No chocolate for this job!

I did a small bike repair job for a friend last week and got presented with a box of choccies two days later.(They're all gone by the way). Today I called on one of my customers and was greeted with "We've been waiting for you to arrive to sort out this front derailleur". I'm not a bike mechanic, by the way, I just like faffing around with them. The amusing thing is, this bike was in a car garage with three mechanics who can presumably remove engines, replace clutches etc., yet they found setting up a front derailleur too complex!! The guys are all keen mountain bikers and we soon had the gears running sweet and tested around the garage as well as outside. The owner of the bike has recently fitted one of these up and down seat posts (see below) which to be honest I'm not a great fan of as I think they will be pretty high maintenance but he's as proud as punch of it! I did mention the box of chocolates bit but surprisingly no-one seemed to hear me!

Seat up.........................

and with a flick of a switch seat down!!!!

Dougie does Scotland coast to coast race!

 

Dougie, above, who's showed me the tracks in the nearby Pentland Hills competed in the Nokia Scotland Coast to Coast race at the weekend.
The race is a triathlon based format in that there was running, kayaking and cycling involved  over a distance of 105 miles. There was the choice of two days or one day to complete the distance and the bold Dougie chose the one day! He managed it in 10 hours 45 minutes which leaves me wondering just how easy a time is he having when he's out biking with me!!

Wettest Sunday morning for a long time

The weather forecast wasn't good and it turned out to be pretty accurate. The three of us today set off at 5a.m. in a fine drizzle that quickly changed to heavy rain which persisted off and on for all of the ride which we cut a bit shorter than planned, though we still managed over 33 miles in the wet Pentlands. We cut out the double attempt on Harbour Hill (too soft) and came back down by Eastside Farm and then through Penicuik House estate to at last get some shelter under some trees. I managed to go over the bars today more times than I care to recall but they were all at slow speed so no injuries! Still a good ride even though the conditions were pretty horrendous.

Two miserable looking ######## (well it was a miserable morning!)

The new challenge- the Harbour Hill climb (and annoyingly Baz managed it!)

After an evening spent at a wedding reception and getting to bed just short of 12.30am the sound of my alarm going off at 4.30am wasn't exactly music to my ears. However after a hearty breakfast of porridge, tea and toast I felt able to face the world! Baz and I set off at the ridiculously late time today of 5.30am and did a slight variation of last weeks route, this time taking in a new nemesis for me, Harbour Hill. After telling Baz about its ferocity he annoyingly managed it rather well, at least I've got my late night as an excuse for failing to clean it! We decided to return home by a narrow path I'd been told about through the week just off the north descent of Castlelaw but somehow missed a turning and ended up looking down on Swanston golf course from a great height! However we managed to eventually find a sheep track that led us back down safely to civilisation and payed a visit to Swanston village on the way home. 27 plus miles today with a top speed of 40.5mph on one of the descents!

Baz contemplates the Harbour Hill climb!

We're lost, where do we go from here?

Swanston village and its thatched houses. 

Three times this week!!

Three times since Sunday I've done the Castle Law (killer) climb, it's becoming a bit of an obsession! I think I'm getting on first name terms with some of the sheep and cattle that graze at the side of the track. They must think I'm nuts, puffing my way up there every second day, but it certainly makes the climbs in the events we've done seem easier. The pictures below were taken on our 35 miler over the Pentlands on Sunday morning in beautiful weather.

A previously un-ridden trail round Braid Law to Nine Mile Burn, the first part was good, the rest not so good!

Lord of all I survey. ( I wish!)

Final part of Edinburgh to Bowling (Glasgow) canal path completed.

We completed the final leg of our Edinburgh to Glasgow canal ride today, starting just outside Bishopbriggs and finishing at Bowling near the mouth of the River Clyde. This enormous bike was parked at the side of the canal in Glasgow and only there would a bike this size need a lock on the front wheel to stop it being nicked!

                                          The end of the line (or in this case the canal).        

It must take a boat quite sometime to negotiate all the locks in this section of the canal.