Your ride today....

[pawl]

This morning, once I'd been shopping, I had the chance to get out for a few hours before the family descended.
As I'd be on a few trails for the first mile, and wasn't exactly sure where I'd be heading I chose the CX as bike de jour.
I headed through Holcot, Walgrave and Foxhall, with a tailwind before turning southwards for a strong and blustery headwind until I was within half an hour of home.

View attachment 453648
I know who I am... I don't need reminding

Back home on 33 windy miles, with my legs feeling like they'd done 50!

https://strava.app.link/NCALo87atU

Mine feel like that after 15 miles.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I'm technically 'unfit for work' at the moment with bronchitis and other things, but I know from experience that this gets better if I move more and get outside, so I've been gingerly trying to ride a little over the last few days, taking my time and allowing myself to stop and take a breath when I need to.

Tanking a camera seemed a good excuse to stop frequently and take my time...

After dropping Beautiful Daughter off at kindergarten, the next part of the journey was up the hill and out of the village.

And took a quick portrait of the Xtracycle, just because.

Looking a bit tatty after all these years, and in need of some work where things have started to go boink occasionally; rather like its owner.

Hooked around the head of a small valley between us and the next village. Normally this would show a view of the hills in the distance which mark the Rhine-Danube watershed, but yesterday there was too much mist so you'll have to believe me...

Past the Mystery farm. Apparently local laws say that to live there you have to earn money from the land. I keep wondering if the local town would be open to a 'city farm' type arrangement with bike cafe and theatre.

Stopped again at the edge of the forest simply because I like it here.

Through the forest and down the valley back to our village...

To my surprise this was nearly 10k when I checked on the map. Took me the better part of an hour though.

More mildly adventurous riding to come.

 

[mjr]

Yesterday's ride actually, but it took me a while to fettle the photo last night. On the way back from the Butcher's I detoured through a new development (two actually but the first was a dead-end and not picturesque!) on my way to a park and was surprised that a cycleway blooper I reported almost two years ago has just been fixed, so I turned it into a postcard for the local cycling campaign:

It would have been much better if the sign matched the paint and they'd not put the bollards in the middle of each lane but at least you can now ride it without any bunny-hopping high kerbs...

 

[Mike_P]

Ebike creak a bit persistent yesterday on the work commute so made a new double thick cross chainstay mount from a heavy duty flat strap as the original was bowing noticeably under the tension of the motor mounting bolt, then tested the ebike largely on a reverse of Sundays road bike ride, but when straight from Ripley to Clint Bank along NCN67 apologising to a lady cyclist on a road bike for the ebike overtaking her, a pleasant conversation ensued. From Birstwith went up Church Bank/ Lackon Bank as a steep short cut to Menwith only ever done in the opposite direction by pedal power which showed the 44T chainring as not being too good, I think I was assisting the ebike rather than it assisting me. The creak? Still there but not as bad so now suspect the fixing bolt - the original allen key one had started to round its allen key hole so I replaced it with a normal bolt but the proximity of the bolt to the seat tube probably means the spanner is not fully tightening it, although its seems pretty tight. Probably just half a turn needed. New bolts ordered.
18.9 miles 1223ft upwards.

 

[pjd57]

My first day as a volunteer with Free Wheel North at their Glasgow Green track.
Bikes , trikes, quads , every level of ability catered for
Really enjoyed it.
So it was a 14 mile round trip followed by another 12 miles to pick something up for my Mrs.

Very high tide in Glasgow city centre today
Slight diversion required. I usually get off and carry my bike down the stairs rather than use the awkward diversion.

 

[gavgav]

A very short ride tonight, back from @Rickshaw Phil ’s house, as he’s kindly replaced the rear Caliper, Disc and Pads on the Hybrid.

Phil picked me up and drove me back to his, to collect the bike, where we had a chat and a drink before he joined me for the trip back, around his village and then down to mine.

Phil checked the bike over, once back at mine and there were no leaks of fluid and all felt good, including much smoother gears, following some tweaks he’d made.

Just 3.1 miles

 

[Andy in Germany]

Yesterday's ride actually, but it took me a while to fettle the photo last night. On the way back from the Butcher's I detoured through a new development (two actually but the first was a dead-end and not picturesque!) on my way to a park and was surprised that a cycleway blooper I reported almost two years ago has just been fixed, so I turned it into a postcard for the local cycling campaign:
View attachment 453787
It would have been much better if the sign matched the paint and they'd not put the bollards in the middle of each lane but at least you can now ride it without any bunny-hopping high kerbs...

My goodness: I have some favourite bugbears about some of the local bike lanes but that's Olympic level incompetence, not only in the original but the 'improvements'... That a designer actually looked at either of those and thought: yeah, that looks pretty good" is both surreal and depressing.

I begin to realise I've been spoiled for eighteen years and should never complain again about our local cycle infrastructure...

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Very high tide in Glasgow city centre today
Slight diversion required. I usually get off and carry my bike down the stairs rather than use the awkward diversion.

There is another way: ride over the squiggly bridge just before the casino, turn left, follow the segregated route all the way to the Green, it will take you to the blue bridge near the distillery at the Gorbals.

 

[pjd57]

There is another way: ride over the squiggly bridge just before the casino, turn left, follow the segregated route all the way to the Green, it will take you to the blue bridge near the distillery at the Gorbals.

The stairs are my preferred route.
The signed path over the cobbles and across the road at a pedestrian crossing , then a tight turn to get behind the casino takes longer than getting off and carrying the bike.
Since I wasn't wearing flippers today I had to change my plans.


Only the second time I've seen the river come up on to that bit.

 

[mjr]

My goodness: I have some favourite bugbears about some of the local bike lanes but that's Olympic level incompetence, not only in the original but the 'improvements'... That a designer actually looked at either of those and thought: yeah, that looks pretty good" is both surreal and depressing.

Yep, "Olympic level incompetence" is pretty much the level of UK national housing estate developers and local councils have to force them to fix this sort of stuff by refusing to sign off on planning permission conditions until they do and not all planning officers have clue and spine to do that, even in widespread-cycling areas. At some planning districts, no officers seem to.

Don't worry. Local government seems to be finally getting better at building stuff. Eventually, private developers will poach their designers and things may improve!

 

[Mike_P]

local councils have to force them to fix this sort of stuff by refusing to sign off on planning permission conditions until they do and not all planning officers have clue and spine to do that, even in widespread-cycling areas. At some planning districts, no officers seem to.

Don't worry. Local government seems to be finally getting better at building stuff. Eventually, private developers will poach their designers and things may improve!

Could also depend on the local council arrangements, in some areas highway matters are the responsibility of another council to that dealing with planning matters and IME highway engineers are usually pretty clueless on cycling infrastructure hence the crazy often unusable cycling facilities that litter the country.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Day two of the recovery rides. The mist that was lurking the day before had lifted and the hills were visible. This got me all optimistic about making a few more kilometres...

Especially as this took me on one of my favourite routes along the ridge of the valley...

Unfortunately, there's always a payoff, and in this case it was going through this mess soon afterwards...

It's not too bad though...

This whole development is on a former US military base, so I made a detour around the old perimeter road. The things I do for you lot, honestly.

The large orange object that looks like a giant plastic carrot is in fact a giant plastic carrot. Surrounded by large brightly coloured plastic rabbits, marking the geographical centre of the town.

Um... yes.

Following the old perimeter road, there's a small section of the old fence which has been left in place...

This was the goal: the end of the tram route. There used to be a metre gauge line through the town to Esslingen, in the valley but that was taken up in the 70's because everyone was going to use cars and trams were old fashioned.

Last year the local gov. announced they were thinking of opening a new tram line to Esslingen...

Back along the ridge road. The apartments on the left are heavily refurbished military housing: the hedge by the lamp posts marks the old perimeter fence.



And across to fields to our village again. This time along the edge of the valley instead of through the middle...

The Xtracycles bags are somewhat cavernous, and while unpacking I found that Beautiful Daughter had donated a small rock from her extensive collection. Goodness knows how long it has been lurking in there...

 

[welsh dragon]

A 15 mile bimble for me today in perfect conditions. Quiet on the roads today. A couple of walkers and 2 cyclists.

 

[pjd57]

really mild morning so I decided to add a few miles but couldn't be bothered working out a route.
Wee detour first,, then onto the F&C canal at Lambhill and headed for the Falkirk wheel .

Only stopped for a picture and a drink, turned round and headed home.
The long straight heading to Auchinstarry on the way back wasn't too bad today .
Usually it's into a head wind with no shelter, today was bearable.
Home for 1 as instructed , then out for a pub lunch in Maryhill with my Mrs. ( The Viking, very handy for the canal if you're passing )

 

[Denis99]

Leisurely ride around the bike tracks at fan Argoed, with a stop to replenish my fluids.
Solar beer is the product of a local micro brewery in nearby Maesteg, lovely beer.