Thats this years commuting done for the year!, again this year i cycled more than drove, driving on average 1 day a week. Since November the route to my new place of work has been busier with cars as i cut through the rat race to Edinburgh on two roads, and the rout is 2 miles longer each way but the destination is way better!.
And today i took the new Pashley Speed 5. the pics are a bit grainy in the fading light and i will post up a blog on this new bike and why i bought one soon....
The above pic could be an advertisement pic for Alpkit waterproofs as i was still dry having had just cycled through 2 crazy downpours on the way to the coast today for the annual Boxing Day beachride...
The flooding on the road along from home shows how heavy the showers were today....
Through Binning Wood and saturated ground. Full mudguards and chunky Surly Nate tyres on the old Surly Pugsley make this Fatbike ideal at this time of year...
Mosshouse point, and time to get out the gale around the corner at the salt marsh...
The sun popped out now and then and i managed to get some film with the Go Pro...
Onward and into the woods here the secret trail waited...
first a selfie!, and some sun...
Back home after a brutal headwind although it was only a half mile and once home and the stove fired up, and a Cider poured while i edited the days pics and some film...
As always i start off posting the Bike line up for the year ahead though sadly some of my bikes would have to be sold off through the year to pay for bills etc... another two new bikes would appear through by the years end! - one to celebrate a corner turned and a new career!, more about that in a bit...
My two Surly Pugsleys (old and new) have adopted a black and orange colour scheme and both have 29+ wheels and cover all options of my type of offroad riding... New Pugsley...
Winter here in Scotland may have short days of light but we did get a lot of cold clear days on the coast, what i really enjoy in winter...
A great book about Firewood was a great addition to my collection of favourite reads and i`m really happy with the new stove at home...
The only Snow Ride of last winter on the local Lammermuir hills and the only day riding the white powder but it was scenic and memories of those surreal winters of 2010/11...
I wrote some waffle about 29+ wheels and is it all you need if your `Fat Curious), i think so if your away from real soft sand, as do a few friends who own 29+ wheels/bikes...
My conclusion is a Fatbike with a spare + wheel set is better as you have loads of mud clearance and can take a wider frame bag with the wider 100mm BB, i have since sold both specific 29+ frames and running dual wheel sets on all three Fatbikes i own...
An area i love having grown up looking across to there from our family house and childhood memories of days out there with dad, and then later working at Gullane and looking across the bay every day, to later cycling there when i got my first Surly Pugsley Fatbike over 9 years ago...
February;
A day at Seacliff, one of many...
Time for two films!, made loads of them too this year!
April;
Evening light drawing out and midweek rides back on, a new album by a favourite band Phontaine new tracks for films!... this was one of my favourite solo rides of the year...
I was sent a Surly Wednesday frame set and Halo wheel set from Pat, former Surly UK rep as a thank you, how cool was that!!!
The reveal of the build was of course on a Wednesday!, and Wednesday Addams favourite number The 13th!
The bike has proved to be a blast to ride, i shoe horned 4.8" tyres into it when i built it but after a month or so set it up with 4" tyres...
The bike is superb at rock crawling with the long top tube, raked fork and short chain stays, it is very very stable and inspires confidence, watch it here at work on the rocks!
The highlight weekend in my cycling calender, and what a fantastic Gathering this year!,
So many people to thank for making it happen, i hope i have mentioned you all on the Aftermath report!. And all the faces old and new who turned up over the weekend. From the USA came Alex and John from Surly Bikes. Tommy and Lars from the Netherlands, and people from all corners of the UK.
Friday evening at Steampunk cafe and a fascinating slide show talk on the Iditabike adventures of Carl Hutchings...
The streets of North Berwick rumbled to the noise of over 80 Fatbikes on Saturday morning as they headed west on the now pilgrimage to visit the WW2 XT sub wrecks, then roll along the coast back to town and sample food and drink around the town...
Sunday we rode to Seacliff, the worlds smallest commercial fishing harbour, soaking up the views across to Tantallon Castle and the Bass Rock, before riding the rocks to Peffersands dunes for some dune surfing then woodland trails to the secret trail and Binning woods and back for a BBQ before heading home....
The sun shone and big sky days showed off our amazing little corner of Scotland's coast at it`s best for beach riding...
FORTH FAT 2017 dates are set for 29th/30th April...
Picture dump from a couple of days cycling on the coast with friend Phil...
Some nice midweek sunset pics...
May;
Across the void;
the rocks below Gin Head and Tantallon are the toughest section of coast here to ride. i try ride there a couple of times a year. It is dangerous here but hell where would the micro adventure be in doing it if it was safe?!!! lol
An Update on the old Pugsley, now with an Alfine 8 speed IGH again...
Friend Dave G gave me some footage he shot with his drone. I edited up a couple of films. i have more to do when i find time.
Here flying over the old hospital near my house. I edited this short film, kinda eerie film...
Singular Puffin on trial
Sam from UK company Singular Cycles kindly loaded my a Singular Puffin 2nd Generation Fatbike with a pair of 29+ wheels to review and blog for a month. I really like this bike esp with the 29+ wheels fitted, with the adjustable eccentric BB you can adjust the crank height and set it up as a sweet trail bike with loads of tyre clearance....
A blog post about my trail bikes starting with my first 29er to 29+ specific to Fatbikes with two wheel sets, and having gone full circle and back to Pugsleys!
September; A day spent gathering firewood with theFat BOB Trailer...
Last week of October and big changes happening in my life! as started a New Job!, as an Estate Manager, I`m really happy and loving it working in such a lovely place full of history and great staff!. I can still commute by bike, and we have Fairies too! :D
