Mainly gravel loop - Bishop / Brandon / Spenny in the sun

 

Well after days of near continuous rain the sun finally came back out again. The trails were damp and muddy in places which was to be expected. I was over in Coundon area so did a loop from Brack's Farm at Bishop. I dropped down to the Market Place then over the viaduct to pick up the old railway to the Brawns Den. There I turned right and down to the Sunderland Bridge, up to Croxdale and the back way through Tudhoe Village / Spenny. The trails were lovely and quiet with not many others out and about. The track down to Sunderland Bridge before you go through the gate to head towards the viaduct has all been resurfaced and does not have massive holes now = even faster downhill. At Spenny I picked up the old railway line back to Brack's Farm. The Garmin was nearly reading 20 degrees by the time I got back. All in just over a 19 mile loop with 700ft of climbing. Below are a few snaps from the ride, enjoy and hopefully more soon- 

Fresh Goods Sunday - Oakley 0OX8156 Holbrook RX Prescription Glasses / Sunglasses

Well it has been many years since I have bought any prescription sunglasses. Due to my change in prescription this year and changing to varifocals in my normal glasses a couple of years ago it was time to splash some cash and purchase some new ones. Due to my complex prescription I cannot get Oakley lenses from their factory so it has to be after market lenses. I wanted varifocals and got chatting to the lady from Sight Direct where I bought my new cycling glasses from she recommended the Transition lenses so I don't have to keep changing my glasses if I go out for the day / on holiday and keep walking inside a building the lens changes from dark to near clear but does take some time. It is the first time I have tried this type of lens and takes some getting used to at first. When its sunny they darken but not as much as a normal pair of sunglasses. There were two options of Transitions and the Xtra model was better for driving as they change better behind a windscreen. The Oakley frames are spot and are comfortable to wear all day and come in various shapes, colours and sizes. The frames came with a hard case, soft case and box including instructions. 

The only real negative is due to the thickness of the lenses when it goes dark you can see some of the lip / edge of lenses which does not go dark, it may have been a better option to pay some extra money and go for the thinner lenses so this is less visible if that was an option. Keeping the lenses clean is also a pig of a job probably due to the coatings etc. 

RRP £116.00 and I paid £92.60 from Sight Direct, Birtley (frames only) but if you shop around on the net prices range from £54 to £72 inc p&p, which is a massive cost saving. 

I opted for the Transition Xtra lenses at £180 on top of the frames price. 

Manufacturers Spec - 

PRODUCT OVERVIEW

HOLBROOK™

Holbrook is a timeless, classic design fused with modern Oakley technology. Inspired by the screen heroes from the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, this design epitomizes the spirit of exploration and adventure. The iconic American frame design is accented by metal rivets and Oakley icons, perfect for those who seek equal parts performance and style.

FEATURES

Plutonite® Lenses offer top UV Protection filtering 100% of all UVA, UVB, UVC and harmful blue light up to 400nm.
Patented High Definition Optics® (HDO®) provides superior optical clarity and razor-sharp vision at every angle.
O-Matter™ stress-resistant frame material is both lightweight and durable for all-day comfort and protection.

 INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGIES

HIGH DEFINITION OPTICS®

High Definition Optics® (HDO®) is a collection of patented technologies that allow Oakley eyewear to meet or exceed the testing standards of the American National Standards Institute for optical clarity, visual fidelity, and impact resistance.

DETAILS:

Frame Colour - Satin Black

Lens Colour - depends on what you pick for your prescription 

FRAME SPECIFICATIONS

Lens Width - 55mm

Bridge Width - 18mm

Temple Arm Length - 137mm

Catch up and a spin out to Sedgey

 

Yesterday Janes car went in for its mot and passed with no cautions etc. It has only done 500 miles this year which was 200 miles more than he previous year which we could not work out. Anyway whilst it was getting mot'ed we have a walk up to the shopping centre at Dragonville and bought some food etc. W also had a drink from Chesney's cafe, he is not the cheapest but his hot drinks are fantastic. 

Today the forecast was thunder storms all day on the BBC so decided not to go out on the bike. A quick google to see if anything was happening in Co Durham and I found a Farmers Market at Sedgefield so me and Jane had a spin through. After a look around the market in the glorious sun and heat! we had a cuppa and bait at No 4 café. The service was slow to stop at the best but the food was ok but pricey. 

From there we headed over to Hardrwick Park for a walk around the lakes etc. The place is well overgrown and could do with a good tidy up in my eyes. By the time we got back to the car it had clouded over and went dark but it was 21 degrees and still no rain. 

A short local loop to Durham n back on the Cube E mtb

 

An early morning spin down to  Durham city centre in the sun but it was cool enough to wake me up at 6.30am! You can tell nearly all the students have gone home there is rubbish and over flowing bins all over the place. The party marque has gone from the race course and one of the testing marques from the palace green has also gone. There was no students out and about and hardly any locals either. It was the quietest early morning rides I have done around Durham for a very long time. The sun was in and out a hundred times but it was not that warm. The Garmin topped out around 11 degrees. It was steady away 15 mile loop with 700ft of climbing. Below are a few snaps from the ride, enjoy and hopefully more soon-