LHT not going very far

My plan was to use Saturday to fix the brakes on the LHT and then out for a ride on Sunday. Unfortunately I awoke this morning to a cold rain hammering on the windows so Saturday's short ride will have to suffice this weekend.

After last weekends juddering I ordered a fork canti-hanger which looks ideal but didn't clear the lower headset. So for the meantime I've fitted a cheap and cheerful mini-v brake. It works perfectly but prevents the fitting of mudguards/fenders. It will do for now but I have ideas for spacers to get the cantis back on.

To avoid having to mess around changing levers and re-taping cables and bars I fitted a Middleburn cable oiler. These are fantastic little fix if you need to split a cable outer.

A slow cycle around town. The gears needed a bit of adjusting but otherwise thing seem pretty good.

The netting in the lobster creel just calls out for a photograph.

As does the cut stone at the base of the castle.

Not much this weekend. 6-9 degrees, N backing W, SW. Clocks went back to GMT.

Cycling around fences

The weather today was lovely, crisp blue skies, cool in the shade but warm in the autumn sunshine. I was sorely tempted to take the Long Haul Trucker for a ride but I didn't want to risk damage to the headset from the brake judder problem. I can wait another few days. So saddle back on the Falcon and a cycle up by Stenton.

Pondero had wondered if too many of his pics feature barbed wire fences. Not at all. Here's one on the road to Pitcox.

And here's a plain wire fence to keep this old lady from wandering.

 Some fields have no fences at all.

 And a very few have relics from WW2 costal defences.

There you go. A peaceful cycle in beautiful weather and an unhealthy amount of fence photography.

Long Haul Trucker

The Trucker finally rolled out on Saturday morning! 

First impressions are that this is an armchair of a bike. Big comfy frame sitting a lot more upright than I'm used to. The geometry all feels natural and the gears are spot on. The Schwalbe cyclo cross 700x40 tyres roll well whilst giving enough grip to climb grassy slopes. The saddle from the Falcon is temporary until I make a final decision on the Brooks question.

But there is terrible, and possibly terminal, brake judder. I've tried adjusting the back of the pads to touch the rim first ( I know this is 'wrong' but sometimes it is the only way to stop a harmonic) but the problem is still there. Basically it looks to me as if the exposed inner cable from hanger to canti is too long. As the forks flex the cable tightens and slackens causing judder. V brakes would cure it but that means new levers, cables and re-taping the bars. A simpler option would be to fit a fork crown hanger. I could avoid having to re-tape the bars by joining the cable outer with a cable oiler.

Its these little tweaks and modifications that make the bike mine. Setting it up just how I want it and sorting out problems with my own solutions. Great stuff!

Very short Sunday cycle

I had great plans for this weekend. Crane-out for the big boats was on Friday and I had hoped to use a half day from work for a daylight cycle but instead got involved in harbour shenanigans.  I also managed to get another stinking cold, number 5 this year? Saturday was spent inside taking plenty of fluids, paracetamol, and rest.

Sunday morning and El continued her caring, wife-type advice, to rest. I still didn't feel up to any great adventures, but I needed to get out so I went for a cycle of probably two miles!

Yeah, those sea views are just two minutes from my door. Being choked with the cold doesn't make for great adventures but it can help me appreciate how fortunate I am to watch an easterly blowing in from the North Sea. Those clouds are months of cold air accelerating from the Americas, the Gulf stream, bouncing off Biscay into the North Sea then crossing from mainland Europe, hitting Scotland and forming cumulonimbus....and rain....on me!

   Miserable weather but a happy soul.

Not much happening here.

After the excitement of aliens, giant toads and whistling sheep earlier this year, I was looking out over the frosty roof this morning when a gull crapped on the neighbour's sky-light. It looked like Freddie Mercury during the Queen 'Kind of Magic' tour. I finished my coffee and headed off to work pondering the significance of this.

The weather has been beautiful over the last week, but unfortunately there's not enough daylight to get out for a cycle after work. I'm hoping to get off early on Friday. Whats the bets on the weather remaining settled?

Breakfast Cycling

Saturday dawned bright and with that lovely autumnal chill in the air. Mornings like this are too few to be spent lazing in bed, so I got the kettle going and filled the kitchen with the smell of fresh coffee whilst I mixed up some bread dough.  Forty minutes to wait while the dough proved, so time for a quick pedal in the morning sun. 

The low sun was still casting shadows across the Winterfield down to the empty expanse of Belhaven Bay.

Nearby fields that have been ploughed-over show the rich red-brown of the local soil. In the still morning air I could smell the damp mulch of the earth. I had to stop and rub some between my fingers. Using all my senses and reflecting on how many have passed here before helps me appreciate how fortunate I am.

Down the gravel track through the fields to Hallhill woods. The leaves in the woods are all turning now but the birds are still singing as they grab every morsel of food they can find before the frosts come.

Half an hour in the oven whilst I had a shower. A fine way to start the day.