Aren't Bicycles Great.

brat wrote: »

(and Emilia Fox on Silent Witness).

That's a serious distraction.

It was really still and bright here last night so decided to head out on the road bike, I had a good tail wind so was dreading the return trip but just as easy on the way back. Well except from the cold which was particularly chilly when pushing into it at speed

This topic was way too far down! The conditions have been superb here recently with bone dry trails that are riding really well with tons of grip. I didn't initially like my 29+ hardtail (sort of halfway between a normal bike and a fat bike) as it didn't have the float of the fat bike and just felt like a normal 29er. However fitting a dropper post has made a big difference and I've really got the feel of the bike taking advantage of the crazy grip and the agility. I've almost never had a top ten strava but this year I had one ride where I had five top ten finishes setting PR's that have beaten my full suspension and fat bikes.

Riding out to Loch Ness:



Visiting a nearby trail centre, kept going round until my legs were killing me and it was getting too dark:





I went looking for some new riding and headed to a trail centre further north which is a massive straight climb and then pretty much straight down. The top section is a proper black and very rocky which I wasn't too keen on but the lower red section is a lot of fun, very fast and nothing too bad to slow down for:



My mum has also been getting on well with her ebike and quickly got into using it regularly, there was a tea room I wanted to cycle out to but it would be really pushing the limits of the battery and probably a bit long for my Mum. I then had the blatantly obvious idea to chuck the bikes in the car, get a bit closer and head off from there which was still a good ride and as always, great for my hill climb times with a PR on each uphill section trying to keep up with the ebike:

Patrick_Stewart wrote: »

Nice, is that an electric bike in the foreground of that last photo?


Electric bikes are a great affordable option now, making commuting even more possible since you can travel further before running out of puff! I think most allow you to pedal, and assist with electric power to make it easier up hills etc.

Yep, that's my Mum's ebike which she's very pleased with. I think there are some models that work without pedalling but they're moving away from this, her bike only gives you power when pedalling so it feels like a normal bike it's just hills and headwinds are no harder. The power is adjustable between high, medium and low plus you can switch off the assist entirely so she can work on improving her fitness gradually.

It's also better for me when I go out cycling with her as it's a much higher pace, 15mph really doesn't sound like much but it's quick when storming up hills or pushing into headwinds so it gives me a good ride too.

I haven't been out for a proper run on the road bike for a while so decided to head out at the weekend but within a mile it started pouring so I decided to give up and head back home. A short while later it cleared up so thought I'd risk it which unsurprisingly wasn't a good idea as when I was good bit into the countryside it started pouring. By the time I reached a junction I could turn back I decided just to carry on with the rest of the cycle as I was soaked anyway and the route back looked pretty wet. One of those rides that's hard to explain to non-cyclists but it's such a lovely feeling on a road bike gliding along the road through quiet and picturesque back roads I didn't mind the rain too much. The hydraulic discs are superb as it's the sort of conditions I was always wary with when riding the rim brakes.

John

Quick video of my descent to Sa Calobra, a memorable descent of 2,200 feet in about 15 minutes. The climb back up took 35 minutes, which I'm quite pleased with. Every cyclist should give this a go!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YA7WtqyZzY