2020 : Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[Twin Valley]

Today's ride for us followed parts of the Willow Creek basin in the foothills of Southern Alberta - lots of historic ranches in the area -

today's water flow was high and dirty with the outlying mountains finally losing their winter layer - come fall the creek will be much calmer and easier to cross -

 

[Chargeride]

My main ride has been a fat bike for 2 years now. Electric assist negates all of the down sides of the fat tires from a pedaling perspective. I'm very fond of the cushy ride and the incredible amount of grip the 4 inch wide tires give in turns and when stopping.

My two friends who have acoustic fatbikes have changed to 29x3 wheels and tyres on carbon rims no less, £800ish for the pair!
They swear by them for allround performance and I have to say they can really perform on sand.

 

[steve mercier]

Today's ride for us followed parts of the Willow Creek basin in the foothills of Southern Alberta - lots of historic ranches in the area -View attachment 54184 today's water flow was high and dirty with the outlying mountains finally losing their winter layer - come fall the creek will be much calmer and easier to cross -

You can cross it in Winter on skates. I spent 3 weeks in Lethbridge and another 3 weeks in Medicine Hat and another 3 weeks in Red Deer in Winter. It was COLD. It looks like so much more inviting in Summer!

 

[pmcdonald]

I coaxed two work colleagues out on a ride yesterday evening. It's always nice to have company riding at night. We did a 22km / 13.5m unpowered loop of the city and foreshore here in Newcastle. You can see Newcastle Beach in the photo above, a little worse for wear after some big 6m / 20ft swells the last week.

The weather was crisp but perfect for riding: 10C / 50F air with a wind chill down to around 0C / 32F. There was snow on them there hills! (ahem, 500km away)

Our route took us up Shepherds Hill, climbing about 100m / 328ft in about a kilometre. It was a good workout pushing my 30kg / 66lb bike and bag up a gradient as steep as 20%. I kept my motor off in solidarity with my unpowered colleagues. I notice all this ebike riding is making me a stronger analog cyclist.

A sweeping road descent at 50km/h / 32 mph awaited the other side of Strzelecki Lookout. The 30km/h headwind made my eyes water on the way down.

From there we weaved our way through near deserted city streets, everybody else cozy inside and glued to their televisions watching images of militarised police shooting journalists in countries abroad, or, more likely, bingeing the latest Netflix series. (I'm thankful for the calm we have, but under no illusion we're immune to the seething discontent we're viewing.) Be safe, everyone.

 

[Readytoride]

@cristob - what a sweet story! So glad you were motivated to go visit Bluemont for the afternoon and revisit some of your childhood places/memories. My experience has always been that most people are very receptive to others who have lived in the area in the past, and usually are thrilled to meet someone who once lived in a house now owned by another. Next time be sure to knock! And if you have any old photos to share, I know the Bluemont Association would love to have scanned copies for their history collection. I know the people renovating that old house would kill to have any photos of the place when it was lived in as there is virtually nothing existing. Bill and Barb are super, super nice so next time you are in town, if you see them at the house, please stop and say hello!!

@jabberwocky - Oops! Sorry I thought your ride was today! The house you looked at is cute!! I noticed the other day it was for sale. That is also a very quiet gravel road, too, and the neighbors are all very nice.

Tonight was a nice 13 miles (20.9 kilometers) "around the block at the end of the day before the heat chases us all indoors for the duration" ride tonight, sharing some of the same gravel roads you took on Sunday. Your SO and I would have a blast talking local history- we should see about arranging a ride together sometime.

Here is my ride in pictures, 2 hours before sunset, 80°f (26.6°c), sunny, hot, and calm. All local gravel roads.

Yours truly goofing off when I stopped (about 1/4 mile down the road) to take a pic and realized my camera was facing me rather than the scenery. I thought the reflection of the scenery in my sports glasses was pretty awesome.

Same spot where jabberwocky took his picture, the same view, only he had been riding up the road in the morning while my picture was taken in the evening while I was going down the road towards the creek.

The lands in the photo above this photo, and in the photo below, are all under the Virginia Outdoors conversation easement. The gravel road is part of the Mosby Heritage Foundation's motorists audio tour of the countryside.

Trying to capture a view but the sun was already so low it filled the lens completely.

Half mile (.8 kilometer) from home. The sun had already set and my phone camera was struggling to find the right balance of light and dark contrasts and color. I can assure you, however, the view was enough to melt your heart it was so pretty. The surrounding peace and quiet of this area is pure bliss. I love living here.

Tomorrow the heat and humidity will hit us like a sledgehammer. Mid 90s °f (35°c) with humidity near 100%. I expect to be up and cycling on the gravel roads before 9am for a 25 mile (40 kilometer) ride. My neighbor bowed out of joining me. She texted me back that it is going to be "too stinking hot" and she's staying indoors finishing up work that needs to be done.

No question we will all be living in the AC for the remainder of the week.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I spent last Tuesday out riding. So many posts of yours have missed me! Whenever you'll see my "Like" or "Love" at your post, rest assured I have read them!

The "Trail of Bygone Manor Houses"

• Indeed, "bygone". The "green" bike trail (which is by no means a technical but strictly tourist one) seemed to promise a plethora of ancient manor houses on the route, and the tourist map was giving the locations of the estates. The 70 km long trail leading through the Bolimów Landscape Park (which is shared by the Łodź and Mazovian voivodships) was indeed interesting but the promise of sightseeing numerous residences was greatly exaggerated Some of the houses lay in ruin; some were inaccessible or hard to be found; other were under reconstruction. On my trip, I was able to find and see a single old manor house worth of talking about...
• What is more true is the fact the large Bolimów Landscape Park is teeming with stables and horses (though I visited no stable). Regional enthusiasts promote horse riding and have provided a lot of tourist information in the area to encourage wannabe equestrian give it a try.
• The weather was just perfect. 16-17 C, which could be interpreted as "very warm" in this cold year. Very warm sunshine was balanced with a fairy strong wind that was pleasantly cooling the overheated cyclist's body It was the first time I could wear a short-sleeved jersey!
• Although many segments of the trail lead through paved roads, the majority of terrain was gravel, dirt, sand, and even grass. I thanked the Providence to inspire me with the idea of riding the Monster, my e-MTB. I even learned tuning the full suspension for different trail conditions!

The perfect day. Taking a rest in a beautiful village of Puszcza Mariańska at 12th kilometre. A Police station behind me.

The manor house in Wola Pękoszewska (at 1st kilometre) has been under the reconstruction since 2008 and is inaccessible. What is visible though is the ruined manor distillery of 1911.

River Korabiewka on my approach to Puszcza Mariańska. The gender of "river" is feminine in Polish.

St. Michael the Archangel church in Puszcza Mariańska. Friars Marian (hence the name of the village) maintain the place in gorgeous manner. There is a rather sad story related to the church. The original one was built in 1755. In 1993 some unknown arsonist (I guess he was supporting pagan views) burned the church down. The church was reconstructed in 2000.

A stork pictured with good lighting. Storks are admired by the Poles who build platforms for future stork nests.

The neo-Gothic church of St. Anthony of Padua in Radziwiłłów (1907). Once, the Radziwiłł were the mightiest aristocratic family of Poland. The place was one of their many properties, probably tiny by comparison with what they have had in Lithuania

A ruined water-mill on River Rawka in Ruda-Mill Settlement. What a waste... Someone could have acquired the place when it was still sound and make a cafe or restaurant over there...

The new railway station in the city of Skierniewice. On October 15th, 1845, the Warsaw-Vienna Railway reached this place.

Once I entered Skierniewice (28th kilometre), I was already both hungry and tired. I stopped at a bus shelter and ate a kabanos with bun. Soon, two winos sat on the same bench and produced vodka. Even if they were merry and friendly, I rode two km more and found an unusual place for a longer rest. It was a freshly mowed lawn opposite a shopping centre Very unusual place but I enjoyed the moment and nobody made any remarks about it!

Then the off-road ride really started! Before Skierniewice, there was a very bumpy forest fire-road. There was an off-road car that was moving very slowly because of the potholes. With my full suspension in the "open" position, I sped up to 25 km/h and the car disappeared in my rear-view mirror! The trail ahead (in the picture) became "technical" soon and I was fighting there to survive, so no pictures, sorry!

Hah! The only of "bygone manor houses" worth of speaking of, the one in Trzcianna. By 2009, the manor was indeed in ruin. Someone wealthy has bought the estate and brought it to the proper shape since. Unfortunately, the owner seems to protect their privacy but...

"...there are many things not allowed but still doable" /Josef Svejk/ Honour to the new owner for the reconstruction work!

The church of St. Apostles Simon and Jude Thaddaeus in Stara Rawa. The electricity pole could not be located in more unfortunate place...

Variety of landscapes I was riding through. Fujifilm X30 camera is not the best suited for landscape photography but it is at least tiny and lightweight.

SURPRISE! I was riding the green trail and suddenly stopped at this. A phone/Internet company had been digging a ditch for fibre optics line and I was put in an unpleasant situation (little of battery charge left, me very tired). First, I moved my bike (heavy!) over the pile of soil. Then, I made the bike "straddle" the trench to give me some purchase for jumping. And I jumped. Badly positioned foot and I spectacularly fell on the road opposite! Luckily, no damage either to me or to the bike. How fortunate!

The trail was barred by the phone company, so I studied the map and moved in the opposite direction. The map suggested a path. It turned out the path was completely overgrown, and judging by the size of the bushes in its middle and lack of garbage, nobody must have traversed that path for at least 20 years! I took the plunge (don't try it without a trail-capable e-MTB!). After I finally got me out the bushes, I found a field road that lead to a paved road. There was a spectacular landscape in front of me, and I wanted to take a picture. However, there was a farm gate opposite and a big, red-clothed woman stared inquisitively at me. I took a deep (last) sip from my water bottle and approached the woman.

--"Ah, sir, it seems to me you're completely lost?"-- she demanded -- "Indeed" -- I admitted -- "No worries! See this sign? The green bike trail! You're gonna continue down there!" -- "Thank you!" -- So my odyssey was near to its completion.

The adventure as explained on the map.

There's a moon in the sky
It's called the Moon
/B-52s/

On my last legs in Wycinka Wolska. Of the farmland in Poland, only orchards are fenced.

Now, my problem was: "Where did I leave my car?!" Luckily, I could locate the place on the map and used Google Maps to navigate up there. The battery went flat just 300 m before the trip end.

By my car.

The ride stats & map.

 

[Cowlitz]

Stefan: Excellent post. Thank you.

 

[Sierratim]

I spent last Tuesday out riding. So many posts of yours have missed me! Whenever you'll see my "Like" or "Love" at your post, rest assured I have read them!

The "Trail of Bygone Manor Houses"

• Indeed, "bygone". The "green" bike trail (which is by no means a technical but strictly tourist one) seemed to promise a plethora of ancient manor houses on the route, and the tourist map was giving the locations of the estates. The 70 km long trail leading through the Bolimów Landscape Park (which is shared by the Łodź and Mazovian voivodships) was indeed interesting but the promise of sightseeing numerous residences was greatly exaggerated Some of the houses lay in ruin; some were inaccessible or hard to be found; other were under reconstruction. On my trip, I was able to find and see a single old manor house worth of talking about...
• What is more true is the fact the large Bolimów Landscape Park is teeming with stables and horses (though I visited no stable). Regional enthusiast promote horse riding and have provided a lot of tourist information in the area to encourage wannabe equestrian to give it a try.
• The weather was just perfect. 16-17 C, which could be interpreted as "very warm" in this cold year. Very warm sunshine was balanced with a fairy strong wind that was pleasantly cooling the overheated cyclist's body It was the first time I could wear a short-sleeved jersey!
• Although many segments of the trail lead through paved roads, the majority of terrain was gravel, dirt, sand, and even grass. I thanked the Providence to inspire me with the idea of riding the Monster, my e-MTB. I even learned tuning the full suspension for different trail conditions!

View attachment 54227
The perfect day. Taking a rest in a beautiful village of Puszcza Mariańska at 12th kilometre. A Police station behind me.

View attachment 54228
The manor house in Wola Pękoszewska (at 1st kilometre) has been under the reconstruction since 2008 and is inaccessible. What is visible though is the ruined manor distillery of 1911.

View attachment 54229
River Korabiewka on my approach to Puszcza Mariańska. The gender of "river" is feminine in Polish.

View attachment 54230
St. Michael the Archangel church in Puszcza Mariańska. Friars Marian (hence the name of the village) maintain the place in gorgeous manner. There is a rather sad story related to the church. The original one was built in 1755. In 1993 some unknown arsonist (I guess he was supporting pagan views) burned the church down. The church was reconstructed in 2000.

View attachment 54231
A stork pictured with good lighting. Storks are admired by the Poles who build platforms for future stork nests.

View attachment 54232
The neo-Gothic church of St. Anthony of Padua in Radziwiłłów (1907). Once, the Radziwiłł were the mightiest aristocratic family of Poland. The place was one of their many properties, probably tiny by comparison with what they have had in Lithuania

View attachment 54233
A ruined water-mill on River Rawka in Ruda-Mill Settlement. What a waste... Someone could have acquired the place when it was still sound and make a cafe or restaurant over there...

View attachment 54234
The new railway station in the city of Skierniewice. On October 15th, 1845, the Warsaw-Vienna Railway reached this place.

View attachment 54235
Once I entered Skierniewice (28th kilometre), I was already both hungry and tired. I stopped at a bus shelter and ate a kabanos with bun. Soon, two winos sat on the same bench and produced vodka. Even if they were merry and friendly, I rode two km more and found an unusual place for a longer rest. It was a freshly mowed lawn opposite a shopping centre Very unusual place but I enjoyed the moment and nobody made any remarks about it!

View attachment 54236
Then the off-road ride really started! Before Skierniewice, there was a very bumpy forest fire-road. There was an off-road car that was moving very slowly because of the potholes. With my full suspension in the "open" position, I sped up to 25 km/h and the car disappeared in my rear-view mirror! The trail ahead (in the picture) became "technical" soon and I was fighting there to survive, so no pictures, sorry!

View attachment 54237
Hah! The only of "bygone manor houses" worth of speaking of, the one in Trzcianna. By 2009, the manor was indeed in ruin. Someone wealthy has bought the estate and brought it to the proper shape since. Unfortunately, the owner seems to protect their privacy but...

View attachment 54238
"...there are many things not allowed but still doable" /Josef Svejk/ Honour to the new owner for the reconstruction work!

View attachment 54239
The church of St. Apostles Simon and Jude Thaddaeus in Stara Rawa. The electricity pole could not be located in more unfortunate place...

View attachment 54241
Variety of landscapes I was riding through. Fujifilm X30 camera is not the best suited for landscape photography but it is at least tiny and lightweight.

View attachment 54247
SURPRISE! I was riding the green trail and suddenly stopped at this. A phone/Internet company had been digging a ditch for fibre optics line and I was put in an unpleasant situation (little of battery charge left, me very tired). First, I moved my bike (heavy!) over the pile of soil. Then, I made the bike "straddle" the trench to give me some purchase for jumping. And I jumped. Badly positioned foot and I spectacularly fell on the road opposite! Luckily, no damage either to me or to the bike. How fortunate!

View attachment 54252
The trail was barred by the phone company, so I studied the map and moved in the opposite direction. The map suggested a path. It turned out the path was completely overgrown, and judging by the size of the bushes in its middle and lack of garbage, nobody must have traversed that path for at least 20 years! I took the plunge (don't try it without a trail-capable e-MTB!). After I finally got me out the bushes, I found a field road that lead to a paved road. There was a spectacular landscape in front of me, and I wanted to take a picture. However, there was a farm gate opposite and a big, red-clothed woman stared inquisitively at me. I took a deep (last) sip from my water bottle and approached the woman.

--"Ah, sir, it seems to me you're completely lost?"-- she demanded -- "Indeed" -- I admitted -- "No worries! See this sign? The green bike trail! You're gonna continue down there!" -- "Thank you!" -- So my odyssey was near to its completion.

View attachment 54253
The adventure as explained on the map.

View attachment 54254
There's a moon in the sky
It's called the Moon
/B-52s/

View attachment 54255
On my last legs in Wycinka Wolska. Of the farmland in Poland, only orchards are fenced.

Now, my problem was: "Where did I leave my car?!" Luckily, I could locate the place on the map and used Google Maps to navigate up there. The battery went flat just 300 m before the trip end.

View attachment 54256
By my car.


View attachment 54257
The ride stats & map.

Would have loved to see the jump! Exciting, I'm sure...

 

[RabH]

It was much cooler today so no need to get out very early, summer has gone and spring is back which I'm more than happy with! 41 glorious miles of exploring today, you will see from my map just how twisty turny my route was! I was met with this lovely sight on one of the new roads I was trying out, the little fella was enjoying a good feed!

This one thought I had some food in my pocket, sorry to disappoint little one!

I didn't even realise how fast I was going down a very steep local descent today, the tailwind probably had something to do with it! Just a lovely day for a cycle trip in perfect conditions after heavy overnight rain and tomorrow also looks promising but a little cooler, hoping to get another trip done!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

View attachment 54191

A captivating photo, Night Rider!

View attachment 54184

Ooooh, the Levo, my dream not to be fulfilled...

View attachment 54271

I love them, pictures of animals taken on the rides! @RabH, seeing your performance data, you seem quite a young person? (I'm sure I've already asked that question but my memory is not the same as in them olden days...)

 

[MechaNut]

My two friends who have acoustic fatbikes have changed to 29x3 wheels and tyres on carbon rims no less, £800ish for the pair!
They swear by them for allround performance and I have to say they can really perform on sand.

Almost all my riding is on paved surfaces. I have two sets of tires. The set that came with the bike are the ubiquitous Kenda Juggernauts which are currently on the bike because I can run them at low pressures (18-20 psi) for a really cushy ride. You don't even feel the vibrations from the knobby tire pattern on pavement. That setup negatively impacts my range, but that is to be expected from the huge tire patch, stickier rubber, and knobby tread pattern. I also have a set of Vee Rubber Speedsters that I use as my commuter tires. They are dead silent, fast rolling, and really efficient from a range standpoint. The rub with those tires is they have a thin side wall which means you have to run them above 25 psi or they develop auto-steer.

Fun fact, 26x4.0 tires have the same outer diameter as a standard set of 29'er wheels and tires as I seem to recall. The only downside to an e-bike fat bike is the tires are expensive. That said I love my Ripcurrent S and enjoy riding it.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

View attachment 54225
Yours truly goofing off when I stopped (about 1/4 mile down the road) to take a pic and realized my camera was facing me rather than the scenery. I thought the reflection of the scenery in my sports glasses was pretty awesome.



View attachment 54223

Glad to finally see you, Flora! Please tell me: You are riding a lot of gravel. What about the vibration? While my suspension fork dampens potholes, curb, etc extremely well, I cannot control rapid vibration that happens on the gravel. Your experience?

Anyone, how do you control the vibration from gravel?

Then on to the west part of town to try the Creo up a bridge in a headwind. That was fun. Even if this EU version of Creo cuts out assist at 25kph (15.5mph) the Creo was the winner up the bridge today.
Then back to the bike shop to collect my Vado. I was a bit worried my bike would feel lika a truck compared to the Creo. The Vado is of course heavier and very different from the Creo but fotunately the power ( torque) from Vado motor ”saves” it for me. I would like to have a Creo as well but I have nowhere to keep it and it’s too much money. The Creo is really fun to ride but I think I would like to have a little bit more power if it was my only ebike.

@PaD, Peranders, I believe Stockholm is a hilly city. How did you feel riding up the inclines on the Creo? Did the battery charge seem to disappear fast or slowly? Are you generally a fit person?

 

[RabH]

I love them, pictures of animals taken on the rides! @RabH, seeing your performance data, you seem quite a young person? (I'm sure I've already asked that question but my memory is not the same as in them olden days...)

Not so young Stefan I'm actually an old fogey 62 years young...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Not so young Stefan I'm actually an old fogey 62 years young...

No?! I thought you were 36...

 

[Adventum]

It was a great day to be out.

Jabberwocky, that does indeed look like a great ride... any day when the weather is good. I have some questions about it--may I send you an e-mail? [email protected]

 

[RabH]

No?! I thought you were 36...

In my dreams maybe Thanks to my wonderful e bike I sure feel 36!

@JayVee Very nice, 30,000km is some going!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

C

I was shamelessly riding around and waiting for a number.

View attachment 54308

Congratulations and respect, JayVee!

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Almost a river crossing …

Brisbane River, Colleges Crossing​

At Colleges Crossing the entire flow of the Brisbane River is reduced to a trickle between this island and the left bank…

Brisbane River reduced to a trickle.​

On the other side of the small island (lower photo taken on the causeway) the river has run dry…

About 50 metres to left of first photo.​

.

 

[MechaNut]

Anyone, how do you control the vibration from gravel?

Tire pressure.

Experiment with running lower tire pressures. I'll use my Kenda Juggernauts as an example. The listed pressure range on my tire is 5-30 psi. If I run the tire at 30 psi I feel everything. I feel every crack in the pavement. I feel every single pebble I run over. I feel the "buzz" of the tread knobs on the pavement. When I run that same tire at 20-24 psi it is like riding on a cloud. The tire has more compliance so instead of deflecting off of every little thing it just soaks up all the vibrations. It also don't run into auto-steer for me at that pressure range. Auto-steer is where the tire deforms and feels like the bike is steering itself due to low air pressure.

There are a lot of variables into figuring out what tire pressure works best for you such as weight load on the bike, construction of the tire, whether you are using tubes or tubeless, and so on and so forth. Where I would say to start is to look at the pressure range listed on your tires and try them out at the middle of the pressure range and adjust the pressure until you dial in the right comfort and control for you. If you run tubes you don't want to get your pressure too low because you will increase the chance of getting a pinch flat if you hit a large bump, like a curb for instance.

 

[jabberwocky]

Tire pressure.

This.

Tubeless helps, you can back off the pressure with a lot less risk of smacking into something and having to change tubes. I run 25ish psi on my gravel bikes with 40-45c tires. It takes some experimentation to find out where you get the best combination of comfort, traction, rolling resistance and not rolling the tire while cornering. On new tires I tend to overinflate (which helps seat tubeless tires seat anyway), go out, and just keep backing the pressure off bit by bit during the ride until they start feeling good. Then check what pressure they ended up at when I get home and shoot for that in the future.

The usual comfort things can help as well. Starting with proper bike fit, then a well fitted saddle that works for you, comfortable tape/grips, etc. But the tires are the real determiner. Theres a reason that even the long distance race guys have moved to bigger and bigger tires in recent years.