NECCL Super Saturday Series Rd 8 @ Hetton Lyons - Photos etc

Saturday saw the last in the 2014 series @ Hetton Lyons Country Park. As normal there was three races on the day for all ages and abilities starting at midday. There was a seperate course for the U12's in the middle meadow area with a great mix of terrain to challenge all the 'little un's'. All sixteen of them were trying there hardest and after the bell went they all completed their last laps it was all over. Onto the 'bigger un's' U14/16 they were to take on the full course which was based around the land on the hillside. The course was planned to avoid the areas which have been trashed by other events and to avoid the boggy parts. Geoff and his crew set out a fantastic course taking in a good varity of terrain inc a hurdle! The Tyneside Vagabonds had a strong field of riders and cleared the leader board. There was also a novice lady having a go which is always encouraging to see. After each race we did the 'on the day presentations' followed by the overall league presentations where every rider that completed the minimun 5 from 8 recieved a bag full of goodies. Then it was onto the main race when they linned up on road circuit opposite the hut keen and eager to get started. There was strong wind blowing which made it rather chilly on the start line. Once all the riders turned up and race briefed they were off for 50-60 minutes of hard work, sweat and some tears. After the first couple of laps the field split up to form some smaller groups of riders battling it out for positions. There were a couple of riders dropping out with mechanicals whilst the others were left to fight it out. The ground conditions were the best they could be for this time of year with the near gale force winds drying the top off lovely. After the last rider crossed the line there was six on the day cash prizes presented and riders who completed the league collected their cash winnings. Here is a gallery of PHOTOS free to download etc 

The AGM followed where the 2015 season was discussed and sorted. Below are a few photos from the days action, all the best and hope to see you all return for some offroad fun in 2015. Regards   

Fresh Goods Sunday - Gear outer & inner cable

Its that time of year where i check through the cycle consumable stock and replemish the supply. Not sure why but i have gone through alot of gear inner & outer cable this year. Still got plenty of brake inner & outer so had a shop around. I normally just get a couple of meteres each time but found Planet x jobsworth pro workshop roll of 30m, rrp £9.99 which is not bad at all but i have voucher code and paid £8! = 27p per m. Probably enough to last me quite a few years. I also bought some spare inner cables as i was down to my last couple. I have used Clarks inner cables for the last few years without any problems and are good value for money. There are various different models from the cheapo universal galvanised £79p to £1.99 stainless steel. I opted for the Elite pre lubed version 99p but again i used the 20% off code so worked out at 80p each, cannot go wrong at the price!    First bike to try out the new cables is the Litespeed rear mech, the shift is dragging on the bottom of the cassette.

Neccl Super Saturday Series 2014 Presentations @ Hetton Lyons Sat 20th Dec

NECCL SUPER SATURDAY SERIES 2014 - League Presentations
This year i am going to do three presentations. First up will be the U12's after their race, second with be U14/16's after their race then lats but not least the big'uns. All riders (37no) who have or can complete the min 5 from 8 this Saturday @ Hetton Lyons will recieve cash for the adults and goodie bag for the kids. If the adults can come and see me in the hut after the main race when you hand your number back in i will present you with your envelope. Remeber its also the agm after the main race in the hut. Hope to see all the league finishers and many more this Saturday, regards, Scoty

Spin out on the Eastway ST1.0 Steelie

I have only used this bike a couple of times so far this winter season as i havent been off the Krampgrease for the offroad miles. I was looking at it the other day and thought its about time it got an airing. I pumped up the tyres / oiled the gears and away she went today. The rear gears are skipping a touch so need to fine tune the cable tension but it still rides well. There is alot less drag than the Krampgrease but not so comfortable on the bumpier sections. It was a quick blast along the old line to Bishop & back with still plenty of icy sections along the way but the sun was blazing away. Hopefully get a few more rides on the Eastway this week, oh and i need to order a new mud flap for the front mudguard. My old one has split and the mud guard is too short but its mainly dry at the mo. below are a couple of pics from today -

Fresh Goods Sunday - Park Tool Polylube 1000 PPL-1 Grease

Well you cannot build / service bikes without the stuff (well you could but components would not last long in the uk). I have used many different types of grease over the years but have settled on the Park Tool Polylube. At first when Park Tool brought the product to market i was a little cautious as i normally stick to compaines who manufacture grease/lubes not add it on as a side line. After the first tube which was used on many headsets / bbs etc and miles of rain, grirt and crap i was wrong and is probably the best grease i have used to date. From then on in i have used it as my general grease on all my bike stock. Its not too sticky, easy to squirt out of the tube, no smell but not keen on the colour! they should have manufactured it in Park Blue. I also have specialist grease's ie copper slip, aqua etc for different greasing jobs. I also have an old coffee jar full of cheapo grease for non bike related jobs which i use and top up with hydraulic grease cartridges. Now this stuff is sticky, stinky and cheap. The rrp on Polylube 1000 is £6 and will last along time if you dont have too many bikes to look after. The last batch i purchased came in at £3.71 each but normally pay about £4.50. You can get a tub PPL-2 instead of the tube which i will probably get when my stock has run out. Here is the Park Tool blurb -   

Park Tool's poly-urea lubricant was developed specifically for bicycle maintenance and repair. PolyLube 1000 has an extremely high shear strength to protect vital parts under extreme conditions. PolyLube 1000 also repels moisture and is compatible with conventional greases.

Handy 4 oz. tube
PolyLube 1000 will not harm carbon fiber
Tube has threading to fit common grease guns

One that is in use at the mo

A very cold & icy family ride upto Knitsley Farm Shop / Cafe

We finally got a spare day, well 1/2 day to have a family ride out. The last one was way back in the summer hols! we did not get a ride out in the Oct school hol week as it rained everyday in the Lakes then i went into hospital for my surgery. Every weekend we have been busy doing something or going somewhere so it was time for a well overdue family ride out. The forecast was looking good with a hard overnight frost then followed by some lovely winter sun. When riding up the old line to Lanchester Angus had minus -6.1 degress on his garmin! thought my legs were burning with the cold. It was a straight run upto Knitsley farm shop / cafe for a feed/water then a steady blast back home. We had a good range of tyre sizes out today to test on the frozen / icy trails from 5" bud, 4" dillinger, 3" chronicle, 2.75" dirt wizard down to 1.95" old michys. Not many other cyclists out and we were were the only bikers in the cafe, quite a few dog walkers and a runner. Below are a few photos from the ride - enjoy and wrap up warm