jamesdak 

Went out on my normal route this morning after a day off yesterday. Took out the Merckx Corsa 01 figuring to finally see what it could do. Wound up having a bad ride and really had nothing in the legs today. I also almost got totally messed up today when I was trying yet again to use the bike path. Came up over a little rise and saw a horse trailer parked on the path about 100 yards ahead. Two other riders were going by it at the time where there seemed to be about a foot of clearance. So I figured to just go by like them and was moving about 20 mph since it was now a slight downhill. The ramp was down on the horse trailer and at the last moment I saw the lock bar from the ramp sticking out to the side right at face level. Locked up the brakes like fast!! Man if I hadn't seen that I wouldn't be posting this for sure. Freaking idiots! Anyway, screw trying not to anger the motorist by riding the trail. That's the last time I'm getting on there. There's always some kind of dangerous situation.

Then on the return leg I got passed by two different groups of club riders, nine riders in all.....shameful. I can't remember the last time that's happened. And I'm not blaming it on the knee replacement either (well, sorta not) I was just totally without any power today. And I did see several of them with Intermountain gear on some maybe so of the team riders that should be passing my old butt, LOL!

Anyway, despite the issues it was a beautiful morning out. I just didn't do the Merckx justice.

Only grabbed a couple of pics of the bike today, sorry.





Oh, and the clamp on the Fizik seatpost came loose on me right as I entered the one long stretch on the return leg and was pushing into the lower 20's. Had to stop and fix it. Turns out it was the "creaking handlebars/stem" I was hearing early in the ride. Funny how sounds migrate on a bike, LOL!

droppedandlost 

Beautiful day. Did some single track and gravel on my newly built 1974 Sekine SHS 271. 10sp 105 36/26 -- 11-28 and 38mm tires. (monstercross?)

darkmoon

Weekend rec ride.

Mt. Fuji view point.
As you guys expected, I couldn't see it again!
The skies were overcast.
Oh, my!





But, I found a favorite flower, nozenkazura, trumpet creeper, Campsis grandiflora.
The color is Molteni orange, a bit pinkish, hahaha.
Strictly speaking, Japan's variety and America's variety are different.
Our trumpet creeper is of Chinese origin.
For Japanese, trumpet creeper is a flower of tsuyu rainy season, same as holly hock.

jamesdak 

Rode around Eden today sorting out the Krapf and Olmo bikes.

Pompiere

I rode a metric century on the Fuji S12-S LTD. That is the longest ride I have done on the bike and it performed well. The Portage River Tour goes from Elmore to Rudolph, Ohio and back, following the Portage River. I was trying to beat the storms, so I didn't take any pictures along the way. Luckily, the wind was light on the way out, and I had a tailwind coming back. I did get a lot of nice complements on the bike.

1981 Fuji S12-S LTD

RiddleOfSteel

Rode my newly-completed '81 Trek 715 in a big loop around where I live now. 43.5 miles yesterday afternoon, which was over 30 more than the longest ride this year, let alone in at least 9 months (since I moved down here). Muscles et al were TIRED. Definitely pushed my out of shape self. Gorgeous day for a ride, and finally ok for me to do so thanks to subsiding allergies. Took a couple of photos on the way to St. Paul. I could smell the growing strawberries as I rode along--amazing! And as much as I was sort of accidentally testing myself, I was testing the bike, which had all of about half a mile of test ride on it as-built. The saddle will need angle adjustment for sure, and I snugged the left shift lever D-ring to hold its gear when out of the saddle, but otherwise, the Trek was sublime. So freaking smooth over nice and not-as-nice pavement. Steering was pure and easily executed. Shifting was butter smooth and silent in the back. Straight line tracking was on the money--don't think I've ever ridden a bike so dedicated to not wanting to snake around up front, even when tired. Out of saddle was a dance, but we figured each other out pretty easily. The fact that it rode so well was a big motivating factor to make it the final 17 miles home against a headwind and already pretty fatigued (but well hydrated). My hands did not like the "classic" bar and brake lever setup as they went numb in certain places. They're good for 12-15 miles and then complain. I won't be changing the bike as I have others with modern bar/lever ergonomics. Still. Being reminded that I am not two years younger, let alone ten. Knees are talking to me a little today, but did very well on the ride--the 170mm cranks being nicer to them (in ways) than 175s.

A feller finds a Feller (Road!). More seriously, this was the nicest road I rode. Part of my riding was also future ride recon. I may be out of the suburbs, but the trailing off zone from suburb/exurb to rural (farm)land seems to be plenty full of nervous 55mph roads/highways that connect a small town to those outer suburbs or interstate. Many of my perceptions of these roads, when driven in my car, were confirmed on bike. Nearly every driver was neutral or courteous, and having ridden for years in the city, I rode these roads smartly and it went well. Normally, today's cities/city driving environments, IMO, are a bit harried for a friction shift and single pivot brake affair, but country riding is a lot more forgiving. A modern setup would have been nice for my not-in-form self, but the '81 as-is acquitted itself quite well.



It looked more amazing (and open) in real life. Finally got to ride some farmland and moo back at the cows. Also greatly aided my mental acuity--strange how exercise does that...must be why we build and ride!?!?

Bergz

I was wanting to ride on the days closest to the winter solstice but wet weather prevented me. Got a ride yesterday and today.
Roads are covered in mud because farmers are driving their tractors over them while feeding out to stock. Mud gets flung off the tires and sprays onto my bike.... can't complain, at least I can still ride.

botty kayer

I've been watching the Giro for years dreaming of riding some of those iconic roads, and I'm finally here. I've been in Italy for 5 days, but the forum has been borked so I've been unable to post any pics, so you've missed out on some lovely photos I did riding up to Lake Cancano and the truly beautiful ride up and down the Gavia Pass.

As normal forum service seems to have resumed, for now at least, I'll share some pics of yesterdays ride up the big one, the Stelvio Pass.

This is a world famous pass and regarded as one of the best driving/riding roads in the world, so I avoided riding it at the weekend as it was likely too busy. I waited until Monday morning and left my apartment in Bormio at 6.30am to beat the worst of the heat and the traffic, which turned out to be a great move.

There is seemingly no flat roads anywhere here, you are either going up, or down, with nothing in between, so its hard going compared to cycling around London which is my usual stomping ground. I'd always have a vague calculation that climbing 1000 ft of elevation every 10 miles was considered alpine, but riding here so far its been closer to double that elevation in the same distance, which has at times made me regret every cake and chocolate I've ever made.

The suffering is offset by how god damn beautiful it is here in the mountains. Leaving sleepy Bormio behind its upwards from the off, I inch slowly up the valley with just the sound of birds tweeting and the burble of mountain streams, and the weather is perfect.

I then start encountering things for which the Giro is famous which make me more and more excited, the hairpins begin, and then there's my first tunnel, yay, rear light turned on to make myself seen, even though there's nobody out to see me it seems. The road winds through here and up the mountain above where my bike is parked.

A new and familiar noise is now added to the soundscape, cow bells, now I know I'm in the mountains...

Up and up I go, and still its amazingly quiet.

I feel like I've climbed a lot already, you'd think I'd be nearly there when as you look out and most of the view is below me...

....but no, a sign at this point reminds me I've still got 9km, 26 hairpins and nearly 2700 feet of elevation still to ride, Lord have mercy.

The few cyclists I see, we share no common language, but there's friendly waves and thumbs up, we share a love of cycling and its clear this is a bucket list ride for all of us, its hard but its joyous, and the suffering cannot stop the smiles. Onward and upward...

Above the tree line, no shelter and the sun is beating. 5km to go and though the road has flattened there's a howling headwind on this section so it sure does not feel like a rest. The only company I have here and the marmots.

The last 2km the road kicks up to 12% and the air here is noticeably thinner, so its a real grind. My lowest gear is 39/30 but I'm looking down wishing the bike had more gears to give, but the end is in sight so its time to dig in.

I make it to the summit, at 9050 feet its the highest road I've ever ridden and the hardest climb I've done, it feels like the top of the world. For such an amazing ride through deserted countryside its a bit of a disappointment to find the top of the Stelvio is a cheesy resort selling tacky key rings and t-shirts and wildly overpriced drinks. And its starting to get busy, so I don't hang around, I literally flop into a snow drift to cool off and take a pic of the of the descent down into Switzerland, but I've not got my passport on me today, so I'm not going don this way, but what a feat of engineering this road is.

And then comes the best bit, the way back down. I've bought a Gopro up so I film the entire descent, and hope to edit all my Italian descents into a mini movie when I'm back in the UK, but suffice to say the descent was also the best I've ever done. I overtook vans, cars and even a motorbike on the way down, and reached 52mph, exhilarating is an understatement, I was literally buzzing with adrenaline for about an hour afterwards. What an amazing ride in an amazing place, oh Italy I love you, its heaven on two wheels.

jamesdak 

^Amazing!!!!

darkmoon

botty kayer, thanks for the great pics.

Giro 1975, the last stage, the goal was the Stelvio pass.
The real summit finish.




And Alfa Romeo Stelvio, TV cf.

botty kayer

darkmoon cool pics, thankfully I had better weather than they did in 1975. I was only 3 then so obviously don't remember that.

And I absolutely love old Lancia's and Alfa's so I've been on the look out for them too. The only one I've seen so far is the same as the one in your pic, and it was in amazing condition for its age, a lovely piece of Italian style

MooneyBloke

Not far enough. I had planned to do the typical 63km loop on Michigan's Old Mission peninsula. I think every rider 'round these parts has done that ride at least a few hundred times. My rear tire had other plans. Only 3km out, and I flatted. I decided not to test my luck switching bikes, and I have a patched tire awaiting sewing and gluing. Grrrrr....

majmt 

Great write-up botty kayer

I love this thread.

Dirt Road Blues 

For the sake of transparency, the ride pictured here didn't take place today, Rather, it took place on June 21. Or Summer Solstice of 2023

I had just finished a build two days prior. After completing the build, the bike was given a quick shakedown through the neighborhood to check for needed adjustments and such. The next afternoon I loaded the bike onto the carrier that our public busses are equipped with, and rode the bus 60 miles up HWY 126 to its last stop at the McKenzie Ranger Station which is right near the lower McKenzie River Trail head. From there I pedaled a 20 mile round trip of single track which followed closely along the McKenzie River through old growth forest, and over roots, and rocks which appeared more often than not. Not a long ride for many, but the longest ride of my life so far, and my first legitimate ride off pavement. Temps reached 80 degrees that day, but you wouldn't have known that for the cool shade of big leaf maple, cedar, and douglas fir. Humans were scarce. Stoneflies were plenty. Chipmunks. Jay birds. Wild trout. A bald eagle. Foliage. Fungus. Rock. Sweet, clean air. Cold, clear water. And the sound of tires on dirt.

Building a bike that could handle such a day trip as this one has been goal sitting on the back burner for a few years now. The feeling of accomplishment that came with actualizing it was, and still is very pleasing. The experience has also rekindled my interest in bicycles, and a love for nature. It broke the depressing rut I was in for not having left the city boundaries in five years. Because of this, I'm reminded that life is still good.

thinktubes 

No riding until the smoke goes away - worst air quality on the globe for the last few days.

curbtender

Feel for you guys. Hoping this heat wave coming up doesn't bring on the big fires.

botty kayer

Yesterday I drove over to the Dolomites for a bit of an explore here for a few days. There is a common theme between here and the Italian Alps, there is seemingly no flat road anywhere! My 50 year old bones and muscles prefer a warm up, but here they've not been getting one. I did a 44 mle ride today that crammed in nearly 7000 feet of climbing, and only 1 of those miles was flat.

Thankfully the views are a distraction from hamstrings that felt like the strings on one of Sea Sick Steve's home made banjos. Leaving the pretty town of Canazei the road rises inevitably upwards.

Its easy to see why this area is as much of a rock climbing mecca as it is a cycling one.

Almost every turn prompts a new "WOW!"

And the views from the top are fantastic in every direction.



I do a few km descent from here, and then turn off for another climb before a lovely 6 mile descent, before heading up part of the Passo Campolongo....



...before turning off for a descent to the bottom of my last big climb of the day, the Passo Pordoi. I really liked this climb as it had a steady gradient of about 7% that climbs up for about 6.5 miles through lush greenery and wild flowers, and gets increasingly rocky and imposing as you near the top.

...to be continued....

botty kayer

....continued...


At the top of the Pordoi they have Italian and 2 time Giro D'Italia winner Gilberto Simoni's race bike set in stone.....

....which bears an inscription which translated into English reads "reaching your dreams by climbing a mountain is the most beautiful victory"

Its been my dream to cycle DOWN these mountains rather than up, but as I don't have a team car or bus driving me to the top, I've got to grunt up there myself, but getting up these mountains does feel like a victory. It was well worth the heavy breathing as the descent from here....

.......back to Canazei was amazing. Really technical it was 9km of constant sweeping corners and hairpins, I was overtaking traffic again and got to the bottom with a frozen on grin like Batman's nemesis the Joker.

Another fabulous days cycling. Italy, the gift that keeps giving. Allegedly the Lord made the world in 6 days, and then came back on the 7th and made Italy for us cyclists.

Schweinhund

In F**k**g credible.

darkmoon

5-star pics and comments.
Thanks a million!

thinktubes 

Yeah--ah--let me have a Three Musketeers, ah, and a ball point pen, a comb, a pint of Old Harper, a drive to the Dolomites, a couple of flashlight batteries and some of this beef jerky.

Great pics botty kayer !

cooperryder

Just 15 miles today on my Gary Fisher converted for urban riding.

I'm really enjoying it set up this way with raised stem and swept back style handlebar.

The Continental Contact Urban tires are plump and smooth out the ride.

Summer heat in afternoons is a real issue so I try to finish a ride by noon.

JacekM

Two hours on my dream Nagasawa with my Borzoi

Spaghetti Legs 

botty kayer great pics as always and thanks for posting. What camera are you using?

On a decidedly less dramatic note, I've had riding curtailed by smoke here; AQI remaining stubbornly in the red zone. It was bike riding for errands only and included picking up some aluminum strip to replace the broken internal frame on my Berthoud bag reported earlier in this thread. I found the perfect size metal except for it's about 4 feet too long. I managed to get it home though and the bag is now back up and running.




My bike miles have been low as I was on vacation in Ireland. It was a reprise of our honeymoon (on bikes) in 1996. I couldn't get the family to agree to ride bikes this time and probably good thing as the roads were way, way more packed with cars than back then.



Only bike I was on for a week.

Castle Minard near Dingle with my bride the only person around.

This time a regular stream of tourists and visitors to the small beach with a car park off to the right. The castle itself is roped off as unsafe to explore, whereas I walked around inside in 1996

A very clearly labeled display at the Guinness Tour.

1989Pre 

A little over 50 miles for me today on the Moser. Brunswick to Greene and back.
https://www.mapmyride.com/routes/vie...ite/2264392699
It was cool (70F) and over-cast, so I hardly needed any water. I brought 63oz. What a difference when I don't have the sun bearing down on me! I was still pretty fresh at the end. A little bit of haze or mist over Sabattus Pond: