Lots of work, lots to do at home and trying to get some bike time in have resulted in very little internet play. And, to be honest, you kinda lose the gist of the place if you aren't here everyday.
So what have I been up to?
First and foremost, working 'kin stupid hours trying to get the Project From Hell finished. This has involved lates most nights, 2 weekends and 2 through the nights. Not fun. Still, it's all done and dusted now and I'm hoping to have a bit of a respite!
Had a wicked weekend in sunny Spain, riding big hills on the finally-built Cove. Photos at http://www.flickr.com/groups/71013172@N00/pool/ and video at http://www.banditoriders.co.uk/archive/spain_07_vid.htm.
No riding this weekend (again) after a Friday night shifting the heaviest washing machine on the planet around the UK, Saturday building the wheels for the new Cove (tubeless are sooo fiddly! |Photos on www.flickr.com/photos/pimpmasterjazz) and today spent seeing relatives and fixing holes in surfboards in the rain. Bloody weather.
The irony of today's little venture is that the resin needs sunlight to cure. Ha bloody ha -- you can tell that it was developed in California. I have a nasty feeling that there's a bit of water trapped in the board too. We'll see.
Night rode wednesday with the usual suspects. Ended up on Combe Hill overlooking Aylesbury after a very sloppy slug around Wendover. Even though the wind was bitter and we were all pretty shot, the view is still ace and worth the spin, as is the cheeky trail down.
The singlespeed is feeling good, but I'm going to try and convert it back to its rigid roots this weekend to gain another psychological advantage over my fellow Wednesday-nighters. Heheh!
The new Cove looks like it may be reaching a stage of near completion this weekend as hopefully I'll have the wheels built... Hurrah! Then I think it needs a Welsh christening.
Been swimming as well, to try and cross train over the winter. I figured it'd be good as I had some muscle wastage in my back after breaking my collar bone. So far so good, but the collar bone is still aching after excercise and bunny hops and press-ups are out of the question. I guess that there's still a way to go before 'closure', as our Yankee friends would put it.
The car has gone to a new home, the singlespeed is up and running, Megatron has fetched £60 on ebay and I've painted the first bit of my lounge (sounds odd, but it's a period building full of fantastic/annoying warps, holes, nooks and crannies).
Took out the new singlespeed, complete with Hopes and an old Pace sus.fork (problems fitting the disc to the rigid) on a mini-epic on Sunday. A lot of fun and very aware of my lack of riding over the past few weeks. The bike is lovely though -- nimble but not twitchy, solid but not heavy. Sounds crap, but it's the best way I can think of describing it. The fact that I rode all morning in what could only be described as swill and the brakes and (one-speed) drivetrain worked at the end without a complaint is bliss. Discs rock! Hell -- singlespeeds rock. Even if they hurt a bit.
Pimpmaster Jazz
