Just a little bump to make sure this thread keeps going as i love seeing everyone's mid week ride pictures. :thumbup:
My riding has backed off a little now we're into December and I've hit the main yearly target I was aiming for.
Only my second ride this week and only one pic.
Out on the gravel bike locally again at lunch time to avoid the slop. Decent weather conditions, just a little bit windy but bright/sunny and it only showered just slightly as I rolled up to the garden gate.
Also had a new slop-weapon to build up this evening after cracking my previous frame. Invisiframed it yesterday which I've cocked up a bit (need to fix a few bubbles).
I've a few bits left to do, but mostly there now. This is in winter mode. Singlespeed. It'll have full guards on (mudrocker to go on the back). Also getting some grippier tyres on it.
For summer it'll go into bike packing mode with gears in, or touring mode as it's got rack mounts and I'll put some slicks on. Might also get a rigid touring fork for that.
Still managing to find a bit of motivation to ride despite the time of year.
30K rip round some tracks and back lanes this morning.
Stopped to say hello to the donkeys.
Magic night last night on our weekly ride. Apparently -9degC at the summit but not a breath of wind. Ground conditions 90% solid, 10% pure pish.
Got out again this morning despite not really being that keen.
So glad I did.
Ride started off with this cheeky little chappie getting into the car as I was unloading my bike.
Then after the climb to the top I was greeted with this awesome inversion.
Could have sat there for hours in the sunshine looking at it.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/54197753336/in/dateposted/
Then back to the car for round two of the robin trying to hitch a ride.
Isn't nature wonderful. 😀
Great getting out over the past few days before starting night shift at the weekend and not seeing any daylight for 4 days!
Feeling distinctly under the weather today with the beginnings of full blown man flu.
Mrsstus day off so just a gentle 30k ride out to a local landmark.
Lovely sunrise on the commute this morning
Frosty Pentlands.
After two weeks almost house bound with some gross cold/chest infection I ventured out on the bike, down the valley, up Sowerby Croft lane to discover the wee cafe at Norland was shut. No coffee but great to get out again....in the sun as well!
I've also been a bit ill (not that ill) works Xmas do was the culprit
First ride for maybe a week. Was supposed to be out this evening but an important work call got pushed back that I couldn't miss.
So went out at lunchtime instead, decent weather, nice to see some sun! Chilly tho
As close to an equinox night ride as we were going to get. After yesterdays' extended deluge I was expecting peak mud, but it wasn't too bad. Bit parky tho- luckily the pub was nice and warm 🙂
Hardtail
big eff off mudguards
limited sense of shame
Win
was lovely in the woods tonight until I snapped a spoke and got a puncture 
Trying not to suck at jumps again at Leamington yesterday. I still do a bit. Was trying to blame it on the headwinds and soft ground, but then a kid turned up and did the lot on a DH bike so that ruined my argument!
Views from the Pepper Pot over to Silsden. Saw a meteor last night too, pretty cool
Trying to get back into the swing of things after a forced break over the last month.
Todays ride turned into a ride/walk/ride.
1.5 hours to do just 7.5KM./380 Meters
Bloody hard work despite the poor distance and only one climb.
Still fun though.
Knee deep in places.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/54252089016/in/photostream/
Sliding about Mid Lothian and the Borders 
on the gravel bike. Had to cut my intended route short as the snow was just getting a wee bit too deep. Still great to get out in the sunshine even if it was on the chilly side!
Lunchtime ride in the snow. Mega tough ground conditions - snow that had turned to slush and mainly refrozen ... but not everywhere! Utter filth slush in the woods. I rode a gravel route that usually takes under about 50 minutes in the summer. Today it took me 1hr 15 mins on the ebike and I used 55% of a battery!
Had a piss about with the DJI neo I bought myself for Christmas in quick shots follow mode - got some decent shots and footage - screenshot below, well pleased with it. An amazing amount of capability for the money.
Nothing like a lower-than-before hanging tree to test the resilience of your brakes (and your sphincter). It wasn't as low as this previously but strong winds in the past couple of weeks have brought it down a LOT more.
Apart from that my local trails were riding well last night. Frozen ruts in places, snow in others, pure ming in the odd spot. Another few days and it'll all be solid.
Bedgebury red route ride. I love this bike!
Not as cold today as at the weekend, still in the minus, but the melt water made it harder going.
Just catching up on this thread and the photos are cracking. @el_boufador how are you finding the Pace 529 in that set up?
Quick hour out in the afternoon for me in East Yorkshire. No snow at all for us but very icy and brainfreeze guaranteed. Feeling quite racy for once too on some fast trails.
Freezing gravel ride, cycle paths were lethal.
Icy, very cold but good to be out!
@dukeduvet I'm loving the 529 as set up in above pics for winter duties. (singlespeed, big eff off mudguards, 140mm lyriks) it chomps through xc mudfests but will also take on the raddest local tech lines on offer.
It could do with some burlier rims (got a new set of wheels I need to get round to building) as I keep taking the light xc wheels a bit beyond what they should really be doing...
I also much prefer the 529 to the cotic Solarismax it replaced (first one with the longshot geometry)
Although the reach is about the same, the 529 has a lower BB (so more stack) and the ST a decent bit steeper too so shorter effective to tube which puts.me.in a more comfortable position. better all around really.
Slidey dropouts for SSing is much better than fannying on with rollers.
In the spring it'll morph into a geared bike packing and/or touring rig as it'll take a full rack even
( I'll be riding more full sus for xc and enduro stuff in the summer so less need for an off road hardtail)
Thanks @el_boulfador that's really helpful. Thinking about one but thought it may be too much bike for me but sounds like it is versatile. When I saw the 421s I wondered how they were fairing!
I was also thinking it could be too much bike but I'm finding it's spot on. Note mine is the previous version and the geo is very slightly less progressive than the latest one. There isn't much in it though.
I was initially thinking the new 429 might have been better for me as a more xc / adventure focussed bike but I'm not so sure now. I think the 529 is spot on as a really versatile bike. the 429 also loses the slidey dropouts.
Hard going on the frozen snow tbh but still good fun, think last night pumped the man flu round me though not stopped coughing since!
🙂
Already fitted!
Five of us out last night, 34 hard-earned Kms! Trails in the woods on the outskirts of Leeds were running pretty good, crunchy and grippy mostly rather than death-ice. Out in the open, or on the streets/pavements was rather harder work and more sketchy. Great fun though.
IBB.CO 
Hard work this morning.
Fire roads were rather draggy... Seem to have done that thing off lifting and fluffing up as the ground thawed out.
Trails were in great condition though and got cheered on by all the BASE students sessioning a tricky corner on KMC.
To be fair to them they're always super friendly when they're about.
This was knee deep in snow this time last week. :laugh:
Commute this morning. Ice on the canal but not on the trails. Trails not too minging after the thaw so that's a win
Snow last week, more like spring this week!
Escaping from work this evening...great trail up and out of the city centre. Same spot as @hardtailonly 's photo up there ^
Quick hour and 20 minutes on Monday night whilst eldest daughter at ballet. Took the SS gravel bike, but ice melt on the trails / cycle paths meant that the road was the safest place to be - and it's not often I'd say that!
Great 55k gravel ride last night with a couple of mates.
I say 'gravel' ... There was a significant amount that was more akin to the consistency of peanut butter!
And a very pleasant commute in this morning (the commute home was even nicer, felt like Spring, but was in a hurry so no photos)
Clear night. Full moon. Got quite chilly at the end.
Full moon ride last night. Was going so well until my main bar light packed in... 
Definitely feeling less middle of winter on this mornings ride.
Still a couple of patches of snow about higher up.
I remember when this trail was still at ground level.
The rut is almost as deep as me at 6 Foot.
Must be all the Ebikes wearing it out. 😉
Canal path reflections on the afternoon commute.
