End of Week...

Back to work mid week though i still have a cold its getting a lot better,
Week 3 of it now and probably another week yet still,
No hardcore cycling for me but i have cycled to work last 3 days taking it easy to not cough myself silly...i love being able to cycle to work.
Been cold and clear all week, white frosts and temperatures only around 1-2C by midday with lovely mornings and a Full moon setting...

And slowly its getting lighter earlier and now just the blinky lights on commuting...

So great trail conditions if you want mud free mountainbiking...or a fast ride along a frozen beach but not for me...got to rest...
Bloody 2nd weekend off and i just wanna go ride my Pugsley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But its ok i got some good medication tonight, Tesco are doing big bottles of Glenmorangie Malt reduced to £20...kills all known germs...
or was that another advert?
And heres why i ride a MTB as a commuter...

Check out the state of those holes!...

Still its easy going to what these guys have been up to for the last 16 days...
When off work ill at least allowed me to follow this years Dakar Rally across Argentina and Chile, Great desert scenery images from the Helicopters and those dunes in the Atacama desert were amazing!,
A great event which brings some winter sunshine into our homes...
if you have Eurosport...
Here is the ASO pre race teaser film...

And here is a report from the end of the 1st week...
bikes,quads,cars and trucks and man himself battle against nature in one of the toughest motorsport races..but the scenery is as always just as great to see...

maybe see you on the coast again soon...

Bike line up for 2011...

Is er...probably going to be the same, shelved plans for a replacement lighter fatbike for several reasons,more of in a bit.

Time for a clear out as i only need 3 bikes;
1. commuter bike (pays for itself in no time)
2. Beach bike,
3. Cross country mountainbike,

So time to sell some stuff but no more Ebay as time you pay selling fee`s etc...
selling stuff word of mouth costs nothing and saves time wasters etc...
so decided to sell my present commuter after returning it to a cross country (XC) bike.
Friend Mikes Dad Wull now is owner of a very rare (in the UK) Cannondale Killer V...

So you should still see pics of that bike from time to time on here...
Although only 7 months old and bought out of curiosity to see why everyone else buys them ive sold my On One 456 frame to friend Paul,
I only need one hardtail mountainbike.

So the idea i had of a fatbike lighter than the Surly Pugsley is a good idea but in reality i already have a better bike that i can carry up trackless hills and also do decent road miles in and out of areas- the Karate Monkey 29er...
The Pugsleys weight doesn't matter for beach riding and riding trackless wet areas on the coast so im just gonna keep on rolling with the Pug...
Also im now tierd of spending every spare penny on Bikes...and parts...

Im also really disappointed at how long bike clothing lasts.
Stitching on alot of stuff is rubbish and all companys seem to be guilty with certain items,
So once existing stuff wears out im buying multi purpose outdoor clothing which i can use cycling,walking,camping and once old even for work,
Im buying a new solo lightweight tent and also a tarp to add to the different camping options and will do more weekends/one nighters away than last year.
I'm also swapping to flat pedals on all bikes, and keeping one pair of Time pedals for my 5 year old pretty worn out Shimano MT90 boots.
I need 2 new pairs of walking boots (summer and winter) and they will be used for walking and cycling...

So the narrowed down bike list;
Pugsley, still does the job it was bought for...

Karate Monkey 29er; great all day XC bike,bikepacking adventure bike,and with the Rigid fork and rear rack and semi slicks i have a burly tourer...

And for commuting check out the new `25 year old` bike -:)
I cant sell the old courier!

I`ve fitted the mudgaurds and a spare rack for the pannier and all the lights from the killer V,still to get some BOB Trailer axle nuts.
The old school 28,38,48t front chain rings and higher geared shimano 6 speed freewheel i fitted makes gearing ideal on the middle 38tooth front ring,
It also means i dont need to replace the worn outer ring,in fact i will probably grind it smooth like a chain gaurd...the IRC old school tyres are ok on the road and ideal for mud covered roads from tractors working...

Flat pedals,sit up and beg riding position with those big bars is ideal,as is the sidestand,

Having bolt on hubs is ideal and lights are all cable tied on to prevent quick theft,


Using P clips and a bit of bodging i fitted my Dutch Lock i bought last year,with a small wire loop i can lock the bike to things, very civilized,

And keeping with the Dutch theme an anglo Scottish/Dutch bell painted by Hanneke last year on Queens Day,


So 3 bikes...er well theres a 4th... considering what i will get for this frame and fork i still have the 12 year old Cannondale Super V. So i have just built it up using its previous build which was on the On One frame...just needs a pair of flat pedals...

Its probably worth more to keep and ride once in a while,always a spare bike for friends and for its value ideal for leaving locked ouside the car in campsites,it has a high BB height but it climbs well and is ideal to take up north where pedal clearance is good through heather singletrack...

People ask me why i dont ride and film more at Glentress and Innerleithen Trail Centres as living only about 50 minutes drive away...probably because i rode there all the time for nearly 10 years...Different cycling on different types of bikes to what i like to do nowadays...but i will pop down with this bike soon and do some filming both at GT and Inner`s,maybe even get the knee and elbow armour dug out and show you how much fun you can have there even on an old bike like this...
In the meantime like this cold i have had for over a week i seem stuck with this frame for now...

Song of the Sun...

Mike Oldfields song to image`s of Sunrise`s, skys, and sunsets of East Lothian taken during 2010...

At Last!...

After much head scratching and nearly giving up we have photos again...yippee!
So some from the last few weeks out and about cycling with friends...
Xmas Day was the last decent snow ride before the thaw set in, a nice wee solo ride with just the hip flask for company...



Holiday Monday was spent with friends around an old Estate in Mid Lothian...






Between Xmas and new Year the Weather was pretty horrible as a Snow thaw always is...overcast and fog here on the coast,only frozen snow now remains in areas sheltered from Sun and wind...

With ice from trampled snow left on paths and trails the Beach was as always open for business...


This is the only remaining WW2 coastal defence Anti Glider pole still standing on our coastline to my knowledge...In an area called `Heckies Hole` near the Tyne Estuary...Been standing here 70 years now...


Another day and a group ride with friends around Pencaitland,lots of ice in places!...







And we had a few pints down at the local Pub afterwards making it a top day out.
Most of the snow has gone here between the local Garlton Hills and the coast now and again we have lovely winter colours of browns and greens...i nipped up to Garlton Monument after work and took some pics, nice to get some blue sky`s again too...










And just to prove that blue sky isn`t photo shopped here`s a wee film from up top of the monument...

Last sunday i organised a ride around my xc local loop i used to do often and a couple of new faces turned up and although i never took any pics during the ride i did of this group we met, Colin showed me these Alpaca`s, never knew there were any here in East lothian...always something new to see when out and about...

Still no pics...

But hope to have stuff sorted soon,New Bank Card on its way...And there was i giving Google grief!...oops...
Along with a broken TV remote control i have to admit to having enjoyed the technology break...
In the meantime until i can post some pics of the many days I've been out and about since Christmas here are 2 films which are doing the rounds on some of the biking forums i read this now...
Followers of this blog who don't cycle may want to watch as it shows why these bikes like my Surly Pugsley and other makes (collectively known as `Fatbikes`) were originally conceived for...Adventure,exploring and racing in some of the wildest winter climates on Earth...

This is some of former Iditabike winner Mike Curiak`s pictures and video diary of his thoughts while transversing the Iditarod Trail from Knik to Nome without outside support... thats no support from anyone...
That`s an epic trip...

Houston we have a problem...

As i went to write up a post on the previous week being out and about i couldn't upload pics...apparently Ive used my google free upload limit (surprise surprise) and they want a (small) payment for more memory storage yet wont except payment details...anyone else had this yet? there is cash to pay but its not working,so no pics I'm afraid...
So until i can work out whats going on here's some YouTube surfing...
I'm working on a future Super marine Spitfire film, hopefully a bit different from the present You Tube films and collecting up stuff to use. browsing through stuff i found this amazing footage of the Rolls Royce Merlin engine under construction...



So many hours to build just part of a machine. This engine did not only power the Spitfire but as well as the Hawker Hurricane 2 would power the Mosquito and 4 power the Avro Lancaster Bomber...and later it would power the P51 Mustang, proberly the best fighter plane of WW2.
So much work for something which could have been lost along with human life in a second...
Luckily it was an effort not wasted and we can still see those efforts today...
Starting up it still sounds amazing...



Then theres the sound of one flying overhead...



Flown with skill...



Still capable of holding its own today...and its armed!



Cant forget the real job they were built to do...