A Joyous Bike Ride

You know how it is,  just when you feel a little jaded about the whole cycling thing (the thick smog of Broomhill last night  didn't help) along comes a ride that puts the joy back into it and you are grinning like that 13 year old with his first real bike again.

Day off and the original plan was to head out toward Edale, maybe catch up with cycling Bob on his way back from camping but a late night, nasty cough and sore throat put paid to that.

Instead I got out around 11 and headed down to Malin Bridge. Took the main Loxley Road up to high Bradfield.  The Amey crew were out installing the new street lights so it cant be long till Loxley Road gets a long overdue resurface.

Past Stacey bank then I started to notice that the little side lanes had the shiny new black top on them already. Resisted the urge to go down Trouble Wood lane but ground my way up to High Bradfield. Stopped to enjoy the view that Le Tour will have next year, then took it easy down to the Post Office cafe, Woodfall Lane hasn't had its new surface yet and my days of 45 MPH down there have long gone.

Cup of tea at the cafe and a nice half hour chat with an old chap who was dog sitting for his son. So we get talking and it turns out he used to live 4 doors up from the Palm pub in Walkley before he moved out to Bradfield (after 30 years living here I realise this type of coincidence just happens in Sheffield)

Time to set off again so I just headed to the nearest piece of fresh tarmac I came across and kept following it. Blindsale Lane, single track, smooth as a pancake and not a car in sight. Glorious views over Dale Dyke Reservoir and across to the Strines. I must have been the first cyclist back up it, it was so freshly laid.

At the top of the lane had to swerve to avoid numerous toads basking on the fresh tarmac

 I just carried on taking whichever freshly surfaced lane I saw, the speeds crept up to 25mph on the flat and even the hills just rushed by.

At this point all I could think about that Ewan Maccoll song "the the joy of living". Not in a morbid way (he was dying when he wrote it of course) but just the shear joy of pedalling along smooth empty lanes in stunning scenery.

Ended up back down at the Damflask and took the main road back down to Malin Bridge. Not even Hillsborough's traffic jams could spoil the ride and I easily made the big climb up to Walkley via Walkley Bank

That whole area between Strines / Moscar / The Bradfields and Stocksbridge gets overlooked compared to the tourist traps around Hope, Castleton and Edale. I know where my next ride will be...just don't tell everyone else just yet .

Not the longest ride in the world (16 miles), not the fastest ride either, but just a perfect start to along weekend.

Up the Pole

The next Friday night ride (bike week 2012) is a little bit different from the normal city based fair as it’s a trip out to Stanedge Pole where Sheffield meets the edge of the Peak, and leads directly to nearby Stanage Edge (why the different spelling?). 

Micks away for the actual night of the ride, so together with Richard, Mick & I arranged a recce ride. I’m no stranger to heading out to Stanage (or Stanedge) but we were interested to try a route more in keeping with the gentler FNR approach and give Richard and myself some pointers for leading the route on the night.

We certainly wanted to avoid the main drag though Lodge Moor out to Redmires as the outbound carriageway is in an appalling state, all the way from Lodge Moor. We know this section well as it features on our regular Thursday evening circular route.

We set of from Devonshire Green, after just managing to stop Richard from heading off down West St, clearly on autopilot to Rotherham at that point.

Luckily we had picked a break in the rain (so we thought).

From Devonshire Green we took the Peak District Anniversary route out, except for a slight diversion from Broomspring Lane down Gloucester St, through the woods at the back of the Francis Newton pub (Aunt Sally’s as was). It just avoids a short section of busy road, and awkward junction by the Hallamshire Hospital.

 

From there it was along Clarkhouse rd. and up Endcliffe Vale. A Sheffield commuty transport bus did its best to wipe Mick out while he was waiting in the bike lane to turn right.

Onto Bingham park and a quick stop to look at the newly refurbished Shepherd Wheel. At this point it seemed to be raining quite heavily, although we weren’t sure if this was just the overnight rain still being blown down from the trees (it wasn’t!). Half term kids were enjoying jumping in the puddles.

Off onto the non-tarmaced sections through the woods,  Mick and I walking across the stepping stones, Richard took the plunge at the ford instead, brave man  (now always known as Gordon Selway’s stepping stones to me, having seen the man negotiate them complete with briefcase, umbrella, walking stick and Dawes galaxy at the Sheffield CCN way back when )

http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=9416

http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4050

Onwards up past Forge Dam and onto tarmac again at Clough Lane. From here a neat little switch of lanes that Richard and I discussed over a pint of Lord Maples in the Hallamshire House the previous evening. Double back along Mark Lane, Mayfield Road, onto Gorse Lane and Brown Hills Lane and you achieve the reservoirs at Redmires with a minimum of hill climbing. By now the rain was coming down hard, but we pushed on up to the Long Causeway cycled to the gate to the open moors and then cycled / walked the last 50m to the Pole.

I’m not mentioning any other points of interest along the route as we need to save them for the ride night.

Photos at the Pole then a swift ride back through the rain to Crosspool. The whole ride was highly enjoyable. It’s a short but invigorating ride and a pleasant way to get from the City Centre to the Peak. It rained hard up on the moors, but it was mild. Our only concession to the weather was not stopping for a pint at the 3 merry lads on the way back. We didn’t really feel like sitting in a pub in wet gear then setting off again.  Total distance (Walkley to Walkley) a little over 15 miles.

Now looking forward to doing it all again on the evening of Friday June 22nd, all the details are over on SNFR.org.uk

http://www.sfnr.org.uk/thye-next-sheffield-fnr/

My Pompetamine worked beautifully for the whole ride. I seem to have got the 8 speed Alfine hub dialled in to a suitable range for gentle off road stuff, still able to spin up to 22mph on tarmac. My cyclocross tyres were ideal for the mixed surface conditions and Id final got my rear avid 7 disk brake set up nicely. The Pompetamine has proved itself so accomplished as a cyclocross / commuter / tourer / gentle off roader that my brand newly built Cotic X  hasn’t had a look in yet this year.

Ian

 

spiked tyres back on

Snow is forecast!

Nokians back on

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp

Frame swap

so all I have to do is take all the bits of the white frame, and move them across to the ...errr... white frame.

chilly sunday ride

Me and the eldest snook off to Wyming Brook drive. Bit chilly round the edges

Winter Work in Progress

An update on my winter Pompino. Last winter it was a single speed. Now modified with an Alfine 8 speed hub. Now I could have just bought a new frame from on-one but not after the Browne review!

I used Sheldon's method with a large block of wood to cold set the frame to 135mm.

The gear change is a bit Heath Robinson for now, using an extension bar and a trigger shifter.

Im not shortening that cable till i decide on a final solution either one of theses

http://jtekengineering.com/jtek_bar-end_shifter.htm


Or this hideously expensive Shimano lever

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/BLVEVRS8/versa-vrs-8-brake-levers-pair-for-alfine-8sp-

Rest of the bike as last year, Race Face chainring, candy bros pedals, Schmidt hub dynamo with disk, Nokian studded snow tyres
























Still to come, front lo rider carrier, Solidlights dynamo front led, rear wheel nuts to tow the Yak Bob. One day it may get a disk on the rear.

Hows it ride? The Alfine is smooth and silent.

Ride through the East Midlands

Had a ride down to my mum and dads in Kettering , plus a stop over in Nottingham on the way. Ill post details soon but here are a few pics for now.