If you're gonna puncture

Do it in style!

Two thirds of the way to our chosen breakfast stop this morning and Dean rolls to a stop with a front wheel flat. The culprit? Steve’s second #grassupthemiddlecc pin badge, his first having been lost on its debut outing! It turns out that Steve is a liability with such things.

After a few laughs Dean set about tending to his minor mechanical whilst I gave Steve a healthy amount of grief. One badge lost, now another one ruined! If you’re going to attach one of our badges to a bag on your bike, a blob of glue or a tiny bit of bluetack in the hole on the back plate is a recommendation.

It was however a perfect morning. The weather has been crap of late, but miraculously the weekend has been pretty good and it was nice to roll out in sunshine along the banks of the Mersey towards Stockport and the rather delightful cafe at Reddish Vale Farm.

Steve had a more off road than not route in mind for today and it was the perfect chance to really get a feel for my newly cobbled together retro mtb. Canti brakes still need a fettle (straddle cable cinch bolts need to be tighter!) Likewise with the headset. All easily addressed and with a bit less pressure in the tyres next time it should be spot on. I might even treat you all to a full on geeky blog post about it! ;-)

Nice and steady, as always, we took a route that Steve is very familiar with. Having raced many times in his life his need for training miles means he has an extensive knowledge of most (if not all) local trails and most importantly, how to link them together. Safe to say Dean and I were free to enjoy the morning, safely following the Captain’s wheel.

Today was also Dean’s (long overdue!) first official #grassupthemiddle ride and for a young man who tends to do everything ‘full gas’ it was a good introduction to our relaxed riding philosophy. That said, the #crossisboss kid spied plenty of potential new training spots for his rampant appetite and could be heard ‘whoop-whooping’ through the woods as Steve and I rambled on…

So that’s it really. A lazy Sunday morning, good company, leafy trails and all taken in from the seat of a bicycle. Happy days.

Pin badges are available in the shop at the top of the home page. £4 plus p+p. They really are rather lovely.