2020 : Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[Stefan Mikes]

Soeci

Stefan which of your mid- drive bike motors feels more powerful?

Specialized 1.2s is very fast but Syncdrive Pro is a mighty climber. Still, there are many things differing the Vado from Trance, for example completely different chainring or geometry. Climbing serious hills made no slightest trouble to Trance. On the other hand, Trance is a slow bike compared to the Vado.

 

[steve mercier]

Soeci

Specialized 1.2s is very fast but Syncdrive Pro is a mighty climber. Still, there are many things differing the Vado from Trance, for example completely different chainring or geometry. Climbing serious hills made no slightest trouble to Trance. On the other hand, Trance is a slow bike compared to the Vado.

You are telling me about the gearing. Let me ask you this way. If they both had exactly the same gearing which motor would feel more powerful? I have two very differently geared bikes with the same motor and yet both motors feel exactly the same to me.

 

[Twin Valley]

Congrats! That is an inviting trail. What bike are you holding there?

That's a specialized levo comp (19) so I have to plan the trips Charl comes on with her giant Liv Amiti carefully the trail is on my daughter's ranch that backs on to a portion of the Qu'appelle Valley in Saskatchewan, today's ride was a good test for the Levo as I pedalled along a challenging trail through a wilderness area to the Qu'appelle river

 

[Cowlitz]

I've been having some back/leg trouble and the Demon Dog had not been walked properly so I loaded both bike and dog into truck and we headed for the hills. All was good. We did the usual ten miles. I know the Demon can handle that distance without wearing down paw pads.
It looked and felt like some spots had been either bladed or had gravel dumped on them so I stopped and let some air out of my tires to turn my bike into a gravel bike. Whilst I was gingerly pressing the valve stems, the Demon was on the trail of something that only she knew of. No critters were injured or killed on this trip.

I stopped and parked Old Snuffy to take a picture of the All Right Corral. You can't tell from the picture, but the loading chute is made for very skinny cows.

Our stats? Well, I don' need no stinkin' computer. We were passed by one pickup on this trip. It was quite peaceful.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Put your feet up and relax …

Squatter's Chair – Marburg, QLD​

When Jen and I moved north to Queensland in the mid-seventies this was the main road west from Brisbane. No more!

Was fuel really that cheap?

$1.11 for 88 litres? I think someone's been a trifle mischievous…

 

[Twin Valley]

No time to post the Lesser Poland stories yet, but...

Something for @Readytoride and @Anna

View attachment 57994
Equestrians met on a nasty trail.
-- Have you ever ridden a horse? -- the badass seen at the front asked me.
-- Oh, yes, I rode our Kary bareback when I was a little kid!
-- We see you're riding an e-bike. I use to ride horses and bikes, but not the electric kind.
-- You must have missed something in your life I wish you would never need to ride an e-bike! A lot of health to you!

(It took me 15 seconds to jump off the Vado, remove the DSLR camera from the pannier, ask for the permission to shoot the photo and actually make it. Shot with a 135 mm, 1975 Pentax telephoto lens)

Well Stefan you can ride a bike and cowboy as my grandson is looking for a critter to rope -

 

[Readytoride]

The horse folk around my farm seem ultra polite and definitely appreciate my bell. They always have a ‘good morning’ for me.
A question?...I’ve thought of carrying equine treats, the ones I give Hank the donkey and his flighty young painted filly GF. Would giving a few of these to Horses and donkeys in my travels bother the human owners?

If you mean giving treats to ridden horses after getting permission from the rider/owner, then no problem.

If you mean giving treats to horses in a field without their owner's permission, this would be an absolute no-no. You don't know if an equine is on a dietary restriction, and if the treat would cause an issue.

It is sweet of you to be so considerate in wanting to give treats to equines in your passing, but please don't unless you get permission first.

 

[Gadget]

Dillon Co to Breckenridge Co this weekend, 33 miles Round trip on paved bike path. Main street is closed to vehicles so restaurants can serve and it has worked out nice.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Dillon Co to Breckenridge Co this weekend, 33 miles round trip on paved bike path.

Gadget…
Welcome to the EBR Forum and thanks for sharing your adventures. More, please.

Ebikes, especially of the R&M variety, are wonderful escape machines. That said, I won't part with my handcrafted titanium Dean Randonneur road bike which started its life just up the road from you in Boulder, CO.
David

2013 : Cabbage Tree Creek​

 

[Stefan Mikes]

You are telling me about the gearing. Let me ask you this way. If they both had exactly the same gearing which motor would feel more powerful? I have two very differently geared bikes with the same motor and yet both motors feel exactly the same to me.

Steve, the experience is the Yamaha SyncDrive Pro motor gives you a noticeable "kick" when you start riding. That might, however, result from the "Zero Cadence" feature of latest Giant motors that provide assistance from the cold start. Bear also in mind European 45 km/h Vados use less torquey but faster 1.2s motor (Brose TF) while the U.S. Vado 5.0 has the 1.3 motor (Brose S Alu), the same as in older Turbo Levos (a 90 Nm MTB motor).

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Some Postcards from Cracow (Saturday July 4th, 2020)

I drove up the block of flats in North Cracow where my friends Banshee and Kalon live at 1:30 p.m. Hellos and bringing my small suitcase into their flat took just 19 minutes and I was already riding towards the Stare Miasto (Old Town) on my Vado. The afternoon was just too beautiful to waste the day. I a short time, I covered 6 km and was in the very heart of the city.

For those who would like to know more: Kraków (Cracow) was the capital city of Poland from 1040 to 1596 (King Sigismundus III of Vasa moved the capital to Warsaw at that time to be closer to his beloved Sweden...; and Cracowers still refer to Warsaw as to "that village up north of Słomniki" -- Słomniki is a small town just 24 km up north of Cracow). Cracow had a lucky history; the city was never damaged, so it is in the same league as Vienna or Prague or the Buda part of Budapest. There are hundreds of places to see in the city, and there are hundreds of dive bars there, too, which made it a popular drinking destination for the British pre-covid. (Interestingly, the American tourists prefer Prague instead).

The King Władysław II Jagiełło on the top of the monument commemorating the Polish-Lithuanian victory over the Teutonic Order in Grunwald/Tannenberg in 1410. (The incredible power of the Teutonic state was broken in the battle, eventually giving the way to creation of the state of Prussia). The monument was created by Jan Matejko, a great Cracow-based painter and sculptor of historical scenes. His gigantic "Battle of Grunwald" painting is exhibited in the National Museum in Warsaw nowadays.

The Cracow Barbican, one of the city's landmarks. Interestingly, Warsaw has its own Barbican. These two cities seem to always compete with each other

The huge Juliusz Słowacki Theatre. While you can use a standard or telephoto lens in cities such as NYC, London, Berlin or Warsaw (these cities are spacious), you have to take an extreme wide-angle lens to Vienna, Cracow, Wrocław, Prague or Budapest which are old cities with immense buildings and almost no space around. I missed at least a 35 mm lens on that very afternoon. I could have taken my 15 mm extreme wide angle lens with me but it weighed as much as 2 pounds so I had left it at home...

At the Small Square (very close to the Main Square). There is a company offering rides in hackney carriages. Not only are the horses beautiful but each cab is operated by two beautiful young girls (and the company operates at least six such carriages).

The Sukiennice (Cracow Cloth Hall) in the Main Square is a Renaissance shopping mall. It was not always that nice. There was a grim history period during which the city was collapsing into decline. Only around 1870, Cracowers (under Austrian-Hungarian rule) decided they wanted to have a nice city. They managed to succeed.

The Church of St. Adalbert in the Main Square was built in 11th century (around the time Cracow became the capital city of Poland, 1040). It is a Romanesque structure with a Baroque dome. The church is still in operation! The three town houses just at the left of the church host the famous Wierzynek Restaurant.

The statue of the poet Adam Mickiewicz (the greatest of Polish poets, of Lithuanian/Belarussian descent) can be seen at the left of the Gothic church (St. Mary's Basilica) with two towers of unequal height.
"On every hour, a trumpet signal—called the Hejnał mariacki—is played from the top of the taller of Saint Mary's two towers. The plaintive tune breaks off in mid-stream, to commemorate a famous 13th century trumpeter who was shot in the throat while sounding the alarm before a Mongol attack on the city". /Wikipedia/

Saints Peter and Paul Baroque church at the left and the St. Andrews Romanesque stone-built church from 11th c. at the right.

The heart of Poland beats there: The Wawel Royal Castle. I had already crossed the River Vistula and hit the fantastic Vistula Bike Trail, a bike freeway. I was riding in the Eco mode at the speed of traditional cyclists. I could do the trip on a single battery, why had I taken a spare?!

This photo was taken from the Vistula Trail, that leads via the River Vistula embankments; the river flows towards the viewer here. I was stopped by a gentleman taking a rest on a stone wall with his bike. Cracowers are famous of their extreme politeness and they are rather talkative, unlike us Warsawers who are rather boorish He admired my Vado and told me he had a chance to ride a Turbo Levo for a couple of days in the mountains. Specialized are very active in South Poland where you can find a lot of hills and mountains: they often organize rallies where they let cyclists ride Specialized e-MTBs. Anyone who had a chance to ride a Levo is won for e-bikes. Only the high cost...

The Camaldolese Priory of Bielany, Cracow as seen behind the river. The Camaldolese monks are distinct by wearing white habits. Wherever a Camaldolese abbey was created in Poland, the place was called "Bielany" (The Whites). As you may guess, there is a Warsaw quarter called Bielany (with a Camaldolese abbey, of course!) because these two cities seem to have always competed with each other...

The Benedictine Abbey in Tyniec near to Cracow. That was the farthest point I reached by the Vistula Bike Trail. The trail is still under construction, as the orange net indicates.

From that point on (after having ice-cream in Tyniec), I began a rather boring return loop trip to Cracow. Although I have been to Cracow for many times, the city managed to surprise me as extremely wide-spread and of complex topography. You only can discover that when you're cycling there.

A horsie being walked somewhere in Cracow. Horsemanship appears to become very popular in Poland now.

Cracow is an interesting mixture of a city and countryside. (I was somewhat very tired on that very warm day).

@Sierratim asked several posts before if indeed Polish cities were so clean. I do confirm, they are. Poland has changed a lot for the past 31 years. A Cracow-born friend saw the photo as above and exclaimed:
-- That is not the quarter I was born and raised in anymore! -- Just fancy that, the place was a grim, dirty, dangerous and uninspiring neighbourhood just thirty years ago...

And then I started gathering my strength for the Sunday's 70-mile ride.

Banshee portrayed by Kalon at the Vistula Bike Freeway. The Camaldolese Priory seen in the background. Kalon has been my photography pupil and he's using my old Pentax gear. Now, he's a far better photographer than I am.

 

[RabH]

(Will you object if I post many photos?)

Never! Amazing photos and story Stefan, you really are doing Poland proud! Wet day for me so no ride today, the weather is looking better from tomorrow onwards (with a little blip on Friday) so lots more rides to come!

 

[Readytoride]

Truly fun to tour the history abounding in the places that you ride, and your photography is first rate. Thanks, Stefan! Keep it up!

 

[RandallS]

Love the pics and stories Stefan, they bring back fond memories.
We've been to Cracow twice and both times stayed in the old town near the Barbican (at the Hotel Polski).

On our first trip, we enjoyed a lovely classical music concert in the St Peters and Paul Church - great acoustics but a little chilly.
I think that must have been 2010, as the Vistula was quite high and we watched the news of the floods from safety back in Canada.

On both trips I enjoyed the tours at the salt mine - the second time we went we were able to have my wife take the miner's car both down and up, as she cannot walk very well.

It sure looks looks like a very bike friendly place - but I'm sure it's a lot quieter theses days without the drinking destination for teh UK. We certainly saw that when we were there.

Cheers!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

stayed in the old town near the Barbican (at the Hotel Polski).

Now you've brought some remembrances to me, Randall. I was conscripted to the Army as an officer cadet and did my basic training in Cracow back in 1987. After a month of training, we made our oath and got a 24-hour leave to spend time with our families. We stayed with my young wife at the Hotel Polski you mentioned...

While I was staying in Cracow, I was trying to see a dentist as much as I could (a soldier was given a leave to visit the hospital); I was also getting several distintions for excellent service as the canteen supervisor (I saved necks of my superiors when a General came from Warsaw for the inspection of the Military Academy). Therefore I managed to be out in Cracow quite frequently and could do some tourism (in an uniform, of course). I liked it when I was to see the Jewish synagogue and graveyard in Kazimierz (the former Jewish quarter of Cracow). Any male visiting one of these places had to have their head covered; I wore a military hat, so no worries

 

[Dallant]

The recent heat wave calls for an early ride...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

What saddle are you using, @Dallant? Besides, very nice pictures!

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Country store …

​

The old country store is in Marburg which is near the arrowhead just north of the 75 km marker.

Until normality returns (August?), this 111 km ride from home is the maximum distance that I can manage during the time that Jen has a home carer to look after her (Mon, Wed, Fri).

Coastal rides are mainly north of Brisbane Airport to Sandgate, Clontarf, Redcliffe and Deception Bay. For the present these have to be much shorter to allow for car travel.

 

[Dallant]

What saddle are you using, @Dallant? Besides, very nice pictures!

Serfas E-Gel and I really like it!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Conquering Yet Another National Park (A Plan)

There are several National Parks of Poland that actually encourage cycling; most of those are too far apart without having a vacation. There are very ancient mountains in Poland: Góry Świętokrzyskie (Holy Cross Mountains) with their National Park. As a school verse teaches us: "The Holy Cross Mountains are not tall at all; grey moss covers their stony roads...". Not only the entry to that very National Park is ticketed but also cycling is banned there. Yet the Holy Cross on the Bald Mt (Święty Krzyż, Łysa Góra) is accessible by road, and it is 877 m elevation gain, something for my Trance E+

I love that area, and used to hike there in different periods of my life. The last time I climbed the Holy Cross was on July 29th, 2013; that was the hottest day of that year. And I climbed the King's Road (inaccessible to bikes):

It was hot!

The lower part of Holy Cross Mts is covered with virgin fir forest. The upper part is made of stone-runs.

I hope I could bring better pictures than I made back in 2013; I had a very poor command of the camera at that time

The route as planned for the coming Sunday. If the battery allows it, I might want to make a detour to Bodzentyn to see a castle there.

The plan is simple: Cast my vote in the presidential elections at 7 a.m. on Sunday; drive 180 km (112 mi) to Nowa Słupia; get on the Monster and ride out; have a lunch in St. Catherine; close the loop. I know I'll manage that. The weather should be fine enough.