R O T H A R . C O M

Last night it rained as far as I can tell relentlessly through the hours of darkness. This morning there were small ponds where there are normally puddles and lakes where there are normally small ponds. You could tell riding to work was going to be fun just by looking out of the window into the grim grey light of day. Added to the allure of the commute is the fact that they have dug up one of the junctions to carry out some more works near the hospital. The result is traffic queues of monumental proportions and lots of drivers bored at being stuck in traffic.

Today as I scooted up to the set of lights in question, my usual white line route up the middle of the road was occupied by cars making the only way forward up the inside. I could see the lights were red. There was no rush to get to them. They weren’t going to change any time soon. So I cruised up to the junction and weaved through a large puddle at something ridiculously slow like 5mph. Which was fine. Until something hidden underwater swallowed my front wheel and pitched me over the bars.

My downfall into a foul pool of diesel water and filth was joyously observed by a queue of motoristss smug in their mobile cocoons. I didn’t splash about in my misery. I grabbed the bike and jumped back on it quicker than a greased ferret going down a drainpipe. Then sat there dripping and shivering until the lights changed. I shall have to revisit the spot when we’ve had a few dry days to try and identify my nemesis. No damage from the crash apart from to my pride and an aching elbow and knee. Mental note to avoid that off again in future…

There’s nothing like getting cold and wet on the way to work to put you in the mood for a good lunch. I’m a big fan of soup and I think I’ve perfected the ideal winter warmer. Take a stock Carrot and Coriander Soup from the likes of Sainsburys. Add half a carton to a bowl and dilute up to required portion with semi-skimmed milk. Microwave on full power for 5 minutes during which time grill some halved bread rolls to go with it (Olive rustic rolls are ace). Remove soup and add a dash of Nando’s Hot Peri-Peri sauce and season with Paprika and Black Pepper. Butter up the rolls and you’re set to tuck into a top food.

It’s fair to say that the last six months have been a bit poor in terms of riding. Beyond my little sortie into the Lakes at the end of October, I haven’t really ridden off road since I came back to from the Alps. It’s given me lots of time to reflect about what is important in life and what I would prefer to be doing with some of my free time. Riding has had an important place in my life since I was seven years old and I’m not going to give up on something that has given me so many good times over the years just yet. So with some new enthusiasm, I jumped at a recent offer to explore some of the trails into the Peak District from Sheffield.

Cy Turner offered to guide some cheeksters around his local trails from his new home. It meant and early start, but it turned out to be a stunning day in the Peaks. Blue skies, warm sunshine that made the lunch stop at the Hathersage Deli like a day in spring and fairly dry trails on the whole. The light wasn’t great for photos. I’m still struggling to take shots in any wooded areas and really need to get some advice on this. Anyway there are a few more shots up on Flickr.

Gster sent me details about creating electricity from bikes. As most riders know dynamo lights have been around for years and the latest versions are a long way from the ones that were mounted on forks or seat stays and ran off friction generated between a knurled roller and specially reinforced tyre sidewalls. The latest version from the likes of Shimano and Schmidt are very efficient and can be coupled up to some amazing light systems these days especially with the growth in LED lights.

The exciting thing is that when indoors bikes can be hooked up and used to generate electricity that can power all kinds of households goods with the right know how as these videos from the Italian press and You Tube show. So all I’ve got to do now is convince the boss that we need to change all the office furniture…

It’s been a few years since I made any real effort with New Year Resolutions so I’m going to lay them out now so here’s some bike related targets:

• New full suspension bike
• Special riding trip in the Alps
• At least six rides with my Lakeland Partner
• Easter adventure

I picked up a copy of the latest National Geographic yesterday and it’s packed with stunning photos and some interesting articles. The winter assault on Nanga Parbat was the feature that sparked my interest, but the most interesting article is the feature on High Tech Trash.

There’s a lot of written about how the Digital Age was expected to usher in an era of clean production, an alternative to smokestack industries and their pollutants. Yet the reality is that the use of heavy metals and plastics and a mountain of consumables that end up being produced every year means that although the waste mountains and issues of disposing of waste may not be local issues in the developed world, the waste is just ending up somewhere else.

The imagery and accounts of how metals are extracted from wiring and circuit boards for  resale and recycling are stunning and thought provoking. If you want to read more pick up the National Geographic or read a similar account in Elizabeth Grossman’s book.

This week has seen the best thread on the Singletrackworld forum in I don’t know how long. It’s inspirational and a great way to look back on the year that we’ve had so far. Big up to Stuart for getting the ball rolling and sharing his memories from the year.

I’ll admit that until today I’ve never read a full post over at Bike Snob, but after the gilding the lily article I’m convinced that there’s some quality posts up there. Check ’em out. The content even gives Alex a run for his money. The NYC PistaDex is sheer class…

I was asked yesterday by some bloke in Holland called Randy what the whether was like here in Manchester. The answer was simple: Cold.  Almost as frosty as the reception certain members of the Singletrackworld community have received in response to their recent actions and accusations. I’m not 100% sure why but Mountainforce reminds me of some of the intelligent thinking types you get on xBox Live. The highlight of recent times has been a group of Americans on Halo 3…

Quote:”Veto. Veto. Veto. V-E-E-T-O-O. Veto.”
“Yeah Veto, Veto, Veto”.
“Veto”
“VETO!”
“Veto!”
“HOO-RAH!”
“Yeah Slayer, that more like it”
“Yeah, like, WTF was that game anyway?”
“I don’t know, never played it before”.
“Hey any of you heard of this LAND GRAB game before?”

Oh, the irony.

You know Buffalo season is here when it’s cold in the flat. One of those brrrr, get dressed quick days where merino just isn’t enough. My Buffalo is a 15 years old Big Face smock. The layers of pile fleece and pertex have the ability to generate near instant warmth and even when wet it’s tough old hide keeps you toasty. Without any doubt the best bit of mountain kit I have ever owned and I don’t intend to part with mine any time soon.

Gorgeous ride into work today under deep blue skies and with that fresh wintery chill in the air. The new cleats on the winter boots have been fitted just in time, because even merino wool doesn’t stop cold air passing through cycling shoe mesh from making your toes cold. Cruised into work with the sun on my back only to find that both the lifts are out and it’s time to hike the bike up to the 16th floor, but even that wasn’t going to detract from a sunny December day.

Recently there’s been some discussion about Crank Bros pedals and I’ve been using Eggbeaters for years. My first set are still going strong – some Twin Ti Eggbeaters with CrMo Axles that have now been serviced twice and are still working like new (Having ridden Trans Wales, Cape Epic, 4 weeks of Alpine riding and getting hammered around race circuits and trails).

I’ve also got two sets of Candy SLs (Ti Axles) which are a bigger platform, but one that makes little difference in effect. These have both been rebuilt once. I’ve also ridden basic Candy’s and the Quattro Road Pedals. In general pretty happy with them. I rode Shimano SPD from when they were launched through to pretty much the point at which I switched over (I dabbled with Onza HO Titaniums for a bit until the Elastomers went for a bit too). My Summary of Crank Brothers Pedals:

+ Lightweight
+ Mud clearance
+ Ease of engagement in any conditions
+ Easy to service
+ Float options designed into cleat work for me

– Cleat wear
– Initial Cost
– Lack of tension adjustment (not an issue for me)

Cleat wear is what gets on my nerves the most. They’re made of brass and wear out faster than plastic Look road shoe plates (well that’s how it feels sometimes). This leads to some irritating unclipping moments which in my case always tends to affects one foot more than the other.

Service at the races has always been very good. I’d buy them again and recommend them, although not necessarily as a first pedal (I’d always promote Shimano to first time users for cost and adjustability).