Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[RabH]

With near perfect weather for November I just had to make it another epic ride, it was truly spectacular in every way! The wind was from the south east and around 25 mph which was a huge improvement after the 50mph winds on Friday and Saturday! I left at first light to enjoy the quiet Sunday roads, as I would be using roads which can be busy and it paid off with very little traffic around! It was time to head for Ayrshire today, that was my intention on my last ride but the winds put paid to that! The crazy winds had passed through and left almost dry roads for me to enjoy, with roads like this what's not to enjoy?

I headed south into the wind for Lanark and Lanark Loch was looking lovely in the morning sun!

Lots of swans enjoying the tranquility of early morning!

I passed through Lanark and was still heading south where I would turn south west at the Hyndford Bridge, it was such a beautiful morning!

Nice view from the bridge looking to the east!

The west was pretty nice also!

Looking back at the bridge!

I continued south west towards Douglas and the awesome views just continued!

The roads were just fantastic and in really nice condition for the most part!

My intention was to ride to further into Ayrshire but when I reached Muirkirk I decided to turn north and take the hills towards Strathaven as I just love this road and the strong south easterly breeze would be right at my back all the way to Strathaven, it was sublime and the awesome views just continued! This road is all ups and downs and is so much fun to ride especially when the wind is at your back!

Yet more amazing roads!

Nice views of the Glengavel reservoir!

I reached Strathaven and decided I would head towards the Clyde Valley but I made the decision to head south west to Kirkmuirhill first to join a quieter part of the valley, the descent from Kirkmuirhill is just awesome and so are the views!

I was now heading towards the valley and the roads were so quiet, I really picked the perfect route! Looking down into the valley which was looking stunning in the Autumn sun!

The top of the climb just before the big descent which is so exhilirating, last of the photos before the journey towards home as I was taking the same road as my last ride from Lanark all the way north to Armadale with the strong breeze behind me!

At Armadale I had 15 miles to go and I enjoyed the wind pushing me along all the way home, one of my best rides of the year for sure and totally unexpected mild weather at this time of the season! It was around 9C when I set off at 7.25am and it just got warmer and warmer as the day progressed! My bike performed flawlessly and I passed 23,000 miles today! 23,076 to be exact and I hope to add many more miles in the years to come!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

My Leg Gave Away

Early on Saturday morning, I got an e-mail informing me I became the full member of Graveloza Cycling Club. (Probably the first e-biker admitted to any traditional cycling club!) However:

1. I had a bad night
2. Ate too little for the supper and breakfast
3. Forgot to take my medications in the morning
4. Selected "not too warm" shoes for the ride
5. Out of necessity, I had to use Vado SL for the Saturday gravel metric century with Graveloza.cc

Read on!

As many as 16 people gathered at 9:30 on Saturday November 12th, 2022 for a Graveloza group ride. The first flat occured by the Warsaw Maria Curie Bridge... (See the blonde. She is the endorser for Rose Bikes -- or I think so. I lifted her carbon gravel bike: it was as lightweight as a feather!)

It would be good if all the club members converted to tubeless. It is, however, not possible as the bike should be equipped with the tubeless ready wheels, which is expensive and not always possible!

The next flat, at the entry to the Kampinos National Park. This time, my Kool Stop Tire Bead Lever as well as Topeak Mountain Twin Turbo G pump really helped! However, the first 20 km took us some two hours!

The group started moving. I took a wrong turn and lost the group. Once I discovered my mistake, I had to pursue the group in Turbo mode. On my way, I was intercepted by my brother Jacek (the 17th group ride member). We caught up with the group in Palmiry. At that momenr, my left leg gave away. The left foot was very cold, my lower part of leg not getting enough blood circulation. "I'm leaving the group ride brother! Tell them if they ask!" I shouted to Jacek. I stopped in Łomna, sat inside a bus shelter, ate a sandwich, and could recover. Then, I decided to continue the ride solo, on my own terms and speed The new member ot Graveloza should prove himself!

By the River Narew in Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki. Necessary to mention it was a dreary day with temperature of 5 C only.

The main attraction of the ride was the multi-kilometre embankment of River Narew. I was switching between the enbankment and the road (depending on which was better at a given time!)

At some moment, it turned out the road was blocked by a fallen tree. I engaged in a conversation with the man clearing the obstacle:
Stefan: "Could you spot a group of cyclists riding here awhile ago, sir?"
The lumberjack: "Yes I could".
"Was it a long time ago?" -- I asked.
"A long time ago" -- the laconic man agreed.
"Did they need to ride up the embankment?" -- I demanded.
"Yes, they had to" -- I could see a vile smile on his face
I (internally) growled and pressed the Walk Mode button on my e-bike. Quite surprised how easily I got onto the embankment!

The breakpoint, or the Dam and Hydro Power Plant in Dębe. The Dam makes the combined rivers of Bug and Narew form the Zegrze Reservoir, a sailing heaven for Warsawers!

As long as the main SL battery and the SL Range Extender power your SL e-bike, the life is easy. That combo had worked for 67 km (41.6 mi) at 80/80% SL assistance. Later, each new SL Range Extender was only good for 22-23 km. (The temperature managed to rise to whopping 6 C, haha!)

A very short stop in South Zegrze. The angler didn't seem to like me there!

The return to the civilization, or the Zegrze Reservoir as seen in Nieporęt. There, I could warm up, eat & drink at a petrol station to continue my ride. It got dark but I had superior lighting on my e-bike! (The stock Lezyne as well as a Cateye Volt 1700 external light).

Only two people out of 17 made the trip according to the GPX route: Me and Marek T. The rest took a shortcut to finish the ride before the sunset. I recorded 106 km on my main ride, and was riding for an hour longer than the leader.

Warsaw sports several statues of Mermaid. Any of the Mermaids carries a sword and shield to protect the city. Here, one of Warsaw Mermaids on my way to the Warsaw City Centre train station. I made over 127 km on that day, using as many as 4 Range Extenders.

 

[PatriciaK]

My Leg Gave Away

Early on Saturday morning, I got an e-mail informing me I became the full member of Graveloza Cycling Club. (Probably the first e-biker admitted to any traditional cycling club!) However:

1. I had a bad night
2. Ate too little for the supper and breakfast
3. Forgot to take my medications in the morning
4. Selected "not too warm" shoes for the ride
5. Out of necessity, I had to use Vado SL for the Saturday gravel metric century with Graveloza.cc

Read on!

View attachment 140074
As many as 16 people gathered at 9:30 on Saturday November 12th, 2022 for a Graveloza group ride. The first flat occured by the Warsaw Maria Curie Bridge... (See the blonde. She is the endorser for Rose Bikes -- or I think so. I lifted her carbon gravel bike: it was as lightweight as a feather!)

View attachment 140075
It would be good if all the club members converted to tubeless. It is, however, not possible as the bike should be equipped with the tubeless ready wheels, which is expensive and not always possible!

View attachment 140076
The next flat, at the entry to the Kampinos National Park. This time, my Kool Stop Tire Bead Lever as well as Topeak Mountain Twin Turbo G pump really helped! However, the first 20 km took us some two hours!

The group started moving. I took a wrong turn and lost the group. Once I discovered my mistake, I had to pursue the group in Turbo mode. On my way, I was intercepted by my brother Jacek (the 17th group ride member). We caught with the group in Palmiry. At that momenr, my left leg gave away. The left foot was very cold, my lower part of leg not getting enough blood circulation. "I'm leaving the group ride brother! Tell them if they ask!" I shouted to Jacek. I stopped in Łomna, sat inside a bus shelter, ate a sandwich, and could recover. Then, I decided to continue the ride solo, at my own terms and speed The new member ot Graveloza should prove himself!

View attachment 140077
By the River Narew in Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki. Necessary to mention it was a dreary day with temperature of 5 C only.

View attachment 140079
The main attraction of the ride was the multi-kilometre embankment of River Narew. I was switching between the enbankment and the road along (depending on which was better at a given time!)

At some moment, the the road was blocked by a fallen tree. I engaged in a conversation with a man clearing the obstacle:
Stefan: "Could you sport a group cyclists riding here awhile ago, sir?"
The lumberjack: "Yes I could".
"Was it a long time ago?" -- I asked.
"A long time ago" -- the laconic man agreed.
"Did they need to ride up the embankment?" -- I demanded.
"Yes, they had to" -- I could see a vile smile on his face
I (internally) growled and pressed the Walk Mode button on my e-bike. Quite surprised how easily I got onto the embankment!

View attachment 140084
The breakpoint, or the Dam and Hydro Power Plant in Dębe. The Dam makes the combined rivers of Bug and Narew form the Zegrze Reservoir, a sailing heaven for Warsawers!

View attachment 140085
As long as the main SL battery and the SL Range Extender power your SL e-bike, the life is easy. That combo had worked for 67 km (41.6 mi) at 80/80% SL assistance. Later, each new SL Range Extender was only good for 22-23 km. (The temperature managed to rise to whopping 6 C, haha!)

View attachment 140086
A very short stop in South Zegrze. The angler didn't seem to like me there!

View attachment 140087
The return to the civilization, or the Zegrze Reservoir as seen in Nieporęt. There, I could warm up, eat & drink at a petrol station to continue my ride. It got dark but I had superior lighting on my e-bike! (The stock Lezyne as well as a Cateye Volt 1700 external light).

View attachment 140088
Only two people our of 17 made the trip according to the GPX route: Me and Marek T. The rest took a shortcut to finish the ride before the sunset. I recorded 106 km on my main ride, and was riding for an hour longer than the leader.

View attachment 140089
Warsaw sports several statues of Mermaid. All of them carry a sword and shield to protect the city. Here, one of Warsaw Mermaids on my way to the Warsaw City Centre train stations. I made over 127 km on that day, using as many as 4 Range Extenders.

Be more careful with rest, meals and meds, Stefan!

 

[mojoe]

At the very end of September, I received my ICE Adventure. In the first 4-1/2 weeks, I put 700 miles on it. It is just so much fun to ride, and so comfortable. Here it is, with lots of options over the stock model (including an extra battery). I fly an American flag, because people notice it more.

It was about 40F when I took this picture, hence the gloves in the seat.

I put the rear camera on mainly to have video in case someone hits me, or comes too close (I hope I never need it). The front camera (mounted up high) will only be used when I ride someplace interesting. I set it to 1 fps, so each minute of video is one hour. That way, I can capture an entire day of riding, without having a very long and boring video.

Here is a link to a test video from the front camera, made the same day as the picture above. It had snowed the day before. I did about a two hour ride around town, on the usual bike paths and roads. I stopped at a few local parks for water and bathroom breaks I downsampled the video to make it much smaller.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1zqg8lr58y2ysv8/Test%20Ride.mp4?dl=1

When I do my Rail Trail trip in the Spring, I'll be able to have a condensed video for each day, without having huge video files. Both cameras are powered from a USB battery bank that is in the zippered compartment in the top of the seat.

 

[Chargeride]

Ive been away for the annual take the toddler to see Santa Claus holiday park.
The internet was atrocious, couldnt even load the forum.
Made a nice break from the interwebs tbh.

 

[Prairie Dog]

I was finally able to get out for a ride despite the over abundance of wintry ground cover. With the ambient temp hovering just above freezing, little to no wind and not even a wisp of a cloud in the sky, I wasted no time and headed out on the beast to Maskepetoon Park about 10km from my home.

I've been admiring all of the trip submissions depicting lush green landscapes and trees that still have retained their foliage that it had me questioning my reason for living in such a hostile environment. It must have something to do with the beauty of the natural surroundings that I’m constantly reminded of every time I ride on days like this. The singletracks that I normally head out to were still covered in knee-deep snow so I had was forced to stick to the pathways and I’m truly grateful for the local crews who plow them. I might add that they do a fine job too.

Most of the trails branching out from the MUPs are not winter maintained which made it slightly challenging to keep the studded tires in the narrow channel of hard pack as they seemed to have a mind of their own.

One of the few souls I spotted today who was also taking advantage of the mild weather and ample snow.

The Maskepetoon Park lookout with a view above of the partially frozen Red Deer River.

A few images from Maskepetoon Park. These mild conditions should remain consistent over the next few days at least which is welcome news to those who are anxious to head out to the mountain resorts.

 

[DaveMatthews]

I was finally able to get out for a ride despite the over abundance of wintry ground cover. With the ambient temp hovering just above freezing, little to no wind and not even a wisp of a cloud in the sky, I wasted no time and headed out on the beast to Maskepetoon Park about 10km from my home.

I've been admiring all of the trip submissions depicting lush green landscapes and trees that still have retained their foliage that it had me questioning my reason for living in such a hostile environment. It must have something to do with the beauty of the natural surroundings that I’m constantly reminded of every time I ride on days like this. The singletracks that I normally head out to were still covered in knee-deep snow so I had was forced to stick to the pathways and I’m truly grateful for the local crews who plow them. I might add that they do a fine job too.

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Most of the trails branching out from the MUPs are not winter maintained which made it slightly challenging to keep the studded tires in the narrow channel of hard pack as they seemed to have a mind of their own.

View attachment 140164
View attachment 140165View attachment 140166

One of the few souls I spotted today who was also taking advantage of the mild weather and ample snow.

View attachment 140167

The Maskepetoon Park lookout with a view above of the partially frozen Red Deer River.

View attachment 140170
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View attachment 140169

A few images from Maskepetoon Park. These mild conditions should remain consistent over the next few days at least which is welcome news to those who are anxious to head out to the mountain resorts.

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Serene... and peaceful.

 

[Chargeride]

Nice tune, weve got loads of snow, well it would be if it was 20 degrees cooler.
Its called rain.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Nice tune, weve got loads of snow, well it would be if it was 20 degrees cooler.
Its called rain.

Judging by the weather forecast, it is the time to install the spiked tyres on my Vado SL...

We Poles had a French prince by name of Henri de Valois as the first elected King of The Republic of Both Nations. After a short stay on the Polish-Lithuanian throne, he decided the Polish weather was a tad too harsh to his taste, so he escaped back to France soon to become the King Henry III. At least he learned what the sewage, hot and cold water taps as well as dining forks were while in Poland, and he took those inventions to his home country

I'm serious!

 

[Chargeride]

People still moan about our seperate taps in the UK, we must have stolen them as well.

 

[fooferdoggie]

a great ride in Forrest park in NW Portland 7 miles of climbing. its a old paved road thats pretty much gone. its a rough ride with so much rock. so a bit harsh on the tandem. my garmin fell off and I had to go back and find it and the through axle on back came loose.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Serene... and peaceful.

It certainly was and I couldn’t have asked for better conditions.

Nice tune, weve got loads of snow, well it would be if it was 20 degrees cooler.
Its called rain.

Believe me, there were many days that I wished our long winters would stay as mild as it was on this day. Unfortunately, we have to take the good with the bad. Rain…well that’s another kettle of fish.

a great ride in forrest park in NW portland 7 miles of climbing. its a old paved road thats pretty much gone. its a rough ride with so much rock. so a bit harsh on the tandem.

Looked like a nice route in a very posh area of town. Glad to see that you were able to recover your Garmin as that would have been somewhat of an expensive setback to the day. Was that that the head unit or Varia?

 

[fooferdoggie]

Looked like a nice route in a very posh area of town. Glad to see that you were able to recover your Garmin as that would have been somewhat of an expensive setback to the day. Was that that the head unit or Varia?

the head unit. it sometimes gets bumpede and turned a bit but all the vibration took care of it. I have lost the radar before.

 

[Chargeride]

Major bike upgrade, changed the front pads.
Cleaned the disc with Vodka.

 

[Mulezen]

And then what did you do with the Vodka?

 

[fooferdoggie]

And then what did you do with the Vodka?

after he cleaned the rotor with it? man talk about recycling.

 

[mojoe]

This was from two weeks ago, about 11am. I was riding a residential part of town, near a city park. I've seem them here before, so it must be a regular hangout. There was a fourth, but it walked across the road before I could get my phone out.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Cleaned the disc with Vodka.

Were I you, I would have cleaned the rotor with an automotive brake cleaner, and drunk the Vodka instead Vodka contains as much as 60% of Water, making it a hopeless cleaner!

 

[fooferdoggie]

on the bike pat in the dark and the wind testing out my light.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

People still moan about our seperate taps in the UK, we must have stolen them as well.

Have you ever been to Buxton in the Peak District, Charge? If not, I recommend you stay at the Old Hall Hotel there

The place is claimed to be the oldest hotel in Britain (hosting Mary the Queen of Scots, for example). The hotel is so old its equipment and facilities are as archaic as the inventions brought by Henry III of France and then imported to Britain

On the other hand, Buxton is the home of Buxton Brewery, one of the best craft beer breweries of Britain! Believe it or not but we drove from Wales to Buxton just to enjoy the ales & stouts at the Buxton Brewery Taproom! (It is Books-ton not Bucks-ton!)

We tried Billionaires and King Slayer. I did not notice the Sesqui Axe as it was around midnight already!

Now, a question to the British members of this Forum: How difficult is it to rent a classy e-bike in England, Wales or Scotland? Let us say the cost does not matter? I'd love to explore places such as Peak District, Lake District or Scotland on e-bikes!