rholland1951

Real life interrupts being what they were, didn't get on the bike until 4:30, when the temperatures had already fallen back into the 50's and the clouds that rolled in were intermittently spitting a bit of rain. Just rode out to Bedford and back on the Minuteman (20 miles), with a headwind on the outbound leg, and patchy carpets of leaves and pine needles. Lots of folks were out, including some of the regulars: the young blind woman walking alone, the mysterious Persian gentleman who rides with a leafy tree branch protruding from his back-pack. People were wearing a lot more clothes than last week; in a few cases, this seemed like a shame, aesthetically, but was compensated for by a sighting of noteworthy fur-trimmed boots. There were also a few apparitions: the man on the fully-loaded Xtracycle belting out "My Favorite Things"; the Wheaten Terrier on a leash walking down-hill with a peculiar gait that kept his body rotated 45 degrees off his direction of travel; the big red-tailed hawk that swooped into the trail corridor at shoulder-level at Hartwell Ave, flew parallel to the rider ahead of me for 30 yards, then popped up to perch on a low tree branch.

rod

mtalinm

Only got in about 10 miles today, most of that going back and forth to the LBS. But those trips to the LBS helped me finish off my fall biking project, known as "The Twins":

rholland1951

Nice-looking Twins!

rod

jimmuller 

We took our tandem out to the Cape Cod Rail Trail today where we met up with a co-worker who lives in Harwichport and has biked much of this area. With him as our guide we rode from Dennis up to Orleans, with a side trip over to the beach on the bay side. In Orleans we went over to Coast Guard Beach on the Atlantic side. The complete round trip was about 40 miles! It included a stop for some awesome hot chocolate, a lovely run through Nickerson Forest, and a number of stops for munching and pictures.

This is the first long trip we've done on the tandem, and we got a nice feel for the bike and our combined handling of it. We had no significant problems, but a few minor ones, no big deal. It was very windy and cool. That wasn't a problem on the bike but it sure made our lunch stop chilly. The CCRT has a few significant hills leading up to bridges over rt6 but climbing them wasn't as tough as we'd expected. I had taken my panniers off my commuter UO8 and put them on the tandem so we could carry lots of stuff, food, clothes, etc. Of course we mostly didn't notice the extra weight. Boy, a tandem has no trouble going fast, and carries lots of momentum. Going into the wind poor Eric had to work hard to keep up and we were just loafing along.

Here's a few pics. My co-worker Eric rides a Peugeot he bought around 1980, I believe. Our tandem is a 1982 Peugeot TH8, so these shots include two blue French bikes.

godshammgod

Great ride today.

Ended up doing 40+ miles through Arlington, Lexington, Concord, etc. Started out with the group from Quad Cycles, but my friend and I eventually broke away and cruised on our own for most of the ride. The nice swirling wind made things interesting, but the legs felt really good today. Also enjoyed a nice mid-ride stop at Fern's for sustenance.

rholland1951

Had a contemplative 11-mile ride in the dark, on the Minuteman, after work. There were only a few others out, and a sense of shared solitude. It was dark enough and quiet enough that at times the only thing I was aware of was the spin.

rod

bikinggrrrl

Had a beautiful ride through Carlisle, Bedford, Concord, Sudbury on Saturday. The weather forecast did not call for rain but we certainly found it. Love how the yellow leaves in the woods just POP when they are wet and surrounding woods are dark with dampness. Even the poison ivy looks lovely at this time of year.

Running on the BFRT yesterday I had the opportunity to witness a very elderly couple on matching tricycles out for a spin together down the trail. One of the sweetest sights <3

cmolway

I was able to sneak in 50 miles on the way home yesterday. Rolled into the driveway just as the sun went down. It ended up being a pretty hard ride since I was chasing the setting sun for the last 20 or so miles.

Rode a hard 10 miles into work this morning and then tied on a pair of running shoes for an additional 3 miles.

bikinggrrrl

Sounds wonderful!

cmolway

yesterday was supposed to be another great riding day. Left work a little early in order to sneak in another long ride before the sun set (this time of the year you have to take advantage of every opportunity). Pushing hard on the pedals at the first light, I felt my chain "slip". It didn't skip, but rather slipped on the cog. My chain is at the end of it's second season so I attributed it to that. A mile down the road, at another stop, I again jammed hard on the pedals only to have it slip again, followed by a crunch and a locked up rear wheel.

My rear derailer was sheared in half. Not the derailer hanger mind you, but the derailer itself. I have never seen something like that before. I am at a loss as to what happened. The derailer lodged in my spokes (none broken I think) and got pretty mangled so I am unsure as to the original cause. At least it happened at low speed (1-2mph). I think things would have gone pear shaped if I was attacking the bottom of a hill at 27mph. Of course this doesn't happen to my older 9-speed ultegra bike, but rather the shiney one with relatively brand new (as of last year) ultegra 6700 gruppo. I had to walk 1 mile back to work.

New derailer and chain ordered. Hopefully that's all it will need (I avoided looking too close at the damage in order not to be bummed out any further).

Drove in today (back-up rain-bike is off the road pending repairs too). FML

jimmuller 

Ouch. Pics or it didn't happen, of course.

Slipping on a cog can indicate that the cogs are worn. Check that the cog teeth don't appear too asymmetric, especially on the cog you use the most. If they are worn, a new chain won't fit them too well.

But a busted derailleur? I want to see that. You run indexed, right?

cmolway

It was just too depressing (the broken bits and the long walk back to work) to take any photos of the carnage. Maybe after I reassess (and hopefully fix) everything on Thursday. As far as the cassette goes, I thought of that but I is also brand new (as of last year) and does not show any of the tell-tale wear of a worn cassette.

Yeah this is a brand-new index-shifting Ultegra 6700. I have never seen one sheared in half without being in a crash.

mtalinm

in CA this week, brought the folder on the trip. yesterday morning before giving a talk at Stanford did the 20-mile Portola Valley loop with other professors and a bunch of grad students. no one could believe how well the folder held up! good times.

rholland1951

The idea of being able to take a folder along on business travel really speaks to me. Do you have a checkable suitcase for that? Would appreciate hearing more about the pragmatics of air travel with your folder.

rod

mtalinm

my Xootr Swift packs into a 30" hardshell Samsonite suitcase, which I check as luggage on my flight. the case plus the bike weighs less than the airline limit of 50#, so I've never had a question about it.

as for packing the bike, it does require some disassembly but is not terribly complicated. mostly you remove the pedals and wheels and then fold the frame and put it all into the suitcase. this morning it took me 25 minutes to pack it using nothing more than the hex keys on my multi-tool. reassembling the bike is even faster.

that said, it does require a bit of effort and so I probably won't unpack and assemble it for the one day I'll be in LA. if I were a more frequent traveler doing simple overnight trips, it might be worth investing in a Brompton, which folds down really small and thus doesn't require any disassembly to pack into a suitcase. but when I'm staying somewhere for a few days, it's not a big problem. and I REALLY appreciate the full-size ride of the Xootr Swift.

anyway, off to the airport!

rholland1951

After two days of business travel, it was a delight to ride to work today after the weather broke. Lovely Fall ride, wind, sunlight and shadows, rustling leaves in tossing branches, dancing shadows on leaves already fallen, with more blowing through the air. Lots of accidental beauty, sight and sound, Jackson Pollock meets John Cage.

rod

jimmuller 

It was a nice afternoon, wasn't it? I got out for about short spin late in the day. Brisk but not cold wind, low golden sun. Yeah, it was nice. Tomorrow I plan to do the commute thing.

cmolway

got new shift bits for my shiney bike. went to install only to realize that there are teeth missing on my outer chain ring. how does that happen at low speed?!

FML....

jimmuller 

Don't some chainrings have missing teeth as a shift-enhancement feature?

Alas, I didn't get to ride today. Rt128 had such a backup this morning that I would have missed the train if I'd bothered to stop at the station.

rholland1951

Another pleasant Fall commute--E. Arlington to Bedford, 24 miles round-trip. Temperatures in the mid-50s, cool enough to wear work clothes over a light wool base layer and not arrive dripping. This is a great convenience, no need to change.

My bike has started whispering "Lube me!" Guess I'd better listen...

rod

bikinggrrrl

Cranberry harvesting in Carlisle this weekend, for those interested in taking a detour on to Curve Street. Watched an osprey hover in the wind over the flooded bog yesterday for the longest time. <3

rholland1951

Saw the Cranberry harvest, booms herding the cranberrys to guys in waders shoveling them into a conveyor up to a dump truck from Great Brook State Park! Stopped at the the Cranberry Bog to munch a fig bar and some almonds at the mid-point of a 45-mile morning ride through Arlington, Lexington, Bedford, Carlisle, Billerica, Acton, and Concord. Nice ride, with views of the Maple Street beaver lodge, old farm houses on North Road and Curve Street, miscellaneous horse farms and swamps, Acton Street, West Street, Strawberry Hill Road, the North Bridge, Monument Street, etc. And the Cranberry harvest! Well-loved old rides can show you something new.

A cool day, cool enough that hills were welcome as an opportunity to warm up.

Signs of last night's egg fight on the Minuteman were still to be seen on the ride out; didn't get any on my tires. Saw an old couple (meaning, older than me); she was riding a tricycle and wearing a (no kidding) sun bonnet. He was riding a bike behind her, solicitously. I'm a serious mush-head: this got me.

rod

jimmuller 

Rod, Kat! Stop that! You are making me miss riding that area now!

We've got shows this weekend. Will be at the Nashoba Winery's Brews & Bluegrass Festival in Bolton tomorrow (Sunday), if anyone is looking for a destination. Next weekend we're planning to take the tandem back to the Cape, weather permitting.

sherbornpeddler

Beautiful rides! Congratulations!
What a diverse group! Cranberrys, Cape ride, swooping hawk, sheared derailleurs and folders in Stanford. I was happy with my uneventful sameoldsameold loop de loop though Dover's Strawberry Hill and Medfield's Pine St. I did stop at a trail off the west side of Pine to jot down an inspiration that might not survive the ride. I did notice a few deer bulking up. They have much darker coats now. Beautiful day and lots of riders out and about.

sherbornpeddler

Just gorgeous!