cold november rain

rain indeed!,england is getting a hard time of it this now..,i feel sorry for people having there homes flooded...,id be gutted if it happend to my home,worse if it was the garage...,the railway passes my house and is in a cutting so hopefully when armageddon happens the water will go down there!,
i was up 6am to check out the window,stars to the north and east and none to the southwest as forcast the big front was moving in,the heavens opened by 7am,i was dreaming of a good sky to go film at glentress but that soon went out the window...
8am i wandered out to the workshop with a cuppa and it was quite dark outside...

i even thought about just getting geared up ang going out locally and even put a rear crudcatcher thing on the 29er..i actully hate these things and always end up catching my leg on them or they rattle or loosen and drag on the tyre,i found this one minus the post clamp at glentress,another old reflector mount got it fitted,at least the name matches the bike!...

did some needed maintenance to the commuter...

buying a workshop stand was one of the best things ive done,saves alot of hassel,no more trying to do everything upside down!...

trued up the back wheel,using another smaller handlebar mount plastic reflector bracket on the chainstays,these things are handy..., note the old school brooks spoke key...

deciding to give riding a miss today with the awful weather i visited the parents after an aquaplaneing drive into edinburgh to buy chain wax for beachriding at two wheels motorcycles and caught up with friends who work there and had a look at the nice and shiny new triumph bonnieville scrambler motorcycles which i will never afford to buy,heres a customised one i like that i found on flickr...steve mcqueen eat your heart out...

monday blues....NOT!!!

ok this is a really long post but there can be alot in 2miles of coastline...
i was up at 6am all hyper with being off for the week but had to have multiple brews of tea and the usual PC look through to kill time but was still out in the garage by 8am pinching tyres and lubing chains, by 9am i was back inside with the feet up watching morning TV dribble while munching on toast and more tea...,sod this i thought im off out! low tide was 11.50am so i spent an hour riding on pugsley through woods on route to seacliff beach to ride east round to peffersands, down on the beach at seacliff all was quiet...

with just a couple at the little harbour so i left the lovebirds to enjoy there empty beach and rode east round the point...
the next 2 miles to peffersands is a bit of a rockfest with trialy type riding...

the rock here is the same colour as the farm fields around whitekirk hill the highest point from here...,the fields are clay while this looks like sandstone how its eroded and rounded by the wind and sea..

along the beach a bit is an old chassis from what looks like an old lorry as its quite long...

along to this point there is certainly lots of intresting geology and rockpools...

to look at then the coast turns to predominatly sand...

can you see me?...

heres some film up to now which,i hope shows the shoreline,not the usual beachride! click here
passing the old WW2 machinegun pillbox which has slipped down the dune, amazing it hasnt broken up...

and peffersands opens up before you,nearly a mile of lovely beach.only a couple of folk were walking the sands...

a big dune here has completely disapeared here..washed away in the recent big storm...

peffersands beach was empty once i had ridden along...

this beach is hoaching on a sunday,intrestingly east lothian council do not premote this beach yet its car park is overflowed on sundays,
at the car park is a new information sign,again very informative...

if you click on the pics you should be able to readthe information...



and heres a great quote from the man himself...numero uno in conservation,john muir...

near the car park is the old now unused tyninghame farm steading,now sold and proberly to be developed into housing so enjoy this photo of what was once a classic east lothian farm steading,getting a rarer site in original condition nowadays...

from the cabin at ravenscleugh which you can watch in part2 of the filming i did
click here
i rode back along the beach...

and enjoyed having the beach again to myself...

i dont ask for much in life but days like this i can cherish forever...

an empty beach,calm conditions and a pugsley...

it was only 2pm so i didnt really want to go home yet...

so i rode back along the deserted beach again!!,hell why not,if it was a sunday it would be full of people,best enjoy the tranquility when you can...

some rides you wish could last forever..today was one,it was perfect...

but with a week of (all going to plan and weather)of riding i have to save the legs so headed for home...,a great day to remmember...

nothing like sitting at home in front of a roaring fire after a great days cycling,a hot bath,pasta and a cider...very peaced...

satuarday beachride

today i headed east along to john muir early,as forcasted the clear morning quickly clouded over and wind and rain came in around lunchtime,i was home before it came on-a half days ride due to a few ciders last night!,great feeling having a week off and having no set plan,just go ride where i want to..,tide times are perfect,10.30am today so most of the weeks lowtides will be afternoon/daylight hours,
riding along the john muir way beside the river tyne theres still some autumn colour in the oak trees which havent given up there leaves yet...

its always a buzz when a beach comes into view when your on the pugsley!...

i like the new information signs now appearing around the county...,

theres a good example of the WW2 anti tank blocks here-3 blocks wide as they were layed and about half a mile long...

see them along the field boundry?,thats alot of concrete...


at the eastern end of the blocks are some nice scots pine trees...


and along the track a bit is i believe the only heather on the coast in east lothian,near hedderwick....

above the west bay the view from this bench is nice...

there has been alot of sand washed away around the bay here too like most of the other beaches,i wonder where its all gone?...

around the point and the mile of good sand takes you to west barnes,only 2 people were passed on the beach!...


to the east out to sea were clear skys...

while rolling in from the west was the weather front...

at the end of the beach is the `bridge to nowhere` first built in victorian times for visitors to the beach to cross the biel burn onto the sands...

with the salt air it is exposed to i dont imagine its the original but i think its the only bridge ive ever seen with the beach on either side...

skys were darkening with the approching weather front...

time to head for home so i retraced my tracks round the coast...


and headed for home as the first drops fell,15 mins later the heavens opened... good timeing! i did a bit filming so heres a 3 minute film,no commentary today, ive added music by `stereo lab`

staying comfy on the trail...,

heres what im wearing riding offroad this now in tempertures of 12 to -3 degrees celsius...,

this is THE BEST top ive ever owned.., its a north face `apex` soft shell top and as long as under about 15 degrees celsius it is the most versatile top ive owned,its only shower proof but seems to keep you warm in a wetsuit type of way...,unlike cotton you dont get a wind chill-to the bone..., it seems to keep your torso warm to the surrounding temperture,i can and will add a merino wool layer underneath if it gets really cold but most of the year except summer i wear this top be it on the pugsley or karate monkey 29er,
im am definitly not a lycra guy at all!..,fair enough if your a xc racer but im not..,i did enter a dualathlon once with my hill running big brother and did the bike ride and was 7th fastest out of 155 but racing isnt me..,i can turn on the heat if i want to but i like to cruise and chill...,and i wear shorts at trailparks and full lenght trousers (3/4 summer)locally and on the beach..,i discoverd edinburgh bike co-op acryllic boxers with liner and there nice and cool in summer to wear underneath shorts or trousers, like these-endura `singletrack` trousers,there light,have vents,and the crotch dosnt sag and catch your seat when in and out the saddle...,

if im on the pugsley im on flat pedals so its the `five ten` high tops or if its really wet the viking dry boots,on the 29er and full suss cannondale i ride clipped in so its the shimano MT90 goretex boots...
,
on my paws im wearing for local xc riding these gore gloves...,


there good as you can use cameras etc.., without removing them...,i wear thin cotton socks most of the year for cycling but come winter i wear sealskin light or medium socks which are enough for the conditions in southeast scotland...,
for work and on the trail i mostly use my now 3 year old giro `zen` helmet which lives in my airing cupboard drying out when not in use...,

it has been a good lid really now it owns me nothing..,
oh im on a weeks holiday now!,9 days including weekends, riding mostly local with a days filming down at glentress and a mini roadtrip to a remote beach on the north west coast...,

staying dry on the commute

i think ive got my commutting clothing dialled now and looking forward to what nature throws down on me this winter!,
i always used to have to change at work or wear a damp cotton polo shirt which had to be changed daily,i discoverd howies merino wool tops 2 years ago but there £50 and too good for work then endura brought out a lighter wieght merino long sleeve top and only £33...

you can wear it all week to work and it dosnt smell,i can vouch 2 weeks smell free with the howies tops on holiday!, no really there amazing,
i wear altura trousers-not sure what ones they are,there 3 years old,not waterproof but i just wear them at work all day now so dont have to change...

most of the year i ride into work wearing hogs (non steel toe cap) derbi boots,£39, very waterproof once done with nikwax a few times...

now the roads are pretty filthy im wearing my viking `dryboots, £42, they are awesome...

i wear these alot on the pugsley as i ride with flats on it,there a lined rubber boot with ankle hieght sealed tounge-so warm unlike wellingtons,soles are a little bit soft for cycling but there great for water,mud,slush conditions,
my altura nevis jacket is 3 years old and was only £30 in a sale and waterproof for about half an hour so fine for my commute...

for the winter half of the year i have my BBB £20 gloves,again water proof for about an hour so ideal...

my crumpler courier bag has never leaked yet,its a tough bag and i think it will last for years...

in my pannier is a pair of endura waterproofs £40 for if raining...

there 100% waterproof but a little sweaty at the knees,in my courier bag is a pair of paclite montaine trousers for warmer wet weather or below zero weather...

so now i ride to work with just the wool top under the jacket which below zero degrees is warm enough with all vents closed,i add a fleece headband that covers the top of my ears and im comfy,warm and dry and dont have a load of changing to do once at work, just hang my jacket to air put on a sweatshirt and swap to steel toecap hogs boots and im ready to go-after a brew of course...

dry the rain

it was dry all day today despite an overcast sky and a cold gale that blew out by 5pm when i headed out for a nightride,skys were clear to the east and it was dark by 5pm too,iwent out for an hour and a half riding a 15 mile loop that is about 2/3rds offroad, i had been out about 10 minutes and a light drizzle came on as i rode through woods towards north berwick on the john muir way,it was slippy in places on the wet leaves,the rain got heavier as i rode into yellowcraig woods and up to dirlton to ride by road home,10 minutes from home the rain went off!, is that typical or what? after a dry day too!,i never though about my ipod getting wet but it seems ok,and i had a wee nip at yellowcraig out the hip flask!,

i dont really like wiskey but will take a nip from a flask if offerd (be rude not too!),gives me a shiver when i drink it but makes you giggle,i prefer slow gin preferably homemade by my nieghbour!,
im really liking the karate monkey 29er...

for those not cyclists reading this (hello facebook old school mates!) 29er refers to the wheels diameter of 29 inches instead of regular 26 inch wheels, after road miles to and from coast on the pugsley the monkey flys on tarmac,i read folk saying there a bit heavy but i dont notice at all,i average 12-16 mph road riding,little bit quicker than my hybrid for work,but i still cant get over how comfy it is despite being a ridgid fork off road,do i want a rockshock sl fork with lockout for it?- yes
can i afford & justify £350 for a fork,same price i paid for the frameset?- no
i would rather buy surlys instigator frame for a glentress jump bike for the money or a 1x1 frameset for my commuter bike for a bit comfort-that old cannondale is solid!,anyway back to the nightride when it was pouring down one of the songs that came on was quite good timing,one of the best songs ever..by one of scotlands best bands... the beta band

pugsley beach addiction Pt2

if satuardays forcast turned out better than expected sunday was sublime...,there was no wind at 10 am when i once again cycled out to the reserve,why the same place again?,and when i rode both days last weekend from here?,well my legs havent felt fresh for about 2 weeks now..,proberly because i have cycled every day (to work) and last week did over 120 miles so i really didnt feel like cycling but no wind and a clearing sky told me to pull my finger out and get out when the weathers good,also this lenght of coast has good inland sandy trails to ride at high tide,so i decided to ride the tide line to yellow craig then double back inland then ride 4 miles through the estate where we grew up to visit my parents as they havent seen pugsley for a while!!,
as with yesterdays post all pics were taken with the tachyon sports camera..,hence the fish eye halo sun effect which im loving..,


out at aberlady point on the reserve the tide was 3/4 in and with no wind it was so peacefull so i did one of 2 films at aberlady point
stopping to refill my waterbottle at the spring at the old iorn ore mines,
the late nigel tranter,the famous local author who lived looking onto aberlady bay wrote about exploring these mines as a boy with a candle and string to find the way out..,onto gullane and filming along gullane beach the tide was high up and still pretty calm...

despite an hour before high tide so once round the black rocks point i returned through the grassy dunes behind freshwaterhaven where there is miles of tracks which criss cross each other,the possibility of diffrent routes along this 6 miles of coastline is nearly endless i was heading back through the pine woods to return to gullane carpark and the trails above the beach to the cliff tops knowen locally as `maggies loup` heres film fromgullane to west links and back
above gullane beach on return it was now high tide and a strong breeze had got up...


and as you can see when i returned to ride along to aberlady point on the nature reserve the high tide meant it was soft going along to the point...

rounding the point i stopped for a breather and a few pics...


once back along through the reserve and over the bridge at high tide it was through the local estate to visit the folks then heading for home at dusk,65 miles in 2 days,not alot of miles but along the coast its about time out riding rather than miles achieved,another good weekend...