The Shed // Chapter 2

"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get..."  

I guess the famous quote is more than true in my current situation. In the last 2 months a lot has happened: getting devorced, sold the house and moved into a new flat. As a result I had to say good bye to the loved MTB HQ of mine...The Shed that I have been working on for a few years and spent countless fun filled hours in...

But the end of something always allows way to a beginning of something else, something new. So here we go, I'm introducing the new (and much smaller) version of The Shed. We are talking about a stunning 2,25 squaremeter here. It's freakin' tiny but it has all what I need. Sure there will be no room for grill / burger parties like we had before but it is a lovely drop of MTB heaven on the 2nd floor. A place where I can carry out all my repairs on the bike but most importantly I can feel the vibe of the old Shed every time I walk in! And now this is all I want! :) 

Stayin' indoor for another day...

Back on the turbo trainer

With the weather being pretty grim at the moment I've decided to grab the turbo out of the closet and have today's training session next to the fire at The Shed.

It was the smart thing to do as I was ill during last week with some nasty coughs and stuff. I rather prefer riding my bike outside but the last thing I need right now is to get sick again, so I had a nice & easy 1 hour turbo session just to get the legs turning again. Savage music, cosy fire and a bitta training... what more could I ask for?! Oh yeah, I know: for some good weather! That's exactly what I need!! 

Just a casual Monday afternoon

Yep, spring is here!!

We are after an absolutely savage weekend on the bike with proper spring weather: bright skies, mild temperature and dry trail conditions!

No mud bath to be seen here, move along...

This time I have teamed up with my training buddies and the 4 of us turned the bikes toward one of the highest most freakin' brutal local climb. After we have finished fighting our own battle on the mega steep (27% at places) hill, we finally got to the top at 600m above sea level and enjoyed the stunning view. 

The dudes: Gyuszi, Józsi, myself and Ricsi

The ride ended up pretty well, I finished with 48 km just under 2 hours and 44 minutes time and 875 m of total elevation gain on the way. It wasn't a too long spin but it was hard indeed. And the atmosphere was superb also!

And if this wasn't we also pulled a good bye burger party off at The Shed. My mate Gyuszi is heading back to Ireland soon and this was our last chance to get a proper Shed Burger going! :) 

Get those burgers flowing! :) 

The well deserved reward after a hard spin #yumm-yumm

So, was it a good weekend? It wasn't good... it was bloody awesome! Thanks lads, you're all Legends!! :D 

Another cool evening in The Shed

Wow, what a savage evening it was! Good friend of mine popped in to get his pedals serviced. Got them sorted and in the main time we got some proper rock music going, we had brutal tasty toast on the top of the stove and also had a hot cuppa Earl Gray. Oh, and of course endless bike talk! So, what more could we wish for on a Friday evening, hah? 

Another quiet evening

Thursday evening in The Shed

It was such a nice evening in The Shed: burning fire, good music and some bike maintenance. Got the rear wheel and the headset sorted and also got a new chain fitted on the Niner. Long story short: I like evenings like this!! :)  

You gotta love long weekends!

I do like the long weekends...I do like them a lot! There was this 4 days long weekend with an absolutely cracker weather, so I got the single speed beast out of The Shed and managed to get 2 proper savage MTB spins in! 

Here's what happened:

95 km, 4 hours and 45 minutes and 1100m elevation gain

Yep, it was a good weekend alright! It's nice to be able to sneak out for a bike ride more than once a week! ;)

The Shed Project // The log bike rack is ready

Here is the latest "upgrade" at The Shed. I picked up a massive 120 kg log at the local lumber yard (well, they actually got it delivered to my house) to create a useful and natural looking rack that will help when I wash the bike and it will also be handy in front of the building just to seat down a bit. 

So, lets see the project step-by-step:

A nice piece of wood

Measure it twice, cut it once

Chainsaw...perfect for the job

Need to cut deep enough though

The unit is ready

Nice & simple

Holds the rear wheel on the left side and the cut off end will be handy to hold the cleaning stuff

Yep, just the was I planned it! :) 

Operation Stem Slam // Inverted 17 degrees

I just finished my latest project in The Shed a few minutes ago. I have been searching for a -17 degrees stem for a while and luckily I managed to get my hands on this lovely piece recently. It is not a very common size the least to say, so I am pretty damn happy to see this beauty on the bike. 

Nice & low... just the way I like it :)

So, I fired up the good 'aul woodburner and put on some savage metal music. Oh, and got the stem fitted on the Niner without wasting a single minute!! :) 

Looks the business alright and I can't wait to go for a test ride with the new setup. I'm not sure when that's gonna happen but I'm sure I'll love the agressive low front! 

#TheShed

Chilled out evening in The Shed

I ride my bike on the weekends and I do all the bike repair stuff during the week. And every time I'm out in The Shed doing my stuff I'm having a ball! 

Like the other day: savage music, cold beer and a tubeless conversion on the Niner. Perfect combination, isn't it?  #itcan'tgetanybetter #shedlife :)

Long weekend // Part 1

Ohhh yes...the long weekend in March. This 4 days long weekend was the perfect chance to get out and ride my bike. I was absloutely dying to get out for a spin. So, this afternoon I got my act together and slipped out straight after lunch.

I've put the big tyres back on the bike a little while ago and since there was no rain for a few days the choice was straight forward: off-rad session it is!! Luckily I didn't regret my decision, the trails were nice & fine, just perfect for a relaxed MTB spin. 

Since I haven't been out for ages I've had hard time on the bike. And riding a single speed was ever more shocking then I thought it would be... I realized quiet quickly that my fitness level is next to zero.

I had only a quick spin around the local trails, nothing special really. But it was fun for sure. It was nice to get the legs turning finally and get up to the hills. I cleared my head also which I kinda needed as well. 

So, I'm half way through the long weekend and there's no secret when I say that I have another spin planned also. I hope nothing will cross this plan!! :) 

God bless the old stove!

Wintery evening in The Shed with...

... spicy mulled vine orange peels and all that good stuff, fruit tea, possibly the best toast I ever had (made on the top of the wood burner), great company and awesome music. And of course tons of bike talk with my mate Gyuszi. Brilliant way to spend the Thursday evening, I freakin' loved it!!

Another cool weekend

When the weekend comes everything comes that's related to cycling. This weekend was no different and I gotta be honest: it turned out pretty well! 

Had a nice spin with my mate who lives in Dublin and just got home last week. Had a nice little TLC session on the bike and also had a savage chinese meal (that is one of my favorite btw). What more I could ask for? :)

All ready for some BB maintenance

Absolutely beautiful chinese meal for lunch, yumm-yumm!

So, all in all it was another great weekend, can't wait for the next one already! :)

Chillin' in The Shed

An easy evening in The Shed

#TheShed