It was much warmer (low 40s) this morning so I went for a 37 mile ride. I was able to take the Dawes. For some reason the ft derailleur works when the temp is in the forties, but starts to hesitate and ultimately not work when the temp gets lower. The problem is not in the cable housing as one would suspect, rather in the pivot points of the derailleur. I have flushed them with wd40 and added lube to no avail. I'm happy to report it worked today.

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Ponaganset dam on Barden reservoir.

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Nice day in Tampa Fl, sunny and 65. Wife and our 2 youngest kids rode the Courtney Campbell Causeway MUP. It's about 10 miles round trip. Sadly, some 'person' had seeded the trail with a large number of small tacks. We didn't hit any but there were quite a few other people with flat tires. Police were out warning cyclists about it though.

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Went out for 56 miles today. Rode to the airport (Visalia) and back (read as 30 flat miles) then added my favorite country route which includes some nice climbs and some beautiful country scenery. My friend that is just starting out joined me for a 10 mile portion in the country.

Nice reports and pics, everyone!

We took the tandem out for 20 1/3 miles today. Lots of sand on the road, some pretty large puddles, and lots of snow-melt runoff. Temps about 45F. It was nice to get out.

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Lunch at Fern's, of course.

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Got out for a fun and muddy ride at the local trails. It was my SS MTB's inaugural ride.

:love:

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Nice bike!

Those gloves and those grips shouldn't have a difficult time finding each other.
Brent

OK, these are all local to me, around NW Lake Washington. The crows (some anyways) & ducks are right near Recycled Cycles, and those 2 ducks by themselves jumped out of the water to pose for me, LOL. :D Kite-boarders at Magnuson Park were fun to watch, & right before I was ready to give up, I accidentally caught all 4 boarders in the same pic. Tricky and a lucky shot. :) And last but not least, Ronald McDonald House, which is actually right by where I enter the B-G Trail. There are a few buildings around it, all part of it, conveniently located near the Children's Hospital. :)

How about a couple pics of the Silk Road 500? I just got those oversized 3T bars, 46cm wide, & I love them. :) I might look for 48cm, but that's probably even less common. ;) Right near the entrance to Magnuson Park, is an experimental bike lane, with a ce-ment barrier separating traffic from cyclists. I like it a lot, but I think it'll be too expensive to become commonplace.

85 miles. My longest ride in almost a year. To the north coast and back again, in loop fashion.http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=359313http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=359314

Wait, one more set. Coming out of Magnuson Park, I stopped to blow my nose yet again, & suddenly realized I had stopped RIGHT under a big ole construction crane. Yikes! :D Of course, I had to grab a pic of that, & the sign, & the water, & the ball fields in the background. ;)

So you're the one who got those two bikes! Don't tell your wife about your "girlfriend" lol!

Seeds, you have some strange (and dangerous-looking) critters in Belize!

Nice to see so many pics and posts since the frigid cold has ended for those suffering in the mid-to-eastern US. Gourmet soft cheeses, new bikes, and the usual great ride reports! I've been sidelined by contracting a respiratory bug after Xmas and bed ridden for a while. Only able to tinker and wrench while the temps were perfect. Took my Bianchi out for a ride on New Years Day, only to cause more distress due to the excessive air pollution in metro PHX. There was a ban on wood burning, but people were ignoring it and smokey conditions lingered over the Valley.

I completed a Winter project and was itching to take it out and ride it. A 1994 Giant Sedona ATX frame that I built a buff gravel grinder drop bar mtb to go trail riding.

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Giant Smurf-001 by WNG555, on Flickr

That opportunity came this past weekend, the temps were 65-70F, and I was feeling healthy. First ride was to sort out any issues with my build. I took it on my local Eastern Canal Trail loop, that I've posted previously. 50/50 pavement and off road. A sunny Saturday afternoon, no wind, the bike felt really nice. A descent prior to accessing the off-road portion, had me going 35 mph! I slowed a little to 25mph and hopped onto the dirt road. I was surprised how much an improvement in traction and handling the new bike possessed. But prudence and two people on horseback made me tap the brakes to slow down and be more responsible. Good supple tires make a huge difference. Changed the ride experience. I reached the canal trail and headed west, once again enveloped by silent isolation. The quiet is embracing. I noticed the bike and tires made short work of the rocks and washes. Very confidence inspiring. The bike weighs in around 26 lbs, and the wheels are quite light due to the 120TPI thin casing folding CX tires.

I realized I was grinning ear to ear. The bike was a joy as a gravel grinder. I decided to go a little further down the canal trail. But I ended up missing my exit and found myself nearly half way across Mesa! I exited the trail and wondered WTH am I?!? I re-oriented my homing pigeon brain and found the correct connecting trail to get home. The short shakedown ride turned into a 21.21 mile city loop.

On the last few miles, a homeowner was putting out free naval oranges from his trees. I asked if he could toss me one. I needed a bit of a boost. It tasted wonderful. The gentleman ended up giving me a 20 lb bag of them to pick up that evening!
The bike rode flawlessly as I pulled in, covered in dust. I'm hooked, this gravel grinding is a lot of fun! I couldn't wait to go out again the next day for more dirt. Sorry I didn't have any pics this time.

Sunday afternoon was partly cloudy and cool, but I opted to go explore the Hawes Trail System in my vicinity. The place got high marks for its single track and scenery. This city-slicker has NO mtb-ing experience. :-D From what I've read, it's been called a beginner's trail, to intermediate/difficult and one will need an ambulance if you aren't careful. I had no idea what to expect. WTH, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I reached the Hawes Trail Head off the Bush Hwy. Saw numerous cyclists and hikers at the entrance.
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The trail started off relatively mild as it headed east.
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But the Hawes (Pig) Trail soon got rocky and steep and it was climbs mostly. This was a lot of work, some riders on full suspension bikes passed me. The fractured granite rocks were like cinder blocks. It felt like I was riding up and down stairs.
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I ran into a father and son pair heading the other direction. I asked if there was another access point and there was one south where they entered. I decided to cut my losses, the trail was kicking my ass! I headed down a trail and 'managed' to get out. I won't go into details here as to not self-incriminate myself. :D
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It turned into a 14 mile ride. I got a taste of how hard it could be to do single track. Especially if one has no talent, an old fart and trying to do it with a drop bar rigid MTB! But it was a real rush! And I was undeterred by my first visit there.

Cont'd....

I went the next afternoon. I found the southern access called Fenceline Trail. This was an easy beginner's trail for 1.4 miles. I opted to try a different route taking the Saguaro Trail, with many Saguaro Cacti, to the Ridge Trail, aptly named for its narrow ridge and steep drop on one side!
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I found it tough going with the steep rocky climbs. A few riders were there and passed me. The Ridge Trail was challenging and lined with thorny cacti and sagebrush, and the significant drop off the ridge if you weren't lucky. But I persevered and awarded with great scenery.
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Red Mountain and the Salt River Valley, and Granite Reef Dam as seen along the Ridge Trail.
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I ascended to the summit of the Ridge Trail and stopped for a photo opt.
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Ridge Trail -034 by WNG555, on Flickr

.......

Well, I don't know anything about a girl (other then the ones in the pictures). I got the Centurion about a year ago from a guy in Tarpon and the pink Nishiki from a guy near Fort Desoto about 6 months ago. I recently saw another pink Nishiki on CL in the last few weeks I think.

Cont'd....


The sun was getting low and late in the day. Suddenly the silence was broken by whirring, and I see a biker approaching at speed. He climbed up and we exchanged Hello's!
His eyes widened when he saw my bike and commented on my audacity to ride such an outmoded bike! I told him I was a glutton for punishment. I tried to follow him to exit the area, but he zipped off quickly. It was a roller coaster descent, and very exciting and scary. An adrenaline rush. It was getting dark and I reached the Trailhead at Bush Hwy right before nightfall. I was surprised that there were hikers entering at dusk! I read a few LBS hold night rides here! I can't imagine trying this in pitch black darkness with headlamps.

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I got home at night, and felt a great accomplishment, and to have survived. My shins are bleeding from pedal strikes. The crank arms struck rocks and launched my feet off. I will need toe clips installed. The old bike managed to do single track. I may return to explore more of the trails. I hear there are several abandoned gold mines onsite. I love C&V, but will admit that a modern suspended mtb is more suited and safer. ;)

Great trip report WNG!


I snuck out for a two-hour lunch break today.

This old boat near Point Reyes Station got a fine new paint job recently:

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This is "Graffiti Bridge." It seems to get a new look about every 6 months to a year.

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Potato, bacon, goat cheese and fried egg pizza from the Bovine Bakery in Point Reyes Station.

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Brent

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ok, I'm officially creeped out!

Great ride reports, great pics! WNG, that sure is different from our part of the world. I've been out that way a few times. Never to ride though.

Thanks Brent and Jim!

Missing my riding and haven't posted lately. Thought I'd spread the 'warmth'. ;)
Yes, it's hard to believe that this environment is 15 minutes away from the city, and basically one's backyard.
Now only if we can take care of the rattlesnakes and scorpions. :D

I was watching some old episodes of survivorman last night, and that landscape definitely looks like somewhere he would shoot an episode! Beautiful, but ya, scorpions, rattlers, cacti...:twitchy: do they make snake boot riding shoes?

Yeah! So, seeds, when are you going to tell us what that thing is???

Great pictures guys!

Dang, breakfast,lunch and dinner rolled into one. If you had told me about it I would not want one, but with the picture it looks like something I must try.

Ha, that's pretty much what I'm thinking too. At first, the egg doesn't sound too great, but I'm a firm believer in at least trying weird food. Some of the best stuff, "shouldn't" be very good. :D I had to run some errands yesterday, & ended up finding some awesome polyester heavy-duty bicycle pants, with a nice ribbed ankle closure with zippers, in a thrift store for like $10. :) Then I stopped at Fred Meyer & found the post-holiday markdown sale on some nice Dockers socks & Levi's hankies, LOL. The socks were a nice surprise, also made of this new-fangled stuff, to insulate you good & wick moisture away. I love these new clothes they make these days, light as a feather compared to the cotton I grew up with in PA, but lots warmer. :) But I don't think I'll get rid of the wool socks just yet. ;)