A longer spin out on the Creo 2 inc bedding in Absolute Black disc pads and checking Specialized Range Extender Battery

 

I am off work today and the forecast was looking better so I took the Creo 2 out for a longer spin. I have not used the range extender battery on my new Creo 2 so wanted to check that was working ok as some other owners have had problems with the battery not working with the Creo 2. Well I can report everything was spot on for me, no problems. Before I started the ride in ernest I had to break the Absolute Black disc pads in so did this first on a flat section of railway line from Langley Park heading to Bearpark. Once I had completed the break in I turned and headed for Consett. The line was mostly up the naff's with wet clarts and puddles, what a mess! The Garmin dipped to minus -2 degrees going through Lanchester and most the puddles were frozen. Once up at Consett it was a little warmer and less ice on the tracks. Once at Consett I headed straight over at the crossroads and headed for Rowlands Gill. Again there was long stretches of old railway with freezing cold running water the full width of the track. Once I got onto the next stretch of line after Rowlands Gill it was less muddy and seemed drier, which is normally the other way around! Once I reached the gate before the road I turned and headed back. I was thinking of going all the way down to the river Tyne but changed my mind. It is a very long drag all the way back up to the crossroads at Consett but a good work out for my legs. By now the sun was out and was more enjoyable. That did not last long as I hit a rain shower after Knitsley, down and all the way through Lanchester then it blew past. There was quite a few others out n about but not too busy. All in 43.5miles in 3hrs 25 min s with 2200ft of climbing. Enjoy the snaps below, hopefully more soon but the forecast is for three days of solid back to back rain! 

Fresh Goods Sunday - Brand-X Carbon Riser Bar - 780mm x 25mm x 31.8mm

 

When I bought the Trek Marlin+ e mtb hardtail the standard factory handlebars were like massive cow horn risers. I don't ride with wide bars on any of my bikes as the type of terrain I ride I don't need the width. The other problem is I go through a lot of narrow gates / openings / bridges etc where I need a narrower bar. Yes I could cut them down but they were a low end alloy bar - Bontrager alloy, 31.8mm dia, 15mm rise, 750mm width. 

I normally ride flat bars and I had some spare carbon ones so I fitted them but following on from last weeks Fresh Goods Sunday due to the short steerer tube and low stack stem the front end was too low for me and I could not add any spacers. 

So it was back to a riser bar. I thought I had some spare carbon riser bars but I must have sold them or sold a bike with them left on. I had a look around the local bike shops and the internet to see what there was available at a reasonable price. I did want to spend mega bucks but wanted reasonable quality. 

At the time Wiggle/CRC was going into liquidation and had a big sell off. They had some of their own Brand X carbon bars in stock. The rrp was £100 but I did not know if they were ever £100, the reviews on the bars were mainly excellent so thought I would give them a whirl. They arrived 48 hours later and the finish and quality looked spot on for the money. I opted for the 780mm wide  x 25mm rise x 31.8mm stem clamp dia. I liked the suttle matt logos, end marks for cutting down and grippy finish to the stem clamp area inc angle marks. 

I cut mine down to 680mm wide and fitting was simple enough. It takes longer to remove the brake levers / shifter and fork lock out than remove the stem face plate and swap over. The weight is very reasonable at 240g for the money. 

After a few months of riding I find getting used to riser bars strange mainly due to the back sweep angle. They don't flex when out of the saddle honking up a hill. There is not much more I can say to be honest. They did come in 12, 25 & 38mm rise and two widths 780mm and 800mm but most options have sold out now. 

Next week will be the last part of the Fresh Goods Sunday - Trek Marlin+ series. 

RRP £99.99 and I paid £39.99 from CRC inc 48hr p&p. Discount 60% 

Manufacturers Blurb - 

This riser bar features a handcrafted carbon construction and a rigorously tested design, which gives you exceptional off-road steering performance at an affordable price. Hand built using high modulus graphite carbon fibre, this model combines both Uni-Directional (UD) and 3K weave to deliver a superior strength to weight ratio on the toughest rides. Brand-X has also used particle paint on the bar ends and clamp areas, which provides additional friction while also preventing slip.

Each handlebar is rigorously tested and is certified to ISO 4210-2.

Available in 3 risers - 12mm, 25mm and 38mm and two widths- 780mm and 800mm, depending on your riding style and preference, all in 31.8mm clamp.

• Material: Carbon
• Finish: Subtle graphics with a matte black finish
• Backsweep: 9 degree
• Upsweep: 6 degree
• Use: Trail, All Mountain, Enduro, Downhill and Freeride
• Weight: 240g (780mm, 25mm), 242g (800mm, 25mm)
• 2 Year Manufacturer Warranty

A cold and mixed bag of weather on a local road ride on the Cannondale Synapse Neo and a Catch up on Fresh Goodies inc Specialized Down Jacket

 

No cycling on Thursday or Friday due to some rather poor weather conditions! we had snow and lashing rain for more than 48 hours solid. It stopped raining last night so I managed to get out on my Cannondale Synapse Neo this morning. I forgot my camera, so sorry no pics of the ride but what a mixed back of weather I had. Started of just after daylight was coming through then I had freezing fog with a heavy drizzle, worst was around Crook area. Once I climbed up to Tow Law I had glorious sunshine and the Garmin went from minus -0.5 degrees to plus 2.5 degrees. The roads are in one hellava mess to say the least. I had flooded sections, over an inch of running water in some stretches, pot holes are just unreal and plenty of mud from the fields. There was still snow at the sides of the roads / fields on higher ground. The traffic was very busy on some short stretches of main road, everyone seemed to be in a mad rush. All in just over 36 miles in 2hrs 22mins, ave speed 15.3mph with just under 2500ft of climbing. I gave the bike a good wash, dry, lube and charge when I got back. Below is a photo of my route. Enjoy and hopefully more soon- 

Fresh Goodies - I ordered a Specialized men's packable down jacket from Specialized UK website for click n collect at Infinity Cycles. I am unsure just how well down jackets work when cycling but all the major cycling clothing brands seem to be jumping on the band wagon with them. If it is no good for cycling then it will be spot on as a casual jacket instead. More on this in an up coming Fresh Goods Sunday but the rrp is £200 and I paid £90 inc 48hr p&p. 

A while ago I bought a Assos Trail jacket from CRC but the zipper was just not right when trying to engage it at the bottom to zip up and when unzipping the jacket very hard to pull apart at the bottom. I contacted CRC and the return process is a pain in the arse to say the least as they said it had to go back as a warranty claim not a normal return. The jacket has been posted back but 8 days later they have not received it and I am out of pocket or no replacement jacket. I will have to try and chase them up next week to see what on earth is going on. 

Fresh Goodies - Sram Quickview MTB mount, Exposure Light handlebar mount, Cycling Plus, County Durham Cycling Maps & This is Northumberland book

Yesterday afternoon I also had a sort through my bench at the back of the garage and found a Sram Quickview mtb Garmin mount which I had ordered a while ago from ebay. It come from a cycle shop in Yorkshire who was selling them off. I had no spare mtb sized ones but I do now. I have used these for years and never had any problems on mtb's or gravel bikes. 

I also found my USE Exposure fixed handlebar mount for my Zenith light. I have fitted it onto my Trek Marlin+ handlebars. More on this in an up coming Fresh Goods Sunday. 

Me and Jane had a spin through to Hexham the other day for a look around. I called in past WH Smiths and bought the March edition of Cycling Plus for a read. It has gone up to £6.50 now and just over a 100 pages thick. 

And whilst we were in Hexham we called in past the Abbeys shop and I come across this years "This is Northumberland" book. I am still to finish off lasts years 2023 edition yet but I will get caught up soon rrp £18, cracking read with some fantastic photography. 

Last but not least when I called in past Infinity Cycles to pick up an order from Specialized UK direct (more on that soon) Durham County Council had dropped off the new cycling maps for the region, more reading and see if there are any new "official" tracks n trails!