Normal for Norfolk and Some Other
Musings (LGD - 192 Days)
Thursday 2 November 2017, 104 Miles
Click here for Route Flyby
Despite the lack of writing here for the last few
weeks there’s been no lack of riding on my part. I’ve also been quite busy out
of the saddle so before I tell you about today’s century ride I thought it would
be good to catch up on a few of my recent events and adventures.
First up – progress has been made on the top-secret,
hush-hush project. Real progress. The last few weeks have seen a flurry of
activity making a series of minor adjustments. All a bit like fine tuning the
derailleurs. You know – the chain is running slightly roughly so a quarter turn
of the tensioner in top gear and all sounds sweetness and light. Changing down
a couple gears and you can hear and feel the chain running roughly so another
minor adjustment of the tensioner, perhaps only an eighth of a turn. On you go
until eventually things are running smoothly across the whole gear range. Over
the years I learnt that patience and a soft touch are the key to success.
Unless of course the problem is more fundamental like a frayed cable.
This is how it’s been with the top-secret, hush-hush
project. Making a minor tweak here created a new minor fault somewhere else. Tweak
that and, worst case scenario, the original fault reappears! But with patience
and persistence we finally got there. All the work is now finished, I’ve signed
it off and handed it over for production. The official launch date is likely to
be towards the end of January though a limited supply may be available sooner
for the “special few”. There’s still some work to do on the PR and marketing
fronts and I’m going to be immersed in this over the coming weeks. I’m getting
quite excited at the prospect of being able to see and touch the finished
product – it has been a long time coming; much longer than I originally expected.
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| THE Map! |
All this has meant that opportunities to get some centuries
in have not been possible. I’ve had to stick to shorter (c50-mile) rides. But
no less enjoyable and I’ve been using them to ride along lanes I haven’t ridden
before so that I can colour them in on my map of East Anglia. The map is looking
pretty busy now. With the generally good weather and the onset of autumn, most
of the rides have been very enjoyable. As I write, the autumn colours are probably
at their peak so I’ve been making the most of enjoying them. The sugar beet
harvest is in full swing now but the dry weather has meant that the road
surfaces are generally clean and free of the cloying clay that seems to have a magnetic
attraction to my frames and wheels.
It hasn’t all been sweetness and light though. On one
recent ride I experienced a bad case of the infamous ‘Mavic Death Scream’. Let
me explain. I’ve got a set of Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels which I bought a
couple of years ago. I was freewheeling downhill at about 20mph when there was the
most fearsome screech from the bike. Just like the sound you hear when there’s
oil on your rims and you break hard. Eventually I worked out that the sound was
coming from the hub on my rear wheel. So a trip to Madgetts in Diss was
necessary. The cause of the problem seemed to be the nylon seal that Mavic use
on the freehub, or possibly the pawls in the freehub itself. Anyway, to cut a
long story short, Mick removed the freehub cleaned the seal and replaced the
pawls. Whilst he was working I chatted away to Mick, Tony and Sean about some
of my recent rides and showed them some of the photos on my phone. They seemed
quite impressed with the Fford Penllech 40% climb that I’ve already written
about (8 October). I guess they were less than impressed with my admission that
I hadn’t actually managed to ride it. Sean, who had been holidaying in Snowdonia
recently, knew about some of the roads I described. Repairs finished, Mick
pointed out that there was still a bit of movement of the cassette on the
freehub so I may have to face up to the wheel reaching the end of its life. Although
it’s only two years old I reckon it’s done about 10,000 hard miles so I suppose
I shouldn’t complain. When I asked Mick what I owed him for the work he said
there was no charge, adding that it was worth it to hear me talk about my rides
and share some of the photos. In my book that goes beyond good service. Way
beyond. Next time I’m in the market for a new Bianchi I wonder how many photos
and ride stories it’s going to cost me? (Only kidding guys!)
Well, there you have it - a glimpse of some of my
recent adventures. What about today’s ride?
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| The cause of the puncture |
With dry roads and the hint and hope of some autumnal sun
breaking through the early morning mist and light cloud I decided to head north
into south Norfolk for a century through Watton, Swaffham, Dereham and
Wymondham. I decided to leave the Ksyriums in my garage to test on another
occasion when I would be riding closer to home so I fitted a pair of Fulcrum
Quattro wheels to the Infinito which I had decided to ride today. Off I went,
looking forward to the ride. After only 9 miles as I was passing through East
Harling, I could feel the tell-tale sponginess of a rear wheel puncture. A false
start! The cause of the puncture was a tiny piece of grit which had lodged
itself in the tyre and worked its way through to pin prick the inner tube. I
must have picked it up en route as the tyre was clean when I left home. The
most annoying thing was that this was the first puncture I’ve had this year.
Not bad after riding over 13,000 miles since January. I had even started to
contemplate the prospect of a year’s puncture-free riding. Silly me! A quick tube
change and I was soon underway again.
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| A Norfolk 'hill' |
The rest of the ride was really enjoyable. I took it
at a steady pace savouring the countryside and soaking up the views. Although
the sun didn’t materialise the crisp, cold air gave the ride a welcome
freshness. I especially enjoyed the long straight lanes that are a defining feature
of Norfolk. The views at this time of year
are simply magnificent. Although I do really miss the mountains of Wales the
broad sweeping and gently rolling Norfolk countryside has a lot to offer for
enjoyable riding. There was a real sense of nature getting ready to hibernate
for a few months before spring reappears and the natural cycle begins again.
So that’s it. I hope to be able to get a couple more
centuries under my tyres before the year ends. Watch this space…
