Readytoride
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Virginia
@Stefan Mikes - Awesome job with that Imperial century! Those Vado are a powerful blast to ride, aren't they? 
2023 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos
- Thread starter Saratoga Dave
- Start date
Mr. Coffee
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- A Demented Corner of the North Cascades
Uphill. On atrocious jeep roads complete with washouts and rock slides. My kind of bike trip.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Thank you Flora!@Stefan Mikes - Awesome job with that Imperial century! Those Vado are a powerful blast to ride, aren't they?
Indeed, the Vado is exceptionally good for long tours, especially with a spare battery. I used 40% assistance, and now I lean to ride at 30% for even longer range!
I presented my latest long ride to a Facebook group. The best comment was: 'No wonder Stefan no-one wants to ride together with you. You ride too fast for a traditional touring cyclist but too slow for a roadie!'
True! The only person that can understand me is Jacek but he rides an e-bike, too!I liked that, too:
-- 'Man, you rode for 160 km on a hot day at average 23 km/h? Kudos to you!'
-- 'Hey, but he rode an e-bike!"
To which my answer was:
-- ' Did you pedal for seven hours on any day of the last weekend mate? Because I did, and my e-bike has no throttle!'
I decided to swap my Electrak tyres for Smart Sams. I loved how fast Electraks were rolling on pavement but now I will be riding with gravel cycling groups again, beyond the Imperial Century distance. As our area is full of sand, I needed more grippy tires!
@Prairie Dog: Thank you again for your excellent advice how to break the bead in tyres clinched inside the wheel rim!
The Vado at my Old Home. The reconstruction of my partly burnt house has just started!
Last edited:
Prairie Dog
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Red Deer
It rained most of the day but the skies cleared long enough for me to get a solo ride in tonight. Early mornings and evenings are sometimes the best times to head out on the road.
dodgeman
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Macomb, Illinois
I did 15 miles today, hopefully I can ride a little more, I found another tree down from a storm we had recently and cleaned it up yesterday. I also found a barn un photographed by me. Also a picture of someone’s nice landscaping and a cemetery that had a huge tree go down that doesn’t show to well in the photo.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
What is the weather like where you live, David?
We experience an increasing heatwave here in Poland that shall be terminated by violent thunderstorms!
dodgeman
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Macomb, Illinois
Yesterday when I was using a chainsaw and tractor to cleanup the downed tree it was 90 with the humidity making it feel like 97. Todays bike ride it was in the low 80’s but still humid. This is the time of year it gets pretty hot here in Western Illinois.
D
Deleted member 57338
Guest
i usually like to have a destination, or an excuse to run to town. turns out the position i had vacated two years ago at the local college has yet to be filled. the compensation package has been handsomely increased, so i decided to go up and talk to a few ex co-workers. It could be that I may return to work for a few years. I walked out a little early and funds are scarce since we are not drawing SS yet. Visited others awhile and zig zagged thru town. really was looking for the long way home. took uniontown road out of westminster to head back out. Not much shoulder and people driving fast.
Another cool cloud day and somebody's scorched grass.
and I got my 100 mi in this week!
Another cool cloud day and somebody's scorched grass.
and I got my 100 mi in this week!
Last edited by a moderator:
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Same with me!
Readytoride
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Virginia
18 miles on the paved road yesterday. Left home at 8:30am to beat the heat and humidity, plus get out ahead of the massive To Do List waiting for me at home. So it was a quick up-and-back to exercise my legs and take in the quiet, deep green semi-rural scenery.
I got up close and personal with a roadside garden filled with blooming coneflowers.
The color and display was incredible in person, and provided a nice reason to stop for a picture, take a deep drink from my water bottle, and account the rapidly rising heat and humidity for fueling a decision that a reverse course back towards home would be prudent right about now.
Later in the day we reached 92°f with a humidity index making it feel like 97°f. It will be even hotter today.
Virginia's classic summer has arrived with a vengeance.
I got up close and personal with a roadside garden filled with blooming coneflowers.
The color and display was incredible in person, and provided a nice reason to stop for a picture, take a deep drink from my water bottle, and account the rapidly rising heat and humidity for fueling a decision that a reverse course back towards home would be prudent right about now.
Later in the day we reached 92°f with a humidity index making it feel like 97°f. It will be even hotter today.
Virginia's classic summer has arrived with a vengeance.
D
Deleted member 57338
Guest
nice and remote, and I'll bet quiet too. I'm jealous!
RabH
Well-Known Member
Once again our weather has been crazy, very wet and very windy so I couldn't get a shorter recovery ride done yet again! I was actually thinking of doing todays ride last Sunday but changed my mind as its a very popular cyclist and biker route and it would have been too busy to really enjoy it! Today I got it all mostly to myself, of course I encountered many cars and log trucks later in the morning but I got out early again to avoid them so the first few hours were nice and peaceful! I put the bike in the car and drove down to Peebles in the Scottish Borders, only 45 miles from home so only an hours drive! I set off from Peebles just after 6am in blustery but dry conditions, taking the main A72 down to Innerleithen where I would take to the back roads!
As you can see it was a nice morning in Peebles town centre!
The view of the Tweedsmuir Hills just outside Peebles!
The road to Innerleithen is almost flat with just a couple of small climbs, this is one of the climbs just after Glentress!
The road runs alongside the River Tweed which unsurprisingly is very high at the moment!
Another view of the river just before arriving in Innerleithen!
Just 7 miles in and it was time for the first big climb of the day, 3.5 miles up to almost 1200ft and directly into the 20mph headwind! The cimb was actually very welcome as it was quite a chilly morning so this warmed me up nicely! As soon as I crested the climb it was straight down into the valley heading for St Marys Loch, sadly due to the wind the water was a bit choppy today!
I have been lucky to see it flat calm a few times and it looks incredible, not that it looked bad today of course!
As I rounded the loch the Moffat Hills came into view, I would be tackling them in a lttle while...Shortly after passing St Marys Loch, its quickly followed by the Loch of the Lowes which looks very different now due to the logging operations going on in the hills!
The road starts to climb again up to around 1100ft before dropping down into the valley once more, this part is actually a lot of fun to ride as its never really flat and it rises and falls all the way to Moffat! This is the start of the descent!
Not a bad view down in the valley!
I used to love riding here on the motorbike but the big downside is the sheep which love to have a sleep in the middle of the road!
There were a few around today but only one having a nap, I was about 2 feet away when it decide to jump on to its feet and move right into my path! I was in heaven riding along the valley even though it was a bit of a wind tunnel with the wind direction today, with roads like this a little wind wasn't going to spoil it!I was nearing Moffat now and I knew I was in for a real slog of a climb up the Devils Beeftub, this is the name of the climb and its very popular with road cyclists! I actually spotted a sign saying a race was taking place but I'm guessing it was at the weekend and they had forgotten to remove it! Almost as soon as you arrive in Moffat the 6.5 mile climb up to almost 1400ft begins, thankfully its a pretty gradual climb! I think my gps said it was 3.3% average! As I started the climb my first battery was at 29% but I decided to keep going and got about half way up before I had to change it!
The views of the hills on the way up were still pretty awesome!
This is at the top of the climb at 1366ft!
Now I had a nice 12 mile descent to enjoy, a pretty shallow descent but a very welcome one! The road was in great condition in some parts and very rough in others, if only it had been like this all the way down!
With the wind behind me all the way down the descent the battery was doing no work at all so I decided to add another 5 or so miles to my trip and passed by the road which I normally use and continued on the main A701 route to join the Peebles road just before Blyth Bridge, this is the road I used in the morning to get to Peebles in the car and that's when I thought it would be fun to take this route as its such a great road despite the traffic at this time of the day!
Luckily only one truck passed but there were many cars but they were all well behaved! I got back to the car with 67% left in the second battery, the ride from the top of the Devils Beeftub all the way down to Peebles was just amazing with the tailwind!
A few miles back down the road in the car and the rain started to fall on the road I had just ridden on the bike, I think it was my lucky day and it was the 13th!Attachments
DaveMatthews
Dave's not here. Cheating since 2018
- Region
- Canada
Is that cemetery where you go if you're a has been?
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
- Region
- USA
- City
- Carlsbad, CA
You know that Heaven has a government clerk writing down all your jokes, right? There'll either be a reckoning, a new stand-up routine for the Big Guy, or both.
I get a laugh either way, so keep 'em comin'.
Last edited:
DaveMatthews
Dave's not here. Cheating since 2018
- Region
- Canada
Whew, that's a relief! I was pretty much resigned to the idea I was headed... um... south of there...
D
Deleted member 57338
Guest
Today's excuse to go to town was to get groceries and further test the capabilities of this trike.
It had been purchased from a mobility company, advertised as a
Bagfang 750 hub drive. no labels whatsoever indicating this, so the original purchaser was generous enough to donate it to me!
This day is forcast to be hot again. As the sun crested the horizon, the yellowness indicated to me it would not be so bad.
With this machine I stay only on main roads with wide shoulders as it is not like riding a bicycle at all! and in town stick to neighborhood streets and alleys. Cross all main roads at a pedestrian crosswalk. I think the bicycle infrastructure here is poor. In my so few years of riding on the road, (like two), the only bike rack I have seen is at the courthouse!
This trike also has an interesting assist method as it is by speed. Level one will stop assisting at 4mph, level two assist to 8mph and so on. Up to 500 watts to reach the desired speed regardless of assist level. Works quite well.
Some of our bicycle infrastructure out here in Carroll county.
Approaching a very dangerous intersection, Medford road. Many, many fatalities have occurred here due to auto accidents. Where'd the bike lane go? I guess there is only one there if it is not inconvenient for cars.
Approaching another dangerous intersection. A retirement community is off to the left. Typically, vehicles coming from there are a little slower when pulling out and slower to react in an emergency. Crackhead going over 100 mph hit one and took out everyone around, even babies. 7 fatalities.
Here is where it gets kinda crazy, great infrastructure! There are only two pedestrian crosswalks across Md rte 140 in Westminster. 1st pic shows how you need to cross "right turn" traffic to access the "crossing button" to get across Md route 140. Then you have to wait on this tiny island of concrete in the middle of the road while the trucks go roaring by!
While leaving the grocery store, I was somewhat startled. I heard a "clack clack clack" sound and then was approached by a young man on a skateboard. Somewhat disheveled as would be expected and begged me for the remainder of the power bar I was eating! I obliged the poor fellow and he seemed very gracious, I went on my way. As I was waiting again at the dangerous intersection, I see this kid dodge traffic like a scared squirrel and had like 8 police vehicles converge on him from all directions. They took him down hard! He probably just wanted a slurpee for cryin out loud!
More great infrastructure! Glad I was not in the bike lane when that truck laid out those skid marks!
The bike lane disappeared again!
and again!
YAY I survived!
87lb (39.46k) of cargo + my 205ish pound self (92.98k) and my heavy work boots.
Thank you for enduring!
It had been purchased from a mobility company, advertised as a
Bagfang 750 hub drive. no labels whatsoever indicating this, so the original purchaser was generous enough to donate it to me!
This day is forcast to be hot again. As the sun crested the horizon, the yellowness indicated to me it would not be so bad.
With this machine I stay only on main roads with wide shoulders as it is not like riding a bicycle at all! and in town stick to neighborhood streets and alleys. Cross all main roads at a pedestrian crosswalk. I think the bicycle infrastructure here is poor. In my so few years of riding on the road, (like two), the only bike rack I have seen is at the courthouse!
This trike also has an interesting assist method as it is by speed. Level one will stop assisting at 4mph, level two assist to 8mph and so on. Up to 500 watts to reach the desired speed regardless of assist level. Works quite well.
Some of our bicycle infrastructure out here in Carroll county.
Approaching a very dangerous intersection, Medford road. Many, many fatalities have occurred here due to auto accidents. Where'd the bike lane go? I guess there is only one there if it is not inconvenient for cars.
Approaching another dangerous intersection. A retirement community is off to the left. Typically, vehicles coming from there are a little slower when pulling out and slower to react in an emergency. Crackhead going over 100 mph hit one and took out everyone around, even babies. 7 fatalities.
Here is where it gets kinda crazy, great infrastructure! There are only two pedestrian crosswalks across Md rte 140 in Westminster. 1st pic shows how you need to cross "right turn" traffic to access the "crossing button" to get across Md route 140. Then you have to wait on this tiny island of concrete in the middle of the road while the trucks go roaring by!
While leaving the grocery store, I was somewhat startled. I heard a "clack clack clack" sound and then was approached by a young man on a skateboard. Somewhat disheveled as would be expected and begged me for the remainder of the power bar I was eating! I obliged the poor fellow and he seemed very gracious, I went on my way. As I was waiting again at the dangerous intersection, I see this kid dodge traffic like a scared squirrel and had like 8 police vehicles converge on him from all directions. They took him down hard! He probably just wanted a slurpee for cryin out loud!
More great infrastructure! Glad I was not in the bike lane when that truck laid out those skid marks!
The bike lane disappeared again!
and again!
YAY I survived!
87lb (39.46k) of cargo + my 205ish pound self (92.98k) and my heavy work boots.
Thank you for enduring!
Attachments
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
170 km yesterday and 50 km so far now (50 miles in total). Taking a long rest under a big tree in the Warsaw Multimedia Park of Fountains. It's hot.
Last edited:
Similar threads
- Deleted member 18083
- General Ebike Discussion
- Deleted member 18083
- General Ebike Discussion
