CycleSeven Page 2

Why?Bike's new wheels arrived earlier this week. After much deliberation I'd ordered Deore LX hubs built onto Rigida Snyper rims by Andrew at Spa Cycles. Why?Bike is meant as my expedition tourer, ready and waiting for my mythical round the world tour so I had considered going for the bombproof Sputnik rims but eventually decided that these were probably overkill for my relatively light weight. When I bought my Roberts I was advised to buy a bike designed for the sort of riding I was actually doing rather than the sort of riding that I imagined I might do one day! I decided this was good advice for wheels as well – Why? is mostly used for riding to work, going out in the rain and the odd bit of rough stuff. I'd already taken the decision to use lighter tyres so I didn't want to buy unnecessarily heavy wheels. Logically I suppose I should remove the front carrier that I never use but I do like to maintain that expedition ready look! On a wet Monday morning a huge box arrived.

Continue reading Why? is much better without Hope! »

In between Francis's first 100-mile bike ride and a much shorter ride with the Cottingham Road Club I squeezed in my second century ride of the year on April 15th. The GHS rides, promoted by the Yorkshire Cycling Federation, are held annually as close as possible to the birthday of George Herbert Stancer. The man himself died half a century ago, but these rides continue to be held in his name, as does an individual 10-mile time trial for juveniles. Stancer was born in Pocklington, the fitting place of our first coffee stop, as it was for many cyclists from all over Yorkshire that day.

Burnby Hall Gardens cafe

Continue reading GHS ride: 102 in 8.5, April 2012 »

The ride to Champlain Lookout in Gatineau Park is the standard weekend ride for most Ottawa cyclists. Gatineau Park, in the province of Quebec, is right across the Ottawa River from Ottawa. It is closed to traffic until May 1st and every Sunday morning during summer, making it a cyclists' paradise.

The return ride from our house is a little under 90 km, making it the perfect training ride to get back in shape after a long winter. Today was our first longish ride of the season despite temperatures that hovered below 10 degrees all day.

Continue reading Champlain Lookout »

On what turned out to be a showery day I finally started a ride with Cottingham Road Club, established at the end of last year by three keen cyclists who saw the need for something different from existing cycling clubs in the the area. Pitched as being between CTC and the local road racing clubs, they meet on alternate days each weekend at the Purple Cow cafe. This weekend the ride was on a Sunday morning.

The Purple Cow Cafe, Cottingham – meeting place of the Cottingham Road Club

Continue reading Cottingham Road Club: first ride »

A498: Llyn Gwynant on the banks of Snowdon

Nant Gwynant, Nant Peris, Nant y Betws. I don't know if they are official names for the three valleys surrounding the Snowdon Massif in North Wales but they are written large on my OS Explorer map of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon's Welsh name). Nant means stream, small river, or small valley. Llyn is Welsh for lake and Bryn means hill or mound. Anyway, the '3 valleys' route, as I've dubbed it, is a lovely 30-mile bicycle ride in the gorgeous landscape of Snowdonia: Bryn Dinas, Bryn Gwynant, Llyn Gwynant, ROMAN CAMP, Pen-y-Pas, Gwastadnant, Llyn Peris, Llanberis, Bryn Bras Castle, Ceunant, Wawnfawr, Betws Garmon, Llyn Cwellyn, Rhyd-Ddu, starting and finishing at the village of Beddgelert via the A498, A4086, and A4085.

Continue reading 3-valley bike ride round Snowdon »

At the end of February I had been under the weather since the middle of January. Planned rides had come and gone but I had stayed put. So I took my Kinesis for a very short ride. I rode fewer than ten miles (along the Transpennine Way) to refreshments at Mrs B's Cafe at the Humber Bridge. Then I rode to Beverley (along the National Byway) for coffee and an alarming slice of cake before returning home (along routes 1 and 66 of the NCN). I needed a focus and I needed to get out.

Two cyclists cross the road bridge over the A63 on routes 1 & 65 of the NCN

I know these national cycle routes are not to everyone's liking, but they have on occasion given me the push to get on my bike. On the day I took these photographs I was still feeling unwell, but I have also made use of these and local 'official' rides when I have been low on motivation. The short route described here would suit families and cycling beginners.

Continue reading The National Byway: from the Humber Bridge to Beverley (and back along the National Cycle Network) »

Well, its maintenance to the Hetchins Part Two – The Rebuild

Up to this point, Hettie had had her worn out cassette, her old bar tape and bars removed, her ergo 9sp controls taken off, and her wonderful but uncomfy Brooks saddle removed. And thus, she lived in the cottage until a certain Easter rainy weekend.

Leaving Hettie, ready for her surgery, like this...

Here she is, ready for a re-vamp.

Continue reading What to do when it's wet outside – Rebuild the Hetchins »