I am a lifelong mountain biker who rarely lacks motivation. I had always ridden bikes off road like most kids but in 1976 I bought a "scrambler" for 70 pence. This was a bike which was dedicated to off road use. In 1977 I added a homemade suspension fork. I used the front suspension units … Continue reading Why I’m writing this….
A recovery ride, after not riding.
It’s very rare that I leave it 6 days between rides but I have my excuses. I’ve dug a pond in between times and it took a lot more out of me than I’d expected. Had I thought much about it I would have imagined that my upper body would have suffered. I don’t do … Continue reading A recovery ride, after not riding.
Why a 25 year old mountain bike is still worth riding.
I didn’t ride my 25 year old Proflex bike entirely out of choice, today. I still haven’t got the wheels for my Boardman, a bike of a mere 4 years, back from the shop yet, having had new bearings and a pawl spring in the free hub fitted. The weather has, however, remained ideal for … Continue reading Why a 25 year old mountain bike is still worth riding.
Testing the boat again.
I’ll admit I haven’t been too thrilled with the performance of my homemade boat. On a positive note it doesn’t leak any water and it’s stable, especially when you consider it’s small size at just 2.1 meters at the waterline. Today I’d adjusted the angle at which the fishtail which propels the boat pushes on … Continue reading Testing the boat again.
Back to mountain biking. Life put on hold.
In my last post I explained how life, and more specifically digging a pond, had got in the way of my mountain biking. I’d exhausted myself with digging, which had to be done by hand due to the access difficulties. I was far too tired to ride after a long session of such physical work. … Continue reading Back to mountain biking. Life put on hold.
Life gets in the way of mountain biking.
We are undertaking a massive garden project at home. After a long period with 3 raised flower beds close to the house we have committed to redevelop the area into an Italian style sunken pond. We started by redistributing the plants for the beds and saving as much soil as possible. Levelling the ground yesterday … Continue reading Life gets in the way of mountain biking.
Third homemade boat test.
After my last test I thought I was on the right track with the boat. My problems had been that it wasn’t nearly fast enough and that it bobbed up and down as it went along. There was a danger that water could have spilled over the side but also that I want to move … Continue reading Third homemade boat test.
A window in the weather.
Yesterday was a rainy day. The forecast suggested light rain all day but when I was walking the dog the sun came out. It was a good opportunity, with a window in the weather, to get a mountain bike ride in. We’re doing a big garden project so I thought a fairly short ride would … Continue reading A window in the weather.
Gardening.
I peruse a number of different hobbies. Mountain biking is possibly the one I’m most passionate about but I also have a classic Italian scooter and spend time doing various activities associated with the Scooter scene, which in Britain is vibrant. Another thing which I spend a lot of time doing is gardening. Behind the … Continue reading Gardening.
The full Great Hill experience.
Great Hill might seem like a misnomer for a mound rising to just 1,250 feet above sea level but from some viewpoints it looks quite big. Also I was beginning my mountain bike ride from home at under 300 feet, dropping lower early in the ride. I’ve replaced the front mech. cable on the Trek … Continue reading The full Great Hill experience.
Second test of my homemade boat.
I tested my human powered boat 6 days ago. It’s powered by treadles oscillating a fishtail. Well, why be conventional? It was dismally slow but on a positive note it didn’t leak at all. As a Consequence of this I’ve done some modifications. I increased the size of the fishtail by about 350% to get … Continue reading Second test of my homemade boat.
