Load Testing October 10 2011, 0 Comments
Today was another fantastic day to be out on the bike gathering the groceries for the week
ide blue skies to the east with the fog looming just offshore behind me. THe high sweeping clouds made the blue skies pop, this one made me think of the swallows that will be heading back south pretty soon.
Enough day dreaming, and time for the business end of the trip. Two stops totaling, 1 gal milk, 1 gallon Tangerine Juice, 3 quarts yogurt, boxes of cereal and crackers, more juice, bananas, and some how squeezing the camera gear back in the bags. One trick I use is to take the bags of stuff out of the boxes, getting every little bit I can out of the hauling capacity.
Fully loaded with over 30 lbs of stuff I decided to head uphill to push the bike and myself a bit. The handling climbing up was very precise, not slow speed wobbles all over the road, even mashing a 36/30 low gear. The views were fantastic once above the fog, the bank looming just off the beach, with the channel islands poking out the top miles away. This shot diving into one of my favorite turns captured it best.
Adding a twist to the regular Sunday ride we have been heading over to the playground as a family before keep on riding to the market.
Then it is time for me to keep on keepin on for the next 10 miles to get the veggies. Today was another incredible day to be outside.
This area of southern California is really is a wonderful place to ride and call home.
While setting up for some pictures came across one of my pet peeves. I will never fully understand why changing a tube is so intense that you throw the dead tube off on the side of the road.
I usually pick them up, take them home and patch them. While a free tube is a nice bonus, they are usually 23mm tubes, and do not see much use in my stable. have a few ideas on how to curb this kind of waste, but implementation is going to be a bit of a process.
Another beautiful morning to get out early and go for a spin before getting on with the day.
You may have noticed the state fixed my favorite bridge to kep us safe this summer, kind of a bummer.
After taking the Roadeo out in the morning yesterday, I headed out in the afternoon on the Trek to get some groceries. I opted that way as I knew that the load was going to be a bit bulky, diapers. By the time all stops were made I had about 40 lbs of juice, milk, food and god knows what loaded on the front. Even with a bit of sloppiness in the panniers the handling was fine. Actually better than fine with stop and go traffic, slogging up hills into a 15 mp headwind and bombing down the other side.
Most bikes I have owned would handle like crap with that much up front, or anywhere for that matter. My xtracycle setup does ok with loads like that, but just ok, and is a bit more like a clunky old station wagon. The Trek with the 650b conversion is cushy, but sporty. The handling is a bit light with nothing at all up front, but a 5lb u-lock in a bag fixes that. With loads weighing in between the lock and, well yesterday's 40 lbs, the handling is still smooth through fast turns, holds a line grinding up hills and no wobble or drift at slow speeds.
For those not familiar with the geometric trail of the front end, the subject can be daunting. For those interested in the physics of the whole thing, Wikipedia has a decent
article. The subject has spurred religion/politic like arguments on the web forum over the recent years. I remained fairly neutral until this. Previously I had only ridden the low trail bikes I had built up for my wife, both handled great with a basket, but were way too small for me. This project bike has really opened up my eyes. I still love my Roadeo, just differently, and keep the load in the back. I prefer having the stuff up front, as long as the bike is designed to handle the load, it makes it much easier to keep an eye on the load.
I managed to get out on the Roadeo before the sunrise this morning, but left the camera card at home. Stuff Happens
I made do with the camera phone, and things came out OK. The air was crystal clear, and it is going to be another fantastic day before our first winter storms of the season kick in later this week.
Two days in a row of sunshine!!! The fog has lifted and it is really nice out. Perfect day to haul home a load of veggies.
Surf Check October 02 2011, 0 Comments
I made it out for a quick ride around the neighborhood in time to catch the sunrise. Yes the surf is almost flat today, but the light show was amazing.
Time for pancakes and then to get on with a day of riding, chores, and a bit of fun stuff.
Today was not a god day to sleep in. I rolled out of bed at 6:30 to the best morning light in two months. By the time I was out and about the light show was over, but the day is still the most clear we have had. I ended up taking the scenic route to run some errands.
It is going to be an incredible day, lots to do, and I hope it is this nice by you!
It has been a few weeks since our little girl started child care a couple of days each week. After our post lunch ride I was reviewing the pictures and noticed a pattern. She is in on Monday and Tuesday, and guaranteed fog, gloom and onshore winds. The other three days she is home, the sun comes out, the surf is usually pumping, we watch from the beach, and the playgrounds are blazing hot to the touch.
We still have tons of fun, and I cherish each moment, but I really do want to get back in the water someday.
If only the rest of life's challenges were that big of a deal.
One of my mid-week luxuries is the swap meet. The predisposition to wander through other people's junk for sale probably comes from my dad dragging me through garage sales and the Thunderbird swap shop as a little kid. Today the fog is back in force after one day of sun.
I even find useful things in the piles once in a while. Today, things came up empty, and it is time to get back to something productive.
ide blue skies to the east with the fog looming just offshore behind me. THe high sweeping clouds made the blue skies pop, this one made me think of the swallows that will be heading back south pretty soon.
Enough day dreaming, and time for the business end of the trip. Two stops totaling, 1 gal milk, 1 gallon Tangerine Juice, 3 quarts yogurt, boxes of cereal and crackers, more juice, bananas, and some how squeezing the camera gear back in the bags. One trick I use is to take the bags of stuff out of the boxes, getting every little bit I can out of the hauling capacity.
