Memory card mishaps and a new Duck

After snapping one of my Bartlett Tendons last week I did not want to miss out on heading out for my first ride of the New Year I mean my Duck has arrived from somewhere in China and I wanted to test her out. So I retrieved my BTK Crossover from the cupbaord in the kitchen and unbolted the Cam along with the broken tendon. I tend not to ride out of the saddle when I am using my Coast Cycles Buzzraw, as the bike is small and the handlebars always feel like I might tear them off, or bend, so this was the ideal choice for going for a "Buzz" whilst I only have one tendon in place.

Coast Cycles Buzzraw with Duck

Super fun this little bike

Ern had had wor Baxter out around the block and came in and told me it was rather cold, so I popped three thin base layers on and decided to try out my new Scott Tartan shirt which I think was a real baragin from Start Cyles online, coming in at only £15 squid. I packed my Endura puffa jacket along with my camera bits and bobs into my Alpkit dry bag and was just about set.
 

Quack Quack

 Oh wait a min I have to attach my new Duck to my bars. I am very happy with this small purchase, all £1.45 of it. Yeah I know I am a bit of a nerd and some may say at 50 I need to grow up LoL. I can't write a big fat raspberry sound, but I am sure you can imagine the sound along with my two fingers to that.

 

Man it was proper chilly like... I must not of had my socket on right as from the off it was digging into me. Never mind I set off on my little Buzz, trying to keep it either as urban as possible or at least off clarty trails. Whilst my Buzzraw can kind of go off road with it's dinky 20 x 4.0 inch wheels and tyres I prefer to use it more like on cycle tracks or around town, sometimes on trails that are not to techy and strewn with mud.

Trying to get on my bike before the camera went off

Still not sure if i had made it Lol

Little Buzz by the stream

Ooooh keep your balance Glenn

Think I'm in this one

Riding today I had a little bit experiment with the power settings. It is a totally different ride to my Specialized Turbo Levo. The Levo's motor being a crank drive, where as the Buzzraw has a Banfang rear hub drive. Have to say both bikes are so much fun to ride in different ways. The Buzzraw is kind of weird as when you come to a hill it appears to preform better when you use a slightly higher gear, you can really feel the motor kick in and assist. Although it is a little bike it is rather heavy, it coasts well, probably due to the weight. The Buzzraw has 5 power assist settings I tried all 5 today, the battery dropping only one bar on my 10 mile adventure.

After heading over to South Moor and up the Black Path I loped back around and headed back into Mordor (Stanley). I went down past Iceland and got onto the C2C, rode a little way and cut off heading down towards the factories. From there another little ride along the main road and I cut in at Tanfield Railway.

As I began trying to take photo's with my little Lumix camera I soon discovered this was quite a feat. You see the camera only has a 10 second timer on it. By the time I pressed the button, hopped to my bike, tried to get clipped in (not used to these pedals) and ride into shot, the bloody camera had flashed and gone off. "Sod this for a game of trying to take photo's" I thought, so I put my Lumix away and got my GoPro out. Surely I should have a bit more luck. I have been reading all about low light conditions and optimal settings. Now this is the part where I give you some good advice about preperation. Firstly make sure you have charged your batteries. "Wtf" 1% charge "The Gopro informing me my battery was very low. No worries "Ha ha" I had brought a spare...yay! all charged up, only to be now informed "No Memory card in camera"...awwww crap, that's right I must have left it in my card reader after last time out.

Ok plan B....Call Ern. "Hey Ern I am over at the Causey Arch, could you bring me my Canon camera (It's timer last 30 seconds) oh and a spare Gopro battery and the memory card for it. I'll meet you at the Tea Rooms". So after a 15 or so minutes, freezing cold, dear old Ern rocks up. He has brought me an old Gopro battery which is flat and a brand new memory card as he couldn't find mine. Ern hands me the small memory card in my gloved cold hands along with my Canon Camera. As I walk over to my bike, concentrating on what goes where I goto pick up my gear which is lying beside my bike. That's when I look down in my mitt and think to myself "where the hell did I put that memory card"... Anyhoo around 15 minutes is now spent looking for a tiny wee Micro SD card. Ern having a go at me and me returning fire at the edge of the carpark. Catastrophe averted it turns out I had dropped the card inside my dry bag when I got all the other gear out and swapped cameras.I immediately popped it in myGoPro so as not to loose it again.

At this point I was proper freezing cold. I had intended to have a ride down to Watergate Park, however as I was cold and the weather looked fairly dull I decided just to head back acroos the Causey bridge and get a few pictures on the way back. I stopped at the side of the Causey Arch bridge and whipped out my Canon. I selected the right mode, eyed up my shot and click. Guess what? I must have forgotten to put the memory car back in after my last outing LoL.

Coming over the Worlds Oldest Single Span Bridge

Proper cold at this point

Yo Dude

Right On

Again never mind at least the old GoPro was working and by now I was eager to get home with my plastic duck, who by the way was no longer squeaking as the plastic was so cold. The little blinking light although not super bright does the job and it looks cute sat on my bars.

Over at the Causey Arch

Canny shirt this like

Ok I am now off to format my cards and recharge my batteries, so that I will be prepared for my next adventure.

Happy New Year Everyone...