Comment

Comment by globalguy on September 23, 2010 at 4:09pm

Before we get too esoteric ... a little help for the civilians:

Compo-
* A character from the British TV series Last of the Summer Wine named Compo Simmonite, played by Bill Owen.
* A slang word in the demoscene for "competition".
* British army field rations.
* COMPO Organisation for past members of Bournemouth School CCF, COMPO - Organisation Past Members of Corps.
* Compo is also the shorthand term for "composition ornament", a general term for molded and cast mixtures composed variously from linseed oil, pitch, whiting, hide glue, and various binders and aggregates such as horsehair, hemp or dried clay. Decorative elements are cast from this material and applied to walls, ceilings, doors, and mantels for an overwhelming decorative effect.
* Compo is also a slang word for compensation. In some countries there is a perceived culture of looking for monetary compensation for minor injuries as a form of income. In Australia the word is commonly used as slang for compensation, without any negative implications.

Comment by SlyRed on September 23, 2010 at 11:00am

Garth, showing up in Burberry plaid wellies and plus-fours would not be very Compo-like, so don't even think about it.

Comment by John on September 23, 2010 at 10:48am

Someone must have profiled me for the article. With all the hipsters wearing nerdy glasses, I thought my time had finally come. Oh well.

Comment by globalguy on September 23, 2010 at 10:43am

Yes ... Sir Smug-a-Lot ... you do! perhaps something more timely?

From a fascinating article at Slate that begins (about 1/2 way down): "If there's a shameful way to spend an hour in front of the TV—and, at this point, that is a low bar to crawl under—it's in being a devotee of shows that are square, off-zeitgeist, and tweedy."

Comment by John on September 23, 2010 at 10:01am

Well, if I have to grow a moustache and act even more pompous than I already do, so be it.

Comment by globalguy on September 23, 2010 at 9:45am

Updated Info HERE!

Comment by globalguy on September 14, 2010 at 3:16am

Jami wrote a brilliant piece on us for this month's The Derailleur:

"The Last of the Summer Tweed Rides October 3, 2010 from 12 p.m. - 7
p.m. starting at 711 Des Plaines Ave. in Forest Park RSVP:
thechainlink.org/events/the-last-of-the-summer-tweed Contact: 773-278-5669 What do I wear? Usually for this cyclist, that means whatever happens to be comfortable and halfway clean, but since I was attending my first Tweed Ride, this required a little more thought. After perusing area thrift stores, I settled upon an outfit and rode out on my three-speed-steed and met up with the gang for the Cozy Hearth Tweed Ride. Our meeting point was Jack’s Bar and Grill, the first of many fireplace featuring establishments, where dozens of ladies and gentlemen were holding court. The gamut ran wide, there were those in three piece suits, others who dressed up jeans, and still others in full-length skirts with a plethora of accessories like scarves, canes, and even aviator glasses. Once we set out on that chilly, but sunny afternoon, we seized the day. Our pedals twirled, our bells rang, and we showed the city some style."

Comment by Ron on September 13, 2010 at 5:30am

Wow....this looks great! Maybe I need to get this!

Comment by Eric H on September 13, 2010 at 5:01am

Please, someone buy this one before I do...

http://cgi.ebay.com/raleigh-sports-classic-cruiser-bike-/270634322328

Comment by Alan Lloyd on September 7, 2010 at 7:39am

I have started reading my copy of "Britain by Bike" (by Jane Eastoe; http://tinyurl.com/2vgm28t; foreward by Clare Balding, who hosted the BBC series) last night and have to share some quotes just from the introduction to whet your apetites ...

(p8) "Harold [Briercliffe] was also not averse to some serious physical challenges, as well as the gentle touring routes. He writes about the 'rough stuff', cycling in mountainous regions on week-long tours. He also commends the fetish of pass-storming: the enthusiastic (read young and fit) pass-stormer pedals up rough mountain tracks, continuing on foot, bicycle on back, when the going gets too tough and then tearing down the far side. However, he also advocates hopping on trains, bicycle stashed in the guard's van, if the mood takes you."

(p17) "Cycling clubs became popular and on Saturdays group runs out and about were planned - riding on the Sabbath was frowned upon by the Church of England. These excursions were led by a club captain, equipped with a bugle to control his members."

(p19} "While some doctors expressed concern about women participating in such 'vigorous' exercise as cycling, the notion that their reproductive organs might shake loose faded."

(p20) "In 1883, proving that road rage is not a new phenomenon, Andrew Weiss massacred six cyclists in Central Park, New York, by shooting them from the top of his wagon."

(p21) "The term 'loose women' is said to come from female cyclists who loosened their corsets in order to ride."

(p22) "Sears and Roebuck marketed a collapsible 'bicycle rifle' that could be used as either a pistol or a rifle - a concept that gives the bicycle a rather more rakish and dangerous image than its clean-cut, eco-friendly one of today."

(p26) "When Japan invaded China in 1937, it employed some 50,000 bicycle troops. Early in the Second World War, their southern campaign through Malaya, en route to capturing Singapore in 1941, was largely dependent on bicycle-mounted soldiers."

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