Made another trip over to Notting Hill this evening to get the Marathon Plus tyres I had ordered at the weekend. The tube to Notting Hill was quick and the walk (TFL journey planner assisted again) was something of a revelation. Such opulent housing and so many foo foo shops. I had to take some pics:

It was a bit hard to fit these tyres to the wheel, plastic levers would not have cut it this time. Hopefully they won't have to come off anytime soon....

After I had a slice of pizza from a very foo foo pizza shop (Fiat 500 in the front Window?, with foccacia stuck out of its windows? Foo foo, I think so); I thought, hang on, maybe my small wheeled bike shop is a foo foo shop too. The other one I use is in Battersea, and Bike Fix was in a terribly trendy pedestrianised street in WC2, and there's another one Velorution, that is more or less in Soho. Hmm.

Tags: Schwalbe, Foo Foo Shops

Had a trip into town today to get Velovision magazine. It has a review of the Shimano Nexus hub that I was considering getting for my bike upgrade, I think I may go for a (silent) Sturmey instead.

Anyway, the shop I got the mag from was in Notting Hill and on the bus there I again thought what a shame it was that unlike France with the little maps on their buses that correspond to bus stop names, you can't tell in London where you are from the bus stops. Well I was wrong! Looking at my print out from TfL of the end map (door to door), instead of bus stop names it showed two-letter symbols. The one I had to get off at was called PP, and the one before it PQ. Well, these are the little red round badges at the top of every single bus stop in central London! So, I just read the badges, and was able to tell when to ring the bell and get off. No stress, well done TfL!

Now, I didn't know, but the bus let me off somewhere I'd not been before.

Portobello Market, which I think must have had a fair proportion of tourists. There was more too it than I was interested in seeing, I saw fruit and veg, French and English bakeries and an Aussie style smoothie/milkshake vendor. I didn't buy anything. I just walked though, following the road by road walking directions from TfL. It took me past 2 reggae shops (surrounded by David Cameron type houses), and then, presently, the bike shop.

I was surprised to find hanging in the window, two of my favourite bikes, a Like-a-bike and a Bridgestone Moulton! Well, that was enough excitement for one day. I took the bus back and it went past the fantastic Vauxhall bus station. I love the way it towers over everything else.

Tags: Buses, Foo Foo Shops