Where the hell did that month go. Last time I posted I'd just taken an absolute beating in 85mph winds that closed the local airport. 3 weeks later and the same airport is shut again. This time thought it's from snow. I'm not going to bang on about the weather but really, this mental in Novemeber?
If there's any excuse for not posting it's beacuse we're in the thick of pre Christmas magazine hell. The time when editors realise that trying to get 13 issues out in 12 months doesn't add up. Especially when everyone wants to get finished by the Christmas party. Right now it's a blizzard of words and tests almost as thick as the driving blizzards outside though, and the same get your head down and keep shovelling mentality prevails.
Last two days I've been sat on rollers in the workshop wearing winter gloves to test a dozen different cycle computers for Triathlon Plus magazine. I figured if I can still press the buttons then and still stay upright no normal use is going to phase them. Nearly died when I got cocky and tried to pull the water bottle out of the cage the second time.
Before that? Handlebars. 18 of the buggers. Luckily we got some major hydraulic muscle on our side to sort them out this time thanks to a leading UK motocross bar maker. £40k worth of multi decimal point accurate bar loading machine really lets you drill down to what's happening with handlesticks when they're properly pushed. Obviously bar testing means a bunch of riding too. Still managed to squeeze in a couple of epic features for MBUK though, plus mopping up some stuff from the Interbike demo days @ Bootleg Canyon.
Right now though it's brakes, forks and trying to scrape together enough hardcore hardtails for a WMB test. Unfortunately while the snow is great in terms or reducing washing time it tends to take a heavy mechanical toll. Last Thursday night we spent at least an hour of a 3 hours moors ride trying to get the jockey wheels free of ice after we ran out of wee for thawing and abandoned getting the gears working altogether. On Tuesday I had to run home for an hour after I slid out on a corner, rammed a tree and immediately got tail ended by Simon behind. Bang went the rear mech hanger on the Saracen and trying to singlespeed it just snapped the chain. New bits should arrive today though, so it'll be out again with the Orange P7 which got here despite the blizzards yesterday.
So all go here as usual, now I'm just watching the weather to see if it's worth fitting ice spikes for tonights ride!