Of bikes and men …

One of my favorite bikes (Nigel) was a Nigel Dean World Tour. This was a late 1980s British tourer, one of the last of its type. It featured a Reynolds 531 Super Tourer steel frame , thumb shifters and a 3 x 7 Suntour drivetrain and weighed in at a whopping 29lbs.

The red bike (Odin) – which I still ride – is a 2018 base model Specialized Allez with an alloy frame and a relatively slim 22lbs, Shimano Claris groupset and decent rim brakes.

My most recent ride (Baldur) is a 2024 Canyon Endurace with a full Shimano 105 groupset, relaxed geometry, carbon seat tube, disc brakes and DT Swiss wheels. Still regarded as an entry level road bike but a world away from old Nigel.