2023 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos

[Prairie Dog]

You mean "Early Bob Dylan Era" bikes

The carbon framed bikes are only 3-4 yrs old so are far from being considered ancient. We felt that that it was better to purposely ride them rather than leave them hanging on the garage wall. I'll find out soon enough if we misjudged though Sai seems to be managing quite well on her own.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The carbon framed bikes are only 3-4 yrs old so are far from being considered ancient. We felt that that it was better to purposely ride them rather than leave them hanging on the garage wall. I'll find out soon enough if we misjudged though Sai seems to be managing quite well on her own.

I was referring to an already stale joke: "Before Bob Dylan went electric"

 

[Chargeride]

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I had a pretty epic ride yesterday, so epic I was too tired to type up my report last night... The morning started very misty with patchy fog and around 5C with no wind whatsoever for a nice change! I used the main roads to Hamilton only because it was a Sunday and there was very little traffic, once in Hamilton I had the big climb up towards Strathaven but I could see a road closed sign further up the hill so rather than take the chance I could get through on the bike, I used a detour I know very well! It has lots of ups and downs and twists and turns so it was no hardship for me, one of the lovely descents here and the sun was trying its best to break through!

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When I arrived in Strathaven I decided to head back towards Hamilton because I knew how amazing the road was and it would lead me to a nice back road I know well which would take me to the village of Chapelton! From there I would be heading to the busy town of East Kilbride where I worked for almost 10 years, I actually stopped by my old workplace to have a look and grab a quick photo! The yard was pretty full so it looks like business is going well, they actually build bodies for vans and trucks among other things! My job was to order all the parts and some of the parts were extremely heavy, it wasn't an easy job but it paid the bills until I was made redundant at the start of the pandemic!

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Now it was time to head for the Eaglesham moors which is a 3.5 mile climb but only an average of 3.1%, although it was pretty windy up on the moors and it was a direct headwind! As you can see from the photos the mist and fog returned also...this is just at the start of the moors and the sun was trying to win the battle but it soon lost that fight!

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Picketlaw Reservoir!

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This guy had the right idea, he had the wind at his back and was flying down the descent!

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As soon as I got over the moors and started down the descent at the other side things cleared up again and it was soon time to turn south and enjoy the best part of the ride, the main reason I did it in this direction! Its an amazing descent down through the villages of Waterside and Moscow (blink and you will miss it ) with a few climbs thrown in also of course! One of the descents with the sky looking a little threatening but it stayed dry thankfully!

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The road leads to Galston and the final descent is always exhilirating, just over 40mph today as I had my 3 batteries on board and didn't want to take any risks! At Galston I turned east on the main A71 which is way more fun in the opposite direction but I would have what little wind there was right at my back! The first village is Newmilns where I stopped for this photo with a much nicer sky!

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I then passed through Darvel and Priestland followed by Drumclog where I heard a noisy engine up in the clouds above me, I stopped to have a snack and this microlight appeared through the clouds and I only just managed to grab this photo before it disappeared into the clouds again!

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This is only a few miles from Strathaven where this is a small airfield with a grass strip so I'm guessing this was where it was heading to! Another mile or so and things really cleared up and I could feel the warmth of the sun finally, it was only 5C when I left but the sun made quite a difference! The A71 is pretty much like this all the way to Strathaven, mostly uphill but lovely twisty parts and nice scenery on both sides also! It looks like something was on fire just ahead of this photo, probably a stolen car that was torched...

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This is looking south towards Muirkirk and I could just about see the road I use quite frequently!

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Once I arrived back in Strathaven I headed east to Kirkmuirhill, another one of my favourite roads with many twisty parts and ups and downs and not to mention pretty scenic! This is the first descent just as you leave Strathaven and its quickly followed by a big climb up to Sandford!

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This double oak tree caught my eye, they pretty much blend into each other! At least I think they are oak trees, I'm no specialist...

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I wouldn't mind living in this little farmhouse with all this surrounding beauty!

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I then arrived in Kirkmuirhill and took the back road which leads to the Clyde Valley, not a bad view before heading down the big descent!

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The road drops steeply into the valley before rising straight up again and through the village of Auchenheath, another photo opportunity part way up the climb with the church spire of Kirkmuirhill in the background!

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At the top of the climb the Clyde Valley comes into view and it looks so nice at this time of year!

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A short time later and just before the awesome descent down into the valley I chanced my luck and entered someones drive to grab this photo of the River Clyde below, just after I took the photo a man appeared from the house enquiring about my presence! I just told the truth, that I was taking a photo of the stunning scenery and told him he was very lucky to get to enjoy this every day and he thanked me and said no problem!

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Once in the valley I used much the same road as Friday but went all the way up to Braidwood this time, its not as difficult as the other climb at the Coziglen but still a tough one and much longer! From Braidwood I continued NE to Carluke and then north towards Allanton, stopping for a break and a snack at a little bridge over a stream! I was munching away when 2 cyclists appeared and asked if all was ok and I replied all is fine, I'm just taking a break and having a snack when one pointed out my rear tyre was flat! Puncture no 3 in recent weeks...its that time of year when the farmers are cutting the thorn bushes and scattering clippings all over the back roads! The guys asked me if I had everything to fix it and I told them I was a master puncture fixer...

I had now covered 83 miles and it was only around 10 miles to home so I took the back road to Allanton and then tackled the big climb up to Kirk of Shotts @DaveMatthews yes again... Near the top of the climb I turned west to enjoy my favourite local road with its awesome fresh tarmac which leads to the village of Hareshaw with 93 miles now covered, so I turned west and used the main road down to Holytown which is a nice straight road with a gradual descent all the way! From there I turned north to Calderbank which is only 2 miles from home, stopping at the Chapelhall flyover to grab this photo of the Campsie Hills lit up buy the sun in the background with the M8 motorway from Glasgow to Edinburgh in the foregorund!

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What an epic ride that was, I think that's actually the most I have ever climbed in a 100 mile ride and I was gutted to just miss out on a 6 hour ride by 34 seconds! Quite a surprise given the 7000ft of climbing, I only noticed it at the last minute and could have probably speeded up to make it...

@keithj69 I am very fortunate to live where I do and I sure don't take it for granted, you better not move here anytime soon if it means you will end up homeless...

@theloafer I'm sorry to hear about your awful brush with prostate cancer, my dad was diagnosed with it at the age of 77 and managed to live to 93 so I hope you can follow in his footsteps! Wishing you all the best for the future, I'm glad you are out rding again!

@Prairie Dog I hope you have a fantastic trip, the lastest photos of your wife's rides are making me drool!

Hey Rab , I was just watching a vid of Britain's most remote train station Corrour, with no roads, but cycle paths and hiking.
What a crazy place, have you ever been.

 

[RabH]

Hey Rab , I was just watching a vid of Britain's most remote train station Corrour, with no roads, but cycle paths and hiking.
What a crazy place, have you ever been.

I haven't but I'm sure both of my brothers have in their hiking days, was it Steve Marsh's video you watched on Youtube by any chance?

 

[theloafer]

@RabH thank you going to give it my best shot .. (BTW congrats on that epic ride )

well managed a few more miles than the last ride cheers Eddie for dragging me out ...but the old legs feeling it now ..lol

Morning Ride | Strava

well managed a few more miles than the last ride cheers Eddie for dragging me out ...but the old legs feeling it now ..lol 　 4.57 new miles 🏘 Completed 25% of Ovington 🏘 Completed 50% of Wycliffe With Thorpe 🏘 Completed 25% of Evenwood And Barony -- From | Strava

www.strava.com

 

[Chargeride]

I haven't but I'm sure both of my brothers have in their hiking days, was it Steve Marsh's video you watched on Youtube by any chance?

No it was Ruth Aisling.

 

[RabH]

Yesterday morning the rain was torrential but it actually cleared up in the afternoon, I thought about going out but the wind was around 30mph so I waited until today with the hope that yesterday's wind would have helped dry the roads up! I set off at 8.40am and it was pretty chilly but the winds were much lighter and straight from the south, I had a route in my head and headed east through Caldercruix and stopped for a couple of photos at Hillend Reservoir which looked nice in the morning sun!

I continued east to Blackridge where I turned north to tackle the big climb up over Heights where I grabbed these photos before the awesome descent!

I shot down the descent and stopped near the bottom for this photo of Drumtassie Fishery!

There are 2 roads you can take from here, one has big descents and big ascents and the other is flattish with a big descent right at the end which takes you down to Avonbridge, most of the time I take the latter but I decided to take the other option as I would have the wind right at my back down the fast descents! I got to the top of the first climb and knew I had a huge descent at the top of the hill, I started down and was picking up speed fast when I spotted 2 horses and riders coming up the hill...they ruined my descent! There is another fast descent after the next climb but its much shorter, at the end of the road I turned east for Avonbridge and continued on towards Westfield!

This is just before arriving in Westfield where the old Westfield railway viaduct came into view, it dates back to 1854 and was recently restored to its former glory at a cost of £2 million! A short video of the restoration

I passed through Westfield and was now heading for Torphicen with the intention of taking the big climb up to Beecraigs Country Park and continuing on to Kingscavil where there is the ultimate descent to test my new wheels, as I was climbing up to Torphicen there were signs of frost on the edge of the road and within seconds my back wheel started spinning! It was black ice which really surprised me as the roads were fine up over Heights which is 200ft higher, this meant a change to my plans! At the top of the climb I turned north and passed through Torphicen using the main road which I knew would be much safer! Another couple of photos before enjoying another big descent!

I then took the road to Linlithgow which is pretty much a descent all the way and a lot of fun to ride, with lots of twists and turns! From Linlithgow I stuck to the main road and passed through Polmont and Laurieston and on to Falkirk! Then I turned SW and headed up the big climb from Reddingmuirhead to Shieldhill, a very tough climb but obviously much easier on a capable e bike! I passed through Shieldhill and now had the Forth Valley in view with the oil refinery at Grangemouth in the distance!

I was now heading for Slamannan and the temperature had risen sufficiently to use the back roads again, this is looking back from the top of the hill near Slamannan!

From Slamannan I used the back road to Lonrgiggend before taking the awesome road down to Upperton which is another fast descent, the view north before taking the descent with the Campsie Hills in the background!

From Upperton I took the road to Greengairs and used the back roads all the way home, it was a nice recovery ride after Sunday's epic!

@Prairie Dog To think your wife's 23 mile ride had almost as much elevation gain as my 50 miler and she wasn't using an e bike, says everything about how awesome she is!

@RabH thank you going to give it my best shot .. (BTW congrats on that epic ride )

well managed a few more miles than the last ride cheers Eddie for dragging me out ...but the old legs feeling it now ..lol

Morning Ride | Strava

well managed a few more miles than the last ride cheers Eddie for dragging me out ...but the old legs feeling it now ..lol 　 4.57 new miles 🏘 Completed 25% of Ovington 🏘 Completed 50% of Wycliffe With Thorpe 🏘 Completed 25% of Evenwood And Barony -- From | Strava

www.strava.com

Nice work buddy, 38 miles is really good going!

 

[Prairie Dog]

@Prairie Dog To think your wife's 23 mile ride had almost as much elevation gain as my 50 miler and she wasn't using an e bike, says everything about how awesome she is!

Sai is likely the first to admit that she’s not a prolific climber and that her approach tends to be slower and more methodical than most but to her credit she rarely ever caves in. Oddly enough, she does feel that the climbs around her home town don’t seem to have as dramatic effect on her as the ones back home do, however, on the last ride she did say that she didn’t have much left in the tank. We do ride at a higher elevation here locally so that might have something to do with her observation.

Another 40 km ride along the usual rural roads today but it was slightly warmer with little wind to speak of.

I met a friend along the way who stopped and showed off his new Cannondale Topstone to me which he recently picked up on sale. Gorgeous bike. It allows him to extends his rides further out and to explore new routes which weren’t accessible to him before.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The New Bike Day

My brother Jacek (riding a Giant Trance E+ Pro 2 before) is becoming a traditional gravel cyclist...

Marin DSX3 flat-handlebar gravel bike Jacek got as a gift from his DW

My brother has immediately started with dismantling his new bicycle into small pieces! He is impossible! All because he wants to wrap the frame! Intricacies of the latest SRAM technology made my brother exasperated

 

[Prairie Dog]

The New Bike Day

My brother Jacek (riding a Giant Trance E+ Pro 2 before) is becoming a traditional gravel cyclist...

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Marin DSX3 flat-handlebar gravel bike Jacek got as a gift from his DW

My brother has immediately started with dismantling his new bicycle into small pieces! He is impossible! All because he wants to wrap the frame! Intricacies of the latest SRAM technology made my brother exasperated

That’s a nice gift which deserves to be wrapped. I had two of my mtbs Ride Wrapped, one (in gloss) of which I did myself. The other (in matte) was too complex so I had the LBS do it. Both bikes get subjected to plenty of abuse on the trails so much that I wanted to protect the most vulnerable areas of the frames. It does require a bit of patience and prep but I think that it’s well worth the effort. I could care less about our road bikes which don’t see much gravel if any at all.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

That’s a nice gift which deserves to be wrapped. I had two of my mtbs Ride Wrapped, one (in gloss) of which I did myself. The other (in matte) was too complex so I had the LBS do it. Both bikes get subjected to plenty of abuse on the trails so much that I wanted to protect the most vulnerable areas of the frames. It does require a bit of patience and prep but I think that it’s well worth the effort. I could care less about our road bikes which don’t see much gravel if any at all.

He wants it glossy, and also equipped according to his needs. For instance, he didn't like the stock tyres at all. The surprises he encountered (for instance) were the latest SRAM 8-hole Boost chainring (you would not find any replacement smaller than 38T now) or the cassette, which he could not remove with his standard chain whip!

After the bike is wrapped and equipped, the Marin goes back to the box to await Christmas

 

[Prairie Dog]

He wants it glossy, and also equipped according to his needs. After the bike is wrapped and equipped, the Marin goes back to the box to await Christmas

Tell Jacek to ride it like he stole it then box it up for Xmas in the condition that he left it in. Only then will he appreciate it’s true calling.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Tell Jacek to ride it like he stole it then box it up for Xmas in the condition that he left it in. Only then will he appreciate it’s true calling.

I told him I would be very disappointed not to see a Strava entry by the name of "The New Bike Day"

 

[Catalyzt]

The New Bike Day

My brother Jacek (riding a Giant Trance E+ Pro 2 before) is becoming a traditional gravel cyclist...

View attachment 166213
Marin DSX3 flat-handlebar gravel bike Jacek got as a gift from his DW

My brother has immediately started with dismantling his new bicycle into small pieces! He is impossible! All because he wants to wrap the frame! Intricacies of the latest SRAM technology made my brother exasperated

Please tell Jacek he has all my sympathy! The bike Pedaluma and I chose for the new build is a Marin Team 1-- and, by the way, I had a long, hard look at the DSX FS, which is similar to the DSX3 but has front suspension. I made the right choice because the roads (and my hands) are so bad that I needed more suspension, but the DSX gravel bike lineup looks really nice!

Weirdly, I've encountered some of the same issues Jacek has even though the Team 1 is Shimano based, not SRAM, and I'm doing similar work for completely different reasons. It took me several tries to get the cassette off with the chain whip, and the proprietary 12-speed cassette with the 148x12 microspline rear hub have had both my loyal, long-suffering builder and me at our wits end!

Right now, I've managed to get the rear wheel off, remove the cassette, and remove ONE GEAR from the cassette-- I think it's 7th or 8th, the first six are spidered together and 11 and 12 are nested inside each other-- and replace the cassette on the wheel, with a couple of spacers behind first gear to move the entire cassette outwards a few millimeters to (hopefully) improve the chainline. As we expected, the bottom bracket is really wide for the Tongshen motor, so first gear is not usable enough to be trustworthy in the stock configuration.

I'm astounded I've gotten as far as I have. It LOOKS like it will work, but so many things could be wrong-- specifically, the distance between gears (and the indexing.) This was really not easy! I have no idea whether I'll be able to get the derailleur to work properly. I knew what I was getting into, but this is truly a crazy experiment.

Like Jacek, I also do not like the stock tires on my Marin, though again, they are different-- something called "V Roccos" and 2.3 inches. They are not as forgiving at higher pressure as the 2.1s on the Motobecane and have a fair amount of rolling resistance. I'm going to set them up tubeless and see if that helps...

I have no idea where this project will wind up, which is part of the fun (and the frustration). I may wind up bailing from this wheel set and going to 27.5 wheels... going to a completely different cassette and shifter combination... No idea how much of this I'll be able to do myself. I may wind up at the LBS with the frame and motor and a box full of parts!

I've never wrenched on a bike at this level before. The only way I can do it is an hour or two at a time, due to my schedule during my busy season at work, but also due to concentration. My brain isn't used to thinking this way, and it's curiously tiring mentally.

Sorry.... didn't mean to hijack the thread! Enjoying everyone's photos and ride reports a lot! I am doing short fitness rides on the Motobecane, and will post some photos of my own when I get to someplace I haven't been before!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Thank you for sharing your experience, @Catalyzt! Jacek with his Trance E+ is missing nothing on the e-bike side. He has participated in numerous gravel group rides, and became popular as a friendly person, always willing and able to help the others. He actually is as strong as he needs no e-bike (although riding it is fun for him!) His cycling mates have used to nag him "So when are you Jacek buying a gravel bike?", and he decided to start in the Mazovian Gravel 200 race as a competitor next year. Only he cannot ride a drop bar gravel bike because of the pain he experiences but he is very happy with the flat handlebars. He has demo ridden both Gestalt and DSX, so he is sure about his choice and the bike sizing (56 or L).

Some things such as 680 mm wide flat handlebars or Flat-Mount hydraulic brakes that are so natural for me were new to my brother. Besides, SRAM cassettes are not serviceable. He only wanted to remove the cassette to get rid of the dork disc

OK, let's stop hijacking the thread! I wanted to pay a visit to Jacek (Vado 6.0) but do not feel very well today!

 

[theloafer]

had to abort the ride today ... the low sun was giving me to many problems, plus the glare up off the wet roads ....as the drops i use for my Glucoma throws up a wall of white light .. the joys of getting old.
https://www.strava.com/activities/10198823522

 

[fooferdoggie]

riding through the Adidas campus.

 

[fooferdoggie]

I dont ride this part of Springwater corridor too often but I see Portlands armless cyclist almost every time.

Meet Michael Trimble: The gay, armless, bike-loving former Russian orphan who wants to be Oregon's next governor

Michael Trimble is impossible to forget. Ever since I met him in 2016 I wanted to know him better. I finally did that yesterday when I spent the afternoon with this 35-year-old, gay, armless, bike-loving former Russian orphan who wants to be Oregon's next governor. Michael's story is about much m

bikeportland.org

 

[RabH]

A chilly but very beautiful Sunday morning ride, it was a day for the main roads today though as the back roads were way too dicey or should I say icy! You can see the conditions on my local cycle path, they now have the new lights working but its a shame they never grit the paths though...

This is the road from Newhouse to Whitburn and it starts with a gradual climb and then ramps up before plunging down into Harthill, I stopped part way down the descent for a couple of photos looking north with the Ochil Hills way in the distance!

Just before Whitburn I turned south to take the big climb up through Forth, stopping before the start of the climb for more photos of this lovely wintry scene!

I worked my way up the climb and had the road mostly to myself, this is the beauty of riding on a Sunday morning! At the top of the climb the road drops gradually all the way through Forth, such a fun road to ride going this way! Another photo opportunity before arriving in Forth!

Then I had a nice descent to enjoy for a bit and the nice views kept coming, this is looking east with the Pentland Hills in the background!

The frost was still present and actually continued for the whole ride, so I was sticking to the main roads! Another view of the Pentlands!

I reached the roundabout at the end of the road and decided to turn west to have the 15-20mph bitterly cold easterly wind at my back, the difference in temp was immediate and although it was a big climb it didn't seem like it! I was nearing Kilncadzow and stopped for more photos!

I then had the awesome descent from Kilncadzow to Carluke to enjoy, this is one of my favourite roads and never disappoints! At Carluke the road flattens before yet another big descent where I hit 41.5mph with the easterly wind at my back! After passing through Carluke I took the main road north to Bogside where I turned west for Waterloo (no battles today ) and on through Overtown where I continued NW to Wishaw and then through Motherwell where the roads were starting to get busy! I was only at 38 miles at this point so I continued NW to Bellshill which I haven't passed through since I retired in 2020 and it hasn't changed much...

I then took the road from Bellshill to Coatbridge and then on through Bargeddie which I passed through every morning for 21 years on my way to work in Glasgow! From there I turned north for Gartcosh, more memories of work here as I used this road for almost a year when I was moved from one part of Glasgow to another! As I passed through Gartcosh I stopped at Johnston Loch for a photo and almost fell off the bike at very low speed... I had turned off the road on to a narrow footpath covered in leaves and never noticed there was a kerb stone hidden under the leaves and my front wheel caught it, thankfully I was going very slowly and managed to stay on board!

From one loch to another, Glenboig this time which is only about a mile east of Johnston Loch!

I then took the main road from Glenboig back into Coatbridge which involves a lovely big descent followed by a big climb and another descent down to the centre of Coatbridge, I had now covered 52 miles and was still feeling strong so instead of heading home I turned east for Glenmavis which is a beast of a climb and I actually passed my late dads first ever workplace which dates back to 1942, he started working as an apprentice truck mechanic! After passing through Glenmavis I turned north and joined the back roads for the first time all day, only because I knew it was going to be all uphill and way safer than going downhill on the still frosty roads!

Part way up the climb I had some nice views of the Campsie Hills shrouded in mist!

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A short time later I came across a field with lots of Shetland ponies grazing, I think these 2 thought they were in for a feed...

Now I had another big climb to tackle, up into Greengairs and more photo opportunties presented themselves!

From Greengairs it was a short ride home on the back roads, arriving with a very filthy bike which got a proper wash to remove all the salt from the roads! I noticed I am only 6 miles short of 29000 miles now, the bike still rides like new! Another fantastic ride, tomorrow and Tuesday are looking truly awful so it was a no brainer getting out today despite the below zero temps!

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Three sunset rides in the last 3 days:

South Ponto Beach, 10 minutes from home.

From a neighborhood ride, with San Clemente Island on the horizon at far right. This Channel Island, now a Navy base from end to end, is the southernmost of any size.

Aperol and soda drinks are very popular here in coastal SoCal. Must ring some kind of bell.