Narrowing it down

Today was mission bike. I rang all the local independent bike shops to ask which folding bicycles they had in stock. The standard answer was 'Brompton'. I love the Brompton colour range and they do fold up lovely and neat into a small package, but they are expensive (several shops said they were a huge investment so were worth the money), but I think the wheels are on the small side for me and I don't want to be just one of the crowd - I want a bicycle that's different from the majority of folder riders.

Only two bike shops had a more-than-a-Brompton variety. Fred came along with me as my bike specialist and we headed up to Crystal Palace to visit Blue Door Bicycles. The folk there are really friendly and knowledgeable. They showed me the Dawes Jack (which didn't fold up wheel to wheel so I'm not interested in that one) and the Raleigh Stowaway (again, not a good fold and not elegant enough for me), but the Dahon Mu P24 is a stylish bike that folds wheel to wheel, is light and felt great to ride. It's definitely on the contender list.

We popped into Popiel nearby and Fred drooled over a wonderful looking bicycle that would set him back £3,200! We retired quickly to the local caff for lunch and tried to forget about the wonderful bike.

Onwards, then, to Compton Cycles who had a couple of Ridgebacks, the brand of my beloved stolen bike. The Envoy looked and felt a bit like my old steed, but I wasn't convinced. It's on the contender list, but below the Dahon.

Walking back to the station, we passed Finches and decided to have a quick peek. The shop sells all manner of sporty, funky goods and there are two friendly Labradors that love to say 'Hello' to the customers. Inside was a folder that really caught my eye. It was simple and it's more the style I'm looking for. However, it's a bit dowdy in colour (I'm a typical girl - not keen on the blokey dour tones). The Raleigh Boardwalk is a more affordable option on the contender list.

So, bikes scouted out and I don't think I've found the right steed yet, although there are good contenders. I really want to try out the Dawes Ace, but I need to find somewhere in London that has it! A new search begins.

I'm also trawling the pre-loved sites. I'm sure the new adventurer will find me at some point.

In the evening, we went to see 'Skyfall' at the local Odeon (always a gritting-teeth experience as the local young folk chat , fidget, rustle many plastic bags, leave their phones beeping, etc.). The ambient noise wasn't too bad in the end, thankfully. There was enough action to keep the exciteables quiet. The film was excellent. It was fab to see a bit of Scottish action in there.