New bits

No, not those, although after riding to Swansea and back today I almost needed some.

I went on the XT in the end, as the temperature didn't seem too bad. I was wrong - it was bloody cold. RiDE magazine say that with heated grips and hand protectors you can ride through winter in summer gloves. No you bloody well can't. I was wearing my old Frank Thomas Aqua gloves (heavy and allegedly waterproof) and even with the grips on max for the whole trip, my hands were freezing. Even with thermals on, the ride was a pretty chilly experience.

It was worth going, though. I avoided the motorway by going to Llanelli by B-roads and into Swansea from a different direction. I passed through some nice countryside, and Llanelli was like a ghost town [1] because of the Wales-Scotland match. Cold aside, it was a very pleasant run. And the bike clearly enjoyed the run - it didn't miss a beat and now is running better than ever.

The bits I went to pick up (a new front brake caliper from a guy who is breaking a very similar bike to mine) were exactly what I wanted, and in excellent condition. And I got a couple of things I wanted from M&P Accessories as well. All in all, a good day's work.

[1] Why is it that, whenever I decide to do something else during a major Rugby match, something exciting happens, whereas when I settle in for a proper sesh with the beers and crisps the match is full of handling errors and no tries? Apparently, Wales came from way behind to draw level in the final ten minutes of the match, and win in the last few seconds. I shall have to watch the highlights later. Damn.