Road spin around Weardale and Upper Weardale - Cowshill & Rookhope on Cannondale Synapse Neo

 

I was just looking back through Garmin Connect and thought it had been a while since I have had a road ride around Weardale area. Yesterday I washed, dried, charged and lubricated my Cannondale Synapse Neo. Then I fitted my new Shimano SL pedals, pumped up the tyres, charged up front and rear lights and fitted them and the bike was ready to go. 

The forecast was for some sun but mainly overcast and they were right. The Garmin went from around 5 degrees down to 1 degree. What was the killer was the massive headwind (25mph gusts) along the valley on the way out to Cowshill. Once I turned I had a massive tailwind. I was going to cross over and do the Allenheads loop but the wind was too strong and it was too cold. On the way back down I decided to turn off left at Eastgate and head up to Rookhope. I turned right and took the back lane up over the big climb followed by the very fast decent back into Stanhope, from there it was a steady spin back to Frosterley. All in 30.5miles in 2 hrs 6 mins with 2400ft of climbing. The back lanes were lovely and quiet as ever but very muddy and wet with a lot of debris so steady away. I think I was passed by about a dozen cars the whole ride. Below are a few snaps, short video clip and the route map, enjoy and hopefully more soon- 

Spin through to Bishop Auckland n back on the old railway lines

 

Apologies for the lack of blogs but spinning away on the turbo trainer and a few longer walks. Today the sun was trying to get out so I made the decision to sling my leg over the saddle. We had very heavy rain yesterday afternoon and through the night followed by a frost. The lines were in a right old mess with ice, slop, water, puddles, flooding but all the fallen trees had been cut back and a clear track all the way. It was by no ways warm of any sorts. The Garmin was hovering between 1 degree and 2 degrees! The wind made it feel even colder on the way through. There was quite a few others out n about enjoying the short hazy spells of sun. I did not hang around long in Bishop and headed straight back. As I was nearer Bearpark it went very dark and spots of rain started. By the time I got to Langley Park the heavens had opened. All in 27 miles in 2hrs 6mins with 850ft of climbing. I was going to hose off most of the wet mud when I got back but it was that wet and I was cold that got knocked on the head. Below are a few snaps from the ride, enjoy and hopefully more soon- 

Fresh Goodies - Shimano PD-RS500 Road Pedals

 

Since I have set up up Turbo Trainer with my old Cannondale Super Six Blank Inc on I took the road pedals off my Cannondale Neo Synapse as I don't use that bike very often. 

I was looking around for some more pedals, same model as they are always heavily discounted and found the same model on Ebay for £36.94 inc p&p new & boxed with cleats. I killed two birds with one stone as they say as I used my spare pair of yellow road cleats on my Spare Sidi road shoes the other weekend and don't have any spares now. 

I have used the RS500 models on my Synapse for a while now and dont have any problems with what so ever. I will fit these onto my Neo so its ready to rock n roll again as and when required. I will keep the spare cleats in my pedals tub in garage for when the next pair wear down / out. 

RRP is £60 and from the internet / shops you are looking around £34.99 + £3.99 p&p. 

Fresh Goods Sunday - Shimano SH11 SPD-SL 6 Degree Road Pedal Cleats

 

Time to fit some new road cleats onto my spare pair of road Sidi shoes. I bought these as a spare pair back last summer from the York Cycle Show. There not much to them and have never changed in design for as long as I can remember. They are easy to fit with three allen head bolts and slotted washers. I always used a load of copper slip grease on the threaded inserts in the shoes and on the new bolt threads. They last me a fair while as I don't do many miles on my road bike now but the killer is walking on tarmac with them. As ever shop around, the going price now seems to be £10.99 and be careful of knock off copies on the likes of ebay etc. 

You may not be aware but Shimano make three different coloured road cleats, they all have the same rrp - 

Yellow 6 degrees of float

Blue 2 degrees of float

Red 0 degrees (Fixed) no float. 

RRP £21.00 and I paid £10 from the York Cycle Show. 

Manufacturers blurb - 

Shimano SM-SH11 SPD-SL Yellow Road Cleats

• SM-SH11 Yellow SPD-SL cleats come stock with most Shimano SPD-SL pedals and are a great choice for the majority of cyclists. They feature a six-degree float range (three degrees in each direction), which allows for free movement and low joint stress while still creating a solid connection between rider and bike.
• Customizable: Seamlessly compatible with Shimano SPD-SL pedals, which allow you to adjust the spring force required to clip in and out of your pedals
• Ease of disengagement: Feature a 13-degree clip-out angle, allowing you to quickly get out of your pedals when the time calls
• Off-bike friendly: Cleat size and shape provide stable walking platform and are less prone to clogging with dirt when off bike
• Built to last: Composite construction combines injection molded main body with grip enhancing TPU tips that are durable and maintain long lasting pedal engagement

For anyone unsure about which cleats to choose, the SM-SH11 are a great starting point. With their large float range and centered pivot point, Shimano’s Yellow SPD-SL cleats allow the toes to point in a wide range of angles and provide more room for error during set-up while still delivering an efficient connection between rider and bike. So if you're new to cycling, experience knee pain, lack flexibility, or simply don’t know where to begin, these cleats are your best bet.

Utilizing composite construction that combines an injection molded main body with grip enhancing TPU tips, the SM-SH11 Yellow cleats deliver long lasting pedal engagement performance. And thanks to the extra grip along with their general size and shape, they provide more stability when you’re off the bike walking around.

Like all Shimano SPD-SL cleats, the SM-SH11 is seamlessly compatible with Shimano SPD-SL pedals, which allow you to adjust the amount of force required to clip in and out of your pedals, providing an unmatched level of customization. The SM-SH11 also feature a 13-degree clip-out angle, meaning you can quickly get out of your pedals when the need arises.

Technical specifications:

• Type: SPD SL cleats
• Float: 6-degrees
• Clip-out angle: 13-degrees
• Colour: Yellow
• Compatibility (pedal): Shimano SPD SL pedals
• Compatibility (shoe): 3-bolt
• Discipline: Road
• Model number: SM-SH11

Hello, finally back out on the bike but steady away after double man flu

 

I thought I was over the first man flu then after about a day and half of feeling a little better I was struck down again. I have set up my old turbo trainer and did a couple of short sessions before the second bug kicked in fully but I have been bad as a dog really since Christmas and still no where near 100% right. We had a heavy snow storm where we had over 6" of snow then freezing conditions with no thaw for another six days following that which was miserable to say the least. 

Today the sun was shining so dragged myself out to see what I could manage. The old railway lines are still frozen / icy  in numerous places where they just never get any winter sun. Then the overnight frost had melted in the sun leaving a lovely freezing cold, black inch deep, hard going slush top. Not too worry as its all part of the fun. I did one of the regular old railway lines loop inc a short road section which was dry with the salty grit dust coming up off the tarmac. All in 26 miles in 2hrs 1min with 1300ft of climbing. Below are a couple of snaps below, enjoy and hopefully more soon-