Ghazmh

I guess since I'm posting pics I'll post my other 2 road bikes.


The Roubaix which has become my go to bike for weekday riding.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5...0I4V1ZsUGR6Zm8

My R3 which is sees the most action on Sunday mornings
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5...2ZhSW9MMzV2QVk

Panza

According to Strava ... 30 hours and 34 minutes of moving time and a lot of chammy cream.

But it was spread out over 4 days. So it was 220, 70, 50, and 170 miles. We stopped every 2 hours and had a few flats/tire issues so it took a bit longer than planned.

I've been having some rest days since then but more-so I'm just obsessively building my new bike haha ...

Ghazmh

That sounds like a good time to me! i have a 4 day ride coming this weekend but don't anticipate coming anywhere close to that. Was this on a road bike? touring Bike?

Panza

My touring bike is the Bianchi Infinito but everyone just kinda showed up on whatever bike they usually ride. Everyone had some sort of luggage to some degree. I was the youngest at 27, the oldest was 65. Our best climber was a 62 year old too... I want to be that strong in my 60's.

autonomy

Cool setup, especially the handheld GPS on the stem

autonomy

Cool toys. Please enlighten me, but isn't there too much overlap between your Soma/Trek and then the Roubaix/R3? (Yeah, I know, n+1 rule...)

jimmuller 

Pretty cool stuff, great rides. Panza, I'm envious.

rholland1951

Hat's off to all y'all epic riders.

The Ebisu build has gotten a little more attention this week, and the day when I wrap the handlebars and call it done (fenders excepted, have to order those) is fast approaching.


I was able to take a sunset ride on the Minuteman out to Depot Park, Bedford, for 20 miles before dinner. My still-somewhat-lame leg didn't trouble me, and even seemed to benefit somewhat from the intentionally gentle spin. It was a pretty evening, and my appreciation of the Rawland's lively frame and nimble, low-trail handling increases every time I ride it.

Dazzled in Lexington Center.


A careless off-hand shot from the moving bike got this abstract rendering of the trees, a happy accident.


Caleb Neelon's Bolted Sign Project crabs and robots continue to observe the passing cyclists, volunteer public art that has endured longer than the artist thought it would.


Crossing Rte 128.


Tophet Swamp.


The turnaround: Buddliner with cirrus clouds. The cirrus clouds presage a change in the weather, the Buddliner, not so much.


New-to-me graffiti in Bedford. I rather like this one, reminds me of ...


The sunset colors came late.


The phragmites at Tophet Swamp seemed to float over their meadow with a lavendar glow.


I rode home through the twilight, leaving my lights off as long as practical, mostly with the trail to myself. I turned on the lights after transiting Lexington Center; it was time. During the long descent into Arlington, I noticed that root humps in the asphalt are back to a noticeable degree, after a few years' absence.

rod

Ghazmh

Thanks. Of the steel bikes the 520 came first. I found it a bit heavy and slow for unloaded riding. Enough so that it was not as enjoyable an experience as I wanted. I had the Soma built up last year around the HED wheelset I already had and wasn't using. It is much livelier than the 520, comftorable, and almost 10 lbs lighter. The Roubaix was a recent replacement for my older rain, bad weather road bike. It is very comfortable (and still fast) which is nice when it's raining or 33 degrees and any creature comfort makes the ride more tolerable. I was originally going to get a Cervelo C3 but I liked the Roubaix's ride quality more and it was on sale. The R3 is my road bike, it's nimble, fast, and a great ride.

Essentially I ride the R3 when I'm chasing numbers, the Roubaix when I want to ride no matter the weather, the Smoothie when I want to relax, go slow and enjoy the scenery. The 520 when I want to tour. I'm content for now.

SarahBeth

Are you taking your shots with a phone or a camera? Is that commonplace? I'm a new rider and an avid photography fan.

rholland1951

In my case, it's a phone (Samsung Galaxy S5).

rod

autonomy

Good to hear a different perspective. My "road/go-fast" bike (Cannondale Synapse - which is really an endurance bike) is probably slower than your Roubaix. And my commuter/bad weather bike is a heavy repurposed Giant Yukon... I guess everyone has different riding needs. (though I've been eyeing REI's ADV.31 (formerly Mazama) as a more comfortable/faster all-around/commuter bike, there's that sale going on...)

autonomy

I always get a kick out of those space crabs. Speaking of biking in the dark, did Arlington PD hire a new officer? Was walking on the path on Tue at 8:30 and he was patrolling through saying hello. Actually made me feel a little safer - not that I feel unsafe on the path... Next day saw him pulling cyclists over at the Lake St. crossing, telling them that no, you can't just ride across the crosswalk and expect cars to stop. You have to stop first (yeah, that's unrealistic - personally, I just slow down enough to almost a stop to make eye contact)

It looks like we'll see some good riding weather this weekend.

(this is becoming a Good Ride on the Minuteman Today thread )

rholland1951

APD has an active bicycle program, and takes a serious, thoughtful approach to bicycle safety in general, and the Minuteman in particular. I'm always glad to see those folks.

rod

rholland1951

Spent 4 hours on the Ebisu build after work today. It's ready to have the handlebars wrapped, and to be ridden until my legs fall off. The former will probably happen Saturday afternoon, after which I'll make a start on the latter. Did take a little test ride up from Ball Square to and on the Somerville Community Path; it felt delightful; however brief, that was my good ride today.


It has a bell, it must be a bicycle.

rod

jimmuller 

I took my ~35 year old Tommasini out for a spin today. When I got back homne I drank a bottle of Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA. I think I went out for 414 miles. But that doesnt' seem right, does it? Or may be it was 14.1 miles. No, it took too loing for that. I think it may have been 41.4 miles.

A stop for lunch:




On the way home, a photo op of the Tophet Marsh Control Station of the Interplanetary Defense Network. I know that's what it is because I saw one on Star Trek once.

rholland1951

Rode the Rawland into Arlington Center to take the 9-10 shift at the Minuteman Bikeway count, a semi-annual (I think) exercise that ABAC anchors in Arlington. Lots of trail users of various sorts presented themselves to be counted, but saw no llama walkers or Elliptigo pilots on my watch.


My Rawland Nordavinden was locked in a rack nearby, and at one point attracted a small (3) crowd of admirers, who thought it was pretty.


After my shift, I met my eldest son at the Kickstand Cafe, and had a bagel and some chat. Then rode the pretty Rawland back home, and went over to Paramount Bicycle Repair, Ball Square, Somerville, to finish the build of an Ebisu All Purpose Bicycle that I've been working on intermittently since late January (build log here). I wrapped the handlebars and declared New Bike Day, taking a 10-mile shakedown cruise through Somerville, Cambridge, and Arlington, including a stop in Arlington Center to have the Ebisu counted by an ABAC colleague (who had his beautiful Mercian in attendance).
















This short ride left me impressed with the stability and quick responsiveness of the Ebisu, its sprinting and climbing ability, along with overall comfort. There was no more tinkering immediately needing to be done. I took it home and put it in the garage. I'll give it the exercise it deserves in the coming weeks. Fenders (Honjos) and perhaps a rear rack will come later.

rod

rholland1951

Mounted bags and lights on the Ebisu, and took it out to Depot Park in the late afternoon. Along the way, my legs told me I should raise the seat, so I stopped to do that and, sure enough, my legs were right. I may also want to move it back a bit, but didn't feel like messing with that just then.


Elm Brook, Bedford, carried a tangle of reflections.


Nothing doing at Depot Park.


At one point, I heard a rhythmic chugging to my rear; sounded like a train, or maybe a band imitating a train. Turned out to be an Elliptigo being operated very athletically (apparently, that can happen, although I'd never seen it before) and making some serious speed. Who knew?

I'm learning the nuances of the Ebisu's handling. Enough is novel to keep me smiling, enough is familiar to reassure me that it's a bicycle, not an Elliptigo or a llama-drawn chariot.

rod

Panza

Built up the new bike. Thing is awesome. Needs a few more parts to come in.
Rode down from Lowell to Newton to do the C race, but ended up doing the A/B instead. Went up the Minuteman trail back home and logged another century.







The Rail Trail after the MinuteMan is completely soaked and soggy btw ... goodness...

jimmuller 

Panza, nice pics. Which trail is soggy? The Old Reformatory RT or the BBNGRT?

I took the Masi out for 57.8 miles today. Pics tomorrow...

Panza

Narrow Gauge, I've never heard it been called BBNGRT before lol.

rholland1951

Yow! That thing is fast at rest, let alone when the wheels are turning...

rod

jimmuller 

Yes, well, um, its full name is Bedford-Billerica Narrow Gauge Rail Trail. I was typing on my smarffone and typing out Bedford-Billerica Narrow Gauge Rail Trail was more than I felt like handling at the time.

We've ridden part of it on our tandem and I've ridden part on my Masi with 23mm sew-ups. It's a nice trail!

rholland1951

After entirely too much Monday-off dawdling this morning, I noticed by a bit after noon that the promised rain still hadn't fallen. This triggered a medium-sized synaptic discharge in my Opportunistic Planning Surrogacy Cortex, that being the part of my brain that makes things up as I go along, and I consulted the Pocket Devil (that being my phone). The Devil of the Pocket being thus conjured, it showed me weather radar that suggested I might be able to ride between the raindrops, on a macro scale, of course.

The devil also added an oracular "Rain may begin at 2:15". The question, as always, was to what extent one should believe a devil, even a small one.

This was all I needed to put on the appropriate long sleeves and long pants for a ride in the breezy 50s (I did believe the Pocket Devil to that extent), and tempt fate by taking the Ebisu, on fair-weather duty until I can get some fenders on it, out for a quick spin up to Lexington Center and back.




The colors of this ride were green and gray, with a fine mist that began as I crossed into Lexington, and thickened a bit into a very light drizzle by the time I crossed back into Arlington. As I pulled into the driveway, the first raindrop worthy of the name landed on my nose. Others followed, speckling the asphalt.


It was 2:15. The devil was as good as its word.

rod

jimmuller 

Nice report and pics. I'd promised my sweetie I'd help her put tomato plants in the ground this afternoon, But she pushed me out the door on a bicycle so I managed to get in about 30 miles, also to Lexington Center (from Waltham via Belmont and Alewife) and back. That's about 30 miles. All well before any rain hit. It was a great day to be out, waznit?