First frost of the season - Garmin hovering above 0 degrees on the C2C / Waskerley Way

 

What a weekend of two halves we have had of weather here in County Durham. It rained for more than 24 hours solid on the Saturday then sunshine and strong freezing cold winds on the Sunday. 

I was up and out very early today and it was the first frost of the season. The Garmin was hovering just above 0 degrees and the grass was white and my van windscreen frozen solid at 5.30am. Full winter kit back out with thermal big tights and Northwave Artic boots. I should have worn thicker long fingered gloves as my poor twigs were frozen first thing. I hoped onto the C2C old railway line at Annfield Plain and headed for the hills. The higher I was climbing the temperature was slightly increasing. The sun was lovely on my front on the way back down. There was not a sole out early doors and had the track all to myself. 20 miles later I was back at Annfield Plain and off to work. Below are a few snaps from the ride, enjoy and hopefully more soon- 

Near gale force headwind up the Waskerley towards Parkhead

 

Up and out before sunrise and what a beautiful morning apart from the bloody wind! I headed up towards Consett then left and up the Waskerley Way. The headwind was unreal and did not expect it to be so strong. It is a long time since I have had such a strong headwind and it was hard going to say the least. Only seen one other cyclist and they were flying back down. Once I got onto the last open moor section I give up and headed back down. I did not touch the pedals and the Garmin was reading nearly 30mph. It was not as cold as thought it was going to be and had a good sweat on climbing up. After my last ride I had some mud splattered up my back so it was time to dig the Ass Saver back out and fit it. I will also fit my spare small LED lights to the front and back and then that's the bike ready for the winter months now. All in 20 miles in 1hr 28mins with 1050ft of climbing. Enjoy the snaps and a short video clip below, hopefully more soon- 

Fresh Goods Sunday - Teravail Cannonball 700c x 47 Light & Supple Casing in Black Tyres

 

When I bought my Creo 2 it had fitted 700c x 47mm Specialized Tracer Pro tyres from factory and looked like they had very little grip etc so I took that wheelset off and built up a pair of  Hunt wheels with mountain bike Specialized tyres 29" x 2.2" and ran them for well over a year. Then this year I bought a second set of Hunt wheels and built them up with the Tracer tyres. The tyres have never let me down apart from I got a medium sized cut in the front tyre. I did patch it but it blew again, I patched it second time but blew again. 

I wanted a similar tyre and noticed that Lyon Equipment was selling off there old remaining stock as they were no longer the UK distributor for Teravail tyres.

They had the Cannonball model in the Light and Supple model and black casing and the same 47mm width, spot on so ordered two at half price for spares. 

I fitted one to the front to replace the cut Tracer tyre and have done a few miles on it now. No problem with fitting onto the Hunt gravel carbon rims. Aired up first time and after a few rides held air well with Stans Sealant fitted. I have used them on mainly small gravel tracks in the dry, damp and wet. I have had no problems to date with the tyre and not lost the front end. The rrp is just plain crazy for a bike tyre but at half price its spot on. The weight was slightly over the claimed 445g. 

Teravail makes loads of different models for all sized wheels in different casing and widths. They are hard to find in the UK but with Ison Distribution taking over the UK distribution now most good bike shops should have an account with them. 

RRP £70 and I paid £35 each from Lyon Equipment. 

Manufacturers Info - 

Cannonball is a go-to gravel race tire for normal conditions. The tread pattern features a directional, tight-knit center tread that sheds dirt and debris to decrease rolling resistance, and side knobs for effective cornering traction. Cannonball is built for all-around gravel riders and racers.

How It Works

• Center lugs are raised and ramped for rolling efficiency; the diamond-shaped lugs squeeze in for grip as they contact dirt, then back out to shed debris
• Transitions lugs are spaced out and vary in height to boost traction
• L-shaped side lugs dig in for grip while braking through corners, but roll quickly when off the brakes