A loop in and out of Hamsterley Forest to Hilltop / Egglestone

 

I have had a couple of days off the bike as my legs were getting tired so they were hopefully recovered for todays ride. The forecast was for a sunrise at 4.30am but that did not happen. I did a loop dropping into Hamsterley Forest, along the The Grove link track then onto the fire road all the way through, up and out of the forest. The forest was very quiet, never seen a sole or any wildlife of any description. I then dropped onto the B6278 and turned left and through Hilltop & Egglestone. There was hardly a car on the road at that time of morning. By now the sun had come through but was still cold, the Garmin was reading just under 10 degrees! I had three tops on and my arm warmers. At the top of the climb I turned left onto the B6282 then the back road down back into Hamsterley Forest / Blackling Hole. I did another section through the forest and back onto the road and dropped back into Hamsterley village. I had a strong tail wind nearly all the way back on the exposed road sections. The temperature had gone up as well so I was warmed nicely. All in 24.5 mile with 2200ft of climbing. Below are a few snaps from the ride, enjoy and hopefully more soon- 

Team Cycles Birthday Party Sat 1st July

 

A short out n back from Bishop to Brandon on the Trek Procaliber 9.8

 

Todays ride was a simple out n back along the old railway line - Bishop to Brandon. The sun was in and out for the whole ride and no where near the heat we have had recently. I must have a tailwind on the way out as at my turning point I had a huge headwind all the way back. Just as well there was not much climbing as my legs were not feeling it. The lines were damp with a few puddles after yesterday evenings rain storms. There was a few others out n about but not many. Below are a few snaps from the ride, enjoy and hopefully more soon- 

Fresh Goods Sunday - Shimano BT-DN110 Di2 Internal Battery (11 speed)

 

If you have followed my blog over the last couple of weeks you will have read that I have been having a problem with my Shimano Di2 on my Specialized Creo road bike. I don't use this bike very often so does not get that many miles on it. I do give the battery a top up charge every 6 months or so. About a month ago I went to use the bike and the battery was flat so I gave it a full charge. The next ride it was working perfectly but the next time I went to take it out for another ride the Di2 was not working again. I thought it could not be the battery as I just charged it a couple of weeks ago. I checked all the connections to the mech, shifters, charging port and junction block, all seemed ok. I knew the software / firmware will have probably been out of date as it has not been updated since new. I tried charging the battery again but would not hold its charge. I dropped the bike into Evans Cycles at Durham and Dan plugged it into the laptop. He ran the diagnosis and no faults come back. He then updated all the software / firmware but the battery was not even recognised. He did not have a spare one to swap it over to double check it was defo the battery. I did a quick google and there was stock in the uk and best price was just over £140. I checked Infinity Cycles stock and they had one in. With them being bought out by  Specialized uk they run Specialized's price match policy so I collected the battery the next day and paid £140, cheers Peter. 

The battery is hidden down the top tube on the Creo so gaining access is via the TCU hole, it is very tight and you have to take your time. I swapped over all the zip ties around the battery and put it on charge. After a good few hours the charging light went out on the charger box. I tried the gears and they worked. I tried again the next morning and they were still working. I checked the battery charge status light and it was solid green so the new battery has solved the problem. I then slide the battery back down the top tube, tucked all the other cables down and refixed the TCU display unit. Hopefully this one will last longer than the first battery, especially at Shimano's eye watering rrp! 

RRP £159.99 and I paid £140 from Infinity Cycles. Discount 12.5% 

Manufacturers Blurb - 

MODEL NO	BT-DN110-A
SERIES	DURA-ACE R9150 Series
Average weight	50
Type	Built-in battery

Chemistry	Li-Ion
Rated voltage (V)	7.4
Rated capacity (Ah)	0.5
Rated capacity (Wh)	3.7
Compatible charger	SM-BCR2
Master unit	✔
Firmware update by E-TUBE PROJECT	✔
SD50 port (pcs)	1

I just love using my Silca allen and torq key set, the quality is unreal, well worth every penny I paid for them. I noticed the rrp has gone up yet again on this set.