Century on a Tern
05-22-12, 12:01 AM
#1
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Thread Starter
Century on a Tern
I recently tried to post here about my successful attempts at riding a century on my Tern Link P9. For some reason the forums wouldn't let me, and I posted instead at the Tern forums. Below is my post from the Tern forums:
"The Ride:
I set out on Friday from Sumner, WA around 8:35AM. My Tern Link P9 was stock, except with the addition of Powergrips to the pedals, a Brooks B17 seat, and a Carradice Nelson longflap to carry stuff.
I rode to downtown Seattle to the Bainbridge Island ferry terminal, which was about 34 miles. I crossed the Puget Sound on the ferry, and then headed northwest.
I rode across Bainbridge Island, then up the Olympic Peninsula through Port Gamble, across the Hood Canal Floating Bridge, and then on to Sequim.
I underestimated the toll the hills would take on me, mostly because I didn't know there were as many hills. I felt like I had ridden up Mt. Everest, but ultimately only did about 2500 feet of climbing. I found the Link P9's gearing to be adequate. At times, I probably would have used a lower gear if I'd had one, but I didn't, and what I had worked.
Starting around mile 70, the road turned west across the northern part of the Olympic Peninsula. That's when I encountered a sustained headwind which challenged me until the end of my ride.
I landed at the place I was planning to stay just north of the town of Sequim. My odometer read 95.7 miles. As I was determined to do a century, I stayed on the bike and continued pedalling around the block several times, until my odometer finally read 100 miles. I did it! My first century ride was done.
In all, it took me 7 hrs 49 mins 51 secs of rolling time. Including the ferry ride and stops for water, checking the map, etc., the ride took me almost exactly 10 hrs.
I was pleasantly suprised that only my left patellar tendon was sore, and nothing else. Interestingly, I only had two muscle cramps the entire ride. Each time it it was my left latissimus dorsi. I thought that was kind of weird.
The Bike:
My Link P9 was outstanding. It was stiff, comfortable, handled well, and was mechanically solid. I could stand on the stock folding pedals and hammer on them up the hills. At no time did I feel like I needed a full sized bike, stiffer pedals, or that my Link was inadequate or incapable. This confirmed to me that I can do any kind of road riding I want to do on this little bike, and as long as I am physically capable, the bike will handle it.
I also have to say the flat, comfort Biologic grips are amazing. I was a little nervous going into this ride for a number of reasons. One was that the bike I was going to ride - the Link P9 - only had one hand position... or so I thought. I learned I could grab the ends (not as good as H bars, but allowed me a different hand position for short stretches) and I could put my elbows on the flats giving me a surprisingly comfortable tuck position. I spent a lot of time climbing, believe it or not (especially into that nasty headwind), with my elbows on the grips.
In the end, if I had to do it over again, I would not have taken any of my other bikes (the bikes I could have taken = Surly Crosscheck, Raleigh 20, Kona Caldera, Trek 300 series). The Link P9 fit the bill perfectly and was up to the task. I could see myself using it for light touring (either credit card or a lightweight overnight type set-up), commuting, long day rides, trips to the store, etc. Several miles of this trip were on chip-seal roads (rough and gravely). I think it would be fine for cobblestone roads and sidewalk riding. It really is a good all-around bike that would be a solid choice if you could only have one bike for riding around on the roads/sidewalks/etc."
"The Ride:
I set out on Friday from Sumner, WA around 8:35AM. My Tern Link P9 was stock, except with the addition of Powergrips to the pedals, a Brooks B17 seat, and a Carradice Nelson longflap to carry stuff.
I rode to downtown Seattle to the Bainbridge Island ferry terminal, which was about 34 miles. I crossed the Puget Sound on the ferry, and then headed northwest.
I rode across Bainbridge Island, then up the Olympic Peninsula through Port Gamble, across the Hood Canal Floating Bridge, and then on to Sequim.
I underestimated the toll the hills would take on me, mostly because I didn't know there were as many hills. I felt like I had ridden up Mt. Everest, but ultimately only did about 2500 feet of climbing. I found the Link P9's gearing to be adequate. At times, I probably would have used a lower gear if I'd had one, but I didn't, and what I had worked.
Starting around mile 70, the road turned west across the northern part of the Olympic Peninsula. That's when I encountered a sustained headwind which challenged me until the end of my ride.
I landed at the place I was planning to stay just north of the town of Sequim. My odometer read 95.7 miles. As I was determined to do a century, I stayed on the bike and continued pedalling around the block several times, until my odometer finally read 100 miles. I did it! My first century ride was done.
In all, it took me 7 hrs 49 mins 51 secs of rolling time. Including the ferry ride and stops for water, checking the map, etc., the ride took me almost exactly 10 hrs.
I was pleasantly suprised that only my left patellar tendon was sore, and nothing else. Interestingly, I only had two muscle cramps the entire ride. Each time it it was my left latissimus dorsi. I thought that was kind of weird.
The Bike:
My Link P9 was outstanding. It was stiff, comfortable, handled well, and was mechanically solid. I could stand on the stock folding pedals and hammer on them up the hills. At no time did I feel like I needed a full sized bike, stiffer pedals, or that my Link was inadequate or incapable. This confirmed to me that I can do any kind of road riding I want to do on this little bike, and as long as I am physically capable, the bike will handle it.
I also have to say the flat, comfort Biologic grips are amazing. I was a little nervous going into this ride for a number of reasons. One was that the bike I was going to ride - the Link P9 - only had one hand position... or so I thought. I learned I could grab the ends (not as good as H bars, but allowed me a different hand position for short stretches) and I could put my elbows on the flats giving me a surprisingly comfortable tuck position. I spent a lot of time climbing, believe it or not (especially into that nasty headwind), with my elbows on the grips.
In the end, if I had to do it over again, I would not have taken any of my other bikes (the bikes I could have taken = Surly Crosscheck, Raleigh 20, Kona Caldera, Trek 300 series). The Link P9 fit the bill perfectly and was up to the task. I could see myself using it for light touring (either credit card or a lightweight overnight type set-up), commuting, long day rides, trips to the store, etc. Several miles of this trip were on chip-seal roads (rough and gravely). I think it would be fine for cobblestone roads and sidewalk riding. It really is a good all-around bike that would be a solid choice if you could only have one bike for riding around on the roads/sidewalks/etc."
Last edited by hopperja; 05-22-12 at 12:14 AM.
05-22-12, 12:11 AM
#2
Senior Member
Thread Starter
A couple of pictures:
My bike at the beginning of the trip
On the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island
Just before crossing the Hood Canal Bridge
At mile 70. I was exhausted. Little did I know the hills would continue and I'd have a sustained headwind for the rest of the trip.
Finally there, but it was only a teaser. I had about 15 miles to go still to get to my destination.
After circling around the block a few times, I finally made it to 100!
I met my friends and we went out on the Sequim Bay/Straight of Juan de Fuca for some fishing. We had a blast!
My bike at the beginning of the trip
On the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island
Just before crossing the Hood Canal Bridge
At mile 70. I was exhausted. Little did I know the hills would continue and I'd have a sustained headwind for the rest of the trip.
Finally there, but it was only a teaser. I had about 15 miles to go still to get to my destination.
After circling around the block a few times, I finally made it to 100!
I met my friends and we went out on the Sequim Bay/Straight of Juan de Fuca for some fishing. We had a blast!
Nice looking Brooks, well-conditioned obviously.
05-22-12, 12:28 PM
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Sounds great. If you or anyone needs a room to crash in Port Townsend near Fort Worden let me know, I have a spare room (and yard space) for bicyclists.
My short legged dog is slowly dying from kidney failure (still happy though) and the only good thing about her passing is that I will get to bicycle and hike a lot more. Stories like yours get me stoked about riding longer rides again.
My short legged dog is slowly dying from kidney failure (still happy though) and the only good thing about her passing is that I will get to bicycle and hike a lot more. Stories like yours get me stoked about riding longer rides again.
05-23-12, 03:11 PM
#8
too many bikes
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That rig looks like it's ready for island hopping, and the Seattle-Victoria ferry. I highly recommend the Galloping Goose trail on Vancouver Is.
05-23-12, 08:02 PM
#9
Senior Member
Thread Starter
My bike was amazing comfortable. It fit me perfectly.
Jur, yes, the saddle was well broken in... about 8,000 miles on it with no rain (I used a cover any time there was rain). I had to tension it a bit before the ride, but it worked out perfectly.
iFold, thank you for the kind works.
maunakea, I agree. The trouble is with young boys (10, 7, 4 years old), it's hard to justify leaving my wife alone so I can go out and island hop.
crackerdog, thanks for the invite. If I'm in the area again, I may take you up on that.
samosaurus, thank you. I just wanted enthusiasts to know the level of quality that goes into this bike. Sure, I rode the 100 miles, which I had never done before. However, I have several bikes at my disposal and I chose the Tern. I did so not because I wanted to prove it's a good bike, but because it fit me the best of all the bikes I have.
I wanted to note that I usually ride with Crank Bros Eggbeater pedals. I considered them for this ride, but wanted to keep the equipment to the minimum, as I would with light touring. Therefore, I used Powergrips and was able to wear my running shoes (though any other shoe would have worked fine).
Also, my Carradice Nelson would have worked brilliantly for light weight touring. Inside the bag I had extra clothes, a tool kit, a partially frozen 3 liter hydration bag, and food on top of the hydration bag to keep it (the food) cool. The only items missing were my sleep kit (sleeping bag, bivy, pillow), stove and cookware, and enough food for an over-nighter. I could have easily lashed these between the seatpost and Longflap, on the backside of the Longflap, or on Tern's luggage truss/kanga rack (I don't have these yet, but they're on the short list). I could easily see myself doing light weight touring on the Link P9.
Interestingly, having the Carradice, my pump, and my light attached to the seatpost doesn't hinder folding. In that case, all I do is remove the seat/post and then fold. I just stow the seat/post separately. My fishing buddies were surprised when they saw it folded this way.
Jur, yes, the saddle was well broken in... about 8,000 miles on it with no rain (I used a cover any time there was rain). I had to tension it a bit before the ride, but it worked out perfectly.
iFold, thank you for the kind works.
maunakea, I agree. The trouble is with young boys (10, 7, 4 years old), it's hard to justify leaving my wife alone so I can go out and island hop.
crackerdog, thanks for the invite. If I'm in the area again, I may take you up on that.
samosaurus, thank you. I just wanted enthusiasts to know the level of quality that goes into this bike. Sure, I rode the 100 miles, which I had never done before. However, I have several bikes at my disposal and I chose the Tern. I did so not because I wanted to prove it's a good bike, but because it fit me the best of all the bikes I have.
I wanted to note that I usually ride with Crank Bros Eggbeater pedals. I considered them for this ride, but wanted to keep the equipment to the minimum, as I would with light touring. Therefore, I used Powergrips and was able to wear my running shoes (though any other shoe would have worked fine).
Also, my Carradice Nelson would have worked brilliantly for light weight touring. Inside the bag I had extra clothes, a tool kit, a partially frozen 3 liter hydration bag, and food on top of the hydration bag to keep it (the food) cool. The only items missing were my sleep kit (sleeping bag, bivy, pillow), stove and cookware, and enough food for an over-nighter. I could have easily lashed these between the seatpost and Longflap, on the backside of the Longflap, or on Tern's luggage truss/kanga rack (I don't have these yet, but they're on the short list). I could easily see myself doing light weight touring on the Link P9.
Interestingly, having the Carradice, my pump, and my light attached to the seatpost doesn't hinder folding. In that case, all I do is remove the seat/post and then fold. I just stow the seat/post separately. My fishing buddies were surprised when they saw it folded this way.
Last edited by hopperja; 05-23-12 at 10:19 PM.
05-25-12, 01:54 AM
#11
too many bikes
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Those are the Olympic Mtns. No through roads, and no through trails. Lots of rain and snow, and real glaciers.
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