Awl

Twin Cities here, I've taken a few rides namely along the Mississippi this year

DQRider 

That river does have a compelling gravity to it. I keep coming back with different bikes, on different trails, but always that same mighty/muddy Mississippi.

Here's a snapshot from my latest river ride, down in Hastings:

Wolfhaven

This summer I rode the Mississippi River Trail from Itasca to the Iowa border. Lots of great trails around the Twin Cities.

Refreshing

Two years ago when I was living in Chaska I would head out at least once a week. There are so many damn biking and hiking trails that I would literally find a new trail every ride. Sometimes they were beautiful long paved trails through a forest such as one south of the river between Chaska and Shakopee. Other times they were old rough maintenance trails where I would have to shoulder my bike through waist deep water just to ride the entire trail. This would be the perfect time for me to share some photos and prove the awesomeness of my adventures but alas, I am on my work computer.

Most of my rides were between 30 and 60 miles with my longest being 107 miles (a bunch of roads were too flooded to pass and I got REALLY lost, even after pulling up my phone gps). I am not exaggerating when I say that every ride for an entire summer ended with me finding either a new section of trail within the city or a windy gravel road out in the middle of nowhere.

Now that I am a dad my cycling has been relegated to commuting everyday but I still yearn for adventure. I have already found a bunch of fun trail systems near Maplewood during my daily commutes into Saint Paul but I want to get out of the city (and away from people!) and see if the North East side is as awesome as the South West side!

Refreshing

About two months before my baby arrived I wrangled up some strangers to go check out a forest down south. We (kindof) mapped the route but the forest was a total mystery to us and the stealth camping was fantastic!

Awl

Damn that's a distance I dream of doing. I hiked the North County trails up near Itasca State Park in August (I've been a bigtime hiker for years), and the beauty up there just astounded me. This state overall is pretty awesome far as nature goes.

Awl

What a pretty ride and pretty machine. How those bars feel after about an hour, comfort-wise?

DQRider 

Because the riding position is so upright now, the handlebars feel just fine for hours. My longest ride on this old Gitane has been about 48 miles, and the only thing that hurt was the part I was sitting on. It takes longer than that to break-in the Velo Orange saddle. The leather is thicker than Brooks'. I've put about 400 miles on it now, and it is just starting to give a little. By the end of next year, I'm sure my butt and this saddle will have reached an understanding. I think I'm going to shorten those cables a tad over the winter, though.

Awl

Gives me hopes for longer rides on my Collegiate as it has the same type of bars. I haven't gone further than 9 miles on it yet but plan on changing that next year.

Craptacular8

Gorgeous bike!

Craptacular8

That would be a fabulous ride. Was this one of the organized tours that do that route, or were you on your own? I did one of the Itasca area rides the Tour De Pines in August. Was a very pretty ride.

DQRider 

Thank you! Here's my most recent portrait of her:



Finally got those brake/shift cables under control - they were a bit too long in the previous pic. Definitely my most photogenic bike right now; she is going up on the wall in my shop soon, to wait out the dark and cold (and salty!) season.

Wolfhaven

I rode the MRT with a friend over several weekends. There are a few highway sections that are nasty. High speed, little to no shoulder with hills and turns. Most of it was enjoyable though.

Craptacular8

Very nice picture, with an attractive bike to boot. I love that style of bike. I keep thinking that my commuter would look a lot classier if I switched it over to that style handle bar over the straight riser bar that it currently has, but know that the few other more upright bikes I've test ridden have felt like more work pedaling. It isn't the wind resistance, I feel it in my quads? Maybe I've needed the seat jacked up quite a bit more during those rides, but that's the way it sort of feels, like I'm riding a bike with the seat a little too low, where you're not feeling it in your knees, but you feel it across the tops of your thighs?

Craptacular8

Ugg, that's the thing I've sort of worried about. I think I have a healthy tolerance for cars passing me when riding on the shoulder, but I prefer them wide if I've got to be on them for any particularly long stretches. I've always been pretty pleased how most minnesotans pass me politely with plenty of clearance....until last night when I got buzzed by a pickup giving me the finger as I rode to the right of the fog line

DQRider 

Well, here's another one of my roadster conversions of a bike-boom 12-speed:



This is now a 3-speed Sturmey Archer roadster in the British tradition, with Japanese styling cues like the bamboo fenders. I've gone to a V.O. Milan handlebar and Ergon GC1 cork grips for a bit more athletic riding position. It wasn't my quads so much as my arse that was bothering me on this bike. The riding position had been bolt upright with a North Roads style handlebar, and it didn't work very well on this frame for long periods in the saddle.

Here it is from another angle:



I've put 325 miles on it this month with this setup, and have been very happy with it. The Milan handlebar has a slight rise and a slight sweep, so you lean forward a bit more to balance your weight better, but not so far as to limit your upward visibility. The Ergon GC1 grips have that extended flat section that spreads the load out on your hands and keep your wrists from kinking. They are very supportive and comfortable.

Wolfhaven

We got buzzed close frequently on those stretches. One mile stretch of hwy 169 had shoulders about a foot wide. Unqualified drivers pulling triples (truck, camper, boat) refused to move over the center lane despite no traffic coming towards them. Almost got sucked into one boat and then his buddy following right on his tail. Of course we were battling 20+ mph headwinds that day so we couldn't generate any speed to get off that stretch quickly. Two things I learned was Minnesota nice does not extend to the road when passing bikes and they love their bananas. Good grief, must have rode by 15-20 banana peels every day.

Craptacular8

@DQRider that is another really sharp bike. You've got a good eye for putting together a bike.

Craptacular8

That's really too bad. I think what probably needs to happen is public service announcement, drivers ed etc where drivers learn the rules of the road....most states require 3 feet to pass us, if they don't have 3 feet to do so with oncoming traffic, they should treat us like the slow moving vehicle we are, just like a tractor and wait. For some reason, they always feel like they should squeeze instead of wait, or in your situation, not give an inch. Who knew bananas were such popular car food, lol.

Zara Sp00k

I found myself biking along 65 north of Mora a few years back, I would bike on the pavement, but as I heard a car approach I would pull onto the gravel shoulder, cars would not give any room, in fact I swear to god that I smelled the aroma of pot in some, and beer in others as they whizzed by. It was Saturday afternoon the week of the fishing opener.
You are probably wondering what fool would be on this road at that time, long story ....

DQRider 

Damn! I know that road, and don't think I would venture out there on a bicycle, if I had a choice. Especially around the fishing opener! Buncha jackpine savages up there, and it's the law of the jungle out on the roads. You're lucky none of them were driving electric cars - you never hear those coming until it's too late.

ranukic

I grew up in Aitkin (live in WI) so we try and get over there every summer. This summer I am interested in riding the Crosby Ironton trails. We did some hiking up there a couple summers ago and the views were very cool and unexpected.

Homer Cooper 

MN here apox 45 NW of TCs. hoping to hit more of the MRT this year. only 1/4 mile from home. I'd really like to get on the Lake Wobegon Trail/Central Lakes Trail.

bryguy27007

I'm in the cities as well, hello all!

f1sherman

I'm in the Minnetonka area, hi everyone!