Icey crust below, canal woodpeckers above.

Posted on 22nd Feb 2015 by essiep

4°C, SW brisk, rain/sleet.
Rode CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 21.4mi, time: 02:25:57, pace: 6:50min/mi, speed: 8.8mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/882936239
Eventful short ride.
Took the reverse canal route from Friday, my own tyre tracks are still there. The tyres broke a crispy thin ice on puddles and mud. After only 3 miles though, two punctures, both thorns. I then went to a cafe to warm up and patch the tubes.

Another cyclist suggested Slime Tubes, it’s got to be worth trying.
Later, headed towards Cannock Chase through Armitage. That’s where the rain started.

Then, something strange. Riding under a low bridge, I had to duck down against the bars. But on emerging, suddenly ouch a stiff back- I pulled a muscle. That decided it, turn home. That’s when the sleet came down and wind picked up. So I put my head down and slogged on. Woodpeckers must live near canals, one sounded very close. There were also many dogs to give way to. Will it get too busy to use these routes in the summer?
With a wind like this, there should be a good draw on the fire at home. Though the miles are low, I looked forward to a warm log fire.

The patches held.

Canal gloop.

Posted on 20th Feb 2015 by essiep

I rode CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 18.9mi, time: 02:15:16, pace: 7:10min/mi, speed: 8.4mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/881230961
Yesterday’s rain is soaking slowly into saturated ground. It’s deepest by gates and stiles where walkers have trod. These cycling shoes didn’t let me down. The only skid was on a wooden bridge all covered in slimy moss.

The best bit was along a bridle path towards Wychnor. It looks like cattle land, though none were visible. Most of it was wet but rideable. Crossing points were deep mud, which on flat ground is more stable.
Weather looks unfavourable tomorrow.
Only 18 miles but it felt like more.

Ribble Estuary nature reserve.

Posted on 17th Feb 2015 by essiep

I rode CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 60.5mi, time: 05:35:56, pace: 5:33min/mi, speed: 10.8mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/878561051
Had a grand day out in Lancashire. Saw many kestrels and oyster-catchers. That area by the Ribble estuary is utterly beautiful. In today’s light, it couldn’t look better.

To the right, farmland, and left is a nature reserve. That’s where the oyster-catchers were in huge numbers, and other flocks that I didn’t recognise. On the north west horizon was Blackpool Tower; north, Lake District; and east, the Pennines.
I don’t really know how to compare the day’s ride with one on the road. 60 miles in five and a half hours is quite slow, but this wasn’t on tarmac. Riding cross is perhaps less demanding of the legs, but takes far more concentration.

Fixed sixty.

Posted on 15th Feb 2015 by essiep

I rode fixed with MapMyRide+! Distance: 60.0mi, time: 03:54:58, pace: 3:55min/mi, speed: 15.3mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/876416783
Spring soon. Rode familiar routes on the road at the best pace so far this year. Winter seems to be drawing to a close with all the usual clues appearing about now.

Only drag is another puncture, again, a thorn. Eight flats in six weeks.

Towpaths and punctures.

Posted on 9th Feb 2015 by essiep

5°C, lighter, calm.
Unwanted side-effect, punctures. Just patched the tube that went down yesterday, it had two holes and needed two patches. One was a snakebite, probably from the moment the nail punctured and pinched the rim against the road. It’s not so obvious that the tyre is going soft on soft round.
In the meantime, both tyres on the bike have gone soft overnight.. At least two more punctures!
That averages out at nearly two per ride. Sigh.

Tyre liners, change tyres or some of that goo that seals from the inside? What’s the best idea?

Dense fog.

Posted on 8th Feb 2015 by essiep

4°C, dense fog, no ice.
Rode CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 38.9mi, time: 03:32:00, pace: 5:27min/mi, speed: 11.0mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/869121807
Horrible day for a road ride. Dense milky fog and cold. On the route to the canal start I crossed a few small groups of roadies.

My conclusion from today is that cx rides are quite viable when otherwise I would have to return home. Canal towpaths, though a place to pick up punctures, are much safer than the road in poor visibility.
In all, I probably clocked up about 5 miles on tarmac. Just as well because the surfaces were so greasy and slippery.

Today’s puncture was a nail, not quite what I expected on a canal but at least it happened near the end.

A good problem to have.

Posted on 7th Feb 2015 by essiep

5°C, dry with white clouds. Light NW, salty roads.
Decision, which bike to take today. What a fine problem to face when you have two.

Rode fixed with MapMyRide+! Distance: 18.9mi, time: 01:11:22, pace: 3:47min/mi, speed: 15.9mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/867946215

Quick blast on white salty roads. No frost, but good conditions.

Touring wheels.

Posted on 2nd Feb 2015 by essiep

-2°C, Clear sky, light NW breeze.
Cold commute tomorrow. Fitted the new rear wheel for the ride. Very low temperatures are forecast all week. Bitter.

Here is another photo from Sunday’s outing on the cyclocross bike. Here, I am riding back from a dyke on the shore of the Ribble estuary. It looks like a flood effort on the edge of mud-flats. It’s a large nature sanctuary, dull of birds I don’t recognise.
With hindsight, I should have practised moving mounts and dismounts. It’s a competition technique for CX races but would also be useful on soft grassy land too. Like a roadie, I get on and pedal off. Trouble is, the first turn can spin the wheel. If you trot along then get on, you already have momentum to balance.
Next time…

Mud and a dyke

Posted on 1st Feb 2015 by essiep

3°C, strong NW wind, Clear blue and dry.
I rode CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 47.03mi, time: 04:16:06, pace: 5:27min/mi, speed: 11.02mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/862070367

The canal section left me with a puncture to fix. I rode a good 2 miles before it needed a top-up. This tactic didn’t work for long, as ever. Deflation accelerated so the tube had to come out. Ironic because I stopped to chat to a guy who had just repaired a flat by the canal.
The calorie counter above may need some adjustment to account for the slow surfaces today. Average speed was only 10mph, about 5 lower than a road ride. At least the speedometer agrees. I shall write a post about this speedometer another day.
Anyway, I can now see why mountain bikers are often the last to change shorts for longs in the autumn. Off-road seems to offer the best shelter from cold wind; speed is lower too.
Maybe 6,000 miles this year is unrealistic.

Deore wheels.

Posted on 29th Jan 2015 by essiep

Light snow, 2°C, North wind 12,
You have to trust your wheels. The rim years the most and that’s where failure is most likely. The braking surface becomes thin with years of braking. Once thin, the surface can fracture- I know, the happened before. The tyre pressure exerts a strong force outwards, so breakage most often happens just after inflation.
What I really don’t want to have, it a failure 20 miles from home, in the dark. Nightmare.

The idea that led me into the bike shop was to replace the rim and have a re-build. The old hub gap been rebuilt half a dozen times, had several axles and free-hubs. So I came out with a new pair of wheels. Confidence. Shimano still make the same hub with the same bearings as the old STX hubs I bought in the 90s.

Micycle

Mike thinks b/hikes

Category Archives: Cycling