Vintage Falcon bike restoration project

A few days back I went to pick up a slide which my wife had bought for the kids over eBay. As I was leaving the lady who sold us the slide mentioned that they had loads of stuff in the garage and enquired whether I would like to take a look. Of course, I couldn't refuse. I suddenly noticed this old black bike and the Falcon sticker. I told her that I would like the bike. Unfortunately her husband was not around and asked me to call up later.

I totally forgot about it until we received an email from the seller later inquiring whether I still wanted the bike and to put in an offer if I did. I offered £20 and he accepted. Later on we had a chat over the phone and he asked for £25. That was a little bit more than I wanted to give him but then one similar bike had gone for little more than £60 on eBay (it was in a better condition though). I had also been looking for a vintage bike to restore and decided to buy the bike.

When I brought it back home, my wife was furious. "What were you thinking?" "I don't want the junk inside my house".

She only calmed down after I explained that the Reynolds 531 alloy frames were going for more than double the price of the bike on eBay.



Here is the lovely looking bike.



I guess this was one of their cheaper models as it only has a sticker instead of the stamped metal headbadge.


The famous Reynolds 531 tubing made of a manganese/molybdenum steel alloy and apparently these are in high demand by fixie bike fans.



Badly rusted pannier rack. I read somewhere that the spokes were cadmium plate units and they must have been shining when they were new. I think all it needs is a touch of metal polish and elbow grease to remove the oxidation and bring the shine back.

It is interesting that this bike has components made in Japan, US, Taiwan, Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland and of course, England - truly a global bike.

The cycle has Shimano derailleurs and Weinmann brakes which are in excellent condition. The front tyres are Michillin World Tour 27 x 1 1/4" and still hold air. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about the rear tyres (made in Taiwan).

I have no idea how old this bike is as there is very little information about Falcon bike on the net. My guess is that it is from the early 70s - meaning that we might be around the same age.

Initially I was thinking of stripping of the old paint and getting it repainted but I found out that the vintage look is in right now - people actually like the old weathered look on old bikes and have decided to leave it that way with some cleaning and touching up.

8th Blogoversary

It has been 8 long years since I first started blogging on ah ok lah in 2003. What first started out as a place on the web to voice out and share my thoughts, emotions and events ended up changing my life completely. From a hobby it became my source of income and also my area of specialisation.

I received a scholarship to do a PhD  in marketing at the Warwick Business School my research looks at the relationship between interactivity and attitudes towards blogs and towards advertising on blogs. I now blog on several blogs and even have been invited to speak about blogging to different audiences including a presentation on teaching with blogs to some academics at the University of Warwick.

Some say blogging is addictive - in my case it has been therapeutic. Other people play golf, or video games or do yoga. In my case, blogging helped me whenever I was stressed. It has definitely helped me with my writing skills in a language which is not my mother tongue.

I have come a long way - from someone who used to enjoy reading blogs to someone who is now considered an expert on blogging.

Why do I blog?

Flying kite at Memorial Park Coventry

Recently we went to the Memorial park in Coventry as the kids were quite restless at home and my daughter wanted to try out the kite her mum had bought for her.

Unfortunately there was not much wind that day apart from the occasional gusts and we couldn't really get the kite up high. Still we all had fun.

Will definitely be going again when it is a bit more windy.

Muslims are our neighbors

I recently got to know about a film project in the United States called "My Fellow American". The project is devoted to recognizing that Muslims are our neighbors. They have come up with a really touching 2 minute film that you should watch. Visit My Fellow American site here.

Compare car insurance and make sure you get a better deal

Car insurance can be a pain in the proverbial. Third party only, or fully comprehensive? Limited mileage or windscreen excess? Roadside breakdown assistance or…you get the picture. In a world of endless possibilities, car insurance providers can baffle you with a mind-blowing array of choices, options and decisions to make. And you can’t escape it – car insurance is a legal requirement to drive on UK roads. It’s a criminal offence to drive whilst uninsured.

So we all have to bite the bullet and every year do the rounds of car insurance providers. If you already have insurance, the temptation can be to forgo all the hassle and simply stick with what you know. Your current insurance provider has looked after you for the past year at least, so why start swapping and changing just for the sake of it?

Consumer power – putting you in the driving seat
For years, the insurance companies had it all their own way. They knew that customer loyalty was practically guaranteed because the process of hunting around for a better deal was a time consuming and boring business. It meant hours on the phone, repeating your details ad infinitum to different call centres and all to find out that the first or second quote you got was the best one.

Today, things are different. Online comparison sites have made the process much easier. Now, to compare hundreds of car insurance quotes you simply have to type your details in once and an at-a-glance list of potential suppliers pops up instantly. For consumers who want to compare car insurance, online sites have been a revelation.

So how do I use a comparison site?
Once you’ve typed your details in (and remember not to leave any important details out as it could invalidate any policy you buy), you can then start to see what each provider offers. The simple choice first – what cover do you need? The obvious is to go for fully comprehensive cover, but that will cost more than third party or third party, fire and theft. However, it does provide the most comprehensive cover (hence the name).

Then there’s the excess to think about. The more you are prepared to pay, the cheaper your premiums. But remember that the excess will have to come out of your pocket, so consider carefully how much you could budget for in an emergency and put in a realistic amount. It’s better to pay a couple of pounds more and have a lower excess than to discover that you have to find the first £500 on a £600 claim out of your own pocket.

All those little ‘extras’
If you already have breakdown cover, do you really need to pay for it again? You would be surprised just how many people pay twice as much as they need to by including unnecessary additional breakdown cover on their insurance policy. A normal standard on all comprehensive policies is windscreen cover. A cracked or shattered windscreen can cost a small fortune to repair, especially if the windscreen is a non-standard size or shape as in some ‘panoramic windscreen’ style cars.

What about my no claims bonus?
Transferring your car insurance to a new provider does not necessarily mean that you lose your accumulated no claims bonus. Look for insurers who will allow you to transfer your bonus over to a new policy. Some will even offer a considerable discount for careful drivers with over five years’ worth of no claims.

By using an online comparison site to compare car insurance, not only could you save a considerable amount of money on your policy, but you could also end up with a tailor-made package that suits your requirements better than your existing provider. And never be afraid to haggle with your current insurer for a better deal. Comparison sites have given consumers back an element of control over their financial affairs, so use the information you can gather from a comparison site to your advantage.

Tragedy in Norway

Was really shocked when I heard about the twin attacks in Norway yesterday. This follows the three separate explosions in Mumbai just last week and the first thought that came to mind was "Muslim terrorists!" Even the BBC reports speculated that extremist "Jihadis" were responsible for the attacks. "Bloody F£$%^&g, B£$%^&ds" I cursed.

Not surprisingly comments on most online news sites including the Telegraph, Sun and the Daily Mail were filled with anti-Muslim and anti-immigration sentiment. Many were so blatantly islamophobic and some actually were incitement to violence.

Today it emerged that the man at the centre of the attack has been identified as Anders Breivik, 32, a Norwegian with links with to right-wing extremists and a neo-Nazi. He is also said to have anti-Muslim feelings and against a multi-culturarism. Few reports describe him as a conservative Christian.

I could almost hear a collective sigh of relief from Muslims all over the World.

I was really interested to see how the readers of the newspapers responded to the latest news. A lot of people were offended about the description of the killer as "conservative" and as a "Christian". Some guys correctly pointed out that when similar incidents involving a Muslim happens around the World, news reports promptly put "Islamic terrorist" or "Jihadi" tag, whereas in this case the guy was simply a "mad man" or simply  "the Oslo gunman".

Larry Keffer of the Biblical Research Center in Norway warned that "that people should not think that just because Breivik says he is a Christian that he actually is one."

The best comment was by a Mohammed kamran on the Daily Mail .

He points out that

"Terrorists use religion to get the moral high ground and give themselves a cause. My religion has been hijacked by terrorist s*** but Muslims reading this know he is NOT a Christian. We know what it's like when someone claims to be of your religion and causes an outrage like this. My thoughts and prayers are with Norway. God bless you."

I do wonder whether the anti-Muslim and anti-immigration rhetoric sweeping all over Europe may have had a part in this tragedy.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this tragedy in Norway.

Updated: Various pictures also show him wearing the ceremonial robes of the Freemasons. I wonder what is his link with this very secretive group.

Trip to Ayr

Last week we drove up to Ayr, in Scotland. We went along with another family. We started off around 11 from our house in Coventry and then went to Derby to pick up our friends. The whole journey took us about 7 hours from Derby to reach Travelodge Ayr - our accommodation at Ayr.

We didn't exactly go there for a holiday - we were there to get our son's eyes examined by Ian Jordan who has an optical practice. However, still get the chance to go down to the beautiful beach and the kids really enjoyed themselves. Wish we had more time to roam around this ancient town.









Would love to come back here again someday.