Next bike

Newest member of the family!

To replace my Rose Xeon RS.
A 2015 Genesis Volare 853. Built up with Ultegra 11 speed group and Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels.

New Addition

Here is my new baby! It's a Peugeot PH8M from around 1980-83 (anyone have any ideas?).

Every now and again, Ebay comes up trumps and I found this being sold by a chap who wanted a winter hack but when he picked this up realised this was too nice and so sold it on to me after replacing the tubes and regreasing various parts!

As you can see, it is virtually mint, with only a slight amount of pitting on the chrome rims. I'm aware that in it's time, this model was pretty low spec but I'm loathed to modify such a lovely machine!

The bike came with an ancient saddlebag full of old bits including a huge Sanyo speedo (21 miles on the clock) one of those continental horseshoe wheel locks and a rusty old bell that has polished up quite well after rubbing with some tin foil and then T Cut.

Final Thoughts

·      If I had more time, it would be nice to take more time and see more of the country. There were times that I felt slightly pressured to carry on to reach my destination in good time. On the other hand, I could have done the journey quicker, it just depends on what you want to achieve. I tried to get a balance of a physically challenging ride and enjoying the countryside on the way up.

·      I found it very useful to book accommodation in advance. As I had arranged to be at the end on a certain day, having a target to aim for each day helped with motivation.

·      Use B&B’s not hotels. Every one is different and you will meet some great people. Most were like a home from home which is what you want after a long ride.

·      Using the gps was great. I plotted all my routes before I left but there were a couple of times where I changed my plans and it helped me to find a different route.

·      Don’t stick rigidly to routes if you fancy a change.

·      Treat each day as a separate ride. If you look at it as one ride, it does seem quite daunting!

·      Split each day down so always somewhere to aim for. I split each day into 3 or 4 parts so that I had between 20 and 30 miles between stops where I could refuel.

·      Pack as light as you can, I took no spare cycling kit, washing it each evening. My luggage fitted in a 11 litre Vaude rack bag and weighed 4 kg

·      Write a diary at the end of each day otherwise you will forget all the little things along the way that make the journey so special.

·      Don’t underestimate what you can achieve but also respect the importance of preparation and training.

·      I completed ride on a single speed On One Pompino running a 48x18 gear. Running a geared bike would have been easier (obviously) but if you have trained for such a ride, one gear was usually enough. It is lighter, quieter, stronger and less to go wrong (and therefore less spares to carry). If I was to carry camping gear too, a geared bike would be much more sensible (or a lower geared single speed!)

• Finally, I am hugely grateful for all the support, donations, offers of meals, places to stay and overall generosity of  everyone involved in helping me accomplish this ride.  
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• THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU!!!