Another Midweek Commute Detour

Still a big freeze this week so like on Tuesday today i rode my pugsley up to work.
No wind today so really quiet with just the crunch of the tyres on the white rye at the sides of the road.

Sunrise 08.35;

A nice old Sunbeam at the garage next door to our workshop...

3pm and a half mile down to the beach at Peffersands, and the sand was frozen solid from the dunes down to the high tide line...

Fitted a 1962 Brooks Professional saddle i previously had on the Klunker bike, 50 years old and still loads of life in it yet. Wonder where that saddle has been before i bought it cheap on eBay a year ago...
Its real comfy too -:) ...

Sun had just set but it was that magic time of day with lovely light in the sky and on the sea. I only lasts a short time before the light goes flat...

Onto the beach, rock hard above the previous high tide line...

Lovely light reflected on the wet sand...

Through the woods as the sunset at 15.36, and on with the lights, i had both Magicshine 872 lights but only riding with one on lowest setting. I used both later once dark on full power for pictures...

Along the secret trail and although fozen solid there was no ice and there was loads of grip...

Then through to Tyninghame and along the river Tyne trails all the way to Haddington...

Mud free trails!, as you know i do not like Mud , So this weather is ideal for riding this trail that gets more muddy on the new section nearer Haddington...

Into Haddington and a look at the Xmas lights before heading home via the Garleton Hills...

Midweek Detour Commute

Been a cold snap again this week with temperatures not been above 3C, hard frost for 4 days now, best thing is of course winter sunshine and no mud!...
-4C today so i rode the pugsley to work today and went for a short ride after work...

Out tyred today at work!, tractors up from Northumberland last week and again today removing unused building materials from yard....

3pm and home time and made the most of the mud free frozen ground, 1C at lunchtime and 0C as i rode over the old road to North Berwick...

As the sun got lower so did the temperature...

Down to Canty Bay then around below The Glen Golf Club...

Hoped to do some film riding the rocks here but going to get to dark too get anything that good...

Down on the East Beach and along into Town..

Fantastic light...

Xmas lights warm the town but it was getting cold!, popped in to see Dave at Law Cycles and also enjoy a warm up ...

Back home and these wee fellows were feeling the drop in temperature. In this Swallows at my front door are 4 or 5 Wrens, Britain's smallest bird, huddled together to keep warm...

A month ago a codex add on on my PC stopped working and i could not upload HD film onto Movie Maker, finally i have got around to uploading and trying out Serif Movie Plus X6 editing software.
Unlike the Pinnacle software i had to un install because it froze my computer this works fine an i can also now edit MOV movie files from my newer Canon Power Shot A 3200 IS compact.
Takes a little longer to edit but i will get the hang of it,
The quality of the Canon HD video is good for only £70...

And you get decent sound of the waves and can see stuff in the distance and after sunset in the low light unlike the Go Pro. For ride by static filming and panning views it is ideal to mix with some on board footage.
Here is video footage shot on the Canon in a 1 minute Flickr film of the coast east of North Berwick...

So this footage combined with the Go Pro on the monopod and the helmet mount make for nice a wee film, click on the cog icon to select  to view in HD

Song is `In The Key Of Blue` by Quantic

£8 in two years -:)

With another cold snap this week and a lot of mud on the roads i am back to commuting on the old Muddy Fox Courier. Saves me hosing down the Fargo daily, then drying it down before hanging in the kitchen -:)

The old Muddy Fox i bought for a snap at £60, it is around a 1985/86 model. Flickr set of the bike
Made in Japan at the Tange factory it still has all the original drive chain of Sugino cranks and Suntour mechs and thumb shifters. The Moose bars i fitted i have had for years collecting dust.
I also fitted some old school 1.95 IRC tyres, an old Brooks saddle, pannier rack and tools/pump i had in the man cave along with a new chain and control cables, and in two years of near daily use until i got the Fargo it has only coast me £8 for a chain last month. It is the only bike i use a wet chain lube on for pure lazyness after being out in the rain.
Lights are only used for blinkies/back up, a Magicshine torch and bar mount provides rechargable lighting.
It gets washed once a month and chain oiled weekly and thats it...

I still love riding this old bike, it rides nice with the steel frameset and the thin knobblies are ideal for mud covered roads...

After rain all the mud at the road side gets dragged out. The Stonelaws road here was tarred a year ago and rolls real smooth now. But this mud at the side is dangerous for a cyclist in the dark esp when it is frozen.
Cycling to work you are very aware of the road conditions in these dark winter mornings.
I don`t think some car drivers realise how icy it often is by the speed they drive at.
Some don`t seem to understand you cannot pull into the gloop on a bicycle like in the pic below safely.
I always give a wave as drivers pass when they slow up behind before passing.
Sharing roads is not a big issue around here during commuting time when it is mostly the same drivers you see year round. Though i only see luckily a dozon in winter and less on earlier summer starts!

Sunset is 15.38 today, be the shortest day in a couple of weeks.
It is great having a `Dirty Bike` as you just hang it up in the lean to when you get home.
It is ideal for going to the shops, or pub, just remove the tools, no quick release skewers make this ideal for locking up, as does its value.

I love the Moose Bars and chunky Suntour Thumbies..

Dia Compe Canti brakes still have good power...

Hubs, headset and Bottom bracket get a yearly grease...

-:)

See bicycles do not have to cost a lot of money,  £8 for two years!... nice to ride something retro too...

Dusting of snow again on our Lammermuir Hills, maybe get some good snow riding again this winter...

Spectactular sunset again but the temperature plummits once the suns gone.
It is hard to be motovated to go out again at night after a day outside in the cold...

Global Fat Bike Day 1st December

East Lothian coast ride...

6 of us rode out and along the coast on Saturday, a very cold, clear day, after a wee toast with the hip flask out at Aberlady Bay...

 We then made our way east to North Berwick Town for food and stopped in at Law Cycles to see Dave. Then it was back to mine for coffee with the lights on as the sun set and the temperature dropped, then an evening with a few beers in front of a roaring fire and as usual some pizza made for a perfect day...

I was very lazy yesterday and despite taking my Go Pro kit and camera i only took 2 pics all day!,
so sorry if your waiting for some film etc, i just wanted to ride my bike and enjoy the day with my friends...

The number to turn up for the day was a bit disappointing for the amount of fat bikes in and around East Lothian but i guess a lot of people are busy with other stuff this now as Xmas gets closer.

We had a great time!, thanks Colin, Derek, Mike, Richie, and Jason for making it, and being great company.

Richie took loads of pics with his i phone so here are a few from the day...

More here by Richie;  Photo bucket

This film from Minnesota by Fat Tire MN  is deft Fat Bike Central!...

Global Fat Day from Fat Tire MN on Vimeo.

There are some great pictures from around the world here on the USA MTBR FatBike Forum thread

And here at home in the UK;  UK Fat Bike Forum