steelbikeguy

For anyone within range of central Illinois, this is a chance to ride with fellow vintage & steel bike enthusiasts and perhaps show off the pride of your fleet! It's intended to be a medium speed ride along quiet rural roads north of Peoria, IL, including a stretch along the scenic Illinois river... nothing too serious, and no dropped riders.


Date: Saturday, Sept 25th. Meet at 8:30am. Roll out at 9am.

Start/Finish location: Shore Acres Park, 100 Park Blvd, Chillicothe Illinois 61523
Meet in the parking area adjacent to the swimming pool.
https://www.chillicotheparkdistrict.org/shore-acres-park

Distance: roughly 43 miles.
Speed: the target is approximately 16mph or so. The plan is to regroup at turns and key points to keep the group from getting too broken up.

Mid-ride destination & break: Tanner's Orchard, Speer, Illinois. https://www.tannersorchard.com/
baked goods, hot cocoa, coffee, water, and restrooms. Plenty of apples and cider are available too, but you'll want to bring a pannier or big saddlebag to carry it in. Fortunately, it's mostly downhill from Tanner's.

Other ride info:

-- Support: This is an unsupported ride. Bring your own food and water, and be prepared to handle any mechanical issues that might occur.

-- Terrain: There are a variety of moderate rolling hills as well as some flat ground in the river flood plain. The route is slightly changed from last year, due to road work. The route returning from Tanner's goes a bit further east than before, and then south into the north end of Chillicothe.
I've entered the route on RideWithGPS:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36920618

-- Road conditions: primarily narrow rural roads with chipseal surfaces and very little traffic. This is Illinois, so there are some potholes here and there. Overall, though, everything but a 1 mile stretch is in very good condition.

-- Cue sheet and map: posted to a Flickr album:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kurtsj...57719597513224
or direct links:
map: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kurtsj...7719597513224/
cue sheet: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kurtsj...7719597513224/
… but also available on the RideWithGPS link.

photos from last year's ride...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kurtsj...57715411366891

last year's thread:
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...12-2020-a.html

-- COVID-19 considerations: central Illinois had been doing fairly well, but with the Delta variant causing a new surge in infections, we will want to be careful. The old guidelines to "use a mask and practice social distancing" are a good idea when indoors. Vaccination is also encouraged.


Please let me know if you plan to attend or if there are any questions.

Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

did a quick scouting ride to check on the donuts at Tanner's.... they just opened up for the upcoming season. When I ordered a donut, I was told they were giving folks a free donut! In retrospect, I probably should have ordered an apple fritter, just to give them some income, but I wasn't planning on anything other than just a donut. I'm sure I'll make up for it in the future, as I buy my autumn apples from them and pick up a few baked goods as well.





I'm happy to report that the donuts are up to the usual high standards.

Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

just to bump the thread a bit..

a shot of the road with some potholes.
The road crew was working on it, which is good. Their technique is typical of this area. This involves shoveling some hot patch material into the hole and then driving the truck tires over the patch to flatten/compress it. This is what causes the black tire tracks criss-crossing over the patch.



I park close to the entrance to the building, next to some flowers. A nice touch, and not a bad backdrop for a red bike...




a new addition to the orchard is this set of dog rules. Have people been bringing their pets along? Is this a result of the pandemic, where folks responded to isolation by buying pets?


Steve in Peoria

nlerner

Wow, Steve, 43 miles and just 930 feet of climbing? That's some serious flatland. I imagine winds might be an issue, however.

steelbikeguy

I suppose it's all relative.
I can think of a number of friends who will shoot you a nasty look if you pick a route that doesn't take the shallowest path up the river bluff. To be fair, there are one or two nearby roads that are 14% grades when going up the bluffs.
Our friends in Chicago have a general expectation of minimal elevation change too.

I do enjoy a nice hill or two. Having lived in the St. Louis area for a while before moving to Peoria, I've been going back down there to enjoy the hills west of the urban area. Lots to chose from! My most recent ride was this one: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36676314
48 miles and about 3000 feet of climbing, and the heavily wooded hills tend to be steep.
It can be a bit secluded, and you never know what sort of wild life you might see....



Steve in Peoria

beech333

Ha! I was there Saturday after dropping off my parents’ dog that I had been watching.

On the way out of town, I picked up some thing I have missed about Peoria, such as Monicals pizza, Avanti’s gondolas/bread, and Tanners cider/doughnuts. Hmm, not much about Peoria is very healthy.

steelbikeguy

that's a pretty good start, but you missed Trefzger's bakery!
They relocated a few years ago, and are now in a former bike factory that is located next to the Rock Island trail (a multi-user path). Neat building, and wonderful baked goods!







Steve in Peoria

beech333

Cool building, but that is about all I can positively say about them. I was just never a fan, though some of my family like it.

I do wish I could have picked a pizza up from Aggatucci's, but I arrived in the morning and was gone at around 1pm. That place is a Peoria landmark. I still remember the lines out the door and around the corner after Bradley basketball games. Of course, the friendliness of the owners is a lot of the charm.

steelbikeguy

an update with non-essential info....

did a little evening/night bike ride on Saturday, and went by Shore Acres Park, where the ride starts/ends.
The main building was looking lovely in the light of the setting sun, and the river was peaceful.






and even riding in the near-dark was scenic. I do recommend wearing a bandana to filter out the bugs at this time of year, though.



I rode up to Tanner's this morning to check on the status of their apple fritters, and it wasn't until I noticed how few cars were in the parking lot that I remembered that they aren't open on Sundays! d'oh! That changes in September, though. Nice day for a ride, regardless.


Steve in Peoria

schundog

Steve, it was great to see you last Saturday at the "No Baloney" ride in Morton; I am hoping to join you on September 25 for my 4th year in a row; it's a great ride, and you are a great host! I have a couple of new steel steeds to chose from this year; an old Specialized Allez Elite, or a 1986 Dave Scott Ironman Centurion.

steelbikeguy

Saturday was a bit warm! Must have been the last of the heat wave, as it's improved a lot since. Nice to see that you recruited the new fellow on the Peugeot too! The French bikes have a lot of character and quirks, which keeps things interesting!

I am only slightly familiar with the Allez and the Ironman models. Both have pretty good reputations, I believe, and should be a lot of fun!

Steve in Peoria

52telecaster

in the basement of the building is a terrific luthier, Aaron Austin.

Classtime 

Pictured bakery in a lovely brick industrial building that used to be a BIKE FACTORY? WTF!? Which bikes did they make!!??

steelbikeguy

I'm not sure that I know the answer to that question. The Trefzger Bakery web site doesn't specify. I think there were a couple of brands of bikes manufactured in Peoria way back when.. the early years for safety bikes. There is a local member of The Wheelmen who had some of his bikes on display at the local museum. One of these was a safety bike that was made in Peoria, the Rouse-Duryea Sylph.
Some photos from that exhibit....













There was a lot of industry going on back then. Bike manufacturing didn't appear to be as profitable as some other types of manufacturing, eventually. Fortunately, earthmoving equipment was a bit more profitable and higher tech than bikes.

Steve in Peoria (spent some time in the earthmoving equipment business)

steelbikeguy

just a quick teaser post, I guess.

the weather lately has been wonderful; temperatures in the 70's and sunny! Doesn't get much better than that!
Seemed like the perfect day to get the Raleigh International out, slip on the Duegi's, and head north....





as we move into autumn, the business at Tanner's is picking up! Even early on a Sunday morning, families are there to pick up some apples and pumpkins (maybe?) and take pictures with the kids. Very charming!


The Quality Assurance check at the bakery went well, although the price did go up a bit...


Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

Today was a sunny day, and I needed some apples, so I put the panniers on the touring bike and headed off for Tanners!
The first thing I noticed was that the townships were busy chip-sealing a lot of the small roads. Fortunately, they didn't leave a lot of loose rock on the road, so it wasn't any trouble to ride on. It ought to be in good shape by the 25th.

I've noticed that the corn is drying faster than what I'm accustomed to. Today I saw that one farmer had actually started harvesting it!



Tanner's isn't too busy on a weekday morning (yet), so no problem grabbing a few quick photos.....


and the line at the bakery was short to non-existent...


The last time I was there, I got donuts, so today it was time to try the apple fritter. Results: no complaints.


after the snack, I picked up some apple cider and some honeycrisp apples. The selection of apple types wasn't too bad.


The ride home took a bit longer, as the south wind had picked up. With the half-peck of apples and half gallon of cider, the bike was going a bit slower anyway, so not really a problem.

Steve in Peoria

kinetic energy

Well, it's been a long time, but the fates have allowed my schedule time to make this work. Steve, I know we met at a CV ride at Crystal Lake, IL some time ago. I know it was pre-2014 because I was still in undergrad. I came with my dad, and most of you guys showed us how out of shape we were. Anyway, I've been teaching in the Peoria area for the last 7 years, but marching band schedule has never permitted me to partake. This year the schedule gods appease me. I'll be there! I look forward to riding with you again.

steelbikeguy

I'm not sure that I attended any of the Chicago area vintage rides back then, but still glad that you are planning to attend!
... although I'm sure I've chatted with someone teaching in Peoria... hmmm???? <scratches head>
The weather forecast is currently looking optimistic, although the forecasts get predictably wetter and windier as we move towards the end of the year. It might be a tad chilly at the start, and I might be wearing arm and leg warmers. Might be an excuse to dig out a wool jersey too!

Steve

Bellet

Sometimes I miss living in Chilli near the river. Small town vibe with everyone knowing one another. Then I think about how cold it got during the winter and snap back into reality.

steelbikeguy

if it weren't for cold weather, I'd never have time to tear my bikes down and do some proper maintenance.
Plus, it's a good excuse to get out on cross country skis. No chain to clean, and no flat tires to fix!
The Rock Island trail works pretty well for this, although it's hard to keep the hikers from walking in the ski tracks.



Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

The Peoria club had a joint ride with the Bloomington/Normal bike club last weekend. We call it the Meet In the Middle ride, where we each start out from our respective metro area and meet in Mackinaw, roughly midway between the two. We have some snacks, chat, etc. A nice change of pace.

One benefit of this is that I get to meet up with Julian W. again! Julian has been a regular at the Tanners ride, and has a habit of bringing a different bike each time. For the Meet in the Middle ride, Julian and his wife rode the Davidson tandem that they had recently acquired. A very nice bike, and apparently handles the large difference in height between the captain and stoker. Here are some quick snapshots....













Pretty cool stuff, and he tells me it was built by that fellow that goes by the name "Bulgie" here on bike forums.

While we are at it, let's review the bikes that Julian has brought to the Tanner's ride in the past....

In 2020, Julian brought/rode a recently purchased Bruce Gordon touring bike! I seem to recall that it was built back in the old days, when touring bikes could still have skinny tires and sidepull brakes. Under current standards, it's probably closer to a sport bike.



In 2019, the weather had been wet, so fenders were a popular accessory. Julian rode his Tom Teesdale, built in nearby Iowa. Tom has been building for a very long time, but he's always been pretty quiet. As a native Iowan, the name was familiar, but I don't think anyone else had heard of him.





In 2018, Julian rode a later model of Paramount. Not sure of the vintage... 1990's??



and in 2017, Julian rode a Specialized Sequoia.



Haven't heard what he plans to bring on Saturday. The weather forecast is good, so it could be anything!

Steve in Peoria

schundog

Ironic that Julian, all 6'8" of him, owns a Sequoia.....haha.

I'm looking forward to seeing/riding with everyone on Saturday. My friend Ted, who rode with us two years ago is going to be joining us, too, with his 1984 Fuji. Thanks again for organizing the ride, Steve!

steelbikeguy

you never know when a random name will become the perfect name!

It'll be good to see everyone again. Might be a bit brisk, but as long as it is dry, I'm happy!

Steve in Peoria

schundog

Julian and his sweet wife are quite a sight on a tandem, which they ride quite often!

KAH

Hey Steve in Peoria, do you think there will be enough Apple Cider Donuts at Tanner’s for one more rider?