Roobell7 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 07, 2020 9:46 pm Cheery day really started yesterday when I collected the Cannondale Topstone Carbon Lefty from a LBS between Toronto airport and Peterborough, ON. That in itself was an achievement as it took a few emails to convince Myles that a guy in Africa really did want to buy a new bike, with all the accompaniments and pick it up 4 hours after landing into Canada

After I convinced him that I was genuine and didn't need to go into 2 weeks quarantine, a quick apple pay after a ride around the parking lot, produced this

by Andy Wright, on Flickr

Despite 30 hours of travelling and near 40 on the go, I took in a lap of the mariner and a few glasses of Olde Oak Stout at the local brewhouse. So today saw me refreshed an cheery https://www.strava.com/activities/3876101905

I completed the setup after a trip to Wild Rock in Peterborough and am all ready for a weekend reacquainting myself with the Kawarthas gravel roads.

Untitled by Andy Wright, on Flickr Topstone Lefty on rails by Andy Wright, on Flickr

The rail track is a great test of the Topstone's suspension and it works. Time will tell the longevity of rear flexy frame suspension. Hopefully if I can get into Namibia in December, the Topstone will be my ride for the Desert Dash

Now that is very nice Andy, enjoy

middleagedmadness wrote: ↑Fri Aug 07, 2020 5:51 pm Here you go Phil a real softy for you1EAA6E86-1BC9-417A-8013-1796EAE9A3A2.jpeg

Aye right up until it sinks it teeth into your calf up to the bone

I'm playing catch up here, but is the gist we all need to head to Whitestone's for pizza this evening?

Also, yesterday was a very cheery Friday, as Rich from Cotic popped round with something green and steely...

BigdummySteve wrote: ↑Sat Aug 08, 2020 8:32 am
Now that is very nice Andy, enjoy

Wrote this earlier on fb https://www.facebook.com/1684442433/pos ... 113645766/

Took the Topstone out for a proper test this morning and it didn’t disappoint. Stole the route from Strava and it turns out the ride was originally done by a local gravel legend and his 6 hour ride on a Cervėlo was no indication of the difficulty of the route!

The best decision of the day was to stop at a service station to pick up some ride snacks. The worse was to skip breakfast and expect to find a cafe on the route 🥴

Finding water along the route also turned into a challenge, as there were no resupply points along the way. Didn’t help that the temperature climbed into the low 30’s 🥵
I didn’t consider it wise to approach a house without speaking to someone out in the garden. Trouble was they all did the lawns early and then hid inside out of the heat. I managed to get the first bottle refills from a man walking a 9 week puppy. I figured he”d be close to home, which he was. I set my bottles down at the head of his drive and he brought out a pitcher of cold water. But only enough to 3/4 fill each bottle. Still at the time that seemed enough. After that I decided to refill at any opportunity. I stopped at farm machinery sales point and asked to use a tap and was told there were none available. As I left the shop assistant can out and said he was wrong and there was a garden hose at the end of the building. Apparently they thought I wanted to wash my legs off, not refill the water bottle I held in my hand . After that there was nothing until I came across a fast flowing stream from a lake. I didn’t have a filter with me but risked it anyway. Two more streams got me around the rest of the route. I used a tube of nuun tablets during the ride.

Early on I contemplated adding 4 psi to my tyres because the WTB Venture 47mm tyres felt to be dragging on the gravel roads. Then I came to the first of the ATV fire roads . Then I was glad to have high volume tyres setup tubeless . How someone rode that on road bike on even 32mm tyres beats me!

The route turned out to be back loaded with ATV roads and MTB Singletrack trails. At the bottom of one decent I came across a couple resting. They both had full sus MTB’s. The male said to his partner “look, another Lefty fork”. Then he complimented me for tackling the trail on just a ‘Gravel’ bike. And we struck up a conversation about the virtues of the Topstone. He’d had a test ride on the e-bike version and the bike tech in Wild Rock I’d spoken to the day before also had the e-bike.
I went on the explain that the Topstone wasn’t just a hardtail and the 10mm Kingpin rear travel worked. With its 650B wheels and 44cm drop bars, the Topstone excelled on the Ganny Transit and Backstage Pass. There was one tree in particular that encroached on the natural line, on a corner and with roots and rocks. I saw as I rode past that behind the arrow markers there were witness marks of many a handlebar encounter

As I exited the trails onto the roads, I realised I was ‘bonking’ and needed food fast. I made it to the top of a climb without resorting to the granny 42T rear sprocket and stoped at a grassy area next to a crossroads for my emergency #Fuel10K Squeeze +Go Peanut Butter, with Sunflower and Chia seeds. With 2563kJ per 100g a 2/3 (225g per sachet) started to help. I stopped shortly after at a graveyard chapel to change from my short sleeve top to a long. And found a packet of beef jerky that I’d bought at the service station that morning and then forgotten .

With that consumed it was then 25km on flat roads back to town and a bowl of chowder, plus a few recovery beers

I’d say that the Topstone exceeded my expectations and lived up fully to the review by www.ridecyclespin.com that set me down the path to a Topstone. Thanks Steve

Sitting here now several hours after my ride and yes I’m tired but I’m not feeling beaten up and with a good nights sleep would be up for another long ride tomorrow. We’ll see as I fancy looking for a local outdoor swimming spot....

If you made it this far. Well done and thanks for indulging me. Special thanks to Myles at #spokeomotion for selling me this vaguely exciting machine and #wildrockptbo for the excellent #perlizumi made cycling wear. Oh and #cannondale for producing the Topstone Carbon Lefty 3

Big Explore Ride by Andy Wright, on Flickr

https://strava.app.link/YOoPgK6GN8

Next it’s to find some bikepacking accessories and go explore. This remote living is starting to get expensive

A retrospective cheery Friday post as mine are usually filled with deadlines and a bit shlt.

Pretty much finished moving house and then got to watch our buyers move in next door in the usual movers / one day fashion on Friday. I'm not taking malicious pleasure but it was nice that I'd finished that bit.

Whilst moving itself has only led to a mountain of other things to do at least its one more thing done

Doesn't even come close to Bob's oven but this was acquired for the new spot. What could possibly go wrong

BBB Sunflower Club update. Blasted things are now 13' high! At least they're finally flowering. Quite small flowerheads, but five on each stalk! They look a bit menacing, anyone remember Day Of The Triffids? Or going much further back, they're like a worst-nightmare version of Little Weed in Bill & Ben The Flowerpot Men (look it up - top-notch telly from the 60s (first broadcast in 1952 in fact) )

Yay, I get to take the protective boot off my foot. Still not allowed on the bike for another month but it’s progress.

This cheered me up this morning...

An amusing and brilliant (imo) piece about wild camping in Scotland...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08ng51l

At last, a sensible piece of education...

Si

Just finished my MYOG framebag and very pleased with it too. Pics to follow. Also cheery that I don't have to look at a sewing machine for a little while (maybe til tomorrow ).

It's a lovely Friday morning and the Topstone is ready for some weekend adventure.

Ride day by Andy Wright, on Flickr

Having been restricted in Ghana to just the Badboy and no chance to call by home to collect one of my other bikes, or kit. It was a trip to two LBS's for what they had on the shelves. In an almost complete departure from my norm, I've gone with bibshorts, clipped peddles and more than one gear

But to keep it real, I've gone with an unconventional bike, a tent I've never tried erecting and no gas canister (none in Ontario I'm told ). Oh and I've plotted a route that I've not ridden. Should be fun

Ride day by Andy Wright, on Flickr

Late start anyway so may as well return for lunch at the Silver Bean cafe. Breakfast was a while ago.

Pre Ride by Andy Wright, on Flickr

Hopefully will post the tales of the weekend on Monday

Go Out and Play as the LBS says

Andy

Belated additional feeling of cheeriness. Just read in the paper about a genetics professor who was given a 'lefty' snail - one with a rare left-coiling shell.

The first cheery bit is he's apparently spent 20 years researching snail genetics.

The main cheery bit is he decided to investigate this snail's genetic make-up - why 'lefty'? Problem is finding another snail to mate with it. Why? Because they have genitals on their head, the location of which wouldn't match with those of 'righties'! Imagine the fun on Friday nights if you had genitals on your head!

Upshot is they eventually found two other lefties and he became a snaily father. Oh. But died soon afterwards and was frozen by the professor. Bet he wished he'd never been found.

Conclusion? While humans are outwardly symmetrical, internally we are asymmetric like snails.

Fascinating

Which side does sir dress - oooh, suits you.

I bet your common snail feels a right dick head ....

Amidst plenty of crappy news on Radio 4 up popped the CEO of Lakes National Park with a very sympathetic piece about us! Very cheery I think.

RIP wrote: ↑Fri Aug 28, 2020 7:42 am Amidst plenty of crappy news on Radio 4 up popped the CEO of Lakes National Park with a very sympathetic piece about us! Very cheery I think.

Us as in the Boners or Us as in wild-campers

Amusing and cheery tale from yesterday.... On a Thursday I do my mum's shopping. Having just put the bags in the boot of the car I remembered I had bought her TV guide in the local Spar when I claimed her lottery win (only £30 that's not the cheery part) so I went round to the front to get that off the passenger seat and put with the shopping. When I got back to he boot my trolley had vanished I then spotted it out of the corner of my eye.... rolling down the car park towards a row of parked cars. I ran after it but only just got to it as it lightly bounced off the front of a car, no damage done but of course the owner of the car was sat in it

He gets out, quite a rough looking chap, and asked in a rather pointed way "What you doing mate" I assume he didn't see me chase it across the car park. I apologise and say there's no damage but he doesn't seem to be calming down. I realise I still have my mask on from being in the shop and think this must mean he cant see my expression and how sincere my apology is.

I take my mask off and explain I was just putting my shopping in the car and when I looked round the trolley was gone. I don't know if it was this explanation or that, having taken my mask off, he could see I have a scruffy lock-down beard and a shaved head but he rapidly lost interest in having a punch-up in Morrison's car park and without another word got back in his car

Think we'll start calling you Sean The Ruffian now .

RIP wrote: ↑Fri Aug 28, 2020 8:31 am Think we'll start calling you Sean The Ruffian now .

That couldn't be farther from the truth I wasn't too concerned about him as I had my trainers on and he didn't look like he could match my speed and certainly not my endurance if I had to make a run for it I've updated my avatar to reflect my new 'rough' look

certainly he'd lose heart when he saw your BB200/300 badges.

Much better avatar. Bikepackers(*) Have Beards. It's the law.

(*) the inferior gender anyway! >deep water beckons<

Built a model of Everest last night

My partner asked ‘Is it to scale?’

No, it’s to look at

Not cheery:
Last day of employment, been on furlough for the last three months. Have to wipe my laptop and take all my stuff back to the office this afternoon.

Cheery:
Have just completed two technical assessments for new roles and have already been invited to he next stage with one of them. Two rounds down, two to go.
Have acquired a Lanshan 1 PRO, so no more sleeping in bird hides.
Going to buy some nice beer for this evening.

voodoo_simon wrote: ↑Fri Aug 28, 2020 12:47 pm Built a model of Everest last night

My partner asked ‘Is it to scale?’

No, it’s to look at

I once bought a train set.

Mate in the pub: "what scale is it?"

Reg: "1 to 1"

Mate looks baffled and walks off .

Cheery:

I've got the day off.

No so cheery:

Get a phone call saying they're rolled back an entire customer update because a view which didn't exist on the test system is now broken and can I just parachute in and fix all the mess by Monday when it goes live again.

Quite cheery. Just boarded 14.35 to Caersws and who knows what adventures.

Go on then, which Boner's bike have I just stuck mine next to on the 15.13 from Milton Keynes, I can't be bothered to go and find out!

Well this is getting very sociable already! Ben Jaminb and Pete Gummikuh on board too, Ben's got the beers out which is all very convivial - cheers Ben . Like being in a mobile Star with an ever-changing view .