Just Riding Along… Picture ride.
Lately, I have been trying to hone my photography skills, and what better way to do it than by a bicycle? Last night brought on a quick ride through the local nature preserve at dusk.
Singletrack through the river bottom.
Watching the sun go down.
Take some time to slow down your riding, and just enjoy the scenery. You will be glad that you did…
Just keep spinning…
Just Riding Along… Wasson Way.
Lately in the Cincinnati area, lots of good things have been happening in regards to cycling. Some are small, some are a bigger deal, some are just bike lanes, and then there is the Wasson Way. This 6 mile stretch of forgotten rail line is a big deal, you just don’t know about it yet…
Operating from a group of volunteers, the Wasson Way Project wants to change that. They want to transform this overgrown stretch of rail into a multi-use path that connects to the Little Miami bike path, giving a huge chunk of Cincinnati the access to travel around the city by their own power. Imagine taking a break from your studies at Xavier and taking a bike ride all the way to John Bryan state park in Yellow Springs? Imagine riding your bike to work on a multi-use path, shielded away from traffic? Making the Wasson Way a reality could make those happen.
This evening, a friend and I attended a “guided hike” of the line, to see what it was all about. After the hike, we decided that this was a great way for the city to become more cycling friendly, and a very progressive way at that. Ideas like this do not come along that often that would serve a huge part of the city, and most would not do as well as the Wasson Way. And for the time being, light rail would not even serve the city this well. I say this mainly due to the fact that light rail is light years away from becoming a reality. Why wait around for something that may never happen, and leave this line unusable for 25-30 years?
Rails to trails, what a great idea. Want to check it out in person? They are doing another hike this coming Saturday, check out their website or their Facebook page for the details.
Just keep spinning…
Just Riding Along… Troll thoughts…
Lately, I have been spending a lot of time on the Troll, mostly on the road due to SW Ohio being underwater this past month. While out and about on the road, it frees up your mind to wander a bit, and figure out all of life’s problems. Or just what to do next when it comes to bicycles. Even though I just recently finished the Troll, I am bouncing ideas around as to what my next bike move will be. Here are a few things that I have been contemplating:
A new wheel-set keeps popping up on these rides. It would be nice to have a second wheel-set for the Troll so I do not have to wrestle tires on and off my Sun Ringle wheels. A second wheel-set, like the Mavics above, would be WAY cheaper than another bicycle and it would make the Troll even more versatile. One set with MTB tires, the other with my road tires. Makes sense right?
On the topic of a second wheelset, I have started to think of something like this:
A more specialized wheel-set, specifically a fat bike wheel-set, like the Surly Large Marge rims. This would enable me to have a larger footprint for off road excursions, with the rim being 65mm wide. That would stretch out my Maxxis Ardent 2.6s out quite a bit. This would essentially make the Troll a lite version of a fat bike. If I went this route, I would no doubt end up with a Surly fat front fork, giving me the option of running the much larger Surly Larry 26×3.8 front tire. But, why go through all of that trouble, when you can just get one of these:
A true fat bike. I have wanted one of these since the first moment I saw one. If I would go this route, which model would I go with? Of course the Surly would be on that list, but another company that is on my short list is 9 Zero 7. Look at this beauty from the great white north:
There are a few other ideas that keep bouncing around in my head, but to keep this somewhat focused I will save those for a later date. At this moment though, a fat bike is what I am shooting for in the near future.
Now I need to figure out how I can sell this idea to my wife…
Just keep spinning…
Just Riding Along… Covered bridge ride.
Since I am a big fan of history, I decided to try and find the Stonelick covered bridge here in Clermont County Ohio. Covered bridges are pretty fascinating to me, so today was the day to find this bridge. Luckily, I knew the general area, so I thought I would just ride around in the vicinity until I found it. Luckily, it was extremely easy to find. Unfortunately though, it is under construction. Still a great ride today:
Random steel bridge in the area
The Stonelick covered bridge, with a Troll.
Great Blue Heron hanging out near the East Fork of the Little Miami.
Great ride to an interesting old bridge today. After searching a bit on the web for information on this bridge, I stumbled onto this. It seems that this old bridge is haunted. That might explain why there are surveillance cameras at the entrance?
Just keep spinning…
Just Riding Along… Milford to Ault Park.
Just some pictures from today…
View from Ault park, overlooking the Little Miami River valley.
Playing with the sunlight.
View of Ault park.Just keep spinning…
Just Riding Along… Get Lost.
Spent time getting lost on the Troll today, only to find my way back. Today’s ride was just what I needed.
Over the Little Miami River.
Taking a H2O break in Indian Hill.
Vintage Rollfast off of the trail in Camp Dennison.
Just keep spinning…
Just Riding Along… Troll ready for an overnight.
Switched out my dirt tires for the more road worthy Schwalbe Big Apples today, and also re installed my Salsa Down Under front rack. This will be my road overnight camping set up. The Banjo Brothers Minehaha bag paired with my cheap Craigslist score front panniers will carry enough gear for a night or two, maybe more. The Minehaha bag is bigger than it looks, all that is inside it in the picture is two tubes, a tool kit, and my lock. Room for days in that bag. The plan for my tent, if I use one, is to just strap it to the top tube. We shall see, starting the planning process for an overnight trip next month.
Just keep spinning…
Just Riding Along… Banjo Brothers.
While waiting for a certain rear rack to come back into stock, I turned my consumer attention towards saddlebags for my Brooks B17. Saddlebags seem to be a great option for commuting, and they also seem pretty handy for bike camping. Unfortunately, not too many companies throw out a decent, large quality bag without breaking the bank. That was my thought, until I stumbled onto Banjo Brothers.
Banjo Brothers carries quite a variety of bicycle related bags, including their Minehaha line, which focuses on the older style, canvas bag. This is their “medium” model, which holds 650 cubic in. or 10L if you prefer the metric system. Large enough for a couple spares, my camera, some tools, and some spare clothes. With room for more. I feel that this bag with my small, front panniers on a rack will give the Troll a great bike packing setup for some overnight trips this summer. Now if only I can figure out what to do with my tent…
What sets Banjo Brothers apart from other companies in my opinion though, is their customer service. After receiving my bag in just a couple days, I realized that I was missing the seatpost strap. After a quick “tweet” letting them know the issue, I had my missing link practically the next day. Super fast! You normally don’t get service like that very often.
If you are in the market for a canvas bag, check them out. Quite a bit cheaper in price, but way above and beyond in customer service and quality. They definitely have my business in the future!
Just keep spinning…
Just Riding Along… Enter WordPress.
After using Blogger for quite some time, I finally hit the point where I needed to move on. With their new layout, I could not get into the flow of things, and since I have been contemplating using WordPress for a while, the time seemed to be right to make the switch. Thankfully, it has been a bit easier than I thought it would be.
Thanks for the start Blogger, it’s not you it’s me. Well, actually, it is you. But anyway…
Thanks for reading this far, please bear with me as I learn this new system.
Just keep spinning…
Just Riding Along… Waxing philosophical…
Lately, I have been mapping, saving, and logging all of my miles during cycling excursions and also while running. Part of me is really into statistics, and it is nice to see your progress on a chart. Many different apps and programs are available to the masses, I have been using Map My Ride. It is a great program, easy to use, and I highly recommend it. That said, I am completely abandoning my stat recording habit. Here is why:I have become obsessed with logging miles. So much so, that all of my rides and runs are only mileage focused, and not enjoying the process of riding or running. Lets be honest though, is running really enjoyable? Anyway, I have found myself not enjoying the opportunities that arise, for example, stopping for a great photo, taking a road I have never been on, stopping on a run just to breath in nature, all because I do not want to ruin my average speed. That is lame. Also, I have been reading quite a bit off of Rivendell Bicycle Works‘s website. Not only do they sell quality bicycles, parts, clothing, and lots of other goodies, there is a ton of great information on cycling in general. In our house with a new baby, I am spending a good chunk of time sitting with our baby boy and just reading about cycling from their perspective. It is really starting to soak in and make sense.Check out their site, tons of information, and lots of pretty pictures of bicycles, like this for example:
Photo from Rivendell’s site.Just keep spinning…
Just Riding Along… Troll glamour shots…
Yesterday received my new Schwalbe Big Apples tires, so on they went for some sweet road action. Sure, they say on the sidewall “26×2.35,” but damn are they big. Amazingly, there is still room to spare on the Troll frame.
Today, just a quick ride for some pictures in the nice sunlight.
Just keep spinning…
Look Rickey, no hands!
Just Riding Along… Scouting Trip.
Beautiful, windy day in SW Ohio today. Had around an hour and a half to explore this afternoon on the Troll. I have been in the planning stages of a bikepacking trip, so today I loaded up a few things in the front panniers and hit the road to scout out how long it would possibly take me to reach my destination. I didn’t really have enough time to ride the entire route, but riding what I did today gave me an idea on how long it will take to get there. Great day to be out, but the return trip was brutal due to a crazy headwind. Normally, I do not mind them, but with loaded panniers a headwind really sucks the life out of you. Apart from that issue, it was a nice little ride of dirt and tarmac.
Started off on the local trails.
Ended up on some side roads, following the Buckeye Trail. Note the fiberglass sports car body lying in the weeds…
Hanging out in the flowers, which I believe are Dutchman’s Breeches.
Total miles for today, around 17. Mixed with dirt, tarmac, and a nasty headwind? I am beat this evening.
Just keep spinning…
Brand New Cyclist…
The past couple days have been quite the whirlwind, due to my second child being born! I still cannot believe that he is here already, and now comes the adjustment period in life where we all figure out how to fit everything in. After a few days off from any sort of physical activity, I got out on a trail run, which I think I will be doing quite a bit of that to keep my activity level up. Now I start the countdown of when he can come for a ride in the bike trailer.
At this point though, all is well with the world.
Just keep spinning…
Just Riding Along… Taking the long way.
With gas prices hovering around $4/gal, my day to day errands on my off days are spent on the bike. Two prime examples of that today:
First, the Cannondale T500 was hooked up to the trailer and my daughter and I were off to the dreaded BMV. Since we live in a small town, this is not too bad of an ordeal, usually we can walk right in and not have to wait in line, or take the ever so slow number and wait. For hours. Not the case here in Milford luckily. After that task was over, it was off to the local playground for some slide time and a break at our usual spot on the scenic Little Miami River. This is the view from our favorite bench:
Little Miami state and national scenic river, and also my 1000th picture with my EVO.
While at our spot, a few boats were out and about cruising down the waterway, and my daughter decided at that point that we need a boat. Really twisted my arm on that one. So that got me thinking… Bikes, Beer and Boats? That might just have to happen.
Second errand of the day was on the Surly Troll. Just a quick trip to the grocery store for a few items (beer) and I decided to take the long way. Through the local nature preserve, around the neighborhood, and my quick little trip to the grocery turned into a 7 mile or so ride. Not too bad at all.
I have to say, the more that I ride the Troll the more I am liking it. I would even venture to say that I built my dream bike. What a different bike than I thought I would call my dream bike, but it is an amazing piece of bicycling culture. I recently switched over to my Maxxis Crossmark 26×2.1s, and they make this bike shine even more. The smaller tires really speed up the bikes demeanor on the trail, and also makes it quicker than it should be on the road. Very versatile, and that is the name of the game with the Troll. Rant over, here is the only picture that I took on my beer run:
All in all a good day of riding.
Just keep spinning…
Just Riding Along…Bikepacking.
From day one, my plan for the Troll has been to utilize it’s versatility. Mountain biking, commuting, grocery runs, trailer pulling, all in one machine. Another aspect that it is fully capable for is bikepacking. Essentially, backpacking on a bicycle. Sounds good to me.
Version 1.0
Last week for a night ride, I had the chance to try out the Troll with racks. Using an old rack and panniers that I had laying around, I had the chance to ride it loaded to see how everything worked. All worked together nicely, but it was not as functional as I would like. The front panniers and Salsa rack worked superbly, but the rear rack was lacking. My big issue was that using the connected style rear panniers (ex. saddlebag) I could not use the platform of the rear rack to lash anything down. That is what I call wasted space, and I do not have time for that. So, rear rack and bags are now back on the T500. Way more functional for that bike.
Version 1.1
After the rear rack was removed, I found my old Specialized seat bag. Not as elaborate as a Relevate Designs seatbag, but it does expand more than shown in the photo. I think with this setup, strap my tent and sleeping pad to the top tube, and maybe add a small lumber pack, and I should be good to go for a quick overnight trip. Now with the weather acting like summer, this needs to happen sooner rather than later.
Just keep spinning…
Just Riding Along… Return of the night ride.
Got out on the Little Miami path last night with friends. Spring is here in full effect here in Southwestern Ohio, with comfortable temperatures in the 50s last night. Lights were installed, supplies were loaded, and off on the path for a nice 18 mile jaunt in the darkness.
Just for this trip, I decided to switch out my tires from the huge Ardent 2.6s to a smaller more road worthy Maxxis Crossmark 26×2.1. Thees tires roll surprisingly well for a dirt tire, and very quiet. After the tire swap, I added some racks to the Troll:
I pulled the old Blackburn rear rack off of my T500, and then installed my new Salsa Down Under front racks. This was my first trip with the Troll loaded up, and it rolled very smoothly, which was expected. I am only using the Blackburn rack until the Salsa Minimalist rack comes back into stock, then that will be my weapon of choice.
View of the Salsa front rack from above.
After the ride, beers came out in the variety of a stout, a Belgian style ale, and a smooth golden ale in a can. Reviews on those to come soon. Get out and enjoy this weather!
Just keep spinning…
Just Riding Along… New shoes…
Since March usually is one of the wettest months out of the year here in Ohio, I have started my search for road tires for the Troll. My plan all along has been to keep this bike versatile, and eventually have a second wheel set to swap in and out for road duty. Until that though, I will be wrestling tires on and off of my Sun Ringle rims. With all of the rain here lately, and the rain in the forecast, what better time than now?
My first choice is this:
Photo from utahtrikes.com
Second choice:
Photo from bikemania.cz
Both are around the same price, the Big Apples measure in at 26×2.35″ and the Hookworms at 26×2.5″ respectively. Both are huge! And both are heavy, that is to be expected. But, for the time being, I will be putting on my skinny, cheap, Forte (Made by Panaracer) City ST tires, which measure in a 26×1.5. I plan on running these for my road duty until I can finally make up my mind.
And, just because, here is a quick picture from after one ride last week:
Just keep spinning…
Just Riding Along… Trail time.
Took the Troll out to Landen Deerfield trail yesterday for some much needed single track. Not a destination trail by any means, but a nice, well kept trail in the middle of a neighborhood. All single track, with a good flow, a few small climbs, a couple interesting creek crossings, and one very fun rock garden.
Only around 2 miles for the loop, but a good trail to ride loops on. My favorite aspect of this trail is that you do not need to carry any tools, camelback, etc. due to the fact that you are not very far from your car at any point.
Rode a few laps, and quickly realized that I am out of mountain bike shape. Hope to reverse that this year!
Just keep spinning…
Just Riding Along… New Airborne Bicycles edition.
One of my favorite things about the cycling industry, among many, is that every year new products start showing up. Every company has a new product that is bigger, better, lighter, faster, etc. You get the idea. Airborne Bicycles is no exception, and from the looks of it 2012 is going to be a big year for them. Enter the Guardian:
Building off of the very successful Goblin 29er, Airborne has launched a more wallet friendly 29er to, as they say, “Get more butts in saddles.” I like that, more people on bikes is a good thing. Anyway, sharing quite a few components from the more expensive Goblin, the Guardian is a well spec’d entry level 29er, or just the rider on a budget. If you were on the fence about the Goblin due to the price, there is no reason for you to sit any longer. So what is the price? Head over the Airborne’s site and check it out!
Well done Airborne, can’t wait to see the rest of the line up.
Just keep spinning…
Photo from Airborne’s website.
Just Riding Along… First Impressions.
First impressions are huge. They are when you decide if you are going to like something or not, in a very quick amount of time. Today was the prime example of that. A bike ride materialized out of nowhere, so the Troll was loaded up and I was racing the sunset. Decided to make the journey to East Fork state park to see if the trails were ride-able, and luckily they were.
This is my first “real” mountain bike ride on the Troll, not just tooling around the local nature preserve. This is single track, and sweet single track it is. Anyway, the Troll performed as it should. It reminds me a lot of my former Haro Mary single speed. I make this comparison only due to the fact that the top tube is stretched a bit, and I am using the same On One Mary handlebars. They are both steel frames, so that plays into the comparisions as well. These similarities make me happy, as the Haro Mary was one of my favorite bikes. Solid, smooth ride characteristics, which is surprising for a rigid frame. The Maxxis Ardents are a big surprise at how well they handle too. They are huge, at 2.6″ wide, but they just lock into the soil and hold your line. I was planning to replace them for summer riding, but I might shelve that idea for the time being. Again though, this is only my first impression, not a long term test. I will probably change my mind in due time.
Things that I will be changing soon: I feel that I need a shorter stem. I am a little too stretched out for my liking, but it is not a deal breaker at the moment. Another change that should happen is my front derailleur. It is the only part out of the build that just does not work too well. It was cheap, and it works, but it will be a cheap and easy fix. Sub par shifting, luckily I am from a single speed background, so the chain stayed in the middle ring for the entire ride.
So not a long ride, but a ride nonetheless. It was nice to be out on the trails again, the only rider in the woods, watching the sun drop below the tree line while soaking up the remaining light on the sweet single track. Can’t wait to be out again…
Just keep spinning…
Just Riding Along… New Year’s resolution.
This year, I decided to make a few resolutions. One of which had to do with my unicycle. I want to be able to ride it. At the moment, I am pretty bad. And by bad I mean not good. So, why not make it a goal to be able to ride it? Sounds good to me.
Since this winter has been non existent here in SW Ohio, it has given me more time outside, and that means more time to mess with my horrible balance issues. Uni-cycling has been a little harder than I could imagine, but this is coming from a guy who cannot ride a bicycle too far without his hands on the handlebars. Anyway, I picked up my unicycle on the local Craigslist this past summer, and put a little time into it, but I always felt like I needed more rubber underneath me. Thankfully, that rubber came into town the other day. Enter the Maxxis Hookworm:
This tire is 1.95″ wide, which it looks a little bigger than it really is. Compared to the last tire that I had on this bike, it is a huge upgrade. And surprisingly, there is still room to spare on the frame, so eventually I will be searching for off road sized tires once I can ride this thing. That is the goal, or resolution, to be able to ride this bike well enough this year, to take it off road. That sounds like a good time.
Stock tire, around 1.75″ wide.
Just keep spinning…
Just Riding Along… Maiden Voyage.
After a day of waiting, took the Troll on it’s first “official” ride. Not as long as I had hoped, but with prior commitments and nasty weather on course, just a quick 3 mile spin in the woods with the camera. The Troll handled as expected. It is a rigid steel bike, not much to set up or tweak on the ride. It is nice riding a fully rigid bike, no adjustments to finicky suspension setting, no rider sag to set, just get on the bike and ride. Kind of like when you are a kid, and your bike is a single speed BMX bike. Not much to worry about. Just pedal.
I am still trying to figure out my camera, so today I tried to capture a self portrait. After setting up the tripod, and setting the timer for the longest setting, I still did not get the shot that I had wanted. I still need to work on that a bit, all in due time.
Just keep spinning…
Just Riding Along… Troll complete!
Finally, after about a year of debating, pondering, comparing, and lusting, the Surly Troll is now complete. This has been a long process, but I am very excited and satisfied with the big decision to pull the trigger on this amazing frame. After first seeing a few years ago, (here) then came the rather annoying comparisons, (here and here) the Troll is now complete and I am done with bike building for a while. That said, here are a few pictures:
Pacer decals in black, on the Ford blue powdercoat.
Drivetrain.
Just a few quick pictures from today. Not much time to take a ride this evening, just a quick spin around the block. Who knows when the trails around here will finally dry out (or freeze) so I can test this beast out in the woods. Hope to get some real saddle time in this week.
Plans for the Troll already. Once the rear rack I am wanting comes back into stock, I will be able to hit the road on some off road overnight trips. I am also thinking about some sort of frame bag, maybe just a partial, to increase my carrying capabilities. Another purchase that will happen probably next week will be a set of road tires for commuting purposes. Still on the fence as to what model, but I am sure they will be big. That’s how the Troll rolls right?
Just keep spinning…
Just Riding Along… Surly Troll part 3.
Quick update on the Troll. After powdercoating, I took the frame down to my local shop, Bishop’s Bicycles, to have the frame treated with framesaver and also to have the headset installed. Picked it up this evening, and started adding parts to make the bike more complete. Here are a few pictures for a tease:
Chris King Headset.
Brooks saddle looks at home.
Avid BB5 disc brakes in the interesting dropout.
More parts being added, more parts being ordered, hope to have everything finished this week! This bike is starting to look like a tractor!
Just keep spinning…
