So, yesterday I made it out on a “proper” bike ride, for the first time in ages. I was a bit worried, as what with my erratic sleep pattern and some general faffing about, I only left the house just after 1pm – about two hours before sundown.
The map above shows my route – although you’ll have to zoom in a lot! It might have been a mistake for me to go along the Gateshead side, as I’m not very familar with the route on that bank of the river. Plus, it seems that the Gateshead side of the river (the Keelmans way?) is not as well cared for as the Newcastle side, with some sections out-of-bounds owing to industrial pollution. Eek. There is, however, an amazing section of park opposite Wallsend which you can just whizz through, provided you avoid the dog-walkers.
Seeing as I didn’t know the route so well, I came back through the pedestrian tunnel.
This tunnel’s pretty scary in some ways – for instance, do they really need to have a permanent sign to warn them when there is a fire in the tunnel? Surely that should be a rare, dangerous event? But the style of the tunnel is quite interesting, and reminds me of that 1950′s style architecture you see used for municipal buildings.
Yesterday was really a test for my new tires, but it also showed me how slack I’ve been in not riding recently. I’ve had a calf injury, that kept me off my bike just as the weather turned from okay to rubbish, and the forecast for this weekend is awful. Whilst I found the tires to be quite good, if a little slower than my slicks, I could really tell that I’d not been exercising enough recently.
Despite my lack of fitness, and the freezing cold, and getting back late, riding always has the effect of letting you see something you wouldn’t normally see. With the damp conditions, I was lucky that I didn’t get soaked, but some of the views across the Tyne where quite breathtaking.
This post was delayed by 24 hours, as I sorted out the pictures – apologies! No riding this weekend, as my girlfriend has passed her PGCE so we’ll be doing some celebrating.
I like cycling. Over the summer I got into doing long-distance cycling, and I discovered that the tyres that came with my bike could be replaced with something called ‘slicks’. Slicks are bike tyres that have very little or no tread on them, meaning that you get the maximum return for the effort you put in.
If you have bumpy tires, like regular ones that mountain bikes come with, you get more grip. However, I didn’t need grip – I needed speed. However, the penalty of having a complete lack of grip on my wheels is that rainy days become challenging to ride in. On the first time I took my shiny new Schwalbe “Marathon Slicks” out in the rain, I ended up coming off and sliding on my side for about five metres, bike stuck between my legs.
(I still have a pair of jeans with the imprint of what was in my wallet that day, but not the corresponding bruise.)
Today I woke up and I felt itching for a ride. I’ve been chewing slowly through some quite unpleasant work, and I really wanted to vent. However, the weather forecast for today was, in a word, shitty. I’m fed up of fearing for my life in downpours – visions of my back wheel sliding out from underneath me – so I got some new tires.
It’s a bit blurry, but this picture shows the difference between the two treads; on the left, the Schwalbe Marathon Slick. Slick being the operative word – although they share a name with the classic Marathon, they are basically bald tyres with kevlar inside. Fast! But deadly in this season, owing to rainfall.
On the right, my new Nimbus Armadillo tyres – I’ve been fitting the regular non-Armadillo tyres to my friends bikes, so I’ve had a chance to ride this style a little bit, and I was impressed by it’s grippyness. Is grippyness a word?
I had heard that putting the new tires on can often be an arse. Thankfully, my old tires were pretty loose by now, and I’d had plenty of practice getting them on and off.
I must also say that my choice of tyres was swayed by the red sidewalls. I know that I could have got the classic Schwalbe Marathon, that every cyclist in Berlin seemed to ride on when I visited during the summer, but I miss having different coloured sidewalls. They seem so retro! So, the distinct colouring of the Nimbus Armadillo’s made an impact on me.
Okay, so it won’t last, but it’s pretty enough for now. Also, most of the reviews state how puncture-resistant these tyres are, which would be nice. I feel like I’ve spent a lot of money on inner tubes over the past year of riding, thanks to the local youth.
Tomorrow it’s forecast for more horrible weather. If you are about in the Gateshead area, along the river, keep an eye out for a cyclist that keeps trying to stare at his own wheels.
