I’ll admit I haven’t been too thrilled with the performance of my homemade boat. On a positive note it doesn’t leak any water and it’s stable, especially when you consider it’s small size at just 2.1 meters at the waterline. Today I’d adjusted the angle at which the fishtail which propels the boat pushes onContinue reading “Testing the boat again.”
Back to mountain biking. Life put on hold.
In my last post I explained how life, and more specifically digging a pond, had got in the way of my mountain biking. I’d exhausted myself with digging, which had to be done by hand due to the access difficulties. I was far too tired to ride after a long session of such physical work.Continue reading “Back to mountain biking. Life put on hold.”
Life gets in the way of mountain biking.
We are undertaking a massive garden project at home. After a long period with 3 raised flower beds close to the house we have committed to redevelop the area into an Italian style sunken pond. We started by redistributing the plants for the beds and saving as much soil as possible. Levelling the ground yesterdayContinue reading “Life gets in the way of mountain biking.”
Third homemade boat test.
After my last test I thought I was on the right track with the boat. My problems had been that it wasn’t nearly fast enough and that it bobbed up and down as it went along. There was a danger that water could have spilled over the side but also that I want to moveContinue reading “Third homemade boat test.”
A window in the weather.
Yesterday was a rainy day. The forecast suggested light rain all day but when I was walking the dog the sun came out. It was a good opportunity, with a window in the weather, to get a mountain bike ride in. We’re doing a big garden project so I thought a fairly short ride wouldContinue reading “A window in the weather.”
Gardening.
I peruse a number of different hobbies. Mountain biking is possibly the one I’m most passionate about but I also have a classic Italian scooter and spend time doing various activities associated with the Scooter scene, which in Britain is vibrant. Another thing which I spend a lot of time doing is gardening. Behind theContinue reading “Gardening.”
The full Great Hill experience.
Great Hill might seem like a misnomer for a mound rising to just 1,250 feet above sea level but from some viewpoints it looks quite big. Also I was beginning my mountain bike ride from home at under 300 feet, dropping lower early in the ride. I’ve replaced the front mech. cable on the TrekContinue reading “The full Great Hill experience.”
Second test of my homemade boat.
I tested my human powered boat 6 days ago. It’s powered by treadles oscillating a fishtail. Well, why be conventional? It was dismally slow but on a positive note it didn’t leak at all. As a Consequence of this I’ve done some modifications. I increased the size of the fishtail by about 350% to getContinue reading “Second test of my homemade boat.”
Back to my favourite downhill.
It was around a year ago that I pieced together a downhill mountain bike ride which is now my absolute favourite. In truth it begins at the top of Great Hill but today I had to abbreviate my ride so I didn’t ride right from the top of the hill. Instead I climbed Brinscall WoodsContinue reading “Back to my favourite downhill.”
Launching my home made boat.
I’ve mentioned before that I have been building a boat. As a mountain biker I wanted it to be pedal powered so I designed a treadle system to transfer leg power to the water. Treadles seemed better than rotating pedals in a boat because my legs would stay lower, aiding stability. Yesterday I finished workingContinue reading “Launching my home made boat.”
Mountainbiker 