I.P.A

Anyone who knows me will know that I love bitter. Bitter beer is the best. IPA is probably my favourite of the style. Created tosurvive the long voyage from Britain to India, IPA has a particularly high concentration of Hops added. This is the preservative for most modern beers (some fruits and other odd things such as heather have been used in the dim and distant past).

Goose Island IPA is new to me, but having enjoyed their Honkers Ale i was definately keen to try it.

Summary: recommended.
Detail: 5.9% ~ relatively strong compare to most UK IPA's but not unsettlingly so.
Colour: deep, rich and pleasing.
Heft: pretty strong in any quantity for a school night or afternoon, perfect evening beer.

Swiped from Kelvin on the other place

Futura 2000: the name conjures beautiful abstract paintings, odd, spikey alien lobster-clawed figures, record covers for Mo Wax, and Maharashi. An excellent fix for the addict.

Mid term

Interesting results in the Mid term's in America. What can it mean? What is in the near future? Does this reprasent the masses voice in any way? or is it just politics?

Who knows: but I know my ears have perked up to the sound of change...

But the best...

Has to be Elsewhere...

Original?

Watch and weep...

STOP. Hammer time...

Have you seen me dance?

One of those days

Met my brah chris in Aviemore this morning with a view to checking out some trails I found the other day. The sun was shining as I drove up the road, needing a stout cup of coffee. The clouds were ripping across the sky which was corn flower blue. We met in the Mountain Cafe and indulged in the well brewed joe available there. After a brief natter, we hit the trails - it is all too easy to get too comfortable in the Cafe and disappear the whole day.

I'm not sure I could put a figure to it, but my suspicion is that there are very few really world class days (as in *whole* days) riding in the average riders life. This was definitely one of mine.

Everywhere we looked there were singletrack trails, firm, slightly sandy and covered in pine needles snaking off between the trees. Every one is a peach.

Nestled back in the Mountain Cafe, hoovering more coffee and lamb and mint burgers, I don't think the smile slipped for more than a few seconds...

Blessed days.

A different viewpoint

This is a dude in Aviemore. He can ride a bike...

Chris Cross

First cross race of the season for me yesterday. Mugdock Park. My Mum tells me it was a seat of Graham of Monteith (my Tartan ) so it was clearly important to do the ancestors well.

As such we had the Telly Savalas Overalls on, (Chris went for a couple of years later in the TSPC wardrobe with Gillette Advert 70's Sportswear tm) did 10 spins (standing with arms above head looking at hands) on the start line and after the dizziness settled hit the course dead f'n last.

We raged, we stormed, we careered. Through the mud, over roots and up walls. Results soon, but it was worth it for the beer hand ups alone.




See more on Singlespeedwidow's flickr, and check out Rose...*just* as sweet as mummy and daddy.

Stern

So the Stern report is almost done. Interesting to see if anything changes from this one. Howard Stern is a King Poobah economist. In essence, his report looks at whether it is *economically* viable to reduce global atmospheric pollution. The answer (will be) a resounding yes if the journalists who have seen the summarised pre-release are correct. In short it would cost 1% GDP of he UK to stop a catastrophic change equivalent to a great depression, or a world war. This is suggested to be equivalent to a drop in GDP of over 20%.

So what do you think will happen? posturing and waffle? or some actual action ?
The Government have appointed Al Gore, hot on the heals of An inconvenient Truth, as an advisor. Difficult to draw conclusions here, as Ol' Al may well be posturing to further a future political stand, and Gordon Brown may well be doing the same...

Time will tell. But it must be noted time cannot be turned back. Choices taken now will affect the future, our children and the life sustaining properties of this planet.

Time to think carefully then.

No kon

Spent an hour last night re-cabling the RoShamBo to get it ready for cross. I tried originally to clean and re-use the original nokons, that have been on there since errrr, well last April. No go. Still crappy performance.

So a new lot went on...I'll admit it is a pain in the arse putting nokon together, and getting it right, but once on it really is good stuff. You might also notice that despite good, wet, muddy and gritty Scottish weather, they last for a while too...

Next, mount up the 37c twister tyres and pump up to 290 psi...First cross of the season for me is Sunday at Mugdock. The TSPC will be in effect...paint us white, give us beer hand ups, and get ready to spin...

La buena vida

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh Negra Modelo with lime...takes me back to La Buena Vida... just polished off some excellent pico de gallo (my wife makes a mean salsa), soft flour tortillas with a juicy, griddled steak...top that off with some sport peppers and I'm there...

Back in black

'lo.

Been away, in London. Seeing a man about a head. Well, two men actually.

What was broken is fixed, and that means more. More fun, more time, more riding, more working, more home improvements. Just more.

What else? Went for a ride with Biff as he passed through Edinburgh this morning. It started in the dark, involved slipping and sliding over and around rocks and roots in the dark and wet. It ended with one of the funniest bike related moments of my life. Ever, so much so that I am not going to mention it here, just yet...we'll see where it all goes.

What I will say is I need to true up my front wheel, fix a puncture, wash my breeks and remember that size, sometimes is everything. Or call it volume, whatever.

What else? 26" town bike I think has seen it's day. Investigating this and this...We'll see, but do they have to be that short? Of course they will be stripped bare and modified to make a fast simple, light and singlespeed townie (judicious use of a file may be required...) for use and abuse over winter...any thoughts?

If anyone is interested in a '94 tange concept prestige kona, 18" painted and stickered proper in british racing green (with slightly annoying rear drops...more info on request) or a super dooper dahon vitesse folder stickered up something rotten, lemme know...

Where does one stop

For North Korea? who knows. I was disappointed to hear about the nuclear testing, even if it may have been a false alarm if the initial blast didn't start the chain reaction. Personally i just think it is yet another bad sign for the human race. Another nail in the coffin.

On a brighter note, as part of my learning process for the new bike, I put some information together about the outboard bearing cranks. Blackspire are making replacement rings for xtr m960 cranks. Got to be good compared to the crap that's on there when you buy them. They come as singlespeed or geared. Magic.

Next. It can also be argued that the current crop of outboard bearing cranks have less than durable bearings and seals. Peter Verdone, who seems to be really pretty bright at this sort of thing, paints a bleak picture. It is interesting and it does make me wonder if Race Face are throwing bad money after terrible money with the x type bottom brackets (lets face it, isis was a debacle). Shimano don't come out much better, *but* Phil Wood to the rescue! A new tool to fit their new bearings and as ever, the tool is worth owning just for the classic Phil attention to detail and beautiful shineyness. I will be investing when the time comes.

Lastly, fitting correctly is important with *any* bicycle component. So when you are tensioning the bearings on m960, consider using the Park Tool BBT-9. This has a fitting for a torque wrench in order to do it properly. See the Park website for details. I feel you can never do yourself a disservice if you invest in decent tools.

Ok.

Congratulations to singlespeeder Team Dicky on becoming the singlespeed worlds 24 hour racing champ. Rock on.

Soon, once thoughts gathered and scatter brain has settled: riding a Jones one; riding a TiF; other randomness.

And if you haven't already get yourself the OuTcAsT interbike sheet...

Tractor

My new bike is a tractor. All 'roll over stuff, and faster than you'd expect'. Got it together this morning and popped out for a 5 hour shake down...saddle comfy and now horizontal (oops!), disc brakes scrubbed in, reach perfect (71.7cm if you want to know), bar angle magic, bottom bracket rotated for a good position over the pedals (way further back than you might guess). Go.

First impressions:
a) disc brakes rawk.
b) wide rims rawk.
c) good ti frames (utilising the properties of the metal) rawk.
d) the tractor likes to fly. jumpin' and pumpin' off everything. Stoorie Brae acted as a the initial site of riding (as ever) and I felt 100% comfortable hitting all the slidey, rocky, steep and nasty stuff straight away.
e) the steering geometry is noticeably different from the RoShamBo. Better I think. It feels lighter to steer, and not in any way slow, but it is very obvious the front wheel is further out in front of me.
f) I don't know how If did it, but this bike rips around tight turns. Especially obvious when there is a tree at the apex you are trying to miss...Reminiscent of Biff's Jones. There must be something more to this...hmm.
g) *Comfort* over the distance. It wasn't a massive ride today, but zero feeling of being vibrated by the trail, which in places was pretty buzzy and rocky.

So, yes I like it. A lot. I suspect this may well be the best realisation of everything I have learned, ridden and asked about so far. And rightly so! it has been a pretty decent investment both financially and in terms of effort and time!

So: stoked. Big rides and races and everything. Bring it on. The tractor is good to go.






























See here for more.

Aviemore cross country

Pictures, courtesy of trina, of the Aviemore SXC race and some others...showcasing everything that is beautiful. Oh, and me in a doorway. The new Jones moded xtr m960's are on the IF. should get a shake down ride manana. More pics then. Meanwhile, clicky for biggee...

Photo credit

The credit for the Moots and the Eriksen photo is twentynineinches
who I think have done some really nice photos if you like the 29"er thing....def-o worth a look..

In terms of those bikes, I am particularly interested in the Eriksen seatpin...it uses headset top caps to clamp the rails, so I'm thinking it must use some sort of sideways binding mechanism on the rails...hmmmmmmmm.

Out with the old, in with the new...

..trina breaks out the big gun

..once..

..more..

..be..

..will..

..there..

..and..

Better pics to follow....

More routing

Well, today led to a little more fettling of the brake cable routing. It might seem pedantic but I am very keen that the brakes work well. Really, really well. See, if they don't, I'll be wondering why I didn't get hydraulic brakes. There are 3 reasons. One: Paul Price. Two: I don't fancy ripping a hydraulic hose asunder in the Highlands. Three: ease of work for me. So, you can see, there is a lot 'riding' (bwahahahahahahaha!) on the brakes working well and for a long time.

Anyways, today was for the Nokon sections. I had not quite decided on how I was going to route the cable past the seat tube. Initially I went right, then I went left. The latter is better in every way. I used a combination of small and large segments of Nokon cable with 2 sections I can split on the top tube for lubing (if you have never used Boeshield, find some and use, frequently, for your cable brakes). The front brake goes from Nokon with shrink wrap next to the lever (to prevent kinking, which I have had on the RoShamBo a fair amount, to the stage that the inner has split now) then a run of Nokon to another section shrink wrapped immediately prior to an Avis link pipe onto the Full Metal Jacket. This is kept in place by the funny loop the FMJ comes with and I used a Snap On tube bender to achieve a curve so that the FMJ can directly go to the Avid BB7 caliper. I revised the curve after reviewing the pics I have collected of Jeff Jones built bikes (I am not too proud to admit I keep an archive of these pics for just such occasions....bloody OCD). It feels like there is no cable friction whatsoever.

The rear is more complicated. Again a shrink wrapped Nokon section, then free, then shrink wrapped again to prevent head tube scuffing. Then I used an alloy cable stop so I didn't have to run outer along the top tube. All I had to do was pop out the inner guide tube they were sold with and run the Nokon inner straight through. This was repeated at the rear, then I initially routed around the right side of the seat tube, but changed to the left to get a smoother line.

The join between the last section of FMJ, which has a 3d bend in it to run straight to the caliper, was done twice. Again the initial shrink wrap used the Avid supplied adhesive stuff which proved too stiff and led to a sharp cable bend. I used the shrink wrap (throughout) I obtained from Maplins (7mm, shrinks to half that minimum at 125degrees c....I used a hairdryer) and got a much better line.

I was pleased by the whole thing...now all I have to do is square away the rhythmical rubbing on the rear disc and wait for the cranks...

Tube bender

So I managed to get the discs on (only getting a wee spot of grease on the rotor and pads ... sheesh, thank goodness for iso-propyl alcohol). I got the steerer of the Pace forks cut, and filed and a star fangled nut fitted and then using the king headset spacers, arrived at a good handlebar height.

From there it was all about the 3/16" stainless steel tubes and a tube bender. Photos will follow, but I currently have a nice run with one bend directly to the front caliper, awaiting the Nokon top section from brake lever. The rear was a bit more complex. There are 2 guides for hose on the left seatstay, so i had to employ an s bend at the bottom to route directly into the caliper and then a very slight bend at the top (at 90 degrees, to follow the angle of the seatstay as it moves toward the seat tube). This will then accept a small Nokon section from the rearward cable stop on the top tube, with cable and the Nokon liner until i use another Nokon loop at the front to the rear brake lever.

It should (a-ha-ha) all look neat and tidy and work powerfully and be relatively impervious to dirt ingress. Should be. I *may* have made the bends a bit tight, and as such the brakes *may* be a little stiff. Fingers crossed.

The only bit I'm pretty sure I am not happy with is the top section of the rear brakes s bend. It is a little angular, not smooth, gentle and radiused like I wanted. May alter it, we'll see.

Golden

Trina and myself visited family Bacon recently. A short hop on a plane and a skip on a train led us to the deep south of England and a beautiful day to sit with Ruth, Biff and the boys (William and Thomas) in their fantastic garden.

A major effort by W, T and me saw a successful ambush of the rest as they collected sloe berries for gin manufacture. Next we had a chance to sample some of Ruth's cookery. It's hard to describe, but when someone can cook, and I mean *cook*, it is a wonderful transcendence from simply eating. A passion for flavour, an innate sense of timing and texture with dish after dish. Truly inspiring.

We yabbered into the wee hours.

Next day saw a visit from a cross star and a man with a sheep with a mission. As the airports are still somewhat stuffed up following the seemingly forgotten chaos of a few weeks ago, I had not brought my own bike. Fortunately, Biff is both well endowed and generous in that department and as such I had a chance to spend some time riding a VooDoo Dambala using Pace RC31 forks and Biff's Jones One. I also had a small but informative time on an On One 29"er (ta Jenn).

I am going to return to Biff's Jones as it deserves an entry solely concentrating on its construction, finishing and ride characteristics. However, I shall refer to it in passing here.

When I started considering a new bike (which in fact was several months *before* purchasing the Kelly RoShamBo) a lot of effort was put into understanding steering geometry of bicycles. Not in an mtbr/Cloxxki style. In a scientific, known facts and proven builders' opinion sort-of-way.

One of the best things I read was the Zinn Bicycle Primer, where he discusses the stability of different geometries which yield the same trail. Previously, my misconception was that trail=trail=trail, and that it was 'god' when it came to working out how a bike would handle. This of course ignores the fact that a bike with a shallow head angle and high rake can have the same trail as one with the opposite. The handling will be different: one *must* be holistic.

If I had any complaints of the Kelly, it was that the front wheel had a tendency to 'tuck' when steering in steep (down) technical situations, usually in soft terrain. One can mimic this by holding the rear wheel up so the bike rests on the front, and tilting to the side. If the bike moves quickly to rotate the front wheel 'under' the imaginary rider, it will be quick/nervous in handling. If it moves more slowly, perhaps more stable, and if it doesn't really move, well, it will prolly feel that way on the trail. Knowwhatimean?

I was after 'the perfect balance': a nice trail number in the 70-80mm bracket (which seems to be about right for 29"ers, for me - the Kelly being 80.7mm) and stability not negating responsiveness in technical riding. A complex project, and one I am indebted to the internet postings of Mike Curiak for germinating.

The end result for me was a 71 degree head angle and 42 mm rake on the pace fork (yielding a trail of 79.9mm) and a rake of 45mm on the Black Sheep Ti fork (yielding a trail of 76.7mm). This will give me something to play with once the IF is built.

Rewind a little. I rode an On One 29"er and a VooDoo Dambala recently, as well as Biff's Jones One. Remember? what do you mean zzzzzzzz? right!

The On One felt stable but well mannered, long of limb and heavy (truth be told, but then it was a 'sensible' build) but settled and supportive (head angle 71 degree, trail 74.6mm as rake is 47mm, note the 18" frame has a 1 degree steeper head angle, making trail 67.9mm, the fork being 470mm length).

The Dambala actually required a good deal of bodily adaptation to ride through the twisting, buff singletrack adorning the South Downs. Both up and down, it required a great deal of weight over the bars for it to steer with the authority needed. It didn't seem to like leaning into turns as much as my Kelly for example. All this despite a head angle a mere 0.5 degree shallower(trail 79.9mm). All this shows the trail is but one thing. The front centre, ride height, bb height and chainstays must all be figured in...

The Jones? well, it rocked really. I haven't enjoyed riding a 26" wheel bike since I tried 29"ers, until now. A very, very special bike. It managed to be instantly familiar, without feeling too easy. It demanded work and speed, whilst rewarding calm, deliberate (and occasionally consequential) moves. In short it acted as a mirror for ones desires and skills. As such, it also acted as a natural foil to the others, in order to compare characteristics.

Some people maintain that you cannot tell the difference between 0.5 degrees here, a millimeter there. I disagree. I would say one can *adapt to these changes easily*, but should one? Depends if you have the time, inclination and admittedly money to throw at the issue.

For me, I just have my fingers crossed about the new one...


first pic is by singlespeedwidow, my beautiful wife.
second I nabbed from Simon Barnes, who has been taking truly epic shots this year...

Foo fighting

Back from a lovely week end in Aviemore. As some may know I wasn't exactly very well last week... seems to have mostly passed, but I am gled we got away at all. Managed to race albeit slowish...6th in masters which I can't complain about. The course was the classic Badaguish technical root and rock fest with one fire road climb per lap. As usual the technical sections were my strong point and allowed me to catch up each lap. This made up for being extremely wobbly (tho' not sick!) on the climbs. Marty raced too, despite having a almost sleepless night due to a noisy air conditioner. Resplendent on his new VooDoo and in pink Assos socks.

Thankyou to Susan and Trina (and new friend...) for supports.

The best aspect of the week end was enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of Aviemore. It really is a 'mountain resort' and the Mountain Cafe allows healthy calorie loading for enjoying the freshest air.

Trina and myself rode around Rothiemurchas Estate and enjoyed another beautiful day and fine views of Cairngorm on Monday. I *really* enjoyed riding this area with my wife. There doesn't seem to be anything that brings out the happiness of just being on a bike as much as sharing it with someone you love, in a place you love.

I had felt this recently on a ride with Chris and Jac in the Pentlands near Edinburgh. No rush, no training zones, no particular need to do a distance or 'make it back here'. Just pure enjoyment shared with the like-est of like minds.

In other news: well done to all the peeps who battled the 3 peaks. Jenn scored 3rd (!) and everyone else showed the warrior hearts to finish the race and smile.

Next up

My thoughts on riding a Jones 26"er, a VooDoo Dambala, and an On One 29"er...still percolating...

Perfect prep...

In *that way*, I seem to have developed a lurgy right before my only xc race for this year. At the moment I'm not sure I can even get out the house, let alone anything else. Hoping for a miraculous recovery but I doubt it...

Crank it

My new bike is going to have 175mm cranks. So what? Well, I have been using 177.5mm cranks exclusively for 4 years. I swapped by circumstance not design: in essence I couldn't find a cold forged 5 arm crank with a square taper in anything *but* 177.5mm, so I bought 3 and had done with it. I felt they helped for pushing the singlespeed up steeper hills, but otherwise no major difference. Afterall, they were only 2.5mm longer than 'usual'.

I revisited this decision several weeks ago, when getting new cranks for the IF. Having ridden my friend Biff's Jones, I was impressed with the stiffness, power transfer and looks of the Jones mod'ed xtr cranks. So what length?

It is oft quoted there was a tendency for the old school 29"er riders to use shorter cranks. Indeed, rumor has it Wes Williams wouldn't have anything to do with cranks longer than 170mm. Perhaps this is more applicable to geared bikes (for spinning the gear) But one could also look at the track riders using 160-165 cranks, and they don't hang about when it is time to transfer power to the wheels (and neither are they universally short of stature).

I ordered 175mm, and I am glad I did. A more prolonged ride on Biff's bike this last week end led me to believe I can feel no detrimental difference whatsoever. A post on mtbr got me thinking further and after reading Leonard Zinn's diatribe on crank length, how to measure it and the pros and cons of changing, I decided to go all bio-mechanical. Turns out with my femur length, I should be using 170mm cranks, whereas with inside leg measurement I should be using 176-180mm length cranks. So there we go. Conclusions will be drawn after a prolonged time on the IF.

(pic courtesy of Jeff Jones)

For those about to rock...

We salute you!

The 3 peaks is this week end...a bunch of my friends are riding , and I wish them all bon chance.

Marty and myself will be hammering in the Cairngorm at the Aviemore xc event. Should be great, though inclement weather is a possibility...

Now all I need to do is minimise the trail tools, pack some energy spooch and put my 'fast' legs on...

Just about there

A few more parts, that is all. After this week end, I also have a lot more confidence in the parts I have collected. The wider, more robust rims should offer a better tyre profile, and allow a more persuasive style in the rocks. The carbon fork doesn't flutter or feel flimsy despite it's lack of weight. The H bars have a shim to allow a slightly improved interface, and the Thomson x4 seems to hold a little better than the original.

So, wheels to build and cranks awaited. Then it is time to put it together...just in time to have a few rides before breaking out the mothballs, and hitting cross season? Then back out for a (solo?) Strathpuffer ...

Haarrrrrrrrrrr

Well, I hope you enjoyed Talk Like a Pirate Day. I did. If you had any issues, perhaps a refresher will see you right afore mi'night, me hearty. Arrrrrr.

Sitting comfortably?

Etiquette

After using this blog a little, I have learned that there is an etiquette to 'borrowing' pictures. I should apologise for not doing this properly in the past. Now, though, I'm going to pinch a few pictures to show a few more bent top tube bikes. I just love 'em.

A recent thread on mtbr discussed dropped top tubes and a
further opinion piece was provided by g-ted. My thoughts are simple: with proper design and the luxury of custom, quality manufacture, if I have my druthers, I'll go for super sloping top tubes every day of the week. They increase standover, and allow added compliance from the seat pin. Also, it looks sweet.

First a baby blue bombshell from Quiring Cycles. This one is from J-Rad.

Scott Quiring is a bomber fast racer, who at one time raced for Slingshot bikes. His site is cool, and his bikes well worth a look.







The next belongs to a lady by the name of Shontell, a Willits Brand with dual curved top and down tubes for clearance of forks and standover. Typically beautiful Willits craftsmanship. If you ride or are interested in 29"ers, Wes Williams of Willits Brand is someone you should know about.

Power

Have you seen the video news available on Velonews? Some are very interesting. I would recommend the bicycle fitting videos for Cesar Grajales with Todd Carver and Andy Pruitt at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine. Good stuff. Pruitt is just as obnoxious as he comes across in the Specialized literature, however the fit process they go through is informative, although you may not agree with it.

Anyone who pays any attention to how films are made will recognise the computer mapping of the body in order to measure things objectively (rather than by hairy eyeball) and assess the biomechanical position of the rider. But it is still fascinating. One can't help but wonder about one's own position-afterall don't we all secretly believe we are thwarted world class riders? You may very well just have to fit that new, in-line post afterall...

The other video that is of great interest is the interview with Allen Lim (for his extensive bio see the link). His relationship with Floyd Landis is well known: he describes himself as Floyd Landis' number puncher. His main area of interest seems to be power output, and its measurement and use for training. Some of the numbers discussed are a little easy to gloss over (during the stage to Morzine, Floyd put out 281 watts for 5 hours...do a little poking around and find out what an average athlete's power output is and you may just be as surprised as I was.) but he is clearly animated, intelligent and his thoughts may well be useful to those looking to train more seriously.

See Velonews here.

Backatcha

Wow

In it to win it.

As is often said: to win it, you need to be in it. This can be applied to a lot of things but competition is paramount. For me, this means bike racing. Sometimes, I can't give my all during a race. Occasioanlly this is due to mechanical issues. During the last 5 races I have had (quick tot up) 9 punctures. Not a good average.

I was reading a blog belonging to a guy who has quite an impressive palmares. He has suffered numerous punctures over his last few races too. Dicky's minimal packing (amongst others) inspired me to drop the over-size pack and try to take a sensibly small set of tools, tubes and additional bunkum.

If you examine my recent experiences in the cold light of day, I dont think I have *particularly* suffered for carrying less kit. However, at the SSWC in Hellas, Stockholm, if I had carried the previous belt-and-braces CO2 and pump, as well as the old-me-2+ tubes, I would have been back in the game that bit sooner.

Does it make a *real* difference? Probably not: I'm unlikley to win after all. Does it bug me? Oh yes!.

I think the take home message is: consider this year another 'work in progress'. Every year (despite advancing age) I seem to do slightly better at the races. Mostly due to increased self-awareness in terms of preparation (fitness, food and fluid all playing their parts) and improved balance in the belt and braces equation.


Also I'd like to say a big G'day to Duncan, the real top fixed rider at SSWC (you there? hmmph, he's prolly off enjoying the Melbourne spring) for stopping to give me his pump before masterfully pedaling off into the distance.




pic lifted from Happy mtb forum poster.

Trimble

A little while ago now, I was talking to my friend Shaggy about this and that, mumbling and postulating. For some reason we got around to talking about Trimble mtb's. They were pretty wild back in the day. Sausage like spars of carbon fiber, with tiger stripes or polka dots.

I had a particular penchant for these frames and when I found out last year or so that Trimble might be back in the game, I asked about the possibility of a 29"er frame.

Due to some sort of disagreement between managers and investors and perhaps Brent Trimble and other project managers, Trimble is still a a name from the past.

The 29"er? well, it almost happened. Indeed, it looked like it had a lot of potential in terms of stand over, and clearance issues:




























If you want to see more Trimbles, and get a little background info on these or any vintage bikes, set your main sail and take a heading for here.

Sailing & tatoos

http://sailorjerry.com/


Oh, and check www.63xc.com sometime soon.

Coming soon!

Some words on 'Flying Scotsman' a film about Obree...in which my friend Marty gifted Johnny Lee the finish. Also, I acquired a set of 'Transitions' Oakleys. So far so good. More soon.

Specialized movies

Well worth a look, especially the faux cop chase...yo! 5-oh!

http://cdn.specialized.com/bc/microsite/movies/

Wingnut and others...

This year has seen an almost total change in kit. The mileage count is up as is the distance at any one sitting, so this has been a fine balance between known devil and new and improved.

First up. Maxxis Ignitors. There you go.

Second up, Pearl Izumi. The welded seam shorts (err, microsensor 3d pro bibs, i think) are very comfortable indeed right from the first ride. they seem to sit well, with no chafing or wrunkling (despite some visible bunching of the flat seams with movement) and so far have been very durable. Choice number one.



The other Pearl Izumi product that has been very impressive is the Gel Vent glove. Full finger, soft, black (phew!) with a rubbery cross hatched padded area over the 3 pressure points of the palm. Excellent.



Last for today: Wingnut Assault. A pack that is both small and simple, made form sail cloth for light weight, water shedding and toughness, with 2 small zippered pockets left and right and a main entry zip for bladder (not included) stowing and pump-getting. The pack has one feature that sets it apart from the rest. It is designed to sit over the lumbar spine. The first time I used it? The wilderness 101. It would have been a bummer if it didn't work well, and comfortably. It did. Main feature, light weight so less cantilevered weight, and excellent ability to reach snacks from the side pockets. It has an integral whistle at the sternum strap and at 1.5l capacity the fluid volume with 2 big bottles is perfect for me.




One seldom used but very welcome feature is the lack of movement in steep, technical challenging, terrain. Thumping into yer lid here is a bad way for yer pack to behave.

SSWC 06 video

Well worth a look. This guy has serious talent - one man and one camera!
http://mtbracer.free.fr/video/index.htm

Too much life, too little vicariousness

First pics of my IF (many thanks to Tim @ Sidewayscycles.com for the frame and my lovely wife for the photos). It is spectacular, as you'd expect .















Just back from the SSWC in Stockholm. Pics and thoughts to come. The news is: Scotland 07.

Still needing to jot down some thoughts on equipment used this year. Highlights include the Wingnut Assault, and Pearl Izumi Gel Gloves.

As far as big races, that is me done for the year. Hoping for some extended overnight rides and some slow, technical, pine scented days.

Also look out for a tyre review on www.63xc.com.

Yin & Yang

My second solo 24 hr attempt was sort of aborted. We all arrived at Catton Park in beautiful dusty, sunny, warm conditions. Race commenced after a catch up (good to see Jessica over here, and Chipps hauled away from his desk) and a few beers. My plan was to go fast and hard from the start, get very tired then hold on. The idea behind this was:
I know I can do the 24 hrs riding
I am not going to get faster towards the end
It would give me a good idea of my pace and energy levels

It went pretty well for the first 8 laps (60 or so miles) as I was well within 200 miles for the 24 hr period. 200miles + is my ultimate aim in a 24 hr solo.

Then the heavens opened.

One of the issues in having however many thousands of competitors roll up to these events is the volume of parking and camping needed . This may be around 16 acres in some cases. Traditional race venues cannot support this, so the organisers look elsewhere. That usually means unridden trails which are generally not weather proof. This seems to be a fact that is necessary given the varied ingredients in the 24 hr race potion.

So, the decision was: massively reduce aims, and keep going all night (I define a 'proper' 24 hr effort as not going to bed, and not stopping for over 30mins unless forced to) or sleep for a few hours, write off the 200 mile total as a benchmark and try to keep smiling.

I chose the latter and was rewarded with more time to speak to people I haven't seen in a while and 3.30min sleep. I managed 15 laps in total, around 100 miles. I'll post some comedy pictures of mud coated everything (at times I was dragging my bike literally, as the wheels wouldn't go around) through mud-grass hell. I had to renege on my 'never wash my bike with water rule too, after 15 months due to the extreme stickiness after drying of the stuff.

Still, picked up my new tIF on the way back (thanks muchly Tim). Needless to say, it is a piece of work...

The parts are nearly there....It's going to be too bad-ass for words.

Dirty skin

Ragged thumbnails

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drj0n/

Wilderness 101

Last week I returned from New York and Pennsylvania. I had been looking forward to the Wilderness 101 for nearly a year (since the Singlespeed Worlds 2005 were held in State College). Over the last few years I have often thought of doing a 100mile race in the states, ever since reading the stories of the Cream Puff and Mike Ferentino's excellent write up of the Leadville 100.

The riding in and near State College is the best I have ever done. The trails are tough, technical rewarding and dappled with sunlight under a dense canopy of trees. The climbs though stout are not back breaking and the town has everything I could ever hope to be provided with. Excellent coffee via WC Clarkes Cheese Shope (http://www.wcclarke.com/), supreme bike service/advice and parts from Mt Nittany Wheelworks (http://www.mtnittanywheelworks.com/ ) quite possibly the worlds best beer at Otto's Brew Pub (http://www.ottospubandbrewery.com/). I should also mention quite possibly the worlds best beer and pizza combo at Faccia Luna...


Anyways, the plan was fairly straightforward. Trina and her bro David were to head to New York, after wishing me luck as I aimed for Interstate 80 from Newark airport. The car? well, this time a wee compact car - a Chevy Cobalt did the duty.

Luckily I remembered the drive for the most part as my MapQuest was ok, but minimal.

Having arrived in State College at 7 ish, I put the wheels on the bike, and headed out to Otto's for a few beers and some food. I knew the shop crew meet there one evening a week, but wasn't completely sure which. Needless to say I got the wrong day, but as I wobbled off down the road again, who should drive by but Frank (a good friend from Mt Nittany Wheelworks) and his excellent wee lad Eoinn. So we lobbed the bike on the car and headed out for icecream...I saw my first firefly and had a good natter and slouchy evening with Frank and Eoinn.

Jet lag always bites a little and next day I hit the streets at 6am, after a 5am wake up, and headed out to meet Bill at the Cheese Shoppe. He was roasting and we had a short chat, I drank gallons of the best coffee and met Peter Buck, and Joe Gore. After catching up I spent a little more time between roasts setting the world to rights with Bill then headed off to Mt Nittany Wheelworks. Shopping time! Well, I knew Trina would be doing th same so it was time to melt plastic.

After a cheery 'hello!' to everyone at the shop (so good to see Jim and Harry again) it was time to slot a little ride in, so we headed out of the shop and made for the local trails. Frank railed the twisties and roots, with Peter on his heals. I tried my best to keep up and not get lost...these trails really do rock!

We all made for Otto's later and a few beers were indeed consumed. The last of which was a beautiful if evilly powerful porter which sent the last 3 in the bar (Frank, Jim and myself) down for 10. After a collision, blood loss, double-visioned cycling and a sheepish arrival at Beth's (Franks eminently better half) we finally closed down for the night. 3.30am, perfect for race prep! It is not unusual for Jim and myself to close the bar it seems...

I was supposed to get up and go ride/course mark at 7.30am with Peter and Joe next morn' but I just slept through my alarms and felt like I had been kicked around the head. So I passed and instead focused on eating and drinking and then heading to Coburn for registering. Jim and Frank also felt a bit shabby and an uneventful day led to a pizza and 1 or 2 beer combo at Faccia Luna. A good chat with Matt Ferrari and I knew he had that look in his eye for this race...

Early bed as next morning would mean getting up in the dark.

So, 4.30am beep beep beep, and into the car. I had looked out some stuff the evening before and felt pretty prepped and calm. Only issues of note were a newly mounted front tyre (Maxxis Ignitor: mana from heaven) and a practically unused Wingnut Assault pack (this sits over the lumbar region of spine and I hadn't had chance to really ride with it and see how it felt).

The siren went at 7am as a field of 300 rode out from Coburn. Several miles of tarmac and gravel road then a stern climb to stretch things out. At some point I am going to get a map and a gradient thingy here, as the course which is one of the very few 100 milers to be one big loop deserves a lot more words than I can type this evening.

As far as my race, I felt good initially. Fit and strong and confident in my ability to finish. I'll admit this was the first point this was the case. The aid stations (as with the rest of the organisation) were incredible, truly top notch. The sense of community and number of volunteers was awe inspiring.

After I passed Dan Jansen (at that point 100 mile series singlespeed leader) I wondered at my ability to finish at the pace I was riding. I felt ok and decided to just keep rolling with an open mind. I passed a few other faces I didn't expect to and someone yelled I was top ten singlespeed. I certainly hadn't anticipated 'racing' this per se but I'll admit to being keen to keep the pace up.

Eventually, after some mind blowing singletrack and high heat and humidity I finished, scoring 7th place singlespeed. I was pretty pleased to see the finish after feeling like I could ride forever at some points through the race. Notable performances, Matt Ferrari putting serious metal to pedal and maybe, just maybe getting singlespeed overall for the series. Jimbo for riding a comfort bike for charity the whole way. I cannot begin to describe how strong that really is. Frank for riding with a busted up head and hip after the Otto incident and still battering around the course. Joe for knocking 1.5 hrs off his previous best time. Ken Roth for riding for the first time in 4 weeks (due to slipped disc pain) finishing 60+miles and Peter Buck for the most outstanding come back recorded (after a period of serious hurt mid-race from the heat and humidity probably) without testosterone patches I have witnessed.

All in all a supreme time. More technical points soon, once I am able to work out how I drank 10 litres of fluid in 9.18 hrs.

Taster

Back from the Wilderness 101. A 101 mile mtb race over rough and beautiful terrain.

Full report once I have caught up on sleep. Meanwhile,

http://www.cyclingnews.com/mtb/?id=2006/jul06/Wilderness101_06
http://the-ancient-one.smugmug.com/gallery/1722513/1

Gotham by gaslight.

From www.iheartsinglespeed.blogspot.com

http://www.gothamist.com/archives/2006/07/14/video_of_the_da_27.php

Rat Race

The Marquis of Darkness and muskateers Jack and Andy recently completed the Edinburgh urban Rat Race in an amazing 18th place. This over the 2 day and multiple venue climbing/running/biking/map work/rafting and via ferrata course. Top work youse guys...


pic stolen from http://www.ratraceadventure.com/home.shtml

Galapagos

I received some new coffee to try the other day from my main man at Imperial Teas of Lincoln. I had decided to order some lighter, more complex beans as I occasionally like to sip a more acidic, brighter brew in the afternoons. So, the recommendation was Galapagos Cristobel. The following is from the website, http://www.imperialteas.co.uk/

"466. Galapagos Cristobal Island £6.70per 125g. This rare and unusual coffee of superb quality is, naturally, grown without the use of chemicals. The plantation was founded in 1875 and planted with the old bourbon bean. San Cristobal, which has an abundance of fresh water, also has a unique microclimate and the required altitude to produce a rich flavoured, full bodied coffee balanced by a sweet acidity. In the early nineties the Gonzalez family revived the island’s Hacienda El Cafetal, which had been abandoned for many years. With further expansion of this plantation forbidden because of the archipelago’s great natural importance production of this coffee will never amount to more than 2000 bags a year. With three different sea currents - the Humboldt, El Nino and the Crownel having a profound effect on the climate, crop sizes are usually only around 500. "

I can tell you that despite a penchant for high roast, this bean is splendid. Fruity, acidic, a long, long drawn and satisfying aftertaste which I find unusual for the lighter roast beans. Seriously refreshing and an excelleaccompanimentent to a good read on the sofa.

Recommendo.

Haiti comet.

Sometimes there are moments you think you will always remember. One of those happened to me on Monday. Trina and myself had built up Trina's new Voodoo Wanga bike...pretty sweet indeed (thanks Tim, Ag and Sideways Cycles). We went for a test run and on the promise of a gin and tonic on top of the local hill, we slaved upwards in the heat.

Descending down, I looked back for a second and saw Trina with a look of pure happiness...I live for those moments...

In on the kill taker.

This post brought to you by insomnia, Fugazi and coffee.

2 ideas have kept me from sleeping the last couple of nights. So today was a day of action.

First: I have a pile of 26" wheel stuff lying around. It's either sell, bin, give or store. So: I decided to speak to Tim at Sideways Cycles and a shiney red 14" Voodoo Wanga one is on its way to us as we speak...built up with some light parts and wheels it should make a sweet bike for Trina to try...theme is Darth Maul. It will be interesting to see what the ride is like. Its a small package but Joe Murray always did design the sweetest bikes.

Second: all I'm going to say at this time is I am going to be circulating some plans soon for a project I am going to call 'Pirate Bike'.

Give me a month and I'll give you more...

Smartly, me lass...

Jelly Belly

Some interesting stuff from the last few days. First, a column posted by my friend Biff about coffee. http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/features/riccitello/coffee.html

Jelly Belly are doing a Sport Bean. This could be the answer to your prayers. http://www.jellybelly-uk.com/cgi-bin/jb_sportbeans/products.pl?category=9

My Black Sheep forks are on the way. http://www.blacksheepbikes.com/

So far, I have saddle, bars, and pedals. Still out on the rest of the stuff...but I9 ( http://www.blacksheepbikes.com/) may feature if I feel like haemorrhaging money.

The Tour continues. I have to say though my interest wanes compared to the spring classics...maybe it is all the doping. http://doperssuck.typepad.com/doperssuck/


I ordered a new cycling top...there is a catchy theme here...http://shop.newbelgium.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=m14-00341-00&Category_Code=BJ

Sweet.

Lastly, it's not long to go...http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html

Thoydy Thoyd and Thoyd

Fear of failure

Ever since I entered the Wilderness 101 there has been a feeling of trepidation: of entering territory unknown. I had never ridden (and still have not) 100 miles entirely off road in one sitting. Truth be told I have never ridden 60 miles over terrain as challenging as that found in Pennsylvania.

So, I started 'putting effort in'. I knew over the course of last year that I was aiming to do some of the longer self supported races that are run currently; the Vapor trail 125, various 100 mile races and even the Kokopelli trail race or Grand Loop to name a few.

In order to do this, I felt I needed a 5 year plan. First phase: race and survive a season of Merida 100km races without injury, at a good clip, and try to slip in a solo 24 hour with no support, no sleep and no stopping for more than 1/2 an hour. 2005 ticked these off.

Next was to try and *race* a solo 24 hour. Definition: prepare and do as well as I can, under maximum effort. This is scheduled for Sleepless in the Saddle this year, in July. Concomitantly I aimed to continue doing Merida's but also knock off some century rides. Initially, on the road, then mixed, then off-road (laps if necessary). Again, so far this year, despite minimal riding it would seem, I am at the stage of relatively comfortably riding 100 miles on road (not fast tho'!) and a mixed route roughly 40:60% ish? Was fairly straightforward.

Next is the 100 mile off road effort, which will be the Wilderness 101, if I can't do a lapped off-road route in Scotland soon. This allows some form of 'qualification', along with another event, for the Vaportrail (which has been cancelled for this year btw, but may be ridden as a 'bootleg' event).

As a side line to this physical effort, there has been increased interest in equipment. Lightening, minimalising and collecting kit which will allow me to ride safely over very long distances at extremely low payback in terms of weight carried and lack of functionality.

Research is continuing and once I have a good water filter, I feel I will be ready to tackle multi-day wilderness riding as a learning experience before doing so in an event such as Kokopelli or Grand Loop.

What have I garnered recently? Well, the Merida this last weekend suggested that in 33 degrees I need more water than can be held in 2 large water bottles. i.e a hydration pack. This is a little disappointing as I have worked pretty hard to *not* use a hydration pack, and thus avoided some back pain issues. I suspect I have to use the minimal amount of kit, 2 water bottles and a partially full pack-bladder for success.

Pacing is also important. Over the last 12 months I have been trying to haul the effort in when I start to 'red line'. This has worked well. I now have much better staying power.

I have also worked hard to get a pre-race regime sorted. Anyone who knows me well will be aware I sometimes have a wee dram prior to a ride, especially with friends around. I do not apologise for this!, as it is probably the main reason I enjoy this pastime so much. However, I do tend to drink minimally, sleep muchly, eat well and prepare kit prior to racing much more thoroughly now. Diet both prior and during exercise has been an interesting area of study.

I also know my body a bit better. I ride less in general (especially tis year, what with one thing and another) but I make the most of it when I do.

So why the fear?

Because I am still *totally* unsure that I am able to finish the Wilderness 101. If I can't this year maybe no worries for the 5 year plan. BUT if I can't, and can't envisage *ever* completing it, the dream may well finish here.

You know what, tho'?

This is most likely the ultimate reason for attempting it...


Dream big.
Then try to live that dream...


oh, 33rd at Builth Wells.

S'pose I'm happy enough with that. Would have liked 10 places higher...

Merida and me, it's over...

Just back from Merida number 3. Builth Wells this time and so very sunny and warm. Preps were good and lots of sleep before hand. Felt easy and strong as I moved up to the lead 20 or so group. The usual exemplary course marking was pretty poor this time around, one wrong turn led to a very short detour. Climbing well and smooth though, so no worries.

Seems to be the promise of 'new trails' has entailed a madman or a blind sheep with a strimmer roughly clearing bits of fern, leaving 2-6" grass to ride over. Either that or it is unconsolidated trail over pine loam. Still, I'm figuring this is to get some of the usual end-of-course grass climbing cut out.

Nope.

Another wrong turn due to dubious markings, after many more instances of markings being vague or needing to slow down to see them. This time me and another geezer headed down a 1:10 road for 1+ km. Then an unsigned junction. Oddly enough I didn't at first think this was all that unusual, but the other guy figured we were off course, and so it was. Climbed back to course, lost a lot of places and kept it charging trying to do some catch up. What followed was a melee of grass climbing or rolling (!) on what at times was undoubtedly sheep track (on steep hill which did not allow for pedaling without hitting the inner pedal, and fern covered tracks which had in essence just been flattened by a quad bike. I estimate ~80% of the trail was this sort of energy sapping crap.

I feel like I have been taken advantage of. Each year under the promise of 'new trails' some useless new non-consolidated trail appears which is anything but weather proof (as proven at the last Rhayader race) and mind bendingly frustrating to ride.

This may sound like sour grapes, but I have been a stalwart at the Merida's for 4 years, and have advocated their benefits. It's time to be honest and tell it how it is: that was rubbish. A poke in the eye.

I probably didn't do too bad, and as resistance training for Wilderness 101 it was probably useful. But the only race that I will do if any next year is Selkirk, because it is on bike trails. Or at least trails. This means it is rideable. The challenge comes from the rocks and roots and technical aspect along with the gradient and distance. Not whether you can keep pushing a gear along grass tracks.

I *am* angry and more than that disappointed. Has something happened to land access in Wales we need to know about? Over the last few years it has been proven that there *are* good trails there...

MTB Marathon need to get their act together.

Tilley

After the sunburn has settled and started peeling I have decided to invest in a Tilley hat. Pretty good, and it makes me feel a bit Tim Cahill/Redmond O'Hanlon ish...

Received the Magma saddle. Yes it looks like a very fast car, and yes it is superbly crafted Italian luxury.

http://www.tilley.com/

Insouciance

Just back from Mountain Mayhem '06. Left Scotland at 10.30pm and 10 degrees c. Arrived Ledbury 16 degrees c and 4 am. Pretty good going. Cracked a Sam Adams for myself and my co-pilot/wife, and set to work dealing with tents and what not.

Somehow, we missed my to-be-team mate, Chipps, who had retired at 3.47am. Beer and white russian had apparently flowed...

Awoke and preps made. Signed on as a slightly under-manned 4 man team with Chipps a.k.a Johnny Dangerous and me a.k.a Enrico Gonzales. Chipps ran, and rode (swiftly and smoothy), Trina snapped photos (see flickr, SSMM2006 tag) and the heckling was brash.

We managed sixteen laps in total, but far more impressive was the amount of sleep we got. I actually feel pretty re charged after this one. Fastest lap for me 36min. Pretty happy with this and my recovery after each laps' climb was good, plenty of zing in the legs - which is encouraging. Chipps went super well, ever cheerful and super quick to boot. He even managed to light up his test Assos outfit for the night laps.

Jenn won solo - wooop!
Chris rocked the Kenwood Jersey to 20 laps solo.
Shaggy, Steve, Dave, Seb, Phil, and so many other good friends kicked arse on the super dusty, dry and bumpy course.

I had but one problem mechanically. As previously noted, I have been trying to minimise kit. This has meant the move to CO2 for races. Unfortunately, due to the presence of a photographer (www.joolzdymond.com see her snaps, the one of jo and jenn is sooo good) I tried to jump the Kelly out of a bomb hole with a slightly off camber, right turn exit. Landed sideways and blew *both* tyres off the rims. Seems my penchant for running somewhat relaxed tyre pressure and 19mm rims isn't good for those free ride moments... The CO2 was used in earnest as I poppped the bead another twice that lap and ended up with a mile long run to the arena... All good tho' as 48psi (eeep, ping!) sorted out the rest of my laps. That felt scary hard so I can only guess what I ususally run.

What else? Met Abby and Ariel from Maverick. Good folk and Ariel rides smoother than butter...

Also, jerky rules. That's it.

Thank you to Chipps for the last minute entry, Trina for photos and support and pizza and beer and putting up with stinky-me.

No thanks to really stingy nettles and sunburn.

Recovery

Looks like the mtbr 29"er board has descended to a level beyond playground antics. Pity, it used to be a good read. Recovering from the mixed hunner well. Tired but legs in one piece. Oddly, the arms are still feeling it... Ordered a new saddle today in the search for even more comfort...Selle San Marco gets the nod with the new-ish Magma - not the pure magnesium one, a little padding and a preference for ti rails.













Rest of the parts for the tIF are coming together...there is a last minute bid being made by Avid juicy Ultimates tho' but will prolly stick with cables...

Moots may be involved too. Its great to be scheming and planning.

Hunner

Edinburgh to Selkirk yesterday. The concept was to do ~ one hundred miles with a reasonable ratio of off and on road riding. Broke out the maps and planned a route which took me to the Pentland Hills off-road and from there a road section to shy of Peebles. At this point I was planning a yomp over about a km of 'unknown' land to join the trails north of Glentress and drop down from here to Peebles, then transfer to the south side of the Tweed river and continue, taking in Cardrona, Elibank and Traquair and then Innerleithen forests. At this point I would join the Selkirk Merida course from last year and at the last minute drop off down the Minchmoor 'road' to the south of Selkirk. Looping Selkirk I would then rejoin the forest trails and go back.

I hadn't figured in the rain. Never heavy, it was always threatening or raining. The trails became sticky and as fatigue set in I had to alter my route. First missed out the unknown section and thus about 3 miles of off-road became road. Also missed out the forest trails between Selkirk and Yair and joined a lower trail (part of the Sustrans route 1) to Plora woods and Innerleithen. From here it was the same as on the way down. Except for a wrong turn from Flotterstone which somehow led me to the wrong side of a hill meaning I had a steep walk to rejoin the trail down to Bonaly and back into Edinburgh.

The whole took near 11 hours, 3 liters of water, 750ml of SIS energy drink, a can of IrnBru and 3 cans of sugar free Red Bull. On the food front, 2 sandwiches, 2 cereal bars and that was it.

Honorable mentions in terms of equipment: Pearl Izumi mitts, with gel padding on palm. Very good. Pearl Izumi no-stitch posh shorts Never had a sore bum.

Felt like I could have one on further, and was a little disappointed about bailing on the steeper climbs out of Selkirk, but all in all I was pretty stoked to see my form *finally* beginning to come.

1 week recovery, then SSMM 24 hr race as a pair (currently, tho' that may change) then the next Merida 100km the week after. On course for Wilderness 101.

"Coach, put me in the game..."

Linkies

Added some new linkies to things I read. They are way down on right hand side there. Not sure why they are languishing down there, sometimes blogger just seems to do that.

Otherwise, things might be ship-shaping up a little. Today I had the first sensation of fitness coming. I had a little zing about my legs, almost felt like running rather than walking.

2 rides this week end: a 3 hour finish at the pub circuit of Edinburgh, taking in an *amazing* amount of snaking, wooded and sweet singletrack - all within town limits. Not only that, but The Pear Tree never changes, always a good craik and a good pint. The other ride was an escape from the city with no particular plans. So I rode from my folks to the Forth Road Bridge, then after a while of sneaking around Fife on the now trusty Se7en single cross/road machine, made my way to Kinross and joined Sustrans route number 1 - The Kingdom of Fife route. Having had good experience of sustrans route previously I stuck to this through several small towns and a lot of superb scenery until I hit Glenrothes. From there I decided to hit the coast and follow this back to the Forth Road Bridge and home. My original plan had been to head to St Andrews - as I used to study there when I was a nipper, but I was running out of time. I reckon 80miles, blistering heat, good and most encouragingly persistent strength in the legs and 7.5 hrs of sunshine. All topped off with 2 cans of coke and a trial run of sweeties as food on a ride (the cheeky crew seem to like the tangfastic thing, so when i started feeling a little wobbly, this provided sustenance).

I can walk no problem, my ass is a little raw, but that was 10+ hrs of saddle time this week end with no Assos...so all good.

Pretty pleased, but need more...riding eventually calms the screaming in your head, no matter how loud it is. This week end? I need to try and hit nearly 100miles ideally mixed route on and off road, or pure off road (unlikely!). Then I can say I'm getting there.

Bummer life?

Swobo machine beginning to crank...

http://www.howtoavoidthebummerlife.com/weblog/

Lived in.

It was the SSUK this week end. Yet another great event put on by those who care for those who care. Fun, frolics, an epic course and an epic dose of sunshine. Stir briskly with beer and vino tinto, a soupcon of whisky and lots of E number preserved comfort food.

Whataveyougot?

The race was both won, and lost. Tears, snotters and ecstatic smiles. Pictures are worth a thousand words so:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=ssuk2006&m=tags

and also:

http://www.simonbarnes.net/wp-gallery2.php?g2_itemId=10&

(Simon really has taken some cracking photos...)

Its not just bikers.

Seems access and the use of cheeky-ness is not limited to bikers (well, I guess that was something you knew, riiiiiiiiiight?).

http://outside.away.com/outside/features/200606/dean-potter-delicate-arch-climb-1.html

Dean is a *magical* climber, really. As an occasional climber myself I can see some of the issues here...the way I deal with it on the bike is most often 'does this feel ok to me?' and if it does I tend to ride. Not sure if i need to re-evaluate.

BTW Merida. Shaggy an astonishing 15th, if my spreadsheet work is right, me 51st. I can't really complain about that given the snooze 3/4 of the way around.