steelbikeguy

Since I bring so much business to Tanner's Orchard, I think I can talk to them and arrange to increase how many donuts that they reserve for us.

Planning to attend, or still debating whether other matters will take priority?

Steve in Peoria (obviously)

KAH

Yes I知 Planning to attend. Google maps says the start is 2hr 22min from my house so I知 hoping to be on the road before 6AM. I値l be the guy in a 10yr old hatchback putting the front wheel on a 40yr Miyata.



The weather looks really good, maybe a little windy but I'd rather have that than rain or oppressive heat and humidity.



Thanks for putting this ride together.



Kraig

steelbikeguy

cool!
Traffic shouldn't be bad at all. Just watch out for the deer in the wooded areas, such as near the rivers. They tend to be active near sunrise and sunset, and don't seem to recognize cars.


yeah, the forecast looks promising, with a bit of wind. Should be manageable.
See ya' in the morning!

Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

quick update.....

ride summary: had many familiar faces and friends show up this morning, plus some new ones! A few others couldn't make it.
The weather was great, with some extra wind to provide good ventilation for this covid plagued era!
I think everyone was able to have a nice chat on the way to Tanner's Orchard, refueled with a donut or muffin at the Orchard's bakery, and appreciated the tailwind on the way back to Chillicothe. Mission Accomplished!
At least I think everyone had a nice time... which is really the primary goal. Thanks to everyone who showed up and helped make the ride a fun time!

I did take a few pictures, and I think I'll try presenting them in chronological order. This is driven partly by the fact that I'm still editing them.
With that in mind, here are some shots of me riding the shiny 1974 Raleigh International up River Beach Drive (along the Illinois River) to Shore Acres park in Chillicothe....

It was only 50F this morning, so leg and arm warmers and a vest were essential gear. I wore one of my vintage Raleigh wool jerseys to go with the International. The vintage leather Duegi shoes with slotted cleats are something I routinely wear when riding my vintage bikes.






there is a lake here on the Illinois river, so the water covers a rather large area. While it is quite scenic, most of it is very shallow. The barges must stick to a narrow channel marked out by the navigation beacon visible in the river.


Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

this post could just be titled "Julian's Merz".

Julian acquired this nifty Merz touring bike recently, and was nice enough to share it with the rest of us!
I think it dates back to the early 80's, before touring bikes were designed for larger tires, longer wheelbases, etc.
With that introduction, here are the photos....







In keeping with the Merz theme, the hubs are Specialized. Part of Jim Merz's history is that he spent some time at Specialized doing product design and development.




I believe the cranks are the Specialized "flag" model, which are held in high regard.








I suppose it is appropriate that Brian's Specialized Allez is in the background, but that was just a happy accident.


Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

after spending too much time looking the details on Julian's Merz, it was time to be sociable again and talk to everyone, especially the new folks.

Kraig (aka "KAH" here on bike forums) brought his Miyata 912. The matching blue decals, lug lining, and especially the matching Zefal pump are great details!


Dale brought his custom Waterford with candy red paint. Very nice! We will have to talk to him about parking the bike with the drive side out.


Kraig and the Miyata....


Julian and Nick. Nick lives in the Peoria area, and brought a Miyata (which I didn't get photos of... d'oh!)


Bob (left) with his KHS Gran Sport and Ted (right) with his Fuji Del Rey.


Jack and Kraig. Jack brought his restored Trek 400, which was repainted at Franklin Frames. It is set up with a 1 x 10 system.


Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

onwards to Tanner's Orchard!

first, the ride along River Beach Drive with the view of the Illinois river.


heading onto Hallock Hollow, leading up to the modest hill that takes us up and out of the river valley.




and north on Hake's road, towards the small (even by local standards) town of Edelstein.


we pass one of many fields of pumpkins. These are the type used in pumpkin pies, and not the type that get used for decoration. There is a Libby pumpkin canning facility in nearby Morton, Illinois.


Dale and Bob and pumpkins....


another viewpoint...


Julian and Dale...


just about everyone...
.. yeah, I'm not excited about taking up the whole road, but it does say something about the very minimal traffic on these roads.
When we did encounter traffic, it was usually grain trucks or tractors or the like, and we did yield to them.


Steve in Peoria

kinetic energy

Hi Folks,

This is Nick. I have a great time riding with all of you today, despite my legs deciding to check out at mile 35. Thanks for putting this together. Steve mentioned he didn't get any pictures of my Miyata 914 ('89, I believe).


Here's one of the only photos I have on my phone of the 914. This is on Grandview drive in Peoria/Peoria Heights at sunrise. I'm fortunate in that I live easily within biking distance of Grandview, so when the weather's nice I do a morning ride there on weekends, it's worth the effort, even for a short ride.

I'll go out and take some more bike centered photos of the 914 for those interested. I hope to see you all again next year.

steelbikeguy

By mile 35, things were mostly either tailwinds or downhill-ish. I think the problem was not eating enough donuts.

That's a nice shot of Grandview drive! As the name suggests, the park is along the edge of the river bluffs and offers the public many wonderful views overlooking the Illinois river. Lots of great photo opportunities, especially when the leaves are changing colors...



Steve in Peoria

steelbikeguy

okay, time to wrap up this story.....

we got to the orchard and got in line at the bakery. The place was kinda busy, but not as insanely busy as it will be in the coming weeks. It finally time to enjoy the baked goods!

Ted and Julian. Not sure why Ted looks guilty of something...


Dale, Nick and Ted. Clearly, this is a group intent on devouring baked goods.


after snacks and plenty of chatter (and one odd joke by an elderly gentleman who just stopped to ask us "Do you know where a honeybee goes when it needs to use the restroom?..."), it was time to go back out to the bikes. They were still lined up on the north side, with a fellow either admiring them or trying to decide which to abscond with....

He said that he liked them and was a cyclist too.

Brian and Dale, with Jack behind them.


Dale's Waterford. Again, we need to discuss parking practices sometime...


Kraig's Miyata.


Bob's KHS Gran Sport


Probably should have gotten more photos, but it was time to go. There was a bit of climbing as we went east on highway 17, with a surprising amount of traffic. After a couple of miles, we were back on the small township roads and enjoying the tailwinds! It was as if donuts made you really fast!
The ride back took us down a short steep hill on the north side of Chillicothe, allowing us to take the scenic route and see much of the town. Nothing that unique, but it is a pleasant little river town.

When we got back to the park and everyone departed, I noticed that there was a vintage car show at the park, and had to stop for a couple of photos. It's hard not to identify with the shared love of vintage stuff and the theme of "steel is real".....




Steve in Peoria

KAH

Friendly people, near perfect weather, well chosen route, beautiful bikes and those Apple cider donuts lived up to their reputation.
Thanks for planing and hosting such a fun adventure Steve. Love the photos.

I enjoyed meeting and riding with all of you.

Hope to make it back next year.

schundog

Julian hamming it up, haha.

Steve in Peoria, our gracious host.





Here are some of my pictures from yesterday痴 ride. This is my fourth year in a row, and I look forward to it every year. Thanks again for a great ride, Steve!

steelbikeguy

Thanks for the fun photos! Always good to see things from another viewpoint.

That reminds me.. I never did ask about your Specialized. What's the story behind it??

Steve in Peoria

schundog

nothing terribly special; I just answered a FB Marketplace ad a guy from Brimfield had posted. He supposedly had intended this bike for himself, put a Brooks Cambium saddle on, new wheels/28 gatorskins/tubes, new bar end shifters, cables/housings/brake pads on, and realized it was a smidge too big for him. I didn稚 quite buy that, but was happy to give him our negotiating price of $380 for it. It痴 a really fun bike.

Roger M

Thanks for sharing this ride. It's always good to hear/read about old bike enthusiasts getting together for a ride.

Thanks for posting all of the photos of Julian's bikes. They're mostly small enough for me to ride, and all great examples from respected builders. I'm pretty sure that I saw his Teesdale frame on the market sometime last year. Shoulda, woulda, couda...

A PNW C&V ride might be nice, before the grey skies and rain take over for the next six months.

steelbikeguy

Julian did mention that he sold the Teesdale. A bit of a shame, but the addition of the Merz certainly compensates for it.
He's managed to find some pretty nice bikes.. not that I'm complaining about mine.

Hope that you find a good C&V ride too. Seems like there's plenty of enthusiasts out in that neighborhood!

Steve in Peoria

motogeek 

Looks like a great ride and I would have loved to have been there if I'd just gotten off my fat arse and ridden more this summer. Maybe next year (spoken like a true Cubs fan). The weather was fantastic except for the central Illinois breezes, and who can top Tanners cider and donuts. Although Caseys pumpkin donuts are right up there too, when you can't drive 35 miles to Tanners. Thanks for the pics.

steelbikeguy

well, it's always good to have a goal in order to make yourself get on the bike. You could do worse than ride the bike in order to get to eat Tanner's donuts.

Speaking of Casey's donuts... when I join a group in East Peoria for a morning ride, we tend to find ourselves at a Casey's for a mid-ride break. My preference is to grab a chocolate donut with sprinkles, but so many of the stores have either been completely out of donuts, or just offering a severely reduced variety of baked goodies. I've had to resort to a six pack of Hostess powdered donuts!! What is the world coming to?!

a side note: if I had to chose, I'd pick a Trefzgers chocolate donut over either a Tanners donut or a Casey's donut. I'd rate the Tanner's donut just below Trefzgers, and Caseys in third place.
for reference, here's a Trefzger's donut .....


Steve in Peoria

motogeek 

Trefger's definitely know how to put sprinkles on a donut!!! I'm partial to the maple flavor with sprinkles myself. I went out Sunday morning to bring my wife home some pumpkin donuts from Casey's and neither one in Morton had them. And only one maple donut in either store. Major Bummer!