Little bus, Big bus...

We all have boxes of bike parts kicking around in the shed right? Well I do, & it was time to do something about them! I realised that I had enough parts to rebuild one of my old bikes that has been laying around in the corner for years. 

After a few hours I had The classic Raleigh Dyna Tech Cro Mo Comp back together. This was my first "real" mountain bike, that I bought when I started work all those years ago.

But before the bike was ready to roll again, it had a job to do - test rig for my homebrew fat fork project! I finally got the modifications to the old VF66 forks completed & everything fits just fine. Silly head angle on the old bike, but a laugh to play around with in the woods for a few nights! I still need to reduce the travel, but least everthing works & I have a "free" set of fat forks waiting to fit to the right bike in the future.

Wheelie machine!

Bridge removed, but these forks are super stiff & will be more than ample for conditions I ride in.

Looks good to me!

Fun project for a few nights, but it was time to return the bike back to XC mode...

I needed another bike for the latest addition to the fleet...a Weeride Pilot. Dan isn't quite there with his riding yet, so the tag along is the perfect solution to keep him rolling with Dad. 

What I like about this set-up, is the bike (front wheel removed) & weeride fit in the back of the van, so now we can both head out on the easier trails with the dog. Why walk if you can take a bike?

Recycling at it's best

Remember these? Looking good with the red DX brakes

Top quality quick hitch & swivel connector

Weeride has hinge pin, so frame folds for storage

A nice wee video from you tube, showing the fun to be had when riding together

Room for a 20x2.3" back there - beachriding pics coming soon!

This system works really well & it is good to be back on the old bike again. Problem solved for 1+1 cycling, but what if the whole family wants to go out?

My wife is just getting back into cycling after many years off a bike & as a result, isn't too confident about having a wee one on her bike, as it become really unbalanced, with all the weight over the back of the rear wheel. She also has a pet hate about kiddy trailers for some reason & refused to consider this as an option.

So what you going to do, to get everyone out?? After many, many nights on-line, I have finally bought a Yuba Mundo Cargo bike to solve all our family cycling problems.

The Mundo is the most family friendly of all the longtail cargo bikes on the market right now & fit 2 wee one with ease. Our bike will be set up like this for the kids to ride on.

Loads of room on the rear

I have also ordered a set of xtracycle Freeloader bags like these. These work great as side guards to prevent little feet from getting into the spokes & also give the bike huge load carrying ability for trips to the shops/park/beach etc. 

Now that would never be the end of the story would it? Turns out the Mundo can fit fat tyres on the rear. I have a spare 135mm Surly fork hanging around, so I'm sure you can guess what is coming next...

2.35 Fat frank, next to a Surly Black floyd 3.8

Rim & tyre ready for front wheel build

It won't look this good, but there is something very cool about fat cargo bikes & I can't wait to get this project rolling!

Coast, Camping & Kids

The last week has brought some really nice weather & allowed me to get a few hours riding in the evening. The town is busy with folks on holiday, so when the weather is nice, the beach is busier than usual, but late in the evening it is nice to have the place to myself again.

The kids have been on their summer holidays, so things are quite busy at home. Once they are all tucked up in bed, it is good to get out in weather like this to chill out for a while at the end of the day

Short video from the midweek riding. Ace weather!

Fast forward a few days - I had planned to take a short overnight trip on the Sunday night, but a sudden change in the weather forecast meant I had to pull my plans forward to, err, now!

With the children all sorted, I handed control over to Mum, & headed out on a very local overnight camp - less than 3 miles from home!

With less than 1 hr before sunset, I decided to head west, to one of my favourite spots on the coast around here - the cliffs on the west beach.

Luckly, the bike was all prepared a few days earlier, so it was easy to make a quick escape

Not super-lightweight camping, but I like it! Waterproof everything - great for beach trips

After a quick sprint down the beach, I soon reached my camp spot

Glorious colour in the evening light.

Lovely wee place to camp if you like to be the last in/first out

Room with a view

It didn't take long to pitch the tend, so all that was left to do, was make a brew & watch the sun set..

It was a fantastic evening & very mild. I spent ages outside watching a spectacular dispaly of shooting stars. A great nights sleep followed, with the sound of the sea crashing below me, as a great wake up call in the morning

Early 4am start to catch the sunrise & get some filming done

Moray- beach - bike....i'm in a happy place here

Time for morning coffee

Now, this is what I call breakfast with a view

Time to roll. I have this bike a year now & it has changed the way I enjoy the coast round here forever.

Really nice light at this time of the morning - shame so few folk actually bother to see it

7.00 am & back home again. The town was unusually busy on a Sunday, but it was the annual raft race today & everyone was out preparing for the big day.

After a shower & something to eat with the kids, myself & Daniel headed back out to Burghead, to do come coastal exploring by foot.

By good luck, there was a dredger in today, so it was 101 questions from the 4 year old...he loved it!

Beautiful morning over the Moray Firth. Findhorn & Culbin in the far distance

This is one of my favourite photos of the day!

Back to the "bus" for a mid morning snack. Exploring is hard work you know!

Chester looked like he was enjoying it too.

Time to start work

Now, thats a fair big roosty bucket! & i'm not talking about the bikes!

Why do Gulls always look grumpy?

I was jealous of this guy, looked to be a great day to be out on the water.

Later in the afternoon, we all went down to have a look at the Lossie raft race. Cracking weather & a great crowd turned up. Lots for the kids to do, but it was pretty noisy & hot, so we didn't stay for long. We opted to come home & set up the paddling pool in the garden!

I forgot my camera, so here are some photo's i have "borrowed" from the internet & facebook

After such a long day full of adventures, we had a nice evening chilling out in the garden....Marshmallows have never tasted so good...apart from the ones I burned!

Just as we were getting packed away, the rain that was forecast arrived, so perfect timing & I am glad we all made the most of such a nice weekend!