I'm not sure what's with the white thing lately.  It seems every Joe and his sister in law's uncle are re-releasing their product range with a white paintjob.  Its probably got something to do with the world's finest bicycle manufacturer sporting some deadly white frames.  I don't know who started it, mind. 

E13 are the latest company to jump on the white bandwaggon by releasing their chainguides with a limited edition white parts tree.  They also have a silver back plate, instead of the usual black. 

Not wanting to miss out on this makeover madness, we got these LG-1 guides this week. 



Now, personally I like to keep things simple and plain so that the lines of the frame stand out - I'm not so keen on the, 'Look at my upgraded gold anodised seatclamp and pedals' look.  However, tasteful highlights that compliment the overall look, can really work. 

(Mind you - I think I'm bordering on the fussy side of tasteful with my Supreme DH which recently got some of those white HEL brakelines.  The white Halo wheels were probably enough, and I'd have got black hoses if I wasn't trying really hard to be noticed..)

However, personal style notes aside, they look pretty cool.  And everyone seems to pick them up and say things like, 'Sweet, you've got them in white...'.  So who am I to tell them not to overdo the highlights? 

Heck, you could probably build an all white bike if you tried hard enough.  Now there's a thought...

I was putting this frame kit together for a customer, and I was just about to pack it up, when I thought, you know, this is a really nice build. Its kinda just how it should be. You know? There's nothing out of the ordinary, nothing you haven't seen before, just good quality stuff, that works.

If you can't tell from the pic, its a Meta 5.5 VIP frame, with a (bargain of a) Cane Creek headset, Fox Talas 32 RLC forks and some XT cranks. Not cheap stuff, but not super expensive for what its capable of.

I'm sure this will eventually build up into a killer all day bike, that isn't afraid of climbing and doesn't pansy out when it gets rough on the downs.

I better get it packed in its box before it misses the post....

First off, this blog has been more than a little quiet lately, and most un blog like. I realise that a dead blog is a very frustrating web page to land at. I feel I must appologise for this slackness.   more »

We've been getting obsessed with gram counting, and ultra pimpness, and white wheels, and Nicolais and custom built loveliness round these parts for the last while. And that's been what we talk about over morning coffee, inbetween replying to emails, over lunch and afternoon coffee...and then late afternoon coffee. And when we're building wheels we can't lace 3 spokes without weighing the wheels to see if its coming in on target. In fact, as I'm typing this Steve is weighing a pair of tubes to see which is lightest.... I don't know how we've got here - it worries even me, the one who wields the torque wrench!    more »

One of my fav bikes ever this one. Only bettered by my new Meta5 (more on that one soon).

It's in cracking condition and obviously well looked after. More details here and BIG pictures here. Call me in the shop on 02890 814914 or email me steve@realcycles.com if interested.

We did another one. Shop regular and Irish MTB style setter, Malc, has pulled out all the stops and 'Project 2' has come to fruition. The bike is the Nicolai UFO ST - a local DH, play thing, that is more than capable of keeping it up there as a UK/Irish DH race bike. Here are some shots from about half an hour ago when he called in to collect it. Read on for the waffle.   more »

It has been the week for special builds alright. This week (or was that last week...), saw the long anticipated arrival of shop regular Malc's 'Project I'. Project I has been months in the making and speccing. Its has finally been created. It is probably the sickest bike we've ever created. Maybe we've built faster, more expensive (just!), prettier, or bling, but never so sick! Read on for more.   more »

Well, it's the end of an era here at RC: Avid brakes, for us at least are no more! Shimano is our new king. This might come as a surprise to a lot as we've been considered the Avid brake shop for years, but times and brands (and suppliers) change, so we have to as well. First off i guess then is our explantation of why we are dropping Avid. Two words: Quality and supply.    more »

Its been another manic few days in the workshop for me this week. I've got gear cables coming out my nose, and my first two fingers are practically dissolved with hydraulic fluid - I still can't bring myself to wear those latex gloves that are sitting in the back cupboard.... And while I've been preoccupied with getting our custumers riding in time for the weekend, the Winter Series had been sneaking up. In fact, we're due to go racing this Sunday. The debut appearance of the Real Cycles/Commencal DH team. That's the Real Cycles Commencal DH team, at the first round of the ChainReaction/Epic MTB Winter league. This Sunday, at Moneyscalp forest, Co. Down. We friendly enough, so make yourself known at our gazebo (if it hasn't blown away by already). This afternoon I filled up our spares box with everything I could find...   more »

Normality has almost resumed this week at Real Cycles.  Whatever normality is at Real Cycles....

We've had a long Christmas break, which was blissful and much needed after a mental Autumn.  I saw my hot American fiance for a couple of weeks, and did, well, not a lot, really.  But the days of lying in til 12 are over and its time to embrace the early mornings with soft (runny) boiled eggs and coffee.

We're already getting geared up for the debut race of the Real Cycles/Commencal DH team in the ChainReactionCycles/EPIC MTB Winter League which starts in 10 days.  Its really snuck up quickly and I've heard stories of sneaky training going in over the past few (very dark) months.  Watch for Stevie D, Stevo Beattie, and Karl O'Sullivan making their mark.  Unfortunately I'll be sitting this series out as I continue to recover from a long standing back injury, holding the NPS which begins in early April as my goal.

Hopefully as normality resumes we'll get a bit better at regular postings.  The aforementioned bios, how-to's and other ramblings are still in the pipeline.  Its just a very long pipe you understand. 

There is other news.  But I'll think of it tomorrow.