My Bike Blog

Sustrans Route 4 - The Celtic Trail - South Wales: Day 4

2011-07-12T12:56:00.000-07:00

Kidwelly - Tondu

Waking up from a pretty decent nights rest, I'm in the shade of the trees at the edge of the campsite & my tent is dripping with the morning dew. I need to air my kit out as it's starting to get a bit damp & smelly. I use the nearby children's climbing frame to dry out my bag nicely in the morning sun.

The site must have 75 static vans with awnings but I have only seen one person here! Nice site & lovely & quiet. I get my porridge cooked & start to break camp, determined to pack up my kit well today. It takes me a little while longer as I have to wait for my tent fly to dry off too. Packed up & washed up I see the first person today on this deserted camp site. The cleaner asks what I'm doing & we chat for a few minutes about the route & the strength of the sun. I've already applied some sun cream so I'm good to go.

After a ride through Kidwelly the route heads off the road & on into Pembrey Forrest. I do a lap or two around the cows in a field before I get my bearings & the route becomes more & more remote. With the sun beating down it's a lovely flat ride through this peaceful part of the country.

After about 5 miles of the above I arrive past a camp site & onto the sea front for a ride along the Millennium Coastal Park. I have to stop to cover up my sun burnt legs with my 3/4 length bottoms & consume yet another Snickers & a banana. Continuing through Llanelli I meet another cycle tourist coming the other way & we stop for a chat. Mark is doing route 4 East to West & we tell each other about the respective routes ahead. We shake hands & continue on our way. Shortly after I pass a rangers van & the horn blasts. It's Scott, back to work today & we have a brief chat & then I'm back in the saddle. The lack of hills today is most welcome & the miles seem to glide on by. I stop by the wetlands Centre for more food & to consult the guidebook. Looks like I should make Swansea by lunch time. I arrive at Mumbles by around 1:30pm & get some food & sit on the beach front to eat & get annoyed by wasps! I decide to check out the tourist nfo centre in Mumbles to see if I can locate a decent camp site somewhere between Swansea & Tondu. The ladies at the TIC are great & once they point out my pronunciation issues (it's TondEE not TondOO!) they even ring the campsite so that I can check out the facilities - Thanks girls you're ace :-) I stop to use the public toilets on the sea front & wheel my bike inside as there's room in there.

I back track along the sea front towards Swansea & I'm still rolling on nice flat roads soaking up the sun & the happy vibes of the other beach front users. I get a bit lost on Swansea harbour but eventually find my way after asking a couple of people the way around.

It's quite a chore finding your way through the big towns & if you miss the signs its frustrating getting back on track. I got lost & ended up going down a river bank for a mile or so before it turned into a muddy singletrack & I had to back track again. I was glad to get out of Swansea but Port Talbot was no better. After riding along the sea front the route went through a pretty rough area & threaded it's way through a large housing estate which wasn't a pleasant ride as there were gangs of youths out in force & I was glad to get out of there. I was getting tired but knew I still had a way to go to get to Tondu so I carried on under the M4 & up to Margam Park. I went wrong yet again when a fork in the road appeared & the route marker said straight on!? I logically took the road instead of the footpath but after an evil climb & 15 minutes of pushing I knew I hadn't made the right choice. The only upside was a breathtaking view back over Port Talbot

So back down I went & then took the other path only to find a gate which I couldn't get my bike through. I had to take off the panniers, squeeze the bike around & reload up the other side. By this point I was swearing at anything & everything. I climbed up again through Margam Park & down the other side where - guess what? - another gate I couldn't get through....

By around 7:30pm I was stopped at a Spar in Pyle stocking up on much needed food & water, just a few more miles to the campsite to go.

When I finally made it to camp I was disappointed to find the site was a shit hole. There were broken down cars in the driveway with the engines scattered on the floor around them & a bunch of contractors vans parked up next to a bunch of caravans. I thought I'd stumbled on a pikey camp-ground. I was too tired to about face so paid for my (sloping) pitch & set up camp. The showers were dirty, the toilets worse still & the kitchen had dishes piled up by the sinks & the plug holes full of... god only knows? The place made my skin crawl & I had some guy turn up & park his car next to my tent & slept in the back of his car. I was determined to get the fuck out of there first thing tomorrow.

Distance = 69.93 miles
Riding time = 6h 59m

Sustrans Route 4 - The Celtic Trail - South Wales: Day 3

2011-07-07T12:26:00.000-07:00

Manorbier - Kidwelly

Got up around 7am & got some porridge & tea on the go, it was another glorious sunny morning & was already hot by 8am.

Scott was packed up but kindly waited for me to get my shit together & we hit the road to Tenby. The route took us through Kiln Park caravan site where I'd stayed as a child & it was such a lovely looking place, totally immaculate & made me want to book up to come & stay there! Tenby itself was also a beautiful place to ride through, with it's pastel coloured cottages & lovely views across the beach.

Continuing on to Saundersfoot we stopped for some food on the beach front & the skies started to cloud over. The ride to Carmarthen was hilly & once there we got food & Scott said he knew of a camp site near Kidwelly that I could stay at & he would continue on home from there.

By the time we got to Tanylan Farm camp site I was tired. Got a pitch for the night & said goodbye to Scott & thanked him for the company on the ride. The site was nice, clean & quiet & well priced too. Set up camp in a sheltered corner when it rained for all of 10 minutes & then showered, ate & got my head down for the night.

Distance = 51.92 miles
Riding time = 5h 51m

Sustrans Route 4 - The Celtic Trail - South Wales: Day 2

2011-07-06T11:38:00.000-07:00

Solva - Manorbier

Woke up around 6:30am & hadn't slept very well, I think the excitement of the trip had me tossing & turning all night! The weather had come out to play & what appeared top be a misty field on nowhere hill last night, turned out to have a rather nice sea view this morning.

Had my porridge & packed up my gear for my 1st full days riding & took the main A road into Solva to get back onto Sustrans route 4. I had to stop after a short while to get some sun lotion on as the temps were rising rapidly as the sun was heating things up a treat.

The route was very hilly again & having not recovered so well due to lack of sleep, I was finding it hard work. I rolled down the hill into Newgale where I'd surfed when I was about 10 years old on a Family holiday.

Descent into Newgale

Beginning the long climb out of Newgale

Upon reaching Broad Haven I was feeling ropey so stopped into the convenience store on the seafront to stock up with water, banana's & snacks to get me going again.

Moving inland towards Haverfordwest the route evened out a little & I plodded along pretty country lanes & cycle paths, stopping to grab some shade in a field & to scoff a pastie. Whilst riding towards Pembroke I sensed someone on a cycle right behind me & turned to see another touring rig draw up beside me. Scott, from Kidwelly, was on a 3 day tour of the Preseli hills on route 47 & back via route 4 from Fishguard. We rode together & chatted & followed the route into Pembroke where we stopped off @ the 'golden arches' for some much needed sustenance.

Pembroke marina

Pembroke Dock

Pembroke Castle

From Pembroke Scott suggested camping at the YHA in Manorbier so we came off route & located the YHA in a lovely location near the sea. There was a bunch of schoolkids on a trip staying at the site but we were OK to camp at the bottom of their field & use the facilities. We set up camp & showered & decided to walk into the village to get some pub grub for the evening. We stored the bikes in the YHA's bike lock up & walked up the hill & blagged a lift to the main road by some military personnel from the base nearby. The village was peaceful & pretty & the pie & chips in the pub went down a treat as we discussed touring, bikes, camping gear etc. Got back to camp & got our heads down for another day in the saddle tomorrow...

Distance = 40.19 miles
Riding time = 4h 52m

Sustrans Route 4 - The Celtic Trail - South Wales: Day 1

2011-07-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

Fishguard - Solva

I had been planning this trip for some months & was originally going to do this tour of South Wales with my brother. As it panned out I did it solo & I'm kind of glad I did as it turned out to be a difficult ride in places & my bro isn't an experienced cyclist. I caught a train to Fishguard which was a bit of a drag (2 changes) with a loaded cycle & as soon as I arrived at Fishguard Harbour around 1pm, I was into the toilets to change into my riding gear & then hit the road. Having the maps (West & East ) & the guide book for the ride is advisable although the route is well sign posted, it's easy to get it wrong if you're not paying close attention in places.

The weather was pretty poor, damp & a head wind but being fresh on my tour I was still enjoying the wild scenery & lovely coves I rolled down into & climbed back out of. I passed a bunch of MTB'ers riding the opposite direction & they gave shouts of approval for my loaded pack horse! The hills were pretty severe in places & I had to push up a couple of very steep ones. After having reached St Davids & checking out the Cathedral, I figured it was time to locate a suitable camp site & get sorted for the evening. I came off route & headed for Nine Wells camp site indicated on the map near Solva. Pitched up the tent in the fine misty rain & showered, cooked some pasta & chicken & got my head down for the night...

Distance = 26.49 miles
Riding time = 3h 25m

Fishguard Harbour

Abercastle

St David's Cathedral (with scaffolding)

My humble abode

Gaz's Birthday Ride out...

2011-06-06T04:40:00.000-07:00

Did a 50+ mile Cafe run out on Sunday to Willoughby. Great days riding with lotsa laughs.

Happy Birthday mate :-)

Surly Bikes Cross Check...

2010-12-14T11:48:00.000-08:00

Not had a great deal of time for blogging of late but wanted to report on my latest road bike build, my 2011 Surly Cross Check.

**Slideshow Pictures here**

I purchased a Surly Long Haul Trucker back at the end of summer but it didn't turn out to be quite what I wanted so I moved it on & picked up a Cross Check to replace it. I built this up with budget in mind, & got some great deals through Specialized Bikes & my LBS. I built the wheels myself with some previously used hubs & some nice Mavic rims I picked up off Gary G & sourced all the rest of the stuff at the best prices I could afford. I decided to go with the Black as I figured most folks will want the new Robins Egg Blue colour which I'm not overly keen on anyway!

Spec:
Frame: 2011 Surly cross Check 56cm
Fork: Surly cross check with mid-mount eyelet
Headset: FSA orbit MX
Brake hanger front: Tektro
Brake hanger rear: Surly SS
Stem: Specialized comp-set road 90mm
Bars: Specialized pro 2 road ergo 44cm
Tape: Specialized BG bar phat 4.5mm gel pads
Levers: Tektro RL520
Brakes: Tektro CR720 canti
Shifters: Shimano dura ace 9sp
BB: Shimano tiagra exo
Crankset: Shimano sora compact 50/34
Pedals: Shimano M520 SPD
Chain: Shimano HG53 9sp
Cassette: Shimano HG50 11-32t
Front Mech: Shimano sora double
Rear Mech: Shimano deore SGS long cage
Seatpost: Bontrager race lite
Seat: Passport pilot leather
Seat Clamp: Surly SS
Front Hub: Shimano deore LX 36
Rear Hub: Shimano deore 36
Spokes: DT swiss plain gauge 3X
Rims: Mavic T224 36's
Tyres: Bontrager all weather race hardcase 700x32
Skewers: Halo hex bolt
Mudguards: SKS chromoplastic P45
Rear rack: Bontrager back rack II
Rack bag: Vaude silkroad plus
Rear light: RSP tourlite rack mount
Front light:
Computer: Specialized wireless sport
Bottle cages: Bontrager race lite composite
Pump: SKS super sport alu

I wanted a classic look using older looking components & to be simplistic & functional. Very pleased with how it turned out & I still need to sort the steerer length & some other minor tidying as it's ridden in. After waiting for 2 weeks to ride her due to the poor weather, I finally managed to get a couple of rides in over the last few days.

Got all my winter weather clothing about sorted so I'm keen to get out as long as it's not icy. It's great having a rack bag as I can take everything I feasibly need for day rides & more?

cheers!

My first Century...

2010-09-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

Whoa! & also my first post of the year, talk about unmotivated...

So anyway, there's a bunch of local guys who do an annual 100 mile bike ride on August bank holiday weekend & this was my second year riding it. Last year I only had my Kona single speed road bike so I was chuffed when I ended up doing 82.5 miles of the ride. This year, I have my new Surly LHT (build post to follow....maybe) so was all in for completing my first century ride. The route is basically a loop out of Banbury & around god knows how many villages & returning back in to town on completion so people have the option of cutting back if they feel like they've done enough. We started at 8am & it took us 10.5 hours total to complete, 8.5 hours riding time & 2 hours of snack stops, wee stops, tea stops & lunch stops!

Overall I thought the ride went quite well, we got soaked by a sudden deluge before the halfway point but it brightened up & we managed to dry out. I felt good up to about 60 - 70 miles but started to fade from there on in. We had a shitty head wind for the last 30 miles & it made for very hard work to the finish. Out of seven starters, five of us went on to do the complete route.

I don't mind telling you that I was very tired at the end of the day & it took two days before I felt fully recovered but I am pleased that I have now cracked the century mark.

I hope that next year if the ride is on again that more riders will join in as it's a good social gathering of like minded people & we all had a good laugh & a great days exercise!

cheers.

Week nights Banbury circular....

2009-12-10T12:42:00.000-08:00

We have been doing the below route & I would like to get more people involved, so here is some nfo on what is going down (weather permitting).

The route tries to stay as close to the edge of town (without actually leaving it) as practicable & is 11.34 miles by my computer. The start point is from the Neithrop library car park on the roundabout at the top of Orchard Way & we aim to start between 7-7:15pm.

Route as follows: -

Ride up Woodgreen Ave to 1st R/H & up Mascorde Rd
Top of Mascorde Rd R/H into Bretch Hill
Continue on Bretch Hill to R/H Stratford Road (A422)
At traffic lights L/H onto Warwick Rd (B4100)
Over roundabout
R/H at next roundabout onto Hanwell Fields est
Follow Hanwell Fields down to Southam Road (A423)
R/H follow Southam Road to Tesco's roundabout & get on Cycle path
Follow cycle path left & over into Grimsbury Green
Over the train bridge & R/H into underpass to Manor Road
End of Manor Road take R/H (mini roundabout) onto Daventry Rd
At lights take L/H into Middleton Road
At (garage) roundabout take R/H into Ermont Way
At roundabout take R/H into Overthorpe Road
take sharp L/H into Overthorpe ind est & follow to end
End of Thorpe ind est take path to Edwards Street towards Merton St
L/H into Merton Street
At lights bear left over train bridge to next lights
Take L/H at lights into Cherwell St & follow through next lights to Upper Windsor St
At next Lights take L/H turn past Morrisons on Swan Close Rd
Take L/H turn into Bankside
Top of Bankside take R/H into Sycamore Drive
L/H into Beaconsfield Road & then R/H into Elmscote Road
L/H into Timms Rd
R/H into Grange Rd
L/H into Springfield Ave
R/H onto Bloxham Road (A361) & then 1st L/H into Queensway
Follow back onto Woodgreen to start point

Here's the Start/Finish point: -

View Larger Map

And now the crunch... this is a single speed/fixed meet BUT if you want to do the ride on a geared bike then maybe you can work out a gear around 70 inches & just use that one gear? Whilst this isn't any kind of race it's nice to all ride with a similar gear but we're not going to shun you if you want to use more than one cog! :-)

Sheldon can help you figure it out

Alternately go see Banbury Cycles & get yourself a Single Speed bike ;-)

Get in touch with me for dates or comment here...
Hope to see you on the route.
cheers!

Cowley Road ramps 7th March 1993...

2009-10-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

It was purely by chance I managed to get this photo, it was a passing photography student whom enquired if she could take some pictures for her college work at the time. I believe that Alex & I both got one, which she developed herself & bought back to the park the following week? The image is a bit marked & scratchy but I still love it, wonder if Alex still has his? be cool to see it if so...

I'm riding my Mk 1 Hoffman Condor in blue
Beefed up rear dropouts & Alex's Canti mod front brake set-up
Haro kneesavers in black & chrome which actually broke off going over that very spine.
Manly 71's, sprocket pocket, OPC & DX's - bang on!
Zeronine wristwrap gloves, Dyno elbows & Hammer dogbowls/shins
Original 'the Crow' art T-shirt & a rather fetching hat...

That park was the tits, I remember some great sessions there as Sunil & I used to hit the place up at least once a week bitd. Also the Jam when Gerry Galley came over & totally ruled the place - awesome times indeed.

SWINDON RULER!

Birmingham to Oxford 1992...

2009-10-18T10:20:00.001-07:00

This was a while ago, I did the B/ham - Ox ride with a work mate at the time & it was a great days ride. Seem to remember I cained the final 10 miles too! must have been a fit young man back then? I also remember Dawn waiting for me at the finish line & she was pregnant with our 1st child at the time.

I'm riding a Fisher Hoo-Koo-E-Koo (elevated stay Mountain bike)
Skinny road tyres
Scott AT4 bars (cut down)
Wardrobe by Cannondale & lenses by Oakley
Original Shimano SPD shoe/pedal combo
I don't recall who made the funky headwear tho...?
I'm also wearing a 'fanny' pack around my waste which I saw in my shed today

Go banana power!

Nearly 4 months!

2009-10-18T10:00:00.001-07:00

Without a post, jeez I'm slack...

I've not really had the inclination to update for a while, sure I've been biking (lots of road rides & some BMX) but nothing has really made me want to talk about it.

I've been doing some good miles on my single speed (managed 82.5 of a century ride I took part in) & I've been riding Spiceball ramps, having some front brake sessions with Rayo now & again.

I've just got my printer/scanner set up & I found some old pictures that I wanted to share & maybe add some memories in words to...

Monday Monday...

2009-06-29T06:22:00.000-07:00

Is a track by The Mama's & The Papa's

So the start of another week. It's hot & sunny & right on the money for a few miles out in the country on the bike with the breeze in your face. I had arranged to meet Tony for his recovery ride & we had a nice ride out which included much laughter a banter about the tribulations of life as we ate up 20 odd miles before we even knew where we were. Post ride we checked out some old BMX mags I had found in my folks loft when they moved house recently, drank coffee & talked films & cars until it was time out.

Splendid start to the week & I'm hoping my back continues to improve...

24 miles total

Back problems = no riding...

2009-06-29T06:01:00.000-07:00

I've been suffering with a bad back which has kept me out of the saddle for a few weeks & I was getting quite down about it at one point as it seemed everyone around me was enjoying the nice weather out on their cycles. I have been wearing a back brace for a few weeks & along with a mountain of tablets, I am now feeling some improvement. So I have ridden my BMX a couple of sessions, once @ Long Itchington & the other in Banbury @ Spiceball. The ramp at long itchington is small, 4' high & no more than 16' wide but it is a little quicker than most small ramps I have ridden so was a bit of fun & a good release just to be back on the ply. I plan to return to session it with Joe this week sometime... The other session at Spiceball was great, I had my fingers crossed that Rayo would be about & true to form, his car was in the car park when I rolled up. We had a great session & he made some really good front brake tricks which stoked me up to go for it a little more. In all, we had a real good sesh & I was happy just to be able to ride again :-) As I'm sure you're aware we tend to take good health for granted & it's not until something prevents you from doing what you love, that you really appreciate what it means to you.

The other part of this post is regarding my road bike. I've decided to see if a shorter stem will maybe alleviate the back issues & to be honest, I've been more hesitant to get back on my Kona than my BMX. Iain D talked me into a gentle ride out just to see how we got on & we did have a good trip all told. During one of our usual loops out, I was feeling good so I said we should do the 5 mile run from the Top of Sunrising to Wroxton & time it, to get an idea of how long it takes me. Well off I went spinning my legs as fast as I could manage & I managed a 13:20 which I think is quite respectable for a mere novice such as I! I think I'll have crack at beating it every now & then to see if I can get it down much more than that.

So in conclusion, I'm being cautious & making sure I don't overdo it which really means stay off the steep up hills on my single speed for a while!

19 miles done.

Paddy Wagon 09 Review...

2009-05-31T12:25:00.000-07:00

Found this review of the current PW:

Paddy wagon 2009

A weeks worth...

2009-05-31T10:27:00.000-07:00

Done several rides over the last week to try to resolve my back issues (it isn't really helping):

Sunday

Iain & I did a nice big loop around some villages that I hadn't ridden to before. The weather was nice & it was a good ride out.

28 miles done.

BH Monday

Hooked up with some guys I've met through the shop & did part of their all day ride. We ended up over the other side of Brackley & I came back from Syresham down the Welsh Lane, leaving them to their meal time destination. The weather was pretty poor but at least the rain didn't really kick in beyond a few spots.

36 miles done.

Tuesday

Keeping it going, I decided to do one of my usual routes. I ended up with a puncture at 5 ways so spent 1/2 hour sorting that out. My seat pack of stuff for this eventuality turned out to work fine but I struggled with the valve on the replacement tube as it wasn't long enough for my deep section rim. I have now changed them for the long valve variety :-) The mini pump I bought did put 80 psi in the tyre but only after a rather excessive number of pumps... emergency only I suppose.

17 miles done

Thursday

After work I was feeling a little irritable so I went out for a quick blast. Took the Shipston Road out through Taddy & swalcliffe & attacked all the hills well & then went cross country to Shutford. I ended up riding all through Shutford trying to see where the roads went (they didn't) & then carried on over to the Stratford Road through Balscote & the kissing seat where I stopped for a drink & gaze across the country side for 5 minutes. The sunny weather makes these country lanes all the more enjoyable.

16 miles done

Sunday (again)

Iain & I did the Warwick Road-Camp lane-Edge Hill-Sunrising-Wroxton- N Newington loop. I asked Iain to check the distance from Sunrising hill to the Village Hall in Wroxton as Gmaps says it's 5 miles. Proceeded to spank it all the way with a head wind & it was indeed just over 5 miles. May start to time myself on this bit as it is undoubtedly my fave piece of road to spin out my pedals :-)

20 miles done

117 miles total from those rides which I'm very pleased with.

Friday Morning FB session...

2009-05-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

Met up with Ray at Spice ball for an AM session & he is now rocking his new lugged UKbikes forx - front brake session is ON! he made some nice tech stuff on the volcano & I learned opposite smith to nosepick (sketch).

summers a coming....

Nice ride to start the week...

2009-05-17T04:04:00.000-07:00

Monday AM & the sun is out so it seemed the perfect time to get some sunny miles in. It was a little windy but with such nice sun shine I didn't let it bother me too much. Here's a list of the villages I visited today:

N Newington
Wroxton
Hanwell
Gt Bourton
Cropredy
Williamscot
Chacombe
Middleton Cheney
Overthorpe

I visited my sister for a coffee & a spot of IT support for my bro-in-law & also popped in to see Tony B too. Really enjoyed the fine weather & even the wind on the tough hills didn't faze me today. Hope to get my back problems sorted out so that I can get back to more riding in due course.

21 Miles done

Told you so....

2009-05-17T02:13:00.000-07:00

Iain D had finished building his Titanium Raleigh frame up & was itching to get out & run it in, so we decided to do a route of his choice. When riding his Olmo frame he never seemed to be confident about it & I said it was definitely having an adverse affect on his riding abilities. After this ride it was clear that I was right as it was like riding with a different person! His speed seemed to have doubled & he was now leaving me on the hills not vice-versa. It was good to push each other more & I was certainly toasted by the end of the ride. That's the Iain I remember ;-) & If he does go for a single speed, as we have discussed, we are going to have some real fun on rides to come...

22.5 miles done

An hour...

2009-04-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

I did the Warmington-camp lane-Edgehill-Wroxton-North Newington loop this morning & it's the 1st time out in over a week. Felt it a bit as I pushed myself but looking forward to getting out again soon.

16.5 miles

Try again...

2009-04-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

As the coffee shop was closed for Easter the last time we rode out to it, Iain & I decided to do the route again. We had better weather this time & made good progress to Wyatts & back & even managed to get some photos in too.

Great time of year with summer to look forward to & a good Sunday morning ride all round.

36 miles completed.

Biking for the bank holiday...

2009-04-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

I managed to get out on my BMX for a change on Saturday. Decided to hit up Spiceball park for an hour & hooked up with Greg & Chas, both of whom I hadn't seen in a while. Greg has become a father so congrats to him & welcome to the stress club dude ;-) He has dumped his free-coaster which is a bit disappointing as it's always good to see him doing his own thing going backwards. Chas has been sunning himself in Austin Tx for a few weeks & was still on a high from that. He went to the T1 ramps & met Joe Rich & lots of other (in)famous riders & by all accounts, had a RAD time there. His riding was looking good too with some nice X-up airs on the quarters & good style & flow indeed... As for myself, my bike felt alien as I hadn't ridden it for months & I didn't really make anything that got me stoked up but it was a nice hour in the saddle notheless.

So Sunday AM comes around & I'm hitting the Tarmac with my riding bud Iain D. He had a nice route planned for us but the weather deteriorated as we went along & soon we were all waterproofed up (cheers for the loan of the jacket dude). Got to Wyatts garden centre out near Rollright Stones but it was sadly closed for Easter! A bunch of other riders turned up (along with moter-bikers & lots of cars) so looks like Wyatt missed out on a stack of cash to scoff up his Easter eggs? fool...

The other riders were a good bunch & it's always nice to chat to like minded folk. Turns out one of them was Mick B, a friend of my dads whom I'd known all my life so it was real good to catch up with him again. After a good discussion about all manner of cycling, we went our separate ways & stopped for a choccy bar on the way back through Milcombe. I was still feeling good and climbed the last few hills well so I was more than pleased with our performance for the morning.

Got back in time for a Sunday roast too - yummy.

Cheers Iain, lets do it again soon dude ;-)

31 miles done.

Way ahead...

2009-04-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

Odyssey have just released these fashionable coloured gyro cables!

& here's my ride from 2006

Keep up you fcukwits. Ha!

Afternoon in the Sun...

2009-04-09T05:23:00.000-07:00

As the forecast for Thursday was rain, I figured I'd make the most of the dry spell & get a ride in. Wednesday afternoon was nice if a bit windy but I needed to stick some miles in as the week was slipping by. I've picked up a new mini pump which fits on the bottle bosses of the frame & so I got that fitted along with the new seat pack so I'm all puncture proof now.

Usual route through N Newington & on to Epwell & Sugarswell Lane to the top of Sunrising. There were lots of cyclists making the most of the nice weather & there was hardly a cloud in the sky as I got to Edge Hill Castle. I stopped to take in the views on Camp Lane & then made steady progress back up the Warwick Road. Saw Nick & some Banbury Stars riders doing a ride & I managed to fight through the rush hour traffic back home. Pleased with the new parts (pics to follow) & the bike is now pretty much how I want it. some creaking emanating from the cranks or possibly freewheel, so I will need to check that out & rectify soon.

18.5 miles done.

Family ride...

2009-04-09T05:08:00.000-07:00

Went out with my wife & Daughter for a little loop around Hanwell fields but I left them for a trip of my own on the way back. I decided to push it as best I could & do the usual Horley, Hornton route TonyB & I do. Conditions were good & I made good progress but adain I was very tired post ride.

Still need to sort a pump out to compliment the seat pack & tubes I have!

15 miles completed.

1st ride from last week...

2009-04-09T04:56:00.000-07:00

Bit slow on the uptake with updates here but I did some rides last week & the 1st one went as follows.

Decided to go through Hornton but the other way this time as I knew there was still no way I would be able to make the climb I failed last time. I went out my usual route through N-Newington & 5 ways & past Alkerton tip & on towards Sunrising on the Stratford Road. I turned off right on the Horley/Hornton Road & then sailed down the hill into Hornton village. There are 2 uphills one after the other coming out of Hornton towards Wroxton & I made it up both of them but felt quite tired by the time I got home with a strong dose of shoulder ache!

16 miles done.

+30...

2009-04-01T02:13:00.000-07:00

I've been doing regular 20 mile rides without issue so I thought I'd try a longer ride today. Had a bit of an idea where I was heading but figured I'd see how I felt as I went & make desisions on destinations on the fly. On the Broughton Road I went out through Taddy & Swalcliffe & around the back of Epwell. Down that lovely big hill into Tysoe the views in the Sunshine were glorious & I almost forgot the oncoming BMW as I flew around the sweeping left hander going much too fast! I love Tysoe village, it has a great vibe & is full of history. You kind of feel like you have gone through a time warp riding through the village with all the old buildings & family butchers (with dogs waiting patiently outside) & other shops you don't really see anymore. Deciding against attempting Sunrising again, I carried on through Radway with nothing more than birdsong & fresh air to accompany my peddling rhythm. Following the perimeter of Temple Hardwyk's MOD base I made it onto the Warwick road & the joys of the national speed limit, regularly broken by motorists flying past me far to close for comfort. As soon as I could, I turned off to Avon Dassett & was glad to be away from the A road madness. I carried on towards Farnborough but I realised I hadn't been through Mollington for a long while so I headed back over the M40 & followed it's ceaseless drone until I got away up the hill into the village. Back onto the Southam Road it was a steady ride back to town & I went up Hanwell Fields estate to see if Ray was about. Once home I had a real feeling of accomplishment & couldn't wait to work out my mileage on gmaps!

31 miles done.

Short & sharp...

2009-04-01T02:07:00.000-07:00

Had other things on this morning but wanted to do a quick ride so I really pushed it today! Went out past Tesco's & up the Southam Road to the Hanwell turn. Left, blitzing down the hill into & up through Hanwell then straight across the Warwick road & winding up to Wroxton & home again.

9 miles.

& one for Dad...

2009-03-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

Since his stroke a year or so ago & due to impaired vision, my Dad has been riding bikes as his main source of transport. Although the circumstances are unfortunate, I'm always happy to see him out on two wheels & it's helping to keep him in trim too.

He was given an old Saracen MTB by one of his friends whom had not used it for some time so it was put into service as Dad's 'daily getabout' I've done a few bits of maintenance on it & stuck some 1.5" slicks on it as the tyres that it came with were about to give up the ghost. After deciding that slicks were far too uncomfortable for him, I was told to order something more appropriate & get them fitted.
As my folks are currently away in Barbados, I decided it was time for the bike to get a complete overhaul & bring it into line ready to go, upon their return.

I neglected to take photo's of it before the job but it was in a pretty messy state with years of grime getting a free ride wherever the bike went. In addition to the new rubber (Continental Traffic 1.9's) I also got a new rear derailleur cable & outer as the existing one was damaged. The rest just cleaned up well without any major issues. The rack was fitted the wrong way around (no wonder it was interfering with the rear brake!) & the rear cantilever was almost seized on the lug on one side & you could have made a wig with the amount of hair tangled in the rear mech!

Here's the finished project, it's had a coat of wax to bring the frame up a bit & it now all works as it should.

Jobs a good'un!

Solo not recovery...

2009-03-28T07:14:00.000-07:00

As my mate TonyB was busy this week, I decided that I should still go out on my own. The wind was blowing a good'un & the skies were just waiting for me to step out the door into a shower. There's no point in trying to rely on British weather so I suited up & head out on another magical mystery tour. I do prefer not knowing where I'm heading & it only increases the sense of adventure I get from riding on 'new roads' that I haven't treaded down previously. So I took in the usual sights of N Newington, Wroxton & horley way & then wen't over to Hanwell & on to Great Bourton & Cropredy, Williamscot & back into the familiar ground of Chacombe (memories of lovely summer evening sessions at the ramps with friends). I Checked into Banbury Cycles on the way through town to see if my seat pack was in yet (it wasn't) & then on home.

I do need to invest in some replacement cycling shorts as the Santini's have about had their day & are becoming more uncomfortable as my rides progress. Also the chain tension problem seems to be improving due, I think, to the fact that the wheel nut is now biting into the dropout through the paint & keeping it's grip where it should be.

I would also like to mention that since I've started riding my Kona at Christmas, I've lost a stone in weight & my fitness levels have improved well which I'm very pleased with!

Get out on your bikes soon!

17 miles done...

Riding as the weather permits...

2009-03-28T06:06:00.000-07:00

First ride this week was just a pootle around the local villages just riding without a pre-planned route. Went out to Bloxham & then up the hill on the Tadmarton Road past Highlands to Lower Taddy. I went up to 5 ways & then on the Plain Road through Balscote to the Stratford Road & then back into Banbury to see my Nan. I've been concerned about getting more punctures & I've ordered a seat pack to cover them as they rear their ugly heads again but it is stopping me going out too far after a couple of rather extended walks lately. My water bottles seem to be disintegrating too so will have to look at superior replacements sooner rather than later.

13.5 miles covered

The usual Friday run...

2009-03-22T12:47:00.000-07:00

Rode out with TonyB again & we did an extension of our usual loop. The weather was fab & we had a good old chat about bikes & life in general. My riding is improving well & I'm finding hills that used to be a struggle are now just not an issue. Went into Banbury Cycles for a mooch & then home for Coffee.

22 miles all in...

One for the boy...

2009-03-19T02:25:00.000-07:00

Jamie found this bike a few years back, it was just laying in the park looking like someone had just done a runner on it & had dumped it for an alternate 'getaway' means. We took it to the local authorities but no one claimed it so we gave it a home. It was set up to run as a single speed with some major adjustments of the dérailleurs, as it had no gear-shifters on it & after a few years of my son running it into the ground, I figured it was time to 'go to work'

Here's how she looked before I started:

It was fully stripped to assess the condition & get a list of parts that were required to make it rideable again. It appears that this was two bikes that had been merged (probably stolen?) as it had the wrong headset in it, a 6 speed rear dérailleur on a 9 speed block & a disc brake on the rear hub but no provision for a disc brake assembly on the frame. The frame is in very good condition bar a few scratches & the rear dérailleur hanger which was quite bent but was persuaded back to true with some gentle hammer & vice work. The forks are so heavy it's stupid & they do tend to 'dive' quite badly under heavy braking from the front disc setup. All the other parts were in good condition although the seat had a badly bent rail, so had to go.

After cleaning everything up I could start the rebuild. The wheels were trued up & a new rear tyre was sourced as an exact replacement for the 'skidded to within an inch of it's life' old one. I changed the existing 9 speed Shimano block for an 8 that I had taken off my Cindercone & also had the XTR 8 speed shifters left over from the Cindercones 7 speed conversion. This was planned a while back as I had some old 7 speed thumb-shifters & DX levers from about 15 years ago that I always wanted to go back on the Kona before she was sold.

It all went back together nicely & with some new rear blocks for the V brake, a new rear derailleur & a full set of new brake & gear cables, it was ready to roll. I put my old BMX homemade bar ends on it as the grip ends were mashed & the seat I salvaged from this lot was used to replace the damaged GT one.

Cost was around £45 all in which, seeing as the bike was a freebee in the first place, seemed to be money well spent!

After getting it dialled in with numerous trips around the block, it rides quite well for what it is & the gear shift is very smooth as it should be. Jamie was pleased that he could ride up hills on it now & even bought the old man a big bar of Fruit & Nut to say thank you - good lad x

It's a beautiful day!

2009-03-18T06:40:00.000-07:00

Went to MK yesterday & went into Evans to look at the seat packs. Ended up coming home with 3 pairs of cycling socks instead!

So looking out today & the conditions looked perfect for a nice sunny ride out. I went up the Warwick Road as I wanted to finally nail the short, sharp uphill out of Horley towards Wroxton. Passed by Ray's & noticed the car was in so had a chat with him for a while & then went off down Hanwell fields to the Southam Road. Went up the Southam Road & then off to Hanwell & across the Warwick Road to Horley. As I came down through Horley, to the hill which had beaten me a month or so ago, I was winding it up & was determined to get up it this time. As I cranked it to the top it was a good feeling of accomplishment & I let out a "woohoo" with my little taste of victory.

I continued on & turned up the Shutford Road & came in the back end of Wroxton & then went back towards Horley again. As I coasted down that hill I wasn't gloating in the slightest ha! Made my way back up from Horley to the Warwick road (another steep one conquered) & then back to Banbury & round through Hardwick est to my folks place for a nice cold drink.

15.5 miles done.

Short & not so sweet....

2009-03-18T06:28:00.000-07:00

After only getting to Wroxton via the Stratford Road I had a puncture & had to walk back home. It's surprising how quick you get there biking but how long it takes you to walk that same distance home. I was a bit pissed off with myself as I'd said this wasn't going to happen again. I really do need to invest in a seat pack & bits to cope with a flat. Consoled myself with a short ride out with my wife which was very pleasant in the afternoon sun.

The whole day totalled 12 miles (3 walked)

Joining the recovery...

2009-03-18T06:16:00.000-07:00

Did an hours ride with Tony B again today on one of his recovery rides & I had to really think hard whilst checking the mileage to remember where we actually rode!? We always have a good laugh & don't really think about how far or fast we are going which is lucky because Tone is a world ahead of me in cycling fitness! After the ride out we had some coffee & watched a stage of a current cycle race on Eurosport. Good stuff.

20 miles total.

Another day another ride...

2009-03-18T06:06:00.000-07:00

Did another ride as I wanted to do the loop that Iain & I had done last week, only in the other direction. It seemed pretty steady going up the Warwick road & felt great by the time I'd got to Edgehill. I decided to carry on on Sugarswell lane to go around Epwell to make the route a little longer but I ended up riding through the little lanes of Epwell itself & then getting back on the Shutford road. Made fast progress all the way back in but by the time I'd got to Giants cave I was about cooked. My back & shoulders ached pretty good but I kept the pace as best I could home.

20 miles done.

Windy...

2009-03-11T05:50:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd do a short loop just to keep the momentum going. I went out to North Newington & up to 5 ways but then went right towards Alkerton & past the tip onto the Stratford Road & back to Banbury. The wind was in my face for most of the ride & when I wasn't 'monkeying' up those hills, I was battling with a vicious head wind until I got to the Stratford road. It's hard work wind, I kept looking at the sky as I was expecting to get wet too but it gradually started to brighten up after a few spots of the old wet stuff. Once I got to the 'home straight' I finally had the tail wind I was hoping for, fantastic run back to town & I was bobbing on my seat my legs were working so fast. I think the few motorists that came past me were wondering exactly what I was grinning innanely about! Stopped into Rays on the way home but he was out.

Didn't feel quite as strong as I have done on the uphills, but still enjoying it :-)

13.5 miles done

Back in the saddle with my old pal Iain D...

2009-03-08T13:45:00.002-07:00

Iain & I used to work together years ago & we always shared a common love of bikes. We'd go MTB riding regularly & the last time we did a ride together was the Hell of the North Cotswolds off-road 50k ride. I remember it as the hardest ride I've ever done & due to having zero bike fitness at the time, I was totally fucked afterwards but it was rewarding nonetheless.

So we had been talking about doing another run out together & now he had his new Olmo (very nice) road bike sorted, we decided on an early morning Sunday spin.

Leaving mine at 9am we headed out to North Newington & I was feeling pretty good with the nice blue skies & fresh air in my face. We did Newington to Shutford & on to Epwell & Sugarswell Lane to Sunrising. From there we road across to Edgehill & on around Camp Lane to the Warwick Road at Warmington. The ride across Camp Lane was great & we got up a real good average speed of 20mph but as we got on to the Warwick Road we were greeted by an evil head wind which battered us about all the way home. We stopped at my folks place for coffee & then made our way home.

Already looking forward to riding out again soon as....

20 miles done.

Riding & walking...

2009-03-06T06:47:00.002-08:00

Another beautiful morning & Tony & I were out on the Warwick Road again. We turned off for Horley & followed the road up past Varney's & Hornton again. Coming back in on the Stratford road I got a puncture & whilst trying to reinflate my tire the bloody valve blew off! It was decided that Tone would go on & get the car whilst I started a nice long walk towards Banbury. As the sun was out it was rather tranquil between the Bennie lorries hurtling past me as I strode on towards home. Nick from the Banbury Star came past & had a chat which was cool & I even got offered a lift from a kindly van driver who was travelling in the opposite direction! Goes to show there are some good folks left in this shit-bag world! Nick met up with a fellow rider & said goodbye & then Tony turned up in the motor as I got to Wroxton. I said that was the 1st & last time I was going to be that unprepared & I'm going to get some bits to take out with me to cover those sort of eventualities that are bound to happen again at some point.

Spanner - check
Allen key - check
Tyre levers - check
spare tube - check

8 miles riding
2.5 miles walking

Got home & gave the bike a good clean up as the wheels were off it...

Thanks Tony ;-)

Feeling it!

2009-03-06T06:40:00.002-08:00

Did another recovery ride with Tony B today. We headed out on the Broughton Road & followed it to the Epwell fork. Across through Epwell & Sugarswell Lane to the Stratford Road & back to Banbury. Good conversation & the ride was done before we knew it but pushed it quite hard for me & I was very tired for the rest of the day...

20 mile loop

Well that didn't last then!

2009-03-03T12:40:00.002-08:00

So Tuesday brings rain, might have known that you aren't getting two whole days of nice weather but I was undeterred & got my stuff together to get some more miles in.

Went out to North Newington & I made it up the hill into the village without getting out of the saddle! Seeing as this was a big ask back in January I was stoked at my progress once I got up top. Made my way up through the village & then right to Wroxton. Made the big rise out of the saddle & noticed the building dark grey skies as I cranked along the top to the Stratford Road. Did a LH & went out a little way on the Stratford Road & then RH & back towards Horley. The wind was getting up by this stage & rain was defo on the cards any time soon. Made my way by the Scout Camp site & up onto the Warwick Road & back through Hardwick estate. My water bottle disintegrated on me so was launched over someones garden in disgust, temper temper young man! Before long I was tucking into a bacon sandwich with my folks - spot on...

10 miles completed.

It's a beautiful day!

2009-03-03T12:25:00.002-08:00

Monday morning & the Sun is out, wow! what a rare occurrence & one to be taken advantage of. You can't beat getting out in the sun on your wheels (whatever they may be) & it was full-on good vibes as I peddled up the road.

Met up with Tony B as he was doing a recovery ride from his Hard riders TT race on Sunday. We headed out up the Warwick Road for a gentle ride around the villages. We did Horley up past Varney's & Hornton & then back on the Stratford Road & off to North Newington. I was surprised at how quickly it went & with all the chatting & banter, I really don't remember a lot of the cycling!?

Googlemaps says 20 miles all in...

Climbing Mt Everest (Sunrising hill)

2009-02-26T08:08:00.002-08:00

After hooking up with Tone for a coffee yesterday & arranging to watch him race this weekend, I decided I had to have a taste of what he was to undertake as part of said race - climbing Sunrising hill. I haven't been out on the bike for about a week due to illness so I was ready to do some miles but at a more leisurely pace to take in the surroundings as I went. Heading out on the Broughton Road I went to Lower Tadmarton & then right on up to 5 ways junction. There was a minor headwind but unlike last ride it wasn't enough to spoil things & I found myself making nice progress & not struggling on the uphills at all. Making my way through Shutford & towards Epwell (a route I don't think I've done before?) I knew I was heading in the general direction of 'the big climb' Once I'd crossed over Sugarswell Lane the panoramic view was quite stunning & you can see for miles & miles across the countryside spread out in front of you. With the wilnd rushing up the hill into my face I locked into the drops & just rolled (faster than I've ever rolled I think!) all the way down into Tysoe.

Tysoe is a lovely little village with some great old buildings & deserves a walk through it sometime as it has lots of character, it's not everyday you see a 'Family Butcher' on a village street these days! a lot of the old buildings have dates on them & I always think of the changes that the village must have gone through in the hundreds of years that those structures have stood there for...?

After a quick stop to adjust my clothing layers I stopped briefly at a natural burial ground. These are interesting in that you can be buried somewhere nice & in the countryside as opposed to being stacked up in a cemetery when you pop those clogs!

"Just over there near that babbling brook, under the old Cedar tree please" - Splendid.

Onwards to the main Stratford Road & there it was in front of me, the big one, a 16% long & twisting climb up the steep side of the valley & there's me with only one gear! Oh well I only wanted to see how bad it was.... very!

I made it up the first ramp which seemed pretty tough in itself & then taking in the shallower climb to the first corner I was already thinking 'no chance' but I stood down on those SPD's & made it around the tight uphill 180%(ish) bend &.... that was it. I dismounted knowing I had not a chance in hell of making another 200 yards+ to the 'summit'. Oh well, I did quite enjoy a little walk which gave me the chance of getting my breath back & after a stop for a go on the water bottle at the top it was back in the saddle, homeward bound.

With a tail-wind I turned up the wick a bit & did all the way back to Wroxton with a lovely turn of speed & rhythm. At one point I went into a dip & as I started up the other side I was hammering it, stood up & went screaming up the incline like a man possessed! wicked buzz when you are making rapid progress :-) Once at Wroxton I decided to cut right & go back through North Newington & back into Banbury on the Broughton Road I left on. Made good speed for the rest of the trip & got back feeling very good as this is the longest ride I've done this far.

21.5 mile trip

Good luck on Sunday Tone mate, that's one knarly hill!

I hate wind...

2009-02-16T13:22:00.002-08:00

Needed to get out this afternoon for a dose of fresh air but I think I got a little more than I bargained for! Did the Bloxham - Adderbury loop but had a head wind for most of the way around. It totally destroys the fun element of riding does wind, real hard work & you feel like your going backwards instead of making good progress. Added to that I got some road debris in my eye early on into the ride & it wasn't the most pleasant of experiences. I was still glad to get out again as anything has got to be better than being cooped up, looking at the snow?

I'm still having minor problems with the rear wheel gradually creeping into the dropout from monkeying up those hills but the axle isn't long enough to support a chain tug. Think I'm going to have to find a longer replacement axle to get this sorted as I'm having to re-align the wheel after every 3-4 rides.

11 Miles done

A walk in Hornton & getting chased by rain...

2009-02-15T11:10:00.002-08:00

I was keen to do another ride today but wasn't too sure where I was going so I kinda just followed my nose. Ended up going through Wroxton & then up the Stratford Road a way until cutting off onto the B road to Hornton. There was still some snow on the country roads so I played it careful & threaded my way through it nicely. After a nice long downhill roller there is sharp short hill climb & then a longer, less intese hill up to the top & on down into Hornton. When I came out of the other side of the village I just couldn't face the hill up so I dismounted & enjoyed a walk up the hill, admiring the lovely properties & cars as I went. No sooner had I walked to the top it started to spit with rain so I clipped into the SPD's & went like a bullet back towards Horley. Some stupid bints on horses, whom obviously had no control over said steeds were all over the road as I approached them & one horse reared up as I flew behind it. Sorry but I don't have a lot of respect for horses as, they shit all over the place, don't pay road tax & never seem to know what the fuck they are doing!? So blasting onwards & past more stupid four legged road users I was spanking out of Horley & up to the Warwick Road. The hill before the top was taken & then I carried on with a great pace back into Banbury. Stopped at my folks for tea once again.

13 Miles complete.

Back on track...

2009-02-15T10:57:00.002-08:00

It was really good to get back out on the Kona at last, I thought I'd do a nice little route I had planned, so I started out to North Newington. Stopped at Steve & Rob's whom I haven't seen in a while, Steve has a side-hack BMX which he has been careering around Leamington BMX track on, which does look a lot of fun! After a brief catch up I was back in the saddle & headed up the hill to Wroxton & then back to Drayton & Banbury. I rode down Hanwell Fields estate & got up a lovely turn of speed as I was tucked in on the drops & rolling all the way to the bottom :-) I made my way over to Bob's house but he was out so I rode back up Beaumont & up to my folks house for a cuppa.

My legs felt real good today & I had no problems with the hills at all. The mudguards are ace too with no rattle, you'd never know they were there.

Googlemaps says 12.5 miles done.

On Guard!

2009-02-14T02:21:00.002-08:00

Finally the SKS Chromoplastic mudguards are fitted. After doing some research online to find out what were the guards to buy I settled on these at £26. I went for the P35 700c models to fit tyres up to 28mm, which I am running.

After mucho hassle & being messed about by Evans in MK, I managed to complete what should have been a simple task. It turned out to be a much bigger job than I figured.

I fitted the front guard first as one of the brackets for the rear was missing. They include a patented fitting that enables the guard to release from the fork dropout in the event of debris/road kill sticking to your tyre & catapulting you OTB.

This reminds me of when I was a kid, this shit bag who liked to try to bully me was charging around me on his bike so I rammed a stick through his front wheel & sent him flying a treat! totally ripped his spokes out haha!

That'll learn him....

Anyway back on track, the bracket which is revetted to the guard & bolts to the brake was completely incompatible with my brake & fork crown. I decided to drill the existing rivets out & re-bend the bracket & refit it. This was done without much hassle & once refitted it was in the correct position to allow the required adjustment. I also changed the hardware that the above mentioned quick releases used & went with some nice low profile dome-head stainless hardware & nylock nuts on the inside to prevent them rattling loose. The V shaped 3mm rod supports that fit to the quick releases needed cutting to length, so after a long winded measuring session (measure twice, cut once remember :-), they were fitted into the plastic covers & bolted down.

You make the final adjustments here & this was also quite time consuming getting the fore/aft & left to right distances bang on. This completed the front mudguard fitment.

So when I finally got the missing bracket & had all the parts, I was ready for the even bigger task of the rear one! First problem that was raised was the fitment at the BB Chain stay bridge. When the supplied bracket was fitted as suggested it was about 8mm out of line with the bridge so I knocked up some nylon spacers & new hardware to 'bridge the gap'

I had to do it this way as it was not possible to pull the guard up to the bridge & away from the tyre as there was just not enough space between the stays for the mudguard.

This problem solved, it was onto the elusive missing brake anchor bracket which, surprisingly, went on without too much fuss. This just left the V shaped 3mm rod supports which needed some work & cutting to get the correct fitment.

Once they had been installed in the same method as the front ones (only without the quick release brackets) the job was complete.

I think that this took in the region of about 8 hours total to complete but they are very sturdy & I like the low profile looks a lot. Thanks again to my Dad for the help & engineering expertise. Now all that remains is to ride the damn thing for the first time in weeks.

watch this space...

No riding...

2009-02-08T02:05:00.002-08:00

Well with all the snow & ice that's currently dashing any hope of going out on your bike, I finally got around to finishing the work to fit the SKS mudguards on the Kona. I purchased them from Evans in MK who, in their infinite wisdom, neglected to give me one of the brackets needed to fit them! After numerous phone calls to them to get the part posted, them lying to me saying it had been posted then deciding it hadn't, then sending me the WRONG bracket & then the postal delays due to the aforementioned white stuff, I finally got the correct bracket yesterday nearly two weeks later!

I have spent a large amount of time fitting the front one whilst I waited for this bracket & for anyone thinking of buying SKS mudguards, be prepared for some time consuming work to fit them if you want them installed correctly. I intend to follow this post up with some photo's & descriptions of the fitting issues I faced with my frame & forks...

Can't wait to ride it now!

Nice ride...

2009-01-28T09:58:00.002-08:00

Decided to visit my Sister & put in a few miles too so I went out on the Daventry road & then on up to Chacombe. Rode on to Middleton & had no real problems with the hills, just took it in my stride which was a good feeling that I am progressing with my fitness. Stopped @ my sisters house for a coffee & catch up & checked out some of her facebook friends which was a blast from the past! Left Middleton & stormed it down the dual over the M40 & on up home. Felt good & got a real nice rhythm up all the way home - stoked!

11.5 miles total.

Also went to Milton Keynes in the PM & picked up some SKS Chromoplastic mudguards but the bike is going to need a real good clean up before they go on...

Cable mod...

2009-01-24T10:06:00.000-08:00

Well it's been a while! Thought I'd have a go at modding my front cable as I came up with a solution whilst building up BobK's new rig. The Nokon brake cables come with some plastic tubes which, I think, are to stop cable rattle & paint rub on frames which they are installed on? So the plastic tubes seem to have a good tight fit on normal brake cable outer so I figured I could finally do the cable join that I'd been waiting to do for ages. My reason for doing this mod was purely aesthetic in that I wanted orange cables originally but the Linear will not bend nicely for the brake end of the cable run so a normal piece is substituted for that end.

I cut the top half of the cable (linear) so that the join would run about mid way inside the fork steerer & then the standard outer would continue on to the front brake. I made sure that the 2 mating surface ends of the cables were nice & flat & the fit was nice & tight in the joining piece.

Once fitted it seems to work fine but I will reserve judgement until it's been through a good few sessions. Seeing as I haven't ridden since the RAD Xmas doo that may take a while!

Kissing seat...

2009-01-21T08:00:00.002-08:00

I went out towards North Newington but decided to take the slightly longer route up to 5 ways instead of up the hill to Wroxton. Pretty frosty on the roads but strangely, the air temperature seemed quite mild. From 5 ways junction I headed to Balscote & the hill back up to the main Stratford road was a big ask once again. At the top of this hill I noticed a circle of trees with a small 'kissing seat' between them so I decided to stop & take in the views & get my breath back. It was nice to sit for a minute or two & come back to normal breathing whilst admiring the views of the surrounding countryside. I've been thinking that I am currently missing out on this aspect of cycling due to the fact I am trying to get my fitness up & am generally 'head down - going for it' So maybe I'll slow up a bit & also try to enjoy the sights a little too?

10.5 miles round trip.

Paddy Wagon history...

2009-01-21T07:35:00.002-08:00

Thought I'd post this up as I have pictures of all the PW's since they were 1st introduced. Paddy White is a designer/rider for Kona & he decided he wanted a no frills SS bike for track/road/commuting.

The 1st generation PW was released in 2006:

2nd gen 2007:

3rd gen 2008:

4th gen & current model for 2009:

There haven't been any radical changes as you can probably see but the tubeset for the 06, 07 & 08 models was supplied by Dedacciai but has changed to Kona's own butted tubing for the current model (probably due to escalating steel costs worldwide). Component selection hasn't changed much aside from rims, cranks & bars & the price has floated between £450 & £550.

Back in the saddle...

2009-01-21T07:18:00.002-08:00

Nice to get back out today after all the wet weather we've had. I don't fancy going out in the rain as it's not an enjoyable experience, even when you have all the correct gear. A nice fresh cold (but dry) day & I was heading out up the Warwick Road once again. I decided to go through Warmington up to Farnborough Lake & back on the Southam Road. The uphill from Farnborough up to the Southam Road was a long old struggle but I made it up.

Took the opportunity to visit my folks on the way back through Banbury & had a marvellous bacon sandwich - moms are ace aren't they!? xxx

15 mile loop according to google maps.

SS commander Crowman!

2009-01-14T12:04:00.002-08:00

Dave from Oxford has just picked up a SS courier bike:

Dial-Ride-Wash...

2009-01-14T11:45:00.002-08:00

Needed to check the Paddy Wagon over today as there were a few jobs that needed attending to. I removed those shity reflectors out of the spokes (not before time) & also took off the fixed cog from the flip-flop hub as I don't intend on using it so dead weight! The hub has a stepped threaded body for the fixed cog which screws on to the large step first followed by the lock ring (which is a LH thread) on the smaller outside step. The idea is that, should the cog come undone it will move against the lock ring which will only tighten up because of the opposing thread direction.

I made up my mind to do the Bloxham-Ells Lane-Broughton loop the other way today. Now, being a loop you would expect that how ever much you ascend, you have to descend the same amount back to the start... Right? Well the loop going the other way seemed much harder! I mean, I knew the long hill up from Bloxham into Banbury was going to be a haul but it was the worst one yet. I'm not sure if it was the cold (my brake levers had a layer of ice on them when I got home) the fact I was wheezing like that penguin from Toy Story II or just me being tired today but it certainly took it out of me. Always a sucker for punishment I still blasted down the long road home to really use up the last shreds of energy I had.

7 miles done.

The bike has built up a nice crust of shite off the road from all the wet rides of the last week so I gave her a nice wash down & dry before putting her to bed. Good as new!

New loop...

2009-01-13T03:01:00.002-08:00

Looked on Googlemaps for a new loop & decided to do Bloxham to Adderbury today, a total of 11 miles. The shoes felt a bit better although I will have to fine tune the cleat position as the outside of my foot seems to ache a bit during riding. It has been wet but the rain stayed off & the ride was pretty good. The long road from Bloxham to Milton then Adderbury is smooth, flat & fast & you can really get a good rhythm going there. The traffic on the main road pisses me off a bit & I'd happily take a back road given the choice. Still had some left in the tank on the last road home so I gave it a big final blast home.

Jelly legs in effect!

New shoes...

2009-01-13T02:51:00.002-08:00

With my SPD shoes & pedals all set up I did a ride out to check them out. I decided to do the North Newington-Wroxon loop as there are a few decent hills to climb & it's about time I stood up to them (literally!)

The loop totals 7 miles & was not really a problem. I made the steep crawler out of Newington but it was a big ask. The hill up into Drayton was attacked on the drops & was noticably better than previous attempts. I have decided against reducing my gearing as planned as I'm definitely seeing an improvement in my riding, which a few people have said, would be the case.

The shoes are going to take a good few sessions to get sorted but the difference compared to gripless plastics is amazing!

Old pals...

2009-01-13T02:40:00.002-08:00

Friday Morning I hooked up with Tony B for a ride out & to catch up on the many years since we had seen each other in a social capacity. We did the Warmington-Edge Hill circular which totalled about 18 miles with the ride back from Tony's place afterwards. I must explain that Tony & I were best friends in School, we both had a passion for bikes & from the day he was introduced to our class we hooked up & discovered we both owned Raleigh Bombers. We got into BMX in a big way along with some other friends whom I do still see & ride with. We've shared a lot of miles on & off road riding & it was soo cool to be spinning along talking almost as fast as we were riding & smiling & laughing about days gone by. Post ride we had a few cups of good coffee & a look @ some of Tony's A-mazing road bike 'collection'. I took some good tips on my riding & fitness from him & he also was most kind in giving me a pair of SPD shoes so that I could dump my kids ones & put some power to the tarmac ;-)

In all we had a great time & the hours flew by. I hope we can get a few miles in now & again, around his busy training schedule, as it was what cycling is all about for me - FUN.

Wet ride...

2009-01-08T06:13:00.002-08:00

Decided to do a short ride out despite the shitty wet weather & seeing as I missed riding yesterday. Just did a short but fast ride up & around Hanwell Fields & back up through Beaumont to my ma's place for a cuppa. Bike's now a bit of a mess.

Googlemaps says 6 miles which seemed pretty easy. The hills are becoming slightly less daunting & I've been staying in the saddle for the mellower ones. Breathing wasn't an issue today as it's warmer than it has been over the last week or so.

Riding with Tony B tomorrow which is going to be a great session, most of which will be spent laughing our tits off reminiscing over old times no doubt! Here's a link to his training blog:

tonystrainingracingdiary2009

On the Drops...

2009-01-07T13:38:00.002-08:00

Today I did the Bloxham-Ells Lane-Broughton loop again. Tried riding on the drops as much as I could & it's kind of clicking into place now that they do work (philistine - moi?). Damn cold & icy in places & a little hard-going but I'm definitely feeling an improvement in my fitness levels. Doing a lot of walking with my wife which is also helping I think.

7 miles completed.

Nice...

2009-01-04T10:25:00.002-08:00

Found this on a site & have to say it looks very nice in the classic SE Brown & Blue. Proper old skool vibe!

One gear reasoning with Sheldon Brown...

2009-01-04T09:52:00.002-08:00

I read this article a while ago & it made a lot of sense to me so, after trying out a single speed bike, I knew it was for me:

Why use a bike with only one gear???

“Why - The three F’s... Fun, Fitness and F-ficiency".

FUN: Riding bikes with one gear is fun. It forces a different pace upon you. You will sprint and walk the climbs, and have fun trying to avoid using the brakes on the downhills (because you don’t have a high enough gear to put the speed back on). At the 2001 world champs in Wales, on the flat fireroads, everyone spun out at around 18mph, we sat up, chatted, shared food and drinks, and then when we reached the downhill singletrack, it was elbows out, jostling for position, no brakes and hell for leather death or glory racing.

You will also find that you develop a closer relationship with your bike, it feels like its part of you. Single speed gatherings are also a blast, riding with and hanging with single speeders is fun & single speed races are always a hoot. Basically single speeding is more involving and therefore more fun.

FITNESS: You will simply become uber fit. At first some climbs will be impossible epics, but as you steadily tick off and make it up the previously unclimbable hills – you will feel like Lance Bloody Armstrong (but with two testicles and without the shaved legs).

Singlespeeding will give you legs a much broader range of spinning speeds: mental fast spins on the tarmac home from the trailhead, and dead slow screaming grunts on the climbs. This makes you much fitter than a geared chap who seem to always spin round at the same RPM.

A seasoned singlespeeder will also have an upper body in good shape, as much of your climbing power will come from out of the saddle monkeying, where you grunt and wrestle the bike with your arms.

(e)FFICENCY: With no silly little jockey wheels, clangy dangly derailers, evil Japanese shifters, yards of cable, and loads of extra cogs and chain – you bike will be as much as 5 pounds lighter. This means it will handle better, and be easier to push or carry (which tends to happen quite often).

Your chain runs directly from one cog to another, and the power transfer from pedal to wheel feels more efficient and direct.

But one of the most significant benefits of having a sleek striped down bike is your new maintenance schedule…. Simply point a hose at it once in a while, lube the chain, put air in tyres – job done! Say goodbye to all the fiddly nonsense. that goes with owning a geared bike.

RIP Sheldon - you rule

http://sheldonbrown.com/home.html

Pedals...

2009-01-04T09:08:00.002-08:00

Dug my old Shimano SPD pedals out of the shed & gave them a complete overhaul. They are in great nick & now I just have to find some good SPD compatible shoes for them.

Should make the riding a bit faster!

Did a quick lap around some of the town before darkness fell which turned out to be 3.5 miles & only took between 10-15mins but as Tesco's will tell you - every little helps.

Frosty...

2009-01-04T09:01:00.002-08:00

Did a short loop today: Bloxham Road to Bloxham & then across Ells Lane & back through Broughton. The uphills are improving slowly but surely but I struggled with my breathing again due to the cold air. Lovely countryside all peppered in white frost & not busy on the roads either. Dropped my seat about 1/4" but I think I prefered it where it was!?

Googlemaps says 7 miles done

First of 09...

2009-01-02T01:24:00.002-08:00

Just a short run out today. I went out on the Warwick Road & off to Horley & then across to Wroxton. These villages hold a lot of fond, childhood memories for me & it's always nice to pedal through them now & again. Didn't manage to get up the steep one out of Horley towards Wroxton (oh the shame) but I attacked the hill into Drayton a little better this time. Only 7 miles total today but 'every little helps' Went to see Duggie aftewards for tea & catchups, man he has the sickest Ti road frame - how light?!

Fate...

2008-12-30T05:44:00.002-08:00

I planned out a nice big circular ride today. I went up the Warwick Road as far as Warmington hill & then across to Edge Hill & on to Sunrising hill & then back to Banbury through Wroxton. I used to do this ride a lot back in my MTB days & it was about right for a good little session. Googlemaps tells me it's 16 miles which to be honest was a little bit too much for me today.

I decided the tires needed some air & found my presta adapter for my foot pump but it turned out to be a bit of a nightmare as air was coming out of the tube faster than it was going in! I managed to get around 80psi in it & then thought best to leave the other tire alone. The route took me past Ray's so I decided to pop in to say hello & blag a go on his pump. We made some arrangements to go do some miles together soon & then I was back in the saddle, tires properly inflated & raring to go.

No sooner had I got to the roundabout I saw a road biker heading in the same direction & he slowed down to speak. Well it turns out it's my old riding partner Tony B! I was stoked to see him as we had been speaking about getting together to catch up as it's been years since we met up. I do believe in fate, I mean what are the odds that he would be riding at the same place as me at the same time!?

We had a bit of a chat whilst we rode & as he was training he had to get on with it. We said our goodbyes & he left me for dust. Goes to show what regular bike riding can acheive & he was soon just a dot on the horizon but I was stoked up on seeing him again.

The rest of the ride went OK for me, again I struggled a bit on the up hills & am thinking more & more that a drop of a tooth on my chainring might be a wise idea until im back to some form of good fitness? I was comforted by memories of Tony & I riding bikes which all came flooding back as I crunched through the miles. Memories of us riding Bombers & BMX's as kids, riding our 1st MTB's (Dawes) together, riding our GT Karakorams on these very roads that I was rolling on today. So many good laughs we had & most due to our common love of bikes.

The ride complete I popped into Mum & dad's for a round of tea & toast & was soon heading up home again. Checked over the bike once home & the chain was a little slack so I reset the back wheel & chain tension & had a play with the brakes to see how they function.

Feeling a bit tired now so may have a rest from riding tomorrow? that is if I can keep myself off of it!

Lap of Banbury...

2008-12-29T13:58:00.002-08:00

Decided to do a lap of the old home town this morning. When I went to bed last night I was planning the route, bearing in mind any bad up hills I would struggle with! & going through it street by street to get the nearest I could to the edge of town at all times. The route turned out to be 11 miles & took me a little under 1 hour to complete. The hardest part was Bankside which is a series of consecutive up hills & my legs were finding it very hard work by the last of them! Pleased with the route & it worked out well so I'll be doing it again soon to see if my speed is improving? I am feeling a little more comfortable on the bike, found some good rhythm on parts of the ride but I'm wondering if a 41t chainring to replace the existing 42t might be in order? The rims have a noticable join in them which make a clicking under braking, hopefully they will improve with use.

Need to get my SPD shoes sorted to get more power into my pedal stroke & also get the bloody bottle cage sat in my shed bolted on (or maybe a Camelbak is in order? hmmm...) My breathing was slightly better today due to a few puffs on the old brown inhaler pre-ride.

I felt tired this afternoon but also looking forward to tomorrows ride out. Just gotta get another route planned.

1st road ride...

2008-12-29T13:50:00.002-08:00

I decided to take a little road ride around a couple of villages & I'm well impressed with the bike. I am not however, impressed with my road bike riding abilities! I went out to North Newington then across to Wroxton before heading back into Banbury. A total of 7 miles & I found the going quite tough. My main problem was my ashma kicked in as I was sucking in so much cold air. The up hills with a single speed are hard work but I'm looking forward to nailing them as my fitness improves.

Watch this space...

1st ride...

2008-12-29T13:46:00.002-08:00

After stripping the seat & post off to check it was all greased in the threads properly, I set the seat & bars up to suit me & then I took her round the block a few times. Man what a different ride to what I'm used too! goes like the proverbial shit/shovel...

Christmas 2008

2008-12-29T02:56:00.002-08:00

Welcome

I thought I'd create a blog for the experiences I have when out riding my new bike. I intend to list the routes I do & mileage covered, in order to see the progression in my riding. My fitness levels are not a patch on what they used to be & with my 40th approaching, I figured it's time to get fit.

I have been saving to get a Kona Paddy Wagon for a while & was just waiting to sell my old Kona Cindercone MTB which has now happened & my wife & I decided the new ride would be a nice Christmas present to myself.

I have been interested in having a single speed road going commuter bike for a while & seeing as I ride BMX's anyway, I thought it would be a nice way of keeping things familiar (no gears) & also be a good way to build up my fitness levels quicker.

I'm pleased with the Kona, the spec is nice & I think with a bit of tinkering, I'll be more than happy with it. It doesn't come with pedals & I've just put some old plastic MTB pedals on it for now but I intend to get some new SPD shoes & use my old Shimano SPD pedals as soon as poss.
I've not ridden a bike with drops on before & I intend to stick with them for a while until I can make an educated decision as to if I will keep them or go for a set of riser straight bars instead?

Being more or less completely different to what I'm used to riding, I'm sure it's going to take a while to settle into this style of bike but I'm looking forward to it immensely!

Winter...

2008-11-02T13:50:00.000-08:00

It's a daunting time of year isn't it? All we have to look forward to is a good few months of shitty cold weather which consequently means lack of riding :-( I'm kinda 'between bikes' at the moment as I've got a couple waiting to sell to enable me to get a new one & get stuck into some cold commute! I'm hoping that the RAD Xmas doo won't be the next time that I dust off the 20" though?

I also notice that, as the season turns, you start to see less of your friends. This isn't a good thing & it leaves me wishing for a local indoor spot to keep the summer riding roll going & the social element that goes hand in hand with that.

Here's a seasonal piccy I took last night in my yard, one of my boys mates left his BMX out in the rain.:

On a positive note I'm off to spend 5 days in the tropical paradise that is Centre Parcs for some sorely needed R&R.

Lets hook up soon brothers...

Kona Cindercone SOLD

2008-10-18T04:25:00.000-07:00

1993 Kona Cindercone 18"

Recently completely stripped & rebuilt with 7 speed cassette & DX thumb-shifters, all in good working order & rides lovely :-) This was originally bought in 1993 as a frame-set (Frame, Forks, headset, Stem, Seatpost, seatclamp & brake guide) & built up with my own choice of components & groupset. Now quite sort after as these are pretty hard to find. I have picured the components before the bike was rebuilt for reference to condition. All the important original spec parts like the headset & stem are there with all the original plastic & rubber seals. Seat post moves in the frame no problem & the original brake guide for the rear brake is all there.

This bike is no 'garage queen' as she's been ridden for the past 15 years. Paint is rough in the usual places for a bike of this vintage & there is a very small dent in the top tube (see detail pics) which was done 10+ years ago & is only cosmetic.

Spec:
Frame - Kona Cindercone 18"
Fork - Kona Project II triple butted
Headset - Impact oversize
Stem - Velocity 1-1/8"
Bars - TransX risers
Seatpost - Kona racelight
Seat clamp - Kona
Seat - Free Agent Kevlar
BB - Shimano UN sealed
Cranks - Shimano Deore LX chainset 22-32-42
Pedals - Wellgo DX
Chain - sachs
Rear mech - Shimano Deore 9s
Front mech - Shimano Exage 500
Front Brake Shimano XTR canti
Rear Brake Shimano LX Canti
Brake Levers - Shimano Deore 2 finger
Thumb shifters - Shimano Deore DX 7 speed indexed
Grips - ODI longnecks
Barends - Bizhouse
Front hub - Shimano Exage 32h
Front Rim - Mavic 231CD
Rear hub - Shimano XT silent clutch 32h
Rear rim - Mavic 121
Cassette - Shimano HG30 11-28t
Tyres - Bontrager Revolt SuperX

Pics:

An Indian Summer...

2008-10-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a session at Spiceball & the weather today was great so it would be a crime not to get rolling on the BMX. Surprised (& stoked) to see Sam Keene has blown off the cob-webs & bought Ibbo's old T1 setup & was back out sessioning again! Dan Tobe also keeping it real as usual :-)

Got a few nose picks onto the volcano from the spine down & came close to a tailwhip nosepick to fakie on the jump box which gave me the taste but was sadly not to be repeated... Ray was making it look effortless as per the norm & made some nice opposite stuff.

So maybe our 'summer' falls in the autumn now? who cares! you can't beat a nice little sesh with your mates when its sunny & warm ;-)

Still no sign of Sboy tho...?

Recluse...

2008-10-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

My next door neighbour knows how mad on cycles I am, she told me that the house on the other side to her, had a bunch of bikes laying in the garden. Story goes that the guy who lived there was recently evicted as he never went out & evidently, never paid his bills either. I've never even seen the dude & I've lived here 2 years! So the place is a proper shit-hole, who ever lays out a mortgage on it will certainly have their work cut out...

Today I decided to go check the bikes out & see if there was anything that I could use as spares or maybe build up a ride to sell for a few quid. Here's what greeted me as I climbed over the fence:

This old Claud Butler Racer has been there so long that the wheels have actually dissolved into the mire:

As the drains are blocked with years of leaf litter the 'Path' is just a big puddle of shite & I dread to think what I was standing in?!

So I managed to salvage:

1 pair of plastic 9/16" pedals
1 alloy bottle cage
1 Kevlar seat

Which I wouldn't consider the greatest haul... It was fun to go nosing around & it is surprising how nature takes over when you let it. I'd like to take the Claud Butler but I'm certain it would be uneconomic to sort it...?

Oh & there was a nice wood saw just laying there so I gave that a good home too ;-)

Next...

2008-09-07T10:44:00.000-07:00

I get bored not having a bike to tinker with, so I was in the shed today & thought fuck it, it's time Cinders was stripped, rebuilt & SOLD.

I've had my Kona Cindercone for 15 years now & she is starting to show her age. I know there are retro MTB guys looking for them so I'm going to clean her up as best I can & then see if I can sell her on to someone who will cherish her a little more than I have! The paintwork has worn in places but considering how long I've ridden her & the places she's been, she's still a damn fine piece of metalwork. I've pondered on powdercoating & other such luxuries but I don't have the funds to do that & besides I think these aforementioned retro MTB lovers would prefer to have it in the original colours that it left the showroom with?

Here's how she looked after riding in the Hell of the North Cotswolds in 2004

What no BMX?

Cruiser Update...

2008-09-06T03:07:00.000-07:00

Well thanks to an 'anonymous' post on my cruiser resto thread, I have been in touch with the company that released this bike :-)

Turns out it was indeed an Australian hair-care products promotion & only a few were imported into the UK due to it's lack of lights & brakes.

Thanks to a stoolMX'er & Fudge for their help on this one ;-)

The Score & the Result...

2008-07-22T14:06:00.000-07:00

A far cry from BMX but when this project presented itself, how could I resist?

So, a few weeks ago I came into work bright & early on a Monday morning & there’s this beach Cruiser bike lent up against the cages so I went to check it out. It looked in quite good shape, a puncture up front, I did think it was a consignment someone had sent through our parcel network but that wasn’t the case. It had been dumped by one of our drivers fly tipping at the weekend & so, trying not to look too enthusiastic, I asked my boss if I could ‘get rid of it for him?’ It was clear that several of our drivers also had their eye on it so I told them the polish workers must have taken it?! Ha!

So I’ve wanted a beach cruiser for a while now, as I like the thought of just slow cruising to the shops for a paper etc. I did almost buy one of the Revenge Industries 'Booze Cruise' one’s a while back:

However, funds dried up at the time & it didn’t happen. I’ve not been able to establish who produced this bike yet, it has an F on the head tube & the word ‘FUDGE’ on the seat tube but Google isn’t forthcoming with an answer…?

Once I had her home I set to work on fixing the puncture so that I could take her around the block for a spin & a check to see everything else was in working order. The kids were all interested & all had a go around the street. No major issues were evident & it was time for restoration. Here's how she looked when I got her:

Over the course of about 2 weeks, I completely stripped her down:

& with the aid of some duraglit, Autosol, a toothbrush, a bunch of cloths & dusters & a whole lot of elbow grease & TLC, I gradually cleaned & polished every part up. There was some bad rust on the rear rim & I used those wire-wool soap pads to try to remove it but it took some of the chrome plate off. A lesson learnt? All the bearings were in perfect working order & I don’t think this bike had seen many miles riding at all. It’s definitely a neglected case, left out in the rain to rot. How sad… The coaster was fun to strip & rebuild as I’d not had any experience of a brake like this before although, having done extensive work on Bob K’s old Suntour open bearing freecoaster on his Big Daddy, it wasn’t a world away. I had to repeatedly scrub the white-wall tyres to remove the markings & they came up pretty good but not prefect. Everything else was generally in good condition with only surface rusting to deal with. I had to dump the grips as they were soft foam & were a bit ripped up but managed to get a fresh pair off US ebay for about £8 which, aside from the cleaning products I bought, was the only cash I’ve had to spend on this project. Have to thank Ray for the 24tpi wheel nuts he got me for the coaster hub. I may look at replacing the rear rim if a suitable chrome one comes up & the frame has some minor knocks & scratches so maybe a powder coat in future should I feel the need?

Here's the finished project:

I’m very happy with the results; it’s probably taken 20-30 hours of (mainly) polishing, washing & rebuilding but as soon as I took her for a cruise to the shops, it’s clear that work was worth it. You don’t think about rushing or even where you are heading, just slow pedalling along in a very comfortable riding position enjoying this very ‘chilled-out’ style of bike. It takes me back to my childhood days of my old Raleigh Bomber. It will more than likely be my eldest daughter that gets to ride it most as she doesn’t own a bike of her own & I do think it’s a slightly more girl than boy colour scheme? Still, I don’t doubt I will have the odd spin when mood takes…

Peace

Few bits...

2008-07-13T09:35:00.000-07:00

Not posted for a good while & did some tinkering with the Campillo today so thought I'd do a blog entry for a change...

I wasn't getting on with the tensioners that Fly include with their frames so I took them off. After a session at Corby this week my wheel slipped a bit & I decided I did need at least one tensioner on there after all. My wheel is quite slammed in the frame (oooh look at you!) & it's a bit of a pain to get the wheel out without major surgery of some description. One thing that bugged me concerning the chain tensioners was that, the screw that holds the tensioner to the drop out, sticks out on the outside & interferes with the peg when you push the wheel up towards the BB. I filed off the excess screw that sticks out so that it's now nice & flush to the outer edge of the drop out. This was done in a vice, not in situ ;-)

Just another little detail that's no longer playing on my mind. Here's how the tensioner is positioned on the chain side, fits just nice now!

I've heard that some people have had issues getting these to fit on different hubs so I'm glad that wasn't the case here. After a check over & a little more dialing in, it's good to go for the next session. I picked up some foam cleaner which is real good for removing oily marks from the white frame, now she'd pass the Daz Doorstep Challenge any day!

I also pulled the old Mosca out of the shed today as I want to get rid of her. I cruised up to the local motor factors on my beach cruiser (blog to follow soon) to pick up some paint stripper & after an hour or three I had the back end relatively clean. Shit job stripping frames & I got pissed off with doing it so I left it at this for another day.

Chacombe - 1st of the year...

2008-05-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

Mikey & I dusted off our bad backs & went for a quick session up to Chacombe this evening. It was good to get back on the ramps as neither of us had ridden since the RAD doo back in Feb!? There were a handful of bladers there whom pretty much went off to smoke their shit as soon as we turned up so we had the place to ourselves, as is the norm at Chacombe.

I've been riding my Kona to work since the improvement in the weather to try to get some fitness back so I pretty much just took it steady really as I'm also still getting into my new ride & was a bit rusty. It's surprising how darn cold it was sat up on the decks but we had a nice little session indeed & it's always good to catch up with friends you don't see that often.

Even some local girls gave us a smile when they left :-)

good vibes...

FlyBikes Campillo bike build...

2008-05-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

Finally got the Campillo built after months of preparation! Real happy with how it turned out although there's one or two little bits to change yet...

Spec:

Frame: 2008 Fly Campillo, 20.2”
Forks: Odyssey pro dirt, 14mm, brake lugs
Stem: Super**** elect
Headset: FSA impact internal 45/45, carbon spacer
Bars: Odyssey civilian svelte, hi-rise
Bar ends: home brew, aluminium
Grips: Union 'eat shit'
Front lever: Odyssey modulever OE
Front cable: Clarkes outer, stainless inner
Front brake: Suelo
Rear lever: Odyssey modulever OE
Rear upper cable: Modulever, odyssey linear outers
Gyro: Odyssey GTX
Rear lower cable: Oryg dual, odyssey linear outers
Rear brake: FlyBikes, koolstop eagle claw II salmon pads
Seat: Macneil fat capitol, Knight Ti bolt
Seat post: Macneil
Seat clamp: Built in
Cranks: Primo hollowbites, 175mm
Crank spindle: BSD Ti, 22mm
BB: Super****, spanish, 22mm
Sprocket: Tree Bicycle Co 'Lite' 28t
Chain: KMC Pintle Halflink
Pedals: Victim, magnesium, Ti spindles
Front tyre: KHE premium street Mac2
Front rim: Sun Rhynolite XL, 36h, velox rim tape
Front spokes: Prolite feather, double butted, alloy nipples
Front hub: Prolite evolution, 14mm, hollow axle, 36h
Front pegs: T1 ramp x2
Rear tyre: KHE premium street Mac2
Rear rim: Odyssey 7ka, 48h, velox rim tape
Rear spokes: Prolite Feather, double butted, alloy nipples
Rear hub: Odyssey reloader, 14mm, 48h, 10t, Knight Ti nuts
Rear pegs: Macneil fashionably light x2

Weight: Lighter than my last...

Mods:
Gyro
Bar-ends
Brake noodles used for lower cable bends from gyro stops.

Big thanks to:

Alex @ Cromoly distro in Spain for supplying the frame
(no thanks to IMG)
Kevin Porter @ FlyBikes for the assistance in sourcing the frame
Pat @ Flatlandfuel for the marvelous deals - via BobK
Dan @ cyclesport for the good service

From BigD to Strowler - keeping the faith

2008-04-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

With agent Khol being plagued with injuries of late, it was time to spark that fire again & get him a new build done. Most of the parts are from his KGB Psyconexion build we did in 06, so it all went together relatively painlessly.

Spec:

Frame: Hoffman Bikes Strowler (KJ Sig) internal/Mid, 19.75”
Forks: KGB Space, 10mm, AD lugs
Stem: KGB Trap with gyro plate
Headset: Kink internal
Bars: KGB Sarvet
Bar ends: Inertia, aluminium
Grips: KGB Rhythm
Front lever: Odyssey modulever
Front cable: Nokon
Front brake: Odyssey Evolver
Seat: Odyssey 99'er
Seat post: Odyssey Intac
Seat clamp: Profile slim jim
Cranks: Profile, 160mm. Ti Chainring bolt
Crank spindle: Profile Ti, 19mm
BB: KHE, mid, 19mm
Sprocket: Quamen 25t
Chain: KMC Superlite cool
Pedals: Ares 88
Front tyre: KHE Lamello Skinwall (Tyre pressure =105 lbs)
Front rim: Araya Super 7X, 48h, Odyssey rim tape
Front spokes: DT Swiss
Front hub: Proper Magnalite, 10mm, 48h
Front pegs: Bizhouse Escalator
Rear tyre: KHE Lamello Skinwall (Tyre pressure =105 lbs)
Rear rim: Araya Super 7X, 48h, Odyssey rim tape
Rear spokes: DT Swiss
Rear hub: KHE Geisha street freecoaster, 14mm stubs, 48h, 11t
Rear pegs: Bizhouse Escalator

Cheers

interview 16

2008-03-30T13:16:00.000-07:00

name..... Gregg Jose Alvarez

years riding.. 10

fav spot to ride.. admiral holland car park (without drunkards)

riding style.. mainly forwards, but also backwards.

plans for this year.. build my bmw. then use it to find some cool places to ride that inspire me to ride. ( editors note, mate you can ride to spiceball, its just round the corner from you??)

what inspires me to ride.. nice weather, good music, being happy but in need of a refreshing ride.

who inspires me?.. God. Emmalene. My parents. Anyone who is truly a good down to earth person.

describe local scene.. Banbury is amazing. something for everyone. Always changing and always something fresh to see.

Music.. lots of stuff. from nirvana to michael jackson. not too fond of dance or drum and bass though.

thanks.... God for inventing bmx. emmalene for being the best wife in the world. my parents for being rad. And anyone who has ridden with me and contributed to an amazing sessions.

interview 15

2008-03-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

Name: Alex Leech

age: 37 in April

years riding. 26 in April

fav spot to ride. On my bike, it really doesn't matter what

riding style. Mini tech, but Im happy riding jumps, BMX tracks, Vert, it all counts.

plans for this year. To get on my bike more than once a month

what inspires you to ride. The feeling you get when you ride, and just after riding.

who inspires you? Anyone who is intusiastic and has a good time riding

describe your local scene. I don't get out much so I cant say.

music. My latest playlist includes Gorilla Biscuits, Millencolin, Chain of Strength, The Cure, Anthrax, Huey Lewis and the News, Goldfinger ….

what you at when not riding. Family; wife and 2 small sons. Work; most of the days. Building up old S&M bikes from the 90s.

thanks to anyone? Ian, Sunil and Ray for keepin on keepin on.

interview 14

2008-03-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

sunil.. aka.. s boy, s man etc etc

age.. 38

years riding.. dunno since I was thirteen, so 25 or so, not continuously mind

fav spot to ride.. absolutely fuckin anywhere with friends

riding style.. currently I'm into the art of riding without actually doing any tricks, just fast and flowing and loose...

plans for this year.. ride as often as possible and learn something new

what inspires you to ride.. watchin some loose caboose flowing down the spline on the dime etc

who inspires you?.. joe rich and

describe your local scene.. . oxford rocks, the vibe from the mons ramp scene of the 80's still lives on, it doesnt matter what you ride only that you ride with a smile on your face

music.. devo, minutemen, minor threat, quicksand and of course SLINT

what you at when not riding.. making photographs and spending time with loved ones

thanks to anyone? Bob Haro and Sarah Jane Nichols

interview 13

2008-03-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

Chaz Mann.. aka.. annoying little prick who shags fat birds and likes it!!!

age.. 21

years riding.. about 8 years, only the past 4 1/2 on bmx though

fav spot to ride.. any dialled trails, Chertsey, Brighouse, Winchester, the list is long. Slades Farm, standard, my favourite park ever. Banbury can be good at times, when there is a good crowd hanging and nice weather. The worst spots can be the best ones with a group of sickheads.

Riding style.. fast as possible! Just pull up, do the odd trick, nibble wierd moves when at parks. Just pumping and pulling up and going real fast, with the sound of the freewheel clicking and tires buzzing on smooth packed dirt. Nothing beats summer days in the woods, no chance of a better feeling on a bike in my eyes.

plans for this year.. get the woods fully dialled in, move to Oxford with three of the nicest people I know, travel most weekends, learn to cook better, go out with a model, party hard, go visit some French woods, get a sweet job that I enjoy, spend too much money on petrol, learn a foreign language, drink myself into liking red wine.

what inspires you to ride.. people who dig fun trails, good videos of fast riding with fitting music, English riders who kill it, sunny days, riding in shorts,

who inspires you?.. trail bosses, people who love riding, anyone that loves riding as much away from civilization's eye as much as they do in front of an impressionable crowd. As for riders, Scott Edgworth, BF, Stauffer and Will Hermann are the first ones who always come to mind.

describe your local scene.. where do I start! BANBURY; rad kids, young shredders, ghetto rats, slags, eceltic mix of characters, heckling, laughter. BOURNEMOUTH; golden clay pits, abundance of spots, wild party times, masses of locals, sweet bike shops. OXFORD; soon to be the local, trails scene.

music.. Random artists at the moment - Braintax's new album, the Cure, Rolling Stones, Winehouse, Dubbledge, Regina Spektor, old Public Enemy, Smiths, Mighty Boosh music, Oasis.

what you at when not riding... digging at the trails, being a drunken zombie mess rambling incoherent sentances, watching amusing stuff on TV/net, listening to music, reading books whenever I can, shooting pictures of anything that takes my interest, generally making sure I have fun full time.

thanks to anyone.. definitely my parents for taking me so many places when I was younger. My Dad always fixed my bike when I was to spasticated which was mint. The people who started Hornton Hill and kept it running in the red for so long. Anyone that's ever given me a lift to a spot, dialled my bike (especially the brake!), trail builders for letting me case their sets and building such awesome places by hand straight outta the earth. The many people that let me sleep on their floors, make me toast in the morning and give me duvets to sleep on. Inspirational musicians.

interview 12

2008-03-24T15:58:00.000-07:00

Name.. Mike Westlake aka The Westlake Show haha

age.. 20(??) yrs young

years riding.. 5 ..I think?? ( editors note.. you started when you were 81yrs old)

fav spot to ride.. Wherever my friends are.

Riding style.. Mix of Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon

plans for this year.. Woodward, BMX Masterbators and to not get injured and have fun and try and get up to scotland.

what inspires you to ride.. COMPS, Money, Chicks. haha trying to catch up with Ray

who inspires you?.. Nearly everyone around me.

describe your local scene.. I have two local scenes and they are both amazing. Everyone ast Banbury is really cool and its good to go somewhere where they dont care about the latest fashion (e.g. Ray's style( editors note, clothing or riding?)..) hahahaha, just kidding (you can leave that out if you like.)

music.. depends what i am doing but anything that sounds good

what you at when not riding.. working!

thanks to anyone.. Ray

interview 11

2008-03-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

Eddie Chaffe
22 lucky years old.
Riding for 11 years both MTB and BMX.

fav spot to ride.. "The Dream" at Sheffield. Cool dirt jumps and amazing race track.

Riding style.. I like to pedal, go high and long in any style that gets the job done weather it looks controlled or not, landing smoothly or hard. Composure is the key. BOSH!

plans for this year.. Drink less and be up early everyday, ride more, visit all my friends and go on many fun holidays and make more things happen for myself.
Ride more race tracks and hopefully do well in some regional races. But maybe out for a while as a knee op is in the balance hopefully, because having a few problems riding, less of the road running races me thinks lol.

what inspires you to ride.. First of all, the sunshine! Nice pretty girls watching! Old photos and memories, and when my friends are riding well.

who inspires you?.. My Granddad. My friends, the ones who ride BMX, the ones who ride MTB and some that don't ride at all.

describe your local scene.. I think that the our local scene is really amazing, Everyone supports each other and give probs when someone does something they are pleased with even though there are a wide range of talent in the scene but this adds to the character of the group and I know everyone is happy where they’re at in BMX.
Also I think we have a great park which is only there due to the work of the skate park users, and apart from riding each is willing to help each other out, and also most of the riders are great to party with.

music.. Any live music event with a stage that I can get naked on. Too many bands to list, My friends bands and DJ sets.
Anything to get me going to get loose to and chill out stuff aswell.

what you at when not riding.. International man of mystery fighting off evil aliens to save humanity for everyone but I’ve handed in my resignation and leave the job on Thursday. Sleeping, eating, well into cooking at the moment and try cooking something new most nights, Working to pay the bills, Socialising. Running and reading. Im happy with life.

thanks to anyone.. I have a lot of gratitude for various people and they know who they are, they are the friends who I speak to all the time. I appreciate what anyone does for me and take no one for granted.

interview 10

2008-03-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

Richy P aka Rambo

age.. 17

years riding.. probably about 3 years park then a couple of years trails and hornton hill before that!

fav spot to ride.. Banbury or Gus's Barn!

Riding style.. bit of everything really! not too many tricks..

plans for this year.. finsih my a-levels, get earning for my gap year! then travel my tits off and ride as much as possible!!!

what inspires you to ride.. Mates, good weather and getting out of the house!

who inspires you?.. hot girls... and chaz makes me do things alot and took me places when i couldnt drive. Gus aswell when hes here! plus all the Banbury boys of course!

describe your local scene.. rad. too many rats though.

music.. anything and everything! Uk hip hop for street, anything for park and trails!

what you at when not riding.. checking myspace, partying or hustling.

thanks to anyone.. the Banbury lot for accepting me when i was a wee nipper!

peace out!
x

interview 10

2008-03-24T13:18:00.000-07:00

interview 9

2008-03-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

angus... aka gus..

age.. 17

years riding..I started off racing about 4 years ago.

fav spot to ride.. home trails, banbury park

Riding style.. Fast, flow, racey with not too many tricks

plans for this year.. travel to more spots and get confident on my bmx again after my knee surgery

what inspires you to ride.. friends, good spots, weather, BMX dvds

who inspires you?.. Garrett Byrnes, Alex Dick and the banbury riders

describe your local scene.. I have missed it! The Banbury scene is chill and wild at the same time, there is always some dude throwing the abuse and another shredding hard, awesome riding atmosphere!

music.. mainly the old classics, Led, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Slayer and anything else that i like the sound of.

what you at when not riding..Im usually doing school work or at physio theraphy, haha, great times! I try and party as much as i can too!

thanks to anyone.. My family and friends for being behind me all the time.

interview 8

2008-03-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

Craig mcgill.. aka Ripa

age.. 19

years riding.. 5years

fav spot to ride.. epic, banbury, redditch

Riding style.. riding any good park and trails just flowing and doing tricks 

plans for this year.. travel allot more enter more comps 

what inspires you to ride.. bmx dvds, music, my good mates

who inspires you?.. Sergio layos, harry main and ray smith

describe your local scene.. umm I don’t really have a local scene but I class banbury as my local have to travel 19 miles but its good 
The riders there are good and I get on well with them

music.. everything apart from drum and bass!!

what you at when not riding..with my girlfriend or her mates, watching bmx dvds 

thanks to anyone.. my parents for supporting me, Ray smith for all he has done for me and harry main!!

interview 7

2008-03-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

Ian.. aka wilco, wilma...

age.. 38

years riding.. Blimey... since 83-84... do the math.

fav spot to ride.. Local + anywhere the RAD guys meet up as it's always good vibe.

Riding style.. circa 1985-1995 ha!

plans for this year.. Make my bike even lighter (gay) ride more than once a week & learn some more nose-pick variations :-)

what inspires you to ride.. My bike, I just love riding it! going forward & backwards on my BMX, when your bike is totally how you want it, you will want to ride it more.. Also mid-skool video footage (I think most people know my thoughts on new-skool fashion riding) & my friends I ride with are always inspiration.

who inspires you?.. In no particular order:

Derren Bailey
Rick Moliterno
Alex Leech
Kevin Gutierrez
Rob Ridge
Ray Smith
Vic Murphy
Paul Osicka
Eddie Roman
Lee Sultimier
& anyone else with their own individual style of riding & doing something different.

describe your local scene.. Pretty good park, most of us get on great & despite not being what you might term 'a regular', from what I see, the guys there are always pushing their riding & having a laugh with it. Could do with a lot less hangers-on who think it's too cool to sit around on the decks getting fucked up on D&D...

music.. I'm currently indulging in my mission to buy every CD I've ever wanted to own as I've developed a little HiFi addiction. Latest purchases:

ET soundtrack
Sigur Ros
Eels
Madness
The For Carnation
The Beach Boys
Mudhoney
I'm pretty varied musically, why limit yourself to one genre when there's a world of beautiful sounds out there!?

what you at when not riding.. working, listening to music (as above), movies, full time family life!

thanks to anyone.. My wife, my family, my friends, anyone who's ever helped me out & anyone else I've had fun on a BMX with, cheers! ;-)

interview 6

2008-03-23T16:16:00.000-07:00

steve, sumner, steveo sumner bey!

age.. 20

years riding.. 3or 4 yrs.I think??(editors edit, come on bro tis been at least 5-6)

fav spot to ride.. banbury, and epic

Riding style.. i dunno really, like alot of limbless tricks

plans for this year.. get bk on me bike, and hang with the boys who got me into bmx in the first place

what inspires you to ride.. watching bmx vids, and watching ova people ride, learning new tricks, wich pushes u further to learn more

who inspires you?.. riders who live for bmx, tht ride everyday.

describe your local scene.. fuck, aint been there in ages, so wouldnt no at the min, probs the same as its always been, good lads with lil bikes

music.. punk. metal. ska. DnB

what you at when not riding..drinking, partying. going to gigs

thanks to anyone.. every 1 at the park for getting me in to bmx,

interview 5

2008-03-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

Josh Belcher.. aka Yoshi, Joshy b, Salty.

age.. 21

years riding.. About 4 or 5
fav spot to ride.. Creation, but i love my home park.

Riding style.. Sketchy, i like to go high on stuf, unlike some of the kids at the park that just like to get high.

plans for this year.. Learn new tricks, meet new people, take some good photographs.

what inspires you to ride.. Watching a bmx dvd usually gives me the itch to go out and try something new, and watching some of the locals send it.

who inspires you?.. All of the riders out there that just enjoy nthe lifestyle and ride for the fun rather than the image.

describe your local scene.. Maybe one of the best scenes going, everyone is really nice, and gets on with each other. Ive been to alot of parks and none where the Bmxers the skaters and the bladers all get on like us.

music.. Pretty much anything, im not fussy.

what you at when not riding.. You can usually find me behind my camera taking snaps for a bit of cash, go check my website, www. joshbelcher. co. uk

thanks to anyone.. Everyone who has ever helped me out with stuf when i needed, all the the people who i call my freinds, you know who you are, and my family.

interview 4..

2008-03-23T05:24:00.000-07:00

Ray smith.. aka violent Ray, everyday Ray, Ray

age.. 32 yrs young

years riding.. 11-12 ..I think??

fav spot to ride.. Banbury, thats why I'm here after all!!!

Riding style.. super tech, anything that happens (normally fluke )

plans for this year.. ride loads, travel more, learn nothing fashionable!

what inspires you to ride.. inspires me? not so much inspiring but when I wake 1st thing going through my mind is new combo's, tech tricks line etc, while there fresh I need to get out and make it happen!

who inspires you?.. anybody who rides for fun / smile factor, some of Banburys locals, John, Ian, Baltie, little turner etc

describe your local scene.. amazing, so many cool people to ride with, not to many fashion idoits (one to many chaz's tho!!)

music.. trance, D&B, thrash metal, metal.. anything fast really

what you at when not riding.. playing with stuff with engines being with my family...

thanks to anyone.. my Family, my miss's, all who ride with me!

interview 3

2008-03-23T04:45:00.000-07:00

Dan ibbetson.. aka ibbo

age.. 25

years riding.. 11

fav spot to ride.. fav spot guess darby storm r.i.p or romford,

riding style.. style hmm just a chilled slow speed rider

plans for this year.. plans well due to running a pub now that takes up far to much of my live so plans are to finish new bike and ride more, i may be getting older and i fuckin hurts when i crash now but i can't give up bmx its part of my life

what inspires you to ride.. impresses me. gotta say all these little kids that ride now when i started bmx was not even close to the stage that its at now. theres like 10 year olds doing flips n stuff

who inspires you?.. see above

describe your local scene.. scene. a good bunch of lads. got some fucked up shite going down that other riders will find crazy. welcoming to anyone who comes to ride with us. mates just good mates

music..music. Punk . . rock, metal,.most of you know im in band as the front man. been doing that for bout 3 years now. and playing drums for well far to long, and im still shitemusics always been a part of my life playing it or just chilling with some cd's

what you at when not riding.. when im not rideing. well im probs workin its a tuff job but realy enjoy it, its not all about pulling pints of for ungreatfull people its a dam good crack though,and if not working then im probs doing some pa work or something to do with music.

interview 2

2008-03-23T04:34:00.000-07:00

John Howkins.. aka dirty ..

age.. 16

years riding.. 3

fav spot to ride.. would have to be the local banbury good atmosphere and good park

riding style.. everything big n brakeless..

plans for this year.. to wait for the summer,ride loads and party and well leavin to college

what inspires you to ride.. seein other people ride..good weather web videos etc.. and just good times

who inspires you?.. who inspires you .. ray smith 4 helpin me with my bike and ridin etc ( editors note..NOT chaz mann).. takin me places urmm and lots of pros like mark webb, morgan wade ,chase ( not Harry) etc.. etc..

describe your local scene.. fun! urmm quite small,great atmosphere and great people in general again good times

music.. with music i duno depends what my mood is i like allsorts really.

what you at when not riding.. urmm just bein with my mates g n to partys etc..

thanks to my family and friends

interview 1..

2008-03-23T04:09:00.000-07:00

Callum, aka Baltie..

age.. 16 + 3/4

years riding.. 4-5

fav spot to ride.. specsavers or the wall behind the musketeer pub

riding style.. tweaker (street killer brakeless 4 pegs)

plans for this year.. keep my bike 1 colour

what inspires you to ride.. watchin people go big

who inspires you?.. tom hanks

describe your local scene.. little rats and druggys on bikes

music.. hip hop, reggae

what you at when not riding.. chillin at college or chillin at home ...

thanks to anyone? thankyou to everyone!!

Sheldon Brown 1944-2008

2008-02-13T11:49:00.000-08:00

I heard Sheldon Brown died last week. He lived his life surrounded by bikes & his site makes for some interesting reading. I used his wheel building expertise from his tutorial site years ago to teach myself to build wheels & I've often found myself digging through the other parts of his knowledge of bicycles old & new.

RIP to a fellow biker

www.sheldonbrown.com/home.html

Ratboy Rocket Ruler...

2008-02-10T12:47:00.000-08:00

My Bike Blog

Sustrans Route 4 - The Celtic Trail - South Wales: Day 4

Sustrans Route 4 - The Celtic Trail - South Wales: Day 3

Sustrans Route 4 - The Celtic Trail - South Wales: Day 2

Sustrans Route 4 - The Celtic Trail - South Wales: Day 1

Gaz's Birthday Ride out...

Surly Bikes Cross Check...

My first Century...

Week nights Banbury circular....

Cowley Road ramps 7th March 1993...

Birmingham to Oxford 1992...

Nearly 4 months!

Monday Monday...

Back problems = no riding...

Paddy Wagon 09 Review...

A weeks worth...

Friday Morning FB session...

Nice ride to start the week...

Told you so....

An hour...

Try again...

Biking for the bank holiday...

Way ahead...

Afternoon in the Sun...

Family ride...

1st ride from last week...

+30...

Short & sharp...

& one for Dad...

Solo not recovery...

Riding as the weather permits...

The usual Friday run...

One for the boy...

It's a beautiful day!

Short & not so sweet....

Joining the recovery...

Another day another ride...

Windy...

Back in the saddle with my old pal Iain D...

Riding & walking...

Feeling it!

Well that didn't last then!

It's a beautiful day!

Climbing Mt Everest (Sunrising hill)

I hate wind...

A walk in Hornton & getting chased by rain...

Back on track...

On Guard!

No riding...

Nice ride...

Cable mod...

Kissing seat...

Paddy Wagon history...

Back in the saddle...

SS commander Crowman!

Dial-Ride-Wash...

New loop...

New shoes...

Old pals...

Wet ride...

On the Drops...

Nice...

One gear reasoning with Sheldon Brown...

Pedals...

Frosty...

First of 09...

Fate...

Lap of Banbury...

1st road ride...

1st ride...

Christmas 2008

Winter...

Kona Cindercone ***SOLD***

An Indian Summer...

Recluse...

Next...

Cruiser Update...

The Score & the Result...

Few bits...

Chacombe - 1st of the year...

Kona Cindercone SOLD