Casual ride = relaxing fun
 

I took my Schwinn SS DBX out for a casual ride today. I had a couple of errands/visits to do. I was paying no attention to speed, time or distance. I was having such a good, relaxing time I just wanted to continue in that mode. I made other stops besides the errands/visits. I stopped at the Bethany Beach boardwalk for a while and just looked at the ocean and sky for awhile. Also took a picture of the bike in its latest set up. Other stops I made were: at home for lunch and switch to lighter clothes; to watch a hawk, I think a red shouldered hawk, working a section of wetlands; and to watch a small flock of wild turkeys working the edge of a field. I tried to get a picture of the turkeys, by the time got stopped and got ready to take a picture, they were in cover at the edge of the woods, ergo, they cannot be seen in the picture. I also saw a '64 rag top GTO cruising north on Ocean highway. The 64 hardtop is one of my favorite vintage muscle cars. I have no idea when I last saw one with a rag top. I also stopped at a friends house to see a really nice buck he shot this morning. I did not actually see the deer, just a picture.

I wound up getting in 42 miles with a total time of close to 5 hours. It was a wonderful ride and a great way to spend a beautiful fall day. I love riding the Schwinn, it is a very good multi-purpose bike. I have had it now since it was new in 2006. It is the first bike of mine with dual control shift/brake, also disc brakes. There is a lot of good in having a bike that you just jump on and can go, knowing it can handle the road, gravel, light trails and, of course, the MUP's, which I do not do that often. It just might be, dollar for dollar, the best bike purchase I ever made. The Tiagra 4400 group has been terrific, the wheel set has never been worked on, and still rolls smooth and easy. I use 25mm up to 38mm tires and think up to true 42mm would fit.

I am going to try to remember to do this more often. Tomorrow is looking like low 70's, it will be a good day for packing a lunch and taking another long, easy going, stress less ride on my Schwinn. I'll ride different, unspecified areas, and throw in some trails. Now the obligatory picture.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3bfd3c43e5.jpg
I love this bike!

Why do you call it an "SS" when it has 18 speeds? (Whoops .... maybe 27! How many gears is too many? :D )

(For me every ride is casual .... the "performance" part is getting out the door on my bike .... that takes so much effort afterwards I can only cruise.)

It being Delaware, I can only assume that you carry at least three major corporations in your basket, right?

Great post, love the photo.

Casual rides make up a lot of my rides these days. Either those or loaded tours. Need to put training rides back into the mix because it’s gotten harder to just jump on the bike for a week or two without sufficient training.

I enjoy riding by myself and the best local roads are right out my door. The problem is I ride at least 5mph slower than when I'm with my group. Soon I'll be unable to keep up and I'll have to go entirely solo.:(

This describes every ride I take.

That's my kind of riding. I lose interest when cycling becomes work. Fun is my priority. Thankfully cycling is a beautiful blend of fun and fitness.

Yeah, this happened to me. I still get invites from the local cycling club .... maybe someday. But their super-slow "recovery ride" is 18 mph, and at some point I couldn't keep up.

I am sort of in between @Phil_gretz and @indyfab .... I cannot Not have fun and still want to ride, but I need to ride more and longer, with more hills, ... so I can keep riding longer. Someday I won't have the capacity to 'regain what I have lost," so i need to have more to lose when I get there.

Maelochs , the bike is a Schwinn Super Sport DBX with one of the decals shortened to SS. It has 9 speed 46/34 up front, 11-32 in back. Original was 50/36 and I think 11-25.

livedarklions , for the comments. For me, Delaware's corporate income advantage comes in the form of low taxes; no state tax in soc. sec., no sales tax, and low property taxes. Property rates are going to go up, likely in 2024. The state just began a court ordered re-assessment of all Delaware residences.

Yeah, I did a web-search before I replied .... I was born back in the day when typing twelve or 28 characters was considered almost but not quite too much work :D (I cheated and cut-and-pasted ...)

Looks similar to my Fuji .... a solid, simple cruiser, good for a climb, a coast, a short sprint, a day at the beach, a week on tour, or around the neighborhood.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a015ae27ee.jpg

very cool, thank you for sharing! always add a pic! :thumb:

Nice ride report! I need to do this sometime. Sadly living in the suburbs sucks. It gets into workout territory just to get to a place that's fun to meander around at.

Hell of a nice area to ride - I just did 15 miles around Santa Monica beach this morning :)

Markert Bike
 

I did more changes on the Schwinn. It now has racks and baskets on the front and back. I had been looking for baskets that were not too big or heavy. I found some on Sierra Trading Post for $15 for the two of them. They are really just kitchen storage type baskets, but just what I was looking for. I have them mounted on the bike with smallish, light weight racks, and zipped tied to the racks. I left my house this morning, at just after 9, with clothes for adapting to warming up, a light lunch and a couple of bottles of water. I got back home about 2:30, having stopped a few times, including the grocery market for some items I needed for dinner tonight.

The racks and baskets work very well. I have them mounted as low as I can, spread the weight out evenly and they are solid and stable. I have bungee nets to cover the baskets to hold anything in. Today was kind of a test stop at the market. I think I can get enough supplies to last for 3 or 4 days on one trip, if necessary.

So, I got in 45 miles with some of it being through Assawoman Wildlife Refuge, a really nice 5 mile gravel loop. One day soon, I plan on leaving the house 30 before sunrise so I can catch it in Bethany Beach, then spend the rest of the day riding where ever I wind up going. I plan on taking clothes for changes of weather and enough fuel/fluids for the whole day, catch the sunset over the bay, and be home before total dark. Right now that would mean being out for 9.5 hours. No goal for miles or speed, just spend the whole day casual cycling.

Of course, I took a few pics today.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f880b3ee3f.jpg
refuge looking NE from Strawberry Landing
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...161b7525aa.jpg
refuge looking SE from Mulberry Landing, OC, MD in the distance.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c903e435a7.jpg
Strawberry shelter
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e3d297a5a4.jpg
Mulberry shelter

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4d8de2c2aa.jpg
Back from ride with groceries
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...80d2cf6676.jpg
Market bike front
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...21145758ed.jpg
Market bike rear

Baskets are working out very well. I can mount handlebar type bags in the side or beneath the baskets. Also have a strap on for in between the rear basket and the seat post. Most of the stuff is easily removed and replaced, and I have options depending on the purpose for the ride, and what I want/need to take along. It is meant to be very adaptable.

Put a corkscrew and toothpick on it and you got yourself a Swiss Army bike.

I spent decades "training" and recording every ride, and as much data (miles, speed, heartrate, etc.) that I could. That's over now - I'm getting older - now I ride slowly, enjoying the sunshine and the breeze. I had not realized that I stopped enjoying cycling. Now it's me, my Schwinn, the fresh air . . . .