Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[Deleted member 18083]

Heading north …

Bramble Bay, Brisbane
9.10 am; 39 km​

The Moreton Bay Cycleway hugs the coast on the left before crossing the Ted Smout Bridge (3 km concrete line below the clouds on the left) to the Redcliffe Peninsula.

On the far right, above the Homage's rear wheel, is the open ocean with the customary clouds over the warm waters of the Coral Sea.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Everyone went to the seaside …

Click four-arrow icon to view full-size video.
Moreton Bay Cycleway
Shorncliffe, Brisbane, Queensland
2021-01-26 (Australia Day)8.40 am; 34 km

More people than I expected to encounter on a Tuesday morning!

Fortunately, our species tends to crowd together and I had the Moreton Bay Cycleway mostly to myself once I had cleared Shorncliffe. The photo at the top of the page is about five kilometres north (later in the ride). All was peaceful there!

Can a society be judged – to a somewhat limited extent – by how its dogs behave?

The next video will feature less concrete! Promise.

 

[RandallS]

Everyone went to the seaside …

Shorncliffe, Brisbane, Queensland
2021-01-26 (Australia Day)8.40 am; 34 km
Watch video clip full-size in separate screen.

More people than I expected to encounter on a Tuesday morning!

Fortunately, our species tends to crowd together and I had the Moreton Bay Cycleway mostly to myself once I had cleared Shorncliffe. The photo at the top of the page is about five kilometres north (later in the ride). All was peaceful there!

Can a society be judged – to a somewhat limited extent – by how its dogs behave?

Thanks, I needed that...
-14C but it stopped snowing.
Hmmm, commonwealth country to a commonwealth country...

 

[Chargeride]

So I got a call from the brother in law that one of those monoliths that have been appearing around the world appeared in the dunes next to his house, but by the bleedin time I got there on the bike, it had been removed and all that was left was a very unalien looking welded mount, not sure why they left it.
The council had very uncharacteristically sprung into action and posted on their website the horror of such a destructive act, and it would be kept in storage till claimed, followed no doubt by a stern telling off.

Heres what it looked like.
I dont want to sound like a NIMBY (not in my back yard), but this area is usually very quiet, a handfull of dog walkers a day and the pandemic has caused an influx of visitors as you can see from the footprints, I'm not really sure this was such a good idea in the middle of a lockdown, people drove from miles away and parked all over the place, then crowded into this small space to look at it.

In response to their unusual enthusiasm I decided to bend the rules and visit my nearby hill, called Winter hill, which turned out to be quite the deceit.
It looked like a winter wonderland from the distance, but on arrival turned out to be a slush and mud fest, complete with melting ice for maximum or should I say minimum tyre friction.
I soldiered on and I really shouldnt have, any way I made the usual video and you might as well have a look if you're into that sort of thing. i.e. freezing wind, brown snow, 2ft deep bogs and lots of my heavy breathing.
In my defence, that first climb is bloody hard, pineapple sized loose rocks, covered in wet ice and snow, I don't think anything but an electric fatbike would make it up there.
Its still an ongoing project and voiced by a virtual Richard Ayoade, though it needs a lot of work, because it sounds crap.

Funny things that happened include my first puncture, the mudguards being blown on to the tyre to make an epic stick in the spokes sound and the wife finding a coffee and biscuit takeaway in the hills.

rivsnowlow

Watch "rivsnowlow" on Streamable.

streamable.com

 

[RabH]

Everyone went to the seaside …

Moreton Bay Cycleway
Shorncliffe, Brisbane, Queensland
2021-01-26 (Australia Day)8.40 am; 34 km

More people than I expected to encounter on a Tuesday morning!

Fortunately, our species tends to crowd together and I had the Moreton Bay Cycleway mostly to myself once I had cleared Shorncliffe. The photo at the top of the page is about five kilometres north (later in the ride). All was peaceful there!

Can a society be judged – to a somewhat limited extent – by how its dogs behave?

The next video will feature less concrete!

If you are trying to make us jealous its working Mind you I don't think I would have enjoyed that path with all those people! Its pouring with rain/sleet/snow here so its nice to see some blue skies and sunshine!

@Chargeride Loved your video, it really cheered me up! That bike of yours really can go anywhere I'm pretty sure all of those people were stunned to see some nutter on a bike up there!

 

[Deleted member 18083]

I don't think I would have enjoyed that path with all those people!

The trail less travelled …
Rob, seeing you insist, here is a section of my regular ride from home which does not necessitate dodging dogs, children on all sorts of wheeled devices and parents lugging 'eskies' and fishing tackle. Just me, other cyclists, horse riders and, let's not forget them, cows.

Click four-arrow icon to view full-size video.
Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, Clarendon, Queensland
8.30 am; 31 km (73 km ride from home)

The cattle grid (previously a gate) beyond the road and power lines was the location of the first photo in the 2019 : Our Rides in Words, Photos, Videos & Maps thread.

 

[RandallS]

Pretty smooth, even over the cattle gates. Nice!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

"Little Snowmen Are Happy"

As we say in Poland

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Buying a CR1220 Battery for Vado

Did I ever tell you I needed a pretext for a ride? (I did; many times). I thought to myself the CR1220 battery in my Vado must die on some day, leaving me unprepared. (The specifics of the EU S-Pedelec Vado is the display has to be fully operable before the motor can assist pedalling -- because the speedometer has to work, by law). "Here, at our countryside..." - is my favourite tongue in cheek phrase describing the local reality (though I live on the border of two small towns). For instance, you won't buy the CR1220 in the local electronic store or at the photographer's or at the newsstand. Yes, CR2032 or LR44 are aplenty around but not the 1220. So I got the pretext for a ride: visit the nearest large electronics store in Janki (near to Warsaw).

The chosen route was the one I already could take when I used to ride a traditional bike; though I wouldn't ride out in the wintertime; and the trip seemed thaaaat long at those times

Komorowski Reservoir. You can meet ducks at any season there.

It was the first time I could really try the "e-bike heart rate control". Having my new Polar OH1+ HRM arm-band, I connected it to my Vado via BLEvo app. Specialized Mission Control and the independently developed BLEvo apps allow Smart HR Control. You set your Heart Rate Threshold and Minimum Assistance %, then the app controls the motor assistance so you stay in your chosen HR zone. My moderate exercise intensity is at my Heart Rate of 95-112. As you can see, BLEvo handled the task pretty well!

BLEvo in Smart HR mode, Trail/Sport mode. Your heart rate does not depend on the assistance level. It only depends on how hard you mash or how fast you spin the cranks. The pedalling assistance only affects the speed you're riding at. Here, I was descending from an overpass (and rode with tailwind), so my power and cadence were pretty low, speed quite high, and my heart was still beating fast.

At the shopping centre in Janki.

The store assistant was unsure if they had had the CR1220 at all! (Yes, they had - it was listed on their website for that specific store...)

The headwind on the return way was really annoying...

The route to Janki is very nice now. Old dirt and poor gravel roads have all been replaced with new asphalt in recent years.

 

[PatriciaK]

Almost 17 miles today - now, that's more like it! Cold, cloudy, damp day, but got my ride in.

Not great pictures, but one looking back at town along the water, and one of the next hill along our route. There are quite a few of them - this one was medium. The steepest one was directly across the highway we needed to cross - I'll get a shot in a day with less traffic to dodge .

Happy to have gotten out before the gale warning commencences this afternoon...

 

[Deleted member 18083]

A switchback country ride …

Click four-arrow icon to view full-size video.
Glamorgan Vale Road, Queensland
Near to 25km on map above (different ride).

At home in the country on my R&M Homage.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

At home in the country on my R&M Homage.

At what speed could you be riding on descents there David?

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Heading off for the next ride …

​

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Now, David, that was really impressive! Let's revisit the other hemisphere now...

The Monster In The Snow

I felt crappy in the morning. The sight of fresh snowfall almost made me resign from any ride for the day. And it was still snowing. My real-life friends were encouraging me on FB, and I thought why I hadn't tested my "Monster", or Giant Trance E+ Pro in fresh snow? The latest clothing purchases greatly reduced the time I need to prepare myself for a winter ride, and I was riding soon, even with the traction devices on my boots

Riding the Monster in snow was a delightful experience. The e-bike rode absolutely stably, only I had to increase the pedalling assistance to overcome high rolling resistance.

At the end of the bike path in Stara Wieś. Snow is not removed from bike paths; it was no obstacle for my Monster though.

"Sorry, that's the kind of climate we have here" -- as a Government spokeswoman famously uttered several years ago

It was really important I could bring a fresh batch of medicines from pharmacy on my return way. The Triple IPAs I bought were just a bonus (each of them has more than 10% ABV!)

Ride map.

Maxxis Rekon tyres were adequate. Just in case, I own more aggressive Maxxis tyres as well Full suspension made the ride plush!

 

[RabH]

A switchback country ride …

Click four-arrow icon to view full-size video.
Glamorgan Vale Road, Queensland
Near to 25km on map above (different ride).

At home in the country on my R&M Homage.

Its so strange seeing you ride on tarmac That is my type of road, looks amazing! You call me a speed freak

 

[Prairie Dog]

After viewing David’s video, I took a deep breath and convinced myself that this current deep freeze will be short lived. Stefan's snow pics provided the motivation to get me out the door.

Today's ride was the coldest of the season so far. I left the house at 10:30 AM when it was -22 C but with the addition of a light SW breeze it felt much colder. I was finally able to find a decent pair of goggles that fit comfortably on my face and also integrate well with my helmet. What difference it made and it couldn't have come at a more opportune time.

I only managed to take this one selfie today as my camera froze up shortly after even with it stashed in the side pocket of my over pants. My Garmin Edge has been a stalwart ally and never flinched once during the entire ride.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

22 below Celsius???? I had to go find my converter, but I’ll be damned if that isn’t about 8 below zero in these parts. Serious skiing weather in days past. Outstanding effort!

 

[Mulezen]

Had to throw another log on the fire after reading above

 

[FlatSix911]

Now, David, that was really impressive! Let's revisit the other hemisphere now...

The Monster In The Snow

I felt crappy in the morning. The sight of fresh snowfall almost made me resign from any ride for the day. And it was still snowing. My real-life friends were encouraging me on FB, and I thought why I hadn't tested my "Monster", or Giant Trance E+ Pro in fresh snow? The latest clothing purchases greatly reduced the time I need to prepare myself for a winter ride, and I was riding soon, even with the traction devices on my boots

View attachment 77833
Riding the Monster in snow was a delightful experience. The e-bike rode absolutely stably, only I had to increase the pedalling assistance to overcome high rolling resistance.

View attachment 77834
At the end of the bike path in Stara Wieś. Snow is not removed from bike paths; it was no obstacle for my Monster though.

View attachment 77835
"Sorry, that's the kind of climate we have here" -- as a Government spokeswoman famously uttered several years ago

View attachment 77836
It was really important I could bring a fresh batch of medicines from pharmacy on my return way. The Triple IPAs I bought were just a bonus (each of them has more than 10% ABV!)

View attachment 77837
Ride map.

View attachment 77838
Maxxis Rekon tyres were adequate. Just in case, I own more aggressive Maxxis tyres as well Full suspension made the ride plush!

Nice winter ride... what stem riser are you using and what is the measured height of the bars?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I left the house at 10:30 AM when it was -22 C but with the addition of a light SW breeze it felt much colder. I was finally able to find a decent pair of goggles that fit comfortably on my face and also integrate well with my helmet.

-22 C? I'd rather stay at home! Nice goggles and thick balaclava!

what stem riser are you using and what is the measured height of the bars?

It is a straight Ergotec one. As I bought it at a physical store, I don't know the model name. The height of the handlebar grip from the ground is about 1.05 m.