Rides 2014 -- add yours

[Andre Jute]

I bet the bike was wagging its mudguards in excitement at the prospect...

LOL. Exactly what I felt like too. Going stir-crazy.

[Danneaux]

[Posted by Dan on jags' behalf...]

Photos of Anto's spin yesterday in the Boyne Valley.

That looks like a really tough climb once over the causeway and up from the river....

Very nice shots of truly scenic countryside.

[jags]

Thanks Dan yeah it was a lovely day weathersupposed to change tonight though so make hey while the sun shines yes thats the village of slane famous i suppose for all the rock concerts that take place in  Slane Castle bon jove played there last summer (i think).
not an orange man to be seen anywhere on the river boyne even though they reckon its belongs to them 
oh you cruel sod anto..

[nztony]

Definitely summer down here in New Zealand at the moment:


Larger version here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nztony/12316941114/
Vicinity of Turakirae Head, eastern entrance to Wellington Harbour


Where the road ends and the gravel begins, Turakirae Head, Wellington South Coast


And the very next day, on the other side of the harbour and the vicinity of Owhiro Bay, western approaches to Wellington Harbour

When I got my Nomad in late December 2013 I got off to a slowish start as I was doing lots of overtime and the days I did have
off were raining heavily, so on my last 4 days off I managed to get in 17 hrs 42 minutes riding time (I know this because my Garmin tells me!)

On my ride of a couple of days ago that took me through central Wellington (our capital city) an approaching cyclist yelled out: "I've got one of those, could you pull over for a minute?" I pulled over and the other cyclist (Reuben) told me he had a Nomad MKII and had ridden it 20 000km from the UK to NZ and then I was able to tell him "that is fascinating, and would you believe I have just been reading your blog on CGOAB" In fact I was reading his trip diary to help plot a route I want to ride through New Zealand in a few weeks time. Reuben's CGOAB: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/rf

I have had several 'coincidences' like this since I've been riding my Nomad, and I've only been riding it since December. I kind of thought these kind of things might happen, but I didn't think they'd be happening so soon and it's great, I'm loving it.

Best regards from NZ
Tony

[Matt2matt2002]

Nice pictures.
But spooky....
I was reading Rubens blog a couple of hours ago, too.
 

[nztony]

Matt, but it's all good fun isn't it.
I am not sure if I have posted this on the forum, but how is this one for a nice coincidence: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nztony/11741301623/

[jags]

it's a small world indeed.

lovely photos tony bike looks great, did you do any camping on that trip.

[nztony]

Jags,
No camping out this time around, although when I got home from the second ride (last photo) I went online and ordered a new tent to replace my much older and heavier one, so I should have it any day now. The timing isn't perfect, but I'm training as much as I can, as I will be in Auckland (700kms north of Wellington) in late March and if I feel ready for it, want to ride home. I've camped heaps as a hiker/tramper so that side of things should fall into place OK I hope. I think on my March trip I'll mostly tent at official camping grounds.
Tony

[Donerol]

If you weren't camping, what on earth did you have in all those panniers? 

[nztony]

Donerol
I've had my panniers for a couple of weeks, so I am practicing with them, to see how the bike feels/behaves with them, so by the time I go on tour I'll be used to them. I was carrying extra water bottles, a couple of thermal tops, my lunch, two cameras, and a few bits and pieces.
I've always been big on preparation and so far that has always worked for me.
Tony

[jags]

i used to do exactly the same thing more out of curiosity than anything else.
i found using just rear panniers stuffed to the gills it never made one difference to the sherpa, but once i put the   front panniers on i hated the feel of the bike felt like it  turned into a small truck .

a lot would argue the point you need front panniers to balance the load or bike to me this is pure rubbish you only need front panniers to carry more stuff  and thats a fact  
if you ever look at these guys in india carry half a house on the rear you will notice the front wheel never moves off the ground .
no matter Tony boy i'm looking forward to photos of your tent  and camping set up i'm sure your having a blast on that lovely nomad enjoy it and remember your not racing anymore nice and easy as the man said.

cheers
 jags.

[Donerol]

Donerol
I've had my panniers for a couple of weeks, so I am practicing with them, to see how the bike feels/behaves with them, so by the time I go on tour I'll be used to them. I was carrying extra water bottles, a couple of thermal tops, my lunch, two cameras, and a few bits and pieces.
I've always been big on preparation and so far that has always worked for me.
Tony

Ah, that makes good sense!

[Slammin Sammy]

Nice pictures.
But spooky....
I was reading Rubens blog a couple of hours ago, too.
 

Y'know, I was kinda half-expecting that the same thing would happen when I got out there with my Nomad, but except for one guy who'd been reading about them (and wasn't on a bike at all when I met him), I haven't ever seen another Thorn in Oz, except for these pages. Strange indeed...

We'll be cycling the rail trails in Victoria after Easter, so that might change. (Wouldn't want to go there now - they're having another massive heat wave, and the place is burning up again. Hottest summer on record down there, I think.)

[John Saxby]

I haven't ever seen another Thorn in Oz

Graham Smith in Victoria (frequent contributor to CGOAB, sometimes here) has a Sherpa.

We're a niche market, Sam, a highly selective (better I reckon than 'exclusive') lot.  I think there may be about three in Canada, though I've never actually seen one, other than my own.   Jim K in the Catskills, north of NYC, says he's never seen a Thorn in the flesh, as it were, in his part of the US.

[JimK]

Not that I see so terribly many bicycles around here, of any stripe! There's a couple in the Woodstock area, really serious types - the fellow has completed PBP a couple times! - they have a couple beautiful bikes, 8 speed hubs in the back, fenders, nice leather saddles, 559 x 32 tires or maybe fatter, dynamo hubs in the front. I managed to exchange a few words with the husband one time. He thought me a bit strange for being such a bike geek. He thought the Rohloff beyond the pale, unjustifiable. It gets me up the hills! But I didn't say that to him. Anyway that's the closest thing around here. I talked once at greater length with the wife - she told me the PBP story - and I got a good look at her bike. I forget who made the frame but it started life as a derailleur bike.

On the other hand, work takes me upon occasion out to Seattle, where it is positively raining bicycles. One of my other bikes is an Azor / Workcycles beast. There's even a dealer in Seattle, and I saw a few out on the street. I think I saw a few Rohloffs as well, but anyway lots of big fancy internal gear hubs. Some NuVinci for sure. There were so many bikes there... not sure I'd necessarily recognize a Thorn, but likely enough I would, and I sure haven't. Selective, yeah!