Coventry Eagle Bike for my wife

My wife received an unexpected present from our friends Kak Yati and Faizam. I was helping load their stuff on the container they were sending back home to Malaysia when En. Faizam told me that he had left a bike for my wife in their backyard.

I later collected it just as they were leaving for Malaysia. I had to dismantle it a bit so that it fit in the car and had been lying there in the back of our house since then.

Today I was feeling a bit sleepy and decided to assemble the cycle.

It is a Coventry Eagle Vision ladies hybrid bike was in surprisingly good condition. It has 15 speed Shimano gears fitted and the brakes are in excellent condition.

The seat was in excellent condition as well and really comfortable.



The tyres may need replacing though.

I later found out that the Coventry Eagle was once quite famous until it declined. Falcon cycles now own the brand name.



The old Coventry Eagle bikes used to have a great looking decal. However, I guess the one we have was probably made during the decline and only had stickers which have mostly come off.



A big Thank You! to Kak Yati and Faizam

If you had a million pounds

Yesterday Friday night 25 prizes of £1 million were won on in the Christmas Eve EuroMillions Millionaire Raffle. If all winners come forward and claim their prizes, this will break the existing world record for the most millionaires in a single draw, according to the National Lottery.

I can't help but wonder whether winning a million may be a curse. I mean look at the history of past winners.

I read that winning that kind of money doesn't make you happy. Winning £2million made Stuart Donnelly miserable. He became a recluse and died alone in his luxury home. Alex Toth who won Thirteen-million dollars also died penniless.

There are so many other sad stories and in most there seems to be a familiar story line - most of the winners just spent all their money in such a short time - usually on booze and materialistic things. A million is not that much and it is possible to spend all of it in a few years. I wish they had done something useful with their money.

Maybe it was the curse of living under the spotlight. And of course, there were some who kept their head level and managed their money well but they are few. Of course, there are loads of winners who didn't want the publicity and they probably did well as well.

I was reading the article "What to do when you become an instant millionaire" on the BBC website and was wondering what I would do if I had that kind of money?

In front of my PC with Coke

WARNING: Depressing post ahead. Though it ends on an optimistic note.

Today has been a rather stressful day. It might have something to do with the fact that my son was vomiting all night (he's much better today) or I went to bed at 5 am in the morning or maybe that it's cold, everything is covered with snow and gloomy outside. It might also have something to do with the fact that I had a discussion about our finances with the wife (and ir does not really look good) and that I still have another chapter of my PhD thesis to complete.

My wife has gone to help a friend who's leaving the UK soon to pack. My son is taking a nap and my daughter is busy in her imaginary World. I am now in front of my PC with a class of Coca Cola Zero and I do feel much better.



No! Coca Cola did not pay me to write this post.

Snow, snow and more snow. I want to go skiing.

There was chaos on Coventry's roads today. It started snowing yesterday and in the morning we woke up to find everything covered in snow.

I had some work at the University of Warwick and had to drive very carefully. I have no idea why but it seems that the City council had not gritted only the main roads and it was a bit scary when my tyres started spinning a couple of times in the side roads. However, it was OK on the main roads.

The funny thing was that it was bright and sunny today. Despite the sun, it was still freezing cold and waling to the main Scarman road building from my office through the snow, my feet and hands were getting really cold it actually felt painful. As I walked in the snow I was thinking of the body warmers I had come across on Handwarmers.net. These warmers are small packs which are air activated – which means they become warm on being exposed to air. I had brought some body warmers from Malaysia but the heat lasted only about half and hours and I was not really sure how environmentally friendly they were. On the other hand, the handwarmers available on Handwarmers.net can keep you warm for around 10 hours and furthermore, they are totally safe and environmentally friendly. If you are looking for foot warmers, do check out www.FootWarmers.org

Anyway, I was thinking it has been quite some time since we last went on a holiday and decided that once I submit my thesis, we will go on a family holiday and fulfil one of the things on my to–do list, which is to learn Skiing. A friend told me that the ski resorts in France are fabulous this time of the year. Can’t wait to submit my thesis.

Icy wonderland

The whole of Coventry was covered with a layer of ice two weeks ago and it's still there in some parts. the trees and plants looked like they had been painted over with white paint.







It was beautiful but COLD.

According to the forecasts, winds from the arctic are going to bring more snow and accompanying freezing temperatures. brrrrrr.

I do miss Malaysia.

Finding the right saddle for my cycle

This is my second post about my new passion - cycling and about a very important component of the cycle - the saddle. It is after all the part that remains in contact with your body and also carries most of your weight most of the time. At least for me anyway, because on my way to the University, I see a lot of guys who don't seem to be sitting on their saddles while paddling their bikes. I guess they are the pros.

Anyway, a few days after I bought my used bike over eBay, I took it out for a ride in the neighbourhood. The cycle is a Hawk mountain bike and came with it's original saddle from the shop - basic plastic and foam. I had barely gone for only a several hundred yards when I realised that the saddle was really uncomfortable and in fact my butt was beginning to get sore. By the time I got home, some very sensitive parts of my body in contact with the saddle were already numb. There was no way I was going to ride 4.8 miles to University on that saddle.

On my way back from the university a few days later, I dropped by the Go Outdoors store and bought myself a Canyon Gel seat cover. The thought of buying a new saddle never came into my mind then. After all, the reason I started cycling was because I wanted to save money. Anyway, the cover did make it a bit more tolerable and I did eventually start cycling to the University of Warwick campus from my house in Radford.

As time went by, I realised that I needed to invest in a new saddle. There were some drawbacks of the gel cover. It soaked up rain and the cushioning effect was gone by the time I reached the University. Doing research on the net, I found that there were so many brands and all kinds of saddles to choose from. A number of long time riders swore by their leather Brooks - a luxury brand in cycle saddles. Yes! There are actually luxury bicycle and accessories brands.

Best selling Brooks saddle - the B17 Special

However, I realised that I could actually buy a brand new bike with the price of the cheapest Brooks saddle. So I gave up the idea of buying a brand new brooks and went to eBay. I actually missed an amazing bargain on an almost new Brooks that went at just £5.50.

I ultimately bid and won a brand new WTB  Speed-V Sport Saddle. It retails at £24.99 but I got it for £12 including postage. The saddle features something which they call the 'Love Channel' which allows some room for some sensitive parts in contact with the saddle and it definitely made a huge difference. Though I would be lying if I said that it was really comfortable, I guess it will have to do for the time being.

Besides a comfortable saddle, I found out that it helps to have padded cycling pants. I am not a fan of men in tights but I decided to go for a Karrimor Padded Cycling Pants Mens, which I got on Amazon for just £10.99 including postage (original price was £34.99). What a huge difference it made and I always wonder why I didn't buy one earlier. Looking forward to sore free bottoms in the future.

If you are a cycling enthusiast, please do share your experience with cycle saddles.

Cycling in winter: essential clothing

I have been cycling to the University of Warwick from my home in Radford, Coventry for little more than a month now. I have definitely come a long way and what initially started out as a means to save money and get some exercise in the process has become a bit of a passion. IN fact I now know a lot about bikes, repair and different brands.

As it's getting colder , I also have had to think about specialised clothing. I go with 3 layers of clothes:
1. A wicking baselayer,
2. Insulating fleece and
3. Waterproof/ windproof jacket

I learnt that a wicking baselayer is absolutely important to get a dry layer next to the skin and keep you warm at the same time. My old 100% cotton t-shirts would soak up the sweat and I would feel really uncomfortable with the wet sensation which also took ages to dry when I ultimately got to the campus.

I just bought a red long sleeve Surfanic baselayer and it's really great. It is made of a fabric they call Surftex Dry 100% polyester and just cost me £9.99 at TK Maxx. However, one baselayer is not enough if you ride regularly,and I went to TK Maxx and bought another baselayer, this time a blue Trekmates baselayer, which just cost me £8.99 (apparently the retail price is £24.99), so I think I got some great deals.

The fleece was a really cheap one from Go Outdoors (£5.99). I am still using my old trusty Nike Jacket but I probably need to get a good waterproof cycling jacket. However, all the ones I like such as the Endura stealth jacket, are extremely costly and out of my budget.

However, I have read from the reviews that there is no such a thing as waterproof and breathable jackets. Do tell me if you know of a good winter cycling jacket that's both breathable and waterproof.