What did you do TO / WITH / FOR your bike today!
- Thread starter Minlak
- Start date
Mr Crudley
Glock in your sock
Got a CoD in this morning. Didn't cross paths with anyone and the wildlife that won't bite you was out in force.
Unfortunately Mum has been in hospital after a small stroke and fall. Age is catching up. She has recovered well over the past fortnight and will be released soon. She is already grumbling to go home.
I will need to move in and help her out and be an adult which was only a matter of time, but I don't know what to expect just yet. I'll figure it out.
Anyhow, this might be one of the final rides I might be able to do for the time being until I see how things land.
T'was quite nice at the local this morning.
Unfortunately Mum has been in hospital after a small stroke and fall. Age is catching up. She has recovered well over the past fortnight and will be released soon. She is already grumbling to go home.
I will need to move in and help her out and be an adult which was only a matter of time, but I don't know what to expect just yet. I'll figure it out.
Anyhow, this might be one of the final rides I might be able to do for the time being until I see how things land.
T'was quite nice at the local this morning.
pink poodle
ここには見るべきものは何もありません
That's not great news @Mr Crudley
Mr Crudley
Glock in your sock
It sure isn't but is a part of life for us all unfortunately.
pink poodle
ここには見るべきものは何もありません
It is indeed.
birddog69
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Just keep pedallin' to keep the head clear.
Labcanary
One potato, two potato, click
Flow-Rider
Burner
Sorry to hear @Mr Crudley. I hope things turn out better than expected.
Mr Crudley
Glock in your sock
Thank you all.
A pedal is always good for the soul and bonus health as long as you don't hit that tree.
A pedal is always good for the soul and bonus health as long as you don't hit that tree.
Chriso_29er
Eats Squid
That has a very chubby downtube!
beeb
Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
Honest?
Jpez
Washed up zwifter
So I’m in San Sebastián, Basque Country
northern most Spain bordering France and it feels like it. Super green and lush. Had heard about some great single track close to town. Had originally wanted to do a guided trip of the high Pyrenees but time didn’t permit. Need 4-5 days and logistics is tricky. YT videos look incredible.
So hired a Canyon spectral. Before I’d even gone a kilometre the shagged out hire rig was dropping chains. Derailleur was rooted. And the rest. And the shimano brakes couldn’t be reversed. Combined with the full on rain from the night before and current showers I was grumpy. I knew it was a rooty place so was nervous with it being so wet. Two days prior was hero conditions.
Rode it back to the store and the mechanic agreed it was cooked. all they had was an eeb. Ok. That will do. Gimme whatever. A Raymon. Or something. Never heard of it. Dropper was sagging. Had a noodle on the front called a Revelation. Holy fuck that was inadequate. Stopped at a park, reversed the Magura mt5’s with shitty 2finger levers, adjust the dropper so it stops sagging.
So get up to the trails and my Spain region on trail forks was not loading. So I couldn’t find all the good stuff the shop guy told me about.
Even more grumpy. Then it hit me. I’m a privileged dude travelling, riding in amazing places around the world and I really have no right to be grumpy even though I was soaking wet and sitting on a chunky downtube eeb So once I got my first world problems out of the way I soon found some trails, and then some more just using my nose and before I know it I’m having a blast.
The trails are superb single track through lush green forest. Coupled with the rain it was spectacular. Felt more like France than the Spain I know. Mossy and wet.
Some of the trails were flowing gully’s a bit like vids I’ve seen of Madeira, others were techie, rocky and rooty. Some very very steep DH runs even though the mountain is on 250m elevation with some sizable drops and chutes I wasn’t even gonna contemplate given the greasy conditions. One was a river of yellow mud. A couple of cliff side traverses before more descending. All of it I loved. Natural single track, with not a berm in sight.
It’s along the coast so a passing vulture, a 10th century stone marker/lighthouse for the whaling fleets still standing, old structures crumbling into the mountainside, weird giant black slugs about 150-200mm long and miles and miles of superb single track with views of San Sebastián and the coast.
Some descents landed in a neighborhood with bodegeiras with beer and pintxsos, the local version of tapas. Very welcome indeed. I don’t know if tipsy is the best way to hit new, greasy trails but damn it was fun.
So Ebike. Yeah it ain’t for me. It was big, heavy, ugly AF and just didn’t give me the feelies a meat powered bike does. Yes I got more laps in and probably explored more than I would have and that was good but I don’t see myself trying to justify one to anyone who’ll listen anytime soon. I actually had it in eco mode most of the time and still had two bars when I returned it.
I ended up ascending and descending about 1700m. Felt easy and I certainly wasn’t shagged by the end.
So fuck yeah. Bikes are good! Bikes are great. And riding them in far flung places is the cherry. Good times.
northern most Spain bordering France and it feels like it. Super green and lush. Had heard about some great single track close to town. Had originally wanted to do a guided trip of the high Pyrenees but time didn’t permit. Need 4-5 days and logistics is tricky. YT videos look incredible.
So hired a Canyon spectral. Before I’d even gone a kilometre the shagged out hire rig was dropping chains. Derailleur was rooted. And the rest. And the shimano brakes couldn’t be reversed. Combined with the full on rain from the night before and current showers I was grumpy. I knew it was a rooty place so was nervous with it being so wet. Two days prior was hero conditions.
Rode it back to the store and the mechanic agreed it was cooked. all they had was an eeb. Ok. That will do. Gimme whatever. A Raymon. Or something. Never heard of it. Dropper was sagging. Had a noodle on the front called a Revelation. Holy fuck that was inadequate. Stopped at a park, reversed the Magura mt5’s with shitty 2finger levers, adjust the dropper so it stops sagging.
So get up to the trails and my Spain region on trail forks was not loading. So I couldn’t find all the good stuff the shop guy told me about.
Even more grumpy. Then it hit me. I’m a privileged dude travelling, riding in amazing places around the world and I really have no right to be grumpy even though I was soaking wet and sitting on a chunky downtube eeb So once I got my first world problems out of the way I soon found some trails, and then some more just using my nose and before I know it I’m having a blast.
The trails are superb single track through lush green forest. Coupled with the rain it was spectacular. Felt more like France than the Spain I know. Mossy and wet.
Some of the trails were flowing gully’s a bit like vids I’ve seen of Madeira, others were techie, rocky and rooty. Some very very steep DH runs even though the mountain is on 250m elevation with some sizable drops and chutes I wasn’t even gonna contemplate given the greasy conditions. One was a river of yellow mud. A couple of cliff side traverses before more descending. All of it I loved. Natural single track, with not a berm in sight.
It’s along the coast so a passing vulture, a 10th century stone marker/lighthouse for the whaling fleets still standing, old structures crumbling into the mountainside, weird giant black slugs about 150-200mm long and miles and miles of superb single track with views of San Sebastián and the coast.
Some descents landed in a neighborhood with bodegeiras with beer and pintxsos, the local version of tapas. Very welcome indeed. I don’t know if tipsy is the best way to hit new, greasy trails but damn it was fun.
So Ebike. Yeah it ain’t for me. It was big, heavy, ugly AF and just didn’t give me the feelies a meat powered bike does. Yes I got more laps in and probably explored more than I would have and that was good but I don’t see myself trying to justify one to anyone who’ll listen anytime soon. I actually had it in eco mode most of the time and still had two bars when I returned it.
I ended up ascending and descending about 1700m. Felt easy and I certainly wasn’t shagged by the end.
So fuck yeah. Bikes are good! Bikes are great. And riding them in far flung places is the cherry. Good times.
Attachments
Stredda
Runs naked through virgin scrub
Stredda
Runs naked through virgin scrub
With the typical spring weather lately it's been hard to pick a window to get out for a ride, and seeing that Saturday was looking reasonable I thought I would do the local gravel race the Mersey MTB club were hosting.
I couldn't bring myself to only ride gravel for the day so I decided to ride the 10km from Latrobe to Railton on the Railton Express trail to get to the race.
Got smoked by all the gravel bikes but a had a good ding dong battle with a couple of guys my age on MTBs and a chick on a single speed gravel bike. 75km up by the time I got back to Latrobe and my legs were pretty smoked. Had a nanna nap for the rest of the afternoon.
Sunday was a bit more rain/sun/rain/sun, so I picked a gap in the showers and headed up in the Dial with the chainsaw to take out a tree that had fallen over the Iron Tor climb and then did some raking and a bit of rock armouring on a spot that had been bothering me for a while.
I couldn't bring myself to only ride gravel for the day so I decided to ride the 10km from Latrobe to Railton on the Railton Express trail to get to the race.
Got smoked by all the gravel bikes but a had a good ding dong battle with a couple of guys my age on MTBs and a chick on a single speed gravel bike. 75km up by the time I got back to Latrobe and my legs were pretty smoked. Had a nanna nap for the rest of the afternoon.
Sunday was a bit more rain/sun/rain/sun, so I picked a gap in the showers and headed up in the Dial with the chainsaw to take out a tree that had fallen over the Iron Tor climb and then did some raking and a bit of rock armouring on a spot that had been bothering me for a while.
bigdamo
Likes Dirt
I thought you would do that gravel race. How are the MTB trails at Railton holding up.Damm perfect day today and low and behold NO WIND.
San Sebastion one of my favourite cities in Europe. Wonderful joint. More importantly @Jpez how was the surf looking?
Oh yeah the Pintxos
Stredda
Runs naked through virgin scrub
I think that they are pretty much all ok, I haven't ridden over there for a bit. The Dial Range is just fine at the moment and the Railton Express hardly had a puddle on it, so I reckon most of the others would be pretty good.
We need the rain but the wind can bugger off. Yes, and of course the weather is nice today. I have to take my daughter to an appointment today so couldn't ride to work but I might get out for a lap in the arvo if the weather holds.
birddog69
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Same in Hobart. We thought we had picked a gap to ride from Lenah Valley over the mountain to Fern Tree to have lunch at the tavern. Just as I was finishing my falafel, the sky opened and it pissed down for about 30 minutes. So anther coffee and chatted with a few drenched roadies. The rain stopped and we headed home.
Yvonne's mum asked later that day how many bikes we now had with our recent purchases. And for a photo. So here it is:
Garage sale coming soon with the with weenie's new lack of interest in light weight parts. Did somebody say XTR?