Author Topic: anything happening lads.  (Read 16440 times)

jags

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Re: anything happening lads.
« Reply #15 on: June 13, 2015, 10:47:54 pm »
aw ya the wife told me i was a moan a minute ,
tomorrow she's off to america for 2 weeks, who the hell am i gonna moan to now. :'(

Templogin

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Re: anything happening lads.
« Reply #16 on: June 13, 2015, 10:59:35 pm »
An interesting few days.  I should be training for my trip from Aberdeen to Brighton and back, but just can't motivate myself to tackle the hideous weather we have had up in Shetland, including snow in May.  The Tern, mounted on a turbo trainer is soul destroying.  Cycling without any sort of view is beyond hideous.  Firstly, a few days ago I bumped into an American riding a Surly LHT outside my local shop (in Voe).  I talked to him about his bike and my Thorn.  He mentioned that he had come across two guys riding Thorns with Surly forks within the past couple of days.  As luck would have it the other half and I met them both in Lerwick's main street today.  Both on Nomad's, one yellow and one black, both with Surly forks, which made them look really short wheelbase, but they reckoned they steered better than the originals.  Their frames looked really small compared to my eXp.  Lovely guys, but you would expect no less of Thorn riders (and Yorkshiremen)!  The other half is now convinced more that ever that her Dawes Karakum must go to be replaced for a Nomad or a Raven.  She is slooow at decision making though so I might still be saying this next year.

A couple more merino long sleeve baselayer t-shirts have been delivered.  These are Peter Storm and £15 each.  They don't look as good as the Alpkit one (£39), but testing will tell the whole story.  There has also been a delivery of a couple of Craghoppers micro-fleeces and a new Rab jacket.  I have spent so much on this tour so far that I could have probably had a couple of weeks in Australia for the same money (sans bike of course!).

I have decided that when I get back I will start saving for a new adventure.  I want to do the Panamerican highway from Alaska down to the US/Mexico border.  I will need a full suss bike to handle the corrugations of the road through Alaska.  I don't want to be shaken to bits on the eXp.  I am eyeing a Tout Terrain Panamericana, after reading about a guy and his wife riding one through South America (on crazyguyonabike.com).  The price is horrendous, about 6,000 Euros, and I don't expect many come up used.  It's only a dream at the moment, and one which I will need a to do list for so at least I can start checking things off to get there.  I just need to persuade the other half to come with me.  A good test for her potential new Thorn perhaps?

This time next week I will be on the ferry from Shetland to Aberdeen, probably worrying about why I didn't practice cooking on my new MSR multi-fuel stove, and what the first batch of porage will turn out like.  Probably black and needing burying.

julk

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Re: anything happening lads.
« Reply #17 on: June 14, 2015, 02:22:03 pm »
templogin,
what route are you riding south from Aberdeen?
julk.

JimK

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Re: anything happening lads.
« Reply #18 on: June 14, 2015, 07:40:18 pm »
we pulled out my old Trek 520

went out today, my partner's son on the 520 & me on the Nomad, an easy 20 miles, to lunch and back. At the end he had no problem climbing that 11% grade up to our apartment. Looks like that bike is back on the road!

jags

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Re: anything happening lads.
« Reply #19 on: June 14, 2015, 07:41:20 pm »
happy days jim  :)

Templogin

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Re: anything happening lads.
« Reply #20 on: June 16, 2015, 03:04:39 pm »
templogin,
what route are you riding south from Aberdeen?
julk.

I am going south, probably down the dual carriageway to Stonehaven, then Montrose, Arbroath, Dundee, St Andrews, Kirkaldy, Edinburgh, Selkirk, Hawick, Carlisle, then following Bikerta's hill avoiding route until I turn off for Telford.  Then south until I go around the west side of the M25 and onto Horsham then 12 days at 5 Oaks with trips out to Worthing, Brighton, Henfield and Clapham.

My return trip is going to be via Peterborough, then hopefully up the east side of the country.

jags

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Re: anything happening lads.
« Reply #21 on: June 16, 2015, 06:42:39 pm »
Well my good woman  is away for another 12 days im left doing for meself.
man this cooking is driving me mental ,i'm brilliant at cleaning the house and bikes but cooking  NOOOOOOOOO. :'(

Just  fryed up a steak  awfull, broke the feckin egg and cooked way to many spuds .
man i sure hope the other half doesn't enjoy Sanfrancisco to much  she might decide to go for a month next time  :o


anto.

bikerta

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Re: anything happening lads.
« Reply #22 on: June 16, 2015, 09:59:55 pm »
Nothing wrong with a broken egg and too many spuds Anto. Save the spuds and fry them up tomorrow with some cabbage and you got yourself some bubble and squeak. Put another broken egg with it and lovely grub. You'll soon start to enjoy cooking exactly what you want.

Just sat having a pint of local brewed cider (strong enough to put hairs on your chest I think) which was a present given to me at school for my Birthday today. If the spelling starts to go astray then it's even stronger than I thought.   ;)

Weather still looking ok for the weekend, so hopefully will be cycling down to the Purbecks this weekend.

lewis noble

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Re: anything happening lads.
« Reply #23 on: June 16, 2015, 10:18:31 pm »
Still on the Sherpa, bikerta??  (Janice is it?)  How are you finding it for general cycling now you did your big trip last year?

Lewis
 

bikerta

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Re: anything happening lads.
« Reply #24 on: June 16, 2015, 11:02:25 pm »
Hi Lewis,

It's Jackie and yes I am still on the Sherpa. Still love the bike and use it everyday to cycle to work (only 2 miles each way though) May try out some thinner tyres at some point (Marathon Supremes 1.6 for my everyday riding) but will keep to the Duremes for touring.

Had a fabulous trip last year and really miss the fact that I will not be doing it this summer holiday. I am hoping to do another trip this year, but it will be on a more relaxed basis and stop and take in the sights a little more. I covered 1,170 miles on my JOGLE in 23 days and will probably do no more than 500 miles this year. Not even sure where to go yet, whether to try Wales (bit hilly though) or to go East and see Norfolk/Suffolk as I do not know that part of the country at all. Derbyshire and Yorkshire Dales or maybe just a trip up to the Cotswolds - choices, choices. I have been to Wales many times but not cycling. I grew up in Shropshire and know how hilly it can be. Would love to return to Scotland again at some point and cover more of the West Coast and Islands, but not this year as I have to save the pennies at bit at the moment and that would involve train journeys.


jags

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Re: anything happening lads.
« Reply #25 on: June 16, 2015, 11:11:07 pm »
what about ireland jackie tis nice over here ya know..


oh yeah i have great plans for the lefty over mountain spuds  ;)

anto.

Danneaux

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Re: anything happening lads.
« Reply #26 on: June 16, 2015, 11:57:14 pm »
Quote
what about ireland jackie tis nice over here ya know.
I've heard there's the occasional light rain shower and gentle breeze and cloudy days. Something about a few little lumps called hills....

 :D

All the best,

Dan.

jags

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Re: anything happening lads.
« Reply #27 on: June 17, 2015, 12:09:01 am »
Rain here in Ireland no way Dan sun is always out.
hills are a plenty but nothing like your used to, good  thing the roads are so wide you could drive 6  lorries side by side so loads of room  to take your own line up the hills. :)

ah yeah great wee country for cycling theres no cars allow on the country roads from 6am to 9pm forgot to tell u that.

anto.   

Danneaux

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Re: anything happening lads.
« Reply #28 on: June 17, 2015, 01:39:09 am »
Fantastic, Anto...in every sense of the word!  ;D

All the best,

Dan. (...who can't wait to see it all for himself someday)

John Saxby

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Re: anything happening lads.
« Reply #29 on: June 17, 2015, 02:53:40 am »
Hi Jackie, and happy birthday!

Quote
you got yourself some bubble and squeak

Been ages since I heard that phrase -- barely heard in these parts, 'cept when I use it myself.  (Amuses my family & the neighbours.) Glad your Sherpa is performing as advertised. Where are you going in the Purbecks?  I came to consciousness, as it were, in Corfe, and still delight in visiting Dorset and the West Country more generally, when we visit Foggie Olde. Lovely countryside, though I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea of cycling on either B roads or smaller A roads...