Great Hill is the northernmost high point at 1,251 feet of the West Pennine Moors, a chain of hills stretching for around 12 miles north of Bolton and east of my hometown of Chorley. The Highest point is Winter Hill, a little higher at 1,498 feet. The mountain biking is good from top to bottomContinue reading “What’s so great about Great Hill?”
Strava likes me!
On my last ride I felt full of energy but today I was rather tired. In the morning I’d had a cooked breakfast prior to walking the dog before my ride. It could simply have been that I was still digesting my food and wasn’t ready to ride, I’ll never know. Had I felt moreContinue reading “Strava likes me!”
More boat testing.
My home made boat used a flapping foil (fishtail) for propulsion and although it did propel the boat forwards it had too many difficulties which I considered insurmountable. It didn’t move me nearly quickly enough and caused the boat to bob up and down. I decided to completely change the way in which the boatContinue reading “More boat testing.”
Feeling far fitter.
Recently I’ve dug a pond by hand and paved around it. We had no access to use a mini digger and getting the heavy clay soil to a skip in the road meant using a wheelbarrow to cart it through the garage. Initially I thought the project wouldn’t affect my mountain biking since I expectedContinue reading “Feeling far fitter.”
An exciting new prospect.
Today I had the exciting prospect of riding my Boardman FS Pro mountain bike. I bought it new in November 2016 so riding it wasn’t truly a new prospect but I haven’t been able to ride it since 14th February. It was on that day that a small spring on the freewheel broke, leaving meContinue reading “An exciting new prospect.”
Returning to Great Hill.
It’s my favourite ride. Go to the top of Great Hill at 1,251 feet and ride the exquisite downhill through Brinscall Woods. It’s a long and varied ride with some flat and undulating sections, lots of gravity assisted parts and a bit of everything that we mountain bikers love. The climb is valuable exercise andContinue reading “Returning to Great Hill.”
A quick spin becomes a perfect trail ride.
I’ve dug a new pond in our garden and am currently laying bricks to support the paving which will surround it. It’s hard physical work and has had a bigger effect on my energy levels than I ever would have expected. On Tuesday and Wednesday I was too tired to go for a bike rideContinue reading “A quick spin becomes a perfect trail ride.”
In England’s green and pleasant land.
My title is from a poem of 1804 by William Blake which is often sung as a hymn entitled Jerusalem. On a day like today England fully deserves the eulogy. The temperature reached a pleasant 14 celcius and the sun has shone for most of the day. Perfect conditions for a mountain bike ride. I’mContinue reading “In England’s green and pleasant land.”
A voyage of discovery.
I still don’t have the wheels of my Boardman back. The shop was deserted today so I had to chose another bike. My pedals were already fitted to the 25 year old Proflex Attack LE full suspension mountain bike, so it was the obvious choice to ride it again. I’ve been enjoying my time onContinue reading “A voyage of discovery.”
I couldn’t ride my bike today.
I’d intended to go out for a bike ride after I’d walked my dog, Freddie. I have to walk him every day, regardless of my bike riding plans and enjoy my relaxing time with him. A lot of people have bought dogs since the first Covid 19 lockdown and it has pushed puppy prices wayContinue reading “I couldn’t ride my bike today.”
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 doContinue 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 forContinue 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 onContinue 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 yesterdayContinue 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 moveContinue 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 wouldContinue 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 theContinue 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 TrekContinue 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 getContinue reading “Second test of my homemade boat.”
