bike_tom

Yup, Nitto Olympiade 114.

EVlove

First outing on the track (training) bike I've been putting together over the last five or six weeks! A day of many firsts, in fact. My first road bike that isn't steel, and the first that has any carbon at all (fork and seatpost). And my first single speed, well, not quite "ever," but since this:


That's me in 1974 or so. Coaster brake in the rear and rod up front. I remember it was blue. Then came a banana seat something with a 3 speed hub, a supermarket 5-speed my parents bought so I would "grow into it" i.e. the thing was so tall it scared the heck out of me for the first year or two, and, much later, a lucky find in the classifieds, a real Pinarello with ten, ten!!, speeds, courtesy of Campagnolo. I still miss that bike.

But I digress. mightily. Here's my mount of the day:



Comparison shot with the Bianchi, in fact, which is a size too tall for me. It suddenly looks so conservative...

So, the frame is a Van Dessel Project WR, about which I haven't been able to find much online. Apparently a short-lived model that was a triathlon and TT bike but for some reason has "track" ends. Crankset is a Sugino Mighty Competition I snatched in the C&V sales section here on BF, today set up as 42x16 with a no name SS freewheel and a formerly baby blue KMC Z510 chain, on blowout sale for $3 on ebay, that I stripped. Protype BB from Ben's Cycle, just about the only affordable option that mates properly with the ISO taper Sugino. Sakae pedals off the Bianchi for today. Syntace 120mm stem and the aforementioned narrow Nitto bars, wrapped in Head tennis racket tape from that well-known purveyor of fine sporting goods, Walmart. Brakes are Tektro R536 dual pivots (another first ever!) I found for $20 at the co-op, and whoever donated them forgot to keep the brand spanking new Campy pads, so that was a nice little deal. Cane Creek inline levers, also from C&V here. Wheels are the basic Weinmann LP18 on Origin8 hubs, shod with Michelin Dynamic 23mm, that previously graced the Lotus. The saddle is a basic Trek branded item that was on the Lotus when I bought it and got tossed in the parts bin.

Which all sounds like a micro budget project, and I guess it is, as you see it here. But in track spec, there's about $600 in it, mostly in wheels, tires, chainrings and sprockets. And lots of shipping from all over the place.

My last tasks today were to torque the BB and cranks, run brake lines, and adjust the brakes. Then off downhill to a nearby parking lot and right away I was surprised how "right" it felt. I got used to the position, geometry, and handlebars in no time at all, and never once tried to shift! The first hard effort, up a short ramp at the lot in 42x16, did reveal a mechanical issue in that I pulled the rear wheel askew. It was already cranked down as hard as I found reasonable so the workaround, for this rear wheel, will have to be to just go easy. It's obviously not a bike to climb even modest hills on, not for my legs at least. Once I straightened things out, I did a few more laps and figures of 8, headed back home, loaded the bike in the trunk and set off to Chelmsford center for a run on the BFRT.

I stopped at Heart Pond to fine-adjust the front brake pads out and the rear ones in, as the front was rubbing just a bit. Strange, it didn't do that at home? Well, I later realized I had inadvertently flipped the front wheel. Apart from that, the brakes were dependable and effective, and I quickly found out that I could keep my hands on the (imaginary) hoods and operate the levers with just my thumbs.

The wind was annoying but manageable, and once or twice weakened enough that I dared to go hands-free. Not bad, not bad at all! Another worry put to rest. A spring peeper peeped "spring!" near the Route 225 crossing, the sun was lovely, there was only a Monday afternoon sprinkling of other users (noticeably more fellow bikers, and even two separate inline skaters), my confidence in the new bike grew, and I was starting to let it fly.

I had picked 42x16 as it's very close to my go-to flat ratio of 52x19 which I know I can handle for the gentle grades and occasional standing starts on the trail, and this proved correct. Not sure I could make it over the 2A bridge, though! But today I turned around at NARA Park, anyway.



I like to give my butt and back a break and walk the bike around the pond when I get to NARA. Which also made me attentive to a pair of plovers flitting about the grassy end of the, as yet unused, sand beach. As small as that pond is, the wind was whipping up occasional whitecaps today! Neither sight was likely to show in a phone photo so not illustrated.

Back the same way but now I really wanted to know what was what, and managed a sustained 27mph on a couple of stretches, or so said the app on my watch. I "spun out" at that speed (131 rpm per bikecalc) and briefly wished for another gear.

Another stop at Heart Pond, which reminds me, PSA: one porta-potti has reappeared there. Another picture and no, still didn't notice that the front QR was on the wrong side:



Touched 27 mph again on the last stretch but just couldn't seem to spin past that, plus there were too many other users closer to Chelmsford. Celebratory pic in front of one of the murals at Grist Mill condos:



So, that's a resounding success, as far as I'm concerned. The track season up in N.H. begins on May 7, or at least that was the earliest new rider clinic they would let me sign up for on Bikereg. The NE Velodrome website itself is giving conflicting info as to when the season starts. Hopefully enough time to finish the track-specific bits and get lots of training in. In any case, the bike really managed to impress me, and is now in need of a nickname. I considered Vin Diesel, as my spell checker insists, but it will have to be the Silberpfeil (silver arrow).

14 miles, 300 vertical feet.

rholland1951

I got out on the Minuteman at 5:30 for a much needed, if dazzling and windblown, ride. The Nobilette rode like the wind, which fit right in. Blue skies, sunshine, vernal pools, red wing blackbirds, and the odd singing frog.


I got on the road late enough so I couldn't find Tom's El Dorado in Mal's yard.
But it did bring to mind this song by William DeVaughn...

rod

EVlove

I found myself with two hours before lunch and went on the exact same ride as on Monday, from Chelmsford common to NARA Park and back. I quickly realized that it wasn't a day for setting new speed records, however. The BFRT was nearly empty, on account of the chilly, windy conditions, but by the same token my legs were worthless, and as I was wearing my everyday glasses rather than the shades which give much better wind coverage, my eyes didn't like high speeds, either.

I think on the entire 14 miles out and back, I saw maybe three other riders, one jogging couple, and a good handful of walkers. Chelmsford DPW was clearing winter debris off the trail near Sunny Meadow farm, coming towards me, with a blower mounted to the front of some kind of multipurpose sidewalk machine. I could not make out the driver behind their very reflective vertical windshield, but they sure saw me coming and turned the blower off well ahead of me passing. I gave an appreciative wave. Laudable effort but truth be told, I could barely tell the difference, it's been so windy that the trail hardly needs it. Past Heart Pond (deserted by the way) there were some twigs and leaves on the ground again, so apparently that's as far as the machine went.

I reached NARA but instead of walking around the pond as usual, I had reason to look for a conveyable convenience, which was found by the beach volleyball court. I also needed to straighten out the back wheel once again; I believe the short uphill to leave the trail for the NARA parking lot was what did it this time. Other than that, Silberpfeil was a joy again, and got the honor of today's lone photo.



Definitely deserves a better, more contemporary set of wheels soon. The budget freewheel is another weakness I might fix, on account of that it doesn't freewheel all that well, i.e. the cranks turn when the bike is pushed. Plus it has a definite sweet spot where it pedals silently, and one where it ticks with every revolution. Truth be told I barely lubricated it and it was NOS so the factory lube might well be sticky. I should give it a bath in paint thinner and start over.

On the return leg, the DPW machine had made only modest progress and was passed again. Again they saw me coming, in the mirror this time, and stopped the blower.

I got back to the common where I was parked right opposite a tiny coffee truck, Littletown Coffee out of Littleton. To be found on the usual social media and serving Littleton, Westford, Acton, Chelmsford and Hudson. Looked good but I had had more than my daily quota already.

rholland1951

I got the red bike, 1987 GT Karakoram 26" rigid MTB, back from Battle Road Bikes on Monday evening. In addition to an inspection and tweaking pass, they had swapped out the 26x1.95" studded Nokians for Rene Herse 559x55 Humtulips Ridge Extralights, big, fat, supple, dual-purpose knobbies that roll well on pavement or dirt, and boast (in a whisper) a noise cancellation design that, while not silent, is quieter than such a tire would otherwise be. At around 4:30 Wednesday afternoon I took the GT out on the Minuteman for a shakedown cruise. I shook, nothing fell off, I'm happy.


This evening I did find Tom's caddy in Mal's yard. Call me Ishmael, for I have seen the White Whale.


V8 engine with front wheel drive. That car must have known a few tricks.


The Mile 4.0 Cairn Builders have offered up a hungry bird. Perhaps it's the Huron Ave. Turkey...


40°F with a 12mph E wind. This made itself felt on the return. During the last 15 minutes of the ride, it made some windblown drizzle available. Nothing too much, just a little elemental practical joke, a reminder of the possibility. The GT acquitted itself well throughout, and will probably be most unjustly ignored for the next several weeks as a consequence.

rod

rholland1951

Thursday afternoon was about 8 degrees colder than predicted, and gloomier and windier to boot.


I took the Nobilette on a very quick (in both senses) spin on the Minuteman up to Lexington Center and back. I was cranking along single-mindedly, and had to remind myself to stop and take a photo of the bike, by the old pumping station.


Got a personal best average speed on the route. This 30-year-old frame and fork is shaping up to be quite a bicycle. Riding it puts me in a cheery mood.



rod

rholland1951

Took the Nobilette out this afternoon for another pleasant windy speedy ride on the Minuteman. 20mph headwind outbound, 20mph tailwind inbound, playful crosswinds occasionally. The bike sorted it all out.


The Mile 4.0 Cairn Builders have returned to their enduring dyadic theme. Suits me fine.


Not photographed, and almost the first thing encountered on the ride (along with the wind): a Wheelie Boy turning his bike into an honorary unicycle along several blocks of Broadway in Arlington. Bravo! I'm all for skillful children.

rod

autonomy

My brain is confused and trapped somewhere between winter hiking and spring riding season. Slowly getting into riding again. Went out for a slowish circumnavigation of the Bedford Narrow Gauge, Reformatory Branch, and Battle Road Trails yesterday. Trails are probably in the best shape I've ever seen them - no mud at al, practically dirt highways with not even a sign of wheel ruts (ok, maybe you can spot them in a couple of spots). You could ride all of these on 28mm tires!


The Narrow Gauge all looks like this!


Here's the wettest section of the Reformatory Branch, the one east of the Great Meadow Wildlife Refuge. It's pretty dry by my standards! It looked like someone moved the leaves from the center to piles on the sides and then made channels in the piles so that water could drain into the ditch, very well done.



This is the wettest and usually worst section of the Battle Road Trail with an underground spring emerging right onto the trail. Aside from this one rut it's in a great condition so far!

It looks like mud season is over, at lest for these trails. However, it's still out there as I quickly learned when I tried to take a less-traveled shortcut through the woods at the end of RBRT to get to the North Bridge

bike_tom

Thanks for this comprehensive trail condition update! I am psyched to get out that way this week.

Tom

EVlove

The end of my week was too busy for more than a brief test spin to the parking lot on Thursday, but I did find in my possession a reasonably strong internal cam QR of the "modern" 130mm persuasion. This has alleviated the rear wheel issue and it now seems to be secure in any hill climbing I'm likely to attempt on the single speed Van Dessel.

Saturday saw my first ever outings on clipless pedals (Look Delta), which I suppose went reasonably well. I had picked the grabrail-equipped section of the BFRT north of Route 110 in Chelmsford center for my very first attempt around 11, and did a 1/4 mile out and back followed by some loops and 8s in the ballfield parking lot there. Getting in and out was surprisingly easy and accident-free, however unlike with my clips and straps setup, I did have a smidge of toe strike. So clearly more fiddling with fore and aft positioning needed.

Encouraged by this, in the afternoon I set off from Chelmsford Common once again, only to suffer the indignity of not one, but two falls right away, one to each side. The pedal release seemed much harder than just hours before. Ah well, a tiny scrape on the side of my knee and a somewhat bigger bite taken out of the corner of my cheap saddle were the only real harm. Onwards to the BFRT, but determined to disengage well before any potential stop from now on. I rode to Route 27 and back (9.4 miles) without further embarrassment, but I hated the feeling of walking or even just waiting at lights on those cleats, and failed to see any upside. I think they'll be strictly for the track.



My old pedals went back on today and I set off on a rambling and impromptu 8 miles of local suburban roads, with grades of up to 3.5%. A good workout in 42x16, but doable as long as I kept rolling. On some of those hills I would probably have to walk a bit if I needed to come to a full stop for any reason. The rear wheel stayed put and one of the descents being 7% for a short stretch, those new Campy brake pads got cozy with their metallic partners in a hurry.

I think next I'll try if I can manage the inevitable longish climb from the BFRT back to my house. That would avoid having to drive and park for my single speed training rides. More spring and even summer weather in the forecast for the week, should be fun.

bike_tom

I rode out to Concord this morning via the Minuteman and the Reformatory Branch Trail. Beautiful weather.

Right near the start I encountered some road work in Arlington center:



The MM itself was quiet, and I arrived at Depot Park where a few riders were already hanging out:



The Depot Park bathrooms are open!

As was reported previously, the RBT was in great shape:




I have always wanted to make a video of riding through the RBT pinball section. Here it is:



Funny, its great fun to ride through that, but the video makes my head spin!

A favorite spot overlooking Great Meadows:



I turned around at Lowell Rd and retraced my route. I was tempted to come back via Battle Rd but I wasn't sure my knees were up to the Mass Ave climb between the 128 overpass and Lexington Center. As it turns out, my knees did OK today. With luck I'll do Battle Rd next time.

The ride back was pleasant and uneventful except for one odd sighting: a full size gas motorcycle going westbound on the MM in East Lexington. He wasn't going fast, and the bike was pretty quiet. The rider had on a full face helmet. Wrong turn? I wish I'd had the presence of mind to snap a photo with the action camera.

The out and back was about 28 miles.

Tom

rholland1951

Took the Nobilette out for a quick, intense ride Monday afternoon.


Spring was not only promised, today it was delivered.


rod

rumrunn6

the trails in Lexington & parallel to 2A in Lincoln & Concord? all East of Meriam's Corner
https://goo.gl/maps/2N9j87BuAS2vzMMF9

I remember that substrate being interesting
love the re-enactments, including canon & musket loading & firing, in season
the trails are narrow, bendy, including some steep sections
sharing w/ pedestrians can be tricky
better to do it before the weather warms too much

bike_tom

Yes, by Battle Rd I mean the trail through Minuteman National Historical Park, from Meriam's Corner to Old Mass Ave in Lexington. There are various ways to get from the western end of the Reformatory Branch Trail to Meriam's Corner. Once I get to Old Mass Ave, I usually take Wood St to Mass Ave, up the hill and then down into Lexington Center to pick up the MM back to Arlington.

Its not too busy on weekdays, but I would avoid it on weekends in the warmer weather, as I do the MM.

rholland1951

Rode the Nobilette out to Depot Park and back on Tuesday afternoon at a determined, quick pace. That bike continues to show me new tricks it would like to do, if I will only ask it to perform them.


As previously reported, the porcelain conveniences at Depot Park are once again convenient.


The Taylor Lane horses have a message for us.


Ride your pony!


rod

bike_tom

I couldn't let the warm weather go to waste, so I set out after lunch today, planning to ride at least to Depot Park, and then hopefully onto the NGRT. The wind was obnoxiously gusty, so I decided to do a shorter route. After pausing at the Lexington Visitors Center I headed over to the Lower Vine Brook Trail, via the Fletcher Ave crossing of the Minuteman. I hadn't been that way in awhile, so it was a nice compromise.

Here's the short unpaved section of the trail between Hayes Ln and Brookwood Rd:



Muddy water! Parts of this section are quite bumpy due to roots.

Most of the Vine Brook Trail is smooth pavement:



Encountered a wild turkey at the East St crossing:



He made it across.

I returned to the MM and back home.

Not a bad ride for a blustery day.

EVlove

I decided against a ride today on account of the wind. Definitely would have avoided wooded areas if I had gone!

Instead, this recent warm and windy weather was perfect for gluing my tubular wheelset in the driveway. Not a chance for fumes to linger. Finished the job today and will be taking this incarnation (fixie with front brake) out soon, possibly tomorrow in the 86°F (known to its metric friends as 30°C) weather. We had frost just Monday morning! Crazy.

rholland1951

Took the Nobilette out for a quick and windy ride on the Minuteman in the late afternoon, marveling at the warmth despite the wind. The prevailing wind presented as a headwind outbound, a tailwind inbound, yet again. Mindful of the question posed in Christina Rossetti's poem, "Who has seen the wind?", I took a couple of pictures.




As I was riding through Lexington on the return, another cyclist, riding a Serotta, settled in beside me and struck up a conversation about the Nobilette, which he apparently admired. After a bit, he pedaled off. I've had bikes get various reactions from strangers before, but never quite to this extent. That's not a complaint. but it is new..

rod

rholland1951

Spring was in the air, with temperatures hinting at Summer, and my son John and I rode 37 miles out the Somerville Community Path, the Minuteman (and all the miscellaneous asphalt connecting the two of them), Rt 225 across the Concord River into Carlisle, up Skelton Road to River Road, then up and down River Road into Monument Street, Concord, across the Concord River for a second time past the North Bridge. picking up the Reformatory Branch and taking that back to the Minuteman, running the tape backwards to home. In short, it was one of the numerous variants of the North Bridge Loop.

Somerville Community Path: edifying as always.


We rendezvoused at Lowell Street, mostly to satisfy my curiosity about the Path extension. It would be nice if they'd open those gates.

John cut loose on his Surly from time to time.


Spring on the Minuteman: riding along an aisle of tall willow trees, all clad in yellow.


A time machine was visiting the Lexington Visitors Center.


Monument Street: roadside water break.


Monument Street: John and his Cross Check.


Monument Street: Hutchins Farm, from the high point of the ride, with the Sam Hillborne looking down towards the Concord River.


Reformatory Branch: the multipath path is cross-hatched by shadows.


Reformatory Branch: on other occasions, this was reckoned either the First Sucking Mire or the Second Sucking Mire, depending on the direction you were riding. Not so, today. It's unabashed terra firma. It will take more than a little rain to change that.


Riding East for home on the Minuteman, with the sun setting in the West.


rod

EVlove

We seem to have skipped right past not only spring, but also mud season this year. Elevated fire risk and all. There were three brush fires in Chelmsford, Westford and Littleton alone that I know of (through Facebook). I got a little open garden fire done last Saturday and that took some doing at times to keep from leaping out of its ring. It pretty much has been No Burning since, and tomorrow open burn season ends.

rholland1951

Serious stuff. We'll be talking about the weather for many generations to come, I suspect.

rod

bike_tom

Yes, the weather has been unseasonable the past couple of days. Fortunately this mornings heat was short lived and there was a cooling breeze in the afternoon. I took the opportunity to ride the Fuji out to Depot Park. The MM was pretty busy for a weekday. I suspect a lot of folks got a head start on Patriot's Day weekend.

Didn't take any especially interesting photos today, but here are some "I was there" shots.

Arlington's Great Meadows in East Lexington:



There's something about Depot Park that is Christmassy even when the decorations are not up:



On the outbound leg I suspected I had a good tailwind when I noticed I was going 22 mph without really trying, on the way from Lexington Center to Bedford. That became really clear on the return trip when battling the now headwind. In my experience the prevailing wind is usually in the opposite direction.

Tom

EVlove

Test rides on the Van Dessel "track" bike continue. Yesterday I found time for a few loops in the nearest parking lot, my very first fixie experience, holding on to a utility pole to get on and off, and walking the bike to and from there. Today I had some more time and decided on the quiet end of the BFRT once again, between Route 110 and the Lowell end. Plenty of fencing there to hold on to, and good sight lines when approaching the road crossings. The chosen gearing was 45x16. I almost stayed in the parking lot at the youth ballfields but they feature some pretty aggressive speed bumps, and cars started appearing for Friday night games.

So, I pushed off for Lowell after all, and had a pleasant, confidence-building run with just a few walkers for company on the trail. Coming out of the tunnel I decided to explore the far reaches of the parking lot by the Showcase cinema, still quiet at this early hour, just before 5. The bike behaved well and the nut at the handlebars remembered to keep pedaling.

Heading back I grabbed today's gratuitous leaning bike shot:



Which was achieved thusly. That's the UKG building in the background, aka Cross Point, aka (to the old time Chelmsford crowd) as the Wang Computer building.


I briefly got up to speed on a particularly clear stretch of trail but by then I had learned how much harder it is to slow down than to accelerate on a fixed gear, so I eased up well short of an all-out effort. 27 mph, my watch said.

I walked the bike across 110 and got back on the trail for the very gradual uphill towards town center, and more importantly, the return downhill. My bunny slope, I suppose

Returning I realized that this sign is still up, even though the shop is long gone:

Yep, the Chelmsford Cyclery will not see its 50th anniversary. I believe it closed just a few months before the pandemic and the ensuing bike boom, but I don't know any details as I never actually set foot in there, the owner was said to be rude and condescending.

So, with the loops at Showcase this may have added up to some 5 or 6 miles, and I decided to quit while I was ahead. One nice thing about this short wheelbase bike is that angled just right, it actually fits into our Ford C-Max without having to take the front wheel off. A real bonus since quick releases are banned on the track.

rholland1951

Friday afternoon, I took the Nobilette out for a recovery ride on the Minuteman, East Arlington to Lexington Center and back, through the wind and crowds, but speedy nonetheless. Felt good, cleared the cobwebs.


The Mile 4.0 Cairn Builders have discovered Office Work.


rod

rholland1951

Saturday afternoon, the weather was somewhat warmer and drier than I expected, so I took the Nobilette and rode East.


I put the Nobilette through its paces on the by now familiar hills-and-traffic drill through Arlington, Medford, Malden, Melrose, and Stoneham. The bike climbs lightly, descends like a valkyrie (but more quietly), and nimbly finds a line through rough asphalt, generally going where you point it and its 28mm Chinook Pass Extralights going bumpety-bump over any broken stuff in a manner reminiscent of 32mm Stampede Pass Extralights. The supple casings trick does seem to work at this scale. I do wish the bike would accommodate 35's, but uh-uh, and life is plenty dandy as it is.

The temperature dropped a bit later in the afternoon, but the merino jersey I was wearing handled both the thermal extremes of the day. Was cranking determinedly, rather than stopping every few minutes for another photo. Here's the other visual souvenir of the ride, taken while passing Fellsmere Park, Malden.


rod