Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[Prairie Dog]

Sheesh, I put you at 30, 40 at most. Good going. The hip was replaced the first time at 62 and the second time at 70. First time was wear and tear. The second either I or the joint was defective. The shaft came loose in the thigh bone. I suggested grout - he did not go for that. I more or less gave up telemark skiing after the first with a few "gotta do it once more time" exceptions. Not since the second replacement. Still some interesting cross-country skiing but even that has gotten less aggressive in this last year. Holding a strong snow plow on a steep narrow trail really stresses those hips. The leader who lead us on some incredible adventures in the Dolomites and Norway has gone to the great beyond and covid has further crimped anything interesting. And mt bike riding was never really up there. But it sure looks like fun.

I guess those to your west are cut off from the Rockies at the moment. The Coquilalla looks like a real mess with large sections GONE!

Nice to know that you can still hike, bike and XC ski after what your hip has been through. Revision surgery can be complex but it sounds like your ortho surgeon is quite competent. Just shows how much you must love the outdoors. Kudos to you.

I’ve been cycling on and off for decades but in the past year my riding time, in part, has been greatly enhanced the moment I was introduced to e-bikes. I haven’t looked back since then and a day doesn’t go by without thinking about my next ride whether it’s on the road or on the trail. I’ve decided to forgo riding on extremely frigid days as I foolishly did last season and will likely stick to logging time on the indoor trainer.

As for the situation out in BC, hopefully the work crews will get the highways re-opened sooner than later. The military has been dispatched to the most vital regions and the cleanup has begun in areas where the water has receded. The authorities are saying that infrastructure damage to the City of Abbottsford alone could cost upwards of $1B. That’s not taking into account the loss of life and countless numbers of people left homeless by the devastating floods and mudslides. I have relatives living in BC but fortunately none of them have been affected by this latest disaster. How’s the situation in WA? Heard Whatcom County is going through something similar.

 

[DiggyGun]

Nice to know that you can still hike, bike and XC ski after what your hip has been through. Revision surgery can be complex but it sounds like your ortho surgeon is quite competent. Just shows how much you must love the outdoors. Kudos to you.

I’ve been cycling on and off for decades but in the past year my riding time, in part, has been greatly enhanced the moment I was introduced to e-bikes. I haven’t looked back since then and a day doesn’t go by without thinking about my next ride whether it’s on the road or on the trail. I’ve decided to forgo riding on extremely frigid days as I did last season and will likely stick to logging time on the indoor trainer.

As for the situation out in BC, hopefully the work crews will get the highways re-opened sooner than later. The military has been dispatched to the most vital regions and the cleanup has begun in areas where the water has receded. The authorities are saying that infrastructure damage to the City of Abbottsford alone could cost upwards of $1B. That’s not taking into account the loss of life and countless numbers of people left homeless by the devastating floods and mudslides. I have relatives living in BC but fortunately none of them have been affected by this latest disaster. How’s the situation in WA? Heard Whatcom County is going through something similar.

We haven’t heard much in England about what’s happening in BC. What happened?

 

[Art Deco]

We haven’t heard much in England about what’s happening in BC. What happened?

Foods after the fires. The BBC has some coverage here.

In pictures: British Columbia devastated by catastrophic floods

The flooding in Canada's west may be the most expensive natural disaster in the country's history.

www.bbc.com

 

[kahn]

Nice to know that you can still hike, bike and XC ski after what your hip has been through. Revision surgery can be complex but it sounds like your ortho surgeon is quite competent. Just shows how much you must love the outdoors. Kudos to you.

I’ve been cycling on and off for decades but in the past year my riding time, in part, has been greatly enhanced the moment I was introduced to e-bikes. I haven’t looked back since then and a day doesn’t go by without thinking about my next ride whether it’s on the road or on the trail. I’ve decided to forgo riding on extremely frigid days as I foolishly did last season and will likely stick to logging time on the indoor trainer.

As for the situation out in BC, hopefully the work crews will get the highways re-opened sooner than later. The military has been dispatched to the most vital regions and the cleanup has begun in areas where the water has receded. The authorities are saying that infrastructure damage to the City of Abbottsford alone could cost upwards of $1B. That’s not taking into account the loss of life and countless numbers of people left homeless by the devastating floods and mudslides. I have relatives living in BC but fortunately none of them have been affected by this latest disaster. How’s the situation in WA? Heard Whatcom County is going through something similar.

Seattle came out really unscathed. North really got pummeled. Sumas, Bellingham, Ferndale, Hamilton. Nov seems to be flood month, first some snow, then the warm rains. Mt Vernon built a flood wall which apparently worked really well. It had to be erected quickly. Uprights and support were there. They just needed to introduce the cross members - slats like barrel stays. First test.

 

[kahn]

Foods after the fires. The BBC has some coverage here.

In pictures: British Columbia devastated by catastrophic floods

The flooding in Canada's west may be the most expensive natural disaster in the country's history.

www.bbc.com

More:

See photos of the 'worst weather storm of the century' that just slammed Canada, leading to flooded ports, highway rescue missions, and 300 stranded vehicles

Images of the devastating aftermath following Canada's storm show flooded ports, helicopter rescues, and 300 vehicles stranded by deadly landslides.

news.yahoo.com

And one picture caught my eye - extreme flooding with a gorgeous mountain backdrop. But it was the snow in the mountains being hit by the Pineapple Express (warm wet air mass from the Hawaii area) that melted and caused the flooding.

 

[DiggyGun]

More:

See photos of the 'worst weather storm of the century' that just slammed Canada, leading to flooded ports, highway rescue missions, and 300 stranded vehicles

Images of the devastating aftermath following Canada's storm show flooded ports, helicopter rescues, and 300 vehicles stranded by deadly landslides.

news.yahoo.com

And one picture caught my eye - extreme flooding with a gorgeous mountain backdrop. But it was the snow in the mountains being hit by the Pineapple Express (warm wet air mass from the Hawaii area) that melted and caused the flooding.

View attachment 107347

Wow. Sad to see this. Devastating pictures. I’ve been to BC a couple of times and really enjoyed it there. I don’t watch anything on the BBC, so hadn’t picked it up.

 

[Chargeride]

It was another cool day on the trails and we all donned an extra layer or two to keep warm. The temperature hovered around -5C throughout the entire outing. We decided to opt out of the final run at Heritage Ranch.

View attachment 107278
Despite my camera freezing up near the end of the ride, I did manage to capture footage as we carved our way along MacKenzie Bluff.

The lack of snow was evident on the Bluff section of the ride but it was a good day nonetheless. For me, the thought of riding outside in the fresh air is much better for my physical and mental well being than riding indoors on a trainer.

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Near the end of the Bluff ride, we decided to divert from our typical route well above the river onto a different singletrack which required some delicate manoeuvring down a steep chute. Overall, it was a better and more pleasant choice riding in the treed cover rather than exiting out along the standard gravel double track.

View attachment 107282

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Footage of our ride on MacKenzie Bluff prior to my GoPro freezing up.

There was slightly more snow on the trails at the MTB Park.

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View attachment 107287

weve got snow forecast next week!!!
youve got me excited

 

[Chargeride]

heres the vid if the bar snap, unfortunately I wasn't filming at that point.
typical ..film loads of boring stuff and miss the crash.
the ride back to the van looks hilarious.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

the ride back to the van looks hilarious.

Certainly new handlebars would be cheaper than a decent e-bike

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Avoiding the heat of the day…

Today was predicted to be a little warmer than most people would like — nothing dreadful, but definitely the sort of day to ride early and be home by late morning. It was also Saturday, which meant riding with my TOP friends.

One hundred and eleven kilometres before 11:00 am? Including coffee (and cake). Definitely doable!

Brisbane Valley RT, Wanora
4:55 am​

During our coffee stop a flock of Little Corellas fluttered down beside us. Photos were more important than hot coffee, and, despite suggestions to the contrary, I did not offer the little fella any finger food.

Little Corella : Cacatua sanguinea​

 

[kahn]

heres the vid if the bar snap, unfortunately I wasn't filming at that point.
typical ..film loads of boring stuff and miss the crash.
the ride back to the van looks hilarious.

How far did you have to ride like that? At least you could arrange your brake anywhere and in any position you wanted. Complete customization. You are an inspiration to the crazies out there. I've cross country skied with one pole after one broke and somewhat skied/telemarked down Mt St Helens with one binding kind of duct taped back on the ski! But controlling a bike like that - great job.

 

[Prairie Dog]

heres the vid if the bar snap, unfortunately I wasn't filming at that point.
typical ..film loads of boring stuff and miss the crash.
the ride back to the van looks hilarious.

The ride back may have looked hilarious to you but for me watching you maintain control of your bike was an amazing feat. Kudos to you, Charge and glad to know you came out of that crash unscathed!

Just wondering, do you use a mouth mount with your action cam? Here's hoping that you receive more snow than we have so far.

 

[RabH]

Certainly "proper"new handlebars would be cheaper than a decent e-bike

FTFY

 

[Chargeride]

The ride back may have looked hilarious to you but for me watching you maintain control of your bike was an amazing feat. Kudos to you, Charge and glad to know you came out of that crash unscathed!

Just wondering, do you use a mouth mount with your action cam? Here's hoping that you receive more snow than we have so far.

yes a mouth mount, that's why I sound like my jaws wired together, when I talk.

 

[dodgeman]

Chargeride, what kind of bike did that happen on?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Road E-Cycling Adventures

• Specialized Turbo Creo SL Demo Ride
• Góra Kawiarnia Grand Opening

It has all started with the Specialized Gravel Set-To, which was a humorous name given to a gravel-cycling group ride organized and led by Krzysztof, the Specialized Warsaw Brand Store manager. Anyone with means to potentially buy a Specialized gravel bike could make a free booking for a bike and participate; anyone else could join the group ride on their own bike, too. To my surprise, the first person I met at the Brand Store parking lot was Staszek the Roadie! (I didn't know he owned a Specialized road bike in addition to his other rides!) Staszek told me how to operate the shifter/brake combo on a road bike, so I was ready to take the plunge.

The guys at Specialized had been ready to equip my demo Creo SL E5 with gravel tyres. I, however, was painfully aware neither my bad legs nor the 25 km/h restricted e-bike would make me a good part of the group ride. Therefore, I had asked the Spec guys to leave road tyres on the Creo, as I just wanted to do a solo ride to Góra Kalwaria by roads. Needless to say, Specialized Warsaw didn't charge me for the Creo rental anyway.

Saddle height expertly adjusted to my 72 cm, tyres inflated, and off could I ride. I only mounted my Wahoo on the bars, to discover with pleasure the ELEMNT Roam could connect to the Creo on the first attempt! So I had a perfect display on the road e-bike. (I could neither connect Mission Control nor BLEvo as I didn't know the PIN though).

The e-bike was gorgeous, and technically perfect. Shifting worked as a dream, braking was adequate, no creaking, silent ride, and even the motor was inaudible, taken into account I was riding with strong tailwind. As I am an owner of a Vado SL, Creo SL had no mysteries for me on the e-bike side. I was perfectly aware I needed to operate the TCU controller/display on the top tube and that was everything I needed to know. (You do not change the Assist Level on a road e-bike often). I was missing a rear-view mirror badly though!

You could ask about the compliance of the aluminium Creo: It was just fantastic! The FutureShock 1.5 suspension stem worked as a dream, and the carbon fibre seatpost damped the road vibration ideally! I met a short segment of a road under reconstruction and even there I could feel OK, which is a positive message, as the Creo just had 28 mm road tyres installed.

In Cieciszew, a popular stop on the Warsaw - Góra Kalwaria route (there is a grocery store very popular among cyclists there). I spoke with two younger roadies (a Specialized and a Cannondale riders) who told me they were attracted to e-bikes. One of them could try the 45 km/h Specialized Turbo Vado and was delighted about it. Their comment was Specialized SL e-bikes were extremely elegant and stealthy. The other guy was disgusted with a Focus e-bike he tried because of the massive bottom tube of that e-bike. (They rode off before me but we met again in Góra Kalwaria later).

Climbing
There is a single nasty climb just before Góra Kalwaria. I could make it in Turbo mode and the lowest gear but it was hard. I could certainly not ride the Creo in real mountains because of the state of my health. On the other hand, I could hit 44 km/h downhill on that segment, not pedalling whatsoever.

Góra Kawiarnia, a cyclist oriented cafe in Góra Kalwaria has moved and reopened with a grand ceremony on that day! As a Warsaw roadie mecca, it attracted crowds on that 10 C, sunny but windy day! There was a peleton after peleton arriving to the cafe! I cut my piece of ribbon and received a paper bag with several nice gifts at the door! (Good I had a backpack on me).

The new Góra Kawiarnia is large and beautiful!

Part of the interior is occupied by a new LBS that carries Ridley and Bianchi brands.

A traditional cookie for the good start of the Mt. Cafe!

Some details of the Creo SL E5. You get the impression your money have been well spent on that e-bike. The e-bike does not feel cheap; it is a quality e-bike even with stock parts.

At a private airfield. That photo was taken by a friendly motor-biker who also stopped to watch the airplane.

Riding Upwind
That was the biggest strength of the road e-bike. While I rode in Sport mode downwind, I used full Turbo upwind. And I rode in the drops when the headwind was becoming too nasty! The ride was fantastic! No comparison to a flat handlebar e-bike! Taken into account the wind speed of 28 km/h, my average speed of 23.3 km/h was really good! (Bear in mind, it is a 25 km/h e-bike in Europe).

Will I buy a Creo?
Probably not.

• The road bike riding position is not for me. I returned stiff from fatigue.
• The 25 km/h speed restriction makes the Creo a choice for a fit rider who can pedal at speed without any assistance. I'm not such a person.

I might consider a Creo as a gravel e-bike though.

Bottom Line
The Creo demo ride has taught me to cherish my Vado SL that is a similar e-bike but keeping me within my comfort zone!

Ride map and metrics.

(Dedicated to @kahn, @mschwett, and @Nxkharra)

 

[Art Deco]

Road E-Cycling Adventures

• Specialized Turbo Creo SL Demo Ride
• Góra Kawiarnia Grand Opening

It has all started with the Specialized Gravel Set-To, which was a humorous name given to a gravel-cycling group ride organized and led by Krzysztof, the Specialized Warsaw Brand Store manager. Anyone with means to potentially buy a Specialized gravel bike could make a free booking for a bike and participate; anyone else could join the group ride on their own bike, too. To my surprise, the first person I met at the Brand Store parking lot was Staszek the Roadie! (I didn't know he owned a Specialized road bike in addition to his other rides!) Staszek told me how to operate the shifter/brake combo on a road bike, so I was ready to take the plunge.

The guys at Specialized had been ready to equip my demo Creo SL E5 with gravel tyres. I, however, was painfully aware neither my bad legs nor the 25 km/h restricted e-bike would make me a good part of the group ride. Therefore, I had asked the Spec guys to leave road tyres on the Creo, as I just wanted to do a solo ride to Góra Kalwaria by roads. Needless to say, Specialized Warsaw didn't charge me for the Creo rental anyway.

Saddle height expertly adjusted to my 72 cm, tyres inflated, and off could I ride. I only mounted my Wahoo on the bars, to discover with pleasure the ELEMNT Roam could connect to the Creo on the first attempt! So I had a perfect display on the road e-bike. (I could neither connect Mission Control nor BLEvo as I didn't know the PIN though).

View attachment 107377

The e-bike was gorgeous, and technically perfect. Shifting worked as a dream, braking was adequate, no creaking, silent ride, and even the motor was inaudible, taken into account I was riding with strong tailwind. As I am an owner of a Vado SL, Creo SL had no mysteries for me on the e-bike side. I was perfectly aware I need to operate the TCU controller/display on the top tube and that was everything I needed to know. (You do not change the Assist Level on a road e-bike often). I was missing a rear-view mirror badly though!

You could ask about the compliance of the aluminium Creo: It was just fantastic! The FutureShock 1.5 suspension stem worked as a dream, and the carbon fibre seatpost damped the road vibration ideally! I met a short segment of a road under reconstruction and even there I could feel OK, which is a positive message, as the Creo just had 28 mm road tyres installed.

View attachment 107385
In Cieciszew, a popular stop on the Warsaw - Góra Kalwaria route (there is a grocery store very popular among cyclists there). I spoke with two younger roadies (a Specialized and a Cannondale riders) who told me they were attracted to e-bikes. One of them could try the 45 km/h Specialized Turbo Vado and was delighted about it. Their comment was Specialized SL e-bikes were extremely elegant and stealthy. The other guy was disgusted with a Focus e-bike he tried because of the massive bottom tube of that e-bike. (They rode off before me but we met again in Góra Kalwaria later).

Climbing
There is a single nasty climb just before Góra Kalwaria. I could make it in Turbo mode and the lowest gear but it was hard. I could certainly not ride the Creo in real mountains because of the state of my health. On the other hand, I could hit 44 km/h downhill on that segment, not pedalling whatsoever.

View attachment 107384

Góra Kawiarnia, a cyclist oriented cafe in Góra Kalwaria has moved and reopened with a grand ceremony on that day! As a Warsaw roadie mecca, it attracted crowds on that 10 C, sunny but windy day! There was a peleton after peleton arriving to the cafe! I cut my piece of ribbon and received a paper bag with several nice gifts at the door! (Good I had a backpack on me).

View attachment 107387
The new Góra Kawiarnia is large and beautiful!

View attachment 107388
Part of the interior is occupied by a new LBS that carries Ridley and Bianchi brands.

View attachment 107389
A traditional cookie for the good start of the Mt. Cafe!

View attachment 107390

So how many ebikes will fit in the back of your station wagon/ estate car Stefan?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

So how many ebikes will fit in the back of your station wagon/ estate car Stefan?

I posted before the report was ready Not buying a Creo!

 

[Art Deco]

I posted before the report was ready Not buying a Creo!

Certainly fun to try one out though. And very much worthwhile for Specialized to have you report on it, even if you don't buy one. Thanks Stefan.

 

[kahn]

I posted before the report was ready Not buying a Creo!

I am sure that you realize that it does take some riding to be comfortable on the new geometry and drop bars and being stiff is part of that.

Give it another go!

Creo, Creo, Creo.......