2025 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos

[Chazmo]

Yesterday's 18 mi ride with neighbor D started with...

Me: "Where to?"
D: "You pick."
Me: "How about the Solar System Trail to the volcano?"
D: "Fine."
And off we went. Then it struck me: Where else could you be serious about that question?


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OK, OK, the volcano's been extinct for some 8-15 million years. And little more than its plug remains, the rest long lost to erosion.

Disappointed that it's not active? Not me. I've had some training in volcanology. Hard not to notice the many gruesome and often unexpected ways an active volcano can do you in. Trust me, the only good volcano to have this close to home is a dead one.

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When this dacite lava froze up in the throat of the volcano after its final eruption, it broke into the roughly hexagonal vertical columns seen here. The technical name for this contractional cooling phenomenon is "columnar jointing".

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The poster child for columnar jointing is everybody's favorite volcanic plug — Devils Tower in Wyoming. (Photo stolen from the web.)

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This prominent local peak is formally Cerro de la Calavera, with Calavera Lake below. But many locals call it "Calavera volcano" or just "the volcano". A dozen or so volcanos of this type and vintage dot western SoCal south of LA.

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Lots of easy gravel riding right around Calavera Lake, but you'd need an MTB to climb higher.

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Wasn't making up the solar system part, either. This favorite local MUP, 3 mi long, is flattish gravel and packed dirt below, then steep pavement up to lake level.

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Nicely done signs along the MUP tell about the Sun and planets, with the Sun at the top. The planet signs are spaced in proportion to their actual distances from the sun.

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Only a few bike lengths from the sun to Mercury.

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Huge jump in sign spacing after Mars. Sorry asteroids, no sign for you.

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Surprisingly long ride from Uranus to Neptune.

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And much longer still from Neptune to Pluto. Maybe Pluto was still a planet when the signs were made. Or maybe the folks responsible were just Pluto die-hards.

By the way, Jeremy, did you ever see the movie “Paul?” Devil’s tower gets some good play in that one.

Very cool about the solar system walk. I don’t think there’s anything like that out my way. That extinct volcano is way cool too. Did you ride on that (can you)? Looks pretty steep/intense unless they did some switchbacks somewhere around it...

 

[Mulezen]

I was invited to this, my friend went with his entire Welsh pub barflys to Benidorm in Spain, which is ground zero for the stereotype of the fat British drunk, they have turned it into little Britain and little USA it seems.
This was during the blackout.
He drove there in his brand new Mustang
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Jeremy Clarksons pub on the way home.

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Somebody stole my tractor…and washed it

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

By the way, Jeremy, did you ever see the movie “Paul?” Devil’s tower gets some good play in that one.

Thanks, I'll check it out!

Very cool about the solar system walk. I don’t think there’s anything like that out my way.

Sage Creek High School sits at the bottom of the MUP. The solar system signage was added through an Eagle Scout project by one of the students, an astronomy buff. The kid raised the money and had a big hand in the design. Cool indeed.

That extinct volcano is way cool too. Did you ride on that (can you)? Looks pretty steep/intense unless they did some switchbacks somewhere around it...

Maps show a whole network of single-tracks on and around the volcano but no clear switchbacks. Have only laid eyes on two.

The one from dam to summit is full-on MTB territory — very steep and rocky, but I've seen MTBs coming off the bottom. Plan to hike it one day.

The other crosses an ecological preserve open only to hikers. Have yet to explore other approaches but doubt my low-power gravel bike would make it the top on any of them.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Why I Wouldn't Buy A Full Suspension e-MTB Again

A 2020 Giant Trance E+ 2 Pro I borrowed from Jacek for Sudovia Gravel race to occur on May 17th, 2025.

Make no mistake: the FS e-MTB shines in difficult terrain. Sand, tree roots or other unpleasantries won't stop the Monster. However, it is a climber and a downhill ride. The more hills en route the better. That is the reason I chose the Giant for the gravel race to be held in Sudovian Mountains, which are very high and steep sand dunes resembling real mountains. There is nothing flat there, ascent, descent, ascent and so on. 14% grade climbs are not unusual. The majority of the race is on premium gravel but even that surface is sandy because of the drought, especially on the corners terminating steep and fast descents. A technical singletrack is included as well. While a slow e-bike, Monster will certainly make it up on the climbs and descents! Whenever I would be confronted with a rocky downhill ride (which happens there), I would just drop the seat and do it as a proper MTB-er

However... FS e-MTB is not the right type for the flatland, especially asphalt. It feels slow and is power hungry if a decent speed is to be kept. (There is some love & hate relationship between me and FS e-MTBs)

Now, the next and silly issue. My Wahoo cannot communicate properly with Monster! The GPS bike computer needs to connect to as many as three logical sensors from the e-bike. My Wahoo works seamlessly with Specialized e-bikes but cannot pick up the LEV Battery Level % data from Giant! Making my Wahoo useless in this case. The same e-bike works flawlessly with Garmin Edge.

So I ordered a Garmin Edge 540
--------------
Trance has now 25,000+ km on the odometer. Jacek has made the motor re-haul himself! I got the e-bike in perfect shape. I love the 12-speed drivetrain, which forces me to pedal at a high cadence (I enjoy it!) Only the shifter is kinda funny: even if it is a Shimano, it works only by pushing the levers (not pulling one of them), making it similar to SRAM shifters. Strange but true.

 

[Chazmo]

Why I Wouldn't Buy A Full Suspension e-MTB Again

View attachment 193118
View attachment 193119
A 2020 Giant Trance E+ 2 Pro I borrowed from Jacek for Sudovia Gravel race to occur on May 17th, 2025.

Make no mistake: the FS e-MTB shines in difficult terrain. Sand, tree roots or other unpleasantries won't stop the Monster. However, it is a climber and a downhill ride. The more hills en route the better. That is the reason I chose the Giant for the gravel race to be held in Sudovian Mountains, which are very high and steep sand dunes resembling real mountains. There is nothing flat there, ascent, descent, ascent and so on. 14% grade climbs are not unusual. The majority of the race is on premium gravel but even that surface is sandy because of the drought, especially on the corners terminating steep and fast descents. A technical singletrack is included as well. While a slow e-bike, Monster will certainly make it up on the climbs and descents! Whenever I would be confronted with a rocky downhill ride (which happens there), I would just drop the seat and do it as a proper MTB-er

However... FS e-MTB is not the right type for the flatland, especially asphalt. It feels slow and is power hungry if a decent speed is to be kept. (There is some love & hate relationship between me and FS e-MTBs)

Now, the next and silly issue. My Wahoo cannot communicate properly with Monster! The GPS bike computer needs to connect as many as three logical sensors from the e-bike. My Wahoo works seamlessly with Specialized e-bikes but cannot pick up the LEV Battery Level % data from Giant! Making my Wahoo useless in this case. The same e-bike works flawlessly with Garmin Edge.

So I ordered a Garmin Edge 540
--------------
Trance has now 25,000+ km on the odometer. Jacek has made the motor re-haul himself! I got the e-bike in perfect shape. I love the 12-speed drivetrain, which forces me to pedal at a high cadence (I enjoy it!) Only the shifter is kinda funny: even it is a Shimano, it works only by pushing the levers (not pulling one of them), making it similar to SRAM shifters. Strange but true.

Looks like a sweet ride, Stefan. Good luck with your upcoming race.

Just out of curiosity, how do you race with e-bikes…? I mean, are there Watt-hour limitations for a given race, or is this purely a matter of which bike has the most power and/or which rider handles the most technical stuff (if there is any) best?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Just out of curiosity, how do you race with e-bikes…? I mean, are there Watt-hour limitations for a given race, or is this purely a matter of which bike has the most power and/or which rider handles the most technical stuff (if there is any) best?

The true e-Sprint gravel race is a relatively a new thing here. The format is only kept for Gravel.Love triad of races because the organizers are both XC e-bikers and traditional gravel cyclists. (These two guys have been recently testing a Levo 4 and the latest Scott Patron on technical singletracks for their YT channel).

The general Rule is: "Only production, 25 km/h cut-out e-bikes with the original battery are allowed. No DIY". Now, the Wh limitation is fuzzy. The rule "with the original battery" is dishonest because a Vado SL has a 320 Wh battery but a latest e-MTB comes with an 800 Wh one! Therefore, the organizers close their eye for a spare battery; if you had too many spare batteries, it would become too heavy!

Now, how the competition can be done at all? Well. It is not just riding asphalt roads. A gravel race has some dynamics, and is by no means a piece of cake. A strong experienced rider has a bigger chance to win, especially as full power e-bikes have a similar maximum motor power. Let me give you some examples:

• Great Lakes Gravel 2024 with 5 contenders was won by an experienced female riding a powerful e-MTB with a big battery. However, a guy riding a Vado SL with 2 Range Extenders was close to win the race, only he stopped for a couple of minutes en route!
• Sudovia Gravel 2024 had only two e-bikers. My competitor had a weaker e-bike than I but had strong legs. He would have won had he not lost his pannier! (He was punished by his lack of experience).

Some pictures from Sudovia Gravel.

 

[Mulezen]

lubricated knee

finally got in to see the Ortho guy about my knee last Friday. I think he gave me extra cortisone because he wants to hunt on my land.
I did have a pleasant ten miles on the road...lots of bluebirds

 

[Watana Bob]

Somebody stole my tractor…and washed it

Kinda looks like an old Ford 8n or 9n? My Dad had a 9n when I was growing up that he used on his small farm.

 

[JGcycle]

A few pics from today's 28km ride to the Spruce Lake trail. There are some new additions to the "log art" family:

 

[Watana Bob]

Nothing like springtime in the north! Love that log art.

 

[RabH]

Back in the saddle after a 5 day break, my last ride really wiped me out with that 30mph headwind for almost 60 miles! Once again it was windy but only around 20mph this time, it was a glorious day though with a perfect temp around 16C! I made my way NE over the back roads to Falkirk, stopping for photos on the way of course!

The Campsie and Ochill Hills are way in the distance!

I enjoyed the big descent down into Glenn Village again!

The Ochill Hills were totally free of clouds for once, I hit 41.6mph down the steep part of the descent with no help from the wind as it was in my face surprisingly!

I then turned east passing through Hallglen and Brightons and then north to Polmont, then east again towards Linlithgow! I was in 2 minds about going through the town but I decided to chance it and it paid off as it wasn't busy for once! I continued east towards Bridgend, grabbing photos as the opportunities came along!

Before reaching Bridgend I decided to turn off the main road to visit the canal at Philpstoun for a few photos!

Looking west along the union canal!

Now looking east!

The fields to the south!

I then rejoined the main road and reached Bridgend where I turned south and tackled the big climb up to Kingscavil, then I turned west towards Beecraigs Country Park and stopped for more photos!

I chose to avoid the climb up to the country park but I braved the Burnhouse road climb, its all ups and downs though and so much fun!

The start of the climb and the steepest part is just out of view, for some strange reason my Wahoo gps didn't pick up the climb until after the steepest part at 18%!

The next climb!

The road then flattens for a bit!

Another opportunity for some nice photos

Then the big descent down into Dechmont!

Near the bottom now!

The Pentalnd Hills were also free of cloud and looked amazing!

From Dechmont I headed SW directly into the wind now, using the cycle paths as much as possible to avoid the busy main road! Back on the main road for a short time at Whitburn before rejoining the cycle path to Harthill and then over the back road to Shotts and up the big climb to Kirk of Shotts! As usual I took the back road to Hareshaw part way up the climb, always a highlight of my ride as its just the perfect cycling road even into the wind like today! Finally over the back roads to home and I arrived home buzzing after a fantastic day on the bike!Its amazing how much easier it is into a 20mph headwind compared to a 30mph headwind...I'm not wiped out this time! My yearly total is now 2514 miles from 33 rides, the good weather looks set to continue so I'm hoping to get out again on Friday all going well!

 

[Chargeride]

Why I Wouldn't Buy A Full Suspension e-MTB Again

View attachment 193118
View attachment 193119
A 2020 Giant Trance E+ 2 Pro I borrowed from Jacek for Sudovia Gravel race to occur on May 17th, 2025.

Make no mistake: the FS e-MTB shines in difficult terrain. Sand, tree roots or other unpleasantries won't stop the Monster. However, it is a climber and a downhill ride. The more hills en route the better. That is the reason I chose the Giant for the gravel race to be held in Sudovian Mountains, which are very high and steep sand dunes resembling real mountains. There is nothing flat there, ascent, descent, ascent and so on. 14% grade climbs are not unusual. The majority of the race is on premium gravel but even that surface is sandy because of the drought, especially on the corners terminating steep and fast descents. A technical singletrack is included as well. While a slow e-bike, Monster will certainly make it up on the climbs and descents! Whenever I would be confronted with a rocky downhill ride (which happens there), I would just drop the seat and do it as a proper MTB-er

However... FS e-MTB is not the right type for the flatland, especially asphalt. It feels slow and is power hungry if a decent speed is to be kept. (There is some love & hate relationship between me and FS e-MTBs)

Now, the next and silly issue. My Wahoo cannot communicate properly with Monster! The GPS bike computer needs to connect to as many as three logical sensors from the e-bike. My Wahoo works seamlessly with Specialized e-bikes but cannot pick up the LEV Battery Level % data from Giant! Making my Wahoo useless in this case. The same e-bike works flawlessly with Garmin Edge.

So I ordered a Garmin Edge 540
--------------
Trance has now 25,000+ km on the odometer. Jacek has made the motor re-haul himself! I got the e-bike in perfect shape. I love the 12-speed drivetrain, which forces me to pedal at a high cadence (I enjoy it!) Only the shifter is kinda funny: even if it is a Shimano, it works only by pushing the levers (not pulling one of them), making it similar to SRAM shifters. Strange but true.

I just know Stefan is going to give it back.
' I have made a critical modification'.
Is that a bead seat cover?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

' I have made a critical modification'.
Is that a bead seat cover?

Huh?

 

[Chazmo]

View attachment 193127

Back in the saddle after a 5 day break, my last ride really wiped me out with that 30mph headwind for almost 60 miles! Once again it was windy but only around 20mph this time, it was a glorious day though with a perfect temp around 16C! I made my way NE over the back roads to Falkirk, stopping for photos on the way of course!
. . .

Looks like it was a spectacular day for a ride!

 

[Mulezen]

Kinda looks like an old Ford 8n or 9n? My Dad had a 9n when I was growing up that he used on his small farm.

I’d agree with you but…my nickname at the stockyard was ‘City Slicker’. I never had a dog when this crew showed up with a donkey.

 

[stompandgo]

Looks like a pretty ride. So green. We're not there yet here.

Interesting way to mount your MTX 2.0 trunk bag.

 

[Chargeride]

Huh?

They dont make one so the joke kinda collapsed

 

[Chargeride]

An absolutely splendid ride in the scorching heat, jumping back and forth over the ship canal, over the swing and high bridges, I have never been here, know nothing of it and its
just stunning.

Endless locks and a mixture of old and new canal side terrace and retro modern apartments all over run by ducks.

Some led directly to very busy little villages

Very busy, but super urban trendy, coffee, cake and 200mg of nitrous oxide

When its not a swing bridge, they have to build high to clear the tankers,

Cutest fish and chip shop with nowhere to park

I'm not good with heights and this felt proper exposed.

Its unbelievable that its still in working order and carrying traffic, there are suicide helplines at both ends

To complete the feeling of being in industrial land there's this disused railway bridge, made by a blacksmith and a brickie.

The cycle path goes over the ship sized locks.

Just a few minutes later and you are relieved from brutalist Victorian structures, but that structure in the distance is the main M6 motorway that connects north and south England.

A private nature reserve protected by a moat, you need to pay a monthly fee to access through a locked gate on the bridge.

There are many illegal paths to the edge of the moat, I tried this one that quickly turned into Jurassic Park, I carved through them until it turned boggy

After meandering alongside the edge of the river for miles this beautiful bridge takes you back to the correct side to re enter the town of Warrington

The Transporter bridge is one of only three left in the UK and getting to it is along walk or a crazy cheeky bike ride through farmers fields , down into a river bed, through
overgrown paths complete with a giant Hogwart warning, its incredible they built this just to transport supplies between two factories.

The whole day was magical and almost entirely on cycle paths, of course now I need to continue to Manchester

 

[Mulezen]

Fine May morning in Oilville, Virginia. I pushed my knee...then limped later in the grocery store...but the twelve miles of greenery was worth it if only to give the finger to my local nemesis "Alvis Farms" who were hauling their crop (alfalfa?) back to home base. I met their big truck on the last few hundred yards on my road home...close call. The shorn field is their work, the barn and field someone else. Saw the car in a parking lot at the post office.

 

[Chazmo]

They dont make one so the joke kinda collapsed

And it’s a good thing! I can’t see this doing any good whatsoever on a bike saddle!