Another year nearly over...
How i have been cycling has changed this year, no more road cycling commuting, the country roads are just to scary to cycle with the huge increase in traffic around commuting time with all the building work going on around my local town of North Berwick. A couple of real close passes with builders vans has made me think `stuff this for a laugh!, i now drive to work and take a bike in the van and ride after work if i want,
It seems that building on green land around North Berwick town and Gullane village with bland housing crammed into areas, the Authorities are hell bent on destroying our countryside, and the local road infrastructure that will soon not cope with the demands of the amount of traffic on it at peak times...
Anyway rant over and back to cycling off road around East Lothian with bikes to suit is still what i enjoy, beaches, field boundaries, woods, there is so many places you can cycle and get away from it all if you want, i tend to not do all day rides anymore, one or two hour rides, some pics and a wee film to edit for a blog post once home suit me more...
January;
Snow made for a good excuse to re visit the pylon road and although the hills have changed a lot with the building of the Wind farm the feeling of remoteness is still the same up there as i only passed one walker on the ride...
A wee film, Song is `Organ Inc` by Phontaine
Pylon Road Winter cycle; Jan 2018 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
Winter is my favourite time for beach riding, cold clear high pressure weather gives an amazing light with long shadows, great for pics and filming, the Fish eye lens of my Go Pro HERO 4 Session camera seems to soak up the sun and gives a great aurora to the sun...
Surly announced a new Pugsley, it got mixed reviews online because it`s not latest MTB style etc, but that is not what it`s market is, it`s an offroad tourer, and nearly a year on it makes sense to me why this was re created, i know i would love one in the collection, esp with 29+ wheels...
You can read my blog on the bike here; Blog post on Pugsley 2.0
February;
Another fine winter day on the east coast, and a ride on the Big Surly Moonlander at John Muir Park, did a lot of rides at JMP this year as always quiet and 3 loops are possible around the park that mix up sandy woodland single track, salt marsh, and beach, which you can cycle right out to the river Tyne estuary and the sand here can sometimes be real soft, but great on a windy day when the sand blows across the point in gusts...
First signs of early spring in late February...
Wee film in Binning Woods, Song is `Mississippi Two Tone` by Phontaine
March;
`The Beast From The East` was the winter storm that hit the headlines, long forecasted it still caught out a lot of people, natch when you have a Fatbike it would be rude to not go out and enjoy the weather!
Cycling to NB i had to take to fields in places as the drifts covered wall to wall/hedge to hedge, some places were passable where tractors had drove through...
Film of that ace day, Song is`Reach For The Dead` by Boards of Canada
Fatbike Snowride; `The Beast From The East` Storm; March 1st 2018 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
The closed roads were open the next day, wet snow but real deep drifts!
Back home from work and back round the snow trail i made the previous day...
We film, Song is `Forever` by Phontaine
Fatbike Snowride; Mar 4th 2018 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
`5 Oclock World` was a Blog post of many typical post work rides through the sandy dunes and coastline when often no one is around as the day visitors have gone home, and the commuters have still to get home to walk their dogs, a wee gap of solitude to unwind after a days work...
You maybe saw some Fatbikes on TV on BBC Countryfile, yep that was us lot, first Fatbikes to have a feature on mainstream UK TV...
Was a fun day and Anita really enjoyed here first Fatbike cycle on the coast-and the team were blown away at the coastal scenery here on the east coast...
A week later another storm hit the east coast, this one named the `mini beast from the east`
I had a great cycle around Tyninghame with Jake Dog, who is always happy when he finds a huge stick!
Wee film, Song is `Break To The Future, by Phontaine
Fatbike beachride; day 2 of the `Mini Beast from the East` storm, March 2018 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
April;
And something unreal on the coast that happened, Thousands of Norway Redwood Pine planks started to wash up on the coast!...
And i mean loads and loads of them in various sizes, Online local News said depending on what you read 200 bundles or 200 tons were cut free from a deck of a ship after they moved on deck during the mini beast from the east storm out in the North Sea and put the ship out of control...
Both sides of the Forth Estuary from St Andrews to Newcastle had this washed up on it`s coast,
It was like `Whiskey Galore` but for wood!, every where you looked folk had loads on car roofs,
You will see it on this dawn cycle film i did at Broadsands...
Song is `Je Suis Le Vent` by Working For A Nuclear Free City...
Dawn Beachride; Broadsands 7:4:18 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
And more came in a week or so later, here out at Gullane point the whole beach was covered...
Film, Song is `Super Nova` by Pico
Surly Moonlander; Rock Crawling at Gullane Point; March 2018 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
Above film you see my Surly Moonlander finally set up near perfect for my style of coast riding, you can read the update from back in March Here; Surly Moonlander Update...
May;
May, And FORTH FAT 2018... a smaller turn out this year as the Fatbike craze has died down as the mainstream cycling manufacturers who coined in on it have moved on to marketing the mainstream cycling sector just the purists are still riding them for the right reasons, full report .Here...
Saturday`s film, Song is `KOMPROMAT` by The Barr Brothers...
FORTH FAT 2018; Pt2; Saturday Subs visit from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
I also restored my old original MK1 Pugsley to how i mostly rode it back in the early days, Endomorphs and all!, though i did set them up Ghetto split tubeless.
This pic is from back in 2008...
10 years later...
Wee film restoring and shakedown ride...
Song is `Oscar See Through Red Eye` by Boards of Canada
2008 Surly Pugsley; 10 Years old Restoration from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
June;
I re wrote about the former RAF Drem Airfield, and its important role at the start of WW2...
Home to Spitfires and Hurricanes...
Today;
Same corner in 1940;
You can read about some of the former airfields history Here...
Out cycling on the summer Solstice, out for the longest day at sunrise;
Sunrise 4.24am
Post work cycle 4pm
Sunset 10.30pm
Midnight;
July;
Out cycling along with M on her horse Johnny...
Wee film,
Harvest Horse and bike ride; West Fenton, Pt 1, Sept 2018 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
A great weeks holiday to the Aberdeenshire/Banffshire coast with M, staying at the amazing little village of Pennan we had a great week walking, some short beach rides, and chilling out...
Crovie was an amazing former fishing village, now mostly holiday houses, fun wee film descending down the now closed to cars road then along the seafront...
Coastrider; Crovie from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
A great stretch of east coast to spend a week exploring...
Coastrider; Fraserburgh from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
Coastrider; Newburgh Beach July 2018 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
The following week a road trip to Skye with friend Craig and 3 days bike packing around the Isle of Harris
Wee film, Song is `Scotland`s Shame` by Mogwai...
Cycling the Western beaches of the Isle of Harris, July 2018 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
Blog post of the trip Here...
August;
An early harvested field near home seen many films as i rode through on route to the local woods and coast..
Here is one of many films shot across that one field...
Song is `Fun Lovin Criminal` by The Fun Lovin Criminals
Surly KramPug 29+ Harvest Cycle 2018 Pt6 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
Another Sunday and a nice cycle at Dunglass beach with friend Chris who farms here, and is a great guide to a less visited stretch of East Lothian coast line...
Blog post here...
September;
Harvest and many rides alongside M on her horse Johnny...
Wee film, Song is `Fly Away` by Lenny Kravitz
Harvest Horse and Bike ride, Sept 2018 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
More fields allowed more routes joining up stubble fields... 29+ concept is perfect for this riding with the float/roll of the big cart wheels...
A return cycle up to The goblin castle ruin in Yester Woods with Craig
Autumn Cycle; Gifford Pt 2 2018 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
October;
Back on the coast and i had some ace rides with Jake Dog, who has become a great trail dog now he is used to running alongside the bike...
JMP Beachride with Jake Dog; 27th Oct 2018 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
Tyninghame beachride with Jake Dog; 28th Oct 2018 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
I have been cycling more at John Muir Park as it is often quiet once away from the car park, woodland sandy single track, WW2 buildings and Sandy Hirst Point make for a mixed ride on sand...
JMP Woods and Beachride; 20th Oct 2018 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
November;
Dark nights and colder, stove weather in the evenings!
Cold damp weather this November with most days a chilling onshore easterly breeze, but still got out for some cycling with friends...
Song is `Feels Like Home (Yellowstone) by Phontaine...
November XC Cycle with friends 2018 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
I also re wrote my Fatbike Preparation for Beach riding with some updates, some things i found from experience that may save you some money on costly repairs, you can read that Here..
A visit to The Kelpies... Blog Post
A fun 60 od mile cycle with friends taking in the Queensferry coastline cycle route, the amazing Kelpies, Falkirk Wheel, Union canal, in some cool tunnels to cycle through...
Film of the day, Song is `Dayvan Cowboy` by Boards of Canada
Cycle to the Kelpies; Nov 2018 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
December;
Only a couple of rides this month, one an ace day down to my local woods and coast with 2 friends Chris with a stop for a stove brew up...
Wee film of the day...Song is `Seeya Later 2014` by Boards of Canada
Tyninghame Fatbike Cycle with Friends; 1st Dec 2018 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
And to round off an early morning cycle around the sands of the Reserve Point on the Pugsley,
Cycle to Gullane Point; Dec 2018 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
Then with a swap of wheels to the 29+ I rode out to Bickertons Tomb and the surrounding woods and trails with Craig in the afternoon...
Cycle to Bickerton`s Tomb, Dec 2018 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
Back soon with some popular viewed, personal favourite blog posts over the next couple of months...
More soon...
