spoke to a mate in the know….. booked it on monday AM. so i cant cause any more damage.

good old sq taper was awesome…………..   ;o)

2 hours of drizzle and mud today…………….   ace.

after 2 days doing nothing more than walking ( between pubs ) i got back at it today.   2 rides.

30 miler on tourer this morning. 15 miler on mtb this afternoon.    all good.

@frogstomp

perfect mate, give yourself a pat on the back……………..  cheers

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.SRAM-X-Sync-Direct-Mount-Chain-Ring_254987.htm

this is the chainring

wifes bb is dub. and not boost.

the eagle set up is dub, and available in non boost.

the smallest apex chainring is 38 which is too big.

no idea what day we are on, but have not missed one yet.

10 mile ride with my grandson yesterday, after school…….. pretty good for a 4 year old.

and a couple of hours with Mrs t today, doing chores on the bikes.

The Columbia boots are not waterproof, not grippy and the sole is too flexible for MTB IMO. I have a set and they are great for dog walks and watching kids sport when it’s cold but rubbish as an MTB shoe.

rubbish…… the columbia fairbanks are better than any cycling shoes i have ever used in 40 years of cycling.

mated with some good wool socks are warmer than a pair of 45nrth wolvehammers i wasted £200 on.

flex in a shoe also keeps blood pumping around your foot and aids warmth whereas a rigid soled shoes doesnt.

not as grippy as 5-10s but grippy enough for the last 10 years winter riding for me.

specialized tactic is huge. i use one and my swede is imense.

Bit better today.

A nice hour before breakfast to deliver some panniers I have sold to a fella off ctc forum.

All good ?

exhausted today. managed a 30 minute spin round local.

30 minute walk around a st malo to pompey ferry yesterday, followed by a 8 mile ride back to the car via a ace chip shop in  southsea.  ace end to a ace trip.

25 miles done today.

Tour completed.  730 miles total.

Awesome trip.

Delightful 40 miler yesterday along La Rance.

65 miler yesterday into the wind all day.  Angers to Nantes.

A steady day walking around Nantes today doing lots of eating and people watching.

Not sure what day we are on,  but another 40 miles down the Loire done today.  570 miles so far whilst on this challenge.   All good.

I swapped my gravel bike for a surly krampus.

Mainly because the gravel bike was horrible to ride offload. Road bikes with knobblies are OK around a muddy field for a hour.  IMHO.

43 miles into wind n rain.

A day on the bike in the rain is better than no day on the bike…..

45 mile ride planned today and it is lashing it down here in France.

Putting damp soggy gear on will be nice.

40 mile into Blois….. into a horrible wind and rainbthe whole way. 8mph average.

2 pints of chouffe and I am ruined.

5 miles walk around Orleans today.   Rain all day……… ace

2 x 50 mile rides for the last 2 days.   All going well.

We are away touring in France.

Done 400 miles in the last week so all is good.

scratched a itch this week.

after owning 10 various Surly models over the years, i managed to source a rather nice XL Krampus.

which is 1 i have not owned.  seems nice too.

currently using a cracking pair if Ion Scrub shoes.  bought cheap on Sportpursuit.

so good i ordered a 2nd pair.

me and Mrs T are in.

not like we have much else to do with our time is it…………………….. #lessmoneymoretime.

a proper lightweight fatbike.

possibly carbon everything, rims, bars, the whole thing where carbon is possible.

bought a fatbike last year, used it for 6 month and sold it, as it was a lump……. like me

but know a bloke who is also a lump who rides a very light fatbike and it is lovely to ride.

At nearly 40 working on my fitness would be my main objective.

At nearly 60 the thought of riding a Ebike through choice rather than necessity fills me with dread

got a 50 miles death slog from Appletreewick, out to Scar house and back.

proper tough old day.

me and my mrs started walking last year, on days we didnt fancy a bike ride.

started with a very slow couple of miles, as i was/am quite immobile in my legs, due to a hip replacement and a fused ankle.

we kept at it, slowly increasing distance and time. walking on holiday for a day whilst on bike tours, walking on the beach in northumberland is my fave.

we are now up to walks of around 10-12 miles in length on various types of surface and terrain.

we are currently walking a 60 mile loop local to us, in 10 miles sections.

one thing i do know, walking 10 mile is far tougher on my body than riding a steady 100 miler on the bike.

the days following a long walk are pretty painful on my stiff joints……. but i love the different exercise and so we will keep at it.

can i add, most off the shelf wheels are designed for normal sized people.

possibly between 12 to 16 stone. i am pretty sure a 19 stone bloke needs some custom strong wheels building.

Spa cycles will sort you.

i run xt 6 bolt on rigida sputnik rims, built with sapim strong spoke throughout.

21 stone rider, with panniers loaded.   never had a broken spoke or a out of shape wheel.

any car that is too big for a typical british road…………….. or a **** car as i call them.

any type of pick up truck, and range rovers or copies of this, most SUV things.

basically any vehicle drive by a selfish ****……..  who could most possibly be driving a normal saloon car.

i reckon i am fat skinny.

the thought of fasting sounds like a life not worth living.

ride bikes, drink beer, be happy.

Train to Hull. Ferry to rotterdam and turn right.

A gravel tour of middleburg , kamperland, brugge, ghent, oudenarrde, Brussels, antwerp, breda , back to rotterdam.

A grande ronde….

we are a clutter free household.

do a bit of a sweep every 6 months. stuff no wanted/used goes to the charity shop.

i dont even have a bike spares box nowadays.

Used a rohloff for 3 years on a nice light bike.

It just seemed harder at everything….. if you get what I mean.

Slower gear change slower uphill noisy in the top or bottom half of gears just not a nice experience.

Now on 8 spd claris on my gravel bike and 9 spd on my tourer. Both are far better to use.

Deffo won’t use a rear hub internal gear again… ….. maybe try a pinion.

The Europe…. Spain….. Morocco….Europe idea looks good.

Is that a legal way for 270 days out of this shitehole ?

Ton: you punting on the Spa leather saddle / instrument of torture that I gifted you ?
Posted 3 minutes ago

yes mate, told him he can have it to see if he gets on with it.    my brown one is comfier than any brooks i have used. the black one from you is sat in the spares box. he can have it to keep or to use for a while to see if it suits.

Matt, sent you a FB message.