justtrying

Just checking in while I haven’t been posting that much, I do check in regularly, haven’t seen many of the regular posters here haven’t been posting here in a while. I hope all is well w Kaos Joe, Steve B, and Russ Roth. and any I have missed.

Steve B.

I do not typically report my daily rides, have been mt. biking 2-3 days per week all winter. Its been a great winter to mt. bike, usually the freeze/thaw cycle shuts us down in January, not this year. Havent road ridden much, on the days where its beem warm enough the winds have been 20-30 mph and I hate riding in those conditions.

justtrying

Glad all is well. Your right it’s been an good winter to ride. I been going out about 3 times a week, only on the road though

kaos joe

As with Steve B, banging about in the woods. Have dealt with oral surgery and a basement flood so past couple of weeks have been low mileage. I'm still above ground.

justtrying

Good to hear from you. Sorry its been a low mileage/ high aggravation time for you.

kaos joe

Thank you! And here's a "proof of life" photo from today.



Oyster Bay Harbor NY

hotbike

Went to Grand Central 13 FEB 23, prior to regular service which began 27 FEB 23.
There are a series of three elevators to ascend getting from the platform to the streets

hotbike

I keep riding all winter now that I have fairings on all my bikes. I’m using a Fly-11 ebike now.

hotbike

Thursday 9 March
Main Street
& Kissena Boulevard
Flushing

hotbike

From College Point Boulevard take the marked bike lane on Avery Street. There is a paver path with bollards under 678, the Van Wyck Expressway. This is the northernmost access to Flushing Meadows Corona Park from the east.

kaos joe

First "long" ride of the year, 57 miles to Kings Park. I don't remember a tailwind on the way out, but boy did I get a beating returning home. It's Good For You!

kaos joe

a sign of the times

kaos joe

I finally bestirred myself this spring and built up a beautiful blue Soma Smoothie ES frame I've had gathering dust for years. I had accumulated most of the required components over the years and quite like the result although it makes a couple of my other rides a bit redundant.......about 400 miles on it so far. Took it to Manorville/Quogue/Westhampton the other day. There must have been a 20 degree difference between the Pine Barrens and the beachfront road.




In the wilds of Quogue



Ghouls along Dune Rd

hotbike

I got a Fly-11 ebike. My compadre has the Fly-7 e-scooter. We’re at a north shore e-bike dealership. He’s upgrading from 60 volt to 72 volt, to get more speed.

kaos joe

A truly hack photographer at work. I go to take a nice pic of a spring morning on a placid harbor, and only later notice the trash can in the frame. Hack.

Well it was a nice ride anyway.

Steve B.

That's a nice bike. I wanted the ES, they were out of stock so got a regular Smoothie. Nice riding bike. Ended up getting a C-Dale gravel bike which made the Smoothie redundant, ended up selling it. Got good money for it too. Best of luck with the Soma, they make nice bikes.

kaos joe

Thank you, I'm enjoying it although it also causes a bit of a redundancy "problem" which is a problem I like having.

That's not the original fork. The original is a steel unicrown which has nice clearances but is quite heavy, read cheap.....I think it actually weighs more than the STRONG steel forks on my tandems. I bought that IRD Mosaic 57 which will just clear a 32mm tire. I put 30's on this bike which is enough for anything I'm going to do with it.

The one oddity with this rig is the amount of toe overlap which I have to be conscious of at very low speed. The fork has a 43mm rake which as far as I know is nothing unusual. It is what it is, the bike rides and handles nicely.

Velo Mule

I have been riding in Hempstead Lake State Park for two or more years now. I found that I enjoy riding on trails far more than I like riding on the road. I still like riding on the road though. I know that the state has been working on the area north of the Southern State Parkway. This Sunday, I finally rode in there. This is a nice addition to the park. The trails are dirt or cinder, which I prefer to asphalt. There was some erosion from the rains on Saturday night, otherwise the trails were in good condition.

There were other people riding and walking on these trails as well. This will become a part of my regular Hempstead Lake Ride. By the way, despite the reputation and the number of people that come to the park when it is warm out, it has been great for riding and the people that I meet there seem good and friendly. Morgan Park to the south of Hempstead Lake State Park has also been updated with trails. The ride from Hempstead Lake State Park is not the most interesting in that it is parallel to Peninsular Blvd. and Morgan Park is small. There was a Muskrat that I have seen twice, or perhaps it was two different muskrats at South Pond that was good to see. There have been Eagles seen within the park recently.


This board is in the parking area just off of Eagle Ave. If you park there, you will have to pay for the privilege. There is also an Elm Street access that may have free parking or street parking. I live close by, so no need for parking.

I have been hoping for enough snow these past winter to cross-country ski in the park, but it hasn't worked out.

Steve B.

I enjoy a spin thru here as well, just wish the state would repair and wide the asphalt path on the east side, it's a mess.

Velo Mule

I agree with you Steve, the asphalt path has roots growing under it and it makes riding on it miserable. I avoid the asphalt path as much as possible. The dirt path is much smoother, but, it gets sandy in a few places and skinny tires will sink. I ride mostly 27" x 1-1/4" tires and I do ok overall. I've learned were the sand is and ride on the edge of the path in those places. Then, the other downside is that it is dirt. Even with fenders, my bikes are filthy. I was working on the Lambert last night and noticed that the bottom bracket was crunchy. I wasn't planning on regreasing it, but it had to be done.

I should be riding my mountain bike there, but I like riding my skinny tire bikes more. I don't know why. I'm just odd, I guess.

Steve B.

I put on my gravel wheels when I ride there, not many places on L.I. to use them. Belmont Lake as well as Edgewood being the exception.

justtrying

I did dd the 5 Boro Bike ride yesterday, had a fantastic time w/ 1 very notable exception. The VNB destroyed me! Had to walk the incline because my HR went to the roof. My question is where on LI, hopefully in Nassau are there hill(s) that mimic the length and slope of the VNB. I know there are plenty of hills on the north shore but I was looking for something similar to ride and judge my improvement Thanks

hotbike

I rode 29.5 miles yesterday, into Queens via Hillside Avenue to 222nd Street then down to Jamaica Avenue/Jericho Turnpike on the way back. The front brake (disc) started screeching, I need to align the calipers.
Using a new camera, but the 16 GB SD card wasn’t enough. I had upgraded to a 128 GB SD card in the morning, but… forgot to format it. So two hours of video is now nonexistent, erased when I did finally format the memory card correctly.

Heres video from Hempstead Turnpike last week

This is from the new camcorder:

hotbike

29 May, 2023, Memorial Day, used the Bike Cam camera to record the Glen Head parade.


25 May, 2023 rode to Roslyn and back on a bicycle, not an ebike


Today I used the ebike to get to the laundromat and back. The ebike gets me riding more. I am fatigued today.

hotbike

P



Rode to Flushing on 25A, then turned left.
Parsons Boulevard into Jamaica.