Fatbike On The Fly

 THE DREAM & PASSION THAT MANYà WILL NOT UNDERSTAND I bought a bike for a personal dream. One day when I am very old and when I can not walk anymore, it will be in my garage as a trophy of my memories. I met people who taught me something and have the same spirit and I met others that I'm glad I forgot. I got wet, I felt cold, And I felt warm, I was afraid, I fell, And I stood  up, I even hurt myself, But also, I laughed out loud inside the helmet. I spoke a thousand times with myself. I sang and shouted with joy like a madman, And yes ... sometimes I cried. I have seen wonderful places and lived unforgettable experiences. I often rode trails and pavement with agonizing uphills, rode downhills in amusement of not pedaling sometimes, other times I rode trails full of terror. I stopped a thousand times to see a landscape. I spoke with perfect strangers, and I forgot people I see every day. I went out with my demons inside and returned home with an absolute peace in my heart....

 Jenny Tough is tough by name tough by nature.  She's a no- fuss full on adventurer. Whether Its running across Kyrgyzstan or bikepacking in Nepal! Anyway,  you can see her videos at the usual place.   I watched a good of JT riding the mountains and was totally amazed at her speed and lack of storage on her bike.  The Two are closely related,  tho I suspect she would rode anything faster than i ever could.  Nevertheless,  I an attracted to her lightweight touring over the jumbo sized outfits typical of most touring outfits.  JT provided a short vlog of her packing regime and briefly,  it's as follows;- Handlebar Bag: tent, sleeping bag. Frame Bag: "everyday items" camera tripod,  tools hardware.  Ditty Bag: this was like a large wallet sitting just behind the breadsticks and contained, cash, cards, phone. Canisters: could probably hold water bottles,  either side behind handlebars,  candy,  stash stuff. Sadd...

 Baaa. No riding in the next few days due to car problems. Ironically I hope to sell my car so I can reduce carbon emissions and cycle more.  Not yet though,  I suspect changing aclutch in a Land Rover will take quite a few days. If anything it just gives me more impetus to get rid of the thing.   I did make an adjustment to Cliffy yesterday though.  After My first few rides with the trekking bars I felt sore wrists for awhile afterwards.  But I also had sore feet and it could just be the winter cold and age related stuff.  Anyway I came across a fellow online this past week, an experienced cycle tourer, he recommended inverting the bars.This means the bars slope down slightly from the headstock. I believe he said it was more comfortable ... and he was a similar vintage to me burr with lots of touring in his panniers.   Well,  it had been extremely windy this past week,  so perhaps I may not have ridden anyhow.  Oh well......

  I  had two short rides late last week,  but nothing of note since.  Not entirely my fault,  the winds have been horrendous,  making cycling any distance a significant chore.  So,  Im not feeling that firmness that I get after long rides, and I miss that.  In fact,  since those two short rides,  one along soft sand for 1.5-2 k, my wrists have aching.  But,  I have also varied my diet to exclude all added salt and only low salt foods, no cheese and co . So I'm now wondering whether the aches,  which are low key but persistent,  may be related to this.  Of course  I'm being an Egyptian Swimmer (in de Nile) over the potential that my new trekking bars may have anything to do with this issue.  As they make me sit more upright, Im thinking that should reduce the pressure on my hands.   More riding,  then we'll see. 

 Lovely few hours looping along the beach for 1.5k, big hill climb followed by about a k of fast downhill.  Along the harbour and home into a 15-20 knot headwind.  Can't have it all. Lovely! I actually did a shorter version of this ride yesterday,  except the sand.  But today I thought; Nah, you only live once and I don't want to regret not riding on the beach when I have the chance.  One out the privileges of living long enough to realise we're not here forever.   I also found the sand cycling totally invigorating and encouraged me to cycle longer and harder.  Lesson of the day: act upon positive thoughts and you will be invigorated and inspired.   "Cliffy" on the Newcastle Harbour foreshore. 

  I fitted these babies last night.  I was stressing over it,  but turned out to be a snap. I haven't had a chance to test them yet ☹ But I w ill so asap 🥳 In the process I discovered that my headlight is rechargeable.  I love my fatbike even more

 Got off at the crack by 10am today.  This time with Just a small bar bag,  fluro vest and rear light on.   Today's route took me along Fishers Hill Road via the rail line track and Horns Crossing Road.  Its ironic that FHR is write rough for motor traffic,  but enjoyable for cycling.  The surface varied between rough asphalt to gravel and is essentially a series of rolling hills. Farming enterprises included dairy,  beef,  free range poultry and horses.  I discovered this new Jersey calf along Summerhill Road, trying out her new legs. I'm certain it was a she because males  are "culled" at birth. May be dairy free is a just lifestyle choice? I was pleased that the poultry were free range.  Agriculture id's afairly conservative past time, so it was refreshing to see this being undertaken. The chookies certainly looked healthy and relaxed.   The riding was totally enjoyable.  The only technical issue today wa...

 Some weeks ago I joined a group on FB called "Solitary Cyclist". Since then it has become my favorite group. Yeh sure, I am amazed reading "Long-distance  Cycling" and learning how far  so many people are riding. But the Solitary  is quite unique in that a large portion of the group are newcomers to cycling or are just breaking back into cycling.     What I hear is a great deal of modesty and wonderment art this generous past-time.     Last night,  I shared a post about riding Jamis putt for a coffee and rescuing a Joey.  Since then I've received several hundred likes and a dozen or so lovely comments.     It is such a heart warming thing to do,  and i posted how delighted this group made me feel.  

 Well, I've done it! I've owned Cliffy for several weeks and spun up a hundred k's or more ... all with dodgy brakes. In fact I knew before I even laid eyes on him that the brakes needed work.  The previous owner gave me $100 off his asking price to pay for brake service.   A few weeks ago I ordered a Shimano kit for around $30 and it say for a week our more while I figured how to go about it and to get in the mood.  As it turns out,  the YouTube videos on bleeding these brakes all featured a different blender screw.  The bleeder system on the Kona had a typical nipple but it could not be removed.  To bleed air,  there is a small grub screw the needs to be cracked open and voila! This evening,  by the fire the day's work behind me,  I made acoffee and had a go. Working on Cliffy after four days work on my Land Rover is like microsurgery. I'm constantly worries about breaking something.  But in fact,  like most things in li...

 These are the winter school holidays.  A time when my work is at its slowest and I should find it easier to break out and do some touring.  Unfortunately,  prioritised repairs to my truck I discovered a fairly major repair was needed.  So with the work and waiting for parts,  no car for four days,  but also tied down. Fortunately I discovered Jin. No not alcohol! A South Korean woman who had cycled the world for nine years,  covering all inhabited continents.  But currently holed up in Surfers Paradise due to Covid travel restrictions.  She has an irrepressible positive energy that radiates across the universe; so while there she is learning surfing and computer programming.     Fortunately,  I came across Jin's vlog, traversing the Oodnadatta Track several hundreds of kilometres of remote dessert,  alone and unsupported.  She thrived on the solitude and all elements of nature; sun,  stars, animals and...