Hilarious Cycling Parody film on YouTube!

Ex Engineer leaks how marketing works in the bike industry...

This hilarious Parody appeared online a few weeks ago,
If you ride bikes like i have you will find this hilarious, and laugh your head off too!  :D

I just got to get the Boost hubs then eBike to be totally fished in...   :)

Winter sun on the coast...

It was a real cold Friday evening and Saturday dawned dry and cold. A frost on the ground and a biting cold westerly wind, really cold!.  I went  a cycle along the coast with Mark and Jason, riding a few different trails to try keep out of the cold wind...

Out on the Reserve and an easy pace with added tail wind as we returned along the dunes tops on the `T Trail`...

The trail  takes around 6 minutes at an easy pace, so here it it unedited,
Song is a 6 min version of `American Dream`  by Jakatta...


Winter Fatbike beachriding; T trail, Nov 17 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.


Along from the dunes to stop at  Jovey`s Neuk...

We always stop here and try ride this challenging little climb at the old Iron Ore mine, looks easy but i more often than not fail to clean it!...

We rode east and stopped to get out the cold wind at the WW2 searchlight station, Jason brought his stove and i brought my cup and instant coffee for a brew.  Ron Hill running gloves are ace to wear under 3 season riding gloves to keep the chill out....

Down broadsands and onto NB, a quick shifty around the harbour then back along the west beach and the John Muir Way trail into Yellowcraig and through Archerfield, shortcut to `Bake bean` trail back to Gullane...

The setting sun over Gullane hill was spectacular...

I filmed behind Jason along `Bake Bean` trail,
Another uncut film showing the inland sandy single track trails we have here...

Song is `Here we are` by Bloc Party...


Fatbike Cycle;  `Bake bean` trail;   Nov 17 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.


And the berries that name this trail...Sea Buckthorn...

The temperature plummeted as we road back to the car park, soon be home and warm in front of the stove...


Film from the day,
Song is `Orange crush` by REM


Winter cycle along the coast; Nov 17 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.



More soon...

Friday Fatbike Commute

Under 4 weeks now to the winter solstice,
Today an 8.05am sunrise, 15.49pm sunset and time to get out in darkness on the commute off road as real cold high pressure weather ends the week.
Wrapped up now for commuting in winter trousers (Keela Scuffers) and a base layer, and mid weight merino socks it`s fun to get out and embrace winter.

Lights were charged the previous evening and i got up an hour early and left the house at 6am giving me a relaxed hour to ride to work off road on the John Muir Way trail...

Without a camera capable of decent night time pictures i always struggle to get pics in the dark. Night  riding is fun off road as trails you know well and are familiar with seem quite different through the beam of lights.  The latest lights allow you to ride almost as fast in the dark as daylight off road, but i think they can take away some of the element of night riding which is only seeing  the trail close up, so it is a balance of on the edge fun and safety...

After a few days heavy rain the JMW makes for quite a mud free ride into town where all was quiet, only delivery vans and newspaper delivery kids on the streets...
Back on the JMW and into darkness and the woods at Yellowcraig then into the estate...

Nice light shows...

Arrive at work early and time for a cuppa before a check around as the sun came up...

A cold but pleasant day in the winter sun...

Soon be home time and the sun had already set and the last light of the day in the sky to the west as i headed back to NB via the JMW again to Yellowcraig...

Along the coast above the tide line and Fidra Lighthouse again lit up the darkening sky..

Through the sandy single track to NB as the light faded behind...

Last pic from the harbour as the temperature started to drop... time to head for home and a Cider in front of a warm stove...

More soon...

Charge Cooker Maxi 1 Alloy Fatbike build £300 + used parts...

Ok i lied it cost £315 plus used parts i already had but yeah a cool Fatbike built from the cash of selling my old car and using stuff i had to hand plus the following new parts;

Frame; clearance on eBay;   £78
wheelset with tyres;              £145
VP 100mm sq taper BB;       £18
Headset;                                £18
10 speed chain                      £18
Avid BB7 brake callipers     £18
Charge Spoon saddle           £20

What`s this? an alloy frame fatbike?
Yeah i know!, i like steel bikes, but you find me a steel Fatbike frame for this price, you simply cannot. and when i seen these advertised on eBay for this price it was a no brainer...

Used Parts;
Some of the items above  i could have sourced used but time was running out for a winter beach bike to be ready - this bike is replacing my old Pugsley which at 10 years old and Scotland`s 1st fatbike is being retired from the harsh conditions of the east coast to be restored to how i bought it, and the `Charge has been built to also preserve my Surly Wednesday with it`s suspension fork and dropper post,

A 40t 10 speed Sunrace cassette and Shimano 1 x 10 ZEE drive train was used from a previous Surly Krampus 29+  build, everything else in the spec was used at some point in previous  Fatbike builds which if i sold on eBay i would estimate to be worth around say £100?

Cheap Fatbikes buys complete;
There is a complete stock Charge Cooker 1 Maxi for sale this now on a Facebook page for £400 which is about the cheapest you can buy a decent frame set Fatbike for here in the UK,
So i kinda matched that with using used parts i had already payed for but yeah for under £500 you can get a decent built Fatbike,


Swappable stuff;
Despite being a large frame this bike measures up only a half inch longer than a medium Surly Pugsley, and my original 18" Pugsley Medium size frame bag made for my old `non drop tube` Pug Epic Designs frame bag fits this frame nicely (As it also does for my Surly Wednesday)
Ideal for stashing extra winter clothing, to a brew kit...
In case you think the bag looks too small thats a grab rail gap on the top tube for walking in snow conditions for those new to the Fatbike scene ;)

You could add on to the £30 cost of 2 x 24" inner tubes and tubeless sealant to set the wheels up Ghetto tubeless, and a set of Alpkit mudguards, but they are personal upgrades in my book...

Makes for an ideal bike for winter beach riding duties, and saving my Surly Wednesday which is my hardtail MTB in + wheel set up and with its suss forks and dropper post through the winter months...

More soon...

Winter, stoves, and free heat...

Winter and time to get a heat in front of the stove you have cut wood for all summer in preparation...

Norwegian Wood; 

I was given this amazing book for my Christmas 3 years ago from my Big bro and O,
And what a great read on firewood, how to cut it and stack it and dry it. It may be focused around Scandinavia but the principles are the same around the world as is the satisfaction and feeling of contentment and how therapeutic it can be cutting your own firewood...

It features some great information and some amazing pictures of stacked firewood...

Turns out a couple of friends already know about and have this book and love it too.
If you follow  This link... to Amazon for the book you can read the first few pages of the book,
It`s a hard book to put down once you get into it...


Here is a film on Youtube by SkillCult of his own review of the book...


You can read his own blog post of the book Here...


Back home...
My own little wood stock is slowly growing!

5 meters deep, 3 months dried Willow...

Green Willow...

Scots Pine and Ash...

2 coastal harvests off the coast...

My late fathers axes, he bought these when engaged to mum, so there over 50 years old now...

Building for the future...

More soon...