2020 : Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[Stefan Mikes]

The Last Ride of This Summer (75 Miles in Mixed Terrain)

The Summer ends today, on Monday. We are not getting summer temperatures anymore, nights are very cold, and the wind is painfully cold when you're riding. Jacek has never ridden for 75 miles (I have once myself), so I developed a route to enable both of us cover such a distance, and, specifically, it was to involve some off-road riding (so Jacek could make some use of Giant Trance E+). (I had replaced tyres in my Vado to make it off-road ready as well).

At 10:39 a.m. on Sunday, we rode off from Jacek's place. I wore full long base layer, padded shorts, cycling jersey, windbreaker, and full-face helmet (the latter protects ears against the wind). Jacek wore even warmer clothes (he hates cold). We were equipped with spare batteries, a lot of isotonic drinks, snacks, and all tools that might save us on a long ride. Can you guess what important item was forgotten by Jacek?

At the midway point. The bridge in Wyszogród (over Rivers Bzura and Vistula) is one of the prettiest in Poland. Unfortunately, the weather was not really photogenic. (Besides, the feces flow to Vistula was eventually stopped; no bad smell in Wyszogród).

Kampinos National Park was a natural environment for the Trance E+ that Jacek rode. Vado with Smart Sam tyres could do on forest paths although the ride was somewhat tiresome, especially on my arms (because of lack of front suspension).

You'd rather like to have full suspension here. I had to stand on pedals often.

On the Bone-Shaker

Jacek is paranoiac regarding to be seen on road, hence his bright, colourful clothes. Here, at a park in Leoncin, he was explaining the bicycle chain stretch by the example of chainsaw. (It seems the Trance chain is to be replaced very soon!)

After I said I had enough of off-road, we switched to asphalt roads. Jacek had repaired the front Maxxis Rekon tyre and made it tubeless again. (Rekon tyres are less aggressive than the stock downhill ones delivered with the Trance, and a little bit less noisy).

The small town of Wyszogród as seen from the bridge (the pic was taken during riding - you are not allowed to stop on that bridge).

It was warmer in the early afternoon. Yet the cold downwind made my neck and shoulders hurt.

Our steeds cooling down. I noticed the motor and the battery can get pretty warm on an intensive ride!

A road-sign read "DEAD END". After some km, we indeed had to ride a narrow single-track and get through a narrow wooden gangway. Walk assistance was of great help there!

My decision to plan an off-road route was just silly. The route-planner told us to ride for many, many kilometres through dirt roads only!

ENOUGH! -- I yelled at the top of my lungs. My arms were hurting, and my bones were shaken enough.

We switched to paved roads. If you think the rest of the trip was easy, you are very very wrong We met more off-road segments...

At 46 km to the destination. I was very hungry at that point. The plan was to replace batteries and get home in Sport/Turbo mode. My battery was replaced. What had Jacek forgotten to take? His battery key...

My brother is an amazing person. He chose to ride in the "It's 0.75 x You" mode from the very beginning and only played with the speed limiter as necessary. Often, he set the limiter to 25 km/h and pedalled as hard as to go past the limiter setting. Then the motor was cutting off and Jacek rode solely on pedal power! The actual distance we covered was 120.9 km (a tad more than 75 miles), and he arrived home with 28% of the 625 Wh battery left! Kudos to him!

After we crossed the Marshall Piłsudski Bridge in Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki at crazy speed of 37 km/h (Jacek increased the speed limit for a while, still in 75% ECO), I asked for a break to put all my clothes on again. The temperature instantly dropped to 10 C (50 F)! We were riding the last 14 km like madmen but that was already Jacek's neighbourhood, so he was in the lead. We did a "victory loop" in his village to make up the distance to true 75 miles...

The last remark I have is: If you want to keep your Vado (Class 3) really fast, use slick tyres such as Electrak 2.0. Replacing them with Smart Sam made my Vado off-road capable but the road speed was greatly reduced. As I could normally go above 40 km/h (25 mph) on Electraks in Turbo mode, I could get at 37 km/h (23 mph) on Sam Smarts only. Everything has its price...

Ride map & stats.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Permanent mooring?

Brisbane River, New Farm​

One day I'll ride along the New Farm Riverwalk and find that this old catamaran has slipped its moorings and headed out to sea. It's not happened yet and the catamaran has become a fixture on Google's 'Satellite' view.

The same cannot be said for a former a Google CEO's motor vessel which was moored a few kilometres downstream…

Bretts Wharf, Brisbane​

For the duration of the world's present troubles, the research vessel Falkor of the Schmidt Ocean Institute is effectively quarantined in Queensland. If it strays into any 'foreign port' (for example, Sydney), it'll have to stay away.

The good news is that the entire Great Barrier Reef is within Queensland waters and the little ship can put into any port or island, and its crew can may come ashore as if they owned the place. Just don't leave and expect to be allowed back!

Website : Schmidt Ocean Institute

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The same cannot be said for a former a Google CEO's motor vessel which was moored a few kilometres downstream…

What's happened to that ship?

 

[Deleted member 18083]

What's happened to that ship?

Stefan, I assume the research vessel will stay around because there is so much work to be done.

New researchers or crew can fly into Queensland but must immediately go into 14-day quarantine at their own expense in a locked hotel. Taking the vessel away and then returning might be a bit trickier.

Here's one of the toys that helps academics pass the time…

ROV: Remotely-operated Vehicle​

Falkor's ROVs aren't as fancy as those beloved by TV docos – 'glass bubbles' with David Attenborough inside – but they (plural, note) can be deployed for almost any mission.

If the ROV here were loaded on a truck, I doubt that anyone would give it a second glance, assuming it to be just another 'bit of equipment for the mines'. I was told that some ROVs can descend to depths of around 4500 metres.

Other data-gathering devices are towed. They look disarmingly – not a good choice of word – like the missiles attached to the F/A-18 Super Hornets that fly around here!

 

[Readytoride]

Yesterday we were back to blue skies. A treat after enduring a few unsettling overcast days of hazy, otherworldly milky white skies caused by the western fires smoke being blown into the upper atmosphere and carried eastward across the US on the prevailing westerly winds.

I had been riding pretty much every day without concern. The smoke particles were several thousand feet up, and while they diluted the natural colors of the skies and our sun, they didn't present any hazard to breathing. Still, it was nice when the winds shifted and took the smoke into an arched dive due south to plague Alabama and Texas. As if the recent spate of hurricanes in that area weren't enough biblical wrath.

But the wind shift did bring us something else. Cold air from the north. Cold enough to demand that before even one foot was set on a pedal that all the summer attire be left at home and winter attire be dug out of bins and drawers to wear - jackets, gloves, neck warmers, ear bands, sweat pants over the cycling pants. Maybe carry an extra jacket or two? I thought I was prepared. My friend 100 miles south of me texted she had ridden 35 freezing cold miles with her club the day before. She had her heat on in her house and was snuggled down in an easy chair with a warm comforter watching the final stage of the Tour de France. Meanwhile, I was bundling up for a planned 35 mile ride, hoping I was wearing enough to keep me warm.

Turns out I wasn't. At least not for riding a fast pace on the paved roads. In hindsight a gravel road ride would have been better, but I'd just gotten the Vado back from 3 days at the bike shop (waiting) for a disk brake adjustment (the shops, all of them, are being slammed by a flood of repairs and adjustments being needed for bikes that have been dragged out of garages, or bought used at yard sales and through ads as a result of the pandemic) and I was anxious to get back on it. Since this is my "paved road bike" and I tend to ride fast with a cavalier disregard for "saving the battery", my lack of warm clothing insisted I slow down and look at the scenery. Perhaps take a photo or two.

The paved road passed an in-process housing development and, on a whim, I decided to cruise their roads. The development had been planned around a lake, but at one point, at least 2 or 3 years prior, the developers had blocked off with Jersey concrete barriers and landlocked gates a lovely section that would have been for the most expensive homes. Don't know why. The rest of the development was in full building mode with lots of activity. Not this section, however. It was dead silent and completely empty.

I decided the forbidden road was worthy of exploration and slipped my bike and myself through a gap in the barriers. Sadly, only the trees growing on the curbs and weeds in the cracks of the pavement were interesting, appearing (if you let your imagination run a bit wild) like an apocalyptic scene from an "end of the world" movie set.

Back through the gap in the barriers and down the winding populated streets was fairly nice. Stopped to chat with two pleasant residents strolling one of the roads. They were attached by a rather long leash to a lovely red merle Aussie leading the way while carrying a somewhat large stick in her mouth, apparently just for the fun of taking "her stick" along for the outing. Instead of cars it was the residents who populated the roads - moms with babies in strollers, couples walking side by side, the odd jogger here and there - all very polite.

The slower pace through the development allowed me to warm up a bit, but once back out on the main roads I chilled up again. A few cyclists that I passed also looked a tad cold, but the majority flying past were bundled up warmer and seemed determined to get where they wanted to go as quickly as possible. I had stopped to take another photo when a peloton of about 20 riders on extremely fast road bikes went past me at a speed that made the air buzz like a hive of agitated bees. They looked like they had gotten lost from the Tour de France and were hell bent towards finding their way back. I watched them climb a rise like they were on electric bikes and disappear over the crest in a fading hum of gearing and swirling air. I turned my attention back to the landscape, which I'm sure the peloton never even noticed: the sweep of the lands with a farmer in the distance mowing a cattle field, the wineries sitting on top of the mountains, the skies as blue as blue can be in a soft watercolor wash, and not even a hint of a cloud to mar such perfection.

Yet...it was still cold and the wind kept biting me through my jacket, forcing me to decide if I wanted to cut my ride short, or soldier on. The fact that the roads also seemed busier with cars than I was used to wasn't helping either. I checked the time. A few minutes before noon, it said. Lunch time, it said. Sounded good to me. I headed off in the direction of the peloton, which by now was long gone, miles ahead of me, probably in the next county, with probably many miles left to go.

For me it was just a mere 7 more miles for a grand total of 20 miles and I was back home in time to enjoy lunch with hubby, and get myself warm again. That took about two more hours (seriously) to get my core warmed up, but I'm not complaining. Today is even colder, but this time I'm going to bundle up like I'm hitting the ski slopes. I have a lovely ride planned, and with a faultless blue skies still overhead, it will be a perfect day to be out on the bike.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

For me it was just a mere 7 more miles for a grand total of 20 miles and I was back home in time to enjoy lunch with hubby, and get myself warm again. That took about two more hours (seriously) to get my core warmed up, but I'm not complaining. Today is even colder, but this time I'm going to bundle up like I'm hitting the ski slopes. I have a lovely ride planned, and with a faultless blue skies still overhead, it will be a perfect day to be out on the bike.

It is a similar kind of weather here now. The only item of the winter clothing I am unable to find are my clear goggles...

 

[RabH]

@Stefan Mikes Amazing effort there Stefan, your brother is a machine!

@Readytoride Quite a change in your weather there!

There really are some amazing stories in this thread, its such a joy reading them!

No ride for me yesterday, I finally got to attend a motorcycle racing event for the first time this year, I was one of a lucky 200 that were allowed to attend! I would have loved to cycle to the racing as I have done many times in the past but circumstances prevented it this time!

I did get out for a ride today with my brand new chain fitted but it didn't go well due to my chain skipping, it turned out to be worn front chainrings which really took me by surprise! I have now covered 11,463 miles and I really didn't expect my chainrings to be worn this soon, I guess its an e bike thing...I now know to keep an eye on them in the future!

My new chainrings should arrive tomorrow so all going well I will be back in action on Wednesday, gusty winds expected tomorrow anyway...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I will be back in action on Wednesday, gusty winds expected tomorrow anyway...

I'm torn, Rab. While the nights are very cold, the next three days promise Summer temperatures. I need to work though. Perhaps could find time for riding in afternoons...

 

[reed scott]

To quote Rab H this weekend provided a pair of awesome rides. The smoke from the U.S. fires lessened (thoughts and prayers to our southern neighbors dealing with these devastating forest fires) and we could once again see the peaks along the surrounding ranges (Purcells and Rocky mountains). On Saturday we followed along the grand opening of the legacy trail - a 24 km paved trail on the west side of Lake Windermere - at the half way point before turning back home we managed to find a spot on a balcony of an Invermere pub overlooking the lake that even had Guiness on tap - not as perfect as was poured on on past trips to Europe but a Guiness nevertheless. This morning as I left for some mountain trekking with my brother-in-law who like Stefan loves his Giant Trance e-bike we met this momma black bear and cubs - luckily she was more interested in the berry bushes than my lunch in the back pack. We had a good climb up Fairmont Ridge along "Spirit Trail" single track and even with e-bikes on turbo there were sections my breathing was louder than our bear bells clanging away. View attachment 66037View attachment 66039

She bear was looking at you though.

 

[Sierratim]

Continuing my photo journal from my Saturday ride -

As I left 'downtown' Humbug, CA I looked back over my shoulder for this pic;

The blue skies were back! Except for a Park Ranger in the visitor center I was the only person downtown. Eerily quite for a summer afternoon. At its peak this mining community was populated by thousands, many of them recent French immigrants draw by gold. The local language was mostly French as were location names like Hotel de France and French Corral.

The State Park hosts annual Humbug Days featuring reenactors, gold panning, Ranger lead hikes, and period food and music. We've attended several times, but not this year due to the 'pest'.

The back of a Humbug Days t-shirt reproduces a local poster that expressed popular local sentiment after the 1884 Sawyer decision banned hydraulic mining.

Malakoff Diggins SHP may be the only State Park in CA that hosts an active cemetary;

Another Clamper plaque commemorating local history.

Humbug's early residents were from all over the world, including Denmark. There's still plenty of room so if you want to be laid to rest in Humbug, CA just contact the local cemetary district

The State Park also encompasses nearby hydraulic works;

The Le Du mine was able to operate well past the 1884 Sawyer decision by removing their monitors and slucing the dreggings.

Their relatively small pit remains today a testament to the damage from hydraulic mining.

The main pit of the Malakoff diggins;

Their mining claim comprised over 1,500 acres, all of it devoted to hydraulic mining, the most efficient way to get to the gold.

With my camera zoomed in you can make out this giant monitor at the bottom of the main pit several hundred feet below. Several of these would have been operating in this pit at one time using water impounded and diverted from local creeks. The pit got so deep that a tunnel had to be dug to keep the bottom of the pit clear for more work.

From here it was gravel all the way to the bridge at Edwards Crossing on the S. Yuba River. This gravel was in pretty good shape compared to the morning's ride down to and up from Purdon Crossing. Several miles uphill and then several more down to the bridge;

There were more people on the river here but there was also quite a bit of wildfire smoke in the river canyon. The road home was paved from here, but also mostly uphill with several steep sections. I had a small snack, added my last mineral tablet to my handlebar water bottle and was off for home.

I rode into the shop at home just before 4PM with water and snacks still available, but hardly any battery. Battery #1 was swapped near the top of Cruzon Grade at 7%. I hadn't planned on drawing it down that far, but the road was very narrow with few wide spots to do a swap. The 2nd battery was at 17% when I got off the bike at home. The Vado's running light was fine, but my brighter flashing headlight had run out of juice somewhere on the way down to Edwards Crossing. It is getting older so time for a new battery pack I suppose. No other issues so a great ride to places I had only driven before.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Battery #1 was swapped near the top of Cruzon Grade at 7%. I hadn't planned on drawing it down that far, but the road was very narrow with few wide spots to do a swap. The 2nd battery was at 17% when I got off the bike at home.

I reckon Tim the high battery use was the outcome of big elevation gain, right? What assistance modes were you using?

 

[Sierratim]

I reckon Tim the high battery use was the outcome of big elevation gain, right? What assistance modes were you using?

Yep, over 6,000 feet of climbing Saturday. The Purdon and Cruzon grades were all in Turbo. Both are steep miles long climbs. Of course I was in '0' assist on the way down...

As an aside I was stopped at the Mother Truckers market refilling water bottles when 2 roadies went by on ebikes. One looked like a Vado SL. I put myself back together and turned in the same direction not expecting to see them again. I did catch up with them within a few miles so I was obviously burning more watts than they so part of my battery usage is my tendency to ride faster than really necessary I suppose. Even at my faster pace I was out for nearly 6 hours for the day ride.

We rode our Vados on the Monterey Bay trail last summer. I used <40% of my battery for the 36 mile ride. My wife used even less. The trail is paved over rolling sand dunes. We'd ridden it many times on our mech bikes and the seemingly endless dunes become very tiring, but not so much with an ebike.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Yep, over 6,000 feet of climbing Saturday. The Purdon and Cruzon grades were all in Turbo. Both are steep miles long climbs. Of course I was in '0' assist on the way down...

As an aside I was stopped at the Mother Truckers market refilling water bottles when 2 roadies went by on ebikes. One looked like a Vado SL. I put myself back together and turned in the same direction not expecting to see them again. I did catch up with them within a few miles so I was obviously burning more watts than they so part of my battery usage is my tendency to ride faster than really necessary I suppose. Even at my faster pace I was out for nearly 6 hours for the day ride.

We rode our Vados on the Monterey Bay trail last summer. I used <40% of my battery for the 36 mile ride. My wife used even less. The trail is paved over rolling sand dunes. We'd ridden it many times on our mech bikes and the seemingly endless dunes become very tiring, but not so much with an ebike.

As I ride in the flatland currently and economise on the assistance, my theoretical 604 Wh battery range is over 100 km. However, I don't take risk. In case my planned ride exceeds 80 km (50 mi), I'm taking a spare battery with me. The beauty is the possibility to ride back home in Turbo mode for the last 40 km...

 

[PaD]

Saturday at 14.45 I managed to convince myself to get out and ride. It was a lovely autumn afternoon.

First picture is at the lake at 20km and second a few km later.



I knew by looking at the map that at about 24km the gravel road would end and there was a path for about 1.5km but I wanted to give it a try to make a loop at the turning point rather then going back.
There was a sign clearly stating it was private property before coming to the path but I stopped and asked a woman working with a horse if It was ok to pass. She said it was ok they just didn’t want people coming up the houses and barns.
Picture from the path. It got worse than my pictures show. Very narrow path with rocks and roots so I walked for more than 1km. Maybe almost a mile.


The last part of the path was beatiful and I then found myself in front of an electric fennce with a some sort of ”gate” . I had to take all bags and lock off the bike to be able to get it to the other side without falling into the electric fence.


Continued on what was now more road than path and of course a new gate but it was not locked so no problem.


Another gate at about 27km and a new sign saying private property and something about reporting to the police.
I did not want to go back so I was thinking let them call the police. I was passing near stables and a large over decked riding school or manège but there was no one in sight. Having left the private area I sat down and had a late picknick. Cold blueberry soup and rye bread
Really nice afternoon.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

a new sign saying private property and something about reporting to the police.

What's happened to the Swedish Free Access Law?

Sweden, a beautiful country!

 

[RabH]

I'm torn, Rab. While the nights are very cold, the next three days promise Summer temperatures. I need to work though. Perhaps could find time for riding in afternoons...

Work getting in the way, I wish I had the same problem...in 2 days time I will have been off work for 6 months! Thankfully the government are paying 80% of my wages so I'm luckier than some! I'm sure you will grab any opportunity to get out!

 

[PaD]

What's happened to the Swedish Free Access Law?

Sweden, a beautiful country!

The free access law ( Allemansrätten) is still valid. You are supposed to respect peoples privacy, not allowed to e.g. camp on somebody’s lawn
The areas I passed or were near on my ride were like courtyards. If it’s e.g a courtyard near a stable or a machine house for farming I guess they can call it an industrial area.
If there is someone near I say hello and ask.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The free access law ( Allemansrätten) is still valid. You are supposed to respect peoples privacy, not allowed to e.g. camp on somebody’s lawn
The areas I passed or were near on my ride were like courtyards. If it’s e.g a courtyard near a stable or a machine house for farming I guess they can call it an industrial area.
If there is someone near I say hello and ask.

A good explanation, thank you. I was always impressed with the Allemansrätten. Although we were typically staying at stuga (a camping house if I'm not wrong) during our vacation travelling over Sweden, we camped at the great lake Vänern using the free access law. Ah, that was a lot of fun! When we woke up in the morning and were eating breakfast straight from the hood of our car (instead of a table), a group of school-children came for physical training. The teacher shouted:

-- Säg "Hej" till den polska familjen!
-- HEJ!

 

[Sierratim]

As I ride in the flatland currently and economise on the assistance, my theoretical 604 Wh battery range is over 100 km. However, I don't take risk. In case my planned ride exceeds 80 km (50 mi), I'm taking a spare battery with me. The beauty is the possibility to ride back home in Turbo mode for the last 40 km...

I did a bit of math to get an idea as to how much energy it would take to lift my bike and me up the 6,050 feet I climbed Saturday. In a lossless world (no friction, no air resistance, etc) it works out that it takes 3.7691x10^-4 Wh to lift 1lb 1 foot in elevation. With the bike, rider, 2nd battery, water, gear, etc at ~280lbs the 6,050 feet of climbing consumed ~570Wh of energy. Seems about right. I was helping but probably no more than 30% on the steep climbs so the electrical energy would be 30% less or ~400Wh. The batteries delivered something like 1,060Wh for the entire ride meaning that ~660Wh went to riding the flats, overcoming friction and air resistance, accelerating, etc. Seems high. I could reduce the 400Wh it takes just to lift the weight up 6,050 feet by getting rid of some weight, but I could also conserve battery energy by riding slower and laying more forward (lower wind resistance), not stopping as often (less acceleration), etc.

Something to think about...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Let me do a quick check-up in metric units. Potential energy change is m * g * Delta_h. 6050 ft is 1844 m. 280 lbs is 127 kg. Gravity is 9.81 m/s. Thus, potential energy change is 127 * 1844 * 9.81= 2.297 e+6 Joules or 2297 kJ. That's 638 Wh. You said 570 Wh. What's correct?

Of course, these numbers mean just lifting the weight with 100% efficiency. Now, I would say the 1.3 motor could have 80% efficiency making the battery energy consumption even higher (around 800 Wh). Add to it the rolling and air resistance. Subtract your own power input. Vado tells you how many kcal you have burnt on your ride. Convert kcal to Wh and divide by 4 (the human body efficiency is about 25%) and you get your own Wh

Whatever, the elevation gain and the mass are the major factors contributing to the battery usage on mountain rides, while air resistance is critical for fast riding (I don't want to check equations again but it is said the power demand is in cube relationship to the speed).