Thorn Cycles Forum
Community => Member's Gallery => Topic started by: JimK on May 29, 2016, 10:16:09 pm
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Making plans is really a joke! Dante got a job in Utah, so here I am. For how long? Who knows?
Today's ride, day 4 in our new location: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/14070945
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/Utah/IMG_2489_zpsywcgrbs8.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/Utah/IMG_2494_zpsf9x3sxlu.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/Utah/IMG_2492_zpsgncoadwu.jpg)
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Must say, it looks pretty agreeable, Jim, lovely landscape and small lanes, good for cycling. Presumably it is warmer than your previous location.
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So far so good. This is a big built up urban area so there are some quite nasty intersections. There are some very nice bike paths too. The best biking seems to be the technical stuff up in the mountains. I imagine the Nomad will get me through a lot of that. We shall see!
Right now it is miserably hot in New York and quite pleasant here. It'll be interesting to see how the heat gets here, come August! We're at about 4400 feet of elevation here so the sun is really intense!
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Great stuff, Jim. Marcia's parents used to live in SLC--they weren't Mormons, BTW, though Marcia used to say that it was interesting to visit one of the world's few remaining theocracies... My parents-in-law had a house on the East Bench of the city, backing onto state forest land, so that the Wasatch range was right out the back door: Mt Olympus was immediately east of their place, a six-hr up-and-back hike.
Fabulous countryside, with snow in the bowls up around 10,000' (esp those facing E and/or N) until late July.
Not much of a road/street/touring bike culture, to be sure, but great landscapes if you can suss out the secondary roads.
Best to you and Dante,
John
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The snow we can see up on the peaks seems to be melting by the hour!
Dante will be commuting by bike to his job. He tested out his route a couple days ago and passed another bike commuter going the other way. So now he doesn't feel utterly alone! But yeah this looks like road racing bikes and mountain bikes, plus a lot of basic cheap bikes, around here. We've seen lots and lots of bikes on the roads and bike paths. It's a busy place!
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You should try to get down to Moab. I stripped the fenders off my Nomad and put a suspension fork and suspension seatpost on it. The photos are from a 4 day fully supported bike tour I did at Canyonlands White Rim in April a couple years ago. A friend of mine organized the trip, there were 10 of us there, we hired an outfitter to haul our food and water and beer and camping gear, cook our food, etc.
The rest of the group all had full suspension mountain bikes, so my Nomad with the drop bars and no rear suspension did not quite fit into the group as well. There were a few places where the lack of suspension slowed me down compared to the others, but the rest of the group had derailleurs and I liked having the quicker shifting Rohloff.
The White Rim trail is 4X4 driveable, so it is not as tough as you might otherwise think. You do not have to be a skilled mountain biker to do it. But, it gets hot there later into the summer, so don't wait too long. Early April was perfect biking weather.
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Those photos should go in the mega brochure particularly the Bloke's Convention one. :)
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I just wonder how they're all gonna fit in that small tent? ;D
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Moab is definitely the prime destination in Utah! I doubt we'll get down there this year. Our focus will be local exploration. There's a good chance we'll be here longer term, in which case we'll certainly be hitting the big parks to the south.
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I just wonder how they're all gonna fit in that small tent? ;D
It was a tight fit.
Actually, we had a bunch of tents, first photo.
And we ate well, second and third photos. And the cook did not even set the truck on fire.
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The number of times I have reworked the breakable connection where the wires from the dynamo cross the S&S coupler on their way to the rear light... ugh! When it works it's nice! On top of all that, somehow I am constantly swapping polarities... now it only works with the polarities again crossed at this connection, to correct for whatever odd number of swaps there might be elsewhere. Well, I have a rear light again!
The most recent failure was from the 2200 mile drive from New York to Utah with the bike hanging off the back of the car. Yeah we were in southwest Nebraska driving through a monster thunderstorm the same afternoon that like a dozen tornadoes hit western Kansas. It was a storm, for sure! Anyway the crimped connections must not have been too snug - they were for fatter gauge wire after all! - so when we got here the bare wires were hanging free. The local hardware store had the proper gauge connectors... I have no idea if all that electrical tape will help or hurt... but it does reflect my frustration!
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On top of all that, somehow I am constantly swapping polarities
Jim --
Just an idea, but what about marking one of the wires (on both sides of the connector) with a bit of white paint, such as white-out correction fluid. It would only take a little dab, and then you would know to connect white-to-white and black-to-black. The dab could be very small, because you only need (and want) to see it when you are re-connecting the wires.
- DaveS
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That is in part why I decided to use battery taillights.
An FYI - I wrap electrical tape around each end of my S&S couplers to keep dirt out of the threads. Months later I took the tape of to check tightness, the couplers were still tight. Since then I have quit checking that they stay tight.
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what about marking one of the wires
yeah the wires are marked already! I have a crimped butt joint to another marked wire.... did I mess that up? Oh yeah that wire inserts into the headlight. I put on the connectors to the headlight. Should marked go to ground, or unmarked?
No doubt I could rip it all apart again and do it right. Hmmm, knowing me, it would probably take three or four cycles to get things to settle down. Fresh shipments from Peter White each time, oh yeah toss in a spare tire or two to bring the total up to the shipment minimum... believe me, I have a stash of tires!
How a person can make so many mistakes on such a simple task, it boggles my mind! I boggle me! That's one good reason to get out and ride, to try to clear my head!
I hope tomorrow to try my first little segment of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail: http://www.bonnevilleshorelinetrail.org/pleasantviewtoi84/pleasantviewtoi84.html
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Well, that Bonneville Shoreline Trail seems too technical for my interests and really my abilities too! Very tight hairpins with big rocks etc. Maybe I could develop the skills but really I would be happier hiking on these narrow trails. Everyone else I saw on the trails was on foot!
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/14157253 (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/14157253)
This was a non-scary bit but soon enough it was tight turns, steep cliffs, etc.
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/IMG_2508_zpsx09o1rrq.jpg)
I took a very pleasant path on the way to the mountainside, though!
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/IMG_2500_zpsag2ln9mz.jpg)
On the way home I danced a bit with the locomotives. "Golden Spike" is a common enough name around here - the junction of the eastern and western railroads happened not too far away, and still this is a monster train shuffling spot:
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/IMG_2509_zpsf6hjxbka.jpg)
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Got a good bit further up Farmington Canyon Rd today. This lady passed me and I asked her how high she was going and she said she'd already done one loop and maybe she'd get to the tower this go round. She stopped to take off a layer - it was cool in the morning with a bit of rain but then it was getting hot plus of course a 13% grade will warm a person up - so I asked, just to be sure... a loop? Like across the top and down into Bountiful? Oh yes, the response. Wow! There be titans on these roads!
The base of the hills is at 4400 feet elevation. We got up to about 5650 before declaring victory and heading back down for lunch. The fork up top is at about 7200 feet, and either way you go, loop or tower, you'll be over 9000 feet. Well, the good news, after the pavement stops the gnarly 13% stops too and it's more like maybe 6%. Still in gear 1 but a nice comfy 3.7 mph instead of the 2.4 mph struggle.
The loop (someday?!): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/14391337
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/Nomad/2016%2006%2012/IMG_2536_zps0mq67jqc.jpg)
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/kukulaj/Nomad/2016%2006%2012/IMG_2537_zpsqz7vvn8j.jpg)
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Terrific photos, Jim, and a nice writeup. I'm so glad you're getting a chance to enjoy these new surroundings on the Nomad. It must be pretty close to ideal for your needs.
Also magnificent is your beard! After 22 years with a moustache, I recently joined the Naked Lip Brigade and am still trying to get used to feeling the breezes above my mouth and below my nose. Seemed a good time to do it and so get an even suntan over the summer. You've taken up the torch, Man! Well done.
Take care, and enjoy all you can during your stay.
All the best,
Dan.
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Great stuff, Jim, and wow! What. A. Growth. I recognized the bike, but not the guy behind it ;-)
Great country, isn't it? Bet you hardly miss the trees! The canyons are special -- great downhills :-)
Cheers,
John
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Wendy made some off-hand comment about what would I look like with a beard, and that pushed me over a cliff that I didn't even know was there! I've let my beard grow a few times in the past. This time I am playing with mustache wax. Wendy is still in a bit of shock over the size of the fire started by such a tiny spark!
Coming back down the canyon I kept my speed pretty low mostly. Loose surface plus big drops over the edge! At the bottom I felt my rims - plenty warm! And that was just 1200 feet!
Yeah one thing about the absence of trees is the presence of views! And there are a few trees too! Things are nice and green here now. I wonder how it will be in August!
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We used to visit Marcia's parent regularly in July or August. Temps regularly went above 100 F, "but it's a dry heat", to flip around a Canajan mantra. I used to do my hiking in those temps, but that was usually in the shade of the forest -- more trees & shade on the northern & eastern slops of the Wasatch, as you may know, and it gets bloody hot & dry descending in the afternoon.
Watch out for the inversions in the SLC bowl, as well.
Be very careful in that weather, Jim, lotsa water, with hydra-lite (or similar) tabs.
Your beard will shade your lower neck & collarbone, though!! :-)
Best to you, Wendy and Dante,
John
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Thanks for the tips, John. A week ago we were out on a hot day and wow it was really getting too much. We found a spot of shade and cooled off for a few minutes. Around 97F but that sun is intense and probably the pavement is quite a bit hotter.
My main water additive is: https://www.amazon.com/EMERGEN-C-ELECTRO-MIX-Lemon-Lime-4-2/dp/B002HWRY5S/
but I also use: https://www.amazon.com/NUUN-Multi-Flavor-Tubes-Hydration/dp/B00AMKBX04/
and I just starting trying: https://www.amazon.com/Orgain-Organic-Hydration-Powder-Coconut/dp/B00UKPU9YC
probably the best though is just starting early in the day! The afternoon heat can really be just too much!
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Jim,
When desert touring, I usually awaken at 4:50am and am on the road about 15 minutes later, stopping to make and eat breakfast about 20mi/32km down the road to ensure I'm up and at 'em and moved on before the heat of the day. It can be miserable sleeping till the sun is really up and then starting once the pavement is heat-soaked, raising temperatures further.
Good to remain well-hydrated throughout the day and replenish those electrolytes as you're doing.
Looking forward to more of your adventures.
All the best,
Dan.
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back on the bike today! Just a mile, from the storage unit to the new apartment here in Utah. I left my bike here when we left in August - we went back to New York so the young man could finish college. Now he is a college graduate, electrical engineering, and ready to start back at work here in Utah. Lots of snow on the ground... and we have PODS containers arriving to be unloaded on two consecutive weekends... but that little mile felt great, and I will surely be looking for ways to sneak out!
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Excellent, Jim!
Near or far, there's no bad rides. :)
All the best,
Dan.
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class what a country. ;)
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ah, first tiny ride: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18578195 out and back, just 13 miles. Sunny and a bit below freezing with a gentle breeze. Big snow coming so it may be a while before I can get out again!
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My original grips were getting quite worn and I was thinking that bar ends could be a nice way to reduce stress on my wrists and maybe help me get a bit lower in headwinds. Plus my pedals - plastic - were looking worn and the reflectors mostly fallen out. So... new pedals, new grips!
(https://app.box.com/shared/static/9s5k6kegls24lu3fqzrjv6iixr01hchm.jpg)
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Every little thing helps to make yours look like one serious bike, Jim.
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Nice to see the Chainglider. Snap.
I've had one in my Raven for 2+ years.
Happy with yours?
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Another bit of maintenance today... I'd notice my chain was dirty and a bit dry. The chainglider wasn't fitted together snugly - up around the chainrings somehow there was a gap. So I took the whole thing off, brushed the worst of the dirt off the chain, oiled the chain, and snapped the chainglider back on. I was careful about getting those tabs fitted into their slots - the thing went back together snugly, which was very satisfying! I had not done any lubrication or maintenance on that chain in several thousand miles. I find the chainglider to be a great device, very effective. Still, occasional maintenance is a good idea, I think!
My first test ride... around the 9.5 mile mark I was grocery shopping. Ten or fifteen pounds of this and that. A few hills to get home from there. I am liking these bar ends. I can put my hands out on the remote bits and that seems to help with the extra torque required... and 11% grade is not trivialized by a 17 inch gear!
https://www.strava.com/activities/1387146638 (https://www.strava.com/activities/1387146638)
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My odometer crossed 20,000 miles today. I am still delighted by the bike. It gets me places!
I did replace the Marathon Supremes with Plus Tours. The Plus Tours do pretty well with goathead thorns. The Supremes not so well!
(https://app.box.com/shared/static/w9f381f5uxls4dd5hsfg4azi62owgqz5.jpg)
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Took me a little over three years to put on the first 10,00: http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=3035.msg67597#msg67597 (http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=3035.msg67597#msg67597)
and pretty much exactly four years for the second 10,000. I am not slowing down too much!
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I am not slowing down too much!
Good on yer, Jim -- press on regardless! (If a little more deliberately, as one does...)
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Sounds to me like you are one of the people that would have benefited from buying the 250 ml size Rohloff oil bottles.
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ha, I did buy those big bottles & had them shipped from SJS along with my bike, almost 8 years ago by now.
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All congratulations, Jim!
Well done.
All the best,
Dan.