11°C, brisk NW, dry and sunny.
I rode The Jake with MapMyRide+! Distance: 49.14km, time: 02:35:15, pace: 3:10min/km, speed: 18.99km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/2123818616
Not much improvisation on kid route today.
Also took two brisk walks totalling about 8 miles. Although there are plenty of public footpaths across farmland around here, there are few circular routes. The best routes use very little road.
I shall sleep well tonight.
Is this something to worry about?
The inner chain stays age rubbed down to the bare metal on both sides. This can only happen when the mud buildup on the rear wheel rim is enough.
As the frame material is aluminium, corrosion won’t be a problem. The abrasion has gone through the paint, under-coat and some metal layer.
Besides, the tyres are now new. Previously, punctures were becoming frequent on the rear and grip quite poor.
.
Schwalbe Rocket Ron types and the same kind of thing as the original pair. Perhaps fewer punctures also.
I rode The Jake with MapMyRide+! Distance: 18.33mi, time: 01:26:13, pace: 4:42min/mi, speed: 12.75mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1345027265
Much faster today. The puddles are shrinking and surfaces firmer. In response, I put the hammer down. This north east wind is piercing though. It eats through your clothes and bites your skin underneath.
I did set off with the intention of riding the ‘cross. The fixed gear Paddy Wagon has a flat rear tyre. So it seemed series, at the time, to jump on the Jake.
6°C, sunny with moderate SW. very muddy all over.
I rode The Jake with MapMyRide+! Distance: 17.43mi, time: 01:52:19, pace: 6:27min/mi, speed: 9.31mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1327847005
Endless deep mud. It makes the going quite slow. The worst stretches returned an average 8 mph. It was tremendous fun though. That was the first outing on the ‘cross. Some stretches were such a quagmire that I had to jump off and run. There was lots of side slipping and the ever present threat of a cold water dunking in the canal.
Need to clean this better.
Slime tubes work in an interesting way. I pulled the cross bike out to find flat rear tyre. Slime tubes will self seal if you put some pressure in. Even better, if you can find the leak, you can see green blood bubbling out. The trick is to turn the wheel so that the leak is at the bottom. That way, the slime inside the tube will seep towards the puncture.
As I have been ill recently, the bike has stood still for a few weeks. This is a problem because if you spin a wheel, it feels very unbalanced. The slime has probably gathered at the bottom and added weight there.
By the way, I’m fully recovered.
I rode Kona Jake CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 14.50mi, time: 01:18:12, pace: 5:24min/mi, speed: 11.13mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1288144687
Not a hard ride, more for the fun of visiting this flooded landscape. Most of the water stood in fields. Where water overlapped roads, that’s where problems were. It shifted sandy mud and rotten vegetation onto the tarmac and hid any potholes. I didn’t hit any holes. My feet got wet in the deeper road-ponds but never got cold.
3°C, moderate SE breeze that brought rain on the return leg. Waterlogged with deep puddles everywhere.
I rode The Jake with MapMyRide+! Distance: 36.81mi, time: 03:08:31, pace: 5:07min/mi, speed: 11.71mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1277411311
Cold wet and squelchy on the tracks. Yesterday’s rain has not drained away yet, but it’s still fun.
Type Two fun, the kind that is good to look back on because it was grim at the time. It’s taking hours to warm up again. I wasn’t wearing my warmest winter clothes. One day it’s 11°C and next, it drops ten degrees. I blame that; it’s in no way my fault. Really.
4°C, W wind, clear sunny to start.
I rode Kona Jake with MapMyRide+! Distance: 17.67mi, time: 01:49:37, pace: 6:12min/mi, speed: 9.67mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1263120421
The familiar canal route is never too familiar. Last time on this same circuit, the grass was verdant and long. Now decaying leaves cover soft muddy ground. Hardly saw anybody this time. Even on earlier rides, people were out walking dogs in fine weather.
Over the summer, care was needed over hard lumpy soil. Now it’s so soft that the gears need clearing sometimes to keep them working.
The mud will be deeper over the next two months, but I am happier keeping upright as my skill has built up compared to last January.
The return leg was on rough muddy lanes. Here, the front tyre picked up a puncture, probably hawthorn. Re-inflation held at about 35psi. I’ll check it again in the morning. Washing the bike took long enough.
I rode CX Jake with MapMyRide+! Distance: 35.67mi, time: 03:14:03, pace: 5:26min/mi, speed: 11.03mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1233102627
Woke to very dense fog; and a choice of Fixie or cyclocross bike for today’s ride. CX gets me away from the traffic in poor visibility and to safety.
I picked a familiar route and took a diversion in the last leg. Along Southport seafront, a few cyclists pedaled northwards, and I steadily passed them.
One guy was on a Fat Bike so I asked him about it. They’re intriguing machines, and bizarre looking. Anyway, an odd thing happened moments before- I got told off! It happened on filtering though a small group of less experienced cyclists. (See below)
The Fat-bike guy showed me a route thorough gravel roads to get me close to the return leg by canal. Excellent route, but the ‘Private Road’ signs were offputting. Maybe I made a mistake somewhere near the start. I never did find a level crossing.
4°C, clear and still.
I rode Cross with MapMyRide+! Distance: 15.8mi, time: 01:25:29, pace: 5:25min/mi, speed: 11.07mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1185515511
Relaxing way to start the weekend. This ride, along my favourite canal loop is always different. Today, these wispy cones of mist rise from the still water. I tried to think of a word for them, what about ‘mist-maidens’?
I rode The Jake with MapMyRide+! Distance: 43.42mi, time: 04:14:44, pace: 5:52min/mi, speed: 10.23mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/1049041503
finally decided to take my cyclocross bike up Cannock Chase. Winding my way through Chorley and the not to gentle Gentleshaw, then the getting lost started. Down fire tracks, bridleways and some roads. After losing the signs, I found a footpath with fat bike tracks fresh. In ‘cross style, I jumped off and ran the bike. It was the rounded pebble layered tracks that were the most daunting, especially where steep.
This bike has a lower gear than I’m used to, 36×30. All the weight was on the rea;, a few times, the front lifted even when leant over the bars. Out of the saddle, the rear tyre would spin. I need more skill.
Still, I got to the Visitor’s Centre without falling off. And coffee.
My next waypoint was the canal at Great Hay. The route to the canal was less than ideal, an A road. There must be a better path.
From there, the towpath wound it’s way home all level.
The final leg along the towpath was flat, dry and all about vibration. By now, I was hungry and keen to get a meal.
Micycle 