The Hirfynydd Watch Tower

From memory the left-most ramparts are roughly in the background beyond the stile. My bike is leaning against the trail marker stone.

The Hirfynydd Watch Tower

You can just make out the faint line of the right-most rampart to the right of the photo. It's marginally easier to see in the flesh!!

The site of the Hirfynydd fort

The trail marker stone for the Hirfynydd Fort with the fort in the background

Sarn Helen

The derelict farmhouse

Neath valley from the derelict farmhouse

Sarn Helen MTB Route, Nidum/Hirfynydd section

Now that was an epic!!!! It took 5 and a half hours including stops for lunch, mechanicals, navigation and history sessions. The cycle computer says it was 44km, but I've got my doubts. I got just about all forms of weather. Rain was a feature of the ride, as was wind. A little sunshine and even some sleet finished off the weather's repertoire!! The picture is of the old bridges across the River Nedd at Aberdulais.

For the most part Sarn Helen has a rocky base, but is often muddy over the top making the going difficult at times. Doing the route this way round means you're climbing forever before you get any decent downhill. It goes against my theme, which is south to north, but it might be better run in reverse. That way you climb up the Dulais valley on tarmac. I was a little late getting started and consequently finished the last but one bridleway in the dark and skipped the last one. This now seems irrelevent, because I don't think the bridleways along the Dulais valley are any good.

Next section will probably be the CICVCIVM section near Brecon.

More bike fettling

I spent Friday evening and Saturday afternoon in the garage prodding the bike. Following my bizarre off in Afan Argoed earlier in the week, my gear change has been awful. However, whilst I couldn't get it behaving properly, I couldn't see any signs of damage. I reckon I must have hooked the log in my chain rather than hitting the derailleur, but I dunno? I've come to the conclusion it's either mucky or corroded cable sheaths or it's wear in the jockey wheels causing the shifting problems. So - more bits to buy and more work to do!! I'll try regreasing the cables first. I know that's not ideal but, I've got nothing to loose.

I've had an on-going issue with my down tube bottle cage bosses having worked loose in the frame. I came across this cool way of fixing this problem yesterday, so I gave it a whirl. You use a wheel skewer and an axle as a riveter to pull the bosses tight again in the frame. You make the skewer fit the axle so it can pull the flange of the boss against the axle.



It worked!! I cranked the skewer tight and you could see the bosses flange press down against the tube.



Neat!

My efforts to come to a decision and buy a set of flat pedals and the associated parafinalia (shin gaurds and flat pedal shoes) nearly came to fruition this week. I bought a set of DMR V8's from the LBS but wasn't happy with the colour or the feel of the axle - gritty and uneven. I took them back and they refunded me. They're ordering new ones, but I may get too fed up of waiting (pure impatience on my part). Based on the reviews in MBR magazine and on the Chain Reaction Cycles website, I think I'll buy some Wellgo pedals. Like the rave reviews the cheapo 661 MXE leg pads are getting, so those will be my try-out pads. Picked up some cheap 20 quid Karrimor hiking style trainers from TKMax.

Catch-up

Had a ride out a few days back around Gower. I've got a short loop which I will include in my longer British Heart Foundation Alternative Gower bike ride. It was a good one from one point of view as I took the Ay Up lights and made it night ride. The lights performed faultlessly, lasting the 2 and a half hours of darkness effortlessly. I used the two 3 hour batteries and there were signs that the edge had been taken off the brightness of the handlebar lights which were on constantly. If I'd been out for significantly longer, whilst it would have been useable, I might have wished I'd had the 6 hour battery. The helmet light was off for some of the time so it was still really bright at the finish.

It was really horrible weather and really mucky. Some of the tracks were dead unpleasant. I've come to the conclusion that to make this route work I've got to accept that it's a summer route. I got bad chain suck on several occasions and at first thought it was down to the conditions. After some fettling when I got back and some well placed advice from J next door, I decided it was time for a new chain and a new middle chain ring. (Handy hint: you can double up the wear on the granny ring by reversing it. Unlike the other rings it's symmetrical). Following the work I've still got occasional chain suck, but that will probably be due to a slightly stiff chain and will ease.

The Specialized Eskars were misbehaving again. At the first sign of mud they went all funny and tried steering off in the wrong direction. As for climbing in mud - forget it. A few days later a chat with one of the lads in the LBS persuaded me to try lowering the pressure. Results in the "Afan in the dark" post.

Afan in the dark!

Plucked up the courage to ride Afan Argoed in the dark tonight. D joined me and we had a blast! The evening wasn't without mis-adventure. Before we got to the end of Penhydd, D's Hope 4 lights started flashing, which indicates a low battery. That resulted in a short-cut after Dead Sheep Gully and an early return to the cars. He'd had them on full power most of the time and had remembered his burn times incorrectly, I think.

I had a really close moment with a tree. I clipped a log on the inside of a corner, hard, with my rear mech and was sent off the trail for a tree hugging session!! Fortunately, somehow, I stopped prior to impact. D labelled it a good save. I think it may have been divine intervention!!

Following a chat with one of the lads from the LBS, I was running my new Eskar tyres on much lower pressures. It's made a considerable difference, but some more adjustment is needed.

An early 19th century mountain bike helmet?

No it's SWMBO's latest antique purchase - posted so me Mum can see it!!

Of tyres and Cotswold mud!!

Went to the Cotswolds last weekend, primarily for an old college pal's stag-do. Had a really fun time behaving like lads half our age. I started the theme early with a bike ride on Friday before I met the others!! I've decided that whenever I go somewhere different, (and if at all possible) I shall take a bike and ride a hill or two I haven't done before. So rather than mess around with a route of my own devising I followed one of MBR magazine's - Cleeve Common. A medium graded 22 miler to the east of Cheltenham.

I bought a new pair of tyres the other day (after much of my usual procrastination!) I finally opted for a set of Specialized Eskar 2Bliss tyres. I was following one of a number of recommedations I got of an internet forum. It was either these or Nevegals. I frequently switch between off-road tyres and an old set of worn tyres for commuting, but I don't want to go to the additional expense of a set of seperate rims. So that means tubeless tyres aren't really practical for me. Specialized say use their tyre with or without a tube. So, I figured that wouldn't be a problem. However, one of the advantages of tubeless is they are designed to be optimal at lower pressures (you don't need to worry about pinch punctures with tubeless). With a tube in and with them pumped up hard as I normally do, these tyres don't feel as compliant as the Maxxis Ignitors.

Back to the Cotswolds and its mud. This stuff is sticky, like treacle!! It jammed my bike up like a third set of brakes as you can see. Oh and it turned a gentle hill into a slick track that was unrideable. I found the Eskars very twitchy on muddy side slopes, to the point of ruining a couple of nice singletrack sections. I need to try these tyres somewhere where I know the lay of the land, but I'm concerned they're a mistake (as far as the way in which I'm using them goes.)

As for MBR's route - I found it annoyingly seemed to ignore perfectly good off-road sections in favour of tarmac. One other problem is MBR described a route through the nature reserve in a way which looks like they're confusing the start and the finish. They also failed to suggest any hints as to how to get the best from Cleeve Hill, which looks like it could have some good singletrack on it. If I was doing it again, here's the route I'd take:

Cleeve Common medium difficulty Pilau's way

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In the hills again, at last!!