It’s easy to enthuse about a winter ride. You can enjoy it for it’s good points but who are we kidding? Riding dry trails is far better. We seem to have had a wet winter after a strange summer. We barely saw a drop of rain in March, April and May then barely a dryContinue reading “Spring can’t be far away.”
The mathematics of a boat.
Did you leave school and think you’d never need mathematics again? I didn’t. I’ve been doing various engineering projects over the years including 5 self designed, self built sportscars, one of which was battery powered. I built a suspension fork for my Proflex mountain bike around 18 months ago. I built a timber framed extensionContinue reading “The mathematics of a boat.”
Perfect winter conditions, and a broken bike.
The temperature yesterday never rose above freezing but this morning was more like 5 celcius. We had strong winds from the east yesterday whilst today the wind was still blowing strongly, now from a warmer southerly direction. With no rain or significant snow since early last week it’s amazing how dry the ground has become.Continue reading “Perfect winter conditions, and a broken bike.”
A dry day in winter.
I could tell when I walked my dog, Freddie, this morning that conditions were going to be good for mountain biking. After what’s seemed like a wet winter we now have a cold period. It’s colder than it’s been for at least 10 years with winds blowing from the east. We are more used toContinue reading “A dry day in winter.”
Safety first?
I enjoyed my last ride to the top of Great Hill. I climbed around 1,500 feet and loved the downhill, which lasted for over 15 minutes. I would have liked to do the same ride today but it snowed overnight so I thought about the potential dangers of riding an exposed area of high ground,Continue reading “Safety first?”
Returning to Great Hill.
My last ride was superb. The wind dried, frost hardened ground rode like it would have done in summer, in places. A real treat in our coldest winter in 10 years. I’d hoped that the cold conditions were going to persist to give me another good ride but things have warmed up by quite aContinue reading “Returning to Great Hill.”
Pretending it’s summer.
Due to the trail conditions, a mixture of ice, snow and sticky mud, my riding has been a little limited recently. I decided to improve the situation yesterday, by planning a trail ride for today suited to dry conditions and pretending it was summer. Yesterday was dry and windy whilst last night we had aContinue reading “Pretending it’s summer.”
Boat building. Part 1.
I don’t really know why I feel I must build a boat. I had a dinghy when I was a kid and my son, Dylan, and I briefly had a dinghy when he was younger. My boat will be pedal powered from a recumbent seating position, so it will give me similar exercise to cycling.Continue reading “Boat building. Part 1.”
Brushing up on my cornering technique.
Each month I receive a copy of Mountain Bike Ride magazine (MBR). I bought the first ever edition many years ago because it was clearly aimed at adults, whilst the other UK options at the time seemed to be oriented towards the youth. I haven’t always read the mag. but for a few years I’veContinue reading “Brushing up on my cornering technique.”
The difference between bikes and boats.
Stupid title? Read on if you’d like to know how differently bikes and boats perform as the speed increases. I’ve ridden bikes the whole of my life but only now am I building a boat. I haven’t had a big project for a good few years and had always intended to build a sixth sportsContinue reading “The difference between bikes and boats.”
