Nope. She is good for ten miles so that is the limit.Any sore paws this time?
Nope. She is good for ten miles so that is the limit.Any sore paws this time?
Brake Pads, etc.
The day was sunny but cold and very windy. My brother told me he would be at my place "before 17:00 hours" to fix my mailbox. At 15:52, I rode out to my old home to see whether my Vado was still there in the cellar The wind was very strong and cold, yet an 8 km (5 mi) ride took me just 20 minutes; I would spend the same driving a car because of heavy afternoon traffic. When I reached my old home, my brother reported he was "very close to the smoke stack" (or, to the new home). He made me upset -- why to come so early? So I sped back. And was riding in hail! Coming back wet
Now, Jacek actually fixed the mailbox and then tried the brakes of my Lovelec. "You have no front brake" he announced, then left soon Oh, no. He was right. The brake pads in the front brake worn again! I mumbled something to myself, put dry cycling clothes on and rode out again. Now, the wind was really blowing. I reached an LBS, bought a pair of Shimano brake pads and sped up home. (When I say "sped up" I really mean it). Just to discover I forgot to make vital shopping back in Brwinów
So I rode to Pruszków-Żbików for shopping... 35 km on the day.
Then, I replaced the brake pads.
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Worn pads.
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New pads.
After having the work done, I called Jacek:
-- "Bro, the brake doesn't work. No action whatsoever"
-- "Have you turned the bike back to normal position? Heheh"
-- "Okay. Turning it. Well, no braking. What's wrong?"
-- "Maybe the brakes need bleeding. Yet, can you remember that little screw in the brake lever? Give it a few turns anti-clockwise".
-- "What's the point?"
-- "Just do it".
...
...
-- "Thank you, bro. Everything's working now".
It's so good to have a knowledgeable brother!
Very apologetic and a new set of cranks are on order.Let us know how the LBS people react to their screw-up. If you feel like it.
You were so lucky ..a friend had a pedal come off over rough ground and had a horrendous crash.Pedal(less) In the Pines
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Yesterday was a day filled with ups and downs including a somewhat anxious ordeal involving the pedals on my Trance. Turns out the shop where I recently had warranty work done on the bike mistakenly installed the crank arms incorrectly as on the wrong sides. It couldn’t have happened at a more critical time while I was out riding the trails. Fortunately, only one of the pedals became detached during a flat section along the Pines singletrack and I felt an added sense of relief that it didn’t occur during a more technical climb/decent of the trail which could have resulted in a nasty tumble.
With my final part of my ride cut short, I was forced to push the bike out onto the cutline above the trail and proceeded to try to reattach the pedal using the 8mm hex wrench in my kit. I observed that a few of the threads were noticeably stripped inside the left crank and was hoping that I would still be able to attach the CroMoly spindle onto what threads remained. After cleaning out the metal shards I managed to get the pedal back onto the arm but noticed that the other pedal was barely hanging on. With both pedals hand tightened, I carefully rode the cutline back to the trailhead but stopped every few minutes to re-tighten each pedal. I was amazed that they didn’t come off earlier when I rode the Heritage Loop.
@Chargeride – Seems like we both had our share of ills on the trail.
The moment prior to the event.
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Where the pedal came off.
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The ride back to the trailhead.
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On the upside, I did have a trouble-free ride along the Heritage Ranch Loop and enjoyed rounding the less muddy option of the trail which runs further inland from the river. The morning was on the cooler side (0 C) which is relatively unseasonal for this time of year so I donned my balaclava and packed warmer gloves just in case. Good thing that I did, as the temperature and overcast skies didn’t change much during the session.
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Dragonboats, thats the wifes 2nd hobby, the head and tail get fitted for events.North of Warsaw (A Metric Century)
A good friend of mine nicknamed Howard (the person who helped me the most after the fire) has recently asked to have a ride together (he's excited to try Lovelec out). As the bike size should be just OK for him, I agreed, only told him we'd ride together after two weeks (hopefully, it would be warm already). He had suggested we might try a trail to Fort Beniaminów; I decided I would explore that option myself first -- as every good leader of a future group ride does it in advance.
The day would be wonderful if not strong and cold westerly wind. My good balaclavas have all worn out, and new ones will be delivered only on the coming Monday... Jacek's homestead was my base (brother could not join because he felt he caught cold).
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Żerański Canal, a 17-km long waterway connecting Bug and Vistula rivers. Part of it is named Royal Canal, as the first part of the channel was ordered by King Sigismundus III Vasa (the guy who moved Poland's capital city from Cracow to Warsaw in 1596). The waterway is popular among rowers and anglers. Notice that the first part of the Żerański bike trail was made of gravel.
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The second part of the Żerański trail is a perfect asphalt bike path. Because of cold and wind, there were not many cyclists met (yet enthusiasts were riding, though).
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The most funny bike ramp I've ever seen! The ramp has 12 flights on each side of a foot-bridge over the Royal Canal. The turns are so tight it makes little sense to actually ride there, and it is just easier to carry a bike through the stairs. (Unless it is a heavy e-bike or a wheelchair, of course).
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My route led through some forests. It turned out Schwalbe Smart Sam tyres made quite capable off-road e-bike from my Vado. I could even cope with some sand. The bottom picture sports "John Casimir" oak-tree. (John II Casimir of Vasa was the third elected king coming from the Swedish Vasa royal dynasty; in those times Poland had elected -- not hereditary -- kings; Poland actually enjoyed democracy between 1572 and 1791).
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Fort Beniaminów, a Russian fortress that had very short lifespan Warsaw, the capital city of Russian province "Vistula Land" was encircled with fortresses, forming together The Fortress Warsaw (for that reason, the city could not grow by 1916). Beniaminów was under construction when the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 stopped the works. In 1909, Russia changed the strategy. Fortresses had already been an obsolete and costly concept; the Russian decided to destroy all their fortresses in the Vistula Land and lead mobile war closer to her native territory. Fort Beniaminów was destroyed by the Russian themselves in 1915.
There was so deep sand inside the fortress my Vado refused riding inside But ATV enthusiasts just love driving there
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Zegrzyński Reservoir, a large artificial lake made of Rivers Bug and Narew is a recreational mecca for Warsawers. Especially, sailing boats and windsurfers are popular there. (During heavy winters, iceboats used to be popular there).
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Top: Long, long way against strong headwind. I was gradually increasing assistance: 35, 50, 70%. Bottom: The dam in Dębe holds the Zegrzyński Reservoir in place
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Battery replacement at 2/3 of the trip distance. Notice how much my 604 Wh battery #1 is already degraded now (93% health).
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Ride map with POI, stats.
Now, you made it all clear to me! That's true!Dragonboats, thats the wifes 2nd hobby, the head and tail get fitted for events.