Our friends at GCN did a quick survey of the pro riders' favourite jerseys a few months ago. While one or two actually chose their own kit (Mentjes?) the guys showed pretty good taste with Greipel going for Indurain's Banesto jersey and Dumoulin opting for the classic Molteni. We had some fun choosing our own Top Ten, trying to spread them out over the last six decades. Apologies for the 80s bias, a giveaway about our age here. Let us know what you think!
Read MoreA Modern Spin on Cycling's Classics
When Ride Velo first came across Gareth Llewhellin’s bold prints we were blown away. Made from coloured printing inks and rollers, they celebrate and feature some of the iconic cycling jerseys of the past : Bianchi, Peugeot, Molteni and Brooklyn. He also showcases some of the Spring Classics in poster form such as Paris-Roubaix, not forgetting images for all three Grand Tours.
His images reveal an understanding and passion for cycling’s great heritage and this, combined with a certain rawness, make for some stunning pictures that we think we’re all going to be seeing a lot more of.
Read MoreVintage Bike Shopping for Eroica
Ride Velo has never been to Romford before and, an hour into the journey, we were seriously considering why we were enduring the traffic jams to get across London to a place that we’ve successfully managed to avoid for several decades without worrying about it. If we’d known what an Aladdin’s cave we were about to enter we would never have questioned the sanity of spending a beautiful spring Sunday afternoon stuck in the car negotiating the dubious driving skills of the inhabitants of Essex, rather than enjoying the country lanes of the Kent Alps on a road bike.
Read MoreP is for Peloton
Last week Ride Velo profiled Mark Fairhurst who, as well as being one of the most fascinating cycling artists of the moment, also illustrated one of last year’s best cycling books: P is for Peloton.
Read MoreThe Bicicletta Café - Coffee Con Velo
Saffron Walden is a terribly nice market town in Essex, most famous for its yellow cooking ingredient, and more recently Jamie Oliver, who hails from nearby Clavering; but unrelated, other than by food! Hardly surprising then that a new saffron-yellow cafe should open up just off Market Square, in between Starbucks and Costa Coffee. But what's stirred up the residents is that it's a cycle cafe, the inspiration for which was actually the maillot jaune, and not the local crocuses!
Read MoreGood Vibrations from Pavé, Culture Cycliste
Firstly, a little bit of advice before you go, and you must go to this shop if you're ever in Barcelona: fork out the 20 odd Euros to get there by taxi. If you have a hire car, even better. We took a metro, a train and then a bus to get to El Prat de Llobregat which, it turns out, is not on any tourist guide to Barcelona, the reason being that this is part of the industrial heartland of the city surrounding the airport, its main features being large warehouses, factories and lorry depots. Plaça Reial, this ain't.
Read MoreRide Velo on tour: Barcelona
Barceloneta Bikes has one of the most enviable locations in the world: not only is it in one of the greatest cities on the planet: (Barcelona) but, as its name suggests, it’s also positioned in the heart of Barceloneta, one of the cooler, trendier and edgier barrios of this wonderful, vibrant and bustling metropolis.
Fixie heaven...
First impressions are that this is fixie heaven, with brightly coloured wheels hanging from the ceiling; chain and crank sets displayed against pine-clad walls. You can tell these guys know their stuff when you admire their display of customised bikes with Cinelli, Bianchi and Langster frames, to name but a few, that hark back to the fixie bike roots of the track. No knocked off cheap frames imported in bulk from Taiwan here.
Barceloneta Bikes' Club jersey: cool!
The apparel is quality too: T-shirts with great designs including Barceloneta Bikes’ own logo, natty socks and beautiful Eroica wool jerseys. There are sharp cycling shoes as well as retro leather ones, and some stylish urban helmets.
Crank it up Spanish Stlyleee
El Jefe, Tony (courtesy of A&E TV)
But Tony Valcarel, who set the shop up four years ago, says there’s more to BBikes than just fixies or single speeds. He got into cycling as a mountain biker originally, then moved into road then track racing. What he loves best is to customize any bike to your needs; whether it’s an urban, mountain or road bike. He even works with frame builders in the city to help you achieve the perfect geometry, fit and feel for you. No wonder then that the shop is now the subject of a real life documentary called ‘Be-Bike’, produced by A&E productions in the USA.
Demon wheels
Ok, so you’re probably not going to order your bike from here while on your summer holiday, but if you want something a little sharper to spin round the streets of the city on your visit than the rather heavy city bikes on offer elsewhere, you could do worse than heading down to Barceloneta Bikes to rent one for the day or longer. You’ll be sure of a warm and friendly welcome, and all the guys speak excellent English.
Does my bum look big on this?
They even invited us out on one of their weekly night-time rides out to the airport and back. And if you’re like us, and just love to drool over some great bikes and kit, this offers an alternative to Barcelona’s other attractions.
