First steps
On Sunday, we got out before Storm Freya swept in over the South, completing about 30 miles of the Otmoor Loop east of Oxford. I've done this route plenty of times before at various points in the year but the roads lately have been in really bad shape so we were both really glad of the extra cushioning from the 2" tyres and full guards. Plenty of other winter warriors out and about, but many with toiled expressions fighting the wind and wet.
This outing, we both opted for spds; Abbie getting used to her cross-over shoes with spd insert and me running my eggbeaters and cross shoes. Seems as though all that winter gunk has played havoc with the bearings in my pedals as an uncomfortable creaking and sliding of the spindle have developed! Will look into this.
Nevertheless, this was a really enjoyable ride and I really felt as though the work had been shared out when we had completed the loop - I definitely would have felt more worn out completing the ride solo, admittedly a little quicker so perhaps using up more energy, but with the added weight of Betty we both got a good workout! Abbie too, enjoyed the comfort of her new Rapha Souplesse training jacket; perfect for beating off some weather and providing good breathability on the bike, coupled with a rather fetching coral pink, a good job really, as most of our bike is safety-adverse grey or black!
Next steps are to gradually build up the weight and bulk we add to the bike - tempted to get the Carradice front/rear pannier setup on and packed out a little to see how this affects handling. In the meantime, I've been delving through SJS cycles online catalogue again and opted for a Carradice Keswick handlebar bag setup, moreover for a map pocket so that we can build towards some longer rides needing navigation.
The route, going clockwise, about 30 miles in all.
This outing, we both opted for spds; Abbie getting used to her cross-over shoes with spd insert and me running my eggbeaters and cross shoes. Seems as though all that winter gunk has played havoc with the bearings in my pedals as an uncomfortable creaking and sliding of the spindle have developed! Will look into this.
Nevertheless, this was a really enjoyable ride and I really felt as though the work had been shared out when we had completed the loop - I definitely would have felt more worn out completing the ride solo, admittedly a little quicker so perhaps using up more energy, but with the added weight of Betty we both got a good workout! Abbie too, enjoyed the comfort of her new Rapha Souplesse training jacket; perfect for beating off some weather and providing good breathability on the bike, coupled with a rather fetching coral pink, a good job really, as most of our bike is safety-adverse grey or black!
At the lookout towards Otmoor in the village of Beckley, near Oxford
Next steps are to gradually build up the weight and bulk we add to the bike - tempted to get the Carradice front/rear pannier setup on and packed out a little to see how this affects handling. In the meantime, I've been delving through SJS cycles online catalogue again and opted for a Carradice Keswick handlebar bag setup, moreover for a map pocket so that we can build towards some longer rides needing navigation.
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