30 March 2025 - Surly Long Haul Trucker Coastal Ride - + new Swift Industries Paloma Handlebar bag

 Rainy Saturday was spent finishing a service to the LHT so it is ready for this seasons hauling. Like most of these past 14 years or so will see it hopefully touring, audaxing, randonnuering and commuting without any major problems. 

I had already sorted the wheels and hubs so it was really just making sure everything was cleaned out and new grease/lube applied. Seatpost, bottom bracket, check the sealed headset, clean chainrings, remove and degrease the chain and cassette, lube the canti pivots etc.  Everything was still well greased thankfully and came apart easily enough which was great to see, so it was more a clean and freshen up. 

I also decided to swap out my old Ortlieb handlebar bag for a recently purchased Swift Industries Paloma bar bag. Just had to swap out the Ortlieb mount for a Rixon Kraul one and it was good to go. It looks like a great bag and it will have a lot to live up to as the Ortlieb one has never let me down, done untold miles in some really atrocious weather and is still working fine, it's just nice after all the se years to change it up now and again. 

So on to today and the weather was great this afternoon and while I had a family engagement late in the afternoon, it meant I still had a few hours to get out for a ride. Make sure I had serviced it right and tightened everything up. ;) 

Well, the Trucker was it's usual pleasure to ride and I had a really enjoyable cruise round my local loop on some quite roads and then around the coast.  Stopping for some photos here and there and just enjoying being out. 

I am often saying that I might change the bars or stem or gearing etc on the Trucker and then when it comes to it I am then very reluctant as I get on it and ride it in this configuration, pretty much the same as when I built it up from the frame all those years ago, and it is probably the best fitting, most comfortable ride regardless of terrain, fits perfect, gearing is spot on the feel is planted and connected and I can tour for a week in the rain or commute to work and it always has me getting off with a contented smile. It makes every ride that bit better.  

Jamie 

  

Sunday 16th March 2025 - Late afternoon ride on the Merckx Corsa Extra - Spring is here?

 In honour of what is starting to feel like spring and the start of the spring classic races I thought as I had a couple of hours spare that, I am well past due to get the Merckx out of winter hibernation, stretch my back into shape, resume the racer pose and put some quick miles in on this fast machine. 

It didn't disappoint either. After buying this from the factory nearly 14 years ago now, it still never fails to make me smile and appreciate just how nice it is to ride. Even by modern standards it is a racy feel but ever so rock steady and compliant, comfortable all day in the saddle. Plus after all this time, it doesn't matter how long since I last rode it, it fits like a glove and just feels so natural fitting back on it. 

Love it. 

Jamie  

Sunday 2nd March 2025 - Back out on the Bullitt - Local inland ride - Caithness

 Out again today on the Bullitt.  

I needed to see someone so what better way than travel than in the Bullitt. This time on the way back I took a much more meandering backroads detour. Enjoying just being out riding. Finding roads to head down purely to keep the ride going.  

Jamie 

Never far from the sea

01 March 2025 - Coastal ride Home from Thurso on the Larry Vs Harry Bullitt.

 Caleb was operating his stall selling plants at one of the local markets here in Caithness on a very nice Saturday morning. It certainly made a change from the wet and windy February we have had where any riding was mainly confined to commuting or the odd brief ride just to keep the legs spinning.

So after joining Caleb and the family for lunch which took me pretty much a direct route into town, I decided to take a few detours and tracks around the coast on the way back home. 

I picked up a few bits and pieces in town but to be honest I could have got the family to take these home as it didn't warrant the cargo bike, but I really just love riding the big Bullitt. It's just a sweet ride and by it's nature there is no pressure to go fast or to race, so if you don't want to high tail it, it's equally at home  taking it steady and enjoying it. When I am riding to work then I am steady and trying to go quickly so a weekend ride is cruising and enjoying the scenery. ;) 

A really pleasant few hours to spend re exploring some of the dirt tracks and small back roads. 

The Bullitt was it's usual reliable, enjoyable self, taking it all in it's stride. 

The only issue I have had is with the front disc wheel which is the hub motor. I have had it go out of true slightly and very hard to force back into true. Have to use leverage in small adjustments die to the fact that the hub us attached to the rim by the aluminium disks. These themselves seem to be pop rivetted to the hub and the rim, leaving no mechanical means to adjust the trueing. I will have to fully dismantle and get some very short spokes cut to replace the disks. It will be fine for spring and then in the summer I will sort it. 

Jamie 

January 19th 2025 - Calebs Karate Monkey winter shakedown ride with the Pugsley.

 A bite late posting this update but better late than never. 

We finally had a break with the weather and managed to get out so Caleb could have a more off road ride on his Christmas Karate Monkey. 

The weather still wasn't the best but it was looking like the rain may hold off for a few hours and the sun may even show itself. It was still very cold when we loaded the KM and the Pugsley and headed out to Loch More to see how we went. 

It was still a bit wet and the estate roads were slick in places but it gave us a chance to adjust the fit and dial everything in. It wasn't too far but it gave him a chance to get used to it and you could see his enthusiasm growing for it. The fit is spot on and still a fair margin to expand as he grows, which at this rate is pretty rapid. 

Jamie 

25th December 2024 - Christmas Bike for Caleb

 I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and managed to spend time with family or friends.

We had a very lovely relaxed Christmas with the three of us and the pets.

This year I built Caleb up a new/old bike. He has been growing like a weed the last year and while he still uses his Hardrock for going about I noticed he isn't riding it as much, then noticed he is getting a lot taller. When he has gone mtb riding with his friends he takes my Pugsley or the 1X1. 

As we recently finally finished putting his Wester Ross road bike together I decided to build him up a Surly Karate Monkey 29'er. Only this Christmas give him the complete finished bike. 
He rides my Pugsley when we go mtb riding as he doesn't have a proper off roader as his Hardrock is set up for touring and he loves all the Surlys about the house so even though the frame for this was second hand I wanted it to be for him and not one of my hand me downs. So I bought a frame a couple of months ago and hid it in the loft and then slowly put the parts aside. Then the week before Christmas I started putting it together.
It's a really nice 2006 Metallic Skid Mark brown Karate Monkey.
It's set up 1 x 9 as is my Pugsley as he likes that, it's fitted with Mary bars as he loves those on his Hardrock and the back of the tandem, BB7 brakes as simple, effective and easily adjusted and some really nice wheels that Brian built up, XT hubs with Kris Holm 40mm 29'er unicycle rims, double walled and holed to which I fitted a night sky rim tape. A massive thank you to Brian for building these.
Came up really nice and he was shocked to see a bike under the tree, to say he was pleased was an understatement.
Hope everyone has had a nice one.

Jamie

Saturday December 7th 2024 - Global Fatbike day 2024 - Strathpeffer with Brian - Pugsleys day out!

 Last Saturday, (7th) was Global fatbike day.

Pretty poor weather all day but managed to get down to Brians at Dingwall and we headed out to Strathpeffer way for a ride for a few hours before hitting the cafe at the old Strathpeffer station and getting warmed and dried while eating soup, cakes and drinking coffee.
Fairly sedate riding an some pathways and some single track, before heading back to Brians to sort some wheel builds for a couple of projects I have on the go. Both of us were on our ever reliable Pugsleys. Mine was fitted with some new bars just to change things up, some Simworks Nick bars, first real test other than down to the beach at home. They are really comfortable and fall to hand nicely. After being on Geoff bars and Titec Jones bars for so long I was surprised how quickly I adapted and how natural they felt. They are very similar in bend to the 1X1 Torsion bars I ran on it a few years ago, 2016 I think from the Puffer onwards, though these are a good bit wider. I had the perfect stem as well, the old polished Race Face that was still sitting on the Torsion bars in the loft. A purchase from my old friend Kaiser, if I remember rightly.
A very wet day as it was raining when I left home and headed south and I don't think it stopped much all day before I drove home in the rain. The ride was just a bit of drizzle so quite lucky on that front. We managed to miss the heavy bits.
Great to ride with Brian as usual and on the Pugs. Couldn't be anything but a good day.

Jamie