I'm back...

We've been out on the weeknight rides again for a few weeks, but you know, I've just not been feeling it. Those that are close to me will understand what a tough few years I've had, but I've turned a corner and things are genuninely getting better...

This week I was slow.
I've lost my mojo.

But the ride was good and thanks to Jon I had some good company.
I grinned all the time (or gritted my teeth on the climbs). The descents flowed much better. I felt really recharged and happy back at the car.

That's important. Speed and skills can be re-learnt. I've been searching for the happiness for sometime. It's good to have found it again.

Back in white?

The SantaCruz Chameleon is finally rebuilt, after some school boy errors in the crank reassembly and then lending my Shimano BB tools to Chris I finally borrowed a set of Jon and got it sorted. First ride tomorrow on the vintage frame, it will be interesting to see how she rides after a year with other bikes...

Wideopen longterm test rear tyre makes it's second appearance too, will it fair any better on the rear, it certainly was not great on the front of my BFe.

New T shirts...

My first pair of T shirts from the new shop, printed and delivered to my door in three days!

Check out all the designs in the shop above!

Post baby blast...

Well as I said earlier, Jon and I headed over to 'deggers today for a quick blast round - first time I've taken the Five and to be honest, it was just as much fun as my hardtail (did I just say that!) and certainly more forgiving on the rocky climbs. Jon was impressed with his new Superstar wheelset (SS hubs and Stan's Flow rims) and Conti tyres. We both had a good ride, although I really suffered with fatigue from about half way round. Just no gas in the tank - but off the bike for four weeks and a bit of sleep deprivation will do that to a man!

So where next? 

Jon mentioned Lee Quarry next weekend perhaps?

And July is supposed to be Moelfre for the National Champs too... anyone interested?

On the road again...

Just Jon Boy and I today, heading to Llandegla for a long overdue blast out on the bike... More later if the Ixus battery holds up!

At the skatepark...

About ten years ago I got a BMX. I was rubbish but I enjoyed owning one and it was a good hack bike at university.

These days the closest I get to the skatepark is taking my daughter riding. She's five in a few weeks and has been riding since 2 and a half. Her first mountainbike is ordered and I wonder if she'll turn her back on the skatepark when she's had a taste of dirt singletrack?

Chameleon reborn...

Well we're on the home straight now as the Wideopen Longtermer Cotic BFe is stripped down and the classic SantaCruz Chameleon is built up...

The third coming...

Well Life Cycles has a lot to answer for, I watched it this morning with Alex, my baby boy born on Monday.

Yes, it got me hankering for my old bike so down it came from the wall, out came the T-Cut and I started cleaning it up... I plan to build it up with all the bits on the Cotic BFe, it should save ad least another pound, the old Chameleon frame is about 4.5lbs vs the 5.5+lbs BFe. Same geometry too and these light Superstar wheels will make it a weapon. It might be the most dangerous or the most fun bike I've ever created, it'll definitely take a few weeks to get it set up and used to it again!

Week 4 just like the old days...

Chris, Kev, Ryan and Tony atop Charity Lane.

There's got to be something about getting old, as the years tick by (10 years of Fearingout for god sake!), I do find myself nostalgic more often. I was chatting with Jon the other week about the 'good old days' when the week night ride regularly gathered 5 or 6 riders, the banter and the pace more relaxed, take a few snaps on the descents but nothing heavy, just a good ride...

For the last few years the weeknight ride has been a fantastic way to escape and un-wind from the stresses and strains of life, but the numbers have dwindled down, even to just a pair of us for weeks at a time.

But there are a lot of people on the distribution list, and there are a lot of people more stressed than usual - so this week we saw 6, and there is promise of more... Jon C, Tony, Chris, Kev, Ryan and myself made the usual route last over 30 minutes longer with the increased level of talking and enjoying the ride. Good times. At the end Chris was on about bringing his video camera, and I talked about getting a new compact for photography... so Fearingout is alive and kicking. 

On a more technical note - first night for me out on the Maxxix Ardent, 2.25", 60a compound EXO side wall protection tyres fitted to the Cotic. They've a much rounder profile than my usual 2.3" Maxxis Minions and smaller knobs. Initial discussion with Jon suggested they'd actually be a decent tyre around the forest, but I was not impressed last night. There is literally no grip in them at all on the rocky singletrack and double track, and my confidence was washed out with my front end on several occasions. As a back tyre though, it cuts the deal so next week I'll try a Minion F, 2.3" 42a on the front to find the front end stick again and give them another try, but a warning, not a worthy front tyre if your trails are loose and rocky.

Wideopen Issue 18

Open publication - Free publishing - More cycling