Chasing the Ape

At the end of any shoot there is a mixture of fatigue, jubilation and the need to relax and recharge. The final stage of our recent shoot was no different… Enter Gavin Bevan aka Gav ‘The Coffee Mod’ who supplied us with an impromptu pop-up coffee stop; just the tonic for tired legs and a great way to mark the end of what had been an epic day.

Once the caffeine started to kick in so to did the banter, you’d expect nothing less when the dry wit of ‘Northern Paul’, Simpson shoot newbie Stuey and Clive, ‘the Punster’ turned up the gas. The colour of Clive’s jersey was easily topic number one on the verbal hit list, swiftly followed by the length of Simpson’s own Creative Director Terry’s ‘still in need of a haircut’ - hair length.

It was at this point Barista supremo Gav stepped in and offered to pace us some of the way back via his Piaggo Ape. Had the caffeine charge kicked in - were we wired enough to take on one of Italy’s finest three-wheeled coffee vending vehicles, (the Italian’s refer to them as trucks), all 200cc of it! Hell yes; ‘let’s go for it’ was the consensus.

While on the road following the Ape any semblance of a formation plan instantly fell apart. Riding close to the back of the screaming two-stroke was deafening. Between us the gaps were too wide, (a bit like social distancing on acid,) no amount of shouting could reform the ‘Simpson train’. As beautiful a thing as it was - it’s lifespan was momentary.

The motto of this adventure could read ‘Listen to the Ape’ - the reality is you have no choice but to do so!
It was definitely still the best way to end an amazing day’s ride out. Full feature story coming soon.

Special thanks go to:
Coffee pop-up main man Gav https://thecoffeemod.com
Photographer Matt Grayson http://www.mattgrayson.co.uk
Camera car driver Russell Ashwell

It was a total blast, let’s go Ape pacing again soon.

A new frame of mind - wider horizons to explore

Lockdown has taught us many things, how to view our ‘reality’ in a different way, seek new targets, new horizons with an alternative, fresh, exciting compliment of people and products.

In the forthcoming months we hope to be doing more riding but more importantly meeting up again with the people we’ve missed sharing the road with. For us the pandemic is still a threat that’s why we’re still being cautious about venturing outside of the bubble just yet.

Photoshoots are and will always be an intrinsic part of the Simpson DNA but at present we’re playing it safe by limiting our interaction with others. Sure we miss buzz of planning, organising and the actual shoot itself but we’re going to do it on our own terms and it a way that feels right for us.

When you don’t hear much from us it’s because we’re at our most creative - what goes on in the backroom at Simpson HQ always defines an energy and scope of vision that gives us our unique vantage point.

This is your opportunity to make contact and tell us about how you're coping with this pandemic and what role cycling is playing in your survival plan. Where is your riding taking you to, be it spiritually or mentally? Be it indoor or outdoor, whatever route you’re taking it has to be one that works for you.

In the words of TS Eliot’s East Coker ‘Old men ought to be explorers’ - we must always push forward and never be complacent.

Inspiration For Perspiration: Simpson Motivational poster series

To inspire you during this unprecedented time where we’re being told to stay indoors and remain at home in order to save the spread of COVID-19, Simpson magazine has created four inspiring poster downloads to help you stay focused and keep motivated.

This series of four images are free to upload, simply send us an email at www.info@simpsonmagazine.cc and we’ll email you the files.

• Use as a screen saver or desktop background

• Print out and place around your home for inspiration or in front of you when training indoors

• Share with your buddies or direct them to our website

Remember that the road is still out there and needs you back when things return to normal!
Ride strong, stay sharp and be safe.

Simpson CC Ride #3: on hold

The ride and all that comes with it has always been at the heart of Simpson - part of its DNA - the glue that holds us together. Since October 2019 we’ve been working on putting together ‘Ride #3’ our latest club ride and most ambitious event to date. It’s our chance to escape the norm and most importantly get to ride with our readers.

Our previous rides have taken us from city to sea and deep into the enigmatic lanes of the East Coast. Where will we take you next?

From the idea to practical logistics, every detail has to be tested before any form of announcement can be made. Both route and date had been in place and an e-newsletter would have gone out to all subscribers, but then came COVID-19 - a total spanner in the works! So in line with the rest of the global sporting calendar we’ve had to postpone this ride for the foreseeable future.

Ride #3 will be rescheduled for later in the year but obviously this depends on all virus related sanctions being lifted. In the meantime to help you to stay focused on your riding we’re going to be blogging about alternative CV-19/cycling themes - what to do, what to watch and generally how to remain sane.

The great disc brake debate - our option

Progress is inevitable, change can be hard to accept - the future can be difficult to realise. Culturally road cycling is steeped in tradition, it’s heritage and that of the bicycle are easily traceable but any innovation doesn’t happen over night.

The advent of clipless pedals, handlebar gear shifters and more recently electronic wireless groupsets and the introduction of carbon as a frame material have been acknowledged as genuine innovative improvements. They have improved cycling without interfering with the traditional appearance of the bicycle.

Mountain biking, as we are aware, has none of the restrictions associated with road cycling, it openly welcomes technological advances - enter disc brakes centre stage. Greatly improved stopping ability, zero rim wear and no tubeless glue meltdown surely heralded the next generation in road bike innovation - no. In reality both the Pro peloton and the UCI remain divided about embracing this latest form of stopping. The latter’s indecisiveness to commit either way has left the road bike world divided.

When it comes to going down hill it’s paramount to any cycling discipline to know they have the ability to slow down and stop in the most efficient effective manner possible. Until recently this has been provided solely by rim brakes - pressure applied via a rubber block/pad placed directly in contact with the rim of a wheel. Disc brakes still rely on friction and pressure but use technology passed down from motorcycles via mountain bikes in order to stop via a hub mounted disc. Each form of braking has it’s pros and cons:

Rim brakes:
For
- Traditional aesthetics
- Work well in the dry
- Lighter than discs
- More aerodynamic than discs

Against
- Rim wear
- Not so good in the wet
- Potential to heat up and melt tubeless adhesives
- Not as efficient as disc brakes

Disc brakes:
For
- Greater stopping ability than rim across all weather conditions
- No rim wear
- Minimal pressure needed for braking
Against
- Mountain/motorcycle aesthetics
- Potential disc heat on flesh in pile-up/crash situation
- Lack of manufacturer standardised formatting
- Higher maintenance
- Heavier than rims
- Less aerodynamic than rims

Without the UCI’s seal of approval we see this debate raging on for a long time. If the Pro peloton commit to one braking format the guesswork will be over. If discs get the vote then manufacturers will then have to come up with one standard disc size for ease of application.

As for the everyday rider, especially the commuter cyclist, we believe it makes sense to go the disc route – for those riders fortunate to have a ‘best bike’, the one that never goes out in the wet, the decision remains entirely up to you. Bear in mind though that rim brakes could in time become yesterday’s tech and the resale value of your bike could suffer as a consequence of your brake choice.