Honest craftsmanship

With the global increase in exploited labour from third world countries, the marketplace is being saturated with cheap goods. We are proud to kick against this trend. Integrity and honesty remain and will always remain at the forefront of the Simpson ethos.

This is how our musettes are made, individually by hand, from a back room in Kesgrave, Suffolk. By keeping things locally sourced and manufactured we can offer the best to everyone.

On the road with Simpson - Giro style

Golden rule number one: Never underestimate the impact of the weather. May in Southern France at this time of year is usually a fresh but sunny affair but never take anything for granted. We had to pack for both winter and summer temperatures, good job we did. What falls as rain at the foot of a mountain falls as snow at its peak. With the announcement of the exit of Bradley Wiggins days before our departure and now the Col du Galibier being cancelled our attempt to cover stage 15 of the Giro for issue two of the magazine started to look doomed. Like all true cyclists we dug deep, refusing to give in and the results came. The Giro feature in our next issue will bear witness to this - issue two will be arriving soon.

We arrived early at the Col du Telegraphe, now the only major climb of the stage. A group of guys were out painting the roads, doing some great grafitti and asked if we would mind taking a picture of them by their work. In return we asked if they would paint our logo on the tarmac for us. They loved the idea and did us proud!

Giro d' Italia 2014: The luck of the Irish!

When we got an email asking whether we were available to be interviewed about next year's Tour of Italy starting in Ireland, we felt honoured and privileged! Read our exclusive write up at http://www.ireland.com/en-gb/what-is-available/cycling/articles/girostart2014

Next year the United Kingdom will play host to two Grand Tours starts. This is a massive accolade for this country! To play any part, however minor, in this build up to these events is something really special. We feel very honoured!

A hard day's ride

With our trip to the Alps now less than a week away, we are putting in as many climbing miles as possible. A bold claim especially when this weekend's training mileage has been Suffolk based. Luckily we hooked up with some guys from Ipswich Bicycle Club who took us out on some great roads, some of which could qualify in part as hills!

'Fortune favours the brave', I tried to focus on this statement as we rode out straight into a headwind, although it did remain dry. The ride back saw us hit speeds almost double that of our outward leg! Psychologically we are feeling strong, focussed and ready for the challenge ahead.

The fast, the fat and the furious

Friday night, bank holiday beckoned with the sun was finally out, did we really want to go back indoors? Glad we did as Spin London proved to be a great night out. Housed in East London's Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, it was an apt venue for a show of this kind. Downstairs the vibe was a new take on a tradition form - chrome, gold and fluro sat alongside subtle matt greys and the widest (fattest/phatest) tyres in existence. The emergence of 29 inch wheels on off-roaders with retro bars gained a lot of interest. An excellent and varied array of clothing and accessories gave the show an added dimension along with a pedal powered cinema.

On ground level cool 80's sounds accompanied a psychedelic light show and the ever-popular Rollapaluza provided a different form of entertainment from the exhibitors downstairs.