Thursday 30 June 2016

Midweek messing around in the garage...

 Tuesday...
The view of the countryside has been like this from work -Green!, lush green grass, fields, woodland,
The gorse has lost it`s yellow flower and blends into the scenery again..



Showers have swept over the county all week and just in time has arrived my new lightweight Paclite jacket i bought out of the Birthday money present from family...

The Alpkit Gravitas looks like going to be a popular jacket going by the growing success of Alpkit products that are proving to be functional and yet great value as you don`t pay for a big name in the outdoor equipment world....


 Alpkit stuff in my own house is growing; Bivi Bag, head torch, Titanium Mug and Spork, Gourdon waterproof  back packs-a brilliant design, packable body warmer, Sleeping Matt,  Tarp,  Bikepacking bags...
And i have not had to return a single product yet-tribute to good product testing before going on sale.
I will no doubt try out this jacket soon enough with the recent unsettled weather-well it is Wimbledon season!...

Tuesday after work and postie had delivered two packages ordered on Friday evening; Spokes, 24" tubes and Tyre sealant,   and a pair of MAXXIS  4" Fat tyres,  120 tpi Mammoths at £60 a pair from Planet X, loads of friends have also ordered a pair at that price..


Also the steel Rivi nuts arrived needed to fit the bottle cages to the new build Surly KramPug...


While drizzle came on i sat in the house and laced up the front Fat wheel for the new KramPug...

Laced and roughly tensioned in half an hour, while i watched an episode of `Shed n Buried`...


Shed and Buried?, it`s an ace series on a free Sat channel which goes in search of mechanical bargains in men's sheds,  and there is some amazing sheds full of stuff here in the UK, here is a preview...




Thursday...
Again overcast and spots of drizzle and plenty other evenings to go cycle, so i finished the Fat wheels and mounted the bottle cages on the new KramPug...

First off mark up where to drill the holes...
Measure from the bottom mark to the axle (120mm) and copy on the other side...


Turn the bike upside down and mark the holes for the down tube cage and the down tube crud catcher- not a `Crud catcher` but a flat `Cycraguard` i think these fit steel frames better than Crud catchers that seem to fit hydro formed alloy frames better...


The Rivi nut fitting tool and 3 drill bits;  2mm pilot, then a 5 mm, then a 7mm...


Centre punch the marks first, my centre punch is actually an old  Phillips screwdriver!...


Center punch all holes, then pilot drill them all in each size to save swapping drill bits etc...


The Rivi nut screws on the tool then you insert in the hole and just squeeze the tool tight and hob done...


First though mix and apply a little Araldite, the Rivi nuts can slip and spin and not allow a seized Allen bolt to un screw...

Just a little bit is needed...


Applied then unscrewed and Rivi nuts in place...



Last wee job is copper grease the threads, i use an ear bud to apply...

And copper grease the 5mm Allen bolts...


All mounted up...







Fat Wheels; Ghetto split tubeless...


You know the drill by now on doing this...




If the tyre is slack like this and you can get a finger underneath then remove tube and add too layers of foam...



And sorted, inflates with the track pump...


Happy with tight fit,  deflate again and add 160ml of Stans sealant per wheel...



Give the wheel the `Stans Shake` to coat and seal all inside and i will leave them up at 20 psi until i use them to get the bead properly seated and true...


Excess inner tube trimmed and job done...
New life to an old frame and two bikes in one...


More soon...

Monday 27 June 2016

Monday holiday 42 mile local xc loop...



This long weekend has been great!,
Great to take stock of  things and appreciate what you can take for granted, like where you live and just how good it is...
Take today i was never more than 5 miles from home, yet cycled 42 miles nearly all off road in a figure of eight loop around the central flat land area of East Lothian -that`s north of the river Tyne and estuary, and north of the Garleton hills out to Gullane and east to North Berwick.
My local loop took in some of the John Muir Way (JMW), farm tracks both grass and gravel, grass field boundaries, and some woodland trails, all with great scenery. Scenery that is very green at this time of year.
I took 73 pictures today, that's a lot, but there is plenty to take pictures of when it is a big sky day here with big vistas...

Joining the JMW through Balgone estate and look at the state of the trail!. a week to the Edinburgh trade holidays and this is East Lothian`s premier trail, bit of a joke really...


The surface is a meter wide here yet folage touches and its full of thistles and nettles.  Not ideal for toddlers, prams, or wheel chairs...

Further on and a mowed field boundary takes me west and more of the same to Sydserf and the nearby Fenton Tower...







Once an old road from Chapel farm to East Fenton joins Bridleways around fields to Fenton Barnes...








Then it`s into the former RAF Drem Airfield and around some of the perimeter track....



Leaving the Peri track and through woods on Drem Ride and then the old Railway line into Gullane...






East to Archerfield on the JMW and Dirleton village, where a wooded trail we call the Garlic trail takes me to Yellowcraigs...





The JMW continues to North Berwick and i pass the historic West Links Golf Course and the Victorian harbour...










Having soaked up the coastal views it`s inland again on the JMW. And again it`s overgrown here...



From Redside it`s east to join Becky`s Strip Byway and over Whitekirk Hill...






Tracks to Seacliff and more coastal scenery to soak up...







The Concrete road continues to Scoughall Farm and Peffersand where i join the Secret trail and loop around Tyninghame woods...











Past Mosshouse Point and curious cows come across to say hello...




Back on the JMW at the river Tyne and west to Smeaton Mill and field trails north of East Linton to Janesfield hill and superb views across to East Fortune and Whitekirk...








Nearly home and a half lap of the race circuit...



The new Surly KramPug 29+ is real nice and as good as the Surly ECR for my needs...
After 3 Surly Karate Monkey 29ers, a Salsa Fargo, Genesis  CDF i deft think this bike now is the perfect trail bike away from the coast with 29+ wheels fitted....


Will finish it tomorrow after work as the bottle cage Rivi nuts arrived in the post today. Apart from that it needs nothing changed,
Another perfect Pugsley...