The sun has finally decided to shine for a few days now and I got the chance to get out on the trail. And what a turnaround it’s been from the recent gloop we’ve had. The trails were dusty and dry, it’s such a pleasure to be out biking in these conditions, fantastic!
I have to say that I don’t normally like to hang around, too busy trying to beat my virtual partner on my Garmin Edge, but with the bluebells out in the woods and looking amazing, I had to stop to take a few pictures. I even grabbed a few photos further along the trail including the sun glinting off my trusty steed J Enjoy…
As usual the good old British weather is pouring rain down upon us, but at least the temperature is above freezing. So it’s that time of year to just get out there rain or shine, and to be best prepared I’ve donned my hard tail MTB with a Bontrager Mud X 1.8 on the rear. I have to say the Bontrager Mud X tyre is awesome; it really digs in and grips in the slippy stuff but rolls pretty fast in other conditions. I chose the Bonty after digging through various reviews and can’t recommend it highly enough for gloopy single track riding here in the UK. Check out Biker Radars review of the Bonty here
I recently relented and purchased some new shorts for when I’m out on my mountain bike. After reading the reviews I plumped for the Endura Single Track Baggies and have to say they are incredibly well made and versatile shorts. My only doubt about these being for fashion or function comes from the fact that unless you want a numb behind you ultimately have to put these on over your regular lycra cycle shorts, in effect doubling the pairs of shorts you are wearing.
I understand the value the mountain bike baggy shorts add in the sense of water resistance, protection against brambles and other spiky vegetation. But I have to say the most benefit to me is the fact that I’ll be able to stop at a pub or interact with normal society without looking like I’ve descended from another planet. So is the trend towards baggy shorts formally for fashion or function, I’d love to hear your thoughts?
Planning a route for a walk, ride or a run and want to calculate the distance and view it on a map? Then why not check out www.walkjogrun.net. It’s a site that enables you to do just that using GoogleMaps. You can plan and view your route in either a Map, Satellite or Hybrid view, calculate pace, time and also calories burnt.
The site is mainly targeted at runners and there is a Groups and Community section, but I think the site could easily also be used for walking and biking. Take a look and hit the trails!
If you’re bored of sledging and itching to get out on your bike then don’t let a bit of snow put you off! I’ve had a quick hunt around the internet and found a number of innovative (if not crazy!) solutions to bike your way through the winter wonderland.
Let’s start with the craziest solution, the Cycle Snow Plough:
Given that most four wheeled modes of transport struggle in the snow I was fascinated to read about the bike snow plough. The plough is towed behind your bike and from the photos actually seems to do a pretty good job of clearing the snow (at least for everyone behind you), also looks like a great way to build those leg muscles. My only feeling about this is how on earth do you stay upright, I would suggest a slight modification of snow cycle stabilisers or certainly a set of studded tyres! If you fancy finding out more check out this link,
Ktrak: If you fancy the idea of snowmobiling but want to keep fit at the same time, then why not convert your bike using the Ktrak system. Essentially the system swaps your front wheel for a ski and converts your back wheel into a caterpillar like track, this driven by your normal cranks and chain. I have to say this one looks really cool and I’d certainly fancy having a go, looks like it could get pretty hairy on any big descents though!
Studded tyres: This is the option I’d choose if I felt I could justify the outlay and we were going to have a few months of snow. There are a number of manufacturers that supply studded tyres, one example being the Schwalbe Snow Stud Tyre that retails for around £20.
The advice given is that these tyres do increase rolling resistance but I’d rather have that than be skidding around. With the UK’s temperate climate it is also suggested that it would be wise to have a spare set of wheels so you can swap sets as conditions change given the studs performance off snowy surfaces.
Whilst i’m on the subject of revolutions I recently read Tim Moore’s book, French Revolutions. If you like the Tour de France then you’ll love this book. Essentially the book covers Tim’s efforts to ride the same route as the 2000 Tour De France, all 3630km of it. It’s a hilariously entertaining account and one of those books that you seem to fly through, I thoroughly recommend it.
If you can recommend any other cycling books worth a read please leave a comment to let me know, thanks…
We’re already at the end of January 2009 and I’ve started to come around to honouring my 2009 New Year’s resolutions or in my case 2009 revolutions given that mine involve wheels. Back in 2007 I had a great year entering many competitions such as the Test Valley Tours and also an F3 Events team Triathlon at Dorney lakes. In the team triathlon I did my very best to keep up with the Iron Men on the bike leg , but it’s rather heart breaking when someone who’s already swum 1.5km cruises past you on their bike. I definitely need to work on my training!
Dorney Lake Triathlon - I'm in there somewhere!
So for 2009 I’d like to get back into the competition scene and I’m certainly planning to enter a number of the Test Valley Tours. These are excellent events for both on and off road. The courses are well marked and offer a variety of distances to challenge any level of fitness. The facilities are usually just right too allowing for a shower, bike wash and hot mug of tea / snack, just what you need after plugging through muddy trails for hours.
This year’s Test Valley tour line-up looks like this for now, so plenty of time to get some training in,
7th Jun 09: Hot Challenge Offroad
5th Jul 09: New Forest Challenge Road
27th Sep 09: Test Challenge Road
22nd Nov 09: Cool Challenge Offroad
Well that’s enough for now, I should stop blogging and get out on my bike. Hopefully see you at one of the Test Valley events…
The days are getting longer but for those of us who long to get out on our bikes as often as possible this can be a problem. To get around this I recently invested in a decent light.
Rather than taking the plunge and opting for one of the top of the range light sets that retail for £400 and over, I went for a light which I hope will let me get a taste for night riding. After much research I plumped for the Exposure Joystick Maxx, it’s an absolute beast of a light, incredibly tiny, fantastically well made and one that I totally recommend (also check out the glowing (pardon the pun!) reviews on line and on YouTube)
Exposure Joystick Maxx
In addition to using the light for cycling I’ve found that because of its size it is extremely versatile too. I’ve used the light when geocaching, camping, finding lost items under furniture and hunting around the garage. The Joystick Maxx can be used with a lanyard or attaches to your bike or helmet with ease, depending on the various accessories you buy with the light.
I’m on a mission to test the light out off road at night, should make for some fun riding!
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights. The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not represent anyone else's view in any way, including those of my employer.
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