Local offroad / road ride on the Slate Apex

Well the doc said plenty fresh air and steady exercise so after a weekend off the bike and I thought I might have been more fighting fit but chest / lungs were killing on any type of climb so was very steady away. The weather was cool but warmish on the climbs, overcast and cloudy. As for the trails they have started to dry up a little but the country roads / lanes are still up the eyes in wash off from the fields etc. I took the Slate out again and really enjoying the ride. Need to lift the saddle slightly and a couple of fine tweaks and its rocking along.
Below are a couple of pics, enjoy and hopefully more soon -

it was that dark the flash kept coming on !

Fresh Goods Sunday - Cannondale Speedster 2 seat bag

When I bough the slate I needed a new seat pack and this was nice and bright to match the Slate's logos on the frame. I have not used Cannondale seat packs before so was unsure on the quality etc. Once I removed it from the card and started filling it with a spare tube, multi tool, tyre levers, patch kit, chain link, tyre patch etc it soon filled up. There is a small inner pocket on the side of the bag with a flap which fastens shut with Velcro. There is also a small pocket on the outside on the bottom of the bag. The size I bought was a medium 0.5 litre and still has got some spare room in side. They also come in black and white if you don't like the fluro colour. The weight is not too bad either - 93g. The material is waterproof and so is the zip, this has not been tested yet to full British weather!
RRP £19.99 which is not too bad at all, but as ever shop around for a deal.
There is a good review also on road cc

Manufacturers blurb -

Nylon and synthetic leather construction

Tarpaulin bottom resists road spray

Gusseted tailgate for easy gear retrieval

Reflective taillight holder and zipper pulls

Easy cinch webbing and cam lock attachment

Water resistant zipper

Capacity: 30 CI / 0.5 litre

Weight: 95 grams

Keep your gear secure and organised with the Cannondale Speedster 2 Seat Bag Medium. This medium capacity saddle bag is ideal for storing all of your ride essentials, including tubes, tools, CO2 canisters and tyre levers in. The extra inside pocket makes it far easier to organise whatever you decide to put in the bag so you can find what you need in an instant.
The lower external pocket is perfect for a multitool, which you can whip out in an instant for quick adjustments to your bike. The durable tarpaulin finish on the rear and bottom of the bag helps to combat road spray and dirt and the reinforced zip is more than capable of lasting through the worst of conditions.
Fixing the bag to your saddle is easy too as the three Velcro straps are easily adjusted and secured so the bag does not wobble around. A reflective tail loop has also been added for extra visibility and the option to mount a rear light to the bag.

Frosty, sunny, cut short ride on the Cannondale Apex

After another heavy overnight frost and the sun came out around 10ish. I had planned on having a very steady ride through to Bishop, have a cuppa them another very steady spin back but, I got a call from the doc's wanting me to come back in straight away as I am not getting any better probably worse. It was time for a u turn and headed straight back.
This time another two lots of different tablets and another two inhalers. I will be rattling along the road with all these in me each day. The steroid table along I have to take 6 in one go! Anyway not to worry off to the hospital as well for a chest x-ray probably next week.
On the plus side the weather is back to cracking again with some lovely frosts and some winter sun. Enjoy Black Friday ;-} and below are a few pics from todays rather short ride -

First ride out on the Cannondale Slate Apex

After building the bike last week I have never had a chance to get out and with second man flue I have been right off my feet. I was at the docs on Monday and now have two sets of tablets and two inhalers to try and sort me out. It has also rained for nearly two - three solid here in Co Durham which has not helped as well. Today the sun sort of got out so I sort of got out. It was a very steady away cold ride with my heart rate all over the place and by the time I hit 18-19 miles I was ready for home.
As for the bike well that went a lot better than I did. The route was a mix of gravel, mud, railway tracks, single track, road and country lanes. The G one tyres spin along nicely on the tarmac which I was surprised at as I thought they might be a lot of drag. Off road they cut through the deeper mud surface to find traction, they also performed well on the gravel.
As for the bike well it climbs well when in the saddle, not tried out of the saddle yet. The gearing is big enough for any hills I rode toady and spun out at around 30mph on the road sections which is fast enough. The braking is more than powerful enough and locked the wheels a couple of times on steep loose descents. As for the rigid fork well I certainly did not miss any lefty fork suspension. Took a few jars to the wrists on the washed out track down the trod but on the whole the hands were not acing. I was running the tyres at 60psi rear and 50psi front. The recommended pressure is anywhere between 45 -70psi. Considering just how wet and muddy it was I did not get that much spray as the front tyre is a lot narrower than the downtube and had a ass saver type rear guard on.
Hopefully more miles soon which I can post up, below is a few pics from the ride -