The Cycle Show - NEC, second time we have visited the event, got there just as it was opening on the Saturday morning, loads more brands on view than last year particularly like the look of the Mondraker line of bikes on show. Loads of freebies accumulated in three bags which I lugged about the place for a couple of hours before we had had enough of the massing hordes, it was jam packed by the time we left. Things we took away from this visit:
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A free morning, so rather then cycle from the front door, we ventured further afield to the Croft Trail in Swindon; The waymarked trails at Croft Country Park (map) offer both a family/beginner off-road trail (Blue), and a more technical trail (Red) with features for the more experienced cyclist or those wishing to improve their skills. Ride them several times for a more intense workout. It was a very fine autumn morning, not too chilly when we arrived. Rode the Red Trail twice in succession and it was great fun, worth the drive over to try it out. The Red trail has a mixture of swooping beams, board walk and mini rock gardens. The single track winds tightly through the woodland that has been set aside for the purpose. Due to the tightness of the turns on occasion we shoulder brushed the trees on either side of the single track, but managed to get around with no other issues., apart from almost mowing down one of the abundant Grey Squirrels. According to the GPS, the two loops of the trail came to 7.76 kilometres in total.
Autumn is in the air, and the nights are drawing in, straight out on the bike this evening from work. The South Loop, through Red Rice and Kentboro, back via Monxton. There had been a rather heavy thunderstorm in the afternoon, so there was quite a bit of standing water around, as it was rather warm, there was mist rising off the fields which gave the evening cycle ride a rather moody feel. There where a lot of Pheasant and Partridges about, came across a pale white Pheasant in the woods near Kentboro, it appeared out of the corner of my eye as a ghostly apparition, and added to the whole feel of the gloomy woods, as rather spooky.....
47 Kilometres in just under three hours all the usual Test Valley haunts. Started out a very misty morning, but the Sun came out and burnt back the mist, which persisted in the dells and nooks to mid morning. Lots of pheasants about, not much else in the way of wildlife to be seen.
September has arrived and the evening's are drawing in, a quick blast around Red Rice and Kentboro and then home. Took 1 hour 20 minutes and covered 23 kilometres, a mixture of country lane and bridleway. Military helicopters buzzing overhead on evening exercises from Middle Wallop. On the way through Abbot's Anne, met a Roe Deer coming down the middle of the lane, it stopped for a moment and then leapt into the undergrowth deside's the lane. Well the second outing on the Giant GSR trekking bike followed, having sorted out the seatpost issue, I ran my normal seat. There was a continual grinding noise coming from the bottom bracket, which was quite obvious to those I passed. Did my normal 'short loop' of 11.88 Kilometres in 37 minutes, it felt like a lot of effort, but reviewing the time with what I normally achieve on the Mountain BIke, I was two minutes faster then my previous best, which was a surprise due to the experience at the time.
So back to the garage to investigate, the grinding noise which was definitely coming from the bottom bracket. Guess that is the result of the bike being left in the corner of the garage unused for several years.... |
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January 2023
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