On your Bike

[Timmo]

Over lubing your chain is as bad as under lubing, too much lube and you get a sticky residue which attracts dirt like flies to fresh horse poop! Effectively creating a mild grinding paste,
If you have a chain cleaner device, run white spirit through it to clean them, drop wet lube on the rollers or if you know its going to be dry, dry lube them up,
Appologies if i am teaching to suck eggs, is not the intent,

We had a nice loop this morning, local mtb club ride, out around the old mining waste and woods, everything has been hand built by riders in the valley, group of big nuts riders hitting the 20ft gap lines! Impressive to see, but not for mee! Small jumps are fine, Big ones not so! 20 mile loop (just under), 14 riders, great mkrnings ride!

[Timmo]

'mars' poldice valley / wheal maid

One of the guys out today sent me a copy of todays little play stop, mining waste land from the arsenic mines!

[bobins]

Mmmmmm ! Mining landscapes I like mining landscapes

This is on top of Parys Mountain, Anglesey - I don't know if it was ever used as a set location for old Doctor Who's.... but it certainly should have been

Parys Mountain - own work

And this is a bit of what it's like under Parys Mountain

Under Parys Mountain - own work

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parys_Mountain

[NewcastleFalcon]

Yes one wiki thing leads to another, and surprisingly I now know what a snottite is....yes pary’s mountain has a few

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snottite

[bobins]

Yes one wiki thing leads to another, and surprisingly I now know what a snottite is....

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snottite

There's nothing about the Wiki description: "Snottite, also snoticle, is a microbial mat of single-celled extremophilic bacteria which hang from the walls and ceilings of caves and are similar to small stalactites, but have the consistency of nasal mucus." ......that sounds attractive

[myglaren]

Speaking of mine dumps and with a reference to an earlier post including Ravenscar and alum mines, there is an area just pas Sandsend (Kettleness) where there were Alum mines and we used to call the land there Mordor, as bleak as bleak can be, just heaps of grey/black shale.

It is, I believe where Whitby jet came from. We used to collect bullets from there - it had been an MOD firing range at some point.

There is a long disused tunnel there that we used to walk through, came out near Port Mulgrave IIRC.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Well I've only gone and done it. Broken my February cycling duck! Very enjoyable and a few photos bagged for a bit of activity on a few threads....

So up the horizontal river

Past the Victoria Regina post box (made by WT Allen of London)

Back down the other side in the impending twilight

Excellent!

REgards Neil

[old'uns]

3 days after arriving in France I got the chance to go out...
Merida put back together after service, just needs tyres blowing up a tad. Can I find the foot pump adapter? No
Oh well, hand pump it is. Where is the presta adapter?
obviously gone on walkabout with the other one!
So the bread bike is called into action for a little off road in. 6 or so miles, 45 min, fighting the wind and the onset of dark wet clouds.


Saddle on Merida is low I know, my legs are a touch longer, will be set up next couple of days

[Timmo]

Tip from the shed, if you have a pair of Presta valve caps, trim the round top off, and screw on, a Normal pump will now fit!
Presta valves Don't need the caps as the valve itself is contained inside whereas the schrader valves get filled up a little with gunk if not covered,

[Timmo]

Tonight's view, good riding buddy and loyal customer of the shed dropped off his new rim to rebuild his front wheel to match his rear (rebuilt last week), so glass of red and some wheel building indoors!

[old'uns]

Tried the valve cap tip....
Foot pump fitting hits the brass head
Hand pump will work as a temporary fix on the move, fits deeper over the cap.
Searched the garage and no sign of any of the accessory fittings so looks like a replacement pump is needed

[Timmo]

Dependi g on the hand pump, if it has a screw on cover for the valve area you may be able to undo it, pop the rubber valve gripper out and plastic insert, flip them around and refit for Presta valves?

[Timmo]

Would look a little like this

[old'uns]

All sorted now, thanks for the tips to try.
Popped in to local Intermarche and spotted a pack of various adapters for pumps which included the correct presta/Schrader.
All for the princely sum of £3, well 3.50 euro, bit cheaper than a new hand pump and foot pump.
Now if only the weather will break....

[Timmo]

I love the intermarch! The one around the corner from pops van in Nevez has loads of odds and ends! Or for the trips to Concarneau the E'lecerc is awesome! Speakers, oil, filters, batteries one side, many many bike bits the other, 100m of strimmer wire, the odd inflatable jacuzzi and all before the flood stufs!