Today-Tuesday-It's cooled down to the low 80's today, much better riding weather. Three days ago there was a 10 acre fire up at Tamarancho, so I rode up there this morning to check out the burn area-the Goldman Trail acted as a fire break, and it burned downhill from there, until the water bombers and firemen got it put out...
Today-Wednesday-What a difference a day makes! 65 F. and really windy here today. We hugged the ridge to the West of town for the climb to stay out of the wind- it worked out well...
Lovely day for a ride! Down this ever steepening singletrack to a gate, so very slow speed, just managed to stop. Would be interesting to see how I'd cope on a bike with cantis. Braking constantly for a while up to the gate.
After this, I rode through a local village, Steyning, then a - tougher that I remember - up and over - before starting this climb.
I must get on that motocross course in the background, one of these days. Climbing up to the horizon, it took a while, and was steep to start with, but made it, thanks in part to the triple chainset I have on this bike.
Thank GF for that set up next time you speak, Pat! Would have probably gone double rings if it hadn't had a triple as OE.
Looking back from where I'd come from, Chanctonbury Ring on the right end of that ridgeline. Now into a headwind, thing got a bit harder. And when I was out of the wind, I was climbing!
In the foreground, is part of some major local works , creating a chalk scar right across the area, for an offshore wind farm that is being built. Not good to look at when riding, but it will heal again once finished. Given the choice between that and a nuclear power plant, I know which I'd choose.
Nice pics, Mike- I like the variety of terrain you chose for the ride. It looks like rolling, hilly countryside there- what kind of elevation are we talking about on the high bits? Around here, on my 26er I use a triple front 22-32-42, and an 11-34 rear. Some of my friends are using 36 or 38 big cogs on the rear, and a friend that rides a 29er recently put on a 42 big rear cog- but I figure if it's that tough, I'll go faster walking along pushing up that stretch. BITD we were on a ride in the valley west of Fairfax, where we then climbed the ridge to ride back to town. It was really hot that day, about 95 F. and we were riding geared Klunkers with drum brakes-about 40 pounds or so. Fred Wolf had tricked out his Klunker by using a TA crankset triple in the front, with a Sturmey-Archer 3 speed hub and 6 speed freewheel in the back- 54 SPEEDS. However, when we got to the steepest part of the climb, a grueling steep hill for about 2-3 miles, Charlie Kelly and I dismounted and started pushing, and Fred pulled ahead briefly as he worked his way down through all those gears. By the time he got to the lowest gear, we had caught him and pushed past easily- I'll never forget the look on his face that day...
Is at 180 metres . Don't have Strava, so nothing more accurate I'm afraid, than the map I just looked at!
Terrain here in the south of England is chalky and flinty. Have to make the most of the dryness, as compacted wet chalk is glacial, so easy to come off!
Bottom gear on this bike, along with most of my others, is 22 x 28. A few have a 26 on the back.
Like you say, anything too steep is just easier to walk :roll:
Back after work and other things getting in the way - like a holiday too
Up the top of Woohoo-ville with no one else around. What is not to like?
There are a few Kangaroo's that live nearby and generally go unnoticed even if it is fairly close to suburbia.
Today-Tuesday- Hot, 94 F.-Rode up into the Lakes District with Charlie Kelly. On the way up we ran into local frame builder Charlie Cunningham, still recovering from a bad crash last year, but out hiking by himself again...
Would have probably gone double rings if it hadn't had a triple as OE.
