Big EARS 2008

No not the character from Noddy that got renamed due to poncy political correctness, but the annual long weekend event of the East Anglia Rocketry Society at Elsworth.
I'd been to 2 BigEARS events before and again this coincided with my birthday weekend and a public holiday :) so I had to go again. Managed to find a few geocaches too, and picked up a load of travelbugs from TDW to frop off in Germany.
Did a few flights... first up was TDW's Estes something-or-other with a D12-7 in the business end (which had been designed only for a C6 motor). Then popped off my usual pair of Art Applewhite Saucer/Qubit on E15's (they fly really well!). Loc Legacy had a double shock-cord snap, which was totally unexplained, and fortunately some kids saw all the bits land! Finally was a PML Small Endeavor on an I212-SS (3grain Pro38), which flew a bit too well, and was lost :(
Can't wait for the next events.

Skiing in Wengen

Would you go on holiday with a group of ski geeks from the internet that you've never met? I did, and it was probably the best ski holiday I've ever had!

The snowHeads Mid Season Bash was in Wengen, Switzerland again in March. The snow was not bad, although it did rain mid-week, so a bunch of us decided to walk down to Lauterbrunnen, along the valley, and then up to Mürren and back by train/cablecar.
The highlight of the week was the slalom race on the top section of the famous Lauberhorn world cup circuit. I didn't crash on either run, but did come close on the 2nd run! My final times were right in the middle of about 40 people, which was not bad for a rookie.

Back of the Lauberhorn Start Hut before the race

After an excellent week, and meeting a great bunch of fellow skiers, I cannot wait for the next bash!

Cotic Shakedown Ride

First ride on the new bike, just to bed in the brakes, check that everything is adjusted and tweaked to best performance, and that nothing falls off. Just a few km along wide/flat cycle track with plenty of braking, then decided to take it on a loop of the forest, mostly on fire lanes, with a bit of gravel, sand, mud, leaves and icy puddles.


Built, but brake hoses still need trimming

Surprisingly, nothing fell off, and gears front/back seem perfectly adjusted. Forks probably need a bit of attention (I only put in the minimum pressure), and tyres need a bit more air too. Rather impressed.

Skiing in Zillertal Arena

My first ski holiday of the year was a weekend in Zell am Ziller, in Austria, in January. Snowed all day on the Saturday, and was glorious sunshine all day on the Sunday. What I cannot wait for is my main ski vacation in Wengen, Switzerland in March.

Next trip is the snowHeads MSB 2008 :)

Cotic Soul Build pt2

Wheels and remaining parts arrived, so could progress with the build. Fitting Nobby Nic and Racing Ralph tyres was a bit of a pain (RR were trickier than NN). With wheels in place, the stem could be adjusted to work out where to cut steerer tube. Formula brakes fitted (a hint of rub on both F+R, which I'm hoping will go away when the pads are bedded in). Gear cables all installed, tensioned up, and adjusted.

Now just need to take it for a spin. Bed in the brakes, and adjust bits here and there as necessary.