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Today's Awesome Commuter

(15 posts)
  • Started 12 years ago by kaputnik
  • Latest reply from kaputnik

  1. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I had some stuff to do during the day and didn't get out on my ride as intended in the daylight. So I headed up the Water of Leith path to Balerno as the sun set, just for a bit of a laugh I kept on going up to Harlaw. And so for a bit more of a laugh and as it was starting to rain, I kept going up the rough path towards the Pentlands. It was dark and I had my light on low to conserve power, so got slightly dissorientated, took a wrong turn and instead of taking the easier, longer route through Green Cleuch and coming out at Loganlea Reservoir, I went straight over Cock Rig and came down the cleuch between Hare Hill and Castle Law (which is no real place to take a bike in the dark given how wet it was, never mind a single speed road bike conversion!)

    Going up was the easy bit. Going down was slip, slither, slip, freewheel, slip, slither for about a mile down a rather steep, wet, muddy, stony hill. As I got towards Glencorse Reservoir, saw something reflecting in my light ahead. As I got closer realised it was the jacket of another cyclist, coming UP the way in the dark. He had a proper MTB with him, and we exchanged greetings as we passed on a bit of the path that required the bike to be carried.

    "Are you commuting?" he said. "No, just being stupid" said I.

    "Are you commuting?" I said. "Of course!" he replied and trotted off up the hill.

    Chapeau. Edinburgh's most extreme commuter I think. Certainly justifying use of an MTB for his ride. Unless anyone can better going over the Pentlands in the dark and rain as a route?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  2. cb
    Member

    That sounds like it would be 'fun' enough in the daylight never mind the dark!

    For the sake of my sanity gonnae confirm your route as none of Cock Rig, Castle Law and Hare Hill seem to fit.

    Was it Bell's Hill and Harbour Hill you went between?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  3. LivM
    Member

    Respect to that commuter. From your description of seeing his jacket reflecting, it sounds as though he was doing it without lights too? There's a man that eats his carrots.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  4. kaputnik
    Moderator

    He had a light on his helmet head - which was turned off at the time - and a small red one on at the back. I assume he was navigating by the rapidly waning moonlight, as he was a good 150m off the road when we passed.

    @cb seems my memory of the hill layout of the northern end of the Pentlands it's dreadful. I came down between Bells and Harbour hill, yes.

    Strictly speaking I was between Hare Hill and Castle Law, just forgot the 4 peaks inbetween :) I had intended to come past Hare Hill through Green Cleuch. On checking the 1:25k map, I came through Maiden's Cleuch.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  5. Min
    Member

    Mountain biking in the dark with no lights is well cool.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  6. neddie
    Member

    The human eye actually works very well in the dark*. It takes a full 30 minutes for the eye to become completely accustomed, and turning a light on ruins it immediately.

    Due to street lights etc, most people never achieve their full 'night vision' potential.

    * Obviously not completely dark, but a bit of moonlight, starlight or street light 'glow' is usually enough

    Posted 12 years ago #

  7. Tulyar
    Member

    Absence of Street lighting helps immensely. I rode back from Findhorn to Inverness in full moon lighting once - saw a moonbow in rain ahead but mostly it was riding in monochrome - everything a silvery blue-grey but just as if it was daylight, no need for lights and doing 15-20mph on long straight minor road. When it works it's beautiful

    Posted 12 years ago #

  8. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Yes last night I rode from Penicuik to Dalkeith on the NCN (hah!) path. I had to turn my light UP when I approached the lighted section at Bonnyrigg - prior to that, the lowest setting was just fine.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  9. gembo
    Member

    Just to clarify the kaputnik route. From Harlaw reservoir the rough path maiden's clench goes to glencorse. From thriepmuir reservoir the easier path past the waterfall and around black hill takes you to loganlea reservoir. There is a third route, departs from Harlaw but goes via black spring, crosses the east corner of thriepmuir, skirts the east side of black hill then down to a point between glencorse and thriepmuir which is good for joining the kips. This is best done on foot and not in the dark as not a big path, very wet, lots of heather

    Kaputnik's possible wrong turn was in Balerno itself, he took a left after the wee Scotmid and went up Harlaw road. If he had kept on the road (mansefield road) he would have passed harmeny school, bus terminus, dog rescue etc

    Full moon on a,clear night requires little illumination but as people have purchased their floodlights they'd better use them and blind me when I am out jogging

    Posted 12 years ago #

  10. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    I thought the Penicuik to Dalkeith path was closed at some point along its length for repair.

    I've crossed the Pentlands by bike from Leith in the snow; taking the path through between Scald Law and the Kipps, I think. Only problem was doing an endo on a hidden ditch. Well that and getting completely lost around Dalkeith. This was before the path had been finished and there was a large bing still to be disposed of around Rosewell.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  11. chdot
    Admin

    Many years ago (before MTBs) a group of people with bikes decided to find a route from Thriepmuir to Glencorse - in daylight.

    One was the new girlfriend of one of the others. I don't think she ever cycled again - literally. (They're still married though.)

    Posted 12 years ago #

  12. gembo
    Member

    There is a round the pentlands route I have Done a few times on normal bike (specialized crossroads with nexus 8 and now sturmey archer 3 spd). If starting in Balerno take WoL path to the canal. Canal to meadows, innocent railway to Bingham, newcraighall to whitecraigs via the esk. Whitecraigs to Dalkeith on path, Dalkeith to Rosewell on the other path. Rosewell to Penicuik on the muddier path, over top from Penicuik to flotterstone. Flotterstone up to loganlea on the road then about mile and a half of non taxing off road past waterfall, Bave law castle then amazing descent down beech ave to thriepmuir and back to Balerno

    Posted 12 years ago #

  13. kaputnik
    Moderator

    @gembo - next time that's the route I will take. To be honest your bike needs some sort of off-road capacity just to get up the WoL path and then down from Penicuik to Rosewell. I found it easier cycling up the rough footpath from Harlaw to the top of the Cleuch than I did trying to do DOWNHILL from Penicuik! The path surface is about 2 or 3 inches of loosely packed whindust and mud, which is like cycling through custard.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  14. gembo
    Member

    @kaputnik at the moment it will all be muddy. The rosewell to Penicuik section never quite dries. There is quite a good sweetie shop in Penicuik. Not these modern pretend olde fashioned ones. no this one has been rotting the teeth of Midlothian weans for fifty years and looks closed up from the outside. Inside, full ofsweets

    Posted 12 years ago #

  15. kaputnik
    Moderator

    [+] Embed the video | Video DownloadGet the Video Plugins

    CX in the Pentlands in the snow!

    Might need to put an EVEN smaller gear on my one-speed before attempting that. But it looks like amazing fun.

    Posted 12 years ago #

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