october 15/16,2011 rides!

[Dog]

Fredwina, beautiful pictures. Just goes to show that we enjoy the view better from the saddle. Thanks for sharing!

[azfiddle]

I was supposed to do a 70 mile ride from Nogales to Tucson today, but I had so much scheduled for the weekend that I rode Friday (last day of my fall break) instead. I rode 58 miles with a friend and one of his riding buddies. It was a route southeast of Tucson that i have driven many times but not ridden before. About 3200 feet of climbing out of desert and through grassland to Sonoita. Beautiful but a narrow shoulder for a long section.

[Fredwina]

ss, yes. I lost my job in SoCal, and wound up here in Albany, NY.
PLL - I have no idea how the thread got duplicated. glad someone figured it out

[Catrin]

Was going trail riding yesterday but didn't feel good and wimped out...I feel MUCH better today If all works out plan to head to the trails this afternoon after church. They are forecasting 30 mph wind gusts around here today, so mountain biking is the only way I will get to ride this afternoon. I start getting blown across the road with 22 mph crosswinds so, for me 20-21 is my cut-off.

Next weekend is my 52nd birthday and am starting to think about some good rides to mark that. There are local MUT trails (the Canal Tow Path and White River trails for those familiar with Indy) that I've never ridden with any bike. I would like to ride my age next Sunday, but not for speed or time. Sometimes I worry too much about that when on the road - which is ironic since I am far from fast...

So I am starting to think about two long and easy rides next Saturday & Sunday in rather different surroundings from which I normally ride I can't afford to go out to dinner for my birthday, but I CAN explore on my bike. So I will! Explore for awhile, take pictures, explore some more

[pll]

Yesterday it was 33 miles with wind gusts of 25 to 30mph (but sunny), today it was 29 miles of rain.

[Melalvai]

I did BikeMO this year, if there were any other TE'ers I didn't see you. I did the 65 mile route again. At the fireworks SAG stop, she always bakes something. I made a beeline for the mini-muffins figuring even if they have sugar I'd still treat myself to just one, but then she pulled out a little bag of muffins from behind the cooler. "I made these for you. They have honey." So I ate 5!

[AppleTree]

Nipper?? How funny, I love that picture!! You never know what you are going to see when you set out on a bicycle! Love all the photos, what beautiful countryside you have up there Fredwina.

We explored a new section of trail today, I wrote about it in the NW section of the forum. How exciting to see new territory....how I WISH I had remembered my camera...again... it was very pretty out today. No sun though, but at least no rain. We did about 26 miles.

[Crankin]

OK, a few tweaks are in order, but it went well. I spent 3 hours at the LBS late yesterday afternoon/early evening. Saddle-- too high and the saddle they convinced me would be great=instrument of torture. Put another saddle on and lowered the saddle. Bars: the 40 cm felt huge and the drop was not shallow enough. Knowing I was getting pissed, they whipped out a 38 cm with the same drop length as my Specialized Bar on my other bike. OK, done, my numbers on the computer looked "perfect" in terms of pedal stroke, etc. Drank some wine at the LBS and collapsed.
Took the bike out very gingerly before we left to meet our friends for a ride. I hate change and as soon as I stood over the bike, I felt really high up, although I could reach the pedals. It just felt wrong. I rode down the street to a flatter street and walked back up my driveway, quite upset. How could a custom bike feel this weird? DH compared the seat height to my Kuota and, of course, it was 3mm higher. Fixed that and off we went.
I was mostly concerned with getting used to the compact double; I have a mountain bike cassette, so I have more lower gears than my triple, but just the whole finding the "sweet spot" was amy concern. Shifting was smooth, and I felt "normal" on the descents and climbs, but I did not feel right on the flats. I always felt I was in a too easy or too hard gear. It was very windy, too which didn't help. I couldn't maintain a speed over 15-16 on the flats without feeling like my effort was too high. And, the second saddle, that's a no go, too. Now I know how some of you guys have felt trying new saddles. My azz was killing me, as well as some inner thigh chafing.
And, we did a hard ride. My maiden voyage went up Oak Hill into Harvard center, up a 20% grade over to the Fruitlands, where one of the pictures was taken, and back to the center for lunch. We rode back through Bolton , Boxborough, and finally to our friends' in Acton, total of 34 miles. I was really hurting, but overall, once the saddle gets changed (just ordered another Terry Falcon X) and I learn to utilize the gears better. DH just explain about the "half shifts" with a double, so perhaps that will be the key. Hey, I didn't drop my chain and he did!
The bikes feels smooth as butter and my confidence descending was definitely improved.