Quit a decade long 20+ a day habit about five years ago and I’m very glad I did. Bought myself a shiny new mountain bike as a reward. Have almost as strong withdrawal symptoms if I don’t get out for a ride now.

I had several failures (with hindsight not really proper attempts at giving up) before managed it. Quitting is pretty hellish when your routine and physiology are used a regular hit of nicotine but persevere with it.

The odd drunken smoke or toke has passed my lips/lungs of late but only after a few years of being off tobacco completely. I know that this kind of behaviour is a common route to recidivism but since I have no desire to go back to spending a fortune on a pointless and harmful activity I remain fairly relaxed about my, very occasional, boozed up misadvenures.

Good luck with quitting, it really is worth doing.

Another one opened up on Brougham Street recently… soul cycles[/url]

Not been in but noticed it when pedaling past the other day.

Thought it was superb Rob. In places it was a fine line between being submlime technical riding and bloody impossible, but I tend to like that kind of thing. Would love to have a path that good near my front door all of the time.

While I’m here I’ll post another photo for the cubemeup…

Descent from Bealach Ban, Torridon.

Bimbling along the side of Loch Torridon last week. Now stuck in the office and none too happy about it.

Some photos from a couple of rides in Torridon last week…

Diabaig to Craig and back – Thanks for the recommendations 13thfloormonk and robgarrioch. I was pretty much blown away by this trail, a real technical challenge which was really frustrating in places but incredibly satisfying to clean sections of. Some of it is just sublime riding, with a few sections above my skill level and some I think most would have to dismount for.

Coulags to Annat (with a little detour up to the Bealach Ban) – Had read lots about the descent from the Bealach Na Lice to Annat so I thought I would have to give this one a go while in the area.

Nice climb from Coulags with lots of water bars and steep rocky sections to keep you on your toes. Met a couple of ladies from the Lakes by the bothy who were mtb touring with panniers… I don’t think they were enjoying the drainage channels very much. They kindly offered me a cup of tea and we had a blether about the riding/bothies in the area. I suggested that they might be better off ditching their gear before heading up any further. Don’t know if they persevered but the next km or so was a pretty annoying push/carry/ride 20m then falter affair, even on an unladen bike.

It was a stunning day so I decided to head up towards Coire Grannda instead of straight through the Bealach Na Lice. I rode across the head of Coire Fionnaraich and then carried up as far as the Bealach Ban and enjoyed the views over to Liathach before heading back down the very steep and loose descent to Bealach Na Lice.

Looking down towards Coulags from the Bealach Ban.

The descent from Bealach Ban. Steep, loose, rocky and lots of fun.

Singletrack past Loch An Eion.

Will definitely be back for more.

The Ben Eighe ridge from Spidean Coire nan Clach (left the bike behind for this one)

Great post. Thanks for sharing the fantastic photos.

Aye Rob, was speaking to 13thfloormonk about the diabeg to Craig (but definitely not all the way to red point unless you like pushing) route on a ride recently. Looks and sounds great, love trails with exposed bedrock… will definitely be giving it a shot or two if it’s as good as promised.

Never visited the badacrro, but it’s beery reputation precedes it. Will give you a shout for a pint if I’m up that way. Hoping its good riding weather anyway, enjoy your run up on the bike.

A song about a car made by the Ford Motor Company…

Galaxy 500 – The Reverend Horton Heat

Only a week until I’m over in Wester Ross based at Diabeg for 7 days so I’m in here for inspiration too. Those photos have whetted my appetite nicely.

Hopefully post some photos of my own on my return.

Thanks for the tour de enduro Ant. Some seriously good riding in there, nice mix of loamy, rocky and rooty stuff. Not too muddy either considering the recent deluges.

A bit sore after my off and added another pedal pin gouge to my already hole-peppered shins, but think I got out of it quite lightly.

Didn’t see that stump until I scraped myself off the ground and walked back up the trail to figure out what the hell had happened. I love downhill trails, but I’m not sure that they like me 😕

Alan Rickman and the Senseless Violence

Have thought of using one to activate the 130-100mm drop on my Magura forks since it doesn’t need to lock to do this, just pull the cable while you move the forks up or down the travel.

Haven’t picked up a suitable shifter to give it a try, but if I spot one I think I’ll give it a shot. Still can’t believe how bad the flimsy plastic magura ones are in comparision to the great build quality of the fork itself. The price is daft too.

Will report back if I do try it out.

happy cycling folks, maybe see some of you at innerleithen or another time in the pentlands.

hels – might be tempted by that offer of guiding sometime soon, I don’t know much of the unwaymarked stuff around innerleithen/glentress and fancy bribing someone with cake/beer for a wee tour of the ‘secret’ bits.

Thanks Ant. How about the loading bay outside the Kings Hall, just after the Blockbuster, on South Clerk Street? It’s here on google streetmap (just after the volvo in the bus stop on the left)

Will be there from half six. What are you driving?

hanging back for some consensus

That’s never going to happen on here is it 🙂

Ant, if you have room for me and a bike can I cadge a lift down to Innerleithen?

Not the most decisive thread is it 😐

Will be happy as long as I get out riding somewhere, both wheels leave the ground at some point and I don’t crash into any too many trees.

I blame AntM for coming up with the away game idea and then vanishing…

Left the car at home (couldn’t be bothered with the hassle of driving) and came into town on the MTB so I’ll probably be out in the Pentlands tonight.

Happy to join anyone who’s still planning on heading to Innerleithen/Glentress though. Will share fuel costs and don’t mind dogs coming along if that’s the case.

Looking forward to escaping fae work, wherever I end up riding.

In a way it’s nice to get an overview of roughly where the paths go with out regard to the road system but even though it’s nicely excecuted it’s quite a limited device.

The Spokes map is far more useful and I think I’ve seen other online maps for Edinburgh (linked through the Edinburgh City cycling blog[/url]) that do a better job in terms of annotations too.

First time I picked up one of the wee printed innertube maps I thought that the idea was to show how big the gaps between the bits of traffic free infrastructure are and to point out generally how limited the network in the city is. A few lapsed/non-cyclists at work got excited about them, so that’s at least one good thing to come out of the investment. The printed one is pretty good but I’m not convinced by the online version yet.

I’m up for the Pentlands or beyond…

Have transport for two others and their bikes if folk are up for a trip to the Borders. Would be easiest for me to leave from Newington/Meadows area but quite happy to pick folk up from elsewhere if necessary.

Happy to ride in the Pentlands as long as it doesn’t entail getting as wet as Jimmy will be 🙂

Will keep an eye on this thread to see if some kind of plan formulates.

Great ride folks. It was 50 odd km round trip by the time I got myself home to Leith and inhaled my dinner.

Had forgotten how much fun/terror was involved in trying to keep up with the 13thfloormonk. Just about kept up on the downhills, but no chance on the climbs.

Hope everyone’s mechanicals and wall/ditch escapades haven’t caused any lasting damage.

I should be heading out. Will be at the Bonaly Shop shop for seven.

No pentlands escape for me this week 🙁

At least I get a five day weekend to make up for it though 😀

Enjoy it if you get up there, it’s the first relatively calm day in what feels like a very long time.

Mogwai – How to be a werewolf

Love this video, think I’m going to have to go ride a bicycle around Norway sometime.

Have had to get the map out to figure a few of these out. I reckon the only way I’ll ever get good at climbing is more climbing so I’ll have to try some of these ones.

Looking at the contours on the ones I don’t know, I can already see the point at which I’ve collapsed by the trail in a wheezing heap, and it’s not very far up towards the top.

Since it was just me at the Bonaly shop some Mudhoneys took pity on me and I tagged along on the Hervelo ride.

It was blowing a hoolie and a bit annoying when heading west but the nail trail with a 25 mph tailwind was ace and I was introduced to some nice bits of trail I’d never ridden before.

Great ride, although I’m sure it was more fun staying in and discussing the best climbs in the Pentlands on here 😉

yup, will be at bonaly for seven.

This bicycle[/url] comes with an owl, if that helps at all.

Would be rude not to really. Will join you at the Lochrin Basin.

I’ve always quite liked the irony (igmc) of taking a freshly pressed shirt and sticking it in a bag made by a company called Crumpler. 🙂

Panniers and loosely rolled is the way to go though if you really want to avoid creases.

Raleigh Mustang – Overbuilt and unwieldy but huge amounts of fun.

Dawes Kickback – LX bits, toeclips, biopace rings and came with purple bar ends as standard.

Giant XTC SE – After a few years not riding, my first bike with disc brakes, suspension forks and clipless pedals. What a difference.

On One 456 Summer Season – Overbuilt and unwieldy but huge amounts of fun 🙂

Think the only way I’m going to get better at pedalling up hills is by pedalling up more hills, so I’ll be at Bonaly for seven. 🙂

What’s behind this doorway in the hillside above Invergordon?

Six Royal Navy storage tanks measuring 237 metres long and 9 metres tall/wide capable of holding about 5.6 million gallons of oil.

Might cost a few quid to fill those these days…

more info here and here

Love my Magura forks but the remote levers are absolute bobbins.

1 Nm recommended tightening torque… not enough to hold it to the bars and any more and it breaks the clamp. 😕

a grand ride, even with failing brakes

hey Kunstler, a grand ride indeed. I have those MPH3 spares for you, sent an email to your profile address.

What a waste of some fine rooty singletrack on Beech Avenue.

Absolutely, it may be quicker on the tarmac but nowhere near as much fun.

De Prael[/url] do some cracking beers and have a wee brewery and bar/cafe just around the corner.

The bar has a relaxed atmosphere, a few bikes on the wall and does astoundingly good meatball sandwiches.

cheers folks. A lovely evening and a fantastic ride (except the uphill bits, I sucked at those)

Kudos to those that rode that climb out of Green Cleugh.

TJ – I’m afraid the verification of your warp speed down Beech Avenue failed. I plugged in the phone before shutting down the GPS app on the phone which, I have now discovered, causes the host PC to mount the SD card before the app has a chance to write the data. anyway, sorry 😳 you’ll have to try another day.

Aye, I should be along tonight, been far too long since I’ve been out in the Pentlands.

After I borked myself on the downhill track at Ae I my GP refered me to the Royal Edinburgh Infirmary for an xray.

They asked where I was riding when I sustained the injury. Had it occured at Glentress my injury would have been recorded in the ‘Glentrauma’ book but since it happened at ‘Ae&E’ it didn’t have to be noted anywhere. Looks like there are being fairly rigourous injury stats being compiled for glentress but not elsewhere.

The radiographer was a mountainbiker himself so he was fairly sanguine about the number of injured folk he saw, but I have met some A&E staff who’ve been pissed off with the number of mtb accidents they have to deal with. However, I think they’re still happier dealing with that than the pissed up and abusive detritus of an average Saturday night.

Hope you have a swift recovery waspfactory.

Stopped for lunch in Ord Ban at Inverdruie last time I was up. Thought it was excellent, will definitely go back for an evening meal sometime.

Had the worst burger I’ve had in my entire life in Cafe Mambo a few years back. The thought of it still makes me queasy.