steelbikeguy

For anyone within range of central Illinois, this is a chance to ride with fellow vintage & steel bike enthusiasts and perhaps show off the pride of your fleet! It's intended to be a medium speed ride along quiet rural roads north of Peoria, IL, including a stretch along the scenic Illinois river... nothing too serious, and no dropped riders.


Date: Saturday, Sept 12th. Meet at 8:30am. Roll out at 9am.

Start/Finish location: Shore Acres Park, 100 Park Blvd, Chillicothe Illinois 61523
Meet in the parking area adjacent to the swimming pool.
https://www.chillicotheparkdistrict.org/shore-acres-park

Distance: roughly 44 miles.
Speed: the target is approximately 16mph or so. The plan is to regroup at turns and key points to keep the group from getting too broken up.

Mid-ride destination & break: Tanner's Orchard, Speer, Illinois. https://www.tannersorchard.com/
baked goods, hot cocoa, coffee, water, and restrooms. Plenty of apples and cider are available too, but you'll want to bring a pannier or big saddlebag to carry it in. Fortunately, it's mostly downhill from Tanner's.

Other ride info:

-- Support: This is an unsupported ride. Bring your own food and water, and be prepared to handle any mechanical issues that might occur.

-- Terrain: The route is slightly changed from last year, so the hill going up the Illinois River bluffs is quite gradual. The slope barely exceeds 2%, so even classic racing gears should be sufficient. There are a variety of moderate rolling hills as well as some flat ground in the river flood plain.
I've entered the route on RideWithGPS:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/33676432

-- Road conditions: primarily narrow rural roads with chipseal surfaces and very little traffic. This is Illinois, so there are spots with poorer conditions, especially one 100' stretch of small gravel. I've ridden it on 23mm tires, and don't consider it to be a problem. In fact, the marketing department is proclaiming it to be "strada bianca", giving the ride a few extra style points. :-)

-- Cue sheet and map: posted to a Flickr album:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kurtsj...57715411366891
… but also available on the RideWithGPS link.

photos from last year's ride...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kurtsj...57710111918766

-- COVID-19 considerations: central Illinois has been doing fairly well, so current guidelines are the typical "use a mask and practice social distancing".
When we are stopped and chatting at the start or finish, it is expected that everyone will wear a mask and not get too close.
When riding, I don't think a mask is needed if we stay somewhat separated. It's probably good to stay separated by a few bike lengths fore and aft. Riding two abreast seems reasonable, as there isn't much chance of transmitting particles laterally while moving forward.
When we are at Tanner's, I recommend going outside (by the bikes) to eat. This is on a slope on the north side of the building. There is indoor seating, but I didn't see anything to promote separation of groups.

Please let me know if you plan to attend or if there are any questions.

thanks!

Steve in Peoria

p.s. there was some discussion of this year's ride on the thread for last year. That thread can be found here:
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...28-2019-a.html

steelbikeguy

I used to worry about this short stretch of gravel on part of the route. Now that L'Eroica is famous and "strada bianca" has become trendy, I've decided to rebrand the gravel to the more desirable "strada bianca" and capture a small bit of the allure of L'Eroica.
Although I have to be honest that not a whole lot of Heroic spirit is required to ride it....



Steve in Peoria

RobbieTunes

I have to decide between 2 rides this day, as The MS2x100 is out.
speedevil is hosting a ride same day.

I enjoyed the Peoria ride last time I rode it.
It truly can be ridden on C&V gearing.
One of mine is 52/24 and 12-24, and I would not hesitate.

schundog

I hope this ride can go on, and look forward to seeing old friends and new. As I type this, I’m looking at the cool “Vintage Class” poster Robbie gave us all as swag 2 years ago.

steelbikeguy

The weather at that time of year is generally pretty good, but still can be volatile. Maybe you should chose a ride based on the best weather??

As far as gearing, the hills are pretty mild. RideWithGPS says the max grade is about 2%, which could be easily done on a fixed 68" gear. Standard racing gears of the classic era are plenty good for that.
...besides, I've heard that the route is downhill the whole way, and with a stout tail wind too!

Steve in Peoria

RobbieTunes

Both rides are informal group rides.
Self-supported, both the same distance from my St. Louis "home."
Both would require I get a hotel room.
Both are under COVID-19 guidelines.

So, do I want to drive 3 hours, get a room, ride 25 to get a donut, ride back?
(Last time, we drove back and got fritters and cider for the trip home).
Yes.

So, do I want to drive 3 hours, get a room, ride 50 and have a cookout?
Yes.

Will I?

Not sure, is all.

I've been doing informal group rides since about March.
Mostly 5-12 people, always distancing, 26 to 101 miles, no SAG, some socializing after.
4 centuries during this time, mostly on trails, some roads.
Twice this weekend (62 and 30), 3 more times in the last 10 days (80, 26, 26).
Also went to WI to do it for 3 days, was a good time.
It's all good riding with good people, and we've been OK so far.
Staying away from each other is sort of the key to our groups.
At conv store stops, we mask up, keep 6', etc.
Hand sanitizer in every jersey pocket with the mask.
Buy only bottled water, bagged ice, etc.
So don't let COVID stop you unless you are more at risk than most.
Be safe traveling to/from, and in any hotels, restaurants, conv stores, etc.
The ride may be the safest thing you do on that weekend.

steelbikeguy

it was a nice day with some winds expected from the northwest, so it seemed like a good day to make a run up to Tanner's orchard to check the roads and the apple fritters (both are doing fine).

It was a chance to get a couple of photos of a crop that I sighted last time, but didn't have a chance to stop then.
It's definitely not corn or beans, and not even pumpkins......






it's growing right along the road in plain sight, so I have to assume it is hemp... for use in textiles, rope, etc. or CBD oil?? Not exactly sure how it gets used. It's certainly not common here.

a more common weed growing along the road is chicory. Kinda attractive, at least at this time of year, and seems to be popular with the bees.





stopped at Tanner's Orchard to get an apple fritter, and was quickly joined by a bunch of cyclists from the place I used to work (am retired now). Fun!
While inside getting the fritter, I noticed that they had some entertainment. They were on break, so no idea if they can cover Stairway to Heaven.


and a shot of the sizeable group on the north side of the building, enjoying their baked goods. My Hetchins does stand out a bit among the carbon fiber and disc brakes.


I was wearing a Union Jack jersey to go with the Hetchins, and a couple of the folks were from Perkins engines in the UK. Had a nice chat as I joined them on the ride home. Fortunately, I was not having trouble keeping up with them and could give a good impression of shiny old steel bikes.

Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

only two weeks till the 2020 edition of the Tanner's Orchard ride??!! Where does the time go?

okay, the weather has cooled off a bit and the wind was out of the north, so it's a good time to make a run up to Tanner's again and check on the condition of the roads, health conditions at Tanner's, and ensure that the donuts are still good.

On the way to Tanner's, traffic slowed down quite a bit. Early on a Saturday morning, it's odd just to have traffic, much less for it to be slow. Turned out that it was a procession of folks taking their vintage tractors out for a cruise! How nice to see them gather as a group of enthusiasts and have a bit of fun!




I rode my Raleigh Team, which is always a treat! Such a cool bike, and it has been treated to some minor weight weenie details. The titanium Phil BB is hidden and the Stronglight A9 headset is subtle, but the Hi-E front hub and skewer are obvious attempts to drop a few grams.





a bit of local scenery, of sorts. This barn is a bit of a classic too, but is in need of a bit of love (and paint).


Tanner's Orchard seems to be busy, which is encouraging. Their big season is Halloween, but they get a lot of traffic even in August. The bakery is still cranking out the donuts, and they are still a great indulgence in the middle of a bike ride!


Steve in Peoria

abshipp 

Oh don't tempt me to do something dumb!

Definitely interested, hopefully I could find a bike to bring that wont break this time

steelbikeguy

well, when I ride up that road with friends, we try to go pretty hard and end up running around 17mph. That's just a bit below how fast we would ride on the flats, so it's really not bad at all.
If you want to do something dumb, you'd go up the river bluffs a couple of miles south on Cedar Hills Drive, where the slope is a fairly steady 14%!

boy, don't even talk about bikes breaking!
I had an unfortunate incident on the Hetchins a month or so ago...




the lower pivot spring in the SunTour Cyclone GT rear derailleur broke, taking tension off the chain and allowing it to fly into the gap between the hub and the freewheel. This apparently started wrapping up the chain around the hub, and in the process pulled the front derailleur around the seat tube. The rear wheel quickly stopped, leaving me to wonder what the heck had caused the noise and sudden stop. Ugh.
At least it happened early in the ride and I only had to carry the bike 3 miles to get home.

Steve in Peoria
(hoping I've used up my bad luck for the year)

abshipp 

I think I might need a bit taller gear on my fixed gear to maintain the pace you're talking about. Doesn't keep me from thinking about it though

Ouch! I had a FD eat itself several years ago on an off-topic bike. I could have fixed it if I had a chain breaker, but that was before I started carrying one on all of my bikes

I would just like to avoid another incident like I had on jjhabbs ride last year when my rear wheel decided it didn't want to stay together anymore

steelbikeguy

I used to ride with a 68" gear, if memory serves. That's a pretty typical gear for riding on flat terrain, with some margin for grunting up hills and fast spinning down hills. 17mph was a nice speed for 68", I think.

yeah, a chain tool would at least have let me cut off the chain just beyond the hub, allowing me to roll it instead of carry it. It's not a heavy bike, but 3 miles is too far to be shouldering a bike. I've started carrying a chain tool now too, along with two sets of quick links. This should allow me to cut out a damaged section of chain at least, or cut out enough to go as a fixed gear when the derailleur blows up again.

I recall the incident with the loose spokes....



I didn't realize that was you, though. Nice to make the connection at last!
The Schwinn sure was looking good that day!



Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

just a little background info on the ride....

the ride starts & finishes at Shore Acres Park in Chillicothe, IL. The park has a classy building at its center....





well, classy for a little town in the middle of Illinois.
I think it was originally a country club?? I believe the Shore Acres park website has info on it.
Now it can be used for meetings, wedding receptions, etc.
As the park name implies, it sits on the banks of the Illinois river, providing a scenic view.




These photos were all taken yesterday evening, mostly due to the windy conditions during the day. On the way back home, I stopped to get a shot of the crop irrigation equipment in action. This is in the flood plain where the soil is relatively sandy and doesn't retain moisture well.
To get full coverage of the field, the sprinklers often spray onto the road, making it a bit of a challenge for biking!




Steve in Peoria

iab

I'm out, sorry. I have a rotten fascia board at our cabin that needs attention.

steelbikeguy

not a problem!
Hope you bring a bike along and enjoy the weekend.

Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

not directly related to the bike ride, but just a bit of interesting Peoria architecture......

This is the current Obed & Isaac's restaurant and microbrewery, formerly a Presbyterian church built in the 1880's...






https://www.connshg.com/obed-and-isaacs/peoria
from their web page.... "Our story begins in 1887 when the congressional members of the Second Presbyterian Church of Peoria elected to build a new church on the corner of Madison and Jackson Street. They contracted the renowned architect, W W. Boyington, designer of Chicago’s Water Tower, to design the new facility in the popular Richardson Romanesque Revival design of the time. By the early spring of 1889 the construction was nearing its completion when a cornerstone was placed in the southwest corner on April 30th as a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the inauguration of George Washington."

Steve in Peoria

Ferrouscious 

With COVID floating around, I'm out. Pushing my luck has gone poorly for me this year.

steelbikeguy

No problems. I've been pretty conservative this year too. There's no clearly defined line at a boundary of the allowable amount of exposure, so it's good to stay quite a way back from where it might be.
Right now I'm just watching the weather and hoping that things are clear on Saturday.
Well, I'm also hoping that the road crews don't decide to chipseal any of the route in the days leading up to the ride. They've been busy on a number of the local roads.

Steve in Peoria

76SLT 

I'm still planning on attending. I don't think the weather will an issue this year, I hope.

steelbikeguy

Good to hear!
The forecast for Saturday does mention the "R" word. I wonder if I can make a sacrifice to the Weather Deities to ensure fair skies??

Steve in Peoria (expecting storms tonight and Tuesday for sure)

schundog

I am looking forward to this ride again this year, Steve. Thanks for putting it on. I just wish I had a sexier steel steed than the same Bianchi I brought last year, but that's what I'm bringing. I tried to wheel and deal with the owner of Russell's in Washington on a sweet late 70s Trek he has had for quite a while, but, with the bike shortage due to the pandemic, he wouldn't budge. It's probably just as well. I DID this summer buy an interesting red and yellow 1997 Cannondale R800 from an acquaintance of yours named Mark. I mentioned your ride, and he knew you, and the Wheelm'n president that rode with us last year, saying he's known her since she was a baby. It's a small world.

Ted will most likely not be joining us this year, due to COVID concerns and the safety of his elderly mother.

steelbikeguy

Glad to hear that you plan to attend! Now I just have to cross a few more fingers and hope the weather doesn't end up nasty.

Also glad that you've gotten the 'dale that you were hoping for... or is this in addition to the 'dale you mentioned last year?? ...and I'm guessing that Mark was Mr. Padesky? Good heavens... I've known most of these folks since coming to Peoria in the mid 90's. The bike world here does seem small, but I'm still amazed to at what I learn. Bushwacker had a "show off your vintage bike" day a couple of years ago, and one fellow had Mino Denti tandem (whoever heard of Italian tandems?) and a Pegoretti....







It's just amazing what shows up when you ask people to drag cool bikes out of their garages!

Steve in Peoria
(still really hoping the weather stays dry for Saturday)

steelbikeguy

I thought I'd do a final scouting run on the Tanner's ride. The forecast wasn't encouraging... fog and mist first thing in the morning, with a chance of rain later.
Here's a shot from the route, about 4 miles west of Chillicothe:



It was 56F with winds out of the NE. Arm and leg warmers kept me warm enough, and a rain jacket and helmet cover kept me dry enough. I wasn't in the mood to slog through this for 40 miles or more, but figured I'd keep going until things got bad.

Fortunately, the fog and mist dried up, leaving me to just deal with the NE headwind. Rain was still in the forecast, but wasn't in sight.

Along North Hampton road, the wild flowers (or weeds?) were looking scenic, so I stopped for a photo...



Another 5 miles north, I passed by the hemp field that I'd spotted weeks ago. It was upwind from me, and the smell reminded me of a Rolling Stones concert.

The rain still hasn't appeared, and the apple fritters at Tanner's are still pretty darned good. I ended up with 50 miles for the day (a modified route), so I'd call today a success!

Saturday's forecast, however.....
"Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 75. South southeast wind 6 to 8 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible."

Not particularly encouraging!
I plan to at least bike to Shore Acres park and see who shows up. Maybe the rain will hold off till after noon?? I'm not betting any money on that, however.

Steve in Peoria

76SLT 

Sunday is looking like a better day. Is it possible to change the day?

steelbikeguy

I don't think I can communicate this to everyone quickly. Also, I would suspect most folks already have plans for Sunday by now.
I've tried doing rain days in the past, and it didn't work out particularly well.

having said that... let's see what sort of feedback there is. Who would show up on Sunday?

Steve in Peoria