We have two pumps which meet these criteria: a Topeak Roadmorph, and a Lezyne something-or-other, both of which are pictured below for a side-by-side comparison. The Lezyne is the shiny one.

When fully compacted, both pumps are about the same length. The Topeak is slightly longer (with a corresponding increase in stroke length) and slightly slimmer. The Lezyne has more girth because its rubber hose is wrapped around the body, whereas the Topeak’s rubber hose has a sliding insertion into the housing of the pressure gauge.

In both cases, the rubber hose is a significant plus. The hose enables you to place the pump on the ground and apply good, hard pressure. Pumps without a hose require you to secure one end of the pump against the valve and then apply pressure with only the strength of your arms. I’m a weakling – it doesn’t work for me.

Both pumps have a small lever on which you can brace your foot. In practice these are not very useful unless you have the flexibility of a gymnast.

The pump handles have been designed to let you press down hard without spearing your palm. They both work moderately well, though I find the Topeak handle a bit less comfortable than the Lezyne. (The Topeak handle has not been spread out in the photo below.)

The most significant functional difference between the pumps is the way they secure themselves to the tyre valve. The Topeak uses a cam lever to clasp itself to the valve, whereas the Lezyne is threaded on directly. The Topeak is faster to put in place (if you get it right the first time), but the Lezyne is a more “positive” fit.

Also, the valve fitting of the Lezyne (and RoadMorph) is dual-purpose. It can be removed and flipped to either a Schrader or Presta fitting, whereas the Topeak is single-purpose, or so I used to think until Eddie O pointed out that the RoadMorph is also dual-purpose (see Eddie's comment below). This is a big feature for me. When I take the Lezyne or RoadMorph, I know I don’t have to worry whether I have grabbed the right pump for the bike I’m riding.

Finally, both pumps have a pressure gauge. The Topeak’s gauge has very tiny numerals and is harder to read for those of us with tired eyes. On the Lezyne you can see the mechanics of the spring mechanism that measures pressure. However, its numerals are stenciled on the outside of the barrel – I don’t know if they will wear off over time.

In neither case is the gauge smooth. They adjust to an initial reading on the first stroke, and then stay put for the next 4 or 5 strokes before jumping to a new reading.

These are the best two hand pumps I have come across. When touring I like to give the tyres a boost in the morning to about 110 psi, and both pumps perform extremely well. I find the Lezyne slightly more comfortable to use, and the dual-purpose valve fitting is a major positive for me. Besides, its pressure gauge is very cool.

Last Sunday I visited the London Bike Show at the Excel Centre. It was held in conjunction with the Outdoors Show, the Adventure Travel Show and the Boat Show. Boats make me seasick but the rest sounded right up my street.

The Docklands Light Railway stops on the doorstep and I arrived at 10.00 am just as the doors opened which meant I got to look around while it was still fairly quiet. By lunchtime it was heaving with people. The first thing to grab my attention was the shouting coming from the far side of the hall. This turned out to be a bike polo tournament. Bike polo had virtually died out but has recently been revived as part of the London fixie scene. It was certainly skilful – if you can't do a trackstand you might as well forget it – and the action was fast and furious. The goalie saved a shot then rocketed across to the opposite net, whacked the ball in, collided with the goalpost and demolished the net as bike and rider slid sideways along the ground. Fun, but definitely not my cup of tea!

Bike Polo – too fast and furious for me!

I wandered off in search of something rather more sedate. The Brooks stand fitted the bill nicely but the display unfortunately confirmed what I suspected – my blue B17 isn't as blue as it used to be! The guy on the stand admitted that the coloured saddles do get darker the more you sit on them. They also had some very smart Brooks panniers on display but I'm afraid if you need to ask the price you can't afford them!

A very classy touring set up

There were lots of stands selling reduced price clothing but despite my best efforts I couldn't convince myself that I needed any more jerseys or shorts. I eventually succumbed to a rather natty skull cap which comes further down over my ears than the one (ok, than the three) I've already got. Shimano's latest electronic shifting system was attracting a lot of attention but I'm afraid I'm quite happy with cables. As cycling becomes more and more high tech it loses the simplicity that is part of its appeal. That said, I can be a sucker for eye candy, and this Colnago in my favourite colour would certainly turn some heads. Shame it costs about five grand! I heard today that someone walked out with a Cinelli bike worth £5500!! A reward of £500 is being offered for its return. I suppose if you've got enough cheek you can get away with anything. I wish I'd thought of slipping this beauty under my coat!

Italian style

I had hoped that the Outdoor Show would feature lots of lightweight camping gear but it seemed to be mostly devoted to selling clothing. Not a stove to be seen! There was however a demonstration of Trek Mates new wonder flameless cooking system which involved adding water to some sachet of chemicals in the bottom of a box to produce heat. It attracted a lot of attention but seemed to me like a solution in search of a problem. Hilleberg had their two latest models on display, both slightly lighter and designed for 3 season use instead of their bomb proof 4 season models. I enjoyed chatting to the guy on the stall, he seemed to have my dream job – I always wanted to be a tent tester!

By lunchtime it was becoming very hot and very crowded so I called it a day. It had been an enjoyable morning and I left with a pile of freebies – 3 water bottles, 2 magazines, various samples so I reckon I got my money's worth. Not as good as actually riding your bike though!

Coasting in Caistor: Francis and Scott take the plunge

Approaching Middleton on the Wolds along an unfamiliar road

Ooh, dear. I see this morning's online Independent report about the Yorkshire Wolds (and David Hockney's A Bigger Picture exhibition that opens at the Royal Academy on Saturday) is in the Travel section.

Unless the intention is for tourists to travel the Wolds by bike, or on two feet, I'm against it. Those Big Skies Bike Rides start at towns on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds, except the Sledmere loop. All can be accessed via main roads that avoid the many quiet tracks that make cycling in these parts so pleasurable, so that's okay. Leave the car there.

A couple of presenters from the BBC's Countryfile were shown last Sunday walking the Wolds – the news here was that there are public art installations going in various places – and the female presenter talked at length with "Britain's greatest living artist" (I think she said the "world's greatest..." or that could have been the "Wolds..." Or not). It seems that East Yorkshire will be on the map globally, or some such puff, but now every time I hear the area referred to as a "hidden gem" my eyes roll higher than those "undulating chalk hills, blah, blah, blah..." Apparently, Hockney is even cooperating with the tourism types to set up a 'Hockney trail' or something, which is a first for him it seems. (I suppose the thinking is that at least Hockney pilgrims will be directed to the places he painted rather than trample about trying to find the right sites.)

Anyway, last Sunday was a day of firsts for me. I'm certain I hadn't ridden along the road shown at the top of this post – although it did seem familiar – my first trip to the cafe at Hutton Cranswick ("Cyclsts Welcome"), and the first with my anniversary present: a Garmin etrex Legend. Less than fifty miles last weekend (plus getting to and from the start in Cottingham), but taxing enough with my present, poor level of fitness. I should be out later today in the Lincolnshire Wolds, where it's even quieter than the Wolds in Yorkshire.

A traditional Icelandic hunting lodge.. or maybe not

Villi (Hvarf)'s workshop of the found, the created and the preserved, Djúpivogur

How much do you really know about Iceland? I won't beat you up about this, as we all learn by anecdote first, then by the opinions of others (however reliable), then, if we're really keen, by committed study, firsthand experience or both. There's plenty of gaps in all our knowledge though, and I can't tell you much about South Korea or childbirth, though I've heard a bit about both. It's fair to say though that not so many of us know an awful lot about our nearest neighbour to the North outside these British Isles*. I knew a bit before I went (but only that), and even then, only because I've long had an interest in reading about places, and particularly those places that are hard to get to, isolated, wild and mysterious – and preferably at a higher latitude than us.

You may be getting an idea of why I chose Iceland.

Fjaðragljúfur – a canyon in the middle of nowhere..

..Here Be Trolls

I knew, for instance, that Iceland was *just* below the Arctic circle, but as close as makes no difference – and that the island of Grimséy, just a few tens of kilometres north of Iceland, sits directly on the circle and therefore experiences the true Midnight Sun at the summer solstice, and a day without sun at all a few days before Christmas each year. Iceland is so close to the Arctic Circle, in fact, that even in May and July the sun hardly sets, and it doesn't really get dark even when it's cloudy.. however the converse is true in winter, and even though the sun may be above the horizon, several towns in the far north (Ísafjörður and Siglufjörður particularly) do not get direct sunlight for several months until the sun appears again in spring from behind the mountains. This is celebrated by toasting the return of the sun with a typically Icelandic greeting combining the old and new worlds with a quirky Icelandic twist – they drink Sólarkaffí, or solar coffee, to mark the reappearance of their old friend.

Here comes the Sun..

Norðfjörður, East Iceland

But here's Myth 1: Icelanders do not live out their lives in perpetual darkness during winter. Yes, their winters are long, cold and hard (we'll get to that too); but then, Britain in December can be pretty grim too. We also suffer from much-reduced daylight in winter; Iceland just has it rather worse. But – and here's the difference: whereas every day it gets a bit lighter that little bit earlier in the UK from January onwards, and sunset gets a little later too, in Iceland this difference is about twice as apparent as here. Spring marches on faster in Iceland than in the rest of Europe (at least in terms of daylight hours); by contrast, autumn and winter come in with a vengeance. Where I was cooking by evening light at 11pm in early August, by late September it was getting pretty dark not much after 6pm.

Carry on to find out more about Iceland... (next page)

*And here's my first correction: our nearest neighbours to the north are in fact the Faeroe Islands, lying halfway between Iceland and the UK, similarly independent and beautiful. I have to go there too, but I'll warrant most of us know even less about them.

In July 2009 five Ottawa cyclists were victims of a hit-and-run. They were in a lane, cycling in line to breakfast in Pakenham 40km away. It was a clear, bright Sunday morning. The driver fell asleep at the wheel.

Yesterday was sentencing day. The driver (who turned himself in 5 hours later) was sentenced to two years less a day and his driver’s license suspended for a year.

In her sentencing, the judge took into account the fact that this was a first time offence; that the accused turned himself in; that the testimony regarding alcohol use during an all-night Saturday party was not beyond reasonable doubt.

The victims are now free to pursue civil damages should they so choose.

Was this the right sentence? Where the degrees of punishment, deterrence and retribution appropriate?

The lives of the victims, one in particular, were devastated. No sentence can undo that damage.

Emotionally I wanted to see the book thrown at the driver, but it would serve no practical purpose.

Two years is not trivial. The family of the driver, a blue collar immigrant, has suffered financially and will continue to do so during his incarceration and thereafter from civil litigation.

There are no winners here. Sentencing is an imperfect art. If I remove my personal prejudices as a cyclist, I think the judge probably struck a fair balance.

Long journeys with outlandish conditions undertaken for a bet were popular entertainment at the time and were avidly reported in the newspapers. In Annie's case it is doubtful if this bet really existed or if it was invented by her to attract publicity and to earn fame and fortune. Annie was a skilful self publicist who never let the truth get in the way of a good story. Her change of name immediately attracted sponsorship from the Londonderry Spring Water company – the first instance of sponsorship for womens sport. When she left the Massachusetts State House on June 25 1894 she was riding a womans Columbia bicycle that weighed 42 pounds and dressed in long skirts. Roads were often little more than dirt tracks and as her bike was a fixed wheel there was no possibility of a little leisurely freewheeling. By the time she reached New York she had realised the unsuitability of her clothing and replaced her heavy skirt with a short skirt worn over bloomers. One of the things that astonished me when reading the book is the way the newspapers were far more concerned with what she wore than with what she did. Wearing bloomers was seen as more exceptional than cycling across the USA!

Annie's plan had been to cycle to San Fransisco and then continue by ship but by the time she reached Chicago three months later she had had enough. Her bike was too heavy and cumbersome and she had lost 20lbs in weight. The Sterling Cycle Company came to her rescue and supplied her with a lightweight (20lbs), diamond framed, specially painted Expert Model E Light Roadster. Its not clear why she then completely changed her plans and cycled back to New York to catch a steamer to France but riding a man's bike and wearing bloomers she certainly created quite a stir.

If she caused a stir in the USA she caused a sensation in France and was feted everywhere she went on her ride from Le Havre to Marseille where she took another ship. At this point her claim to have cycled round the world becomes a little tenuous. She certainly visited Egypt, Columbo, Singapore, Saigon, Hong Kong, Shangai and Japan and did some cycling there but most of her travel was by ship. Nine months after leaving Boston she returned by ship to San Fransisco. The cyclometer on her bike read 7280 miles. She still had to cycle back to Chicago which brought her final cycling total to 9604 miles. She was a tremendous showman who knew how to exaggerate for maximum effect and, as previously remarked, never let the truth get in the way of a good story but this was none the less a tremendous achievement for a lone woman given the road conditions and prevailing social attitudes of the day.

The most difficult part is calculating the length of the spokes. The bike shop might do it for you but even then it's worth checking because my LBS got them wrong. Some measurements are required but they can usually be found online. Mine were:

Shimano Deore XT HB-M756L front hub measurements:
Left flange diameter 61.0 mm
Right flange diameter 61.0 mm
Centre to right flange 31.7 mm
Centre to left flange 21.1 mm
Spoke hole diameter 2.6 mm

Shimano Deore XT FH-M756L rear hub measurements:
Left flange diameter 61.0 mm
Right flange diameter 61.0 mm
Centre to right flange 18.5 mm
Centre to left flange 32.0 mm
Spoke hole diameter 2.6 mm

DT Swiss TK540 rim diameter (ERD):
600 mm

Spokes required (using the DT Swiss online spoke length calculator):
Front: L 290 mm R 292 mm
Rear: L 291 mm R 290 mm

The rest is very easy. It only requires a methodical approach. So I followed my own instructions from a couple of years ago and it was just as straightforward as it had been then. It also helps to have a built-up wheel to check the lacing against but it must be the same pattern, conventional three cross in my case.

However, there is a decision to make. Trailing spokes can be fitted with their heads either inboard or outboard of the hub flanges and here, there are two opposing schools of thought. If it matters, it matters more on the rear wheel because trailing spokes – the ones which at the hub are angled backwards from the direction of the wheel's rotation – are the spokes that deliver pedal power to the rim. On a bicycle with braking discs attached to the hubs, the leading spokes – the spokes that point from the hub towards the direction of rotation – receive the braking forces.

The significance of heads inboard or heads outboard is that the strains from pedalling begin from a more direct line when the heads of trailing spokes are on the outside of the hub flange. As these spokes emerge from the inside of the flange (on the opposite side from the head) they are closer to the centreline of the bicycle. In one sense this is better but they will be bent over the third spoke they cross, pulling their line of travel outboard. Instinctively I would rather have most of the length of power spokes – which happens to be the part leading to the rim – acting from closer to the centreline so I've laced my wheels with trailing spoke heads inboard (see photos below).

In the centre of the second photo, against the right edge of the hub, a trailing spoke (head inboard) crosses under a leading spoke (head outboard) which pulls it inboard towards the centreline of the bicycle. I prefer this. Others may disagree. Perhaps it doesn't matter.

Either way, a self-builder can more easily afford to spend whatever time it takes to tension the spokes so that the wheel is perfectly true and that all the spokes on any side are pulling equally, subject to normal imperfections in the construction of the rim. I've often seen references to the 'art' of bicycle wheelbuilding – this is nonsense. There is not the slightest bit of art involved, except perhaps in hearing that the musical pitch of one plucked spoke is the same as the next.

Rims: DT Swiss TK540
Hubs: Shimano Deore XT
Spokes: DT Swiss Alpine III
Tyres: Vittoria Cross XN Pro
Rotors: Teppan Yaki SP5
Cassette: Shimano Deore XT

Also on this website: lacing a bicycle wheel and truing a bicycle wheel (Nov 09)