Rode the bike to work, no horrible noises at all, so I knew it was ok again, great!
So, off I went after work, clear to start with. Gratuitous no-hands shot, before it gets knarly,
Half way up a road climb, before the bridleways begin.
Yes, it is that steep! And the higher i get, the foggier it becomes,
Only a few minutes later, darkness is upon us. Along my favourite bit of singletrack,
Taking it really easy, it's Treeroot Road along 'ere ! Slippery as a slippery thing, covered in a slippery substance. There is a section that I normally find a challenge in the dry. So didn't even attempt it in the dark and slippery conditions. Did I mention it was slippery?
Heard some owls, nice!
Then onto the main South Downs Way, a wide easy section of bridleway,
Before heading south back to Worthing where I live. A long slight downhill, with some water bars across, where you have to stay alert. It was going well, 'til I saw a big puddle in front, and slowing down to avoid it, the wheels went from under me.
Thankfully, my hip and ribs stopped me before the puddle! Looked around to see if anyone noticed! :facepalm: What was I thinking, no-one around at all! Checked top tube as well. No dents from the bar ends. Excellent!
Wet compacted chalk is bloody slippery, in case you were wondering.
A couple more shots, with and without head torch on, before civilisation.
Overall, I'm pleased with the bike. The brakes are mental! The gears worked smoothly, and the bike was lovely to ride.
And crash! :facepalm:
Your mad ! :facepalm: or just a total loon chancing that particular route in the evening at this time of year knowing what that trail can be like :shock: but at least things went well except for the incident :| .
Well it's a shame the pics weren't clearer but that's not your fault and at least you've proved the bikes upto the job and that bike light is well decent and would put my cat eye lights to shame but on the whole you have obviously done a cracking job and the bikes more than proven itself on this trip out .
I'm looking forward to further updates on how the bike handles in the snow .
Cheers Ian, the lights weren't as clear as I was expecting. Probably due to the fog. Usually, I just use the helmet light so I can pick my line easier, but the bar mounted one was better on this occasion. I only use that as a commuting light normally. I have better lights than that for proper darkness riding.
I'm a bit pissed at the photos actually. They seem all hazy and out of focus.
Snow riding? Hmmmm, bring it on!
I though having around 30psi in the tyres would have helped, but not on this occasion mate :roll: