Day 9 – 13th April 2007
Today we had a lie-in followed by a leisurely breakfast. Then Janet and I strolled into Walkden and did some essential shopping in the form of a couple of spare inner tubes and a pressure gauge for Presta valves.
After lunch, consisting of bacon butties, we loaded the bike and headed for the hills – again. With Enid’s help we worked out a very quiet route to Kearsley and then used NCN route 6 (no, I never learn) to Radcliffe, Ainsworth and Tottington.
We crossed the M66/A56 into Edenfield and then through Rawtenstall (I have been to Rawtenstall many times but have yet to witness the Annual Fair). From there it was a slow and steady plod along a familiar road – the A682 – to Crawshawbooth, Love Clough and Dunnockshaw before climbing part way up the Hameldon Hill to New Laithe Farm.
Nephew Robert proved to be the perfect host, supplying soup, bread and coffee. I pumped up the tyres of his mountain bike and I also gave the tandem a “once over”, washing off all the accumulated dust, proofiding the saddle and giving both chains a good dose of Purple Extreme.
There had been quite abit of discussion on the ACF forum about the various chain lubricants. For what it’s worth, I have had to adjust the chain of my solo bike so it has stretched quite a lot. Mostly that has been lubricated with White Lightning (no, not that sort) and the chain stretched noticeably during the first 1000 miles. Today we completed our first 1000 miles on the tandem, I have only used Purple extreme as a lubricant and there is no noticeable stretch in either chain. They have been under great pressure as well. In my mind, Purple Extreme knocks spots off any other chain lubricant I have used.
