Last nights night ride with friends from Pencaitland was cancelled as sideways rain and it would just have been silly driving in the dark...silly driving in daylight today too but i did to get in a wee beach ride...more of that in a bit...
I have been looking for a waterproof breathable mid height walking boot i could use for beach riding on flat pedals, something as good for walking as cycling when im out on the Pugsley,as i do spend alot of time off the bike taking pics,walking across rocks etc...as well as keeping my feet dry. I have read a lot of reviews on KEEN footwear, esp there sandal's and there walking boots looked to fit the bill so i ordered a pair which arrived the other day...
These are there Targhee 2 mid boot. first thing you notice is the broad flat toe, i have a wide foot and high instep and the width in the toe area is great, they are very very light and if they prove to be as waterproof and breathable as claimed then i think i have found the perfect beach riding boot, my scree gators fit perfect too so happy days.
Also to arrive this morning was the tent i ordered, a Vango Force 10 Vitesse back packing tent...
Weighs 1KG and only £99..recommended by my friend who has had one about 4 years,single skin but he has had no problems with condensation with his.
Bulkier than the Hennessy hammock but another camping alternative-ideal if no trees!.
So no riding last night and being on holiday i was itching to get out, with the crazy wind and mud fest conditions of the trails that left the beach,when its really windy i always head for John Muir Park near Dunbar,worth the 10 minute drive (not cycling in that wind!). woods are dangerous in gales but the safest are Scots pine woods and here you can ride the trails out the wind...
First i decided to fit the Bar Mitts i got just as the snow and cold temps ended!,
It was really wet today so an ideal day to use them,i had previously tried them but the inside grip attachment to hold them secure would not fit around my Ergon grips...
So i stuck the kettle on for a brew and had a think about how to solve this...
Then i sussed out how to do it...
I put an O ring around the end of each grip...
Then just pulled the Velcro strap under the O ring and fastened it,looks untidy in the pic but my hand didn't rest on it and get irritated...
Bar Mitts make the velcro strap longer!.
Down to John Muir Park and the car was all over the place as was debris on the roads.Into the woods and i was soon out of the sideways rain and enjoying the dry sandy single track...pictures were taken with the Tachyon sports camera (on time lapse 2 second intervals) because of the rain so excuse the quality...
The bridge near Hedderwick was nearly underwater and it was 2 hours to high tide such was the strenght of the wind...
There was still some sand on the coastline to ride around but the wind blasts were unreal..trees and branches washed down into the river Tyne Estuary here were being washed up,the water was brown from silt out of the fields and foam blew onto the shoreline,it was wild!.
I followed the tideline around to Spikey Point...
Out at the point i could hardly stand in the gusts, Oyster Catchers hardly bothered about me cycling by,usually you cant get near them.Sand had blown around stones leaving them exposed...
watching the wind rippling the sea and waves spraying as they broke was amazing...
No one else was out there which made it feel more surreal...i filmed the waves then kept moving.With the East beach getting very soft and a 8 ft vertical sand cliff between me and the incoming tide i didn`t want to get cut off so headed up across the matt grass covered dunes...
Theres several miles back and forth of paths through this stuff,twice i got blown over by the gusts, could not stop laughing trying to keep cycling...
Across the salt marsh flats and into the shelter of the pine woods again i did a lap of some of the trails then back to the car park...
A great wee 2 hour ride and although the rain cleared for a while the Bar Mitts were good to use,just wearing fingerless wool gloves made using the camera easy.
They will be good for the coming cold and damp spring time easterly days ahead.
I did a bit filming which i uploaded to Flickr...
Always tough when the weather stops you getting out. I nearly got blown over a couple of times yesterday and the winds here were only about 35mph.My problem was that I made the mistake of using aero style wheels - these always catch the wind.
ReplyDeleteWhat camera do you use for your video shots?
I'm thinking of getting something like a helmet cam to record fast descents down the Pyrenees later in the year.
The Keen Targhee is a great shoe. I bought a pair of the low cut version about three and a half years ago. They were my everyday work shoe. They withstood much abuse. The only reason I'm not still wearing them is that they started to develop an odor. I think it had a lot to do with the combination of extreme Texas heat, waterproof material, and synthetic socks. My wife threw them out.
ReplyDeleteIndeed I also think you'll find those Keens to be excellent. I've got the lower-cut version too, and I've had mine for just over 3 years. Still going strong, and still my footwear of choice for platform pedals. Summer and Winter. I think you'll be very impressed with the waterproofness of the too. I've had mine submerged in water while walking for a few hours, and my feet stayed dry. It's amazing how they can be so breathable and waterproof at the same time! Hope they're just as good for you.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
trevor; i use a Tachyon 2010 XC camera, i won 2 for some films i made, there cheaper than a Go Pro HD even in the new 2011 HD version, Go Pro seem to make the best mounts and are more popular, but at £300 alot of outlay if you wont use it alot,
ReplyDeleteRTP & jerome; sounds like i bought a good pair of boots then!, top trick for shoe smell is put a bit of Bounce tumble dry sheet in each shoe...used to work for MX helmets too!
The O-rings, are a good idea. I am trying to find a good way to use my full size ergon bar ends with bar mitts.
ReplyDelete