andygates: (Default)
The Sign of FourAnd no, I don't mean the slightly weird news that one may have to apply for a sporran licence shortly. I refer instead to midges, the microscopic vampires who descended on us every time we stopped on our glorious if daft overnight ride from Dumbarton. 

We stopped quite often.  There were more hills than it was sensible to tackle on fixed - and three of us on fixed.  Still, after a soul-crushing first couple of hours we found a pub, had a drink and replanned the route, and had a fine if tough time of it - and made it to the Forth Bridge for sunrise.  Then the skies opened, my knee blew up, and we declared discretion over valour stopping at Kirkcaldy with weather reports of flooding, trauma and woez.  Should have guessed really, from the landslide that tried to block our getting to the start, or the Buckfast zombies.  Still, 85 really hard miles: the disappointment of not making it to St Andrews is offset by knowing that that was a good stiff ride. 
andygates: (15t cog)
I posted before about how much simple pleasure I get from fettling bikes.  Here I am, fettling again, and getting just as much simple joy out of it as always.  Today, Dave (the rigid mountain bike) loses his mudguards and rack, and grows fat 2" tractor tyres, so he can tool around the lumpy loveliness that is Scotland.  Nero (the track bike) goes audax - sprouting an old-school canvas saddlebag, bottle cages, the GPS mount and mudguards; this is the rig that served me proud on last year's Dunwich Dynamo and it ought to do a nice job on this weekend's inaugural Dumb Run from Dumbarton to St. Andrews.  The ride looks to be a little fixie fest, which could be entertaining - [personal profile] ravenbait has cunningly picked out a route that avoids any ugly climbs.  Good work that woman.

The lighting rig can go on later, in the Big Pre-Ride Fettle.  Lumicycle 12W halogen (I like the light colour more than the arc-lamp), little CatEye LED for backup, Smart 1W eye-burner rear and some flashers for salad, and the rope-lights for both wheel rims; spare batteries a-gogo.  Never knowingly underlit.  Even if it is only dark for eighty-four seconds.

Nothing anyone needed to know, except that I have greasy fingernails and a big silly smile.

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