4 Feb - Bragging rights and news

Nice one


we've done some ice this year, Shadowfax and I. Last year there was only 2-weeks of winter, which I covered using Ka's Freelander - an AWESOME snow eater, if ever there was. This year I missed 4-days to the most depressing trains a 3 to 'working from home'.

We caught an 80mph, 200m frozen snow patch A33 dual carriageway; a completely impassable frozen over country road East of Wickham on diversion off the A32 directed by a Rozzer young enough to ask what sort of bike the Sinclair zx80 was; a frantic 300m tip-toe ski in Reading where salt is against it's principles; a forcast dry day's 0.5cm snowfall settled across all carriageways Droxford to Spanish Green; a frozen splash at the water access Southern approach to Droxford; a mud spill entry to Alton unseen at night; a mud spill north of Alto on a ben ( still there); a mud splat from a lorry run aground at West Meon; and a way ward rear end one morning on sheet ice here to work.

Now THIS has been winter riding!!! And it's okay.

The Heine Gericke Master V suit has been amazing. I watch the forcast for snow and ice now where I used to watch it to gambol on which layers to slip on beneath the rapidly not waterproof Behring Tempest suit, which always let me down with it's wet gusset. Fair comment, the Master V isn't the warmest, but I have an old fashioned ( OLD) acryllic jumper that isn't too thick, and which has allowed riding to -9C that does an excellent job as 3rd layer. Rain just isn't an issue any more - helped by the Foggy face mask, of course, which can be compromised by my Fro-zone buff at times, but which otherwise enables a closed condensation-free visor most of the time preventing the old issue of rain water pouring in every time I opened the lid for ventilation at stops. Anyway, a huge but great investment.

Shadowfax is 3000-miles off his next major service, already. I did his breaks and oil myself last stop but need the break fluid replacing, thermostat replacing, and a thorough safety check carried out. At £47 per labour hour (£270 last service) I plan to do the basics myself and pay for the stuff needed done by the mechanic.

The front Pilot Road 2 tyre has done about 10000-miles, so may need replacing at service, too and the Bt020F is about 6000-miles old already. I'm looking forward to popping a RP2 on the back too, but can wait for the expense!

Separate entries are to follow regarding the new horn installation and the Puncturesafe gunk I've poured into the tyres; both of which have been successful these past 3-weeks. I may bitch about the winter spray off the roads too: full of diesel or oil, which keeps dimming the brakes. Yikes!

Oh, and the one-arm biker that waved to me has introduced himself and joined us on Facebook. Chris. He rides in the kamakazi style and puts his Hornet through gaps even Shadowfax and I grimace at: he's very skilled. Or insane. Either way, it's nice to 'know' someone else as stupid as I to commute the route.

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