2020 : Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[Stefan Mikes]

David, the photo of the trawlers is just great! I missed your post when I was writing mine.

 

[Readytoride]

Stefan -

Glad to see you're taking advantage of, and enjoying, your new found extended range. It is nice to have those extra electrons handy, isn't it!

 

[TomD]

Not often does it hit 60 F in March in these parts. Too nice of a day not to take a ride down to the freeway overlooking Lake Sammamish. Appreciated the assist on the way back but felt good to exercise legs and lungs.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

The school kids are up and about …

Kangaroo Point, Brisbane​

Lucky them! In the 1950s, we had no choice – cricket and rugby, games that I detest to this day. No one had thought of adventure sports being a suitable Saturday morning pursuit.

When the children are older they'll be off to the University of Queensland, where their instructors are probably studying, and have their own bicycle bridge to get there…

The Green Bridge across the Brisbane River​

It's a bit unfair! Pedestrians, beyond the centre which is reserved for buses (no cars!), have their own covered walkway to the university. Cyclists get overheated on cloudless autumn days, too. Some more than others.

Saturday's ride took me from Brisbane's western suburbs through the centre of the city and down to the bay…

• Brisbane River flows from bottom right to top left. (Whoops! SW to NE)
• Brisbane River crossed six times.
• 16 km : The Green Bridge
• 28 km : Rock Climbers
• 42—108 km : Ride up to Mario's mobile coffee shop involving six crossings of Highway One (one over; five under).
• 101 km : Trek's PowerBank 500 Wh battery exhausted; replaced with same from comatose Homage.

Mario's fare…

• Heading North : triple-shot decaf flat white + carrot cake
• Heading South : lemon sorbet (to die for!)

 

[steve mercier]

The school kids are up and about …
View attachment 47856

Kangaroo Point, Brisbane​

Lucky them! In the 1950s, we had no choice – cricket and rugby, games that I detest to this day. No one had thought of adventure sports being a suitable Saturday morning pursuit.

When the children are older they'll be off to the University of Queensland, where their instructors are probably studying, and have their own bicycle bridge to get there…

View attachment 47857

The Green Bridge across the Brisbane River​

It's a bit unfair! Pedestrians, beyond the centre which is reserved for buses (no cars!), have their own covered walkway to the university. Cyclists get overheated on cloudless autumn days, too. Some more than others.

View attachment 47858

Saturday's ride took me from Brisbane's western suburbs through the centre of the city and down to the bay…

• Brisbane River flows from bottom right to top left. (Whoops! SW to NE)
• Brisbane River crossed six times.
• 16 km : The Green Bridge
• 28 km : Rock Climbers
• 42—108 km : Ride up to Mario's mobile coffee shop involving six crossings of Highway One (one over; five under).
• 101 km : Trek's PowerBank 500 Wh battery exhausted; replaced with same from comatose Homage.

Mario's fare…

• Heading North : triple-shot decaf flat white + carrot cake
• Heading South : lemon sorbet (to die for!)

Dave did you put Tannus Armours in the Trek now?

 

[PDXzap]

Much like tomdav, too nice not to ride with much still in bloom.

While some are nearing the end of their bloom...

...others lost their bloom long ago but still manage to garner attention.

At one of the last stops before heading for home the Canadian Geese were doing a fine job of social distancing.

 

[FlatSix911]

The school kids are up and about …
View attachment 47856

Kangaroo Point, Brisbane​

Lucky them! In the 1950s, we had no choice – cricket and rugby, games that I detest to this day. No one had thought of adventure sports being a suitable Saturday morning pursuit.

When the children are older they'll be off to the University of Queensland, where their instructors are probably studying, and have their own bicycle bridge to get there…

View attachment 47857

The Green Bridge across the Brisbane River​

It's a bit unfair! Pedestrians, beyond the centre which is reserved for buses (no cars!), have their own covered walkway to the university. Cyclists get overheated on cloudless autumn days, too. Some more than others.

View attachment 47858

Saturday's ride took me from Brisbane's western suburbs through the centre of the city and down to the bay…

• Brisbane River flows from bottom right to top left. (Whoops! SW to NE)
• Brisbane River crossed six times.
• 16 km : The Green Bridge
• 28 km : Rock Climbers
• 42—108 km : Ride up to Mario's mobile coffee shop involving six crossings of Highway One (one over; five under).
• 101 km : Trek's PowerBank 500 Wh battery exhausted; replaced with same from comatose Homage.

Mario's fare…

• Heading North : triple-shot decaf flat white + carrot cake
• Heading South : lemon sorbet (to die for!)

David, beautiful photos... thanks for sharing on EBR. BTW, I lived in Brisbane as a kid when my father was with BHP... great memories of the city.

 

[FlatSix911]

Not often does it hit 60 F in March in these parts. Too nice of a day not to take a ride down to the freeway overlooking Lake Sammamish. Appreciated the assist on the way back but felt good to exercise legs and lungs.

View attachment 47853

View attachment 47854

Tom, have you done any mods to your new BH Rebel Lite? I have the BH Rebel 5.5 and the BH Rebel Lite... both great rides!

 

[TomD]

Not yet (other than tuning dongle). The seat will be the first thing to go!

 

[FlatSix911]

Here is a recommendation for a good WTB saddle at a sale price... hope this helps.

WTB Pure Comp Saddle - Components

Buy the WTB Pure Comp Saddle online or shop all Components from Competitivecyclist.com.

www.competitivecyclist.com

 

[Stefan Mikes]

At one of the last stops before heading for home the Canadian Geese were doing a fine job of social distancing.

Is it a Turbo Como? Nice colour!

 

[Mr. Coffee]

On the grav-grav: Bear Creek Road:

 

[PDXzap]

Is it a Turbo Como? Nice colour!

Good eye!
2020 4.0 650b

I like the looks of it too, and thanks. That's a Blackburn USB Click on the seat post.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The Sailing e-Bike (The Palmiry Ride)

The Winter is back. Not the snowy, frosty Winter many of us have known. The nasty, windy, anti-cycling kind of Winter. The perceived temperature close to the freezing point and massive freezing wind. I only rode out today because I didn't want the day ruined. The usual plan: ride upwind, return downwind. As the wind was northerly today, the obvious choice was to ride northwards.

The area north of the place I live is actually boring. Anything up to the Kampinos National Park (KPN) are fields cut with a grid of good roads; there is some farming but the dominant are businesses making our Mazovian Voivodship the economy leader of Poland. Therefore, I made a decision (which I regretted later) to ride in the KPN and see something new.

The landmark of our borough, the huge smoke-stack in Moszna that has never served its intended purpose. The structure is perfectly seen from the A2 freeway (that connects Germany with Warsaw via Poznań) and from any aeroplane approaching (or taking off) the Warsaw WAW and WMI airports. The wind was blowing from the direction of the stack and it was so strong and cold I had to take the picture wearing goggles.

Before I reached Truskaw at the southern edge of the KPN the trip was uninspiring and dedicated to fighting the adverse wind. Then, woods and a lot of new nice housing appeared between Izabelin and Truskaw. Back in early 1970s, my Dad bought or pre-ordered a homestead in that area. Even if the area was healthy and amongst pines and spruces, I somehow felt it was not the place for our family. I hated the weekend travels to that place but didn't tell my Dad about it. I think my parents felt badly there as well; in the end, my Dad got rid off the property and soon bought a larger homestead where I live until this day and I am very happy about that. My Dad got our place for peanuts (or at least very cheaply); it was the bargain of his life.

As the trip was so boring, I decided to ride inside the National Park. Don't try this at home! I should know better after my failed bike trip in the KPN of 2013. It is a post-glacial terrain, full of sand-dunes and marshes. You better don't try riding there without a fat bike or at least a full suspension bicycle with thick tyres. The funny 2 x 4 km ride to/from the War Cemetery Memorial in Palmiry was a terrible experience. First, it was a "gravel" road consisting of potholes only (and no road shoulder there). Then, it was a long road paved with cobblestone with an extremely narrow shoulder made of sand... I suffered both ways.

The War Cemetery Memorial in Palmiry. Between 1939 and 1941, the German Nazi secretly mass-executed over 1700 Poles and Jews in a Palmiry forest glade.

After I negotiated getting off the KPN, I was exhausted and hungry. The "culinary standard" as mentioned by David before consisted of two pączki, which I bought and ate in a tiny family store in Truskaw.

-- Can you get me some yeast cake or pączki? I'm so hungry! -- I asked the man & wife, the owners of the store -- Oh yes, we have got a lot of yeast cake and even two pączki! -- the man smiled -- Get me the pączki then! -- Any cake piece was hygienically wrapped; people here really do care to contain the pest. I ate the pączki outside on the bench that belonged to the store and happy could go back home.

The return way was a speedy one. My bike became a sailing ship and I was the sail I was reaching speeds of over 20 mph easily riding with the wind. That compensated for the upwind struggle I had earlier. To even shorten the return way, I made a shortcut through The Great Pszczelin Meadow (as I call it myself).

The area I live in is full of marshes. The town of Brwinów is cut against further housing development northwards by a marsh. Part of the marsh northward of Pszczelin neighbourhood was irrigated long time ago to form a huge meadow. Pszczelin used to hold the School of Apiculture since 1898 and its name means "Place belonging to bees". Nowadays Pszczelin holds several schools related to gardening and farming but not to apiculture. I take the route through the meadow on occasion even if that means riding off-road. The wind was still blowing hard! (The Moszna stack is well visible from the meadow; I didn't include it in the photo on purpose).

The temperatures in the coming week will be around or below the freezing point. The winds are going to be nasty. I have to suspend riding for a while!

The route stats.

 

[StmbtDave]

Stefan, you are much more hard core than I. I wait until the temp is approaching 60F before I consider venturing out. You're so bundled up I wonder how you can ride.

 

[TomD]

Took the orange bike out yesterday. Forgot to charge the battery so it would be the blue bike to look pretty today...

 

[FlatSix911]

Took the orange bike out yesterday. Forgot to charge the battery so it would be the blue bike to look pretty today...

Great photos... funny thing is that I took the Orange BH today, the Blue BH and Black BH needed a full charge.

 

[TomD]

Too funny. My condolences on the matching saddle.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

A welcome improvement …

Clarendon Station Road, Brisbane Valley Rail Trail​

Even the gravel riders can't complain about this improvement to the rail trail. Cattle grids… at last!

Just imagine what it was like in past… stop, prop the bike up, figure out how to unchain the gate, open the gate, stop the gate from banging closed, wheel the bike through, prop it up again, close the gate, chain it up!

There are were seven gates to be dealt with in twice as many minutes. Not fun… and the same number encountered on way back. Thank you, dear council and let the good work continue after the local government elections this coming weekend.

Click to see how it used to be.

Trivia: Note the black kites swarming above the cattle yard on the left. Hoping to catch mice feeding on spilt grain?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Stefan, you are much more hard core than I. I wait until the temp is approaching 60F before I consider venturing out. You're so bundled up I wonder how you can ride.

The secret is the clothes are modern, thin, and lightweight. Here is the maximum set I wear for the most adverse weather now:

1. Base layer: extremely thin underpants and long-sleeve undershirt made of thermoactive stuff. Chamois shorts. Electrically heated socks (I keep the remote in the left pocket of my trousers);
2. Gore-tex trousers secured with a strap and braces. Merino wool socks for extra insulation (I suffer from inadequate blood supply);
3. Thin long-sleeve shirt made of some modern breathable fabric;
4. A winter jacket made from Softshell. It is again breathable and lightweight;
5. The yellow windbreaker -- it is the absolute must for the 24 km/h winter winds
6. Shoes of my liking. I now prefer soft Adidas trainers;
7. Tubular acryl scarf/hood. It is a life-saver, protecting the neck and throat. Whenever the frost cuts my cheeks, nose and ears, I just pull it up. During the rests, I remove the helmet and goggles so I use the thing as a hood.
8. Cairn snowboarding helmet. It acts as a warm cap; its ear-flaps protect ears but allow hearing the ambient;
9. Goggles (Over The Glasses type). With the temperatures below 55 F I find it impossible to ride without;
10. Gloves: Medium thickness for temperatures down to 43 F. Below and with strong wind, thick "lobster" gloves are necessary. These have pockets for hand warmers;
11. (Optional) Windbreaker/waterproof trousers.

All this sounds hardcore but it does not hamper riding and is very comfortable. As the weather varies, I often remove part of the clothing and store it in the pannier or on contrary, I add the layers from the pannier. I spend many hours on the rides and it really gets cold during the rests when the body doesn't produce the extra heat.

The Palmiry ride required the full set as above except the windbreaker pants and the thick gloves (although it was close to use the latter).

That thread was very helpful to me:

Winter e-biking advices

I have gone through the Forum and found several threads related to e-biking in wintertime. Those were mostly posted in brand specific groups. Perhaps we might do a little chat as general e-cyclists? What I found in past threads could be categorised as: General winter cycling Clothing Tire...

electricbikereview.com

And that thread was just fabulous:

Winter Biking Advice From A Minnesotan

I think many consider riding your bike in a frozen winter setting more akin to ice skating than cycling. Here is all of my knowledge and wisdom passed on to you. I am a 43 year old Minnesota native with 5 winter seasons of biking experience. Advice Lesson #1: Don’t get into winter biking if...

electricbikereview.com

Proper clothing let me riding the whole winter. Lucky me there was no frost or snow!