summer Ride - Aviemore - 17/18TH July 2015 AFTERMATH
- Thread starter epicyclo
- Start date
Hi TKThe Ken":lbu0kp9k said:
Grab GPX from here
A few observations...
1. Starting in Aviemore is a good idea - I know it's 10 miles from the pass itself, but it means there's no climbing at the end of the ride. Also see next point.
2. It's just over a 1000 feet of climbing, which really isn't a lot spread over 30 miles. The first 10 miles from Aviemore are deceptive. We discussed it at the time - it doesn't really feel like you're climbing, but you are and the payoff comes on the descent from the Ryvoan Bothy - it's basically all downhill until Boat of Garten.
3. We went down and followed the Rothiemurchus trails, rather than the one that parallels the road. Much nicer. Recommended.
4. We did an abbreviated version of the loop - we missed Nethy Bridge (navigation error), and ended up in Boat of Garten, which is better since there's at least a couple of Cafe's and the hotel/pub for the inevitable pint, cake, coffee.
4a. Also there's a nice roadside track from the RSPB bird centre to B of G. It was surprisingly good and of course got us off the road.
5. We went back to Aviemore via the Speyside way, avoiding the climb back up Sluggan. Nice and flat and smooth. And if you're feeling frisky at this point, you can always do the Sluggan climb back over and have a play on the Badaguish singletrack (this was the original plan).
epicyclo
Senior Retro Guru
DynaCol":3n7mdc4s said:TK what happens in Aviemore, stays in Aviemore!The Ken":3n7mdc4s said:Is Jamie measuring Epicyclo's erm... potential?
Don't ask about the Rhubarb Gin either :shock:
I'll have you know I took my potential with me. Unmeasured.
Now remember I was telling you about changing gears with a stick, no derailleur, and a really slack chain?
Here's the bloke who really invented the mountainbike - shame he died just after this article. Blake was among other skills, a sculptor, and responsible for many WW1 war memorials.
I've scanned the whole article, I think you'll find it interesting.
Agreed, a really good read. Didn't realise canti brakes were actually that old - I hope he made some money on the patent.
Didn't really understand what he meant by 'telescopic axle and crank', but good to see that some things never change... complaining about tyres, fancying a pair of hollow cranks, poor seals on hubs, bottom bracket lifespan and the lengths that people will go to on the quest for a lighter bike.
Didn't really understand what he meant by 'telescopic axle and crank', but good to see that some things never change... complaining about tyres, fancying a pair of hollow cranks, poor seals on hubs, bottom bracket lifespan and the lengths that people will go to on the quest for a lighter bike.
epicyclo
Senior Retro Guru
You can see why I reckon he invented the mountainbike.
Even details like seals - virtually unheard of previously, and not adopted afterwards. In my early days we relied on flushing our bearings out with oil and made no attempt to seal them. We would do things like put felt washers over them, but that wasn't really so much of a seal as to keep out larger debris like sand, whereas his system allowed him to was use oilbath bearings.
Even details like seals - virtually unheard of previously, and not adopted afterwards. In my early days we relied on flushing our bearings out with oil and made no attempt to seal them. We would do things like put felt washers over them, but that wasn't really so much of a seal as to keep out larger debris like sand, whereas his system allowed him to was use oilbath bearings.
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