Woods Single track riding with friends...

Last Thursday i met up with friends for a ride around the excellent trails at Pencaitland
I took the Surly KramPug as i cannot get in enough riding on this bike, absolutely loving it!

Great riding with guys that are fit and handy on there bikes, makes for a good buzz out on the trails and as always we have a good laugh.

Guys who don`t waste there time on Internet forums talking cycling (some are banned from some forums anyway!), and couldn't care about the latest must have bikes or tyres,
They are out there riding when they have any spare time, and it shows when you ride with them as their smooth and quick riders.

A whole range of bikes too, fatbike, 29+, Cross bike, 6" full suss, 4" full suss, and a tiny hardtail all having a hoot on the trails with friends.
Laughing at jokes when your gasping for breath shooting between trees through single track is a blast, and i was buzzing the next morning at work after an ace evening out...

And a pint in the Winton afterwards...

I shot some chest cam film with the Go Pro, it got too dark by the time we reached the Kinchie trail, but there is always another ride for that...

click on the cog icon to view in HD
3 Songs are by Lester;  `Dance Wif Me` `Moonshine`  and `Sweethand`

Snowride...

There was snow in the West of the County and Edinburgh on Friday evening, none at my house but local hills had a dusting 3 miles away, several inches fell at Pencaitland so i went a ride with friend Mike up and around Saltoun Wood.
Ideal conditions to try both Surlys, fat and semi fat, 29er is full ridged again...


The snow was wet and thawing though so a bit of a slog to ride through, i rode my semi fat 29er to try it out and Mike rode my Pugsley, in the wet stuff with mud underneath the pug was easier to ride even though the 29er is lighter, it was fun to get out anyway and enjoy the winter scenery...











The classic snow bike pic...


The best snow was on the forest roads, away from dripping thaw from the trees...





Mike was enjoying riding the pug...







Lovely scenery...






Down the railway walk to Mikes for coffee and chocolate brownies...



Mike made a film, check out the mini pug -:)...

5th November, Guy Fawkes Night

Remember Remember the 5th of November...

Here in the UK on the 5th November we celebrate Guy Fawkes Night with Bonfires and firework displays.
Its history originates from the Gunpowder Plot of 1605,
A failed conspiracy by a group of provincial English Catholics to assassinate the Protestant King James I of England and replace him with a Catholic head of state.
In the immediate aftermath of the arrest of Guy Fawkes, who was caught guarding the cache of explosives placed beneath the House of Lords cellars, Jame's Council allowed the public to celebrate the king's survival with bonfires, Days before the surviving conspirators were executed and Guy`s body burnt on a fire, which has led since to `a Guy` dummy being put on the bonfire, well this happened when we were kids but it seems to have mostly stopped due to `political correctness`...
Celebrations at Windsor, 1776...


Around East Lothian most Towns and villages have organised events with public donations for fire works and wood for the bonfire...


The village of Pencaitland has always had a good turn out, being home of `The Winton Massif` cycling crew and this year being held on a field of the Winton Estate we had to go!, living 10 miles east of the village i cycled doing a detour for filming and pictures for a future post on the other blog,
Riding up to Winton Estate an hour before sunset it was a classic Autumn afternoon, clear sky, no wind, and a golden light from the setting sun , haze and autumn leaves, a magical time of day...








Meeting at the pub 6 of us headed for an hours ride as it got dark,
Taking pics at night with a cheap camera is hard due to lack of light,
some blurry pics on the Kinchie trail...






Weather was perfect with a clear sky, mild all day the temperature now dropped, with a sky like this you know there is going to be a frost, about time too!...


Blurry pic on the old Railway path...


Around the woods then locking the bikes up we walked to the Field and it was busy, don`t know how many folk, over a thousand probably,
Bonfire was already ablaze...




Then the magic of fireworks...














Some film...



Down to the pub for a few ciders, then riding home at 1am on deserted roads, with a big clear sky full of stars, i pod on, and frost on the verges, perfect day out with friends...

Nightriding...

When the sun goes down, the boogie men come out to play...




Pics are from last weeks Thursday night ride with the Winton Massif crew at Pencaitland, been rain down south, but mostly dry and mild here in S.E. Scotland, note; the T shirts and no gloves, in late October!...


Last Sunday evening with the clocks having went back an hour for winter it was dark by 6pm, again went out riding with Mike and GW,
I did some filming with the Go Pro using both Magicshine 872 lamps combined there an (estimated) 3200 lumen's!...


The beam out in the dark is ridiculous!, and totally overkill, one lamp on 3/4 setting is more than enough, maybe full power on a down hill, but both full power is like daylight, except the Go Pro filming on r2 setting makes it look like one lamp on half power setting,
blurry shaky pic as on the move...


Out again tomorrow night with some of the other `Winton Massif` cycling division around Pencaitland village again then Friday a group ride from here at home taking mostly the same crew out to the woods on the coast,

Saturday is of course November the 5th, Guy Fawkes night,
so were night riding around Pencaitland then going to the village Bonfire and fireworks, with sparklers and hip flasks in attendance!,

Sunday evenings film, following Mike who is running a magicshine bar light and headtorch, having a rider in front certainly looks better in all films, including at night...
The film quality is ok, dark around the edges but were getting there, i reckon riding through Pine woods on a sandy trail should work better, here we ride down through Saltoun Woods, dark as it can get out there away from any surrounding lights, no one will here you scream out there... lol, and then down the Kinchie Trail and down through the Village,

Song is `Where did all the love go` mixed into `Swarfega` by Kasabian...

The Kinchie Trail...

One of the best woodland single track trails in East Lothian, near East Lothians Glenkinchie Distillery ,

Song is `Fire` by Kasabian...

Click on 720p for HD

Pugs in the woods...

Enjoying a few days holidays, nothing to do but ride every day, so far dawn night rides to sunrise, some night riding, and yesterday riding woodland single track and messing about on some jumps in one of our local woods, a former coal pit, as you can see by the black spoil,
the trails are riding great this now, more to come...

Thanks to good friend Mike for wearing my Go Pro Camera...


Song is `Whiskey` by Guttermouth...

click on 720p to watch in HD