The internally routed cables on my Scandal come out of the frame, round the bottom bracket and back into the frame. It looked to me that this was going to gather mud, so I’ve come up with a home-made cover, fabricated from an old section of mudguard. Will see how it works.
I’ve just had two chains delivered, which I bought new from e-bay. They are KMC DLC 10 speed and would be expected to retail at £90 each. I usually buy Shimano HG 95s. They cost about £24 but the RRP is £35. The KMCs cost me £36 each. Much more than I’d usually pay for a chain but for the quality well worth it. I don’t even need to change a chain right now but no harm in holding some spares.
The surly corner bars have turned out not to be as comfortable as I had hoped when I first fitted them. They are OK but I spend most of my time with my hands on the top of the bar. This is really just the position I’d be in with flat bars but narrower and the brakes are not quite within easy reach. I have to change position to slow down or change gear. This is not too big a deal but what is, is the lack of room on the top bar to move around to alleviate pressure. This is especially noticeable when I have a bar bag fitted. So, now I’m waiting for a delivery of the latest attempt at finding the most comfortable ride. Kona Satori Denham bars. These are a flat bar, slightly swept back with bullhorns which give the option of a hand position similar to the brake hoods on drop bars. I’ll fit them in the next few days and we’ll see how they go.
On my return from the Western Isles trip I had decided to change my bike for one which was more suited to touring so had built ALICE. You can read about that build on “my bikes” page.
The weather was looking as though it was going to improve, following a wet August, so I decided to get away before it changed its mind and returned to seasonal normal. I booked a ferry from Ardrossan to Brodick on Arran, packed up the bike and set off. Another thought I’d had, following my couple of weeks in the tent in the Outer Hebrides, was that I had decided that my age was dictating I needed more headroom in the tent. So on the back of my rack was my new Nordisk Halland tent. (new to me, this was another e-bay purchase). It was roomier than the previous tent but at almost half the weight, certainly an improvement.
I was lucky with the weather and had three days of glorious sunshine and only one night of rain but by that time I was heading for home anyway. I had originally had the idea of crossing over to Kintyre and carrying on to Islay and Jura but those islands will wait for a future trip. Arran was much hillier than I remembered from my previous visit which was nearly 40 years ago so I didn’t get as many miles in as I had thought I would. A more in-depth report will follow on my “trips” page when I get round to typing it up.
I’ve been back in Glasgow for one day and already missing being on the road and sleeping in my tent. I will post a review of the past couple of weeks on the Hebridean Way soon. But for now I’m planning my next trip. I want to get some more camping before the weather turns.
On the train to Oban to set off on my first big cycle/camping trip. After a few changes of plans, booking and rebooking the ferry, train and first two nights accomodation I’m on my way to do the Hebridean Way
I decided to book a bed in the Youth Hostel in Oban for the first night. this was mainly to suit train times and when I could get my bike on. I also booked a night in a backpackers hostel in Castlebay on Barra. That way I could start my tour fresh as it was to be the only night not in the tent.
Over the weeks while I was preparing my bike and inspecting all my camping gear to ensure it was still in one piece, thoughts about where I should go would spring into my head. They’d grow into epic expeditions, reformulate and appear again as somewhat impossible ventures. I constantly had to tell myself to keep my feet firmly planted by considering somewhere fairly local, for a coup le of nights, as my first venture.
I had a two man tent which was light enough to carry on the bike and my sleeping bag was good enough for summer camping. The cooking equipment I had was adequate for going off in the car for an extended holiday but I really needed some lighter pots and pans. Following a fair bit of on-line research I decided on sea-to-summit pots and utensils. I will do a review on them sometime.
I bought additional panniers and a front rack. The rear panniers and rack which I had on my bike for a year or so, just wouldn’t be enough for all my gear for more than one or two nights. The front rack proved difficult to fit as most racks are meant for rigid forks and I had to fabricate brackets to adapt it for the suspension forks. It took trial and error and a good few changes before I was happy that the set-up was safe.
As a trial run, I decided on a trip north for a weekend. Partick Thistle were playing in an important play-off game against Ross County so I planned a weekend in Dingwall to take in the football and test out my gear. I booked the train to Inverness and planned to cycle the 20 miles from there to Dingwall. So with the bike loaded up (minus the front panniers), I set off. It was the first time I had travelled on a train with my bike and was a good introduction to it as there were no changes on the outward journey. The return was a different experience altogether.
The weekend went well (as far as the cycling and camping, the football was a different experience altogether). The tent was good and the cooking stuff worked well. I did realise that as I’ve got older since I last camped my sleeping mat was just too thin for my ageing bones, so when I got home that was some more research I had to do to find the best upgrades.
So there I was. My 66th birthday, my last day at work and looking forward to Monday when I can lie in bed all day and do nothing! I should have known better. I was awake at the usual time and feeling like I should get out on my bike. So at 6.30 am I set off on my bike along the canal. I went west, the opposite direction from my usual commute. After a couple of hours I ended up back home and it struck me that I was really going to enjoy this retirement lark.
The more I got out and about on my bike the better I wanted it to perform. I had started looking at up-grades over the time I was commuting. First I replaced the wheels, derailleur and brakes. Over the next couple of years I had changed almost all of the components. I was gradually rebuilding a bike which I thought would suit my purpose. It got to a point when my spare room had so many bits lying about I bought a second hand mountain bike frame from e-bay and transferred all the better parts onto it. That left me with almost a complete bike which I put together and sold to a neighbour. I gathered a collection of tools which enabled me to completely strip down and build up the bike several times. It was getting better but I doubt if I will ever be completely satisfied and have an end product.
My thoughts began to stray on to where I could cycle to. I started reading cycling blogs and web-sites. I began to develop ideas about going cycle touring. I hadn’t been camping for a couple of years but still had most of the gear. The thought of going camping on my bike started growing in my mind.
In the winter of 2019/20 I was working in social care when Corona hit the country. My employers, being risk averse, decided to close our service down but, being in a supervisory role, I still had to go into our office every day to maintain a phone link for our service users and staff. This changed after a few weeks and we gradually increased the services we provided. I had recently gone through eye surgery therefore couldn’t drive so soon I was making a 10 mile bus journey twice daily.
This was a pain as I had to take two buses. One day I looked at my bike and thought that cycling would be a less time-consuming way to get to work as I was travelling for 2 hours, morning and evening to get to work and home, having to wear a mask, a limited service with no guarantee of the timings. I worked out that it was less distance and because it was along the canal the cycle was flat and therefore shouldn’t be too taxing.
So I started riding my bike to work. I had hardly been on the bike for years. The first day I arrived and my legs were so wobbly I thought I may need to leave my bike in the office and take the bus home. I had all sorts of thoughts going through my head. Was I too old at 64 to start commuting? Was it maybe a plan to just do one trip a day and do the reverse by bus?
Anyway, by the end of the day I felt better and cycled home. The next day I tried it again and it was easier. I was even starting to look forward to the journey and by the end of the week was committed to cycling every day.
By mid summer I was thinking of myself as a cyclist and even going out on my bike when I wasn’t working. I started buying cycling clothing and extras for the bike. Waterproofs followed and I was cycling in all weathers.
By March 2023 I had almost stopped driving altogether. I was a committed cyclist who was about to retire. So it was time to take my cycling to the next level and work out how I was going to continue when I was no longer commuting to work.
Just Me - On my bike 