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 unitsContinue reading “Why I’m writing this….”
Choices.
Last week I had a good week of activity with 2 mountain bike rides and a trip in my pedal powered boat. Today the weather was good after some early drizzle. The TV news has mentioned a hot start to July but that must only apply to the southern regions. We’ve had daily maxima inContinue reading “Choices.”
Flower of the Week, 3rd July.
We don’t have much in the way of colour themes in our garden, preferring to mix all kinds of colours together. At the moment, though, we have some strong yellow flowers in various parts of the garden.
Taking it easy in my boat.
I’ve had quite an active week, exercise wise, with mountain bike rides on Tuesday and Wednesday. After a more restful day on Thursday I wanted to use my pedal powered boat today. I also walk our dog, Freddie, every day but only when we walk a hill will it ever take much out of me.Continue reading “Taking it easy in my boat.”
Second ride in 2 days and more tyre testing.
It’s extremely rare that I ride my mountain bike on consecutive days but I rode both yesterday and today. I have occasionally used my bike and pedal powered boat in this way, though, so it isn’t exactly unprecedented. Yesterday I was expecting it to rain today, so even though I’d been invited out for aContinue reading “Second ride in 2 days and more tyre testing.”
Testing my new tyre.
The rear tyre of my Boardman FS Pro mountain bike was worn out, with virtually no tread in the middle. It might seem as if this wouldn’t matter so much in dry, summer conditions but it does. In north west England we can get mud after summer rain. Also you need grip at any timeContinue reading “Testing my new tyre.”
Flower of the Week, 26th June.
Foxgloves contain a heart stimulant, digitalis, which can be extremely dangerous. They are a biennial so flower in their second season, though sometimes will survive to flower again. They produce tiny seeds prolifically and seem to prefer a dry and harsh environment.
Improving my Whyte PRST4.
I enjoyed my last trail ride up Great Hill on my Whyte PRST4, a full suspension mountain bike from 2004. A lot, however, has changed in bike design since those days and I was left wondering if the PRST4 could handle some of the trails which I routinely ride on more modern bikes. It onlyContinue reading “Improving my Whyte PRST4.”
Flower of the Week, 22nd June.
Plenty is happening in the garden at the moment. We bought Galenia Trifoliata last year and it’s thriving in partial shade. Fox and cubs prefers full sun and the flowers close by early evening. Our water lilies also like the sun, whilst the goldfish beg for food.
A trail ride on a classic mountain bike.
I walked the dog up Great Hill the day before yesterday and could certainly feel the effort of the climb in my legs afterwards. Yesterday I decided to climb the same hill again by mountain bike and thought it would be fun to use a classic bike from 2004. The Whtye PRST4 has a radicalContinue reading “A trail ride on a classic mountain bike.”
Fabulous Friday.
I rode my mountain bike on Friday and it was a fabulous ride. On Wednesday I’d felt really tired on what should have been an easy enough ride and I still don’t know why that was. On Friday things went well with me back to my expected energy level. I wanted to include a downhillContinue reading “Fabulous Friday.”
Flower of the Week, 17th June.
Things are progressing so fast in the garden that I now need to feature more than one flower at once. We have cirsium in several places and it self propagates well. Unlike most thistles its leaves are hairy rather than spikey. Peonies are flamboyant flowerers and we have a few in our front garden. DelphiniumsContinue reading “Flower of the Week, 17th June.”
Using the techniques I practiced.
On my last 2 rides I practiced riding techniques on jumps and corners and today visited a different trail environment to put that practice to use. The last rides were on the purpose built and beamed (banked) trails on Heakey Nab. Purpose built trails usually consist of berms to prevent riders from sliding their wheels,Continue reading “Using the techniques I practiced.”
Finding a use for my boat.
I built my pedal powered dinghy for several reasons. Firstly I just wondered if I could build a boat that floated and moved along in the water in a useful way. Last year I enjoyed the fabrication and engineering involved in the build and I also hoped the boat would be an alternative form ofContinue reading “Finding a use for my boat.”
Flower of the Week, 13th June.
When we moved into our house 25 years ago the garden was largely composed of lawns and rose beds. We reduced the amount of grass until we had none but even before that we’d dug up and disposed of every rose bush. I suppose that was our reaction against a style of garden we didn’tContinue reading “Flower of the Week, 13th June.”
Practicing riding technique again.
I would have liked a trail ride on my mountain bike today. Weekends, though, often mean that the trails are also used by lots of walkers and the inevitable need to slow or stop can be frustrating. For this reason I thought it would be better to repeat my last ride which involved 3 lapsContinue reading “Practicing riding technique again.”
Riding skills.
Before my mountain bike ride today I read some pages in the magazine Mountain Bike Rider (MBR) about riding skills, particularly on the subject of jumping the bike. Jumps can be intimidating to riders and way back I’m not sure if the majority of riders, including myself, had much in the way of technique. IContinue reading “Riding skills.”
Italjet Dragster 200.
A change from my usual subject matter, I’m using my blog to review the new Italjet Dragster scooter. I’ve been on the road with motorcycles since 1978 but converted my interest to scooters in 1999. The scooter culture in the UK holds old Lambrettas at the pinnacle but having tried all kinds of scooters IContinue reading “Italjet Dragster 200.”
Canal Cruising.
Due to unpredictable weather and various commitments over the Platinum Jubilee weekend I haven’t exercised for 5 days. I’ve been keen to sail my pedal powered dinghy for quite a while and I finally managed it today. I’d hoped to sail for longer than my usual trip which takes 47 minutes most of the timeContinue reading “Canal Cruising.”
Flower of the Week, 4th June.
Hostas do flower but are grown mainly for their foliage, which appears in many shades and patterns. They prefer a fairly shady environment which we have at the far end of out back garden. The leaves are shaped to channel rain water to the roots.
Riding Ben Nevis.
I’ve heard of riders “Everesting” on a bike. That is to climb the height of Mount Everest at 29,028 feet, in a single road ride. I’m not at a stage in my life where I could contemplate such a feat and I wouldn’t want to do a long road ride in any case. I decidedContinue reading “Riding Ben Nevis.”
Mountainbiker 