Do you think it's more difficult when you have more choice?

After starting to feel much better at the start of this year and getting back to both cycling, with the help of my new eBike and swimming (I did 70 lengths today at our local pool, which is just over a mile) well the inevitable has happened, and my addiction has returned... Yes "Bike Porn".
 
Last week, whilst venturing down to Pace Rehabilitation's Manchester clinic in Bredbury to pick up my awesome looking and of course feeling cycling socket, both Ern and I took a slight detour and headed to Cycle Gear  in Halifax. The reason for me wanting to visit there is I had seen online that they were a dealer for Orbea bikes and actually had a size large Orbea Gain in stock. I wanted to have a sit on one and see just what it felt like in comparison to my Derosa Idol.

The young lad at Cycle Gear, named Luke, was spot on and invited me to have a sit on a bike that was already fitted to a turbo trainer. Although I was not set up for riding, no Bartlett Tendon Knee, or my correct shoes and pedals, sitting on the bike gave me a good idea of size. The bike I perched myself on was a road going version, where as I fancy the "All Road", basically a cyclo x version, so fewer gears and slightly fatter tyres. Overall the bike felt good, the bike I sat on having a 120 mm stem, so think I would change that for a 110 mm as I just felt I was overstretching. Oh! and one addition I would definitely like to make, should I manage to save up enough pennies, is to fit a dropper seat post. As yet unsure whether I could fit a stealth remote or just have to pop an under saddle lever version, like the KS version I have fitted on my road bike.

Originally I had quite wanted to opt for the alloy framed version of the Gain, as there are mounting points for mudguards and panniers, however upon seeing the carbon version, well it just looked so dam pretty. There is a £1000 difference in price, and it's all in the frame as far as I can see, as the components all look the same. I could have quite fancied the Mavic Cosmic Pro Carbon Wheel set, however that adds another £719 on to the bike.

Orbea's site is pretty neat. I like the way you can customise your ride on the higher level bikes, things like colour, wheel set, bars, stem, saddle etc.

As I spoke to Luke about delivery times etc, he mentioned that I could potentially have the bike customised paint wise. He also informed that if I got the bike through Cycle Gear they could offer me 10% off, which is £400 so nothing to be sniffed at.
 
Now, then this custom paint job. It has me in a spot of a dilemma. I mean it's great being able to have a nice choice of colours, however I now find myself in the position of "Oooooh what colour" I am like a kid in a sweet shop and there is just too much choice. Sweets are a lot cheaper, and you can get a sort of a mix up, where as once I have chosen a colour for a new bike I have to live with it.


Here are some ideas I have in mind...Ern quite likes the yellow version...

Yellow n Blue

Orange and Black

Orange and Blue

Blue and Fuschia

Fuschia and Yellow with Mavic Cosmic Pro Carbon Wheel set

I have just mocked up this version and man those wheels look sweet, Dang it more saving to be done I guess. I know colour is a bit out there but hey, kind of my personality, LoL

Oh! And what you may not realise is this bike is also an eBike. It has a hub motor and a smaller battery than what is in the current mountain bikes. The range should be something around 50 miles, I am hoping.

Watch this space, and please feel free to leave comments, why not pop over to Orbea and spec up a favourite colour...

Say a Little Prayer

A short Blog, with a few pictures. Just a there and back, completing roughly 30 miles.
 
Basically got ready and out the door and headed up past Consett on the C2C and going to Waskerley Way.

Saying a little prayer

A Wintery Day playing in the Woods

Oooh as I looked out my bedroom window this morning it was snowing and there was a canny blanket of the white stuff lying all about. Plan of action, take the Fat Bike out. I firstly had to sort my socket situation. You see I had been down to Pace Rehab's Bredbury clinic in Manchester yesterday. Paul my prosthetist had had a bit tinker with my check socket and fettled it ready to make a final version. This meant I had to leave my socket, so that a copy could be made. That meant this morning I had to revert to plan B



 
I just used my everday socket and swapped out my Rheo XC for my BTK. "Ahh" slight problem. When Paul had been looking at my Bartlett Tendon he must have taken the pyramid adaptor off the top of the knee. Ern to the rescue he remembered there was one on top of my Running blade. Ok sorted.

All ready to go I had put my Shimano Gortex boots on as last time I was out my 5 little piggies were cold. As I went in to retrieve my Silverback Fat Bike I noticed both tyres were soft. Oh dear... I had to come back in the house and grab a valve adaptor so that I could use our compressor in the shed, to blow up both tyres. Then I was off. Man this Fat Biking is canny hard, especially when I have been used to using my electric bike. That said I wasn't complaining as I was out and having a blast in the snow.

I headed up towards the wind turbines and Wagtail Lane, it was proper Baltic up there and the roads as they are not used a great deal were quite deep with snow. After riding about 1.5 miles I felt something just wasn't right with my front end. Upon looking down I saw my tyre quickly deflating. Now I know you don't need quite as much air in your fat tyres but, bloody hell my tyre was flat.

Time to call intERNational rescue. "Hello Ern you know when you said my tyres just looked soft, well they may be soft on the top, but the front one is most definitely flat at the bottom" Ern was out walking wor Baxter, who apparently did not want to come to my aid, as he was having such a good time playing in the snow. I decided to push my bike along the lane to the top of Wilka's bank and met Ern there. We popped my bike in the back of his car, took it home, carried out a quick puncture repair and then Ern dropped me off over at the bus turning circle at Quakies, so that I could go have an adventure in the nearby woods. By this time I was bloody freezing, as I had had a waterproof jacket on and obviously had been sweating. I had taken this off and just popped my Endura hoody jacket on and once I started riding soon warmed up.

It's was a weird day weather wise as one minute the sun was shining from above, then by the time I got around to the next bit of the wood it was full on snowing. This kind of plays havoc when I am using my GoPro as it can appear that a single video was not exactly shot on the same day. It's all the darkness and light.

Out on my Silverback Synergy Fat so much fun

Proper enjoyed playing around in the woods, they appear so different when the well used paths and trails are hidden. It's like discovering a whole new place. I actually lost one of the trails in the second part of the wood and soon discovered I couldn't ride my bike, as there were just so many fallen trees. They must have come down when we had that bad wind a little while ago. Not only that I ended up surrounded by bramble bushes. These were a nightmare as they kept tangling around my prosthetic foot. Good job there was no one around at this point as I was swearing my heed off.

Getting this year off to a good start

Dead excited we got a bit snow to play around in

Finally I managed to head out onto  the proper trail and as I looked over from where I came I thought to myself, where the hell did I go wrong there. Never mind I knew my way home from here. It was easiest to head through South Moor Park and this is the route I took. Man it looked so pretty with all the snow both on the ground and in the trees, snowflakes gently falling. It may sound weird but it's at times like these I just love being outdoors, taking everything in and thinking how fortunate I am.

Avoiding the Mole Hills

Early on in the week Sunday to be exact, as Sunday is kind of my Monday due to my work pattern. I decided I fancied using up a day of my annual leave, so took today, Wednesday off. I had been thinking as my new tendons had arrived for my BTK Crossover I may as well get out and go for a blast.

 

It's canny cad like

Yesterday both Ern and I were down at Pace Rehabilitation's Manchester clinic at Bredbury where I was going to test out a new check socket, specifically for use on my BTK Crossover. Toby one of my prosthetists had taken a cast from my everyday socket late last year. The socket this cast was taken from was actually a design, which Paul, again one of my prosthetists from Pace had designed and my local Disability Service Centre then copied, giving me the socket I use everday for work and what not.
 

 

Baxters Turn...

After leaving wor Baxter in yesterday whilst Ern and I had a little bimble out in Grandma, well we kind of felt a bit guilty. You see I don't let Baxter get in my cars as his hairs are a complete nightmare. Ern on the other hand couldn't give a rats and is quite happy riding around in a mobile skip. Hence Erns car, his Citroen Berlingo Multispace is the designated "dog" and mountain bike car, as well as make shift removal van and general work horse.

I know both Ern and Baxter don't look exactly raring to go

I think Baxter was quite excited to be going out for a slightly longer walk, especially as the area we decided to go was all grassy and soft trails. Baxter hates pavements and rough, stoney pathways. He does a funny walk when ever on these types of surface, over exaggerting lifting his paws, as if the ground were red hot. Baxter has been having problems with his claws, two in particular, one on each foot which for some unkown reason have decided to grow wonky. He hates his claws been cut so I have had to resort to filling his nails using a diamond file that Ern got from thge man on Mordor market, a good few weeks back. This appears to be doing the trick as Baxter will tolerate me filing his claws and it has prevented them from turning into his pad which is what originally happened and made him limp. Most dogs wear their claws down naturally and this is the case will all his other claws, apart from these two bothersome wonky ones.

Baxter trotting along

Baxter is also suffering from an allergy and to have blood tests done to discover the culprit of his problem will cost a small fortune, so we have been trying out different things, or should I say stopping different things. Baxter no longer gets biscuit type treats and is only on his dry feed, which contains no wheat and additives. We also give him antihistamine tablets and he appears to be much better I did notice he looked a little sore on his tummy today, however that could be due to the fact he had been sliding on his tummy along the grass, something I try to prevent him doing. I mean he could be allergic to the grass I suppose.

Had a right sweat on by the time we went around

Baxter's a strong lad and when he pulls he is a complete nightmare

My Log

Of we went to Hedley Hall Woods, it has been ages since I had a walk around here. There appears to be a few more footpath trails in place and I did not see any no cyling signs, so it may be a place I will venture to on my bike as I think it will make for an interesting video. There would be some nice shots in and out of the trees and some lovely scenery. Hey may be do it in the warmer weather and even bring a picnic.

 

Baxter with his Arctic ONE Buff

Suppose you think your funny

  

Forgot to pop Strava on again, so not sure how far we walked, we didn't exactly follow a set route and were in and out of the various trails kind of exploring. It has been great to get out over the course of the last few days and actually do something with my time off, even if it is just local.

Afternoon Tea with Grandma

Due to my regular work pattern I generally have Thursday, Friday and Saturday off. Last year I really did not do much at all with my days off, other than lounge around in my shorts and t-shirt. Of course a great deal of that was to do with how I was feeling following ongoing treatment for my NHL, no not the Hockey league...Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I pretty much always felt drained after 4 days at work, or I had some cough, cold or bug.

Well this year I have made the concious decision, no time for all that crap. I need to get out more doing different stuff and filling my time in more productively.

VW Beetle (Grandma) GSR

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

Minor setbacks and a change in Mindset...

Hey I may get a little deep here so bare with me...

"Dude Where is my Bike"

Now normally I would be writing this and well pissed off, with a kind of "why does this shit always keep happening to me". If it's not my health stopping me from doing something, both work and play, it is something breaking, or getting lost and I am on ages trying to find it. Anyhoo let me explain what has occured on todays little adventure and also go on to how I dealt with it.