Sunday morning cycle... coastal trails on the 29+

Clear skies again this weekend here on the East coast!, lovely mid winter weather-as long as you wrap up as the wind was biting cold!
Got out for an early morning ride on the 29+ Surly KramPug  down to North Berwick on a frozen mud free John Muir Way, then headed west via the JMW again to Yellowcraig and along to Gullane...

Yellowcraig was busy being the last day of the Xmas holidays, hard to get a picture of the Links with no people in it!...

So i took one of the Sea Buckthorn glowing in the low winter sun...

Leaving a busy car park is was up to Dirleton then into Archiefield estate...

Dropping down to spend an hour or so riding grassy trails through the miles of  paths here in the dunes...

Google Earth pic of the area...

Zoomed in on a grassy dune you can see a concrete object from WW2 in the centre of the pic...

Puts this area into scale...

After loads of riding it was up to the Pine woods for a loop of more trails...

Then along to Gullane on the Bake Bean trail, met loads of folk out walking, despite only mid morning it was hoaching with folk!...

So i split up to Gullane Hill, you can see the busy car park of folk out enjoying a lovely winter day on the coast...

This pic is from 2009 of what was a base for a WW2 anti aircraft gun emplacement here...

Last year this seat was built on its base...

One of the memorials inside is to Bill Robertson, Head Greenkeeper at Gullane Golf Course when i left school and started work at Gullane No3 Course in 1987,
I attended `Robbie`s` funeral along with many other local Greenkeeper`s and i always remember him pleased when i met him after i too became a Head Greenkeeper. He was a kind and popular person...

Time for some coffee and some Christmas cake!, while soaking up the view over the Links and the Forth Estuary..

Back on the bike and down the trail to Gullane cliffs and then through the Nature Reserve not stopping until here at one of my favourite views, overlooking the WW2  coastal defences and sand dunes...

Again loads of people were out walking so i bailed up to Gala Hill (Quarry corner) and down to ride some of the JMW again then headed through the former Drem Airfield...

Through the woods of Drem Ride and i went to look for something which i find hard to believe is still there...

This WW2 RAF blue ammo box!, think i need to pop by with the BOB trailer and do an uplift!...

Still ice and frozen mud where the sun has not shone today...

Around the old Airfield Peri track and onto towards Kingston and around field boundaries home...

The `Pumpkin Pugsley` is a nice Pug to ride in 29+ mode with the Jones Bars, also got some new wide MTB risers bars i will fit next week, then decide if i will keep these loop bars or sell them to help fund a new camera...

And talking of things Orange, i built this bike up for friend Andrew yesterday...

A 2015 Genesis Caribou...

Excuse the red pedals i loaned Andrew until he gets a pair ordered. I rust proofed the frame with frame saver, juiced the tubes with Stans, and de greased the chain  and dry lubed it with Squirt so it`s ready to roll on the coast...

A lot of talk about these new cable disc brakes , they pull the pads on both sides, friend Sanny has a pair on his cross bike and swears by them...

Cheers for the Cider for building it up Andrew!...

Happy!

More soon...

Into 2015... and spannering on bikes already!, Surly Pugsley Fatbike No3 for 2015!

Happy New Year!
No beach ride this New Years day, had a couple of days off from cycling and been chilling out...
Sadly the pic above is the weather we had on 2nd January as i cycled home today, overcast and damp and not very warm...
Hogmany was a better day as i cycled into work...

Home midday and this was the last sunshine of 2014...

Meanwhile in the Man Cave;
I stripped down the Surly Karate Monkey 29er i recently built from an unused frame set 2 weeks ago as since building i have not, and know i will hardly ride this bike.

So why build it then?;
I built it as i originally thought it would be unlikely i can afford a Krampus 29+ frame set/ And while the KM 29er is a cracking bike to ride- this is my 3rd KM, it is not a 29+

So i plan to use the wheels from this bike for a future 29+ bike, Deft a Krampus!

Why?
I just don`t have a use for a regular 29er MTB living here in East Lothian. And i have my other Karate Monkey Drop Bar 29er-aka Monstercross for inland trails...

This bike  is my idea of a more comfortable Salsa Fargo. I sold a Genesis CDF after trying that as i prefer this for offroad even if not as fast on the tarmac. But gets little use as it is- maybe it needs to get some decent mudguards and do more commuting with detours home off road!,

A 29+  MTB  would be of more use for the soft in places coastal sandy trails around here, places where above the tide line and soft sand dunes i do not need the extra  weight of a full 4" Fatbike...

You still following all this?
Bear with me...  another reason  i decided to do this is i was offered this Surly Pugsley frame set from friend Gary B, and at the price asked there was no chance i was not going to buy it when i knew it has been well looked after by Gary...
Pugsley No3!...

The frame set is a Snow blind ( White Mk4) Pugsley with offset fork like my other two Pugs...
Swapping the gears and brakes and control parts over from the Grey Karate Monkey was a no brainer thing to do when i already have a pair of offset Pugsley wheels, tubes and tyres, in fact i have 2 spare pairs!...

These wheels i fitted today i  built myself from a pair of Surly `Large Marge` 65mm Fatbike rims Gary gave me previously and used two hubs i had lying around; a rear 135mm Shimano XT from the Moonlander, and a Surly 135mm single speed disc hub from the KramPug wheels Tyler from Surly gave me as a thanks after the first Forth Fat Gathering.
262mm spokes from some old 26" MTB wheels and i had a pair of Pugsley wheels :)

I was sent some Squirt Puncture Sealant to try out by Carl at Into Dust- Squirt UK  and i recently bought some new tubes, a pair of Schwalbe `Freeride`  26x 2.5"  light weight tubes...

But i won`t use this Squirt sealant yet as still have some Stans to use up.
With the Stans i still add some glitter to each mix per tube...

About a teaspoon to 160mm of juice, it makes the stuff last longer as gives it more particle's...

On with the wheels and i added the brakes from the Grey Karate Monkey build having fitted a rear brake mount to the front brake...

Only Fatbike specific parts needed; a Problem Solver front mech mount and 9 spd mech- and i bought these from our UK fatbike Forum (New unused!),
Cranks will be Race Face from the other Pugsley recently bought.
The bike is starting to take shape... hope to be out on this on Sunday- weather looking good, cold and clear again...

So why need 3 Pugsley`s?
Well 2 Pugsley`s with regular 4" tyres to be precise.  The KramPug will have the 29+  3" wheels on it most of the time, that bike is my idea of a Surly ECR,
One Pugsley will have the Alfine 8 spd gear hub and racks for work etc, and also used by Francis,  The new Green Pugsley will be a 3x9 gears (2x9 with outer bash guard) with 2 wheel set options- Usual Surly Larry's for the beach, and the other set with the chunky Surly Nate's for if needed.
This bike will be my go to 4"  fatbike...

Anyway who needs to justify anything when it`s your hobby!...

More soon...