This Dial goes to 11.

From the inimitable Roman Dial.

South Shore bikepark.

A bike park? in Dorset? Mike Davis' blog post explains all...but this needs a bit of internet crowd action...go to it...and yes, thats Mike Davis of Whatmtb and Privateer etc.

Ptarmigan.

A little while ago, i rode/carried up Ben Lomond, turned tail and dropped down. Despite suffering numerous punctures as i plummeted over the sharp rocky trail i had a great time. It was very clear and sunny at the top and, for the first time, i saw the Ptarmigan Ridge trail in sharp relief. This was a little bit of a surprise because i have been up Ben Lomond quite a number of times - by bike and on foot.

Needless to say, the idea of riding that trail has been worming around in my brain for a while.

Whereas the main trail up the Ben has been worked on in order to be sustainable given the presumably large amount of footfall, the Ptarmigan Ridge trail is 'natural' for the most part. As such, it is way less impervious to Scotland's famed precipitation.

Same old same old: tired, unwell and busy. But just just as the cold, low, cloud cleared on occasion as i ascended the mountain, the will and the opportunity coalesced and i had a window to go for a ride. I like my local trails, but at the moment they are sodden and i'm pretty sure we are doing a fair bit of damage as we ride them. I'm philosophical about this...you would never ride in Scotland if you avoided commiting rubber to trail in bad weather. I also have issues riding the same trails time after time. So i dropped Daisy off at nursery and then loaded the car - it's been a while, so i had to find my 'further afield' kit - and after much delay i headed off to the Ben.

Although it was a bright, clear day at the bottom, as i cleared the first portage section i climbed into cloud. There were myriad, amazing frost patterns on the windswept grass. After the plateau-ish area i was into the second portage: it was here i hit boiler plate ice. It was tricky to get to the top, and lets just say the scramble down to the Ptarmigan Ridge from the summit area was interesting. At one point i slipped and mashed my knee into the fork so hard i thought i might actually be out the game. After a bit of massage and cussing, that saw me cooling rapidly in the biting wind, i knew i needed to get moving. Limping along, a sling to attach me to the bike in case of slips, i came to the point where i could ride.

This trail will not be for everyone. In places i was on the limit of my abilities and was having to display some serious cojones. In other places i needed accept my limitations and get off and walk - and not just for ice. This will be a test piece for sure, but it certainly isn't for everyone.

Of course, i wasn't helped by a contaminated front brake on BA. Seems my hose/banjo crimp joint started leaking and dribbled some oil into the caliper. Needless to say it was noisy and sketchier than it needed to be. Despite the odd light, i got some snaps. Maybe a bit too processed, but i think it gives an idea...here you go.

Cunningham.

It's no secret i am a massive fan of jacquie phelan and charlie cunningham and, indeed, wilderness trail bikes in its original incarnation. The mix of environmental awareness, focus on a low impact lifestyle, technical and design acumen and pure functionality was and remain second to none.

Anyway, i found this video...short but well worth a view. At any stage in the history of mtb that bike would be fantastic, given the year of its construction it is nothing short of genius.

Charlie Cunningham - "Racer" from Steve Banks on Vimeo.

So, you know, just cos...

I have an interest in bicycle related tool chests. A quick search on flickr showed up some rather controversial groups but none i though really relevant. So i started one...bikes and tool chests...enjoy.

A *long* time coming.

Of interest.

(pic is Sean's)

As the water level continues to rise around these parts, thanks to colossal rain fall over the last couple of weeks, off-road riding is little and infrequent. As i mentioned before, plans are afoot to build up something with a bit more float that may allow me to not plough too deep a furrow when i do get out.

Sean and Ricky are taking this to the extreme.

I'd suggest following along....a build thread is on the go on empty beer.

Chili verde.

Have i done this before on here? dunno. If i have, it's worthy of a repeat, because i have refined my method.

First, grab a highball, put 4 ice cubes in there, stick 4 fingers of decent silver tequila a wedge of squidged lime and a few slugs of decent oj. Sup.

Next, wander over to your iMusic station and toggle through 'til you get to Mastodon. Crack the Skye is ideal, i'd recommend Quintessence is a good start.

Ok. Grab your pile of pork. I went for 500+g of pork belly, 2 loin steaks and a fillet (tenderloin). Also a few hundred grams of lardons to start off with. You want 3-4 onions finely chopped and you want to cook all this down in a BIG pan. Olive oil over a pretty fierce heat initially. Of course in an ideal world, this would be done over wood chips on the bbq or in a smoker, but it is a wet winter in Scotland, so we'll make do. Add some liquid smoke if you have it (if you don't, mail order some from Lupe Pinto's now, that goes for chilis too...).

Once this lot is showing signs of being cooked, add about 3 tablespoons (not a typo) of dried oregano, and you want 8 cloves of finely chopped garlic. Yep, thats not a typo either. Add 500ml of good quality (i can't stress this enough) chicken stock.

Cook for a bit. Meanwile, in a frying pan, soften 2 green peppers, that you chopped to smithereens. Hold on! you are supping your teq and oh, right?. Turn the volume up.

You want 3 or 4 poblanos. Tinned will do (...Lupe...) and a small handful of chopped marinated green chill and rajas and then i add 8-10 pickled chopped serrano's.

Then you want 1 or two tablespoons of flour...you want it to thicken up, but not become a paste. Go easy and stir.

Cook the bugger for as long as you can but keep on top of the fluid level - i'd err on the sloppy side.

If you were in new mexico, you'd probably get this with tortillas and or beans. Id say go for rice. It should be fiery plus plus plus, mmmm'kay? not for the baby or for newbie chili eaters....aim for endorphins and you won't go wrong. Ok go.



Buying fresh chili's in Glasgow might just have become a little easier....Wholefoods is now open in Giffnock. Check it...'Tthebitttt!' says Daisy...

When the going gets weird…

A few days ago there was another fresh snow fall to the west coast of Scotland. That led me to commit to a course of action. Riding a normal bike in slushy, waterlogged or snow covered woods is ok once or twice but loses its appeal. Several years ago, I took my Kelly RoShamBo and mounted a jones/vicious fat fork and Paul Whub/uma drilled 50mm front rim with endomorph. Initially my thinkering led me to believe that a 26” rear wheel (with a maxis minion tyre) would balance out the geometry (the fork is 5mm shorter and has more offset than the RoShamBo was designed for, and the endo on a 50mm rim has about ½” less radius than the 29er wheel it replaced. Those frames already have a steepish head angle and I didn’t want to pitch myself too far forward - hence dropping the rear with the smaller wheel.. Of course due to the rim brake frame, that meant going either front brake only, or fixed. Fixed it was. Cue loads of fun. The front wheel had precious little lateral grip in the mud and snow, but careening about pinballing off rocks etc was great fun. Before too long, the low bottom bracket and super relaxed (floppy!) handling made me try a 650b rear wheel. Helped by the excellent Neo Moto tyre, it worked really well. The sun ringle 27mm wide rim was just enough despite pretty low quality material and construction. The bike even survived a strathpuffer…amongst other things.Eventually, the bike was pulled apart to lend things to other projects.

But it is time.

This iteration is going to be a bit different. Surly nate. Is there *anything* else? Maybe the Husker Du’s when they arrive? But meantime flotation and grip will be paramount. Again, the rear will be 650b, but I’m going to lace up a velocity p35. It is the widest rear rim I can find and with a dh tube, should allow me to run stupid low pressures mitigating the imbalance between the nate up front and the skinny rear.

Fixed or front brake only? Saint Franken mech or singlespeed? To be decided….

Unexpected.

So it seems when you have a post that is save as a draft, when you go to publish it, it slots in when you started it, not when you finished it...hmm!...so: if you want, scroll down for that one.

Backed up.

Written on December 14th 2011.

Yesterday I picked up my 20kg and my 24kg kettlebells and spent 15 minutes swinging and pressing. Then I got out the rollers and saddled up the road bike and punted out 15 minutes or so at a pretty high intensity. At least it felt like a pretty high intensity.

Today, I can feel it. Feel the pain in the stabilising muscles and in the hamstrings. That tells me I’m way out of shape. It’s not OK, but it’s ok. There are reasons I haven’t been exercising at my usual levels. I may never be able to again. All in all, I need to change the way I 'do' exercise. What remains is the fact that I feel better when I do a certain level and intensity of physical work. I am committed to the act and the results of training.

I was reflecting on the fact that for 2012 I have no goals. In an idle moment I was thinking of trying to enter the Trans Provence. Following that race this year was a thrill. With one thing and another, I couldn’t fit it in, and felt a tinge of disappointment about that as a couple of friends have had their entries confirmed. Not only would I like to do the thing, i'd like to do it with them. But, you know, I’ve been pretty lucky. Or maybe luck isn’t the right word – I’ve been pretty committed to riding in some amazing places over the years. No reason for that to change.

What really struck home was the number of places I have been that have featured in videos that are doing the rounds at the moment: Rossland, BC, Rotorua, NZ and even our own Ben A’an right here in Scotland. Yeah, it’s been ok. Just in case you have missed any, here are those videos.

House of the Big Wheel Part 2: Hei Hei and King Kahuna from Kona Bikes on Vimeo.

Trail Notes - Official Trailer from Cadre Productions on Vimeo.

Ever decreasing circles...

Illness: 3 of us.
Hard work: here, and there.
Time is of the essence and in short supply. It's not a sob story or a saga. Just reality.



The snow came. For a short time it gave me sanctuary.

In the night, before sleep i am reading of cold, far off places. Kiss or kill: by Mark Twight, and now End of the Earth by Peter Mathiessen. All to soon, if Daisy doesnt wake us convulsing with vomit in the dark hours, the hours that should be occupied purely by dreams, the weak sun fights to break night's hold on the land.

Hope is born anew.

Sublimity and ridiculousness.

At the risk of turning this blog from a cycling-centric monologue into a D.I.Y how-to, the last 24 hours has been all about cast iron and what NOT to do with it.

When we moved house, one of the primary features of the living space was a cast iron spiral staircase. Now, if you were thinking "Oooo! there just isn't enough cast iron stair in my life" at any point, let me counsel you to stop and think once more. Because when you conclude that your decision lacked clarity, and you want to move the beast out of your house, lets just say it takes a fair old bit of elbow grease. Yet again, i owe my dad big time for the efforts.

Then of course once you have done this, stir in a generous portion of your just-well daughter vomiting her guts up 'til midnight. Stir and take it all down the hatch without a scratch.

I should add, i HATE the smell of vomit. I doubly hate the smell of vomit as it is soaking though my clothes. The poor, wee lamb - i could cry for her...i really could.

Ok: other stuff.

New Black Keys album soon.
New The Roots album soon.



The P Phone has ended her incarceration. She went outside for the first time in ~6 weeks yesterday. Her new porthole into the outside wall is perhaps a little snug fitting, but i'm sure its just her winter coat, right?

Talking of which...

Pegboard!

Forever. That is how long i have wanted a pegboard tool board. Yes, yes, yes i keep most of the tools in a tool chest. Doesn't matter one jot. I still want - and now have - a pegboard tool hanger system. Getting pegboard in the UK isn't easy: this was mail order. Still, with a wee bit of the saw, the drill and the screwdriver, i have a perfectly servicable pegboard now. Bliss!



It looks a little like a polka albino monolith from 2001: a space odyssey, but it makes me happy.

I am running up a massive debt of intended posts, i am also so far behind on personal comms it wouldn't surprise me if people disown me. Gah! every 5 minutes seems to have 10 minutes worth of tasks vying for attention. I'll get there, but this suffocating, drowning sensation is driving me nuts.

Onwards...

Self affirming delusions.

It is my suspicion that most people live their lives buoyed by a degree of self affirming delusion. How could it not be so? Take, well, me for example. I think of myself as a constructive part of a family, a friend, a bike rider (and occasionally a racer), an aspiring epicurean and somone who puts a fair amount of effort into my work.

An objective outsider might question if any of these facets were realistic given the way the last few weeks have transpired. Am i maintaining my opinion of myself with delusion? After all, there has been no real affirmitive activity. Most often, a generally well adjusted adult will be able to maintain their 'adequacy' even in the face of low levels of supportive input. However, over time, surely it must take its toll?

Is this the reason for the generalised ennui it is hard to ignore in society? On a personal level, there is no hiding my occasional bouts of grumpiness of late, which I am certain are related to the lack of upkeep of the things i believe are the pillars of my personality. However, there has not been any time for all of that: i am more than happy to be focussed on other great and good things at the moment and although I would not say my belief is impregnable, it is most likely that this is a temporary situation.



Why type all this? The other day i finished the things i wanted to do with enough time to escape for a last minute local ride. I plucked the Maul from the rack as (rather unbelievably) i hadnt ridden the bike in the UK. Despite the appaling conditions, i wanted to savor the outcome of Sean and my efforts at creating a truly unique and rewarding tool. Needless to say, it was tantamount to abuse to put such a machine to work in the slop, goop and muck. But it fed my soul. It will keep me afloat for another couple of weeks until things calm down. Or... maybe they wont calm down. Maybe i will need to adapt.

Reagrdless, dont forget to try and spend just a little time doing the things you love to do. With a little nurturing, i will keep on charging. So will you.

Mohandas Gandhi

Amongst many, many thought provoking and profound comments Gandhi made, this one appeals to me greatly:

'You must be the change you wish to see in the world.'

Yup.

Alastair Humphrey's microadventures.

So, every now and then i catch up with what the prolific Mr Humphrey's has been up to... i was happy to see he has been up the Cuillin ridge and pleasantly surprised that this micro adventure was shared with Alex Glasgow - a friend i don't see enough of.

Mountain Microadventure: Climbing the Cuillin Ridge from Alastair Humphreys on Vimeo.

The Cuillin ridge is a piece of this earth i have great respect and love for. And the riding round there ain't bad either.

Good work...

Future includes.

Virginia Mountain Bike Trail from Scott Wootten on Vimeo.

When moustaches go critical.

Thursday was one such day. You know it is coming, as you chew a sandwich an errant moustache hair makes its way between your incisors and makes for an unpleasant tugging sensation. Or you may wake up with a saliva soaked pelt on you lip. Either way, it is a sign that the manly display you take such pride in needs some love...

It is true that when you have packed all your facial hair preening products and accessories sometimes this task takes a back seat....but all too soon, things go critical. You can't eat, speak, cope with any breeze in to your face without follicular invasion of the mouth.

It may be Mo'vember, but you need to keep things tidy.



Anyway, been juggling a lot of stuff. There are one or two projects on the go, but infancy, nay concept stage. The most interesting is linking a set of new style xt levers to an old set of either Saint or xt calipers. I am undecided as to whether Goodridge, or Shimano will provide the hose via either Saint high pressure hose, or SM90 xtr hose and also what bore of hose insert i'll use. We'll see....it needs a bit of tinkering. Part of me is loathe to break up the Saint brake set i have cos i might try and find a new home for them, but it would be fun to try.

Chipps popped by as well...a surprise visit that was very welcome indeed. We don't see enough of each other at the mo', a situation that i'm sure will improve. I haven't managed to get down to the valley this year....which just goes to show: the speeding-up-of-just-about-everything takes a firmer grip. Good to see good people.

We also need to repatriate the cat at some point. The P-phone has been holidaying with my mum and dad...she always seems so serene and calm after a time with them...we'll need to work out what we will allow her access to while she aquants herself with the new territory...hopefully it won't lead to bother for her.

And you know, i might try and ride a bike soon. Talking of which, the story of the new 6 mile commute is kinda chewing on me at the moment....why do people become fangs-bared-maniacs as soon as they get in their metal/wheeled boxes?

And last -but far, far from least - our baby girl is one on wednesday. One. what an immense, mind-boggling, entertaining, rewarding, consuming year it has been, It has gone by in the blink of an eye, so much has changed, so many charged events. Bonkers. Here's to year two.

It's been ages, right?...

...since i updated the blog....feels like it at least. Every day has been played out at one hundred miles per hour. Maybe more. I am so far behind on things like e-mails i may collapse yahoo's server. However, the fruits of the labour are worth the backlog.



This is the new kitchen. We are fortunate that Daisy has *very* helpful and caring grandparents. The list of things they have all done for us over the last few weeks (let alone years!) is long indeed. A big, big thank you for all the hard work. For instance, my dad took a week from work to come through and help me rip out the old kitchen (that had a mouse colony in it...oh, the smell.....oh....) and build a new one, whilst re-wiring and re-plumbing all the new stuff in. I have learned over the years a small percentage of his knowledge in terms of this sort of project and there is always more to learn...its *great* fun, if hard work, especially over the last 12 hours where things have been at an 'almost done' stage. This might give some idea of where we started...



So, a few colour charts, a little more wiring, some plaster finishing and painting and we can move on to the next room...
I'm sore and tired, tasks like breaking down the old marble work surfaces was really heavy work, but i'm stoked with the results.