Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[steve mercier]

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GRRRRRRR
Time for some new tubeless tires, the hunt begins...

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On a happier thought, got my new Chuck's today!
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Ya gotta love those Zebra tongues

Later taters...

Consider using Tannus Armour inserts to cut down on flats.

 

[RabH]

After yesterdays disappointment with the weather, today was perfect for a 50 miler! What a fun ride it was in perfect cycling conditions! I passed 15,000 miles today, not bad for just over 3 years! I think I can safely say I have got my moneys worth from this fantastic bike and hopefully many more years to come! One of my favourite local rides with some stunning scenery!

Roads like this make cycling the best pastime ever, it doesn't get better!

I will never tire of views like this, simply stunning!

No rides for over a week now as I have to look after dad on my own, I'm glad I finished with such an amazing ride in the sun!

 

[ChezCheese:)]

Life in the Great Midwest…
Clocked another 27 miler (now over 1500 for the Allant+7) on a beautiful morning. Life is springing out all over with hundreds of birds along the trail causing me to run the gauntlet as they fly above my head squawking/chirping/hissing at me. Some of the Red-Wing Blackbirds even landing a few blows to the top of my helmet! I don’t dare look up! Trees abound with cocoons/caterpillars. The corn/soybean fields are sprouting from the recent rains. Ah, spring!
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I hate tent caterpillars. Only critter that will eat them is peafowl. I don't have peafowl. Extremely noisy birds.

 

[steve mercier]

I hate tent caterpillars. Only critter that will eat them is peafowl. I don't have peafowl. Extremely noisy birds.

Use FIRE !

 

[Dallant]

I hate tent caterpillars. Only critter that will eat them is peafowl. I don't have peafowl. Extremely noisy birds.

Yeah, I’m glad they aren’t anywhere in my yard.

 

[Dallant]

Use FIRE !

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Back from a two-day trip with Jacek. We have had exciting adventures in the quest for traces of our ancestors (to five generations back, or 1755!) Once I have all pictures and movies made by my brother, I'll present a concise report here. Now, I want to tell you some story:

We were riding out prepared for typical disasters that normally don't but might pester any of us: spare inner tube, tube patches, tyre levers as well as the full repair kit for 11- and 12-speed chain. Then the unpredictable happened: the freewheel mechanism in Trance E+ (that Jacek rode) broke, making his drivetrain no-freewheel one (with the cassette wobbling). Yes, he could continue his ride today but we had to shorten the last leg of the Day 2 trip to mere 25 km...

A lot of adventures, including a 22.7% gradient climb. All in Lesser Poland Upland. Await for the full reports!

Yours truly in such a desolate area of Lesser Poland that it is hard to locate villages by name in Google Maps! Friday 4th of June 2021, 2:52 pm.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

Did you ever listen to the old radio show "Escape"? William Conrad did a fantastic adaptation of the short story "Leiningen vs the Ants"... Riveting story of a planter refusing to yield to army ants. He uses fire, too. Listen:

 

[PowerflyLee formerly known as CheetahLee]

Oops

A little mud never hurt anyone!

And for you Cicada aficionados, a little love song. Pump up the volume!!!
They are crazy loud

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Stefan Mikes Rides Specialized Turbo Vado In The Land of Ancestors

Lesser Poland/Holy Cross Voivodeship, near to Opatkowice, the home village of Grandfather Jakub, born 1875 as an illiterate peasant, who had worked as an unskilled labourer at Warsaw Water Filters since 1893, and died 1965 as a landowner and gardener in Warsaw, Poland. Having three sons and one daughter. (Son Stefan Mikulski died 1937). Two sons of Jakub, Władysław and Stanisław were fathers to me and Jacek, the latter who made this short video on June 3rd, 2021.

At the end of video, I'm checking the Mapy.cz GPS navigation and am saying: "In 100 metres, you have reached your chosen waypoint"

 

[Chargeride]

Back from a two-day trip with Jacek. We have had exciting adventures in the quest for traces of our ancestors (to five generations back, or 1755!) Once I have all pictures and movies made by my brother, I'll present a concise report here. Now, I want to tell you some story:

We were riding out prepared for typical disasters that normally don't but might pester any of us: spare inner tube, tube patches, tyre levers as well as the full repair kit for 11- and 12-speed chain. Then the unpredictable happened: the freewheel mechanism in Trance E+ (that Jacek rode) broke, making his drivetrain no-freewheel one (with the cassette wobbling). Yes, he could continue his ride today but we had to shorten the last leg of the Day 2 trip to mere 25 km...

A lot of adventures, including a 22.7% gradient climb. All in Lesser Poland Upland. Await for the full reports!

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Yours truly in such a desolate area of Lesser Poland that it is hard to locate villages by name in Google Maps! Friday 4th of June 2021, 2:52 pm.

Did it jam or not provide drive?
Mine jammed on the big climb and caused the chain to droop as it tried to turn the chainwheel,.causing it to easily drop off over the bumps.
But at least it revealed I could zip tie a broken one to the spokes to get me home.
Several friends have had freewheels go..I dont think they are upgraded from stock manual expected torque.
Ebike drivetrains are still in their infancy for most bikes.

 

[fooferdoggie]

been going by this for awhile finally stopped and got pics. it is a grade school in Portland Or Richmond I think is the name

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Did it jam or not provide drive?
Mine jammed on the big climb and caused the chain to droop as it tried to turn the chainwheel,.causing it to easily drop off over the bumps.
But at least it revealed I could zip tie a broken one to the spokes to get me home.
Several friends have had freewheels go..I dont think they are upgraded from stock manual expected torque.
Ebike drivetrains are still in their infancy for most bikes.

No idea (I even don't know how the mechanism is built). The cassette seemed to lose its attachment to the hub (so it became wobbly) and no freewheeling anymore. Ironically, the drive-train in Trance E+ 2 Pro belongs to the upper-tier of Shimano products; even these do break.

 

[ElevenAD]

I hate tent caterpillars. Only critter that will eat them is peafowl. I don't have peafowl. Extremely noisy birds.

they would infest my town every year as a kid, i didnt mind at all, i was kinda of a nature geek as kid, i would always collect some and watch em turn to moths! now they are nowhere to be found, in that area at least, they pretty much vanished back in the early 90s

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Our Heritage Ride - Day 1 (Corpust Christi, Thursday, 3rd of June 2021)

Dramatis personae:

• Wojciech Mikulski (1755-1830): ancestor (5th generation), a butler to landowner Walewski, Tczyca, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, (died in Tczyca, Congress Poland, Russia)
• Filip Mikulski (1778-1854): great great grandfather, "patented miller from Marchocice", born in Tczyca (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth), died in Podgaje (Congress Poland, Russia)
• Józef Mikulski (1813-1891), great grandfather, miller in Tczyca, carpenter (bridge-builder) in Opatkowice/Sancygniów, died in Przyrąb (Congress Poland, Russia)
• Jakub Mikulski (1875-1965), grandfather, labourer at Warsaw Lindley Water Filters, landowner and gardener in Nowy Wawrzyszew (incorporated to Warsaw 1951)
• Władysław and Stanisław Mikulski: sons of Jakub, our fathers (born in Wawrzyszew 1919 and 1930, both died 2008, Warsaw)
• @Stefan Mikes and Jacek Mikulski: Sons of the two above, on a heritage e-bike ride

Jacek has got infected by genealogy... and spent the whole last Winter tracing our roots. On the Corpust Christi day, he drove us and our e-bikes to a village by name of Książ Wielki by the S7 expressway Warsaw -> Cracow. We ate breakfast at the hotel and rode out. I can only say one thing: the Lesser Poland Upland is hilly. It really is!

A word to Giant e-bike owners: Are you aware starting the Ride Control app might result in the bike firmware update? That cost us some precious minutes!

In 19th c., homesteads were already numbered. So Jacek and I could find the address Marchocice 8. I initiated the talk with the owner, and Jacek made him open up. To our surprise, the farmer could remember the old wooden buildings from the times he was a young kid! And he could remember the remnants of the old mill where our great great grandfather Filip worked in! Now, bear in mind, our ancestors were neither landowners nor tenant farmers: they were tenant labour, not owning their own houses. Filip lived there, worked as a miller, and had to pay the rent to the farmer at whose house he lived with his family. (Our great grandfather Józef was born in Marchocice in 1813).

Besides, I had been convinced Polish was a uniform language (thanks to the influence of TV). Not! The farmer was speaking distinct countryside dialect! (I know it is nothing strange in the English speaking world but very few people speak dialects in Poland nowadays). So it felt like travel back in time to me! (For instance, he didn't use the word "Germans" but "Prussians" instead).

In Lesser Poland. Very near to Marchocice, there is the area of 1794 Battle of Racławice, where Poles and Lithuanian fought against Russians to prevent complete disappearance of Poland. The First and Second Partitions of Poland (1772 and 1792) deprived Poland most of her lands as well as of the 1791 Constitution. American and Polish hero, Thaddeus Kosciusko was nominated the Commander-In-Chief and led an insurrection against the Russian forces in 1794. The Battle of Racławice was won by the Polish, in great extent thanks to scythe-armed peasant volunteers of the area. Unfortunately, the war was lost in Autumn of the same year when Kościuszko was defeated, wounded and taken prisoner at Maciejowice. Poland had disappeared from maps for the next 123 years. And the whole area I'm talking about became a part of the Russian Empire.

Two great pastimes of Jacek: Genealogy and e-cycling (Filip lived in Buszków 1805-1808)

In Holy Cross voivodeship, small town of Działoszyn: A 1220 church, and Jewish architecture. Sisters of Filip tended to be married in Działoszyn!

Opatkowice near to Sancygniów (Holy Cross voivodeship), the place dear to our hearts: Our great grandfather Józef moved to there to become a carpenter/bridge-builder, and our grandfather Jakub was born in the village. After Józef's death, 18-yo Jakub felt he had no future there and walked to Warsaw to try his luck.

Sancygniów (in Holy Cross). The palace of Deskur family, and an old church that keeps the records so important to our family's history!

Top: There was the most extreme Protestant faith called the Polish Brethren (also called Arianist but not Aryan!) The Arianist doubted in the Holy Trinity and even doubted whether Jesus Christ was actually God. For a long time, the Polish Brethen were tolerated in Poland (it ended in some 1660). The area we travelled on last Thursday had a lot of Arianist communities. The obelisk, pillar or statue seen in the photo was created by the Polish Brethren long time ago; it is very hard to find it unless you really try. Centre: The Sancygniów church seen from the "Arianist Hill". Bottom: I was not eating on the trip again. Continuous ascents and descents made me bonk Jacek helped me with a chocolate bar there

Top: The records of 1891 read: "Przyrąb. Deceased Józef Mikulski, an 80 year old widower of Sancygniów". (He actually was 78-yo and was from Opatkowice).
Centre: The Lesser Poland segment of S7 expressway under construction (and a cross motorbiker having a good time there. (Brother says completing the S7 looks like a five year job).
Bottom: Post-ride rum & coke

Very, very hilly area. The max gradient was 22.7%. It was easy for an e-MTB. With Vado, 48-46 gearing, and Turbo mode, I put quite an effort to climb there

 

[Alaskan]

Back from a two-day trip with Jacek. We have had exciting adventures in the quest for traces of our ancestors (to five generations back, or 1755!) Once I have all pictures and movies made by my brother, I'll present a concise report here. Now, I want to tell you some story:

We were riding out prepared for typical disasters that normally don't but might pester any of us: spare inner tube, tube patches, tyre levers as well as the full repair kit for 11- and 12-speed chain. Then the unpredictable happened: the freewheel mechanism in Trance E+ (that Jacek rode) broke, making his drivetrain no-freewheel one (with the cassette wobbling). Yes, he could continue his ride today but we had to shorten the last leg of the Day 2 trip to mere 25 km...

A lot of adventures, including a 22.7% gradient climb. All in Lesser Poland Upland. Await for the full reports!

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Yours truly in such a desolate area of Lesser Poland that it is hard to locate villages by name in Google Maps! Friday 4th of June 2021, 2:52 pm.

You are definitely dropping some kilograms, my friend. Keep riding. It is doing wonders for you.

 

[RabH]

I had a little bonus ride today, I had ordered a new saddle (Selle SMP Hybrd) and it arrived late yesterday! So I had some spare time this morning to try it out, I must say first impressions are very good! I was a little saddle sore after my 102 mile ride recently so I thought I would try a new saddle, the big test will be when I use it on a long ride of course! I wasn't going to take any photos but grabbed a couple to show my new saddle when I stopped here!

That was a fun little ride, lots of climbing in a short distance so I did get a bit of a workout! I would love to cycle to the motor racing tomorrow but I would need to leave the meeting early and as its the first of the season and 2 months later than normal I want to make the most of the day!

 

[steve mercier]

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The Banff Legacy Trail is a paved cycling/pedestrian roadway that runs through some of the most scenic areas within the confines of this picturesque national park. Cycling in either direction (Canmore <-> Banff) offers great vistas regardless. My wife and I have ridden the Trail before and on this Monday morning, my sister and BIL from Calgary decided that they would like to join us. We decided instead to opt for an even more scenic route by riding underneath the Trans Canada Highway to the other side via an underpass and cycle the Lake Minnewanka Loop which would include several stops along the way. We met up at the Canmore Visitors Center and rode the Legacy Trail from there.
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The view even where we stopped for a morning dose of coffee was pretty sweet.
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My sister rode her Vado 4 and both my wife and I saddled up on our Creos. My BIL rode my Trance E as he was the only one in the group without a power assisted ride. We stopped at Cascade Ponds for a family photo.
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Cascade Ponds – A wonderful place to stop for lunch and take in the surroundings. The ponds are named after the mountain that towers over them.
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Our next stopover was Johnson Lake. It's only a 2km ride off from the main loop and makes a worthwhile side trip. A nice place for a day paddle or casual stroll.
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Two Jack Lake – This small lake brings back childhood memories when my dad used to take us here on family outings/camping. It’s a fry cry from what it used to be like as there were fewer amenities back then.
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Lake Minnewanka – Our final stop before pushing off on the return leg back to towards Canmore.
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Considering that it was a weekday, the traffic along the scenic loop was pleasantly light and of minor concern on this day.

Magnificent Banff and Jasper !

 

[Deleted member 18083]

The other side of town …

Samford Rail Trail
near Brisbane, Queensland
40 km; 10:00 am​

At last a rail trail for the roadies! The Samford Rail Trail takes one away from Brisbane's northern suburbs to the semi-rural 'lifestyle' hobby farms and horse properties of the Samford.

Samford
50 km; 11:05 am​

I'll add some ride details later: the sun is about to rise on Sunday, as is appropriate, and I have to be off on another ride. Can't hang around at home any longer!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Our Heritage Ride - Day 2 (Friday, 4th of June 2021)

I and Jacek slept hard after the first ride day. It was not the rum or beer we had had; we were simply exhausted. The 8 am breakfast was tasty and big (although I must admit the size of meals served in America is gigantic compared to what we are used to in Poland) We headed westwards of Książ Wielki: the route was inside the Lesser Poland voivodeship that time. Now, why do Poles call their "states" or regions "voivodeship" really? The wojewoda (voivod) was a duke in ancient Poland; a man leading warriors, hence the name.

The ride out was very pleasant, with Summer-like weather (yet the wind was not that warm as we expect from Summers here, and that was even better for riding). We were climbing, descending, climbing... I was practising faster and faster descents on the day

In Jelcza, the home village of our eldest known female ancestor, Teresa Mikulska, née Zagrosz (her maiden name actually meant "For One Cent"). The wooden house here might have been built in 1920s, I just took the photo as I love old wooden houses. Jacek engaged in a chat with some senior woman there: She said two different Mikulskis actually lived in Tczyca, our ultimate trip destination.

The landscapes there might make Bill Gates of Windows 95 era jealous

Top and centre: We were trying to find someone to talk and find some Mikulski relatives but it was futile: People don't stay at homes on workdays. The two pictures look like the countryside of my youth, only the paved road is far better. Bottom: There were bells ringing in the chuch bell-tower when we approached Tczyca. "It's gonna be a funeral; trouble to ride through" -- Jacek guessed -- "No, brother. It is midday, so the bells are ringing the Angelus" -- and I was almost right.

Tczyca: The name is hard for us Poles to pronounce: it makes you spit when talking, so unnatural for our tongue the "tcz" is Our 5th generation ancestor, Wojciech Mikulski was born in the village in 1755. He married Teresa Zagrosz of Jelcza in the same year the American Revolutionary War began. His occupation was a butler of landowner Walewski. The impressive church holds the family records, now digitized and available for genealogy fans, such as Jacek is. The bottom photo: The rectory. Although we think the Walewski's mansion house does not exist anymore, it could have looked very similarly to the rectory; the Lesser Poland's gentry weren't especially rich (except for the magnates).

Jacek was however right regarding the funeral; there were at least two of them on that day. So we rode to find the address Tczyca 60, the place where the traces of last Mikulskis of the area could be found.

And we were riding, riding, riding not to avail.

When we returned to Tczyca, Jacek got aware of the broken drive-train issue. Nonetheless, he walked in the local cemetery to find some family graves (the best he could achieve was finding some graves of the Zegarek and Lex families he was familiar with from his genealogical studies). Then we decided to shorten the ride in the hope the Trance E+ drivetrain would hold.

Jacek took that photo at our last stop.

Our ride on the Day 2.

The land of our ancestors.

Within map of modern Poland.