Tweeted Trips map

It seems that the map isn't updating automatically. I can't get it to work on my mobile either. I do know that changes to Twitter would affect the mapping. I'll see what I can do when I get home.

New beginnings

Today marked the last day with the job I've had for the past 18 months. I'm ready to move on and take my life a different route. 

The weather recently has been pretty terrible; however today was bright and dry! Taking the opportunity I got out into the hills on foot. The snow started out as only a light dusting but quickly got deep at around 200 metres. Above 350 metres the snow was knee deep and navigation became tricky. Thankfully I know the area well enough for a short walk without having to get the map out. Even more thankfully, someone had been up not long before me so I followed their footsteps. This made the walk easier and safer!

I love how the wind can move the snow to produce some interesting shapes.

Next trip

Bike touring is not something you can only do once. It's such an amazing experience that we've managed to organise a short 12 day tour.

Before we get the ferry over to IJmuiden we've got tickets for the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup round in Fort William.  It's such a great weekend of racing and a great warm-up for a bike tour. 

Fort William 2012

We haven't really decided on a route but we are thinking of heading north east up to Gronigen then circling back down to catch the ferry home again. As always, that's what we would like to do. We will most likely make it up as we go along!

Camping on tour

New bike

I say "new bike", I've had my Cannondale Trail SL 29er 3R since September 2012. After seeing a thread on the Singletrack forum about how this bike can be had for a bargainous price, I decided I'd try this 29er thing out for myself.

I paid £420 for the bike as shown below.

At £420 I feel it's great value. Yes, it's rigid and singlespeed but the spec is decent. The frame and forks are the same as those models further up the range. The costs are reduced by having no gears. The biggest price/quality compromise in my mind is the brakeset - Cannondale branded by Promax. The levers were too flexible and stopping power wasn't great.

Since I've had the bike I've changed the saddle to an SDG Bel Air (personal preference), upgraded the brakeset and swapped to a wider bar. Next to change will be the Kenda Small Block 8 tyres. They're fast but I would prefer a grippier tyre and deal with the increased rolling resistance. The gearing is currently 32-16, the bike is sold 32-18. I'm still experimenting with the gearing.

Since this is my first 29er and the only 29er I've ever ridden I can't compare it to any other bike. There is a noticeable difference with the larger wheel; there is no doubt they roll better than smaller wheels. Cornering takes a little to get used to, but this is partly due to geometry not wholly wheel size.

If you're looking to try 29ers and are thinking of joining the "niche" rigid singlespeed 29er lot then consider this bike.