Commuters Daily

The Big THREE-OH..OH-OH

2006-10-26T12:54:00.000Z

Its been ages since my last post, to be honest that's down to a combination of work constraints as well as a distinct lack of anything particularly remarkable to report. Now that I do have something to report, however, I feel almost duty bound to make this a ridiculously long post so that I can bring everyone up to speed.

The reason for the post? Well, I've just gone through the 3000 mile barrier today. That means I have actually achieved the target I originally set myself but haven't quite reached the increased target that I ended up setting myself. I guess I have a few more days in the saddle ahead then.

What else?

Well, I guess if I pick up the story from my last post then Team Gear and Loathing did the business at the 10 Under The Ben
event earning 9th place and handing Team Four Crank Redemption a royal spanking in the process (they claim that mechanical failures were the cause of their demise but isn't this part and parcel of an endurance event?). Full results can be viewed from here but Cris put together an excellent montage of the event on his photo blog site (look for the gallery titled Ten Under The Ben - Ben Nevis, Fort William).

Since then, the only other cycling event I have been involved in was Pedal For Scotland 2006 which took place on 27 August and was from Glasgow to Edinburgh this year. Initially I had assumed that I would be cycling the event on my own and was focussed on trying to beat my solo time from last year which was 3hrs 40 mins. Three days before the event was due to start I was given the happy news that my Team Gear and Loathing team mate, Cris, would be joining me for the event and we spent an excited couple of nights planning how we would break the 3hr 40min time barrier and discussing whether it was feasible for us to record a time around the 3hrs mark (remember that we ride heavy, steel framed, commuter, mtb hybrid bikes, not carbon fibre racing machines). Anyway, Cris had been on a strict diet of circuit training and 1/2 marathons for a good few months by then so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when he darted off at the start of the race and basically pedalled at top speed for the duration of the whole event. It was everything I could do to keep on his back wheel (I couldn't have suffered the humiliation of being left behind by the Walsh!) and thanks to his manic pace setting we managed to finish in the top 30 riders (we were the only ones on mountain bikes) with an incredible time of 2hrs 31mins!!! Victory pints were this time courtesy of Mike and Annie Walsh who met us at the finish line.... eventually (we had obviously arrived a hell of a lot sooner than we had expected to).

The rest of the time has pretty much been normal cycling days, nothing too extreme to report apart from hitting the back of a bus one morning (they are made of plastic panels now BTW, very bouncy and not too painful) and snapping my rear hanger another morning and having to convert my bike into a single speed machine in a day (thanks to the guys on the Cycling Plus forums for their info and encouragement. Single speed riding is pretty strange at first but then becomes rather addictive and fun - I didn't fix the bike for a week after that because I was enjoy it so much.

So, 3000 miles done with 2 months left in the year which means i need to cycle 500 miles a month if i am going to reach my actual target of 4000 miles... might be a bit tight, but lets see how close I get.

:o)

Overall Total: 3005 miles

Gear and Loathing

2006-06-15T08:13:00.000Z

Cris, Pete, Jimbo and I are all entered in the 10 hour endurance race that is 10 Under The Ben. Taking place this weekend, the idea is that the team which has completed the most number of laps after 10 hours of competition, wins.

Simple really, but then I haven't mentioned the fact that as well as the individual challenge of mountain bike racing and the physical challenge that the 10 hour format will bring, we also have to face down a personal battle against our nemeses, Team Barlas (aka Four Crank Redemption). This team of young whippersnappers will be lead by their incredibly motivated captain, Simon Barlas, against the might of our own collection of finely honed athletes, lead out by our charismatic captain, Cris Walsh. The vitriolic verbal battle between these two captains has been in effect for the past couple of months now and has escalated to the point where the rest of the team members began to wonder if they would even be allowed to ride the event or whether the captains would simply choose to ride the full 10 hours themselves! Those concerns have been soothed however and the respective captains both appear fairly confident in their own teams abilities (although it would appear that Team Barlas have made a couple of team changes in the run up to the event).

Personally speaking, I'm just looking forward to a weekend of camping with friends, a good hard bike ride on Saturday and a lot of drinking on Saturday night. I've managed to borrow a bike for the event from a work mate, a Kona CinderCone which, after riding it back home last night, is quickly becoming my most favourite bike in my (very small) biking experience. I want one, even if it is only for blasting up and down the canal paths, it just makes everything so much more fun!

Anyway, because I have the Kona (and my computer is on my own bike), there are no more commuting miles to add on to the overall tally other than the couple of days I've done at the start of the week. We will be slapping a computer on the Kona at the weekend, so any miles I clock up there will be added to the overall total.

Here's to a cracking weekend.

Weekly Total: 44.61 miles
Overall Total: 1587 miles

World Cup 2006

2006-06-11T23:36:00.000Z

Its started.

I know that because I've just got back after flying down to Luton over the weekend along with my mate Paul who is an avid England fan (well he's English, so he has little choice in the matter) to watch the England v Paraguay game in the heart of the motherland and to enjoy the fine hospitality of our excellent host, Mr Sweeper, who has just bought himself a fantastic little property in the lovely village of Chesunt, Hertfordshire. England managed to earn an unconvincing win.

Anyway, I broke through the 1500 mile barrier this week. I reckon I'm about 6 weeks behind where I should be if I am to reach my target but as long as I'm still cycling every week then I will certainly smash last year's total.

Weekly Total: 95.77 miles
Overall Total: 1542 miles

It's damn quiet around here...

2006-06-04T21:35:00.000Z

It's been a while since my last ramble, but that isn't to say that I've stopped cycling, it's more a reflection on an increased workload at work (how dare they!) and also a lack of free time at home (which is a good thing). I guess my motivation for recording every single aspect of the challenge has dwindled and I'm less concerned about the days I can't cycle in (eg because I'm off to the beach for a kitesurfing session that evening) and enjoying the journey more as a result.

Total travelling over the past 4 weeks: 256.5 miles
Overall Total: 1447 miles

The Story of a Screw

2006-05-14T21:10:00.000Z

Imagine, if you will, the minor existance of a small screw, whose primary remit is to tightly fix a small, shaped lump of brass (aka a cleat) to the bottom of a piece of moulded plastic and rubber (aka a cycling shoe).

Now this screw has no other real concerns in life, it really has nothing more to focus its energy on overcoming the deadly vibrations that try to shake loose its hold on the cleat and pedal along with the daily barrage of mud, water, dust and the odd sliver of dog poo (it happens). Its no wonder, therefore, that when it comes to the time for the screw to relinquish his duty and allow the cleat he has loved more dearly than a brother to be replaced by a newer, shinier version that the screw decides to put up a vicious resistance to the impending change, a resistance that ultimately leads to his complete demise (as well as the total destruction of his friend, the cleat).

Translation?

The cleats I had on my cycling shoes were so worn out that my feet were constantly slipping out the pedals. I hadn't greased the screws before I put the cleats on so a few months of day to day dirt has proved to be a better weld than some industrial glues and I eventual had to take a hacksaw to the cleat to get the damn thing off!!

Check the photo to see how much the old cleat has been worn compared to the new one and also the hacksaw action that I had to resort to after rounding the head of the screws (the new cleats have been installed with waterproof grease in the threads).

Weekly Total: 77.58 miles
Overall Total: 1264 miles

Whale of a Time

2006-05-07T22:05:00.000Z

A busy week culminating in a strangely relaxing and ultimately enjoyable float in the North Sea.

It was a Bank Holiday and I had to take Thursday off work to look after my sick son (who then got very healthy rather quickly and demanded a game of football about lunchtime) so that was 2 days off the bike. The rest of the week was pretty nice, Thursday's storms didn't bring any more rain the next day and I was happy to finish off the week cycling home in glorious sunshine.

The 'floating in the North Sea' bit? That was something that transpired after the wind failed to make an appearance on Sunday afternoon and made all our kite kit completely redundant. Almost all of it, actually - I was (eventually) persuaded to clamber into my suit by the rest of the group and we all made a desperate attempt to imitate a collection of basking seals as we floated in and under and through and over the 8 foot waves that were crashing about us. Brilliant fun.

More sunshine forecast for next week, which means more excuses to let the world see how white my legs really are.

Weekly Total: 62.65 miles
Overall Total: 1186 miles

Guess Who's Back?

2006-05-02T14:44:00.000Z

Apologies for the lack of updates - although its been fairly quiet on the blog front, its been pretty busy behind the scenes.

I got the bike back about two weeks ago, and have actually been enjoying a relatively trouble-free experience on it since it came back from Halfords, although I hadn't been aware that exorcism was a service option with them.

Anyhow, the bike's back and I'm back in the zone again and cycling almost every day. I don't seem to be as focussed on the whole 'challenge' thing however, I'm much more content to cycling the majority of the days but, if I have to go in particularly early or work late, then its back to catching the train or a taxi to complete the journey. Its not that I've lost the bug or that I can't be bothered to bike in, its just I've discovered that it makes far more sense to cycle whenevr possible, but sometimes its simply not an option without ridiculous effort and organisation. The new 'business casual' dress code at work doesn't help either - shirts and trousers do not tend to travel well when compared to jeans and t-shirts but I do seem to be getting the knack of (almost) crease free folding... any tips would be gladly received however.

Total since getting my bike back: 140.59 miles
Overall Total: 1124 miles

No bike today

2006-04-13T07:18:00.000Z

I did pick up the bike last night, even managed to fit the speedo and generally get it ready for the journey in until I rememebered taht i was supposed to be onsite this morning at 7am, so I decided to leave the bike at home and restart the challenge next week.

It's Ready?

2006-04-12T14:09:00.000Z

Just received a call from Halfords, Clydebank to tell me that my bike has been repaired and is ready to be picked up.

I'll get it after work today and hopefully be back on the road tomorrow morning. I'm praying that the repair will be far better than the quality i have come to expect from Halfords over the years.... fingers crossed!

It's Cursed, I Tell Thee!

2006-04-04T10:50:00.000Z

I don't remember smashing any mirrors recently, I haven't desecrated any shrines and I'm absolutely certain that I have kept up with the regulatory number of sacrifices this year.... so why is my new bike cursed?

The journey home last night was hampered by a slow puncture that I picked up after about 10 mins. This isn't usually too much of a problem, its just a case of stopping to repair the puncture or replace the tube and get back on my way again. Unfortunately, however, after I dug out my puncture repair kit I discovered that I'd left my tyre levers back in Mabie Forest when I repaired a puncture on Sunday - bugger. No tyre lever meant a pretty nasty job trying to remove the tyre so I decided to reinflate the tyre and see how far I could get before I had to pump it up again. By the time I got home, I had had to stop four times to pump up the tyre.
Not a brilliant start to a new bike relationship, but I figured I had the answer to the problem and decided to swap over the tubes currently on the bike with Dr Sludge tubes that I bought from Chain Reaction when I had my last bike. It took a bit of time and effort, but I was glad that I'd changed them over and that I had one good 'spare' tube to take with me. Unfortunately the bike did fall over at one point during the process (it was upside down at the time), but other than that, all seemed to go fairly well and I went on to replace the nasty cheap flat pedals that had come with the bike with some shiny and new Candy pedals.

Which takes the story up to this morning, a lovely sunny day with a hint of winter in the air, absolutely perfect cycling conditions and a brilliant time to be out on the bike. I liked the new setup, the pedals made me feel more connected to the bike, the new inner tubes filling me with confidence as I dodged through on of the puddles of broken glass that can be found along Glasgow's roads, my only gripe was that I couldn't go faster (the other bike had more gears). It was turning out to be a good day....

... and then my rear mech got stuck in the spokes in my rear wheel and brought everything to a crashing stop.

The bike falling over the night before had bent the rear mech hanger which meant that the rear mech was able to shift up into the path of the turning wheel itself. 2 spokes snapped and one is pretty badly bent and the rear mech is almost unrecognisable. Not good.

I've dropped the bike off at Halfords, hardly the most auspicious of bike repair shops, but the closest one available to me at the time. The bike won't be fixed until Monday. Definitely cursed.

My only consolation? Well, the replacement sensor for my bike computer still hasn't arrived, so none of the cycling this week would have counted towards the overall mileage.

Back on the Road

2006-04-03T07:49:00.000Z

I had to pedal through a small hail storm to get into work this morning but it only lasted a few minutes and I was rewarded with glorious sunshine for the remainder of my journey.

The new bike was smooth, unfamiliar and felt a little clunky compared to my last bike, but a few modifications along the way and it was feeling far better by the time I got to work. I didn't have time to put on my replacement clipless pedals though and really noticed a difference riding in on falts.

No bike computer yet so no mileage towards the challenge, but its lovely to be able to opt out of the souless commute by train.

New Bike

2006-04-02T20:18:00.000Z

I got to pick up my new bike from Edinburgh this evening. The shop closed at 6pm and we managed to make it there by 5.57pm after some awesome and audacious driving from Pete who managed to claw back the time we lost due to roadworks and slow traffic on the drive back up from Dumfries.

Bike's all ready to go, my legs have had a wee bit of exercise today and its looking like its going to be a wet start to the week - bring it on.

Team Training

2006-04-02T20:04:00.000Z

It was the first training session for Team Gear and loathing today.

Gear and Loathing is a team of four riders currently entered in the 10 Under the Ben endurance race that is taking place on the 17th / 18th June this year. It's going to be pretty cool to race offroad for the very first time, but the pressure is on as we also have to beat our nemeses, Team Four Crank Redemtion who comprise of Simon, Gaz, Jim and their secret weapon, Mr TBC. Apparently Mr TBC is a uber-fit athlete with a carbon fibre bike, but after todays 20 mile training session, we reckon we'll have the measure of him.

It was a wet day in Mabie Forest today, lots of slippy root, sticky mud, nasty rocks, a stinky bog and the odd tricky skinny, but we all finished the course with wide smiles and some serious filthy clothes.

Top day out - thanks to Pete, Cris and, of course, the mighty Hippo (who's hospitality really is second to none).

Run Forrest, Run!

2006-03-29T22:17:00.000Z

Cris and Pete both pushed themselves way beyond their comfort zones on Sunday when they took part in the Edinburgh Half Marathon on Sunday.

Both of them did brilliantly well, both have also had very different thoughts on the whole experience; Cris loved the experience and is looking to repeat it again by signing up to do another run in the very near future. Pete on the other hand, while being suitably chuffed with his performance, came out with the classic quote 'man, I could have been cycling or kiting'.

Cris managed to run the route in an amazing 1hr 30mins while Pete managed to run the whole route in 1hr 51mins.

Pics of the event can be found at www.marathon-photos.com but I could only find pictures of Cris but none of Pete (sorry Pete).

Well done gents, way to go!

UPDATE: We've found Pete!! (it does look like i am walking but i can assure u im running - slowly!)

Insurance claimed

2006-03-29T22:10:00.000Z

OK, thats the deal done.

The insurance company will reimburse me the cost of my bike (2005 model not available so they will pay for a 2006 version) as well as the cost of the various accessories that I had on the bike too. Not a bad deal, until they then spring the £110 excess that they cream right off the top of that - ouch.

As a result of that, my new bike is ordered and will be available for pick up on Sunday afternoon. I've stuck with the Revolution brand and even with the frame that I loved so much on the Cuillin Sport but I have had to consider costs and set my sights on a slightly more commuter friendly bike, the Revolution Trailfinder 2006. I'm getting new clipless pedals and a new pannier rack for the bike too.

Can't wait to get back on the trail again and start clocking up those miles.

It's Gone!!! Thieving Scum.

2006-03-24T15:16:00.000Z

I hooked up with a former work colleague of mine yesterday evening for a couple of hours of catching up interspersed with the odd game of pool. In the two hours (6.15pm - 8.15pm) that I was inside the Sports Cafe bar on Sauchiehall Street, someone decided to help themselves to my bike, which was chained to the railings just outside. The bouncers never saw anything, the police say that the CCTV cameras haven't been able to see anything, the policeman handling my case has said that all they can really do is take a note of the frame number (SA41144544) and if they retrieve any propety that looks remotely like the bike (black MTB, Revolution Cuillin Sport, crud catcher mudguards, pannier rack, Candy SL pedals, twin Electron front lights) then they will check to see if it has a frame ref that matches. I won't hold my breath.

Probably the most frustrating thing about the whole situation was that I'd deliberately cycled a sufficient number of miles this week so that I'd be breaking through the 1000 mile barrier today. I figured that would have been a pretty cool way to end the week. Oh well, just makes the challenge that little bit more interesting.

I'll give the insurance company a call over the weekend and see what they say about the matter.

Weekly Total: 77.07 miles
Overall Total: 982 miles

Cycling Weather

2006-03-22T09:40:00.000Z

The last couple of days have been glorious sunshine coupled with a cold snap in the air - perfect cycling weather.

Weekly Total: 50.45 miles

Weekend

2006-03-19T13:56:00.000Z

The Sunday Service was duly completed this weekend following an amazing day on the slopes on Saturday where Seonaidh learnt how to turn, I learnt how to go fakie and Bov and Kinnie made every effort to cover every square metre of the Glenshee pistes. Burnt noses and big wide smiles all round.

Tough Week

2006-03-17T19:20:00.000Z

I found it hard getting back into the cycling this week after a couple of easy days the week before. Not getting to clean and grease the bike also made a big difference too. Still, got more miles under my belt and I'm off snowboarding tomorrow - all good.

Weekly Total: 89.76 miles
Overall Total: 905 miles

Weather-tastic

2006-03-16T23:14:00.000Z

It was a crazy day weatherwise today.

I left the house in the midst of a blizzard, I arrived at work in glorious sunshine. It was dry when I left work but in the last section of the journey home it poured with rain!

Weekly Total: 67.93 miles

Feeling Flat and Knackered

2006-03-15T21:35:00.000Z

The day started off so well. The roads were dry, it wasn't that cold, bike seemed to be running well... then I picked up two punctures on the way into work, which kind of put a dampner on things.

Work was busy, really busy, but the cycle home is normally something that helps clear the head and help unwind. This time however, it felt draining. No real answers why, just hope it feels better tomorrow.

Self-sealing inner tubes have now been purchased and are en route. Overall spending has gone up to £361.83.

Weekly Total: 45.87 miles

Snow Travels

2006-03-14T23:55:00.000Z

So I did manage to cycle in to work on Monday. It was a pretty stressful situation at first, crowded roads, single lane traffic and a complete lack of traction anytime I was stupid enough to try and cycle through a snow drift. Once I stopped being so tense and basically just embraced the situation I'd put myself in, things quickly became a whole lot more fun, to the point that I even decided to complete the last 500m of the journey by cycling through the foot deep snow on the canal path - that was a hilarious and rather time consuming mistake to make, but bloody good fun.

I only cycled one way on Monday and again today due to work problems on Monday and family commitments today, but I'm pleased I've managed to cycle at all and hope to cycle the rest of the week as the snows melting.

Weekly Total: 23.92 miles

Whiteout

2006-03-12T15:58:00.000Z

I went to bed just after midnight last night after enjoying the light snow showers that coloured the evening sky with a hint of white. When I woke up this morning, however, it was a completely different scene - almost a foot of snow covering the driveway, the garden, the shed, the car, the bin... everywhere was covered with a magnificent blanket of snow.

We've spent the day sledging, snowboarding (had to be done), building snowmen and having snowball fights and its been brilliant. Now all I have to do is decide whether or not its feasible to cycle in to work tomorrow morning. Just now its looking pretty shaky, but thats a good reason to make the attempt.

Saturday Service

2006-03-11T15:52:00.000Z

Cris was subjected to a masterclass in the basic servicing that I give my bike each week. It started off with a midweek email where Cris revealed that he probably hadn't cleaned or lubed his bike in almost a year. I responded by sending him the list below:

Anyway, to cut a longish story short, we cleaned Cris's bike this morning and, while he still needs to replace the chain and the brake blocks, everything else is looking all bling and clean. Happy Walshy.

Busy

2006-03-10T18:25:00.000Z

Snowboarding at the weekend was excellent, my sincerest thanks to Pete for being my personal flunkey and driving me about the place.

Its been busy at work this past week, but I've been on the bike every day and enjoyed the mix of weather that we've had. Its been cold, its been rainy, its been warm enough for shorts & t-shirts but the best thing of all is that its been staying light enough in the evenenings that I've not had to use my lights on the way home (much).

I forgot to declare a recent purchase for the bike, I bought myself a new bike lock (£8.75). That takes my overall spending for the year up to £351.85, ouch.

Weekly Total: 110.16 miles
Overall Total: 816 miles

In Town Training

2006-03-03T22:35:00.000Z

I've been on a training course all week this week. The training centre is in the centre of Glasgow, on Renfield Street, so I'd been in two minds about whether or not I would bother cycling in each day (its only 5 mins on the train). Anyway, I'm glad I did because I've managed to notch up over 60 miles bombing into and about town!

Most of that mileage can be attributed to a new form of cycling that was suggested to me by Guru Walsh, 'tripping'. Basically, the idea revolves around using the bike for those wee trips to the corner shop and popping down to the video shop, the post office etc. The trips themselves don't have to be particularly long at all, but the miles do mount up and for me, thats all that counts this year. Cheers Mr Walsh, its working like a good 'un.

Off snowboarding again this weekend, the snow is looking amazing and conditions have been described as the best of the season, so I can't wait. The only downer is that I actually have to work tomorrow morning, so I'm going to head in for about 6am and try and get away by 8.30am. Pete has kindly agreed to be my chauffeur for the weekend, I owe you big time amigo!

Weekly Total: 64.19 miles
Overall Total: 705 miles

Catch Up

2006-02-25T17:46:00.000Z

Been hectic these past few days, so I haven't had much chance to post.

Wednesday was a superp day on the slopes, carving up the Scottish snow with Hippo and Bovito, loving the glorious sunshine and blue skies.

Thursday gave me a chance to work the aches and pains from snowboarding back out of my legs and the end of the week finished with a lovely cold snap that brought sunshine and dry days, with the evening cycle being made almost entirely without a need for lights.

I'm on a training course next week, the training centre is in Glasgow city centre so I'm not too sure whether I'll be cycling or whether I'll be reduced to taking the train in (I'm just not sure where I'd lock my bike up in town). Nevertheless, my weekend cleaning regime has now been completed, I have a freshly cleaned and lubed chain on my clean bike and the brakes have been retuned in case I feel the need to out-skid some small kids in the local park.

Weekly Total: 91.31 miles
Overall Total: 641 miles

Winter Weather

2006-02-21T23:30:00.000Z

Its cold again this week. Dry and cold = perfect cycling conditions.

The past couple of nights I've made the rather rash decision of cycling home in shorts and t-shirt. Maybe not the smartest idea but it certainly seemed to give me the incentive to pedal home faster.

Hopefully the cold snap will continue for a while longer yet, I'm hitting the slopes and trading the bike for a cheeky day of snowboarding tomorrow, my first session of the year. Forecast is predicting a sunny day with relatively low winds. Looking forward to a good day out with Jimbo & Bov.

Weekly Total: 44.03 miles

Summer vibe?

2006-02-17T18:33:00.000Z

A nice cycle in this morning - well, it was dry and sunny, so no complaints from me. The ride back home was amazing though - it was still daylight when I left work, it was relatively warm, so it felt quite summery as i cycled home in my shorts & t-shirt. It was only at the end of the journey, as it started to get quite dark, that the temperature started to drop towards freezing.

I did buy a couple more things for the bike today, my overall spend on the bike jumping up to £351.85 to date. Essential purchases, however, if I intend to keep my bike in as good condition as possible.

Not a bad week, all in. I made it through the 100 mile barrier and also passed 500 miles in the overall distance.

Weekly Total: 101.1 miles
Overall Total: 550 miles

Rain and Fire

2006-02-15T21:18:00.001Z

A monstrous hailstorm kicked off about 20 mins beforI cycled past a nasty looking fire in Maryhill tonight, can't find any news articles ae I left the office tonight. Luckily however, the clouds had cleared up by the time I'd changed into my cycling kit and it was a relatively dry journey home.

I did have to cycle through the remains of a fire around the Maryhill area this evening - the black smog seemed to hang everywhere and made visibility very bad indeed. Hope no-one was hurt.

Weekly Total: 57.05 miles

Time Trial

2006-02-13T16:24:00.000Z

After feeling particularly amped about my first session with my new kite yesterday (sincere thanks to Cris, Pete, Si and Jim for all their assistance through the day), I decided that it was time to have the first timed run into work. This was also precipitated by the fact that I discovered my new speedo has an automatic trip timer on it too and that I didn't have to walk the kids to school toady (half term).

Anyway, the journey was non-descript, but the results were pretty decent:

Total time: 36mins 40 secs
Max speed: 37 mph (slipstreaming a bus)
Av. speed: 16.65 mph

That beats my previous record of 37mins 53secs and I feel sure that I can beat the new record again this year.

Weekly Total: 10.19 miles

Stats are Back!

2006-02-09T21:44:00.000Z

Managed to finally sort the speedo late last night, it turned out that the magnet on the wheel wasn't close enough for the sensor on the fork to pick it up (it needs to be 5mm). I actually ended up using the magnet from my old speedo to fix the problem, but the problem is solvexd and it is stat-licious around here now (for instance, it took me 45mins 46secs to cycle home 10.9 miles tonight).

Only 4 days of cycling this week (I'm off work tomorrow because the kids are on half-term) and a paltry 27 miles recorded - thats pretty harsh.

Weekly Total: 27 miles
Overall Total: 449 miles

Still no stats

2006-02-08T18:53:00.000Z

I was through in Edinburgh last night, so the speedo was fitted to the bike on the late night train back home (about 11pm) and then more tinkering took place this morning about 6.30am.

Neither session has resulted in a working speedo unfortunately, so its been a day of cycling but no stats.

Weekly Total: 10.05miles

Sorted

2006-02-07T14:21:00.000Z

New bike computer purchased (Halfords to the rescue) - just need to fit it tonight before I cycle home.

I think I've set the wheel size correctly and I was glad to find a reprogramable odometer function on the computer too - I've programmed in the 422 miles that my old computer has recorded this year (and managed to resist the temptation to add an extra 20 odd miles for the miles that have been stolen from me so far).

TCO: £340.87

Overall Total: 422 miles

Road to Nowhere

2006-02-07T12:34:00.000Z

Its Tuesday, I've cycled in to work and back home again yesterday and then in again this morning. My mileage so far this week? A mere 10.05 miles - the bloody speedometer is playing up again, I'm off to the bike shop at lunchtime to buy a replacement.

Weekly Total: 10.05 miles

End of the Week

2006-02-05T21:36:00.000Z

It's been a good weekend. Nothing too much has happened, but its pretty much all been good.

The cycle back home on Friday night was a struggle after the morning farce, I basically had to carry back all the stuff that had taken me two days to carry in. I made it though, and was pleased to break through the 100 mile barrier again in spite of the various speedo and mechanical issues I've encountered.

The cost of the new tube and tyre needs to be added in to the Total Cost of Ownership tally too:

Total Cost of Ownership: £326.88

Thats a pretty hefty figure for only the first month of this challenge, but if I add in the fact that I managed to complete over 400 miles this month, basic maths dictates that its costing me less than £1 per mile to commute into work, a figure which should reduce drastically over the next few months. I also only have to break that 400 mile barrier again 9 more times and I will have achieved my target. There's a chance I could have this all wrapped up by October!

Weekends Chez McFlea are generally a torrid affair of suburban dwelling interspersed with a multitude of kids activities and classes. The same murky mix was endured again this weekend, but it was made far more palatable because this time we CYCLED to each of the classes. The boys seemed more than pleased to be scooting about the roads on their bikes and that made me pretty chuffed too who knows, maybe I can persuade them to start their own blogs detailing their experiences on the road?

Sat 4 Feb
Dad dragged me out on the bloody bike again this morning, said some stuff about 'building character' but all I know is that I had cold fingers and dirty jeans by the end of it. Wish he knew how to drive so we could have taken the car.

Weekly Total: 104.76 miles
Overall Total: 411.9 miles

Operation Business Casual

2006-02-03T11:54:00.000Z

Its been a hive of activity at McFlea HQ this week. I had meeting to attend this morning. We were going over to visit one of our major hardware suppliers, Hewlett-Packard and, as with all other occasions when we meet customers or suppliers, the dress code would be 'business casual'.

My normal work attire is jeans and a t-shirt. This is simply because the majority of our work is not customer facing and so a relaxed dress policy is in place. Conveniently, jeans and t-shirts travel very well indeed when stuffed into a backpack or pannier and no-one really gives a stuff if there's the odd visible wrinkle or crease in your clothes.

Anyway. Business casual is no problems, but cycling in to work and business casual poses some concerns. How do I transport the shirt and slacks without either creasing? What about my dress shoes (I keep a pair of trainers in the office), how will I carry them in as well as my squash kit (I play squash on a Friday)? So many things to deal with... its time to plan Operation Business Casual.

Operation Business Casual
OK - so the first thing that I established was that taking my stuff in would have to be spread in over 2 separate days. I would take my squash kit, my smart jacket and my dress shoes in on the Thursday morning and then take in my trousers and shirt on the Friday. I would need to work out a way of transporting the shirt and trousers to minimise creasing too.

Thursday's operation (Operation Business Casual - Part 1) went without a hitch. All good were transported safely and distributed in various places about the office (we aren't allowed to keep shoes, clothes etc in the office).

Friday (this morning) was a hectic affair. I managed to get the kids up out of bed OK, got my trousers and shirt folder up together and then carefully squeezed them into a plastic bag and then placed that carefully into my backpack (apparently the trick to preventing creases is to pack the clothes tight, but not too tight, so that they can't move around in the bag). Everything packed up, I set off on Operation Business Casual - Part 2.

The kids were dropped off on time and without any issues. Everything was going like clockwork, my only concerns were whether or not I would make it on time (I had to be showered and in the office block by 9.30am) and whether my clothes would be crease free. If only that was to be my only worries of the morning.

About 10 mins into the journey, just at the Bingo hall at Broadholm Street, I realised that my rear tyre was going flat pretty quickly. I hadn't seen any glass on the road but I had no time to try and work out exactly what had happened, I could only replace the punctured tube with my spare and get back on my way. 10 mins later I was sorted and back on the road again and I was soon back on time again. A little extra speed in sections where I would normally ease off, allowed me to make the time up and I was feeling confident about making the Playdrome in time, which meant i only had my concerns about creasing my clothes to deal with.

Then disaster struck.

I'd been pedalling along for at least 20 - 30 mins and thinking that my back tyre hadn't really been running as straight as it had been previously. I was assuming that I'd somehow managed to knock it out of line somewhat and was considering where I could take the wheel at the weekend to get it trued up. I certainly didn't expect to hear a loud 'woosh' of air and feel the whole tyre deflate in just a second or so and had to quickly turn off onto the pavement. My 2nd blowout.. only 8 - 10 mins from my final destination. A quick
assessment revealed that the tyre sidewall was damaged and I knew that for the tube to deflate so quickly meant a pretty big hole or tear in the tube, probably irreparable. Obviously it didn't help that, in the interests of saving time, I had thrown away my other tube rather than stuff it into my bag, so I had absolutely no way of repairing the bike which meant I would have to walk the remainder of the distance... gutted.

I made the obligatory phone call to excuse myself from the meeting and began my long, slow walk of shame. I did stop off at Halfords along the way and buy myself a new inner tube and tyre (and decided to fit them there and then). I made it in to work just after 10am, with nary a crease on either my shirt nor my trousers.

Operation Business Casual has been deemed a failure and now I'm sitting at work with a shirt and trousers on and everyone keeps asking if I've been at a job interview!!

Weekly Total: 90.29 miles

Speedo Woes

2006-01-31T13:28:00.000Z

Another lovely frosty morning this morning and it felt exhilerating to be experiencing it all from the relative comfort of the bike.

Unfortunately, about 9 miles into the journey, my speedometer started playing up again. I stopped the bike, checked that the speedo magnet and the sensor were correctly aligned, made sure there was no dirt on the back of the speedo and set off again - the numbers flickered up on teh display but soon disappeared again. Frustrated, I then began a series of attempts to resolve the issue by cleaning the speedo connectors again, bending the speedo clasp into a more prominient position so that it would be held more firmly to the cradle, cleaning the speedo magnet, realiging the sensor... a myriad of different tasks which all resulted with the same initial flicker of life and then nothing.

I gave up after that.

Well, at least until I got to the Playdrome and put the spedometer in my pocket while I went in for a shower. On my return to the bike, I slotted the speedo back into its cradle (I don't know why - habit?) and cycled over to the office block that i work in. The speedo worked the whole of that mini trip!

My diagnosis?

The bloody thing doesn't like the cold! We'll soon find out, I've borrowed some de-icer from a work colleague and applied it liberally (read 'drowned the bugger in it').

Weekly Total: 30.86 miles

Canal Desires

2006-01-30T22:45:00.001Z

It was a cold one today. So cold, that condensation actually turned to ice as I rode in this morning. It was so cold that my smile seemed to be frozen to my face. It really was lovely out there today.

I cycled along the canal path in the morning, working my way through the bitter morning mist and grumbling at my iPod's pathetic battery life after it died only about 20mins into the journey (on a particularly banging tune, no less). The cycle back home was equally cold and equally misty but in a more sinister and mysterious way as I pedalled my way back home along the dark canal path.

The canal path at night is a pretty exhilarating place to be. I remember hanging out alongside the canal banks in Edinburgh when I was a school boy, letting off fireworks and generally getting up to mischief, so maybe its simply that fond memories make cycling along that route at night particularly enjoyable. The lack of lighting along the canalside also makes it exciting, although this is usually tinged with just a hint of trepidation when you see a cluster of baseball caps up ahead. Touch wood though, nothing too bad has happened to me when I've taken the canal route home at night, other than a little verbal abuse (easy to ignore), the odd stone being thrown and, on one occasion, an empty bottle. All have missed and none have damaged my experience of those dark rides back home.

Weekly Total: 23.07 miles

2006-01-30T22:45:00.000Z

Catch Up

2006-01-28T17:38:00.000Z

Its been a busy couple of days and the cycling seems to have just faded into being part of a normal day. This is a good thing - it isn't such a hard decision to get up and get out on the bike anymore, I don't pedal in wishing that I was sitting in a warm train carriage instead and I seem to enjoy the dull ache that my legs constantly seem to have now. I managed 3 games of squash last week and cycled home every time - seems to be a great way of warming down.

So, I've cycled 5 days a week for the past 3 weeks now and the odometer is looking healthy. If I can keep this rate up, I should have reached my target by the end of October, which would be brilliant - I really can't see me cycling every week day from now till November though.

On a different note, I got my new kite delivered on Thursday. Its a 12m Takoon Nova and I'm hoping (expecting) it to be my ticket to experiencing the rush that kitesurfing seems to bring the rest of my friends. I have done nothing more than unfurl the kite and then roll it back up and watch the instructional DVD, but it looks and feels the business and I'm itching to try it out. Shame there's no wind!

Anyway, back to cycling...

Weekly Total: 111.85 miles
Overall Total: 307.1 miles

Winter Sunshine

2006-01-25T21:32:00.000Z

It was cold today, but another lovely sunrise and a an easy ride home made it a good day all round.

Weekly Total: 66.94 miles

Cold Toes

2006-01-24T23:56:00.000Z

I like my new cycling shoes, but they're hardly what you might call 'winter atire'. I've been wearing the neoprene overshoes that I bought at the same time over them during the wet and wild weather and found them to be very comfortable and very effective. Today was forecast to be a dry but cold day and so I figured the overshoes would be overkill. What a mistake - my toes were bloody freezing!!

It was lovely to see the sunrise this morning, however, a big red sun sitting low in the sky as I pedalled alongside the canal.

Weekly Total: 44.58 miles

Dark Mud

2006-01-23T21:13:00.000Z

I made the mistake of trying to cycle down the canal path in the dark tonight. After no rain for the last few days, I thought it might be pretty dry, but while it hasn't rained, it hasn't been warm either and the dirt path was just as muddy as if it had been raining all day. It made for an interesting experience, sliding about in the mud with nothing but a set of bike lights for visibility... I soon elected to cut back on to the road and finish the journey in the relative safety of Great Western RoaD.

Weekly Total: 22.29 miles

Burst Bladder

2006-01-23T10:04:00.000Z

Top Tip: Riding a bike with a full bladder is NOT a particularly nice experience. The "I-need-a-pee" mantra is a rather good motivation, however, as long as you don't try to extend the experience too much past 60mins...

Bought myself a chain splitter / multi tool at the weekend too - I needed it to take off a couple of links from the new SRAM chains that I bought. One of the new chains is on the bike now, well oiled up and turning smoothly. Lovely.

Multi Tool: £9.99
TCO: £309.90

Weekly Total: 11.90 miles

100+

2006-01-20T17:25:00.000Z

Had to dash home today - there's a works night out in The Bunker tonight from 5.30pm. People seemed slightly alarmed that I was prepared to be late for the free bar & buffet in order to pedal my bike home and notch up those end of week miles. I'm quite pleased though, I've cycled more than 100 miles this week.

Weekly Total: 105.33 miles
Overall Total: 195.3 miles

Buying Stuff

2006-01-20T11:53:00.000Z

More purchases for the bike:

Finish Line Wet Lube: £4.99

GT85: £3.99

Beater Blockers

Hopefully the Blockers will arrive tomorrow and I can fit them to my shoes - the cleats are chewing the soles of the shoes apart!!

TCO: £299.91 (and its not even the end of January yet - ouch).

X-Men

2006-01-20T11:38:00.000Z

Have you ever watched one of the X-Men movies and watched Storm use her powers? Big, dark, odious clouds start to gather her around her, her eyes flash white and a mean wind starts blowing...

It was like that for me this morning, but although I tried to spot her floating about the place, I couldn't see her anywhere. Had to peddle through her damn storm though.

Weekly Total: 94.98 miles

I am Sailing..

2006-01-19T19:37:00.000Z

Bit gusty today, I'm starting to think that I might be improving my sailing skills as opposed to my biking skills as i battled through the various gusts and squalls that seemed to wrap themselves around buildings and try to batter my bike off the road. At least it was dry this time.

Weekly Total: 83.10 miles

Face Your Challenge

2006-01-18T21:03:00.000Z

It was a wet ride home tonight. Crazy wet = crazy grins even through the nightmare of having to change my punctured tyre in the dim light of a street light amidst a torrent of rain. My first puncture of the year!

Anyway, I feel I have to answer a question put to me by the beautiful Claxton who has queried whether my 4000 mile challenge is any sort of challenge at all.

Cal correctly points out that I average 80 miles a week on the bike and that if I notch up 80 miles a week for every week of the year then I will surpass my target.

But...

I only make the distance if I cycle every one of those weeks. I can't allow for bike repairs, holidays, bad weather, illness or duvet days, I just have to get up every morning and pedal my inherently lazy ass to work. And that's a challenge for me.

Weekly Total: 60.98 miles

Grand Prix Mayhem

2006-01-17T22:58:00.000Z

Had to dash home tonight to get the bike home before getting a lift back to Clydebank for a Grand Prix event at the Scotkart gokarting track. I managed to take 2nd place overall - podium finish for McFlea!!

Weekly Total: 38.97 miles

At one with the bike

2006-01-16T22:10:00.000Z

Clipless pedals... hmmmm.

I wasn't sure about them before, I mean they sound good and everyone says how efficient they make your pedalling and how they improve your speed and control, but I wasn't totally sold on the whole concept. That being said, I really wanted to try them out and I've taken the plunge and sorted myself out with pedals & shoes and I've joined the clipless revolution.

And I'm damn glad that I have. The cycle in this morning was fine, but it took me about 30mins before I really started to understand what being clipped to a pedal actually means. There are no problems unclipping, so no embaressing impersonations of a tree being felled, but the fact that the sole of your shoe is locked tight to the bike means that even while you spin the pedals, you can relax your feet and concentrate on using the various leg muscles involved in turning the cranks. Previously I would tense my toes as I pulled up against my toe clips, but I don't have to do this anymore. Seems a small thing, but seems to make a difference.

I seem to be able to spin smoother too, with power being generated from whatever position the pedal is in. I haven't got brave enough to attempt bunny hops yet, but I can only imagine how easy they will become once I truly get my confidence with the new setup.

Anyway, a nice start to the week, just as long as the rain stays away.

Weekly Total: 22.29 miles

Sunday Cleaning

2006-01-15T10:58:00.000Z

1st week was a doddle in the end, 5 days on the bike and I felt good pretty much the whole time.

I've just got in from spending a couple of hours cleaning the bike, I haven't put my new chain on yet because I don't have a chain splitter but I did fit on my new clipless pedals to the bike and then clean it thoroughly. I had a wee test run around the block and thoroughly expected to find that I was unable to unclip myself from the bike but everything seemed remarkably easy and smooth and I reckon they'll be fine tomorrow.

Total Cost of Ownership

Crank Bros Candy pedals: £44.99
Total so far: £286.93

1st week over, only another 39 more to go.

Weekly Total: 89.90 miles

Easy

2006-01-13T10:21:00.000Z

I feel goooooood.

First week back, 5 days on the bike (although I still have the return leg to go tonight) and I feel fit and strong and ready to do another few hundred miles. Rain or ice, I'll ride through it all, although I wouldn't mind seeing the sun or perhaps clycling in the daylight!!

I doubt it'll last.

Weekly Total: 79.65 miles

Happy Birthday, Walshy

2006-01-13T08:20:00.000Z

Happy Birthday to Old Man Walsh - thanks for getting me into biking.

Wild Wind

2006-01-12T23:19:00.000Z

It was crazy going home last night, but ultimatelt pretty exhilerating. The wind was gusting pretty badly and I found myself being lulled into a sense of relaxation while I pedalled alonside houses and offices but then desperately trying to hang on to the bike and keep it as straight as possible as I crossed bridges and busy junctions that offered no protection from the elements. Anniesland Cross was particularly petrifying.

Anyway, I made it home and found that my next purchase for the bike had been delivered. I've decided to listen to the advice of my good friend, the Hippo, who suggested that I bought two sets of SRAM chains and to swap the chains about on a weekly or monthly basis. The chains are easy to take off thanks to their Powerlink connections and I will be able to leave on soaking in a tub of lubricant while I use the other one. At the end of the week, I simply unhook the used chain, clean the bike and drivetrain and then hook up the new, fully-lubricated chain. This should hopefully at least double the life of my cassette and my chainset and save me forking out for expensive repairs and replacement components... well, that's the theory.

So, now I need to add this to the total cost of the bike:

SRAM chains x 2: £19.98

Cheers for the tip, Jimbo.

Dress Your Feet in Rubber

2006-01-12T15:43:00.000Z

I got my cycling shoes & overshoes through.

Chain Reaction Cycles are the mutts nutts when it comes to online shopping: excellent prices and free (and FAST) delivery. The stuff arrived yesterday and I decided to leave the shoes in their box until I get pedals to go with them (on the way now - more about that later) and just used the overshoes to get home.

The overshoes are made of 3mm neoprene with a couple of bits of velcro and a wee reflective bit at the heel. Its a struggle to stretch the buggers over your shoes and get them on, but once you're sorted, that's you sorted - all lovely and warm and just waiting for a rain shower to test them in. Unfortunately, it hasn't rained on either the way home last night nor on the way in this morning - bugger. The speedo has been behaving though.

Weekly Total: 59.3 miles

Dodgy speedo

2006-01-10T17:00:00.000Z

Another wet ride to savour this morning and more angst and despair as I battled to get my damn speedo working properly. It worked for a fair bit of the journey, but then the rain fell and it decided to take a break.

I've decided that this year i'm going record how much this commuting lark actually costs me. Over the year I'll note down the various components, repairs and services that I shell out for and we'll find out what the Total Cost of Ownership of commuting by bike really is.

So far:

New Bike: £150

New mudguards: £18.98 (the old ones didn't fit)

I also bought a new pair of cycling shoes (spd compatible) and some neoprene overshoes to keep me waterproof. Clipless pedals will be my next purchase, I reckon.

Cycling Shoes: £34.99

Neoprene Overshoes: £17.99

£221.96

Weekly Total: 21.55 miles

First Day on the Job

2006-01-09T23:00:00.000Z

..and what a start to the campaign.

It wasn't just my first day on the bike, it was also the start of the new school term and with it a new set of family routines. I'm now walking the kids to school each morning which means I need to get myself and them and my bike ready on time.. hectic stuff.

Anyway, it was a frosty start to the cycling year, I decided to take the canal path route which turned out to be lovely - all frozen and hardpack, making for an easy run in and a great opportunity for the iPod to provide the soundtrack to the icy canal scene. It wasn't as bad as I expected, I felt fine when I got in and it was great to get that big old grin back on my face again... nothing better for getting you going in the morning than watching a gorgeous sunrise while bombing along a frozen canal.

The bike felt good, I need to raise the seat a bit more but thats about my only gripe. It's weird getting used to front suspension too - even with basic forks like mine, the ride is still smoother, hopefully that means it will be faster once I get up to match fitness again.

The ride home was a bloody wet one though. I was playing squash after work so I never saw the onset of the rain and therefore got a rather nasty suprise when I walked out of the Playdrome and saw the downpour. It wasn't too bad though, I'd washed my jacket with Nikwax and the results were pretty effective, unfortunately I hadn't done the same with my cycling trousers or my shoes.. so I was completely sodden after only 10 mins - not nice.

The ride wasn't too bad in the end, a bit wet, fairly miserable but I did make it home without too many issues. The only thing that did go wrong was my bloody bike computer - the damn thing packed in sometime during the journey and I couldn't get the damn thing working again.

"computer says no"

I feel like i've had about 7 miles stolen from me, but hopefully that won't come back to bite me at the end of this year.

First stats of 2006:

Weekly Total: 13.62 miles (robbed by computer malfunction)

Got it

2006-01-08T19:47:00.000Z

I picked up the bike today.

I almost didn't take it in: the full length mudguards that I had on the old bike didn't fit on the bike and I had specifically checked that they would. I got over that in the end and now I've got myself on a lovely new bike, no creaks, no rattles, no dodgy gears. I had to move over my bike lights, speedo and finally my old pedals onto the new bike, which took a couple of hours, but its all sorted now and the maiden voyage will take place tomorrow - I really can't wait.

There's only one other thing that I feel I should mention... I have said that I was going to aim for 3000 miles as my target distance this year... well thats now changed, I've decided to aim for 4000 miles.

Well there's no point in having a goal that you feel confident that you can reach, is there? Much better to set yourself a target that makes you nervous.

2006 starts now

2006-01-07T20:49:00.000Z

I'm picking up my new bike tomorrow.

Edinburgh Bike Co-Op is a great bike shop which is based (funnily enough) in Edinburgh. I completed last years challenge on one of their own brand bikes and I intend to do the same again this year - I've bought a Revolution Cuillin from them.

This year's challenge will be to break the 3000 mile barrier. Its not a huge increase on last year's final total, but it will require a little more dedication and a few more days in the sadddle, so its a good target to set myself. I start on Monday.. wish me luck.

Its All Over

2006-01-02T09:08:00.000Z

It's all over. McFlea's Cycling Extravaganza 2005 has come to a conclusion and I'm pretty pleased with my results.

I started the year with the ridiculous intention of cycling 2005 miles in 2005. This wasn't something I was certain that I could achieve, I certainly never expected to exceed the target, so I guess I've done not too badly, all in all.

Its been a hard one though. My body has changed shape, my stamina has improved, my bum seems to be immune to the dull pain of saddle ache and I seem to have got used to the taste of midgies and the smell of traffic fumes. I appear to have developed a reputation amongst work colleagues as they've sat and watched me dragging myself in either muddy, or wet or freezing but generally with the same stupid grin on my face each time. I've learnt how to change a tyre in 5 mins, how to clean a bike and tune my gears and brakes, how to pay vast sums of money for various repairs to the bike that, quite frankly, I should be doing myself. Its been fun, I've loved it and hated it, but it has been fun.

The final stats (the numbers in the brackets are my stats for the final part of my challenge):

Total no. of days cycling

Total miles cycled

Av. miles per day

No. of punctures

Total cost of repairs and servicing

No. of rainy days

Snow/Sleet days

Furthest distance in a single day

Fastest Time

Most number of people on a bike at one time

No of times hit by a car:

Final Journey

2005-12-19T22:38:00.000Z

Lights on, tunes on.. ignore the rain, the mud and the dodgy chain.

Home safely. Journey is over.

Weekly Total: 23.45 miles
Overall Total: 2507.4 miles

Limping In - Final Day

2005-12-19T13:18:00.000Z

With no further technical repair to my damaged chain, I still decided to cycle in to work today.

The reason?

I wanted to get through the 2500 mile barrier before hanging up my cycling shoes...

Weekly Total: 11.77 miles

Chain Suck

2005-12-16T18:11:00.000Z

I've cycled 3 days this week, all was going fine until this morning when my chain spun off my chainset and lodged itself firmly (very bloody firmly) in between the chainset and my bottom bracket, this is commonly known as chain suck.

It took a while to pull the damn thing clear, but when I finally freed the damn thing I found that the specific link that had suffered the majority of the chain jammed had been crushed (which meant it wouldn't fit onto the teeth of my chainset). A little bit of technical faffing about with an allen key soon prised a small gap between the metal plates and I was able to resume my pedal into work... the regular slipping of the chain becoming only a mild irritant...

Weekly Total: 63.48 miles
Overall Total: 2483.90 miles

Ice, Ice, Baby

2005-12-12T10:14:00.000Z

Another frosty morning, which made for an invigorating cycle in. No mishaps, no mechanical failures just a chilled and enjoyable commuting experience...

..at least until I'd had my shower, pulled on my jeans and t-shirt and started off towards the office block and managed to hit a patch of black ice!

the front wheel disappeared from underneath me, next thing I kmow I'm sliding along the ground on my shoulder and thigh for about 5m, my feet still on the pedals. When I did finally come to a stop and dusted myself down, there were no scratches or scuffs to speak off - the black ice had protected me as much as it had caused the problem in the first place.

Must be Monday.

Sunday Service

2005-12-11T18:11:00.000Z

Just got in after giving my bike chain a quick clean and fitting my new seat post. It wasn't a brilliant week last week - cycling home on Monday night was tedious and made even more so when, about 15 mins from home, my saddle bolt snapped and I had to pedal the remainder of the journey standing up on the pedals.. pretty draining and quick demoralising. The most humiliating thing about this, however, is that its the second time that its happened to me.

Anyway, after a fair bit of to-ing and fro-ing (did you know that seatposts can come in a variety of different diameters, only a couple of mm difference can make a huge difference - mine is 27.2cm thick - so there!) my new seatpost is in place and the bike is all set for tomorrow and (hopefully) a full week of cycling.

Weekly Total: 21.23 miles
Overall Total: 2420.5 miles

Still on the Bike

2005-12-02T15:49:00.000Z

Not had any time to blog about it, but i've still been pounding out the miles on the bike. I've managed about 3 days each week, through wind or rain or, most recently, bloody freezing icy days too. the icy days have been teh most fun.

I also had the pleasure of accompanying Mr Walsh along on his own commute back home just the other day. It was very interesting to be travelling a brand new route, much more varied than my own with loads of wee different sections. The pace was kept pretty high too - certainly higher than I cycle my way home.

More biking next week, the bike seems to be holding up well and the new lights and winter gear have been doing me proud. My particular highlight of the week was cycling back home up the canal path - pitch black, no street lights, just my twin beams for visibility.. nae bother.

No idea what my stats are so far - I'll post them up over the weekend.

UPDATE:
Overall Total: 2399.20 miles

Frosted Heaven

2005-11-21T22:15:00.000Z

After a week away from the bike and a few essential winter purchases (new winter gloves, some bright lights and a cheapish pair of cycling trousers) it felt brilliant to be back on the bike.

A very frosty morning and a bright sunrise persuaded me to try the canal path route and give myself a chance to listen to some loud tunes along the way. It was a stunning cycle in, my face was bitingly cold, but the rest of my body was warm and toasty to the point that I even had to unzip a couple of vents to try and cool myself down! The canal itself was frozen over in many places, the canal path was extremely hard packed with a few icy puddles to negotiate and the morning sunrise completed the picture-perfect scenario and just kept me buzzing the whole ride in.

The ride back home was a stark contrast - pitch black and boring with only a few cars and lorries to keep me company, how dull. My new lights arrived today though, so i think I'll attempt to cycle back up the canal path and see how bright they really are.

Winter cycling rocks!

Weekly Total: 22.33 miles

Mixed Results

2005-11-11T15:12:00.000Z

A bloody wet and wild week this week. Rain almost every day and a few very close escapes with regards to traffic.

On Tuesday I cycled in in the morning but caught the train through to Edinburgh after work. Thursday I survived the dark and dangerous rain storms of the early morning, with another car narrowly missing me as it tried to jump through a red light at a busy junction in Maryhill. The return leg was another train journey home though - this time so that I could be home to meet the washing machine repair man and hear first hand that 'yer washing machine is deid mate... its been killed by a pund coin'. (The man kindly proceeded to show me exactly the place that the coin managed to force its way through the internal metal drum and out the the plastic casing that surrounded it - the coin was still poking through!)

No cycling today as I'm off to try my hand at a wee bit of curling tonight.

All in all, a weird and wonderful week and a whole load of very nasty, aggressive rain.

Weekly Total: 48.35 miles
Overall Total: 2266.8 miles

Crash

2005-11-08T07:58:00.000Z

I got hit by a car last night.

I guess its every commuter or courier's nightmare, but generally expected to happen at some point given that we generally spend so long on the roads. Not a very nice expectation, no matter which way you look at it, but I was lucky this time so maybe that's me for another 2000 - 3000 more miles?

It wasn't my fault, let me get that out straight away. I wasn't jumping traffic lights, dodging in and out of tail backs or hopping on and off pavements. I was just peddling back home, blinking the cold rain out of my eyes and generally behaving myself.

Anyway, I'm peddling down Great Western Road, just past Drumchapel and we've definitely got right of way. There's a junction up ahead on my left hand side, a couple of cars had already pulled out but the junction was empty as I continued to pedal along the road and past the junction. All of a sudden, a wee Corsa pulled out of the junction, clipped my handlebars and knocked me off my line and into the middle of the road. I was only clipped, I wasn't knocked off the bike and luckily there was absolutely no traffic coming up behind me so I was lucky, I guess. The driver of the Corsa pulled up just ahead of me so after chcking that my bike and my hand were OK I pedalled up to him and then began to realise the irony of the whole situation.... the driver of tea car was a driving instructor, his Corsa was spashed with 'L' signs and 'Learn to drive safely' slogans. Madness.

A few angry words, including my pertinant and deadly comment "I would have expected better driving from a driving instructor, mate" I decided that there was little point in continuing the conversation (it was raining, it was bloody cold and my bar ends had protected my hand and smashed up his wing mirror) and started back on my journey home.

I'm buying some more bike lights today.

Weekly Total: 21.14 miles

Not a bad week

2005-11-06T19:28:00.000Z

Last week wasn't too bad in terms of cycling - I managed 3 days on the bike and pretty much endured some of the worst weather that I could. Next week I want to get back to doing 4 days on the bike, with a day off on Wed not because I am a lazy bugger (although that is quite definitely one good reason) but because the leisure centre where I get my morning showers opens late on a Wed.

Weekly Total: 63.48 miles
Overall Total: 2218.4 miles

Battling Home

2005-10-31T22:49:00.000Z

The journey this morning was a fairly uneventful affair, just a simple journey, nothing too stressful.

Tonight's cycle home was a completely different experience. The rain started about 5 mins after I started cycling and just seemed to get heavier and heavier. Before I knew what had happened my shorts and jacket were soaked and all I could do was blink away the rain and pedal like fury as cars splashed past me. Add that to the experience of bombing down Great Western Road in the dark and you might understand why I had a big crazy grin on my face the whole way home.

Brilliant fun (although its going to take a while for my stuff to dry out again).

Weekly Total: 21.20 miles

Introducing Baby Lilly...

2005-10-30T18:03:00.000Z

A very good friend of mine became a Dad again this morning.

Congratulations to Iain and Lyndsey and to Grace for their new family member. Grace is apparently particularly pleased with the arrival of her new sister, Baby Lilly (working title), because she gets to paint her room pink.

Brilliant news and one very proud Dad.

Changeable Weather

2005-10-28T22:01:00.000Z

Cycle in this morning was lovely and fresh. Morning sunshine made everything look beautiful and serene. Cycle home on the other hand was dark and miserable with a few rain showers thrown in to remind me that I live in Glasgow.

Weekly Total: 42.28 miles
Overall Total: 2154.9 miles

Achilles Agony

2005-10-27T22:58:00.000Z

I was back on the bike again... finally. The ride in to work was refreshing, the ride home was magically thanks to the lovely warm temperatures and night time lights but despite all that, the day has been a bit of a downer.

I was playing squash today with two colleagues from work. One of these guys hadn't done any sport in over 7 years but had been a keen basketball and squash player prior to this. Unfortunately, midway through his 3rd game of squash, Dave ruptured his Achilles tendon.

It's bad enough that Dave has hurt himself and now faces possible surgery and 6 - 8 weeks in a plaster cast, but the situation is made even worse by the fact that Dave and his wife were supposed to be leaving for New Zealand this Saturday afternoon for a 3 week trip to visit friends and family. Its not likely that Dave will be able to travel with this injury and I doubt I can get close to understanding the disappointment and frustration he must be feeling just now.

Get well soon Dave.

Apathy and Frustration

2005-10-25T00:33:00.000Z

I never got round to fixing that flat tyre last night and really couldn't be arsed doing it this morning when I woke up. Now I'm annoyed with myself because its turned out to be a lovely day and I should be cycling home tonight and not enduring another dull train journey.

6.30am start at work tomorrow means I probably won't get back onto the bike untill Thursday. Bugger

Funny Story

2005-10-24T08:03:00.000Z

OK, picture the scene...

Man wakes up out of bed, scratches hinself (as all men do) and then begins a very slow and arduous process of determining whether he will brave the elements and cycle into his work this morning. Having made initial investigations (ie looked out of the window and seen the heavy rain, then verified exactly what he had seen by checking Metcheck online), he proceeds to dress in the appropriate cycling atire and then help the rest of the family get themselves ready for their early departure. Throughout this process, internal discussions are taking place within this man's head, the classic 'will I, won't I' type of discussions that generally only server to frustrate people.

With the family safely sent on their way, these internal discussion are soon externalised with self-directed mutterings and curses. Eventually a decision is reached, the pannier bag is packed and a calm descends upon the man as he slowly accepts quite how wet it is outside and therefore accepts quite how wet he may get on the journey.

The final layer of waterproof clothing is pulled on. The winter gloves, the bike lights and the odometer are all picked up from the kitchen counter. Confidence and anticipation is at an all time high, the man is actually looking forward to making this journey now. The pannier bag is picked up, house keys are searched for and located and the man strides out into the dark rain and locks the house behind him.
A short stride finds him opening the shed door and carefully pulling out his beloved steed, the street lights offering just enough light to complete the manouver.

The bike lights are slotted into place, the pannier bag clipped onto the frame, the man lifts his leg over the steel frame and then....

....well then he looks down and starts swearing at the top of his voice. The back tyre is as flat as a pancake and its too late to change it! The man has to throw the bike back into the shed, stomp angrily back up to the house and get changed in the kitchen before dashing out to catch the train.

moral: Always, always, always check your bike the night before you intend to use it.

Post Holiday Blues?

2005-10-21T08:14:00.000Z

A shit week for cycling.

I got back from Amsterdam on Monday - just a long weekend but what an amazingly diverse city. Beautiful, exciting, inspiring, sexy and seedy all kind of jumbled up together in a package of stunning buildings, beautiful waterways and the odd coffee shop or two. Recommended.

Anyway, got back on Monday and cycled in to work on Tuesday. No problems there - I enjoyed being back on the bike and was looking forward to cycling the rest of the week. I didn't cycle back home because I went through to Edinburgh to see Paulieman. Then I caught a dose of man flu and have spent the rest of the week shaking it off.

Team Flea was supposed to be in a cycling competition this weekend too - another sponsored cycle ride called the Braveheart Cycle Ride. Unfortunately it took the members of Team Flea far too much time to finally get their finger out and agree to do it and we missed out on registration (much to the delight of Desmond who berated us all for being 'lycra-clad, curvy handlebar,slip-streaming, banana in the back pocket road racing' freaks). We might be able to salvage the weekend, however, with a trip to Ae to see the Hippo - that would be good.

Weekly Total: 15.65 miles
Overall Total: 2112.6 miles

Completed Stats

2005-10-14T07:37:00.000Z

OK its been a long time coming but here are some stats for my 2000+ mile journey. The numbers in the brackets are my stats for the 2nd half:

Total no. of days cycling

Total miles cycled

Av. miles per day

No. of punctures

Total cost of repairs and servicing

No. of rainy days

Snow/Sleet days

Furthest distance in a single day

Fastest Time

Most number of people on a bike at one time

Time take to complete target

True av. miles per day

Half Way Stats: Half Way There!!

Day and Night

2005-10-13T23:01:00.000Z

Cold morning sunshine swept across the cityscape this morning which made a happy change from the last few days of constant rain. I had planned on timing my journey but after about 40 minutes of frantic pedalling, I realised that I'd forgotten to start my timer.. just as well really, I'd been slowed right down by a few traffic lights at the start of the journey and didn't think I'd been able to make up the time.

The journey home was a completely different affair. I had to work late, so I didn't start the journey home until after 7pm. I had the added pleasure of having another puncture to repair before I set off - I had picked up a slow puncture at the very end of my morning journey and hadn't bothered to fix it when I noticed (yes, I still haven't used the kevlar lining that Cris bought me). Repairing the tube with yet another leech has given me another mini-challenge: I want to see how many punctures I can collect on a sigle inner tube. Just now there are 3 repairs and I certainly anticipate more.

Anyway, puncture fixed I headed off home. I bought a new rear light yesterday so was pleased to see how much brighter it was than my previous effort. My front light was pretty weak, but that was because it hadn't been charged for ages. It lasted the journey though and so did I, despite a muck-clogged chain and sqeuaky brakes. The bike is getting cleaned tomorrow.

No more cycling this week, I'm off work tomorrow and off to Amsterdam from Saturday.

Weekly Total: 42.54 miles
Overall Total: 2097.0 miles

Monday Morning

2005-10-10T09:05:00.000Z

Back in the saddle and feeling good. A little bit windy and a bit damp at the start but that soon became easy to ignore and the journey just seemed to be over in minutes.

The darker mornings and nights are almost here now, the clock change looms ever closer and with it will come and almost permanent dependancy on bike lights and bat-like sensory perception.

Weekly Total: 10.72 miles

Chilly Buzz

2005-10-06T20:04:00.000Z

BOOM! What a cycle in this morning!

A real buzz and sense of enjoyment coursed through my body as I hammered along the canal path desperately trying to ignore the cold lashing my bare legs and arms while trying to absorb every note and beat that was squeezing out of my iPod.

Early morning starts, albeit rather cold, are gorgeously exhilarating.

The cycle home, on the other hand, was relatively dull. It was warmer, wetter and generally more traffic on the road. I'm looking forward to those cold, dark mornings now.

Weekly Total: 44.56 miles
Overall Total: 2054.4 miles

Punctured Again

2005-10-04T22:11:00.000Z

Felt good on the bike today - right up until I got another bloody puncture (yes, I know, I should have put in that Kevlar strip that you kindly gave me for my birthday, Cris - but I didn't and I regret that now). Got the puncture fixed fast enough and still got into work at a decent time, so no real issues there.

Cycle home was uneventful but still enjoyable.

Weekly Total: 21.21 miles

Fergus Sings the Blues

2005-10-03T22:50:00.000Z

Just email, text or call.

Can I get a witness?

2005-09-29T18:03:00.000Z

Its done. Its over. I've cycled (more than) 2005 miles in 2005.

Its a weird feeling just now, I feel elated but deflated too (not a reference to my predeliction for punctures), I guess thats what happens when you set finally reach your goal. Thinking about it now, I should have set myself something harder, but at the start of the year I hardly felt I had it in me to cycle a hundred miles let alone a couple of thousand.

Glad I've done it though.

:o)

Final Journey: 10.69 miles
Top speed: 30.8 mph (today)
Overall Distance: 2009.9 miles

The Home Straight

2005-09-29T09:21:00.000Z

A gloriously Autumn morning of sunshine and frozen fingers. I love mornings like this, really refreshing, stunningly beautiful and generally very uplifting. Breaking the 30mph mark on one particular downhill and overtaking a bus in the process also helped invigorate the soul too.

All in all, an easy cycle in this morning, no pain, no creaks, nothing but the simple satisfaction that all I have to do is stay on the saddle and pedal and I will reach my 2005 mile target.

Weekly Total: 54.16 miles
Overall Total: 1999.2 miles
Remaining Distance: 5.8 miles

The Final Countdown

2005-09-28T22:22:00.000Z

Its all about the miles now, I couldn't care less what the weather is, I just want to notch up these final miles and get back to enjoying my cycling.

Its not that I'm not enjoying the experience, today was lovely and the rain storms on the way home tonight did little to counter my good mood, but I'm so bloody close to reaching my target now that I'm becoming a little too preoccupied with the whole thing and I just want it to be over. So, with one deep breath, I can happily advise that barring any bizarre weather front, disease pandemic or world wide nuclear war, I shall complete this ridiculous challenge tomorrow.

Weekly Total: 43.55 miles
Overall Total: 1988.6 miles
Remaining distance: 16.4 miles

Wash Out

2005-09-27T09:52:00.000Z

I heard the weather reports about hailstorms and gales across Scotland, I knew it was going to be wet but I still clambered into my cycling kit and pulled on my waterproofs.

Only when I opened the kitchen door and looked out on to the street did I actually realise how bad the weather had turned. I couldn't see across the street because the rain was so heavy and the kitchen floor was soaking in seconds as the wind drove the rain in through the door.

I changed my mind. Then rushed up the stairs to change my clothes. Then cam back down the stairs to mop the rain water from the kitchen floor. I grabbed my rain jacket, picked up my bag and opened the kitchen door...

...to find that the rain had stopped and that the sun was shining!

Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to change back into my cycling gear and cycle into work so I had to catch the train and mutter furiously to myself as I watched the morning sun burst through the clouds. What a wash out.

Get building that Ark

2005-09-26T20:23:00.000Z

Wet one today. Not in the morning, that went fine with only a couple of small showers but then the rain started coming down from mid-morning and, by the time I was due to leave work, there were a few massive puddles (lakes?) dotted along Great Western Road. The only way around these great collections of rain water was to either hop onto the pavement and try and scoot past the traffic or, as I had to do at the bottom of Queen Margaret Drive, actual pedal through the puddle, water splashing up over my pedals and soaking my shoes and socks.

All in all, it wasn't as bad as I had expected and I made it home in one piece, albeit an extremely damp one.

Weekly Total: 22.33 miles
Overall Total: 1967.3 miles

I was a good boy

2005-09-22T20:05:00.000Z

So I cycled in this morning, caught the train over to the West End after work and only had one beer at the night out and then cycled home - aren't I a good boy? I even cycled around the block a couple of times just to make sure that my final tally for the week resulted in a nice round number for the final flourish.. I have exactly 60 miles left to cycle to reach my target.

Weekly Total: 40.92 miles
Overall Total: 1945.0 miles

Argumentative

2005-09-22T08:39:00.000Z

You know what its like when you start arguing with yourself? Well that was me this morning, trying to find various excuses NOT to cycle in this morning. Happily, I lost the argument and ended up pedalling my way into work suprisingly content with the way things had worked out.

It wasn't a particularly compfortable ride in, I was pretty much soaked by the time I got to my destination, but the sheer satisfaction of finally getting off my lazy arse and back onto the bike was more than enough to keep me warm. Now I definitely deserve that pint tonight.

Weekly Total: 32.99 miles

Lack of Resolve?

2005-09-21T21:37:00.000Z

The week started off well, an easy cycle in on Monday morning followed by a very wet and relatively difficult cycle home that afternoon but I haven't been on the bike since then.

Not all the slacking has been down to me however. I had to start work at 6.30am on Tuesday, so opted to catch a lift in rather than waking up to cycle in at 5.30am. I was definitely being a lazy bastard this morning however, and that habit doesn't look like changing tomorrow because I have a work night out to attend straight after work. There are no plans to make the evening last too long however as I'm starting work at 6am on Friday but that will then probably put paid to cycling in that day too.

Hopefully next week will be a little more productive.

Weekly Total: 22.35 miles

Friday (Day of Rest), Sat (Day of Activity)

2005-09-15T18:40:00.000Z

OK, change of plans, I'm not cycling tomorrow.

I already have a game of squash lined up for tomorrow afternoon but I had planned to cycle anyway. My plans have changed now, however, after I've been advised that I have a rather active and extremely busy Saturday lined up and I'm going to need my legs and any other strength that I can muster on the day. I'll not reveal whats happening yet, but just know that I'm bloody excited about it!

On a cycling front, a solid 80+ miles notched up this week and I'm just over 100 miles from my target. Not a bad week after all.

Weekly Total: 88.23 miles
Overall Total: 1904.10 miles

Thurs already?

2005-09-15T11:22:00.000Z

Is it Thursday already? Normally by now my legs are starting to complain and I'm thinking up reasons why I can't cycle in tomorrow but the bike in this morning seemed very easy - I'm obviously not pushing myself hard enough.

Weekly Total: 77.65 miles

Wind Assisted

2005-09-14T20:19:00.000Z

Finally, a day when the wind is a tailwind and not a headwind. I got a lovely 'push' all the way back home, just had to take it easy and keep spinning and made it back with hardly any effort at all.

I did have to make one stop along the way and pick the kids up from school, but I've got that technique sorted now, so we were all home in only a few minutes and with only one or two speed wobbles...

Weekly Total: 67.05 miles

Pack Horse

2005-09-14T12:37:00.000Z

I had to pick up a couple of packages from the Post Office this morning, unfortunately both were fairly bulky and neither would fit into my pannier bag. I had expected this, however, so I had armed myself with and empty rucksac and a bungee cord (the kind you use to strap things to cars).

Anyway, after finally managing to arrange the packages in such a way that they didn't dig into my back or get caught up in my bike wheels or even fall off the bike, I set off on my journey into work..... which is when I realised how un-aerodynamic I actually was and also realised quite how windy it was.

I did make it in to work, however, along with a few hairy moments along the way where it looked like I was destined to end up in the hedge and another moment when I scared the living daylights out of a fox (I was downwind of it, so it never knew I was there until I almost ran over its tail).

Weekly Total: 55.44 miles

No Rain, Just Wind

2005-09-13T23:52:00.000Z

It was quite a nice ride home tonight - no rain, but a fairly breezy headwind to contend with. Not the most exciting journey home, in fact I'm getting quite bored of the route I'm taking at the moment so I'll need to see about finding myself a new way home.

Soaked

2005-09-13T08:51:00.000Z

I left early this morning, I had to be in work before 8.30am. Unfortunately my departure time coincided with a rather viscious burst of rain which pelted me for at least 30mins before easing up and leaving me alone... by that time I was soaked. Not under my new waterproof jacket or my lovely GoreTex trousers (cheers Jimbo) but my socks, shoes and gloves were drenched.

Still feels good to have cycled in, however.

Weekly Total: 32.95 miles

Heart Attack??

2005-09-12T23:44:00.000Z

So there I am, enjoying the early Monday morning ride, not really thinking too hard about the day ahead, just feeling relaxed and content.. when all of a sudden I felt this incredible stinging pain in my chest!

An immediate pit stop and some quick self-diagnosis later (accomanied with a few growls and yelps of pain) and I realised that I'd just been stung by a bee or wasp. The little bastard had flown down into my cycling top and felt the need to complain about the general odor in that vicinity by stinging me.

Sore as hell, not much fun.

Weekly Total: 22.37 miles