Category: Bikes

Due to needs at work, I had to work at my old office location today.  I never liked that location much, but it’s easier to reach by bicycle than the current location.  I took that as a good reason to ride to work this morning.

It was cool with light rain as I headed out.  It was a pleasant, uneventful ride.

The weather had warmed by quitting time and the rain had stopped.  I was looking forward to a very pleasant trip home….

Unfortunately, I had a flat rear tire.

I carry tubes, pump, and tools, so shouldn’t be an issue.  Well, it was an issue.  The tires on that bike are very tight on the rims.  I couldn’t remove the tire.

My co-workers were already gone.  My wife was on the opposite end of town playing volleyball.  I used Lyft to get home, leaving my bike in the office.  Boo.

At least I got my 13-mile morning ride.

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I found this picture from a few years ago.

That was my living room.  I had a couch, chair, and coffee table.  That left room for working on bikes.  What more does a guy need?  Oh, a cargo bike for using the laptop on.

Needless to say, things look a bit different in my living room these days.  However, all is not lost.  I washed the mud off my mountain bike in my shower today.  Diane even helped.  That’s devotion.

As I mentioned after yesterday’s ride, I planned another ride for today.  Tim and I met up and headed to Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge for a gravel ride.

Muscatatuck isn’t that big, but it’s a good starting place for a ride, with pleasant scenery.  The planned route was just under 30 miles.

Tim and I were both on our Rawlands.  This was expected to be easy, mostly-flat gravel.  The temperature was about 50 at the beginning of the ride.

After meandering around the hard-packed dirt roads in Muscatatuck, taking in the scenery (and birds – lots of birds), we headed east along a “road” that was little more than muddy grass two-track.  I was wishing for tires with tread, instead of my fat road tires.  Well, at least we have a different route coming back.

After getting back to a real road, it quickly turned to loose gravel.  It was more work to ride through, but I liked it better than the mud.

We eventually hit pavement for a while, which felt unnaturally smooth after that gravel.  It was like cheating.

Except for a brief burst of “leaving church” traffic, there was little traffic.  It was a pleasant ride.

I mostly quit taking pictures at this point.  I was still feeling good, but I needed a bit more focus to keep moving.

On the final stretch back, we ran into a snag.  The planned route took a road (CR 300 S) that didn’t really exist.  A quick look at my GPS showed that CR 200 S to the north didn’t go all the way through.  We did the only sensible thing and headed back south to CR 475 S – the very “not road” I mentioned earlier with all the mud.

Oddly enough, looking at data from a previous ride a few years ago in the area, it appears that we did take CR 200 S, so apparently it’s passable by bike.  I don’t remember the details.

We ended it at 33.6 miles before heading home.  It was a perfectly pleasant day.  Planning a shorter ride means we don’t have to cut rides short.  I’d rather feel good about finishing a ride, than cut it short and feel bad.  I’ll keep planning these shorter rides until I build a bit more fitness.

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I mentioned that I needed to ride during the week.  I didn’t.  I worked from home two days, drove two days, and was sick on Friday.  I hadn’t swung my leg over a bike all week.  That changed this morning.

Tim and I headed out to get some mountain biking in at Brown County State Park in Indiana.

We started with a stop while still in Louisville for doughnuts.

Tim and I have very different fitness levels these days.  We used to be close to even, but I’ve lost a lot of fitness.  We agreed to ride separately, and contacting each other every hour or so.

The weather was beautiful for February.  The trails were pretty busy with hikers and bikers.  It was pleasant.

This was my first time on the Brown County trails.  The climbs are quite serious.  I stayed on the easiest trail while Tim wandered off to ride some gnarlier stuff.

Due to aches, pains, and a terrible lack of fitness I just really felt fat and was quite slow.

My bike is more capable than I am.  It probably wishes it was sold to a real cyclist.  It took me a bit over 90 minutes to ride just over 7 miles.  That was once around the “easy” loop.  I was going to go around again, but by this time my neck, shoulders, elbows, etc hurt from the low cockpit on this bike.  I need to take the bike back to the shop for some handlebar and stem adjustments.

I’m not complaining.  Being fat in the woods is better than being fat on the couch.  I enjoyed myself, and I’m glad I did it.  It was also short enough that I wasn’t miserable.

Tomorrow, Tim and I are going back out, but for some gravel road adventure.  I’ll be on a different bike for the different kind of riding.

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As mentioned in my previous post, I did ride in Daniel Boone National Forest last Sunday.  Here it is, six days later, and I’m just now posting about it.

I rode to Tim’s place, and he drove us to Berea where we met up with Andy, who I rarely get to ride with.  We drove then to S-Tree campground, a great place to start a bike ride.

At the beginning it’s mostly easy gravel.  Tim and Andy were riding fat bikes.  I was on my Fargo with relatively skinny 2.2″ tires.

The weather was beautiful, if a bit warmer than planned for.  A clearing next to the road made for a nice place to adjust clothing.

We eventually went downhill to this old abandoned house next to a creek.  I’ve ridden by this place several times.

Although I didn’t get pictures, we had to cross the creek.  Due to the warm temperatures, I wasn’t too worried if I got a little wet.

After crossing with nothing more than one damp foot, I managed to do an endo at the edge of a puddle.  I was fine, if a bit muddy.

After continuing along the creek for a while, we needed to cross again.  I got much wetter this time.  Again, nobody thought to take pictures.

It really wasn’t a road anymore.  The path was rocky, rooty, and muddy.  It was a challenge, but also a lot of fun.

After a downhill that Tim and rode the brakes the whole way – yet Andy bombed down like a pro, the long slog uphill began.  This was the beginning of the end for me.  I walked the entire hill, and was not feeling well.

We regrouped at the top and ate snacks.

We often end up cutting planned rides short when someone isn’t feeling up to finishing the ride.  This ride was planned to be short and easier.  It was a mistake in routing that led to shortening it.  I wasn’t complaining.  I was done.

On the return leg, there was a trail that was mostly parallel to the road.  Tim wanted to explore.  Andy and I agreed, even though Andy said he had his worst experience on a bike on that trail years ago.  It was tough, muddy, hilly, and rutted.  I was covered and mud at the end of it.

We arrived back at S-Tree, then drove to Berea for food and hydration.

I could barely walk the next day.  I still haven’t been back on a bike since.  This was from a ride less than 16 miles in length.  Yikes!

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In July of 2014, if you ran across me, shirtless, in Daniel Boone National Forest, I apologize.

So far this week, I haven’t been on my bike.  I drove to work one day, and worked from home two.  I plan to ride tomorrow.

Also, I’ll be back in DBNF on Sunday to ride some more “not roads”.

I don’t ride my bike to work often enough anymore.  I did ride Friday though.

I headed out in the morning to decent temperatures and wet roads.  I rolled a pleasant route through Cherokee Park, stopping for a picture at Hogan’s Fountain.

I was quite slow.  I’m not a morning person, and I’ve gained too much weight.  I pushed through and was glad I rode.

I have a shower at work, so I used it.  Although I’ve been bike commuting for years no, this is the first job where I had easy access to a shower.  It’s quite nice.  I’d trade it for a shorter commute though.

While at work, I took a selfie with a robot – because “why not?”

It was Friday, so of course I’ve gotta have some beer after work.  Diane agreed to meet me at Apocalypse.  I rode much faster in the afternoon.  The warmer temperatures helped.  It wasn’t morning, that helped too.  The promise of beer probably had a bit to do with it too.  I set three PRs on Strava on the way to Apocalypse.  I felt like a cyclist again.

We were puppy-sitting last week.  Diane brought Baxter (her dog) and Sophie (the temporary dog) along.  Sophie is adorable, even when trying to steal beer.

I limited myself to three beers then rode home.  Sophie was picked up and went home a few hours later.  I’ll miss the cute puppy, but not cleaning up after her.

32 miles for the day just for commuting.  I’ll take it.

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The new east-end bridge (Lewis and Clark Bridge) opened last month connecting IN-265 to I-265 across the Ohio River.  It’s a toll bridge, but I managed to drive my car across last month before tolls started.  More importantly, it has a bike/ped path along the side.  I wanted to ride that.

Saturday’s weather was unseasonably warm with a slight chance of rain.  It was really quite nice for January.

I met up with Tim for coffee before we rode out wandering through neighborhoods, to St Matthews, eventually winding our way through Indian Hills and to River Road.  I struggled to keep up with him on (dead flat) River Road, forming a mini-paceline of two.

Crossing the river on the bridge gives a new perspective to Utica Indiana.  I’m not use to seeing it from above.

The path ends at Old Salem Road.  To the south, the road is closed.  That will eventually connect to Utica.  We went north to Waterline Road and took that back to Utica.

We got separated a bit after leaving Utica.  We both know our way.  When we did meet up again, we agreed that he’d go ahead.  I was cooked.  I think the fast stretch up River Rd did me in.

I rode back to Jeffersonville alone.  I took my time and rode at my own pace.  The Big Four pedestrian bridge was fairly busy due to the nice weather.  I went slow and took pictures.

The Big Four Bridge has a nice view of the other new bridge – the Abraham Lincoln Bridge.

I rolled back into town and met Tim at the bike shop.  We then went for coffee – then beer, yes, I cheated a little again.

After that I ran by his house, then home.  My GPS lost some data, so my total distance was actually 41.6 miles.  I don’t do that kind of distance much anymore.

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Tim planned a course leaving out of Livingston KY for adventure and a little mixed-terrain.  I grabbed the Fargo and off we went.

We headed out of town on the “busy” road.  Busy roads aren’t very busy in that part of the state.  There were a couple of climbs to warm up.  Temperatures were near 50 – 10 degrees warmer than anticipated.  There was a little mist and fog.

We turned on to some great gravel on Mullins Station road.  It ran along a creek for a while, then crossed over railroad tracks a few times.  I almost fell once due to my own klutziness.

We eventually came to an area with a small train tunnel, and the remnants of a mine.  There was also crushed coal all over a loading area of some sort.  The coal was hard to ride across due to being laid over the top of soft mud.

We eventually came to a bit of a community along the road.  It was marked at the ends with cattle guards across the roads, and no-trespassing signs.  We were a bit concerned by this.  It was supposed to be a county road.

While was we were trying to figure out what to do, an elderly man came out of the nearest home.  He said we could go through, so that’s what we did.  There were many dogs, a few pigs, a bunch of cows, and one very large horse roaming around.  The horse was actually frightening.

I didn’t get any pictures here, as I was starting to suffer a little.

We rolled along the flat section for a while, then came to paved roads and another climb.  I was beginning to slow dramatically on the climbs.

Near the top of this climb, were two large rocks making quite a view.  Tim waited for me there, as this was the turn off for a road he had found on a map.

The road was easy gravel and it ran along the ridgetop, so it wasn’t too hilly.

After a while it got much more rustic.  There was mud, a lot of puddles, roots, rocks, and general “mountain bike-like terrain”.  It was a lot of fun.

As fun as it was, it was challenging.  The rain kicked up at this point and the temperature dropped.  Tim was losing his brakes in the muck.  My bike made bad noises, but was fine.

After turning onto another paved road and enjoying a brisk descent, we came along a ridge road for a while, where two guys were shooting shotguns across the road.  Tim seemed quite bothered by this.  I simply got their attention, they stopped shooting, we rode past, and they continued their fun.

A while later, Tim pulled ahead of me, then I walked a long climb.  I found him waiting for me at an intersection.  He was cold and wet.

He headed out again, and again, I was too slow.  We regrouped at a shelter next to a cemetery and discussed options.  We were both beat.  I was too slow.  We’d head directly back to the car from there.  It was still another six miles.

We headed out, Tim was told not to wait for me until he reached the car.  I walked another climb, then had a very brisk downhill run most of the way into town.

Just as an aside, my memory isn’t good at keeping track of the order that these events take place.  I think I written them in the correct order, but I moved paragraphs around a bit.  The writing may seem a bit disjointed.  I took fewer pictures as I got into the ride due to just trying to keep up.  Tim’s account is probably more accurate.

Also, I had planned for 40F and rain.  It started out closer to 50F and no rain.  I ended up shedding my gloves and hat.  Later, when it cooled, and I never bothered to put those things back on.  I was glad for the heated seats in Tim’s car when we were done.

I wan’t physically ready for this ride, and I told Tim that ahead of time.  He made the very good point that I needed to ride it to get in better shape.  I’m glad I did.  I had a great time.

Thanks for the great route, Tim.

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I have a fancy new dual-suspension mountain bike.  I should damn well ride it already.

Tim and I headed out to the Parklands to ride some trails.  It was 11 degrees.

The bike was in it’s element.  The bumps are soaked up the suspension.  I just need a stronger motor.

The creek crossings were a frozen mess, but we both managed them without falling, or breaking through the ice.

It only warmed a little, but is was a pleasant day.

It was only about seven miles, but it took us about 90 minutes.  That’s mostly because of how unfit I currently am.  I’m working on fixing that.

Afterward, we warmed up with a cup of coffee.

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I sold my much-loved LHT in 2012.  I shouldn’t have sold it, but it did allow me to replace it with the disc-brake equipped Disc Trucker.

I called On Your Left Cycles to order the bike.  I had them replace the saddle, seatpost, handlebar tape, and handlebars with parts better for me.  They also applied framesaver inside the frame.

I went with a Thompson seatpost, Brooks C17 saddle, FSA compact drop bars, and grippy bar tape.

So far, the steer tube is uncut, but I did lower the handlebars a bit after this picture.

I took the bike out for a shakedown spin on Friday night with Tim.  We stopped for beer along the way.

I ordered Planet Bike ALX fenders.  They’re aluminum, rather than the typical plastic ones.  They were a tad harder to install.

I moved over my Tubus rear rack and Ortlieb rear panniers from my rSogn, which will see more light-duty road use now that I have this bike.

I ordered a Tubus front rack and Ortlieb front bags from Wayne at The Touring Store.  The Touring Store is neat.  They have an online presence, but you order by calling.  This is my third order.  It’s been Wayne every time I call. He remembered me.  Included when the package arrived were instructions with hand-drawn notes on how to install the rack on the Disc Trucker.  Wayne is very thorough.

The high handlebars on my Disc Trucker means the bar-end shifters will hit the top tube.  I used some bar tape to protect that part of frame.

Earlier in the week, there was an after-work get together organized by my co-workers.  It was at a bar with a bowling alley at Fourth Street Live, which is really the “tourist” area of Louisville.  Not my favorite place, but close enough.

I drove home, grabbed the bike, and rode there.

Diane and I planned to go out to dinner late, but I spent too long there, bowled poorly, and eventually Diane tired of waiting for me, and pedaled her bike up to meet me.

We left shortly thereafter, and rode to a nearby restaurant for dinner, then enjoyed an after-dark ride home behind our dyno-powered headlights.

As is probably obvious from all this, my weight loss is off track again.  I’m eating out, drinking beer, but having fun.  Yesterday was the Louisville St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  We attended on the tandem, carrying beer with us.

I’m refocusing on riding more.  I would ride to work tomorrow, but I have to be at volleyball at 6:30 and I work 30 miles from there.  Nope.  Tuesday, however, I will ride the new bike to work.