekend.

Gettin' Cobbled.

2011-04-10T11:31:00.007+01:00

Paris to Roubaix is just a gnarly race. It is called the Hell of the North for a good reason. They have to change the bike set ups and the cobbles are that rough even the motorbike escorts have to ride on motocross bikes and the team cars get their suspensions tweaked. This year there are 27 sections of pave. The peloton are so close and hit the cobbles at full speed there are always big crashes.

Art. Wine

2011-04-09T21:36:00.006+01:00

Again a lack of real artist talent forces me to keep things simple and I'm sure if I knew how to work a computer it would make stuff like this even easier by creating it in illustrator. Instead I spend ages just trying to make straight and even lines.
A year ago on 24th of April I started drinking red wine, I'd never really liked it but I have since found that in the right company it can be quite pleasant. This was actually two separate canvas, the faded red drip from the glass is actually red wine, the second canvas continued by me pouring/spilling red wine on it.
I don't claim it takes any talent to spill wine over a canvas.
Wine.

Art. Custard Ink Tears

2011-04-06T19:32:00.006+01:00

Not really sure about how this painting came about as a composition but I do know I'd have done it after drinking a bottle of wine. I do know that the ink 'tears' are from a new bottle I'd bought that day and I do know that I accidentally dripped the first spot on the canvas, so I just went with it.
Custard Ink Tears.

Art. First Painting, Half Squares

2011-04-05T20:50:00.005+01:00

This is one of the first large canvas I painted. I knew I couldn't really paint or draw so I was just experimenting with patterns, shapes and colours. This was all done by eye and drawn with a ruler and then hand painted. I kinda attempted to make each segment half the size/shape of another segment. It took me about 3 paintings like this before I worked out I could use some masking tape and save me a shit load of time and hassle.
Half Squares.

Howard Cooke WTF

2011-04-01T22:49:00.003+01:00

Nothing adequate about H, he is full bore at everything, even when lurking at art shows.

Bike Karma gone wrong

2011-03-30T22:22:00.005+01:00

A few weeks ago in work, a bike was stolen from the bikeshed. Someone gave chase and the robbing scallies threw the bike into the Mersey. I went home, took down my washing line, got a basket and went back to the Mersey and with another bit of rope and abit of luck, I managed to fish the bike back out. Pretty stoked about that so I was hoping for some good bike karma.
I recently changed the set up on my road bike, raised the stem and bars and stuff to see if it helped with my neck, so I was starting to use it and was getting used to riding it.
Someone in work had offered me some free physio treatment on my neck at a local College. That was too good an offer to give up. I rode to the college and locked up my bike to the rack. Birkenhead is sketchy at the best of times, so I took off my lights and pump just in case some knob thought it may have been funny to take them.
An hour later I came out to find my bike and a few others were gone. So the treatment was free but it had cost me a grand. Not stoked, that's got to be reverse karma?
I went back into the College to report it. Then they tell me the CCTV cameras aren't on, 'great' and then the security guy tells me, 'oh well, we had quite a few cars broken into last week'

Art. 'Got the time on yer cock'? Cock Clock.

2011-03-26T18:23:00.008Z

This really started off after getting a load of cheap clocks from Ikea, some I just stickered up and gave away and then I tried to think of something were the centre could become part of a painting. There were a few different versions before I finally 'came' upon this idea. I liked this idea and always wanted to get it screenprinted and sell them, I showed someone who said, I'd be the only person in the world who'd hang that up in their house. This definatley didn't qualify to be hung up in my workplace.
Anyway, use this post as a reminder to set your COCKS forward an hour. Spring has sprung, the sap is rising.
Art. Cock Clock.

Art. 3 Hearts

2011-03-25T17:50:00.005Z

I know I've posted this before on Valentine's Day but I think it is one of the best, simplest designs that gets an effective point across.
3 Hearts.

Art. Girl lines

2011-03-25T17:45:00.002Z

Not to exciting, a few simple lines from top to bottom of the canvas. A classic pose.

Art. Black n White Girl.

2011-03-24T16:47:00.006Z

This actually started out as a bit of a pattern of just black and white and eventually merged into a nude chick. It was also hung up in work for quite awhile, obviously cos it was less abstract, lacked colour and was more suggestive than rude.
Just look at the length of her neck. One word, giraffe.

Art. Curved Girl.

2011-03-23T18:20:00.003Z

This was one of a series of five and to my amazement someone actually bought four of them. Some people just have no taste.
Curved Girl.

Art. Girl

2011-03-22T19:36:00.002Z

Nice wavy hair.

Art. Him and Her

2011-03-21T19:17:00.002Z

Straight forward, just a few colours.
Torso.

Art. His and Hers

2011-03-20T15:31:00.002Z

Another set that never made it.
A firey pair of His and Hers.

Art. His and Hers Lines

2011-03-19T13:34:00.005Z

So these are pretty simple line paintings and not so colourful but apparently still too rude and not that subtle.
His and Hers Line Paintings.

Art. His and Hers

2011-03-18T16:30:00.002Z

Again, nice colours, abstract but still too rude.
His and Hers

Art. The Insertion

2011-03-17T17:03:00.003Z

It's abstract, it's colourful and it's still too rude.
The Insertion.

Art. Flowers.

2011-03-16T21:05:00.010Z

A lady I work with had been asking if I had any new, colourful artwork to hang in her office. I said all my colourful stuff was probably too abstract and the subject matter a bit too rude for the walls. She keep asking for it, 'if it's abstract it won't look obviously rude, so bring it in, how rude can it be?'
Anyway, she deemed it all too obvious and all too rude for her office. on a plus side, she did like the colours.
Cock flower. Fanny flower.

Public Service Announcement

2011-03-13T20:15:00.003Z

For the next few weeks/posts are probably going to have nothing to do with riding anything. I still can't ride my bike anyway.

Royal Cock

2011-03-13T20:06:00.007Z

Everytime I walk past the Law Courts in Liverpool I can't help but laugh at the side view of Queen Vic.......with her big cock and orb.

Photos is easy

2011-03-11T18:52:00.006Z

Free Worldwide travel, free stuff, hanging out with the great and the good of the BMX scene, seeing your work published and getting paid for it. Everything seems pretty easy with this job, what can be so hard about pressing a button? Everything is digital now so you don't even need to be technically gifted and worried whether or not that 'shot' will come out how you hoped. Luckily, Dig phographer, Ricky knows his stuff in every format and still loves developing film.
I guess what they don't tell you that alot of the time you're lying for a good while on the freezing floor and then you have to lug a huge heavy bag, full of expensive equipment hoping that you're not going to get mugged for it.
Rickyadamphoto.com

I got Issues

2011-03-10T19:50:00.005Z

I was going through my collection of Digs when I came across this gem. What is the definition of this? A3 Flyer, leaflet, pamphlet, document, issue?

BSD sweatshirt

2011-03-09T20:51:00.006Z

I'm old skool me. I remember when BSD was just some videos and t-shirts and monkeyboy was the raddest rider.
I'm also a total meff who is too tight to buy new clothes. 20 year old sweatshirts just don't look so good anymore. I hope Grant sees this and send me stuff new stuff, size Med. Thanks.

Pancake Tuesday. Meat Is Murder.

2011-03-08T21:13:00.006Z

Tonight I had my first attempt at making pancakes. I made some with a sachet mix and some from scratch. For someone who spends a fair amount of time masturbating aswell as masticating , sometimes, even at the same time I was very disappointed with my wrist action when it came to the flipping. Never mind, cos as I was doing that Gizzy was busy flipping a mouse he'd caught around the kitchen.

JULIAN!!!!!

2011-02-24T21:33:00.003Z

Julian Stranger. SF. Fucktard.

Bold Street Coffee, Serious Sam, Kev Grey

2011-02-15T21:22:00.006Z

The best coffee shop in Liverpool had the first in a series of Art Exhibitions. Kev Grey provided the artwork and Serious Sam Barrett provided the entertainment. Sam has written a song about New Bird Skatepark so that was pretty cool. The shop was rammed and even had the Police roll by to check out the scene.

Valentines Day Is Over

2011-02-13T21:44:00.003Z

Sometimesitsbetternottostickbitsofeachotherineachother.

Jason, Potato, People, Big ED, Rails, Spikes

2011-02-06T11:23:00.012Z

Jason Phelan loves to party and straight up rips. I took some snaps in November of him riding a prototype frame for We The People. If you check Jason out on their website you'll get the bonus of seeing some Big Ed Docherty photos. I think the final frame will be available in Emerald Green cos he is as Irish as a leprechaun. If Keith Lemon ever saw him he'd say,'Potato' straight away.
I was pretty nervous when he was doing the rail to gap over those spikes.

ESP

2011-01-02T19:27:00.000Z

Old. Fast. Jumps.

Owl-tastic

2011-01-01T15:06:00.003Z

Owls are cool.

End of Cyclocross Season

2010-12-28T22:22:00.005Z

Today was the last cyclocross race of the season for me. My neck is still pretty tweaked so it hasn't been great bike riding but I've been lovin' these races even though I struggle to keep up with the gnarly old dudes.
Todays race was in Macclesfield and it was pretty cold and very, very wet from the thawing snow. I had to use one of Yani's spare tops to help keep warm. He is a total tramp and has to tape up the soles of his shoes to hold them together before each race, ghetto-stylin.
Roll on next September.

Euston 6:30 am

2010-12-26T19:30:00.000Z

This is what my monday morning looks like once every 8 weeks or so.

Flapjerk-me-off

2010-12-22T22:16:00.007Z

Here's the basic recipe for Flapjerk-me-off:-
Get some butter and some sweet stuff. Get it all hot and ready for a load of oats. Throw in your load and mix as best you can until you think you're ready to dump a hot, sticky load onto a tray.
Bake for about 15 minutes on gas mark 4 while you get ready for the next phase.
Pull out from the hot cookers hole and let it rest and cool down. If you attempt to do anything with it while it's too hot and it will just crumble when really you it to be quite solid in your hand and mouth.

Snowy Cold Cock

2010-12-20T18:52:00.002Z

An immature idiot tagged the virgin snow in my garden. Disgraceful.
Growing up, is giving up.

Top top

2010-12-11T22:13:00.002Z

What the fuck, Adam Cooke got me a Howies, merino top. Ace, Thanks Ad

Pick up

2010-12-11T22:04:00.002Z

You know it's cold when you see penguins out shopping

Dreaming of Bellends

2010-11-17T20:31:00.004Z

If you drive on the M62 from Liverpool to Manchester, on the left hand side, when you get towards St. Helens you'll spot, peeking out between the tree tops, something that looks like a giant, white bellend. Disappointingly it isn't. It's a fucking huge girls head and close up it resembles a fucking huge girls head and nothing like a fucking huge bellend.

If you go down to the woods today.......

2010-10-31T19:53:00.027Z

Two months on and I still haven't recovered from my neck injury so I can't comfortably ride my bike at all, but once a week I have been taking a bunch of painkillers and attempting to compete in the North West Cyclocross races. I come in at the back of the field after battling around a course for an hour with veteran 70 year olds. This week the race was at the most local course to me, Otterspool Park.
It looks a really pleasant area but Otterspool is a fairly notorious stretch of land on the banks of the River Mersey, that can be frequented by cruising guys, sexual deviants, predators and general weirdo lurkers:- That guy you think is innocently flying a kite.....the dude over there, walking the small Scotty dog.....they'll soon, 'bump into' that old man who looks like he is quietly contemplating life, sitting on the bench. The scene that is going on in this area doesn't normally involve the bike racing scene. In the week before, a friend of mine was doing some training laps in the park and he said at one point while riding a single track section in the bushes and trees, there was a guy openly pissing while two dudes watched him.
As usual, I end up rushing trying to get my act together and make it to the race on time, so I put on the only clean shorts I could find. I sign on, have a 5 minute ride on part of the course, take a quick pee and dash to the start line just as everyone is lining up. In my hast I didn't fully, 'adjust myself' in the pretty low Assos bibshorts I was wearing. The race starts, first lap in and I know I'm not sitting comfortably. I carry on riding for as long as possible until I can find a suitable time and place to take one hand off the bars and make the necessary amendments to my wardrobe malfunction. As I enter a section of singletrack I reach down to my groin and delve into the shorts only to have my front wheel slip out on some protruding roots, as I was on my way to crashing, still with one hand, 'occupied' I managed to get a foot out and scramble to a stop. Shit, I rode off wondering what type of person could have come, quite literally, to my rescue. I'm sure I'd not be the first guy to be found in the trees there, on the floor with a hand down his shorts, out of breath and in pain.

Hell-o-weener

2010-10-31T17:58:00.002Z

Dicks can be scary things at the best of times.
Has anyone put the willies up you this Halloween, or have you seen any ghoulies?

Warning : There's a menace out on the street

2010-10-01T01:52:00.008+01:00

Mile End will never be the same again.

George TNT rips annihilation through the suburbs. It's not safe out. Trust me.

I saw Raymond Pettibon last week

2010-09-23T20:44:00.005+01:00

One of my favourite songs. MINUTEMEN------PARANOID CHANT
I try to work and i keep thinking of world war three i try to talk to girls and i keep thinking of world war three the goddamn six o'clock news makes sure i keep thinking of world war three i got a mile of numbers and a ton of stats of warheads a million chinese with warheads i don't worry about crime anymore so many gaddamn scared faces i keep thinking of russia of russia paranoid stuck on overdrive paranoid scared shitless

I Met Raymond Pettibon Last Week

2010-09-22T23:44:00.007+01:00

Here are some grotty punk flyers scanned in

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I'm sure I hadsomething I wanted to blog

2010-09-22T21:31:00.002+01:00

But I can't for the life of me remember what it was.

I got asked last night 'Excuse me, is that GT track bike?'
I had to answer 'No it's a convert.' It felt like saying 'No my tits aren't real, sorry.'

Snowdon is one of the other 3 peaks

2010-09-21T20:26:00.006+01:00

I go up Snowdon at least once a year, usually via the Llanberis route that sort of follows the train tracks up. This year was slightly different type of ascent for me in that I tried to go up as fast as comfortably possible, this would be part of my 3 Peaks training. I jogged, yomped and staggered up, not really slaughtering myself but I wasn't just ambling. It was pretty wet and very cloudy all the way up from about 500feet which sucked so there were no views at the summit.
The 3 Peaks Cyclocross race is pretty insane. Check it out on the interweb. I'd managed to get a much sought after place in this years. I've spent the last 2 months riding as much as possible in the Welsh hills, scrambling up insanely steep climbs, running in sand dunes, sprinting up thousands of steps, carrying my bike up long grassy hills, riding off road and doing all kinds of daft stuff that I thought would help me finish the race. I certainly ain't a fast or strong rider, but I'd hope to be ADEQUATE enough to get to the end of it.
As it is, I doubt I'll even make it to the start line, all that training (probably too much shoulder bike carrying) has damaged the cartlidge between the discs of my neck so I haven't been able to ride or train at all for nearly 3 weeks now. Last physio session is only a few days from the start so things aren't looking good.

The Shelf and the Bwlch Penbarras

2010-09-09T18:29:00.006+01:00

I took Gabe out one night for a few hours on my road bike to sample the amazing panoramic views and a couple of hills I ride in Denbighshire, North Wales. We started half way up Moel Famau and headed out towards Ruthin and rode up the 3 miles climb of 'The Shelf'. We then turned around and rode back and went onto the savage climb known as the 'Old Bwlch'. This is a pretty tough climb for anyone and I've seen many blow up and have to walk up sections of it. On any large group rides that I've been on the call out of, 'everyman for themselves' goes out at the very start of this climb. I find that when you get to the first cattle grid it will take the same amount of effort to get to the notorious hairpin bend, no matter what don't give up, once you get past that bend it is a little bit easier until the last 200 metres which kicks up just enough to have you back out the saddle.
It has been in the 'Killer Climb' page of Cycling Weekly and got an overall rating of 8.5 out of 10.
Some Bwlch Penbarras facts:
2.25km/1.4 miles long
260 metres of climbing
25% at various points

Fell Ride

2010-09-05T22:41:00.004+01:00

There's some sort of radar on top of Great Dunn Fell, referred to round here as 'The Golf Ball'. It sits just next to Cross Fell, the highest point in the Penines which form the eastern wall of the Eden Valley here in Cumbria. Feeling all tough guy because I Nick dragged me up 'The Back of The Bulk' on his road bike - I tried to ride the dead-end of a road up to it.

I thought this would be the more civilised than Heartside, the other road up this side of the fell which would be buzzing with motorbikes this time on a sunday. There wasn't anything civil about it though. It's too steep. After nearly keeling over on the steepest bits I'd have to run and jump on my bike again, once it got a bit tamer, just to get the peddles round. Wrong Gear, totally.

Coming back down wasn't any fun either. After almost wearing through my tyre in the first hundred metres I got a puncture. That fixed, I'm not embarrassed to say I, walked the rest of the steep bits and only got on when I could safely woosh out onto a flattish bit.

Dick Cup

2010-08-29T14:06:00.002+01:00

If you ain't drinking from the furry tea cup you could always give this one a try.

Granny Segway Carnage

2010-08-29T13:50:00.003+01:00

Bike Pick Berry n Apple Pie

2010-08-29T13:34:00.004+01:00

We went on a bike ride and picked aload of berries, went for a drink to a pub were the local cycle club had stopped off and saw the most expensive bikes I'd ever seen in real life, then we rode home, picked some apples off the tree in my garden and then made a pie complete with little maggots. Berry pie bake off, real savage like.

HippoPottoBikeomus

2010-08-29T11:43:00.005+01:00

Babe, got back. Hell yeah.
There's junk in that trunk.

Dig Photos

2010-08-18T22:37:00.004+01:00

If you ever go to the office of the Editor of DigBMX 'zine you'll have to walk the long corridor lined with the original prints of some of the most iconic BMX photos.

Haro Master

2010-08-18T22:16:00.007+01:00

Spotted this bike being paraded around Chester like a trophy by some Superdry/Henleys wearing tit. It was an amazing bike, totally accurate as a BMX museum piece, but all I could think about the owner was, 'You've got too much money and an ebay account, but it still can't buy you your youth back'.

Peter Crouch's New Bike

2010-08-11T21:52:00.002+01:00

Here's Peter Crouch's new bike. And it's not an 800 quid prostitute.

The Break Down

2010-08-11T21:50:00.001+01:00

"Why Am I Wet?"

2010-08-11T21:38:00.003+01:00

Rolled into Biarritz not knowing where to stay. After dark and a few glasses of wine we curled up on a cosy bit of concrete and woke up on our own beach side balcony.

Flying home in pissy cycling shorts. It's a bug's life.

Our Cycle Holiday Was Better Than Yours

2010-08-02T19:30:00.003+01:00

Art. Shiny stuff in Bilbau.