Had my second full days ride with the bag loaded today.

Last week I went with half the load, this week with the full load.

Bag's gooooood.

It's so comfortable.

It fits everything I want and it has straps along the sides to tighten the bag all the way down. This means you can compress the contents and reduce the footprint of the bag. It also stops all of the stuff rolling and bouncing around in the bag helping to keep it and me stable.

With the shoulder and waist straps I can lock the bag to my back and set off and ride. The 10kg in the bag is well supported and the cushioning that creates the air vent between rider and bag is quite effective. The only time I noticed the bag bouncing was along the peaty moor of Rushup Edge where the grass-peat rolls like a small roller coaster so the inertia of the bag is out of sink with the rider. Didn't hurt, didn't affect me, I just noticed it that's all.

Fixed my rear brake yesterday, about time as well, I'd worn the pads down to the metal backing. Blead the brake and filled it again and it's are better than it was at any time before so good things have happened, I now know how the brakes work throughout and I have a good set of brakes to use. The front needs doing and I'll get some new pads in a couple of weeks and do it then.

I learnt a couple of things over the last couple of days:

1. Riding with extra weight isn't easy, the centre of gravity shifts. A third of your body weight is in your head, imagine where that puts your centre of gravity, now I weigh about 80kg and I've just put an extra 10kg on my back, shifting the cog. What I've learnt is either ride consistently or ride inconsistently often so it's normal. Extra weight can affect your balance and, as I found today, even getting up after a spill.
   
2. 2. I hate gravel, no, I fucking hate gravel, no, I hate that shitty crappy useless satanic spawn that is gravel. It's useless on paths, winds your neighbours up when you have it on your drive and looks shit in your garden. What possible use is gravel apart from turning my sphincter inside out and planting me head first off the bike.
3. Look after your gear and keep it constant. Because I allowed my rear brake to go off it now feels like a different bike with the brake fixed and set properly. If you keep on top of the gear and set yourself boundaries of how it can wear or adjust then your riding can be more constant. This goes for front and rear mechs as well. I allow them to go out of sink, probably need new cables, but I'm having to play with the shifters to get the right gear, e.g. down two and back up one to move from fourth to fifth.
4. Ramblers are like sheep, not because they all follow each other but because when ever you make them aware you're there they all bolt in different directions and nearly always across the road rather than to the nearest side.
   

On the last point so many ramblers are asking for us all to use bells but there are two problems with this. The first is that I've carried a bell and used it, it rang like billy-o when I went down hill but made no difference what-so-ever when you came up behind a four-some ambling along a bridleway talking to each other without any concern for the environment around them. The second problem is space, I have a space for my light, my clock and my map board, where or where do I put a bell? on my ding-a-ling?

The solution is that everyone needs to get a lot more savvy and a lot more considerate. It is ridiculous that ramblers fill the entire width of a path and talk over any other noise that might give them a clue to what's coming. Riders should consider that ramblers might bolt in different directions and slow down and give a well-mannered call early rather than when we are right on top of them. It's simple really. All roads/paths/routes should be treated the same, whether it's snake pass or mickledon edge, care and consideration for other users, eyes, ears and wits open.

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