Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Art Prairie Dog: I'm jealous of the quality of the photos you extract from your movies! The snow scenes are spectacularly beautiful!
2023 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos
- Thread starter Saratoga Dave
- Start date
Prairie Dog
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Red Deer
That goes without saying that I’m no ace behind the lens like Dave Barry was so a huge thumbs up to the gear that I use. Yesterday’s ride was a balmy -11C and sunny and together with the fresh snow created a virtual set up for a winter wonderland. Unfortunately, it’s snowing heavily once again so it looks like I’ll be riding indoors today. Such is life.
RabH
Well-Known Member
I had been looking forward to riding today because all week the forecast has been looking so good with every weather app saying it would be wall to wall sunshine from around 9am onwards...yeah right! I never saw any sun all day, at least it was dry though and the winds were light! I was heading for the Clyde Valley before climbing up the beast of a climb at Manse Road which leads to Netherburn! With no frost around the back roads were safe today, this is the back road that leads to Carluke before the lovely descent down into the valley!
This descent is so much fun, it drops all the way down to Crossford where you pass over the River Clyde before heading through the Clyde Valley!
Its a lovely ride along the valley and luckily it was pretty quiet today and even in winter its still pretty green!
Its hard not to stop when you are riding along the valley, I always have to stop here to get some photos...
Now it was time to climb up Manse Brae, Wahoo was showing a gradient of 18% but Ridewithgps only shows 13.3% and it looks and feels way steeper but level 3 assist got me up no problem, this is looking back down from part way up!
Nice view of the valley below!
I reached Kirkmuirhill and took the nice wide cycle path which leads to Lesmahagow and keeps you away from the busy main road, I grabbed my last photos here before turning off the path and taking the road to Brocketsbrae which takes you back down into the Clyde Valley at the Lanark end at Kirkfieldbank!
I enjoyed the awesome descent back into the valley and passed through Kirkfieldbank and headed up another beast of a climb into Lanark! From here I continued the climb up to Braidwood, it sure was a day of climbing today!
I had a trouble free ride home and had a very filthy bike to clean, its looking pristine again and ready for the next outing on Sunday hopefully!Attachments
Prairie Dog
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Red Deer
I love how you describe exactly what it’s like here….NOT! Naturally, I’m envious of your winter ride conditions and look forward to when those rolling valleys will become an even more vibrant shade of green.
Thanks to La Nina, most regions of the country will continue to experience colder than normal temps and we’ll require a bit of patience to wait it out.
Spring officially arrives in less than three weeks but judging by the images it will likely sit on the sidelines while winter continues to linger on. I took to the trails once again and afterwards checked out the flawless ice conditions at the local skating pond.
A view of the city facing northeast and of the ice-covered river.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
@RabH: As you must be aware, you are an inspiration and a reference point for me As you are the only friend of mine on RideWithGPS, I occasionally track your achievements there Let me tell you one thing: I might have achieved the same year-to-date riding distance as you but I will never match your elevation gain or an average single ride distance! (You have made your distance in just 13 rides in 2023!)
Thank you for your ride reports and photos!
As you are the only friend of mine on RideWithGPS, I occasionally track your achievements there Let me tell you one thing: I might have achieved the same year-to-date riding distance as you but I will never match your elevation gain or an average single ride distance! (You have made your distance in just 13 rides in 2023!)Thank you for your ride reports and photos!
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
Im going to have to start skipping your posts, the envy is becoming an issueAs usual, it's not an easy task following up on @RabH and @Stefan Mikes trip reports. My winter rides are no where near as scenic or interesting from a historical or geographical perspective. I continue to stare at a huge pile of snow in our backyard that’s accumulated after numerous sessions of shoveling and I’m afraid that it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
Meanwhile, after several days of below average temps and even more snow, I was anxious to hit the trails once again. It also enabled me to field test a different camera and mount. Despite the fresh foot tracks in the snow, mine was the first bike to break the trail making progress a bit slower than anticipated. With that said, it was still a good day to ride.
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RabH
Well-Known Member
Yes I have been churning out the long rides this year, my average is just under 60 miles and every ride has been between 3000-5000ft of climbing...the hills are relentless here!@RabH: As you must be aware, you are an inspiration and a reference point for me
Thank you for your ride reports and photos!
View attachment 148325
I'm glad I inspire you and thank you for your kind words, Stefan.I just love riding my bike, I can't go out for short rides so yeah it's always an adventure for me!
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
"Fearless" Maintenance Day
Even if the weather forecast was promising snowing, I have had enough of winter and...
...took the wheels off my Vado SL and gave my Fearless a good washing under the shower Because of the disaster that struck me two years ago, I live in a small apartment with a tiny bathroom. I will spare you the photo even if I actually took one!
Then, I swapped the Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus tyres for Specialized Pathfinder Pro. Meanwhile, I replaced an inner tube (that had a damaged valve). The work went surprisingly easy as Pathfinder Pro are very supple!
The best tyres in size 38-622 I've ever had! Fast rolling, supple, with excellent grip and puncture resistant! Did you know Specialized actually started its big business with bicycle tyre manufacturing?
Then I washed the cassette (and brake rotors) with automotive brake cleaning fluid. The stuff was doing miracles!
I have inspected the brake pads, too. Believe or not but Tektro F10BS brake pads were still good after 8180 km (5,084 mi)! I attribute that to the light weight of that e-bike, infrequent braking, and riding the Vado SL mostly on the flat.
The label that is hard to find during the normal operation of Vado SL. Another label read my Fearless was made on September 4th, 2020. Could be the 2020 or 2021 model then. As you can see, both the nominal and max Specialized SL motor power is 240 W.
Moulded Specialized logo on the central tread of the tyre. The tread is slick, making the tyre roll fast on the pavement. The more you lean on cornering, the more aggressive the tread becomes.
I also replaced the chain with Shimano CN-4610, 10-speed, 116 link one. That chain is for the Tiagra groupset, is inexpensive, and in exactly the size I need. Any chain gets stretched over 0.5% past 1600 km (1,000 mi) on my e-bikes so I stopped buying expensive chains!
My clean and maintained Fearless
I was on two short rides on the day, totalling at 8.4 km. No single issue!
I update a detailed maintenance log for any of my e-bikes using Strava tools. It is priceless! "The shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory": I learned that saying only yesterday!
An Anecdote
On one of my trips to the United States, I learned of SF book series by David Weber on a space Navy officer Honor Harrington. Her first command was a light cruiser HMS Fearless. On my Vado SL June 2021 ride, I was met by a cold gale with hail! Vado SL carried me safely through that storm. Impressed, I named my light cruiser "Fearless" when I bought it
Even if the weather forecast was promising snowing, I have had enough of winter and...
...took the wheels off my Vado SL and gave my Fearless a good washing under the shower
Because of the disaster that struck me two years ago, I live in a small apartment with a tiny bathroom. I will spare you the photo even if I actually took one! Then, I swapped the Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus tyres for Specialized Pathfinder Pro. Meanwhile, I replaced an inner tube (that had a damaged valve). The work went surprisingly easy as Pathfinder Pro are very supple!
The best tyres in size 38-622 I've ever had! Fast rolling, supple, with excellent grip and puncture resistant! Did you know Specialized actually started its big business with bicycle tyre manufacturing?
Then I washed the cassette (and brake rotors) with automotive brake cleaning fluid. The stuff was doing miracles!
I have inspected the brake pads, too. Believe or not but Tektro F10BS brake pads were still good after 8180 km (5,084 mi)! I attribute that to the light weight of that e-bike, infrequent braking, and riding the Vado SL mostly on the flat.
The label that is hard to find during the normal operation of Vado SL. Another label read my Fearless was made on September 4th, 2020. Could be the 2020 or 2021 model then. As you can see, both the nominal and max Specialized SL motor power is 240 W.
Moulded Specialized logo on the central tread of the tyre. The tread is slick, making the tyre roll fast on the pavement. The more you lean on cornering, the more aggressive the tread becomes.
I also replaced the chain with Shimano CN-4610, 10-speed, 116 link one. That chain is for the Tiagra groupset, is inexpensive, and in exactly the size I need. Any chain gets stretched over 0.5% past 1600 km (1,000 mi) on my e-bikes so I stopped buying expensive chains!
My clean and maintained Fearless
I was on two short rides on the day, totalling at 8.4 km. No single issue!
I update a detailed maintenance log for any of my e-bikes using Strava tools. It is priceless! "The shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory": I learned that saying only yesterday!
An Anecdote
On one of my trips to the United States, I learned of SF book series by David Weber on a space Navy officer Honor Harrington. Her first command was a light cruiser HMS Fearless. On my Vado SL June 2021 ride, I was met by a cold gale with hail! Vado SL carried me safely through that storm. Impressed, I named my light cruiser "Fearless" when I bought it
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Chargeride
Well-Known Member
That tyre...
It could trigger someones Trypophobia
It could trigger someones Trypophobia
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
There is a very slim chance here.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Didn't know the word or concept before you mentioned that!That tyre...
It could trigger someones Trypophobia
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Poland is not Canada, still... 
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Twin Valley
Well-Known Member
we usually blame the white stuff on the farmers - they need the moisturePoland is not Canada, still...
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Low Assist Roadrunner Snowy Ride
I've noticed sitting home does me bad. Whatever it is, I'm getting symptoms of catching cold; these go away when I'm on a ride. To avoid Sunday going to waste, I forced myself to set off for a ride with my Vado 6.0 past 11 am. Of course I forgot taking the smartphone and Wahoo with me; I also noticed I needed an adjustable wrench to fix the kickstand on my Roadrunner. Having brought the things to order and countering cold headwind in true ECO mode (35/35%), I found out it started snowing...
No, Poland is neither Canada nor the wintery part of the United States; we had the last hard winter in 2012/2013. I'm so glad recent Polish winters were mild! Still, snowing is snowing.
It was snowing. The headlight got covered with snow, same with my goggles and skiing jacket! The first leg of the ride was against headwind, and that made me cover 18 km in as many as 53 minutes!
Warm & cozy Klimatyczna Cafe. It is nice to be a regular customer there!
"Nobody expects Przemek N.!" We first met on a FB cycling group then he inducted me into gravel cycling, and we have become great friends since. He brought his young daughter to the Cafe this Sunday after they had a walk in the Kampinos National Park. Meeting Przemek (who I have not seen for six months) was such a great pleasure to me!
The Biker Pub feels so abandoned during the winter time... The place operates on weekends only, and it is full of cyclists in the warm season... Not now.
Still, you can warm up by the stove and get warm grub there.
Very warm split pea soup as well as feta & spinach & bacon pierogi did me good on that cold day!
Taken into account my Vado SL gives me good workout on week-days, riding the big Vado is a sheer pleasure even at low assistance! There are many opinions about bike saddles. I had been suffering for three years on various "wide, soft, comfortable" seats that were making damage to my butt and groins. After I understood my error, riding narrow and firm "sporty" saddles turned out to be true comfort to me. I do not wear chamois anymore!
Weather: -1 down to -3 C, snowy, wind 21.6 km/h from W. It was a 51 km ride at 23.1 km/h average speed.
I've noticed sitting home does me bad. Whatever it is, I'm getting symptoms of catching cold; these go away when I'm on a ride. To avoid Sunday going to waste, I forced myself to set off for a ride with my Vado 6.0 past 11 am. Of course I forgot taking the smartphone and Wahoo with me; I also noticed I needed an adjustable wrench to fix the kickstand on my Roadrunner. Having brought the things to order and countering cold headwind in true ECO mode (35/35%), I found out it started snowing...
No, Poland is neither Canada nor the wintery part of the United States; we had the last hard winter in 2012/2013. I'm so glad recent Polish winters were mild! Still, snowing is snowing.
It was snowing. The headlight got covered with snow, same with my goggles and skiing jacket! The first leg of the ride was against headwind, and that made me cover 18 km in as many as 53 minutes!
Warm & cozy Klimatyczna Cafe. It is nice to be a regular customer there!
"Nobody expects Przemek N.!" We first met on a FB cycling group then he inducted me into gravel cycling, and we have become great friends since. He brought his young daughter to the Cafe this Sunday after they had a walk in the Kampinos National Park. Meeting Przemek (who I have not seen for six months) was such a great pleasure to me!
The Biker Pub feels so abandoned during the winter time... The place operates on weekends only, and it is full of cyclists in the warm season... Not now.
Still, you can warm up by the stove and get warm grub there.
Very warm split pea soup as well as feta & spinach & bacon pierogi did me good on that cold day!
Taken into account my Vado SL gives me good workout on week-days, riding the big Vado is a sheer pleasure even at low assistance! There are many opinions about bike saddles. I had been suffering for three years on various "wide, soft, comfortable" seats that were making damage to my butt and groins. After I understood my error, riding narrow and firm "sporty" saddles turned out to be true comfort to me. I do not wear chamois anymore!
Weather: -1 down to -3 C, snowy, wind 21.6 km/h from W. It was a 51 km ride at 23.1 km/h average speed.
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RabH
Well-Known Member
I decided to pick an easier route today as my legs were still a little tired from Fridays climbs, it was a really nice ride and the weather certainly helped! The wind had moved to the west today and strangely it felt colder than the NE winds recently, it was supposed to be light winds but I'm sure it was around 20mph at times...
Hillend Loch at 8am!
I was heading east today to Threemiletown which is ironically a small village about 500 yards in length!
The first 20 miles was really easy with the breeze behind me and mostly downhill, once I passed through Linlithgow the climbing started and thankfully my legs were fine by then! Threemiletown is 3 miles from Linlithgow so I'm guessing thats where the name came from, not sure though! This is at the top of the climb where you get a nice view of the 3 bridges on the River Forth!I passed this guy on the climb and I'm sure he was wishing he had my bike today...
I turned west here towards Beecraigs Country Park and decided to try a new road which would take me south for a bit, it turned out to be a good decision as it was my type of road!
I then turned west again on a small back road which I have used before but in the opposite direction, this road leads to Cairnpapple where the toughest climb of the day was approaching! This road is just sublime especially when its dry like it was today and the views from the top are fantastic!
It was so clear today so you could see for miles!
Now I had my favourite part of this route to look forward to with the "Laguna Seca"
corkscrew to tackle first and then a stonking descent where I reached 41.9mph into a headwind!Another nice view of the bridges from the top of the corkscrew!
Love this view also!
After this its another big climb followed by a long but shallow descent down towards Dechmont which is so much fun! At the end of the road it joins the busy A89 to Bathgate but there is a really nice cycle path which runs alongside the road and it was free of walkers today which was a real bonus! When the path ends you have to join a dual carriageway for a mile or so but it was quiet thankfully, then there is another cycle path which leads all the way to Whitburn and Armadale and was only opened recently so its in really good condition! I then took the quiet back road from Armadale to Blackridge and it was a straight road home from there!
Another great day on the bike, @Prairie Dog will be glad to know we are expecting snow now!
Well it will just be a dusting where I am... I got home with a spotless bike today, very different from Friday!Attachments
Prairie Dog
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Red Deer
Wow!View attachment 148460
I decided to pick an easier route today as my legs were still a little tired from Fridays climbs, it was a really nice ride and the weather certainly helped! The wind had moved to the west today and strangely it felt colder than the NE winds recently, it was supposed to be light winds but I'm sure it was around 20mph at times...
Hillend Loch at 8am!
View attachment 148461
View attachment 148462
I was heading east today to Threemiletown which is ironically a small village about 500 yards in length!
View attachment 148463
I passed this guy on the climb and I'm sure he was wishing he had my bike today...
View attachment 148464
I turned west here towards Beecraigs Country Park and decided to try a new road which would take me south for a bit, it turned out to be a good decision as it was my type of road!
View attachment 148466
View attachment 148467
I then turned west again on a small back road which I have used before but in the opposite direction, this road leads to Cairnpapple where the toughest climb of the day was approaching! This road is just sublime especially when its dry like it was today and the views from the top are fantastic!
View attachment 148474
It was so clear today so you could see for miles!
View attachment 148480
View attachment 148478
Now I had my favourite part of this route to look forward to with the "Laguna Seca"
View attachment 148481
Another nice view of the bridges from the top of the corkscrew!
View attachment 148482
Love this view also!
View attachment 148483
After this its another big climb followed by a long but shallow descent down towards Dechmont which is so much fun! At the end of the road it joins the busy A89 to Bathgate but there is a really nice cycle path which runs alongside the road and it was free of walkers today which was a real bonus! When the path ends you have to join a dual carriageway for a mile or so but it was quiet thankfully, then there is another cycle path which leads all the way to Whitburn and Armadale and was only opened recently so its in really good condition! I then took the quiet back road from Armadale to Blackridge and it was a straight road home from there!
Another great day on the bike, @Prairie Dog will be glad to know we are expecting snow now!
Somebody throw this dog a bone. I’m dying here looking at your jaw dropping images. I’ll settle for a dusting any day of the week.
Jeremy McCreary
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
I always enjoy seeing you enjoy your ebikes, friends, and local eateries through your ride reports. That split pea soup looks yummy!Low Assist Roadrunner Snowy Ride
I've noticed sitting home does me bad. Whatever it is, I'm getting symptoms of catching cold; these go away when I'm on a ride. To avoid Sunday going to waste, I forced myself to set off for a ride with my Vado 6.0 past 11 am. Of course I forgot taking the smartphone and Wahoo with me; I also noticed I needed an adjustable wrench to fix the kickstand on my Roadrunner. Having brought the things to order and countering cold headwind in true ECO mode (35/35%), I found out it started snowing...
No, Poland is neither Canada nor the wintery part of the United States; we had the last hard winter in 2012/2013. I'm so glad recent Polish winters were mild! Still, snowing is snowing.
View attachment 148453
It was snowing. The headlight got covered with snow, same with my goggles and skiing jacket! The first leg of the ride was against headwind, and that made me cover 18 km in as many as 53 minu
Warm & cozy Klimatyczna Cafe. It is nice to be a regular customer there!
View attachment 148455
"Nobody expects Przemek N.!" We first met on a FB cycling group then he inducted me into gravel cycling, and we have become great friends since. He brought his young daughter to the Cafe this Sunday after they had a walk in the Kampinos National Park. Meeting Przemek (who I have not seen for six months) was such a great pleasure to me!
View attachment 148456
The Biker Pub feels so abandoned during the winter time... The place operates on weekends only, and it is full of cyclists in the warm season... Not now.
View attachment 148457
Still, you can warm up by the stove and get warm grub there.
View attachment 148458
Very warm split pea soup as well as feta & spinach & bacon pierogi did me good on that cold day!
View attachment 148459
Taken into account my Vado SL gives me good workout on week-days, riding the big Vado is a sheer pleasure even at low assistance! There are many opinions about bike saddles. I had been suffering for three years on various "wide, soft, comfortable" seats that were making damage to my butt and groins. After I understood my error, riding narrow and firm "sporty" saddles turned out to be true comfort to me. I do not wear chamois anymore!
Weather: -1 down to -3 C, snowy, wind 21.6 km/h from W. It was a 51 km ride at 23.1 km/h average speed.
"Roadrunner" is a good name for your Vado. Guessing that the classic American roadrunner and coyote cartoons are also widely known in Poland. They've certainly become deeply entrenched cultural icons in the US, and deservedly so. In fact, I can no longer hear or see either the word "coyote" or the real thing without thinking roadrunner, and vice versa.
Jeremy McCreary
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
Another beautiful ride! If I could have given your report a 2nd emoji, it would have been aView attachment 148460
I decided to pick an easier route today as my legs were still a little tired from Fridays climbs, it was a really nice ride and the weather certainly helped! The wind had moved to the west today and strangely it felt colder than the NE winds recently, it was supposed to be light winds but I'm sure it was around 20mph at times...
Hillend Loch at 8am!
View attachment 148461
View attachment 148462
I was heading east today to Threemiletown which is ironically a small village about 500 yards in length!
View attachment 148463
I passed this guy on the climb and I'm sure he was wishing he had my bike today...
View attachment 148464
I turned west here towards Beecraigs Country Park and decided to try a new road which would take me south for a bit, it turned out to be a good decision as it was my type of road!
View attachment 148466
View attachment 148467
I then turned west again on a small back road which I have used before but in the opposite direction, this road leads to Cairnpapple where the toughest climb of the day was approaching! This road is just sublime especially when its dry like it was today and the views from the top are fantastic!
View attachment 148474
It was so clear today so you could see for miles!
View attachment 148480
View attachment 148478
Now I had my favourite part of this route to look forward to with the "Laguna Seca"
View attachment 148481
Another nice view of the bridges from the top of the corkscrew!
View attachment 148482
Love this view also!
View attachment 148483
After this its another big climb followed by a long but shallow descent down towards Dechmont which is so much fun! At the end of the road it joins the busy A89 to Bathgate but there is a really nice cycle path which runs alongside the road and it was free of walkers today which was a real bonus! When the path ends you have to join a dual carriageway for a mile or so but it was quiet thankfully, then there is another cycle path which leads all the way to Whitburn and Armadale and was only opened recently so its in really good condition! I then took the quiet back road from Armadale to Blackridge and it was a straight road home from there!
Another great day on the bike, @Prairie Dog will be glad to know we are expecting snow now!
for that 42 mph descent! Recently told my brother about a 32 mph descent of mine on a nearby 6-9% grade. He thought I was nuts, and maybe he's right. At 74, wouldn't be much left of me after a fall at that speed.Many of the paved roads you show look pretty narrow, some close to 1 lane. How do car-bike encounters work there?
