rumrunn6

10-15-16 temps in the high 50s late in the afternoon. got in about an hour of actual riding in the Groton Town Forest. limited flat trails. returning is doubtful

EDIT: due to photobucket changing policies, this post no longer has photos

rumrunn6

10-16-16 temps in 60s
got in about 2 hours of riding in the Douglas State Forest & SNETT in MA to Air Line in CT. I think recording time rather than distance makes sense because of all the varied terrain on unpaved mixed surface trails
this park is worth coming back to for more riding & picnicking

EDIT: due to photobucket changing policies, this post no longer has photos

rumrunn6

10-23-16
20 miles on the SNETT from Douglas to Uxbridge
was out of the car for 4 hours & stopped quite a bit for photos
temps were in the 50s & the heavy rain had stopped but it remained drizzly & wet
the trail deteriorated as I rode East & due to the recent heavy rain impassable
by time I made it back to my starting place my pace was rather slow. recreational cyclotrons is definitely not road riding. I forgot the bike computer at home but doesn't seem needed for stuff like this

EDIT: due to photobucket changing policies, this post no longer has photos

glad I made the effort to ride

front wheel reflector broke off within the 1st mile. this twig in the rear wheel was found when I stopped to turnaround

used 3 zip strips for a field repair to the rack

shoe covers did their job. a downpour or snow would require the high covers to protect my ankles & actual rain pants instead of the Novara Headwind pants which were a perfect choice for this ride

rumrunn6

did a nice section of the Mass Centrail Rail Trail from Rutland to Barre. very high quality unpaved trail. Wifey would enjoy this trail, very pretty w lots of water features. with her I would park on Miles Rd Rutland. I got in 19.5 miles & was out of the car for 4 hrs. I did a lot of exploring the unimproved & impassable section between 157 Wachusett St (headed West to explore but got stopped by too many fallen trees) & ~ 101 Glenwood Rd (headed East but got stopped by washed out trail maybe due to beaver activity?) had to move the car to Glenwood, so next time I would just park at Glenwood. but with Wifey on Miles

EDIT: due to photobucket changing policies, this post only has 1 photo

rumrunn6

11/6/16
installed a cheap set of fenders on the Trek 7.0 & a kickstand
temps in the high 40s w 15mph wind. choosing what to wear took a cpl minutes
decided the Minuteman, Bedford to Arlington, 17.4 round trip would be a good test ride. worked well, guess I'll keep it & swap a rack onto it. having the fenders, I aimed for all the puddles ... :-)

EDIT: due to photobucket changing policies, this post no longer has photos

rumrunn6

11-12-16
48 degrees
18 miles to test the 2nd set of fenders. they're fine. no puddles to play in tho
used the parking lot behind 64 Main St, Concord, to use the Reformatory Branch Trail & Minuteman, to Lexington. got home just before dark. looking forward to days getting longer next month. finally remembered to try the tires softer w a cpl lbs let out. much more comfortable on the unpaved trails

EDIT: due to photobucket changing policies, this post no longer has photos

last night's wind brought this tree down. what are the odds it hits the only structure in the area? this was at Great Meadows

rumrunn6

11-19-16 Myles Standish State Forest. sunny in high 50s at home but was cloudy in the 40s down south. some drizzle by the end of my time there. got in 10 miles but I should go back & ride more. the 700x45 tires on this bike were good for the unpaved trails but the regular hybrid bike would have been fine for the paved trails. with a touch of snow the 45s would be best due to their deep tread. I parked at the "equestrian lot" by mistake, the lot at the HQ would have been just fine. there's very limited legit parking open this time of year. Lot #2 was open but I only found it by accident. I can finally justify one of those his-vis sweatshirts I've seen at Walmart. wearing my grey sweatshirt over my hi-vis cycling garb seemed dangerous with all the active hunters in the area this time of year

EDIT: due to photobucket changing policies, this post no longer has photos

rumrunn6

11/26/16 stole a little time from Thanksgiving weekend to strip the old LeTour & donate it to Cambridge Antique Market. actually they gave me 20 bucks for it. they'll do a cpl things to it & find a new home for it come spring. then I swapped that rear rack onto the silver hybrid for a run down the Battle Rd Trail, parking at 721 Lexington Rd in Concord & did the 8.4 miles round trip to 2710 Wood St Lexington. seems to be more of a walking trail

EDIT: due to photobucket changing policies, this post no longer has photos

rumrunn6

12-3-16
temps in the 30s & 40s wind chill made it feel 10 degrees cooler. got in approx 17.5 miles. finally broke out the fleece thermal layer but only needed that plus a short sleeve base with a new cheap thin orange hoodie sweatshirt from Walmart. used sock liners, toe warmers & hiking socks in hiking shoes. combo worked well for 3 hrs but toe warmers were cold by the end. must be the cheap ones

tried the Air Line State Trail in CT & rode it North from 121 Riverside Drive Thompson CT to the Tri State Marker path at CT border w/ MA. it surprised me how short the gravel section was. I could have just kept going when I was on it several weeks ago coming South from Douglas

also checked out the parking situation at Potter Rd in Hampton. good place to start for what looks like tons of high quality unpaved trail North & South

EDIT: due to photobucket changing policies, this post no longer has photos

rumrunn6

12-11-16
32 degrees
21.73 miles from work office to home. may have to re-check wheel factor for new tires
27.4 mph max
13.3 mph avrg
1hr 37min saddle time
1hr 48min door to door journey time
took 1 short pit stop
so nice to be on a road bike for a change!
got lucky with little wind & lots of sun
put the big mini clips on the road bike

feet

• sock liners
• tow warmers
• thin winter socks
• hiking shoes

head

• thin knit hat
• helmet
• safety glasses

top

• long sleeve zip up turtle neck base
• fleece shirt
• cycling jacket

hands

• glove liners
• loose winter gloves

brought balaclava, helmet cover, extra, loose, top layer in my trunk, but didn't use them

glad to get home, was just starting to get chilly

EDIT: due to photobucket changing policies, this post no longer has photos

rumrunn6

1-2-17
33 - 38 degrees
26.4 miles round trip
1st ride on the preowned studded tires. lots of puddles & ice to play on
started at the town lot behind 64 Main St, Concord, to use the Reformatory Branch Trail & Minuteman, to the Kickstand in Arlington 594 Mass Ave. took my time, was away from the car for 3.5 hrs. used the new thin fleece tights under the Novara pants. great to be back on the bike. my cold feels significantly better now, nice to have a hot shower & soak. was hoping for a warmer 1st ride on some light soft snow but wound up on hard crusty ice instead, guess it's winter for real, now. looking forward to days getting longer. filled the tires a month ago to max pressure & left them. might have lost a cpl lbs but they were hard when I squeezed them. no question I had full contact of all studs. good thing cuz 1/2 the ride was on dry paved trail. they worked great on everything even the wet super flat icy sections. I guess this will be the winter bike for a while

EDIT: due to photobucket changing policies, this post no longer has photos

plain dirt sections were extremely rare

mostly it was this stuff, wet ice. nice

rumrunn6

got in 6 miles in a raging snowstorm. not quite a blizzard but close. temps in the teens. lots of stops for pics & slow going due to deep snow. wanted to try the SNETT from Douglas State Forest MA to the Airline in Thompson CT but stopped at the trailhead to the Tristate Marker. this was close to the Arline sign but not quite there. cudda used a fatbike for sure. finally had a legit cause to try the new goggles. loved them but they fogged and then the fog froze. couldn't wipe them clear. built a small fire which did the trick

rumrunn6

the last time I rode more than 40 miles was a little over 3 yrs ago (11/16/13). that's grim. weird I did it with temps in the 20s today
41.36 miles
26.5 max
12.2 avrg (9 of those miles was thru the woods, plus lots of stops to warm & refresh)
3hrs 24 min saddle time
out of the house for 4hrs 45min (12:45-5:30pm)

recent rain washed away the snow. subfreezing temps turned the dirt & mud to pavement. decided to ride the road bike to Arlington (from home near Stow) using the dirt trail from Concord to Bedford for a little twist. turned out to be really fun cuz there were so many milestones that broke up the trip. out of the house way longer than I expected tho & my headlight cut out 3 miles from home & yeah the sun was gone. glad I at least had 2 rear strobes. felt foolish that I looked at a backup headlight while choosing my gear & left it at home. not sure wutz going on w my headlight charger cuz I tried to top it off twice since my last ride. it really should have charged but kept showing green so I think that was a mistake & it wasn't fully charged today. even now it's not charging tonite

rumrunn6

round trip Douglas State Forest, Wallaum Lake Rd Douglas, MA to 121 Riverside Drive Thompson, CT 9.75 miles end to end
mid ride temp 55 degrees
19.5 miles round trip
avrg 7.6 mph ouch
2 hrs 40 min saddle time
was out of the car for several hours
the ground was not hard & frozen, it was soft & loose
in some areas it was downright sticky, like fly paper
good big breakfast, I brought some snacks for the 1/2 way point & 2 bottles of lemon water
banana, 4 trader joes fig newtons, box of yogurt covered raisins
used the black bike w soft tires, after the turnaround I added a shot of CO2 to the back tire
even tho the tires are 40mm wide, they only measure 1.5" & their tread has some deep grooves, so I think a file thread design would have helped me stay on top of the soft loose stuff better. just don't want to sacrifice any width, so gonna keep looking for tires
wore shoe covers but took them off at the turnaround

rumrunn6

only had time for a quick down & back to the old office
temps in the mid to high 30s, rigged a fleece knee warmer tucked under the trishort & under the fleece tights. used a little masking tape too. then novara headwind pants over it all

first half stats
13.55 miles
29.7 mph max
14.2 avrg
57min saddle time, then headed to REI for snacks

whole ride stats
26.7 miles
29.7 mph max
13.1 avrg
2 hrs 2 min saddle time

charged & used the new headlight battery. happy that despite it's larger size, it still fits in the trunk's front pocket

rumrunn6

temps in the high 20s low 30s + wind. went back to Myles Standish. had some trouble w a broken steel bead on the rear studded tire. TWICE! (2 flats) decided to hitch a ride back to the HQ parking lot. at least I got some hilly cycling. good workout. used a band aide & electrical tape to cover the exposed steel wire but the tire was tricky to mount & I thought it might fail again. with the cold temps & sun setting in an hour I decided not to ride back thru the woods when I got lucky with a ride. thanks Pete!

finally got a computer on the Trek
4.11 miles hahaha ahhhh fuggedaboutit
19.7 max surprising considering the conditions
7.7 avrg pretty disappointing
31 min saddle time very disappointing (took me 1.5 hours to reach the end of this paved trail)





conditions were so much fun! just the right amount of crusty snow here & there

rumrunn6

yesterday was a bust so got out again. temps in the high 30s maybe even 40 but it was windy & cloudy so I wore a balaclava. this really is a short easy ride. I should try it sometime w/o stops for pictures. sportcam really acting up too

Bedford to Arlington
8.59 miles
21.7 max
15.3 avrg
33 min saddle time

Back at Bedford whole ride stats
17.3 miles
22.2 max
14.1 avrg
1hr 13min saddle time

home in plenty of time to what the Pat's play the Atlanta Falcons in the 51st Super Bowl, altho this game so far is entirely forgettable

rumrunn6

2-11-17 computer said 30 degrees, car thermo said 18 degrees. regardless felt cold. but not too cold to ride. glad the computer said 30 cuz it helped me get out the door. mounted up the new 40mm studded tires. needed 25 miles on dry pavement to "set" the studs but got in 17 miles on plowed pavement. that will have to do. the riding conditions were actually excellent

Bedford to Arlington
8.4 miles 17.3 max 11.3 avrg 44 min

whole ride
16.97 miles 17.8 max 10.3 avrg 1hr 39min

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po4G...ature=youtu.be

marcos4k

Mesmerising Pics

rumrunn6

3-11-17 got the bike out when the sun came up but at 16 degrees I was in no hurry. wind chill was in the single digits. just went thru my paces 1 step at a time. eventually did the math & approved the time plan. eventually got it all together w enough time for a birthday dinner at nite.

drove it to Carver again, well actually Plymouth & biked thru the woods to Carver, on a snow & ice covered paved trail, only 11 miles, but was away from the car for 2.5 hrs. East entrance to HQ & back, tested some new fenders & new 40mm studded tires in snow. I like their wider footprint. mite let a lb or 2 more out of the front, if I ride it again this winter. nor' easter comin' Tuesday so probably will. front fender can use a lift. it's a bit squeezed under the fork crown

also rode w pedal extenders for the 1st time. they were great, so much so I used the size 14 Columbia winter boots!

soundgarden

Such cool pictures! Do you a have a standalone blog about bikes and cycling? I think with this kind of content it could gain attention outside of the forum.

rumrunn6

back to MSSF
Sat, Mar 18, 2017
11:45 AM :arrived Parking lot 39 degrees wind 5-10 mph mostly sunny
1:22 PM :about 5 miles hit bog & explored
2:32 PM :Back at car 10.6 miles 24.3 mph max 8.7 avrg 1 hr 16 min saddle time
away from car approx 3 hrs

rumrunn6

Sat 3/25 & Sun 3/26
temps in the high 30s
local conditions terrible, next day tried south west & they got worse. should have just gone straight south again
still managed 12 rough miles combined
rode Assabet River & Mass Centrail trail
45mm Riddlers did surprisingly well. even the 40mm studs would have had a hard time
today ran the front at 27lb & back at 45lb. yesterday they were both about 33lbs
Assabet yesterday was all rough ice & wet mud today Mass Central was softer, a weird granular hard slush
brought the hose out after both rides to rinse the dirt off

Assabet River




Mass Central

locolobo13 

Wow! I can't even imagine riding in that. Good pix.

rumrunn6

took the Airline State Park Trail North from James L Goodwin State Forest, 23 Potter Road, Hampton, CT to "Pomfret Station" (near 1 Railroad St., Pomfret Center, CT)

at parking lot 12:55pm 42 degrees
reached Pomfret Station 2:29pm 11 miles, 18.2 mph max, 10.8 mph avrg, 1hr saddle time, 47 degrees
back at car 4:16pm 22 miles, avrg went down to 9.3 mph, 2hrs 20min saddle time for the whole ride 49.6 degrees

mostly downgrade & easy pedaling. but going back wasn't bad, lower gear & slower but not hard by any means. I'd go back & try going further North past "the station" it's supposed to be more rugged & that would be a nice change after so much wide open & straight riding. but considering the 1.5 hr drive from home, I'd need to get an earlier start. good quality gravel, easy riding. pretty dry with just some occasional water draining across. fenders helped but during summer months they wouldn't be needed



used the old $50 bike



with the new WTB 45mm Riddlers



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1Qo...ature=youtu.be