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-   -   Where'd You Ride Today? (New & Improved) (https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/491452-whered-you-ride-today-new-improved.html)

mandrake 12-27-10 07:56 PM


Originally Posted by Peter_B (Post 11990820)
I rode up the San Diego county coastline from La Jolla to Leucadia and back on my steel Luongo. Clear skies, sunshine, sun sparkling on the ocean, cool temperature, slight head wind riding north but not oppressive. It was a great winter's day in San Diego.

Did the same ride myself on Xmas Eve.

noglider 12-27-10 08:55 PM

Nice pictures and stories today!

All I did today was shovel snow.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ZmYickAkF4g/TR...2/IMG_0034.JPG

Here is my photo blog for today.

jan nikolajsen 12-29-10 03:29 PM

Good ride with my wife yesterday.

We started from the in-law's house near the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains, Los Angeles, took the road called 39 and followed it up to the Angeles Crest Highway. Out and back distance of 65 miles with a whopping 7535' of gain. But, come to think of it, that's just half of an average mountain stage in the TdF..

(some of these pics might look familiar to the discerning reader, as I blogged about this same ride 12 months ago)

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/x...sen/crest8.jpg
The ride consist of a 25 mile uphill with up to 8% grade. In other words never too steep.

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/x...sen/crest7.jpg
The entire upper half of the road is closed to vehicles, despite perfect pavement.

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/x...sen/crest2.jpg
A section riddled with debris avalanches and culvert repairs slowed us down. 23mm tires don't do well in 2" of mud.

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/x...sen/crest4.jpg
While this definitely looks wintry, there was probably less than a mile of mirror smooth, rock hard ice on the whole ride. Neither rubber nor plastic cleats grip well on that sort of coating, but picking a way through the shoulder area allowed us a reasonable speedy passage.

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/x...sen/crest9.jpg
Expansive views of chaparral, smog and ocean on the upper reaches.

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/x...sen/crest1.jpg

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/x...en/crest10.jpg
Such must a vintage bike look once and in a while.


http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/x...en/crest11.jpg
Sonja embarking on the 6000' descent.

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/x...sen/crest6.jpg
Big rains over Christmas filled the San Gabriel river reservoirs...

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/x...sen/crest5.jpg
..and gave flow to an otherwise perpetually dry river bed. Here we are back down in the city in the late afternoon. This is the start of the SGRT, a 40 mile bike path to the ocean. While a tempting outing for another day, the almost completely flat nature of all those miles makes us tired just pondering about it!

Mike Mills 12-29-10 06:23 PM

What a terrific report.

That SGRT bike path also passes thru some very sketchy areas on its route to the Pacific Ocean. Be careful if you do it. It is also known for having a deceptive tail wind one way and a heavy head wind the other (usually the return route when you appreciate it the least).

I used to ride those same mountains, though I used to ride the north face from Pear Blossom Hwy to Wrightwood and back. The north face is steeper, more twisty and the trees are more dense and "closer in" to the road. This affords more shade in a typically arid area. They are very nice in the winter but it gets quite cold as you approach the top due to the altitude gained (~8,000 ft).

Old Fat Guy 12-29-10 06:38 PM

Nice report and pictures, Jan.

Rain here for awhile, no no palm tree pics from me until maybe the weekend.

When you back in Moab?

YoKev 12-29-10 07:32 PM

Spectacular Jan.

rhm 12-30-10 01:20 PM

I rode out to Fire Island and two or three miles east along the beach. Riding on the beach is hard work, and hard on the bike. I tried to downshift the front derailleur, and the cable came off; sand in the works somewhere made the friction too much I guess. So you see a piece of driftwood holding the derailleur in the middle gear. And of course chain suck sucks. It was a beautiful day for a ride, but I came back as tired as I would have been after 40 miles on a road bike.http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5210/...3d27fbd7_b.jpg
Sometimes one sees seals sunning themselves on the sand at this time of year. But I didn't.

Robofunc 12-31-10 09:10 PM

I rode my '80 Schwinn World Sport fixed conversion from Downtown St. Pete to Dunedin via the Pinellas Trail. A very flat (save for the overpass ramps) 50 mile round trip. Happy New Year's Eve.

scozim 12-31-10 10:03 PM

Made it to the mailbox and back - 1 mile total on my Klein MTB. Hardpack snow on the ground and 10 degrees F - just too cold to try anymore than that. Just had to get something in on the last day of the year.

jan nikolajsen 12-31-10 10:31 PM

Rode the Glendora Mtn Road to the shack and a little beyond. Up there we met a couple of graying gentlemen who had done what I described in post #1105 (7000+ feet of climbing) followed by the climb we just did. All before lunch. But on carbon, so big deal...

RobbieTunes 01-01-11 01:38 PM

New Year's Eve, with drrobwave, Nash County, NC. about 45 degrees, but the sun helped.
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...s/IMAG0061.jpg

New Year's Day, with the Cyclists of Wilson, Wilson County, NC about 47 degrees and overcast.
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...0101111022.jpg

noglider 01-01-11 01:56 PM

Yesterday, I rode to the train station, rode the train into NYC, cycled through Manhattan, and rode back home. NYC had some streets where the slush was two or three inches deep, and under that, there was very bumpy ice. I didn't fall, though I did slip many times. I had 28mm tires pumped to 100 psi, which is the opposite of the ideal, but I managed.

jan nikolajsen 01-01-11 07:14 PM

New Year Day's ride. I promise this is the last time this season I'll post pics of the San Gabriel mountains and the endless expanses of chaparral covered hill sides. I realize they all look similar, and also near identical to the ones I posted 12 months ago. But a NYD ride is a strong tradition, so here we go:

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/x...en/lastday.jpg
Festive headwear to go with the gnarly grimace.

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/x...n/lastday2.jpg
A portion of the 12 mile long Glendora Ridge Road can be seen in the background. A slip and the Razesa would tumble 1500' down the canyon.

Roger M 01-01-11 07:45 PM

^^ Great Photos. What is the elevation where you are in the first picture?

jan nikolajsen 01-01-11 08:02 PM

Thanks! About 4300'. The snowy giant in the background is 10000'

Barrettscv 01-01-11 08:02 PM

I had a New Years ride and enjoyed the beach front travel along the lake here in Chicago. It is 22f here with a 22 mph wind. I got in 30 miles.

Within a block of leaving home, I discovered that my RD cable was rusted solid. The derailleur would not move off the 19t cog. So I rode using the 38t or 46t chainring on the crank. This worked well enough for a longer solo ride with no hills.

The lakefront path was battered by recent storms, so I was required to ride on soft embankment to get around the damage. Sure enough, just as I stand up to climb, the rear axle slips out of the drop-outs and I go over like Humpty-Dumpty. I fell down the embankment, clipped-in (of-course).

I met another rider after 25 miles. Mike & I had coffee and talked about family. This was the best part of the ride.

Now I need to align the handlebar stem and replace the RD cable. I hope to ride 4 days by this time next week.

Roger M 01-01-11 08:06 PM


Originally Posted by jan nikolajsen (Post 12013058)
Thanks! About 4300'. The snowy giant in the background is 10000'


Wow.. Everything above 400'(including my house) is covered in snow... sigh

jan nikolajsen 01-01-11 08:07 PM


Originally Posted by Barrettscv (Post 12013059)
This was the best part of the ride.

No doubt!!

junkfoodjunkie 01-01-11 09:16 PM

Nice pics as usual Jan!
Looks like a fun ride Rob, I would have to have long tights on in 45 degrees.

Jake

snarkypup 01-02-11 12:13 AM

Did 14 miles today on the Raleigh Sports, in somewhere-below-freezing temps. Probably 30 degrees with wind-chill. I was warm enough, except for my legs and my butt! Forgot to put on long underwear, and the Brooks saddle doesn't warm up the way a padded Turbo does. Took about an hour to defrost! :)

The Sports was a great winter bike. Lots of icy spots on the trail, and the Sports took them in stride and never slipped. Those darn Delta Cruisers were perfect for this weather. I was certainly having more fun than any of the joggers I saw!

Road Fan 01-02-11 06:31 AM


Originally Posted by Barrettscv (Post 12013059)
I had a New Years ride and enjoyed the beach front travel along the lake here in Chicago. It is 22f here with a 22 mph wind. I got in 30 miles.

Within a block of leaving home, I discovered that my RD cable was rusted solid. The derailleur would not move off the 19t cog. So I rode using the 38t or 46t chainring on the crank. This worked well enough for a longer solo ride with no hills.

The lakefront path was battered by recent storms, so I was required to ride on soft embankment to get around the damage. Sure enough, just as I stand up to climb, the rear axle slips out of the drop-outs and I go over like Humpty-Dumpty. I fell down the embankment, clipped-in (of-course).

I met another rider after 25 miles. Mike & I had coffee and talked about family. This was the best part of the ride.

Now I need to align the handlebar stem and replace the RD cable. I hope to ride 4 days by this time next week.

Barretscv, that was my favorite ride as a kid in Rogers Park. My wife and I came to Chicago a few years ago to run that, and the weather was just as you described. I'd hope to join you on that some weekend this winter if I can get free!

What were your start/finish points? I used to go from home in Rogers Park to the Loop or the Shedd Aquarium, then turn around.

Barrettscv 01-02-11 10:28 AM


Originally Posted by Road Fan (Post 12014348)
Barretscv, that was my favorite ride as a kid in Rogers Park. My wife and I came to Chicago a few years ago to run that, and the weather was just as you described. I'd hope to join you on that some weekend this winter if I can get free!

What were your start/finish points? I used to go from home in Rogers Park to the Loop or the Shedd Aquarium, then turn around.

Hi Road Fan,

I ride from home and live near California Ave and Peterson. It's about a 3 mile ride east to the north termination point of the Lakefront Bike Path. Yesterday I rode from home down past McCormick Place to about 35th St and back.

One benifit of the freezing weather is freedom from the heavy foot traffic often seen during better weather!

Michael

snarkypup 01-03-11 12:32 AM

Funny story... ehem. So I went for a ride on the Interurban Trail, which runs from scenic industrial Renton past scenic industrial Kent to scenic industrial Auburn. Fourteen miles of warehouses on one side, and railroad tracks on the other. There is a lovely view of Mt. Rainier on one side but it isn't really compensation for the trail itself. Very straight, very bland, running under an electrical right-of-way. Might be more fun on a go-fast bike, but I was on the Sports. Anyway, I picked it because it was nearby, and it was in the sunshine, and the temperature was hovering at 33 in the shade and just under 40 in the sun.

First off, a shot of the delights of the trail:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5123/...aa2969d8bb.jpg
sportsride4 by snarkypup, on Flickr

The ride started interestingly enough, with this guy hanging out in the parking lot where I left my car:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5130/...25c4f3d485.jpg
sportsride5 by snarkypup, on Flickr

He let me get that close, and just glared at me a moment later when I cycled by him. The Sports and I enjoyed this next moment, pondering the origin of this trail:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5125/...b151c4d98d.jpg
sportsride6 by snarkypup, on Flickr

In the basket is a waterbottle, my purse and (a moment later), my camera. Sometimes my gloves. I love being able to whip them off and just reach back and drop them into the basket without slowing down. The Sports zipped along.

The Root Beer Bomber meets another sturdy machine:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5208/...db6dca7a3e.jpg
sportsride1 by snarkypup, on Flickr

Finally, I posed for a self-portrait in bundles, with bike:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5170/...3e2f264d46.jpg
sportsride3 by snarkypup, on Flickr

Note the balaclava, snow boots and lined nordic ski pants. It was a tad chilly. Shortly after I snapped this picture, as I was walking over to get the camera, the ground beneath the kickstand gave way and the bike crashed in the opposite direction (dang basket) onto the concrete. The right grip, the shellacked-and-beautiful-but-much-hated Portuguese cork, shattered. Well, I thought, god clearly agrees with me that the cork sucks. So I pedalled the 10-12 miles back to the car, and took the Bomber straight to the lbs. They pried off the rest of the grips in about 2 minutes. Had I known it would be that easy to get rid of them after I attached them with automotive glue (per Riv's instructions), I would have gotten rid of them months ago. On the shelf was a cheap pair of those hand-sewn leather grips with padding inside. Dark brown with lighter brown stitching. We slapped 'em on. All done! New grips are on, and look great. Very padded and comfy, and if I hate 'em later, I'm out like $15. All in all, a great ride, and a great outcome. About 20-24 miles.

Werkin 01-03-11 02:02 AM

Minutes from door are great hill country rural roads; little to no traffic, challenging grades, and pleasant vistas.

http://www.motoringalliance.com/gall...102_155531.jpg
http://www.motoringalliance.com/gall...102_155451.jpg
http://www.motoringalliance.com/gall...er_the_Top.jpg

curbtender 01-03-11 06:52 AM

The ride started interestingly enough, with this guy hanging out in the parking lot where I left my car:

Whats he got there? A Ram?


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