The Bicycling thread

[QUOTE=PGlaves;1204384]This one is only $9,999.99 on eBay. I like the "centerstand".[/QUOTE]

The pedals appear to be in the same position???
Any other picture of the bike.

[QUOTE=Lee;1204389]The pedals appear to be in the same position???
Any other picture of the bike.[/QUOTE]

I just did a search for "velocipede" images and this one popped up among a bunch of others.

[QUOTE=kurtr11s;1204318]...

Can you make it across the country by stringing together rail and canal trails? ......[/QUOTE]

From DC, you can ride 180 miles northwest on the C&O Canal Tow Path National Park, to Cumberland MD where it connects directly with the Great Alleghany Passage (GAP) rail-trail for another 150 miles until you reach Pittsburgh PA. (A lot of folks don't realize that DC and Pittsburgh are connected by a 330+ miles continuous bike path!) You will cross the Eastern Continental Divide in the process.

And that length can be further extended by beginning at Mt Vernon (+18 miles) or Purcellville (+55 miles) VA, and I believe there is another trail that extends from Pittsburgh west possibly into Ohio. So I believe you could begin the ride from the tidal Potomac River on the East Coast, and get started on "across the country" trip with about 400 miles of continuous bike path. Not a shabby start.

[QUOTE=vark;1204401]From DC, you can ride 180 miles northwest on the C&O Canal Tow Path National Park, to Cumberland MD where it connects directly with the Great Alleghany Passage (GAP) rail-trail for another 150 miles until you reach Pittsburgh PA. (A lot of folks don't realize that DC and Pittsburgh are connected by a 330+ miles continuous bike path!) You will cross the Eastern Continental Divide in the process.

And that length can be further extended by beginning at Mt Vernon (+18 miles) or Purcellville (+55 miles) VA, and I believe there is another trail that extends from Pittsburgh west possibly into Ohio. So I believe you could begin the ride from the tidal Potomac River on the East Coast, and get started on "across the country" trip with about 400 miles of continuous bike path. Not a shabby start.[/QUOTE]

The GAP is on my list of rides to do. Also the Katy trail in Mo.

I just got my copy of Adirondack Life and there was an article on a race called the TATR which is a self supported bike packing race around the park. Over 500 miles. Not sure I have that in me.

[QUOTE=vark;1204401]From DC, you can ride 180 miles northwest on the C&O Canal Tow Path National Park, to Cumberland MD where it connects directly with the Great Alleghany Passage (GAP) rail-trail for another 150 miles until you reach Pittsburgh PA. (A lot of folks don't realize that DC and Pittsburgh are connected by a 330+ miles continuous bike path!) You will cross the Eastern Continental Divide in the process.

And that length can be further extended by beginning at Mt Vernon (+18 miles) or Purcellville (+55 miles) VA, and I believe there is another trail that extends from Pittsburgh west possibly into Ohio. So I believe you could begin the ride from the tidal Potomac River on the East Coast, and get started on "across the country" trip with about 400 miles of continuous bike path. Not a shabby start.[/QUOTE]

Excellent intel! And certainly not a shabby start!

My Intense was about $8000 when I built it, my Litespeed was insured for $15 000 replacement wen I built it. The Surly's were maybe $2-3? When I rode DH my Turners were about $10 000 each. No trouble to spend lots when you want the good stuff.

Speaking of odd bikes, Brewmeister, a former member had two of the big wheeled bikes and had posted pics riding them somewhere. I have looked at them close and watched the riders mount... never given one a shot.

We did have a few versions of these in our teens and twenties. My brother prob gave the last one away when he recently moved...it was long in the tooth used up anyways
One was very prone to wheelie if you leaned back too far or ran into low trees in the dark...made me laugh thinking about those crazy times. One shown here is a multi speed setup, ours were singles. Awesome beach cruisers as you could see everything going on from high perch... everything:dance

Ours were pretty basic and early welding learning, some of the current ones are well laid out and built. We used plumbing pipe to extend steerer and seatposts... but we didn’t die!

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[QUOTE=kurtr11s;1204404]The GAP is on my list of rides to do. Also the Katy trail in Mo.

I just got my copy of Adirondack Life and there was an article on a race called the TATR which is a self supported bike packing race around the park. Over 500 miles. Not sure I have that in me.[/QUOTE]

The GAP (Great Alleghany Passage) is a beautiful and peaceful trail. We rode it in late October and enjoyed absolutely glorious autumn weather and lovely foliage.

I like to camp but my wife wanted to B&B, either of which is very easy to do on this trail. Although my wife enjoys casual bicycling, she is not a “cyclist” so we had to limit our daily mileage. It was very relaxing for me since I usually maintain a brisk pace. When you have all day to cover 35-50 miles, there is plenty of time to take in the views and other sights. Lots of river crossings, trellises, and some impressively long tunnels through the mountains as you approach the Eastern Continental Divide (ECD).

By way of more “intel”.... We started from Pittsburgh and rode toward DC. Unless you have some other itinerary, this is the preferred direction to travel the GAP/C&O. You work your way uphill very gradually from Pittsburgh toward the ECD over about 125 miles, and then you get to coast downhill into Cumberland for the final 25 miles or so. Going the opposite way, it is a good grind uphill from Cumberland to the ECD, especially with laden bikes.

In Cumberland the trails connect, and it’s a 180 mile flat canal tow-path ride to DC, with little drops at each lock.

In the photos they make it look easy. But those tall bikes must take some skill to ride!

[QUOTE=vark;1204432]In the photos they make it look easy. But those tall bikes must take some skill to ride![/QUOTE]

Ours had straight bars and weren’t bad to keep balanced, getting off in a hurry was sometimes an adventure. The center of gravity wasn’t overwhelming until we played with front wheel size on one which drastically altered steering. The going over backwards was a big wake up! Fixed that by leaning the stem extension forward with sledge and vise! Hi tech

Over the top! Mount/ dismount must be a challenge.

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We also had unicycles, one was a 7’ saddle height and required finding something like a truck to mount up. I never mastered the climb up balance circus performers demonstrated. I always have fun when I see a unicycle rider and play ignorance on riding one asking if I can give it a try.:dance Big fun!

[QUOTE=kurtr11s;1204258] The head of the Tx dept. of Agriculture (or something like that) claimed that the the rural Alpine hospital is declaring bankruptcy primarily because of COVID-19. True?

.[/QUOTE]

When I would ride past our hospital the employee parking lots had about half the normal amount of cars.
Starting this week they can return to doing elective surgeries so that will help.

[QUOTE=kurtr11s;1204318]

Can you make it across the country by stringing together rail and canal trails? ...[/QUOTE]

There's a plan in the works to have a cross country trail using mostly reclaimed railroads.

[url]https://www.curbed.com/2019/2/6/18213958/bike-trails-great-american-rail-trail[/url]

[QUOTE=henzilla;1204413]

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[/QUOTE]

Saw one like that on 2018 RAGBRAI but did not get a picture from the side.
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2016 I saw one of the big wheel bikes.
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Wonder what the protection on big wheel riders Achilles and calf are for? Maybe to not get beat from always turning cranks if a slip?

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[QUOTE=henzilla;1204463]Over the top! Mount/ dismount must be a challenge.

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We also had unicycles, one was a 7’ saddle height and required finding something like a truck to mount up. I never mastered the climb up balance circus performers demonstrated. I always have fun when I see a unicycle rider and play ignorance on riding one asking if I can give it a try.:dance Big fun![/QUOTE]

An unscheduled dismount could be fatal. Too far to fall safely; not far enough for a parachute. :banghead

[QUOTE=PGlaves;1204498]An unscheduled dismount could be fatal. Too far to fall safely; not far enough for a parachute. :banghead[/QUOTE]

Totally agree, even the 16 year old me would pass!

[QUOTE=henzilla;1204482]Wonder what the protection on big wheel riders Achilles and calf are for? Maybe to not get beat from always turning cranks if a slip?

[/QUOTE]

Not sure.
I did not save the uncompressed picture so I can't enlarge it enough to see if they are hard guards or some type of muscle tape.

This cat has been a part of the sideshow during the Tour de France for years and never disappoints


[url]https://www.procyclinguk.com/didi-the-devil/[/url]


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Then this ... may be a Photoshop creation, but wow anyways!

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Great pics! These are fun.

The water bottle bike looks real to me - and I'll bet that the builder used discarded Tour bottles. The pro riders toss them when they're empty.

I've never ridden a High Wheeler but have seen them in action and ridden alongside a few. They look a bit brutal. I'm speculating that the Achilles guards the high wheeler rider is wearing are exactly what they appear to be; guards to protect the Achilles tendon when the spinning pedals invariably strike them when mounting the bike - or as Henzilla noted - in the event of a slipped foot.

There is a reason that contemporary diamond frame bikes were originally marketed as "safety bikes".

League of American Wheelmen now known as League of American Bicyclists

Good read on history of organization since founding in 1880. Biggest was pushing for better roads prior to the intro of the automobile and being successful. Of course some bad with the good thru the years as well

[url]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_American_Bicyclists[/url]

I joined the Houston Wheelmen around 1972 and had the yellow and red lettered wool jersey for years... remember how bad those could be after a long ride...:hungover

Got this yesterday, have seen many of the ESPN produced series, however, never saw this one. Had read about and followed Greg LeMond’s career who is still the only official three time winner from USA of the Tour de France since the other guy screwed that all up. Looking forward to viewing soon. Bernard Hinault ( The Badger) was one of those riders who could destroy his challengers until he wasn’t the young guy anymore.
The third player was Laurent Fignon who passed away at age 50 in 2010, Teammates at some point and rivals throughout the 80’s

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.

[QUOTE=PGlaves;1204652].[/QUOTE]

Cool. I'm starting to wonder if you are bicycle-curious. :thumb

When I was in the Big Bend area I was wondering what it would be like to cycle. On some of those ranches, you could ride from the ranch to the highway, turn around and go back: and end up with a 20 mile ride - just in your driveway!

My ride today.

It is still cool in upstate NY. 56 degrees. Mostly grey but the sun would break out briefly to surprise you with a shadow. Brown is giving way to green. You can still see well into the forest but, even from a distance, you can tell there are buds on the deciduous trees. Most of the corn fields have been plowed and that results in an earthy aroma everywhere. Some farms have decided that regular manure is too mundane - so they brew it over the winter into the most potent reeking liquid, and then spray it on the fields during high wind days. It is tough to ride when you are holding your breath. My riding takes me along rolling terrain following the Seneca river, which is part of the 'modern' Erie canal. The new canal caters to recreational craft and there are frequent marinas and restaurants but spring and pandemic keeps activity to a minimum. This is also a time of high water so low speed limits to prevent wake damage are enforced.

There is surprisingly little wildlife visible. The occasion family of Canadian Geese, a startled deer or two, turkey vultures circling waiting for us to vacate their road kill meal. OK, a ton of rabbit, squirrel, and groundhog. I say hi to all of the horses and the donkeys. When did donkeys get to be so popular? In general, the world is waking up and, seemingly, doesn't give a **** about COVID-19. Traffic today is exceptionally light. Even though we (Michelle and I) are riding to the far right (if there is a white line, we are to the right), cars move into the opposite lane as they pass. Thank you!

Although I have ridden these roads a hundred times, there is always something new to see. Spring allows you to see houses that aren't visible in summer due to foliage. And there are some monsters with fantastic views that I've never noticed until today. Maybe being rich wouldn't be so bad...

Just another day of riding. I am thankful for it.

And I learn something new about the forum. Word #1 in George Carlin's 7 words...

[QUOTE=kurtr11s;1204696]And I learn something new about the forum. Word #1 in George Carlin's 7 words...[/QUOTE]

In a good way?

:scratch

[QUOTE=henzilla;1204708]In a good way?

:scratch[/QUOTE]

Oh. I got auto censored. I am even trying to watch my language. Oops.

Crisp 70 degrees and partly sunny this morning. H was running headwind/ tailwind tradeoffs on what route.
Never fails, the uphills and headwinds seem to happen regardless. She picked headwind start... yea...

We have great leave the house backroads and state two lanes , most with adequate shoulders and minimal traffic most days. We do have to go either two miles or five miles on a US Hwy with a wide shoulder and occasional passing lanes. We ride same stretches on the motors and respect our smallness compared to everyone else, but still ride confidently.
The downside is sometimes in those short stretches you meet the world of commerce... this pic was last week and headed north on opposite side. Regular route for these blades and typically in convoys a mile or so apart.
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Today we were headed north... I saw the pilot car pass us and yelled to H ahead of me after I looked back to see how wide we were preparing for. She had already moved far right as she saw the pilots flashers as well. All was good, but that thing is huge about six foot away at around 65MPH!
These pics were at a overnight stop in town last fall I think

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Then... the pipeline project is staging pipe and are now part of routine traffic. Right after the blade passed!

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We got a later start so going to see if that was a factor on our last five mile run to home.

[QUOTE=kurtr11s;1204711]Oh. I got auto censored. I am even trying to watch my language. Oops.[/QUOTE]

Now that’s funny, forgot it does that :thumb

Wow! Great photos, Steve! What a world of difference in our riding environments. Somewhere in the 'show us your oil head' thread I put a picture of Michelle on her R11R at a rest area just east of Yuma, Az on the 8 (you add 'the' if you are from SoCal). In the background is a parked semi pulling a windmill blade. It was so impressive I had to take a picture. The perspective sure is different when they are on the ground!

[QUOTE=kurtr11s;1204744] In the background is a parked semi pulling a windmill blade. It was so impressive I had to take a picture. [/QUOTE]

The cranes used to put them together are also impressive.
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Here's some big equipment I saw on yesterday's bicycle ride.
Power plant generators.

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This lift was setup in the train yard to transfer the generator from the train car to a truck.
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One of the workers said the truck will take both lanes on the way to the power plant and travel 5 mph.

Yesterday's ride was mid to upper 50s with dark clouds.

There's over 700 wind turbines in the Thumb of Michigan where I ride. Those trucks that carry the blades have remotely operated rear wheels that are controlled by a chase vehicle. Without them, it's almost impossible to navigate many smaller cities. We have had quite a few accidents with these things. At least a couple times per year one either explodes into flames or a blade breaks.

I too get to experience the smell of the liquid manure popular with the farmers now-a-days. This time of year there's a steady stream of huge tractors carrying the crap from the dairies to their fields. Fortunately, the temps have been on the low side so the smells aren't too bad. Another great smell on the bike is deer road kill. You can smell them from a quarter mile away while on the bicycle. Our county doesn't have enough money to remove them so they rot on the shoulder.

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The first generator headed to the plant this morning.

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All the axles can pivot.
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Hey, that semi has a tow tongue so you can tow it behind your RV!

You think those are big? Right now I'm working on the 2nd biggest crane ship in the world! Google the Thialf. There is a 100 ton crawler crane on the deck, about the size of the one in the pic below and it looks like a toy sitting there.

This ia the base of one of the cranes, each one can lift 7000 tons!
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No big machinery here.

Today's ride was to Fulton, a small city north of the village we live in. I didn't even realize it was a city until we got to the 'trophy' sign:

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On the way there, we spent a bunch of miles on county route 14, which is also known as East Mud Lake road. I don't know when the name changed but at some point in history it became Beaver Lake and, in 1963, the land was granted to Onondaga county and is now a county park. It is a real gem of a natural area. There is a trail that goes around the lake (you can see the trail in the foreground of the picture) and we have walked, jogged, raced, and skied that trail numerous times over the years. It is about 3 miles to get around the lake. Some sections are pretty wet so there is a boardwalk on the north shore.

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I finally got the adapter to mount the post mount front brake caliper on Michelle's new fork which uses a flat mount. Decided to buy a $8 adapter vs a $120 caliper. I converted the bike from quick release hubs to thru axle and also lightened up the front end with a trick full carbon fork. I like thru axle with disk brakes because you are less likely to have the wheel mounted slightly differently and end up with pad rub on the disk. Michelle needs that added stiffness because she really lays down the power. This is an extra small frame. She insists on having white tape and saddle. On a gravel bike. It ends up black after one week of use.

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Hope you got a permit to “peddle” :eek
om

[QUOTE=Omega Man;1204792]Hope you got a permit to “peddle” :eek
om[/QUOTE]

Thanks. You didn’t disappoint me. :)

[QUOTE=kurtr11s;1204823]Thanks. You didn’t disappoint me. :)[/QUOTE]

It’s a curse :brad
OM