Been ill all week.
Got some kind of gastric bug - I'll stop there for the squeamish among you. Anyway, been under the weather all week, did not fancy a bike ride. So no evening ride Saturday, and Sunday was just going to stop in. Bit boring? Got a bike out just in case I fancied a spin the next day.
Sunday; glorious weather. OK pop out for a spin. Within five minutes I was down to a t-shirt wondering what was going on. Within ten I was rid of my mental negative attitude, and starting to enjoy myself. No real energy, so no fast STRAVA times, just a bimble in the woods. Hate to say it, but a ride more suited to my age.
Oddly enough the ride was far better for it. Instead of zipping everywhere, I had time to chat to people. Not long conversations you understand, but little pleasantries here and there. Had a chat with one guy on a Specialized fat bike; he was enthusiastic and a really nice person to meet. The woman in the cafe was a happy soul. Then two old ladies; pleasant chat about the North Downs we had.
Headley Heath.
This was just perfect. What a lovely place? For once I was happy at the cafe, so much so that instead of blasting off for Box Hill or Ranmore, I decided to explore Headley. That's not something you do lightly as parts are silly steep gravel trails. It proved to be fun, zipping down with little traction, then clawing my way up the other sides.
Headley is normally a muddy place that you slog through en-route to elsewhere. Today it was just lovely, as all the families with small children could attest to. What a pleasant place.
My bike; an Orange 5 black.
I like this bike, yet somehow I don't love it like a hard-tail. It is a perfectly functional machine, and fast on a good day. Somehow full suspension bikes do not do it for me, not all the time. I've had three now, and get the idea of them. Just prefer a hard-tail all the time.
Now this bike I liked.
This was an old American cruiser style mountain bike I found in the basement of a rental property in the States quite recently. It was tired; flat tyres, brakes and gears did not work and just about everything needed lubricating. Took me a few hours to get it up and running. Once done it was a heavy old beast; steel frame and forks. Yet at the same time utterly lovely. I took it off road, probably the first time ever in its life.
It did not like it. It shook my fillings out. We did at most 45 miles in total. Braking off-road downhill was interesting. I've done over 1,000 miles on my Orange 5. I could sell the Orange and not really miss it. I wanted to buy this little hard-tail.
Got some kind of gastric bug - I'll stop there for the squeamish among you. Anyway, been under the weather all week, did not fancy a bike ride. So no evening ride Saturday, and Sunday was just going to stop in. Bit boring? Got a bike out just in case I fancied a spin the next day.
Sunday; glorious weather. OK pop out for a spin. Within five minutes I was down to a t-shirt wondering what was going on. Within ten I was rid of my mental negative attitude, and starting to enjoy myself. No real energy, so no fast STRAVA times, just a bimble in the woods. Hate to say it, but a ride more suited to my age.
Oddly enough the ride was far better for it. Instead of zipping everywhere, I had time to chat to people. Not long conversations you understand, but little pleasantries here and there. Had a chat with one guy on a Specialized fat bike; he was enthusiastic and a really nice person to meet. The woman in the cafe was a happy soul. Then two old ladies; pleasant chat about the North Downs we had.
Headley Heath.
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| Cafe at Headley Heath |
Headley is normally a muddy place that you slog through en-route to elsewhere. Today it was just lovely, as all the families with small children could attest to. What a pleasant place.
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| October. Normally a mud fest here. |
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| Relective pool with fence |
My bike; an Orange 5 black.
 |
| Orange 5 on Headley Heath |
I like this bike, yet somehow I don't love it like a hard-tail. It is a perfectly functional machine, and fast on a good day. Somehow full suspension bikes do not do it for me, not all the time. I've had three now, and get the idea of them. Just prefer a hard-tail all the time.
Now this bike I liked.
 |
| Twonk on a cruiser |
This was an old American cruiser style mountain bike I found in the basement of a rental property in the States quite recently. It was tired; flat tyres, brakes and gears did not work and just about everything needed lubricating. Took me a few hours to get it up and running. Once done it was a heavy old beast; steel frame and forks. Yet at the same time utterly lovely. I took it off road, probably the first time ever in its life.
It did not like it. It shook my fillings out. We did at most 45 miles in total. Braking off-road downhill was interesting. I've done over 1,000 miles on my Orange 5. I could sell the Orange and not really miss it. I wanted to buy this little hard-tail.
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