An imminent change of office has finally given me a commute worth getting the bike out for, so the far-too-racy road bike has transformed in to a steel CX bike with mudguards and capable of pulling the kiddy trailer and mounting the kiddy seat, as well as getting me to work via the roads, and home via the old mine trails.

Unexpected glorious sunshine and permission to leave the house meant a ride was in order. The plan was a longish road ride just to stretch the legs and get some fresh air, but passing the entrance to the woods I decided to make a detour.

Things I’ve learnt:

1 – If it looks even slightly rocky and slightly steep, hold the drops, not the hoods, otherwise you will find yourself suddenly holding on with one hand, and at the very least your pride will suffer (but at least nobody was around to see).

2 – Cantilever brakes mean you are ‘committed’ a lot sooner than with modern disk brakes. I can’t believe I’ve survived this long, considering what we used to get up to with next to no braking back in the old days.

3 – If suddenly it gets steeper, twistier and more technical, check how much toe-overlap you have on the front wheel. Also, refer back to points 1 and 2.

4 – 2.3″, 35psi and 120mm equal 30mph. 33mm, 65psi and 0mm equal 5mph of careful picking and sliding. And hand cramp.

Most importantly 5 – Skinny tyres and drop bars (steel, rigid, drop-bar 29er? Niche enough?) make even tired local trails exciting again. You bounce, skip and slide more, and much slower if you can see even a pea-sized rock within 10 feet, but its great fun.

Pictures of today’s woods in bright sunlight, mostly dry under foot, and almost 10 degrees, just for those of you still snowed in: