Cold and windy spin up and the C2C to Hownsgill

 

Another day and another spin out. It was cold and windy on the spin up the C2C to Hownsgill / the gate at the A68 crossing. The Garmin never got above 7.4 degrees and the wind was a chilling killer! It was a straight forward out n back route but I took a road diversion at Greencroft / Annfield Plain on the way back down to miss out the muddy section. I took the Creo 2 gravel bike again as it was still covered in mud from the previous ride. There was more tarmac sections today on the old railway line but the gravel sections were bad with big puddles and mud. As for the wind it was a strange one, felt like I had a headwind on the way up but on the way back it still felt like a headwind in places, I could not escape from it. Again hardly a sole out n about apart from a few dog walkers and a couple of other cyclists. All in 23 miles with 850ft of climbing. Below are a few snaps from the ride, enjoy and hopefully more soon- 

Don't worry I am back - had bad man flu - Creo 2 gravel bike on Co Durham's old muddy railway lines

 

Don't worry I am still in the land of living. After my last long ride I felt dog rough in the afternoon and come Sunday I was bad. Man flu had struck and gone straight to the chest / lungs. I have not been out on the bike since or done any running. I went out for a 5 mile gentle walk on the Sunday of the bank holiday weekend but that's been it. 

The weather has been totally pants apart from a couple of dry days and a few half days. It was time I got back into the swing of it so planned to do one of my regular shorter loops which does not have that many hills in and took it steady. The old railway lines are up the naff's yet again with loads of big puddles and mud. Just as well I refitted my Ass Saver but my shoes, socks and legs were sprayed in freezing cold mud within minutes of setting off. The lines were lovely and quiet with hardly a sole out and about. The sun did pop out now and again but the wind was a killer coming back in. 

All in 24 miles in 1hr 49mins with 900ft of climbing. Below are a few snaps from the ride, enjoy and hopefully more soon- 

Fresh Goods Sunday - Specialized / Fjällräven Handlebar Pocket Bag - Ox Red

 

When I bought my Specialized Creo 2 bike I swapped over some of the parts / accessories from my Creo 1 gravel bike. I have used a Restrap bar bag on that bike for a few years now and on has performed well but did need to be sent back to replace a broken buckle and foam spacers. It is the older version where it does not have the stabilisation strap to go around the steerer and thick material to keep the shape of the bag. I had considered buying another one with the improvements but fancied something a little different. I looked a few options, some were too big, some were too small, some the straps that go around the handlebars were in the wrong place and some did not have a loop on the front to attach my Lezyne small led light. 

Then I come across this Specialized / Fjällräven Handlebar Pocket Bag, Infinity Cycles at Meadowfield had some in stock so popped over and made sure the spacing for the handlebar straps was right, could fit my Silca key/phone etc holder and had enough room for some small bits n bobs. It comes in four different colours and would have gone for boring black but sold out so went for the Ox red colour. It has a double zipper top which is quite stiff with rope pulls on the end. Two rows of loops on the front for attaching things. The back has a row of loops to adjust where you want the velcro strips to attach to your handlebars. It also has an elastic chord to wrap around your steerer. I did have it around my future shock streerer but thought that might rub through the rubber boot so wrapped the chord around the brake hoses and has worked perfectly from day one. The bag is longer than the Restrap but not as high or wide. I can fit in what I want to use it for. The only downside it does not have any spacers between the back of the bag and the straps/handlebars so when I am using the tops of the bars you cannot really get all your fingers down the back of the bag (more on this in a future Fresh Goods Sunday). It is the first time I have bought any Specialized bags and the quality is really good and the mud splashes wash off quite easily. I have used it in rain showers and no water ingress but have not used it in heavy rain. There is no inner pockets or mesh outer pockets just the one main compartment. I would say the bag is reasonable value for money but shop around there are some discounts to be had. 

RRP £50.00 and I paid £42.50 from Infinity Cycles. Discount 15% 

Manufacturers blurb - 

Snacks. Phone. Sunglasses. Keep your small essentials close by in the Handlebar Pocket Bag. The large zipper opening and side loops make it easy to open and close while riding. Two Velcro straps and a bungee cord create a secure fit on most handlebars. The durable nylon material protects against wear-and-tear while a waterproof lining makes sure your gear stays nice and dry.

• Weather-resistant design in durable ViNylon
• Sturdy Velcro and bungee cord attachment system
• Large two-way zip opening
• Daisy chain webbing on bottom
• Reflective Specialized/Fjällräven logo for enhanced visibility in low-light conditions
• Dimensions: Height: 9 cm, Width: 23 cm, Depth: 10 cm
• Volume- approx. 1.5L
• Weight- 100g
• Material- Vinylon main material. Recycled 210D polyamide lining with 10.000 PU coating and FC-free DW

Fresh Goods Sunday - Silca Gravelero Mini Pump

 

If you have followed my Blog over the years you will know I have a few products from Silca. Yes the quality is exceptional but the rrp are just unreal. I have used there digital track pump and had no real problems and is still going strong. I have never used one of their mini pumps but the reviews have been excellent over the many years. When they released their larger volume mini pump I splashed the cash and ordered one. 

As ever with ever Silca product the quality and feel is fantastic and this pump is no different. You get a pump holder which fits to your bosses, I have mounted mine under the downtube water bottle cage bosses. The pump has a flexible hose which attaches to your valve, reversible head for the two different types. All my other pumps attach straight to the valve so you have to be careful when pumping up not to move / bend the vale too much, with the hose it is a lot easier. The pump action is lovely and smooth, easy to use and  not too chucky looking when fitted to the bike. It is quite a long pump at 240mm which is longer than all my other mini pumps. It does not take too long to inflate a 700c gravel tyre, I have it fitted to my mountain bike which has 29x2.2" tyres. I would use a 16g Co2 cartridge first then top it up with the pump. 

The only thing I can fault is the rubber cover cap on the end keeps coming away from the pump body which other users have also noted so I have glued mine on so it does not get lost. 

As I have mentioned the rpp is plain crazy but as I always say shop around and you might find one at a cheaper price, currently around £78. 

RRP £92.00 and I paid £69.00 from Balfes Bikes - Discount 25% 

Manufacturers blurb - 

The GRAVELERO mini-pump builds from the same hose, chuck, and plunger design of our multi-award winning Tattico pump, in a package that pushes 35% more air from the same overall length. The design has been further refined for gravel and off-road use with a smooth outer texture and improved sealing to reject dirt and mud while also making for easy cleaning.

• Light-weight, aluminum handle and barrel
• Retractable hose
• Thumb-lock, reversible chuck:
Schrader or Presta
• 80 psi
• 9.5 inch / 243mm length
• 139 grams
• Includes direct-mount bracket
with retaining strap

The SILCA Lifetime Warranty covers products from manufacturing defects for the lifetime of the user.  It further covers the function of all hard parts for 7 years from the date of purchase.  Expected wear and tear is not covered.  Learn more about warranties.