Finally back out again enjoying the fresh air - Durham City, Maiden Castle, Houghall Woods emtb loop

 

I have just looked back and it has been ten days since I have last slung a leg over a saddle! Not sure what is going on but I have had no motivation what so ever and feeling generally tired and run down. We have been going for days out n about and a couple of car shows and really enjoyed my time out and about in the fresh air but just not on a bike. I woke early this morning after a better nights sleep and there was no sun rise. After a couple of hours lazing about I decided to change into my cycling kit and go for a ride. I had to pump up the tyres on my Trek Marlin+ emtb and I was off. It looked cold and windy so had on my pertex but the sun came out within ten minutes of leaving. It was just my regular loop down to Durham, Maiden Castle, Houghall woods, The Trod, Frankland, The Sands, The Carrs n back. The tracks n trails are all generally dry'ish and mud free considering the amount of recent rain we have had. Durham was lovely and quiet at 7.30am on a Bank Holiday Monday but by the time I come back through there was quite a few cars already parked up for the car show and others milling around. It wa lovely to have some sun on my back and felt warm for a change. Saying that as I am typing this it has clouded over again and the wind has picked up.

Below are a few snaps from the loop, all in just under 17 miles in 1hr 26mins with 850ft of climbing, enjoy and hopefully more soon -  

Fresh Goods Sunday - Peatys Chris King MK2 Tubeless Valves - Matte Slate -42mm, 60mm & 80mm

 

I was not really on the look out for more tubeless valves but when I found these Peatys ltd edition Chris King ones on Team Cycles website I could not refuse really. Why you ask well they were marked up at £2 a pair! So I ordered a pair in each length they had in stock. I have fitted the 60mm pair onto my new Hunt carbon wheelset on my Creo 2 gravel. The quality looks and feels very good. The rubber sealed against the rim with no problems / leakages. The washer has two flat sides so you can use a wrench if it seizes to the stem. The caps are different to each other one is a poke key and the other is a core remover. Yes they have nice features and look good on the bike bbut the rrp is just plain crazy in my eyes. There is no way on this planet could I ever justify £30-£33 for a pair of alu coloured tubeless valves. 

RRP - 42mm £29.99. 60mm £29.99. 80mm £32.99. I paid £2 a pair from Team Cycles 

Manufacturers Blurb - 

✅ Twelve Chris King Colour Options

✅ Spoke Key Cap

✅ Valve Core Remover Cap

✅ Made From 7075 Aluminium

✅ Valve For Life Guarantee

✅ Insert Compatible Base

✅ Smoked Black Valve Core

✅ 42mm, 60mm or 80mm Length

✅ Replaceable Rubber Base

✅ Fits All Tubeless Ready Rims

With design, sustainability & quality running right to the core, there’s only one company we could work with on our valve colours - chris king! with our valves for life guarantee and their stunning colourways your bike is in for a real treat for years to come!

Still made Made from lightweight anodised 7075 aluminium as standard, our new MK2 tubeless valves are now compatible with all rim inserts and come with a spoke key cap as well as a valve core removal cap.

That's right. The best just got even better!

The addition of a unique four-way x-cut base to enables our valves to now work with all tyre inserts.

The channels cut into the base of the valve allow air and sealant to pass through when inserts are pushed up against them.

Unlike most other insert-compatible valves, our valves have a ‘straight-through’ design so there’s no reduction of sealant or air flow when tyre inserts are not used.

All of this with no added weight!

If you manage to break, snap, bend or crack our valves* then we'll fix or replace them free of charge!

Our MK2 valves now come with a world-first spoke key presta valve cap!

The spoke key is sized for standard 3.4mm spoke nipples and is the perfect tool for tightening loose spokes in trailside emergencies.

To use, simply unscrew the cap, slot your spoke through the gap in the top of the cap and slide down the spoke until the cap fits over your spoke nipple.

Whether you're in the workshop or out on the trail, our valve core remover caps help to quickly remove the valve core to deflate the tyre or top up with sealant.

To de-core the valve, all you need to do is:

1. Unscrew the valve cap
2. Slot the valve cap over the valve core
3. Twist anticlockwise until the core can be pulled out
4. Repeat in reverse to refit

5. Our MK2 valves come in 42mm, 60mm and 80mm lengths. This means that whatever the depth of your rim, we have valves to fit your needs.

   As a rough guide, We recommend:

   • MTB, Urban and XC rims: 42mm
   • Road rims: 60mm
   • Deep Section Road rims: 80mm

   Always measure your rims before purchasing or contact your Rim manufacturer for further recommendations.

Out n back ride to Bishop Auckland - starting to feel like Autumn

 

First ride of the week! I have had a crazy busy week at work and at home so not much spare time to speak of. The forecast was for a beautiful sunrise and blazing sun, well they were wrong. Sort of a sunrise then clouded over and it was really cold. The Garmin was reading 6 degrees along the old railway line. To be honest it felt like Autumn was starting with the heavy overnight dew and the shrubbery at the sides of the lines starting to die back. On the plus side the line to Bishop was lovely and quite at 6am with only a few dog walkers and odd runner. It was a simple out n back route and I took my Creo 1 gravel bike again. I have fell totally back in love with it again. Dare I say it, I enjoy it more than my Creo 2. Anyway below are a few snaps from the ride and as ever the sun just come out near the end, typical. Enjoy and hopefully more soon- 

Fresh Goods Sunday - Stan's No Tubes Tubeless Sealant Injector (AS0220)

 

Ever since starting to run tyres on my bikes tubeless I have always used my original Stan's No Tubes sealant injector or if fitting new tyres sometimes just pour the sealant straight into the tyre. 

The original injector did not hold enough sealant for mtb tyres so had to inject them twice which was a faff on. The other downside which was a real messy one was screwing the end onto the valve. 

The newer mark two model is a lot larger and hold way more volume so can inject mtb tyres in one go. The other change is the push on end, no need for screwing on now, way way easier and a lot less messier. The angled end it also a good change as well. You pout the sealant in the tube now, I used to suck it in before. Today is the first time I have used the this updated version and made one error by pushing the plunger into the tube before pushing the end onto the valve. The second tyre I pushed the end onto the valve, poured in the sealant then pushed the plunger into the tube. Still makes a little mess but a lot less than previously. I always was mine out with fresh cold water before storing back away into my tool cabinet. As ever shop around as there are some good deals out there. I would say it is defo worth the money at £12 and should last for years. 

RRP £15.00 and I paid £11.99 from Tweeks Cycles inc Next Day Delivery. Discount 20% 

Manufacturers blurb - 

Many things within the cycling world have changed since we released our first iteration of The Injector in the early 2000s. To offer tubeless users an injector that reflects the needs of modern tire sizes and the higher volume fill of sealant required for a flat-free riding experience, we’re proud to offer our new Tubeless Sealant Injector. Note: for use only with Stan's Original Tubeless Sealant, not compatible with Stan's Race Day Tubeless Sealant formula.

VOLUME INCREASED TO 150 ML
Larger volume gives you the ability to inject sealant into today’s higher-volume mountain, gravel, and road tires with a single fill

NEW PRESS-ON ADAPTER
Presses directly onto Presta and Schrader valve stems for quick fills without threading or additional parts

PATENT-PENDING TOP-FILL, DRIP-FREE SYSTEM
A cross-slit valve in the fitting paired with a unique air-relief channel in the injector body allows a precise fill of well-shaken sealant from the top for a convenient set-up with zero mess

BRANDED HANG-PLUG
Included for hanging on your workbench or mess-free storage in your toolbox

Finally back out on the Creo 1 road bike for a Durham Villages loop

 

Finally a cracking weekend of weather here in  the North East of England. Yesterday we had a day out to Alston where we jumped onto the steam train to Slaggyford and had a walk back to Alston, 4.5 miles. After lunch we had a walk up to the town, around the shops then back down to the station. The drive over and back was also spot on with some fantastic clear views over the dales and moors. 

Today I decided to drag my Creo 1 road bike out for a spin. Looking back on Garmin it is 12 weeks today since I last been out on the roads! far too long. I did one of my loops which I call the Durham Villages route as I worked in most of the villages I pass through when I was a younger lad in my days. The traffic was lovely and quiet at 7am on a Sunday with the sun blazing away. It did not tale long for the temperature to rise from 11 to 17 degrees. It did cloud over for a while which made it more bearable for me. There was no wind at all compared to yesterday hike where we were touched 35mph gusts. The bike went well and only had a couple of close passes by idiots! Once back home I gave the bike a wash and nocked off three months of dust, charged it up and squirted some new fresh Stan's into the tyres. More on this in todays Fresh Goods Sunday @ 4pm. All in 31.3  miles in 2hrs 4mins with 1800ft of climbing. Below  are a few snaps from the ride, enjoy and hopefully more soon-