Bicycle tick boxes nearly all done...

So i am kinda done now with needing any new fatbikes, and happy to ride what i have until the Zombie Apocalypse...
I have some Surly Puglsey 4" bikes, and the big 5" Surly Moonlander that have things covered for riding the coast around here, esp above the tideline with the 29+ wheels for trails and all the new Fatbike tyres available now,
With the Surly ECR now rolling it looks like i also got the perfect drop bar offroader for around here too.
So apart from a Surly Krampus for trail centre fun my bike addiction has flat lined...
No new hub size, plastic (carbon) electric gear option have me aroused...

So... been a 4 year gap since i sold my last motorcycle, a Yamaha Belgarda TTR 600re but after looking at new car prices (yikes!) I feel that urge again to get rolling again on two wheels with an engine again...

I miss doing stuff like this...
dualsport ttr,sunset trailride from coastkid71 on Vimeo.


I was a kinda rare oddball being a Scottish Greenlaner post Scottish Access Laws 2004 and did a lot of offroad riding offroad on motorcycles, this was all in my pre Internet days,

I don`t have any pics scanned to the pc (Don`t have a printer) but have a shoe box full of pics from some amazing days riding old roads all across Scotland...

Friend and motorcycle legend/TBM Magazine guru John Rushworth​ may have some of the stuff online that we did back then that i can post on here,
I have owned a load of 4 stroke trail bikes back then including some amazing enduro Honda XR 600s, and a XR 400r which i rode coast to coast across Scotland in a single day for charity for a workmate fighting cancer (he made it, as i did, and is still here today)

Apart from smal air cooled 4 stroke Dual Sport bikes like the Yamaha TW 125, nearly all modern trail bikes that call themselves `Dual Sport` are all roadbike type plastic. liquid cooled and too complicated for serious offroading, while specific offroad bikes (Enduro) are no use for the roads between trails and commuting,
Road bikes are well road bikes! so no use offroad, and classic bikes are affordable but reliability for daily use is an issue...

So what about a modern classic style motorbike with semi offroad abilities?, ie dirt roads and the odd green lane around the East Lothian Countryside?,
Maybe a Triumph Scrambler with a few mods could be fun... ;)

Here is a cool film from a few years back :)

Oh, of course you also need the money to buy one!, but it`s nice to dream and have goals... :)

More soon....

Surly ECR- `East Commuter Rig`...

Got the Surly ECR going on a bodged 3x9 Shimano triple chain set by adding 2 spacers on the drive side of the BB, and taking the outer ring off the cassette and fitting it behind the cassette to get chain clearance on the rear tyre,
As with the Karate Monkey which all this stuff came off the Shimano SORA 9 speed STI drop bar levers do not play with the front mech and triple ring so i had to set them up for the middle and outer rings, a tap of the foot will drop the chain onto the 22 tooth inner chain ring, which is seldom used.

New cables got the brakes working better,  whole £8 from CRC!,,,

2 spacers on the BB...

Outer cog on Deore cassette fitted on the free hub...

And sorted chain/tyre clearance and no jump in remaining 8 gears...

Close in 1st gear but it will be seldom used...

This is to do until a double chain set arrives which will be ideal for this bike.


Anyways here is a wee film of the bike build and first shakedown ride to work the other day.
Song is `Eternal Sunshine`, by Mr Sunshine

15; Surly ECR; Build and first ride... from coastkid71 on Vimeo.


More soon...

Saturday morning ride with big bro

My Big bro is down for the weekend for our mums birthday, so we headed out a morning cycle under another big sky morning here in East Lothian...

Hardly any wind and a lot of sprayers out...

And we headed with a few trails and the old railway walk...

 Soaking up the big blue sky and yellow oilseed rape fields...

And rode a loop around Butterdean woods, real dry in here this now, but still great with all the exposed roots...

Evidence of Red Squirrels big bro thinks...

Big bro is also enjoying a Fatbike with two wheel sets, an On One Fatty with 29er wheel set...

Out the woods and back into blue sky and warm sunshine...

And skirted around the old quarry...

Someone getting hitched this weekend...

And back to mums house along the old railway line walk to Longniddry.
The path is a legacy of our father who initiated the railway line walk  from Haddington in the early years of East Lothians Countryside ranger Service...

We talked about stuff we did with our late father as we soaked up the views from the railway path embankment across to Redhouse and Gullane hill in the distance...

Fun ride with my big bro...

More soon...

Gullane Hill from the air...

Wee history of the coast here while i sort out a 2016 May tide time for Forth Fat 16,
Many of you who made the Saturday ride this year and the previous years who travelled from afar commented on the amount of golf courses here on the east coast. History dictates St Andrews is the home of golf with a romantic tale of shepherds playing a game with their crooks and some sheep poo or something...
The other story is it started at Lieth Links by Dutch sailors who played a hockey type game, one thing is for certain is Muirfield golf club is the oldest club in the world (formerly at Lieth-Edinburgh, now Muirfield East Lothian) and Musselburgh is the oldest golf course in the world :)
Gullane`s 3 links courses are some of the worlds most famous links and golf is one of our Counties biggest industries, and many local folks earn a living from the game that Scottish comedian Billy Connolly described as ` a waste of a good walk`, it pays the wages and pays for bicycles... :)
Being a time served Green keeper here at Gullane i am very proud of having worked here and the heritage and history of up on `The Hill`,

A Gullane time served Green keeper has a CV to go on and work anywhere in the world, But i like many ex work mates have made our home here in East Lothian as it is home, and home is where the heart is...

Gullane Hill and the scenery from the top, and the descent and trails out to the WW2 midget sub wrecks was the inspiration to organise the first Forth Fat Fatbike Gathering,And many visitors were blown away by the scenery here, along with the variation in coastal cycling,

Link to an earlier blog posts on Gullane; Gullane history

This year the Scottish Open Championship comes to Gullane Links,
and this film has been produced that show some of the amazing coastal links scenery here on our east coast... :)



More soon...

Midweek ride; Surly Krampus and Surly ECR, local woods and trails, ECR first impressions...

Another big sky day in East Lothian...

How big?-this big!, pic by work colleague Iain...

29+ week continues...
Home from a busy day mowing at work and i took the Surly ECR out to try it on the local trails,
Friend Craig jumped at the chance to try Mikes Krampus and we headed around the local estate then a loop around Whitekirk Hill...
Waiting for Craig i put all three 29+ bikes together, Surly KramPug, Surly Krampus, and Surly ECR...

Some figures for fellow bike geeks...
Interesting things comparing the Krampus, and it`s home brew brother-the `KramPug` Pugsley Fatbike with 29+ offset Krampus wheels fitted...

More stand over clearance on the KramPug, despite the larger 29+ wheels raising the Pugsley BB by an inch..

Krampus BB height is 13 1/2 inches...

KramPug BB is lower at 13 inches...

KramPug chain stay lenght with Monkey Nuts fitted is 18 1/4 inches...

Krampus with no Monkey Nuts fitted is 17 1/4 inches...

Out on the trails and Craig was enjoying the Krampus...

And i the ECR!...
pic by Craig...

And the roll on rougher gravel...

Always someone with bigger rubber... :)

Taking a photo of taking a photo...

ECR rolls easy over this stuff...

Oak trees leaves are now out...

Dog cemetery...

1884...

Pic by Craig...

 Across to Whitekirk...

Two finger salute to Hawthorns now i`m rolling Ghetto tubeless!...

pic by Craig...

265 feet only but superb views...

29+ eats this sort of surface...

Light nearly gone...

Home for a cuppa tea and coffee...

This sign makes me smile... :)

And two riders impressed with two bikes...

ECR first impressions;
Lovely handling, i feel really sat in the bike riding on the drops of the Salsa Woodchipper bars,
The bike feels real eager to honk on, despite this being an off road 29+ tourer.
pic by Craig...

The 29+ concept i have used over 2 years now on the Pugsley so used to the roll, comfort and grip,
The ECR does all this and has a fit that already makes me want to just keep riding.

Looking forward to some long days out riding this bike soon...
pic by Craig

More soon...