There’s a fine line between a perfectly soaked biccy and the ultimate dunking catastrophe. I’ve gone through a good number of mugs of tea while fitting this kitchen, and have extensively tested a variety of biscuits in the process. Rich Tea biscuits should carry a warning: Do not dunk for more than a second for risk of breakage. Fox’s crunch creams are equally dangerous, as they soak up too much tea and then collapse back into your mug under the weight. Bourbons are nice, but a bit small, and Digestives are only good in coffee. The best tea dunking biscuit has to be the McVites Ginger Nut. Excellent strength even when soaked in tea, and robust enough to retain its form even after an extended dunking of a few seconds. Seldom will the Ginger Nut have you reaching for your spoon to fish the soggy bits from the bottom of your cup.
I concluded that the quality of the a good dunking biscuit is all down to materials and composition. Which kind of brings me around (in an obscure fashion) to bikes. The last couple of weeks have seen a change in my bike shed. After the fun and excitement of the Omega Axis, I’ve decided that a ‘cross bike isn’t quite for me. The ride was superb; its lively spring weaved harmoniously into its capacity to be supremely comfortable on the roughest of roads. Soon I forgot the harshness of the aluminium frame it replaced, and extra weight of the steel one before that. Though they were all great in there own way, each successor was better. As much as I would have liked a titanium road specific bike, I couldn’t afford it. Instead, I have strayed to the Dark Side. Carbon to be precise. Propped up in the garage waiting for the rain to stop is a shiny new Scott CR1*.
When I test rode it I was amazed firstly at the weight, or lack of. I headed out of town on the smooth tarmac at a brisk pace, the bike eager to go faster. The rear end felt tight and stiff when I kicked up a few short hills out of the saddle. Yet, when I turned purposefully off onto a rough piece of road I wasn’t shaken to bits. It seems to have all the qualities you need in a bike neatly woven into one very light yet extremely robust frame. The Ginger Nut of bikes. Remarkable.
* photo to follow shortly…
Middle Ring All The Way 