A hot and mainly sunny loop taking in three of County Durham's old railway lines on my S-Works Creo2

After a bad nights sleep I slept in this morning so I was late in getting out on the bike. The sun was shining and the forecast was looking good so I decided to drag the S-Works Creo 2 out for a spin. A quick pump up of the tyres and top up the charge on the battery it was ready to rock n roll. I hoped onto the old railway line at Langley Park and headed for Broompark picnic area. The sign was still up at Bearpark saying the bridge was closed but thought to myself it cannot be. Once I reached the crossroads the fencing was down and there was fresh tarmac, it was open. I headed straight on and up the climb to Stanley Crook and then the fast descent down to Crook. From there it was the road climb and descent down to the Coop at Willington. At this point I turned left and headed back to Broompark. There is a new sign up before the descent down to the new bridge asking cyclists and horse riders to dismount, some how I cannot see many cyclists taking any note of the sign! Once back to Langley Park I headed straight onto Lanchester where I turned and headed back. It was mainly sunny for the whole ride and was really warm near the end. The lines are bone dry and dusty again. All in just under 31 miles in 2hrs 19mins with 1200ft of climbing. Below are a few snaps from the ride, enjoy and hopefully more soon- 

Fresh Goods Sunday - Gtechniq Bike Wash 250ml

I have been washing bikes since I was knee high and have used various different lotions and potions over the years. When Gtechniq launched their bike range a good few years ago I thought it would be good stuff as I use their car range and is excellent. I bought a 250ml bottle of Bike Wash when we were on our holidays in Yorkshire from Big Bear Bikes a few years ago and started using it straight away. I don't use a lot of water to wash my bikes so I shake the bottle and use half a cap full in approx 5 litres of cold water. The instructions recommend warm water but I only have a cold water outside tap. It is defo high foaming which I love and also has a nice smell. If the bike is very dirty I lightly hose the bike down and spray on some Fenwicks FS10 bike cleaner first, let it soak for a while then wash the bike with Gtechniq bike wash from the bucket with a sponge and it works a treat. Most of the time I don't use the Fenwick's FS10 and just use the Gtechniq. After washing I rinse the bike down and dry off. I have gone through my first bottle and started using my second bottle which I bought from Chevin Cycles at Harrogate. There is not a lot of bike shops stock Gtechniq but you can get it on line. The only other size bottle they do in the Bike Wash is a 5 litre for £85. Shame they did not do a litre size. It seems expensive but works out to be good value as you don't need much each time. I will not be swapping away from this unless something else catches my eye or performs alot better, which I doubt would be possible. 

RRP £9.75 and I paid £9.75 from Chevin Cycles & Big Bear Bikes 

Manufacturers Blurb - 

Bike Wash is a biodegradable formulation containing high foaming, premium surfactants. These surfactants have been balanced to break the bond between the dirt film and your bike, delivering exceptionally strong cleaning power. Bike Wash lubricates dirt, minimising abrasion and maximising gloss retention. This highly concentrated formula contains no caustic elements or thickeners.

• Supreme dirt removal
• Highly concentrated formula
• pH neutral

• Shake well before use, wear gloves and use out of direct sunlight.
• Add 2 capfuls of product into an empty 20 litre bucket
• Fill bucket with warm water
• Using a Gtechniq Wash Mitt wash entire bike
• Rinse thoroughly with clean water and dry with a Gtechniq Bike Towel.
• Store bottle in a cool, dry place

Back around my Durham, Maiden Castle & Houghall Woods morning loop on the Trek Marlin+ emtb hardtail

 

I had a rest day from the bike yesterday but still managed two walks after the heavy morning rain. Today the sun was shining so decided to hop on to my Trek Marlin+ emtb hardtail for a loop around Durham, Maiden Castle and Houghall woods. I have not done this one for a long time nor have I ridden the Marlin+ for a long time either. The bike was lovely and clean, charged up and lube'd up, I just had the tyres to pump up and it was ready to rock n roll. Durham river banks etc was quite busy with other users, alot more than I expected first thing but the sun was shinning and it was warm. Nothing new around the route and Houghall woods inc the middle gully track is still dry and hard under tyre. 

All in just under 17 miles in 1hr 28mins with 900ft of climbing. Below are a few snaps from the ride enjoy and hopefully more soon inc a Fresh Goods Sunday at 4pm.