A positive thread

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.
Benz3ne
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Re: A positive thread

Post by Benz3ne »

colin54 wrote: 27 Jan 2022, 8:15pm Early lambs
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The one with the 'spectacles' is feeding in the second picture, the lambs at the rear are triplets I think, they never moved from each others company and responded to their Mother's call as one.
They're gorgeous, and I'm not saying that to be a Welsh stereotype.
Grandad
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Re: A positive thread

Post by Grandad »

Big day today - first time on a bike since 23rd November. A whole one and a half miles.

Initially looking after my wife as she recovered from a broken leg then a touch of covid made me unsteady on my feet resulting in fall during which I did the splits. Slow recovery with lots of physio.

On Saturday the club are celebrating 100 years with all 14 Saturday groups converging on a village hall for an afternoon get together. Planning to drive out and park about 4 miles away.

Hopefully it will be all downhill from now (with electric assistance for the uphills) :D
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kylecycler
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Re: A positive thread

Post by kylecycler »

Grandad wrote: 15 Mar 2022, 11:23pm Big day today - first time on a bike since 23rd November. A whole one and a half miles.

Initially looking after my wife as she recovered from a broken leg then a touch of covid made me unsteady on my feet resulting in fall during which I did the splits. Slow recovery with lots of physio.

On Saturday the club are celebrating 100 years with all 14 Saturday groups converging on a village hall for an afternoon get together. Planning to drive out and park about 4 miles away.

Hopefully it will be all downhill from now (with electric assistance for the uphills) :D
Keep on keepin' on. :)
peetee
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Re: A positive thread

Post by peetee »

I’m feeling quite proud of myself today as I managed to get up quite early despite a challenging day on the bike yesterday. The route was only 25 miles but was done from home near the north coast of Cornwall, over the hills to Falmouth on the south coast. A route I have done many times but yesterday was the first time on bike fitted with a 68” single gear. By far the hardest part was riding up through Penryn and past the university halls on Packsaddle hill which has a gradient of something like 20% in places and an overall ascent of nearly 200m elevation.
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I am not one for letting hills get the better of me and have never dismounted and push a bike up a gradient but I don’t mind saying this one nearly got the better of me. Halfway up I had to turn into a level side road and recover a bit, I simply didn’t have the oomph to keep the cranks turning.
A hard, but thoroughly enjoyable ride.
Last edited by peetee on 16 Mar 2022, 8:31am, edited 1 time in total.
The older I get the more I’m inclined to act my shoe size, not my age.
Vorpal
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Re: A positive thread

Post by Vorpal »

I was back to the folding bike on either end of my train journey on Monday. I walked across 3 short, icy bits on Monday. They've been smaller each day, and I only had to walk over 1 this morning.
Grandad wrote: 15 Mar 2022, 11:23pm Big day today - first time on a bike since 23rd November. A whole one and a half miles.
...
On Saturday the club are celebrating 100 years with all 14 Saturday groups converging on a village hall for an afternoon get together. Planning to drive out and park about 4 miles away.
Sounds like you had a rough winter. Glad to hear you are on the mend 6 back on the bike. Enjoy your club gathering!
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
colin54
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Re: A positive thread

Post by colin54 »

Cycling back from the shops today, I got a 20mm'ish diameter twig sucked up into the front mudguard, both plastic stay safety releases let go, dropping the twig and avoiding a potential 'off'. They work! The SKS ones anyway, mudguard undamaged.
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Jdsk
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Re: A positive thread

Post by Jdsk »

: - )

Jonathan
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al_yrpal
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A positive thread

Post by al_yrpal »

The Car Boot

I am putting this here because we had a great day on Saturday - a big car boot right by the sea.

Its rare when you walk in that you see exactly what you need but thats what happened. A lovely brass coal scuttle, something we have been searching for for months….£8! We had been looking at £40 to £65 elsewhere but reluctant to pay so much.
I have had to borrow an electric chainsaw to cut up and log a staghorn tree. And..at the boot up popped a nice little Hitachi petrol chainsaw and after a bit of haggling…£42! Free of the need for a long electric lead I will now be able to easily tackle some rampant overbalanced trees at the bottom of the garden.
My wife loves Cherubs, she added to her collection but I dont know what she paid…trade secret.
We both spotted a very nice 4ft square handmade hanging tapestry…a bit of haggling £5! The lady's husband came back and was displeased.
A nice little hand carved sundries box £1.
I missed a very nice tabletop Art Deco mirror by prevaricating and failed to haggle an antique hurricane lamp for the garden table down to an acceptable price.
We finished up with a nice lot of various potted plants at a pound or less each, far cheaper than any garden centre.
On thursday last we visited a favourite place, the dump. That yeilded s very nice little mahogany Art Deco bureau with a drop down writing surface for £25. The back and base were ply riddled with active woodworm so I took the panels out and the Mrs treated the rest for woodworm.
In the last few months the recycling shop at the dump has yeilded lots of bargains. A solid mahogany fire surround for £20, a beautiful Benares table for a tenner, a valuable rare Betty Boop cookie jar for a tenner and half a dozen various valuable pictures.
Its really nice to place these recycled things in our house and to think we are doing a little bit to save the planet.

Al
Last edited by al_yrpal on 31 May 2022, 8:47am, edited 1 time in total.
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
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simonineaston
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Re: A positive thread

Post by simonineaston »

I think it is fundamental for the human animal to strike a bargain. That what we designed for, in some ways.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
KirkPatric
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Re: A positive thread

Post by KirkPatric »

al_yrpal wrote: 23 Feb 2016, 4:54pm We seem to be very lucky around here, 99% of drivers are very careful and courteous to me. A smile and a friendly wave seem to do wonders. I think its in towns, particularly in commuting situations, where everyone is rushing about negative things seem to happen.

Al
I live in a country area and while most are Ok, some very good there is also a lot of appalling driving. Close passes have improved in significantly recent years with all the publicity but there's a hard core of bad drivers, often people who drive as part of their job, who will drive straight at you if there are no witnesses, Most oncoming vehicles on narrow roads believe that it's acceptable to do very close passes including brushing against you and some drivers who would normally give space but think 1.5m etc doesn't apply for overtaking on narrow roads. Many people believe they have to pass a bicycle immediately they come up behind it and will pull out in the face of oncoming traffic etc to achieve it. I almost invariably pull in quickly to let people by but for the hardcore bad drivers it can never be quick enough
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matt2matt2002
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Re: A positive thread

Post by matt2matt2002 »

I'm cycling in Orkney for a week.
It only rains for less than 50% of the time!
2017 Ethiopia.5 weeks.
2018 Marrakech 2 weeks.
2023 Thailand 8 weeks.
Always on a Thorn Raven/Rohloff hub.
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sussex cyclist
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Re: A positive thread

Post by sussex cyclist »

simonineaston wrote: 22 May 2022, 6:48pm I think it is fundamental for the human animal to strike a bargain. That what we designed for, in some ways.
This is very apposite for me right now. I’m looking at a bike on eBay – not my natural habitat – and could use some advice; if anybody is game, please PM me.
francovendee
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Re: A positive thread

Post by francovendee »

I stopped near Laval yesterday and met a Brit cycling from his home in Sarlat in the Dordogne. A man in his 70's riding a self converted electric bike.
He was planning to get to Hertfordshire and allowing himself 6 weeks of wandering, camping along the way.
The two really warming things from this encounter was his lack of detailed planning, just wandering in the right direction.
The second thing was the reaction he had from people when he knocked on their door asking to charge his battery. He always received an agreement and offers to camp in the garden.
I came away from meeting this man feeling somehow life had a nicer side than the media would suggest.
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al_yrpal
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Re: A positive thread

Post by al_yrpal »

Jubilee Car Boot this sunny morning. We are off with a car full of stuff including a few surplus bike bits.

Al :D
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
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al_yrpal
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Re: A positive thread

Post by al_yrpal »

Our village is bedecked with Union Jacks and the car boot was busy and profitable. Lots of nice community events to enjoy going on over the next few days. Very nice atmosphere here at the moment, a bit of relief from the grim news every day. :D

Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
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