Today's ROAD ride

[NeilM]

Re:

I took my newly built Dave LLoyd Quantum 650 out for its shakedown ride today. Lovely and sunny but pretty breezy by the time I got out, plus the seas front at Weston-s-Mare was packed, great for the traders, utterly confusing for a local like me.... where the hell have all these people come from? :shock:

So, home to Sand Bay, along the toll road and a stop by the crumbling Birnbeck Pier.

Then on down the sea front and up to the top of Roman Road to try the bike / gears out on a suitable climb, all good apart from a slightly stretched rear mech cable... I'll sort that when I get home.

I took it steady going down, as the road is bumpy, twisty and busy on a sunny day. The saddle had moved (again!), so I stopped at the bottom and made the final adjustment... nice of two passing cyclists to look at me working on the bike and ride straight past. I always ask if everything is OK, which 99% of the time it is.

Out to Elborough and then a double back for a couple of long pulls, one across wind and one straight into the headwind. Stopped at the International Helicopter Scrap Yard... sorry Museum where they have just taken delivery of a Bloodhound Missile, COOL!

Then the mile drag down the dual carriageway into the headwind, through Worle Village, up the hill and home.

Very pleased with the Q650, a couple of little post ride adjustments and we are good to go again. Next trip, the Mendips.

 

[Jamiedyer]

Sounds like a good shakedown ride Neil
Weather looks pretty good as well, the photos are great. I take it that it's the bit of pier on the other side of the buildings that is crumbling? It looks a crazy place
That Dave Lloyd looks superb, really lovely, the paint scheme really sets it off.

Jamie

 

[NeilM]

Re:

Thanks Jamie, I did not know what to expect, I thought it would be good and I was not disappointed, a really taught, nippy ride without being twitchy, just like my Cats Wiskas MTB's.

The whole pier is falling to bits. The RNLI used to have the lifeboat station out there, but the walkways are in such poor condition now and the legs so fragile it is all rotting away. They have set up a preservation society to try and save it, about 25 years too late. I think the Council would prefer to knock it all down and remove the eyesore, this is the same Council who wrecked a superb art deco style outdoor swimming pool (the Tropicana), put a load of plastic water slides in there and wondered why nobody visited it. They wanted to knock that down too until Banksy held his Dismaland exhibition there, now they have a sort of fun fare in there.

 

[Mike Muz]

Re:

Sounds like a nice ride Neil, despite the wind and people.

Did it feel different, owing to wheel size?

Mike

 

[NeilM]

Re:

The people were fine Mike, it's nice to see the seafront so busy so early in the year.

Yes, the bike definitely feels nippy and without that slight gyroscope effect you can get from 700C wheels, I have experienced the same going from a 29'er to a 26" wheeled mtb. On the downside, the mile long flat dual carriageway was harder, I really had to push on all the time, but again this is something I have experienced on Dave Lloyd mtb's so it may be a characteristic of the frame / geometry, I am not knowledgable enough to make comment on frame angles, I just know how it feels, and it felt FUN. :mrgreen:

 

[Mike Muz]

Re:

I was wondering if it had a similar difference to 26-29" mtbs

Is the gearing higher?

Mike

 

[NeilM]

Re: Re:

Is the gearing higher?

Mike

By higher if you mean easier then yes, both theoretically in gear inches, but also you can feel it. I am running 38/50 and 12-26 (eight speed) and despite the fact I could not use the 26 tooth gear, it was easier up the hills than my Coppell which has very similar gearing. Coming up my road, I am always on the inside front ring and the 26/28 tooth gear, yesterday I was in the middle of the cassette somewhere, albeit I had only done 20 miles.

 

[Jamiedyer]

Hi Neil
What would they do about the building if the pier was to go?
As long as it felt fun mate, that's all that really counts at the end of the day.

Jamie

 

[Jamiedyer]

Went south yesterday for what has become a regular randonneur type day ride with Brian (epicycle), also from the macretro section of the forum.
This was on our modern machines so if it is frowned upon posting here just let me know and I will delete it.
I was on my faithful Long Haul Trucker and Brian on his Ti 29'er set up for audax with a hub gear. So both steel and retro in style and feel.
It was clearly the first day of spring proper as the temps were up around 14 and the sun was out, no wind, it was pretty bloody amazing for up here and even the drive down was glorious.
The ride, like most of ours had a vague route through the Ross shire hills to the west of Dingwall, Brian's home village, to find an old historic tower, supposedly cursed by a seer back in the days when Macbeth had his castle in Dingwall.
Our ride started in Dingwall and we round around the shore before turning inland. We crossed a few pretty big hills sticking mainly to singletrack and dirt backroads and at one point to get to the tower from the western side we had to use Brians GPS and Ordinance Survey maps on his phone to take to the dirt singletrack over the top of a pretty big hill and swampy top section to emerge out of a field about 100 metres from the tower, we could have come up from the other side on the dirt road, but that would have been too easy The route really went in a circuitous route around 2/4 of Ben Wyvis, it was always there in the background. We didn't really get away until after lunch and so didn't get back until it had just gone dark but thankfully for Brian the last few kilometres are on the cycle route through Dingwall.
Just such a lovely afternoon ride and while we ride these roads and tracks quite often the views always look different. The estate tracks/roads to the west of Dingwall were really lovely, no one for miles and miles, the road snaking along and up beside the river. Found a great campsite and would be really nice to hold a sort of 2 day ride with a campout there.
Anyway here's a few photos and as I said if this isn't the place for this due to the modern type bikes I will happily move it. Will most likely copy it to Macretro section as well.
Todays looking great as well, so a ride on the Mercian might bring the retro back on line

Jamie

My drive south, heading for some hills
DSCN3505 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

Brian near the site of Macbeths castle
DSCN3518 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

Still some snow left
DSCN3528 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

DSCN3537 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

DSCN3547 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

DSCN3551 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

DSCN3556 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

Camera on timer
DSCN3558 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

DSCN3561 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

Road ride he said ?
DSCN3562 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

DSCN3570 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

We had done a bit of climbing as this view of Wyvis shows
DSCN3571 (2) by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

The Tower
DSCN3576 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

Suns going down...
DSCN3581 (2) by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

Back onto dual lane and race the sun
DSCN3585 by Jamie Dyer, on Flickr

 

[BigFoz]

Technically Yesterday. Lovely sunny morning, almost double digit temps. West of Scotland (speaking as a South African raised Englishman...) at it's best. Crystal clear views, pure air, snow capped mountains on Arran in the background. Some lovely lanes to ride. Bike is a Graham Weigh 653, fully chromed, Campag Racing Triple / Record Triple groupset. Life is good