The "Photos From Today's Ride" thread...
Discussion
Finally rode my fixie today! 
Banana Boy Project Single Speed: First Ride! by Ben Magee, on Flickr
Only for a short loop on the local cycle paths with my eldest as she wanted to go out for a bike ride, bless her she managed about 4.5kms on her BMX on what was really quite a blustery day! She's only 8 and the wind was virtually blowing us backwards!
The fixie will take some getting used to! It's an odd feel and I think I'll be happier with a different brake lever, the one I fitted looks lovely but it's designed for drop bars and bottoms out before applying the full braking force
(It's adjusted as tight as I can without brake rub but it's just not right.)
Banana Boy Project Single Speed: First Ride! by Ben Magee, on FlickrOnly for a short loop on the local cycle paths with my eldest as she wanted to go out for a bike ride, bless her she managed about 4.5kms on her BMX on what was really quite a blustery day! She's only 8 and the wind was virtually blowing us backwards!
The fixie will take some getting used to! It's an odd feel and I think I'll be happier with a different brake lever, the one I fitted looks lovely but it's designed for drop bars and bottoms out before applying the full braking force
(It's adjusted as tight as I can without brake rub but it's just not right.)
My turn for a visit from the P**cture Faerie on Sunday's metric century. Twice. Worst one was at the top of Chapel Lane/Bagden Hill near Polesden Lacy...
I spotted a 'sharks tooth' of flint sticking up in the road. Schoolboy error, 'target fixation' on the flint, rolled the rear wheel right over it. Immediate deflation, so I walked it to the gateway to Phoenice Farm and set about fixing it.
Hello? What's this? I wasn't expecting a thorn. I must have avoided the flint after all. On inspecting the tyre I spotted this thorn, whereas I'd been expecting to pull out a hefty triangle of flint.
So, mark the tyre, remove the thorn, whip out the tube and look for a corresponding hole in the tube. Right? Well no, actually. Turns out the thorn missed the tube completely. But the flint did not. Almost directly opposite where the thorn entered, the flint had put a hole in the tube. No sign of the flint in the tyre, I checked, once, twice, thrice even, paranoid about it still lurking deep into the tread.
All patched up, reassembled, and ready to roll once more.
Just in time to hurl myself (gingerly, on such a freshly patched tube) down this beast.
Then I popped in to Pilgrim Cycles, at the bottom of the lane, at Box Hill and Westhumble station. Where I bought a new patch kit (I was now down to my last patch) and a couple of hot chocolates to try to warm up inside. While I was there I spotted a VERY interesting bike...
...A single speed frame built for an eccentric bottom bracket, but converted to run gears. Steel, with a rigid fork, this one (@ £1620) is built with Shimano SLX (triple chainset) gearing, bar-end shifters, and Avid BB7 cable operated discs. There was another bike, part built, which was based on Deore components and Dave, the shop owner, guessed it would come in around the £1300 mark once all the parts where put onto the spreadsheet. Both bikes fitted with 700c disc specific wheels, carrying Conti X-King 29" x 2.2" tyres. Dave reckoned you could run a 'fat bike' front wheel to get a 3" tyre on there if you wanted to. I had a quick spin around the car park, and it feels brilliant. So much better than a road bike at low maneuvering speeds, and with the advantage of the drop bars for cruising at speed. He built it for light "bike packing" to run with a frame bag in the triangle, for travelling light at a reasonable lick, but with more comfort than a true MTB. It's already my new favourite "want it!" bike. Pilgrim Cycles is a bike shop and cafe, in the old Booking Hall at Box Hill & Westhumble Station, on the opposite side of the A24 from Rykas and Box Hill itself, just up the road from the Stepping Stones pub. I thoroughly recommend anyone interested in a cyclocross or gravel bike to take a look... http://pilgrim-cycles.co.uk/#our-bikes - scroll down to the "Green-Laner" for details. They also have a number of nice lugged Reynolds 631 road and touring builds available. And to think. If it hadn't have been for that puncture, I'd have never even stopped there on this ride. Kudos to Pilgrim for helping me post-puncture too. Nothing was too much trouble. Hand de-greaser, hot water, and a track pump were all quickly made available, and it was lovely hot chocolate too! Worth a stop if you are anywhere near Box Hill!
I spotted a 'sharks tooth' of flint sticking up in the road. Schoolboy error, 'target fixation' on the flint, rolled the rear wheel right over it. Immediate deflation, so I walked it to the gateway to Phoenice Farm and set about fixing it.
Hello? What's this? I wasn't expecting a thorn. I must have avoided the flint after all. On inspecting the tyre I spotted this thorn, whereas I'd been expecting to pull out a hefty triangle of flint.
So, mark the tyre, remove the thorn, whip out the tube and look for a corresponding hole in the tube. Right? Well no, actually. Turns out the thorn missed the tube completely. But the flint did not. Almost directly opposite where the thorn entered, the flint had put a hole in the tube. No sign of the flint in the tyre, I checked, once, twice, thrice even, paranoid about it still lurking deep into the tread.
All patched up, reassembled, and ready to roll once more.
Just in time to hurl myself (gingerly, on such a freshly patched tube) down this beast.
Then I popped in to Pilgrim Cycles, at the bottom of the lane, at Box Hill and Westhumble station. Where I bought a new patch kit (I was now down to my last patch) and a couple of hot chocolates to try to warm up inside. While I was there I spotted a VERY interesting bike...
...A single speed frame built for an eccentric bottom bracket, but converted to run gears. Steel, with a rigid fork, this one (@ £1620) is built with Shimano SLX (triple chainset) gearing, bar-end shifters, and Avid BB7 cable operated discs. There was another bike, part built, which was based on Deore components and Dave, the shop owner, guessed it would come in around the £1300 mark once all the parts where put onto the spreadsheet. Both bikes fitted with 700c disc specific wheels, carrying Conti X-King 29" x 2.2" tyres. Dave reckoned you could run a 'fat bike' front wheel to get a 3" tyre on there if you wanted to. I had a quick spin around the car park, and it feels brilliant. So much better than a road bike at low maneuvering speeds, and with the advantage of the drop bars for cruising at speed. He built it for light "bike packing" to run with a frame bag in the triangle, for travelling light at a reasonable lick, but with more comfort than a true MTB. It's already my new favourite "want it!" bike. Pilgrim Cycles is a bike shop and cafe, in the old Booking Hall at Box Hill & Westhumble Station, on the opposite side of the A24 from Rykas and Box Hill itself, just up the road from the Stepping Stones pub. I thoroughly recommend anyone interested in a cyclocross or gravel bike to take a look... http://pilgrim-cycles.co.uk/#our-bikes - scroll down to the "Green-Laner" for details. They also have a number of nice lugged Reynolds 631 road and touring builds available. And to think. If it hadn't have been for that puncture, I'd have never even stopped there on this ride. Kudos to Pilgrim for helping me post-puncture too. Nothing was too much trouble. Hand de-greaser, hot water, and a track pump were all quickly made available, and it was lovely hot chocolate too! Worth a stop if you are anywhere near Box Hill!
So nearly five months after this very bad ride to work...
...got the all clear from the last hospital visit so these last couple of weeks I've gotten back out on the bike with a lot of catching up to do.
Stayed local for my first rides...
Worked my way back to the Long Mynd on a particularly damp Sunday morning ride...
Then last week had a few days off so went to a totally empty Llandegla for a very cool afternoon ride...
Then Cannock this Sunday, not as quiet as a Welsh trail centre in the middle of a working week obviously, but I was pleasantly surprised it was busy but not so much that it spoilt the enjoyment...
...got the all clear from the last hospital visit so these last couple of weeks I've gotten back out on the bike with a lot of catching up to do.
Stayed local for my first rides...
Worked my way back to the Long Mynd on a particularly damp Sunday morning ride...
Then last week had a few days off so went to a totally empty Llandegla for a very cool afternoon ride...
Then Cannock this Sunday, not as quiet as a Welsh trail centre in the middle of a working week obviously, but I was pleasantly surprised it was busy but not so much that it spoilt the enjoyment...
Edited by AndyWoodall on Tuesday 9th February 14:52
On the road for 6ish this morning, ambient was a manageable 2°c but I'm glad I wrapped up in multiple layers! The mild El Nino fuelled chinook we've had from the South West, since the beginning of time (or so it feels), has become a stiff Nordic blast from the North West! At least it meant that I had a very welcome tail wind on the latter part of the ride
Discovered that my lobster gloves are great for commuting but totally useless for fuelling on the go, so I had to stop to take on gels which frustrated me.
Also saw a fair group heading southbound on the Bullock Road near Elton Furze golf course at about 0920 maybe? Strava Flyby doesn't seem to be working but I gave a cheery 'morning'! If there's any of you here, I was the well wrapped up guy in luminous yellow
I was going to take some mid ride pics, hoping for a decent sunrise but to be honest what with the fuelling frustration and the glove kerfuffle I didn't feel particularly inspired by the drab skys and settled for an end-of-ride pic of a not very dirty steed:
Pictures From Today's Ride by Ben Magee, on Flickr
The ride did give me a great opportunity to try out my new work stand and chain cleaner properly for the first time which was nice...
Pictures From Today's Ride by Ben Magee, on Flickr
https://www.strava.com/activities/492333126
Discovered that my lobster gloves are great for commuting but totally useless for fuelling on the go, so I had to stop to take on gels which frustrated me.
Also saw a fair group heading southbound on the Bullock Road near Elton Furze golf course at about 0920 maybe? Strava Flyby doesn't seem to be working but I gave a cheery 'morning'! If there's any of you here, I was the well wrapped up guy in luminous yellow
I was going to take some mid ride pics, hoping for a decent sunrise but to be honest what with the fuelling frustration and the glove kerfuffle I didn't feel particularly inspired by the drab skys and settled for an end-of-ride pic of a not very dirty steed:
Pictures From Today's Ride by Ben Magee, on FlickrThe ride did give me a great opportunity to try out my new work stand and chain cleaner properly for the first time which was nice...
Pictures From Today's Ride by Ben Magee, on Flickrhttps://www.strava.com/activities/492333126
AndyWoodall said:
So nearly five months after this very bad ride to work...
...got the all clear from the last hospital visit so these last couple of weeks I've gotten back out on the bike with a lot of catching up to do.
Stayed local for my first rides...
Worked my way back to the Long Mynd on a particularly damp Sunday morning ride...
Then last week had a few days off so went to a totally empty Llandegla for a very cool afternoon ride...
Then Cannock this Sunday, not as quiet as a Welsh trail centre in the middle of a working week obviously, but I was pleasantly surprised it was busy but not so much that it spoilt the enjoyment...
I'm thinking of visiting Llandegla in April, how did you find it?...got the all clear from the last hospital visit so these last couple of weeks I've gotten back out on the bike with a lot of catching up to do.
Stayed local for my first rides...
Worked my way back to the Long Mynd on a particularly damp Sunday morning ride...
Then last week had a few days off so went to a totally empty Llandegla for a very cool afternoon ride...
Then Cannock this Sunday, not as quiet as a Welsh trail centre in the middle of a working week obviously, but I was pleasantly surprised it was busy but not so much that it spoilt the enjoyment...
Edited by AndyWoodall on Tuesday 9th February 14:52
Deggie is my local stomping ground, I live 15 mins away.
It's great, flowing trails once you've cleared the 3 mile climb to the top.
Nothing overly technical, I normally loop the red and blues together with the first bit of black (parallel universe) to take advantage of the flowy bits.
I then do a full blue again to finish.
There's a skills area near the car park which is pretty good.
The award winning cafe has great food and cakes.....
Robert
It's great, flowing trails once you've cleared the 3 mile climb to the top.
Nothing overly technical, I normally loop the red and blues together with the first bit of black (parallel universe) to take advantage of the flowy bits.
I then do a full blue again to finish.
There's a skills area near the car park which is pretty good.
The award winning cafe has great food and cakes.....
Robert
Banana Boy said:
The ride did give me a great opportunity to try out my new work stand and chain cleaner properly for the first time which was nice...
Pictures From Today's Ride by Ben Magee, on Flickr
https://www.strava.com/activities/492333126
You should send that into GCN for their hack/bodge of the week, it's inspired. Pictures From Today's Ride by Ben Magee, on Flickrhttps://www.strava.com/activities/492333126
Herman Toothrot said:
Didn't take a photo today on my 1st road outing this year, did take one Thursday morning in the frost on the Ragley, this is just before Grims ditch part 2 (proper single track) on the Ridgeway.
^^^ Blackthorn central! Hope you're tubeless with sealant!! ;-)Edited by Herman Toothrot on Sunday 14th February 17:07
CoolC said:
Banana Boy said:
The ride did give me a great opportunity to try out my new work stand and chain cleaner properly for the first time which was nice...
Pictures From Today's Ride by Ben Magee, on Flickr
https://www.strava.com/activities/492333126
You should send that into GCN for their hack/bodge of the week, it's inspired. Pictures From Today's Ride by Ben Magee, on Flickrhttps://www.strava.com/activities/492333126
- I would post it at GCN but I don't do Facebook or Twitter etc., this place and Strava is the closest I get to social media! 
Banana Boy said:
CoolC said:
Banana Boy said:
The ride did give me a great opportunity to try out my new work stand and chain cleaner properly for the first time which was nice...
Pictures From Today's Ride by Ben Magee, on Flickr
https://www.strava.com/activities/492333126
You should send that into GCN for their hack/bodge of the week, it's inspired. Pictures From Today's Ride by Ben Magee, on Flickrhttps://www.strava.com/activities/492333126
- I would post it at GCN but I don't do Facebook or Twitter etc., this place and Strava is the closest I get to social media! Not today's ride, but from last Friday.
Taking inspiration from the 'Strada Bianche' challenge on Strava, I headed out on the road bike to "get off the beaten track", and away from surfaced roads, to sample the new "Wellesley Woodland" trails around Farnborough/Aldershot.
Big mistake, as the "family and wheelchair friendly" trails are only part completed...
Basingstoke Canal tow path, obstructed by an oddly 'partly cleared' tree. The bridge in the background is a filming location from several films and TV series.
Turn back? Never! Although it's already getting a little 'squishy' and we've barely started the trail itself.
This is part of the marked trail. The directional 'guide' posts are visible top left of the path up. It's beginning to look decidedly unsuitable for the transport I've brought.
That puddle on the right is at least 2ft deep. Looks like shouldering the bike and walking is my only option to get to the bridge. Thankfully I'm wearing Northwave waterproof boots.
Brief respite betweem the Wellesley Woodland and Fleet Pond. The QinetiQ wind tunnel at Farnborough, seen from the cycle path alongside it.
My "Aaaaaargh! It's broken - I've got no drive!" moment. I stopped to find a big twig wrapped around my cassette.
It's wedged in there pretty tight too.
Gloves off, a bit of patience, and it's nearly unwrapped.
Woohoo! Job done. The whole of this twig was causing my loss of drive, but thankfully nothing was broken, and we're on our way again.
Taking inspiration from the 'Strada Bianche' challenge on Strava, I headed out on the road bike to "get off the beaten track", and away from surfaced roads, to sample the new "Wellesley Woodland" trails around Farnborough/Aldershot.
Big mistake, as the "family and wheelchair friendly" trails are only part completed...
Basingstoke Canal tow path, obstructed by an oddly 'partly cleared' tree. The bridge in the background is a filming location from several films and TV series.
Turn back? Never! Although it's already getting a little 'squishy' and we've barely started the trail itself.
This is part of the marked trail. The directional 'guide' posts are visible top left of the path up. It's beginning to look decidedly unsuitable for the transport I've brought.
That puddle on the right is at least 2ft deep. Looks like shouldering the bike and walking is my only option to get to the bridge. Thankfully I'm wearing Northwave waterproof boots.
Brief respite betweem the Wellesley Woodland and Fleet Pond. The QinetiQ wind tunnel at Farnborough, seen from the cycle path alongside it.
My "Aaaaaargh! It's broken - I've got no drive!" moment. I stopped to find a big twig wrapped around my cassette.
It's wedged in there pretty tight too.
Gloves off, a bit of patience, and it's nearly unwrapped.
Woohoo! Job done. The whole of this twig was causing my loss of drive, but thankfully nothing was broken, and we're on our way again.
yellowjack said:
Not today's ride, but from last Friday.
Taking inspiration from the 'Strada Bianche' challenge on Strava, I headed out on the road bike to "get off the beaten track", and away from surfaced roads, to sample the new "Wellesley Woodland" trails around Farnborough/Aldershot.
Big mistake, as the "family and wheelchair friendly" trails are only part completed...
Basingstoke Canal tow path, obstructed by an oddly 'partly cleared' tree. The bridge in the background is a filming location from several films and TV series.
Turn back? Never! Although it's already getting a little 'squishy' and we've barely started the trail itself.
This is part of the marked trail. The directional 'guide' posts are visible top left of the path up. It's beginning to look decidedly unsuitable for the transport I've brought.
That puddle on the right is at least 2ft deep. Looks like shouldering the bike and walking is my only option to get to the bridge. Thankfully I'm wearing Northwave waterproof boots.
Brief respite betweem the Wellesley Woodland and Fleet Pond. The QinetiQ wind tunnel at Farnborough, seen from the cycle path alongside it.
My "Aaaaaargh! It's broken - I've got no drive!" moment. I stopped to find a big twig wrapped around my cassette.
It's wedged in there pretty tight too.
Gloves off, a bit of patience, and it's nearly unwrapped.
Woohoo! Job done. The whole of this twig was causing my loss of drive, but thankfully nothing was broken, and we're on our way again.
Thats good going , on my steel road bike I entered a long flooded path shortcut during a club ride after "offering to go first" and it started to cover the BB and rear mech, but persevered and got through!Taking inspiration from the 'Strada Bianche' challenge on Strava, I headed out on the road bike to "get off the beaten track", and away from surfaced roads, to sample the new "Wellesley Woodland" trails around Farnborough/Aldershot.
Big mistake, as the "family and wheelchair friendly" trails are only part completed...
Basingstoke Canal tow path, obstructed by an oddly 'partly cleared' tree. The bridge in the background is a filming location from several films and TV series.
Turn back? Never! Although it's already getting a little 'squishy' and we've barely started the trail itself.
This is part of the marked trail. The directional 'guide' posts are visible top left of the path up. It's beginning to look decidedly unsuitable for the transport I've brought.
That puddle on the right is at least 2ft deep. Looks like shouldering the bike and walking is my only option to get to the bridge. Thankfully I'm wearing Northwave waterproof boots.
Brief respite betweem the Wellesley Woodland and Fleet Pond. The QinetiQ wind tunnel at Farnborough, seen from the cycle path alongside it.
My "Aaaaaargh! It's broken - I've got no drive!" moment. I stopped to find a big twig wrapped around my cassette.
It's wedged in there pretty tight too.
Gloves off, a bit of patience, and it's nearly unwrapped.
Woohoo! Job done. The whole of this twig was causing my loss of drive, but thankfully nothing was broken, and we're on our way again.
OK. 'No Cycling'. Fair enough. But Oh! What's that, down there on the path...?
Erm? That'll be a 'Cycle Path' pictogram, then.
Which is it to be? The legally binding, Highway Code approved road sign, or the land owners' own, fairly recently installed shared use path?
And if I can't cycle on it, why is it seemingly OK for Barons Mini dealership to drive on the path to park their stock?
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