I punctured the Tricross on the way home last Tuesday, so the last three or four miles of the journey were quite wobbly and corners were no fun – but at least I got home.  As it was dark, cold, damp, and I couldn’t see an obvious p0ucnture or remember anything obvious that might have caused it I decided to take the risk that this was just the natural deflation tyres get if you’re lazy and don’t top them up for a couple of weeks – so ipumped up both tyres and left it at that.  The front had dropped from 110psi to 80 – quite normal and just short of the point where it would show in the braking, the back had gone from 110psi to 50 – a bit much but like I said I was feeling lazy.

The next morning I loaded the bike up in the dark to head for work, got on the saddle, and felt the unmistakable thud of my weight not being taken by the back tyre.  Quick change out of lycra, empty the pannier in to a rucksack, walk to work and fix the type in the evening.  That evening… it’s dark and cold and damp, and I’ve just been walking for an hour – I’ll do it after dinner.

The next morning, oh, I haven’t fixed the puncture – I’ll do it tonight.  Walk.  At work I realised I’d spent two days walking because of a puncture and I hadn’t yet considered getting the spare bike out of the shed (at the last house it was in the garden with the Tricross so no thinking required), possibly because I like it farless than I used to.

So I’ve spent Friday, Saturday, and today getting around on the Bolinas Ridge.  I’ve said to myself that if I still don’t look forward to riding it after February (I expect the weather to turn Icy/Snowy in a week of so and last a couple of weeks) when I wouldn’t want to be on the thinner tyres it’s going.  The first two years I had it I quite liked it, then I got used to drop handlebars and just can’t get comfy without them now.  I’ve been keeping the Bolinas Ridge around because a mountain bike is theoretically better when the road surface gets slippy at this time of year, but I barely rode it last year – preferring to walk.

And if it goes around about March I can get something new and fast just in time for spring!

Odometer check.  Bolinas Ridge: 5245.2miles, about 5230miles at New Year.

I probably won’t fix that puncture tonight…

On the one of the high winds days last week (I forget which) I let the rain and wind put me off taking my usual route to work.  I didn’t fancy the gusts I expected on my Fenland edge route, I’d already had one slalom journey that week.  So I went the short way along cyclepaths.  No sooner had I got on the first cycle path than there was a fallen down tree.  I made the mistake of scooting through the top of the tree (sat on saddle, feet on ground).  This was evidently a mistake after spending an hour walking home and pulling thorns out of my front tyre I realised this was the sort of tree your don’t want your wheels to touch.  Inner tube replaced at about 10750 miles on the Tricross.

I also managed an hours ride (papershop) on NYE in just the middle ring.  That was exhausting.  I knew before the Xmas break that the new gear cable had bedded in and needed tightening up – preventing me from shifting up gears without a struggle, I didn’t realise that all the muck beneath the front derailleur had set during the fortnight in the shed preventing shifting at all.  Park citrus cleaner and a toothbrush sorted that out though.

The Tricross has Blizzards on both wheels now, at 10242 miles on the clock. I’m not sure how long the Lugano’s lasted, but it’s just short of 5000 miles for them and the Fiammante’s before them.

I’d found the R500 wheels I have on the Tricross now a little inconvenient as they’re just that little bit too deep to use a tube with a 35mm valve.  45mm is OK, during the week I had to use a 60mm which looks oddly long.  The Langster turns out to have even deeper rims and HAS to use the 60mm valves.  I think it’ll probably be easier to stick with 60mmall round now.  (or valve extenders?)

So full of excitement over what I might see on the way home, I left work.  Back tyre completely airless.  I expected this, it had done the same at the end of last week.  Between age of the tyre (3000+ miles, lots of little things now embedded in it) and change of season (autumn here means mist and road debris clinging to everything) I knew that that would have been the first of many.  Annoyingly I’d had to fix the first flat, then buy new tyres, and I been too lazy to change the tyres during the week (I’d planned to do it tomorrow).  I’m also changing from Lugano to Blizzard, because it was what the shop had that was the right sort and yellow (I like tyres you can see).  Lugano’s only have yellow shoulders, the Blizzard’s have yellow tread, I have yet to see if that has an effect on traction.  So far, at about 10210 miles on the odometer, I’ve only changed the back tyre (that really needs it).  So something to do tomorrow still.

Today was quite windy, and I was out early enough to finish my journey before sunrise, so I expected a bit of idiocy.  Today the drivers were all well behaved though (adjustment to theory, it’s the drivers that leave it until the last minute and are already rushing to get somewhere that get spooked by the wind.  Those that leave early, with plenty of time, don’t panic).

Today’s idiot came in the form of the kid on the 50cc bike that overtook me on a blind right hand bend.  Yes, there was something around the corner – I knew this would happen and dropped back so he had space to dive in to.  I wouldn’t want the responsibility on myself, but I do think there’s something ‘natural selectiony’ about kids on 50cc bikes.

He was closely seconded by the guy in black with no lights cycling through Milton.  This happens a lot, it’s no longer enough to pick someone out.  This guy made himself an idiot by attempting to slipstream the (illuminated) cyclist that passed him before I did.  When the illuminated cyclist and I pulled in to the cyclepath to go over the Jane Coston bridge (i.e. the narrowest part of the route) we slowed down.  The invisible guy decided to barge past us and race the other guy up the bridge.  I think they must have been alongside each other for a while from the effort he put in to attempting this.  I let him get on with it, even though his ‘racing’ the other guy was holding me up.  On a clear road I can leave people like this standing, it’s only when they try and get through little gaps that I wouldn’t bother with – or jump lights – that they get ahead of me.  It isn’t worth the effort.  It is annoying being stuck behind someone who’s being over competitive but not actually going very fast though.

So after a couple of weeks using the busway to get some extra riding in I have a few grumbles, although they won’t stop me using it.

One grumble is that on many of the bends the cyclepath drops to below the busway level, putting your eyes more or less level with the headlights of an oncoming bus.  Some drivers dip their headlights, some don’t – I don’t know if they haven’t seen me or don’t think of it.  If they don’t, and it is dark, that’s it – you can’t see anything until they’re gone.

Another, more a warning than a grumble, is that there’s quite a lot of rubble/hardcore/ballast/whatever along the edges of the cycleway and it occasionally makes it’s way on to the path.  Going over one of these stones unexpectedly (in the dark) is not pleasant.  The first time it did nearly wobble me over.

Gates, fences, ‘run-ins’ for the guided bus.  There is plenty of ‘street furniture’ on the cyclepath that is pretty well invisible until you’re on top of it when it’s dark.  Some light coloured paint would help.

Histon Ninjas.  Histon is the closest to a populated area the busway gets.  Lot’s of people around there like to walk their dog, just walk, or ride their bike, in dark clothing – with no lights – and no street lighting.  It’s the same the world over, these people just seem to want to be hit by something.  On the whole I don’t mind the lack of lighting on the cycleway, it’s pleasant to not have the light pollution in the rural parts.  However, Histon is urban and quite busy – lighting would be useful.

The dangerous gap between the flag stones at Histon Station.  I didn’t notice this until I was in it, because I went wide to allow someone coming the other way more space.  There is a prolonged gap between flag stones that fits my wheels down it quite nicely.  Somehow I went in it and popped out of it again and stayed upright.  It did bend my back wheel though.  I e-mailed the council’s guided busway address about it but have had no response, I’ve just tried http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/ too.