Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[Chargeride]

Ive still got nothing, on my way to see my dad, got the bike with me
Went to a party in Liverpool last night.
The Liver buildings were green.

Fun fact, those clock faces are bigger than the ones on Elizabeths tower, or Big Ben as most people know it

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Graveloza x Babska Korba (Gravel Ride)

Two weeks ago, I explored the route of the joint ride of the male and female gravel cycling clubs with my Vado; that was on the eve of the actual event that was later postponed because of raining! This time, I had a big doubt: Will Fearless or my Vado SL be able to help me handle a group ride with strong and younger cyclists?! Will the batteries last? I had to try.

Armed with as many as 4 SL Range Extender batteries, I pedalled unassisted to the nearest commuter train stop. In Warsaw, I had to pedal for 14 km more with as symbolic assistance as to save my electric energy capital as much as possible!

The starting line at 10 a.m. at Bar META (The Finish Line). Not exactly as big as the Tour @Readytoride described, it was a pretty big event as for the local conditions! (Only gravel races are far bigger here than the Saturday event was). I saw many familiar faces there, and started making new friends en route.

A short stop to consolidate all riders before a singletrack section of the ride. As there are not that many gravel roads in Mazovia as can be found in the U.S., we ride mostly forest fire-roads and singletracks here. There was a "strongmen" fast group riding at 30-35 km/h (19-23 mph), and a slower group capable to ride up to 25 km/h (15.5 mph) on gravel, and up to 30 km/h (19 mph) on the pavement. I was of course riding in the slower group, and I needed as much as 80/80% SL assistance to match them!

Camaraderie on the trail. We were actually riding the singletrack where a runners' cross-country race was about to happen, and we had to negotiate many tapes like the one seen here.

The dreaded ford of River Tarczynka. The hardcore riders could spot the right riding line through the shallowest part of the ford. All other had to negotiate a pile of loose concrete slabs, and carrying bikes through the obstacle was necessary. I got momentarily exhausted at that point as I cannot walk with heavy loading on uneven surfaces! Yet, my group waited for me! Kudos to them!

The ride mid-point: The "At The Girls" Café in Rozalin. I could count as many as 45 gravel bikes there!

I visited The Girls on last Sunday and warned A Girl of the upcoming group ride. The Girls baked more cakes but they expected maybe 20 not 45 people! The waiting time was approximately an hour! Brewing good coffee and preparing waffles was slowing down the thing tremendously!

My mate Maciek waited for an hour in the queue so both him and I could get some food and cake! Dark Mocha and White Chocolate Cheesecake. Those did me good and made me stronger!

Satiated and in high spirits!

The only proof I was there! Me with a part of our "Chasing Group Two". The girl in blue was a rookie, and she recorded her Personal Best on that very ride!

Not many Poles can afford the tubeless rims & setup. Tyre punctures and other mechanical defects were plaguing the group ride. The "strongmen" always stayed with the wretched person and helped restoring their bike to the riding order. As I caught up with the main group (helping another man fix a mechanical problem), I said to the group: "I apologize for what I need to do. As I am the weakest link of the group, let me ride forward in front of you. You might catch up with me, or I will be waiting for you at the Simon's Hills!" Then I decreased the assistance and pedalled solo as a madman for the next 20 kilometres to gain on the time.

As I reached Simon's Hills, I immediately swapped a Range Extender for a fresh one, and was waiting with the camera for the group. They emerged from yet another singletrack...

Ola, a representative of Babska Korba (Female Crank) club. She is one of the "strongwomen" in the Mazovian gravel cycling (PB 410.5 km or 255 mi).

At the Finish Line Bar again. (White helmet): Paweł, the group ride leader.

Chillout at the Bar Meta. Bottom: The man at the left is Robert (who I met while riding in Warsaw in the morning and liked him). The rookie Wiktoria in the centre.

Post-ride (non-alcoholic!) beer. Even if I do not usually drink mass-produced lagers, it was proper to celebrate the great ride with friends!

It became cold and dark. I was pedalling back to the Warsaw train station, and then had to ride home. Freezing!

147.47 km (91.65 mi) for the day, of which 111.4 km (69.2 mi) on the gravel group ride.

How Did My Vado SL Fare?
I spent a lot of money to make my Fearless group gravel ride ready:

• Added the full Redshift ShockStop suspension system: stem, seat-post, computer mount, utility mount
• Added SQlab Innerbarends to be able to ride "in the hoods" like drop-bar riders do
• Swapped the stock tyres for Specialized Parhtfinder Pro 2Bliss 38-622, and ride them at 2.5 bar (36 psi) off-road/gravel
• Replaced the front mudguard with an Ass Saver, a temporary "blade" fender. (The stock mudguard was unsuitable for riding forest paths)
• Use the Specialized Bridge Sport stock saddle combined with padded shorts or bibs now. The narrow, long and hard saddle feels perfect now!
• Bought as many as four SL Range Extenders
• Use a Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt v2 bike GPS computer for navigation and ride recording (participants are given a GPX route prior to the ride).

The e-bike handled perfectly and was very stable on the ride, quite comfortable. My observation was:
The e-bike motor gets never tired as long as you can feed it with electricity. Traditional riders do get tired in the course of the ride. It gives me a real edge! (Slowest at the beginning, among the leaders at the finish line).

Battery consumption after 147.47 km ride

• Main SL battery: depleted
• SL Range Extender #1: depleted
• SL Range Extender #2: 10% left (unusable)
• SL Range Extender #3: 16% left (hardly usable)
• SL Range Extender #4: 67% left (usable)

Assistance Levels
Pre-ride:

• SL OFF (4 km)
• SL ECO 20/50% (14 km)

Main ride and the return:

• SL ECO: 70/70% (used for 20 km or more)
• SL SPORT: 80/80% (main mode used)
• SL TURBO: 100/100% (only used on steeper climbs).

 

[Prairie Dog]

Yikes, what was the trouble with the motors?

It was kind of freakish that they both started making noise within a month apart. Mine started first about five months ago emitting a high-pitched whine. My wife’s started to act up in a similar fashion shortly afterwards. Word went out to Specialized from the dealer and the recommendation was given to replace both warrantied units on separate occasions. Kudos to the LBS who had the bikes back to us within a day or two after performing the swaps.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Graveloza x Babska Korba (Gravel Ride)

Two weeks ago, I explored the route of the joint ride of the male and female gravel cycling clubs with my Vado; that was on the eve of the actual event that was postponed because of raining! This time, I had a big doubt: Will Fearless or my Vado SL be able to help me handle a group ride with strong and younger cyclists?! Will the batteries last? I had to try.

Armed with as many as 4 SL Range Extender batteries, I pedalled unassisted to the nearest commuter train stop. In Warsaw, I had to pedal for 14 km more with as symbolic assistance as to save my electric energy capital as much as possible!

View attachment 136328
The starting line at 10 a.m. at Bar META (The Finish Line). Not exactly as big as the Tour @Readytoride described, it was a pretty big event as for the local conditions! (Only gravel races are far bigger here). I saw many familiar faces there, and started making new friends en route.

View attachment 136329
A short stop to consolidate all riders before a singletrack section of the ride. As there are not that many gravel roads in Mazovia as can be found in the U.S., we ride mostly forest fire-roads and singletracks here. There was a "strongmen" fast group riding at 30-35 km/h (19-23 mph), and a slower group capable to ride up to 25 km/h (15.5 mph) on gravel, and up to 30 km/h (19 mph). I was of course riding in the slower group, and I needed as much as 80/80% SL assistance to match them!

View attachment 136330
Camaraderie on the trail. We were actually riding the singletrack where a runners' race was about to happen, and we had to negotiate many tapes like seen here.

View attachment 136331
The dreaded ford of River Tarczynka. The hardcore riders could spot the right riding line through the shallowest part of the ford. All other had to negotiate a pile of loose concrete slabs, and carrying bikes through the obstacle was necessary. I got momentarily exhausted at that point as I cannot walk with heavy loading on uneven surfaces! Yet, my group waited for me! Kudos to them!

View attachment 136332
The ride mid-point: The "At The Girls" Café in Rozalin. I could count as many as 45 gravel bikes there!

View attachment 136334
I visited The Girls on last Sunday and warned A Girl of the upcoming group ride. The Girls baked more cakes but they expected maybe 20 not 45 people! The waiting time was approximately an hour! Brewing good coffee and preparing waffles was slowing down the thing tremendously!

View attachment 136340
My mate Maciek waited for an hour in the queue so both him and I could get some food and cake! Dark Mocha and White Chocolate Cheesecake. Those did me good and made me stronger!

View attachment 136335
Satiated and in high spirits!

View attachment 136336
The only proof I was there! Me with a part of our "Chasing Group Two". The girl in blue was a rookie, and she recorded her Personal Best on that very ride!

View attachment 136337
Not many Poles can afford the tubeless rims & setup. Tyre punctures and other mechanical defects were plaguing the group ride. The "strongmen" always stayed with the wretched person and helped restoring their bike to the riding order. As I caught up with the main group (helping another man fix a mechanical problem), I said to the group: "I apologize for what I need to do. As I am the weakest link of the group, let me ride forward in front of you. You might catch up with me, or I will be waiting for you at the Simon's Hills!" Then I decreased the assistance and pedalled solo as a madman for the next 20 kilometres to gain on the time.

View attachment 136338
As I reached Simon's Hills, I immediately swapped a Range Extender for a fresh one, and was waiting with the camera for the group. They emerged from yet another singletrack...

View attachment 136339
Ola, a representative of Babska Korba (Female Crank) club. She is one of the "strongwomen" in the Mazovian gravel cycling (PB 410.5 km or 255 mi).

View attachment 136341
At the Finish Line Bar again. (White helmet): Paweł, the group ride leader.

View attachment 136342
Chillout at the Bar Meta. Bottom: The man at the left is Robert (who I met while riding in Warsaw in the morning and liked him). The rookie Wiktoria in the centre.

View attachment 136343
Post-ride (non-alcoholic!) beer. Even if I do not usually drink mass-produced lagers, it was proper to celebrate the great ride with friends!

It became cold and dark. I was pedalling back to the Warsaw train station, and then had to ride home. Freezing!

View attachment 136344
147.47 km (91.65 mi) for the day, of which 111.4 km (69.2 mi) on the gravel group ride.

How Did My Vado SL Fare?
I spent a lot of money to make my Fearless group gravel ride ready:

• Added the full Redshift ShockStop suspension system: stem, seat-post, computer mount, utility mount
• Added SQlab Innerbarends to be able to ride "in the hoods" like drop-bar riders do
• Swapped the stock tyres for Specialized Parhtfinder Pro 2Bliss 38-622, and ride them at 2.5 bar (36 psi) off-road/gravel
• Replaced the front mudguard with an Ass Saver, a temporary "blade" fender. (The stock mudguard was unsuitable for riding forest paths)
• Use the Specialized Bridge Sport stock saddle combined with padded shorts or bibs now. The narrow, long and hard saddle feels perfect now!
• Bought as many as four SL Range Extenders
• Use a Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt v2 bike GPS computer for navigation and ride recording (participants are given a GPX route prior to the ride).

The e-bike handled perfectly and was very stable on the ride, quite comfortable. My observation was:
The e-bike motor gets never tired as long as you can feed it with electricity. Traditional riders do get tired in the course of the ride. It gives me a real edge! (Slowest at the beginning, among the leaders at the finish line).

Battery consumption after 147.47 km ride

• Main SL battery: depleted
• SL Range Extender #1: depleted
• SL Range Extender #2: 10% left (unusable)
• SL Range Extender #3: 16% left (hardly usable)
• SL Range Extender #4: 67% left (usable)

Assistance Levels
Pre-ride:

• SL OFF (4 km)
• SL ECO 20/50% (14 km)

Main ride and the return:

• SL ECO: 70/70% (used for 20 km or more)
• SL SPORT: 80/80% (main mode used)
• SL TURBO: 100/100% (only used on steeper climbs).

Once again, stellar ride Stefan! So good to see such comradery among fellow cyclists.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

So good to see such comradery among fellow cyclists.

I actually hate riding gravel/forest alone. It is so different with the group! We are riding hard & fast, and the group makes me produce a lot of effort! It is so much fun to zoom inside the forest fast! Making friends, talking to the riding buddies is great! The people was what made me attracted to the sport! This is so encouraging to understand the difficulties are fun! And they will never leave you alone... It is far safer to ride off-road in a group because they could give first aid or call emergency in case of serious crash!

Gravel cyclists here are so different compared to haughty roadies or MTBers... (No offence meant, Art!)

P.S. "At The Girls", there was one of the "strongwomen" asking this question:
-- 'Where is that electric mister? I want to give him a proposition!'
-- 'It's me' -- I said -- 'regarding what would the proposition be?'
--"Could we swap our bikes sir? I'm so tired!"

 

[Saratoga Dave]

Outstanding effort, Stefan! Super impressive.

 

[Djangodog]

I actually hate riding gravel/forest alone. It is so different with the group! We are riding hard & fast, and the group makes me produce a lot of effort! It is so much fun to zoom inside the forest fast! Making friends, talking to the riding buddies is great! The people was what made me attracted to the sport! This is so encouraging to understand the difficulties are fun! And they will never leave you alone... It is far safer to ride off-road in a group because they could give first aid or call emergency in case of serious crash!

Gravel cyclists here are so different compared to haughty roadies or MTBers... (No offence meant, Art!)

P.S. "At The Girls", there was one of the "strongwomen" asking this question:
-- 'Where is that electric mister? I want to give him a proposition!'
-- 'It's me' -- I said -- 'regarding what would the proposition be?'
--"Could we swap our bikes sir? I'm so tired!"

So, did you swap bikes?????

 

[Stefan Mikes]

So, did you swap bikes?????

The girls were just teasing me! Hahaha!
I'm impressed with one of the nice female riders in the group who:

• Knows I'm conserving the battery charge for the last part of the ride
• Is always ready to be drafting behind my e-bike
• As I increase the assistance, she accelerates to ride at the same speed I'm riding.

There was a funny moment on the ride. That girl was following me. Suddenly, I realized I should have done a tight turn into a street! I leaned my bike strongly and made the turn at high speed. The girl and all the following riders (but one man) followed her to take the wrong way! She later told me she was quite impressed with my cornering capability. For one, I was lucky not to crash!

However, I could see some female riders totally exhausted at the end of the long demanding ride!

 

[Prairie Dog]

Gravel cyclists here are so different compared to haughty roadies or MTBers... (No offence meant, Art!)

None taken, believe me. I most always am accompanied on my daily rides and longer trips with my best buddy and training partner. Occasionally, we’ll ride with other family members but have only done that once this year so far. I suspect that most of the roadies here, or at least the ones I’ve encountered, are fairly hard core. I’m quite comfortable riding with my better half for now and can’t see us joining a large group of analog riders. You’re very fortunate that you’ve been welcomed with open arms by the gravel troupe and have become one with the family. Good on you.

On the trail, I’m fortunate that I can ride with a couple of friends and love that we are pretty much on par with each other with respect to riding levels/styles. I have joined a mtb club based out of Calgary that offers group rides and there are, in fact, quite a few members who also ride emtbs. However, most of the outings are announced the day before and there just isn’t enough time for me to prepare let alone drive out on location which could be as far as Canmore or Bragg Creek.

 

[Readytoride]

@RabH - I have to admit I didn't do the entire 65 miles. More like 50 because I used a few shortcuts to get to the lower county quicker, hoping to enjoy the private estates before the frontrunners arrived. No such luck. I found myself surrounded as they were much faster than I anticipated and were already arriving at the same time I was. They were seriously flying on those gravel roads. Terrifying to watch them. Worse to be among them. Any paved roads and they simply ramped up the speed and disappeared. Ahhhh. To be young again.

And no word yet regarding my Vado. The shop had originally led me to believe the repairs would take a few weeks depending upon whether Specialized would absorb the cost of a motor replacement outside the warranty. I plan to contact the shop next week to ask about any progress. Sadly, the bike store where I purchased the bike (not the one that has my bike now) was taken over by Trek this Spring. The new Trek ownership still honors warranties of non-Trek bikes originally sold at the store, but my bike is 5 months beyond the 2 year warranty date.

 

[Readytoride]

Funny moment during my ride - a rest stop had been set up in one of the estates, and while I was there I was chatting with a fellow gravel road rider that I knew. She was a few years younger than me, and about my height (5'2"), but not riding that day since she was manning the sponsor tent. We are both equestrians which meant we had spent our youth tossing 40lb bales of hay and hauling 50lb bags of feed for our 4 legged "partners". This is important to remember later.

Several of the riders (all guys, almost all in mid 20s to early 30s) were interested in my Gazelle, coming up to take a closer look at it. One asked me if I could lift it - meaning was it too heavy for me (obviously a little old lady) to lift if I needed to. Sure, I said, and promptly lifted the bike off the ground. Now, it had the extra battery on the back rack so it WAS very heavy, but only about 8lbs more than those 50lb sacks of feed which I can still lift and sling over my shoulder despite me knocking on the door of age 70.

"Do you want to try lifting it?" I asked him. "Yeah", he said, accepting the challenge and stepping forward as I put the bike down. I smiled as I stepped back and said "you are going to need both hands because the bike is heavy." I guess he was thinking if this little old lady could lift it, not a problem. He started to try to lift and his eyes grew wide. The bike was still on the ground. I glanced at my friend and we both grinned as the guy repositioned his hands and this time gave it the old college try. I won't detail the expletives that he breathed out as he pitched forward with the weight of the bike as he tried to raise it off the ground. My friend and I both grabbed the bike to steady it as the guy finally put his muscle into lifting the bike chest high for a moment before putting it back down.

"Damn!" he said, looking at me with newfound respect. "That's as heavy as a small motorcycle! How did you do that?" My friend and I said at the exact same time "Farm girl!" He didn't catch the reference so she explained it to him as he stared at bike, shaking his head. It was a funny moment, and throughout the rest of the ride, anytime this rider saw me in passing, he would grin and say how impressed he was with me.

I guess those 50 years of tossing hay and carrying bags of feed have paid off.

 

[Readytoride]

Also had another rider at the same rest stop, this gentleman being closer to my age, asked if he could take a picture of me with my bike. I was happy to oblige. At the end of the ride when I was walking back to my car, a nice husband and wife couple happened to be walking towards me. It was the same guy who had taken my picture, and he said to his wife "this is the lady with the electric bike". His wife was positively giddy about me and my bike, gushing how impressed she was, as her husband stood and grinned. I'm not sure if he took my picture to show his wife that she, too, could ride with him on these bike rides if she had an electric bike, or not, but suspect the former.

Setting a good example for all the female baby boomers everywhere to ride electric.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I guess those 50 years of tossing hay and carrying bags of feed have paid off.

What a story!

Honestly, the heavy weight of my big Vado (with the spare battery) has actually eliminated that e-bike from my gravel group rides. I was humiliated a couple of times when my buddies actually had to carry my Vado through obstacles! It is Vado SL now. Even with 4 kg (8.8 lb) in Range Extenders, I can lift that e-bike and carry it!

 

[Readytoride]

Honestly, the heavy weight of my big Vado (with the spare battery) has actually eliminated that e-bike from my gravel group rides. I was humiliated a couple of times when my buddies actually had to carry my Vado through obstacles! It is Vado SL now. Even with 4 kg (8.8 lb) in Range Extenders, I can lift that e-bike and carry it!

I'm lucky that I'm as healthy and still strong as I am, but I can already see my strength diminishing as I get older. In a few more years I'm sure my abilities to carry a loaded ebike will come to an end. I'm hoping in ten years that ebikes will be much lighter without compromising range since I want to keep riding into my 80s. But I'm going to need a lighter bike to do so. I have looked at the lightweight ebikes but the lack of battery range stops me.

I'm sorry you felt humiliated having your riding buddies carry your bike for you when the trail threw you a curve ball. That sucks. I'm sure they didn't mind, tho, and it gave them a chance to do something nice for an older gentleman who was enjoying the group company and doing well in keeping up.

 

[RabH]

@RabH - I have to admit I didn't do the entire 65 miles. More like 50 because I used a few shortcuts to get to the lower county quicker, hoping to enjoy the private estates before the frontrunners arrived. No such luck. I found myself surrounded as they were much faster than I anticipated and were already arriving at the same time I was. They were seriously flying on those gravel roads. Terrifying to watch them. Worse to be among them. Any paved roads and they simply ramped up the speed and disappeared. Ahhhh. To be young again.

And no word yet regarding my Vado. The shop had originally led me to believe the repairs would take a few weeks depending upon whether Specialized would absorb the cost of a motor replacement outside the warranty. I plan to contact the shop next week to ask about any progress. Sadly, the bike store where I purchased the bike (not the one that has my bike now) was taken over by Trek this Spring. The new Trek ownership still honors warranties of non-Trek bikes originally sold at the store, but my bike is 5 months beyond the 2 year warranty date.

50 miles is still a great effort so very well done! I really hope Specialized will sort your motor under warranty, its a poor show considering the age of your bike! When I'm carrying a single spare battery it fits in my rack bag like a glove, the bag opens up into a set of panniers which makes carrying 2 spares very easy!

Single setup!

Double setup!

 

[Readytoride]

@RabH - sweet! I created a nice form fitting faux leather cover for my Gazelle's spare battery that protects it when it is strapped on the top of my bike rack. My panniers are too small to contain a battery inside the side pockets. I may have to make a special set of panniers to hold two batteries if I get another spare. Ill need it if I want to do the longer, hilly, more intense rides in comfort without range anxiety.. Normally I'd get 45-50 miles on an easy ride, but hills and speed just suck the life out of the batteries bringing it down to 30 max. Not enough for a metric, let alone a century ride.

I'll give the bike shop another 3 weeks to see if Specialized will commit to a new motor free of charge. In the meantime I'll stop in at the shop where I bought the bike to see what they have to say. If they say yes, I'll take the bike to them. If all else fails I think I'll have to absorb the $1,000 cost of a new motor (plus labor) to have my bike back. I'll call it a break even since I originally got a $1,000 rebate on the bike new when it was purchased in early 2020.

Of course, I did immediately spend that $1k rebate on a second battery

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I have looked at the lightweight ebikes but the lack of battery range stops me.

Well... As an SL e-bike makes you pedal twice as hard as the full power e-bike, you would be surprised how far (say) Vado SL could take you in the default ECO mode. I'm making up my bad legs with more power, so I almost always ride with a single Range Extender (using only the RE on 10 mile utility rides).

An example: A café ride, 25.5 mile round trip, 60/60% assistance, 62% of the SL main battery consumed (no need for a RE!)
An example: A long recreational ride, 72.2 mile, 55/55% assistance, 136% of the main battery consumed (that is, a single Range Extender was used).
Such rides are not very fast of course.

I'm sorry you felt humiliated having your riding buddies carry your bike for you when the trail threw you a curve ball. That sucks. I'm sure they didn't mind, tho, and it gave them a chance to do something nice for an older gentleman who was enjoying the group company and doing well in keeping up.

As you said, my riding mates were glad to help me on the trail. I was just ashamed I could not carry my heavy e-bike myself!

 

[DiggyGun]

South Downs Holiday - Day 1 - Peacehaven

Had a few days exploring the South Downs in Sussex.

We were lucky with the weather all week. Not too windy and a reasonable amount of sun all week.

Had the usual picnic stops with some nice pretty viewpoints.

For some reason, the rides were not connected on the Bosch Connect app

DG…

 

[DiggyGun]

South Downs Holiday - Day 2 - Seaford

Didn't manage to get to the planned ride today as there was a massive accident near Lewes which created huge traffic jams, so went opposite way and cycled along the cliff and sea fronts.

A lot of the infrastructure is from the Napoleonic time, when Britain built a huge number of fortifications, expecting an invasion from France.

The route for today.

DG…

 

[DiggyGun]

South Downs Holiday -Day 3 - Eastbourne

Again, we went along the cycle paths along the cliffs and seafront.

The route for today.

DG…