Bianchi84

10 miles on the Local Greenway with the Cannondale.

Brad L 

Forty five miles through the gently rolling hills northwest of Houston on my 1969 Colnago Super.

Drillium Dude 

After my Math 131 final yesterday I did a leisurely 25 miles to Redmond and back along the Sammamish River Trial (my go-to ride when I have a limited ride-window). Until yesterday, I'd never seen any river otters and only one other time have I seen a beaver. Saw both yesterday, plus a couple eagles. Temps in the low-40s, so I didn't even need gloves. I apologize for the crappy photos, but they were taken with my cell phone; I really need to get off my butt and acquire another Canon Elph!

River otters:









Beaver:





Medici and scenery:



DD

JacobLee 

Oh wow! That pic just caused a flashback! 1984ish? Art’s Baywood Cyclery. He had a pink Cannondale like yours, and that thing just looked like a space ship, it was so exotic. Do the chainstays slope down to the rear? I bought my first mtn bike there, a 1985 Cyclepro Skyline with deerhead xt. Good times.

Bianchi84

That is a 1985 SM600 with 24" rear wheel. It is a very high BB (13" maybe?) so the chainstay seems almost level. I built this myself in '85 when I worked in a bike shop in NY. I made a few changes to it along the way. Glad it brought back some memories!

BFisher

What a treat! We have river otters here in NE PA, but I've never seen one. Beavers, yes, but never an otter.

thinktubes 

Did a 60-miler down to Hyde Park. Probably the last "long" ride of the year. Snow and

single digits predicted for next week. 32 degrees at ridetime and Mr. Sun was a no-show.

Confluence of the North Branch of the Chicago River and the North Shore Channel. There used

to be a cool 4-foot dam here, but it was removed (along with most of the Latin Kings)



Took a side jog over to Ping TomPark in

Chinatown.




The park is on the South Branch of the Chicago river and bookended with two fantasic rail

bridges. To the north is the St. Charles Airline bridge.




To the south is the Pennsilvania Railroad bridge



Hyde Park has a stunning array of architectural styles







Over by the University of Chicago library is the Henry Moore sculpture Nuclear Enery. This

is the exact site of the first successful controlled nuclear reaction.





Back to the "Bungalow Belt"

JacobLee 

Yes, 1985. I remember the small rear wheel and the rollercam brakes. How did it ride off road? Probably rode great because it was so cool.

Drillium Dude 

I know, right? It was pretty cool - just wish I'd have had a true camera with a better zoom. But! Good thing I posted here because a Forum member contacted me about a camera for sale - the exact kind I was on the lookout for. So that's sorted

I've been missing having a good camera lately.

DD

Miele Man

Took a ride down a local rail-trail that's hard pack snow covered. It was a nice quiet ride because at 0700hrs (7 AM) there was no one else on that trail. The only thing is that the footprints made by people and dogs before the snow was hard-packed make for a pretty bumpy ride. Lowering the air pressure in the tires helps a lot though. This was on my MIELE MTB converted to a dropbar with V-brakes and bar-end shifters.

Cheers

J.Higgins 

Its always nice to get in touch with nature, isn't it? We live a couple thousand feet up from a river here in NH, and we always see critters of some kind on our rides. Bears, Foxes, Otters, Beavs, Minks, plus a whole mess of turkey. I always feel so refreshed after a good ride where I see wildlife. It fills my spirit. My wife has a Canon Elph, which she loves, but honestly - the new iPhones take better pics. Perhaps a new phone for you, Double-D?

smontanaro 

I didn't ride today (off the bike for a few days), but I did go to the Midwest Cyclocross championships. I didn't see any vintage bikes racing. One guy had a steel Waterford. I saw him before the racing started fiddling with his rear brake after having broken a spoke.

I did, however, see a few interesting four-wheel contrivances:

1968 Citröen donut truck:


1978-ish Porsche in rally kit:


An Audi owner with his priorities in the right place:

nlerner

I learned today that Costco does not have any dedicated bike parking.

obrentharris 

Thanks for the travelogue @thinktubes!
I really enjoy seeing the places one can ride far from my little corner of California.
Brent

smontanaro 

^^^ Seems a shame. I have an old Burley and I'm not afraid to use it. I doubt your bike would be unsafe from a theft standpoint. The bigger issue with no dedicated parking is that there's likely no place to keep your bike from getting crunched by an SUV.

nlerner

Yeah, that was my concern, too, Skip. In that pic my bike is up against the rail of one of the shopping car corrals (inside of the corral), which I figured would keep my bike from getting hit by a car--though a wayward cart full of Costco's typically large amounts of everything could do some damage!

thinktubes 

Thanks for the kind words. I also enjoy seeing where everyone rides.

I ride mostly for fitness and I struggle to stay motivated to ride once the temps dip below 60 degrees.

Exploring and having destinations really helps to get me out.

I've been going into the city a lot because I moved last year and have a much easier route to get there.

I've lived in/near Chicago all my life, but there's always something new to see.

Ballenxj

Nice. What make is the trailer?
BTW, that sucks about parking.

nlerner

It's a Burley. Highly recommended!

Spaghetti Legs 

I here ya. My old gro sto, the only place to lock a bike was a sign post next to a scraggly rose bush and I'd get stuck with thorns every time I locked up.

Spaghetti Legs 

Wet and gloomy but warm out today so felt obliged to squeeze in a quick ride. Spun around town and down to the Rivanna River on my unfortunately little used ALAN cross bike.

djkashuba 

Monte Rio CA by djk762, on Flickr

northbend 

I had to drop my wife’s car off for service yesterday in Bellevue.

Having about 4 hours to kill, it was a good excuse to bring a bike along for a ride around the lakes East of Seattle.
Lakes Loop by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

I crossed over Lake Washington on the I90 floating Bridge
Crossing Lk Washington into Seattle by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

Near the Leshi neighborhood in Seattle, looking East across the lake at downtown Bellevue. I was enjoying a break in the weather.
My car was being serviced in Bellevue so I was now circling around the lakes to kill some time before it was ready for pick up. by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

The last views of Lake Washington are had near the Kenmore Air Harbor
Kenmore Air Harbor by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

Water is still my guide as I follow the Sammamish Slough waterway that connects Lk. Washington to Lake Sammamish.
Following the Sammamish Slough waterway, now on the River trail.. by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

I ride on the Sammamish River Trail to Redmond’s Marymoor Park at the North end of Lake Sammamish. The views reminded me of Holland with low hanging clouds, mist. A light rain began started to fall.
Light rain started in Woodinville by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

Riding through the park, I connect with the East Lake Sammamish Trail and follow it South to Issaquah. The rain became more organized as I neared the end of the trail. My coat and my fenders were keeping me dry though and I enjoyed the peace and quiet. Very few other trail users were out today.
East Lake Sammamish heading to Issaquah by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

I closed the loop back into Bellevue on the I90 trail. I used to ride this portion every day when I commuted to work in Eastgate.
I’ve been retired now for nearly 4 years.Time has gone by so fast.
It started getting really wet as I closed the loop to Bellevue. by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

jreeves 

What a beautiful loop you have! Do you have to contend with motor vehicles on the
less picturesque parts of the loop?

northbend 

Nearly all of this loop is on MUP's (you can look em up: Burke Gilman, I90 Trail, Sammamish Valley Trail, East Lake Sammamish Trail) or marked bike routes on streets with low posted speeds (25-35mph). Very little of it is not scenic.