June rides, summer begins

[ny biker]

So I've been busy with too many things lately, some good and some stupid wastes of time. I had led a 50-mile ride on May 20, which overall was nice except for it being a very hot day. There were two rest stops, the second one at a church that was having a strawberry festival. I was feeling the heat between the rest stops but after only 5 minutes in the air conditioned church I recovered. Others in the group were also suffering, however, and they chose to sit outside in the shade rather than go into the A/C. This made a difference in the last few miles, and we had to stop several times for one person to rest in the shade. The result was the last part of the ride lasting much longer than it should have, so the heat started to get to me again (it was 3 pm by then) and I ended up with a bad headache. So a day that was both good and bad.

Then I went out of town for 6 days including Memorial Day weekend. I was in the Chicago suburbs with my sister, visiting my nephew who just started a job with a minor league baseball team there. It was hot and sunny which was okay for the night games but not okay during the Sunday afternoon game. I nearly melted. It did occur to me that at least it was a step on the road to acclimating to the heat.

The first weekend in June I figured I'd be able to get in a good bike ride, but it rained. Heavy rain with lots of flooded roads. And I had to spend time cleaning and getting my apartment ready for my parents to visit -- they arrive tonight. So no bike rides this weekend.

Fortunately the rain finally ended and I was able to ride after work on Monday, 17 miles. We are having spring weather now, with temperatures more typical for April. It was in the 60s Monday night.

p.s. My mountain bike is an old Trek 26" hardtail and I'm happy with it. But then I'm not into particularly technical riding.

[north woods gal]

NY, sounds like you got that heat that nailed us the last part of May. Broke all kinds of records, here. As for the old 26" MTB, the old 26ers will never die and they still do a great job, no matter how many new things the bike industry tries to sell us.

Well, here's the Log Lady.


Really is a beautiful steel frame, nicely done and well-designed. My only regret is that it doesn't say "Log Lady" anywhere on it. I can understand that All-City doesn't label their bikes with the models for the sake of sales, though. After all, they also make bikes like the Macho Man, Nature Boy, Electric Queen and Mr. Pink. Not sure I'd want to be tell people I ride a Macho Man.

Anyway, the Log Lady is a great trail bike and I've got the gearing set just right for my trails. Did a full 5 miles of trail riding, today, even though the trails were a bit squishy and slow after a rain, this morning. That's a complete set of laps that I usually ride and each lap has a strenuous climb. I'm going to feel it in the morning, but I did it.

Had the bike shop outfit the LL tubeless (highly recommend tubeless) with some very aggressive Continental 27.5x2.4" Trail Kings. I found out, just this morning, in fact, that climbing wet trails by standing on the pedals is a real plus with tires that have a good bite. From my snow riding experience, I know how much traction you lose when you get up off the seat. That's a big no no in the snow or real soft stuff. The Trail Kings are NOT fast rolling, but about as safe a tire as I can get when trail conditions are not at their best.

Talked to my bike guy at the shop. He used to race single speed MTB. He told me that almost all ss MTB racing is standing on the pedals. I can't imagine that. I'm NOT up to that, physically. Way beyond me. Oh, I can stand to pedal just enough to do my climbs, but no way could I manage it full time. Fortunately, I don't have to, with the way I geared the Log Lady. I can stay mostly seated when riding the flat sections. Still a heavy workout, but doable and that was my goal. Really is a trick to riding this single speed stuff, so it's been interesting and fun to learn. Kind of nice, too, to have handlebars with only brakes to operate. Hey, who needs shifters, anyway, right?

[Crankin]

I did a very short ride this morning, about 30 minutes. It was humid and 55 and I was a little overdressed.
Didn't feel great while riding, but feel better now. When allergies strike, it's better for me to move, less than usual and slower, but do something. Came home and did my nasal rinse, etc.
We are going to have a completely sunny weekend!

[Crankin]

Had a wonderful ride in the Pioneer Valley of western MA today, despite still feeling under the weather. In fact, it was perfect, since it was totally flat (381 ft). There is no way I could do a 24 mile flat ride around where I live. Now, there is plenty of difficult climbing where we were today, but you have a choice.
We got out there at around 5 yesterday, had a little happy hour with our friends at their house, and then went for Nepalese Indian food. Very good, indeed. We got to the ride start around 9:30 this morning, although the participants didn't have to be there until 10. Also, they were training a new leader, so we talked with her. Of course, there's always one outlier in any group, who comes late, is unprepared, bike not ready or even in good working order.
It was 70-82 during the ride, slightly overcast, but beautiful. We stopped at the "big tree" in Sunderland, which is a Dutch maple, dating from the 1600s. Another cyclist stopped and took a group pic for us, which I will try and post when I get it. Then we had a rest stop at the general store there, where there were tons of cyclists. People are generally friendlier than in the Boston area, out there, so we talked to a lot of them.
The ride was at a slower pace, and I stayed up front, as there were a couple of squirrelly riders, and this ride began and ended on a bike path, which is another set of worries for me! The end was kind of cool, and changed from when we did the ride last year. We rode through the U Mass Amherst campus and onto a bike path on campus, that used to be a sidewalk, but is now a bike path. Then, this connected back to the path where our cars were parked at. The university has grown, even since my son graduated in 2005.
Beautiful rural and semi-suburban roads, farms, and rivers today, and no nasty drivers. We ate lunch outside, at a farm market next to the bike path, headed back to our friends' and cleaned up. They headed out to the Berkshires for 2 nights and we headed to the local winery, bought some wine, then bought fresh strawberries at a farm, and finally had ice cream, before we headed home.

[north woods gal]

Thanks, Sheila. Not sure All-City even makes decals for their bikes. Be a cool touch, though.

Crankin, that sounds like a lovely ride. Glad to hear that you got a good one in, despite feeling under the weather. That's a home run in my book.

Had a very cool and gloomy day, yesterday. Seemed so dark back in the woods with the Log Lady that I was almost tempted to use a light. We sometimes get days like that, up here. Not my favorite. Depressing, really. Today was still cloudy with a peek of sunshine or two, but brighter. Did almost 25 miles of pavement and gravel with my other single speed, my Ruffian. I'm making allowances for my newfound love of single speed riding, knowing that enthusiasm tends to get carried away when you newly convert to anything, but this kind of biking really, really agrees with me. Wish I had discovered it, sooner. Love the simplicity of it and the way it takes me a better and smarter rider, not to mention a stronger rider. Don't need no stinking' shifters or derailleurs.

[azfiddle]

Hi everyone- I've been MIA for quite a while- just had other stuff going on.

I was commuting at least 4 days a week for most of the spring. May 8, a kid on a scooter stepped off the curb, turned in front of me (perpendicular to my direction of travel) and I looked up with the realization that I was going to hit him. He was fine.... I'm 30 days out from the accident and finally feeling almost back to normal. The right side of my rear end hit the ground really hard and jarred my lower spine as well as doing some soft tissue damage. Things have calmed and I'm going to PT now, which is helping work on my core, stretching hamstrings and strengthen my back and gluteal muscles. I was actually worried it was worse than it was because it got worse before it got better, but I'm now back to riding on the mostly flat bike paths. Not back to climbing yet though.

Anyway- I'll try to check in again regularly. I've missed you guys.

Sharon

[emily_in_nc]

Sharon -- so sorry this happened to you! Sounds painful. Kind of reminds me of my endo over the tot on a bike last year (broken jaw to show for it). It's maddening when someone pulls out in front of you and there's no way to avoid them. And in both cases, sounds like we bore the brunt of it.

NWG, nice new ride! Glad you've already gotten to enjoy the new Log Lady. I would want the bike model on the frame as well!

Crankin, hope you're feeling better.

We made it to NC and have not ridden since Monday. I will be busy with my folks today and tomorrow but do plan to ride on Sunday, when the roads around their place are quieter. It's not a great place to ride, hilly with no shoulders on the roads, but at least the traffic should be light on a Sunday. If I can just get a couple of rides in while we're here, it's better than nothing!

[north woods gal]

Nice to see you back, Sharon, and glad you're recovering. I've had my share of close calls and falls, but nothing in the same class as you and Emily have experienced. My accidents have all been road or trail induced, not collisions. I can appreciate, though, how it just takes a fraction of a second and how these collisions sometimes just can't be avoided. Hope you get a good summer of riding in.

Good to know you're safe and sound in N.C., Emily. Yup, any ride is better than not riding. Roads with no shoulders, though, not good. One thing about our area is that all roads have wide shoulders - not many paved, most are dirt - but always an option to head to the shoulder if need be. In fact, with the wide tire bikes, I often just ride the sand and gravel shoulders for fun when I get tired of riding pavement. (We have to have wide shoulders on our roads because of our heavy snowfall. No place to pile up the snow, otherwise.)

Got lucky and sold off two of the aluminum bikes at a reasonable price. Now have only steel bikes, with the exception of two of the fat bikes which are aluminum. I'm fine with aluminum on snow bikes or any bike that will be ridden a lot in the rain or mud. Probably more practical than steel, though I've ridden steel a lot in wet conditions, too

[Crankin]

Congrats on selling the bikes, NWG.
Despite my little ride yesterday, I woke up saying, "I am not going to the gym," (never happens) and after getting up and having coffee and breakfast, I had about 2 hours of well, let's call it extreme GI distress . So, I knew I wouldn't be doing a 30 mile hilly ride. In fact, I thought I might have to cancel my trip to my friends in Amherst. After 2 doses of Pepto, Zantac, Claritin, and Tylenol, I started feeling better. I drank a bottle with Nuun (see, not just for riding). It is so gorgeous out, at around 10:30, I put on some hiking clothes and walked to the nearest trail and did an out and back, which ends up being about 4 miles. Very calming and I feel like I worked. It was just about lunch time after I showered, so I ate a small lunch, as I am hungry! I still feel off a bit, but I'll be fine for the "warm up" ride we are helping our friends with tomorrow, which is 24 miles and flat. We are coming home right after the ride, so we can ride around here on Sunday.
Now I just hope my stomach is settled enough for the happy hour my friend is preparing and the Indian food we are having tonight!

[north woods gal]

Been so long since we've had Indian food. We're a long way from any Indian restaurant. Really miss it.

Well, of course, after selling two aluminum bikes, what's a gal to do? The place I sold the two aluminum bikes had a great sale on a very traditional steel touring bike in the Salsa Marrakesh and since they offer it in a flat bar Marrakesh version ... and since I don't have any skinny tire bikes (if you can call 700x40s, skinny) ... figured it would be a good investment. A steel touring bike is such a classic for us steel fans. This one even includes the Brooks saddle and rear rack. How's that for traditional? I went with the more conservative green color, not the blue. Other than changing the tires for something more gravel worthy, going to leave it stock and enjoy.

[rebeccaC]

beautiful bike nwg....wishing you lots of enjoyable trail rides!!!!!.....glad to read you're getting better Sharon!!

.....too much going on for me and it's down to pilates/yoga and commutes for a few weeks.

[Railtrail]

Woah! Love the decals on that Surly!

I could have sworn I saw a Log Lady decal in a photo somewhere. I was a little disappointed when it arrived without such. However, I have found a fun alternative. It turns out there is a vast amount of Log Lady kitsch on Etsy. I picked up a Log Lady patch from a shop called blacklodgepress and sewed it to my seat bag.

I agree with you, NWG, it’s a lovely frame and I’ve really enjoyed it since my last post here. I think I’ve put in about 200 miles and it’s very hilly here. The hills have kept me away from ss before but I’m glad I switched things up. I’ve been really surprised by how well it climbs. I will say that I do stand to climb and have lost traction on the back several times on wet or sandy hills. I am running with the rocket rons, which I otherwise really love thus far. They are super quick.

The frame is really well made and has a unique ride quality, in my experience. I think the Log Lady really slid under the radar or perhaps All City may have missed the mark in marketing it. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I’m enjoying mine!

[north woods gal]

Thanks for the link, Sheila. Might try getting some decals. That's one fine looking Surly, too. Love it.

Hope things ease up a bit for you, rebecca, so you get some ride time. Of course, we'd all like some of those great pics, too.

RT, oh yes, I love my LL. Had to change out to a 22 tooth cog in the back to manage my trail climbs without blowing a knee (not to mention I just turned 68). After all, All-City advertises the LL as a single speed race bike. Not sure I'll ever get into the category. With the 22 tooth cog, I still have to stand for my steep climbs, but it's doable and I am getting stronger. The good news is that with a 22 cog I can stay in the saddle for a lot of my easier sections. Gives me the option of loafing a bit on the easy stuff.

You're right about the frame. It's not as good as my Gunnar single speed, but that's a custom frame, after all. Still, I'd rate the LL frame as outstanding. It's a steal for that price. Love that front fork, too. Nice and stable on the downhills and the rough stuff. For tires, I went with the much more aggressive Continental Trail Kings on mine, but am thinking of trying something else. The Trail Kings are on the slow side, but they do have a great bite. Have had no slippage on my climbs while standing with these tires. They also manage the sandy spots with minimal fishtailing.

Now that I have one, I feel very lucky in having grabbed the last Log Lady available. In fact, while checking availability, just this week, with a lot of bike brands and models, I was amazed at how many models have sold out for the year. Wow! Lesson learned. For anyone thinking of ordering a new bike, do it as early in the year as possible. Summer is not a good time to buy a new bike. The popular models are usually sold out for the year.

[Crankin]

Sounds like you're having fun, NWG.
I knew I needed to not ride today, despite the beautiful weather. So, in keeping with our decision to enjoy the places we don't get to enough, we took the train into Boston and walked the entire Rose Kennedy Greenway, plus a lot more. The Greenway had an exhibit of old neon signs rescued from restaurants and businesses that have closed. One was a restaurant I went to as a kid. Tons of people out at the beer gardens, some Pride activities, a Portuguese festival, etc. After our walk, we walked to the North end, found a restaurant on a side street we hadn't been to and was not full of tourists, and sat by the open windows by the street and had some appetizers. We are going away Thursday for a quick weekend trip to Chicago, so instead of our usual grocery shopping, just stopped by to get something for tonight.
I always feel guilty when I don't ride on a nice day, but it's not like I am inactive. DH thinks I am a little over the top; he's probably right, as I've had long periods of obsessive exercise, but since I don't weigh 92 pounds anymore, well, I feel guilty. The weather until we leave looks good, so I will get at least 2 rides in. Looking forward to the trip and we plan to walk everywhere.

[north woods gal]

Sounds like fun, Crankin. I do miss some of those activities the big cities offer. I did ride into town, yesterday and there was a motorcycle rally and meet going, complete with stands selling hamburgers. That's more our speed, up here.

Did 12 miles of laps on my trails, today, first half with my old Pugsley and the last half with the Log Lady. Pretty pooped out when I was done, but the two bikes were an interesting contrast, of course. The old Pugs is no racehorse, but you just can't beat those wide tires for smoothing out the trail and rolling over anything in their path. No need to do any fancy darting or dodging. Just plow right on through. As for the Log Lady, after riding the Pugs, it was like going from a pickup truck to a Porche.