2023 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos

[Chargeride]

Three days in the rain, I was expecting a round of applause from the neighbours for rebuilding that.

First sunny day, off out on the bike.

 

[Chargeride]

What a day, jumped out of miserable, dank, rain.

Can feel the heat of the Sun on my back and look at that perfect surf.
This is about a mile from my dads house, the great waves alert is spreading, the car park is filling up.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

This is about a mile from my dads house

The postal code or place name so I can look it up on Google Maps?

 

[Chargeride]

Bantham beach devon

 

[Catalyzt]

Haven't been posting here much, because I've been doing my usual out-the-door rides, 9-16 miles, 1,000 to 1,800 feet of vertical, all stuff I've shown here before. But, I finally collected a series of angles I hadn't posted yet from various rides over the last six weeks. It's been tough with the rain and (relatively) cold weather-- I often have to time my rides for the warmest part of the day, when I'm sometimes working.

Yesterday, I was in a terrible mood, and thought, "Yeah, this is the kind of mood no ride can fix." Wrong! And I was pleasantly surprised to find I was in better shape than I usually am after I take a few weeks off (weather and wisdom tooth surgery-- I turned 65, so i guess it was time.) I guess I did get on the elliptical a lot, and take a bunch of super short but steep neighborhood rides on the kit bike with as little assistance as possible, must have helped. The first two shots are from yesterday's ride, up to the Hollywood sign-- I love the contrast of decaying industrial fences and signs and bucolic background!

Then, from the sign, I went down the trail by the reservoir. The next two shots weren't taken yesterday, but they show the same route two weeks earlier. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that not only was my stamina better than I expected, but so were my skills... just little stuff, managing formerly 12-inch drops that were more like 18 inches after the rain, avoiding target fixation where the trail had washed out (and narrowed, on the edge of a cliff) and balancing at less-than-walking speed so hikers could pass. This trail is currently still mixed use, and I'm super courteous and friendly to everyone not only just because that's how I ride generally, but because I want eBikers to always be welcome here.

The fifth shot is the climb on local roads to a nice spot overlooking Bronson Canyon (actually Brush Canyon), and the sixth is a nice angle on the sign. (This road does not lead to the sign at all, though I could hike there from this spot on trails where bikes are, wisely, not permitted.) It is really unusual to see everything so green!

 

[ruffruff]

It really depends on the weather conditions. I really hate riding in the muck and I really don’t fancy fenders though I realize that they are an absolute necessity if one wants to maintain any degree of dignity exiting the trails.

Here are a few images taken sometime around the first week of April last year while riding with a buddy on the local trails.

View attachment 150157View attachment 150158View attachment 150159

Prairie Dog, how do you like that Norco Big Foot? I ride their Sight VLT and love it.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Prairie Dog, how do you like that Norco Big Foot? I ride their Sight VLT and love it.

I love it likely just as much as you do when you’re riding the Sight which is an awesome machine in its own right. How are you liking your custom hydro dipped e-fatty? I guess I shouldn't even have to ask…Lol. Looks like the perfect ride for your hunting and ice fishing expeditions. I would have loved FS but since I only plan on riding it during the winter months, I’ll manage.

To be honest, I might have been the last person to own a fat bike but after watching so many of them pass by me on the trails during this past winter while I struggled on my emtb, I decided enough was enough.

The BF VLT1, in my humble opinion, is the right tool for the job. Riding on 37.5 x 4.5 Wrathchilds, it’s faster, nimbler and more maneuverable than my FS Levo on the winter singles on any given day. I lost track of the # of days that I missed on account of deep snow on the trails and the Levo just couldn’t cut the mustard. Well, those days are over and now I can look forward to next season when I’ll be prepared once the snow starts to fly.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

To be honest, I might have been the last person to own a fat bike but after watching so many of them pass by me on the trails during this past winter while I struggled on my emtb, I decided enough was enough.

I live in a sea of fatties of every kind imaginable here in coastal SoCal. Since I can't buy another ebike — wife would just end up with it in the resulting divorce settlement — no fatties in my foreseeable future. But the thought of riding the beaches here with nothing to worry about but the occasional kraken has a lot of appeal.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

no fatties in my foreseeable future

Be proud of it

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Be proud of it

Why? They have a place. A lot of the fatties around here appear to function as utility bikes. As with any other kind of bike, as long as they're ridden responsibly, fine by me.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Why? They have a place. A lot of the fatties around here appear to function as utility bikes. As with any other kind of bike, as long as they're ridden responsibly, fine by me.

My point was many of those fat e-bikes are actually rubbish. Unlike the Norco! (Your divorce would be guaranteed if you bought one)

 

[ruffruff]

I love my fattie. But I look at it a little differently than a lot of people. It's a tool first and a recreational bike second, so with that attitude you can't go wrong.
And with Mn winter's being 9 months long, you gotta have something to ride.

I have 4.6 Cake Eaters on it that I studded myself. I put regular studs down the center and Tri-tip on the inside and outside edges. It feels like a could climb a tree with it.

I'm excited for next month, turkey hunt in South Dakota. I'm hoping it gets me into some knarly backcountry.

 

[Prairie Dog]

I love my fattie. But I look at it a little differently than a lot of people. It's a tool first and a recreational bike second, so with that attitude you can't go wrong.
And with Mn winter's being 9 months long, you gotta have something to ride.

I have 4.6 Cake Eaters on it that I studded myself. I put regular studs down the center and Tri-tip on the inside and outside edges. It feels like a could climb a tree with it.

I'm excited for next month, turkey hunt in South Dakota. I'm hoping it gets me into some knarly backcountry.

Wow, and I thought our winters up here were long. That would certainly eat into the time I spend on the road bike. With that said, we’re still in minus double-digit conditions and with another 1-2” of snow that fell over the weekend, it still feels much like it did for the greater part of January. I was planning on riding this morning but with the temperature plunging down to -26C windchill, I think I’ll wait for a couple of hours before heading out. It looks to be a bright sunny day and that’s reason enough to ride.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

And with Mn winter's being 9 months long, you gotta have something to ride.

Ya but not in Southern California

 

[Chargeride]

Well that day at the beach didn't end as well as I would have liked, but enough of my sorrows, the back garden of this cafe has the cutest pods you can sit in away
from the weather and an awesome view of the estuary.

Considering there was such great surf, the estuary itself was flat calm, there is actually a path on the otherside you could ride back to my dads from, but you'd
have to convince the tiny ferry boat to let you put the bike on.

I love this Lifeguard station, in the summer its just full of young guards who are too cool for their boots, and they sit off like its a mini baywatch and have barbecues going with the RNL pickup parked outside with surfboards on the roof.

Drone shot, I cant go that high because Im just using my phone and it loses signal at around 100ft, which leads to tense situations as the app starts barking warnings and I havent got my glasses on and just start punching the screen in a panic.

This beach is packed with the posh set in the summer, you'll here lots of father and mummy from the kids, my best yet was a kid who was arranging damming the stream.
He was about nine years old and announced loudly there would be two teams, one called the capitalists and the other the communists and that lazy kids should join the commies.

I just love listening to them, always on the phone with very important and dire situations.

'well can't Richard do it, he's quite the whizz with fused pancreas....Tarquin, Tarquin, the pointy bit goes at the front.
Sorry, my eldest , he'll never make the rowing team.'

I thought it would be fun to ride through the rocks, they were a slippy as greased icecubes, but I felt very adventurous.

Heres a digital zoom shot from my cheap phone, thats the Art Deco hotel I've filmed a lot.

I wont go into it, but the bike conked out and I had to ride it all the way back up, which brought me close to that wall thing marathon runners hit.
It was horrendous with a huge backup of vehicles behind me doing 2mph like me. I had to squeeze into the hedge to let them all pass.

I made it, went home and slept for 12 hours
One hill and I was knackered.
Seriously, I need to start pedalling a bit more.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Devon looks beautiful in your photos, ChargeRideRepeat!

 

[Mulezen]

The new owner has spruced up the place and just put this herd in place.

 

[ruffruff]

The new owner has spruced up the place and just put this herd in place.
View attachment 150414

 

[Mulezen]

I love Corb…his song about the vet’s medicine bag was a favorite with the boys at Orange Livestock. I agree with the song but unfortunately will not have cattle this year. Recent health problems related to a tick will do away with my tax break…and waste my greening pastures. So let another Canadian sing my woe

 

[Mulezen]

i rode further than yesterday (11miles) and a bit more energetically. I felt over-dressed standing in the sunshine of my yard but soon I hit the open main road and was struck by a discouraging cool wind that wasn't supposed to be there. It abated at the first bend. By the time I passed Miz Hick's goats I was warming and breathing easier.