Please 😆
I had a great ride today, in bright sunny conditions, with some good mates. About 30 miles, taking in a route I had only ever riden in the dark! Funny how stuff changes...
I did a road run yesterday of 20 miles near my house on quiet roads some of which I have been on before and today bought a fast hybrid.
Mrs B got a new road bike on Thursday (brilliant service and price from Shaun at Cyclewise Whinlatter), and it's been sunny since, she's out every day and loving it (sketchy icy at top of Newlands pass though)
(plus it must mean I can go and buy something soon.....)
An allround happy time for us!
I got some lovely new pedals for my pub bike yesterday!
Cost? One bag of doughnuts!
They were pedals tken off a bike they'd just sold, where they'd put shiny ones on to the new bike.
Now thats more like it!
New stuff is ace 😆 Sunny days are ace 😆
More please!
Took my 2 year old son out for a ride on the back of the 456 today. Afyer he's been bogged down with a rotten cold for a week and in a foul mood. Smiles all the way, high fives every few minutes and even the closed playground didnt phase him. Now that's a gteat ride.
i watched riders do stuff they never thought they could weeks ago. love it
Just rebuilt an old GT Avalance frame of mine into a winter hack using a tight budget and have been out a couple of times at night with it. I'd forgotten how much fun it is to ride. Sure it hasn't got the 160mm forks or the stiffness of my big bike, the xt gearing or any of the nice bits and indeed i doubt I get more than 50mm of reluctant travel, the brakes are shot and the tyres are summer ones but it reminded just how great riding can be.
did a canal ride, flat, no climbs, loved it, cold and sunny, just riding a bike with a friend, was nice just to be riding?
Went riding today, on routes I've never done before and found some awesome singletrack section marked as bridleways. Wouldn't be able to take a horse there but some stuff was brilliant. Best one was in Kingley Vale and then found some more stuff in West Dean woods. Been on my door step for the three years I've been here and never seen them before. Well chuffed
Good few laps of Healey Nab yesterday, and a nice bimble in the sun today
Lovely ride today. Took out two girl friends who are new to cycling for an 'easy' road spin, which turned into a 4 hour epic over some icy mountain roads. Beautiful sunny day, stunning views, great mid-ride coffee and soup, and two very knackered but happy friends!
Plus a date this evening with a chap who I, well, kinda like ... quite a lot ... I have the feeling that he might think the same 🙂 (I think this counts as a happy biking tale as he a mountainbiker / road cyclist too ...)
Rode into town with my lads, 4 & 6. Got their mum a birthday card. Sneaky visit to the sweet shop for a sherbert dib-dab each, a coffee for me, then onto the park for a play. Gorgeous weather. Cold, but so fresh & clear. If only every winter day was like today. I just love that they love their bikes as much as I love mine.
Collected my trek 69er ss from higgi (many thanks to higgi for meeting in the middle) on saturday and took it for a blast on sunday. First ride ever on a singlespeed and a 29er (well half a 29er) and loved it, came home with a huge grin.
The most fun I've had on a bike since cycling down Mount Etna, which was more scarey than fun!
Finally got round to putting the rigid forks back on my 97 Orange P7. Looks awesome 🙂
I rode with my 10 year old daughter in the local woods. All of 5k. Some comedy falls in half frozen mud. Hot chocolate to follow. That makes a fab ride in my book 🙂
I was riding here by myself yesterday, I had my tripod set up to take some photos. It's a nice place but it's also a bit sketchy.
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6701375137_9579e5be5d_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/basquemtb/6701375137/ ]More Mountain Biking on the Coast[/url]
I go here a lot an NEVER see other bikers. Today I saw 2 old guys on rigid bikes. One had a helmet, the other didn't. They were wearing normal clothes. As they got closer I noticed their grins; big and slightly terrified! When they got closer I spotted both had toe clips too. They asked me where the trail went and I told them it got worse lower down and offered an easier alternative but after a quick discussion they decided to continue on. I watched them for a bit and they rode most of it. You could totally feel their buzz.
It stuck with me and I've been thinking about it since; they'd probably popped out for a local cycle and turned left instead of their usual right and found themselves there. If that's not what mountain biking is all about then I don't know what is.
Nipped out on Saturday afternoon. Very crisp and icy. Wheel spinning going up a road climb because of the black ice. Brilliant!
Had a good ride yesterday in the forest. Before setting out bumped into a chap with an '89 vintage Pine Mountain with almost 100% original kit. It has been in his shed for 20 years ish. The same as my first proper mountain bike.
Then had a belter of a ride with two great mates. Sunny and pretty dry trails, what more could you ask for, except MORE!
Had a ride over to Settle yesterday via Weets Top and Malham Tarn. A bit suffery in the cold, and some stretches of sheet ice which had to be walked (plus an unfortunate semi OTB event involving a gap between planks on a wooden bridge).
Ignore that though, it was a brilliant ride - nice to crunch over ground that was a bogfest for most of the summer. Sensational views out over the three peaks and Pendle Hill.
Finished off with a top fry-up and tea at the Settle Down Cafe. Really satisfying, even if I did have to sit in front of the logburner for a couple of hours once I got home to thaw the feet out.
Watched my daughter riding around on her first pedal bike.
Finished building my scandal 29er with the assistance of said 3 year old. Just need to decide on the wide EA50 flats or fleegles to enhance my ride, 600mm doesn't seem enough with the wagon wheels. Oh, and something nobblier on the wheels, etc, etc, etc. 😉
Egg and beans for dinner! Proper lazy, but productive Sunday.
Toe-clips on that trail up there in the Basque? Rather them than me.
Had a great ride with my Dad on Friday evening. 45 miles from Matlock out on the high peak trail towards Buxton, and back through the Monsal Trail tunnels. Watched the sun go down over Harborough rocks, then it got properly baltic - frozen gear cables, frozen water bottles and bike computers stopped working. Got back to the van at 8pm with big smiles.
Got up yesterday at ridiculous o´clock. Met up with a bunch of riding mates and set out with frozen fingers & toes.
We climbed a tdf style incline , it took half a lifetime and rode through a mix of glue and mud for another age. Finally we hit a few singletrack descents, half rode, half slid down them, came out rider+bike pretty much one muddy outline. Jet-wash,pub and home 8/9 hours total.
It was great!