Skived off work this morning and went out to Stainburn for a few hours. The Aeris AM has just had it's fork and shock serviced, and bearings replaced, and was running sweetly. Also new, a 2.6 Magic Mary (non Radial) ultra soft up front for a bit more confidence/skills compensation for the loamy/rooty steeps and the chunky rocky 'official' trails. Gorgeous golden morning and the trails were mint.
Grand out in the Derbyshire Dales too this morning
Lovely crisp clear morning ride.
Zero degrees at the bottom but a fair bit colder up higher.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/54151120934/in/photostream/
Yet another ride with no bike cleaning.
This isn't normal for this time of year.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/54150795671/in/photostream/
Following the hare tracks
First ride on the new bike after months of procrastination over buying it. Also first exercise for a long time, felt it!
Whitelee wind farm. Great views today if a little chilly at -2°c
Slightly disappointing snowfall last night in Leeds, but made for a pretty (and actually quite rideable, rather than a muddy/slushy mudfest) hour and a half out on the local trails this morning.
More sub zero sunny dry fun this morning with Mrsstu.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/54153236469/in/dateposted/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/54153571885/in/dateposted/
Had snowfall on Darwen moors. Not bad to ride in just very cold.
Last night on Dumyat: -2degC, solid ground and a complete absence of mud. Not used to this.
Mine from yesterday lunchtime. Managed to get out for an hour
Snow is mostly gone. But sunny, clear and cold. Today's commutes ...
In:
Out:
More Leeds commuting. Took the eeb because I had to carry a reasonably big bag of crap into work this morning.
Trails still in decent condition, not much mud at all. Main hazard is all the leaves on the floor.
I actually quite enjoyed it being cold, being able to wear all my winter stuff again and check it all still fits and enjoy it keeping me warm and comfortable
Purbecks yesterday.
Local heath just now.
More dry valley fun this morning with a couple of mates.
I can't remember ever getting so many dry rides in in November.
Just above zero but a hell of a big windchill out in the open.
I'm sure if a rock had pinged up and hit one of my ears it would have shattered and fallen off.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/54155603085/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/54154287017/in/photostream/
Belfast today. First lovely, hard, grippy trails in ages!
Big ride across the moors last night. Only 5 km but took best part of 2 hours inc fixing a puncture. Was very cold but thankfully very still. An enjoyable ride.
Doing Laps in Blairadam Forest. Blacker than black.....
https://ibb.co/2yKkr1Q
https://ibb.co/2c6Zc1L
https://ibb.co/nM8pWrM
https://ibb.co/thZNxZs
@hardtailonly I really like the second photo you posted. Enjoying all the night and snow photos as we don't get any snow in our bit of East Yorkshire.
Good light today but trails felt slow from leaf cover sadly. Brain freezing cold weather though.
Very cold night ride last night. Trail conditions were excellent. Not that it was wet beforehand, but the frozen trails had huge amounts of sandpapery grip.
Local loop this morning.
Damp with a little drizzle in places.
Got back just before it rained.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/54166156155/in/dateposted/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/54166158045/in/dateposted/
A mooch around some back lanes and bridleways in the Shropshire hills. A chilly but sunny day, great to be out. I was wishing I'd taken my mtb on one particularly gloopy track though.
This is one of the first days this year that I just couldn’t motivate myself to slop though wet, slippy, muddy trails on a bike. So went for trail run instead. Sad, sad days.
Lunchtime gravel. Weather was decent. Not too sloppy on the trails just yet.
My zone 2 ride today turned into zone 3/4 due to a shitty virus but I did see some lovely highland cows
this afternoon saw a cheeky ride out in the sunshine
Been fitting/hacking some SKS Edge Al mudguards to the Day One over the weekend, so took the opportunity for a moderately extended commute in this morning, and a slightly extended one home. Trails a bit muddy and leaf-mulchy, but not too bad.
At the start of my 90 minute commute home last night I was determined I was going out on my bike for the first time in a good few weeks. 30 minutes into the bus journey and my initial idea of a 30km loop on the e-bike had been downgraded to a 15km loop on my regular bike. After another 30 minutes that'd been further downgraded to an hour in the garage on Zwift. By the time I got home I was wondering if there was any cycling on Eurosport.
I was basically booted out the door by my wife and told not to come back till I had a smile on my face. So, I decided to do my wee local loop on the e-bike. Lazy, I know, but before I went out my head wasn't in a good place at all. However, I was barely out the door 5 minutes before my mood had lifted and I was thinking, "This is great! Why don't I do this every night?" I even found a lovely new linking section of singletrack in my local woods.
Eventually got home with the 'required for entry' smile on my face. Rolled the bike into my garage, reached over and switched the charger on....fizz, pop, bang, smokey-smokey. That'll be £95 for a new Specialized Levo battery charger, thank-you very much. That's probably why I don't go out on my bike every night. I could never afford it. Christmas is cancelled.
It was still a great ride though, remarkably dry for the time of year.
🙂
It was still a great ride though, remarkably dry for the time of year.
That was my thoughts too Beagy: despite Saturday's snow/rain the trails were brilliant (for this time of year) last night. Still pish compared to last week's frozen extravaganza but great to be out.
Went mucking about in the woods on (and sometimes off...) the new bike with some others last night.
.
.
.
Cheers @a11y , hope you're keeping well!
Yeah, conditions were near perfect, although I'm still getting used to my new helmet mounted Exposure Diablo, and wasn't too surprised when I was ripped off the back of my bike by a low hanging branch last night. Don't think those rooty tunnels in your pictures would work for me. Head still hurts a bit this morning!
Was that up Sherrifmuir / BOA? Looks very nice. Haven't been over there for a night ride in many a year.
Cheers @a11y , hope you’re keeping well!
Yeah, conditions were near perfect, although I’m still getting used to my new helmet mounted Exposure Diablo, and wasn’t too surprised when I was ripped off the back of my bike by a low hanging branch last night. Don’t think those rooty tunnels in your pictures would work for me. Head still hurts a bit this morning!
Was that up Sherrifmuir / BOA? Looks very nice. Haven’t been over there for a night ride in many a year.
I'm keeping well - good to hear you're out on the bike too Beagy! Being equally vertically-accomplished I share your pain: a lanyard looped through a helmet vent has saved a hunt in the bushes more than once.
The woodsy pics were all in the bit between the Dumyat/doggers carpark and Dumyat entrance gate (Pigs With Guns & Numkoch). I'm bad at getting across to the likes of N3/Cambu as the selection's so good across northside, I really should make the effort.
A quick spin on a cold and clear evening before yet more wind & rain arrived.
https://i.postimg.cc/L50DLZnN/Orange-Light.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.postimg.cc/L50DLZnN/Orange-Light.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
A touch icy on the tracks and trails today - a wee spin to the top of the island, looking north across to Ardnamurchan, Canna & Rum.
Grab & Go. Quick Faff-free lunch hour spin on the mudguarded SS Day One.
Erm wow
Here’s another without the bike and trig point in the way - I was able to pick-out 16 islands: Tiree, Coll, Eigg, Muck, Rum, Canna, Skye, Berneray, Mingulay, Sanday, Vatersay, Barra, Eriskay, South Uist, Benbecula and North Uist
Morning off with a pal, making the most of surprisingly dry trails on a beautiful day.
Garburn Pass and HP Plantation stop off on route from Bournemouth to Oban.
A cheeky Grizedale leafy superhighway outing with Mr Solaris
Minus 4 at the start of my ride this morning.
Still puddles in the shelter of the trees resulting in the bike getting wet then freezing.
Really not feeling it today so jacked it in after a couple of trails.
Still managed to add an extra 650 meters to my ascent target for the year which I've already passed despite it not even being December yet so no all bad.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/54169976521/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/54170243373/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/54170284404/in/photostream/
Took the opportunity for a frosty ride before work this morning. Trails mostly running well, but the boggy spots out in the fields were still boggy, merely covered by a thin layer of frozen-ness, not up to the job of supporting the weight of me and my bike. So, ended up more muddy than I'd expected!
Which beer did you go for?
I kind of miss some of the Midlands/Shropshire/Mid Wales borders beers.
Horse's tied up next to bikes outside pubs are also cool as.
Something I've only ever experienced in that area and the mountains in southern Spain.
I had a Butty Bach, just out of shot. It was the Sun Inn in Leintwardine, a lovely pub. There are some superb beers locally, although one of my favourites Woods, has gone now:-( Shropshire Lad was a great pint. Hobsons and Wye Valley are always good too. To be honest, although I live in Ludlow, I'm not a huge fan of Ludlow Brewery beer. It's OK, it's just that there are better options locally.
