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thanks to On-One and CRC discounts Ive managed to replace the jumpy, skippy worn old hand me down drivetrain on my winter bike with slick shiny new smooth shifting lovliness that doesnt klunk and grind when I put the power down.
It really has made me very happy
Riding down stairs. The day I get tired of this is the day I hang up my ever so slightly square wheels
I am there with you on that, Kimbers. I have a new 1 x 10 drivetrain in a box waiting too be fitted. I am running the existing 2 x 9 as long as I can stand it to maximise that 'new drive train hit'.
Getting out with friends.
Tinkering with them and cleaning after a good days riding. I could easily spend a day stripping, cleaning and rebuilding a bike that really doesn't need it.
When I'm on the bike I can actually feel the stresses and strains frittering away with every pedal stroke. Also love the buzz I get after a good DH or fast singletrack but of trail.. Early winter morning rides are pretty damned good aswell..
just blessed that i have the ability to ride.
Freewheeling, anywhere, any time. That joyous, blissful moment when gravity takes you and speeds you along.
Wind in my face as you go fast..
just blessed that i have the ability to ride.
Yep.
For me it's the satisfying 'click' of shoe SPD interface or the clicketyclicketyclicketyclicketyclick of my Hope hubs.
I'm with you on that one Ton, after my accident three years ago I didn't know if I would be able to ride again, fortunately after about six months it all settled down. So just getting out on a bike at all makes me happy these days 🙂
There's too many to choose from, but if I had to pick one this evening I think it would be that moment when you realise that you only just got away with it, and you can't believe you're still tyres-down and rolling, because by rights that corner/rock garden/tree/jump/van driver/sheep should have taken you out, but it didn't because you are just so God Damn Awesome at riding a bike.
This is usually followed by a massive crash a few minutes, hours, or days later, mind. But whilst it lasts it's an amazing feeling.
Seeing someone else suffering more than me on a climb 😈
There's too many to choose from, but if I had to pick one this evening I think it would be that moment when you realise that you only just got away with it, and you can't believe you're still tyres-down and rolling, because by rights that corner/rock garden/tree/jump/van driver/sheep should have taken you out, but it didn't because you are just so God Damn Awesome at riding a bike.
That is a fantastic feeling. That moment when you can't help but starting laughing like a lunatic.
The p##s taking.
It's non stop and incredibly funny.
Nothing better than riding with a group of like minded thick skinned souls.
killing ramblers aggression by getting a first strike kindness bomb in....
Free wheeling to the bottom of my road. Never fails to make me smile no matter what bike I am on.
Staying on !
Trying to play the Dukes of Hazzard horn toon on my squeally brakes.
it wasnt riding the turbo trainer for the first time this winter
Unweighting at just the right moment. Doesn't matter if its a kerb, over roots or #thegnarliestjumpever. Feels great.
That moment when you reach the top of a long climb, the view opens out in front of you, and the last fifteen minutes of pain just melt away.
(That, and the sight of the post-ride cake)
Unexpected ice cream vans.
Servicing a hub and getting a C&C bearing [i]just right[/i] and silky smooth 🙂
Introducing someone to somewhere new and seeing them love it.
Too many to choose from but first ride on a fresh set of summer tyres and getting the 'perfect' bar tape wrap always give me a grin
Fettling in general, and particularly bar tape.
THe clear head I get from riding. Nothing to think about for an hour, or four hours or a whole day except "don't crash into that tree".
Maintenance gives me the same in a different way, albeit with a little more frustratiob.
On my own, remote, quiet, on top of a big hill.
Bottle of red wine glow after
Making train noises as I ride along.
Some days I'm a big Deltic. Those are good days.
What poddy said.
Top o the trail pork pie!!! 😯
All of the above!
For me, Its when I return to a new trail that I have built and find fresh tyre tracks.
Getting left behind in the woods and owning the peace of the space for a while.
Screaming YEhSSS! on the hill tops in the morning and getting a response from the crows.
Turbo training in the garden, because there's no mud or trees in the gym.
Manuals and big jumps
Near my home there is Moor Lane, along the top of Whalley Nab, which is the loveliest stretch of country lane I know. It runs through beech woods with glorious views over the Ribble Valley and Bowland Fells and riding along there ever fails to lift my spirits:
(Hope this works)
[u] https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.804657,-2.426147,3a,75y,270.31h,88.35t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s5kI4ElqJKH3JdJFQMDWkYA!2e0
[/u]
Grrrr... how do I link to the street view?
Nice views, solitude, changing seasons. Conversely, racing mates through the trees, laughter and near misses.
sitting under a tree with gf eating the midway sarnies and having a flask coffee, whilst watching the world not do very much,
Just having the spare time to actually get out on the bike!
That winter morning ride when you've been psyching yourself up for a properly grim, muddy ride, only to find a hard frost and it's frozen solid: Summer speeds here we come!
Oh, and what mintimperial said 🙂
I do love changing conditions, it's dark early, it's getting pretty slick in the greasy mud, the leaves are falling, hiding roots. It's pretty nervy, you're tyres are skitting about hoping to find grip. Love it 😀
(might not be saying this when a hidden root sends me off!)