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

[DaveMatthews]

Yep, that obvious, eh? It’s a VLT 1 with the 900 Wh battery option shod with 37.5 x 4.5” 45Nrth studded Wrathchilds. I took off from the LBS for a shakedown run and headed to the nearest trailhead. Temp was -11C under foggy conditions which created a lovely coating of frost on the trees.

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Certainly lives up to its name!

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Holy smokes, Art, I haven’t been paying attention! 800 and 900 wh batteries now? My 2018 Toughroad has 500 and my Creo‘s is a lot smaller than that. I had no idea batteries had gotten this big. The Specialized Tero is what, 720 or something like that? More to think about,

Very nice looking rig, that Norco. You were a Powerfly guy along with your Creo, is that correct? I might have your mountain bike mixed up with Randall’s, though.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Yep, that obvious, eh? It’s a VLT 1 with the 900 Wh battery option shod with 37.5 x 4.5” 45Nrth studded Wrathchilds. I took off from the LBS for a shakedown run and headed to the nearest trailhead. Temp was -11C under foggy conditions which created a lovely coating of frost on the trees.

View attachment 149383

How do you like the Shimano motor?

 

[Prairie Dog]

A real monster! How easy it must be to ride in the deep snow with that beast!
-11 C! (You know my opinion of Canada, eh?)

Aside from the battery, you’re dead right about the Norco being a beast as it rolls over just about everything in its path. Despite its largish Bigfoot print, it’s super nimble, quick and agile rolling along on those 37s. It will be a while yet before we can even think about any decent road rides but thankfully there is a warming trend on the way. In the meanwhile, I’ll continue to eke out the few remaining weeks on the snow covered singles.

Certainly lives up to its name!

By sheer coincidence, I came across this poster nailed to a tree along the Heritage single today.

How do you like the Shimano motor?

The EP8 is super quiet and powerful for its compact size (85Nm). I was a bit concerned about issues surrounding motor rattles after reading reviews on a couple of other emtbs but I found it to be exceptionally silent.

Holy smokes, Art, I haven’t been paying attention! 800 and 900 wh batteries now? My 2018 Toughroad has 500 and my Creo‘s is a lot smaller than that. I had no idea batteries had gotten this big. The Specialized Tero is what, 720 or something like that? More to think about,

Very nice looking rig, that Norco. You were a Powerfly guy along with your Creo, is that correct? I might have your mountain bike mixed up with Randall’s, though.

Norco provides three battery capacities to choose from (540/720/900Wh) and are sold separately. I’m looking at expanding backcountry range up in the mountains at some point so I didn’t want to compromise on that aspect of the bike.

Dave, the Turbo Levo is my trail ready ride and I’ll continue riding it all summer long and well into the shoulder seasons so I won’t be hard pressed to log time on it even when the road bikes come out of hibernation. Randall rides a LIV Intrigue 29er emtb and I hope to catch up to him sometime soon.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Norco

The Bigfoot makes me think of a tank used to plough a field instead of a tractor

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

The Bigfoot makes me think of a tank used to plough a field instead of a tractor

My Leopard 2 with plow attachment. Does a great job.

 

[JGcycle]

My Leopard 2 with plow attachment. Does a great job.

Now that's some heavy duty farm equipment.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

My Leopard 2 with plow attachment. Does a great job.

That's the reason some people would ride the Bigfoot

The Clash - "Smart Control"

The English band The Clash once sang "Remote Control" and "Complete Control". If their frontman Joe Strummer lived up today, perhaps he would write yet another song called "Smart Control"?

I need to ride my Roadrunner from time to time! Tyre replacement from winter to summer tyres is planned for this Saturday, a gravel group ride for Sunday yet given nice weather of today, I decided to pull my Vado 6.0 from the storage, maintain the chain, re-inflate tyres (no need!) and give that e-bike a leisure ride on this Thursday. A fast ride, as it will turn out!

One of my batteries has gone down to the actual capacity of 501 Wh. Whenever I go on a single battery ride, I better be sure I would still return with the assistance. The unique Specialized feature called "Smart Control" allows you get rid of the range anxiety. The only issue is the assistance is automatic & variable, so would I have too much or too little of assistance today?

I was heading towards Leszno (Mazovia) without a plan, and was exploring side roads. That's how I found myself in the front of the Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute, National Research Centre, Radzików. An interesting village. The Institute gives employment to many people, so there are many pretty nice blocks of flats in that very small village, making an impression of a small town.

A substantial lunch at Klimatyczna Cafe

I've always wondered what this tank think tank thinks or? The armoured vehicles or storage vessels? (I will disappoint you: they make plastic storage vessels, not battle tanks!)

These vertical bars denote a Vado is controlled by a smartphone app.

One of very rare gravel roads in Central Mazovia. (That's why my Cycling Club mostly rides in forests!)

Smart Control provided too high assistance this time! While that was OK upwind, I was gaining too much on the return trip. Suffice to say I hit the assistance limit of 45 km/h (28 mph) while riding with tailwind!

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

That's the reason some people would ride the Bigfoot

The Clash - "Smart Control"

The English band The Clash once sang "Remote Control" and "Complete Control". If their frontman Joe Strummer lived up today, perhaps he would write yet another song called "Smart Control"?

I need to ride my Roadrunner from time to time! Tyre replacement from winter to summer tyres is planned for this Saturday, a gravel group ride for Sunday yet given nice weather of today, I decided to pull my Vado 6.0 from the storage, maintain the chain, re-inflate tyres (no need!) and give that e-bike a leisure ride on this Thursday. A fast ride, as it will turn out!

One of my batteries has gone down to the actual capacity of 501 Wh. Whenever I go on a single return battery ride, I better be sure I would still return with the assistance. The unique Specialized feature called "Smart Control" allows you get rid of the range anxiety. The only issue is the assistance is automatic & variable, so would I have too much or too little of assistance today?

View attachment 149412
I was heading towards Leszno (Mazovia) without a plan, and was exploring side roads. That's how I found myself in the front of the Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute, National Research Centre, Radzików. An interesting village. The Institute gives employment to many people, so there are many pretty nice blocks of flats in that very small village, making an impression of a small town.

View attachment 149413
A substantial lunch at Klimatyczna Cafe

View attachment 149414
I've always wondered what this tank think thank thinks or? The armoured vehicles or storage vessels? (I will disappoint you: they make plastic storage vessels, not battle tanks!)

View attachment 149416
These vertical bars denote a Vado is controlled by a smartphone app.

View attachment 149417
One of very rare gravel roads in Central Mazovia. (That's why my Cycling Club mostly rides in forests!)

View attachment 149418
Smart Control provided too high assistance this time! While that was OK upwind, I was gaining too much on the return trip. Suffice to say I hit the assistance limit of 45 km/h (28 mph) while riding with tailwind!

Q1: Is that the astonished smokestack near your home?

Q2: I generally solve cadence and foot force problems with gears first, and then PAS levels. Does SmartControl take more the opposite approach?

Q3: Does your doctor know about your diet?

If no to Q3, it's not too late to carry blank NDAs — especially for all those pastry shops.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Q1: Is that the astonished smokestack near your home?

A1: I actually live in a block of flats very near to that smoke-stack (the building was built as a hotel for the heat plant workers; the plant itself has never been finished). The small smokestack (defunct) is located at the stead of a craft brewery (that has never started brewing because of economic issues).

Q2: I generally solve cadence and foot force problems with gears first, and then PAS levels. Does SmartControl take more the opposite approach?

A2: Smart Control has nothing to do with the cadence or torque. It is only for battery range control:

• "Given the distance to be ridden d and planned elevation gain h, ensure I will get at my destination with x % of the battery left", or
• "Let me ride for y hours and z minutes with planned elevation gain of h, make me sure I will be left with x % of the battery when I'm finished", or
• "Adjust the assistance so my heart rate will never exceed r BPM".

The assistance will increase or decrease as needed. You must operate the derailleur normally to keep at your desired cadence.

Q3: Does your doctor know about your diet?

A3: No I think I burned enough calories on the ride to treat the cake as a regular lunch!
(Besides, I take Metformin).

 

[Prairie Dog]

Here’s a hastily edited video of my first ride on the Bigfoot as it took to the Heritage single track yesterday which was the closest trail head from the LBS. The name belies the true nature of this bike as it surprised me to be one fast and maneuverable ride. It certainly doesn’t lumber around like a tank out there.

Ride conditions today were nowhere as optimal as warmer temps softened the snow along the trails. More bad news as I just discovered that my Garmin 520 + is not compatible with this bike. I rode a 30km loop from the Pines single to Heritage Ranch.

Back home at the lair.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Here’s a hastily edited video of my first ride on the Bigfoot as it took to the Heritage single track yesterday which was the closest trail head from the LBS. The name belies the true nature of this bike as it surprised me to be one fast and maneuverable ride. It certainly doesn’t lumber around like a tank out there.

View attachment 149428

Ride conditions today were nowhere as optimal as warmer temps softened the snow along the trails. More bad news as I just discovered that my Garmin 520 + is not compatible with this bike. I rode a 30km loop from the Pines single to Heritage Ranch.

View attachment 149429

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Back home at the lair.

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Beautiful! And quite a bike.

Now I know where you are. Mentioned a geology field trip I took in the Alberta Rockies many posts ago in this thread. Went through Red Deer on the way back to Calgary.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Here’s a hastily edited video of my first ride on the Bigfoot as it took to the Heritage single track yesterday which was the closest trail head from the LBS. The name belies the true nature of this bike as it surprised me to be one fast and maneuverable ride. It certainly doesn’t lumber around like a tank out there.

View attachment 149428

Ride conditions today were nowhere as optimal as warmer temps softened the snow along the trails. More bad news as I just discovered that my Garmin 520 + is not compatible with this bike. I rode a 30km loop from the Pines single to Heritage Ranch.

View attachment 149429

View attachment 149430

Back home at the lair.

View attachment 149431

Epic! That Bigfoot rocks! Tires aren't studded are they?
I think you need a Garmin 530 or later to do Steps?

 

[fooferdoggie]

This guy visits often to my local hardware store store.

 

[DaveMatthews]

This guy visits often to my local hardware store store.
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Red Green, is that you?

 

[Prairie Dog]

Beautiful! And quite a bike.

Now I know where you are. Mentioned a geology field trip I took in the Alberta Rockies many posts ago in this thread. Went through Red Deer on the way back to Calgary.

Living in a smaller center in the Parkland does have its benefits and Calgary and our fair capital are only an hour or so drive away.

Epic! That Bigfoot rocks! Tires aren't studded are they?
I think you need a Garmin 530 or later to do Steps?

Tires are studded, Dave. 252 XL carbide concave/tire. Not as spikey as the ISPs but they certainly hold they’re own. Thanks for the heads up on the Garmin, How are you liking your 830?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Jacek: Adjusting The Derailleur On Fearless
An adventure ride

The temperatures of this Friday approaching +11 C, sunshine; I could not resist taking a day off from work. Asked my brother whether he was available: 'Come. Waiting.' (My laconic brother!) The shortest and the least boring way to get to Jacek's place is to go through the Kampinos National Park (KPN). Once I passed the uninspiring near neighbourhood, I was glad I took that route!

Sand dunes, concrete blocks, singletrack, and a fallen tree (Poland is not Canada! I'm so glad...)

Jacek started with thorough cleaning the drivetrain. Then he adjusted the derailleur, and eventually tightened all loose screws. My brother never leaves the work unfinished!

On my way back, I decided to take another route leading through Palmiry. I was hoping for a lunch at "The Inn At The Trail". Alas! The restaurant was closed! Hungry, I rode on.

This time, my way through KPN led via the picturesque Palmiry Road. After having passed the Palmiry Massacre Memorial (genocide committed by the Nazi on Polish civilians 1939-1941), I would normally continue through our local "Roubaix" or exceptionally unpleasant cobblestone road. However, Jacek told me to take an off-road detour...

The detour led through the site of the pre-WWII Central Military Ammunition Depot (also located in the Kampinos Forest).

I wrote in one of my earlier posts we do not get many gravel roads in Central Mazovia. These exist mostly inside forests. Here, the Palmiry Connecting Road, which usually is in tragic shape. To my surprise, I could find fresh loose gravel on the day there!

I was already starving. Rode up the Biker Pub to find out it would be only opened in 30 minutes! A glance at the setting sun... No, I had to ride on! (Eventually, I bought a chocolate bar in the nearest grocery store found).

It was yet another attempt to use Smart Control; a very successful one! With decent assistance but also with a good effort from my side, I only used 289 Wh from Vado SL batteries (combined capacity of 459 Wh). Note: The Wahoo thermometer is wrong: it was +6 C.

A 64.7 km (40 mi) ride.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

On Saturday, I set off for the ride to see Jacek, only it was Roadrunner and I chose the reverse ride direction (is reverse the correct word here?) It was up to +14 C but the SE wind was even stronger and it seemed very cold. I was as brave as to ride on a single 533 Wh battery and almost regretted that. As I was using Smart Control, the automatic assistance gave me plenty of oomph downwind but later I had to ride against the headwind on gradually decreasing assistance! The lesson: I should use manual assistance for the future rides.

Approaching the historical Central Military Depot from the other side. See the fallen tree. I can remember a picture posted by @Prairie Dog once (with a huge tree across his trail). In such moments, I say this mantra: "Poland is not Canada, and it makes me so glad!"

This time, I shortly visited the Palmiry Massacre Memorial Site just to take this picture for you.

My brother gladly swapped the winter tyres for Specialized Electraks (I love these tyres!) but that was not the end of my visit at his place...

Jacek is a perfectionist. Whenever I see him, he tries to do total servicing and maintenance to either of my e-bikes, starting with washing the bike. He makes the drivetrain shine, and more. This time there was something really worrying him... The rear wheel rattled after being reinstalled. Why rattle?! That made Jacek exasperated. WHY RATTLE? Until he found the source. It was the nut of a kickstand bolt occasionally touching the brake rotor! "No time to waste, bro, remove the kickstand" I told him. Kickstand-less, I set off for the return ride. In total e-bike silence Oh, that older 1.2s motor of Vado 6.0 that is completely silent! And silent tyres!

My perfect Vado 6.0 on an amazing trail I had just found KPN is a huge forest; there is always something new to find there. And... you have to use GPS navigation or you could get lost there easily!

Valley of Josaphat? Really?

62.5 km on the day.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Before today, thought of my Surface 604 V Rook as a commuter-leaning hybrid ocean-communing and exploration vehicle — the latter cuz I like to poke around on it. But now I know its true calling...

Party bike, baby!

The Carlsbad State Beach Campground Camp Store down the hill from us was having free live music at 1700 on this hazy Saturday, so K and I rode down to join the party with some Camp Store pizza and BYO drinks.

These frequent events attract locals and campers alike. And when the campround's full, as it was today, they become big recurring family-friendly party scenes awash in beer, kids, dogs, and good cheer.

I took a Gaterol, and K, a Bellini.

K waiting semi-patiently while I snap our V Rooks together on the launch pad.

Parking was tight. Some very cute pre-school kids playing and dancing on the raised bed behind our bikes kept coming close but never quite brushed them. K's black V Rook still has the stock Panaracer tires.

The view over the fence.

BYO Gaterol ready for immediate deployment.

The local bands who play the Camp Store aren't known for musical precision, but some are pretty good. This fun 80s cover band called themselves the M-80s. The lead singer had kind of a Joan Jett thing going on, and the band did some passable Joan Jett covers, including...

But I digress. At intermission, found myself next to the singer and her 2 young kids in the Camp Store checkout line. Had a nice chat as her daughter pressed relentlessly for a can of Unicorn Poop (basically pink slime with glitter).

Honestly, who couldn't use more Unicorn Poop in their lives?

Gaterol fully deployed. The pizza here's not bad. Not a word of this meal to our internists!

After the band's 2nd set, we rode a full 3.2 mile loop of the campground before heading home. Quite a trip to see all the campers and their very different takes on camping. Many bring bikes — most of them ebikes.

Some bring other toys. (Only registered campers can bring cars in.) Not the first time I've seen a supercar in a campsite here — in this case, an astonishingly low-slung Lamborghini. Must've been quite a drive from Montana in March.

 

[RabH]

A lovely day for a ride and with the rest of the week looking wet it was time for another long one! I haven't been over the Forth Bridge for a while so I put that right today with perfect conditions for the time of year, no ice either so I was on the back roads again! I caught the morning sun lighting up the Ochil Hills from Longriggend, only a few miles from home!

I enjoyed the quiet roads for a bit before reaching Shieldhill where I would have the awesome descent down into Falkirk, just over 40mph today and a closer view of the Ochil Hills!

I passed through Falkirk which was fairly busy but didn't encounter any problems and I was now heading for the Kincardine Bridge, this is the view south of the Firth of Forth just before crossing the bridge with the oil refinery in the distance!

This is the view north of the Clackmannanshire Bridge with the Ochils in view once again! Sadly the sun had now disappeared....

After the bridge I took the cycle path to Culross where I passed a roadie on an uphill, I knew it wouldn't be long before he returned the favour as the hill flattened out I passed through all the villages with him just in front but I knew there was another climb coming, just before the climb he turned off...maybe he had a different route planned or didn't want me passing him again I continued towards Rosyth on the busy main road, there are some paths here but they aren't in very good condition so I stuck to the smooth tarmac and didn't have any idiots causing problems thankfully! I passed through Rosyth where it would soon be time to turn south into Inverkeithing and over the Forth Road Bridge!

On the road bridge with the iconinc rail bridge in full view!

I then spotted one of our Royal Navy ships being escorted under the bridges, it was my lucky day! In all the years I have cycled over the bridge I have never been lucky enough to catch one of the Navy ships passing under!

It was travelling painfully slow but I wasn't going to pass up on the opportunity to get a proper photo of HMS Destroyer! Info on the ship! https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/our-or...ng-arms/surface-fleet/destroyers/hms-defender

I'm sad that Richard (Alaskan) isn't here to see this as I know he was an avid Mariner and would have loved these photos! I'm sure he is keeping an eye on the forums from above....

The last views of the bridges as I headed for home!

The rail bridge was opened in 1890, the old road bridge opened in 1964 and the new road bridge known as the Queensferry crossing was opened in 2017! 3 different centuries and I'm almost certain there aren't any other bridges built in the same spot spanning 3 centuries and still in use!

I was now on the main road to Linlithgow but once again despite being busy I had no incidents of note and was buzzing from seeing the Navy ship passing right underneath me, I passed through Linlithgow and was soon back on the quiet roads and looking forward to getting home now and having a lovely hot shower! I passed through the village of Standburn and enjoyed the big descent down into the valley below!

After this I had a brute of a climb out of the valley and was now on the road to Avonbridge, not content with that climb I decided to then take the climb up to Heights which is another brute but I had lots of battery power left after getting 50 miles from my first one so cranked the assist up and sailed up the climb!

The top of the climb!

Another lovely descent now down into Blackridge and a straight road home from there, what a fantastic ride that was! I have no idea when the next one will be but I'm on a high after this one and I'm only 50 miles away from 1000 miles for the year so I hope it won't be too long...