Strong Island Bank Holiday Bike Ride

Roll up, roll up, it’s The Strong Island Bank Holiday Bike Ride. Numbers are looking pretty good and everyone seems to be talking about it. As with the last April ride numbers are sure to vary as it could be cold, rainy or amazing sunshine. Obviously it’s going to be sunny and an amazing day.

The general concensses is to keep everything the same as last year. Starting from The Bridge Tavern at 2pm the ride will take us along the seafront down to Eastney, then back inland slightly and along Highland Road and Albert Road taking us back towards Old Portsmouth and finishing up at The Point, Spice Island. It’s a very casual 8 mile ride that’s perfect for people of all ages, fitness levels and of course any manner of bike. As always a few of us will meet up early at The Bridge Tavern for pre game drinks and food at 12.00pm.

Last years Summer Bike Ride saw over 120 riders and all manner of bicycles in attendance including wheelie popping Chopper riders, Fixed Gear tricksters, Shoppers, Customs, BMX’s, Racers, Trick Bikes, Mountain Bikes, Cruisers and Old Schools, it really was a fantastic mix of two wheeled Strong Islanders. We even had some visitors from as far as Bournemouth.

Head over to the Facebook Events page for updates and to see who else is involved and check some of the images from last years ride over at My Flickr and the Strong Island Bike Rides Flickr

As always this ride is by no means a political statement, critical mass, reaction towards the council or statement of any kind and is by no means an event, just friends in Southsea getting together for a bike ride to the beach. All very innocent. It’s all about Sunday fun with friends and bikes.

See you all there…

Click on the poster for a larger printable version.

Click on the route map for a closer look or head over to Google Maps HERE

Strong Island Roundabout from Tristan on Vimeo.

Filmed by Paul Stone

And for all you COR fans out there it’s the Balearic Easter Space Bonnet Boutique with DJ ALFREDO!! This starts at 6pm, so those of you on the ride will have to put your drinks down early and get your best Easter Bonnet on for the evening.

Tags: Balearic Easter Space Bonnet Boutique with DJ ALFREDO!!, civilisation of the rough, Strong Island Bank Holiday Bike Ride

Love Your Bike Portsmouth

Following on with more Claire Sambrook activity, you may have heard the whispers and nudges regarding the upcoming event Love Your Bike Portsmouth on 30th May. Claire has been working her knitted socks off getting this together with some seriously heavy local contributors including design aficionados ilovedust, Bored of Southsea, Ian Parmiter, Haslemere Cyles, PCM, Josie Young, Sifer Design, not to mentioned such amazing contributors from further afield like Ben Wilson and Toyko Fixed Gear to name a few, and of course our good selves at Strong Island.

“Bike culture is an important part of cycling and regaining the streets. Love Your Bike Portsmouth aims to encourage participants to fully embrace the possibilities of connecting with their bikes and explore the many ways that they can improve it’s appearance and design.

As part of a day event and showcase you will be offered the chance to ‘Customise Your Bike and in turn ‘Love Your Bike’.
Demonstrations will be staged by local and national artists and designers who will offer sessions in customisation and collaboration. International designer Ben Wilson will be welding bikes at the skatepark and also showcasing some of his work. There will be a wide selection of bikes and accessories available for purchase to suit all budgets. Local artists and designers will be involved with helping paint frames and customise bike parts. Does your bike need a make-over?

Watch out for our Love Your Bike custom tags around the city. If you have been tagged then please send your pics to us and also turn up at the event to showcase your bike or have it customised.”

Check out loveyourbikeportsmouth.co.uk and Facebook for much more info.

Tags: Claire Sambrook, Love Your Bike Portsmouth

Take my card…

Artwork : Tristan

Strong Island Kit of Parts

All ready to get printed. Paul, I’ll get the emails right this time round. Business cards, Stickers & Badges soon…

Strong Island Bank Holiday Bike Ride

Okay then fellow islanders and friends alike. Following the even HUGER success of the last Strong Island Bike Ride in September 09, and all the amazing feedback I’ve had, I think it’s time to start thinking about the next one.

I’ve initally gone for April 4th, the Bank Holiday weekend. This means no work on Monday, for most. Like before, this ride is by no means a political statement, critical mass, reaction towards the council or statement of any kind and is by no means an event, just friends in Southsea getting together for a bike ride to the beach. All very innocent. It’s all about Sunday fun with friends and bikes.

Initial thoughts are to ride pretty much the same route as before but a little longer again. Nothing major, just a few more miles as feedback seem to point towards a longer ride, yet still not too long for everyone. Standard roundabout fun and Eastney stop off for a beach photograph. Initial thoughts are to end either back at The Bridge Tavern or Spice Island. Many people asked for something at the end, but as a non profit site this is very hard to arrange. Even grouping people on the common would mean getting the Council & Police involved……

THIS is last years route along the seafront and back. Let me know any thoughts on extending it, changing it, ending somewhere else, anything.

Make sure to sign up on the Facebook Events page to keep up to date, or keep checking back here of course. All the best, Tristan.

Tags: Strong Island Bike Ride

Bricks & More Ta

Illustration – Tristan

Tags: Illustration, Strong Island Bricks, Tristan Savage

Happy Christmas from Strong Island

Have a cracking Christmas everyone. We’ll see many of you over the following Christmas and New Years week for more than our fair share of drinks and food I’m sure. To anyone we don’t see have a banger what ever you’re doing and rave safe.

Chistmas Dinner at The King Street Tavern

Excellent. Sam, Nicky and the team really pulled out all the stops to provide an amazing dinner for us on Saturday. Due to a pretty epic work hangover I didn’t really take any photos of the spread, but believe me when I say it was exceptional on all counts. Big thanks again and also a congratulatory message to Abi and Mikey on announcing their step in parenthood. All the best and thanks for the Champagne. X

Tags: King Street Tavern

LJRs Christmas Indoor Market

As mentioned below it’s The Little Johnny Russells Christmas Indoor Market this Saturday 5th. As well as plenty of other fantastic items on offer myself and Paul will both be selling prints.

Paul has absolutely loads available including zines, books, gift cards, pin badges and lots and lots of PRINTS! About 20 A4, very high quality photo paper prints all going at a Christmas special price of £7 each, two for £12. Dirt cheap. If you can’t make it down tomorrow you can buy online in time for Christmas. Talented chap.

I have a shed load of hand cut 6×4 prints on 280gsm photographic paper for a VERY low price as well as some framed prints and the last of the A4 Fuji Archival Prints and also some 6×4 mini art prints.

Hope to see you tomorrow.

Strong Island X Bored Xmas Moustache & Metal Bash

The time is nearly upon us Ladies and Gentlemen. The boys are getting psyched to play their personal blend of, well, whatever really. I’ve not asked them what they will be playing so expect anything, literally anything from Gonz, Toby Taylor, Daniel Emo, Jay Pateman and Julian Brett.

Gentle Bren will then take control and and turn up the volume to 11. Get your air guitars ready. Very Metal…

BIG, BIG thanks for all your Metal suggestions. I’ve passed every tune and some extras on to Brendon so he can make his Metal playlist. The response was epic and hopefully you’ll hear at least one of your choices.

Unlike the poster suggests I’m afraid Brandy & Christmas Cake will not be available on the bar as we couldn’t afford it. Instead we’ll be putting out Mulled Wine and Hot Spiced Cider alongside Mince Pies and Moustaches on a first come first served basis.

No frills, no posters, no decorations, no manners, just one hell of a heavy Wednesday in Southsea with friends. This is not to be missed. Kick start December with a banger.

Download the poster HERE.

Tags: Strong Island X Bored Xmas Moustache & Metal Bash

We need your Top Ten METAL selections

With The Strong Island X Bored Christmas Moustache & Metal Bash approaching fast we need your help to gather some classic METAL. Gentle Bren is in the middle of his University Graphic Design Dissertation, and to help take the edge off and also so you can have your own input, we are asking for your Top Ten METAL tunes.

Either drop them to me, Paul, Bren, whoever, or email them to tristan@strong-island.co.uk and Bren will make a playlist for the night. The night being next Wednesday December the 2nd. Get involved and make sure you book Thursday off work.

EDIT: Or add your suggestions as comments!

EDIT: And I’ll legally download them!

Download the poster HERE.

Tags: Bored, Moustache Party, Strong Island

Strong Island X Bored Christmas Moustache & Metal Bash

To celebrate the festive season and Strong Islands 1st Birthday we’ve teamed up once again with our favourite skatestore Bored to bring you some midweek fun and entertainment. This time in the shape of a Moustache and Metal Bash at The Little Johnny Russells on Albert Road. Gentle Bren will be taking it back to his younger days with some Metal mixed with a Disco touch. Backing Brendan with DJ support will be Paul Gonella, Toby Taylor, Jay Pateman, Julian Brett & Daniel Emo. We’ve no idea what they will play and have left it totally open. Be warned…

There will be a limited supply of FREE Moustaches on the night and hopefully some Brandy & Christmas Cake too. So, get involved in the kick start to the Christmas Holidays and either grow one, shave one, draw one or stick one on to show your love with some top lip action.

Big thanks to the Johnny Russells boys for letting us have the pub. Oh yeah, book Thursday off work. What better way to use that remaining holiday than nursing a spectacular hangover.

As always, thanks for all the support over the last year and we look forward to putting on more events and working with friends new and old in the new year.

Download the poster HERE.

Tags: Bored, Moustache Party, Strong Island

Strong As A Rock

Something special coming soon. Hopefully. Tis the season after all…

Savage

Keep your eyes peeled…

…and you might see some limited edition Albert Road Day prints laying around on Sunday.

Southsea Strong Island Celebrates

I just can’t find the right images for this! Strong Island is 1 whole year old this Sunday the 27th. Time surely does fly hey. Meet us for a beer if you’re out and about. I think there’s something going on Albert Road this Sunday too…

and on another note…

Matt Saxey’s Bike Ride Photos

Head on over to Matts Flickr and check out a few more photos from last Sunday’s ride. Great photos that really help capture the event.

Tags: Strong Island Bike Ride

Strong Island Bike Ride. I counted 124 cyclists…

Wow. What a turn out. After a slightly delayed set off, can’t rush peoples beers, well over 100 riders set off on an 8 mile ride from The Bridge Tavern, along the seafront and back through Southsea ending up in Old Portsmouth at Spice Island for a few more drinks.

With all manner of bicycles in attendance including wheelie popping Chopper riders, Fixed Gear tricksters, Shoppers, Customs, BMX’s, Racers, Trick Bikes, Mountain Bikes, Cruisers and Old Schools, it really was a fantastic mix of two wheeled Strong Islanders. We even had some visitors from as far as Bournemouth.

A great way to spend a few hours on a Sunday I think you’ll agree. You can check out my sketchy over the shoulder photos on my Flickr and stay posted for the group photo on the beach.

I counted 124 people on the video below, but it could be more. Thanks to everyone and lets make next year twice as big again.

Strong Island Roundabout from Tristan on Vimeo.

Filmed by Paul Stone

Strong Island Summer Bike Ride from Tristan on Vimeo.

Filmed by Gonz

Tags: Southsea, Strong Island Bike Ride

Strong Island Bike Ride Update V.2

Okay, my bad on the last route change taking us the wrong way down a one way road out of The Thicket. Having talked to a few fellow Strong Islanders the route is now a hard left at the end of Albert Road all the way along and down to the common.

Check out some photos from the last ride HERE and check out the Google Map HERE.

Oh, and don’t forget it’s ‘At the seaside without my car‘ on the seafront if you want to pop along before or after.

Tags: Strong Island Bike Ride

Strong Island Summer Bike Ride This Sunday at 2pm

Looks like this Sunday could see a fair few people attending the bike ride. With 194 Strong Islanders saying yes on Facebook and quite a few people aside, it could be quite the turn out.

The ride is setting off from The Bridge Tavern in Old Portsmouth at 2pm, doing a big loop along the Seafront, up through Eastney and back along Albert Road, Elm Grove and finish at Spice Island & Still & West down in Old Portsmouth.

Take a quick look at the route. It’s about 8 miles in total and we’ll hopefully stop off at Eastney Beach again like the photo below.

See you all this Sunday. No doubt there will be a few casualties after Southsea Fest on Saturday but I’m sure the turn out will be great, weather aside…..

A whole bunch of us will be at The Bridge Tavern from at least 1pm for pre ride drinks. Come join us.

You can download the poster HERE and join the Facebook thing HERE.

Tags: Strong Island Bike Ride

Southsea 1910

This studio photo from Southsea from 1910 shows the cycling love, she would have been down for the Strong Island Ride this Sunday, no doubt.

(from the Hampshire County Council archive)