Author Topic: Have you been out today?  (Read 3814321 times)

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24500 on: 18 April, 2021, 08:22:45 pm »
A shortish loop via Gerrard Cross and back via tatling end. I explored a bridleway on way back but the ford at the bottom of the hill through the river missbourne was a bit to muddy and deep to risk the trice electric s .


https://photos.app.goo.gl/rBBE9ggXr7Cu5yN36
the slower you go the more you see

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24501 on: 18 April, 2021, 09:49:14 pm »
I took the bike and train into London to go to church. After the service i changed into full cycling gear and set off to ride home to Bracknell. The lack of breakfast and lunch1 started to catch up with me so I ducked out to Feltham station after a 2 hour pottering ride.

1. I will keep telling myself this rather than admit 4 years without regular cycle commuting and 20kg of additional midriff ballast mean I am horribly unfit. :-[

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24502 on: 18 April, 2021, 09:52:57 pm »
Final bit of route-checking for DKttR in a couple weeks, and *gasp* the Lion on Blakey Ridge is still closed. Luckily there's a cafe down in Church Houses, and I had a fine ride. I caught the train to Saltburn to avoid those dull, flat miles that no one enjoys, then went through Brotton and Loftus to Scaling and Glaisdale, up Caper Hill and across the watersheds via Trough House to discover the Lion still closed.

My ride back from Farndale was up Monket House Bank, then Rudland Rigg to Bloworth Crossing, Battersby Moor and down Baysdale, and back to Darlo via Stokesley and Yarm. Part route/control checking, part good day out.

https://twitter.com/deanclem/status/1383884548157542405?s=19

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24503 on: 18 April, 2021, 11:01:39 pm »
Have the Farndale daffodils gone over, yet?

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24504 on: 18 April, 2021, 11:16:31 pm »
Deano I would recommend the feversham arms in church houses, nice pub, lots of outside space, & nice food from sandwiches to ploughman's to game pie & not too bad prices, as a family & with the more mature motorcyclists who are members of the vintage motorcycle club it is the preferred option over the lion at blakey, they have a website with the menu on

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24505 on: 19 April, 2021, 08:10:40 am »
Actually yesterday but to celebrate a semi unlocked birthday rallied a few of the regular suspects for a short jaunt out on a beautiful sunny morning including TMNH (if you know you know). Lovely to be out and embarrassed myself by going ahead up the hill then dropping my chain and after much faffing trying to get going again realised I'd knocked my rear light into wheel so wasn't turning

Unfortunately several idiot honking drivers and one who suggested viable medium of hand signals that we self pleasure ourselves but finished the ride with cake and prosecco which I think should become a tradition

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24506 on: 19 April, 2021, 02:21:56 pm »
I took the bigger stoker and their reasonably sized suitcase to the station so they can go and write their dissertation in peace.
Quote from: Kim
^ This woman knows what she's talking about.

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24507 on: 19 April, 2021, 04:03:42 pm »
Have the Farndale daffodils gone over, yet?

Pretty much, about two-three weeks too late.

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24508 on: 19 April, 2021, 04:04:58 pm »
Deano I would recommend the feversham arms in church houses, nice pub, lots of outside space, & nice food from sandwiches to ploughman's to game pie & not too bad prices, as a family & with the more mature motorcyclists who are members of the vintage motorcycle club it is the preferred option over the lion at blakey, they have a website with the menu on

Yeah, that's the backup option, ta (and it is open), but there's a cafe down the lane which is happy to accommodate us :)

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24509 on: 19 April, 2021, 07:46:36 pm »
31 miles òn the trice via maidenhead Riverside, Cookham  ,winter hill, Marlow, flackwell heath, Wooburn Green and home via Burnham. A pleasant up and down ride  :). A couple of inpatient overtake s today though  :(
the slower you go the more you see

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24510 on: 20 April, 2021, 06:50:53 pm »
Took the Merckx out for a shakedown ride and discovered, on the first slight incline, that shitty modern skewers (Shimano 6500 to match the hubs) are useless on chromed horizontal dropouts.  So they're going back on eBay and I'll use the Shimano 6400 ones from the other wheelset, which never slipped.  They are steel and bitey.

The bike goes as well as ever, when it's not pulling a wheel over.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24511 on: 20 April, 2021, 07:51:45 pm »
I took the sun ez3 out for a spin today. I went to maidenhead Riverside and stopped at boulters lock and had a coffee and a sandwich. Then on though Cookham and Bourne end .then right up winchbottom lane. At the end of this lane I should have turned right then left but I went right and ended up crossing the a404 and up and down to the a40 .so left through west Wycombe and right towards Bledlow ridge. Bump bump bump bump  :o the front tyre started bulging  :'( . I reduced the air pressure and turned back to high Wycombe where I stopped at a cafe for a baked potato and a moca . I then continued to halfords and bought a new tyre which I ended up fitting at Wooburn Green. Then I crawled slowly up Windsor Hill and back home via Burnham beechs. I am a little disappointed as was planning to ride out Stokenchurch and back via Watlington and Marlow  but it's still been a interesting days ride. I was able ride in a t shirt today as well   :)
the slower you go the more you see

John Stonebridge

  • Has never ridden Ower the Edge
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24512 on: 21 April, 2021, 09:24:56 pm »
Dismantled the tandem popped it in the car and drove over the Forth to Dunfermline and rode to Clackmannan and back on the West Fife cycle path for 40km all in.

All off road, pretty flat and warm enough in the sun.

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/65909044







rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24513 on: 23 April, 2021, 04:17:48 pm »
Almost 40 miles last night on the Merckx, which is flawless now it has a steel rear skewer.  Explored some new lanes, used a new Co-Op (no banana Frijj, wished we'd gone to the Shell garage instead), lots of cyclists.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24514 on: 23 April, 2021, 06:26:24 pm »
A couple mile round trip to Aldi at lunchtime to buy bike kit and beer. The bike kit was not up to snuff/my size so I just rode home with a backpack full of beer. With one awkward can digging end first into my back. Glad it was a short ride.

And then after work (well, after knocking off work early) I did a little jaunt to Friston Forest and back (13 miles all up), and had a very nice half hour sat on a bench, in the sun, drinking one of the earlier procured beers.

Lovely stuff.  :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Miles cycled 2014 = 3551.5 (Target 7300 :()
Miles cycled 2013 = 6141.4
Miles cycled 2012 = 4038.1

John Stonebridge

  • Has never ridden Ower the Edge
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24515 on: 23 April, 2021, 10:09:41 pm »
Popped the tandem in the car and took it to Tranent for a post work 50km. 

Much colder than expected in the chilly east wind and haar, but enjoyable nonetheless. 

Average speed increasing nicely even on a lumpy route.

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/66004361

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24516 on: 24 April, 2021, 01:30:18 pm »
Discovering new bridleways and lanes.









Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24517 on: 24 April, 2021, 09:32:49 pm »
The 'usual' 100km loop, but took advantage of the dry conditions to try some byways which are normally mud baths.

So I played in Herberts Hole next to Balinger's Bottom.... ah, the names of Chiltern lanes!



https://www.komoot.com/tour/353594995

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24518 on: 24 April, 2021, 09:46:44 pm »

So I played in Herberts Hole next to Balinger's Bottom.... ah, the names of Chiltern lanes!


That’s walking distance from where I grew up!

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24519 on: 25 April, 2021, 10:39:40 am »
Yes! Well, yesterday afternoon rather than today, but I actually went on a bike ride, as opposed to riding my bike to somewhere that I needed to get to. It was also the first time in months and months (since October or something) that I wore padded shorts (don't they feel weird?) and rode the bike with rim brakes (don't they feel... gradual?). But the weird shorts stopped feeling weird once I was actually riding and the brakes seemed to work better after about an hour. No idea how far I went but it was around five hours, three cups of tea (took a thermos!) one egg mayo sandwich and a Mars Bar. I even found some roads I'd never ridden before. Well, they were tracks rather than roads and one of them was more pushing than riding, due to being churned up with horses' hooves. But fun!
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

FifeingEejit

  • Not Small
Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24520 on: 25 April, 2021, 01:48:10 pm »
Finally, Yes.
New 30kish loop with apparently 170m climb.

Eh wiz blawing oot mah arse.

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24521 on: 25 April, 2021, 05:08:26 pm »
I did 67km out to Ardingly and back, which was nice. It would have been even better if my chain hadn’t broken a bit after the steep bits. It’d been skipping a bit and felt like the shift tension needed a tweak, then nothing. The chain was on the road just behind me, one end pulled quite open. I pushed up the hill to a flat and clean access road. Then had a bite to eat, tried arranging the chain into a cdc, and finally sorted out a fresh quick link. The track had signs proclaiming it as private and for police dog training, but I risked a quick up and down to check everything was as it should be. If I’d risked another 50m I’d have got another veloviewer square, but I didn’t know that at the time!

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24522 on: 25 April, 2021, 05:47:49 pm »
I dragged a somewhat reluctant Mr Smith out in the sunshine.

And added a completely unnecessary 10% climb in the last mile. Sorry 'bout that.  :-[


Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24523 on: 25 April, 2021, 05:48:33 pm »
Route checking for next weekend's Social Group ride.

Re: Have you been out today?
« Reply #24524 on: 25 April, 2021, 07:56:16 pm »
Was camping in the New Forest at Setthorns with MrsH and our dog, who is almost blind. Took the ancient 90s MTBS  hybrids cool retro gravel bikes down byways and tracks to Milford on Sea, with the dog in a doggie rucksack on my back. Then walked along the heavily eroded coastal path (lots has fallen in to the sea) to Barton on Sea and on to the beach there, so dog got a good couple of miles to stretch his legs. Then rode back to the campsite a different route, ending up on a disused rail track. Picnic in Barton, and another break for cookies and drinks in glorious weather in the New Forest. Not the most arduous or audacious of rides, but a great day to be out pottering along.

I have discovered, much to MrsH's amusement as she rode behind me, that carrying a little dog in a rucksack on a bike is a great way for a middle-aged bloke to get attention from young (and not so young) ladies  :)