Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[Stefan Mikes]

Resisting temptation

I keep you responsible for stopping there on your next ride David, trying their pies, and posting a photo!

My friend Staszek The Roadie (recently: Staszek The Gravel Cyclist a.k.a. "Steel Is Real") stopped eating them cookies and ice cream on his rides; he's all about "meat cookies"!

By the way, did you know "pies" (pee-es) meant "a dog" in Polish?

Staszek has just bought a Marin Four Corners, a steel gravel bike. The nickname is "Marian", or the male of Maria

 

[Sierratim]

Tempted?

It's "official", the local bakery has won twenty-five medals for its pies. Really? Judging by the number of motorcyclists who stop at the Old Fernvale Bakery, there must be some truth behind the claim.

Resisting temptation, I pedalled on towards, but not into, the hills surrounding Fernvale. Maybe, I should have been less cynical. The pies were guaranteed 50% fat-free, weren't they?

So, you just need to know which 1/2 of the pie you can eat!

 

[kahn]

Okay, I was out alone on today's ride and decided to take photos. Golden Gardens Park and Shilshole Bay Marina on Puget Sound. Homes with a view unlike mine! The bike trail, decades in the making and the Locks. The National Nordic Museum and a large Leif Erikson and Rune Stones. The last image was about five minutes before my hour long (well, almost) FLAT TIRE. How do you get the rear tire back on a Creo? Then about 4 minutes from the house, my chain jumped off the chain ring and fell/wedged between the motor housing the chain ring. Yup, I managed to disengage the clutch to fix the flat but forgot to re-engage the damn clutch!!!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The last image was about five minutes before my hour long (well, almost) FLAT TIRE.
How do you get the rear tire back on a Creo? Then about 4 minutes from the house, my chain jumped off the chain ring and fell/wedged between the motor housing the chain ring. Yup, I managed to disengage the clutch to fix the flat but forgot to re-engage the damn clutch!!!

I sympathize with you. Road tyres can be nasty to put back on the wheel. You look to me as a candidate for tubeless conversion but then you would need to carry the tubeless repair kit (it is small, anyway).

 

[BlackHand]

Tempted?

View attachment 103173

Fernvale, SE Queensland​

It's "official", the local bakery has won twenty-five medals for its pies. Really? Judging by the number of motorcyclists who stop at the Old Fernvale Bakery, there must be some truth behind the claim.

Resisting temptation, I pedalled on towards, but not into, the hills surrounding Fernvale. Maybe, I should have been less cynical. The pies were guaranteed 50% fat-free, weren't they?

From our local Aussie pub, just a few blocks away from the Nordic museum in Kahn's photo.

 

[RabH]

@kahn Get yourself one of these, you will never struggle to get a tyre on the rim with this tool! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bbb-Cyclin...A855QRY/ref=pd_lpo_2?pd_rd_i=B00A855QRY&psc=1

I had a nice leisurely ride down to the Clyde Valley, I have been neglecting this area for a while so it was time to put it right! I was surprised to see the gates open to this private estate (they are normally closed) so I grabbed the chance for some photos of the beautiful architecture, not forgetting the bike of course!

The sky was very overcast today but at least the winds were light for a change, I did get some rain but it wasn't too bad thankfully! Heading out of the valley and up the big climb the roads are very narrow but almost traffic free, I just love how peaceful it is and how stunning the valley below is!

At the top of the climb I could see the sky closing in and knew I wasn't going to stay dry, it was only a matter of time!

It was pretty mild for October so I wasn't too bothered about getting wet, luckily it wasn't heavy and the roads remained dry for the most part! Another lovely ride on awesome roads, it sure beats work! I did take to the busy roads for the last few miles as I was pushed for time but the drivers were behaving themselves today!I did come across an accident between 2 cars at a roundabout, my guess is the first car stopped thinking somebody was approaching but the second car must have decided it was clear and didn;'t realise the car in front had stopped! Hopefully the lady driver learned a lesson and will approach wroundabouts with more care! Nobody was hurt thankfully, it was just a minor shunt!

 

[kahn]

View attachment 103218
From our local Aussie pub, just a few blocks away from the Nordic museum in Kahn's photo.

Okay, where's this Aussie pub? I'd like a meat pie.

 

[kahn]

@RabH

Actually, I did have that tool and it was WONDERFUL. At first, I decided to give the old (and I do mean OLD) thumbs a try. I moved as best I could, the tire bead into the center to supposedly loosen things up - HA. I pushed, pulled and prodded and finally used that tool. I never did figure out the cause of the flat. The tube had a small pinhole but it also looked abraded around the hole, like it was scuffed. Nothing on the tire matched. (it will come back to bite me on the next ride, no doubt). It might have been a defect.

NO, it was getting the wheel back on the bike that was my problem. Trying to thread the cogs into the chain/derailleur combo and the disc brake back into position. Twisted, turned, grunted, more of the same. In/out, try again. Then, of course, for no new reason, it was in place! I use to be able to do it on my regular road bike. If I can find the mental stamina, I might put it up on a stand on a really rainy day and practice, practice, practice. (and I have repeatedly watched youtube videos of the process - yeah, right - they are probably photoshopped to make it look that easy! ) At least, this time I was able to loosen the through-axle which thwarted me the last flat. I ultimately needed a mallet that time.

I pedaled home carefully, since inflation was a bit soft and pot-holey pavement and cracks along the route could lead to a snake bite.

TubeLESS might be in my future. I don't know - it would be entirely new to me. But while the tire was off the rim and I was doing this and that, I did notice the labeling on the inside of the rim - TUBELESS ready or some such. It would not have helped on the previous flat - that was a gash and would have been a gusher of goo.

I did make it home and it was a cool but pretty nice day and nice ride (sans flat) since it had been actively raining in the morning.

 

[Bubba zanetti]

Beautiful fall days here.
Just a few KM North of the US Boarder, along the Columbia.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Greetings from a fitness ride!

In Radziejowice. It starts raining! I shall be back home at night.

Later (from home)
I didn't want to ride today. Cold & dreary weather didn't inspire for cycling. In the afternoon, sun shone, and I thought to myself my reluctance to ride must mean I was seriously ill So rode I off! The choice was simple: Why not Radziejowice, a popular road cycling way-point (because of a park & palace)?

After I left Radziejowice (I didn't waste time on park & palace on that ride), night fell, and I was zooming long asphalt service roads along a freeway in the dark (only lit by the bike headlight), with a subtle whirr of my Vado SL motor, and with temperature dropping down (I was returning at 7 C or 45 F). Of course, I had proper clothes on, only I could better be wearing winter boots.

The Lezyne headlight as delivered together with Vado SL turned out to be fabulous! Strong, focused beam of light helped me see any road detail, and I was sure drivers could see me well, also because of the strong tail-light. Hi-vis clothes were helpful, too. (You can see temperature on my Wahoo ELEMNT Roam here). The Roam turned out to be extremely useful. I didn't know there were still so many unexplored roads of my neighbourhood!

A Funny Story
Well before the sunset, I was following a roadie on a bike path. (I had to ride in the SL Turbo mode, or he would be too fast). As I rode behind him, I could notice pretty wide tyres on his bike. Aha, so that was a gravel bike. Looking more closely, I discovered the bike frame was made of tubes. Aha, so that was a steel bike. Intrigued, I approached the roadie even closer. The bike make was Marin, and the frame was... green! WHAT? Now, I rode two abreast with the man, greeted him and exclaimed:

-- "It is a Four Corners, isn't it?!" -- "Indeed, it is" -- "Are you Staszek?!" -- "No, I'm not him"

Fancy that. A green, steel-made Marin Four Corners gravel bike, exactly the same as the friend of mine Staszek has just bought! In the situation people pre-ordered all Marin bikes from the recent Warsaw delivery, and were actually fighting to get one! What a story! (Jacek's wife works for one of Marin dealers, so I knew how dramatic the recent delivery had been...)

Noteworthy: The entire route (meticulously prepared with RideWithGPS) solely consisted of perfect asphalt roads or bike paths!

I rode for more than half of the distance with the 25 km/h speed limiter on. Inadvertently

 

[PatriciaK]

13.1 miles this morning (according to my Flow - 12.41, according to the Zeopoxa gps cycling app) around Greensboro, NC.

We began on the usual Bicentennial Greenway, then continued at its terminus on the connecting Atlantic and Yadkin (rail trail) Greenway. Rode to the current southern terminus of that one - slated to continue (someday) into downtown, connecting to some other, unknown to me, trail.

Riding was a combination of mostly paved, dedicated MUP, with sections of sidewalk riding interspersed. Some major street intersections on the sidewalk portions - this is a minor one, at a construction site, across from a wall intended to dampen nose from the freeway above. We rode the sidewalk along the wall, and crossed at the construction site because the sidewalk ended on the wallside:




I was too nervous and focused on traffic to take any at the major crossings!

Ma guarda - un sottopassagio! Che europeano! (But look - an underpass! How European!) :



A nice touch along the A&Y. With lots of lighting and a lovely mural, mostly unspoiled by graffiti, AND, not smelling like pee, it was quite different from the sketchy ones I used to encounter frequently as a pedestrian in Naples, IT (and, to be fair, Atlanta, GA). Hope it stays this nice.

We rode part way back on the A&Y, then left it for some very exciting street and sidewalk riding to vary our route home. At least it WAS sidewalk most of the way - I never trust traffic when crossing or riding on streets. And, bike lanes are a sad joke.

Anyway, a mostly lovely ride, with a couple of scary moments to keep us in our toes .

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Another weather-determined ride…

Loading up at Nielsen's Native Plant Nursery​

The weather seems to be dominating our rides.

'Rain approaching' was the forecast, so I headed for Nielsen's Plant Nursery to pick up a few natives to pop into the garden after the predicted rain had made it easier to pull up a few of the hundreds (thousands?) of weeds that need to make way for more serious garden occupants.

Mission accomplished, I headed for the southern part of Moreton Bay to continue last week's ride before the rain arrived. I'd done enough 'gardening' for one day.

Redland Bay​

 

[BlackHand]

Okay, where's this Aussie pub? I'd like a meat pie.

Kangaroo and Kiwi on Market St in the old Carnegie Library building.

 

[Kayakguy]

Not an adventurous ride today, however the Drill Sergeant(Korean Girlfriend) order me to fetch some ginger or turmeric.
I gladly went to the market on the return I stopped at a tourist attraction in the area, mostly visited by American born Japanese couples and families to see where their forefathers started their lives as Japanese Americans. Most had no families but a good many married local women.
It was nice to see they have resumed their guided tours. Stone was carved in 1930
I then pedaled on towards Home.
Where the Drill Sergeant was happy to have her desired ginger for tonight's Korean style beef stew.

I was stationed in Seoul in about 1962-3, and sampled a lot of Korean food. But never had their beef stew. I did enjoy pul goki (spelling seems variable), and plenty of other dishes, often involving noodles. Summer cold soups were very spicy. And I developed a definite fondness for kimchi. First time I ate it, I came into the barracks late at night, and I heard a voice from the far end: "Some son of a bitch has been eating kimchi!"

I remember in the fall seeing Korean housewives/servants buying washtubs full of Chinese cabbage for kimchi making. They packed it in big terra-cotta jars 3 or 4 feet high, and set them on the back porch to cure. On a foggy night, you could smell the fermenting kimchi wafting down the slopes and valleys.

I still buy it occasionally. Someone locally makes it, sells it at the farmer's market. I've made it myself. Not difficult.

I came to Korea from Fort Huachuca (AZ). The duty there was so chicken s***t that fellow GIs were envious when I got on the overseas levy, even though Korea was regarded as a hardship station at that time. I enjoyed it.

 

[Chargeride]

I see rain stops play...except for Rome.
Not envious at all

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Rainy day friend…

I see rain stops play… except for Rome!
Not envious at all.

Well, I skipped riding today and did some gardening with my walnut-size friend who delights in the wet, especially when it involves a ride in a wheelbarrow filled with soaked earth!

Ornate Burrowing Frog
Platyplectrum ornatum​

 

[Stefan Mikes]

with a tiny friend

A spectacular photo!

 

[Chargeride]

Greetings from a fitness ride!

View attachment 103267
In Radziejowice. It starts raining! I shall be back home at night.

Later (from home)
I didn't want to ride today. Cold & dreary weather didn't inspire for cycling. In the afternoon, sun shone, and I thought to myself my reluctance to ride must mean I was seriously ill So rode I off! The choice was simple: Why not Radziejowice, a popular road cycling way-point (because of a park & palace)?

After I left Radziejowice (I didn't waste time on park & palace on that ride), night fell, and I was zooming long asphalt service roads along a freeway in the dark (only lit by the bike headlight), with a subtle whirr of my Vado SL motor, and with temperature dropping down (I was returning at 7 C or 45 F). Of course, I had proper clothes on, only I could better be wearing winter boots.

View attachment 103268
The Lezyne headlight as delivered together with Vado SL turned out to be fabulous! Strong, focused beam of light helped me see any road detail, and I was sure drivers could see me well, also because of the strong tail-light. Hi-vis clothes were helpful, too. (You can see temperature on my Wahoo ELEMNT Roam here). The Roam turned out to be extremely useful. I didn't know there were still so many unexplored roads of my neighbourhood!

A Funny Story
Well before the sunset, I was following a roadie on a bike path. (I had to ride in the SL Turbo mode, or he would be too fast). As I rode behind him, I could notice pretty wide tyres on his bike. Aha, so that was a gravel bike. Looking more closely, I discovered the bike frame was made of tubes. Aha, so that was a steel bike. Intrigued, I approached the roadie even closer. The bike make was Marin, and the frame was... green! WHAT? Now, I rode two abreast with the man, greeted him and exclaimed:

-- "It is a Four Corners, isn't it?!" -- "Indeed, it is" -- "Are you Staszek?!" -- "No, I'm not him"

Fancy that. A green, steel-made Marin Four Corners gravel bike, exactly the same as the friend of mine Staszek has just bought! In the situation people pre-ordered all Marin bikes from the recent Warsaw delivery, and were actually fighting to get one! What a story! (Jacek's wife works for one of Marin dealers, so I knew how dramatic the recent delivery had been...)

View attachment 103269
Noteworthy: The entire route (meticulously prepared with RideWithGPS) solely consisted of perfect asphalt roads or bike paths!

I rode for more than half of the distance with the 25 km/h speed limiter on. Inadvertently

I keep hearing the word Marin from my friends when they go to Wales and you mentioning it got me doing a quick search.
They go to the Marin trail and its named after the bike company who donated money to support the building of it back in 2002, it has since been renamed the Gwydir Mawr with its smaller sibling, Gwydir Bach. Mawr is Welsh for big or large, bach means small. Gwydir is the name of the forest.

But the name has stuck and everyone still calls it the Marin trail, not in small amount due to the fact that its easier to say without phlegm.

www.moredirt.com/amp/news/6462

 

[Chargeride]

I managed a quick ride in a break in the weather to a spot Ive been before, but this was a different path, a loop to the top of a nearby fell and a back down through a wood, followed by a magical technical singletrack in the valley.

I dont know if its just English sheep, but why turn off the path when they can just run in front of you for three miles, to the point youre thinking the farmer is going to need a helicopter to find them.

The first climb is a killer and I would suggest impossible on a manual, it basically a very steep Victorian track for the builders of the reservoirs, that has broken up into ruts and leftovers of foot high cobble road.
For context, the bit you can see is practically a tarmac road by comparison.

Yes its officially a footpath, but this is so widely ignored by all that I decided to join their ranks and let my guilt go free.

It has a stark beauty of its own and in no time you are transported into a wild and featureless landscape , with little colour outside of greens and browns.

So strange to come across the remains of a house, surely some kind of hunting lodge, entirely built from flat rocks.

Next to it is a simple memorial to a local fell runner, who it seems gained no health benefit from his exertions.

Descended back down to the wood, which has grown around a steep gorge, that has been walled off by the Victorians , no doubt for the reasons of safe passage without fear of calamity.

This led to a very long technical singletrack in the valley floor, which was quite simply sublime.
It wound through a raised section flanked by ancient trees in the most continous picture perfect landscape, I truly didnt want it to end and my solitude made it feel like I had been transported to another world.

It ended up back at the start, which is a part manmade set of mini waterfalls that can be walked along through a gorge.
Truly a beautiful place, just across the river is a cricket ground and a the tiny hamlet of White Coppice.
The absolute description of a long lost England.

A little bit of the singletrack.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

I don't know if it's just English sheep, but why turn off the path when they can just run in front of you for three miles, to the point you're thinking the farmer is going to need a helicopter to find them.

In New Zealand they learn the trick at the tenderest age.

Otago Central Rail Trail near Hyde, South Island : October 2009 whilst riding my Airnimal Rohloff folder.