JJScaliger

I rode 12 miles yesterday on my Raleigh 3 speed. Urban ride in Providence with about 6 miles of single track. The park just reopened around a week ago. Weather was great around 75 degrees. The park was packed and the trails had many dog walkers and fisherman. I was the only cyclist on the trails and had to watch my speed around corners and the like. I usually only like to ride here when the weather is crappy. I did 2 loops around the ponds and went home.


RWilliams monument

Betsey Williams house

Single track around ponds 1


Single track around ponds 2

Temple to Music


This guy





Headless Horseman tree

curbtender

The fence is down behind the racetrack. They reopened the horse racing with only off track betting. Guess they are keeping the public out of their parking area.

New vista stop.

Wind was howling...out on Warrior bike.

scozim 

Rare for me - 2 days in a row for rides.

Yesterday at the end of my ride before I turn and head west to the house I spot two cyclists ahead of me. Crud - my competitive brain kicked in and I had to catch them. Took me about a mile and I then made a quick left to head home on a short gravel road. Guess I shouldn't have done that as right before I headed out today on my trusty Gitane Sprint I spotted this:



With limited options right now I decided to grab the indoor trainer, Nishiki Marina 12 with skinny 27" Panaracer Pasela's and clip on aero bars. At least they make a heavier bike look fast.



I then proceeded to get in a short 25 miler before the wind and rain started (wasn't quite as successful in avoiding wind). I decided to ride to my favorite vantage point for C&V bike photos

obrentharris 

Many thanks for posting your ride photos! Definitely feeds my fantasies of a UK bike tour.
Brent

SurferRosa

Industrial District, Seattle


Jack Block Park, West Seattle

mikemowbz

Love it - reminds me of my regular haunts here in East Vancouver, BC - lots of riding down by the string of Port facilities around Burrard Inlet...

Nice Miyata! Black brake calipers/levers really tie that one together.

mkeller234

Love all the photos here. You folks are privy to some really beautiful scenery!

ascherer That photo of the morgue trucks is sobering. I enjoyed the Paul Simon reference. I listened to a live performance where he must have messed up a song, so he "punished himself" by playing a part of that one. I guess he hates it??

rccardr Is that temple a new work-in-progress, abandoned or ruins? Cool design.

rccardr 

It's a work in progress, but looks like it's taking a long time.
Should be pretty amazing when completed.

smontanaro 

Nice photos. Maybe the lack of aero bars is why I've always hated using my indoor trainer. Will have to try it sometime.

ExPatTyke

My mother needed some shopping today from the farm shop up the road. I got the AO-8 out, and as the sun was out went the scenic route, down towards Bridgwater and back through Burnham-on-Sea. Just over 35 miles, and managed not to break any eggs.

robertorolfo

Just rode around the neighborhood a little to get out, but stopped to take some pics:

Bogester 

My weekend riders. The Rivendell is “only” 15 but it’s set up kinda old school.

by UW

SurferRosa

Sammamish River


And along the trail of the same name

.

abshipp 

Quick 15 last night.

As much as I like to hate on it, the bike path has turned quite verdant lately.

Kilroy1988 

Work is getting busy and I'm trying to do serious cardio only three or four times a week so that I don't burn out. It's been really nice to have a town bike again now that I actually live in town for the first time in nearly a decade, so I'm frequently out spinning around the local neighborhoods for thirty minutes to an hour without breaking a sweat! The clicking from the Shimano Nexus 3-speed has become a friendly sound rather than the initial nuisance I thought it was. I also love having a kick stand... The sane things we road cyclists often do without!

-Gregory

Ballenxj

So do you recommend the Nexus 3 speed? I looked at a couple Linus bikes a year back, and really liked their 8 speed internal hub, but it was a wee bit expensive at the time. The 3 speed was much more affordable. I test rode both at the sales persons insistence.

Kilroy1988 

I'd really like to try a newer Sturmey-Archer 3-speed to compare to the Nexus now that I've tried this one... However, my understanding is that with both companies the less speeds you've got the more reliable the shifting and long-term use will be. This seems like common sense, but the initial thought of having five or eight gears may be too tempting. I'm definitely fine with three and would probably look into a much more robust and reliable (and expensive) Rohloff hub if I wanted a bunch of internal gears.

On the Nexus 3-speed low gear is normal, while second and third are both activated by the internal mechanisms. This means that only low gear is rather silent, but it's also a really low gear. I never use it on flats. It will spin out at a walking pace. Second gear is nice for going up to about 6-7 mph before spinning out on flats, and third can get you moving at a decent 10-12 mph but I've had something skip on me when I was trying to stand on the pedals out of a stop. So it's not for going fast...

I also promptly replaced the stock twist-grip shifter with the Sturmey-Archer model that is specifically designed for use with the Shimano Nexus. This combination works really great for me and looks much classier.

So would I recommend it? I guess so, if you just want to cruise, and especially if you have some little hills to get use out of first gear. I think I would prefer a quiet single speed with a gear slightly higher than second now that I've spent some time riding with the Nexus.

-Gregory

SurferRosa

Wanted to go for a longer ride today. I got in a little bit. I blame these grey clouds and my cat. This is from the University Bridge looking toward the I-5 bridge and Lake Union.


.

smontanaro 

My wife has a Linus mixte with the Nexus three-speed. Seems pretty solid to me (I am the official unofficial family bike mechanic). I've had to adjust it a couple times, but that's pretty straightforward.

smontanaro 

When I converted my Schwinn Speedster to 590 rims, I also switched to an XRD3 (three-speed, drum brake). It's been pretty solid so far (a few years). At the moment it's a bit out of adjustment and needs a bit of help to get into high gear, but this bike gets essentially no maintenance, so I'm not surprised.

rccardr 

Beehive brick kiln:


Interesting local backstory:

smontanaro 

rccardr Interesting. Can I assume the steel bands were added sometime later to preserve the structure? Or were they part of the original structure (or at least in place sometime during the kiln's useful lifetime)?

Ged117 

I've been getting into a lot of really nice rides lately. Yesterday I decided to run a 35km loop, and followed the Rideau River Path south to start off, which carries the rider through wooded areas adjacent to the river and a couple of fine parks. This structure in Vincent Massey Park is water and light efficient so much that it has no need for electric lights during operating hours, and uses gathered rain water.



The park was empty. The picnic benches were a little sad, but I liked the bird song and buzzing bees and the sound of the river.

20200519_105352 by Benjamin Poirier, on Flickr

I rode down to Hog's Back Park, the four-speed hub gear ticking along, and crossed the Rideau Canal lock bridge. The 200km or so long Rideau Canal connects our capital, Ottawa, to Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. It was built as a logistics aid should the British Army and its colonial militia have felt the need to deal with the er...restless neighbours to the south. It was finished in 1832 at a significant cost in men and materials. It is still in use for pleasure boating and the locks remain intact. The pathways along the Canal make for nice riding. The fellow in charge of the project was Lieutenant Colonel John By, and our city was called "Bytown" for a time before it became the capital later in the 19th century and they changed the name to Ottawa.

20200519_111742 by Benjamin Poirier, on Flickr

Being the capital city, federal government departments have a big presence. Agriculture Canada has an experimental farm smack in the middle of it all, with nice paths through the area. The farmers and staff were out on their tractors and the fresh air was fantastic.

20200519_112449 by Benjamin Poirier, on Flickr

20200519_112457 by Benjamin Poirier, on Flickr

Next I took up Island Park Drive running north to the Ottawa River. It has a decent bike lane and rolls mostly downhill through a more upscale part of town for several kilometres. I didn't stop for photos because for whatever reason I was getting all of the green lights and so I switched into High gear and zoomed. Once I reached the river path, I shifted into Low gear for a hilly section, and promptly went into neutral. Happily, I was not out of the saddle. The cable is new and had stretched a little. After an adjustment of the cable whatsits at the hub, I was off. I find the Sturmey Archer FW four speed to be an excellent hub gear, I really like it. Mine is a 1953 model and it had very little wear inside. The front dynohub squeaks a little, which is annoying, but I haven't figured out the squeak yet. I'm putting together a light system to use with it.

20200519_121603 by Benjamin Poirier, on Flickr

I really like the ride along the Ottawa River paths. The city has about 600km of pathways that go here and there. They have a ton of utility, and can take a rider wherever they need go in Ottawa and connect easily to regular bike routes in the urban downtown area. I crossed the canal again where it ends below Parliament Hill. The building to the left is the Chateau Laurier, a luxury hotel that dates from the building of the Grand Trunk Railroad. Several of our cities have a fancy hotel of similar lineage near rail lines.

20200519_121036 by Benjamin Poirier, on Flickr

On the other side of the Ottawa River is the Province of Quebec, and the city of Gatineau. Nice rides up in the Gatineau Hills the 'Gats!' that I am hoping to do soon. The bridges are closed to all but essential workers.

20200519_121058 by Benjamin Poirier, on Flickr

Here is Parliament Hill from the eastern side of the canal. This is a great spot to ride at night, especially with an old three-speed.

20200519_121528 by Benjamin Poirier, on Flickr


Headed back east toward home. I like these bridges over the Rideau River. Having the same name makes confusing the Rideau River and the canal easy to do.

20200519_122519 by Benjamin Poirier, on Flickr

obrentharris 

Thanks Ged117!
Ottowa just made it onto my list of places I would like to visit someday with my wife and our tandem.
Brent

rccardr 

Ottowa rocks, amazing system of bike paths. Did a weeklong tour a few years ago from Ottowa to Montreal, following the river. Gorgeous.