It’d been six months since I’d last been on a bike: an incredibly long dry spell for me, but one I could quite easily attribute to a few factors. There was the bad weather for starters – last winter was a bitterly cold bastard in London, so sticking my bike in the cupboard  from November onwards…

Well, hello there! Yes, I’ve been hiding away under a manuscript-shaped rock of late, but L👀K! I’ve crawled out from underneath it for a little bit of blog-time on this year’s Pashley Picnic Ride. Me and The Boy made a welcome return to Stratford-upon-Avon for the festivities, but we did it a little differently this time round. We headed there without our bikes. Yep. For the first time ever, he’d actually be on a Pashley for the ride, and I would be on a model other than my Princess. It did of course feel strange leaving Frankie at home, but the surprise of finding out which bikes we’d be riding […]

You know, there is nothing wrong with just having a bit of fun on a bicycle. No racing, laps or hard climbs – just a day on a bike taking your time and having a laugh. That’s exactly what VCG did on the Pashley Picnic Ride last month to celebrate a big birthday… and what a giggle it was indeed. As expected, England’s longest established cycle manufacturer marked its 90th anniversary in style. Their annual picnic for Pashley owners became a weekend long celebration of the brand, filled with bikes, vintage flare, booze… and some culture to boot. Adrian Williams (MD of Pashley) and his team laid on entertainment from […]

Wondering what’s going on with the Pashley Picnic Ride? Well, wonder no more! It’s coming back this September, and looks set to be quite the party! Pashley are holding their annual bike ride little later than usual this year, across the 17th – 18th September. After attending last May, and experiencing a fun-filled and quintessentially British extravaganza in one day, it’s awesome to see what they have planned for the weekend long event! The Saturday (17th September) is all set for Shakespeare: the bike-powered drama troupe ‘HandleBards’ will be performing ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ on the banks of the River Avon. It’s worth noting this is all tied-in with their 90th anniversary… I’m predicting something pretty […]

 VCG’s ‘Summer of Cycling’ is now in gear, and was kicked off in style when I attended the Pashley Picnic Ride! After 5 years of owning Frankie, it has certainly been a long time coming, and thanks to the amazing people at Pashley Cycles, me and The Boy went to the birthplace of my bike for a splendid stay and cycling adventure in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Pashley started the Picnic Rides back in 2012, as a way to celebrate the heritage of the company and thank customers of the brand for their loyal support. Held in association with the Traditional Cycle Shop, the annual ride draws a large crowd, with over 100 […]

 The 7th annual Tweed Run rolled into London on the 18th of April and after weeks of planning, the day had come for me to bring that poster to life (in more detail than I anticipated), and ride alongside 700 stylish cyclists through the city… Glorious sunshine was the order of the day as that elusive yellow orb made an appearance in a clear blue sky- result! Before riding off on the Pashley and Colourbolt, me and the dashingly dressed Boy checked off the VCG list of essential Tweed Run requirements… Outfits: pressed and presentable  ✔️ Bicycles: roadworthy and clean ✔️ Phones & cameras: charged ✔️ Picnic: wrapped & packed ✔️ Appetite: large and […]

Coffee and bikes – a well known combination loved by many cyclists, including myself… but what if I said the same could apply to tea? Always partial to a good Rosie Lee (well, I am from East London!), I’ve been enjoying some quality blends recently – so I was thrilled and intrigued when Tokyobike invited me round for a cuppa or two at the Good & Proper Tea Brew Bar which was in residence at their shop for four weeks… They say that tea in hot weather cools you down, so the surprise spring heat a few weekends ago was the perfect chance to hop on my Pashley, head to Shoreditch and put the theory into action surrounded […]

(UPDATE: The feature is up on the BBC News Magazine site, which can be viewed anywhere in the world! Click here for article and video)   I was back out on my Pashley Princess yesterday for a ride to Broadway Market (fast becoming a favourite place to ride to) for one of my Cycle Saturdays with The Boy. This one was a bit different though, as I spent the morning filming a piece for Newsnight with BBC Hague correspondent Anna Holligan… Keen cyclist Anna, along with producer Hannah & camera man / editor Suraj set off from The Netherlands on 31st July for a grand bike tour to London. I was thrilled […]

What better way to mark Bike Week in the UK by being out on the saddle? It was a tale of two bicycles for me: a day on a Boris Bike rather far away from home, and another going for a spin around Shoreditch on my Pashley resulting in a street-fashion shoot… It was an early start on Tuesday morning, catching the train up to Berkshire to film with The Cycle Show. I spent the day with the crew at the Transport Research Laboratory in Wokingham. We filmed a bicycle safety feature at TRL. It was fantastic and an education to be there, and check out the safer cycling innovations […]

Whoa – a bit of a radio silence from VCG on front… sorry about that! Life has become a bit hectic with lots of exciting bicycle related things going on… all of which I’ve been desperate to blog about & trying to find the time to do it! I’m filming again with The Cycle Show, which returns to ITV4 this July for its second series – huzzah! More updates on that as it happens, and look out for the odd Instagram sneak-peaks from me… In the meantime, here’s an update on another piece of cycling-tv which has come to life. Back in February I met up with the lovely Caz […]

Last month saw the 5th anniversary of The London Tweed Run. As I was unable to attend, The Boy (Ian James) went along to represent for VCG! Here is his report on the day along with some beautiful photography he did at the event…  I was determined to be more prepared for the Tweed Run than ever this year. But it was always going to be a bit different as sadly Lady Velo was going to be out of town ogling lots of lovely hand-made British bicycles at Bespoked Bristol. So, that left me, The Boy on a bit of a solo mission. But you’re never alone on the Tweed Run: it’s […]

Since starting VCG, I’ve made some wonderful friends in the cycling/blogging community and it’s always a joy to meet them beyond my laptop. This week, that finally happened with Caz Nicklin –  founder of online cycling accessories shop, Cyclechic! Although we’ve been in contact for almost two years, the first ever product review on VCG was for Cyclechic AND we live in the same city, our cycle paths didn’t cross until Wednesday… how long overdue is that?! We met-up after Caz asked me to work with her on an upcoming and rather exciting project, which involved us filming together at her lovely home and around Chiswick, West London. With perfect sunshine and […]

 It’s one of the most popular cycling bags on the market, and after being sent the Bobbin Straw Pannier for a review* by the lovely folk over at CycleChic, I can understand why. Having seen this pannier on quite a few ladies bikes while out on my travels, one of the first things that struck me was how stylish it looks. Made from tan-coloured woven straw, it’s a simple, unfussy design with a rather vintage feel to it. This works very well with my Pashley and would do with any other vintage style bicycle. I do have a thing for loud and bright panniers, but a classic one like this certainly […]

 Three weeks on with the Clubman Urban and it’s become my main commuting bike… something which has taken me by surprise. This doesn’t mean Frankie has been banished to the back of the cupboard forever (never!), but it’s become an unexpected addictive joy riding the Fixed Gear to the office. I finally had a chance this weekend with The Boy to take it out further than my working commute with a Saturday cycle to one of my favourite spots in London, Maltby Street. My route to Maltby and back is a 11 mile round trip – one that I regularly ride along the CS3 through Limehouse to Tower Gateway, turning onto Tower […]

So, you may have seen me tweeting about an exciting bike-related update coming to VCG, and last week it arrived in the form of the Clubman Urban! I’m over the moon to finally have this wonder for a review*, courtesy of Pashley. The Clubman arrived direct from the factory in Stratford-upon-Avon, boxed-up and needing assembling. Now, I’m not going to lie – I’ve never put a bike together in my life (something I will rectify) and I wasn’t going to risk “building” the Clubman and getting it very wrong… so I owe a massive thanks to the Look Mum No Hands workshop for bringing the bike to life. Aesthetically the Clubman […]

 A small company in the Netherlands who make their products from recycled materials, Basil specialise in “fashionable, functional and fun” bicycle bags and accessories. Their latest product is the ‘Elements’ Bag, which at first glance doesn’t look much like a traditional Pannier at all. As you know, here on VCG, I quite drawn to panniers that break away from the norm, so when Basil sent me the Elements Bag for review*, it fitted right in… The design is certainly a nod to the “fashionable” philosophy of their products: it’s essentially a shoulder bag which attaches to your bike. Their Hook-On system (which includes a surprisingly strong Velcro strap) will work with most rear luggage […]

 August is always a busy month for me with the day-job (it’s now Clearing time in the UK University I work for in case you were wondering… it eats all my time), but its gotten rather hectic for all things VCG too. I’ve been unable to blog until now as I’m playing MAJOR catch-up with plenty of bike-related matters at the moment… but believe me, I’m not complaining! Anything to do with bikes makes me happy… There has been more work with The Cycle Show on ITV4: it has been an absolute blast working with the team on there for the past few weeks and meeting a wide variety of cyclists along […]

It’s rather hard to believe it’s Summer in the UK at the moment. Torrential rain, dark skies and wearing wellies in July? I think we’ve been robbed of the sunshine for long enough! Something that has injected some rays of light into my world is the colour Pink. Now, I’m not usually a pink girl, but thanks to the Cambridge Satchel Company releasing their limited edition ‘Pastel’ range of bags, I was inspired to put together a fuchsia-fashion mix (yes, a handbag can set off a whole new outfit for me) which I reckon would look damned ace on the Pashley…or any bicycle for that matter… Rio Top by Vivienne of Holloway: The vintage violet […]

It’s not often that I let the Pashley out of my sight, but a couple of weeks ago I was happy to make an exception to the rule. My beloved Frankie went off on a photo-shoot for a few days with Brooks England! Knowing that she was going to be in safe hands, I didn’t mind having a bit of time off the saddle and let them take her away. Like a concerned mother, I was wondering what was going on with Frankie while she was away from me. Realising what I’m like and being a thoughtful Gent, Ted Young-Ing (who is also the Art Director for Brooks) sent me a photo […]

At the recent Tweed Run, The Boy and I were having a light-hearted lament about the Princess Classic (my model of Pashley) not coming with a Propstand as standard. This came about as we were trying to prop-up Frankie with an impromptu stand (a heavy twig!) before heading off for the group photo – but with little success. Overhearing our discussion & watching us battle with the bike, a very kind Gentleman came over and offered to park my Pashley alongside his against a tree.  “We really must sort out a Kickstand for you”, he said looking at Frankie… I didn’t think anything of this at 1st… and then after a little chat about […]