2024 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos

[RabH]

I was looking forward to a nice day for a ride but the weather was very different from the forecast, it was supposed to be nice at first and then become misty with possible fog! It was around 1C when I set off at 9.30am and a bit misty already, not the sunny intervals the forecast was reporting for first thing! With the temp hovering just above zero I didn't want to chance the back roads so I stuck to the main roads down to Slamannan where I joined the road to Shieldhill and stopped for a couple of photos looking back across the frosty fields to Slamannan!

Once again the winds were pretty light, the downside of that is there is zero chance of the roads getting anywhere near dry but that's what the mudguards are for and they do a really nice job! Another mile or so I stopped again for another couple of photos while it was possible to see across the fields!

I soon reached Shieldhill and enjoyed the awesome descent down into Glen Village, pretty much freewheeling at 40.6mph today which was more than fast enough in the conditions! I then had another lovely descent down into Falkirk and continued on to Grangemouth, passing the Kelpies which were almost hidden in the descending mist! I continued north through Skinflats and suddenly remembered I would need to use the cycle path to the Kincardine Bridge but luckily there wasn't any ice on the path so it was fine! I skirted Kincardine and used the coast road to Culross which was virtually free of traffic, its such a nice road to ride!

I continued along the coast through Low Valleyfield and Torryburn where I joined the main road towards Rosyth and on to Inverkeithing where I turned south to cross the Forth Road Bridge, I was climbing the hill to the bridge and my back wheel didn't feel right...yet again my tube repair had failed! Its one of those ones thats right on the seam of the tube, time to replace this one I think! I made it on to the bridge and stopped to fix the flat with the rail bridge almost hidden in the mist! By the time I fixed the puncture it had actually cleared up a bit so I was able to grab some photos!

I was near the edge to take this one and made the mistake of looking down, my fear of heights kicked in but I managed to get the photo!

I stopped again at the far side of the bridge for this one, staying well away from the edge...

I then turned west towards Newton and managed to get a photo of all the bridges before the mist descended again, at times it actually felt like it was raining but I think it was just the mist!

I passed through Newton and decided to take a left turn and try the Winchburgh road which I haven't used for years, I got a pleasant surprise to find a brand new road had been built! The reason it had been built was a massive amount of new houses had appeared, what used to be a small village will soon be a town by the look of it! I actually just looked it up and found this..."A West Lothian village is to be developed into a town with 3000 new homes being built in a £1bn project" The project started in 2019 and it will take 15 years to complete, quite a transformation!

The Winchburgh road joins the road to Linlithgow but just before Threemiletown I turned south towards Uphall and then immediately west towards Beecraigs Country Park again, the reason I went this way again even though I did it last Friday is I wanted to try the rollercoaster Burnhouse road! This is the start of it, just as you turn the corner the road rises up with an 18% gradient and for some strange reason my summit software didn't even record it as a climb...

This part looks almost flat but it is far from flat!

The road eventually takes you down into Dechmont, the last part is a cracking fast descent! At the bottom of the descent there is a hump back bridge and I spotted a car coming in the opposite direction at high speed and he went over the bridge so fast all 4 wheels were airborne, the total moron was lucky he didn't destroy his car! I bet the suspension took some damage though...

I reached Dechmont and turned west towards Bathgate and the road was pretty busy but I was able to use the cycle path this time, no sign of any ice thankfully! Eventually I had to join the main road when the path ended but the road was fine as it becomes a dual carriageway and is very wide! I was soon on the cycle path again anyway towards Whitburn, just before the town I turned north on the cycle path to Armadale and then used the back road to Blackridge which was closed recently due to flooding! It was fine today thankfully!

A small puddle here...

From Blackridge I turned west for home passing the Hillend Loch which was partially frozen!

I just missed the train passing here, couldn't get the phone out quick enough! Some of the road is getting pretty rough now but some is like this!

I passed through Caldercruix with 70 miles covered and just as I was heading into Plains my back wheel felt strange again, I stopped to check it and the back tyre was soft but not totally flat and with only a couple of miles remaining I managed to nurse it home! I haven't checked it yet, it can wait until tomorrow...

Not the weather I was hoping for today but it was a great ride once again, almost 24 miles more than Friday but my elevation gain was only 80ft more which surprised me as I felt like it was a much harder ride! Maybe I was just flagging a bit after Fridays ride...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

-12 C, icy, I feel ill.
What worse, my car doors have all frozen out! Waiting for a little bit warmer weather, Thursday?

 

[Art Deco]

-12 C, icy, I feel ill.
What worse, my car doors have all frozen out! Waiting for a little bit warmer weather, Thursday?

 

[RabH]

I decided to check my tubes tonight and discovered the patch hadn't failed after all, there was a tiny thorn embedded in my tyre which was only just protruding through! It wasn't even noticeable from the outside, I ran my finger round the inside after the first flat and couldn't feel anything and just assumed it was my repair that had failed...

I hope you feel better soon Stefan, going out riding in -3 probably didn't help your situation! I was feeling it a bit today and it was just above zero, I'm sure that's why I struggled today! We aren't getting any younger...

 

[Prairie Dog]

-12 C, icy, I feel ill.
What worse, my car doors have all frozen out! Waiting for a little bit warmer weather, Thursday?

I even won’t make mention of what it’s like here. At least you might be able to get out for a ride on Thursday.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Yeah, I went out for a short ride on Saturday at around 4C, and it was not pleasant. Would not try it below 0C.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Yeah, I went out for a short ride on Saturday at around 4C, and it was not pleasant. Would not try it below 0C.

Dunno Dave. 4C for me is a far cry from being unpleasant. Jan 22 seems a long time to wait until it reaches 0C.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I even won’t make mention of what it’s like here. At least you might be able to get out for a ride on Thursday.

At least three friends of mine have been able to make their Monday rides at -12 C! Notable is Ania The Roadie who needs to commute 2 x 9 km a day (she is using a trekking TREK bike for that). She had 364 days of cycling in 2023, totalling at 12,000 km! I wonder what made her not to ride for that single day of the year...

4C for me is a far cry from being unpleasant.

+4 C is a lovely weather...

 

[Prairie Dog]

At least three friends of mine have been able to make their Monday rides at -12 C! Notable is Ania The Roadie who needs to commute 2 x 9 km a day (she is using a trekking TREK bike for that). She had 364 days of cycling in 2023, totalling at 12,000 km! I wonder what made her not to ride for that single day of the year...


+4 C is a lovely weather...

Amazing lady. I’m guessing that she must have had a heluva good reason for missing that one day out of the entire year.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Dunno Dave. 4C for me is a far cry from being unpleasant. Jan 22 seems a long time to wait until it reaches 0C.

View attachment 169379

I hear ya mate. I suppose it's two things...
I'm not used to it, and...
I don't think I have the right gear.

 

[Prairie Dog]

I hear ya mate. I suppose it's two things...
I'm not used to it, and...
I don't think I have the right gear.

In all fairness, you folks tend to have higher humidity levels compared to here on the prairies so there’s no doubt that the damp coldness feels more penetrating. In contrast, we do receive plenty of sunlight which provides solace in light of the dreadfully long dark winters here. I’m not as willing to head out like I used to when it’s this cold out and have had more than my share of bone chilling rides. Tomorrow looks a bit more promising if it wasn’t for that darn wind chill.

 

[DaveMatthews]

In all fairness, you folks tend to have higher humidity levels compared to here on the prairies so there’s no doubt that the damp coldness feels more penetrating. In contrast, we do receive plenty of sunlight which provides solace in light of the dreadfully long dark winters here. I’m not as willing to head out like I used to when it’s this cold out and have had more than my share of bone chilling rides. Tomorrow looks a bit more promising if it wasn’t for that darn wind chill.

Yeah... the wind chill...
I walk outside and say "yeah this feels doable". Then I get out on the bike, feel the wind chill at the speed I usually do. Then I slow down.
If I go down by the river it gets worse, and same by the sea.
Maybe if I got a face mask/balaclava and a heated vest...

 

[Prairie Dog]

Yeah... the wind chill...
I walk outside and say "yeah this feels doable". Then I get out on the bike, feel the wind chill at the speed I usually do. Then I slow down.
If I go down by the river it gets worse, and same by the sea.
Maybe if I got a face mask/balaclava and a heated vest...

With northerly gusts up to 30 kph, it didn’t take me long to decide whether or not to ride today. Temperature wise it was at my threshold but after factoring in the -23C wind chill it was a no brainer. Good news is that my new but familiar-to-me winter helmet arrived today.

 

[Chargeride]

Getting out on the bike tire weekend down Larndon way, great Windsor park.

This Finnish bike tour company Roll Outdoors, I've followed them for years, thought I'd show you this video.

Start watching from 3.27, possibly the most magical snow fatbike riding I have ever seen, if this doesn't stir something inside you, you must have lost all hope.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Getting out on the bike tire weekend down Larndon way, great Windsor park.

This Finnish bike tour company Roll Outdoors, I've followed them for years, thought I'd show you this video.

Start watching from 3.27, possibly the most magical snow fatbike riding I have ever seen, if this doesn't stir something inside you, you must have lost all hope.

Gorgeous riding. So want to see an aurora like that in person.

Never heard Finnish spoken before. Interesting-sounding language.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Getting out on the bike tire weekend down Larndon way, great Windsor park.

This Finnish bike tour company Roll Outdoors, I've followed them for years, thought I'd show you this video.

Start watching from 3.27, possibly the most magical snow fatbike riding I have ever seen, if this doesn't stir something inside you, you must have lost all hope.

Stunning. That might help answer why they are the happiest people on earth. We’re far enough north here where one may catch a glimpse of the lights but the skies have to be clear and you need to be far from the city limits as possible. Aspen Beach Prov Park near here is supposedly a good place for viewing an event. The only time I’ve seen them is when I was visiting my sister in Whitehorse, YK. Aside from that, I don’t have the vaguest idea of how to forecast when activity is going to take place.

 

[jason.flood]

This past weekend I took my 3 week old Vado SL for what turned out to be a bit more of an adventure that I had bargained for.

Having only done about 200km on the bike over 2 weeks, from a mixture of commuting to work and a few 1h weekend rides I decided it was time for a longer ride.

I’d mentioned in my inaugural hello to the EBR forum that I had been having some discomfort in my back. Suspecting my size M frame with a geometry that is vastly different the 90’s Stumpjumper I’ve been riding since it was new.

My initial pain had subsided, so time to test both back & bike on a longer ride. I found a figure of eight loop on Komoot that would take me into the Pentland hills for around 3h. So, off I went, thinking it was a relatively simple gravel track extension of the rides I had already made to the edges of the city.

How wrong I was.

The ride was simple enough out to Threipmuir Reservoir in the SW of the route. At this point I doubled back NE, to make the first pass over the centre of figure of eight. Everything was going great. I’d stayed in ECO mode all the way as I wasn’t sure how much battery juice I’d need later. It was the first time I'd needed to make use of my 44/52 1st gear ( I’m already thinking a 42t chainring would be nice)

After crossing the centre of the 8 I turn right for a SE climb in the direction of Gladstone Reservoir. This is the point I start to think Hmm . The weather was a few degrees above freezing with light rain, but the ground was partially frozen. I’d been rolling tarmac/ gravel until now, but ahead of me was 4km of what I I think is closer to MTB territory. The gradient ok, but the track was wet and muddy, heavily rutted and with plenty of rocks about. Indeed I saw several MTB and eMTB riders heading up the hill completely covered in muck.
I’m thinking “Am I really going up there on the SL 5.0 EQ, with my slick 38c Nimbus sport tyres and skinny mudguard?.”

What could possibly go wrong… “I have a Future Shock 1.5 and I’ve dropped my tyre pressures from 65psi down 50”

I thought I can’t turn back now. I’m just gonna dig in and try to remember my mountain biking days, spin smoothly, relatively light on the bars, avoid the rocks and try not to get stuck in rutts.

I really wasn’t expecting to get up the hill but to my amazement the tyres held. I was sliding about on adverse cambers but I think the gravel mixed with frosty wet mud was somehow developing enough friction on my commuting tyres. At the top I was rewarded with some great views over the city towards the Forth Estuary. I didn’t take a shot, but doubt it would have been anything that @RabH hasn't shared with you before.

Next, the decent down to Gladstone reservoir. The mud and frost turned to a very rocky gravel track that resembled a stream. Lots of bits of track washed away and a fair number of 1-2 foot drops cut into the hill. I feared that after making it this far I would surely get a puncture on the decent.

Oh well here goes. It doesn’t take me long to discover how amazing disc brakes are. Being able to effortlessly hold one’s speed on a steep decent in terrible conditions something I’d never experienced . I’m grinning to the point of almost forgetting I’m gonna get a puncture.

My old bike doesn’t even have V brakes. I’m used to the feeling of my hands clamping the brake levers so hard it cuts off the blood supply, while simultaneously listening to 0.5mm of aluminium being ground away from the surface of my wheel rims but fresh crud picked up on every rotation of the wheel.

I get to the bottom - no puncture. I can hardly believe it.

I’m now riding uphill, SW towards Loganlea Trout fishery on a tarmac road that is covered in a thick layer of frost. I don’t think the sun is getting high enough to reach the valley floor at this time of year. It’s getting much colder so I push on to warm up. I can’t resist pretending I’m 10 again and lock the back wheel a few times to “broady” on the Frost. I almost overcook a counter steer and remember I’m nearly 55.

I take a water and energy bar stop at the end of the valley. As the gradient increases towards the saddle to the next valley I notice how beautiful the light is.

In the second shot I’m noticing my always on headlight beam for the first time due to the fading light. The photos haven’t been altered and really do reflect how monochrome the landscape looked at that moment.

I’m at the most southerly point on my route and start climbing NE fearing I’m going to encounter terrain like the previous hill. To my delight the route is firm and smooth. There are rocks and frozen puddles about, but the headlight it working really well to help me avoid obstacles. I can’t see the trail ahead so im having to rely on audio and visual clues from Koomot.

After I get over the saddle and back close to the point where I original crossed the centre of the 8, I’m rewarded with a completely different view. It’s pretty dark now but colour has returned. I’m REALLY pleased with my light. I’m sure it’s nowhere near as powerful as the best, but it’s way better than I’m used to cycling around the city. A bit further on I go through a single track section in the woods and it feels pitch black - but the light is plenty good. Admittedly im taking things at a steady pace to avoid any ‘incidents’

At this point I’m thinking I should really return home via the route on which I approached, but I’m also feeling lucky so I push on with the rest of the route, going back across the figure of 8 centre, before following mostly farm tracks and reaching the outskirts of the city at Bonaly.

It’s an easy 12km to Leith, downhill all the way through the city and I’m buzzing. For the first time I’m finally thinking this bike is fantastic and way more fun that i had envisaged and experienced in its first 250km

I carry the bike up to the flat. We are both covered in mud. The bike goes straight in the bath for a shower. Bike completely washed, wheels removed, cleaned under mudguards, under motor cover, behind rotors. Chain cleaned and sprayed with water displacer. All traces of the day’s adventure erased. Damit why didn’t I take a picture before I washed it!

It’s 7pm and I’ve got half an hour to get myself cleaned up before going out to meet a couple of friends for a pint and a burger. Spoiler alert- that’s pints (plural) and a double patty burger. I might have had a motor but that was the biggest workout I’ve had in a very long time.

Jason.

P.s. I'm still getting to grips with the Specialized App and it looks like it lost the connection or paused halfway through the 57km ride, however, here are some stats anyway. I had the RE battery with me. I set off at 140%. I arrived home with 72%. I think that means about 297WH used? So probably could have done the journey without the RE.

Thanks for reading if you got this far. I’ll try to be more succinct next time !

 

[Stefan Mikes]

A great write-up Jason! Thank you!

I set off at 140%. I arrived home with 72%. I think that means about 297WH used?

You have used 68% with the reference to the 320 Wh battery, which is 0.68 * 320 = 217.6 Wh. At least in theory. What assistance modes were you riding in? (Your battery consumption factor of 7.8 Wh/km was pretty high, and similar to a full power e-bike; I attribute it to your hills, hard terrain, and pretty a low temperature).

So probably could have done the journey without the RE.

You could. I recommend you ride with the RE though (unless you want to shave a kilogram or so off the e-bike weight). There are several good reasons to use the RE:

• As you use both batteries, there will be a smaller number on recharge cycles on both of them, resulting in a better longevity;
• The combined power of both batteries used in parallel gives you a very good power delivery even if both batteries are at the low charge level;
• In case you need to use Sport or Turbo, each of the batteries needs to deliver less current to meet your assistance demand, which is good for the batteries;
• You never know what awaits you on your trail. Say, you need to return home very fast (in Turbo) because of the weather breakdown?

I recommend you ride on both batteries until you gain experience. My own experience is both batteries in average SL assistance of 55/55% under warm weather and flatter terrain than yours are good for 116 km, which is far far more than your first long trip.

Enjoy!

 

[RabH]

@jason.flood I loved reading your report Jason, it was very well written. You are lucky to live so close to the Pentlands, they are so beautiful! Its very different to my rides but I'm sure it was tons of fun!

@Chargeride What a video, truly stunning!

 

[jason.flood]

A great write-up Jason! Thank you!

You have used 68% with the reference to the 320 Wh battery, which is 0.68 * 320 = 217.6 Wh. At least in theory. What assistance modes were you riding in? (Your battery consumption factor of 7.8 Wh/km was pretty high, and similar to a full power e-bike; I attribute it to your hills, hard terrain, and pretty a low temperature).


You could. I recommend you ride with the RE though (unless you want to shave a kilogram or so off the e-bike weight). There are several good reasons to use the RE:

• As you use both batteries, there will be a smaller number on recharge cycles on both of them, resulting in a better longevity;
• The combined power of both batteries used in parallel gives you a very good power delivery even if both batteries are at the low charge level;
• In case you need to use Sport or Turbo, each of the batteries needs to deliver less current to meet your assistance demand, which is good for the batteries;
• You never know what awaits you on your trail. Say, you need to return home very fast (in Turbo) because of the weather breakdown?

I recommend you ride on both batteries until you gain experience. My own experience is both batteries in average SL assistance of 55/55% under warm weather and flatter terrain than yours are good for 116 km, which is far far more than your first long trip.

Enjoy!

Thanks for you insight Stefan. I follow your rationale wrt the battery consumption calculation and realized where I had made a mistake.

I can see you have calculated 7.8WH/km based on the Specialized app distance of 27.85km. However the app lost connection or paused half way through the ride. The stats however seem to get captured and the end of the ride but without the full distance registered. Im a bit skeptical about what the Specialized App (can I say Spapp) is saying. The actual distance travelled was 57.2km per the Komoot gps trace in the first picture.

I think this would put my consumption closer to 3.8WH/km

I was in eco 35/35 for the whole ride.

However, if I say the last 12km was downhill through the city, but with with a fair number of stops for junctions and traffic lights; I could take maybe 10km of the total and say 47km which would take the journey to about 4.6WH/km

Given I was riding in ECO the whole way, do you think I should be concerned my battery capacities may not be as advertised?

Thanks