Gaz's Birthday Ride out...

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

Happy Birthday mate :-)

Surly Bikes Cross Check...

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...

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....

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 L/H into new estate Alma Road
Follow through the estate then L/H to join 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...

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...

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!

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...