Leeds to Saltaire - Aire Valley Towpath - 10/11/13
- Thread starter Streethawk
- Start date
Hyperthermia?!Mmmm,
that didn't go according to plan!
More later - warming up and feeding up first
Down and Dirty on The Leeds-Liverpool Canal
A beautiful sunny day, but very cold saw Street on his BS10, his father Brian on an Agattu? (I think) and myself on my cyclotricity kitted Calud Butler hybrid, gather at Granary Wharf to travel along the towpath from Leeds to Saltaire.
The first few miles were on excellent tarmaced surfaces, but from Rodley onwards the surfaces deteriorated. We made a diversion at Rodley itself to find somewhere for a warm drink, and found a pleasant Turkish restaurant called Ephesius willing to supply coffee to three chilly bikers!
Resuming our route, shortly after Rodley we then passed three venues alongside the canal providing warm beverages!
The surface beyond here really deteriorated, the poor weather of the last couple of weeks had left the paths very wet and muddy, and in places the surface was extremely bumpy. I have to say, that on my old Claud Butler, with no suspension other than a sus seatpost, I found that quite hard going
Some two or three miles short of Saltaire, Brian got a puncture in his rear wheel. No problem with that as such - Street did the business, and replaced the inner tube, but resetting the Nexus 8 speed hub then proved very problematic. It just didn't seem to want to reconnect. After managing to access Sheldon Brown on my phone, it looked like we had managed to get it working again.
Having lost quite a bit of time sorting it out however, we decided discretion would be the better part of valour, and decided to start making our way back. Unfortunately it quickly became obvious that we hadn't managed to sort the nexus out, as it stopped changing gear and seemed to be stuck in lowest gear.
After another warm drink, Brian stayed with his bike at a road access near Rodley, and Street shot off to Leeds to collect the car to pick him up.
All in all, not a day that went to schedule, but the scenery was surprisingly pleasant for a metropolitan area, and the views across a glassy canal with sun glinting off the water and canal boats moored is one that will stay in my mind for a good while. Views which never made it to my camera - too Bl**dy cold to stop and get it out!
A beautiful sunny day, but very cold saw Street on his BS10, his father Brian on an Agattu? (I think) and myself on my cyclotricity kitted Calud Butler hybrid, gather at Granary Wharf to travel along the towpath from Leeds to Saltaire.
The first few miles were on excellent tarmaced surfaces, but from Rodley onwards the surfaces deteriorated. We made a diversion at Rodley itself to find somewhere for a warm drink, and found a pleasant Turkish restaurant called Ephesius willing to supply coffee to three chilly bikers!
Resuming our route, shortly after Rodley we then passed three venues alongside the canal providing warm beverages!
The surface beyond here really deteriorated, the poor weather of the last couple of weeks had left the paths very wet and muddy, and in places the surface was extremely bumpy. I have to say, that on my old Claud Butler, with no suspension other than a sus seatpost, I found that quite hard going
Some two or three miles short of Saltaire, Brian got a puncture in his rear wheel. No problem with that as such - Street did the business, and replaced the inner tube, but resetting the Nexus 8 speed hub then proved very problematic. It just didn't seem to want to reconnect. After managing to access Sheldon Brown on my phone, it looked like we had managed to get it working again.
Having lost quite a bit of time sorting it out however, we decided discretion would be the better part of valour, and decided to start making our way back. Unfortunately it quickly became obvious that we hadn't managed to sort the nexus out, as it stopped changing gear and seemed to be stuck in lowest gear.
After another warm drink, Brian stayed with his bike at a road access near Rodley, and Street shot off to Leeds to collect the car to pick him up.
All in all, not a day that went to schedule, but the scenery was surprisingly pleasant for a metropolitan area, and the views across a glassy canal with sun glinting off the water and canal boats moored is one that will stay in my mind for a good while. Views which never made it to my camera - too Bl**dy cold to stop and get it out!
And no, John - at no point did any of us overheat
And I made it to the cinema in time to meet my girlfriend and her friends... With no time to spare at all. Still tired today.
Glad you all made it safely home, especially with that dodgy hub gear.
I had a 4 speed Shimano hub gear years ago. It was great for 3 years , then started slipping. No way could I stop it. Long story but I got rid off the bike. I would take an awful lot of convincing to buy another hub gear from Shimano. They cannot even be repaired by so called "Shimano Service Centres" Obviously far too complex for your average bike mechanic, and Shimano change them so often they become obsolete and unrepairable very quickly
I had a 4 speed Shimano hub gear years ago. It was great for 3 years , then started slipping. No way could I stop it. Long story but I got rid off the bike. I would take an awful lot of convincing to buy another hub gear from Shimano. They cannot even be repaired by so called "Shimano Service Centres" Obviously far too complex for your average bike mechanic, and Shimano change them so often they become obsolete and unrepairable very quickly
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