malcala622

35 miles on a sunny but windy day with a buddy. Tommasini and Meza.

DQRider 

I'm going to have to send the S/N in to Pashley to get the exact model year, but it's either late `70s or early `80s. It was a pre-tubular-fork-crown Roadster, but the previous owner built it into (or should I say "stripped-it-down to"?) a Path Racer by replacing the rod-brakes with drums, removing fenders and chainguard, and swapping the old Roadster 28s for modern 700c wheels. He also replaced the original headbadge, which looked like this::



...with the more modern one you see on the bike now. When I bought the bike, it was sporting a SOMA chromed-steel Lauterwasser handlebar on a slammed, extended stem - which, of course, rendered it practically unrideable for me. So I replaced that with the setup you see here. Now it looks almost as sporty as the previous setup, but is much more comfortable to ride. This is one bike that I can honestly say is "finished". I cannot imagine a better configuration for this old steel-framed classic.

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northbend 

Thanks DQ, I feel very fortunate to live where I do but there are times (mostly late fall thru late spring) when the weather can be so gloomy (low clouds, rain, hypothermic temperatures) for weeks on end that it feels downright claustrophobic even for someone like me who's lived here most of my life.
Garfield Ledges looking South out over the Middle Fork Valley. Nice little hike on a brand new trail. Just opened 2 months ago. by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr
Summers on the other hand, are really something special here.

Also, that's a nice Pashley you have there. It has a great stance.

northbend 

It varies from year to year. It isn't too bad right now and there are paved options if you don't like it once you get past Lake Keechelus heading East.

I had another ride with some friends the other day. About 40 miles of rail trail, pipeline access trail and pavement. Lots of quiet sections where we could ride side by side and be social.
So nice for a change...
Duvall Prayer Flags by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

Julie and Ty by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

northbend 

Bill, I just want to compliment you on your bike builds. They are all so nicely done. I really admire your work.

northbend 

Scott, I really want to get out your ways soon and ride the Yakima Canyon Loop (Umtanum Road to Wenas Valley > Yakima Canyon Road). Would you like to join me?

scozim 

Definitely would be up for it depending on the timing. I would gladly take a day off for a ride like that. I'm tied to some commitments on weekends in mid-afternoon and evenings for the foreseeable future.

How's the gravel portion? If tires bigger than 23mm are needed I may be out. The only bikes I have available to me are set up with those. The lowest geared bike for that Umptanum climb is 52-38 and 13-24 8 spd. I could slip a 13-28 7 spd on though.

SurferRosa

Appreciate ya. And wish you lived a little closer. I need to draft behind someone again.

thinktubes 

Rode 57 miles NW into Lake County for a change. Pleasant temps and omni-directional winds at 10-15 mph.



Before I started, I tracked down the "shimmy" I felt on my 45-miler last Thursday. I dug up a replacement Michelin Pro3 of unknown vintage from the basement. I ordered a new tire a week ago, but it has been delayed.



Large estates and open-land planning give the illusion of being in the country.



The Iris are in full bloom. I can see why Van Gogh painted these.

northbend 

What happened to your Cino bike? Something set up like that is perfect. You'd want to put that 13-28 on your wheels for sure. 28mm tires were fine last time I rode it a few years ago.

Well, any chance you can get away mid-week? If not, pick a weekend far enough out that you can squeeze it in and I will work around your schedule.

ascherer 

Plans went in different directions today. I thought I'd ride down to Coney Island and stop to visit my son who lives about a mile and a half north of the boardwalk. Would have been 45+ round trip.Turned out that he needed me to bring him something by car, so I planned a 35-miler route along the water east to the Rockaways, from his place. Made it almost 12 miles and a car fire blocked me from continuing, so back I went. Pretty day nevertheless and it's always great to see my boy.



Coney Island Boardwalk

Plumb Beach

None Shall Pass!

Canarsie Pier

Mill Basin Bridge, Manhattan in the background

WaveyGravey

What bag is that? Where did you buy it? Looks great and I would like to get one. Thanks

ascherer 

Which/whose bag are you asking about?

rccardr 

Leisurely roam along the MUP on the north end of Fairfax County Parkway. For some reason this segment is far less utilized than the southern portion, perhaps because there are fewer homes and no real end destination until you get closer to Dulles/Herndon. Good for me, since it was repaved just a year or two ago so it's like riding a ribbon of black velvet. The MUP is also on the west side of the parkway in this section, so it's in shade during the hot afternoons. Yes, you're only 20-50 feet from the cars zooming by, but there are quiet sections along the way and you can always duck into the path around Lake Mercer at one end:




Or take a nap next to one of the bodies of water that make up the Fair Lakes:



There's also an abandoned Nike Missile site along the parkway on the other side of the road. Some day I'll stop and take a picture of the commemorative sign.

Revracer

Farm fields in good shape, quite the contrast for the blue skies.

Stumbled upon a memorial to a French Huguenot that settled in the area, appropriate visit with French steel.


Fa

rccardr 

More great weather! Took advantage of the day by riding a half century on the Cannondale ST down to Mason Neck State Park.

dickbandit 

Took my MB-3 on some Fairmount Park singletrack today. It was a beautiful morning in the low 70s. Some trees down on the trails from last week’s derecho.

ExPatTyke

A longish ride yesterday, up to Bristol, along the top of the Avon Gorge, then back to Weston. It was another ride on the AO-8; having the rack and bag to carry provisions is essential at the moment as due to CV restrictions one can't simply stop at a village shop to buy drinks and food.

I went out from Weston along the sea front, heading up the Toll Road, before heading over towards Puxton and Sandford, then joining the Strawberry Line cycle way to avoid riding the main road towards Bristol. The Strawberry Line incidentally was the railway line that ran from Wells up towards Bristol; it got it's local name from the fruit that was carried into the city from the farms in the Cheddar Valley. It was closed due to the Beeching cuts in the 60s, and an organisation was established in the 1980s to convert the whole length into a cycle way. At present the main stretch runs unbroken from Yatton to Cheddar, and some sections between Cheddar and Wells have been completed.

The Strawberry Line ends at Yatton; from there it was a series of long straight lanes along Nailsea Wall, through Nailsea, then onto another traffic free cycle way into Long Ashton. Crossing the main road at the end of Long Ashton took me into Ashton Court, a country house and park owned by Bristol City Council. A couple of miles through the tracks in the park, the I was out of the park and onto one of the main roads heading into Bristol. The traffic wasn't too busy, due to CV restrictions, and the run down to the Clifton Suspension Bridge was fine. One of the good things about cycling over the bridge is taking the cycle lane around the toll gates; it gets you past the queue of motorists and straight onto the bridge - bicycles are exempt from the toll, which is £1 for cars. Unfortunately there's nowhere safe to stop and take a photo, so the only picture on the bridge is a grab from my handlebar cam - apologies fro the slightly skewith camera angles!

Straight across the bridge, then towards the Observatory and onto Clifton Downs. The Downs is an area of lawns and woods at the top of the Avon Gorge, again owned by the city council. The clouds which had been building produced a shower of rain while I was on the Downs, so I headed onwards as soon as I'd taken a photo. Luckily it was only a very brief shower - I hadn't packed a rain jacket.

From the Downs I headed on through Bristol into Shirehampton, then Lawrence Weston for the cycle way beside the M5 bridge over the Avon. It's a bit of an unnerving experience, cycling right beside a six lane motorway with nothing but a barrier and hard shoulder between you and the traffic heading by at 70mph. Added to that is the drop over the other side with just a 4 foot steel fence and an ever present crosswind. No decent photos again, but a couple of video screen shots.

The cycle way runs out on the south side of the Avon into the village of Pill; from there it was a busier road out through Easton-in-Gordano, and then an unpleasant half a mile on one of the main roads out of Bristol towards the M5 - not nice to see a ghost bike on this stretch of road. It was a real relief to turn off into Portbury before heading for Clapton-in-Gordano, then into Clevedon, along a very quiet lane, running for some way beside the M5 - I saw more horse riders than motorists on the stretch of lane.

From Clevedon it was another stretch along Nailsea Wall into Yatton, and back onto the Strawberry Line. I got back onto the roads in Sandford, going back into Weston from the south through Locking village and across the airfield. A nice ride of just a shade over 70 miles; the only part that was not enjoyable was the main road out of Bristol.

I took some parts of the route (the more pleasant parts!) incidentally from Jack Thurston's book Lost Lanes West - if anyone's planning on doing rides in the UK the Lost Lanes series are highly recommended reading.


Top of Toll Road, Weston-super-Mare. Birnbeck Pier in the foreground, Steepholme Island and Wesh coast in the background.

Bridge on the Strawberry Line, over the River Yeo, in Congresbury.

View across Bristol from Ashton Court - the red brick buildings are the old tobacco warehouses on the docks, the stadium is Bristol City's Ashton Gate.

East Gatehouse at Ashton Court

Heading onto Clifton Suspension Bridge

Over the bridge

On Clifton Downs, looking back down the Avon Gorge.

M5 Avonmouth bridge

View from M5 bridge down the River Avon towards Bristol

Ballenxj

That's a bit troubling, are the stores closed full stop, or just restrictions against people not known to them shopping their stores?
Regardless, lovely images posted, thank you.

ExPatTyke

There are a few shops still closed, some have limited items in stock, and a number of shops attached to local garages are still doing fuel sales only.

Added to this is the fact that there is a small but significant amount of hostility towards cyclists at the moment, especially in smaller villages. This is an article about the village of Pill - https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bri...ll-4046905.amp - and is reflective on how a small number of people are using Covid to stoke up anti-cyclist feeling in their communities. I've also seen a series of anti-cyclist messages painted on the road while riding through Litton, another small village a few miles up the road from us.

With all this in mind, plus the risk of infection - however small - when going into a shop, I'm much happier on a heavier bike, taking my time and carrying my lunch and drinks with me.

On the positive side of this yesterday's lunch stop was bliss - it cost me nothing, and I sat in perfect solitude and complete silence apart from birdsong in a field overlooking the Gordano valley.

Ballenxj

Sad, really. It would seem the folks in Pill are living up to their villages name.

DQRider 

Sunday I rode to Prescott, Wisconsin - a state that is fully open for business now. Had a nice lunch at Enrique's Tacos, but didn't take any photos because the setup was just wrong. The streets in this little village were bustling with people, many of which were Covid Restriction Refugees like myself, from Minnesota. Too many cars! - So I had to ride the sidewalk. But that was crowded too, so I didn't stay long. The only photogenic location was down along the river, near and under the bridges. Here are a few shots from there:









All-in-all it was a pretty nice day. Windy, though, and there were a few long hills to ride over. I just took my time and enjoyed the ride.

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Prowler 

Since it looks like no road trips this year (like haul the bike up into New England or down to Virginia to ride trails) I'm "spoke riding" this year - day trips from home and back. Yesterday was a big day as I'd decided to try a 100 mile ride on the Delaware and Lehigh trail from Northampton, PA to White Haven. This included trail I've been on before and a new section from Weissport to Jim Thorpe, PA including the brand new Mansion Bridge. Set out at 5am and pushed away from the car at 6am. Jim Thorpe by 8am and White Haven by 10:30. Then continued on the D&L another 3 miles into the woods to reach the 50 mile from the car point. Turned and headed back. Heading back is down grade or level. Most of the trail is beautifully finished screenings and coal tailings - some of which is as hard a macadam this time of year. Fast trail. Few people, lots of shade. 54degF to start, 89deg F when done. It got pretty tough in the last 25 miles - physically and mentally. No choice but to continue though. Made it! This was the longest trip I've done on a mtn bike. My other centuries were on road bikes on roads. I feel pretty good for a skinny 68 year old grouch.



1995 Trek 850, drop barred a few years ago. Very comfortable. The 1.95 tires were the right choice given variety of trail conditions - from boulevard to rocky single track. Yeah yeah, NDS but youse all know what the DS looks like. Itsa mtn bike....



About 7 hours of this, with the roiling Lehigh river on one side and the railroad cut on the other side. Lovely in the woods yesterday.

BFisher

^ I gotta ride that trail one of these days. ^

Couple shots from today's ride.

SurferRosa

Now that's what I call therapy.