bironi

and love them too.
Thanks,
By

nicocyclo

Due to my health situation, I have to ride my rides indoor know. It is a bummer, but I can visit some new places and didnīt have to fly across any country. I ride ROUVY so today I rode Cape Point in South Africa. It was fun and really nice. But have to say, canīt wait to retutn for the real routes.

SurferRosa

Rode the Miyata down to the 20-acre Japanese garden in south Seattle (Renton) designed by Fujitaro Kubota nearly 100 years ago. When you enter, you must ring the big bronze bell with your knuckle to let the spirits know you've arrived.

esasjl

Grand morning! Even stayed nice enough to hang out the laundry.

northbend 

Rick and I met up yesterday for loop of the Middle Fork Valley just outside of town..

Middle Fork Loop by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

It’s something Rick and I have done the past 3 years. Just once each year and that’s enough.
The trail section is beautiful but rough in a few spots where the trail is washed out and some hiking involved.

I was a little nervous this year waiting for Rick.
He was taking his new MTB e-bike and I wondered how that was going to work out, us staying together.
It turned out OK, Rick’s cool about pacing to my speed so I didn’t have to run myself ragged trying to stay in contact.

Out of my element by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

We ride out on the Middle Fork Road - a beautiful and very familiar route we do all the time on our road bikes out-n-back.
Once we get to the Middle Fork Campground, we turn left and disappear into the Woods on the CCC trail. The first few miles is my favorite section.
The trail is beautifully constructed with very few technical sections weaving through second growth forest.

CCC trail by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

The trail becomes more overgrown and rocky as we climb the lower flanks of Bessemer Mt.
It surprises us that there are so many wet stream crossings.
This summer has been so unusually warm and dry.
In past years most of these were just rocky beds, only the largest showing any water at all.

About 25 miles into the ride the trail ends on a logging road in a fresh clearcut.
Now you have this clear view of the Snoqualmie Valley.
Rick thinks he’s spotted his house on Mt. Si Road down in the valley.
Last year this spot was all forested.

New clearcut by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

Spaghetti Legs 

esasjl need a location on that pic! I’m getting an Ireland feel from it.

I haven’t posted a ride here in a while. Traveled back from Cino and since been on my plastic bike more than normal. Took the Century out for a short ride around town. Cooler weather is hanging on here and still only 75 out by time Imfinsined.

esasjl

Upper Ribblesdale, Yorkshire, UK.

RCMoeur 

Belated report of yesterday's ride.

As I might have mentioned previously, it's been a mite warm in the desert recently, so a business meeting I needed to attend in southern California made for a entirely plausible excuse to put in a ride in a slightly cooler locale in the state to the left of us.

Woke up early Wednesday and drove across approximately 1/7 of the North American continental landmass until reaching the western edge, and since the road didn't go much farther, decided to stop. Unloaded the Kulana 7-speed beach cruiser, tossed on some tools, drinks, and snacks, and began enjoying the cool breezes along the beachfront.



Weather: fair with aluminum overcast. The Dockweiler parking lot is just west of wheels-up on runway 25L at LAX, so it's a fun place to watch the waves and the wings.



Pedaled north around Marina Del Rey, following the informative guide signs.



The bike routes weren't too busy on a weekday - leisurely pedalers, fast riders, and even faster e-bikers.

Ended up in the open-air zoo of Venice Beach.



Around here the volume of music, bicyclists, skaters, pedoostrians, surfers, and other folks exploded, and the ride became a practice session in quick stops and track stands. But hey, it looked like everyone was having fun.

Gotta stay on the pavement - the sand is a bit squishy. Easy to FDGB once the front wheel wanders off.




Where's Waldo, er, RCM? Captured on the Beach Cam!


Discretion being the better part of valor and survival being the better part of attending the next day's meeting, I looped south, back around the marina, and briefly onto California State Highway Smudge.


Continued south for a spell on by the power and sewage plants to just north of Manhattan Beach, where it's always nice when warning signs along the path actually make us aware of a genuine concern.



Finished 20 breezy beachy keen miles, loaded up the cruiser, and started visiting local bicycle co-ops.

RCMoeur 

Part 2 - the co-op stops.

Popped in at Ride On! in Leimert Park:


and then wandered up Hollywood-Silverlake way to see what's cookin' at the Bicycle Kitchen. These guys were great, although when I IDed myself as a fellow co-op shop rat from the Rusty Spoke in Phoenix, I was almost forced into a apron and coerced into some nonprofit wrenching. Almost.





Wasn't this a Fleetwood Mac song?


Oooh. Blue Line.


Found a few items to take back to the Spoke:

(bench not included)

All in all, a very enjoyable afternoon and evening.

Classtime 

Took the EroicaCA PA-10E on the local loop of 35 miles and 2500 feet to lightly test the drive train. Still need to try it on more than 7% grades to have confidence for out of saddle Kiler and Cypress.

Redondo Beach with Happy Surfers.

SurferRosa

If Leif Erikson has nothing to do with ancient druids, why do I have "Stonehenge" playing in my head?

northbend 

Perfect weather for a ride up to Artist Point yesterday.
Artist Point by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

Mt Baker
Mt Baker by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

Rick go’n up…
Rick by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

Bob Bomb’n down…
Bomb'n Bob by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

Mt. Shuksan
Shuksan by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

cooperryder

Some pics worthy of post cards or framing from botty kayer and northbend among others.

Outstanding pictures guys!

I feel like we get an insiders tour of London with Botty's pics.

SurferRosa

How's his pace in a small group? Hope he's doing well.

northbend 

He's fine. Our little group would split (as many will do...) on the climbs. We'd make a point to stop and regroup a few times.
Bob n Ken paired nicely bringing up the rear while Rick with his e-bike and I climb at a faster pace.
On steeper downhills, Bob takes a backseat to no one ;-)

Rick, me, Bob and Ken:
Group Photo (Bob Freeman photo) by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

I'm the 'baby' of the bunch at 66 years old
Artist Point Portrait courtesy of Bob Freeman by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

botty kayer

Thanks cooperryder .....

....mine are just ride by camera phone snapshots from a cool city, northbend and DQRider are the real photographers with proper cameras that make dreamy brochure-like pics of any scene.

With our track record the bar for a decent UK summer is set pretty low, but this year has been particularly bad. Forecast today was rain all day, so when I asked for volunteers for today's ride the shiny Italian bikes avoided eye contact and tried to hide at the back. I don't fancy cleaning chrome today anyway, not a problem a titanium MTB laughs in the face of British weather, so out we went.

First stop and a brief moment out of the rain in Leake St tunnel......nice bike homey.....

.....well hello there......

....water water everywhere, coming at you from above and below.....

One positive side effect to all the rain we get in the UK is it makes it a green island, this green wall was loving it....

...and Hyde Park was looking extra green today, and the rain kept the hoards away...

And finally I discovered a cool new touring artwork in Paddington, raising awareness of some of the planets animals threatened with extinction, more info here: https://gillieandmarc.art/products/w...onze-sculpture

thinktubes 

Got up early and rode 68 miles north. Building up for the Harmon Hundred in September. Last year was a rainout.

Speaking of rain, this glob of wx showed up around 10am. I was hoping it was going to stay south. I was riding in the red circle, but the edge caught me for the last 15 miles.



Saw a Double-crested Cormorant. They’ve made a comeback in illinois.



Lots of “gentlemen” farms up in Lake County. Horses were out in force today.



Looks like they are still putting down ballast on the new third line they added at the Randout Diamond.



Today’s ride was powered by a Polish rye and PBJ sandwich. Was craving bologna towards the end of the ride.



Need to address the rust this winter.



A face only a mother could lug.



Bike is still “clean” before the rain. Getting a bath tomorrow.

droppedandlost 

Over the river and through the woods...

Schweinhund

Down to the park,

etherhuffer 

Centennial Trail Spokane

northbend 

Took the Holland out for the 1st time this summer for a change of pace.
Felt downright squirrelly after spending so much time on the touring bike this year.
Holland by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

obrentharris 

Drake's Estero
In 1579 Sir Francis Drake, on a journey of piracy and circumnavigation, careened his ship, The Golden Hinde, for repairs along the California coast north of San Francisco at a place he named New Albion. Most scholars agree that the site was Drake's Estero, a long, narrow bay in the Point Reyes National Seashore. Drake, knighted by Queen Elizabeth I for his predations against the Spanish, had made his way up the coast of South America, plundering Spanish towns and ships along the way, looking for the fabled Northwest Passage.

My voyage today was nowhere near so ambitious. I rode from my home out to Drakes Head, overlooking the estero; 10 road miles and 5 singletrack miles away.




The tide was very low as I passed the upper estero.




Farther out the estero the eel grass made for some more fine patterns in the water.




The fog lifted as I approached the bluff overlooking the mouth of the estero and the Limantour sand spit beyond and the cliffs of Pt. Reyes itself beyond that. A fine place to enjoy my sandwich then return the way I came.



Brent

ascherer 

Heat and holidays kept me off the bikes except for some urban errands in July and some of June. Yesterday was perfect for 40K of flattish riding on the Mercian Pro, on the east side of the Hudson through farmlands in Dutchess and Columbia counties. STarting from Poet's Walk Park it's just a few miles north to the Bard campus.


Before long the agriculture begins.


Just about the time I was thinking of pausing for a snack break I heard a waterfall.


What's better than finding a swimming hole mid-ride in August?

droppedandlost 

Tommasini on the rail trail, good spot for a snack

MooneyBloke

Sucky ride day today. I changed both of my Peter Mooney drive trains to hot melt paraffin, and I needed to test the second of the two. I got about a mile from home, and saw the telltale white mist of Stan's tire spooge, and knew I needed a wheel change, so headed home. I was left with just time for a quick twelve miles. The good news is that the change to paraffin seems a dramatic improvement. The shifting seems crisper, and the bikes are a lot quieter. I was mainly interested in drivetrain longevity and cleanliness; I hate having to wash everything in solvents just to see it dirty and black after the first two or so rides. I think I'll be sticking with wax even if I need to redo a chain every four or five rides. In any case, it looks as if I'll need to open this tire and see what the deal is. There was a slight lump suggesting the injury needs the duck cloth/E6000 treatment if I want to see any more use of the tire. I did find it interesting that when I measured the pressure when I was changing wheels, the tire had dropped from 100 to 70PSI. That suggests the sealant would at least have gotten me home had the unfortunate event occurred when I was thirty miles out.