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03-05-21 | 05:13 AM

#47

Geepig

Senior Member

Joined: Sep 2020

Posts: 745

Likes: 206

From: Eastern Poland

Bikes: Romet Jubilat x 4, Wigry x 1, Turing x 1

The weather has not been quite so vicious recently, and we had a nice and slightly warm Saturday, with some sun after a little light morning rain. What with all the efforts we have been making recently as we try to fix all the arrangements so our new cottage can be liveable, such as arranging the transfer of responsibility for power and water, finding out who else exactly has the keys to the barns, sorting out and disposing of the former owner’s effects and how we can arrange a strong Internet connection - all while wifie prepared for the start of her next semester online, we felt we needed a small break. A quick decision, some coffee in a flask, and we were off for a return visit to the dark and tremulous forest of Stary Gaj. We had about three hours of good light available, and parked in our usual spot. As it was now deep in the winter season there was almost no one parking there to visit their allotment, to poke at the snow softened soil or pluck at the fresh weedy growth, giving us full freedom in where to park.

This was the first real test of my winter tire and wheel set, as in actually riding for a couple of hours almost non-stop, and they performed well and met all my expectations. Wifie fancied taking some of the less well surfaced tracks, which while they were more challenging than anything we had tackled before, I never felt I was losing grip at any stage, even when descending slopes at an angle.

The key factors for an off-road tire seems to be a tread that cuts through the snow, dust or mud well enough to find traction with gaps large enough that they do not fill with debris, yet still feels secure on wet tarmac. Cutting and clearing. Width should be relatively narrow, unless you are managing to put down enough power to overheat the rubber or the material you are attempting to traverse leaves you sinking far enough that you can no longer move forwards effectively. As long as the friction is not low (wet grass, wet slopes, snow/ice) then even a road tire is good enough. Finally some stiffness in the sidewalls is handy, especially if the tread is relatively flat. Usually the greatest limiting factors are the rider’s experience and ability. The latter combined can turn a terrifying, frustrating or merely annoying experience into a pleasurable one.

The forest of Stary Gaj. Anyone seen my wife?

As the winters tires are larger than the summer ones I could have done with a rear sprocket featuring a couple more teeth. If I were riding a Wigry, which has 20” wheels and a 16 tooth rear sprocket, then I could have switched up to the easily available 18 tooth sprocket found on the 24” wheeled Jubilat. The mount found on the Velosteel coaster brake hub has the same three-dimple fixing as Shimano hubs, but the sprocket is flat like a single speed hub rather than having Shimano’s offset. Danusia’s is a Shimano hub gear, but I would not cry if I fitted it as Tigger never goes that fast to do any significant damage to the chain or sprocket - and the steep slopes, especially those with sticky surfaces, needed a bit of a run up. I am intrigued what size sprocket the Romet Turing has, on its 26” wheels.

The trees were beautiful, the light even more so, and the wet and sticky places infrequent enough not to slow wifie down too much. She did get a bit more muddy than I did, but then I was able to pass over it all from my lofty position on the pedals. The first gully we had to cross was quite narrow, with a rutted track at the bottom that will be a pleasure to ride the length of come the Spring. I crossed it at speed, which was great fun, and luckily wifie could not see me once I had crested the edge, meaning she did not have to worry. She used to worry a lot about me riding a bike, but now that she has seen me on one she says the bike just looks like it is part of me. I never really think about it, which is I suppose a good a sign as any that one is having fun unconciously.

The second gully was much broader, and after we had crossed it I suggested we descend into it again, and follow it downhill. All such gullies end up heading south to south east, towards the river, so once you find one you can always follow it until you exit the forest on the Stary Gaj lane side.

Winter wheels and tires, plus dual dynamos.

Now one of the great things about a coaster brake is that you always keep a firm grip on the handlebars. Redescending the gully was done at speed, with a quick reverse of the pedals to lock up the rear wheel and allow it to slide around until almost perpendicular to the path the front wheel was travelling. So much fun, so few things to catch in the undergrowth. Such descents are confidence building, and so well worth practicing. Just remember to select a slope with enough stopping space at the bottom, avoid using the front brake, keep the pedal on the upslope side high enough not to contact the ground, and keep the front wheel facing down the slope. Don’t worry if the rear wheel swings round to the side - if it gets ahead just remember that your front brake is now your rear one

I could tell when we were getting close to the edge of the forest, as from the satellite images you can see a string of rectangular cuts they have made parallel to the edge. Once you see the tall golden-white grass through the trees, the next cross track you meet is the place to turn in order to return to the start.

An interesting thing we found were a set of former open bunkers, about the size I would guess of a regimental HQ. There are military earthworks everywhere here if you look, especially near rivers, and this one was located between the diverging railway lines and overlooking the river. When we visit the Vistula River, we can take the ferry across and see the remains of zig-zag trenches high up on banks on the other side. Someone we know came across the remains of a soldier still sitting upright in his buried trench, while building a small estate of houses. They quickly covered it up again and did not inform anyone official, as it would have delayed the project.

We left the forest and followed the winding lane back to the car. I managed to fold the bike and get it in the car single-handedly, which was lucky as wifie had done over 12,000 steps and needed a sit down. And coffee.

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