Life in the Bus Lane

A fairly pathetic one this, partway back along the cycle track this morning I did my 1000th mile of the year.

The singlespeed 69er came out of retirement today for my first singlespeed MTB ride for nearly a year. I headed out on the usual Uni route with Al, collecting Sandy at the top of the hill. We took a few short detours on the route which I’d not ridden for a few years just for nostalgia, although it was wasted on the others. All through the ride it was like I had two dogs with me, Sandy playing the role of the excitable young puppy shooting off ahead without really knowing where he was going, and Al the wizened old hound plodding along behind.

Once up on the top of the Downs we cut across to the left taking the fast sweeping route across the top, this worked well to start with, I jumped the first two lumps, rolled the second two then slowed to wait for the others before slowing cutting right to follow the path down to the gate. At this point Sandy neglected to slow down and rode at full-tilt into the back of me. Fortunately we ended up off the bikes rolling down the hill with cries of laughter rather than pain. If you’re going to crash mid-ride, that’s the way to do it.

Other than losing Al in the middle of town, the rest of the ride home was rather less eventful and I was soon back home for a late lunch of a Clif bar and a can of lager.

Trek World produces another bike which probably won’t see the light of day, and if it does almost certainly won’t be sold in the UK. The Trek Sawyer Singlespeed.

The geared Sawyer is nice enough, but won’t be available here, and this singlespeed version looks even better. If there was a chance I could get one here I’d have the credit card out and ready, and the Kona Unit would be heading out to door to make room. As it is, I’ll have to make do with looking at the pictures.

Bikerumor » Trek Rolls Out the Concepts: Broadsider, Sawyer SS, and the Gutter

I moved the saddle forward slightly on the Singular Peregrine last night, and now the front mech won’t shift properly. I think it’s doing it just to spite me.

I’ve always had problems with shifting on road bikes with triple chainsets. It works for a while, then randomly stops working for no discernible reason, often mid-ride. I’d try and fit a compact instead, but apparently a Campagnolo one won’t fit, and a Shimano won’t match the Campagnolo levers and rear mech I plan to fit. I’ll resort to swapping out the front mech with a new one I’ve got sat in the spares pile to see if that makes any difference or not, failing that I’ll just swear at it a bit and threaten violence. It probably won’t work, but it’ll make me feel better.

A month ago I overtook the distance I rode in 2009, today I overtook 2008.

I went out on the Bob Jackson about 12:30 and headed out along the cycle track towards Bristol aiming to ride until I got bored and then head home again. I made it as far as Easton in about 53 minutes before turning back. The track was fairly busy today, and one child almost took me off by deciding to swerve across the track as I was overtaking him. Once back in Bath I decided to loop round town to top the mileage up a bit, and got home after 35.5 miles.

160 miles to go to my next target, 2007.

Update: I also passed 12,000 miles since I started keeping records.

After dropping the 69er from the range a year or so back, Trek have shown a new model, The Broadsider.

Shame it’s only a concept design for Trek World and won’t see the light of day.

More information: Bicycle Design – The Broadsider

If anyone was wondering, which to be honest is fairly unlikely, the Halo Fix-T thread cover does not fit on a Paul Components High Flange hub, the bearing adjustment ring is too large.