15 January 2008

Manly spending

" One of the great joys of being a man, along with not needing to multitask and not having your legs ogled in bars, is that you have the ability to gain disproportionate pleasure from all sorts of gadgets and equipment. It doesn’t really matter what sort of kit it is – tennis racket, wetsuit, toaster – as long as it does something clever.

In normal circumstances, it is hard to get excited about insoles but these ones had a remote control. Any clothing with a remote control is exciting.

..the hours wore on and the least well-equipped members of the group started to whimper, I remained almost disturbingly immune to the deteriorating conditions. The lesson from my Peak District adventure was clear. Flashy kit is not a waste of money. I can’t tell you that it’s the difference between life and death. But it’s close. It wasn’t me, after all, that stopped in a muddy, windswept field on the brink of tears, no longer able to feel anything important, and say: “You lot carry on. I’m just going to stay here. I can’t pedal any more. Just leave. I’ll be all right.”"

OR without the spending..

" The cheapest tip is to put newspaper under your jersey, a trick used by early Tour de France competitors, though it can quickly get soggy Put a layer of aluminium foil under your insoles for extra insulation Cycle against the wind on the way out and with it on the way back.

timesonline

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