Post B2B Thoughts

Having completed the B2B ride for Sustrans it's time to think through what's been learnt. I don't think it's a good idea to put too much weight in the bar bag. The Ortlieb can hold it but I don't think it does much for handling.

Next thing ...... pare down the weight. I had a tendency to over pack.

Remember where I stored things and keep things that are needed regularly near the top. So have a packing system  and try to stick to it.

Go Pro good device maybe best suited to helmet mounting but the Bern was the wrong helmet for this ride. I'll have to check out whether there is a mount for an aero style helmet. The Go Pro eats batteries in this kind of situation. Carry a few spares and only shoot in 10 second bursts.

FujiFilm X100T love this camera but it is quite heavy but much better results than the mobile phone. Fits well in the bar bag but weight ? I ended up putting it in the top of the Ortlieb pannier.

CO2 , pump, multi tool and tubes ...... I think I'll go one tube and pump only next time. Got to take a multi tool cos you never know! Using a Lezyne currently which has done ok. Might look at Park Tools.

Travelling by train with a full size bike. Booked tickets on FGW via Virgin East Coast as you get Nectar points that way and I already had an account set up plus their website works well (although most seem to be clones of each other). You have to pre-book a seat and then tick the box for bike. Only 5-6 bikes per train but no problems this trip. On the whole this worked ok though the ticket consists of a veritable 'park of cards' for a return trip which is a bit of a pain to be honest.

I have used Trainline in the past but prefer Virgin. Though East Coast Mainline prior to the Virgin franchise was fine.

I must not be too precious about the bike. I got a steel bike to withstand the rough and tumble of touring. I forgot to put the cover on the Brooks B17 when stowed in the transport back to Bath which resulted in a seriously scuffed saddle. Cherry Blossom Dark Tan has worked well in bringing back to good condition.

I didn't need the energy bars I had brought as Sustrans provided excellent food stops. The bars available in bike and sports shops don't do much for me though people do recommend isotonic drinks.

Practice climbing more hills!

Try and cut down on the portion sizes of what I eat normally. I need to lose another stone and if I can do that it will be an enormous help when hill climbing.

My next ride is in the Malverns so an opportunity to put these things into practice.

Flower stall at Temple Meads

Temple Meads bike racks

Bath to Bournemouth Video and GPX's

Bath 2 Bournemouth (no sound) from Stuart Murden on Vimeo.

Monday Evening Spin

Test Video Post

 

VID 20150322 194339 from Stuart Murden on Vimeo.

Surly Long Haul Trucker (LHT)

At last I have my long distance bike. It's a Surly Long Haul Trucker which is generally called a Surly LHT. Please see the pic below. The steel frame should go on and on ...... I don't really intend to buy another bike. I took a long time to decide on the LHT and then quite a while to get it 'sized'. Like a lot of things the Surly is designed in the USA but the components come from everywhere. The excellent frame comes from Taiwan. British components being the legendary Brooks B17 saddle and the Carradice Audax saddlebag. Brooks saddles need time to break in so early days yet.

Britain has a thriving frame building and bike building industry but hand built bikes are outside of my budget.

In the end I bought it from Brixton Cycles as they had a good number to try out and have been very helpful with sizing and working out the options. Brixton Cycles is a workers co-operative and has quite a buzz to the place. I changed the saddle to a Brooks B17 added SKS mudguards and a Tubus rack all fitted by Brixton Cycles. I have the Bath to Bournemouth (link to Just Giving here) in May and  the Dartmoor Ghost ride in July both of which are quite hilly. I have a Brompton M6R which has done nearly 4000 km in just over a year including some Audax rides but personally it's best suited to railway commutes and fun rides round London. In addition its not ideally suited to 'bikepacking'  a bike touring format which is my plan for my pre and post retirement years. I have touring plans for the future so will most probably go with the Ortlieb Classic Roll Top Panniers though I may go Carradice as they are really good too. My setup will end up being a pretty typical Euro-touring affair geared towards tarmac and gravel surfaces.

Routes in my mind include:

London - Paris

La Manche - Le Med

North of Scotland and the Isles

Anglesey to Cardiff

The Rhine

The Elbe

Round trip of the Baltic

Being 60+ means that speed is tricky but distance is ok - just about .....

Brixton Cycles guy!

Happy Cycling!

Rear Derailleur Problem on the Brompton

This lunch time I got the tyre pressures up to recommended 100lb/ins and that was great and then realised the rear derailleur wasn't working meaning I have 3 gears as opposed to 6.  Rear derailleurs do have adjusters and you can re-tension at the lever end but still no go.

This is the first 'mechanical' I haven't been able to fix myself. I'm taking it to C & N Cycles in Redhill tomorrow. They are Brompton dealers so should be able to sort things. Not all bike shops really know the Brompton mechanicals too well so fingers crossed.

I'll have to sign up to a C+G bike mechanics course before I do any long treks. Still had this happened in any lonely location I would still be mobile just restricted in gear choice.

Brixton Cycles

 

 

This afternoon I went to Brixton Cycles to get sized for a Surly Long Haul Trucker. I'd been to another favourite shop before visiting here but they didn't have enough Surlys in stock to be able to get a good vibe on the size. Brixton Cycles keep a good number in stock and were very helpful. It's a rather cool shop too. It's at the Brixton end of Stockwell Rd. Deposit is paid and plenty of cycling adventures to look forward to. This will be my long term touring bike and will be the bike for the Bath to Bournemouth Ride. There are really so many great rides out there. The Highlands and Islands of Scotland is on the list as is La Manche - La Med let alone the North Sea Cycle Route or a lap of the Baltic Sea!