Not dead, just restin'

Well, believe it or not, we have been going out and about on the bikes in the last few months since the last post. Some of us have been going out a bit more than others though.
Darker nights, wetter weather, generally not so good for taking pictures and writing about it.
However, there's been quite a few pictures hanging around on the phone camera, so here's a few of them just to prove the bikes have been used.

19th October 2011 - The old "Port Line" near Gatehouse Station, SW Scotland

6th November 2011 - Tyne Pedestrian Tunnel

6th November 2011 - Bowes Railway Path, Leam Lane

20th November 2011 - Hadrian's Cycleway - Blaney Row

That last one's rather artistic, isn't it... taken mid afternoon in a patch of dense fog by the river. Cold for cycling though.
And to prove that we even go out on the shortest day of the year, here's another couple.

21st December 2011 - Bowes Railway Path - A photo of the mist in the valley over Gateshead

21st December 2011 - Here's Ian creeping up the hill. Very wet and muddy, very slow.

Might get out and about again before the end of the year, weather depending.

As an update on the Neoguard, it's been very very good. Really cut down on the mud and splashes hitting you in the face. An excellent investment, well worth buying.

Review: Neoguard Front Mudguard.

As the summer sun starts to set just that bit earlier every night, and the rain starts to become more frequent, those tracks are starting to get a bit wet and muddy. If you're like me, then you'll be sick of racing through a muddy puddle and ending up covered with god knows what from the plume of spray rising from the front wheel.
I'll confess to buying a front mudguard, but being too embarrassed to put it on the bike, which is something considering how embarrassing my bike looks anyway.
It's nothing to do with finding them an absolute sod to fit, nothing to do with that at all.
Actually, a good reason is having to take off a claggy front mudguard just to get at the brakes for maintainance, or load it into the car. Big front mudguards are just a nuisance.

Anyway, step forward the Neoguard from Rapid Racer Products. The internet had thrown up this one, some glowing testimonials for it. A neoprene mudguard that attaches to the front forks, and it's tiny.
So, time for a spot of shopping before the rains came.
This one I'm reviewing was bought from Wiggle. They do 2 versions, the Standard or the slightly dearer Limited Edition, which I had to get as it just looked a bit cooler, me being a natural when it comes to cool.

Wiggle - Neoguard Standard
Wiggle - Neoguard Limited Editon

You can click on the links to have a look. I paid a very reasonable £13.29 for the Limited Edition, and a couple of days later a small jiffy bag turns up.


Inside a nicely packaged Neoguard, with the fitting instructions on the back. Very simple, easy to follow.

Neatly packaged, the instructions are printed on the back

Front and back views. You can see the velco straps used to attach it to the bike.

It 's not a glove, honest.
Anyway, time to fit it to the bike. I'd picked the XS, based on the sizing guide on the website. Quite easy to follow which one to order, though err on the side of small, as you'll want it stretched quite tight for best results.

Really very easy to fit, much easier than other mudguards I've tried.
Much, much easier.

Here it's fitted to the front forks of my Trek

Just tie the top velcro straps around the crown of the front forks, and loop the straps back through the eyelets and attach the velcro to hold it firm.
Then wrap the 3 bottom velcro straps around the fork brace at the bottom just above the wheel and thread them back through the eyelets. This is a little fiddly with the wheel on, but not too difficult.
Best to get it nice and taut, and make sure the mudguard or straps aren't catching on the wheel.

Now, I'm a bit rubbish adding things to the bike, and I managed it in less than 5 minutes, first time as well, so it must be easy.
And that was it. Off out for a test.

The design is quite clever. Water, spray and mud comes flying off your rotating front wheel as usual, but instead of launching into the air at head height, it gets stopped on the back of the Neoguard.
If it gets properly clagged up, as you go over a bump and the forks compress, the Neoguard crumples a bit and deforms, and the mud drops off, so it's self cleaning up to a point.

Anyway, numerous muddy puddles were taken at speed for testing purposes, something I usually avoid doing, and it performed brilliantly. Not a drop of mud or water hit me in the face all ride.

Here's one I made earlier.

Okay, so the photo's a bit blurred. It was rather late and I'd been hammering back along the road from the Black Horse, so the hands weren't too steady to take pictures in the dark.
Anyway, you get the idea. Mud trapped on the back of the Neoguard.
All the big claggy bits had already dropped off when going over bumps.

So, early days yet, I'll update the review as the winter comes on and the mud gets thicker, as some of that mud may find it's way down to the fork seals a bit easier than before, but for now, this is a definite thumbs up. Cheap and effective, wish I'd got one years ago. I shall be recommending these to the rest of the club slackers.
5 out of 5 - (It can have a special graphic)

Another Small Presentation

A little birdie tells me that Ian is the proud recipient of a prestigious 2011 Crash award.
A gallant effort into a hedge on a jaunt up to Parkhead station a couple of weeks ago.

He's been keeping that one quiet he has.

A Small Presentation

While out on Monday for a little jaunt up to Tanfield, Jim came a cropper preparing to cross the roundabout by the Angel.
Always said those cleats were a bad idea.
Wasn't so much a crash, as a topple, and no harm done.

I hadn't the heart to take pictures though.

Hownsgill Sprint Challenge

This is one for "Competitive Ian" really, but anyone can feel free to give it a go.

Basically, it's as fast as you can from the Swalwell Visitor Centre at the start of the Derwent Walk, to the Hownsgill Tea Rooms, near the Hownsgill Viaduct past Consett.
That's more or less exactly 12 miles following the Derwent Walk.
This is a sprint for mountain bikes, none of those fancy racers with the slick tyres.
And of course, there's marvellous food to be had at the end, just to spur you on.

So, here's the route.

The route, all 12 miles of it, all uphill.

So, to start you off, here's photo evidence of my time.

That's 1hr 10mins 42s in case you can't see.

So, 1hr 10mins 42s to beat. Shouldn't be too tricky.
If you post your times in the comments, I can always make a leaderboard, but there has to be some photographic evidence.

A Monday Night Ride - Tanfield - 11th July 2011

Approx 14.5 miles

Tentative plans had been made for an evening ride, and despite heavy rain in the afternoon, warm summer sun meant it was fairly dry come 7.30pm.
Ian cried off with the "man-flu", so Jim and I set off from the Horse towards the Bowes Railway path at Birtley, picking up Tim on the way.

The rain earlier meant it was a little heavier under the wheels, a few puddles, but nothing too bad, most of it had dried up.

We sauntered up the steep section to Tanfield, at least the other two did, I was powered by a freshly cleaned and oiled chain, and pork pies and profiteroles (not at the same time), and was in a good hill-climbing mood.

Just for a change, at Tanfield, we doubled back and headed towards the engine sheds, but on the narrow dirt track that runs on the west of the railway at Tanfield.

A bike, and some plants, and a building.

There's quite a view when you get to the vantage point.

Birds. Lots of them.

Those black dots in the picture are Jackdaws, at least that's what our friendly Bill Oddie / Dr Doolittle / Jim reckoned anyway. It was like a Hitchcock film. Trying to find a roost for the night probably. Hundreds of them, kept coming in from Stanley. I've cycled through Stanley on an evening, I can see why they were leaving.

"Ladies.... please form a queue"

The bomb goes off over Consett

Well, as the sun was beginning to set, time to head back, 'cos as usual, Jim didn't have any lights.
"I'll ride on the pavement" he says.

A railway picture for Jim.

So, that was it. We hurtled back down the way we'd come, always a fun descent, slogged up the other side of the valley and back to the pub, where I left Jim getting a pint.
"Just stopping for one".
A likely tale.

Make your own caption up. I've got no idea.

This picture was lurking on the camera, so I'll let you post a caption for it in the comments.
The winner gets my undying gratitude for being the first to post a comment. Ever. Pah.

Return Of The Bionic Man - Tanfield Loop - Monday 4th July 2011

Well, we do go out quite a lot and just don't get around to blogging about it. Even managed to get Ian out with us for this ride, breaking him in gently with his new knee, although he's already racking up 40+ miles a day. A medical marvel.
As a treat, and to show off my technical prowess, I've embedded the route in a little Google Maps plugin, which lets you see where we've been.

Let me know if it works for you in the comments.




Just so you can see everything on a bigger screen in Google Earth, you know with 3D hills and that, you can always download the route by clicking on the link below.

An Old One From The Archives

Trawling through some old photos when I stumbled across this familiar face leaving the Black Horse at some point in the late 19th Century.

This original image is from the isee.gateshead.gov.uk website

Not so much a new post.

I promised Jim I'd sort out a link to his new blog of train pictures.

So, if you look at the links bit to the side of this post, there's a whopping big link to his site.

Just click on the picture to go there.

Some nice photos already. Hope he updates it more than I update this blog.

I went a bit artistic and bunged in a new title picture for us as well. I'll probably change it again in a week or two though, as it's not that balanced. Dodgy source material.

Despite the lack of blog posts, I've been out on the bike quite a bit lately, which is more than can be said for certain members of the club. 

No names though, eh Jim.
Oh, and Ian's been cycling quite a bit with his new knee, just a few weeks after getting it done. He's amazed his surgeon, but that's a different story altogether.

Fast blog - Derwent Walk - 1st May 2011

Swalwell to Hownsgill Tea Rooms and back - Approx 24 miles

A sunny Sunday afternoon, and the only two members of the club who were physically able to get on a bike made plans, and the bikes were loaded into Jim's van and we headed off for the Derwent Walk and the cafe at Hownsgill.
Jim did his usual trick and missed a turnoff, so we went "the long way", but we got there eventually, and soon we were rattling along at a fair old pace, over the Nine Arches Viaduct

A Red Kite. Probably got it's eye on Jim.

It was a nice day, bank holiday weekend, so the track was quite busy. Lots of C2C riders coming the other way.

Lintz Green Station - Jim being cruel to Jelly Babies.

Usual water stop at Lintz Green Station. We parked under the bridge, as that sun was fierce.
At this stage, I removed the jacket as it was getting quite warm, even with a stiff breeze. The large rear pocket on a cycle jersey is a wonderous thing.

That slacker Ian isn't the only one who can do artsy photos.

We didn't really stop much on the way up to the Hownsgill Tea Rooms cafe, averaged 9.6mph which is quite good for uphill all the way.
Toasties were consumed, and we chatted with the owners for a while.
If gossiping was an olympic sport, Jim would have won the gold medal.

Lamb

Goat

And then it was time to head back. It was quite breezy up there which meant the jacket went back on.
Jim managed to lose his bike pump in the car park. Ironically, I'd seen it as we left, but as he appears to have dropped it on the way in, I ignored it as an old one that had been there for a while. Oops.

We kept to a fairly swift pace all the way back, fairly uneventful except for a moment of drama at the Nine Arches Viaduct.

4 young lads cycling across the width of the path up ahead, they saw us coming and move apart to let us through, then at the last moment one of them veered across the track.
I slammed on both brakes, evidently the front one a little quicker, as the back wheel went about a foot into the air according to Jim, with lots of noise and dust.
Inches away from a spectacular pile up.
And no, there's no photo. You'll just have to take my word for it.

Anyway, that was it. Back to the van and off home.
Again, Jim missed a turn-off and we went "the long way" back. 
He's going to have to work on that.

Never Pay Attention To McDonald's Directions - 25th April 2011

Newburn to Matfen and back - Approx 25 miles

Easter Bank Holiday Monday, and we'd decided in the pub the previous Saturday to go up to Maften for a change. There's a cafe there, and they do the best scones or something. I'm not one to pass up a cafe, so it was agreed.
Jim's a closet road biker, but he promised to bring the mountain bike so we'd go at the same speed.
"As long as it's quiet roads" I said.

Monday brought some dry weather, not quite the blazing inferno it had been all weekend, so that was good. The bikes were loaded up into the back of Jim's van, and we drove along to Newburn, to the car park near the Big Lamp pub.

Captain Mainwaring ready for duty.

Soon we were rattling along the Wylam Waggon Way. Jim was on his "racing slicks", touring tyres, a bit thinner and a bit smoother. Basically faster. Depressingly faster than my big knobblys actually.
They've resurfaced most of this over the last year, which while better than the dirt track it was before, the tarmac isn't the best quality. Bump, bump, bump. Maybe I need some more padding as well as slick tyres.

Wylam was reached fairly quickly, and we left the Waggon Way there, and headed through the village, and then up Holeyn Hall Rd. 
"Up" being the right word. It's a bit of a climb. Young legs and a weight advantage were in my favour, but I don't like to get too far ahead of the old man, so I hung around for him. As things were to transpire, maybe I should have got a head start.
After a breather, Jim set off at a pace as it was bit flatter now, and crossed the bridge over the A69. It's a dual carriageway, it's the only way to cross it really. I was a bit slow off the mark, so when I got to the the roundabout at the top, no sign of Jim. I guessed a direction, went around a corner and no sign of him, so decided I'd taken the wrong route and went the other way.

Jim's up there somewhere. That hill up ahead looks steeper in real life.

I saw him vanishing off into the distance, just cresting a hill, so at least I was on the right road.
But you can't really pedal fast enough to catch a bike with fast tyres on.
I caught up with him eventually the other side of the Military Road, after he'd finally decided to stop, in fact he was facing towards me.
"Thought you'd had a puncture". Comedy genius.

Rape seed is evil. It stinks.

Well, we ambled along for a bit, or rather Jim ambled, and I pedalled along in much too high a gear, trying to keep up. Tough on the hills.
4 miles later and we arrived in Stamfordham, no stopping though. Jim was on a mission for scones. I was on a mission for more padding.

He did however stop a bit further up ahead when he spied a horse, and our resident Dr Doolittle couldn't resist. He'd seduced it with grass by the time I arrived.

Phwoaar.

It was a gentle slope uphill for another 3 miles or so that brought us into Matfen just after 3pm. And the promise of scones.
Promise that was to be sadly thrown into the cruel pit of despair.

*$#%! 3pm !!!!!

Bastards... missed it by minutes. We weren't the only ones. While we had a sit down a few people stopped by for scones.

Nice place for a Jelly Baby though

Jim's bike and those bloody tyres.

Well, I figured we'd head back the way we came, but no. Off we went out the other end of the village. Ian, our newly "bionic" cyclist chum had told Jim about this lovely route back, so I followed (again), and soon we came to the turn off.
But then Jim decided it wasn't the turn off and we carried on for another mile. Until we came to another road. The Military Road.
Oh well, I figured we'd be on it for a minute or so to the junction up ahead. Jim was already off at pace, so I tagged along. And then he just cycled past the junction and kept going.

We pulled in at the Robin Hood Inn, and I broke out the phone. GPS and Google Maps, very handy. Well, turn off's were ahead but the first was a bit dodgy for getting across the A69, so we carried on. Next one was at the top of Harlow Hill, a nasty steep little climb, but it would take us under the A69, so that was agreed on.
Jim had a lead on me, I was catching him on the hill though. I thought he'd wait at the top, but the traffic queued up behind seemed to distract him as he ignored the turn-off and careered off down the hill at breakneck pace.

Watching Jim ride off into the distance. No swearing. Deep breaths.

Not much choice but to ride on.
4 miles we did on the Military Road. On a Bank Holiday. Grrrrrr.
This riding lark is supposed to be good for my health you know.

Well, I eventually caught him up. He never saw the junction he was supposed to take. Maybe he needs some new specs for cycling, but we turned off at the next one (after consulting the gps and Google Maps again) and we ended up back at the roundabout where I'd taken a wrong turn earlier. Result.


We hurtled back down the hill to Wylam, and despite trailing in Jim's gravity and tyre assisted wake, I still got over 30mph. That was fun. Made up for the earlier slog.


And then back along the Waggon Way to Newburn and the van. Into a bloody headwind.
Despite all that, still came out with an average speed of 11.6mph. 
That explains why my legs are killing me.

Maybe I'll pick the route next weekend.

As I have no kml storage, here's the route. GPS didn't start until Wylam, so add 3 miles on at start. Click for big.

A Quick One Before They Cut It Off - 8th April 2011

Swalwell to Consett and back again along the Derwent Walk
(approximately 24 miles)

Greetings. Someone's still reading this blog? Blimey.
Well, due to getting a new phone which has a camera in it that takes picture bigger than a postage stamp, I thought it was time to dust the cobwebs off the blog and post again.
We also dusted the cobwebs off Jim, for his first ride of the year.
He's a "fair weather cyclist".


I had a rare day off, and Ian was counting down the days till some "surgeon" hacks away at his knee and replaces it with a Lego one. Sort of a last chance to have a pedal.

So, on a sunny Friday afternoon, it was off for a Magical Mystery Tour in Jim's van to the bottom of the Derwent Walk at Swalwell.

Soon rolling along at a steady pace.
For about half a mile.

I'd forgotten to turn the GPS on (for blogging purposes), and Jim needed to fiddle about.

A bar fly adjusting his bar ends.

Peter's And Lee - The Reunion

Not the fastest of starts then, but we managed at least another mile, before stopping at the Nine Arches Viaduct for Jim (Doctor Doolittle) to do a spot of birdwatching.

A Red Kite. In the distance. The far distance.

I call this composition "Two Chancers On a Viaduct"

Two rest stops in the first 15 mins wasn't the frantic pace I'd had in mind when we set off, so I put my foot on the gas a bit, and we started to get somewhere.

As it turns out, old man Jim was suprisingly speedy, what with having his racing slicks on, so we managed to make some decent progress. It is all uphill you know!

We had a quick rest at the old station at Lintz Green, where we gave out some directions to a cyclist from Darlington who wanted to get to Chopwell Woods. Not sure if we're the best ones to ask directions from, but there you go.

It was a pretty warm day in the sun, just nice for cycling, and a bit further on we had a sit down just past Ebchester to take on water, where a scene of horror unfolded.

Schwarzenegger let himself go after Terminator 2

He's an arty bastard is our resident wedding photographer

Jesus F***in' Christ!!!!

Some photos have to be covered up to protect the innocent out there. I have no idea what was going on here, the things you see when you get your camera back.

Perhaps driven on by the horrors just witnessed, we set off again, Ian at a particularly breakneck speed. By the time we got up to the old steel works at Consett, he was long gone in the distance.
I hung back for Jim on the hills, as he's getting on a bit now, and this was his first ride for six months. (He claims)

"I've fallen Vic, and I can't get up"

Not tired at all, just getting going in fact.

When we caught him up, and after Jim had stopped to have a natter to some bloke at an allotment, we eventually rolled up to Hownsgill Tea Rooms, which thankfully was open.

Pot of tea, toasties, some chips, and a plate sized wedge of Banoffee Gateaux and cream. 

Is this the face of a man about to get his leg replaced?

He can look quite normal sometimes

Banoffee Gateaux and Cream - well, it was earlier.

The farm where the tea room is located was obviously in the middle of lambing season. And despite the fact they wouldn't stand still for 5 minutes, a photo was taken.

They'll have eaten it by now.

Well, they have to close sometime, so we had to get on the bikes again eventually.

At least it's downhill most of the way back, and we raced along.

Me and Ian had a little bit of a race the last 2 miles, full tilt. Talk about knackered. But it was Ian's last fling for a while. Mind, I wasn't going to let "Competative Ian" win. That wouldn't do, and it didn't matter if he broke something on the knee as they were bunging a new one in. Might as well get a last go out of it.

We was sweating buckets when we arrived back at the transport.

Jim arrived 5 mins later.

Sweaty chaps. Ian is still distorting the world around him.

The Winnaaaar!

So, a decent ride out for Ian's last hurrah. Who knows when the Bionic Man will get back out on the bike? I might have to post a blog or two just to keep the world informed.

I have a kml file of the route, but the internet is being evil and my hosting has died a bit since the last time I used it. I'll get around to it.