2026 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos

[stompandgo]

Since the Allroad is still being repaired, I rode the Dogma for a short ride to the beach and back. 33 miles, low 60's and windy. The way back took some effort.

On the way back, I caught a farmer finishing up his cranberry haul.

We don't get a lot of fall tree foliage down here. There's mostly hemlock, scrub pine, and red and white oak. Not a lot of maples or otherwise.

 

[EMGX]

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The weather gods finally smiled on me today and I finally got the chance to test my refurb motor on my Giant, its like riding a new bike again and it transported me back to 2018 when I purchased this amazing bike! I was planning to head SE for Peebles today but the forecast took a bit of a dip overnight and it was looking much more promising to the NE so I decided to head to Kinghorn instead! Earlier this month I took my new Dolan on its first 100 miler to Burntisland and I did the anticlockwise route, so today I did the clockwise route and gave the Giant a proper test and it passed with flying colours! The E bike Motor Centre really did a fantastic job, I can't recommend them highly enough!

I passed the Black Loch at Limerigg and stopped for this photo, the light was amazing at 8am! Sadly the sun was short lived though...

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I shot down the descent into Glen Village at almost 43mph, I will never tire of this incredible road! Just my luck though as I turned the bend after the steep part a 40ft truck and trailer was reversing into a farm, my brakes got a good test! My next stop was at the Kelpies in Grangemouth, the sun was just clinging on now and made for a couple of very nice photos of the canal!

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I then crossed the Kincardine Bridge into Fife and headed north, then east towards Oakley before turning north again on the amazing back road to Forestmill where I grabbed a few photos! I had to be careful though as there was a lot of debris strewn across the road after Storm Boelo!

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This is a tough climb but no problem for the powerful Giant!

View attachment 217090I was now heading east towards Saline with some big climbs ahead of me, eco setting on the Giant is like level 3 on the Dolan and I made it up the first climb in eco before having to use level 2 for the steeper part up through Saline! The road flattens at Steelend before ramping up again to Upper Steelend, I wonder how they came up with that name? I continued east and enjoyed some amazing descents on the road to Kelty, the descent down into Kelty itself is incredible but soon after I faced this climb!

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I needed level 3 to get up that one! Before starting up the climb I stopped for these photos, the goat was really eyeing me up...

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The Shetland pony was more interested in the grass!

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From Kelty I headed south through Hill of Beath and Crossgates before turning east towards Mossmorran, I was looking forward to the descent from here which is a really fast one and it didn't disappoint! I then had this tough climb before the amazing descent down into Burntisland!

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The Firth of Forth with the Pentland Hills in the background!

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I walked up a steep hill to get this photo of the descent down into Burntisland! I was close to 40mph all the way down, I have been way quicker down this one but the wind was a bit swirly here so I was taking it easy! It wasn't a blustery day for once thankfully, just 15-20mph and mainly from the south!

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From Burntisland I continued east up the climb into Kinghorn, where I passed Kinghorn Loch!

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I was now at my turning point and enjoyed a nice descent down into Kinghorn Village!

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The road takes you back into Burntisland and passes beautiful Pettycur Bay!

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I then had a big climb on the road to Aberdour but soon I would have the 16% descent to enjoy down into Aberdour! I stopped for a couple of photos before the descent, looking across the Forth!

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From Aberdour I continued west towards Inverkeithing, where I stopped for lunch before heading south over the Forth Road Bridge! A few photos on the way over!

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I was now heading west towards Newton and then turned south for Winchburgh, I had a nice view of the Pentlands on the way!

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I was using the cycle path through Winchburgh when I spotted this little loch that has no name!

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I continued west to Threemiletown and turned south towards Uphall before heading west for Beecraigs Country Park and then south on the amazing Burnhouse road down into Dechmont! I stopped for a couple of photos on the way!

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Burnhouse road is full of ups and downs and the final descent into Dechmont is incredible!

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I then headed west towards Bathgate but decided to turn north and take the road to Torphicen, it starts with a massive climb but I had the breeze at my back all the way up! Its such a great road and very undulating after the climb, the final descent is very fast but very twisty also and with leaves on the road I had to keep my speed right down! I took my last photos near Torphicen, what a great road for a bike!

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I then enjoyed the descent from Torphicen to Westfield and then tackled the big climb up over Heights and then the awesome descent down into Blackridge, my gps showed 95 miles as I passed through Blackridge with 9 miles to home! I arrived home absolutely buzzing but totally spent after a tough but incredible days cycling! The bike is just incredible with the refurb motor, very smooth indeed and very different to the Polini motor in my Dolan! The Yamaha has a sort of gentle whine and the Polini more of a whirring sound! Both bikes are fantastic but at the moment the Giant is slightly ahead in the fun department, probably due to having 3 batteries at my disposal though! The Dolan handles the rough roads so much better due to the carbon frame and forks! Having only ridden it 4 times so far its hard to do a proper comparison just yet!

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Beautiful pictures/scenery as always.
Do you carry more than one battery on your long rides?

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Since the Allroad is still being repaired, I rode the Dogma for a short ride to the beach and back. 33 miles, low 60's and windy. The way back took some effort.

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On the way back, I caught a farmer finishing up his cranberry haul.

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We don't get a lot of fall tree foliage down here. There's mostly hemlock, scrub pine, and red and white oak. Not a lot of maples or otherwise.

That's your gorgeous Dogma X, right? Don't recall hearing how you like it. Details, please!

 

[Chargeride]

Berm Peak haxx Turbo Levo to play Mario, the age of reverse engineering is upon us.

 

[RabH]

Congrats on successfully resuscitating the Giant! So glad it worked out well.

Cheers Dave, I'm over the moon about it! Not literally...

Beautiful pictures/scenery as always.
Do you carry more than one battery on your long rides?

Thank you, yes I carry 3 when doing over 100 at this time of year!

@stompandgo That Pinarello is gorgeous!

 

[JGcycle]

A few pics from today's 22km ride:

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Today's 20 mi coast and hill ride had to wait till live weather radar showed the last of the incoming rain bands just past us.

The still-wet roads would be my 1st test of the wisdom of removing bike fenders with the biggest El Nino event on record only weeks away.

Happy to report that the minor spray hitting my legs and saddle bag was quite survivable at 70°F.

I'd expect a very different story in the cold heavy rains we sometimes get with winter Pacific storms. But we have way too many good cycling days year-round to go out in that stuff.

First photo stop: An overlook above the Carlsbad Flower Fields. The zig-zag furrows heading off in the distance in both directions made it seem like we were in an abstract painting.

The flower fields in full bloom in April, 2023.

After some hills to get the blood flowing, we dropped back down to the Coast Highway for the run home. When DB spotted excavator booms in action from the bluff-top bike lane, we doubled back to watch.

The excavators on the beach were busy packing giant boulders against the base of the chronically failing sea cliff here. Directly above, within only a few feet of the slowly crumbling bluff edge, ran our beloved Coast Highway.

This threatened stretch of the highway in south Carlsbad was already slated for inland relocation in 2028 — due to ongoing bluff failures — when the El Nino upon us now was just a twinkle in the tropical Western Pacific's eye. But with record high tides due in large part to El Nino now accelerating wave damage to beaches and sea cliffs everywhere in SW SoCal, protective measures had to be taken immediately.

In record time, local, state, and federal authorities persuaded the all-powerful California Coastal Commission to allow emergency armoring of the cliff bases here. The work started 2-3 weeks ago, but this was the first time I caught them in the act.

Got home just in time for the dog's pre-dinner walk. Came across this hunting snowy egret on a neighborhood pond. Such elegant creatures!