2020 : Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

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Nancy and I got a some great rides in this past week. Spring has definitely sprung with fruit trees blooming and yellow tree pollens falling like so much fine yellow snow to the point where it is visible on pavement and turning all the cracks in the pavement bright yellow. Even without Covid 19 a dust mask of some sort is good for riding.

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It puts a big smile on my face to see you guys doing what you love! With all going on these days we still have spring! Stay well my dear friends!
 
Stefan, thanks for the explanation. I should add that the two hour away train runs once a day, and I am thinking maybe 3 times a week? You must be there at the wee hours of the morning to catch it.
 
A day at the bay …
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Cabbage Tree Creek, Shorncliffe.
This is why the Moreton Bay Cycleway is one of my favourite places to ride my ebikes.

I used the plural – ebikes! Yes I have more than one but for most of 2020 my trusty Trek Powerfly has been my companion while the R&M Homage has been sidelined by faulty electrical connectors in some hidden away part of the frame.

The Powerfly has fulfilled its maker's claims and, apart from one hiccup which was attended to promptly and at no charge, has proven reliable. Dealer support has been outstanding. Three ticks of approval for Trek – credibility, reliability, support. I'm satisfied.

Location : Click for map. (On the waterfront near 22 Allpass Parade looking east towards Yundah Street Boat Ramp.)
 
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My first tour on my new Allant9s. First photos are of Miz Hick's place on both sides of the narrow road. Next Easter bunny making my way to Rockville. Then downtown Rockville itself...a rowdy place on Friday nights when the bingo is rolling at the fire-station. The library funded by Cochrane on whose former land my farm sits. Cochrane and the old man across the road Bentley played in the ditches on my road in childhood. The Prince and the pauper I think of them. Old willie Bentley died at 95 tilling his little plot still across the road...Cochrane at 103 by then the richest man in the state. (Overnite Express).
 

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A day at the bay …
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Cabbage Tree Creek, Shorncliffe.
This is why the Moreton Bay Cycleway is one of my favourite places to ride my ebikes.

I used the plural – ebikes! Yes I have more than one but for most of 2020 my trusty Trek Powerfly has been my companion while the R&M Homage has been sidelined by faulty electrical connectors in some hidden away part of the frame.

The Powerfly has fulfilled its maker's claims and, apart from one hiccup which was attended to promptly and at no charge, has proven reliable. Dealer support has been outstanding. Three ticks of approval for Trek – credibility, reliability, support. I'm satisfied.

Location : Click for map. (On the waterfront near 22 Allpass Parade looking east towards Yundah Street Boat Ramp.)

David, good to see the Homage back on the trails. I'm Curious what the actual issue turned out to be.
 
Great to see your shots of Methow again. Seems you emerge with the daffodils ;)

Yes, well the winter e-bike riding here in the Chewuch is kind of grim. The road to town doesn't really get ice-free until the second week of March. And the skiing is great so the bike gets put away until the skiing is pretty much done. Although I do have some bike-ski expeditions planned...

Typical winter conditions:

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It really is surreal out at the moment. I rode along Newcastle's beaches this evening. By day it's packed with walkers and cyclists. And in better times it'd usually be busy at night with couples and teens. Tonight on my loop I passed one walking couple and got passed by two cars. In 20 km. I did apparently set a new max speed record though..

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I bought this used Giant Explore for my Son in law minus battery and charger for $400 on Craigslist so he can Ebike to work instead of using the Skytrain while the Covid rages. He really likes it. No it is not stolen. NOTE the Crosscut tires are crap! We went for a ride and somehow got a flat within 2-3 km. Needless to say a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus are on order.
 

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A gentle test ride …
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Lockyer Creek Bridge
Location : Map
After a long break, I was able to take the Homage for a test ride.

Enough of troubles, it's time to take this otherwise brilliant ebike on a few more adventures.

David, good to see the Homage back on the trails. I'm curious what the actual issue turned out to be.
Richard, hopefully, the electrical connection problem is over but, after hearing of the experiences of two other Riese & Müller owners, I am not confident.

Each of us experienced abrupt failure of a Bosch CX Gen1 motor, as if the battery had been disconnected (at full speed!). Quite separately from the motor failures, each of our Rohloff E-14s failed, again as if the battery had been disconnected.

As far as I was able to find out, the troubles relate to failed electrical connections, regrettably deep inside the frame. Exactly what occurred is hard to pin down because the motor and wiring were removed, inspected and reassembled. In the case of the motor failure, the wiring was replaced.
David
 
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David, Hopefully clear sailing forward. I have been without my Homage for three months now but should have it back later this week. The Rohloff developed an oil leak getting oil all over the meck and on the inner lattice of the rear brake rotor, fortunately not on the braking surface. Here in North America there is has been only one Rohloff authorized service center in California. That outfit has a real communications problem...they don't bother communicating at all. The estimated a two week repair back in early January and just sat on it. My R&M dealer had to contact the head of Rohloff in Germany to get any action. They had all new inner assembly (gears, bearings, shafts, seals, etc.) installed in my original case, put a new E14 mech on it and it is finally on its way to me.

My guess is that the famous "bulletproof", "maintenance free" Rohloff is a legend developed under leg power alone. We I think is happening is that a Rohloff with leg power plus help from Robert Bosch is revealing the weak links in their system that did not develop under leg power alone. With the boost in Rohloff sales thanks to Riese & Muller, they were caught flat footed without adequate parts or service personnel in North America. To their credit they are bringing a new east coast service center along. They still need get their west coast service center to up their game and get parts distribution into NA though.

All that said, I am attending to keeping the chains clean and properly lubricated on my Delight and Allant and doing so with more enthusiasm than in the past. With the new Shimano 12 speed cassette featuring a 510%, 10-51 tooth gear range, nearly equivalent to what a Rohloff at 526% and the wireless Sram shifter/derailleur, I am less inclined to favor Rohloff over an easier to service, updated, old school drive train. There is no denying the superiority of the belt drive but the Rohloff is not the unquestionably best choice I once thought it was.
 
On my ride today started out around on my spiffy new machine. Not far from home I noticed a growing speck in the mirror. yeah a bicycle coming up. I'll just put it in Sport while I go up this mild hill...that'll learn him. Just past the hill on the flat while going 22mph the spandex passes me quickly moving out of sight. The moral...electrons are no substitute for youth.
 

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