Pre Christmas week Catch Up

No time for cycling again, I have been out of the house for 13 hours most days as I have had to take the farter in law through to Bishop Auckland hospital and go back and collect him nearly every day. The mother in law is getting better now from the stroke and got home late Christmas eve afternoon. I did manage in get a hike in with the family on the afternoon over to Pity Me tea barn for a cuppa and cake etc. It was very busy and to tbh it was not that good. My hot chocolate was just warm, janes cake was bone dry and crumbling to dust and Arran said his chips were not the best. Not good when you are paying top dollar. The hike was much better as the sun was out and it was not too cold in the breeze. We managed just over 5 miles in total and we all enjoyed it. Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to all the readers.

Look has got his santas hat on this year

Fresh Goods Sunday - Mammut logo T Shirt

I bought one of these T shorts a few years ago and the material is spot on for pottering around the house, working outside, going for a walk etc. The logo's have started to wear off my old one and has a small tear in the front so when I found this one in the sale I snapped it up straight away. It has the same material etc and will be worn on and off for hopefully many more years to come. Yes it is more pricy than a £10 cotton T but is worth ever extra penny in quality and feel.
RRP £32 and I paid £20

Manufacturers blurb -

The famous Mammut logo T-shirt, now available in bioRe® organic cotton. bioRe® stands for: 1. Organic: produced according to organic criteria, 2. Quality: high-quality materials and workmanship, 3. Ecological: no use of harmful substances or heavy metals, 4. Transparency: control over all production stages throughout the entire value chain, 5. Fairness: humane production conditions throughout the entire value chain

 Item no.1041-07291 Weight [g]170 CutRegular Fit

Features bioRe® organic cotton The famous Mammut logo t-shirt

Material & technology

Main material
95% Cotton | 5% Spandex

 

 

 

Fresh Goods Sunday - Shimano L02A resin ice tech disc pads

I have been running the Mason for a while now and knew the front pads were running down. I had bought four pairs of new pads for the Ultegra disc callipers on the Norco Search and thought they would be the same ones. Once I removed the pads from the Mason I soon noticed they were a different shape and size. A quick google and was knocked over the rrp on these, it is staggering. So after 15 mins or so I ordered some from Bike Discount in Germany and paid the postage but still worked out way cheaper than anything in the uk. As for the pads they have worked well in the dry & mud. They have not been noisy and have performed well. I cannot say if the fins have improved the braking quality as I don't really descend on long enough descents that would boil the brakes really. It only takes a few minutes to swap the pads if you have the correct tools. I have a few more spare pairs for when the back ones need replacing and "just in case" situations.
LINK
RRP £20 and I paid £9.28

Manufacturers blurb - Improve your performance with the Shimano L02A Disc Brake Pads. These genuine pads offer a direct replacement for BRR808 and BRR505 brakes, while the cooling fins and resin compound increase stopping power and modulation.
The Shimano L02A Disc Brake Pads are a genuine replacement part for BRR808 and BRR505 models. Utilising a resin construction, these pads are softer and as such offer improved modulation and less noise. The additional cooling fins help keep the brakes cold and performing at their best, no matter the gradient or distance ahead.

Weekly Catch Up - not a very good week tbh

What a week it has been, the mother in law has had a stroke, the farther in law is still recovering from an operation on his eye a week ago and my mums back has gone off and she cannot walk / drive. On top of that we have had hassle with Nationwide Building Society over our mortgage, Jane has had hassle with Yorkshire Building Society over an isa. Virgin money has come up trumps on two new accounts. Got my first statement in from Bulb energy for the electric, we used £50 per month, N Power said they wanted between £110-£120 per month on nearly the same tariff but we did get our final statement from N Power and guess what they were due us money even though I stopped the direct debit months ago because I knew we were paying too much.
Been to collect our new painting from the House of Smudge from Bishop Auckland and is now on the wall and is looking good.
Not had time to go out on the bike even though we have had a couple of days of real good weather this week. Managed to wash a couple of cars, van and two bikes today and greased up the Ritchey pedals on the Cube E bike, they were starting to get dry.
Hopefully next week will be better, who knows!

NECCL RD9 Hetton Lyons Country Park

 

Yesterday was the final round for the Neccl Winter series at a rather cold Hetton Lyons Country Park. The forecast was looking awful all week with heavy snow forecasted but later in the week it changed to heavy rain / sleet then changed again to strong winds and Baltic cold temperatures. As ever Hetton provided both the wind and cold. The course was based on the hill side of the venue with a challenging course taking in loads of different type of terrain. The ground conditions were hard and semi frozen so there was very little mud. Following the kids and main race we handed out the prize money for the riders who completed the league. Then it was onto the Agm where I was presented with a surprise bunch of flowers and a bottle of bubbly. Many thanks from myself, Jane, Angus and Arran for those involved in this. Heather H was also presented with flowers and a bottle for all the help during the season. The agm followed and we ran out of seats and standing room. It was fantastic to see so many riders, organisers and helpers stopping back to discuss the future of Neccl going into 2019 with a provisional calendar of 10 events all at different venues, its looking good. All the best from MBE and hope to see you all back in Sept 2019.

Regards Scoty

 

 

 

 

Fresh Goods Sunday - Berghaus Helvellyn Shell Gortex Overtrousers

I bough these over trousers quite a few months back when we had the heatwave / long summer. They have been in the cupboard with there labels on ready for the winter. Well over the last few weeks it has virtually never stopped raining here in County Durham. I have some Goretex Berghaus trousers and are spot on but wanted some new over trousers as my last pair were 20+ years old and too small. These were pricey but have not let me down in the last couple of weeks. Last Saturday I had my goretex trousers and goretex over trousers on and I was out from 9am to 2.15pm in the lashing rain and my legs were bone dry. They have long zips up the sides of the legs so you don't have to remove your shoes / boots before putting them on or taking them off. You can pull them in at the ankle as well and have extra protection on the inside for rubbing. So far I cannot fault them and will hopefully last as long as my old pair and will be more than happy.
RRP £100 and I paid £60

Manufacturers blurb - Trek on through the wettest weather with the highly durable and waterproof Men's Helvellyn GORE-TEX® Overtrouser. These highly featured overtrousers offer both comfort and protection - with articulated knees and thigh ventilation you can stay dry without hindering performance.

2L Gore-Tex® waterproof, windproof and breathable performance outer shell

Polyester mesh lining

Elasticated waist band

¾ length water-resistant two way zips for venting

Articulated knees

Adjustment studs at hem

Kick patches

Weight: approx 388g