@amir, went up mid morning few weeks back and busy, you were maybe just lucky
The descent I hope you agree was worth the climb.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting
The "I had a lovely ride today, thankyou" thread
(2685 posts)-
Posted 3 years ago #
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The descent is through beautiful country, but road is tricky so difficult to let rip. On the other hand I had a beaut of a tailwind to the Gordon Arms :)
Posted 3 years ago # -
The section along Megget is just fabulous. I nearly got caught out by a double twist first time down the main descent, you need to keep focussed if you’re going any decent speed.
I had been planning to do a lovely ride today but I had my second front wheel blow out in 2 years and I hit the tarmac at 30mph. On a recumbent so the leg takes the brunt. I have some wicked road rash. It’s going to be a long night.
I’m starting to think running fragile race tyres on gravel strewn Borders back roads is just asking for trouble. This one was a gash in the sidewall.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Went down east side of tinto hill today, gorgeous. Tearoom reopened this week - Thurs-Sun 10am-2pm takeaway only
Posted 3 years ago # -
Ouch @nobrakes. I wish you a quick recovery
Posted 3 years ago # -
Posted 3 years ago #
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Thanks @Cyclingmollie. That's going to give me nightmares
Posted 3 years ago # -
@Amir but you did it so good dream not nightmare
Posted 3 years ago # -
@nobrakes - still running Durano Plus on my faster bike.
I think, as you say, road conditions are just too 'variable' for other tyres.
Other reclined demos have Gatorskins. Good compromise would be tougher Conti.Best wishes for recovery. This would be an online TT event I imagine too?
Posted 3 years ago # -
@LaidBack this wasn’t part of the TT challenge - I was just out for a ride round the Innerleithen loop. I’ve put the Duranos back on the fast bike for now too.
The TT challenge is also online though, yes. There’s a 12 mile Zwift segment you can use.
Was back out with mrs nobrakes on the tandem today - it’s actually much comfier cycling a recumbent with bad hip road rash than it is sitting about the house! Lots of cyclists out today. Not a lot of distancing going on.
Posted 3 years ago # -
regular weekend one-wayer to Moffat. Left very early, got to Gordon arms by 0930 and felt fresh as a daisy, so pushed on via the monks.
By the time I got to Boreland and was looking at the entrance to the high road to Moffat I was a long way from feeling fresh. Fortunately someone I'd not seen for 30 years was just coming down, she confirmed the uber hilliness and took me the longer, flatter way via Lockerbie.
The fact my parents live on top of a hill always seems a little unfair. It's only 86m of climbing, but it feels like 860 after 7hrs on the bike.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@Iain McR - that is a detour. If you did your regular one-wayer home from Moffat you would generally have a tailwind?
Posted 3 years ago # -
@gembo - yes,once once have a managed to get a tailwind going to Moffat - took 45 mins off the time.
That said, now we can stay over will be looking to return with tailwind the following day.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Nice family ride to Carnoustie and back from Arbroath on the Pashley's.
We seemed to benefit from a strong tailwind down, and the wind died down to near nothing on the way back.
Added bonus of saving a stunned, but seemingly otherwise OK hedgehog which was not moving in the middle of the road. Wrapped it up in a spare hoodie and laid it down a bit from the road and waited for about 5 minutes before it was happy enough to wander off.
I think that was the first time I have been further than the shops on an actual bike this year. Only 12 miles return but my indoor spin bike must be doing its job as my legs didn't complain any.
Even my wife was happy with the cycle, and commented lots about wishing we had a path like that, and she'd use it all the time. The ride from Burntisland to Dalgety Bay is similar in distance, but much less civilised.
Posted 3 years ago # -
There may be a quid pro quo involved there may not. The gembotron, Père Gembeau, Mr Garto will take a tilt at Glen Tilt's gravel in a fortnight. He is gravel curious and knows that I am road curious, so.
Having put the poor beaten Tricross back into working order we would go for a spin on the road bikes hanging in the shed. I get the older one with SPD's, a triple and a vestigial mudguard. This suits me fine - I have a pair of SPD shoes and I looked them out and even brushed the stoor off them.
Despite having made a list of things not to forget I forget the shoes. This is not unusual. Gembo proposes that I may have done this deliberately to some degree in order not to have to ride but this is not so. I take 43, gembo 42. I shall wear the shoes that go with the bike.
We are to do fifteen miles on the Balerno back roads. I am not used to brifters but they are well designed and intuitive. Side-pull brakes are always a bit vague compared to MTB hydraulic discs and these are no exception. This bike is made to go not stop. It is light and twitchy. It asks to be ridden hard and responds to the lightest touch. I like. My right big toe is a little cramped. No big deal.
It is teeshirt weather. I nod to passing roadies. Gembo hails them. I begin to hail them. I stop thinking about the bike and start to see stuff. A leathery gent is taking Autotrader/Tindr shots of his blue sports car. A topless Polish cyclist has stopped to share a joint with a car driver. Further on a cyclist has stopped to listen to the sound system on his bike. We examine the secret bramble grove. Spliff Guy knows Sound System and they turn it up.
Is that a shoot for a niche porn film? Possibly. We hail them, they hail us. Even in motion I spot that gembo's bike has radial spoking on all but the drive side of the rear wheel. Extreme.
Beech Avenue, I slip onto the granny ring and gembo climbs en danseuse. He is strong, I am peching a wee bitty. (Two sentences, three languages deal with it.)
We drink Ribena at the castle and descend. I drag the back brake, unused to skinny tyres and aero speed. But still fast. Down past @unhurt's crash site. I hit The Bump in Balerno and involuntarily pronounce 'ooocha f***er' to the amusement of the bus queue.
Back at base I form a plan involving second hand Bianchis with Campag kit. We shall see.
Posted 3 years ago # -
I assume if you wanted to pick up some shopping on the way home you'd need to pop back home first for a stronger rear wheel and a frame with rack mount lugs etc.
When I first got a bike with brifters I was amazed at the clicky smoothness, especially having moved there from downtube-mounted friction shifters, but after a couple of cable changes and use in allow weathers the plastic wore down, the magic wore off and they became imperfectly-indexed.Posted 3 years ago # -
@wingig
Sic transit gloria brifter.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@IWRATS nice write up. Kind of you to miss out the bit where when we stopped at road end beyond listonshiels when I unclipped left but turned right and fell over. Had you mentioned that I would have lost the last shred of cred I have. So thanks for not mentioning it.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@gembo
What goes on tour stays on tour. That's the law.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Phew
Posted 3 years ago # -
I decided I would like to cycle up the Talla climb yesterday.
So I went out via the Moor Road to West Linton, then to Romanobridge, down the Lyne valley to the A72. Turned right to go past Stobo Castle and then down the A701, admiring the substantial remains of an old railway parallel to the road. At Tweedsmuir it rained quite hard, but by the time I got up past Talla Reservoir it had stopped again.
The climb is tough, and I was grateful to the drivers of the two cars who pulled over to let me get up without stopping. By the time I got to the high point looking over Megget Reservoir the sun had come out. I enjoyed the descent and the tailwind past St Mary's Loch along to the Gordon Arms, where I stopped and got a coffee and some crisps.
Home via Innerleithen and the Granites. I was glad I didn't need to stop in Innerleithen as I was quite busy; I did stop and have a bite to eat at the edge of the golf course. Annoyingly there was somewhat of a headwind over the Granites and I got rained on again just as I made the descent and the turn to Middleton.
I carefully went round the block to ensure that I had 160km on my Garmin, only for Mr Fimm to inform me that 100 miles is 161km, after I'd carried the bike up three flights of stairs. Suggestions for a suitable punishment are welcome.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Yeah Mr Fimm has taken a hard line there. Given the hills you put in clearly a ton, if not quite 100 miles (100x8/5 = 161 except where many hills involved then it equals 160). 160.934km no less
Posted 3 years ago # -
@fimm, suitable punishment is buying ice-cream. I'm glad I'm not the only one to have an accidental flake this year. I enjoyed it so much I've now recorded a second.
I reckon it's much harder to ride over 160km but under 100miles than any other distance under 175km.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Did the little clubhiedean circuit which crams a lot into 55mins or 60mins if extend to jK Rowling lands
Was very busy though.
Real holiday feel
Posted 3 years ago # -
Finally had the time/energy/absence of chores/shopping to pop out for a non-shopping reasonable-distance evening ride-for-the-sake-of-it yestereve after the children were stowed for the night. Out to the Cramond roundabout, up to Maybury along the exciting overtaking-prevention cone system then back through the town centre, up the mound to see the rubber kerbs, round Forrest Road/Bristo Place to see the wands then home. Shall try and keep it up.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Lovely quick loop of the Pentlands which I quite enjoyed. Three examples of driving stupidity in the 2 hours I was out given I was on the road for about 20 minutes that's quite impressive. Roads are definitely back to normal.
Posted 3 years ago # -
@steveo wait until the teachers go back Monday then the parents start driv8ng their kids to school weds, will be carnage
Posted 3 years ago # -
Around here it has seemed relatively quiet this week traffic-wise. Except for this evening. At around 7.30 pm there was substantial traffic around Eskbank and Bonnyrigg. Doesn't make much sense
Posted 3 years ago # -
Quick spin out to beyond Harperrigg this afternoon, with the goal of staying in Zone 2 (which I accomplished). What a lovely day to be out on a bike (even if there was a headwind on the return trip).
Anyway, the main reason it was a lovely ride is a guilty one. There was a chap in front of me climbing the Harperrig hill on the way out. He was making heavy weather of it. I was dawdling up behind him, not making heavy weather of it at all. After the unfinished business of last weekend, this made me feel a bit better about my fitness (unfortunately, at his expense).
Posted 3 years ago # -
Due to fruitella action on the other thread we had headwind out and stayed on the roads until the time the wind turned so indeed had the headwind back. Wasn’t too brutal
Harperrig Islands almost submerged again with The recent rain
Posted 3 years ago #
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