Show us what you did today, thread

Re:

I don't know about everybody else, but apparently some dude just free-climbed a hugely difficult route up the 2900' face of El Capitan in California (that means no rope/no pro).

... that's frikken maniacal !!
 
From Saturday

Loaded up the Dummy this afternoon as Caleb wanted to ride his bike and maybe have a shot without his stabilizers. Weather had improved greatly from this mornings rain.
As we are pretty rural and there is nowhere that is tarmac for him to practice on other than the singletrack road outside, we tend to head to his school and while it's a small school it does have a good size tarmac playground and a track road the building.
So Dummy was loaded with a pannier with bits and pieces and his bike was hooked into the U tubes that run down the side, perfect fit for the little 16 inch wheels. Then it just tows behind nicely.
He had a ball with me chasing him round and later his friend Joe joined us for a while. He had a good go without his stabilizers and while he most likely do it, he just lacks any confidence. So I don't push him, he'll get it when he gets it. Otherwise he flies round the place, but it just makes me nervous the speed he goes on those stabilizers :LOL:
Anyway, that's a few hours today and hopefully tomorrow I will get a good few miles in. Though weather forecast was rubbish.
Hope it's a good one where ever you are.

Jamie

loaded! pannier one side and little bike the other.
DSCN3915 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

DSCN3918 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

DSCN3922 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr
 
Sunday:
Spent the morning doing family things around the house and garden while knowing that if I wanted a ride I had better do it before the forecast rain was due in the afternoon. The forecast was for a good bit of rain coming in slowly just after lunch. Originally I was going to head to Strathcarron to recce a camping spot for the randonneur/camping ride in late July that I am trying to organise. The weather forecast for down there was hellish looking, 5.9mm rain at 1pm and raining through until mid Monday. So a relaxing morning was had and it was a nice morning too but it did start to cloud over so after sitting out in the garden having lunch I thought I better get the Mercian together and get going.
There was no real plan just a rough route of heading out towards Groats and maybe doing a loop back towards Wick way, just a few hours out and about sticking to quiet, mostly single lane roads.
I grabbed the Mercian out the loft, put the wheels in etc and decided to adjust the handlebars slightly, just rotate them slightly. When I cobbled it together I have mounted the brake levers slightly lower than I normally have them and as I am going to fit the new Nitto bars and stem I wasn't going to dismantle the tape etc just to move them. I rotated them slightly last ride as it felt like I was hanging over the front wheel, like a low front crit bike, which is the polar opposite of this bikes build target.
Headed out and thought something isn't right, I feel like I am pushing myself back in the seat, must be the bars. Then I remembered last time I came back from riding it with Brian I proofrided the Brooks saddle before I put it away, but then didn't rub it down the next day, completely forgot :LOL:
Oh well nothing for it now, my backside will polish the proofride away.
I was out towards Groats and decided to take a back road across to Lyth, this road has a couple of small rises and a little kick up at the end, single track and very straight, one uphill long sweeping bend and then its at least 5klm straight as an arrow, had a slight headwind but nothing to slow me too much. This left me with a choice at the next junction, I turned to the right as by this stage the weather to my left was bright and gathering clouds and to the right, towards home was very dark and stormy looking. I had already just ridden through a heavy downpour that while cold was a welcome cooling from the warm day and while I had been stopping and taking a couple of quick photos I was motoring on. I was trying to make sure I got home before the storms really came in.
The road was dry and quite quiet so had a good run back. At one stage I could see it raining just in front of me and thankfully that was when I turned right once again about 4klm from home.
A couple of hours out and about keeping the legs spinning. Route was only about 33klm, but still nice for a quick run. A very triangular shaped route that never seems to be boring, not that I do the Lyth road very often. While it is very open and exposed so there is no hiding from the weather, it is due to the constantly changing weather that it always looks slightly different whether it's the weather or the light, and this route points me east then south west and then north, so you see every perspective as it's so open.
Anyway, again just thought I would share a nice ride. Hope everyone else has had a good weekend, whether that involves a ride or not.

Jamie

Heading out
DSCN3926 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

DSCN3933 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

DSCN3937 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

Change of direction. Stroma and Orkney in the background
DSCN3940 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

No hiding on this road. I had Iron maidens 'run to the hills' running through my mind. (not my usual listening style)
DSCN3942 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

Further down the same road
DSCN3948 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

Rain!
DSCN3960 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

More rain!
DSCN3962 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

Running for home. Keeping a quick cadence up along the rolling road.
DSCN3966 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

Looking across to Dunnet Head
DSCN3973 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

View from the front of the house, just made it by the looks of it ;)
DSCN3974 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr
 
After having to postpone plans for a run down to Torrindon due to the weather yesterday, fathers day was thankfully spent with my little man. We got some stuff sorted after a very casual breakfast and catching up with Le Mans before we thought we would load the Dummy, brave the weather and head out to Groats to meet up with mum, have a coffee and cake for me and an ice cream for Caleb.
Weather was really hit and miss with showers early on and the clouds looking worse as the morning went on. Thankfully it held off and actually got a bit brighter later on, though did darken just before home and then had the usual rain showers not long after getting in. The wind was virtually non existent on the run out, though the wind picked up on the way back and as per usual it was a direct headwind :) On the way out we stopped for a couple of pics and the midgies were bad, very bad. We roda a good few miles back with a couple of older guys who had ridden up from Preston and were now heading home. They had had 2 days out of 12 without any rain!
Groats was heaving but managed to get a nice scone, jam and cream and large coffee with the family. Good couple of hours out and while it was only about 35klm with detours, it was a solid workout pushing it into the headwind.
We used our front Ortliebs as we thought we were going to get wet and they are waterproof compared to our old ones we normally use. This week we did get our new bags for the Dummy and hopefully I will get these fitted this week and we will get away for a solstice campout next weekend. I will put a separate post up about that as hoping to get a few along on a family friendly ride campout for the solstice, was thinking maybe Aviemore/Rothiemurchus.
Hope everyone had a good day as well.

Jamie

DSCN3977 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

DSCN3978 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

looking serious
DSCN3979 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

Hoy and Orkney
DSCN3984 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

Cycle route 1 and the North Sea Cycle Route
DSCN3981 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

getting darker
DSCN3987 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr
 
Re:

At last some body's posted some thing in eer its been like a morgue, Tue Jun 13th was the last post made.

Anyway as usual thanks for the pics and story Jamie always a pleasure :)
 
Re:

In my defence Rob (can't speak for anyone else), I've done nothing today or the past week that is remotely interesting :mrgreen: . Well apart from pick up a 21" 1990 kona Lava dome which was less than a mile away from my house to rob a few bits off for my Cinder Cone.
You can expect a post about it in the trading thread soon as the 21" frame is a tad too big for me, what with me being a shortarse and all :LOL:

I've sorted out the reach problem on my DY's by fitting some riser bars too, pics to follow (just waiting on some bar plugs and outer cable to finish it off).
 
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