Many miles, but. little.. strength…

11°C, some sunny bits, but you know – it’s November.

A much used route.

Nothing seriously wrong but I didn’t have a lot of energy on tap. The ride was nearly 50 miles but I avoided the bigger hills because of that empty legs thing.

This old Arrow bike is running nicely with its new brakes, chainset and BB. The next bit to fail will be the Sora shifters, they are quite loose now after 20 years use. This used to be my main commuter and winter bike so it has some huge miles in its history.

Sticky stuff in Ainsdale.

11°C sunny but cool. Brisk S.

Blue sea air.

A fresh cool day where I rode to my house and in this ride, rode back. I headed south through Southport towards Formby. Then I heard a sellotape sound. There was a chemical spillage in the left hand side of the road. In some places, it was a few cm deep. Traffic had gone through it and spread it for a few kilometres to Ainsdale.

On narrow bike wheels, it felt unsafe. I couldn’t tell whether it was greasy, corrosive or what. It was viscose and odourless. Very strange. I tried dialling 101, the non-emergency police number I was.put onto hold for a very long time.

In the end, I gave up and rode on the pavement

Refreshed on fixed gear.

12°C, sunny and calm.

Short visit to the Green Machines. It’s good to.pull the bars while staring out to sea. The wind is light today, though a breeze pushes inland near the coast. These are ideal conditions for the fixed. It’s been so long since its last outing that the tyres were only on 30psi. These run best at 90psi. We’re in the last part of October, soon is the time to fit winter wheels.

Cross in mud

14°C, bright start but rain later, becoming heavy.

This poor neglected bike needs a service. Most specifically, the gear and brake cables are a bit sticky. It’s still good fun to ride but it’s half-term now. What a dreary day too. After the photo, the rain arrived and turned quite heavy towards the end

Racelite loops

12°C, no real wind with some sun. Dry.

Rushed out after a day shopping in Ikea.

Tremendous fun but, unexpectedly, slightly slower than yesterday’s outing on the Mustang. The route was level which I suppose reduces the effect of the weight difference.

That was probably the last ride on the racelite this year.