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Metro Boston: Good ride today?

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Metro Boston: Good ride today?

Old 11-15-17, 09:16 AM
  #6751  
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Boy, did I have a good ride this morning out to the Bedford Depot. Maiden voyage for my new bike and wow is it a lot of fun to ride, a little slower but much more nimble and comfortable than my Synapse. Stopped at least 3 times to adjust the seat, including using the repair tools/stand at the Depot where some workers were repairing the fence around the rail car. It was around 33ish when I left and 38 and sunny when I finished and that warm up turned out to be too much for me - I had to shed my fleece. Still don't understand why my toes and fingers got cold despite being wrapped in thick wool socks and waterproof winter gloves respectively. Circulation issue?

Almost stock except for the rack. Will add full-length fenders at some point and maybe switch out to smoother, thinner tires for commuting.
IMG_0231-1.jpg

I should've tried harder to get the full "Boston and Maine" in the picture
IMG_0234-1.jpg

I found the hidden art 'museum'! Thanks, I believe Rod, for mentioning it. It's on both sides of the bridge and it's surprisingly clean under there. There's some graffiti/vandalism but surprisingly little. Probably a factor of location.
IMG_0237-1.jpg

IMG_0239-1.jpg

Originally Posted by rholland1951
I invited this turkey home for Thanksgiving Dinner.


rod
Not far east of the art I found the rest of the team. I invited them for dinner as well, all 16 of them (do they know what month it is?)
IMG_0243-1.jpg
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Old 11-15-17, 09:25 AM
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Originally Posted by autonomy
Almost stock except for the rack. Will add full-length fenders at some point and maybe switch out to smoother, thinner tires for commuting.
Attachment 588962
sweet! hey before you switch out those tires, have you checked out the 3 mile trail across the street from the depot? it's called the Narrow Gauge Trail. all dirt except for some soft sandy spots. gets pretty narrow toward the end. saw a full grown coyote last night when he ran in front of me. lots of rabbits too. I guess w the turkeys & rabbits there's good reason for the coyote's good health! (unfortunately the cam wasn't running when the night-beast crossed my path)


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Old 11-15-17, 01:21 PM
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
...it's called the Narrow Gauge Trail. all dirt except for some soft sandy spots. gets pretty narrow toward the end. saw a full grown coyote last night when he ran in front of me. lots of rabbits too.
Indeed a nice non-paved trail. A.K.A. Bedford-Billerica Narrow Gauge Rail Trail. We've done it on the tandem a times but I'm pretty sure it goes beyond the turn where we jump off.

Woburn's free-range turkey crop is doing well. The ride i to workn was a bit chilly this morning but otherwise nice.
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Old 11-15-17, 02:52 PM
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
sweet! hey before you switch out those tires, have you checked out the 3 mile trail across the street from the depot? it's called the Narrow Gauge Trail. all dirt except for some soft sandy spots. gets pretty narrow toward the end. saw a full grown coyote last night when he ran in front of me. lots of rabbits too. I guess w the turkeys & rabbits there's good reason for the coyote's good health!
Yes, I've been on it a couple of times, but a while back, all on my 28mm endurance bike. The final narrow sandy bit you mentioned was a bit much for those tires but should be OK for something like 32-35mm (the new bike has 40mm). I like the Reformatory Branch better, too bad there are plans to pave it. Plenty of pickings for coyotes for wildlife, I startled a deer somewhere in Billerica last year.

This is going to be my gateway to slower, comfortable but non-MTB off-road riding. I've been compiling a list of places (mostly rail trails) I've been itching to explore more:
  • [*]
  • [*]
  • [*]
  • [*]
  • [*]
  • [*]
  • [*]
  • [*]
  • [*]
  • [*]
  • [*]
  • [*]

*incompletely mapped on OpenStreetMaps, so I could be the first one to add them!
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Old 11-15-17, 06:56 PM
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Originally Posted by autonomy
[LIST]
MA[*]Eastern Greenway from Belmont to Waltham - some sections may be a little too technical[*]the fire roads of Middlesex Fells[*]Assabet River Wildlife Refuge[*]Harold Parker SF[*]Myles Standish SF[*]Mass Central RT[*]Ware River RT[*]North Reading to Newburyport* (Independence Greenway - Danvers RT - Unmarked trail on Google - Clipper City RT)
I cant speak to any of the NH rides, but that is a great list of MA stuff to try, I've ridden my Trek hybrid with its 38mm ties in the fells (even off the fire roads), eastern greenway, harold parker and the wildlife refuge and all we're doable. You'll have a blast! Keep us posted.
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Old 11-15-17, 08:52 PM
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Originally Posted by autonomy
Yes, I've been on it a couple of times, but a while back, all on my 28mm endurance bike. The final narrow sandy bit you mentioned was a bit much for those tires but should be OK for something like 32-35mm (the new bike has 40mm). I like the Reformatory Branch better, too bad there are plans to pave it. Plenty of pickings for coyotes for wildlife, I startled a deer somewhere in Billerica last year.

This is going to be my gateway to slower, comfortable but non-MTB off-road riding. I've been compiling a list of places (mostly rail trails) I've been itching to explore more:
  • [*]
  • [*]
  • [*]
  • [*]
  • [*]
  • [*]
  • [*]
  • [*]
  • [*]
  • [*]
  • [*]
  • [*]

*incompletely mapped on OpenStreetMaps, so I could be the first one to add them!
Now we're talking! Those are some places near and dear to my heart and on my to-do list. I'm particularly familiar with the Newburyport and Methuen and Rockingham stuff. There is also a nice RT that goes from Ayre to Nashua that you might want to put on your list. If you want a tour guide or tag alone for one of these outings let me know. I would be more than happy to show you what I know in my Zone.
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Old 11-17-17, 01:22 PM
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Originally Posted by anx
I cant speak to any of the NH rides, but that is a great list of MA stuff to try, I've ridden my Trek hybrid with its 38mm ties in the fells (even off the fire roads), eastern greenway, harold parker and the wildlife refuge and all we're doable. You'll have a blast! Keep us posted.


Originally Posted by mr,grumpy
Now we're talking! Those are some places near and dear to my heart and on my to-do list. I'm particularly familiar with the Newburyport and Methuen and Rockingham stuff. There is also a nice RT that goes from Ayre to Nashua that you might want to put on your list. If you want a tour guide or tag alone for one of these outings let me know. I would be more than happy to show you what I know in my Zone.
Thanks! I've been on the Nashua River Trail too but a while back, should revisit - kind of cool to say you crossed a state line by bike. I think the few paved long-ish rail trails in MA that I haven't been on are Shining Sea, Cape Cod Canal, and Bruce Freeman so I should probably add those to my list. Always looking for new places and routes. Handy map I found recently: Massachusetts Rail-Trails and Bikeways
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Old 11-17-17, 01:40 PM
  #6758  
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Originally Posted by autonomy
thanks for that map! the canal trail is short but can be pretty & unique. I remember racing a boat one time. there's also very good seasonal striped bass fishing. ppl bring in some big ones. some ppl bike their w their poles too!
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Old 11-17-17, 01:54 PM
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Originally Posted by autonomy




Thanks! I've been on the Nashua River Trail too but a while back, should revisit - kind of cool to say you crossed a state line by bike. I think the few paved long-ish rail trails in MA that I haven't been on are Shining Sea, Cape Cod Canal, and Bruce Freeman so I should probably add those to my list. Always looking for new places and routes. Handy map I found recently: Massachusetts Rail-Trails and Bikeways
Bruce Feman is one of "mine" too. Its really nice and I have heard that the "extension" is rideable now, if not yet "official".
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Old 11-17-17, 05:33 PM
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Took the Monster Trucker (Surly Trucker DeLuxe shod with 559x52 Compass Rat Trap Pass Extralight tires) out for a little spin up to Lexington Center this afternoon, low 40s with enough of a headwind to fly the flag, a clear sky with crystalline light, bare trees, and sharp shadows.
















rod
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Old 11-17-17, 07:54 PM
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Took the tricross out for a spin, trying to get consistent with the miles. last longish ride for me was a week ago. It was super-windy then and it was super-windy today. Getting inspired by this thread to stop and smell the roses (or a t least take a couple pictures).







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Old 11-17-17, 08:28 PM
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Originally Posted by mr,grumpy
Took the tricross out for a spin, trying to get consistent with the miles. last longish ride for me was a week ago. It was super-windy then and it was super-windy today. Getting inspired by this thread to stop and smell the roses (or a t least take a couple pictures).
Where would this be, may I ask? It looks inviting.

I took my Bianchi for a 35 miles spin today, broken into two segments with 8 hrs of work in between. This morning it was windy!!!! Had to drop into low gear and ride the drops for a brief spell heading west. The ride home was nice though.
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Old 11-17-17, 11:39 PM
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Jim, it is the Salisbury Rail Trail. It leads to and from some other really nice trails and roadways. The view of the boats is what's at the end of this trail. It begins (roughly) at the end of the Salisbury Ghost Trail, which has the Largest Solar Park in New England as a neighbor. It was super windy up here too! I'm not a strong cyclist to begin with and had to work quite hard to make way into the wind! It was worse last week when i tried the same route on the FX into similar wind!
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Old 11-18-17, 08:08 AM
  #6764  
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Originally Posted by rholland1951
clear sky with crystalline light, bare trees, and sharp shadows
some nice image choices. do you stop to take them or as you roll?
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Old 11-18-17, 08:21 AM
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
some nice image choices. do you stop to take them or as you roll?
I stopped to take these. I do occasionally take a few while rolling, but once the cold weather sets in, not so much, due to the gloves. The results are somewhat different, in any case: when you shoot in motion, you generally get a picture of motion... The third image was done in panorama mode, to capture both the low sun and the bar-code-striped shadows it was casting on the trail, so there's a bit of motion baked into that, as the camera moved, but with different image artifacts, of course.

rod

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Old 11-18-17, 07:32 PM
  #6766  
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I did get out for a nice long ride today:

Let it be known that as of last Wednesday I have been on this earth 69 years. Hence in accordance with the Honourable Traditions of the 50+ Forum I set forth to do Birthday Ride whereupon one rides the number of miles equal to the number of years one has been on this earth.

The steed of choice was the recently acquired PFN-10, French soul and almost all French components. The temperature was around 40 degrees, the sun shining in a bright blue sky, seeming very November.

Photo Op:




Lunch at Verrill Farm, where I happened up on another interesting bike in the rack.


Curious mix of details, some decidedly new-ish but still bearing Faliero's signature. The owner came out while I was eating so I asked him about it. He shrugged and said it was '09, "nothing special". But he'd had a choice of buying that or some CF thingy and he preferred the feel of steel. We talked bikes for a few minutes.

Of course by then the sun had disappeared. Well, rain had been predicted for the evening. I made the mistake of checking the weather app on my phone. "Snow starting in 42 minutes." Great! I'm 23 miles from home so I can't escape it but a long way from the desired 69. I decided to turn north then instead of going further west. 20 minutes later the phone said "Snow starting in 2 minutes." Hey, what about those other 20 minutes??? At least I was wearing my rain jacket.

I dropped the plan to ride to Chelmsford, figured I'd put in some miles on road that knew if the weather turned bad. The snow never came. Neither did the rain until I got home.

Did I mention that it seemed very November?


At about 15 miles from home my Fitbit said I'd ridden 50 miles. Hmm, gonna' be close hitting 69. I stared thinking about loops I could add to pick up a few extra miles. About 5 miles from home my watched buzzed, a txt msg from my neighbor saying happy birthday and he had a beer from Jack's Abby waiting for me when I got home. That settled it! Heck with mileage goals. About 3 minutes after I arrived home the rain arrived too. Good timing, that beer note. Sometimes the Lord works in mysterious ways.

I ended up with only 67 miles. Two short of the goal. I can live with that. The weather and the beer won the day.

And I have to add that the PFN-10 is a superb road bike! Fast, predictable, agile, comfortable.
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Old 11-18-17, 08:29 PM
  #6767  
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Originally Posted by jimmuller
ended up with only 67 miles. Two short of the goal. I can live with that. The weather and the beer won the day
impressive! Happy Birthday! sketchy time of year to have to ride your age! & it's only gonna get more interesting!
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Old 11-19-17, 12:02 AM
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Originally Posted by jimmuller
I did get out for a nice long ride today:

Let it be known that as of last Wednesday I have been on this earth 69 years. Hence in accordance with the Honourable Traditions of the 50+ Forum I set forth to do Birthday Ride whereupon one rides the number of miles equal to the number of years one has been on this earth.

The steed of choice was the recently acquired PFN-10, French soul and almost all French components. The temperature was around 40 degrees, the sun shining in a bright blue sky, seeming very November.

Photo Op:



And I have to add that the PFN-10 is a superb road bike! Fast, predictable, agile, comfortable.
Happy Birthday! The "new" bike is stunning!
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Old 11-19-17, 09:00 AM
  #6769  
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Happy birthday Jim! It's been quite a few days since I could be on this site longer than 30 seconds until I get the annoying pop up telling me I'm the grand prize winner of a new iPhone X. Anyhow everyone's pics all look great as always. Out Monday early morning for 20 miles, Saturday mid morning for 41 and hopefully a few more this afternoon. I mounted my steel Soma Smoothie on the trainer for the winter. It's as fun as raking leaves.
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Old 11-19-17, 04:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Ghazmh
as fun as raking leaves.
nothing like IRL?
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Old 11-20-17, 09:13 AM
  #6771  
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Originally Posted by jimmuller
I did get out for a nice long ride today:

Let it be known that as of last Wednesday I have been on this earth 69 years. Hence in accordance with the Honourable Traditions of the 50+ Forum I set forth to do Birthday Ride whereupon one rides the number of miles equal to the number of years one has been on this earth.

HAPPY BELATED! Does this ride have to be done ON your birthday? Mine is in early March and there is usually still a lot of snow and ice on the ground. Can it be my first "it's spring!" ride of the year?
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Old 11-20-17, 10:54 AM
  #6772  
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Not long. Hillier than the "bike path" route.

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Old 11-20-17, 01:45 PM
  #6773  
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I had the opportunity to commute by bike this morning (rather, I HAD to, because: no car), so inspired by ya'll's rides this weekend I decided to make it a long one and hit up some local dirt while avoiding most of this week's crazy traffic (and it was crazy). You all weren't joking about the wind, it was fierce this morning to the point that I was planning may bailout point. My layers kept me just barely comfortable - I didn't want to stop and linger for long. I forgot how much slower thins are on unpaved surfaces, so I arrived to work a bit later than planned. See if you can spot the route I took

2-IMG_0249_s.jpg

5-IMG_0256_s.jpg

6-IMG_0260_s.jpg

By this point I was happy to seek shelter from the wind and the endless barrage of cars
7-IMG_0261_s.jpg

Beavers have been busy
8-IMG_0263_s.jpg

(Minuteman National Park - one of my favorites in the area - was a very good ride with a few frosted-over puddles here and there but a lot of wash outs. Repairs will be happening by the Hartwell Tavern starting today. Reformatory Branch was much wetter and muddier; for some reason I just don't like this one as much)
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Old 11-20-17, 01:47 PM
  #6774  
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Originally Posted by Ghazmh
I mounted my steel Soma Smoothie on the trainer for the winter. It's as fun as raking leaves.
Yeah, it's not great but better than not riding or riding at night. Youtube and Zwift make it better, do you use any of those?

Originally Posted by rumrunn6
nothing like IRL?
It's way more uncomfortable too, my hands and butt go numb on the trainer after about 30 mins despite shifting positions.
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Old 11-20-17, 01:55 PM
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Ghazmh
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[QUOTE=autonomy;20005035]Yeah, it's not great but better than not riding or riding at night. Youtube and Zwift make it better, do you use any of those?

I have a Cycleops unit, nothing fancy but it works well. The past few winters I've tried first person YouTube videos of bike races, kinda fun until it wasn't. Netflix and Sopranos DVD's lack motivational cadence. My current formula is Pandora audio with chasing HR zones during intervals. I also just picked back up going to a gym last week. Additionally I'm teasing the idea of a fat bike.
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