Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[ActionJackson]

At some place, I could see a powered hang glider (is it the right word?) starting.

In the U.S.A. its called a Paraglider ..

 

[RabH]

After a whole week stuck behind 4 walls I was extremely happy to get back out on my bike, thankfully no sign of any rain and light winds so I picked the perfect day! My new power switch worked flawlessly, I had to push on a bit as I promised my dad I would be back by 1pm so the switch got a lot of use! What a fantastic ride it was, I was smiling from ear to ear for the whole 70 miles! It was good to see so many cyclists out today, more than I have seen for a very long time! I had a roadie fly past me but unlike Stefan @Stefan Mikes (I think its safe to say you are very competitive) I wasn't going to attempt to chase a 30 something super fit roadie on the flat, no flick of a switch for me to get more power! I only have 63 year old leg power to rely on!

Getting close to my destination, the 3 bridges over the River Forth were looking inviting as always!

I was just about to take this photo when a runner photobombed me! It was all good natured fun and we shared a good laugh as he passed me!

Thankfully the western side (if its closed there is an underpass which loops to the eastern side) of the Forth Road Bridge was open today so I was able to get some nice photos of the new bridge!

It was a bit overcast but at least I got a nice view of a cruise ship moored at the Rosyth Docks! This is one of those times you wish you had a good powerful camera...

It was so good to get out again, cycling really clears the mind and makes you forget about the hard times! I'm hoping to get out again on Wednesday and maybe Thursday for a couple of shorter rides!

 

[Prairie Dog]

@RabH - Great photos of the Three Bridges! The spans on the new crossing look massive even from a distance. It’s also nice to see that the designated lanes provided for both cyclists and walkers are generous. It certainly would make for an enjoyable commute if that was the intent behind them.

 

[RabH]

@RabH - Great photos of the Three Bridges! The spans on the new crossing look massive even from a distance. It’s also nice to see that the designated lanes provided for both cyclists and walkers are generous. It certainly would make for an enjoyable commute if that was the intent behind them.

In nice weather it really would be a lovely commute but as it is very exposed it is extremely scary in crosswinds! The lanes are indeed very generous and a real pleasure to ride across, it certainly wouldn't be any fun riding across on the main carriageway! The bridge is actually only open to buses and taxis as well as motorcycles these days, due to horrendous wear and tear over the years!

 

[RabH]

I once had the pleasure (bad choice of word ) of driving this old army truck over the old bridge, everytime I hit one of the bridge joints my head almost hit the roof! It wasn't an enjoyable experience! I wasn't in the army in case anybody is wondering, the company I worked for had to send a repair estimate to the army for a repaint, they rejected it and collected the truck from our premises! I was so glad I didn't have to drive it back over the bridge!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Snake Bitten, (or A Lunch In Klimatyczna Cafe)

At half past ten on Sunday, I was ready for a 115+ km ride. It is not important where to; after 200 m ridden from Młociny Park in Warsaw, I discovered I lost my front brake. Don't ask why: I could only repair it upon return to my flat. And I had a minor car incident. A beautiful day seemed to be wasted.

When I was working on my Vado's front brake by my station wagon, it rained. OK, let it rain. I was hidden below the car's hatch; it stopped raining very soon, and I could go for a ride, to test the brake among others. And I fancied bilberry pierogi as recommended by the owner of Klimatyczna Cafe the day before.

We don't get big portions in Europe At least pierogi were really good!

On my return, I thought I could attempt beating an e-bike KOM record at 5 km road segment between Pilaszków and Umiastów. It's silly. Any person with a powerful (and illegal) Chinese monster or a Direct Drive motor DIY e-bike would beat me. We'll see. I'm just interested if any e-biker recorded their ride on that segment. And Strava tells me there are surprisingly many e-bikers in my area!

I could never understand why the average speed on a short road segment was that slower* than the cruising speed indicated by the speedometer for the whole attempt duration...

On my return, I had to suddenly brake on wet pavement. The brakes turned out to be sound, only the rear wheel skidded a little (but that happens). And I was riding into a raining zone. When I reached my car, the first droplets of rain fell on my back. It was about one of the fastest "rolling ups" of my e-bike ever! (Removing smartphone, water bottle, and panniers from the bike. Removing helmet from my head. Removing the battery. Packing the bike into my car). When I just sat behind the steering wheel, it poured.

In the parking lot of my block of flats, it stopped raining. I spotted a young neighbour riding his bike. "You're dry?" -- I asked -- "NOT" -- he replied. I was lucky, eventually! (On the same day, Jerzy came back from his ride totally soaked, including his shoes).
------------
*) I have just found the error I made! The previous segment included my earlier approach to the segment. After I moved the segment's start forward a little, these values came up:

 

[kahn]

Snake Bitten, (or A Lunch In Klimatyczna Cafe)

At half past ten on Sunday, I was ready for a 115+ km ride. It is not important where to; after 200 m ridden from Młociny Park in Warsaw, I discovered I lost my front brake. Don't ask why: I could only repair it upon return to my flat. And I had a minor car incident. A beautiful day seemed to be wasted.

When I was working on my Vado's front brake by my station wagon, it rained. OK, let it rain. I was hidden below the car's hatch; it stopped raining very soon, and I could go for a ride, to test the brake among others. And I fancied bilberry pierogi as recommended by the owner of Klimatyczna Cafe the day before.

View attachment 99803
We don't get big portions in Europe At least pierogi were really good!

On my return, I thought I could attempt beating an e-bike KOM record at 5 km road segment between Pilaszków and Umiastów. It's silly. Any person with a powerful (and illegal) Chinese monster or a Direct Drive motor DIY e-bike would beat me. We'll see. I'm just interested if any e-biker recorded their ride on that segment. And Strava tells me there are surprisingly many e-bikers in my area!

View attachment 99804
I could never understand why the average speed on a short road segment was that slower than the cruising speed indicated by the speedometer for the whole attempt duration...

On my return, I had to suddenly brake on wet pavement. The brakes turned out to be sound, only the rear wheel skidded a little (but that happens). And I was riding into a raining zone. When I reached my car, the first droplets of rain fell on my back. It was about one of the fastest "rolling ups" of my e-bike ever! (Removing smartphone, water bottle, and panniers from the bike. Removing helmet from my head. Removing the battery. Packing the bike into my car). When I just sat behind the steering wheel, it poured.

In the parking lot of my block of flats, it stopped raining. I spotted a young neighbour riding his bike. "You're dry?" -- I asked -- "NOT" -- he replied. I was lucky, eventually! (On the same day, Jerzy came back from his ride totally soaked, including his shoes).

I thought you got a Snake Bite Flat.

Oh, those pierogi look excellent. My grandmother use to make great kreplach (spell correct wanted "fireplace!!!!") with a variety of fillings.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

kreplach

Similar to Polish "uszka" (little ears). Only we typically eat them with red borscht.

 

[kahn]

Similar to Polish "uszka" (little ears). Only we typically eat them with red borscht.

Yes, grandma made that, too. Both just beets and then a meat version. My mom made sweet and sour cabbage soup. I still make that occasionally - using boiled tongue broth as its base. When I was in the Dolomites last Winter (2020), I had this great Sauerkraut Soup - wonderful. I tried making that - not as good.

 

[Catalyzt]

I'm back! Two ride reports here, both very atypical both for EBR / this thread and for me. No stats, no maps, and each of these posts describes multiple short rides taken in the same area. The reason for this is that my fitness needs morphed dramatically for the past eight weeks because I was rehearsing (by myself, to recorded tracks) for a series of performances with several rock bands in Connecticut. I played four sets with three different bands in 28 hours-- and, given the connective tissue disorder, and the demanding nature of the material (some very fast punk rock, but also alternative, power pop, and hard rock with far more lead guitar than I'm used to playing) I had to almost completely eliminate all (other) forms of exercise to avoid muscle and joint pain. I stopped riding almost completely three weeks before the show, and even stopped swimming the week before. And sure enough, being away from my beloved Moto and Trek for so long really reduced pain in my wrists and thumbs. I was able to play some songs I haven't played live in 40 years, and also to pull off a few solos that I've never pulled off before. So it was a serious sacrifice, but well worth it.

FIRST RIDE: After the shows, I was back at my old apartment with my old roommate in New York City, and very eager to get on my old Raleigh Competition for some acoustic adventures! At the same time, however, I knew I had to be careful, because I hadn't ridden in nearly two months, the bike has a much more uncomfortable riding position, zero suspension, and I was worried about screwing up my back, shoulders, and wrists. Indeed, I wound up in Urgent Care when I returned to Los Angeles and my back still hasn't completely recovered... but not before getting in series of 25-50 minute rides in Central Park, mostly in the North Woods, a little known area in the north west corner of the park that I've grown to love since the late '80s. Here are just a few shots from some of my favorite remote areas... the waterfall and archway are two of my favorites, also beautiful in the winter in deep snow and ice.

These rides were not without incident. Due to the extreme heat, my first ride out started at dusk and went into full dark-- of course, I'd brought powerful lights front and back, and I know the park like the back of my hand, so I wasn't worried.

Uh, wrong. Some well-meaning but moronic Park personnel had left up massive flood lights from the concert a few days previously. The glare was so bad that I could not see landmark buildings, and got totally lost-- very embarrassing for a native New Yorker, but they were really awful-- I wound up off road and onto dirt paths at one point because I couldn't even see the pavement, they were that blinding.

Then, I heard a nasty scraping sound from my crank with every revolution... it nagged at my memory... oh, yeah, that's right: There are three kind of hollow screws that connects the inner and outer crank, and there's one of them that always works loose! (Locking nut missing?) Bike has had that problem for about 40 years, but I totally forgot about it. I even brought tools, but none were the right diameter to fit inside the screw and screw it back into place. I went into the woods a bit, took the light off the bike, and finally found a twig the perfect diameter to stick inside the hollow screw and twist it back in, later covered it with duct tape... which was the solution before the last refurb, when my NY LBS must have removed it! The other rides were great, but the night ride a little nasty-- must have been 90 degrees at 8:00 at night, and very high humidity.

Oh, and by the way, I have an update on the delivery e-bike vs. other bike conflict in NYC for some other thread. A long story, but I can tell you this: The delivery e-bikes are a unique hazard, and they are totally lawless, but not the greatest hazard: There are GAS POWERED MOTOR SCOOTERS that are hogging the Central Park West bike lanes at night! Man, that ticked me off!

 

[vkuw]

Wow @Stefan Mikes - almost looks like pre-COVID photos there; SO NICE TO SEE!

Sorry for no photos today. Canadian geese and Mallard ducks in muc ponds was not photogenic....

But I have exciting news to report. My 1999 EVG did more consecutive miles than she ever has done before. I just did 26miles (42km) and returned with 59% battery (62% post rest). I am really excited as I still have a battery pack coming; so I may just hit my first Century Ride ever!!!
-BB
View attachment 87121

That is amazing!

 

[fooferdoggie]

went to Troutdale Oregon today. wanted to go on some paths I found on google but they turned out to be way too sandy to ride our tandem on.saw an interesting memorial. got to watch small planes fly overhead and land including a biplane.

 

[Catalyzt]

My so called "Exclusive Trails" are sometimes littered with debris.
I ride sometimes for the purpose marking the location of abandoned shopping carts and notify our local district representative to have it removed.
@Catalyzt your pic is worthy for postcard.
The gas power bike does it look a phatmoto?
@kahn there are various names for perogi in Hawaii.

Thanks, glad you liked the photo! I did bring my little mirrorless camera for these rides-- the case is wearable on a thick belt-- though the Fuji X-A5's end user interface is so aggravating I refer to it as "the cruel little Fuji." It's too big and heavy for the sick rides I was doing earlier in the summer with thousands of feet of vertical, where the only weight I carry is tools and water, but totally fine for shorter rides like these. I'm finally getting a little better with it, shooting in semi-auto and using exposure comp., at least! And none of these photos were processed at all-- I often psychedelicize shots from my little point and shoot to coax detail out of the background.

As for the scooters? No-- I've seen bikes like the one in your shot, but these were just like Vespas! I noticed on Block Island that these "scooters" are now called "mopeds" which is comical. But I mean, how rude and cowardly can you be-- using a bike lane for a scooter?! "I'm too scared to ride in traffic, but totally fine with you having to avoid me going three times your speed and choking on my exhaust." And none of them had license plates.

Great your tagging those shopping carts for removal! And I know all about debris on the trail of my favorites here in LA, and have the flat tires to prove it!

 

[mschwett]

today's ride was a tough one. humbling after the last ride in which i did several areas i'd only done with motor, but with the motor turned off. welllllll today, the motor was a must. i did use less power on the route than i have before, but i was feeling it. hard. nonetheless, it was a gorgeous day with the usual lovely scenery, and the creo did her work marvelously as always!

56.82 miles per mission control with 4:06 moving time, for a relatively slow pace of 13.86mph.... but, 4,452 feet of climbing, mostly bunched up in the middle of the ride. i used 82 wH of the battery, (around 1/4), down from 105 the last time i did this ride. in retrospect, i probably should have increased my settings on eco mode by 5%.

it's a quiet, sunny morning in the neighborhood as the roll out the door, but for some reason i wore long sleeves.



we enter the presidio, and start to catch up to lots of other cyclists, joggers, and the fog!



of course, across the bridge in sausalito it's sunny. a long flat stretch on a mixed use path (one of the few i ride), stayed towards the front of a couple packs of roadies.



the first little climb is a piece of cake. then back into the flatlands, but then the real climbing starts. thankfully it's often shaded.



around halfway up the main event, a shade break is definitely in order.



and then back to it.



the reward is popping out onto a long open stretch, which cruelly, in this direction, still has about 500 feet of climbing left in 7 big rollers, too steep and long to just cruise over. ouch. but the views are stunning, with the pacific and her late summer blanket of fog to the right.



and just around this corner, a quick glimpse of home! at this point, i was feeling pretty spent, so i didn't stop to take any decent photos.



OMG, a water fountain. lifesaver.



the long, almost unbroken 2,000 foot descent brings us back to sausalito, and the entry to the bridge.



it's a stunning day, and once into the fog again a flock of pelicans were illustrating their flying skill in the intense crosswinds.



almost home!

 

[john peck]

went to Troutdale Oregon today. wanted to go on some paths I found on google but they turned out to be way too sandy to ride our tandem on.saw an interesting memorial. got to watch small planes fly overhead and land including a biplane.
View attachment 99824View attachment 99825View attachment 99826View attachment 99827View attachment 99829View attachment 99830View attachment 99831View attachment 99832View attachment 99833View attachment 99834View attachment 99835View attachment 99836

Never tried the Historic Columbia River Trail from the start in Troutdale. Anyone else? Still a lot under
construction last time I rode.

 

[kahn]

I'm back! Two ride reports here, both very atypical both for EBR / this thread and for me. No stats, no maps, and each of these posts describes multiple short rides taken in the same area. The reason for this is that my fitness needs morphed dramatically for the past eight weeks because I was rehearsing (by myself, to recorded tracks) for a series of performances with several rock bands in Connecticut. I played four sets with three different bands in 28 hours-- and, given the connective tissue disorder, and the demanding nature of the material (some very fast punk rock, but also alternative, power pop, and hard rock with far more lead guitar than I'm used to playing) I had to almost completely eliminate all (other) forms of exercise to avoid muscle and joint pain. I stopped riding almost completely three weeks before the show, and even stopped swimming the week before. And sure enough, being away from my beloved Moto and Trek for so long really reduced pain in my wrists and thumbs. I was able to play some songs I haven't played live in 40 years, and also to pull off a few solos that I've never pulled off before. So it was a serious sacrifice, but well worth it.

FIRST RIDE: After the shows, I was back at my old apartment with my old roommate in New York City, and very eager to get on my old Raleigh Competition for some acoustic adventures! At the same time, however, I knew I had to be careful, because I hadn't ridden in nearly two months, the bike has a much more uncomfortable riding position, zero suspension, and I was worried about screwing up my back, shoulders, and wrists. Indeed, I wound up in Urgent Care when I returned to Los Angeles and my back still hasn't completely recovered... but not before getting in series of 25-50 minute rides in Central Park, mostly in the North Woods, a little known area in the north west corner of the park that I've grown to love since the late '80s. Here are just a few shots from some of my favorite remote areas... the waterfall and archway are two of my favorites, also beautiful in the winter in deep snow and ice.

View attachment 99813View attachment 99812View attachment 99814

These rides were not without incident. Due to the extreme heat, my first ride out started at dusk and went into full dark-- of course, I'd brought powerful lights front and back, and I know the park like the back of my hand, so I wasn't worried.

Uh, wrong. Some well-meaning but moronic Park personnel had left up massive flood lights from the concert a few days previously. The glare was so bad that I could not see landmark buildings, and got totally lost-- very embarrassing for a native New Yorker, but they were really awful-- I wound up off road and onto dirt paths at one point because I couldn't even see the pavement, they were that blinding.

Then, I heard a nasty scraping sound from my crank with every revolution... it nagged at my memory... oh, yeah, that's right: There are three kind of hollow screws that connects the inner and outer crank, and there's one of them that always works loose! (Locking nut missing?) Bike has had that problem for about 40 years, but I totally forgot about it. I even brought tools, but none were the right diameter to fit inside the screw and screw it back into place. I went into the woods a bit, took the light off the bike, and finally found a twig the perfect diameter to stick inside the hollow screw and twist it back in, later covered it with duct tape... which was the solution before the last refurb, when my NY LBS must have removed it! The other rides were great, but the night ride a little nasty-- must have been 90 degrees at 8:00 at night, and very high humidity.

Oh, and by the way, I have an update on the delivery e-bike vs. other bike conflict in NYC for some other thread. A long story, but I can tell you this: The delivery e-bikes are a unique hazard, and they are totally lawless, but not the greatest hazard: There are GAS POWERED MOTOR SCOOTERS that are hogging the Central Park West bike lanes at night! Man, that ticked me off!

Thanks for sharing those photos of Central Park. That is one aspect of NYC that I miss (native Bronxite). Probably my first adult bike ride was in Central Park back in the late sixties or early seventies. Whenever I visited NYC after moving away I would always visit ALICE!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Thanks for sharing those photos of Central Park. That is one aspect of NYC that I miss (native Bronxite). Probably my first adult bike ride was in Central Park back in the late sixties or early seventies. Whenever I visited NYC after moving away I would always visit ALICE!

I apologize for my ignorance: How big the Central Park really is? How long would it take to ride a bike from East to West, for instance?

Some Fun In My Morning Time...
Here's how you pronounce Opypy : I wonder how you would transcribe that to English?

And yes, I got my KOM...

\
...yet all the competing on e-bikes is just silly. I ride a 45 km/h S-Pedelec; I'm either competing with people riding regular 25 km/h Euro e-bikes, or with ones who have derestricted their e-bikes, or with jerks on throttle operated powerful B* e-bikes. Giving it up!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Those guys you mentioned are not jerks they are probably Americans touring Poland with their powerful ebikes.

A good joke! Unfortunately, not.
Unfortunately, e-bikes are still very expensive for a Polish budget, and we are missing no Fast'n'Furious types, either.

On Nov 1st, 2019, I was collecting my brand new S-Vado from a Specialized LBS in Warsaw. A weirdo was hanging around there: He turned out to be a pathetic "youtuber" going by nickname of WrongWay!. His "e-bike", with the whole frame triangle filled with a DIY battery looked as if it were sourced from a junkyard.

He was, like, "devouring" my Vado with his sight. I guess it was the first time he could see a premium speed e-bike. He asked about the max speed, learned my e-bike was perfectly street legal, and -- to his big surprise -- that the motor was not expected to overheat.

I could see more types like him later on my trips. I shudder to think what happens when a guy like that will appear on a bike path...

If I wanted just to be ridden (as opposite to riding a bike), I would have bought me a motorcycle or a gas powered scooter. They are not that expensive.

 

[Chargeride]

In the U.S.A. its called a Paraglider ..

Its actually a trike version paramotor....big fan on the back.
Im toying with the idea myself.

 

[BlackHand]

Spent last weekend at a friends' cabin east of the mountains and took the bike along hoping to get in a little riding time on the side.

It was late by the time we got back from kayaking a stretch of the Yakima River, but I figured I had just enough time for a 90 minute ride before it got dark.

kind of an eerie ride as there was a large smoke plume high overhead from the Schneider Springs fire 25 mi to our south and I only passed 2 cars on the road and no one on the trail for my whole ride.

This stretch of trail is quiet, I startled a couple of deer when I came around the bend, but otherwise didn't see anything bigger than a chipmunk. Pretty part of the trail with a couple tunnels and this abandoned farmstead nestled between the river and the rail trail.

The next road crossing was about 15 miles down the trail, so by the time I got there I had to book it back on the roads before dark.

I got back just in time to enjoy the sunset over a dinner of grilled pork chops, roasted potatoes, and fresh corn.