Weekend up north - two Munros and a Museum visit!

 

Couple of weeks ago G suggested getting away a weekend up north and we headed up on a Friday to stay at a Wigwam/Pod at a campsite near Durrisdeer in Angus. 

Saturday we met up with Al at Glen Doll car park to climb up the Glen onto Mayar where we were rewarded clear 360 views of the surrounding hills. Up here makes you feel real small and realise how lucky we are living in Scotland with places like this just a couple of hours drive away...

We then descended to cross the plateau to ascend to Driesh. It was icy underfoot and the temperature was well below freezing up on the top of the second Munro of today and sheltered in the rocks at the Trig Point we quickly has some cheese rolls and tea from the flasks before descending down to take the Kilbo path back down to Glen Doll. The path was a bit sketchy at the start as we had to shuffle across a frozen snow drift which if you slipped off would have resulted in a major incident for sure but we took our time and picking our way down the frozen path we were soon down to the tree level and out the biting cold wind and warmed up as we returned to the cars. Finishing our flasks Al headed for home and we were back to our pod to cook some dinner and watch a film - it had a tv

Sunday morning we rose later and were away for 10am having enjoyed a great place to stay with a warm comfy pod and clean hot showers - will return there again!.

We headed down to visit one of Gs friends before heading to Montrose and its Air heritage Centre which is on the former airfield that was the first military airfield in the UK and open from 1913 to 1953. During WW2 it was a Fighter station and joined RAF Drem here in East Lothian in the defence of Edinburgh and the Royal Navy base at Rosyth. The Centre uses several hangers of the former base and is full of a lot of great stuff to see and run by volunteers we were both impressed by our first visit here.  We need to return again as we only had 2 hours to look round but there is a lot of stuff to read through and look at.

From a Tornado that arrived last year to a Willys Jeep painted to replicate the Montrose Mountain rescue which Jeeps were used for after WW2 amongst many other roles...

 A fun weekend and good to see the hills in winter...

Wee film of both days...

More soon...

Royal Enfield Classic 350 and Willys Jeep winter outing...

 

My Jeep still has the gearbox to be refitted after friend Callum helped me drop the box and fit a new clutch , this was way before xmas and before I had that month of Labyrinthitis and we need to get a winch set up to lift the box back up and re fit - yep we could not lying on our sides lift the gearbox - which includes the transfer box back up!, it weighs a ton! being steel pressed its not like modern alloy casings. But will get it fitted as soon be easter and hopefully warmer days on the way to go out and have fun,

Anyshow a few weeks ago I popped across to friend Chris`s farm in Berwickshire as he offered to do some roadside filming of me riding past to use in future Enfield motorbike films I have planned and we had a fun time as he took his Jeep out and across at Abbey St Bathans we got some coffee and cake along with some good jeep and bike footage, 

This toot sign has been here up the road from the village since at least 1933 as it is in a 1933 AA Road Book I have which will be featured in some featured motorbike films as is a wealth of fascinating local history...

Here is some film from a fun day up the hills in Berwickshire...

More soon...

Winter commuting on the Royal Enfield Classic 350 - How has it faired after winter road salt exposure?

 

With a loan of a car to winter commute I decided to clean the Royal Enfield Classic 350 and having just fitted a replacement chain - there seems to be a fair different life span on owners chains on these bikes and many other makes of smaller bikes that often do not come with a higher quality chain. I fitted a DID X ring which while around £80 is worth every penny from previous use of these on motorcycles.

Milage was just over 4000 miles so I did a short film

So, after spraying some Lanoguard on the underneath of the frame and centre stand then dousing the whole bike in GT85 after wrapping cloths around the brake rotors the bike has sat unwashed for 3 months near day use as my only day to day transport and 2000 miles on winter road salted roads...

Really really impressed with how the bike still looks....

More soon...

UPDATE: Back to Work soon and back to all hobbies soon!...

 

Into February... and January was a right off for myself been ill with Labyrinthitis  - don't know if an after long covid thing or end of a dirty leggy cold I had which has not 100% shifted yet but I'm now back to being able to safely drive, go to work and so try get back to regular life and hobbies!

The whole van saga has been nothing short of a disaster taking 6 month to sort but I  have a loan of a car now for getting to work in bad weather, I am not delving on it anymore i have been ill so not been able to even walk or cycle in a straight line never mind drive a car/van or ride a motorbike anywhere until this last week, so i am feeling so much better now! -) 

I have had so many requested films to make on the motorcycle by new subscribers to my Youtube Channel but those films can wait - it is only February after all and better weather lighter evenings are on the way which will allow more time...

Speaking of making films I am still trying to keep the Youtube channel to the same format which is kind of three hobbies now - Coastal cycling, The Royal Enfield Motorbike, and the Willys Jeep, and keep it in that order, the beachriding on the venerable Surly Pugsleys comes first then the motorbike and Jeep,  

But it is the motorbike film views that are for my channel gone massive in interest and the amount of views that they get...

So today with G at work I ventured out myself and a big wide beach is the best place to go to get back on a bike and after a few wobbles I was ok, so set myself a co ordination exercise doing some point to point filming which seemed to go ok!

Wee film.. good to be getting back to normal!

More soon!...

Bikes in use for 2023... and what Fatbikes are for sale soon...

With all the bikes I have had over the last 15 something years of Fatbike ownership and this blog it really has finally...finally boiled down to only one model of bike... - but not just one bike... read on!

PUGSLEY

The last production run (noted as Orange) of Surly Pugsley 2.0 as it was referred to as is for myself the perfect Fatbike for what I want to own to ride around here. With its ability to run every available size of wheel which included the widest rim and fattest tyre front and rear - that's 100mm wide rims on 4.8" tyres - Only previously on the Surly Moonlander then the Ice cream Truck

While still using a 100mm wide crankset - super wide 120 on the Surly Moonlander and Ice cream truck (Though the Moonie can run 100mm BB if a single front chainring used as i showed).  Whilst still using a 135mm or 142mm rear hub (dependent on if you want a 9mm qr or bolt through rear axle) giving a super narrow rear width rear end which I preferrer for squeezing between rocks and ruts off-road...

With both of my 20" Orange bikes built  - one for beachriding with full fat 5" wheels and one 29+ for bikepacking these rigs will see my days out as long as I can peddle an unassisted bicycle...

G feels the same with her now well known pink painted Surly Pugsley 2.0 which also has 5" fat and 29+ wheels....

29+ Bike Packing...

And 5" coastal cycling on rocks, pebbles and sand...

The last Mk 1 frame set I picked up though is a 20" size Large - previous and the Moonie are 18" medium frames. and I have this built as a rat bike for Getting logs of the beach with the FAT BOB trailer, night riding and winter muddy rides etc and this will see more use than the other older fatbikes and usually live in the van...

This does not mean I am going to sell my three original MK1 Surly Pugsleys and my Moonlander - they are all in storage now and may perhaps come out for the occasional ride in summer...I recently cleaned up a couple of the older Surly bikes that will go out a ride this summer once or twice...

These two had tyres aired up and a clean before storing again...

An original first colour 2005 Pugsley... with rare in UK Alaskan Snowcat 29" x 55mm wheels...

And the mighty Moonlander - the first official import to come to Scotland...

And of course my first Original Pugsley is all ready to go ride if I want... Scotlands first Fatbike...

Thousands of miles been done on this frame set keeping the dream alive over 15 years now...                     I cannot sell these bikes as they ARE Scottish Fatbikes history... and so worth more to keep that you would likely get for them if sold...

FOR SALE;  SURLY WEDNESDAY 18” £1500 - no offers!   Collection only SE Scotland

A bike I hardly use though is the Surly Wednesday - which in some ways  - felt to most other people looking in from outside the best Fatbike I probably own 

With lightweight  Fatwheels with 4.8" front and 4.5" rear,  and a pair of 29+ wheels, both set up tubeless,  while sporting a Rock Shok Bluto fork and dropper seat post, stock fork and seat post included...

And comes with a compliment of bikepacking bags this versatile thru axle 1 x 10 geared rig is ready to go for every type of riding

But I prefer riding my two Orange Pugsleys...

Which is why I am selling this bike with extras for £1500 - buyer collects, I’m not posting, and I’m not not splitting it or will accept any offers... its worth £1500 all day long so take it or leave it,  I could use the money to invest in some of my other hobbies, 

So if your interested in the original and best colour the Wednesday came in which since built ha been lucky to do 1000 miles get in touch

email;   coastkid71@yahoo.co.uk

If it does not sell it will prob just get re purposed but be good to see it go to a good home where it will get the use it deserves... 

Update; Wednesday Fatbike now sold 4 hours after posting this blogpost...

ON ONE FATBIKE 16”  £350 collection only 

Loads of new parts on a used frame I picked up,I built the wheels with new hubs, the whole drive chain is new; cable brakes, gears, cranks, BB, headset, stem, bars, brakes, sea,t, seat post, all mostly budget build but kept cost down, a nice small size Fatbike that will need nothing for £350,

SURLY PUGSLEY 20”  PTA…

There will also be a size Large Pugsley for sale but that needs the yellow frame set re powder coated before assembly - hence no pics yet... but will be a fair cheap price for someone after a Surly...

More soon...

My Royal Enfield Classic 350 - what those tank markings are for?

 Another wee film when I was laid up with the Lergy cold on what the tank markings are on my Enfield for...

More soon...