Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[kahn]

No end cap on the handlebar - impalement!

 

[Chargeride]

nailed it, we have a winner.

 

[Mulezen]

The last few days with the weather so unseasonably warm I made several short rides. Yesterday on my way to Montpelier I stopped at a convenience store to get a drink (not coffee). I noticed at the pumps someone with a bike on track. I for reasons unclear to me walked over and asked him where he was off to ride at. Soon enough he mentioned seeing me on the local roads and then told me where he lived about ten miles from my place. When he mentioned the sign at the front of of drive I knew exactly where it was and told him I had posted a picture of the sign (Black Dog Trail) on EBR. That's when he introduced himself and invited me to ride the three miles of trails in and behind his place.

 

[reed scott]

nailed it, we have a winner.

I thought it was the epoxyed together fork.

 

[Nomad]

Todays ride proved to be different. Checked the weather forecast and it was going to be dry for the next four hours with a temperature of 10oC, but with chill, around 5oC.

We both got togged up as Mrs DG was on a day off, started to get the bikes out and that‘s where stopped.

Mine had a flat rear tyre. Now, this is the first puncture on my Nevo3, which is belt driven. Never taken off the rear wheel before, so had no idea where to start. In the end decided to have a go with the wheel still on the bike.

Got the tools out and that’s where it slowed down. The bike is fitted with Schwalbe Johnny Watts, which were really hard to lever off. Eventually did it and got the tube out. Pumped up the tyre and found the puncture, No. 1: a piece of glass, removed that as it was still sticking through and patched the tube. Checked the inside of the tyre and found a large thorn sticking through. Pumped up the tyre and found another puncture, No. 2: removed the thorn and checked the tube again. Pumped up the tube again and still not inflating. To cut a long story short, found punctures Nos. 3 and 4: these were patched and the inside of the tyre checked again. No more sharp objects, so hopefully that is it.

Pumped up the tube again and this time it stays inflated. I’ve left it outside the tyre for now to make sure it stays up before putting it back in the tube. I think that punctures Nos. 1 and 2 were new as the offending causes were still there. I think that Nos. 3 and 4 were old ones which had been sealed by the sealant, but now that the tube was out become obvious.

l’ll put the tube back in later, leave it overnight and check it tomorrow. If OK and the weather is fine will venture out.

Hopefully, the patches will hold, as it also does have sealant in the tube. If not, I’ll have to take it back to the LBS to get them to change the tube.
View attachment 110484

I'll be the bad guy here....... I have quick release and a chain on my bike and for me patching tubes is temporary fix til I can get a new one .... well actually I put a tube in if I get a puncture that the sealant can't handle til I take the the tire off to access if the tire should be patched or be replaced. No I get it hope ur up and rolling

 

[Prairie Dog]

Dragged out by the wife for a Christmas ride on the beach, I argued it would be packed and it was, but the grinch in me started to warm up watching toddlers slide down the sand dunes on sledges.
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It turned into a sunset ride and I started getting all melancholy, the beach was packed, this was just further down where the once a yearers never stray,
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There were thousands of crows feeding at the waters edge, I started to get the feeling they were mumbling 'here he is again'.
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Salt water is highly corrosive, do not try this, said every person on the beach.
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Little one playing the wood bells, how cute is that.
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The wife has taken to photography with her new phone, as in selfie, vertical pics, every meal instagram, whatsapp, facebook sort of way.
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The polite English nod...you have an ebike too, but I wont presume a friendship.
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Teas has all but died in the UK, I blame the Yanks of course, I'm sure it will end in similar levels of cultural debauchery.
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I did a couple of doughnuts and ended up with boobies.
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Yes I did powerwash off the salt..and yes I am powerwashing the battery.
View attachment 110513

Great ride, two hours long, 11 miles, two lattes, one cake, got chased by three dogs, got told my tyres were perfect for the job 37 times.

It was actually warm.

10 points for the first to point out the dangerous omission on the bike.

Nice beach pics! Made my day and I wasn’t necessarily making a direct reference to the sand boobies.

 

[Twin Valley]

A cool mid-summer day: perfect for a long ride…

View attachment 110475

A cool mid-summer day: perfect for a long ride…

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I needed to take a second and third look at every one of those readouts - impressive, what will you do for an encore!!!

 

[DiggyGun]

You mean you rode on a flat tyre?!

No, repaired the flat, while the wheel was still on the bike.

Look at some YouTube videos of his to get the wheel off, but looked very complicated.

Might look at getting some of these Huffy type inner tubes, which are split, making it easier to change when the wheel is still on the bike.

The tube is now back in the tyre and the tyre us back on. Will check in the morning to see if all has worked.

 

[reed scott]

You know ... I believe I sense a heightened mood here on the forum tonight. I'm seeing it in my personal relationships as well. Could it be we are all happy because this god-dam_ed rotten year is almost over?

 

[reed scott]

You mean you rode on a flat tyre?!

Winter Scenery Ice Ride

I went for a ride (Vado SL) to replenish my pantry before the New Year's Eve It was -2 C, and it feels a mild temperature for me nowadays! Visited the small town of Podkowa Leśna, where I bought some good vittles in small stores as well as several cans and bottles of excellent strong IPAs and Imperial Stout. Then I rode quaint local roads towards the shopping mall...
View attachment 110501
It was very slippery today. If you stopped and planted your feet on the ground, your feet were slipping! And that's where I fully trusted Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus tyres. The ride was smooth and safe!

View attachment 110502
Of course, I was riding rather slowly but I felt very secure!

I intend to make more grocery shopping rides still in this year. The weather is going to be warmer but wet!

"You mean you rode on a flat tyre?!"

Hell, CR will ride on the damn rim. We all know this.

 

[reed scott]

Dragged out by the wife for a Christmas ride on the beach, I argued it would be packed and it was, but the grinch in me started to warm up watching toddlers slide down the sand dunes on sledges.
View attachment 110504



It turned into a sunset ride and I started getting all melancholy, the beach was packed, this was just further down where the once a yearers never stray,
View attachment 110505


There were thousands of crows feeding at the waters edge, I started to get the feeling they were mumbling 'here he is again'.
View attachment 110506




Salt water is highly corrosive, do not try this, said every person on the beach.
View attachment 110507




Little one playing the wood bells, how cute is that.
View attachment 110508



The wife has taken to photography with her new phone, as in selfie, vertical pics, every meal instagram, whatsapp, facebook sort of way.
View attachment 110509




The polite English nod...you have an ebike too, but I wont presume a friendship.
View attachment 110510



Teas has all but died in the UK, I blame the Yanks of course, I'm sure it will end in similar levels of cultural debauchery.
View attachment 110511




I did a couple of doughnuts and ended up with boobies.
View attachment 110512



Yes I did powerwash off the salt..and yes I am powerwashing the battery.
View attachment 110513

Great ride, two hours long, 11 miles, two lattes, one cake, got chased by three dogs, got told my tyres were perfect for the job 37 times.

It was actually warm.

10 points for the first to point out the dangerous omission on the bike.

Your wife is cool! You dang well better know that a wife that wants to do bike stuff with you is worth her weight in gold. I'm sure you know this though.

 

[Prairie Dog]

You know ... I believe I sense a heightened mood here on the forum tonight. I'm seeing it in my personal relationships as well. Could it be we are all happy because this god-dam_ed rotten year is almost over?

That and I’m kind of relieved that we will finally be getting a much needed but brief respite this weekend from being confined in the deep freeze.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

No, repaired the flat, while the wheel was still on the bike.

I really admire you, Diggy!
Honestly, I wouldn't know what to do if I caught a flat, especially now in the Winter. Probably a long walk (as it was on last Christmas Eve), or I would have give a friendly taxi driver a phone call (that's why I carry a set of Allen keys with me: to remove the front wheel or both in such a case).

Regarding the sealant: It works with minor punctures very well. I can remember one of our "brotherly rides" with Jacek when I got a flat in the rear wheel of the hub-drive motor Lovelec. Removing the wheel there means you need to carry an 18 mm flat wrench (which I didn't have with me on that ride). We gave the wheel pumping twice, and the issue disappeared after some time.

Now, I must admit I did something very stupid yesterday: As the Carrefour store shelves were ravaged (and no Nespresso coffee capsules left), I bought a lot of Tchibo and Starbucks capsules to find them incompatible with Nespresso A neighbour told me I could buy Nespresso compatibles in another store, giving me a good pretext for yet another ride this year!

 

[DiggyGun]

I really admire you, Diggy!
Honestly, I wouldn't know what to do if I caught a flat, especially now in the Winter. Probably a long walk (as it was on last Christmas Eve), or I would have give a friendly taxi driver a phone call (that's why I carry a set of Allen keys with me: to remove the front wheel or both in such a case).

Regarding the sealant: It works with minor punctures very well. I can remember one of our "brotherly rides" with Jacek when I got a flat in the rear wheel of the hub-drive motor Lovelec. Removing the wheel there means you need to carry an 18 mm flat wrench (which I didn't have with me on that ride). We gave the wheel pumping twice, and the issue disappeared after some time.

Now, I must admit I did something very stupid yesterday: As the Carrefour store shelves were ravaged (and no Nespresso coffee capsules left), I bought a lot of Tchibo and Starbucks capsules to find them incompatible with Nespresso A neighbour told me I could buy Nespresso compatibles in another store, giving me a good pretext for yet another ride this year!

I’ve just checked the tyre this morning and it was still inflated. But at 35psi instead of 40 I pumped it up to. Mind you, the front was the same, so I’ve pumped them both up to 40 again. I’m wondering if that was due to them being overnight in a cold conservatory. I’ll keep an eye on it today and see what happens.

We too have a Nespresso machine. I’ve also tried a number cheaper compatible capsules and too be honest, never found them as good as the originals. Either they don’t properly or the coffee doesn’t taste as nice. Always use original capsules now.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Always use original capsules now.

I simply drink too much coffee to afford the originals

 

[Deleted member 18083]

I simply drink too much coffee to afford the originals.

Original x 2

Note: Intensity rating of 11 (very high), despite being decaf. This is just as well, Diggy and Stefan, because I had already downed two pre-evening meal Nespressos before being forced to make another for the photo. I tried to be artsy by making it (the third this evening; forget morning and noon) in a glass tumbler. Wrong choice! The glass tumbler reflected the carton, ruining the photo and necessitating 'brew' number four. Understand the importance of decaf, now?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Original x 2

I think these are the incompatible capsules I bought... Are these for the Cafissimo machine?

The Nespresso capsule is at the bottom.

Rode for less than 10 km round-trip to a new Action store in Parzniew (a village nearby). The counterfeit Nespresso capsule (left - made in Belgium) is eight times cheaper than the Nespresso original. The counterfeit Carrefour one (right) is four times cheaper than the Nespresso.

 

[RabH]

Thank goodness I hate coffee and only drink tea....

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Note: Intensity rating of 11 (very high), despite being decaf. This is just as well, Diggy and Stefan, because I had already downed two pre-evening meal Nespressos before being forced to make another for the photo. I tried to be artsy by making it (the third this evening; forget morning and noon) in a glass tumbler. Wrong choice! The glass tumbler reflected the carton, ruining the photo and necessitating 'brew' number four. Understand the importance of decaf, now?

Haha! I've just read your edit David Of course, decaf is critical in situations like this one! Many years ago, I went onto my first business/technical trip to Denmark. During the coffee break at the customer, I managed to empty as many as three small cups. Then, as to say it, my ears started emitting the smoke I didn't expect the Danish understood so well what good (strong) coffee meant!

Thank goodness I hate coffee and only drink tea....

Tea is good but I have no patience to wait until it infuses (from a teabag). Besides, tea and a sweetener do not agree well!

 

[RandallS]

That and I’m kind of relieved that we will finally be getting a much needed but brief respite this weekend from being confined in the deep freeze.

View attachment 110530

I've got my bike, clothes and all paraphernalia ready for Saturday. It's going to be great to get out again. Our forecast is a little bit better than yours. -6C on Saturday and zero on Sunday.