Pitifully low mileages, so compacted into 4 days. Been attempting to drive/ride the commute on as many different things (in a row) as possible. Previous best was 23, as of today I'm at 26 and target is 31. Scraping the bottom of the barrel now, pulling old bikes out of the garage, getting them somewhere near useable and just winging it.
Monday:
2.84 miles in. Was a bit nervous about this, as not ridden this bike for maybe 4 years. It actually was spot on, didn't try and set any records but it was super smooth, the gear changes were reasonable (if not rushed) and it was surprisingly quiet
...and 8.45 miles home, as it was a nice day and had gained confidence in the bike...
Tuesday was the turn of another old relic, think I bought this off the scrap man round the back. The tyres are good and the brakes seemed to work, so with a bit of trepidation, off we went.
3.57 miles in, rode superbly. The only noise was from the tyres on the road, and the gear changes were good. Decent sized frame helped.
A bit of a go round the city walls, absolutely lovely at any time, at circa 5.30am even more so. King Charles Tower in the photo, supposedly where Charlie watched the battle of Rowton Moor...
...and 3.7 miles home.
Wednesday 3.57 miles in, on a dented top tube Dawes Horizon. Another hastily 'done up' bike to get me there and back. Rode far better than expected, the chain is horrifically rusty so I just sprayed penetrating stuff on it the night before, and used a cap full of finest 10/40 engine oil to lubricate it. A tad small for me but a good ride.
3.7 miles home, a truly appalling shot of I don't really know what, but it's the river Dee just off Sealand Road in Chester.
Thurs, 2.89 miles in on my old favourite Scott CR1. This was a lash up as it'd already been raided for some bits after an incident riding it a couple of years ago. The front wheel is off my Basso Champion, the front brake is a very basic Shimano one and the brake pads were mostly off that 1970s/80s Peugeot! I do love the old bikes, but these modern ones are so much nicer to ride
4.84 miles coming home, glorious day for it. Cormorant in the background.
Today: 3.02 miles in and a real challenge. Bought this bike for a fiver yesterday, pumped the tyres up, tightened the bearings and it was off. It's an oddball thing really, made in South Wales. My God, it was horrific to ride! Back wheel buckled, I'd over done the wheel bearings, the frame is too small and the gears were extremely hit and miss...
4.77 miles home. I didn't even try and attempt Dee Hills Climb (sort of side of the Grosvenor park) as I think it would have killed me, so I carried it up the steps by St John's church (the original cathedral in Chester, iirc) then rode it down the roads back.
I stopped at my local bike shop and dropped it in there to true the rear wheel, adjust the bearings and tweak the gears. By the time they'd looked at it they said the front wheel bearings were so tight the wheel didn't really move and they said they weren't surprised it'd been a nightmare to ride!
Anyhow, not exactly mega mileage, but hard work at times and it's quite (strangely) enjoyable riding on a wing and a prayer with untested bikes. Today I managed to buy a well priced Trek Madone 2.1, so Tuesday's ride in should be a good one.
Monday:
2.84 miles in. Was a bit nervous about this, as not ridden this bike for maybe 4 years. It actually was spot on, didn't try and set any records but it was super smooth, the gear changes were reasonable (if not rushed) and it was surprisingly quiet
...and 8.45 miles home, as it was a nice day and had gained confidence in the bike...
Tuesday was the turn of another old relic, think I bought this off the scrap man round the back. The tyres are good and the brakes seemed to work, so with a bit of trepidation, off we went.
3.57 miles in, rode superbly. The only noise was from the tyres on the road, and the gear changes were good. Decent sized frame helped.
A bit of a go round the city walls, absolutely lovely at any time, at circa 5.30am even more so. King Charles Tower in the photo, supposedly where Charlie watched the battle of Rowton Moor...
...and 3.7 miles home.
Wednesday 3.57 miles in, on a dented top tube Dawes Horizon. Another hastily 'done up' bike to get me there and back. Rode far better than expected, the chain is horrifically rusty so I just sprayed penetrating stuff on it the night before, and used a cap full of finest 10/40 engine oil to lubricate it. A tad small for me but a good ride.
3.7 miles home, a truly appalling shot of I don't really know what, but it's the river Dee just off Sealand Road in Chester.
Thurs, 2.89 miles in on my old favourite Scott CR1. This was a lash up as it'd already been raided for some bits after an incident riding it a couple of years ago. The front wheel is off my Basso Champion, the front brake is a very basic Shimano one and the brake pads were mostly off that 1970s/80s Peugeot! I do love the old bikes, but these modern ones are so much nicer to ride
4.84 miles coming home, glorious day for it. Cormorant in the background.
Today: 3.02 miles in and a real challenge. Bought this bike for a fiver yesterday, pumped the tyres up, tightened the bearings and it was off. It's an oddball thing really, made in South Wales. My God, it was horrific to ride! Back wheel buckled, I'd over done the wheel bearings, the frame is too small and the gears were extremely hit and miss...
4.77 miles home. I didn't even try and attempt Dee Hills Climb (sort of side of the Grosvenor park) as I think it would have killed me, so I carried it up the steps by St John's church (the original cathedral in Chester, iirc) then rode it down the roads back.
I stopped at my local bike shop and dropped it in there to true the rear wheel, adjust the bearings and tweak the gears. By the time they'd looked at it they said the front wheel bearings were so tight the wheel didn't really move and they said they weren't surprised it'd been a nightmare to ride!
Anyhow, not exactly mega mileage, but hard work at times and it's quite (strangely) enjoyable riding on a wing and a prayer with untested bikes. Today I managed to buy a well priced Trek Madone 2.1, so Tuesday's ride in should be a good one.
