that sinking feeling...

you know when you get that feeling of a flat on your bike?
well i got it today...like 4 times!...
unable to film yest then deleting the SD card after an unknowingly failed upload i just rerode where i went yesterday,at least the freezing fog was clearing to a sunny day,though still cold with the trails still frozen in most places...
i shortcut a bit and riding down here i just saw the recent cut hawthorn hedging and thought...oh-no...

after setting up cameras i went back to the bike and seen a flat rear tyre...
so cameras switched off again i removed the rear tyre and the big thorn in the tyre and just patched the tube,saving the spare i had,i always do this as if you get a second flat you could be say on a busy roadside or its dark etc..,i just finished pumping up the tyre and i heard a quiet hiss from the front tyre...oh great..!
so i did the same and repaired that,then when i went to pump it up my pump started to play up...,"dont tell me is happening" i thought as after about 300 pumps i heard another hiss from the front...yep i had not checked the tyre properly and there was indeed 2 thorns...,arrrrgh!!!!,right sod it ,fix it get the film done and head home,i eventually got the pump to inflate the tyre but as you can imagine was getting a bit hacked off by now,at least the scenery was nice where i was...

i ride with 2 front and rear lights in winter,as a backup and after today im adding slime to the tubes on the 29er-as i have already done on the pugsley...
sod the extra weight and im adding a 2nd spare tube and Co2 bottles to the tool kit- on all bikes..,lesson learned..
as mentioned yesterday you sometimes come across an unnoticed sweet trail on your doorstep and this is one...


fiming done i headed for home first along a trail past a pond and an unusual visitor up here- a cormorant..long way from the coast...

and along a trail through a small estate with an interesting viewpoint-a picture frame hanging by wires..which views best?
garlton hills..?

or surly karate monkey...?

then after leaving the old road past this monument the front tyre went squidgy...

i was about to lose the plot now...!,spare tube swapped and about 300 pumps the tyre was only half inflated,i headed for home stopping after about 2 miles to give inflating the tyre another go and the pump started working...!,funny now im home hours later and how a few pints of strongbow cider makes you forget the hassles of otherwise a nice winter days cycling...it got a bit stressful for a bit-due to my lack of preparation but i got some filming done not brilliant but something,will be back up there in the spring... click here to enjoy singletrack helmetcam...