Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[Chargeride]

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Today's ride had me out on an abbreviated single-track loop at Heritage Ranch. Most of the trail was in pretty decent condition but along some stretches the hardpack had partially melted and turned to ice making some of the technical sections a bit tricky. A few spots where the snow had melted only narrow tracks of ice remained.

With that being said, I can't begin to say how much fun I had exploring this area and to be out there on such a glorious sunny morning was simply sublime. It was 0 C when I left the house and upon my return it was a balmy +3 C. Meanwhile, I’ll keep attacking these tracks with studs as long as the ground conditions allow it.

I knocked out a couple of vids from the loop. Please excuse the chronic sniffling in the background folks. I’m just a freak of nature.

After doing the loop, I passed by Bower Ponds and noticed a throng of geese sunning themselves. They seemed quite content to remain there. Then, without warning they decided to bolt for no apparent reason.
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Afterwards, I rode out to Riverbend and rounded the Ring once again. Just prior to exiting the trailhead, I came across this makeshift wood shelter. I wonder if some of the wood that we cleared from the trail on Tuesday was used as part of the construction materials.
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It’s been roughly a month since I took delivery of the Trance and I was uncertain at how I would adapt to the larger wheels and longer wheel base after coming off a smaller, nimbler bike with 26ers. Those worries are a distant memory after trialing this bike in a variety of conditions and I look forward to hitting more trails this summer.

My exact same concern, still riding 26ers because they are better for my kind of riding, just have to accept they dont ride as well.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Mike and his ebike …

Brisbane Valley Rail Trail
Near Lowood, Queensland
8:40am; 36km​

Mike, Paul (AWOL yesterday) and I don't plan ebike rides together; they just happen once every week or so because we're out on the rail trail* at the same time. Like me, they live no more than a few minutes from the trail and need little prompting to get out and pedal. Lowood, where they live, is just ahead. Thanks for the ride!

* BVRT is the purple line on Ride with GPS's map (mostly obscured by my red recorded route!).

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Do your mates ride e-bikes, David? I mean, you and Mike do, and Paul? What do they ride?

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Do your mates ride e-bikes, David? I mean, you and Mike do, and Paul? What do they ride?

Yes, they've seen the light! However…they haven't been let off the leash by Mrs Paul and Mrs Mike.

Mike's ebike is a Focus 'hybrid' with pretensions towards being a hardtail eMTB – 60mm tyres, 80mm suspension fork, Bosch Performance Line CX Gen4, Purion controller.

In a sense, my Trek Powerfly is complements Mike's Focus in that it is a light-duty hardtail eMTB that is 'at home' off singletrack.

Paul's Focus doesn't aspire to off-road use – 40mm Marathon tyres, 60mm suspension, Bosch Active Line Gen4, Purion controller. Again, eminently suitable for the trail that you see in the photo!

Where both of them slipped up was in choosing – if indeed they had a choice – 400 Wh batteries. More is better! Even if you never flatten your battery, the 25% extra capacity removes range anxiety, and that's a good thing!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Where both of them slipped up was in choosing – if indeed they had a choice – 400 Wh batteries.

Oh. I see. Just fancy me David on my 500 Wh battery ride onto Holy Cross Mt when I discovered the battery charge disappeared at rate of 2% per minute... I corrected my wrong purchase of otherwise excellent Trance ... 2 with getting a 625 Wh spare battery as soon as it was possible. Two different worlds!

 

[steve mercier]

View attachment 81486
View attachment 81490

Today's ride had me out on an abbreviated single-track loop at Heritage Ranch. Most of the trail was in pretty decent condition but along some stretches the hardpack had partially melted and turned to ice making some of the technical sections a bit tricky. A few spots where the snow had melted only narrow tracks of ice remained.

With that being said, I can't begin to say how much fun I had exploring this area and to be out there on such a glorious sunny morning was simply sublime. It was 0 C when I left the house and upon my return it was a balmy +3 C. Meanwhile, I’ll keep attacking these tracks with studs as long as the ground conditions allow it.

I knocked out a couple of vids from the loop. Please excuse the chronic sniffling in the background folks. I’m just a freak of nature.

After doing the loop, I passed by Bower Ponds and noticed a throng of geese sunning themselves. They seemed quite content to remain there. Then, without warning they decided to bolt for no apparent reason.
View attachment 81487View attachment 81488
Afterwards, I rode out to Riverbend and rounded the Ring once again. Just prior to exiting the trailhead, I came across this makeshift wood shelter. I wonder if some of the wood that we cleared from the trail on Tuesday was used as part of the construction materials.
View attachment 81489
It’s been roughly a month since I took delivery of the Trance and I was uncertain at how I would adapt to the larger wheels and longer wheel base after coming off a smaller, nimbler bike with 26ers. Those worries are a distant memory after trialing this bike in a variety of conditions and I look forward to hitting more trails this summer.

Great vids PD ...are you sold on those tires for that environment?

 

[steve mercier]

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Nice single track along the Columbia River. Beautiful day!

That is a very inviting looking trail in Trail!

 

[RandallS]

Yesterday, the weather here was very nice. I left the house at +8C and got home at +13C. AT one point I was way too warm and changed out a heavier layer for a lighter layer and all was good.
When I headed out, it was with a purpose - to pick up an online order of some Contact Cleaner for my battery terminals. I'd had some intermittent errors for the last week.



According to the manual, that's a battery issue, although there was no interruption of power.

Back to the ride.

The trip to the automotive supply shop had me going through residential, and one house stood out with it's decorations.

Shortly afterwards, the route took me through a cemetery that was, sad to say, rather busy. There were 3 or 4 burial ceremonies underway, which I chose NOT to document here.
Just a generic photo would do for me, but funeral's are close to mind for me, as we won't be having anything for my sister (mentioned in a late January ride report) who passed on March 1.
Thanks again to those that sent their kind thoughts and words my way - it was appreciated then and still is. I'm not really sad - yet...more relieved at present. Bloody cancer...

Once I got to the auto store and picked up the spray can of the "stuff", I decided it was too nice out to not continue, so I headed south down to the Bow River.
When I got there, I had to decide East or West? West was the winner as I decided to go visit a friend and see how his new cat is making out.

Along the way, a few shots of the Bow, which is beginning to thaw.
Yesterday:

From Feb 21:

After leaving the main Bow River pathway system, I made my way to my friend's place in an area called Bowness, had a quick visit and headed off for home.

Along the way, I decided to see how many dogs I could avoid - here's the location of my incident a few weeks ago. Picture this with a hundred dogs...not all leashed...

Shortly after doggie zone, on the last part of the route which was clockwise on the map, I entered Nose Hill Park from the southeast via the Calgary Winter Club, and proceeded to climb up to the plateau.
As it is somewhat eastern facing, I expected slightly better ground conditions - but it was a very tough climb. Slush, mud, lots of standing water etc... soggy in general is not a problem, but soggy uphill at inclines reaching 18% on studs is difficult. When I got to the top (after some incredulous looks from some "mature" hikers), I must admit I had to lay down on a dry grassy patch for a few minutes to catch my breath.

Getting going again, it wasn't much easier on the relatively flat sections - still patches of deeper snow, mud, slush, water etc... I got filthy again but I'm getting used to it.
A rear fender is in my future for sure.

That's pretty well it - when I got home I was pretty tired from the soggy conditions on the hill.

Audiobook - continuing to listen to Carl Hiaasen's "Squeeze Me".
That guy has one twisted mind...

I think I'll take today off and recover. or else go to the driving range and see what I can do with this shoulder

 

[Prairie Dog]

Great vids PD ...are you sold on those tires for that environment?

Thanks Steve. 45Nrth describes the Wrathchilds as an extreme winter trail traction tire and I think that aptly ties into what I was looking for.

“From loose snow to icy freeze-thaw and everything in between, Wrathchild craves the best and worst winter conditions. Deep center lugs aggressively claw into unconsolidated snow for extreme acceleration and braking traction. Super tall side lugs dig into loose snow to provide predictable and confident cornering. Encounter sheer ice on your ride and Wrathchild’s concave studs tear into the surface.”

I would really like to get my paws on a set of Ice Spiker Pros in a head-to-head comparison on a similar trail.

 

[Anna]

Yesterday, the weather here was very nice. I left the house at +8C and got home at +13C. AT one point I was way too warm and changed out a heavier layer for a lighter layer and all was good.
When I headed out, it was with a purpose - to pick up an online order of some Contact Cleaner for my battery terminals. I'd had some intermittent errors for the last week.

View attachment 81500

According to the manual, that's a battery issue, although there was no interruption of power.

Back to the ride.
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The trip to the automotive supply shop had me going through residential, and one house stood out with it's decorations.
View attachment 81501

Shortly afterwards, the route took me through a cemetery that was, sad to say, rather busy. There were 3 or 4 burial ceremonies underway, which I chose NOT to document here.
Just a generic photo would do for me, but funeral's are close to mind for me, as we won't be having anything for my sister (mentioned in a late January ride report) who passed on March 1.
Thanks again to those that sent their kind thoughts and words my way - it was appreciated then and still is. I'm not really sad - yet...more relieved at present. Bloody cancer...

View attachment 81502


Once I got to the auto store and picked up the spray can of the "stuff", I decided it was too nice out to not continue, so I headed south down to the Bow River.
When I got there, I had to decide East or West? West was the winner as I decided to go visit a friend and see how his new cat is making out.

Along the way, a few shots of the Bow, which is beginning to thaw.
Yesterday:

View attachment 81503 View attachment 81504

From Feb 21:

View attachment 81505 View attachment 81506

After leaving the main Bow River pathway system, I made my way to my friend's place in an area called Bowness, had a quick visit and headed off for home.

Along the way, I decided to see how many dogs I could avoid - here's the location of my incident a few weeks ago. Picture this with a hundred dogs...not all leashed...
View attachment 81509 View attachment 81510


Shortly after doggie zone, on the last part of the route which was clockwise on the map, I entered Nose Hill Park from the southeast via the Calgary Winter Club, and proceeded to climb up to the plateau.
As it is somewhat eastern facing, I expected slightly better ground conditions - but it was a very tough climb. Slush, mud, lots of standing water etc... soggy in general is not a problem, but soggy uphill at inclines reaching 18% on studs is difficult. When I got to the top (after some incredulous looks from some "mature" hikers), I must admit I had to lay down on a dry grassy patch for a few minutes to catch my breath.

View attachment 81511

Getting going again, it wasn't much easier on the relatively flat sections - still patches of deeper snow, mud, slush, water etc... I got filthy again but I'm getting used to it.
A rear fender is in my future for sure.

That's pretty well it - when I got home I was pretty tired from the soggy conditions on the hill.

Audiobook - continuing to listen to Carl Hiaasen's "Squeeze Me".
That guy has one twisted mind...

I think I'll take today off and recover. or else go to the driving range and see what I can do with this shoulder

Wonderful photos once again. I had another encounter with the same pitbull which is so discouraging. I miss my major hill climb (the downhill part was sheer joy). For me, my ebike is an essential part of my life. True game changer. Ascending up into the clouds!

 

[steve mercier]

Wonderful photos once again. I had another encounter with the same pitbull which is so discouraging. I miss my major hill climb (the downhill part was sheer joy). For me, my ebike is an essential part of my life. True game changer. Ascending up into the clouds! View attachment 81527

Damn those large jaw dawgs! ...I hope you carry dog spray Anna.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Anna, your photo is just fantastic!

 

[Chargeride]

Visited in nearby town/village called croston, originall 7th century, but nothing left of that except the cross that gave its name, bit middle class, but has lovely vibe in the summer, with a river running through it next to the pubs, ranger rovers, converted barns, but still has an old down to Earth feel, helped by the Lancashire accent.
Very hard to park, so put the van in a little lane a few miles away, the wind was 30mph gusts, all behind me on the way in, but on the way back..omg!
The bbshd just powered into it, incredible little motor, but the rider approached hypothermia because he stupidly set off with no gloves and a tshirt under a wind breaker.

Anyway, nice little spin in a break of the rain..
No pics, just watch the vid if youre interested.

 

[steve mercier]

Visited in nearby town/village called croston, originall 7th century, but nothing left of that except the cross that gave its name, bit middle class, but has lovely vibe in the summer, with a river running through it next to the pubs, ranger rovers, converted barns, but still has an old down to Earth feel, helped by the Lancashire accent.
Very hard to park, so put the van in a little lane a few miles away, the wind was 30mph gusts, all behind me on the way in, but on the way back..omg!
The bbshd just powered into it, incredible little motor, but the rider approached hypothermia because he stupidly set off with no gloves and a tshirt under a wind breaker.

Anyway, nice little spin in a break of the rain..
No pics, just watch the vid if youre interested.

Great vid !

 

[Art Deco]

That kookaburra looks like he might be a close relative to our kingfishers...similar beak shape.
View attachment 81456

Nice pic. He's a handsome little fellow.

 

[Anna]

Damn those large jaw dawgs! ...I hope you carry dog spray Anna.

I would have to stop and spray...concerned he would bite me anyway. But good advice!

 

[steve mercier]

I would have to stop and spray...concerned he would bite me anyway. But good advice!

It is in the nature of the beast to attack from the rear while you are minding your own biz. Once the jaw grabs hold of your leg and while you are writhing in pain on the ground you may have plenty of time to ponder the merits of dog spray. You certainly will in the weeks following ,while you are healing. I know I did.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

Family of four …

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Brisbane Valley RT, Wanora
7:05 am; 8 km​

Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus)
Despite the eastern grey's scientific name, this species is dwarfed by its 'Big Red' cousin of the outback. I often encounter eastern greys on my rides up the rail trail – thirteen on this morning's ride – but they seldom visit our little piece of outer suburbia which is favoured by their wallaby cousins who are particularly partial to marigolds. Yummy!

The difference between wallabies and kangaroos? It's a bit like doves and pigeons, or hares and rabbits – unfathomable to anyone of my zoological incompetence!

Are kangaroos dangerous animals? For instance, in the US, raccoons are considered cute by people who don't know them, but if you have a run in with them, you quickly realize that they are dangerous, devious, brazen SOBs, despite how adorable their little masked faces are. And that's even without them being rabid, which they often can be. Are kangaroos like that - - cute but dangerous?

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Are kangaroos dangerous animals?

They are far more successful at being cute…

Jen and friend : 2002
Carnarvon Gorge, Central Queensland​

Roos are at 'their most dangerous' on outback roads at night. We collided with one a long time ago: no one was the winner.

 

[Alaskan]

Anna, your photo is just fantastic!

@Anna - what Stefan said. Very nice photo.