Coastrider; An Unexpected Journey....

A good friend often says that `Life Is Not A Dress Rehearsal`...
A saying that is so true and the winter of 2018/19 would prove this to be the case for myself...

I was diagnosed last year with what can be described as a mild condition of MS,
Relapsing Remitting MS is the most common form of MS that many people have here in Scotland and learn to accept and live with it, with help and treatments available to continue a regular life and not have an impact on their lifestyle...
And it is a condition i admit i have tried to ignore about and to carry on with life as usual - that is to say, until i have another Relapse will i worry about it, which again could not be for up to 9 years again or maybe will never happen ever again...

However something happened i could not ignore last Autumn...

One of the MRI Scans picked up something that led to another CT scan that diagnosed a kidney tumour...

Being diagnosed with a stage 1 growing cancer (as later the tumour was confirmed to be after removal) was at first devastating until i got my head around it and went on the positive to deal with the upcoming Op and recovery time.
I never thought having cancer would happen to myself and so it was a shock,
Support from NHS specialists was superb and i would soon be in for an Op to remove the tumour i referred to as my `Hitchhiker` which was successful  in also saving the kidney, and i was home for Xmas, so all went good..

Many people diagnosed with cancer talk about going on a journey,
Something i have now done and having been given the all clear mid February i know now what people talk about.
My partner M is someone also on that Journey having had surgery and for herself her  journey continues. My diagnosis had been given the green light 99% after a short 6 weeks with just yearly scans now for the next 5 years

So to be positive  (My cup is always half full) i could say being diagnosed with a mild condition of MS possibly saved my life - there!,  get that on a T shirt!,

Seriously though it`s easy to have a laugh about it but i did not really realise how big an operation and short but painful experience it would be,  and i cannot fault the NHS staff for their caring work in the  (only) 4 days i was in hospital,  but the stems and pipes wired into me i would not wish on anyone, or more so the removal of them and the dressings, it was painful, really painful....

Back home from Hospital and staying at my mums for a week  before finally back home to my own home and infection free everything went well, and i was soon out walking daily and after 4 weeks the Doc gave me the ok to drive again,
Being fit and healthy makes a big difference to recovery time from Major Ops,
I met the surgeon at my 6 week appointment who operated on me and he was impressed with my recovery, i nearly broke his arm shaking his hand thanking him i was so grateful!...
These folk deserve medals...

Here is a pic of the Op scar after 4 weeks, that beats a tattoo!  looks like a shark bite!

When things like this happen you find out who your real friends are, and i have been blown away by the support of some friends who have been great, along with my mum and my family and the amazing M,  i have never felt so close to someone before as M,
And M`s dog Jake! who has been great company as i recovered!

This winter has been really dry and settled with many days of sunshine so was great for getting out walking on the coast,  i was out daily walking 3-5 miles, often with family, friends, M, or Jake Dog for company...

I never had daytime tv on when in the house - just mind numbing dribble, I listened to Radio 6 music and read books, tided up, painted a bit, and some tinkering in the man cave,
Always positive and busy with the aim of getting healthier and fitter again and back on track...

This winters weather of many dry days of high pressure clear cold crisp days were an inspiration to get out and about on foot...

Jake, a faithful wee friend was always ready to go!

A frozen Peffer estuary,  one of many fine days out walking on the coast...

At 6 weeks when the Doc gave me the all clear on my Op he told me to get out on my bike cycling and exercise. At first it was a bit nervous after such a big Op but confidence soon returned and i could feel the improvement in health and fitness rapidly as cycling always is a great way to gently stretch muscles in the back, waist and legs...

My first wee peddle with M on her horse Johnny and i felt alive and was buzzing despite just a mile or so!...

The Future;
Having a break from working i really enjoyed the break from routine and have had a lot of time to think about a lot of things. What i am doing - what i want to do.  I know i want to continue living in East Lothian and enjoy my cycling here with my bikes i have built for around here.  `There`s no place like home`...
Something else was not right though, and i had realised how unhappy i was in my job.
It had not turned out to be what i thought it would be so decided to do something about it.
CV redone, and i was offered and accepted a Green keeping position at a prestigious Golf Course with superb working conditions, team and machinery, and i am really looking forward to the future doing what i am trained and skilled at, and with working hours that will suit me more; early start - early finish = more cycling time!
 
And i will be enjoying another bike this summer, during recovery a frame set arrived from HQ - the new Surly Pugsley, something to plan for and spec, source a few parts then build up  and get ready for the coming summer, but will post this up in the next blog post...

More soon...

DIY Fatbike stand...how it was made...

Repost of an earlier blog post.

I seen a bike stand made to fit Fatbikes on the MTBR Forum a while ago, the creators website of his rack can be viewed Here
While it is made of regular house type 1" pvc pipe i thought i would build one a bit more heavy duty,
Using 1" 1/2 PVC Irrigation pipe i made this...

I added 90 degree elbows as feet to raise the frame off the ground so mud will wash down into the catchment drain on my wash bay,
Pipe was cut to same lenghts as shown in the link except the joiners of T pipe to T pipe in the centre where they were cut as 60mm,
It is not collapsible as all glued with waterproof PVC glue.
To buy this piping i used would be an expensive stand, i swapped some golf balls found at work for the pipe connectors with an Irrigation engineer ;)
It fits both my 3" 29+ wheels, the 4" tyre Surly Pugsleys and the big 5" tyre Moonlander,  ideal and will last a long time-this piping has 20 year guarantee underground!...


3" 29+;

4" tyres;

5" tyres;

More soon...

The `FATBOB` Fatbike Trailer - how it was made...

Repost of an earlier blog post,


B.O.B stands for `Beast of Burden` which it definitely is now!
It was an older silver coloured B.O.B trailer with 26" yolk,
I have wanted to Do this mod for a while but was not sure how to fit a fat wheel,
Then bingo, i found a Kite Buggy Online Shop which sold 4" wide plastic wheels like you find on wheel barrows but it had bearings, they have a 20mm inside diameter and are 75mm outside to outside width,


So i used a pair of Hope Pro 2 front Hub reducers which slotted straight in...


So i bought a 28" (sometimes advertised as 29er) yolk and fitted that then got the Grinder out -:),
The fat wheel only fitted with the tyre deflated so the wheel fork would need opened out where it was joined onto the main trailer frame...


I bent both track ends together in the vice to do this, they are thinner than an average Bicycle frame dropout so a MM or 2 off the spacers allowed the quick release clamp to tighten properly...


Then i filed inside the ends of the cut tubes using the rounded side of a draw file to get a perfect fit to the frame tubes then using the grinder with a wire brush buffed off the paint ready for a clean weld...
Pre Weld pic...


At work the next day and `Big G` in the workshop next door to our shed welded it up a treat and i then gave the welds a quick coat of silver Smoothrite,
Back home and i had to swap around a Bobbin on one side of Axle Nuts to try to get the trailer Yolk centered, It isn't perfect but you cant notice it while pulling a heavy load...


So i now have a trailer that will take the fat tyre as well as the standard wheel,
and it will now also fit my Karate Monkey 29er, happy days...

So...does it work?, can you pull it through soft sand loaded?

Yep!...


I drove down to John Muir Park and did 3 loads of logs,
with the river Tyne Estuary here a lot of logs get washed into the bay esp after a spate so the wood is not too saturated with salt...


6 psi pressure in the ribbed tyre seemed just right...


3 loads in the car was about a weeks worth of firewood, gonna save some money next winter!
With the lighter evenings now to 8.30pm and getting lighter daily its time to do some `5pm films again`,
A lot of films i made were always early on Tuesday evenings, ideal as hardly anyone about, Been a while since i made a `point and shoot` film which are the most time consuming even with 2 cameras, secret is to mostly use one camera more than the other,
edit the main cameras segments then add in the other camera`s segments,
This film took under an hour to shoot then about 1 hour to edit, it had 59 clips!,
some folk ask how i can be bothered to make them, simple answer is i enjoy it,
I have the time and when you think about it a couple of hours out your life ain't a lot...




That film was back in 2011, and the trailer is still going strong!,
Add a battery power saw now available and you can process a lot more wood now on the coast...


Fatbike Fat BOB Trailer; Hauling fire wood from coastkid71 on Vimeo.


More soon...

Redpoint Beach; BOC...

Repost from 2011 Roadtrip,
Leaving friends and Fort William it was time to head up the west coast past some famous places along the way, from the Commando Memorial near Spean Bridge and Glen Garry,with its view point covered in lots of small cairns,built by fairies?...


















And along the shores of Loch Cluanie...








Past famous battle sites...








And Castles, remember the start of the film Highlander?...


Then its time to cut inland and head North...










Along Loch Maree in Wester Ross and a turn off to a No Through Road along the coast leads to the road end at Redpoint...






And a lovely beach, campsite for the evening...


A short track leads to the beach, using the Fat BOB trailer i can take everything i need for the evening camping including water...note the flag!...


Its a lovely calm evening, just a wee breeze to keep the midges away, and keep the flag of the nation flying...


A perfect camp site, i had the entire place to myself, perfect...






The sand here at Redpoint is an amazing red/amber/orange colour to it and it would as the sun set gives an amazing light...






After some food i went a ride about along the coastline...


West was a great view over Rassey to Skye...


And across the Minch the outline of Harris and Lewis...


Down on the shoreline there was an old hand winch, and a clearing in the stones where once a fishing boat would have been pulled up...


The pugs tyre print leaves less imprint than a human...


Even so i wasnt going to ride the Dunes behind the coastline here, only the big dune on the shoreline...






As a general rule i never ride dunes that are not blown over a headland or covered in small plants and fine grasses as these dunes are often fragile eco systems which sustain life like small flowers and plants,
So leaving the bike back at the tent i walked up around these amazing dunes behind the coastline dunes...










Calm this evening this coastline is exposed to some wild weather from Atlantic storms to Artic winds, yet the dunes are held together by just grass and small fragile plants, Peat is exposed under the sand in places where the sand had covered the headland, the peat colour is so dark compared to the orange,red sand...
















One of my favoutite  bands are Scottish duo Boards of Canada


Boards of Canada's music is reminiscent of the warm, analogue sounds of 1970s media and contains themes of childhood, nostalgia and the natural world. Mike and Marcus have mentioned the documentary films of the National Film Board of Canada, from which the group's name is derived, as a source of inspiration
Brothers Mike sandison & Marcus Eoin, the same age as myself have been influanced by a lot of music i like too, they did a song called `The Beach at Redpoint` having surfed and camped here, i can see how they were influanced to do a song...
















I sat on the big dune listening to the song (several times)on my ipod soaking up the view and the change of light as the sun started to sink further east taking over an hour to set as a big storm cloud rolled in across the Atlantic...
The light was amazing...I soaked it up along with a big whisky...











I made a fan film of The beach at Redpoint, not my favourite song by BOC and not everyones cup of tea, but fans of BOC should like it, edited in `cini film`...



More soon...