Midweek summer skive thread.
- Thread starter clubby
- Start date
epicyclo
Senior Retro Guru
Ooh, that's me today.
I've been trying to get interest in riding old style roadsters on the surfaces they were originally designed for, ie gravel & untarmacced roads, so I thought I'd better set the example.
So out with the Rudge
First bit, grassy field
Ancient (as in really ancient) road
Which takes us past an Iron Age vitrified fort at the top of that hill (Cnoc Farrel)
Green lane riding = perfect when it's shady and dry like this.
These old bikes are far harder to wrangle through a personnel gate
I was hoping for a refreshing splash through this ford. Dwindled to almost nothing - how are the mighty fallen...
For variety headed up the forestry track behind Castle Leod. Been some wind action since the last time I was along!
The climb got steeper (abt 600' in 3 miles) and harder work and the gravel got so "interesting" I had to push for a bit because I didn't want to risk a snakebite on a bike with a full chaincase.
But the views more than made up for it
I descended down to the upper end of the fire road climb of the StrathPuffer - some of you will recognise this bit.
Temptation. Wrong bike, wrong place, what could go wrong...
Yup, definitely wrong bike.
But in for a penny, in for a pound...
And finally on to some easier stuff
All in all did about ⅓ of the Puffer. By gosh, doesn't having gears make things easier! At least it does except when your 70 year old bike knocks itself into top gear on every sizeable bump, still, that did make it a more fun ride.
BTW don't let anyone tell you that rod brakes are no good. That's not true.
Properly adjusted and set precisely in relation to the rim they are bloody atrocious.
If you have ridden the Puffer you'll know the bits where the pucker factor was applied.
I've been trying to get interest in riding old style roadsters on the surfaces they were originally designed for, ie gravel & untarmacced roads, so I thought I'd better set the example.
So out with the Rudge
First bit, grassy field
Ancient (as in really ancient) road
Which takes us past an Iron Age vitrified fort at the top of that hill (Cnoc Farrel)
Green lane riding = perfect when it's shady and dry like this.
These old bikes are far harder to wrangle through a personnel gate
I was hoping for a refreshing splash through this ford. Dwindled to almost nothing - how are the mighty fallen...
For variety headed up the forestry track behind Castle Leod. Been some wind action since the last time I was along!
The climb got steeper (abt 600' in 3 miles) and harder work and the gravel got so "interesting" I had to push for a bit because I didn't want to risk a snakebite on a bike with a full chaincase.
But the views more than made up for it
I descended down to the upper end of the fire road climb of the StrathPuffer - some of you will recognise this bit.
Temptation. Wrong bike, wrong place, what could go wrong...
Yup, definitely wrong bike.
But in for a penny, in for a pound...
And finally on to some easier stuff
All in all did about ⅓ of the Puffer. By gosh, doesn't having gears make things easier! At least it does except when your 70 year old bike knocks itself into top gear on every sizeable bump, still, that did make it a more fun ride.
BTW don't let anyone tell you that rod brakes are no good. That's not true.
Properly adjusted and set precisely in relation to the rim they are bloody atrocious.
If you have ridden the Puffer you'll know the bits where the pucker factor was applied.
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