Saturday Beachride...

It was great to get out cycling again with good friend Jason who had been off colour for a while, so a wee ride on the coast to North Berwick was in order. Hard to describe the biting cold wind as it was 2-3 degrees celsius, must have been because there is a lot of moisture that made it so cold, but the clearing sky and winter sun made the light fantastic as we rode with the cold wind on our backs down to the Town From Aberlady Reserve, out onto the coast via a different route from usual using an access road through the Golf Course... He`s back!, on two wheels!...

Sea Buckthorn, AKA The Bake Bean Bush by kids, lots of it here on the Nature Reserve and now mid winter the berries are bright orange, look at its thorns, yet we do not get punctures from it, unlike Hawthorn hedges than line many of our country roads...

Neap tide with half moon, but still loads of exposed sand...

The beach at Gullane Point was near deserted... Pugsleys have left less footprint than walkers -:)...

Happy to be back on his bike riding again...

Cruising...

Big empty beach at Freshwater Haven... Long afternoon shadows...

The low winter sun caught the colours of the containers on this ship leaving the Firth of Forth, wonder if my new bike is on there? -:)..

More shipping, the dark tanker looked quite sinister!...

Bombing down the empty beach at Broadsands and the last few bays into NB...

Unlike the Towns High Street which was busy with xmas shoppers the harbour was near deserted by visitors, only a few others braving the cold sea air...

Fantastic late afternoon light...

Lovely but brrrr...

Seabird Centre...

If your an old school mountainbiker too then you will know why we giggled at the name of this yacht, did Kona make boats?...

In to `Cake Cafe`...

Tuna toasty and Large latte coffee went down a treat... -:)

Sunset at Yellowcraig...

As always in this cold weather the red sky lasted a good half hour...

Stunning, but colder as the temperature dropped below 0C...

Before we ride the woodland sandy trail to Gullane Jason goes for the classic fatbike above head pose... -:) Another Saturday on the beach as normal, but as always a great day...

Schwinn klunker Progect Pt2...

A wee while ago i posted on my Schwinn Klunker progect. Well the coaster hub arrived and i decided to have a go at lacing the rear wheel myself, I have never built a wheel, though can straighten one no probs, building it myself with the old spokes would also help keep the build cost down , keeping in the theme of a bike like this, Of course the proper thing to do is go on a 1 day wheel building wheel course up at the Edinburgh Bike CO OP or get a book, or a download on wheel building, but i just had a go... So i carefully removed the spokes from the existing rear wheel to use, The coaster hub flange diameter was 2mm wider than the freewheel hub on the old marin wheel but i hoped the spoke lenght would be ok, Sitting in front of the fire one evening i used the front wheel off the Dawes Galaxy as it too is also 36 spoke and with it lying against the fireplace i copied each set of spokes making sure each inside then outside set crossed over or under correctly, then i set the wheel in its frame and after getting a bit tension on the spokes wondered what to use to true it, Clothes pegs of course on the frame!, these kept the wheel true as i tensioned the spokes sideways and up and down - i imagine there are proper terms for all this but anyway it worked, One built wheel...

Out to the man cave for the build, on with some old Maxxis single ply Down Hill tyres, on with the stem, bars, glue on the grips (used clear laquer spray) Brooks saddle, beartrap pedals, then a 22t Alfine sprocket i had along with the last of a 3 pack of rust proof BMX pitch chains i had bought for the pugsley when it had an Alfine hub and it was built!, One retro Klunker, built for under £80...

Friend Mike popped round tonight after work for a look, and took some pics before it was dark...

And had a wee shot and thought it feels ace -:)

I have not ridden a bike with a coaster hub since BMXs in the mid 1980s in my teens, and with no normal brakes it means this will be a bit of a learning curve having to do all the breaking on the rear then pitch it sideways into corners, but learning will be a lot of fun, With a low 11" bottom bracket height and long wheel base this sled should slide and drift around corners great, wide downhill grass trails will be great fun as well as fire roads, plenty places to go and get some film riding it in the next few weeks... learning to brake before cornering should provide plenty of entertainment... Lets hope the rear wheel build holds up!...

Gosford Bay...

Is easily the least visited stretch of coast in East Lothian, despite below the often busy A198 coast road that follows the boundary wall of Gosford Estate from Longniddry to Aberlady there are few folk who stop and walk this part of coastline...
Google Earth...


Summer, low tide...


The John Muir Way follows the coast here but even then there is hardly anyone walks that, which is why i often visit here if out on a Sunday afternoon for a couple of hours ride as i did last week...


It has a good mixture of sand and technical rocks - more so at low tide, and often there is a lot of good beach combing on its mile and a half lenght...




At low tide you can ride in an inch or two of the sea a good half mile out,
and despite the noise of traffic heard above the high tide line along the JMW path out there at the low tide line you just hear the sea and wind,
That for me is the beauty of beach riding, getting away from everyone in an area so near to others yet you are so far from them,
Summer evening at low tide...


As with most of our coast the relics of WW2 line the coast here too...


And for myself i still find new stuff of interest, At the western end of the bay at Ferny Ness the encroaching Sea Buckthorn in this picture would not have been here 70 years ago...


I tripped over this in the ferns between the Sea Buckthorn bushes last year...


It is a spigot motor mount, fixed to the ground in concrete, no one else (online) or in any books has documented this here...


It would have been used by the Home Gaurd to operate a spigot mortor to fire on invading troops as they crested a small hill on the coast road...
Home Gaurd...


There is more history of around Ferny Ness that i need to write about soon on the other blog, (time!).
I made a film of Sundays ride, thought about time i did a POV film and although it took a while setting up the tri pod etc, but at the same time you get to do some beachcombing too, and it took a couple of hours editing the 90 files!, but part of the fun...

A cold clear winters day on the beach, i love it...
Song i have used before but it was stuck in my head on the day...
`Buckie High` by Boards of Canada...

Click 720p to watch in HD and watch full screen on your moniter as it is then not as dark... HD is time consuming to edit but looks nice,

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 -:)...