Fresh Goods Sunday - Pro Storage Bottle 750ml

I have been looking at storage bottles for a few years now and are really good value for money if you want to carry a spare second tube like me if you already have a saddle bag with one in. The only problem is if you want to carry two water bottles for longer rides or really hot rides you cannot but then you could always put the tube etc in your jersey pocket. The 750ml one can hold a fair few smaller items but remember not to squeeze them all down the bottle as you may struggle to get them back out again in an emergency or with gloves on. I haven't used this size much yet as I also bought the same bottle in the smaller 500ml size which I have fitted to the Slate which has not come off yet (more on this size in a future Fresh Goods Sunday). When  the storage bottle is full it does get a good hold in most bottle cages. If you put a few smaller items in and don't roll them up in some cloth they can rattle like hell when off road.

A multi-functional wide opening storage bottle to fit standard 74 mm bottle cages.
Wide opening allows easy access for storage.
Madison LINK and also a LINK for the 500ml version
750 cc capacity.
RRP £5.99 for 750ml & £4.99 for the 500ml

Second shake down on the Kona Ti Hei Hei & a walk around High and Low Shincliffe

Weather has not been the best this week and a busy back end of the week with work has meant no cycling! got a walk for just over an hour on Thursday and nearly an hour on Friday.
After some fettling after the first ride on the Kona Ti Hei Hei I needed to get another ride in before tomorrows Nutcracker. So I was out and on the bike this morning for a second shake down ride. This time it was a 16 miler loop down / around Durham, Houghall woods, trod, dog kennels loop. No problems this time but the saddle could still go up another touch, apart from that I forgot to fit a bell which is a right pain the bot cycling around Durham and on the old railway lines. As for the weather well you can see in the photos it was overcast / cloudy but not too cold like the early morning frosts of the last couple of days.
Once back it was a quick change of kit and over to Low Shincliffe for a 5 mile hike - more on that below. Here are a few pics from this mornings ride -

 

Me & Jane parked up on the edge of Low Shincliffe and did a 5 mile hike taking in High Shincliffe and the river banks to end up in the coffee shop at Shincliffe garden centre. Again it was overcast and cloudy but the sun was trying to get through, it was warm as well. First time I have had my summer Alt Berg walking boots on, the trails are starting to dry up again. 

When we got home the sun came out, typical ! Good luck to all the lads up at Fat Forth in North Berwick this weekend.

Kona Ti Hei Hei shake down ride

This was a shake down ride on the old Kona Ti Hei Hei hardtail since I have rebuilt it last week. I will be using this at the Nutcracker Rd3 xc event at Aske Estate this Sunday so wanted to make sure it was ok. The snow had melted from overnight and was quite dry considering. By no way means was it warm and I had my full winter kit back on again. As for the bike well its going to need quite a few tweaks when I get a mo - saddle height up a touch, cleat tension on the pedals needs increasing, rear mech cable 1/2 a turn tighter, outer front mech screw 1/2 turn inwards, fork needs a touch more air as its too soft, gear shifters need moving inwards on the bars, a check over on all the nuts & bolts and job should be a good'un!
Below are a few pics from the ride, enjoy and hopefully more soon -

tail wind on the way out to Bishop

and a stiff headwind all the way back

but the sun came out with a few more miles to go