Friday, 25 July 2014

Mid Week cycle; Barley Harvest underway...


Barley is now being harvested all over in East Lothian on dry days...

Riding east on the old  Ridge Road towards Pencraig Hill...


As i have never seen this section of the old ridge road mowed before i rode up onto Pencraig Hill Woods and turned round and filmed the descent back to the entrance road to Markle Quarry with the Go pro on the chest mount,
Song is  `Reach for the Dead`  by  Boards of Canada



Nice trail now it is mowed.
Back up to Pencriag hill and the Sea Harr was sitting out in the Firth of Forth, when the evening cool`s down a bit the colder sea air will drift in land as it meets the warmer air inland.,..



















 The Sea Harr would be drifted in here with in a half hour...



Wednesday, 23 July 2014

Surly Cross-Check Commuter update;



Mid Summer, and what a summer!, real warm, though there has been some thunderstorms...




So as planned the fixed Surly Cross-Check has now got it`s full lenght mudguards fitted...


SKS P50 mudguards, £35 at Edinburgh Bike Co-operative-so buy them for £28 from Chain Reaction Cycles...

They are not too fiddly to fit...
Fit them without the plastic ends, then mark the stays and cut them with a 1mm cutting disc on the grinder. Draw file the ends then refit with the anti rattle plastic ends and job done...



Rear rack is a lightweight £20 Edinburgh Bike Co-operative Revolution 700c Adventure Pannier Rack...


I ride this bike daily now and it is the perfect commuter. I also enjoy just going out for an hours cycle in the evening and cruising along and enjoy the easy to spin 48x20 tooth silent fixed gear while i soak up the countryside scenery...





This bike should in theory last as as long as i cycle to work, and be a cheap commuter. Just oil the chain at the end of the weeks commute..

Seen some great sunrises from the saddle this summer...


Tuesday, 22 July 2014

Vimeo Film; Jeep Willys la cultura cafe

Found this great film on Vimeo,
The Willys Jeep is an icon image of WW2.
From 1942 the Allies used the Jeep from the campaign in the desert as seen here with a pic of Monty...


And the birth of the infamous SAS who added loads of 50mm guns, ammo and fuel and went off on exercises driving through Axis Airfields causing more damage than could be inflicted in the air to aircraft...


To the thousands of young men who were transported across France on D Day 1944...
From the beaches...




And Horsa Glider landings...


The Jeep served many purposes, including Medic duties evacuating the injured...


After WW2 many Jeeps were scrapped, there was no metal value and most people wanted to move on from war and the reminders....
Many countries the Jeeps were left, and the locals took them and repaired them and maintained them for daily transport...

Here is a film i found on Vimeo from Columbia. Something to think about while sipping your next coffee...
I do not speak Spanish so via Google translate here is the film introduction;

"The Jeep Willys is arguably the most important vehicle of the Colombian coffee region. This vehicle was discontinued many years ago and there are no spare parts or circulating in the market, but they still continue to see brand new cars. How do they do it?
This car is so ingrained in the culture and the economy, the people of these regions were obliged to, at first repair, but over the years and the progressive deterioration of the original file that came in the '50s, perfected technique and learned to fully rebuild but by hand in small workshops, with humble tools and personalised way in which he devoted several months to a very small group of cars. A far cry from the industrialised production series of original manufacture."

Jeep Willys y la cultura cafetera from TRINEO.TV on Vimeo.

Sunday, 20 July 2014

A not so sunny Saturday local wee cycle...

I thought i was going to the Lammermuirs to help out with Sundays Horse Endurance ride with Francis we were just going for the Sunday`s event, so i headed out for a wee cycle for a couple of hours around my back yard...

Real muggy warm day with overcast sky...


Thick low cloud out to sea...




And it seemed grim inland too!...


Could not even see the Lammermuir hills, glad not up there today...


Down to Binning Woods...


And an hour cruising around here on the trails...


Heading home and it`s that time of year for the `Bike on Bale` pics again! :)


Shot some film in Binning Woods with the Go Pro
Song is `Olson`  Radio 1 John Peel Sessions,  by Boards of Canada