All about bicycles

Got out for 15.5 miles today. Very humid. Learned something -at the end of a ride like that, with two miles to go when your legs feel like dead weight, you really don’t want “Knocking On Heaven’s Door” to come up on the iPod Shuffle. Even if it is Warren Zevon’s version.

And yes, I use an iPod Shuffle when I ride.
 
Nice bicycles, beautiful guitars, nice people on this forum.
Lots of knowledge too. I have learned quite a bit.
I like it here. Thanks for the hospitality.

I just realized I have a nice comfortable niche I exist in.
I'm the guy whose PRS guitars are all S2 models and...

post # 3

:p
 
I Had A Chopper when i was a kid it was the bike to have!!!
I remember I took a corner too fast and scratched some geezer's jam jar right down the side ( Whoops).
He wasn't a happy bunny and i was off toot sweet. Silly kid at a stupid age but there ya go, weve all been there.!!! Double Whoops.
 
Solid move.
I lusted after an F12 for a while. The only thing that kept me from buying was that I don’t ride a traditional bike much any more...so I stick with my S Works Tarmac.
Way back when I lusted for Pina Prince when aluminum was the latest miracle material. Then the magnesium Dogma. Never pulled the trigger on either. I am still lusting for a Colnago C64, but that would require life insurance proceeds from my beloved wife.
 
I accidentally rode my age 3 minutes faster today than I have done in recorded history. I say accidentally, because road closures forced me to make 3 U turns, so my expectations weren't high.

A bit of background. 8 years ago I came up with an age challenge for myself as a way of marking how my fitness level was doing in the second (expected) half of my life. I ride a distance matching my age some number of times a year. Distance gets further every year. So it was exciting for the time to go down.

Take that aging.
 
I accidentally rode my age 3 minutes faster today than I have done in recorded history. I say accidentally, because road closures forced me to make 3 U turns, so my expectations weren't high.

A bit of background. 8 years ago I came up with an age challenge for myself as a way of marking how my fitness level was doing in the second (expected) half of my life. I ride a distance matching my age some number of times a year. Distance gets further every year. So it was exciting for the time to go down.

Take that aging.
That is awesome! Miles up, time down!! Who could ask for anything more!!! I did a thing 15 years ago where I did my age in both push ups and sit ups each day. After a year of doing that (and miles on the bicycle but nothing major, maybe 20/day 3 days a week) I was in the best shape I had been since high school! I also went vegan for that year and did not smoke or drink, so that certainly did not hurt the cause! Then I met my girlfriend (who I am still with), and I moved back into my slow and lazy adult ways ;~(( Need to return to that weight again (195 - currently 235)!!! This thread has certainly motivated me to consider a new bike next rather than another PRS ;~O Don't tell anyone! I have two Klein's, but neither has been ridden in over a decade, and it would be a lot easier to buy a new one than try to get either of these (one road, one hard MTB - Rascal with linear fade paint) squared away and road worthy! Thanks for the goose! We will see what flies!!!
 
Naah.
See post # 468.
:) I have a Giant mountain bike that was less than $300 new. Steel frame. I don't even know how old it is... but close to 30 years. But as I've said many times, if I'm riding for exercise, a faster lighter more efficient bike would allow me to go faster and farther... but wouldn't give me any more exercise. Plus, I ride it on trails through the woods when we go camping, and the freaking thing is indestructible! I have replaced only one thing on the bike in 30 years. Brakes. Nothing else. I clean and lube it and keep riding it.

I've talked about getting a new road bike for years. Nothing expensive, just a better bike and for road/bike path riding. Still haven't pulled the trigger.
 
Just like the Private Stock thread, this bike thread makes me feel like such a hack!
I have a PS guitar and a PS (custom made) bike. Still I find myself well below hack level at playing and riding. But, I’m a happy hack. My Will directs that I be incinerated with all my bikes and guitars and then ceremoniously flushed down the toilet. Since we have septic, I’ll continue to reside on my land. At least until the next draining.
 
I might have mentioned before that most summers I participate in The Ride To Conquer Cancer. The idea is to ride 200km over the course of the weekend to raise money and awareness. As was the case last year, this year was done as a virtual event. I rode something over 200km on the originally scheduled date in June, but more people donated, so I road again on the rescheduled weekend late August. Weather was predicted to be questionable, so I started really early the first day and did the full 200km as a hedge against rain the second day.
I started early enough that as I made the turn west, I saw the sunrise in my mirror. It was much more spectacular in real life than on a phone photo.
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I think I drank 7 bottles of water over the course of the first day, and still needed a couple more liters when I got home. Luckily they went for yellow ambassador jerseys this year rather than the black we had last year.
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There was one refuel stop set up in my area, about 40 km from my house. A decent amount of money was raised this year.
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My last ride of August. 41 miles of mostly "gravel" with a little bit of road mixed in. I think it's a great showcase of what interior Florida has to offer.

After a little bit of road, a section of sketchy, swampy gravel in Carlton Reserve.
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Which opens up to a beautiful power line road that runs for miles.
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Just beyond here it got super muddy and wet for a bit. It seems any summer gravel ride lands me bottom bracket deep in water at some point.
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Then it was through a park and onto some country neighborhood streets for a bit. After that, the route opens up on this "road" in Walton Ranch Preserve.
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Which has some amazing sections of sub-tropical forest...
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Found the cows (it's an active ranch) and an epic tree.
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From there, it's mostly just riding back the way you came. Thankfully, I had a nice tailwind on the way back so I felt like I was flying. The sun finally came out and the heat really kicked in. Three bottles and four 2 oz SIS gels (which are mostly water) really wasn't enough for this outing, even with the clouds. Looking forward to doing this ride again when the weather cools off a bit.

If you don't come back covered in sand and dirt, did you even gravel? :p

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