Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
A
Advertisement.
Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos
Places like Amsterdam are full of cargo bikes like this with kids in the front. Both ebike and normal. It’s flat as a pancake of course with amazing bike paths.I wondered that myself though it does appear that there are integrated belts to somewhat limit the child’s movements. I saw a similar Cube cargo bike in a LBS and it looked pretty stable. My wife remarked that the motorized two-wheeler with a bucket would be ideal for making daily runs out to our community garden plots which are several kms away. The price point had me thinking that it would end up just being a really fancy wheelbarrow with little to no space to accommodate it in our already cramped for space garage.
CUBE Cargo Sport Hybrid Review | ElectricBikeReview.com
Price: $6000.00 | Model Year: 2021 | A sporty box bike with a suspension fork that can handle up to two children in the front, and maneuver like a traditional bicycle on two wheels vs. three. Bike weight and cargo weight is low and center for stability. larger 27.5electricbikereview.com
dodgeman
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Macomb, Illinois
I did 22 miles today and have a barn of the day pic. In this case 2 barns in one picture. Both in not great shape the one in the back being the worst. I missed a few days a couple weeks ago because I was visiting relatives in Wisconsin. They have lots of nice barns there, probably because they have a lot of dairy cattle. No pics though because we didn’t take our bikes.
Prairie Dog
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Canada
- City
- Red Deer
I love the graying twins though I agree that the one sporting the Gambrel is definitely showing its age.
kahn
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- northWET washington
I really like this picture. Thanks for sharing.
Mulezen
Well-Known Member
I rode a local fourteen miles this Saturday morning over familiar country...stiil...I was surprised to see a barn with its very own observatory. We don't need no stinkin' JWST with this baby. I think in June I posted a picture of a huge-wheeled sprayer. Here's an update of the field with a flowery bonus. These hay rows are out front of the Sisters of the Visitation.
Attachments
m@Robertson
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
I took my Surly Big Fat Dummy out of retirement today. Transported it the 160 miles from storage to home and, after attaching the bags and reinstalling the battery, its my daily driver again. Took it out for what was supposed to be a basic shakedown that ended up running out to the boondocks and beyond. I only turned around because I realized I had eaten up 8 usable volts to get where I was and I only had 4 left to turn around and get back. And I had the steepest climb in town to get back up. Lots of exercise today.
Too many tourists on the regular crosstown bike path and for some reason Cannery Row wasn't packed, so I took advantage of the still-slow traffic and rode thru Tourist Central. Stopped for a moment to snap a pic. On a weekday you can shoot a cannon down this street and hit nothing.
Rejoined the trail at the pier, and continued on, stopping at Eolian Dunes. This is the entrance to my remote beach ride that goes on for miles, where to get inland you either get to the other side, turn back or swim for it. Fog was rolling in and pre-sunset light was peeking thru and illuminating sections of the bay. Much nicer effect in person than on camera. What you can't see was the steep, deep sandy slope I navigated on the way to this spot at the edge of the low (man made stone!) bluff. Was an exhilirating nailbiter on the way down... and not rideable back up. Reminded me of why I normally use a 2wd bike here.
Continued down the path and into Fort Ord Dunes State Park. This is an effectively deserted area that was once used for ammunition bunkers and firing ranges at the now-long-closed army base. The bunkers are still inset into some of the dunes (the steel doors sealed with huge cement blocks). By this time the fog was almost ready to start rolling in something fierce. This concrete slab once was part of something... now the buildings that once surrounded it are gone without a trace. The state really did an amazing job of reclaiming the land and putting it back to its natural state. The colors are a lot more vibrant than you can see here. Thats what I get for using a cell phone camera I suppose. On the ride home, the fog was so thick it may as well have been raining. Since I just came from the Central Valley where the temperatures are blistering, I was fine with that.
Too many tourists on the regular crosstown bike path and for some reason Cannery Row wasn't packed, so I took advantage of the still-slow traffic and rode thru Tourist Central. Stopped for a moment to snap a pic. On a weekday you can shoot a cannon down this street and hit nothing.
Rejoined the trail at the pier, and continued on, stopping at Eolian Dunes. This is the entrance to my remote beach ride that goes on for miles, where to get inland you either get to the other side, turn back or swim for it. Fog was rolling in and pre-sunset light was peeking thru and illuminating sections of the bay. Much nicer effect in person than on camera. What you can't see was the steep, deep sandy slope I navigated on the way to this spot at the edge of the low (man made stone!) bluff. Was an exhilirating nailbiter on the way down... and not rideable back up. Reminded me of why I normally use a 2wd bike here.
Continued down the path and into Fort Ord Dunes State Park. This is an effectively deserted area that was once used for ammunition bunkers and firing ranges at the now-long-closed army base. The bunkers are still inset into some of the dunes (the steel doors sealed with huge cement blocks). By this time the fog was almost ready to start rolling in something fierce. This concrete slab once was part of something... now the buildings that once surrounded it are gone without a trace. The state really did an amazing job of reclaiming the land and putting it back to its natural state. The colors are a lot more vibrant than you can see here. Thats what I get for using a cell phone camera I suppose. On the ride home, the fog was so thick it may as well have been raining. Since I just came from the Central Valley where the temperatures are blistering, I was fine with that.
Readytoride
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Virginia
The "Like" Checklist
Yesterday my Gazelle hitched a ride on the electric car for a dawn trip west across the mountain to a 2nd annual charity bike ride in Winchester VA. This was my first time at the ride and, while I was told the ride was very pretty and on nice country roads, I chose to be choosy and enter the half metric division on the sole principle that if I "liked" the route and the organization behind the ride, I could chose the Half Century division next year.
I believe the "Like" box has been checked for 2023 based on the scenery alone:
We lucked out with a gorgeous morning sporting a temperature well below the most recent highs this past week. The ride had (tried to) limit the number to 200 cyclists, but I guess "someone" forgot to turn off their online entry spigot once the limit was reached. 250 cyclists showed up that morning, resulting in a managerial panic of not having enough "swag bags" to hand out to the riders at check-in. A hastily written note tacked up on one of the tent poles at the registration table explained the situation, along with an apology, that the t-shirts and goodies were to be given out after the ride. Not a big deal to me. I was there for the ride, not the merchandise.
The vehicle parking was in the spacious lot of a local (huge) hospital complex with plenty of trees for shade. I left hubby to enjoy his book in the peace and quiet of the parking area while I joined the other riders gathering at an adjacent lot where two state troopers on their motocycles, with all the attending police lights flashing, escorted the ride out of town. The county sheriff's department had deputies stationed at all the local crossroads to allow the cyclists a free pass through the lights and stop signs while motorized vehicles obediently waited in lines until all the cyclists were through. I will admit that was another plus checkmark for me.
Within minutes the urban scenery of tall buildings and pristine suburban houses and various business enterprises gave way to rural farm lands, rustic fields, and wide open vistas with gorgeous mountain backgrounds. Traffic disappeared almost entirely (it was Saturday, after all) and the rare vehicles that did pass by were polite and careful.
The roads changed, too, shedding the standard crisp painted lines framing and dividing geometrically perfect urban traffic grids to become unadorned roughly laid blacktop wandering around the rural hills and valleys with not even a hint of a painted line in sight. Ancient farming equipment popped up randomly along the way, usually posing as rusty out-of-commission decorative art alongside dirt roads leading to oftentimes tired old farmhouses or even older barns that hadn't seen a paintbrush in decades. The majority of the farmed fields were filled with corn, miles of tall stalks tightly packed, still green, still growing. It would be another month or so before they would be ready for harvest. Angus cattle huddled in the dark shade of trees in the weedy, unmown pastures making them hard to spot. Easier to see were the amazing variety of wildflowers blooming along the roadside. Tall spikes of mullin with their stingy display of only one bright yellow flower per day, delicate Queen Anne's lace in brilliant white almost outcompeting the miles and miles of wispy purple flowers of chicory. Every now and then a symbol of suburbia shoved its way forward into view with a precision cut lawn and towering McMansion plopped in the middle of an acre or two, looking as out of place as a whale in a woods. Such astartling anomalies were quickly left behind as the uncut fields and sagging barbed wire on ancient fence posts struggling to remain upright but failing miserably recaptured their rightful place alongside the roads escorting the riders deeper into the countryside.
At one point our route took us under an immensely high power line that must have been 100' high. In a group of three, not all identical but instead configured to the era it was raised, the towers climbed a nearby hill, a prelude to the mountains the towers would soon have to surmount to send zillons of kilowats on a journey spanning thousands of miles. A reminder of how, as a society, we are all tied to The Grid for our daily lives. Out here in the rural countryside it wasn't hidden from view, buried underground as it was in the city being considered an eyesore, but instead demanded the air space as it's own. It was still an eyesore, but also a testament to progress at the same time. Worth taking a fast snapshot or two before I cycled onward back into more pristine vistas.
By the time the temperatures had started to rise into the less comfortable range, the 30 mile route had circled back to the beginning. In the company of another lady rider who I had shared several miles and nonstop conversation with, we rolled into the finish together, laughing. A quick check-in to record our finish, our swag bags secure on our handbags, we cycled together back to our cars which were (remarkably) right across the parking lane from each other. Met our respective husbands there, shared more conversation as we loaded our bikes up for the journey home, and waved goodbye with expressed hopes of seeing each other again at next year's ride.
Yes, with all the plus checkmarks this ride achieved, I will certainly put the half Century on my list for 2023.
Yesterday my Gazelle hitched a ride on the electric car for a dawn trip west across the mountain to a 2nd annual charity bike ride in Winchester VA. This was my first time at the ride and, while I was told the ride was very pretty and on nice country roads, I chose to be choosy and enter the half metric division on the sole principle that if I "liked" the route and the organization behind the ride, I could chose the Half Century division next year.
I believe the "Like" box has been checked for 2023 based on the scenery alone:
We lucked out with a gorgeous morning sporting a temperature well below the most recent highs this past week. The ride had (tried to) limit the number to 200 cyclists, but I guess "someone" forgot to turn off their online entry spigot once the limit was reached. 250 cyclists showed up that morning, resulting in a managerial panic of not having enough "swag bags" to hand out to the riders at check-in. A hastily written note tacked up on one of the tent poles at the registration table explained the situation, along with an apology, that the t-shirts and goodies were to be given out after the ride. Not a big deal to me. I was there for the ride, not the merchandise.
The vehicle parking was in the spacious lot of a local (huge) hospital complex with plenty of trees for shade. I left hubby to enjoy his book in the peace and quiet of the parking area while I joined the other riders gathering at an adjacent lot where two state troopers on their motocycles, with all the attending police lights flashing, escorted the ride out of town. The county sheriff's department had deputies stationed at all the local crossroads to allow the cyclists a free pass through the lights and stop signs while motorized vehicles obediently waited in lines until all the cyclists were through. I will admit that was another plus checkmark for me.
Within minutes the urban scenery of tall buildings and pristine suburban houses and various business enterprises gave way to rural farm lands, rustic fields, and wide open vistas with gorgeous mountain backgrounds. Traffic disappeared almost entirely (it was Saturday, after all) and the rare vehicles that did pass by were polite and careful.
The roads changed, too, shedding the standard crisp painted lines framing and dividing geometrically perfect urban traffic grids to become unadorned roughly laid blacktop wandering around the rural hills and valleys with not even a hint of a painted line in sight. Ancient farming equipment popped up randomly along the way, usually posing as rusty out-of-commission decorative art alongside dirt roads leading to oftentimes tired old farmhouses or even older barns that hadn't seen a paintbrush in decades. The majority of the farmed fields were filled with corn, miles of tall stalks tightly packed, still green, still growing. It would be another month or so before they would be ready for harvest. Angus cattle huddled in the dark shade of trees in the weedy, unmown pastures making them hard to spot. Easier to see were the amazing variety of wildflowers blooming along the roadside. Tall spikes of mullin with their stingy display of only one bright yellow flower per day, delicate Queen Anne's lace in brilliant white almost outcompeting the miles and miles of wispy purple flowers of chicory. Every now and then a symbol of suburbia shoved its way forward into view with a precision cut lawn and towering McMansion plopped in the middle of an acre or two, looking as out of place as a whale in a woods. Such astartling anomalies were quickly left behind as the uncut fields and sagging barbed wire on ancient fence posts struggling to remain upright but failing miserably recaptured their rightful place alongside the roads escorting the riders deeper into the countryside.
At one point our route took us under an immensely high power line that must have been 100' high. In a group of three, not all identical but instead configured to the era it was raised, the towers climbed a nearby hill, a prelude to the mountains the towers would soon have to surmount to send zillons of kilowats on a journey spanning thousands of miles. A reminder of how, as a society, we are all tied to The Grid for our daily lives. Out here in the rural countryside it wasn't hidden from view, buried underground as it was in the city being considered an eyesore, but instead demanded the air space as it's own. It was still an eyesore, but also a testament to progress at the same time. Worth taking a fast snapshot or two before I cycled onward back into more pristine vistas.
By the time the temperatures had started to rise into the less comfortable range, the 30 mile route had circled back to the beginning. In the company of another lady rider who I had shared several miles and nonstop conversation with, we rolled into the finish together, laughing. A quick check-in to record our finish, our swag bags secure on our handbags, we cycled together back to our cars which were (remarkably) right across the parking lane from each other. Met our respective husbands there, shared more conversation as we loaded our bikes up for the journey home, and waved goodbye with expressed hopes of seeing each other again at next year's ride.
Yes, with all the plus checkmarks this ride achieved, I will certainly put the half Century on my list for 2023.
RabH
Well-Known Member
Back to my quiet back roads today, I got quite a shock when I saw how low the water is at Hillend Loch now! Its been a few weeks since I passed it and it took my breath away when I saw it! There can't be many fish left with the water this low!
2 miles on and the Black Loch is looking way better, the water level has only depleted slightly here! The water was like glass today with no wind blowing for a change!
The sun was shining on the Ochil Hills in the distance, I was heading away from them today!
The conditions were just perfect for cycling today, with very little wind and a temp of 16C it really was so much fun riding on fantastic roads! As I arrived in Lithlithgow I just had to stop to take a photo of these classics! Back in my early days as a mechanic I worked on many Rover cars and the 3500TC in the middle was one of my favourites with the awesome 3500cc V8 engine!
I continued on through Linlithgow and reached my turning point at Kingscavil where "the hill" awaited me, its tough even on an e bike!
After cresting the hill the road leads to the big descent of the day where I managed 42.8mph, it doesn't look like much of a downhill in the photo but it is way steeper than it looks here! The descent starts way over on the left of the picture!
After the descent its time for another big climb up to Beecraigs Country Park, the view from the top is very nice!
I turned at the country park and freewheeled down the big descent to the Beecraigs Loch at almost 40mph, the road is very narrow at the bottom so I wouldn't like to arrive there at excessive speed to find a car climbing the hill towards you!
Beecraigs Loch looking lovely in the morning sun!
As you leave the loch there is a whopping big climb at almost 20%, that's why I normally don't stop at the loch! I usually try to keep my momentum going on the big downhill and attack the climb at speed, so today I thought I was going to have to start from a virtual standstill...but my luck was in as a lovely young lady jogger very kindly held the gate to the loch open to allow me to take a run at the hill! I thanked her for her kindness and a lovely smile was returned!
I flew up the hill in level 4 assist and then enjoyed yet another beautiful descent down into the village of Dechmont! The roads from here can be pretty busy but there is a nice cycle path which was deserted thankfully, so I made full use of it until I reached the busy road out of Bathgate which leads to a fast dual carriageway! I spotted roadworks ahead where the outside lane was closed and its a gradual climb up it, so I decided to go through an industrial estate into the town of Blackburn! This is the home town of famous Scottish singer Susan Boyle (Of Britains Got Talent Fame), no sign of her today!
Onwards toward home now and I got a lovely surprise when I found one of my quiet back roads had been completely resurfaced in lovely new tarmac, they have been patching it for years (very badly) and it was such a joy to ride on it!
What a brilliant day that was, not quite matching the island of Arran but I loved every minute! I'm only 1 mile short of last months total so on Wednesday I will pass 700 miles for this month, it has been such a great cycling month! I'm actually going back to Arran next Thursday but the bike will be staying at home this time, I'm taking my sister to the island and looking forward to a relaxing drive in the car! This will be my first time driving on to a ferry, I have only been driving for 47 years!Attachments
Readytoride
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Virginia
Rabh -
Are you in a drought at the moment for the loch to have dropped to that low of a level?
Are you in a drought at the moment for the loch to have dropped to that low of a level?
Back to my quiet back roads today, I got quite a shock when I saw how low the water is at Hillend Loch now! Its been a few weeks since I passed it and it took my breath away when I saw it! There can't be many fish left with the water this low!
kahn
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- northWET washington
Around the north end of Lake Washington
Longest in quite a while. 35.5 and about 1,700 feet of gain. Along the Interurban Trail and then east to the Burke Gilman Trail. Along Waynita Way into Kirkland. The Kirkland Connector Trail which has a few miles of gravel. Northrup Way to the 520 Bike Trail across the bridge and then through the Univ of Washington and home. The spur for the trip was that the 520 Bridge across Lake Washington was closed for construction making it QUIET whereas it is normally a complete assault on the ears!
Longest in quite a while. 35.5 and about 1,700 feet of gain. Along the Interurban Trail and then east to the Burke Gilman Trail. Along Waynita Way into Kirkland. The Kirkland Connector Trail which has a few miles of gravel. Northrup Way to the 520 Bike Trail across the bridge and then through the Univ of Washington and home. The spur for the trip was that the 520 Bridge across Lake Washington was closed for construction making it QUIET whereas it is normally a complete assault on the ears!
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
We have a few of them around here, but they are like ice cream bikes, big box, two wheels at the front and mid drive.
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
Home for a bit, just got these pics from one of the lads out of the bike squad.
Hes fine.
Thats a two lane 60mph road, but it has really wide and seperate cycle lanes.
Guy pulled out of driveway in front of him without looking.
Thats also a really weird bike make.
Hes fine.
Thats a two lane 60mph road, but it has really wide and seperate cycle lanes.
Guy pulled out of driveway in front of him without looking.
Thats also a really weird bike make.
RabH
Well-Known Member
Some parts of Scotland are under drought restrictions but not where I live, I'm actually wondering if they are draining the loch for some reason but I can't find any info! The other loch close by is still at normal levels so its a bit of a mystery for now...
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Most of Europe is at the drought conditions now. Poland, Italy, Germany, no exception... The River Vistula (a.k.a. "The Queen of Polish Rivers") is a narrow strip of water now.
Mulezen
Well-Known Member
Drought is worldwide…except where there is too much water…who could have predicted this? /s
Today's WorldView: The great drought and the great deluge, all at the same time
And a 4-year-old killed in her stroller shows the horrific toll of Russia’s war
s2.washingtonpost.com
| ||||||||||||||
|
Email
Readytoride
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Virginia
@RabH
My husband suggested your loch has a leak.
But your assumption that the water may being diverted has merit, especially as none of the other locus seem to be experiencing depth reduction.
Virginia hasn't suffered this drought that is holding the West and Mid-west captive. We have had so much rain this year to the point where vegetation is still lush and green at a time when it should be brown and dried.
The 1930 drought still holds the undisputed local record in Washington DC, Maryland and much of Virginia as the driest year since the start of record-keeping in 1869. Crops failed, wells and creeks dried up. The Potomac River dried up to the extent that boards were laid on the river bed, spaning the distance to the Maryland shoreline, so that cars could cross and thus bypass the bridge toll.
However, the drought did do what the law could never manage - it forced the majority of Virginia moonshiners to abandon their stills for lack of corn and creek water.
My husband suggested your loch has a leak.
But your assumption that the water may being diverted has merit, especially as none of the other locus seem to be experiencing depth reduction.
Virginia hasn't suffered this drought that is holding the West and Mid-west captive. We have had so much rain this year to the point where vegetation is still lush and green at a time when it should be brown and dried.
The 1930 drought still holds the undisputed local record in Washington DC, Maryland and much of Virginia as the driest year since the start of record-keeping in 1869. Crops failed, wells and creeks dried up. The Potomac River dried up to the extent that boards were laid on the river bed, spaning the distance to the Maryland shoreline, so that cars could cross and thus bypass the bridge toll.
However, the drought did do what the law could never manage - it forced the majority of Virginia moonshiners to abandon their stills for lack of corn and creek water.
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
Yes,Ive been reading a lot about the 30s dustbowl.
People literally commited suicide simply from the heat, not financial ruin.
When you look at the graphs, it dwarfs recent events.
People literally commited suicide simply from the heat, not financial ruin.
When you look at the graphs, it dwarfs recent events.
Similar threads
