North of the storm

5°C, light N wind & light grey sky. Soft rain to start.

Stop for adjustments.

Mustang: cleaned & oiled before the off. Something wasn’t right but it was ages before I spotted it. The front wheel wasn’t bedded in properly. Twice I stopped to adjust the azimuth for the bars. I experimented with changes in height (two rings was too many).

I suspect the misaligned front wheel actually caused the brake disc to rub.

Warm November.

15°C, grey, dry & warm. There’s a brisk S wind from the Azores.

No rack.

Mustang, I’ve taken the rack off and was surprised how much it weighs. I’d swear that  the bike rides lighter now. Anyway, I had a very nice ride despite the dull sky.

It had everything today, muddy lanes, fast open lanes, steep climbs & a section of canal towpath.

I enjoyed that ride thoroughly. Right to the end, I had plenty of energy but daylight was running out as was the charge in my front light. Just 100m from home, the light went out.

Mustang service.

12°C, light offshore breeze, dry & grey

Mustang,

Most of today was a much needed service for the Mustang. To Start with, it was filthy and neglected. So I started with a deep clean and lubrication. The chain was badly stretched so I put a KMC 8 on and then the gears skipped. That means the cassette is worn too. I do have a spare 12-28 so that went on. It’s meant as a stopgap (but I may keep it).

Then I did a longer test ride (10 miles) and it runs nicely except for a creaking saddle.

Grim winter.

11°C, light S wind, bright going out but rain to return.

On the return leg.

I haven’t ridden much this week so used a big chunk of daylight. However, the pace felt comfortable (despite some ligament soreness). The best highlight was a 1km canal section. The rain got worse as I arrived home.