2020 : Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[Stefan Mikes]

Just to See My Brethren After Work or: Traffic Jams Don't Pertain to Me

I just want to tell you how happy I am! It was my brother Jacek who taught me longer rides were perfectly normal; and our rides together further improved my fitness! I was 90.8 kg (200.2 lb) yesterday and it was 107.5 kg (237 lb) on January 1st this year; I can also carry a fully equipped e-bike upstairs now

I own too many e-bikes, so I share them with Jacek. Currently, he rides my Vado for his daily commutes to work. He can cover his 17.5 km (10.8 mi) trip in 29 minutes and that's as fast or faster than his car commute. For example, the speed bumps or traffic jams don't slow him down. He laughed when he was telling me he could ride at 46 km/h (28.5 mph) in the front of a long line of cars and he was faster than those cars on a speed-bump-infested long road!

I'm rediscovering my upgraded Lovelec Diadem hub-drive e-bike these days. Among others, Jacek had suggested replacing the existing crappy (and broken) shock fork with RockShox air fork and also made other numerous fixes and upgrades to my bike. After I finished my work on Monday, I just jumped onto my Good Ole Mule and headed up north to see Jacek and Piotr (and Renata); and to collect my spare Lovelec battery and a charger from Jacek.

It was a breeze ride! The RockShox Paragon Gold RL Air Solo shock fork is worth every Polish Grosz! A stable, smooth ride independent of the road or bike path imperfections! No curb, speed-bump or pothole bugging me anymore! What is fantastic about the Lovelec is its ride characteristics: Yes, it accelerates slowly and is not the best climber but when it gets at 32 km/h (20 mph) speed, it maintains it, headwind or downwind! It is also economical on the battery. Jacek could make 135 km in PAS 1 on a single battery charge, and I can make 80 km in PAS 2. That's because the hub motor draws constant current at given PAS mode while the power consumption is highly variable in a mid-drive e-bike, with a lot of power surges.

I was on a straight road stretch and noticed a road cyclist far in front of me. I pushed on the pedals; over 3 km I was able to catch up with that rider! His luck he turned into the opposite direction than I did or I would have to overtake him... Langsam, langsam aber sicher (Slowly, slowly but surely) as a German saying teaches us (@TS25 is it really a German saying?!)

"Traffic jams don't pertain to me", said my brother Piotr when he rode in the brethren's homestead with his light motorcycle. It is perfectly normal to slowly overtake a line of cars riding a light motorbike on the street centre-line here; the drivers cooperate. Same happens to me with my e-bike. Or, I can ride a bike path if that exists there. I made both directions of my ride faster than I could make it with my car... Viva e-bikes!

The trip from my place to my brothers is 34.3 km one way.

That's how it was.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Which way's up?
Yesterday when I rode up to the top of the D'Aguilar Range, I took the 'back route', starting from the inland side near Lake Wivenhoe.

There was 600 metres gain in elevation in the first six kilometres. The display on the Homage's Kiox tells the story…

Normally, the range (distance remaining) doesn't drop that low until at least 100 km into a ride. I've managed 150 km on the Homage's dual battery system but now I was being informed that the assisted part of the ride would be over very soon.

But what goes up (the road) must come down; and what goes down (the range) must go up! Always, assuming that it's going to be a round trip with a wonderful to-die-for descent as a reward.

The positive take on this situation is that tackling big climbs is 'doable' with an ebike, especially one as comfortable as the Homage. I took the following photo to show the steepness of the climb but somehow they don't seem to reveal whether the road is higher or lower in the distance!

Heading uphill.​

Heading downhill.​

And for our friends…

Mount Glorious Café​

 

[Stefan Mikes]

View attachment 55674

I'd like to be there with my Trance E+...

 

[RabH]

Here is the pictures of this old building. If anyone can figure out what that weird concrete tank/subground storage container down the slope near the stream was for, I'd love to hear your ideas. The stone building gave no clue as to its original purpose, and just rudely shouted, by virtue of too many "No Trespassing " signs plastered on the boards covering every entryway front and back, that I wasn't wanted and to go away.




View attachment 55644





View attachment 55645

Septic tank maybe? I'm glad you managed to sort out all the sqeaks, there is nothing more annoying! Shame about your phone mount, at least you got lucky with your phone remaining intact! That is a stunning sunset!

Back on the bike after a few days break due to a sick dad, it was so good to get back out on a perfect day for cycling! It was a little misty at first but thankfully it dispersed, it was very muggy though but no wind at all which is very unusual here! I stayed on local back roads which were mostly deserted, it was like cycling heaven!

Somebody was very inquisitive, they probably thought I had some food! They had a good scratch on the fence post before sprinting off, probably cursing me for not having any food!

 

[FlatSix911]

Which way's up?
Yesterday when I rode up to the top of the D'Aguilar Range, I took the 'back route', starting from the inland side near Lake Wivenhoe.

There was 600 metres gain in elevation in the first six kilometres. The display on the Homage's Kiox tells the story…
View attachment 55667
Normally, the range (distance remaining) doesn't drop that low until at least 100 km into a ride. I've managed 150 km on the Homage's dual battery system but now I was being informed that the assisted part of the ride would be over very soon.

But what goes up (the road) must come down; and what goes down (the range) must go up! Always, assuming that it's going to be a round trip with a wonderful to-die-for descent as a reward.

The positive take on this situation is that tackling big climbs is 'doable' with an ebike, especially one as comfortable as the Homage. I took the following photo to show the steepness of the climb but somehow they don't seem to reveal whether the road is higher or lower in the distance!

View attachment 55672

Heading uphill.​

View attachment 55673

Heading downhill.​

And for our friends…
View attachment 55674

View attachment 55678

Temporary Australians' loved ones.
Mount Glorious Café​

Nomination for the best sign of the year!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Wasze zdrowie! (To Health of All of You!)

The consolidated post-ride beer It's the "Kiss the Beast", an Ultra IPA 8.5% abv from AleBrowar & Birbant breweries. The most bitter ale I've ever drunk!
Special congrats to my countryman @Archie of Warsaw who has just got a beautiful Giant Explore E+ 0 2020 for his wife!

(I -- technically speaking -- should not drink beer, so that's a special occasion!)

 

[Art Deco]

Wasze zdrowie! (To Health of All of You!)

The consolidated post-ride beer It's the "Kiss the Beast", an Ultra IPA 8.5% abv from AleBrowar & Birbant breweries. The most bitter ale I've ever drunk!
Special congrats to my countryman @Archie of Warsaw who has just got a beautiful Giant Explore E+ 0 2020 for his wife!

View attachment 55704
(I -- technically speaking -- should not drink beer, so that's a special occasion!)

Not drink beer ? One of the things I loved about the Czech republic was that they understand that beer is a basic food with no special taxes. To your health!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

One of the things I loved about the Czech republic was that they understand that beer is a basic food with no special taxes.

It is not "beer" nowadays there; it is the International Pale Lager. There are several craft-beer breweries in the Czech Republic. There are plenty of them in Poland.

Not drink beer ?

Diabetes...

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Damn, I got hoodwinked today! Rode my ToughRoad up a very tough road to look at a waterfall I had just heard about, and it turned out to be just a tad bit dry.

Oh well, I love climbing hills anyway. I’ll do this (very pretty) ride again after we get some rain.

In other exciting news, the locks on the Erie Canal were all filled yesterday and it looks like things might get back in business earlier than expected. It’s always fun riding along the canal or walking the harbor wall looking at the boats and talking to people from all over the world.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

View attachment 55704

Stefan, my friend, you’re looking like a rock star! This ebiking stuff is really working for you.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@Readytoride, your rides (and stories) are exciting! I admire how fast you're riding, especially as there are many hills in your area! Respect!

I liked how you solved your magical number of issues en route. Don't you use Quadlock for phone holder? (It's highly recommended). I had a similar story on my "In the Very Centre of Poland" ride. I could hear a rattle but could not identify it (and my brother hates when I shout "Stop! Stop!"). My brother was riding abreast of me and he said: "Your phone seems to wobble terribly. Let's stop!" It turned out the screw that held the lock together loosened; it was just several minutes before the holder would fall apiece.

You live in very interesting area. The wineries sound very convincing to me!

 

[Deleted member 18083]

A picture of something really blue and the Creo…

Not quite as grand …

PaD's Stockholm photo reminded me of the entrance to the City Botanical Gardens in Brisbane. It's not as grand but there is a pleasant cycling and walking path beyond.

City Botanical Gardens, Brisbane​

Protector of the Queen's Park​

About a hundred metres beyond the gate is Brisbane's Old Cannon. 1803, when it was cast, was a tense time in Europe. Napoleon was behaving badly: Louisiana was sold to the United States in April, Britain declared war on France in May and Napoleon spent June planning an invasion of Britain and… the big gun was cast.

A dozen years later, following the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon was exiled to an Atlantic island somewhere between Africa and South America – probably, the remotest place I've visited – where he lived out his days in grumpy isolation.

Decades passed before someone had a bright idea: send some of the superfluous cannons to the other side of the world to protect the new colony named in the Queen Victoria's honour. That Britain was the only country to have invaded Australia was lost on the Colonial Office.

The big guns proved most useful in belching out smoke and frightening the kookaburras and cockatoos.

Trivia:

• Note the protective cable preventing the cannon from being nicked.
• The pathway suspended over the river is the new riverside cycleway bypassing the old gates. We do live in modern times.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

1803, when it was cast, was a tense time in Europe. Napoleon was behaving badly: Louisiana was sold to the United States in April, Britain declared war on France in May and Napoleon spent June planning an invasion of Britain and… the big gun was cast.

A dozen years later, following the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon was exiled to an Atlantic island somewhere between Africa and South America – probably, the remotest place I've visited – where he lived out his days in grumpy isolation.

Decades passed before someone had a bright idea: send some of the superfluous cannons to the other side of the world to protect the new colony named in the Queen Victoria's honour. That Britain was the only country to have invaded Australia was lost on the Colonial Office.

The big guns proved most useful in belching out smoke and frightening the kookaburras and cockatoos.

You story, David, has reminded me of my visit to the former battlefield of Austerlitz (now Slavkov u Brna [near to Brno] in the Czech Republic), where the Bonaparte's grand army defeated the combined armies of Austria and Russia in 1805. Soon, the Treaty of Pressburg (now Bratislava) was signed. For those who do not know the European geography well, I just need to mention the cities of Vienna (Wien) in Austria, Bratislava (Pressburg) in Slovakia and Brno (Brünn) in the Czech Republic are very close to one another.

The Czech Republic, which consists of Bohemia and Moravia is an ideal cycling country, full of hills, mountains, and forests. I'd like to go there on e-bike tour some day. Nowadays, the name of the Czech Republic is being shortened to "Czechia" in the English-speaking world. The Czech don't like that. They call their country Republika ("The Republic") themselves and are very proud of that!

 

[PatriciaK]

First 10-miler since getting home!

Looking across Penn Cove to the town of Coupeville, and the Olympic Mountains in the distance

Looking across Oak Harbor to the City of the same name, with the Cascades Mountains so far in the distance that the office camera can't see them very well .

Stylized map of the Oak Harbor Shore Trail.

Great little ride!

 

[Chargeride]

Went on a local ride with the wife...10 minutes in started getting this almighty spoke creak from the rear wheel.
It was so loud I eventually cracked and poured water all over the spokes, which cured it.
Two mins later the rear brake started continously squealing loud enough to cause pedestrians to turn around from 100ft away.
In the end I had to remove the caliper and constantly remind myself not to pull the lever.

Some days.

 

[CdnShaun]

Went for my first Century ride of the season (Metric Century I know, lol) discovering the harbour in Owen Sound is a perfect 50.2kms from my home in the area. Normally the harbour is empty these days, used mostly for launching small personal boats and such, snapped a quick photo of the large ship that was there right now.

4 batteries and 4 bottles of water this trip. Hoping to be back up over 150km rides by the end of July and will upload more photos of my travels.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

What are those things?

Mount Coot-tha Botanical Gardens​

Yesterday's ride didn't go to plan. After a short but steep ride on Monday, I was determined to log some distance – at least 100 km – and set off in the car for the Moreton Bay Cycleway.

The problem was that I had put on a bit too much sunscreen and had somehow got it into my right eye. I tried rubbing but, for some reason, that made it worse. By the time I had reached the place on the motorway where a 1980s overpass was being demolished and replaced, the traffic was crawling and I had one eye closed. Time to give up: I pulled off and found my way to a quiet cycleway into the city. So much better.

'Is that you, David?' called a familiar voice. Jacqueline! We rode together slowly, because we were waiting for hubby to catch up. This was Jack with whom I ride on the rail trail on the first Wednesday of each month. Long ride banished from my mind; instead a trip to a favourite café with a distinctly Austrian flavour. Leisurely coffee and strudel.

Gemütlich!

J&J are wonderful raconteurs and I am an equally accomplished listener! Did I know that June temperatures in London and Brisbane are near-identical. Well, yes. And so on…

Which was why I would halve the distance, but double the enjoyment, of my Wednesday ride… and how I came to visit both of Brisbane's botanical gardens.

This is the truth: I didn't realise that the little fellow was in my photo of the 'cannon balls' until I got home: must've been something to do with a bunged-up eye.

 

[RandallS]

My ride today was simply to downtown to my pharmacy (next to my old office before I retired) . Not much for pictures as it was mainly urban. Thinking back, I should have taken some shots of Downtown Calgary from the Crescent Hill escarpment.

Regardless, here's a picture of a short break on the way home. 32km total.

 

[FlatSix911]

What are those things?

View attachment 55808

Mount Coot-tha Botanical Gardens​

Yesterday's ride didn't go to plan. After a short but steep ride on Monday, I was determined to log some distance – at least 100 km – and set off in the car for the Moreton Bay Cycleway.

The problem was that I had put on a bit too much sunscreen and had somehow got it into my right eye. I tried rubbing but, for some reason, that made it worse. By the time I had reached the place on the motorway where a 1980s overpass was being demolished and replaced, the traffic was crawling and I had one eye closed. Time to give up: I pulled off and found my way to a quiet cycleway into the city. So much better.

'Is that you, David?' called a familiar voice. Jacqueline! We rode together slowly, because we were waiting for hubby to catch up. This was Jack with whom I ride on the rail trail on the first Wednesday of each month. Long ride banished from my mind; instead a trip to a favourite café with a distinctly Austrian flavour. Leisurely coffee and strudel.

Gemütlich!

J&J are wonderful raconteurs and I am an equally accomplished listener! Did I know that June temperatures in London and Brisbane are near-identical. Well, yes. And so on…

Which was why I would halve the distance, but double the enjoyment, of my Wednesday ride… and how I came to visit both of Brisbane's botanical gardens.

This is the truth: I didn't realise that the little fellow was in my photo of the 'cannon balls' until I got home: must've been something to do with a bunged-up eye.

Nice find on the pair of meteorites... watch out for the Andromeda Strain!

 

[RabH]

Another lovely local ride today on mostly deserted roads, I did meet a huge articulated truck on a small back road (satnav problems) and he stopped to ask me directons to a local distillery to which I replied "I think you will need a whisky to get there from here" I do hope he made it but I'm sure it wasn't easy....incidentally I was doing 48mph down a hill called booze brae which is named after the distillery! One day I will get to the magical 50mph down this hill, so close today! My bike was actually showing 48.6mph...