6-8°C, sun & light SE breeze.
Google Fit shows the bike ride as 14K steps. Either it has converted to equivalent steps or it’s sensor has reported 14K from the motion of cycling.
The icy hand releases
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Category Archives: Travel
2025, first ride.
4°C, cold SE, dry.
Kona Jake: A cold ride that got colder. there are more flooded fields around formby than I expefcted. The pumps are working at it though.
Cycling 2024
Total 5,750 km
2024: Last ride
Mustang, 9°C, moderate SW, bright with white cloud.
Last ride of the year, tomorrow there’s a rainstorm coming with strong winds. I was a little reluctant to go this morning so I missed the chance to go to the café.
December fog, day 2.
Mustang, 4°C, still with dense fog.
Poor visibility and wet roads doesn’t encourage bigger milage. Note, foggy weather tomorrow but then the high pressure system breaks.
Christmas day ride.
Kona Jake, 7°C, light SW, sunny & dry.
I don’t often get out on Christmas day, but it’s more likely on days with good weather. The roads were surprisingly busy, not what I expected. Yesterday’s ride was quiet, almost lockdown quiet.
Jake: Cannock Chase,
5°C, light cloud, muddy & cold. Still.
Kona Jake: this short but sweet. Even though my ankle was sore, it felt fine once riding even though the start was immediately a climb. Sunset is early around now (15.55) so I was.glad to get an hour’s ride. The whole time, I only saw half a dozen people. There was mud, mostly decaying leaves on the trails. Around the Rifle Range area, there were cleared forests and huge piles of trunks by the trail sides. Rifle Range Corner itself was closed by cones when I got to it from the north. The area will look different when the DofE season starts next year.
An excellent outing, worth the struggle to change in the changing robe.
Fixie mended
13°C, light breeze & sunny. Warm!
Surprisingly warm for the start of December. Anyway, changing that screw-on cog was easier than I expected. Now the chain is rolling smoothly, unlike yesterday. It was so bad, I thought the chainring would need a change too. Not necessary.
Paddy Wagon: mechanicals.
Kona Paddy Wagon, 14C, no rain but muddy, light SSE wind.
It has a new chain but it doesn’t ride well over the teeth. Under load, each tooth clicks. I should have changed the rear cog (and I expect the chainring has gone also). Last time this happened, I couldn’t get the cog off with the chain-whip. Fixie cogs screw on, but as you ride them, the thread tightens. By tyhe time the teeth are worm out, the cog is too tight to remove. The bike shop had to practicaly break the cog off in a vice, it was that bad.
Furthermore, the rear tyre has a slow puncture that didn’t bubble in the bucket so I replaced the valve. Yet, it still slowly deflates.
November has been an odd month, it started and ended warm with an icy week 3. That makes acclimatising difficult.
NCS: Scrapped.
I thought this would come. The National Citizenship Scheme was set up by PM Cameron in 2011. It has been scaled down over the last five years with the course shortening and centres closing. It has just been announced that the scheme is terminated from the start of the next financial year (April 2025).
That leaves me without a summer job for next August.
Micycle 