Well, yesterday really but internet is down at home.
Went on the CTC Sunday ride in glorious weather, leisurely cofee and cake stop, good company. Pefect really.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting
The "I had a lovely ride today, thankyou" thread
(2695 posts)-
Posted 12 years ago #
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Gorgeous day. Furthest daily cycle. 102 miles around the Forth. Weather could hardly have been better.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Nice one Excitable Boy. You had a day off? or a mahoosive commute?
I had a nice ride in this morning, apart from being a bit keen on a chicaine and classh of wheels meant an off on the bridge to Dalmeny. Ouch, sore knee, hip elbow and hand. I hate coming off.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Fettled with handlebar angle on black fruity a little last night, since I was using that Allan key anyway to put the Brooks back on. Far more comfy when riding on the hoods, so I cruised into work today with happy hands.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Actually this was Tuesday.
A group I cycle with after work once a week met up at Killin to cycle round Loch Tay and Glen Lyon. We headed up to the pass road from Ben Lawers to Glen Lyon (3 miles of hill) and down the other side, where they the council had very kindly filled in ruts at the side of the road with loose stone so that it gathered after a few passes in the middle of the road - not nice when descending at 40mph. At least the tourist cars were nice enough to let us pass was we buzzed up behind them.
I surprising thing was at the Glen Lyon old Post Office cafe they had a large bike rack suitable for 12 bikes, which was full after we arrived. We helped a guy out from Glasgow who had a broken chain and then scooted off to Kenmore. The return was along the south Loch Tay road, which is hilly and bumpy.
48 miles in ~4.30 hours. I cycled with a mate and ex collegue who is a moster on the bike. We were full pelt on the cycle sections and ended up waiting ~30 mins each time for everyone to catch up. At times I could feel my heart pumping hard in my chest in three places! (may have to invest in a heart rate monitor to ensure I'm not overdoing it).
Midges were out in gangs, and feasted a plenty on us!
Posted 12 years ago # -
Lovely day for a wee cycle. I used the hub geared Bianchi hybrid for the first time in a number of months and went along the NCN 1 from Dalkeith to the Commie Pool for the first time in a very long time. It was glorious and relaxing - Anth - if you want quick access to farmland birds (incl yellowhammer) the route between Whitecraig and Dalkeith is ideal.
I passed one of the breakfast ride groups in Bingham and gave them a cheery hello. Some are perhaps not used to cycling so early in the morning ;)
Posted 12 years ago # -
Nice wee pootle along from Harrison Park to the breakfast, interspersed with wee sprinty bits as I tried to get enough of a scoot ahead to take a photo of the group.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Lurvely cycle in this morning, V early start, 06.30 setoff time. Along the Forth in Fife then over the bridge with 3 others, and through South Queensferry to Dalmeny Estate. Cycled along with a lovely cyclist i met in front of the BIG HOOSE, and accompanied her throgh Cramond and along towards Granton, where I had to leave sharpish to make the Inverleith #Bike20 Breakfast ride. Missed it by a few mins so just ploughed up Scotland street and those cobbles before bugging out to Broughton Street and up North bridge to meet many new and old friends.
Fab day, and this eve I have the reverse ride home with more cycling friends to Hawes Inn for diner before heading over the bridge home again.
Posted 12 years ago # -
This is taken from Dalgety Bay looking south west towards the Bridges.
EDIT I resized it but its still blumin cut it in half!!! Fume!!
Posted 12 years ago # -
Nothing to see, move on folks.
Yours
Soaked, of Fife.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Thought I'd see which bits of the Braid Burn flooded and visit my favourite muddy wood -
Posted 12 years ago # -
First ride on the finally-got-round-to-it commuterised wee blue floofy. Proper front mudguard from TBS, rack as well, panniers from woman in Omni car boot sale.
Still humming and hawing over full rear 'guard since it'll have to come off every time I change the wheel and probably won't fit 35mm studlies come the winter, so I might stick with the crudcatcher jammed under the rack.
It's too short a journey and the weather was too cool to make any real difference, but I'm happy to lose the bag, much as I love it, the bodgey old hipster thing.
Posted 12 years ago # -
"...so I might stick with the crudcatcher jammed under the rack."
I shall forever regret not taking a picture of the bike which had a crudcatcher-type guard zip-tied to the top of its rack, parked a few along from mine in the car park a month or two ago.
I rotated my chain (and scraped some plaques of weird black slightly fibrous-feeling black gunge off my jockey wheels) at the weekend, quite a bit later than I originally planned after picking up a spare new chain shortly before replacing my drivetrain a few months back, but hopefully not too late. The relative lack of resistance when pedalling in this morning was most pleasing and the odd skip can hopefully be solved by taking out another link.
Posted 12 years ago # -
"odd skip can hopefully be solved by taking out another link"
Possibly not.
New chain on 'old' cassette often skips under pressure until chain worn a bit.
Don't bother removing links unless really is longer than it should be.
Posted 12 years ago # -
"Don't bother removing links unless really is longer than it should be."
It's still two links/1" longer than the one I took off to clean, which had to get a fair few taken off when I first fitted it to stop the back of the cage scraping the sprockets; my bike's silly short chainstays in action again.
Posted 12 years ago # -
@uberuce - Tortec and others do a wide 36-44 full guard - I just ordered from SJS cycles for my (soon to arrive) Day 01 which has conti speedking 35's.
As to wheel removal, seems the best way is to get a spare set of the SKS breakaways and fit them to the rear as well as the front - viola.
Posted 12 years ago # -
@wingpig, bodgey as my Bike Station crud+rack is, I cannot compete with the wonderful crapness of the milk-carton 'guard bike. I've seen in in Morningside; others of this parish have seen it at work, I think.
Nelly, did you go for the delicious looking disc version?
Breakaways? *Googles* Heh, would you look at that. My front mudguard has the wrong stays thingy on it. Ah well.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Uberuce, nope - considered it (it is looovely looking), but ultimately went for simplicity of the mini v's.
Dont like the current colour (cherry red) - so was on lookout for ebay/gumtree 2011 SS in scuba yellow - nowt doing, when a shopsoiled (tiny scratch) one popped up yesterday in a bikeshop down south - really lucky, good price etc so I am chuffed.
I know that you and excitableboy both rave about them, so really looking forward to delivery !!
Posted 12 years ago # -
Thanks to the bearded guy in high-vis who stopped on South Bridge to offer me a pump.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Great ride up into the pentlands and around the lochs. Getting my legs shaken out for Sundays Haughcross race.
Ride went without issue until I hit morningside road on the way back. Chap turned left without signaling and almost hooked me. Then I got a puncture further up the road.... Oh well ride was very good.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Lovely ride down the coast road to North Berwick today - and I have to say that all motorised traffic behaved impeccably. Beautiful day for a ride (followed by a jump in the sea).
Posted 12 years ago # -
Lovely ride over the granites, through Heriot, over Soutra and back via Humbie. Wind made the climb over the Granites rather tough! This is one of my favourite local routes.
Posted 12 years ago # -
woo! great ride. finally made it out the innocent past duddingston, to musselburgh, up the esk and back to newcraighall/brunstane. followed the NCN 1 signs most of the way with no complaints. nicely sheltered from the wind except the bit by Queen Margaret. oh nd it was sunny almost all the way.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Nice weather today so I took the single speed for a spin out east. Intended to head to North Berwick or further then loop back. Made it as far as Port Seton when I realised I'd left my cards and cash at home. My one banana and bag of wine gums might have been sufficient for a hardened roadie to do 60 miles, but not me. Headed home in lovely sunshine...
Ah well. Tested out the Kowal frame's ability to carry a few bits and bobs in a seatpost bag as well as the bar bag. Handled just fine. Note the alloy toe clips, recently added too.
The Kowal is very agreeable in weather like today's. Does need a good road surface with those 23mm tyres though. The section of road by Prestongrange on the way back was hellish! Glad to see though that all but one of the cycle lanes by traffic islands at Musselburgh racecourse have been widened to take up most of the lane...
All in, a lovely ride. Next time, need to take sandwiches or remember my cash!
Posted 12 years ago # -
Easier run today than Tuesday's Bealach Na Ba grind - went out to Armadale to look at the Clan Donald museum and gardens which are ace. Apparently my ancestors were grumpy looking guys with ginger beards. Shock.
Lovely day up here, which just enough mist to make the mainland scenery look like it was just taking the mick with prettiness.
The MTB isn't a terrible road device with the slicks on and the fork de-suspensionised, the barends happen to fit my arms just right, but my beauttocks are regretting my laziness in not trading the Brooks over.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I was embarrassed to find yesterday that when I moved my saddle back an inch I actually faster and more comfortable than I had been riding for a few weeks! No idea when it went that far forward!
Good ride out to cramond via back streets and back via portobello and arthurs seat. 24 miles at 17.5mph. Really tough slogging into the headwinds all the way from Cramond but was able to keep my head down and hit a decent 22mph pace. along from Cramond to Porty.Posted 12 years ago # -
Woke up with a swine of a hangover and decided to give the bike a miss, then looked out the window at the superb clear day and instantly guilted my hangover away.
There's a couple of stern wee climbs going out of Plockton, which helped blow away the muzziness to the point I could appreciate the sheer ridiculousness of the scenery along Loch Duich. Popped in to see my cousin, who's the manager at the tea room by Eilean Donan, but he was so busy filtering money from the immense number of tourists that we didn't have much time for more than a hello.
Off round the loch to Ratagan and a wee brawl with a 15% climb, which I actually found a little tougher than Bealach Na Ba, even though that's steeper and longer. I presume that's because the Bealach is pretty busy so I was 'forced' to take lots of Passing Place recovery stops, whereas up from Ratagan it was just me vs 9.83m/s/s.
One descent later I was in Glenelg's lovely wee community-run cafe/village hall, where I hoovered up a full English and coffee for £6.50, then bike-waddled along to the ferry, where I met two other chaps on a cycling/camping/walking holiday. Once the ferry ride had finshed with the Visit Scotland twinkly-sea rolling-glen BS, there was another stern climb, not aided by the fact the tractor refused to engage the granny. Made it okay thanks to months of singlespeeding and being comfy stamping down on stiff pedals, and once the final crest was done, I was rewarded by the Cuillins just being utter tarts. I genuinely laughed out loud at how clichéd the reveal of lovely scenery was.
From there on, it was the ride home over the Bridge and past equally postcardly nonsense.
Anyway, I'm wi-fying in the pub, and you're presumably at work, so let me tell you with every ounce of sincerity that I can scrape: I am jealous.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Too much perfection in one day I reckon. Apart from the lack of granny ring.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Lovely little whanger today. A70 from Balerno to the West Calder turn. Down to the golf course at Harburn. I normally take the road down to near west Calder where a crossroads appears, right to Livingston via back roads. Right to woolfords. But today I took an earlier left that takes you to a farm called West Torphin. Lovely little farmhouse - walls come down to the road, but has been widened. No traffic as the farm is the only thing up there. Nice wee climb then descent back to the woolfords road. Clocked 27mph on the speed sign at Woolfords, into wind. Up to Tarbrax then A70 home, joined by friendly chap on cerevelo which upped the pace and got me back in time to take the family Danish/croissant orders.
Posted 12 years ago # -
...well week actually - I'll write that up separately, but needed a quick good post before my first commute story...
Robert
Posted 12 years ago #
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