Saturday +ride with Sanny...

 All pics this page by Sanny...


I got a phone call late Friday from Sanny who was through in Edinburgh with Helen for the day and would be free for a bike ride so riding my Surly KramPug 29+ i rolled along on the Surly Wednesday with the 27.5+ wheels to ride a route to Archerfield Walled Garden for lunch with some detours along the way to make for a decent 25ish mile off road route.
The weather was roasting!, clear blue sky and temps hitting 20C, and i enjoyed the coolness riding through the woodland trails.
Sanny has not rode here in June and was amazed at the greeness of the countryside this now.
Mad to think that in under 8 weeks some of it will be golden brown as the Harvest starts!.
Any took loads of pics as usual and i shot some hemet cam footage with the Go Pro,
Here are some of the days pics with notes where needed....

Mr Blue Sky...

Fenton Tower...

The Lodge, North Berwick...

JMW to Yellowcraig...

Archerfield...

Met Jason at The Walled Garden, and we all had a go of a half size Penny Farthing!...

Quality produce for sale in the Deli...

And a lovely lunch...

Back through Yellowcraig Links....

And back into NB which was packed with day visitors.  Home on the JMW and a real hot day but great with he company, scenery and clean bikes that did not need washed!...

Here is some film i shot, with some of Sanny`s pics added,
Song is `Classic Girl` by Janes Addiction...


Saturday  +bike ride... from coastkid71 on Vimeo.

More soon...

Cool film on Vimeo; Winds From Morocco...

Cool Drone film of Moroccan landscape...


Winds From Morocco from Bernardo Bacalhau on Vimeo.

More soon...

Early bird catches the worm... and the low tide...

9am was a 1 meter tide so ideal for some rock crawling across the Carr rocks on the Surly Wednesday Fatbike. It was good to be back on the coast again cycling after a 2 week break!...
The rocks here at low tide have zillions of lines through them and depending on the seaweed and if greasy or not then there is always a new line to find as you thread the rocks together around the large rock pools that slowly drain after the retreating tide...

The Surly Wednesday is in my book the near perfect rock crawling bike with it`s modern Fatbike geometry and 177mmm rear hub being not to wide for threading through rocks standing up without your heels hitting the chain stays.  through axles increase stiffness and a threaded Bottom Bracket just makes sense for a bike exposed to the hostile environment below the high tide line.
Real wide handlebars also help lever the bike for step ups, and a 1 x drive system with a clutch rear mech makes for a perfect range of gears for on the coast.

Steel bikes suffer surface rust over time but i like toughness of steel for the occasional offs which can see the bike take a knock on the rocks.

5" tyres are ideal but i like the nimbleness of the Wednesday on 4" tyres on tight woodland trails,  and  being able to take the half way size 4.6" tyres which i plan to fit once the present tyres wear out will make for a perfect compromise in grip, float and trail handling.
Ghetto split tube tubeless also give the rims an extra bit protection from `rim strikes` from sharp rocks not to mention eliminating pinch flats.

Nearly 10 years of riding on the coast and i have found what is 99% ideal for the rocks.
A Lauf Fork would make the bike even better but there pricy, and for now i will be soon settling for a used Rock Shok Bluto from a friend. It will increase the bikes potential of where you can go on a bike, which is what riding Fatbikes is all about!...

Did not do as much filming as planned but here is a couple of minutes on the rocks,
Song is `Constants are Changing` by Boards of Canada...


Surly Wednesday; Rock crawling. June 17 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.

More soon...

Quick spin around the local woods...

After 5 days off the bike with this horrid cough/bug/lergy thing i felt good enough to go for a pedal around the local woods and trails for a couple of hours,
When we were through in Argyll last week there was crazy rain here, it was normal rain through there!,  everything is green and lush now and the local woods are full of colour and smells,
Felt ok and did not get sore legs and the sweats, must be on the recovery!,

Binning Wood...

This Red Beech tree at Bruce`s Circle is where we spread some of Dads ashes, i stop and say hello and chat a bit when i`m here, Dad loved beech trees...

A loop of trails before home...

Smeaton Mill...

Phantassie Doocot  (or Dovecot)

Around the race circuit lol...

Looking forward to getting back on the coast cycling tomorrow!...


More soon...