Keep Moving Lazy Bones

This post provides a suggested itinerary for getting out of town for a flexible break. It assumes a mix of cyclists and non-cyclists (drivers) for flexibility. Derek Jarman's House still with the black and yellow paintwork.  This uses one of the routes from the Lost Lanes book by Jack Thurston.  Thursday  07:39 St Pancras - Ashford International 08:18 (cycles) . I believe this high speed train has an orange band and a discrete wheelchair logo around the doors for bikes rather than a big cycle logo with the front (and rear?) carriage having one of these. Departing from St Pancras International rail station on Southeastern Railways enter the station opposite King's Cross (and the German Gymnasium) and immediately take the lift up to platforms 11-13. On the day I travelled in 2025 there was only one carriage for wheelchairs and bikes; station staff can advise which end. From Ashford you follow the NCN 18 to Singleton, Shadoxhurst and onwards.  07:15 Depart K...

In this post I'll try for some basic getting started pointers, references to good information and some detailed descriptions of regular bike maintenance jobs. The aim is to reduce the risk of problems on a ride, deal with a puncture and enable you to take your cleaned bike to the bike shop when it needs real attention.  Image from Freepik Q&A Q1 : As an aside, why do some bikes make a rapid clicking sound when freewheeling? A1 : The clicking comes from pawls on the freewheel hitting against the splines on the engagement surfaces which makes up the ratcheting unit. Better quality freewheels/freehubs tend to have more splines, springier pawls and thinner lubricant which can lead to more noise. Okay, now we can move onto sensible questions.  Q2 : What basic bike maintenance skills and know-how do I need to go cycling? A2 : The minimum includes: 1. Practice replacing both of the inner tubes ; if you have a problem on a ride then it will likely be a puncture. On eve...