Mark O

Guys,
Good to catch up with some old faces and meet some new Johnstone members. Been a good few years since I’ve been in a bunch, never mind the Sinclair Sreet reliability. 
Enjoyed the day, thanks for the company chaps. Hope everyone got home safe. 
Darryl, if a Don Smith is being run, let me know and I see if I can’t get a few bodies to come along. 
Cheers
Mark O

Guys,
Good to catch up with some old faces and meet some new Johnstone members. Been a good few years since I’ve been in a bunch, never mind the Sinclair Sreet reliability. 
Enjoyed the day, thanks for the company chaps. Hope everyone got home safe. 
Darryl, if a Don Smith is being run, let me know and I see if I can’t get a few bodies to come along. 
Cheers
Mark O

It happened. 😁

It happened. 😁

It happened. 😁

It happened. 😁

It happened. 😁

It happened. 😁

Thread update - New bike (well sort of - still waiting for personalised, bespoke frame) has eventually arrived. Was/is very much worth the wait. 😁

It happened. 😁

New potential members transferring from the Club de Velo Scone Appreciation Society  - highly doubtful. The range of abilities is wide and we collectively acknowledge that and ride accordingly. Nothing to prove to anyone in the group. Sunday was a fine example. Coast ride, 65 miles but at John’s pace due to his limitation - near loss of a leg in a bike meets car event. Slower than I wanted or planned but there you go, sometimes you just have to accept it.
I think what Gerard is trying to say is the current format does not appear to be working, hence low turn out. Therefore the club needs to try new things to see if they work before unquestioningly staying with what presently isn’t delivering, and asking members to try something new and evolve.
Iain, the Langbank mechanical was dastardly sabotage of the lowest order. And officially it wasn’t an attack….. I was getting cold 🤣 Ended up getting a whole lot colder due to a sheared rear mech. 

Ah the glory of making your bunch mates hurt, dropping people and ripping bunches to bits on a reliability ride of all things. Geezo it’s a club run not a race. If that’s the mindset,  you’d all be better going out solo or in pairs and dispense with the idea of a bunch altogether. Perhaps that’s the elephant in the room.
 Make the catch, sit the hell up, look around speak to the rider next to you and just enjoy the last few miles back to Miller Street. If it screws with your detailed training plan, one has a decision to make. 
So glad I now ride with guys who have a bit of respect for each other and leave their egos at home. Helps to reduce the heaviness too 🤪

I was saddened to read Darryl’s post, above, and learn of Davie B’s passing. 
Davie was a wheeler at heart.  
 
The man who went to Italy with blue tinged legs and came home with blue tinged legs.
Many a time he would appear out of the murk on a Sunday morning, to meet me on the track at Kilbirnie, with his grimace on and greet me with a ‘Morning - shite weather’ and barely miss a pedal stroke. We also limped home down the track to the Garnock Valley numerous times, sucking each others wheels to save what little was left in the tank after a long day in the saddle. The best of times.
Davie was the most modest down to earth bloke, who loved to get off the main drag and head for the rural lanes and tracks. The more rutted and mankier the better. He had a pragmatic almost bleak outlook on life but was a dependable, generous individual with a wry sense of humour. Never particularly vociferous, yet spoke his mind when the occasion arose. 
 
I don’t know if Davie’s passing, and indeed his life, has been marked on the Club’s Facebook page (I don’t do Facebook), but it seems remiss that there is nothing on the the Bunch to pay tribute to the man. If this thread is it then this is my contribution. 
 
Davie B your were and always will be a Joansin Wheeler. You sadly ran out of farm tracks way too soon. You’ll be missed. 
 
Mark O

I was saddened to read Darryl’s post, above, and learn of Davie B’s passing. 
Davie was a wheeler at heart.  
 
The man who went to Italy with blue tinged legs and came home with blue tinged legs.
Many a time he would appear out of the murk on a Sunday morning, to meet me on the track at Kilbirnie, with his grimace on and greet me with a ‘Morning - shite weather’ and barely miss a pedal stroke. We also limped home down the track to the Garnock Valley numerous times, sucking each others wheels to save what little was left in the tank after a long day in the saddle. The best of times.
Davie was the most modest down to earth bloke, who loved to get off the main drag and head for the rural lanes and tracks. The more rutted and mankier the better. He had a pragmatic almost bleak outlook on life but was a dependable, generous individual with a wry sense of humour. Never particularly vociferous, yet spoke his mind when the occasion arose. 
 
I don’t know if Davie’s passing, and indeed his life, has been marked on the Club’s Facebook page (I don’t do Facebook), but it seems remiss that there is nothing on the the Bunch to pay tribute to the man. If this thread is it then this is my contribution. 
 
Davie B your were and always will be a Joansin Wheeler. You sadly ran out of farm tracks way too soon. You’ll be missed. 
 
Mark O

I was saddened to read Darryl’s post, above, and learn of Davie B’s passing. 
Davie was a wheeler at heart.  
 
The man who went to Italy with blue tinged legs and came home with blue tinged legs.
Many a time he would appear out of the murk on a Sunday morning, to meet me on the track at Kilbirnie, with his grimace on and greet me with a ‘Morning - shite weather’ and barely miss a pedal stroke. We also limped home down the track to the Garnock Valley numerous times, sucking each others wheels to save what little was left in the tank after a long day in the saddle. The best of times.
Davie was the most modest down to earth bloke, who loved to get off the main drag and head for the rural lanes and tracks. The more rutted and mankier the better. He had a pragmatic almost bleak outlook on life but was a dependable, generous individual with a wry sense of humour. Never particularly vociferous, yet spoke his mind when the occasion arose. 
 
I don’t know if Davie’s passing, and indeed his life, has been marked on the Club’s Facebook page (I don’t do Facebook), but it seems remiss that there is nothing on the the Bunch to pay tribute to the man. If this thread is it then this is my contribution. 
 
Davie B your were and always will be a Joansin Wheeler. You sadly ran out of farm tracks way too soon. You’ll be missed. 
 
Mark O

Billy missed the important bit about the neo…….you get to freewheel on the descents. That said anything off tarmac feels like riding through treacle. Watts up speed through the floor. 

Ginty, I did a good bit of reading on the matter of direct drives, particularly tacx offerings. The flux did get a reasonable write up. However, the neo T2 generally is considered top of the shop time after time in reviews by users. I did a couple of comparison shop based tests on the kickr. Got to say it’s marginal but I am more than content with the neo T2. It has been a ‘joy’ to use. No issues whatsoever. 
Like most things cycling there will be divided opinions but I can recommend the T2. A definitely expensive but if you can stretch the budget and find one then it’s worth the extra IMO. 
If you want to try before you buy you’re welcome to drop in. 

It’s been more than a while since I last ride out with the Joansin. So many new faces! Good to catch up with Darryl, Alan and Ian in the bunch and say hello to Chung, Carol and Mul. 
Can’t say I’ll be a regular but will aim to get out once an a while. 
Thanks for the company guys. Enjoyed the miles with you all this morning. 
 
Mark O

It’s been more than a while since I last ride out with the Joansin. So many new faces! Good to catch up with Darryl, Alan and Ian in the bunch and say hello to Chung, Carol and Mul. 
Can’t say I’ll be a regular but will aim to get out once an a while. 
Thanks for the company guys. Enjoyed the miles with you all this morning. 
 
Mark O

Must have been one of the sunniest April evenings EVER! 
 
I see I was still rocking the winter bike at that time of the year......and doesn't my bum look big in the twilight 🤣

All the very best to you and the family, Darryl. Hopefully we can catch up at some point on the road in 2021.
 
 

Was introduced to a very nice and very cyclist friendly cafe this morning called the Heron. Located on the eastern most reaches of the transmitter hills route (detour may be applicable). Worth a google for the discerning cyclist ‘cafeista’. Heron cafe and farm shop out between Glastonbury and Strathaven. 

Was introduced to a very nice and very cyclist friendly cafe this morning called the Heron. Located on the eastern most reaches of the transmitter hills route (detour may be applicable). Worth a google for the discerning cyclist ‘cafeista’. Heron cafe and farm shop out between Glastonbury and Strathaven. 

https://spark.adobe.com/page/viGPnXpiPxmvC/
Interesting article for Muls jets who want to go further

Agreed G IRL nobody does get left behind and as you said we all got a ride. 
I don’t think there was anything wrong about having the sprints, I enjoyed it and it served to show where I’m at in comparison to some bunch regulars given my extended time away from the road. so from a personal point of view - all good - I’m still pants 😕 
Fi, I wouldn’t worry about the guys who may have dropped off to offer a tow back. In my experience we’ve all been there, both offering and getting that tow. 🥵 All part and parcel. 
Viva la sticky, non?