Is there anything more smug than someone riding a bicycle while drinking a cup of tea?
Probably not, I decided, as I pedalled around Hackney with a mug of Darjeeling swilling around in my Soma Morning Rush Coffee Holder.
Every time I lifted the cup from its handlebar-holder while waiting at traffic lights, I swear I could hear the drivers behind muttering in disapproval. As if it wasn't bad enough that I had plonked myself in front of them, delaying their acceleration out of the lights by, oooh, at least a second or two, I had the nerve to quench my thirst while I waited for green.
As soon as I saw the Soma cup on the internet a few weeks ago (hat tip to @carltonreid, if I remember rightly), I decided I had to get one. Riding my bike and drinking tea are two of my favourite pastimes. The thought of combining the two made me very happy indeed.
It's not a complicated invention. The cup is just one of those insulated plastic and metal mugs you see environmentally conscious people drinking from all the time. The only difference is that this one has the (super smug) legend on the side: "My other legal stimulant is my bicycle". What makes this cup suitable for bicycling is that it comes with a metal hoop which attaches to the handlebars using sort of bracket common to most lights and bike computers these days.
But is it, as the blurb suggests, "a great gift for any cycling enthusiast"? Yes - and no. The main good thing, apart from the concept, is that the cup keeps drinks hot for a sensible length of time - I left a cup of tea outside the lido in freezing weather a few weeks back and it was still warm (and unstolen) when I had done my lengths.
The problems come with the execution. I broke the flimsy bracket while trying to attach it to the handlebars of my town bike, and had to resort to securing it with gaffer tape. Then there is a big issue with the lid of the cup itself, which I found wasn't sealed well enough to stop tea coming up through some gaps every time I went over a speed bump. Pretty shoddy for $40 (£35).
Still, though: I love the idea. Do you?
