Grand Union Canal bike ride

We did the Grand Union Canal bike ride today from Watford to Central London (Paddington Arm). Having lived here for quite a number of years, one does tend to takes things for granted - and in this case seeing the city from a different point of view. So we decided to take good advantage of the moderate weather (we cancelled our planned Wimbledon day out) and head out to London today, via the long way round.


Starting at Cassiobury Park, Watford near the M25, we cycled through a number of locations including Rickmansworth by the River Gade (part of the Colne Valley walk), Uxbridge, the Nestle factory (which served the air with a distinctive coffee flavour), Southall, Alperton before crossing over the North Circular then passing Ladbroke Grove before ending at Paddington Basin (where we stopped for a while before heading towards Baker Street to start our way home on the Tube). Sights includes Kensal Green cemetery and Little Venice (nothing fanciful about this tourist destination to be honest, apart from a collection of boats moored together and a bunch of 'buses' aimed at ripping people off). In between we visited a café and a pub for drinks and some food.














It was an interesting day out that gave us an opportunity to experience London in a fairly different way that most simply wouldn't care to including seeing the gradual change from rural to industrial and finally to urban. The ride was fairly easy though at certain sections we were riding just inches from the water edge and we had to be careful not to get wet. Most of the towpaths were gravelled though once we reached Alperton, the majority were paved. The total distance was 51km/32 miles (not including the one extra mile to Baker Street) according to the GPS tracklog.

Maps: Ordnance Survey Explorer 173 & Explorer 172 or Landranger 176

Autumn bike ride

Beautiful autumn day yesterday morning. Went biking on a stretch of the Grand Union Canal for roughly 17 miles.





Maximum speed was 25mph according to MemoryMap.

Hovis London Freewheel

This Sunday is the annual Hovis London Freewheel event, in uhm, Central London.

8.7 miles of traffic free roads will be made available to us cycling enthusiast. About registered 40,000 cyclists will join the ride tomorrow with many more unregistered riders expected, so make sure you head down early. Roads closed will include those in Westminster borough, City of London and Southwark. Cycling sightseers will be delighted to know that the roads closed will take you through such scenic routes such as Parliament Square, Temple Place and the Victoria Embankment.

People taking the Tube should refer here for TfL's police on bringing non-folding bikes on different part of the Underground network. Unfortunately engineering work would mean that we may not make it, though I am still trying to sort out a way that would enable us to get into Central London. With good luck we hope to see you there Sunday.

Happy cycling!

Helmet debate

I was reading the new WMB and they had a panel with a discussion on the validity of wearing helmets while cycling. Despite the myth that not wearing a helmet on road is safer (as in it would not cause an accident), if and when an accident happens you will be sorry if you are not wearing one, especially if your head gets knocked on the kerb. I understand (slightly) if people do not want to wear a helmet because they believe in the myth, but people who do not wear one because "it looks ugly" or "it doesn't look cool" are, well, idiots.

I myself am a slight hypocrite on this issue. 90% of the time I wear one, but if I wanted to nip over to the store less than a mile away I usually don't wear one (though I am mending my ways now). However I always wear a helmet when I go off-road. It just makes sense. But with people happy slapping cyclists I believe it is time that anti-helmet cyclists should rethink their attitude. Helmets are not what they used to be. Modern cycling helmets are not the hideous creatures they once were just five years ago. They look great (even cool), are cheap (Giro has models from £30), have proper ventilation, fits great and some models even protects your hair from nasty bugs. Many manufacturers also have free replacement policies. Trek for example (well on the model I own anyway) would send a (free) replacement helmet if a Trek helmet is involved in a crash. A similar policy exists for Met.

Another thing - cycling lanes are useless, at least those in London. Especially those that are only three feet wide and share the same lane as buses. A safer way to cycling on-road is to cycle in the middle of the lane in front of a car so the driver can see you. This tends to work in Central London as cars barely go quicker than a competent cyclist anyway.

Devil's Dyke to Ditchling Beacon bike ride

We went mountain biking today, in what I call a Brighton & Hove circular bike ride via Devil's Dyke and Ditchling Beacon via South Downs Way. Joining us were Maureen and her partner Regis (who is on a weekend visit from France). My front tyre suffered a flatt on the way to Devil's Dyke and the 1st rear gear did not work (making climbing hills a f***ing chore). We started at 9.50am and finished as 3.55pm. I am so bloody knackered (today's 24 miles was in addition to 20km I walked on Wednesday) so I am going to have a bloody long nap.


(c) M.Berg

Our South Downs Way bike ride part began at the Devil's Dyke Railway Trail near Hangleton Way:



Devil's Dyke:











Treating ourselves to the popular ice cream van at Ditchling Beacon car park:



Wonderful weather today as evident in the landscape view from the Beacon:



Our cycle route:

Elevation data:

Long Man of Wilmington

The weather was great yesterday (great bank holiday weekend!) so we decided to head to Polegate to do a little bit of cycling. I haven't been cycling for a long time so the Cuckoo Trail's was the perfect 'mid-distance on almost flat' biking. On the way back we detoured to Folkington village to visit the Long Man of Wilmington (via the Wealdway).










As seen from Wilmington village


Note to self: when lost, check that bushes are clear of thorns before running into them looking for a shortcut

On the train back there were about 20 people with bikes, including two guys who started at 7am to mountain bike from Worthing to Eastbourne on the South Downs Way! That is about 40 miles of off-road moutain biking!

Pictures of dirty bikes

We went mountaing biking today on the South Downs Way. Weather was simply stunning with the sun out the whole time and not a single speck of cloud in the way. Did roughly 22 miles, about 12 miles which were off-road. Elevation data as provided by Memory Map.













Technorati tags: South Downs Way MTB Cycling

Mountain biking snobbery

Got the new WMB mag in the post yesterday. Two guys wrote in to the letter sections regarding the snobbery of some mountain bikers. Six months ago I got back into mountain biking after a decade of inactivity and loving every minute of it, but have seen some attitude by other MTBers that makes me wish I didn't.

Most of the time whenever we bike on a trail, the other MTBers we meet are excellent and friendly people. Nothing pleases me more than having people say hello to you (something Londoners do not do enough). Even while cycling through Lydd, a nice little girl actually said "nice bike" to me. So have I met MTB snobs? Some of those at certain EvansCycles do qualify (I prefer to get kits from indie bike shops - the prices are the same anyway and they actually remember your name), but on actual trails, not all the time.

Yes I have seen snobbish MTBers before. The sort of people whom when you give a friendly hello, would not answer back. They are recogniseable. They ride the latest kit and spend £2000 on hardtails or £5000 on full sussers, but have no idea how to use them. They buy 6 inch full sussers to use in the city for commuting purposes. They would eye your £240 bike and scoff at it. Thankfully, 95% of all MTBers are alright. Even the long haired dude we met on the train from Seaford, with his £1500 Specialized Stumpy, is friendly enough to at least say "you gotta start somewhere".

As for bikes? I am pretty content with my cheap Giant. It's a burly and heavy bike, more suited for all-mountain terrain than cross country or singletrack. Do I wish for a better and lighter bike? Most definitely. When I can stomach up and afford a £1000 hardtail, I will get one. But as a sport, I don't care. Give me back my old cheap and creaky 1993 rigid steel Universal Fusion and I would still be happy.

Technorati tags: MTB Mountain Biking

New Year winter cycling

It was a rare mild day today. The sun was out. The temperature was moderate. The wind wasn't strong. So we headed out to the South Downs Way after a hasty breakfast. It wasn't easy this New Year's ride. Weeks of rain meant that the already difficult enough (in winter) to ride bridleway, is now clogged with grit and wet chalky muck. Picture above taken at the aptly named Waterpit Hill.

Technorati tags: South Downs Way MTB Cycling

Depressing weather

Damn, just when you thought that the temperate has improved in your favour (8-10C) the bloody wind picks up again and soon enough the rain arrives. Did about 12 miles of cycling on the road today before heading back due to the rain. Dreadful and depressing times ahead. On the other hand I found the HummVee shorts great. The Teflon treated nylon material kept most of my skin dry. It isn't completely water resistant but still dries quick. And although thin and light the shorts works well in keeping my knees warm. I guess those guys up north in Scotland knows what they are doing when they designed it.

Technorati tags: Endura

MTB Impressions: Endura HummVee 3/4 baggy shorts

Okay I checked out the sales and fortunately nothing has so far interested me. So post Christmas January sales spent = £0. Only one thing caught my fancy but since it wasn't on sale...

Jen got me an Endura HummVee 3/4 knicker shorts. No idea why some MTB shops call baggies 'knickers' (it's an American thing), but I digress. It is really comfy and 3/4 meant that it is ideally suited for riding in the winter. Two zipped side vents meant that I could also use it during some of the hot summer heatwaves. It is loaded with pockets. These includes the two rear pockets capable of fitting in standard Ordnance Survey Explorer/Landranger folded maps. It seems useless to anything other than maps since both are secured by a tiny patch of velcro.

There are also two front zipped pockets for apples, a cargo pocket (whatever that means) and a zipped mobile phone pocket (which I will probably dump my wallet or camera in it as my HTC Universal won't be able to fit in it). A key clip hangs from the left hip, which I won't be using. I would not want to risk a crash with keys dangling around. As a bonus it came with a removable 'Clickfast' coolfast (Lycra) padded liner. It isn't as comfy as my Nike liner though.

The whole construction of the Hummvee is pretty good. I like the fact that the inner leg panel is seamless, which in my experience meant that it is more durable, and comfortable. Since the short came in neutral black (there are different colour options) it doesn't really look like a technical singletrack attire, thus probably able to blend in with my casuals. I was actually hoping on getting an Oakley Ballistic for myself, but those are ridiculously expensive (though they look awesome), plus I do not know of any brick shops that sells them.

Hopefully my flu will recover by tomorrow as I can't wait to get back in the saddle.

Technorati tags: Endura MTB Cycling

Stanmer Down bike ride again + Casino Royale thingy

Went to Ditchling Beacon again today. Great weather (up till mid afternoon). There was also a cycling competition down at Stanmer Park through the hilly hills - using road bikes with knobbly tires. Weird. I am glad that there were many other ordinary MTBers out today as well.







Met Marcus and Sybille at the Beacon. They biked from Lewes. Marcus has a fab new bike, a Canyon (Internet only German frame builder) Nerve XC full-susser. Looks fantastic and the kits that came with it were pretty decent. Highlights includes Manitou branded front and rear fork, Shimano XT rear and front mech, Deore shifters and cranks etc. You can't find sub £1000 FS bikes in the UK with that sort of components. Doesn't change that my dream bike is still either a Kona Kula Primo or Specialized Stuntjumper Pro though. ;)

Also watched Casino Royale. Summary: Above average film (though a bit too long) but a bad Bond film nonetheless. Okay, the film is supposed to explore the origins of James Bond. But somehow Daniel Craig's edgy version of James Bond came out as unlikeable thug. And the villains were such whimps - lame! Bring back Pierce is all I can say. Savvy, cool, smooth, clever and a gentleman were all I ever associate with the modern Bond. Now I have to include thuggish, smug, prat, childish etc. to it while deleting many of the many positive aspects usually associated with Britain's top fictional spy.

Go Happy Feet.

Technorati tags: Stanmer Brighton Ditchling Beacon MTB Bike Ride James Bond Casino Royale

Stanmer Down trail map

Having a blogger's block, so I thought of a way to keep my blog updated without resorting to some sort of diatribe. Haha.



Here is a map of a loop that we love to ride during weekends when we are too lazy to go somewhere else but just want to get on the saddle. We usually ride the extra 3.5 miles from Jenni's place to the starting point outside University of Sussex, but it is also accessible by train (Falmer Station). If you are driving, there are car parks at Stanmer Park and Ditchling Beacon (top right corner).


Screenshots based on maps reproduced from Ordnance Survey 1: 25,000 mapping © Crown copyright. All rights reserved.

The track, at nine miles, is fairly short and simple - though there are plenty of ascents and scenic views over the Weald to look forward to. If this isn't enough, you can always continue westwards of Ditchling Beacon towards Devil's Dyke and do another loop there. ;)



In other news, a mate lent me Feels by Animal Collective. I copied the tracks to my portable DAP but soon forgot about it. I was listening to the Gyakuten Saiban Orchestra album yesterday and dozed off midway (I was in a coach). It reached the end and started playing the first folder it found, which was Animal Collective. I woke up and found tracks after tracks simply amazing. Not sure how to describe it so I thought I would pinch some of Amazon UK's review: "Feels is a big, daring collection with recurring themes of psychedelia, folk-rock, prog-rock, jazz, and modern classical composition." This is just fantastic stuff.

Technorati tags: MTB Mountain Biking Bike Trail South Downs South Downs Way Stanmer Down Falmer Ditchling Beacon Animal Collective

MTB Bike Ride: Cuckoo Trail

Went down to Polegate today with Jenni and Tony and did the Cuckoo Trail. The trail begins at Polegate and passes through Hailsham, Hellingly, Horam and Heathfield and is built on the original Cuckoo Line (opened in 1880) Polegate to Eridge railway track. Shared by walkers and horseriders, the Cuckoo Trail is now also part of the National Cycle Network 21 and takes you from East Sussex to the Weald.

The trail is about 11 miles each way and there are plenty of benches around as well as wood carvings based on local wildlife. The route is pretty easy as the trail is mainly flat and mostly tarmacked, and for much part, riders are protected from the hailing wind due to the surrounding Wealden trees. There is a slight ascent when riding north towards Heathfield. Generally we found the route much easier when cycling southwards back towards Polegate - but maybe that's because we had lunch at the local pub in Heathfield. The weather was lovely today as the Northern wind did not arrive until much later. But I do need to get a pair of full finger winter mitts. We love the trail, it is fairly easy and therefore a perfect trail to speed through. We would definitely do again - probably in Spring when the birds are migrating.

The trail itself is signposted throughout but if you want to explore the surrounding area you would need either an Ordnance Survey Explorer 123 or Landranger 199 map.

Total: 26 miles (22 miles Cuckoo Trail, 4 miles in Brighton, Polegate and Heathfield)

An abandoned former railway station:





A former rail platform now makes up part of the Cuckoo Trail:





















Technorati tags: Cuckoo Trail Wealden Weald Polegate Bike Ride Cycling Bike Trail