Drop bar cycle on bone dry February trails...

Chris suggested a wee ride out to test his newly acquired Surly Disc Trucker, so i pumped up my Dawes Ultra Galaxy i converted to cable disc brakes and he popped along for a quick afternoon blast around a local loop i often cycle...

This was the last forecasted sunny day before a change in the weather forecasted for the weekend so it was good to make the most of it. Despite shod with road touring tyres Chris was hooning it on the bone dry trails,  i kept close behind with the 41mm Surly Knard tyres giving great grip being in their ideal riding conditions and was grinning like a dafty capturing some ace riding footage of touring bikes going flat out through woodland trails!..

Up to a favourite view point near Fenton tower, the hazy low sun was not ideal for distant views but did not matter, Chris was loving his new rig, i was puffing away trying to keep up!...

Past the tower...

Then flat out down the mowed field boundary - the best kept paths and boundaries are around this farm

Back through the estate and it was a stunning afternoon to be out cycling...

Snow drops, Daffodils, and Wild Garlic all out now in the woods..

Back at HQ and a coffee and blether about touring bikes - Chris has done a lot of touring around Europe and owns a lovely Thorn Cycles Raven, a bike that will need no introducing to touring cyclists...

The Victorians invented bicycle touring and bike packing with frame bags etc over a 100 years ago, Mountainbiking  as the term of off road cycling became known from several origins, the most known were the Klunkers of Marin County and the Tom Ritchie made frames.
But the oldest known off road cycling Club was invented in England and is still active today - The Rough Stuff Fellowship, they cycled road and touring bikes all over the countryside and mountains. Ropes and Hike a bike were the norm in the early days of Victorian cyclists and later the CTC.
Now we have `Gravel` and `Adventure` bikes,  originally invented by the Victorians, and being now marketed by many manufacturers in the Millennium as something new to do!...

Here is a film that will give you a giggle, Hooning it through the woods on 40mm tyres and drop bars :)
Song is `Niogax - 2014` by Boards of Canada



More soon...