Fall Ride
Date: Oct 17 Fri
Weather: 62F overcast
Mileage: 14
October mileage: 233
Year to date: 2400
Date: Oct 19 Sun
Weather: 62F sunny
Mileage: 29
October mileage: 262
Year to date: 2429
I had an anonymous commute Friday, staying to watch tennis and then crawling home on the TrekSS. An effect SSs certainly have is that, when tired, they're not quite an amenable as geared mounts. I completely goofed in the morning and had both front lights go out. The Niterider obviously did not have another 30min in it and went out mid-ride, and the flashie PrincetonTek is so dim as to have no impact. Should all bikes have SONs on them, at least those which may see darkness? May be.
After yet another weekend of soccer (almost over), I spirited myself away for an afternoon ride in the Southwest co. area. It only took me 15min to drive to Iroquois Pk. Driving to a ride is something I rarely do, but I wanted rural roads and I didn't feel like town traffic, something I see every day on the commute or as an entryway to the country. From there I did the usual Manslick/3rd St./Manslick/Penile route to get into the more rural roads. First, a word about "Manslick" is needed. There are 3 "Manslick" roads in JeffCo., none of the connecting. I don't have any clue why although Tom Owen might have an idea. As for Penile, well...My mom actually went to Penile Elementary, a most unfortunate name indeed. In the place of the school now stands a church, but it remains a most unfortunate name for a church too.
Penile Rd. brings the inital pleasure of this route. It's pancake flat but relatively open and devoid of houses on either side. The "plain" also abuts the local hills to the south, giving a nice blend of open field and forested hillside. From there you turn onto Bearcamp Rd. one of the pleasures of this route. It begins in the first .5 passing a few homes, but shortly thereafter beings a long and gradual climb through the Jefferson Co Forest, giving a verdant "tunnel" through the trees, with sleep climbs on either side of the road cut. Only at the very top of the aclivity does it require any real climbing. From there Bearcamp eventually leaves JeffCo for Bullitt Co, which is decidely more rural. The road then descends for several miles along a creek through the valley. Today I chose to climb Pendleton Rd., which is a nasty little climb taking me out of the valley and onto the scenic hilltop of Barrelton Hill Rd. Sad, no not sad, to say, I actually had to walk about 50ishft of the climb. I had a bad shift as I was looking for a gear in the steepest portion and banged up the works. I was in a small climbing gear and needed a larger one to stand on and just goofed. Oh, and I was sucking wind in the steepest portion. I started soon and headed towards the downhill at Weavers Run and towards my turn-around point. At the far end at Pauleys/Weavers I returned via Medora and then Blevins Gap. Every time I'm in that SWJeffCo area I think about my uncle. He first rode in the early 80s during the college years and piqued my interest in longer riding. He has since stopped and I think now has a shitty Wal-mart bike, mostly b/c he's too cheap. He was like an older brother at one point but drank the kool-ade and is now a evangelical/redneck/paranoid 'murcan. You get the idea. He doesn't live far from Medora/Blevins Gap but refuses to ride out there without a gun. ??? I don't have a response.
I'll also give some props to LithoDale today. After our spirited ride a few weeks ago he's gotten me thinking about pace. In 2 months of semi-regular riding he's worked up to a pace that is definitely more aggro than mine. I really don't mind toodling along at 12mph and that certainly develops a kind of endurance. When you go out for a harder ride, though, the higher VO2 just isn't there though. Today, in honor of myself and certainly thinking of Dale I tried to push a regular, larger gear. The wind played some tricks on me, but I generally stayed in my 2nd-lowest cog on the rear and ground out some pace. On the return on Blevins, which is a general uphill until turning east, I had to drop a cog or 2, but once over the 2 hills on Blevins I again tried to maintain a larger cog if possible. I juiced it up the last hill in Iroquois and finished almost at 15mph, and that with the walk and slow slog up Pendleton. Without that I would've had a healthy mid-15mph, and I'm pleased with that. Had I taken the BR, I'm sure I would've gone a bit quicker. I love, love, love the Bleriot, but I certainly don't feel fast on it. It just makes me want to pedal circles and see the countryside, which is something I certainly prefer over hammer, hammer, but hammer is good sometimes.
A final note is props to I/Grant at RBW. In their design philosophy, they/he mentions designing bikes with enough clearance such that if you have a broken spoke, you can still ride and get home. I noticed a wobble on the Oldham ride 2 weekends ago and again today. When I got back, I found the guilty party, not just a wobble but a broken spoke. It wasn't even rubbing the brakepad and I still had good stopping power. Great stuff, the Bleriot. And great design, RBW.
and no pics b/c my camera batteries are dead.
Weather: 62F overcast
Mileage: 14
October mileage: 233
Year to date: 2400
Date: Oct 19 Sun
Weather: 62F sunny
Mileage: 29
October mileage: 262
Year to date: 2429
I had an anonymous commute Friday, staying to watch tennis and then crawling home on the TrekSS. An effect SSs certainly have is that, when tired, they're not quite an amenable as geared mounts. I completely goofed in the morning and had both front lights go out. The Niterider obviously did not have another 30min in it and went out mid-ride, and the flashie PrincetonTek is so dim as to have no impact. Should all bikes have SONs on them, at least those which may see darkness? May be.
After yet another weekend of soccer (almost over), I spirited myself away for an afternoon ride in the Southwest co. area. It only took me 15min to drive to Iroquois Pk. Driving to a ride is something I rarely do, but I wanted rural roads and I didn't feel like town traffic, something I see every day on the commute or as an entryway to the country. From there I did the usual Manslick/3rd St./Manslick/Penile route to get into the more rural roads. First, a word about "Manslick" is needed. There are 3 "Manslick" roads in JeffCo., none of the connecting. I don't have any clue why although Tom Owen might have an idea. As for Penile, well...My mom actually went to Penile Elementary, a most unfortunate name indeed. In the place of the school now stands a church, but it remains a most unfortunate name for a church too.
Penile Rd. brings the inital pleasure of this route. It's pancake flat but relatively open and devoid of houses on either side. The "plain" also abuts the local hills to the south, giving a nice blend of open field and forested hillside. From there you turn onto Bearcamp Rd. one of the pleasures of this route. It begins in the first .5 passing a few homes, but shortly thereafter beings a long and gradual climb through the Jefferson Co Forest, giving a verdant "tunnel" through the trees, with sleep climbs on either side of the road cut. Only at the very top of the aclivity does it require any real climbing. From there Bearcamp eventually leaves JeffCo for Bullitt Co, which is decidely more rural. The road then descends for several miles along a creek through the valley. Today I chose to climb Pendleton Rd., which is a nasty little climb taking me out of the valley and onto the scenic hilltop of Barrelton Hill Rd. Sad, no not sad, to say, I actually had to walk about 50ishft of the climb. I had a bad shift as I was looking for a gear in the steepest portion and banged up the works. I was in a small climbing gear and needed a larger one to stand on and just goofed. Oh, and I was sucking wind in the steepest portion. I started soon and headed towards the downhill at Weavers Run and towards my turn-around point. At the far end at Pauleys/Weavers I returned via Medora and then Blevins Gap. Every time I'm in that SWJeffCo area I think about my uncle. He first rode in the early 80s during the college years and piqued my interest in longer riding. He has since stopped and I think now has a shitty Wal-mart bike, mostly b/c he's too cheap. He was like an older brother at one point but drank the kool-ade and is now a evangelical/redneck/paranoid 'murcan. You get the idea. He doesn't live far from Medora/Blevins Gap but refuses to ride out there without a gun. ??? I don't have a response.
I'll also give some props to LithoDale today. After our spirited ride a few weeks ago he's gotten me thinking about pace. In 2 months of semi-regular riding he's worked up to a pace that is definitely more aggro than mine. I really don't mind toodling along at 12mph and that certainly develops a kind of endurance. When you go out for a harder ride, though, the higher VO2 just isn't there though. Today, in honor of myself and certainly thinking of Dale I tried to push a regular, larger gear. The wind played some tricks on me, but I generally stayed in my 2nd-lowest cog on the rear and ground out some pace. On the return on Blevins, which is a general uphill until turning east, I had to drop a cog or 2, but once over the 2 hills on Blevins I again tried to maintain a larger cog if possible. I juiced it up the last hill in Iroquois and finished almost at 15mph, and that with the walk and slow slog up Pendleton. Without that I would've had a healthy mid-15mph, and I'm pleased with that. Had I taken the BR, I'm sure I would've gone a bit quicker. I love, love, love the Bleriot, but I certainly don't feel fast on it. It just makes me want to pedal circles and see the countryside, which is something I certainly prefer over hammer, hammer, but hammer is good sometimes.
A final note is props to I/Grant at RBW. In their design philosophy, they/he mentions designing bikes with enough clearance such that if you have a broken spoke, you can still ride and get home. I noticed a wobble on the Oldham ride 2 weekends ago and again today. When I got back, I found the guilty party, not just a wobble but a broken spoke. It wasn't even rubbing the brakepad and I still had good stopping power. Great stuff, the Bleriot. And great design, RBW.
and no pics b/c my camera batteries are dead.
Comments
It also sounds like quite a bit of climbing. Fun!