Dream Bike Time

My mantra has always been "I'll swap my bike when it becomes the limiting factor" this is mainly aimed at the fact that I'm a slow fat biffer on the bike. Not the slowest, or the least capable, but I'm certainly not "a racing snake" and the fact is, the bike isn't the thing that's slowing me down...

....and to be fair to my Scandal it's a bloody great bike. It's done soooo many many miles now including 4 Welsh Rides, 4 Winter Bivies, ridden from London to Wales and many trips and local blasts in-between. Every year people turn up on new bikes but my Scandal has stayed true to the cause. In 2011 at the start of the WRT you probably could have counted the 29ers on one hand. Last year my 26er Scandal was in a minority.

but..... and it's a fairly common but.. every so often my mind turns to my next bike (once I've earn't it, I know what my goal is) and when I do the Scandal will be retired and new bike will take it's place.
I know what I want, I want to take all the good bits about my Scandal and put bigger wheels on it, in fact if I could swap it for the original 29er version Scandal I would in a heartbeat but seen as On-One don't make this anymore and added silly 1.5" headsets on the later ones, it's off the list.

I like the simple things and I want to re-use a lot of the bits I like on my current bike. The 1/18th Headset, Normal BB, Gears, QR dropouts.

I think I'm going to risk rigid forks on my next bike. So many times have I set off with my forks locked out and promptly forgotten, then rode with them locked out for an entire ride without really noticing. Bearing this in mind, adding bigger wheels and a bit of a springy steel frame I think it's worth the risk and in my mind my super light current frame and heavy bouncy forks should weigh the same as a rigid steel? (just guessing)

A frameset that has caught my eye in the Genesis Longitude and I think this could be 'the one'. It will take all on my existing stuff (hopefully my Wildcat bag as-well, cable guides and bosses may be in the wrong place but I reckon I can get this on 'Warranty') so all I'll just need to buy is Frameset, Wheels and Tyres.

Right, best get on with my target then....

A couple of Winter Bivi recipes

Well the 'Winter Bivi' was massive this year (I counted 18) and the usual good fun

Usual malarky

• Pub, cafe breakfast, coffee, etc
• Ride bikes (not far)
• Push Bikes (not far)
• Bit of Banter
• Get Wet, rained on, sleeted on, hailed on, snowed on. (~0.00001mm of snow)
• Get Muddy
• Sleep Out
• COOK OFF!

So in prep for the COOK OFF! Two new recipes that can be prepared and eaten on a hillside, under a tarp, in a barn.

Baked Camembert (On a Meths Stove) - Serves 2 (or 1 fatty)

I tested this on an Alpkit MyTiMug and a Snowpeak Mini Solo (but any similar sized pot should work)
Ingredients
1 Small sized Camembert (Just small enough to fit in the pot in it's wooden box)
Pinch of Sea Salt & Pepper
Pinch of Paprika
Crackers or Bread for dipping.

Prep (done at home)
Take Camembert out of it's packaging, dispose of anything plasticy that could melt.
Cut a X in the top of the Cheese
Sprinkle on the Salt, Pepper, Paprika
Wrap the Cheese in Tin Foil (just enough to cover it
Then wrap the cheese in a bit of baking paper
Put it back in it's little wooden box

Cooking
Put about an small amount of water in your pot, about 20-30mm
Using a some tin foil make a little cradle so that you can suspend the cheese in very top of the pot, just low enough so that you can get the lid on but there should be a decent air gap between the water and the cheese.
Then stick the pot on the heat.

10mins later, lift out a perfectly baked Camembert, best eaten with bread to dip straight out of the box.

Hillside Chocolate Mousse

Quite easy this one and made cold and sets quickly without a fridge and it's amazing!

Ingredients
1 Packet of Angel Delight (or cheap alternative, I used Sainsbury's 20p stuff)
1 TBL Spoon of Powered Milk
1 Small Tin of Thick Evaporated Milk 170ml (Carnation ones have the ring pull lid which means no tin opener needed, supermarket version didn't)
150ml cold water

Method
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until all of the lumps are gone, will thicken as you stir, no need to stand it or wait. Add grated chocolate, or smashed up biscuits.

Welsh Ride Thing '14

Well I'm back and I'm proper cream crackered. My eyes are sore and I must look bad as people at work are asking me to shout "Adrian!" in a Rocky voice.

All I can say is this year was Epic! (Please don't sue me Specialized)

But rather than some long write up (too tired)

• 3 Days 
• Lots of Hill
• 2 Nights out both cold but dry (An Abbey and Hafren)
• 1 Amazing downhill
• About 85miles
• 1 Knackered granny ring :-(
• Many pints (4 different pubs)
• 1 Pot noodle
• 2 Porridge
• Great banter
• 1 dead sheep
• Lots of dead moles
• 1 Sore Kidney (Stupid fall)

Loved it, Type 1 fun this time (most of the time)