tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10089321915118980912024-03-05T21:35:03.616+00:00It's Not Just A Bike!When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. ~H.G. WellsBill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-86284269280549760232014-08-08T16:28:00.001+01:002014-08-08T16:28:32.376+01:00Where the Heck Am I?<a href="http://www.followmee.com/mapx.aspx?token=7281ef35-1b75-45be-9fcd-2a0d4fa0ac2e">http://www.followmee.com/mapx.aspx?token=7281ef35-1b75-45be-9fcd-2a0d4fa0ac2e</a>Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-84033101511825893582012-04-02T16:55:00.000+01:002012-04-02T16:55:39.538+01:00Hollingworth....again...This post a day late...<br />
<br />
Woke up late today so I didn't get out till 10am. The bike club was doing a car assisted run from Garstang and as I don't have a car, I can't go. A bike club that requires the use of a car...the irony.<br />
It looked like it was going to be a warm day so shorts and long sleeve jersey were worn again.<br />
I'd printed out a series of maps using Bike Route Toaster ( <a href="http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Default.aspx">http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Default.aspx</a> ) last night with a planned route that included a cycle path from Heywood to Smithy Bridge, around Hollingworth Lake, along the Pennine Bridleway back to the lake, up to Bacup and home again. Certain events transpired to cause a change of plan on the second half of the ride.<br />
I followed the route across the tops through Ainsworth and through Bury town center. I turned off Bury & Rochdale Old Road to pass Queens Park and took the canal cycleway just off Edinburgh Way. I followed that to Smithy Bridge. The cycle path wasn't pretty to say the least. There was rubbish everywhere and even on the banks of the canal too. It was horrible. Plenty of geese and ducks though. The path itself was ok. Fairly smooth, but some parts going under bridges were narrow, cobbled at times and a few went around sharp bends. Not wanting a bath, I got off and walked.<br />
About halfway along the trail, I decided it was warm enough for short sleeves so thats wha happened. A Tesco strawberry flavoured cereal bar was munched too. There were quite a few walkers about and one elderly lady said to her husband that I should have a bell. I said excuse me to warn them I was coming up behind them. Maybe I'll refit the bell tomorrow. Clearly some people prefer to be scared shitless from some eejit ringing his bell as loud a s possible on a quiet lane. Oh well.<br />
Hollingworth Lake was busy as hell and trying to cycle past people who couldn't make up their mind as too which way they were walking required lots of patience. The crunch came at the pavilion cafe on the south side of the lake. I locked up the bike and went inside to order a coffee. There was only one lady there with her son and her dad. Not content with changing her mind several times over what drinks to get and helped by her son, she went on to order full meals for all 3 of them. I'd already been stood waiting 5 minutes by this time and lost my patience. I walked out, unlocked the bike and set off again in the hope that I'd find another coffee stop somewhere. I didn't succeed.<br />
I got onto the PennineBridleway and to be honest, I began to wonder where the hell I was. The maps I had lacked detail and that left me guessing which way and when to turn left or right. The long sleeved jersey was put back on and another Tesco chew bar was scoffed. After a longish and gruelling sharp climb, I stopped at the top to ask a mountain biker for help on the location problem. He was almost as clueless as me thanks to the maps crudeness. He did assure me though that as long as I stayed on the trail, it would lead me to what I hoped was the road I was looking for. I set off and took the ride pretty damn carefully...it was a mountain bike trail and much more bumpy than I had anticipated.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1BZ1J1UMdy6lfEVLo_pw8AiICaDCROIbRBxZ_8La-dGgs8G0b8n8VStHneaw6z39EQ-EGQdp96j_SeIyxcoIrjNjgosGagedYWuEnttEJKQAu40duGCthqIvG3YKTenLZcyiSrqfhLBI/s1600/Pennine+Bridleway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1BZ1J1UMdy6lfEVLo_pw8AiICaDCROIbRBxZ_8La-dGgs8G0b8n8VStHneaw6z39EQ-EGQdp96j_SeIyxcoIrjNjgosGagedYWuEnttEJKQAu40duGCthqIvG3YKTenLZcyiSrqfhLBI/s320/Pennine+Bridleway.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mountain Biking on a Touring Bike!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> A wrong turn to the left had me at a dead end at a golf course and I had to turn back. This is when I noticed a horrible crunching sound in the lower gears each time I put a bit more pressure on the pedals. I never did find out what it was but it seems to have quietened down. I found the road I was after and after outrunning some teenage muppit who passed me doing a wheelie, I got on with the job of getting home. By now it had become more of a job than a day out as getting lost, bike problems, pesky teenagers, a sore arse and ever worsening weather had ruined the day and my mood was spoiled.<br />
A little past where I turned off for Queenspark, I decided to park up on the footpath and put my tights and windproof on. I was freezing and my backside needed the additional padding that the tights provided. I had already decided to skip the scenic route into and home from Bacup and chose the easier ride that brought me here a couple times before.<br />
Going through Bolton, I overtook another dude on a mountain bike and was promptly honked at by a car behind. As she passed, I waved. Then another car passed and the passenger shouted "Get back in line nobhead!". He got the finger response. Bradford Street is plenty wide enough for a bike and car to share it without being cramped. The wind had also gained in strength as usual and was now pissing me off as I struggled to do 10mph on the flats. I got home around 3.30pm.<br />
Todays stats...<br />
4.28 hours to cover 42.50 miles averaging 9.5mph and hitting 29.1mph.Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-48987925563827469032012-03-30T00:45:00.000+01:002012-03-30T00:45:59.324+01:00Another Trip to Hollingworth LakeI wasn't sure whether or not I was gonna go out today, but did in the end anyway.<br />
After a fair bit of arsing about sorting out banana sammiches, snack food and a map (which was useless and didn't use anyway) I finally got out the door at around 10.30am with a fairly heavy bike. Why was it heavy? Well, despite the weather forcast for a warm sunny day with no rain and because I can, I packed a few extra layers of clothing into the panniers just in case. And I had the new bar bag with me today to test it out and that had stuff in it too. <br />
One thing I noticed about this bike when I first got it was that the steering was really really quick. Too quick for my liking in fact. I had this idea that maybe Dawes made it that way so that when front panniers and a bar bag were fitted, the bike was still fairly sharp handling despite the weight slowing everything down. That idea was proven somewhat today because the bike was still pretty nippy and seemed to glide along effortlessly despite the weight. That might have been down to the tailwind though...<br />
I took the main roads into Bury as I didn't want to get home too late and tried the cycleway next to Peel Way again. Again it wasn't clearly marked and I ended up doing a U-turn and had to climb a bunch of steps through a tunnel to the outskirts of the town center. From there I carried on along the same B-road route to Hollingworth Lake that I took last time. Got to the park / play area at about 12.30pm and had an ice-cream and banana sammiches while sitting at a park bench. <br />
The sun was shining and it could have been warm except the friggin wind was blowing cold and I was freezing my tits off when I got going again at 1pm. I followed the trail around the lake avoiding the endless walkers, runners, dogs and everything else that somehow failed to notice the noise as the freehub clicked, tyres crunched and bits got knocked about in the panniers....bloody iPod wearers. I sometimes wear an iPod myself, but I'm fully aware of my surroundings unlike some of the muppits I passed today.<br />
I managed to find my way home again along the same route I took getting here although my arse was getting increasingly sore. I noticed a public footpath sign on a farm track leading from the main road so turned off and cycled along it till I was out of sight of traffic and passers by. Here I stripped off and changed into some fresh and much cooler shorts. I immediately felt better but was a bit worried about being caught in my birthday suit. Being watched by the sheep in the neighbouring field also felt a bit...odd.<br />
Back on the road with a still sore bum but not as bad as it was I headed for Bolton town centre.<br />
As I got to the outskirts near the motorway, I bumped into Nick. He'd just been to the bike shop to replace his handlebar from the crash yesterday and apart from scuffed knees, he seemed ok.<br />
The wind had been blowing against me since Littleborough and was increasing in strength as each mile passed. By the time I got to Bolton trainstation I was literally cursing it and shaking from cold. I was happy when I got home just after 3pm.<br />
Todays stats...<br />
3.20 hours to do 36.17 miles averaging 10.8 mph and maxing out at 30.2 mph. The odo just passed the 800 mile mark at 803.7 miles.Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-42266653674811166632012-03-28T20:31:00.000+01:002012-03-28T20:31:25.868+01:00B-Ride to CatforthWhat a day! After yet another sleepless night, I set off at 9am to meet the club at the Beehive and cycled there along the trail as usual, but this time in the sun!<br />
13 riders, the most we've seen in a long time, set off for Catforth at 9.30am and again I managed to keep up with everyone else. I had plenty of energy today.<br />
Most of the ride there was along bloody A-roads again until we got to Preston and although the sun was shining, it just wasn't that warm. So the long sleeve jersey was on most of the day with the sleeves pulled up...gotta get a suntan somehow right?<br />
The cafe was off a quiet country lane and very easy to miss but quite nice. A pot of tea and beans on toast were ordered. It took about 10 mins before that order was taken. It was about anohter 15 mins till the tea came and I'd drank 3 cups before the beans on toast arrived. There was no tea left by this time. At least it was warm. A bunch of us went outside to sit in the sun for a while and I got to talking to a guy called Ian.<br />
After getting back into Preston and past the Marina, part of the group split and headed off to Bolton through Belmont (hilly). Ian must have taken his eye off the ball while waving bye to them and ploughed into a steel bollard. He was right behind me and I guess my panniers may have blocked them from his vision. He was ok but his bike took a bashing. It looked like the left hand shift unit had a busted trigger and the rear derailleur hanger was bent. Peter did his best to straighten it but Ian's choice of gears was much more limited and those that worked were a bit noisy. It must have drove him nuts hearing them clink over because it certainly got on my nerves after a while. With that and the fact that some of the guys were taking their time going through corners and roundabouts, I lost my patience and speed to the front of the group where I stayed as long as I could.<br />
The roads from Preston were all quiet back roads and farm tracks, different from last time and much nicer. We stopped on a motorway bridge for a breather and the long sleeve jersey was packed into the pannier as it was nice and warm now. My arse was also pretty damn sore at this point, although not as bad as usual...these cheapo Decathlon shorts are actually quite good!<br />
After another bunch of miles the group split again, some following Peter towards Walkden and the rest of us following Ken to Bolton. Our group split again leaving just Ken, Nick and myself going to Bolton through Horwich. Nick took a handlebar superman stylee flying lesson after a car turned into his path. He was ok but for a couple of scrapes and a sore arm and the bike seemed ok too. He was lucky.<br />
I turned off for the cycleway at the Beehive and got home around 4.15pm. Quite a good day really :)<br />
Todays stats...<br />
4.55 hours to cover 59.50 miles averaging 12 mph and maxing at 25.8 mph.Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-26587850491701030052012-03-25T19:59:00.000+01:002012-03-25T20:01:03.997+01:00More Sun?Toaday started and finished nice, warm and sunny. It was weird. We're not supposd to have sun and warmth in the UK, it's illegal.<br />
Alot of A-group riders turned up today but not so many B-groupers, only Ray, Steve the new guy and me. Shorts were the order of the day and almost everyone was wearing them.<br />
The route on the list was Waddington, but as Ray didn't know how to get there, Bon Apetit was chosen instead. Ray took the usual route that Peter uses but going through Brindle, we followed narrow side roads and farm tracks. Quite nice actually and by now we were in short sleeves, excellent!<br />
A coffee and sausage barm was scoffed at the cafe.<br />
Going back home was less fun. It was rushed and boring. Rough A-roads had me struggling to keep the bike above 10mph and before long, thanks to mashing the pedals for endless miles, my knee started playing up. A risky lane swap by Ray as he failed to check behind him almost had him squished by a car and I was almost squished myself on a mini roundabout because I took the wrong lane.<br />
I turned off at the Beehive and followed the cycle route home and got through the front door just before 2pm. Way too early and had it not been for the knee and sore arse I'd have gone a few miles more to make the most of the day. What a waste.<br />
Stats for today...<br />
3.18 hours to cover 40.55 miles averaging 12.2 mph and hitting 31.5mph.Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-38788712441439342522012-03-22T22:11:00.000+00:002012-03-22T22:11:37.046+00:00First Trip to JJ's DinerPosting this a day late as I was in a rotten mood yesterday, although nothing to do with the ride...<br />
<br />
Last night had me waking at 4am and soaked in sweat thanks to crashing glucose levels.<br />
I had the stem flipped over and tyres pumped up to 90psi and got to the Crofters at 9.10am. Peter was already there waiting. We discussed our wonky knees. Ken turned up 5 mins later and then two other guys arrived, John and Gavin I think. We set off at 9.30am.<br />
Going up Bradshaw Road, John and Gavin shot off like bullets, Peter was a couple feet in front of me and Ken was falling further and further behind every time I checked the mirror. At the top, a few minutes had passed before he caught up and there he decided that he'd turn around and go home. I don't think he was feeling well. Peter said this was the first climb. How many more did we have to go?<br />
Another series of climbs lead to another short stop in Ramsbottom and from there it was onto Rawtenstall's Tesco for a toilet break. Peter asked how my knee was coping which wasn't actually giving me any trouble today so far. His on the other hand was starting to bother him again.<br />
The next bit of the ride is a bit hazy as I literally can't remember how far we travelled from one point to the next, but suffice to say, we turned left off the main road into a series of backroads, passing a picturesque estate where the stream flowed around and through it and onto a bugger of a hill. It wasn't all that steep, but it did seem to go on forever. The views were gorgeous to say the least. At one point I was becoming way too hot and stopped to take off the tights and waterproof. A few minutes later as I neared the top of the hill, I saw John or Gavin riding back to find me and Peter wasn't far behind them. Oops.<br />
A left turn and it was downhill for a couple of miles to JJ's Diner at about 11.30am. I could have easily hit 35mph on some sections but Peter was being cautious and frequent braking followed as I didn't want to overshoot any upcoming turn-offs. The lower speeds also helped to stop me almost freezing...I was wishing I'd kept the tights and waterproof on going downhill. <br />
All but one of us ordered beans on toast and tea's all round. Tea's were almost finished by the time lunch was served and Peter and I had another brew. Whilst not cold, the cafe wasn't exactly warm either and just as I had I finished my second tea and started warming up a bit it was time to go again. I went outside and started putting on my waterproof and it hit me. I hadn't paid for my lunch! Ack! Back in again and nobody seemed to notice, although there was some confusion as the lady who ran the place was waiting for the fourth member of our group (me) to pay before she could take an order from the cyclist who just wandered in through the door (also me). Oops! Mess sorted and we were off again.<br />
More climbing was the order of the day and even the downhills had to pedalled to keep up momentum, headwinds......grrr! Peter was a man on a mission and the pace was relentless. I had earlier mashed the pedals to catch him and John and didn't have time to check behind me, so when we stopped at some traffic lights near Tesco for a break, I was surprised to be asked where Gavin was. He caught up a few minutes later saying he fell behind. The pace carried on back to Ramsbottom where the group split. John and Gavin went their route, Rivington was mentioned I think and Peter and I went ours back to Bolton. On the outskirts of the town centre, Peter left to go home via Moses Gate Park and I plodded on through town and home by Spa Road as usual.<br />
<br />
To be honest, from what I had heard from other club members, I thought this ride was going to be a nightmare. It certainly wasn't easy, but it wasn't the leg destroyer I'd imagined either. <br />
My hands didn't suffer much today so flipping the stem did its job however, these shorts by Tenn really suck. The padding just doesn't work at all and I'd say even aggravates the soreness problem. Some folk seem to like them. Each to their own I guess.<br />
<br />
Yesterdays stats...<br />
3.45 hours to do 42.09 miles averaging 11.1 mph and hitting 33.2 mph.<br />
<br />Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-69345287543838104512012-03-18T19:41:00.001+00:002012-03-18T19:45:20.784+00:00Scarisbrick in the Sun!Today was awesome! <br />
I set off at 8.30am and grabbed my last £5 from the cash machine at Tesco then met the guys at the town hall. Peter, Mark, Ray, Chris and I set off in the sunshine with Tony and some other A-group riders following till we got to the Beehive where we picked up Ken. Tony and co went off on their own ride.<br />
It was the usual A-Roads until we passed Horwich and then it was mostly all quiet country lanes for the rest of the day. One particular eejit had managed to bury his/her car into a fairly hefty gate post and as a result, the road was closed by the police. We started to worry that we'd have to find another way around. A few cyclists coming back down the road told us we could go through but had to walk past the accident scene due to oil and diesel everywhere. Phew!<br />
I didn't have much trouble keeping up with the guys today and for a few miles, I was even at the front following Peters directions. I'd put an extra heavy lashing of E45 cream today as I knew it would be a long ride and it certainly helped. My arse wasn't hurting so much today! Although the hands were sore. Too much weight on the bars I think, so gonna have to flip the stem around again. Grr! One day I'll get this bike right!<br />
Mark noticed a problem with his bike before we got to the cafe and decided to leave it and fix it later.<br />
Beans on toast was devoured by nearly everyone and we set off again. Later on we decided to go for another cup of tea and that took us to Delph Watersports. We sat in the sun and damn well loved it. It was warm enough for me to pack away the long sleeve jersey into the pannier and ride short sleeved till we got into Adlington. The next hill to the motorway bridge was called "Heart Attack Hill" by Peter and with good reason...it was steep. Not as bad as going up the downhill bit on Rivington Road though in my opinion.<br />
Peters chain was a bit squeaky when we got to the top so he borrowed a bit of oil from me, yes I keep some in the panniers. Rainy days when they turn bad can wash alot of it off so if I can carry spare, I will :)<br />
Ken and I took the Bolton route home while everyone else followed the A6 back to wherever they lived.<br />
The knee started giving me trouble after the 40 mile mark and riding home despite the knee support was increasingly painful. I hate this knee!<br />
I followed the Middlebrook Cycleway back home after leaving Ken at the Beehive and got through the front door at 3.50pm. Damn nice day!<br />
Todays stats...<br />
5.06 hours to do 61.80 miles averaging 12 mph and hitting 27.6 mph.Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-45264200839788649802012-03-15T21:05:00.000+00:002012-03-15T21:05:45.195+00:00MistyAnother day of feeling down in the dumps, so me and bike went out again. I went along Blackburn Road and onto Egerton Road via Longworth Lane where it got foggy at the top. Winter Hill was barely visable. <br />
Up Rivington Road was crawled along at less than 4mph and I plonked nore air into the rear tyre at the carpark a little past Wards Reservoir. It had lost a good 20psi. No wonder it felt slow. The Signal jacket was put on and I carried on to the top and was soon zooming along hitting the rollercoaster bit at around 20mph. <br />
I'd changed thr rear brake pads last night and sanded them a bit so that helped when I braked at the top of the downhill bit before pedalling like bejezus and hitting near 35mph at the little bridge. Quiet roads today helped with the speeding. More pedal mashing followed as I passed the Village Green Tearoom. I wouldv'e stopped for a bite but money is tight so it was skipped. Rivington Lane was followed at a more leisurely pace and Chorley New Road took me to the Middlebrook Cycleway which took me home for 2:10pm. I'd set off at 11:30am.<br />
I didn't have the bump the bike down the stairs setting off or carry it up them when I got back as they've fixed the lift! Woohoo!<br />
Stats for today...<br />
1.51 hours to do 18.94 miles averaging 10.1 mph and hitting 34.6 mph.Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-49590609310575089832012-03-14T00:58:00.000+00:002012-03-14T00:58:58.854+00:00Evening Trip to RivingtonFeeling pretty lousy today so I took the bike out again for a sunset ride to escape my worries.<br />
It seemed warm enough for shorts and mitts so that's what I wore. The tights, winter gloves and windproof were packed in the panniers just in case it got nippy. <br />
After bumping the bike down the stairs again, I set off at around 4.30pm along the Middlebrook Cycleway which has now become one of my favorite short routes and spent ages waiting to cross the Beehive Roundabout. Rush hour traffic...bleh. It was already colder than I thought. Happily passing eejits in cars and vans as they crawled along in endless queues on Chorley New Road, I felt quite smug because despite all their creature comforts, they were sitting there burning petrol and diesel and getting frustrated at being held up and I wasn't :)<br />
About a mile up Rivington Lane I decided I was way too cold and stopped to put on every last bit of clothing I had, turned the lights on and set off again. I had a nice tailwind pushing me along too!<br />
Onto Sheep House Lane and the lowest gear I had was put into use for the long slog upwards. <br />
By now the sun was getting pretty low and there was a gorgeous golden haze and blue skies all over. I pushed as hard as the knee would allow and hoped to make it to the top of "The Downhill Bit" in time for a photo. Fail! Just as I passed the little bridge on the corner, all my energy was sapped away and I walked the rest of the climb. I miss having glucose in my bottles. I reached the top with sore legs and was too late to catch the sun setting. Grr! Anyhoo, the sky and horizon were still nice and orangey so I got the camera out and snapped a few shots anyway.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_HHaE9EM7ZowPII3ar_UfWuI__tji_BRzCc-JkwBq7dh7o1SPp5YtbBPG3GIKL5f2qciV1WYbE6k5V6f0E1nPqvA7rVsFqPWsa8aalolyDOvkcFgliDlc6u7xHzPnsoleeF5aiSRyV0/s1600/002+copy+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_HHaE9EM7ZowPII3ar_UfWuI__tji_BRzCc-JkwBq7dh7o1SPp5YtbBPG3GIKL5f2qciV1WYbE6k5V6f0E1nPqvA7rVsFqPWsa8aalolyDOvkcFgliDlc6u7xHzPnsoleeF5aiSRyV0/s320/002+copy+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROYLHYcmtxymOS1xyHQRG4WtvUmqmqTeW8SQpH-RbOa0auFAZFw4oPunvQWeoFL2y5CuCXL3WNu1y7FsKn3QAuijhj_Nwh4LgBJnb2SL3EyOFFxun2ihjFE9DzTRfy8C34gG4T3kso7Y/s1600/009+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROYLHYcmtxymOS1xyHQRG4WtvUmqmqTeW8SQpH-RbOa0auFAZFw4oPunvQWeoFL2y5CuCXL3WNu1y7FsKn3QAuijhj_Nwh4LgBJnb2SL3EyOFFxun2ihjFE9DzTRfy8C34gG4T3kso7Y/s320/009+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEWph1Or740Av3gICmDxhsTFw1IzsiwY_VLke4aVpGcI1JpB8d4rm1_ZnMUJBUJ3raxNc5782G9FrsgF6KQ5De0L4GCyBzpDMfTNVsTge8L3In-uTG0cf7VTjBhNleT3bKoBrdrRYI-U/s1600/014+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEWph1Or740Av3gICmDxhsTFw1IzsiwY_VLke4aVpGcI1JpB8d4rm1_ZnMUJBUJ3raxNc5782G9FrsgF6KQ5De0L4GCyBzpDMfTNVsTge8L3In-uTG0cf7VTjBhNleT3bKoBrdrRYI-U/s320/014+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Not feeling in any particular hurry, I set off again and took in the scenery as I pedalled along. <br />
Just before coming up to Wards Reservoir the light started to diminish and seeing the road clearly was becoming a problem. Remember the wonky eye? Meh. Onto Belmont Road and I was dragging the brakes until I passed Egerton Road. When I got to Springs Reservoir it was pitch black and car headlights were blinding me. I stopped for a Twix as the sugar levels felt like they were plummeting and I was freezing from the cold air. Armpit zippers done up and downhill to Blackburn Road at a much slower speed than I normally fly down at. Due to not being able to see potholes or the side of the road, I was scared to death of wiping out.<br />
Blackburn Road and the ride through town was less scary thanks to street lighting. Rather than take my chances on Topp Way, a dual carriage way, I took the quieter route along Bark Street onto Chorley Street and then Spa Road. Going along the trail next to the railway line is completely unlit and I very nearly ended up going for a swim in the stream on the other side. I got home around 7.30pm. <br />
I'm thinking I'll start my evening rides earlier in the afternoon till summer arrives and daylight doesn't disappear quite so fast.<br />
Todays stats...<br />
1.48 hours to do 17.80 miles averaging 9.8mph and hitting 32mph max. <br />
What I did with the other hour and ten minutes I've no idea.Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-56107525007216125252012-03-12T22:08:00.001+00:002012-03-13T23:32:21.873+00:00Ride to Hollingworth Lake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVcBAXw9wU76T1oUPyqMczGwlUQg2zV6uQVOFyGqbDY0k3dIZs4hetBSjQ1Tt5BeeEl-FgE88LF2e2Qzy7QbqTIqpdjwng5Sfng09ShsVc5tre3Anb1Rz9b4Zr-FKcJTHC2tynJbmoaE/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVcBAXw9wU76T1oUPyqMczGwlUQg2zV6uQVOFyGqbDY0k3dIZs4hetBSjQ1Tt5BeeEl-FgE88LF2e2Qzy7QbqTIqpdjwng5Sfng09ShsVc5tre3Anb1Rz9b4Zr-FKcJTHC2tynJbmoaE/s320/002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Despite the knee and despite the eye, I decided to take the bike out for a spin this morning to Rochdale. <br />
I strapped the piss-poor excuse for a bar bag on, jammed in the route to be taken and set off at 8am. Of course, I forgot to pack the knee support, typical.<br />
The ride there was relatively free of mishaps and followed mostly quiet (for a Monday) B-roads. Unfortunately due to a lack of planning on my part, it wasn't the same route I'd taken years ago which was much more isolated and nicer. Although this was a fairly straight forward course, I had to stop and consult the map a couple times and even missed out a section of back streets in Rochdale for a more direct route on main roads...I have no sense of direction whatsoever!<br />
On arrival at my destination, the whole lake seemed smaller than I remember and it was pretty quiet. The place did look different to when I visited with the bike club so many years ago. Maybe we visited a different lake? I dunno.<br />
I rode around the outskirts and went exploring off my route which lead to a dead end at a private road. Turned back and carried on through Hollingworth Country Park to the picnic area on the other side of the lake.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOlyWqqU34YIs85jpunqUfeG7jQW-Is5Nvdk_tX_yN82ONfWxMU8pmQhAABLEubXm73io6YcPf7aQNqNYDeVzewI0mbWjIGT3utojAORxnQWkyohP0XpdzHJUsmQF8j0ECpbNHVeMvCw/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOlyWqqU34YIs85jpunqUfeG7jQW-Is5Nvdk_tX_yN82ONfWxMU8pmQhAABLEubXm73io6YcPf7aQNqNYDeVzewI0mbWjIGT3utojAORxnQWkyohP0XpdzHJUsmQF8j0ECpbNHVeMvCw/s320/005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pub was closed when I got there...no pint for me...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_Vwvgl70ERuPQ_pdonPFV1LbdO_4QDPM3pRxKk6QGBI7mT3KvDqTV_H9loXPiIR7MKJD8RNwiZp3Mp-dsnN5LPGBj2dS9gIkbTxv9e6pVegR5lLc9agzk5lz2Fd-VPAgE4tz-j-IdHo/s1600/009+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_Vwvgl70ERuPQ_pdonPFV1LbdO_4QDPM3pRxKk6QGBI7mT3KvDqTV_H9loXPiIR7MKJD8RNwiZp3Mp-dsnN5LPGBj2dS9gIkbTxv9e6pVegR5lLc9agzk5lz2Fd-VPAgE4tz-j-IdHo/s320/009+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's thirsty work this cycling stuff you know?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhDZ_U8WTPp-Ewm5RGytJWM6B1buf8kE4PaMYTw_BrbyUvgZvNRUdut_oHgFeeuuCDldRYSjc-5eGTtNtyhBV-pA03-3L1Fc7V6uu2PlARplIQPpznFRUhfVxnpgzhl4HRfv11tAl66EE/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhDZ_U8WTPp-Ewm5RGytJWM6B1buf8kE4PaMYTw_BrbyUvgZvNRUdut_oHgFeeuuCDldRYSjc-5eGTtNtyhBV-pA03-3L1Fc7V6uu2PlARplIQPpznFRUhfVxnpgzhl4HRfv11tAl66EE/s320/011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LOOK! A MAP! Anyone remember those?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I had a bite (couple flapjacks, what else?) at the picnic area and a rest. There's a cafe here and it was just opening as I was leaving. Again, typical. I could've done with a coffee. Sitting on the bench, I got a bit chilly, so the overshoes, windproof and wooly hat were put on. I checked my blood glucose and although a little bit low, I figured the glucose in the bottles would see me home if I took it easy. As I found out later, I should've eaten more and maybe had that coffee after all.<br />
Looking at the map, I figured I'd probably get lost on the return journey and decided to follow the A58 as it would be signposted back to Bolton, another poor decision. The road was busy as all hell and I found myself mashing the pedals around roundabouts so I didn't get squished and that inevitably lead to my glucose levels dropping quickly a few miles on. I pulled into a petrol station for the obligatory Mars Bar and Rice Krispies Bar. Trying to lock the bike to a post resulted in a nice scratch along the top tube. How many coats of paint do Dawes use on their bikes? Gah!<br />
All rested and topped up, I set off again along mosr traffic packed roads and through busy towns while I could feel the dodgy knee getting worse. At the 30 mile mark leaving the Bury boundary, it started really playing up and the left leg ended up doing most of the work for a while. At that time I also decide to stop, take the stupid bar bag off and stuff it into the pannier. This thing takes up all the space on the top of the bars due to the way it mounts. I need a proper one really. First chance I get, it's being replaced.<br />
I got home sometime after 2pm and again, had to bounce the bike down the stairs from the fourth floor as the lift STILL hasn't been fixed! I'm buying a bungalow if I ever win the lottery.<br />
Stats for the day...<br />
3.41 hours to do 38.03 miles averaging 10.2 mph and hitting 28.4 mph. The odo finally passed the 500 mile mark at 516.7 miles! YIPPEE!!!!Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-50215057408027252822012-03-10T18:27:00.001+00:002012-03-10T18:28:33.831+00:00An Eye for an Eye and a KneeWoke up this morning with a burst blood vessel in my right eye. Another one. I thought the laser surgery was supposed to stop this crap from happening? Anyway...<br />
The replacement Mirrycle rear view mirror arrived this morning and I debated whether or not to stick the old one on the left STI unit. I decided not to as the mirror is cracked and a portion of it is missing so it'd be useless. New one bolted on and off I set, only to find the lift still hasn't been repaired. Bolton Council: you suck! I ended up bouncing the bike down 3 flights of stairs using the front brake to stop it slamming into the wall section at the end of each flight. Getting the bike through the doorway at the bottom wasn't easy either as it's a tight turn to get out. It's even worse getting the bike through the doorway on each floor also. Meh!<br />
Cycling through town, along the A666 and through Darwen had its own problems, namely, the eye. Parts of the road ahead were obscured because of the blood spot that had developed and the same problem was there when checking the rear view mirror. Think of it like this...imagine looking through a pair of binoculars, except one lens has a big mud splat on it and you literally can't clean it off. One side is completely clear and the other is a mess. Closing the eye with the splat doesn't help as then you lose depth of field and basically just isn't practical. It's not as bad as being blind I imagine or even partially blind, but it doesn't half make cycling a risky business. I can still traffic and traffic signals but, what I can't see is the piss poor condition of the road surface and hitting a bad crack in the road at speed can have fairly serious cosequences for all but the very best of cyclists.<br />
The wind was as usual, a headwind going through Bolton. Going uphill along Blackburn Road it seemed to die down a bit, but then the knee started playing up and I was crawling along no more than 6mph until I got to the top of each climb. As the road levelled out, I would start picking up speed and eventually change into a lower gear, then the wind would suddenly pick up again and slow me right down. Just as I'd start going downhill, I'd again start picking up speed and changing gear then the wind would hammer me some more. How does it know? and WHY!!! I evenutally reached Darwen in a little over an hour, not including stopping at traffic lights. It seemed every single set from Bolton to my destination was turning red just as I approached.<br />
The ride home was almost as dramatic. I had a slight tailwind pushing me along but it wasn't enough to prevent me grinding the gears to get up the hills and soon I had to stop to put the knee support on. That helped a little. As I passed Green Arms Road, there was a pretty hefty sidewind trying and almost succeeding in forcing me into the kerbside and after the left corner approaching Pete's Pitstop I had a nice strong tailwind. I cruised along at 25mph and eventually topped over 30mph coming into Egerton. The roads again were shaking the bike to bits and got especially bad going up towards Astley Bridge. I took the shortcut along Spa Road to get home where I again had to endure pissing about with a dodgy lift, bumpy stairs and stupidly tight doors.<br />
Todays stats...<br />
2.03 hours to do 21.47 miles averaging 10.4 mph and hitting 33.5 mph. Odo at 463.6 miles.Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-887453738750853072012-03-07T19:55:00.001+00:002012-03-07T20:00:59.025+00:00B-Ride to Preston MarinaToday nearly didn't happen. I got up at 7am, looked out the window and decided not to bother turning up at the beehive. It was cold, wet and miserable. An hour or so later and the weather had picked up so I got ready in record time, headed out and got to the beehive for 9.10am, 20 minutes early. Ray showed up first, followed by another chap, then Peter, Ken, Alan & Rachel and finally Mark and we set off for Preston at around 9.35ish.<br />
The pace wasn't too fast and I held my own for most of the trip. I've no idea about the exact route but I do know it was mostly busy roads and we even ended up walking through Chorley as cycling is prohibited, a stupid rule if there ever was one. A detour from the main roads had us going through a park for a few miles before coming back onto the roads again. I was cycling along and was probably too close to Kens rear wheel when tramlines appeared in the road. They were going diagonally and my front tyre lost all grip and I ended up on my ass, in quite a bit of pain. The rear view mirror was broken but apart from that, the bike seemed fine. I on the other hand wasn't fairing so well. A sprained left wrist, my little finger on my right hand was hurting a bit and I worried about the dodgy tendon in there, a scrape on my right elbow and my right knee was hurting even more than it was. Quite a bit of cursing followed as I got myself off the ground and wheeled the bike off to the side of the road. Rachel asked if it was the first time I'd been on this ride and I said it was. She then said what I was thinking, that someone should have warned me about the tramlines. I didn't say anything after that as it wouldn't have been pretty. Besides, I can't very well blame other people for my inability to read the road. I'll know better next time.<br />
Another short excursion from the main road had us ending up at Morrisons were beef sammiches, a jam donut and a diet coke were scoffed. I wasn't in the mood for farting about with coffee machines. I sat with Peter, Ray and Mark feeling very annoyed and silently cursing Preston Council for its roads.<br />
The return journey was pretty much the same, except the tramlines were crossed with about a million percent more concentration. Due to the earlier crash and the fact that I hadn't put my nicoteen patch on this morning, I was irritable and every time someone in front of me braked or didn't move quickly enough I could feel my blood boil. I decided not to follow Peter and the others along the A6 but turned off at Adlington with Ken and headed towards Bolton. It was a nice ride helped along by a tail wind and despite one dodgy attempted overtake by Ken around another cyclist, it was relatively drama free. I left Ken at the beehive and followed the Middlebrook Cycleway home for about 2.45pm. As I got into the building, I discovered the lift was out of order and ended up carrying the bike to my floor. What a crap end to a crap day. I definately didn't enjoy today thanks to the crash.<br />
Todays stats...<br />
4.13 hours to do 44.01 miles at an average of 10.4 mph and topping out at 26.4mph.Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-63996387521995072552012-03-06T15:20:00.000+00:002012-03-06T15:20:26.931+00:00Testing Out the KneeToday the weather was almost perfect, a couple more degrees in heat and it would've been ideal for shorts.<br />
To test the knee, I took the bike for a little run along the Middlebrook Cycleway to the Beehive, back along Chorley New Road, onto Regent Road and home again via the bike trail.<br />
The knee wasn't too bad and I managed to keep the bike above 13mph on the flat sections, but slowing a little when slight uphills came along. I definately cannot sprint at the moment.<br />
The handlebar height now seems about ideal. I flipped the stem over the other night after washing the bike and moved the saddle forwards a touch. The geometry on this bike is a bloody pain. I don't remember having to faff about with ride position this much with any other bike I've owned.<br />
Bought one of them knee support bandage thingies when I got home so we'll see how much difference it makes tomorrow as the club is off to Preston Marina.<br />
The freehub hasn't packed up yet and sounds a bit better so I'm going to leave draggin it into a bike shop for a while and just hope for the best. I've other things to waste money on at the minute.<br />
Todays stats...<br />
42 minutes to do 7.51 miles at 10.5mph average and hitting 19.8mph max. 398.1 miles on the odo. Couple more and I hit 400miles!Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-51285728198953452012-03-05T02:14:00.001+00:002012-03-05T14:49:37.552+00:00A Wonky Knee at KnutsfordYesterday started off bad and just got worse. I woke to miserable wet and cold weather and hardly anyone turned up the the meet in town. Three of us set off for Four Lane Ends where we hoped a few others would be waiting.<br />
The climb up Derby Street and St Helens Road was fast paced (for me) and slowly but surely fell behind. One of the guys, Ray I think, waited for me a little further on and we met up with the rest of the gang at a bus stop. Quite a few had turned up despite the weather.<br />
Seven of us made Knutsford for about 12 noon and I had a sausage & bacon barm and a coffee at the supermarket cafe. The route by which we got there I have no idea but alot of it was along the same roads as my first outing with the club and at least I kept up with them for a change!<br />
After lunch, we left and made a short journey to a nearby McLaren showroom to gawp at the supercars in the window, then carried on.<br />
The wind had picked up (at least it felt that way) and was now quite a gusty headwind. Unfortunately, the Karrimore parachute was catching every single bit of wind and whilst the rest of the club seemed to just slip past it, I struggled to keep up and eventually lost sight of them completely. A few miles further on they had stopped to wait for me. After a brief rest, we set off again only to stop a short time later again. I decided at this point to put the parachute in the pannier. This didn't help for long as my right knee was acting up and again I fell behind. Eventually, I gave up on reaching mile 34 and entering Warrington. I pulled off to the side of the road and rammed more air into the tyres. The rear especially needed it as the gauge only read 45-50psi. I got them both up to 80psi, had a short rest and set off again.<br />
One of the guys, Ken had come back to see where I was and we soon joined the rest of the club a mile or so up the road. After a fairly long break, we set off again and Ken and Ray stayed behind me incase I fell behind again till we got to Leigh. I told them I knew where I was now and they might as well carry on with the others. As I later found out, I was no-where near as close to home as I thought and a long painful ride followed. I hate roundabouts!<br />
I ended up walking the bike up St Helens Road as I literally couldn't put down any power with my right knee, my arse was aching and the glucose levels seemed to have dropped a bit. The Mars bar was enjoyed. On reaching the top, I crawled back into the saddle and a few minutes later, hailstones where being thrown at me along with an extra helping of crosswinds. Lovely. I took a shortcut through the estate which resulted in me getting lost and probably ended up taking longer than if I had just followed the main road. <br />
I got home at 3.45pm, climbed into bed and crashed out for a couple hours.<br />
After waking, I decided to flip the stem the other way round, so the handlebars are now a bit lower and moved the saddle back a bit. That, I hope, will make the bike a bit more comfortable. Depending on the knee, I'll find out on Wednesday if it makes all that much difference when we're off to Preston Marina<br />
Todays stats...<br />
5.21 hours to cover 57.92 miles (my longest ride to date) averaging 10.8mph and hitting 27.9mph. 390 miles on the odo so far :)Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-77106199319950525012012-03-03T18:30:00.000+00:002012-03-03T18:30:15.618+00:00Trailers First Outing!This morning I took the bike and trailer out for the first time in years. Erin was co-pilot and she enjoyed the ride to Queens Park which has recently (I think) had a new childrens play area and which I think is awesome!<br />
I took my time going along the back end of the Middlebrook Cycleway, along Spa Road and into the park itself. I didn't want to go hell for leather as it's been at least 2-3 years since the trailer was last out and then it was with a different bike. The pair seemed happy with each other and the bike didn't handle much differently than usual.<br />
Getting the pair into the lift and back out again required Erins help but there weren't any problems that required colourful use of the English language.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibY612-RqQo4FYNF2w7tvGP2EXEWj0rlGcnGwLNbl6QdO0elGc-pjh0ePTxelSjX6g10adzPrGg84vfhFUCewGy0US19LGx_RTGqzUK9LLLE8Tz_0cARugRZPFL7TQXZJc_P-Z5k8TOKU/s1600/050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibY612-RqQo4FYNF2w7tvGP2EXEWj0rlGcnGwLNbl6QdO0elGc-pjh0ePTxelSjX6g10adzPrGg84vfhFUCewGy0US19LGx_RTGqzUK9LLLE8Tz_0cARugRZPFL7TQXZJc_P-Z5k8TOKU/s320/050.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcwGznB_v60YDH6xhMwSqiSsBDbm7ji1L8sogHPYhFvdPuJ_sBraqTnXX0DqXvgGcHXHenf8Ltlk4Jv9-lIEznbBtnj59Fez7K58Dj2qVDqgTyjiLr3wlDCYkb5hEVtGTm4zolAAsanuk/s1600/075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcwGznB_v60YDH6xhMwSqiSsBDbm7ji1L8sogHPYhFvdPuJ_sBraqTnXX0DqXvgGcHXHenf8Ltlk4Jv9-lIEznbBtnj59Fez7K58Dj2qVDqgTyjiLr3wlDCYkb5hEVtGTm4zolAAsanuk/s320/075.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-33887907835358748192012-03-02T14:19:00.001+00:002012-03-02T14:19:58.318+00:00Middlebrook Cycleway Discovered!Last night and today I went exploring!<br />
Ever since moving into my little flat, I've been wondering where the trail next to the railway line leads to and I've only just found out. Bike are great aren't they!<br />
The trail starts or ends (depending on which way its done) at the tunnel under the railway line linking Spa Road and Randolph Street and goes all the way to Lostock Rail Station. A short detour along Regent Road (all Boltons millionaires seem to live here) and it starts again and leads through Bolton Municipal Golf Course and ending up near the Beehive Roundabout. So I just found a better, quieter more interesting trip there when the bike meets at the roundabout! Cool!<br />
My first ride along it, I decided to just turn around and head back the way I came, but on my second go I went along Chorley New Road and tried to relocate it via Middlebrook Retail Park. I got lost. Whoever designed the road layout there should be taken out, stoned, shot and hung, drawn and quartered. It really is that bad. I decided to head back along Chorley New Road when low and behold I spotted OxHey Lane, an old route I used to cycle along while going to work, and there I found the trail again. Yippee!!!<br />
So that was todays little adventure and I'm thinking I'll use it more often as a training ride, I need to get more miles in!<br />
Todays stats...<br />
18.38miles at 10.3mph average, hitting 21mph and taking 1.46hrs.Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-79018797385921639472012-03-01T11:44:00.003+00:002012-03-14T01:01:06.002+00:00Another Ride to Bon ApetitYesterday, despite a worry about the freehub and the horrible grinding noise it makes while coasting, I set off to meet the club at the Beehive for 9.30am. Got there for 9.10am and waited. And waited. And waited some more. At 9.35 the guys came around the corner and stopped on the main road. They had met on the actual roundabout. I wish someone would make up their mind about where we meet on the Beehive.<br />
The weather was such that the Karrimore parachute and overshoes weren't required and at times I was having to unzip the longsleeve jersey. The campri baselayer is really really good!<br />
We set off along the same route as last week and I kept up with them for a change. There were 4 of us today, Peter, Ray, Martin and me.<br />
Arriving at Bon Apetit we bumped into Frank and set about tucking into a bacon barm and a coffee. Peter said if I have a granny gear, I'd better use it for the next hill leaving the cafe. I told him I'd just padlock my bike to his and he could tow me up! I did the same hill last week and again I struggled with it. Going up, both Peter and Martin lost their chains as they downshifted. The hill got worse as it carried on before finally levelling out and I just about kept up with Peter. I think his knee was slowing him down.<br />
A bit of mountain biking again was involved as we cut through a couple of parks and we hit the A6. A ride through Chorley town centre and endless friggin roundabouts (I hate these things!) and along the Blackrod Bypass at a steady not-too-slow pace. Frank turned off towards Bolton at some point and Ray left a bit further on leaving just Peter, Martin and myself. <br />
At Leigh I turned off up Wigan Road and got home around 2.00pm. And I wasn't even knackered! I did crash on the couch later on though.<br />
Whilst I enjoyed todays ride, a few things annoyed me. A-Roads. Why? There are plenty of much nicer, quieter and safer B-Roads around. Admittedly they are more hilly, but that makes them all the more scenic and with uphills, comes downhills. Much more fun.<br />
Another thing that irritated me is the cycling standards of some of these guys. On busy roads, it makes sense to not doddle along at junctions and get around roundabouts as quickly as possible. Changing lane should also be done more carefully rather than just hand signalling and moving out without taking the time to check behind. That happened more than a few times and annoyed the hell outta me. And finally, jumping red lights! What the hell is that all about? Only one set, but thats not the point. Because the guy at the front jumped and we didn't know where we were and it was unlikely that he'd wait for us, the rest of us had to jump the light too. Stupid!<br />
<br />
After I had a bath to relax my legs, I decided to wash the horse crap off my wheels and as I dunked them in the bath, they filled up with water. Meh. I also drowned the freehub in WD40 which seems to be helping. After taking the tyres off to empty the water out, I had to get them back on again. I bent the steel tyre levers getting the rear one on but managed it ok enough. The front, however was being a pain in the ass. Not only did I nip the inner tube causing me to fix my first puncture in years, but then the tyre wouldn't seat properly. After hours at first patiently trying and then cursing and swearing at it, I gave up and went to bed. Another attempt this morning had the same outcome. I decided to ride over to Geoff Smith Cycles to see if he could help and maybe have a quick look at the freehub. Halfway there the tyre decided to seat itself and as I've no money to fix the freehub, I went home again. The WD40 from last night seems to be helping but I doubt its going to last long. Depending on finances next week, I'll have to leave it in and have it replaced if need be. Gah!<br />
<br />
The handlebar bag I bought from Amazon for £6.00 isn't up to the job either. It's crap. Looks like I'll have to save up and buy one later in the month if I can. <br />
Money money money....<br />
<br />
Stats for yesterday...<br />
3.42 hours to do 42.04 miles averaging 11.3mph and maxing out at 26.7mph. Total on the ODO passed 305miles!Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-73851261195441404632012-02-26T22:19:00.001+00:002012-02-26T22:27:20.304+00:00Solo Ride Through Tockholes and RivingtonAn email from the club secretary told me that todays planned ride was to Manchester Peoples Museum and a planned buffet. Personally, I value my bike and don't want it stolen by some low life piece of human trash to fund their drug habit, so I decided to ride by myself and make my own adventure.<br />
The day started off quite grey and misty. I took a route along Blackburn Road to Egerton, turning off towards Belmont and up through Tockholes. Going along Longworth Road from Egerton was slow going to say the least as its all hilly and narrow and the mist was making it quite difficult to see through my glasses. I even ended up with the front wheel in a ditch at one point.<br />
The slog up Belmont Road was even slower going till I reached the top and it started levelling off a bit, when I realized I could have just followed Egerton Road a bit further on along the reservoir for a more scenic and traffic free ride if I had remembered about it. <br />
There were quite a few cyclists about today on this particular stretch of road despite the weather, which had convinced me to pull off to the side to put more layers on and don the overshoes. In fact, even at the height of summer on a perfect day, I had not seen this many cyclists out. Odd.<br />
As I turned off through Tockholes, the wind eased up a bit and I was pedalling along uphill at a merry old pace, with G.U.N playing through my iPod. As I gained altitude, the weather worsened and was now quite damp and almost rainy. It was wet enough to make me doubt the gripping power of my tyres and the effectiveness of my brakes, so downhills were taken with a fairly large chunk of cautiousness. The fact that I couldn't see through misted up glasses didn't help either. <br />
The miles flowed along fairly smoothly and after checking the map a few times, I turned into Chapel Lane. Here is when it all started going pearshaped. From this point on, the hills were grinding, my legs willingness to push started to dwindle and my right knee started to hurt. The first of two painful wrong turns started here also. I should have followed the road sign to White Coppice but my eyes told me to go straight on and only when seeing a built up area of houses did I question my directions. White Coppice is a little old village, not friggin suburbia. A climb back up the road and a right turn brought me to where I should have gone earlier and I continued to follow the road signs for Rivington. That was my destination afterall right? Wrong! This is wrong turn number two...<br />
The route I had planned followed a much less hilly journey along the east side of the Rivington Reservoirs. I took the west side road. Meh. Nice as it is, it is also a mother of a climb which had me giving in less than halfway up and walking until it got easier. I started pedalling again and again the climb steepened ( is there such a word?) and levelled off before dropping just as steeply. If I'd pulled the brakes any harder before the sharp left turn at the bottom I'm sure I'd have snapped the cable. Rolling along again, I noticed the road between the two reservoirs looked different, but I carried on anyway to the other side. Then I realized I wasn't where I was supposed to be. Another look at the map and another turn around back the way I came. I stopped at a junction where I decided to have a bite and a rest as my glucose was dropping quite quickly thanks to the hillclimbs earlier. Thank heavens for chcoolate flapjack and white chocolate mice! I sat there for maybe half an hour till my eyes could focus properly again and my legs could push a bit further. Another friggin climb. Then another. Then another. I finally made it to Sheephouse Lane and recognised where I was. <br />
The origonal plan was to follow it back to Belmont, over Scout Road, then Colliers Row Road, across Chorley Old Road, down Old Kiln Lane onto Victoria Road, then down Beaumont Road then onto Wigan Road and home. I decided I was too knackered and chose the other route. The second water bottle was also half empty which was another deciding factor. <br />
It was all downhill for a while! Yippieeeeee! As I approached the Village Tearoom, walkers were all over the left hand side of the road and a car was coming up the other side. Both brakes were slammed on and the back tyre was even locked up for a couple seconds. GRR! <br />
I slogged along Rivington Lane at an incredibly slow pace. I was even holding up a tractor for a few minutes and all the traffic behind hime. I only knew about the fifteen or so cars after I pulled to the side to let him past. Chorley New Road was even slower and all but my last ounce of strength was keeping me at a pace fast enough to stay upright. Tudor Avenue was almost all downhill and that took me home by about 2:50pm.<br />
Staying awake long enough to do anything was impossible as I sat on the couch trying to figure out where I went wrong in my original plans. Later, after consulting my map and BikeRouteToaster, I came to the conclusion that it was user error. As in me. Muggins. What a bunch of arse.<br />
The new Zoom suspension seatpost seems to be doing its job of preventing my arse being hammered by the less than perfect Uk road surfaces and the rear hub didn't fall to bits. I heard it making an extra clicking noise yesterday as it span around freewheeling. It's still making that moise and is worrying me. I hope the freehub isn't about to die on me. That's one expense I can't afford right now.<br />
Stats for today...<br />
3.52 hours to do 37.45 miles (only 4 less than originally planned) at an average of 9.6mph (Damn hills!) and topping out at 30.2mph while freewheeling and putting in no effort whatsoever!<br />
The day could have been better, but it also could have been much worse :)<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGzVG2YHwruY53QYygWfl3lVGuNIyYUHtCioWz-LzDZQeOTc0hNYqtgFunNnv8ORZauBdKdGIcHbIPOPYENXCGusmEBr8ngE-WgyRvDcknDEmdqPQqXwdca_Uh7PXcJMBGGJ7ZPmFQhw/s1600/IMG_2437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGzVG2YHwruY53QYygWfl3lVGuNIyYUHtCioWz-LzDZQeOTc0hNYqtgFunNnv8ORZauBdKdGIcHbIPOPYENXCGusmEBr8ngE-WgyRvDcknDEmdqPQqXwdca_Uh7PXcJMBGGJ7ZPmFQhw/s320/IMG_2437.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking over Springs Reservoir from Belmont Road</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GXPpW-jYLWzsbg1kkLpPydN5DDR82_maL_Ueng1K0tNlBcNhqJ2_NyoXXvrCJvl9CZfAWXq25CgOqfBJyREHURjWzvNrNuvVu4HcPdVRB5JCOISBN91NhEzrUQ0HIFBXCgrQ3HDpK18/s1600/IMG_2440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GXPpW-jYLWzsbg1kkLpPydN5DDR82_maL_Ueng1K0tNlBcNhqJ2_NyoXXvrCJvl9CZfAWXq25CgOqfBJyREHURjWzvNrNuvVu4HcPdVRB5JCOISBN91NhEzrUQ0HIFBXCgrQ3HDpK18/s320/IMG_2440.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having a rest near Anglezark Reservoir</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-39609955309462748532012-02-22T17:51:00.000+00:002012-02-22T17:51:46.272+00:00B-Group Ride to Bon Appetit at Bamber BridgeA late start this morning almost had me missing todays ride. Just as I got around the Beehive Roundabout I saw two cyclists with saddle bags in front of me. As we got to the lights just before entering Horwich town centre, I asked the lady in front if they were with Bolton Clarion. They were. Phew!<br />
That was Rachel and the guy in front of her was husband Alan. So that was it, just three of us today.<br />
The ride took us along Lower and Upper Rivington Reservoirs, into Chorley, crossed the M61 and M65 motorways and onto the Bon Appetit cafe at High Walton near Bamber Bridge. Had a cup of coffee and an apple pie and chatted to Alan and Rachel for a bit.<br />
We set off again along Gregson Lane (I think. I really do need a GPS System to know where the hell I am at times!) past White Coppice, back along the Rivington Reservoirs and another needed stop at the Bottom Barn for hot chocolate. <br />
At this point, Alans back was hurting, Rachels legs were sore and my ass was killing me. Before arriving here, it had started raining a bit more heavily and I wondered if it got any worse, would I be able see enough to get home? My eyes don't like water at all.<br />
I made my way home via Chorley New Road while Alan and Rachel went via Chorley Old Road and got home just before 3pm.<br />
I quite enjoyed todays ride as the roads were quiet country lanes with nice scenery and lots of twisty downhill bits and no big hills. The pace seemed a bit slower than Sundays ride so I didn't have too many problems keeping up and Alam & Rachel were very nice people to cycle with. Todays stats...<br />
3.54 hours in the saddle covering 41.02 miles at an average of 10.4mph and maxing out at 29mph whilst freewheeling!<br />
The bike's filthy for the first time since I've owned it.<br />
Good day indeed :)Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-88027747104969491242012-02-19T23:16:00.000+00:002012-02-19T23:16:38.984+00:00B-Group Ride to BrockholesSo today started off and remained sunny and dry. I left the flat at 8:30am and met up with the bike club. Peter rolled up a few minutes after I arrived and a couple other guys were along for the ride too, 8 of us in total and all on bikes substantially lighter than mine.<br />
The ride started off easy enough, but soon as we started going up Tudor Avenue, things got tough. I started struggling to keep up and as I got to the Beehive Roundabout, they were all waiting for me. Peter asked if I was ok to carry on or if I wanted to call it a day and go home. I opted to carry on. Up until Adlington, the route was the same as I had read on the map, but then it was all main roads and not particularily scenic, not that I would have noticed any different as I was busy cursing my legs and busy trying to keep up whilst not crashing into the club at corners and so on. I decided to take off the Karrimore jacket at one stop as it's acting like a damn parachute. I wish I'd bought a smaller size. Maybe next time.<br />
At Bamber Bridge we took a slight detour off the main roads and cycled on the National Cycling Network alongside the River Ribble, but not before taking a wrong turn first. Oops! A loud knocking and scraping noise had me worried but turned out to be a twig caught up in the rear wheel. A few times had thoughts of that I shouldv'e brought a mountain bike rather than a tourer.<br />
One thing I wonder, is why there are so many gates that are a pain to cross on a cycle network? Seriously, what's the point?<br />
Anyway, the route lead us to the restaurant at Brockholes Wood which actually sits on the river. After locking the bikes up, we headed in and ugh, what a horribe place. I don't mean horrible as in dirty or in poor condition, but everything is so.....modern? There's no character to the place. You could mistakenly think you were in a hospital cafeteria it's so clinical. The food wasn't brilliant either. As they weren't serving hot food until later in the day, we were left with soup and a couple bread rolls. The coffee machine decided to dump my milk in the saucer too instead of the cup. Black coffee was consumed. <br />
I got talking to a guy called Frank. Frank had been making this ride look like a Sunday stroll in the park. Frank is 78 years old and only retired from racing 3 years ago. Praise indeed!<br />
Slop/soup devoured and we were on our way again. Back along the cycle trail, across the motorway and onto quiet B roads. B roads with hills. I lasted as long as I could, but try as I did, my legs were definately on strike now and I felt as though I was pulling a truck behind me. Whilst everyone else seemed to be going at a slower pace, I had certainly hit the wall and was falling behind fast. Even going downhill required effort that I didn't have.<br />
The views around though were gorgeous. This helped alot.<br />
Once I was on Belmont Road near Withnell, I pulled off the road for a break. Next thing I know is I'm spewing my dinner up. After that, I decided to ram more air into the rear tyre to lessen rolling resistance and 80psi was soon reached. The tyre has a max rating of only 70psi. I didn't care. I wanted to get home sometime today. Just as I'd finished, I could see Frank coming back down the road to me. He offered me a cereal bar for a burst of energy which I declined. The glucose in the bottles was more than enough. Off again only to find the rest of the guys waiting for us just over the crest. They must have been waiting at least 20 minutes. I explain what I've been up to and Peter apologised for me having to work so hard. Not his fault I'm out of shape and we're off again. <br />
Earlier I had spotted Darwin Tower in the distance so I know we're not too far from finishing and I manage to find a bit of extra energy. The extra air in the back tyre is also helping me move more quickly and this last bit is all downhill. The bike is feeling loose and her ass is all over the place as I manage to keep up with the group.<br />
The sun isn't exactly roasting hot and my whole body has frozen to an icepop as we get to Blackburn Road via a little detour thanks to roadworks at the bottom of Belmont Road. On goes the jacket and wooly hat again and Peter and I cycle into town having left the rest of the guys to go their own route home. It's a slow ride thankfully as I have difficulty keeping the bike in a straight line and my reaction times seem to have slowed quite a bit. Slamming the brakes on the avoid crashing into Peter proved this. A bit of a chat and we're all set for meeting on Wednesday at the Beehive. It seems we're off to roughly the same area again, I hope the restaurant is nicer this time and the pace is slower.<br />
I got home at 2:30pm having done 44.37 miles over a 4 hour period. I'm knackered and crash out on the couch. A quick chat on the tinterweb, a long soak in a stupidly hot bath and writing this and now I'm off to bed. I need to recover for Wednesday.<br />
All in all a good day despite the legs. Everyone I've spoken to about it agrees with me, it'll get easier as time goes by. Bring it on!Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-8706008412915628362012-02-13T18:52:00.000+00:002012-02-13T18:53:12.947+00:00A Hundred Miles? Really?No not really but it feels like it.<br />
Thanks to another restless night and a noisy bugger hammering something at stupid o'clock this morning, I wasn't really feeling like a ride today. At around 11.30am I decided I'd bought the bike for a reason and I was gonna damn well use it, so, cycling gear on and off I went.<br />
I managed 19.8 miles today over 2hrs 4mins, but that didn't include stops of which there were many. Stop to pump up the tyres, stop to adjust the saddle, stop at the Village Green Tea Room in Rivington for some hot apple pie and custard (well you have to don't you!)<br />
Some light showers and a bit of mist had me wondering how the day was going to turn out, but even the sun came out briefly towards the end of the ride. <br />
Today took me almost to Chorley, through Rivington, over Scout Road and back into civilisation doing 40mph, my fasted so far :)<br />
The bike seems to get skittish at those speeds and the gears run out then too so just as well.<br />
The butt is starting to get used to the saddle finally, but the legs are still letting me down badly. My slowest speed going up Rivington Road was just over 3mph and even then I was struggling. Need to do more riding!!!<br />
The view from Bolton Road in Chorley over Lower Rivington Reservoir was breathtaking. There was a mist covering the surface and nestling halfway up the hilltops. I wish I'd stopped to take a photo. Maybe next time.<br />
Today marks two weeks without a smoke. :)Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-24060740947981437512012-02-12T10:41:00.001+00:002012-02-18T00:39:17.293+00:00All By Myself..."The Club for All Reasons, who never leave anyone behind!". That's Bolton Clarions mission statement on their Twitter account. So, how come I keep being left behind?<br />
This morning saw yet another failed attempt at joining the bike club for a ride. Not 10 mins into the ride and they're blasting off up a hill at 14mph. This isn't fast by anyones standards, but for someone who has barely cycled in 2 years and is ridiculously out of shape, they might as well have been doing 50mph. I ended up losing my temper and heading home again.<br />
I bought the damn bike as a means to try and conquer depression and this kinda thing only brings it out with a vengence.<br />
I've decided I'm going to go it alone and maybe join again sometime in summer when hopefully I'll be able to keep up with the pace. This crap weather isn't helping matters. <br />
Feeling very angry and annoyed today.<br />
<br />
Edit:<br />
<br />
An email to the club secretary about this matter has made things a little easier. He's planning on setting up an email group so all involved will know if anyones going to turn up or not at each planned ride. Phew!Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-67330904096533166662012-02-03T13:50:00.000+00:002012-08-04T12:09:37.255+01:00Escape The Madness!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday was my fourth day as a non-smoker. The first three days are said to be the hardest for anyone quitting smoking and whilst they were not the easiest for me personally, it was yesterday that really tested me. I woke up in a horrible mood and could have easily strangled a puppy for a smoke. My patience was non-existent and the smallest thing to go wrong would be enough to have my blood boiling. According to the Windows 7 temperature gadget thingy, it was -4C until around 10am so I just sat there stewing away. Eventually, I decided to grab the bike and head out. What could be more relaxing than a quiet countryside ride?<br />
The i-pod had my entire collection of G.U.N on it (Scottish rock band from the 90's and utterly brilliant) and I was wrapped up in layers like a mummy. I even had a bag of JellyBabys in one of the panniers in case my glucose levels crashed. So off I went...<br />
There's a little shop at the top of Belmont Road and I use that as a marker to the end of the climb. If I can make it to there without dropping to the granny ring, in my mind its a success. Today I failed. Again. I've a long way to go it seems.<br />
Patches of ice by the side of the road had me wondering what conditions were like higher up in the hills and I soon found out. Approaching Ward's Reservoir on Rivington Road there is a roadside sign warning of possible ice. "Yip" I thought, "That'll be today then".<br />
I pulled off the road at Wards for a rest, let some air out of the tyres for a smoother ride and to cool down a bit. My bright orange Karrimore S.O.S jacket has all the breathability of an S&M mistresses rubber gimp suit. Here I decided to get the first ever outside photo of my bike.<br />
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Off I go and more climbing had me again in the granny ring...I hate this gear. Once I was moving along at a more speedy 15mph and taking in the sights of the moors whilst having rock blasting through my ears, my mood had improved dramatically and I even managed a smile as part one of "The Downhill Bit" approached. This particular section of road is possibly my favorite. It starts as a bit of a rollercoaster ride. As you approach it, the whole road can be seen so after a left bend which dips into a right hander at the bottom which can be cut if it's traffic free and back up again. A short sprint along a slightly declining straight (big patches of ice here today) and slamming on the brakes as part two approaches. BIG smile here! Turning left and then a very sharp right before its all downhill along a narrow lane hitting 40mph (I once hit 53mph on a road bike years ago) then braking to 30mph before screaming around a left over the little bridge and then uphill a bit before coming back down to usual snail pace by the farm. I love it sooooooooooo much! Turning left leads to Rivington Pike and as this ain't no mountain bike, I turn right instead. <br />
I notice Nigel Mansel in a Peugeot 306 and Damon Hill driving something else as they cut the corner coming towards me like lunatics and narrowly missing another roadie. Good luck doing that kinda speed further up the road eejits.<br />
Sheep House Lane looking like an icerink, I take my time going down past the Village Tea House then left onto Rivington Lane. I firmly believe dropping the tyre pressures earlier has something to do with my being able to stay upright on that last section, the bike sure did some squirming about on the ice. Into Horwich I decided to take Chorely Old Road as the scenery at the top is nicer than Chorely New Road and there's a great deal less traffic. Its also a hell of a long climb to the top. Off comes the Karrimore and into the pannier. At Bob Smithies Pub I know I'm gonna freeze like an icepop going back down, so another stop and the Karrimore is put back on again. Another couple miles of crap uninspiring roads through suburbia and muppit motorists and I'm home. The lift is knackered. Gah! I carried the 40-45lb lump up three flights of stairs and plonked myself on the couch with a cuppa. My arse isn't hurting as much either. Nice day today after all :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmUx7H_6g9dVCbrCqiQUlZcukvfy3weuriRiBL2THHhj-IwgfynJej6OWmCAXOokSTcZEHxH-7qXEklmVCYY4opqVQ7kKr22x2eYKufyHHXpRPGfhBI112s_q8UiHs5uIRTeBcNR75kM/s1600/Winter+Hill+from+Wards+Reservoir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmUx7H_6g9dVCbrCqiQUlZcukvfy3weuriRiBL2THHhj-IwgfynJej6OWmCAXOokSTcZEHxH-7qXEklmVCYY4opqVQ7kKr22x2eYKufyHHXpRPGfhBI112s_q8UiHs5uIRTeBcNR75kM/s320/Winter+Hill+from+Wards+Reservoir.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winter Hill looking a bit icy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-85017976282735228732012-02-01T11:42:00.000+00:002012-02-01T11:42:08.489+00:00It's Too Cold, I'm Staying In...Today saw me arising from the murky depths of bed at 7.30am and ready to hit the road an hour later after a brew and a bowl of ReadyBrek.<br />
The club was to meet at the Beehive pub on the Beehive Roundabout in Horwich at 9.30am and go to The Old Barn cafe/tea room beween Mawdesley and Rufford, just west of Charnock Richard, roughly a 46 mile round trip according to Cyclestreets UK. <br />
5 minutes into setting off and I find my saddle a bit too high. Stop. Adjust. Set off again. 10 minutes later I find the rear deraileur unwilling to cooperate and refusing to shift down to lower gears without jumping 2 or 3 at a time...I washed the bike on Monday and forgot to lube the cables. Duh!<br />
I got to the Beehive at 9am and was joined by another member of the club. Didn't catch his name but we met the previous Sunday so a bit of chit chat followed while we waited in -1*C temperatures with an icy wind to remind us it wasn't winter. Thank you mother nature! Gear cables were slackened off a bit too and the lights were turned off to save batteries. Yes, I use lights in broad daylight and any cyclist with even half an ounce of sense who uses Britains roads will do too.<br />
9.30am arrives and no-one else shows up. I can't say I blame them, it's damn cold. Other guy tells me he doesn't know anywhere else to ride to from here and I'm frozen like an icecream so it's decided we'll just set off home. If memory serves me correctly, I hit a high of 18mph at one point, my legs have failed me again and my butt is evidently still recovering from Sundays ride. Total distance and riding time by the time I get home is 8.65 miles over 52 minutes. Upon checking the bike computer at home, my max speed was actually 300MPH! I must be in better shape than I thought!<br />
No close calls with absent-minded/ignorant drivers today :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUez13fAdZBZcmluaEunP0Z9qVqruPOzgdlpWCFY5jHmKAx1fh_3Ka9Pznl3J6gsfTrlo27iiIJQVETRK1ahOLgOozjQ9Fl9CyJ-70Ma5GEm9ynQ6ncLOn7CZLhOZgFWVmhhDBzvkPvU/s1600/007+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUez13fAdZBZcmluaEunP0Z9qVqruPOzgdlpWCFY5jHmKAx1fh_3Ka9Pznl3J6gsfTrlo27iiIJQVETRK1ahOLgOozjQ9Fl9CyJ-70Ma5GEm9ynQ6ncLOn7CZLhOZgFWVmhhDBzvkPvU/s320/007+copy.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1008932191511898091.post-45652257304687825532012-01-31T11:52:00.000+00:002012-01-31T12:13:56.655+00:00Bits Written Before The First Post...9 January 2012.<br />
<br />
This morning I went to sign for the loan. They gave me cash rather than credit it to my bank account. Went to the bank and put the money in. Checked when I got home and the funds are there already.<br />
Ordered the bike, panniers and oil. The online shops payment system was being a bit awkward at first, but I got there in the end. <br />
Hopefully as I've ordered today, I'll have the bike by next Monday as they state 5-7 days for delivery and as long as I get everything else in time, I'll be just in the nick of time for next Wednesdays ride with the clarion.<br />
Very little sleep last night as I was constantly worrying if I'd get the bike in time. All this over a bike? Jeez I must be a cyclist! I had to opt for the Altura Arran 36 panniers as I didn't have enough for the 46's. I guess they'll do as front panniers when bigger ones are needed.<br />
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10 January 2012<br />
<br />
An email from the shop this morning says the bike is on its way to the workshop for assembly. Nice to be updated.<br />
Figured out my final list of bits and bobs to get and the money I have left just about covers it. If anything goes up in price I'm gonna be buggered.<br />
Update:<br />
Got another email at 11:15am to say the bike has been despatched. Fast!<br />
Tried several times to use the link the shop gave me to track its whereabouts, it doesn't work. Emailed the shop to see if they could help...they couldn't. No idea when its gonna arrive now.<br />
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11 January 2012<br />
<br />
9:40am: Courier service rang to say they were 10 mins away! On the dot at 9:50am my bike, panniers and oil arrived :) It's gorgeous!!!<br />
The box it came in was huge and everything was well packed and padded.<br />
Looks like the frame size is dead on, 19". The stem height as always the case with a new bike, was way too high for my liking, so out came the Dremel and flipped the stem upside down. It's level with the saddle height now, just the way I like it. The panniers were a pain in the rear end to fit (my first set). The bike shop sent the bike with their own little canvas folder thing, a multi-tool and pedal spanner. All look like good quality for freebies...I have to wonder what this costs them over the year if they do this with every bike sale.<br />
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12 January 2012<br />
<br />
Problems problems problems...<br />
The pump, puncture kit and valve adapter came today. The pump is missing the airhose so is completely useless at the minute. Emailed the shop, they're sending the part out to me. Gloves and tyre levers also arrived today. Gloves are slightly on the snug side but hopefully will stretch a bit. The tyre levers had scarily sharp edges...dremel to the rescue again.<br />
<br />
Took the bike for a test ride in the car park this morning. It's a bit 'twitchy' in the steering department to say the least but lively enough under acceleration, considering it's a tourer. I'm not sure if it's because I've been out of the saddle for so long or if the stem is just too short. Will have to do a couple more runs to decide that one.<br />
Was still awake at 3am, again...getting sick of this 'no-sleeping' stuff. Decided to tweak the gears and brakes a bit as they weren't quite smooth enough from the shop mechanics efforts. <br />
<br />
13 January 2012<br />
<br />
Bottle cages, bottles, shoes, overshoes and trip computer arrived this morning. Bottle cages suck. The main cage is merely 'pinned' into the mounting plate and looks and feels as though it'll fall to bits at the slightest road vibration. Gorilla glue to the rescue...hopefully it'll hold. Overshoes are the wrong size and way too small and will be sent back. Ordered some new ones, not as good but all I can afford at the moment. Shoes are well fitting and not stupidly narrow like most are. Computer came with zip ties for mounting to the bar. Nice way to save on costs and weight, but what if I need to move it again? Stupid idea in my opinion. Friday the 13th. Went as well as one could expect, and I'm not exactly paranoid about these things. Also made a front mudflap from an old mousemat today. Seems ok :)<br />
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14 January 2012<br />
<br />
Short-sleeve and long-sleeve jerseys, shorts and tights arrived today. All seem a good fit and for the price, seem comfy enough. The tights are a little long though so may order them in "small" next time and the shorts are a bit tight around the waist so may order them again in a "medium". Go figure. Still no sign of the pump connector or the overshoes. Looks like the lock, lights and multi-tool won't be despatched until Monday either. <br />
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16 January 2012<br />
<br />
Recieved an email from the bike shop to say they are happy to swap the BBB Hardwear overshoes for a bigger size when the origonals have been returned. Great! Still no sign of the pump connector and the other overshoes from Outeredge haven't arrived either. Lock, lights and multi-tool have been despatched. Ordered another pump connector to see if this comes any quicker. The bike is off the road till I have a working pump as I don't want to be 20 miles from home when a flat catches me out.<br />
According to the couriers website, the Outeredge overshoes haven't moved an inch since yesterday. What are they doing?<br />
<br />
17 January 2012<br />
<br />
The bike lock arrived this morning. It isn't as heavy as I'd hoped and the key seems a little too simple for my liking. Not sure if I want to put any faith into this saving my bike from being stolen by some scumbag thief. I phoned the courier to ask about my overshoes...they don't have it! What? Phoned Amazon. They sent it out, just not with the courier they thought and they don't know who has them. Brilliant!<br />
Emailed the supplier about the pump connector I just ordered, they say it'll be despatched tomorrow morning. So that'll be Friday before I see that.<br />
Emailed Wiggle about the connector they're supposed to be sending. No reply as yet. Sigh.<br />
<br />
18 January 2012<br />
<br />
Got an email from Amazon to say the connectors been despached. Finally we're getting somewhere. Couple hours later an email from Wiggle apologising about the mix-up and they're sending another one out. We'll see.<br />
The lights and multi-tool arrived this morning too. I had to replace the bolts on the pannier rack light as frankly, the ones supplied left me in some doubt as to how long they'd stay tight. As for the lights from Smart, the front one is stupidly bright and no problems fitting that one. The rear though, had a few issues. As my saddle height is quite low (I'm a shortarse) mounting it to the seatpost would not work as it wouldn't be high enough for drivers to see it over the pannier rack and due to panniers, mounting it on the rear stay wouldn't have worked either. The clip was too large to mount on the pannier rack itself also. So, some thinking required here. Some tourers will gasp in horror at this idea, but I drilled a 4mm hole in the pannier rack and just bolted the light to that. As far as I can see, this particular part of the rack doesn't look like it supports much weight, so I think it'll be fine...time will tell. It works though.<br />
The tools on the Crank Brothers 17 multi-tool as other reviewers had stated are a little on the short side, but not so much that they're impossible to use, it'll just take a little longer to undo bolts and so on. The combined spoke key and chain tool is a work of genious!<br />
Also made a chainstay protector from Freesole shoe glue. Cheaper than buying one and doesn't look an eyesore like the ones I've seen.<br />
<br />
19 January 2012<br />
<br />
The replacement BBB Hardwear overshoes arrived this morning. Two days after I sent the old ones back, fast indeed! These ones are also a bit tight, but they do fit at least. A couple rides and I'm sure they'll loosen up. <br />
Emailed Amazon and told them the overshoes from them still haven't turned up and I want my money back. They agreed and apologised.<br />
Assuming one of the pump connectors gets here by tomorrow and works, I'll be able to take the bike out on Sunday with the club.<br />
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20 January 2012<br />
<br />
No pump connector today. Very angry at the minute. Couple hours later I realized that today is Friday, not Saturday. Calmed down a bit. Theres still time for the pump part.<br />
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21 January 2012<br />
<br />
Yesterday I had an idea for mounting lights to the fork legs. The idea was to bolt some old seatpost tube to the pannier mounts and clip the lights to that. I soon discovered that the dremel would go through a million cutter wheels just to do one side. Will work on this later I think.<br />
This morning saw the arrival of a new pump and connector. Put it on and tested it on the front tyre. FAIL! Air was leaking out faster than I could put it back in. So thats two pumps I have and neither works. Silca Viaggio Pumps...don't buy 'em. They suck.<br />
Went to Halfords and bought a Topeak Mini Dual G pump. It claims to inflate to 120psi. Yep, if you have arms like Arnie Schwarzenegger! I managed to get the front back to its recommended 70psi though so it does the job...with some effort.<br />
<br />
First Ride Report<br />
<br />
As I had origonally feared, the bikes handling was unbelievably 'twitchy'. I've only to touch the bars and its all over the place. So that's a new longer stem I need to get...more money, not happy. Besides that, it's a nice smooth (for an alloy framed bike) quiet ride. I only got as far as Asda on Blackburn Road and home again, 6.17 miles according to the trip computer. Crashing glucose levels made sure of the short distance and soon as I turned around to go home the legs went on me. Rear end and hands were also hurting. I swear that saddle is too wide and has way too much padding. Got home and my legs could barely take my weight. Halfway through getting changed out of the cycling gear and into 'normal' clothes, the old 'standing over the sink spewing my guts up' ritual had returned. The eyes are a concern at the moment too as the road and passing traffic looked 'off'.<br />
<br />
22 January 2012<br />
<br />
Today saw the first prototype of the fork mounted front light.....er.....mounts. One of them useless pumps was butchered for it, but unfortunately the tubing is too thin and the diameter too small...shame. I posted a pic of them on BikeForums and one of the guys pointed out that they had already been developed by a manufacturer. Checked it out and sure enough, they were in production. Much nicer and beefier too. Pricy though. I think I'll save my pennies for some though.<br />
No rides today as it was way too windy for my liking.<br />
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23 January 2012<br />
<br />
Finally managed to take the bike out today. I managed 9.5 miles which got me to the Wilton Arms on Belmont Road. The weather was getting a bit nippy so I pulled off the road to put my overshoes on and as I set off again, it started raining. Call me a wuss, I don't like being wet and cold at the same time. I managed 29.6mph on the downhill and actual riding time was dead on one hour when I got home. Brakes and gears need 'tweaking'.<br />
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24 January 2012<br />
<br />
The other pump connector arrived today. Again, fail. Useless f**kin pumps! Oh well, at least the Topeak works :)<br />
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25 January 2012<br />
<br />
Very painful day today. Despite lashings of Vaseline around certain bodily areas (ooer!), padded shorts and padded tights, I will have saddle blisters tomorrow. The saddle on this bike really sucks. It could be that I'm just not used to riding anymore, but I never had this kinda pain before even when I started cycling years ago, so I know its not just me.<br />
I was meant to be joining Bolton Clarion this morning for a ride to the outskirts of Burnley. I googled the meeting up point and set off all exited. I got to The Crofters on Haliwell Road and no-one there, waited around 10-15 minutes and decided to bugger off and do some cycling of my own. Considering the pain in my rear end that followed, this was likely mother nature looking out for me as Burnley would have killed me I'm sure!<br />
Headed off back towards home and turned off into Heaton Cemetary, by Queens Park, back along the railway line, onto Chorley New Road and through Horwich. Took a nice leisurely ride towards Rivington Pike where glucose levels had me scoffing Mars bars by the side of the road again...and a quick smoke. Off again and onto Belmont Road, Blackburn Road, through town past Queens Park and Spa Road, under the railway and home. 27 miles today. Thoroughly enjoyable but damn painful. <br />
I googled "The Crofters" again and discovered there is another pub of the same name up near Bromely Cross. Duh! How I missed that I'll never know. But at least I know where it is now.<br />
Ordered a new stem today as the bike is still too twitchy. A new saddle and a rear view mirror (going through Boltons town centre scares the hell outta me) were also ordered.<br />
<br />
26 January 2012<br />
<br />
The new stem, a Deda Zero1, arrived this morning. 110mm may possibly have been a bit too long. Its a little more stretched, but not uncomfortably so. Quite a nice stem, apart from the stupid white line on the top and bottom and theres a whole lump of alloy machined out between the steerer clamp bolts. This inevitably allows the steerer tube to show through and as mine is a horrible grey colour, not nice to look at. Pointless. It's a great deal lighter than the stock stem, but I'm not exactly a heavyweight so that doesn't concern me. The bike does handle alot better though, much more stable.<br />
The trip computer needed moving inwards a bit as it was getting in the way when I had my hands on the top of the bars. The problem here of course, is that Cateye shipped it with zip ties rather than a proper clamp. Whilst this may save weight and costs, it seems impossible to find any 2.5mm zip ties any longer than 4 inches/100mm and this causes problems as my bar is of the oversize variety. Who's idea it was to make parts oversize I don't know, but it's a stupid idea. Not only does it complicate sizing matters, but it adds extra weight and causes more problems when fitting lights, gps, trip computers and so on. I never once broke a bar when they were all the same size so strengthening it by oversizing is pointless too. So, the problem...how to remount the computer without long enough zip ties...<br />
My idea was to chop up some more of the old pump and mount that to the stem by bigger zip ties and mount the computer to the pump offcut. At the first attemp it wobbled all over the place. So, second attempt. This time it worked. I drilled 2 holes in the offcut and machined (dremelled) away some material between the 2 bolt mounts, put the 2 top bar clamp bolts through the holes, into the front face of the bar clamp and into the stem bolt holes. 2 zip ties through the computer mount, around my makeshift computer stem mounty thingy and a another zip tie through the 2 smaller zip ties and around the stem. Brilliant. Not exactly a work of art or scientifically engineered to precise tolerances, but it works, and it's not too obvious either. Plus, it now sits smack bang in the middle of the bar freeing up more bar space! What more could you want!<br />
<br />
27 January 2012<br />
<br />
Went to bed last night at 9pm as I was completely exhausted. True to form, I woke again at around 4.30am. This no sleeping malarky is getting on my nerves!<br />
I got to thinking about the front mudflap I made. It's looking a bit rough and the bolts and washers are cutting into the soft neopreney type stuff it's made from. Scoured the internet for ages looking at other mudflaps and one hit me in the face. A BROOKS!!! £13 from Evans and its even available in brown! Thats on my wishlist! <br />
The saddle and rear view mirror came this morning. Looking at the box, a label stated that it wouldn't fit STI levers after 2010...my bike is a 2011 model. GAH! I built it up anyway and it fits just fine.<br />
The saddle, a Madison Flux MTB model in fake brown leather looks comfy enough. Not overly padded or as wide as the 3 seater couch affair that came with the bike. Some rather nice stitching on it too, although there is a noticeable hard sharpish ridge along the top and sides where it's been sewn together. I'm wondering what effect that will have on my shorts and rear end. Time, as with all things will tell I'm sure.<br />
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Bill McFaddenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08981544545420232217noreply@blogger.com0