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[QUOTE=Rinty;1174031]Hey thaniks! Hope you didn't get too wet.[/QUOTE]
I stayed comfortable while riding in the Sunday rain.
I had a vest on to keep the back of my mostly white jealousy clean and I avoided getting directly behind other riders so my glasses would stay cleaner.
The food vendors at the pass-through towns did little business because it was a little cool to stand around when wet.
Bike touring with Santana is an experience! Expensive, sure, but most agree you get your money's worth of enjoyment. Susan and I were billed as Co-Hosts for this trip. This means we work our b--ts off helping out. Our trip started with our arrival @ CDG on Friday morning, July 19. Our first duty was to check into the airport hotel, then hop a bus downtown to the main hotel and check things out. Busses in Paris from CDG are great! After checking things out @ the main hotel (Le Meridien, a Marriott property a few blocks from the Arc d'Triomphe and not too far from the Eiffel Tower), we headed back to the airport to meet others who would be arriving over the next few days. Remember the Tom Hanks movie where he was trapped in the airport w/no way to go for months? That's how we felt as we were in the airport for 2 days, meeting/greeting folks as they arrived in Paris for the pre-tour of the Champs Elysee, the Arc, and Versailles. Riding in Paris traffic on a Monday work day was exhilarating, to say the least, but everyone survived, and we have memories we'll most likely never forget!
After a night in Paris, the group took the TGV from Paris to Strasbourg, where the real tour would be begin. While our group was enjoying themselves in Paris, we (the Santana Co-Hosts and the support crew) were in the vans, heading to Strasbourg so we could unload the bikes and be ready to ride the when the TGV arrived. With all the group assembled, bikes adjusted, the trip officially started with a short ride from the TGV station to the Cathedral of Strasbourg. This great old cathedral was at one time the tallest building in Europe. Yes, it is impressive! When everyone had enjoyed a quick lunch in the town square or wherever, it was a trick to find the route out of town to the river port where we would board the Silver Amadeus II, a riverboat that would serve as our moving base for the next 8 days. If you've ever experienced a cycling cruise (as Santana calls them), you will appreciate the benefit of having the same hotel room every night, but the location constantly changes. It's a great way to travel. You bike along the river (the Rhine river valley is incredibly flat near the river, but the valley has some very steep hills, covered with vineyards. How they farm those steep hillsides is amazing!
We biked along the Rhine, then Moselle, then back to the Rhine on our way to Amsterdam, visiting small villages and touring castles as we cycled along bike paths and small, very low-trafficked roads of the region. We cycled in the France, Germany, Luxembourg, and finally the Netherlands. This last country was a real eye-opener. Bicycles and bike paths almost everywhere. People biking to work in their business clothes, bike parking lots with hundreds of bikes locked to the racks. You truly must see this phenom to appreciate how bicycles can be a major part of the transportation mix of a country, with the proper planning. No, the Netherlands infrastructure isn't perfect, not by a long shot, as the bike paths are also used by small motorscooters and even small cars, as well as pedestrians, skateboards, inline skaters, and others. This mix of disparate path users can be more dangerous than riding on the motorways, which often was our preferred place. It just felt safer (to us) than the paths were.
For us, travelling with our bike to/from Europe was pretty uneventful, much less stressful than travelling domestically. We cleared TSA easily (we're both TSA-Precheck), and our luggage wasn't opened/inspected (other than by x-ray) either going or coming. It's always an adventure coming into a new airport, a new country, and it's a pleasure to clear customs with all our suitcases, bicycle, and other items we needed to take.
Try a foreign bike tour sometime. They're a great way to see the country up close and personal!
[QUOTE=jgoertz;1174959], a riverboat that would serve as our moving base for the next 8 days. If you've ever experienced a cycling cruise (as Santana calls them), you will appreciate the benefit of having the same hotel room every night, but the location constantly changes.[/QUOTE]
That sounds like fun.
[QUOTE=Lee;1173944]Place the cursor over the thumbnail to view pictures from each day.
[url]https://ragbrai.com/category/photo-galleries/#2019[/url] [/QUOTE]
Great shots.
You had some gnarly conditions!
I am a bad person, today was the first time in 3 years I took this beautiful machine out for a spin.
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Nice Litespeed! Campagnolo Record 9?
And yes, you should be flogged for ignoring it!
We are in our two hottest months, ride early and retreat to shade in afternoon. Local bike shop owner calls it our Winter as a lot of folks stay on the couch until September, looking at their Litespeeds:laugh:laugh
Yes Record 10 if I remember correctly. That frame was only made for a few years as it's 6/4 Ti and it cost too much to make as all the tubes were hand made as you can't draw that grade if Ti. This was a custom build all fit for my body even down to seat tube angle. Yes it rides beautifully.
Now if I can just get my sorry ass on it a little more often.
[QUOTE=skibum69;1175777]I am a bad person, today was the first time in 3 years I took this beautiful machine out for a spin.[/QUOTE]
Well it rains a bit on The Rock, doesn't it. :)
Nice bike.
it has been known to rain around here:)
For our anniversary we like to haul our bikes to Mackinac Island Michigan.
We went for our 25th, 30th, 35th, 40th and this year was our 42nd.
On the way up we stayed in Manistique for 2 night.
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You need to take a ferry to the island and sometimes it makes a pass under the bridge.
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Outer lanes are paved and center 2 lanes are metal grate. You can see a vehicle in this picture.
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We spent 5 nights on the island. September is a good month to go because the crowds are down and rates are lower.
Some paved trails and some gravel.
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One night I took the flat trail around the island to see what it was like to ride it at night.
Only things I had to worry about hitting was frogs and horsesh_t.
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Debbie likes to see the large draft horses.
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On the way home we checked out the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point,
Tahquamenon Falls, Pictured Rock National Lakeshore, and Marquette.
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Upper Falls
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Pictured Rock National Lakeshore
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Our motel at Marquette was 3 miles out of town and next to a bicycle trail.
This made it easy to ride in and check out the harbor area.
Marquette Harbor Lighthouse.
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Excellent pix! :thumb Congrats to you and Debbie! :love I've always said that she's a strong lady! :) Tim and I hope to see you two in a few weeks in Jasper! :buds:clap
[QUOTE=susan-nc;1179775]Tim and I hope to see you two a few weeks in Jasper! :buds:clap[/QUOTE]
We'll be there :)
Just ran across this thread, not sure how I missed it before. Good to see others enjoy cycling so much also. I love my bicycles as much as the motorcycles, and credit cycling with keeping me in reasonable shape in recent years. I was the first kid in my school to get a 10 spd - a gorgeous blue Schwinn Varsity that I got in 7th grade. Yes they were heavy and not technically great bikes but I sure didn't know it at the time. Even with all our hills (SF Peninsula) I rode everywhere for almost a decade.. then I got into motorcycles and like many.. didn't ride a bike again until I got a mountain bike at age 38.
I had also became a runner in my early 30's, which was my main form of exercise and beer gut prevention until the knees started complaining when I was 50 (both had been 'scoped previously, and no one informed me how the smaller remaining of cartilage would lead to osteoarthritis, duh..). Since I had already been mountain biking for years, road cycling filled the gap in cardio workouts and worked a miracle for my knees. I have reached a point now (at age 64) where if I DON'T ride for 3-4 days my knees begin to get stiff. So it is an important component of health for me.
I currently have a fleet of four bikes which I really enjoy. I have slowly moved away from chasing lighter weight and technology to just enjoying the pleasure of riding, hence three of the bikes are now steel. The ride comfort (and slightly heavier weight) encourages a more relaxed pace, and the old fashioned retro look and feel add to the enjoyment. The Waterford especially rides like a dream. It is amazing.
Specialized Roubaix Expert - my main workout bike, full carbon. Ride it fast, haha.. 2-3 times a week and for hill work.
Waterford ST-22 - handmade lugged steel road bike made in Waterford, WI. Used for more longer, more relaxed weekend rides. Unbelievable ride quality and a work of art. I keep it in the living room just to look at.
Jamis Quest Elite - Reynolds 631 steel road bike - keep it in SE Asia, where I spend winters. Almost as light and just as fast as my Roubaix, despite the skinny tubes. I ride steep hills there and the ride down is always an exercise in high speed avoidance maneuvers - dogs, people, trucks, Jeepneys, etc)..
Jamis Dragon Pro - Reynolds 853 steel hardtail mountain bike that I have used in the Philippines but keep here now. A bit heavy for real cross country singletrack but really pretty and perfect for normal trails which is all I do anymore anyway..
I like the looks of the Waterford.
Steel is real.
Thanks.. haha.. yes if it's done right there actually is a difference in ride.
[QUOTE=henzilla;1158815]....
This bike has 700/28 tires as well and the 115psi I was used to on 23's is now a recommended 95psi. ...[/QUOTE]
I'm surprised at that recommendation for tire psi.
About 15 years ago I had grown tired of skinny tires and their limitations. I set out to find something more versatile. I did not want to have to choose between a road bike or mountain bike, and stick to one sort of terrain or the other. This was long before disc brakes had made it to road bikes, and long before the recent "gravel grinder" craze that was largely facilitated by disc brakes (by eliminating the tire-width limitations of conventional rim brakes.)
I ended up settling on a cycle cross bike and then modifying it quite a bit to make it better on pavement. The advantage was better brake and fork crown clearances, allowing much wider tires. I started with 32C, then 30C, then 28C and have pretty much settled back at 30C as the best for all-round riding. Very versatile and capable.
I assumed wider tires would slow me down a fair bit on pavement but decided it was worth the compromise for mixed-use capability. I was surprised and initially baffled to find the bike was still quite fast - - even faster than my pure road bike with skinny tires - - on pavement. There was definitely a performance improvement.
Of course, in the past few years the benefits of wider tires and the understanding that they offer decreased rolling resistance, has become all the rage. Why it took the industry so long to recognize this is truly amazing. I was an adherent well over a decade ago, even without wide profile carbon rims that also decrease wind resistance. My riding friends remained skeptical until very recent years. Some are finally beginning to transition as they shop for new bikes...
But by over-pressurizing the wider tires, much of the decreased rolling resistance (as well as improved ride and braking ability) is lost. Unless you are a tremendously heavy individual, with 28C tires you should be pressurizing to no more than 75 psi, and more like 60. Less if you are a lightweight. As mentioned, I now run 30C and set them around 45-50 psi.
I would encourage you to at least give a lower tire pressure setting a try. You may be surprised. You will also find that you don't need to pump up the tires nearly as often, because with the extra air volume of the wider tires, and lower pressure, they just don't lose pressure very quickly at all.:thumb
[QUOTE=henzilla;1158815]
This bike has 700/28 tires [/QUOTE]
The last time I was in the shop I noticed most of the 2020 Trek road bikes had 700x32 tires.
I'm guessing most other brands did the same.
I most recently put some 32mm Gatorskins on the Waterford as I like the capability of carrying a load, and I run them at 75psi. Very comfortable, but they feel a bit slow. On the other two road bikes I use Conti GP4000 in a 25mm which are actually 26 wide. I run them at 90psi and they are fast and the ride is okay. I never get flats on Continentals. I think I'm coming around to 28mm being the best compromise, and that's what everything will get next time.
[QUOTE=jbinaz;1184312]I most recently put some 32mm Gatorskins on the Waterford as I like the capability of carrying a load, and I run them at 75psi. Very comfortable, but they feel a bit slow. On the other two road bikes I use Conti GP4000 in a 25mm which are actually 26 wide. I run them at 90psi and they are fast and the ride is okay. I never get flats on Continentals. I think I'm coming around to 28mm being the best compromise, and that's what everything will get next time.[/QUOTE]
Sometime I'll stop at the shop and try a wheel and 28mm tire to see if it will clear my Ultegra rim brakes.
Current tire size is 25mm.
[QUOTE=jbinaz;1184312]I most recently put some 32mm Gatorskins on the Waterford as I like the capability of carrying a load, and I run them at 75psi. Very comfortable, but they feel a bit slow. On the other two road bikes I use Conti GP4000 in a 25mm which are actually 26 wide. I run them at 90psi and they are fast and the ride is okay. I never get flats on Continentals. I think I'm coming around to 28mm being the best compromise, and that's what everything will get next time.[/QUOTE]
If the wider tires aren’t matched to a wider rim profile, the speed and comfort benefits often aren’t realized because you generally need to run higher tire pressure than you do with a wider rim.
Even running low tire pressure, it’s been over a decade of cycling since my last flat tire. Specialized Armadillo [B]ELITE[/B]. (Had one flat with them about 11 years ago when I ran over an upright industrial staple with 32C tires.) They are a bit heavy and not the fastest, but getting flats is much slower.
[QUOTE=jbinaz;1184312] Very comfortable, but they feel a bit slow. .[/QUOTE]
My legs slow me down :)
Why my Schwinn was Faster...(previously posted on I-BMW)
I got into bicycle racing back in the 70s.
At the time my ride was a Schwinn Super Le Tour 12.5.
The 12.5 optimistically stood for the weight in kilograms but was actually 13 kilos or 28.5 lbs.
It had Schwinn Components, 27 inch clincher wheels, and 1 1/4 " tubed tires.
After training with a club for one summer (Queen City Wheelmen), it was set aside for a custom bike ordered from the Yellow Jersey in Madison, WI.
San Rensho criterium frame, Campy Record groupo, Araya aerodynamic rims, narrow sew-up tires, Swiss DT spokes, Cinelli handlebars.
The club had a weekly time trial along the Ohio and Miami rivers, just west of Cincinnati.
As I recall, the route went past Harrison's Tomb.
Good pavement and only rare traffic.
Plus the finish line was a short hop back to the starting line where we parked our cars if we didn't ride to get there.
The Schwinn had several TTs under its belt with respectable times (at least for a Cat IV).
But the San Rensho/Campy was going to shame the previous times.
I least that was the expectation.
The San Rensho never performed as well, not even close.
I couldn't figure it out.
Training was going well, but the times just weren't there.
The suspicion at the time was that the stiffness of the new bike was causing enough discomfort to slow things down.
Replaced the steel forks with aluminum and still couldn't make it work.
So tonight, decades later, I'm looking at Cycling Weekly and there's an article about Campy's new tubeless wheels, ceramic bearings and all.
And, midway though the article:
Knowing that wider tyres are aerodynamically faster, Campagnolo has designed the wheels with 25 and 28mm tyres. It has also recognised that rolling resistance is affected by the standard of tyres used, with tubular tyres being the slowest and tubeless the fastest with clinchers in-between.
Read more at [URL="https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/product-news/campagnolo-releases-tubeless-ready-bora-wto-wheels-375973"]https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/product-news/campagnolo-releases-tubeless-ready-bora-wto-wheels-375973[/URL]
I miss that Schwinn.
I got on my road bike this past summer for the first time in 3 years for a short scoot. I need to get back riding more than to the beach with a surfboard plus my cruisers are just about done after 12 years of zero maintenance besides air in the tires.
[QUOTE]The rub is that a higher pressure often “feels” faster. You feel every bit of road – the wheels might seem stiffer and faster – it’s as though every bit of your pedaling energy translates directly into forward motion, but this is a false intuition.[/QUOTE]
[URL="https://www.slowtwitch.com/Products/Things_that_Roll/Tires/Tire_Pressure_and_Rolling_Resistance_7406.html"]https://www.slowtwitch.com/Products/Things_that_Roll/Tires/Tire_Pressure_and_Rolling_Resistance_7406.html[/URL]
Our next ride may be a recumbent Terra Trike Tandem with electric assist.
As these are low to the ground with low visibility, we would restrict our riding to bike trails.
This model decouples for easy transport.
[QUOTE=wildbears;1187818]Our next ride may be a recumbent Terra Trike Tandem with electric assist.
As these are low to the ground with low visibility, we would restrict our riding to bike trails.
This model decouples for easy transport.[/QUOTE]
I was not able to find the electric assist tandem on the Terra Trike site.
TerraTrike has two models that come with electric assist now, but these are singles.
It might be that you could kit one of these with a TerraTrike single up front. TerraTrike does offer kits to make a single into a tandem. Not sure about using one of these electric assist models.
Or you could go aftermarket at a good bike shop.
[url]https://www.ebikekit.com/blogs/news/how-to-convert-a-terratrike-recumbent-tricycle-to-an-electric-terratrike-recumbent-tricycle-using-the-e-bikekit-conversion-system[/url]
Electric assist on a tandem may only provide modest assist but enough to keep the "stoker" from being overtaxed if the other rider tires out.
I was recently left in the dust by a pair of octagenarians on TerraTrikes singles, one with assist. In my defence, it had been a long day.
I own a bicycle shop, specializing in tandems & recumbents. About 30 days ago I converted a CaTrike to "e-assist", using a Bafang kit. This is a mid-drive unit, and replaced the front crankset. You lose the double/triple crankset, giving you a 1x setup. However, the Bafang offers 1-3-5-9 levels of assist (IIRC), plus a "throttle" to help you up the hills when your assist isn't enough. To put the Bafang on a tandem, you'd need to remove the front BB/crank and convert your tandem to same-side drive, again losing at least one, probably 2 chainrings from the back crankset. If I were to convert a tandem, I'd drop the rear crankset to a single drive ring, install an 11-speed cassette on the rear wheel (you can use an 11/40 11-sp cassette on a "10-speed" road wheel), and install the battery on the front down tube.
Bafang kits add about 15 pounds to the weight of a bike, but you do remove a pound or so by removing the extra chainring(s) and front derailleur.
YMMV
Any safety concerns for the e-bikes? I ride a roadie mostly on park land, one circuit about 16 miles. This season, more than once, saw e-bikes scooting along at a pace way faster than the rider seemed capable of controlling. I thought, " How is that rider passing me on this hill?" Then I saw the battery bulge.
Safety is always on my mind not because of my age but because of liability. Also the laws posted everywhere saying, "No motorized vehicles." Trails are multiuser sometimes with horse traffic in a few areas. Not unusual to see skate boarders, inline skaters, lots of dogs on the retracting leashes, joggers, cross country skiing on wheels, all of which are mostly on the weekends.
Personally cycling seems great aerobic with human motor. Don't know how e-bikes fit in to cycling. Not to mention ear buds. Saw a rider using iPhone too. Is cycling insurance in our future?
Great question! I wish I could answer it definitively. However, state legislators are wrestling with how to treat these machines -- are they bicycles or low-powered motorcycles? I've resisted them in my shop, only do this conversion because the owner of the bike bought the Bafang kit for me to install. The owner needs the e-assist to ride, as he's battling stage 4 cancer and is beaten down by treatments.
[QUOTE=jgoertz;1187944]I own a bicycle shop, specializing in tandems & recumbents. ....[/QUOTE]
Good info.
Thanks.
I would be doing most of the work with the wife and I riding together.
The electric assist will allow more time and distance together.
Inviduals with Parkinson's Disease benefit by passive bicycling.
That is, riding on the back of a tandem, even though they are not doing much of the effort.
One study suggests that this type of exercise is as good as medication for treating Parkinsons.
People with other disabilities, such as stroke or cerebral palsy, may simply enjoy bicycling with a friend or companion.
Recumbant tandems would appear to be ideal for these purposes.
[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJgMObLsUdE[/url]
For some reason I couldn't get the embed code to work...
[QUOTE=AKsuited;1188571][url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJgMObLsUdE[/url]
For some reason I couldn't get the embed code to work...[/QUOTE]
[video=youtube;HJgMObLsUdE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJgMObLsUdE[/video]
:eek :burnout
OM
There appear to be no limits to insanity.:scratch
[QUOTE=8ninety8;1187968]Any safety concerns for the e-bikes? I ride a roadie mostly on park land, one circuit about 16 miles. This season, more than once, saw e-bikes scooting along at a pace way faster than the rider seemed capable of controlling. I thought, " How is that rider passing me on this hill?" Then I saw the battery bulge.
Safety is always on my mind not because of my age but because of liability. Also the laws posted everywhere saying, "No motorized vehicles." Trails are multiuser sometimes with horse traffic in a few areas. Not unusual to see skate boarders, inline skaters, lots of dogs on the retracting leashes, joggers, cross country skiing on wheels, all of which are mostly on the weekends.
Personally cycling seems great aerobic with human motor. Don't know how e-bikes fit in to cycling. Not to mention ear buds. Saw a rider using iPhone too. Is cycling insurance in our future?[/QUOTE]
The Trump administration decided in September that e-bikes are "non-motorized bicycles" so are now allowed on trails in National Parks. See: [url]https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/electric-bikes-may-soon-be-humming-along-national-park-trails-n1048771[/url]
"I smoked a Ferrari with my bicycle." :)
I wonder how long the run out area is, on that track. I have to think they would need about a kilometre.
😮
That thrust to weight ratio is crazy and did I say WOW!
Bye-Bye Italian car🤪
[QUOTE=Omega Man;1188581][video=youtube;HJgMObLsUdE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJgMObLsUdE[/video]
:eek :burnout
OM[/QUOTE]
Not really a fair fight. The Ferrari needed friction/traction for acceleration...the biker just needed to hang on!
His style reminds me of an old movie, about Bonneville!