iLovesMyBike

26/09/2026

My kind of place Smaller Footprints sell you just what you need and no plastic packaging. Celebrating 6 years trading very soon.

04/08/2026

Yesterday evening I set out on my 1972 ‘Cyclo Grandini’ made by Youngs of Lewisham and heard a crunchy sound, I was horrified to look down and see my classic Zefal HPX 3 had somehow slipped and the pump head was getting mangled in the chainring. I was clipped in and came to an emergency stop on a narrow road in St Paul’s. It really looked mangled and really thought it was a gonner :-( until I had a bright idea! This was a job for Sugru! I managed to get the head off its retaining thread, remove and clean all the interfacing parts in isopropyl alcohol then created a Sugru ‘washer’ and was able to ram the thread down to the business end of the pump and reconnect it with the head. Sugru is very malleable when it comes out the packet, but then begins to lose its plasticity as soon as it comes into contact with air. Sugru comes in black of course by I only had white. In 24hrs when the Sugru has ‘gone off’ - becoming a strong elastomer - I will find out if the fix works and will last? Fingers crossed anyroad.

28/07/2026

Thanks to .bristol this morning for Makita UK advice and for a 2/2.5/3/4/5/6mm mini set of these rather beautiful Bondhus UK T handle Hex drivers https://bondhus.co.uk/collections/t-handles

01/07/2026

I know Bristol has a reputation for bike theft (like any City), so I've been researching 'theft deterrent locks' and this one: "Hiplock Z lok combo" has a 5* rating in a review on Cycling Weekly.

The Hiplock Z lok combo bike lock is basically a reinforced cable-tie - and we all know how hard they are to unlock

30/06/2026

It’s transparently obvious that some owners fly to Bristol Airport to get their Brompton serviced by i?
I’m excited to announce my new ‘Brompton Service Bristol’ page https://www.ilovesmybike.co.uk/home/brompton-service-bristol so if you live in Bristol, you are welcome to book your Brompton in for a full service with optional Home Collection & Return.

27/06/2026

This is not a post about bikes, but about making/manufacturing. As a Senior Industrial Designer in London I used to ‘design things for people’ and as a bicycle mechanic in Bristol I am an expert problem-solver, partly due to my understanding of manufacturing, tolerances, materials and processes. I admire other people who “make things for people”. Period. In fact this is not a post about bikes, but about people who strive to serve others, which is what i do at iLovesMyBike and I love doing it. I now have over 130 five star Google reviews from customers who want to help me survive and thrive as a sole trader. Please get in touch if you have a bicycle that you have fallen out of love with. Richard

26/06/2026

https://www.ilovesmybike.co.uk/home/Tern-GSD-HSD-Quick-Haul-Service-Bristol #2026

18/06/2026

I rather want to try this puncture hack, although I am now running tubeless

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

18/06/2026

I have been doing call-out repair jobs on Tern GSD's for a few years, so am excited to announce my Tern Service + Emergency Puncture Repair Bristol page as I think the need for a responsive call-out service is growing due to the numbers of people I have seen riding these cargo bikes? https://www.ilovesmybike.co.uk/home/Tern-GSD-HSD-Quick-Haul-Service-Bristol

If you live in Bristol, you are welcome to book your Tern in for a clean and full service or even an emergency puncture repair using that link above (not here).

#2026

13/06/2026

I’ve been working hard re-writing my website pages this week, whilst fitting in mobile call-outs and producing quotations. Please take a look at https://www.ilovesmybike.co.uk and get in touch, if your bike needs my undivided attention for 3hrs or so to remind you how joyful it once was to ride?