Sandy's Blog

I asked for some leave recently, as there were about 8 holidays left this year to use. So I applied for Wednesday and Friday off, purely because Thursday is a gym day and have to go to Edinburgh anyway so might as well work too.

So, Wednesday went past and was pretty uneventful, I woke up at 11am after a late night, replaced a gear cable and went biking down Roslin Glen. This ride was pretty good although I met some old rambler people on a section where you really don’t want to (steep downhill with no way to stop or scrub off speed). Luckily one of them had the sense to move out of the way, otherwise I would have had to hit one of them or deal with a sheer drop to the side.

Friday (today). Very very very cold. Went out for a bike ride in the Pentlands. It was such a good day for biking, the ground was very very grippy due to the hard frost - which meant trails usually designated for the best summer days were potentially ridable. I went up to the Kips and then headed towards Black Hill, where my back brake decided to fall apart. I fixed the problem with a shonky bodge, the clips to keep the pads apart, and secure the restraining pin had broken off.

Hike-a-bike up the side of Black Hill, and head off downhill narrowly missing a farm-labourer-looking chap that appeared round a corner. Half way down I realise my back brake is now totally gone, front only from here on (Pretty tricky this, as trying to use my back brake would possibly render it irrepairable - my left hand needed to stay glued to the bars). I do the bombhole and cut through a small cleuch normally reserved for much better weather.

The path is ace to start off, a nice km or two of singletrack, with a drop to the left. It then quickly deteriorated, turning off-camber and icey which was even more dodgy with only a front brake (locking front wheel while skittering across ice is interesting). It eventually spits me out on the road to Flotterstone and I just head home. Great day, but a bit expensive - I think I also buckled the back wheel!