Where'd You Ride Today? (New & Improved)
#2451
Hopelessly addicted...
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Central Maryland
Posts: 5,007
Bikes: 1949 Hercules Kestrel, 1950 Norman Rapide, 1970 Schwinn Collegiate, 1972 Peugeot UE-8, 1976 Raleigh Sports, 1977 Raleigh Sports, 1977 Jack Taylor Tandem, 1984 Davidson Tandem, 2010 Bilenky "BQ" 650B Constructeur Tandem, 2011 Linus Mixte
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This morning, I did a quick 15 mile ride with a my new riding buddy who lives about 2-3 miles away. I wasn't really too motivated to go for a ride and almost bowed out, but decided to go anyway. We were rewarded with a nice sunrise and comfortable weather to boot. We're talking about doing a regular 30-40 mile ride on Friday mornings starting next week.
Waiting...
Burkittsville Loop - 1 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
Bucolic sunrise.
Burkittsville Loop - 2 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
Burkittsville Loop - 3 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
Waiting...
Burkittsville Loop - 1 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
Bucolic sunrise.
Burkittsville Loop - 2 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
Burkittsville Loop - 3 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
#2452
Hopelessly addicted...
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Central Maryland
Posts: 5,007
Bikes: 1949 Hercules Kestrel, 1950 Norman Rapide, 1970 Schwinn Collegiate, 1972 Peugeot UE-8, 1976 Raleigh Sports, 1977 Raleigh Sports, 1977 Jack Taylor Tandem, 1984 Davidson Tandem, 2010 Bilenky "BQ" 650B Constructeur Tandem, 2011 Linus Mixte
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I took a mostly gravel ride today, ended up being somewheres around 50 miles. Kingston-Hurley-Rosendale-New Paltz-Mohonk-High Falls-Hurley-Kingston
Picked up the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail just outside of the limits of the City of Kingston, about a 10 minute ride through traffic from my front porch, and made my way down to Rosendale via Binnewater Road because the trail is currently gated off for the portion that goes through the Williams Lake property.
Made it to Rosendale, and stopped to admire the old cement kilns. Yep, Rosendale Cement...this is where it was made
The train trestle in Rosendale which is currently being re-decked for pedestrian and bike use
Picked up the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail again, and started south towards New Paltz
Rest at the Wallkill River bridge
Rode into New Paltz via Huguenot Street
Picked up the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail just outside of the limits of the City of Kingston, about a 10 minute ride through traffic from my front porch, and made my way down to Rosendale via Binnewater Road because the trail is currently gated off for the portion that goes through the Williams Lake property.
Made it to Rosendale, and stopped to admire the old cement kilns. Yep, Rosendale Cement...this is where it was made
The train trestle in Rosendale which is currently being re-decked for pedestrian and bike use
Picked up the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail again, and started south towards New Paltz
Rest at the Wallkill River bridge
Rode into New Paltz via Huguenot Street
And, then up over the mountain to Mohonk Preserve (membership or day fee required) where I hit some more gravel and took a quick hike to the top of Bonticou Crag
Then, back down through Spring Farm and into High Falls, where I refueled at the Last Bite with apple juice, sausage/egg/cheese, and cheesecake
The Locktenders Cottage, now restored, as it sits at Lock 14(iirc?) of the former D&H canal. Side note, I did a land survey of this property last fall, entered it in a state map competition, and won first place!
Picked up the Marbletown Rail Trail (former O&W Railroad) and rode back to Hurley, New Yorks second capital after the British burned the first, which is Kingston
Oldest street of continuously lived in stone houses in America
And, that's my ride for the day! I'm tired.
Then, back down through Spring Farm and into High Falls, where I refueled at the Last Bite with apple juice, sausage/egg/cheese, and cheesecake
The Locktenders Cottage, now restored, as it sits at Lock 14(iirc?) of the former D&H canal. Side note, I did a land survey of this property last fall, entered it in a state map competition, and won first place!
Picked up the Marbletown Rail Trail (former O&W Railroad) and rode back to Hurley, New Yorks second capital after the British burned the first, which is Kingston
Oldest street of continuously lived in stone houses in America
And, that's my ride for the day! I'm tired.
#2453
Hopelessly addicted...
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Central Maryland
Posts: 5,007
Bikes: 1949 Hercules Kestrel, 1950 Norman Rapide, 1970 Schwinn Collegiate, 1972 Peugeot UE-8, 1976 Raleigh Sports, 1977 Raleigh Sports, 1977 Jack Taylor Tandem, 1984 Davidson Tandem, 2010 Bilenky "BQ" 650B Constructeur Tandem, 2011 Linus Mixte
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Yesterday I did my second D2R2 ride, the fabled dirt road climbing ride that stitches together old carriage roads in northwestern MA and southern VT, the proceeds which go to support the Franklin Land Trust whose mission is to preserve the farming heritage and rural character of the area. Last year I ended up walking a few short segments of the ride and came close to self-destruction by the end, but this year I was better prepared and did fine. And even though I rode the 2nd "easiest" route of the five offered, it still clocked in 7500 ft of elevation gain in 62 miles. I even managed to keep a smile on my face for most of it, although I think I remember muttering some curses on some of the climbs. I did the ride with a good friend with whom I've ridden a lot, and a friend of his that I met just yesterday. And I saw lots of friends and familiar faces who were either doing different routes or riding in their own groups. Despite constant rain during the drive out from Boston early in the morning and a forecast for thunderstorms, by the time we rolled out at 9am the skies had cleared and it was blue skies and temps in the 70s all day. Perfect. Here are some shots from the day:
Cooper Lane, a beautiful rolling carriage road that climbs up the side of a mountain:
A tough climb:
A narrow carriage road crossing the border into VT:
A common scene in VT:
A country lane:
A gaggle of bikes spilling into the road at the lunch stop:
The fabled covered bridge at the lunch stop. When hurricane Irene hit on the night of D2R2 last year (the first drops fell as I checked in at the finish), the Green river had risen to within one foot of the bridge. Many other area bridges got washed away.
A vista atop one of the many climbs:
Post-ride, the whole group:
Cooper Lane, a beautiful rolling carriage road that climbs up the side of a mountain:
A tough climb:
A narrow carriage road crossing the border into VT:
A common scene in VT:
A country lane:
A gaggle of bikes spilling into the road at the lunch stop:
The fabled covered bridge at the lunch stop. When hurricane Irene hit on the night of D2R2 last year (the first drops fell as I checked in at the finish), the Green river had risen to within one foot of the bridge. Many other area bridges got washed away.
A vista atop one of the many climbs:
Post-ride, the whole group:
#2454
Hopelessly addicted...
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Central Maryland
Posts: 5,007
Bikes: 1949 Hercules Kestrel, 1950 Norman Rapide, 1970 Schwinn Collegiate, 1972 Peugeot UE-8, 1976 Raleigh Sports, 1977 Raleigh Sports, 1977 Jack Taylor Tandem, 1984 Davidson Tandem, 2010 Bilenky "BQ" 650B Constructeur Tandem, 2011 Linus Mixte
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As far as the kangaroos, are they pretty commonly seen when you are out riding? They seemed to be very aware of your presence.
#2455
What??? Only 2 wheels?
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Boston-ish, MA
Posts: 13,452
Bikes: 72 Peugeot UO-8, 82 Peugeot TH8, 87 Bianchi Brava, 76? Masi Grand Criterium, 74 Motobecane Champion Team, 86 & 77 Gazelle champion mondial, 81? Grandis, 82? Tommasini, 83 Peugeot PF10
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Today's ride was just the usual commute, on the Bianchi. But I carried a laptop in a small backpack. I really don't like riding with a backpack!
__________________
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
#2456
Senior Member
My wife & I took our 8-year old girl out today for a ride around the neighborhood & to a local park to get her comfortable w/ her new 24" Trek hybrid bike. Since there are quite a few hills where we live, she was having a hard time getting up them w/ her 1-speed. In fact, she couldn't even climb them. So a new bike was in order. The Trek's a bit taller w/ a different setup & more gears than her old bike, so there's going to be a learning curve for her to overcome, but she's catching on quickly & keeps up w/ us no problem. Hardest part for her is, getting on & off the bike & becoming more familiar w/ brake levers instead of foot braking.
Yesterday, we took her to a paved trail in a Game Reserve at Crystal Springs reservoir/lake (Sawyer Camp Trail). The lake sits right atop the San Andreas Fault line & is where San Francisco's & a few other local city's drinking water is stored. The lake's water comes from the Hetch-Hetchy Reservoir high in the Sierras. Being a weekday, the trail was fairly uncrowded, so there weren't any people problems to deal with since it's usually quite a popular spot, esp on weekends. Quite scenic, wildlife present, & mostly flat for 6.5 miles. We did the trail back & forth and the little one covered the 12 mile distance w/o incident...except at the last .5 mi, where a 4' rattlesnake crossed right in front of her & she almost ran over it. Quite a scream she let out. Going back to see the snake, it made it's way off the trail & was right at the edge of it, all coiled up! Counting the rattles, it looked to be about 6 years old. I warned a few people, & I wasn't about to harm or bother it, so I let it be & we headed for home. In all my years of livin' in the Bay Area, this was the 1st time I'd come across the rattler.
In all, it was a very good ride. I'm still recovering from a knee injury that has kept me off a bike for close to a month, so it felt great to be out & on a bike again & w/ good company.
Yesterday, we took her to a paved trail in a Game Reserve at Crystal Springs reservoir/lake (Sawyer Camp Trail). The lake sits right atop the San Andreas Fault line & is where San Francisco's & a few other local city's drinking water is stored. The lake's water comes from the Hetch-Hetchy Reservoir high in the Sierras. Being a weekday, the trail was fairly uncrowded, so there weren't any people problems to deal with since it's usually quite a popular spot, esp on weekends. Quite scenic, wildlife present, & mostly flat for 6.5 miles. We did the trail back & forth and the little one covered the 12 mile distance w/o incident...except at the last .5 mi, where a 4' rattlesnake crossed right in front of her & she almost ran over it. Quite a scream she let out. Going back to see the snake, it made it's way off the trail & was right at the edge of it, all coiled up! Counting the rattles, it looked to be about 6 years old. I warned a few people, & I wasn't about to harm or bother it, so I let it be & we headed for home. In all my years of livin' in the Bay Area, this was the 1st time I'd come across the rattler.
In all, it was a very good ride. I'm still recovering from a knee injury that has kept me off a bike for close to a month, so it felt great to be out & on a bike again & w/ good company.
#2457
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: adelaide, australia
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Yes, roo's are everywhere out side heavily populated area's but they move to quickly for close photo's when I'm on my bike. I live on a country property and I live amongst them. There use to seeing me and I can walk close with them. They have joeys right now hanging there heads from mum's pouch, very cute.
Nice Carlton and good sharp pictures, looks beautiful.
#2458
MIKE is my name!
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: finland,baltimore
Posts: 2,886
Bikes: hans lutz, , puch mistral ultima,2x Austro Daimler Smoked chrome Ultima,Austro Daimler Mixte,Austro Daimler 531 mixte, flying arrow,F Moser,
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Nelli and I did 51kms today in the finnish countryside, the grain is ready to harvest, we saw horses,cows and had a pizza.
last weekend we managed 46kms together.
mike and nelli
last weekend we managed 46kms together.
mike and nelli
#2459
What??? Only 2 wheels?
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Boston-ish, MA
Posts: 13,452
Bikes: 72 Peugeot UO-8, 82 Peugeot TH8, 87 Bianchi Brava, 76? Masi Grand Criterium, 74 Motobecane Champion Team, 86 & 77 Gazelle champion mondial, 81? Grandis, 82? Tommasini, 83 Peugeot PF10
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This sport of cycling sometimes requires one to improvise. We wanted to do maybe 50 miles on the tandem today, so we went west from Bedford into Westford, visited some friends briefly, went northward into West Chelmsford then into Chelmsford to pick up the BF. On the way south the front derailleur cable snapped. Dang.
So I adjusted the stop screw to set it on the middle ring, then took a route back to Bedford that didn't involve steep hills. I wanted to get to the bike shop in Bedford before they closed; I had no idea when that might be. High gears we can get, though we did spin out the small cog on one stretch. But a 38/32 combination just won't do for some of the short steep hills around here. We aren't that strong a team!
We ended up with 39.25 miles, and I bought a new derailleur cable at the bike shop in Bedford.
A river/RR crossing at Westford Station, with a farm stand - signs of the coming harvest:
My sweetie at Heart Pond, Chelmsford:
An unexpected task, replacing a cable (which requires crawling under the bike):
The best way to work on a bike (but not to tpye acurrately):
So I adjusted the stop screw to set it on the middle ring, then took a route back to Bedford that didn't involve steep hills. I wanted to get to the bike shop in Bedford before they closed; I had no idea when that might be. High gears we can get, though we did spin out the small cog on one stretch. But a 38/32 combination just won't do for some of the short steep hills around here. We aren't that strong a team!
We ended up with 39.25 miles, and I bought a new derailleur cable at the bike shop in Bedford.
A river/RR crossing at Westford Station, with a farm stand - signs of the coming harvest:
My sweetie at Heart Pond, Chelmsford:
An unexpected task, replacing a cable (which requires crawling under the bike):
The best way to work on a bike (but not to tpye acurrately):
__________________
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
#2460
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: North Bend, Washington State
Posts: 2,938
Bikes: 1937 Hobbs; 1977 Bruce Gordon; 1987 Bill Holland; 1988 Schwinn Paramount (Fixed gear); 1999 Fat City Yo Eddy (MTB); 2018 Woodrup (Touring) 2016 Ritchey breakaway
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My camera met a violent end today on Suntop Mtn. It took the brunt of a fall I had on the MTB. Gonna miss that camera
#2461
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: California
Posts: 993
Bikes: '87 Serotta Colorado,'96 Moots VaMoots, Bertoni MAX, Eddy Merckx Grand Prix Team USA
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I hope you faired better than the camera. Get a replacement, I really enjoy your posts.
#2462
Senior Member
Great posts everyone! I haven't had a chance to ride as much as I would like, but I was able to get a 59 mile ride in this morning on the De Rosa. I plugged the slow leak in my rear Rally with Vittoria Pitstop. It has held air for over a week now, so I thought I would give it a try.
The weather was beautiful here in RI this morning mid 70s, low humidity.
My original intent was to keep this ride limited to paved roads, but as the ride progressed I couldn't say no when the turn for one of my favorite dirt roads approached. Only did 2 miles on dirt.
There are tent caterpillar nests everywhere out in the woods.
So I think my dirt road action resulted in this sidewall bubble today. I don't feel bad about the front tire. It came with the wheelset and I rode it 550 miles before this happened.
The De Rosa is going up on a hook until I save up for a new set of tires. My plugged Rally reopened about 4 miles from home. It tried to close up again but was only able to hold approx. 20lbs of pressure. Oh well, at least I was able to ride home.
The weather was beautiful here in RI this morning mid 70s, low humidity.
My original intent was to keep this ride limited to paved roads, but as the ride progressed I couldn't say no when the turn for one of my favorite dirt roads approached. Only did 2 miles on dirt.
There are tent caterpillar nests everywhere out in the woods.
So I think my dirt road action resulted in this sidewall bubble today. I don't feel bad about the front tire. It came with the wheelset and I rode it 550 miles before this happened.
The De Rosa is going up on a hook until I save up for a new set of tires. My plugged Rally reopened about 4 miles from home. It tried to close up again but was only able to hold approx. 20lbs of pressure. Oh well, at least I was able to ride home.
Last edited by JJScaliger; 08-26-12 at 02:46 PM.
#2463
weapons-grade bolognium
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Across the street from Chicago
Posts: 6,335
Bikes: Battaglin Cromor, Ciocc Designer 84, Schwinn Superior 1981
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Rode the first 47 miles of the Psychos century, until my left crankarm came loose.
Had to get picked up by the "team car". Turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It had just started to rain and the whole ride turned into a washout.
The crankarm is toast.
Had to get picked up by the "team car". Turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It had just started to rain and the whole ride turned into a washout.
The crankarm is toast.
#2464
Senior Member
Rolling speed for the whole ride was around 10.7 mph. The steep climbs averaged around 4-5mph, but some of the paved descents were incredible. I topped out at 43mph, but a couple of my buddies hit 49 mph. Dirt descents averaged around 30-35 mph. Riders were flatting left and right, especially on rough descents. My two riding buddies each flatted on the same gnarly descent. There was an inverse correlation between tire width and propensity to flat. My Hetres remained faithfully inflated.
Last edited by southpawboston; 08-26-12 at 04:59 PM.
#2465
Ellensburg, WA
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Ellensburg, WA
Posts: 3,763
Bikes: See my signature
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Had a great, albeit short ride (in distance) with a buddy above Blewett Pass in the Washington mountains. I was on my early 90's Scott mtb. The road we chose was closed with a gate and overgrown in many places - absolutely perfect for the day. Temps in the mid-70's, no wind and plenty of sunshine. Took about an hour to climb to where the road ended and unfortunately there were no trails after that although the area has arrows all over the trees on the way up for cross country ski trails in the winter. The pass is just a little more than 4000 ft above sea level and we climbed a good 750 to 1000 feet in direct elevation. I even had the opportunity for some log hops/jumps for the first time and was successful on all attempts.
We knew it would be a great day with the view of this peak right after the start:
Bill taking a quick break after we both cleared plant debris from our derailleurs and wheels
The view from the top after we ran out of road:
My Drillium Dude tribute profile shot:
Even the flora was nice:
The log that did in Bill on the descent. He hollered log but picked it up to late and tried to take it as straight as he could but the back wheel kicked out on him and it was all over. I had a great vantage of the crash from behind and scored it a 7.5.
We knew it would be a great day with the view of this peak right after the start:
Bill taking a quick break after we both cleared plant debris from our derailleurs and wheels
The view from the top after we ran out of road:
My Drillium Dude tribute profile shot:
Even the flora was nice:
The log that did in Bill on the descent. He hollered log but picked it up to late and tried to take it as straight as he could but the back wheel kicked out on him and it was all over. I had a great vantage of the crash from behind and scored it a 7.5.
__________________
1984 Gitane Tour de France; 1968 Peugeot PL8; 1982 Nishiki Marina 12; 1984 Peugeot PSV; 1993 Trek 950 mtb; 1983 Vitus 979; Colnago Super, mid-80's Bianchi Veloce, 1984 or 85 Vitus 979
1984 Gitane Tour de France; 1968 Peugeot PL8; 1982 Nishiki Marina 12; 1984 Peugeot PSV; 1993 Trek 950 mtb; 1983 Vitus 979; Colnago Super, mid-80's Bianchi Veloce, 1984 or 85 Vitus 979
#2466
What??? Only 2 wheels?
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Boston-ish, MA
Posts: 13,452
Bikes: 72 Peugeot UO-8, 82 Peugeot TH8, 87 Bianchi Brava, 76? Masi Grand Criterium, 74 Motobecane Champion Team, 86 & 77 Gazelle champion mondial, 81? Grandis, 82? Tommasini, 83 Peugeot PF10
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Today was an adventure. We met sherbornpeddler and rode 54.06 miles, starting in
D
o
v
e
r,
MA (which I wrote that way because it is more vertical than horizontal), and looping down into northeastern Rhode Island. Along the way we learned a new definition of the word "gradual".
The day started with the tandem not going onto the granny chainring. Fortunately sbp realized very quickly that he didn't need his superbike to keep up with us and made a quick detour to his house so he could switch to his single-speed Raleigh Pro (at least I think it was a Pro). I took the opportunity to borrow a wrench and loosen the FD cable I'd installed last night. That did the trick, shifting-wise. And truth be told, we had trouble keeping up with sbp even after the bike switch!
Starting out from the
D
o
v
e
r
town hall:
After 2hrs of biking we stopped by a pond for lunch, lunch being the important part:
Hours later we stopped in Millis for another picnic. My sweetie and me:
Finally, back at the start hours later, tired but still standing:
Sbp gave us some options at the start, and we chose the 50+ mile run to Rhode Island. I have no idea where we went but it sure was fun. Some roads were busy but most were wonderfully quiet. And either uphill or fast downhill. Our top speed was 31mph, but I kept hitting the brakes because I wasn't sure of the road surface.
Sbp kept describing the roads as gradually going uphill. It's, ah, all a matter of perspective, isn't it? Then he would admit to misremembering it, either misunderestimating the steepness or length. I figure we can tell ourselves congradualations for climbing all those steeeeep or looooong hills. Fortunately they usually weren't both. But I was really glad the 28T chainring was accessible again.
It was a great day! Thanks to sbp for putting up with us.
D
o
v
e
r,
MA (which I wrote that way because it is more vertical than horizontal), and looping down into northeastern Rhode Island. Along the way we learned a new definition of the word "gradual".
The day started with the tandem not going onto the granny chainring. Fortunately sbp realized very quickly that he didn't need his superbike to keep up with us and made a quick detour to his house so he could switch to his single-speed Raleigh Pro (at least I think it was a Pro). I took the opportunity to borrow a wrench and loosen the FD cable I'd installed last night. That did the trick, shifting-wise. And truth be told, we had trouble keeping up with sbp even after the bike switch!
Starting out from the
D
o
v
e
r
town hall:
After 2hrs of biking we stopped by a pond for lunch, lunch being the important part:
Hours later we stopped in Millis for another picnic. My sweetie and me:
Finally, back at the start hours later, tired but still standing:
Sbp gave us some options at the start, and we chose the 50+ mile run to Rhode Island. I have no idea where we went but it sure was fun. Some roads were busy but most were wonderfully quiet. And either uphill or fast downhill. Our top speed was 31mph, but I kept hitting the brakes because I wasn't sure of the road surface.
Sbp kept describing the roads as gradually going uphill. It's, ah, all a matter of perspective, isn't it? Then he would admit to misremembering it, either misunderestimating the steepness or length. I figure we can tell ourselves congradualations for climbing all those steeeeep or looooong hills. Fortunately they usually weren't both. But I was really glad the 28T chainring was accessible again.
It was a great day! Thanks to sbp for putting up with us.
__________________
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
#2467
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Liberty, Missouri
Posts: 3,132
Bikes: 1966 Paramount | 1971 Raleigh International | ca. 1970 Bernard Carre | 1989 Waterford Paramount | 2012 Boulder Brevet | 2019 Specialized Diverge
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OK, so this was actually yesterday, but I just got back in town today. We journeyed across state to the historic river town of Rocheport, Missouri to ride in BikeMO, an annual group ride that raises funds for state bicycling advocacy. There were several route options to choose from, including a leg of the Katy Trail and 30 mile, 67 mile, and 100 mile road routes. My three companions are only occasional cyclists, and I encouraged them to bring their around-the-town bikes out of dusty storage to join the morning fray - after all, that's what cycling advocacy is all about. They worried needlessly about being the only riders to show up with kickstands: in addition to various levels of roadie, there were plenty of families and casual riders.
We started out at the top of a river bluff overlook at a local winery, four riders in a crowd of maybe two hundred. The country here is beautiful - Heritage and Century Farms, historic river towns, river bottom lands with rows of corn and beans drifting off into the distant bluffs lining the river. The ride begins with a long, steep descent - well, steep enough that everyone gets the thrill of going pretty fast for about a mile or so. I was pleased to see a few C&V bikes in the crowd of townies and carbon fiber - I'm used to being the solitary steel rider for many such events.
The first fifteen miles flies by very quickly: it's flat and there's a slight tailwind carrying us along into Boonville, Missouri and our first SAG stop. I stop long enough to grab an Oreo (or maybe two... as a diabetic, I normally avoid them like the plague... but I figure I'll metabolize those suckers on the climb coming up, soooo... Oreo time!) I'm planning to ride the metric century route and get several miles into it when I hear my cell phone buzz. My companions, who'd planned to only do a ten mile loop, had gotten over confident and were heading out onto the flats. They'd turned back into the wind and discovered it wasn't so easy to punch a hole through. Essentially, they wound up hitting the wall a couple of miles into their turnaround, so I found myself in the inadvertent role of SAG rider. I turned around and headed back to pick them up and accompany them back to an easy access point on the Katy so that they could ride back to the trail head on a flat pathway with no winds to worry them.
In the end, I still wound up with 40-ish miles, a great ride in the flats with a tail wind, and several sections of rollers with only one challenging climb. And that climb dropped me off at the finish with a pretty spectacular view.
My ride for the event was the Freschi Supreme Super Cromo, a bike no one had ever even heard of before, let alone ever having seen. It's a fast, dreamy ride that fits me very well and looks sexy as all get out - not to mention gets plenty of comments... which, of course, I enjoy immensely!
We started out at the top of a river bluff overlook at a local winery, four riders in a crowd of maybe two hundred. The country here is beautiful - Heritage and Century Farms, historic river towns, river bottom lands with rows of corn and beans drifting off into the distant bluffs lining the river. The ride begins with a long, steep descent - well, steep enough that everyone gets the thrill of going pretty fast for about a mile or so. I was pleased to see a few C&V bikes in the crowd of townies and carbon fiber - I'm used to being the solitary steel rider for many such events.
The first fifteen miles flies by very quickly: it's flat and there's a slight tailwind carrying us along into Boonville, Missouri and our first SAG stop. I stop long enough to grab an Oreo (or maybe two... as a diabetic, I normally avoid them like the plague... but I figure I'll metabolize those suckers on the climb coming up, soooo... Oreo time!) I'm planning to ride the metric century route and get several miles into it when I hear my cell phone buzz. My companions, who'd planned to only do a ten mile loop, had gotten over confident and were heading out onto the flats. They'd turned back into the wind and discovered it wasn't so easy to punch a hole through. Essentially, they wound up hitting the wall a couple of miles into their turnaround, so I found myself in the inadvertent role of SAG rider. I turned around and headed back to pick them up and accompany them back to an easy access point on the Katy so that they could ride back to the trail head on a flat pathway with no winds to worry them.
In the end, I still wound up with 40-ish miles, a great ride in the flats with a tail wind, and several sections of rollers with only one challenging climb. And that climb dropped me off at the finish with a pretty spectacular view.
My ride for the event was the Freschi Supreme Super Cromo, a bike no one had ever even heard of before, let alone ever having seen. It's a fast, dreamy ride that fits me very well and looks sexy as all get out - not to mention gets plenty of comments... which, of course, I enjoy immensely!
#2468
Hopelessly addicted...
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Central Maryland
Posts: 5,007
Bikes: 1949 Hercules Kestrel, 1950 Norman Rapide, 1970 Schwinn Collegiate, 1972 Peugeot UE-8, 1976 Raleigh Sports, 1977 Raleigh Sports, 1977 Jack Taylor Tandem, 1984 Davidson Tandem, 2010 Bilenky "BQ" 650B Constructeur Tandem, 2011 Linus Mixte
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Today Rachel and I went for a ride on our Bilenky Tandem with our new friend Katie who lives just a mile from where we live. I met her and her husband last week at the Brunswick Bicycle Festival (Rachel was out of town) and she was happy to have met someone of a like mind when it comes to bicycles, so we decided to plan a ride. Katie has a stunning YiPsan 650B bicycle that is actually my size and that she let me throw a leg over and take for a short ride last weekend.
Anyway, just as we were ready to roll out the door it started raining, so we held off the ride start for a little while and then met for the ride. Over the course of the ride, there were some little showers that were popping up here and there, but nothing of real consequence for the first half of the ride. After we stopped for a break, we got back on the bikes and about 2 miles down the road, Katie got a flat. We swapped out the tube, but it must have pinched as it was being inflated, so we swapped in another tube and then started rolling again. About 2 miles from home, it started raining - and not just a little bit. Then as we were coming down the final hill into town the rainshower turned into a torrential downpour! Fortunately, the train station has extended eaves and we were able to comfortably get out of the rain.
The consensus is that despite the rain, we enjoyed each other's company and the ride enough that we're going to try to plan some more rides.
Hydration stop in Burkittsville
Middletown Tandem and Single Ride - 1 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
After our midpoint break in Middletown
Middletown Tandem and Single Ride - 2 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
At the ride's end. Wet but happy!
Middletown Tandem and Single Ride - 3 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
Anyway, just as we were ready to roll out the door it started raining, so we held off the ride start for a little while and then met for the ride. Over the course of the ride, there were some little showers that were popping up here and there, but nothing of real consequence for the first half of the ride. After we stopped for a break, we got back on the bikes and about 2 miles down the road, Katie got a flat. We swapped out the tube, but it must have pinched as it was being inflated, so we swapped in another tube and then started rolling again. About 2 miles from home, it started raining - and not just a little bit. Then as we were coming down the final hill into town the rainshower turned into a torrential downpour! Fortunately, the train station has extended eaves and we were able to comfortably get out of the rain.
The consensus is that despite the rain, we enjoyed each other's company and the ride enough that we're going to try to plan some more rides.
Hydration stop in Burkittsville
Middletown Tandem and Single Ride - 1 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
After our midpoint break in Middletown
Middletown Tandem and Single Ride - 2 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
At the ride's end. Wet but happy!
Middletown Tandem and Single Ride - 3 by Sallad Rialb, on Flickr
#2469
Hopelessly addicted...
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Central Maryland
Posts: 5,007
Bikes: 1949 Hercules Kestrel, 1950 Norman Rapide, 1970 Schwinn Collegiate, 1972 Peugeot UE-8, 1976 Raleigh Sports, 1977 Raleigh Sports, 1977 Jack Taylor Tandem, 1984 Davidson Tandem, 2010 Bilenky "BQ" 650B Constructeur Tandem, 2011 Linus Mixte
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#2470
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: North Bend, Washington State
Posts: 2,938
Bikes: 1937 Hobbs; 1977 Bruce Gordon; 1987 Bill Holland; 1988 Schwinn Paramount (Fixed gear); 1999 Fat City Yo Eddy (MTB); 2018 Woodrup (Touring) 2016 Ritchey breakaway
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Yea I'm fine and really happy that my wife isn;t upset with me as this is the second camera I've destroyed in the past two years.
Today I went out for an easy spin around the upper Snoqualmie Valley on my fixed gear and ran into Bob Freeman (co owner of Elliott Bay Cycles and vintage bike enthusiast) and his wife Deanna. They were riding a pair of beautiful old blue colored Davidsons. We noodled around for about an hour and chatted before I split off to go home to fulfill some social commitments. A really pleasant day.
Today I went out for an easy spin around the upper Snoqualmie Valley on my fixed gear and ran into Bob Freeman (co owner of Elliott Bay Cycles and vintage bike enthusiast) and his wife Deanna. They were riding a pair of beautiful old blue colored Davidsons. We noodled around for about an hour and chatted before I split off to go home to fulfill some social commitments. A really pleasant day.
#2471
Hopelessly addicted...
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Central Maryland
Posts: 5,007
Bikes: 1949 Hercules Kestrel, 1950 Norman Rapide, 1970 Schwinn Collegiate, 1972 Peugeot UE-8, 1976 Raleigh Sports, 1977 Raleigh Sports, 1977 Jack Taylor Tandem, 1984 Davidson Tandem, 2010 Bilenky "BQ" 650B Constructeur Tandem, 2011 Linus Mixte
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Great posts everyone! I haven't had a chance to ride as much as I would like, but I was able to get a 59 mile ride in this morning on the De Rosa. I plugged the slow leak in my rear Rally with Vittoria Pitstop. It has held air for over a week now, so I thought I would give it a try.
The weather was beautiful here in RI this morning mid 70s, low humidity.
My original intent was to keep this ride limited to paved roads, but as the ride progressed I couldn't say no when the turn for one of my favorite dirt roads approached. Only did 2 miles on dirt.
There are tent caterpillar nests everywhere out in the woods.
So I think my dirt road action resulted in this sidewall bubble today. I don't feel bad about the front tire. It came with the wheelset and I rode it 550 miles before this happened.
The De Rosa is going up on a hook until I save up for a new set of tires. My plugged Rally reopened about 4 miles from home. It tried to close up again but was only able to hold approx. 20lbs of pressure. Oh well, at least I was able to ride home.
The weather was beautiful here in RI this morning mid 70s, low humidity.
My original intent was to keep this ride limited to paved roads, but as the ride progressed I couldn't say no when the turn for one of my favorite dirt roads approached. Only did 2 miles on dirt.
There are tent caterpillar nests everywhere out in the woods.
So I think my dirt road action resulted in this sidewall bubble today. I don't feel bad about the front tire. It came with the wheelset and I rode it 550 miles before this happened.
The De Rosa is going up on a hook until I save up for a new set of tires. My plugged Rally reopened about 4 miles from home. It tried to close up again but was only able to hold approx. 20lbs of pressure. Oh well, at least I was able to ride home.
#2472
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: North Bend, Washington State
Posts: 2,938
Bikes: 1937 Hobbs; 1977 Bruce Gordon; 1987 Bill Holland; 1988 Schwinn Paramount (Fixed gear); 1999 Fat City Yo Eddy (MTB); 2018 Woodrup (Touring) 2016 Ritchey breakaway
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#2473
Hopelessly addicted...
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Central Maryland
Posts: 5,007
Bikes: 1949 Hercules Kestrel, 1950 Norman Rapide, 1970 Schwinn Collegiate, 1972 Peugeot UE-8, 1976 Raleigh Sports, 1977 Raleigh Sports, 1977 Jack Taylor Tandem, 1984 Davidson Tandem, 2010 Bilenky "BQ" 650B Constructeur Tandem, 2011 Linus Mixte
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Rolling speed for the whole ride was around 10.7 mph. The steep climbs averaged around 4-5mph, but some of the paved descents were incredible. I topped out at 43mph, but a couple of my buddies hit 49 mph. Dirt descents averaged around 30-35 mph. Riders were flatting left and right, especially on rough descents. My two riding buddies each flatted on the same gnarly descent. There was an inverse correlation between tire width and propensity to flat. My Hetres remained faithfully inflated.
#2474
Hopelessly addicted...
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Central Maryland
Posts: 5,007
Bikes: 1949 Hercules Kestrel, 1950 Norman Rapide, 1970 Schwinn Collegiate, 1972 Peugeot UE-8, 1976 Raleigh Sports, 1977 Raleigh Sports, 1977 Jack Taylor Tandem, 1984 Davidson Tandem, 2010 Bilenky "BQ" 650B Constructeur Tandem, 2011 Linus Mixte
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Planned a nice ride on the Mercian this morning. Got out about 10 miles and flatted. Tiny piece of wire.
Bummed me out though, third flat in five rides, replaced the tube and turned back.
Noticed that it felt like the tire was getting low again and figured it was maybe a poor patch job on my spare tube, so pumped it up and kept rolling.
Low tire again almost immediately. Pulled over and found a glass shard in the tire now. Examined both tubes to decide which would be easier to patch and started to work.
Gal pulled over and offered me her spare tube! Great! UPS, she'd forgotten her bag and no tube to be had. Finished the roadside patch and the tire held.
Put my helmet back on and headed home again.
Then the FIRE ANTS that had found my helmet while I was patching attacked. OUCH! Got a couple of big red whelts on my forehead now.
No pictures AND the Mercian goes back on the hook until I forget about this ride.
Bummed me out though, third flat in five rides, replaced the tube and turned back.
Noticed that it felt like the tire was getting low again and figured it was maybe a poor patch job on my spare tube, so pumped it up and kept rolling.
Low tire again almost immediately. Pulled over and found a glass shard in the tire now. Examined both tubes to decide which would be easier to patch and started to work.
Gal pulled over and offered me her spare tube! Great! UPS, she'd forgotten her bag and no tube to be had. Finished the roadside patch and the tire held.
Put my helmet back on and headed home again.
Then the FIRE ANTS that had found my helmet while I was patching attacked. OUCH! Got a couple of big red whelts on my forehead now.
No pictures AND the Mercian goes back on the hook until I forget about this ride.
#2475
Hopelessly addicted...
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Central Maryland
Posts: 5,007
Bikes: 1949 Hercules Kestrel, 1950 Norman Rapide, 1970 Schwinn Collegiate, 1972 Peugeot UE-8, 1976 Raleigh Sports, 1977 Raleigh Sports, 1977 Jack Taylor Tandem, 1984 Davidson Tandem, 2010 Bilenky "BQ" 650B Constructeur Tandem, 2011 Linus Mixte
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Had a great, albeit short ride (in distance) with a buddy above Blewett Pass in the Washington mountains. I was on my early 90's Scott mtb. The road we chose was closed with a gate and overgrown in many places - absolutely perfect for the day. Temps in the mid-70's, no wind and plenty of sunshine. Took about an hour to climb to where the road ended and unfortunately there were no trails after that although the area has arrows all over the trees on the way up for cross country ski trails in the winter. The pass is just a little more than 4000 ft above sea level and we climbed a good 750 to 1000 feet in direct elevation. I even had the opportunity for some log hops/jumps for the first time and was successful on all attempts.
We knew it would be a great day with the view of this peak right after the start:
Bill taking a quick break after we both cleared plant debris from our derailleurs and wheels:
The view from the top after we ran out of road:
My Drillium Dude tribute profile shot:
Even the flora was nice:
The log that did in Bill on the descent. He hollered log but picked it up to late and tried to take it as straight as he could but the back wheel kicked out on him and it was all over. I had a great vantage of the crash from behind and scored it a 7.5.
We knew it would be a great day with the view of this peak right after the start:
Bill taking a quick break after we both cleared plant debris from our derailleurs and wheels:
The view from the top after we ran out of road:
My Drillium Dude tribute profile shot:
Even the flora was nice:
The log that did in Bill on the descent. He hollered log but picked it up to late and tried to take it as straight as he could but the back wheel kicked out on him and it was all over. I had a great vantage of the crash from behind and scored it a 7.5.