Another nice day

I am in Seattle this weekend.  Today 7 of us rode from Gasworks Park out to Alki and back.  My friend and I rode from Queen Anne to Gasworks, getting a few bonus miles.  The day was perfect for a ride.
As we were preparing to shove off from Gasworks one of our group arrived, with a flat tire.  Surprisingly, no spare tube, no pump, and today the lack of skills to deal with the issue.  :-(

Several of us helped get him back on the road.

It was a decent day, the sun even tried to peek out from time to time.

We pedaled our way along the Ship Canal Trail then across the bridge to West Seattle.

Once we got out to Alki the rest of the group wanted to stop at Tulley's Coffee for a break, not being one for coffee, I pedaled on out past the Alki Lighthouse and covered some miles and killed some time while the group did their thing.
I turned around just past the intersection with Oregon Street.

From there on we all pedaled back to Gasworks Park.  The weather improved as the day progressed.

 Following arrival at Gasworks Park 3 of us went for a sandwich (tuna, yum!) then we all went our separate ways.  My friend and I capped the day off with a climb back up Queen Anne.

Another short mileage day, but a good day.



static map is HERE

...........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total Today...........44..............0.............0..........0............44 Jan..............105.............34............0..........0............139 Feb.............428............108...........0.........24...........536 March.........809..............0.............0.........22...........831 April.........1010..............0.............0...........0..........1010 May..........1000..............0............20........0............1020 June.........1500..............0.............0..........0............1500 July..........1558..............0.............0..........0............1558 Aug...........531..............0.............0...........0..............531 Sept..........730..............0.............0...........0..............730 Oct............844.............0.............0............0.............844 Nov...........835..............0.............0...........0.............835
 Dec............211..............0............0...........0.............211  YTD.........9557.........142............20..........46..........9765

Errands

I had a few errands, and the weather was decent, so what better way to get the errands taken care of than to ride.  Nothing fancy, nothing long, but a good pedal none the less.

...........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total Today...........12..............0.............0..........0............12 Jan..............105.............34............0..........0............139 Feb.............428............108...........0.........24...........536 March.........809..............0.............0.........22...........831 April.........1010..............0.............0...........0..........1010 May..........1000..............0............20........0............1020 June.........1500..............0.............0..........0............1500 July..........1558..............0.............0..........0............1558 Aug...........531..............0.............0...........0..............531 Sept..........730..............0.............0...........0..............730 Oct............844.............0.............0............0.............844 Nov...........835..............0.............0...........0.............835
 Dec............167..............0............0............0..............167  YTD.........9513.........142...........20.........46............9721

A shout out

   I did not ride bike today, but did attend Cascade Bicycle Club's Volunteer Appreciation Party tonight. Cascade is a very large bike club, membership numbers over 14,000.  I'd estimate 300-400 folks were at the event held in Seattle.   It was a fun night with a chance to meet new bike people, as well as old friends.

  One of those OLD friends ;-)  was Leo Stone.  He is a League of American Cyclists certified cycling instructor and never misses a chance to show us all how to ride more safely.  He extends this passion by volunteering as a Ride Ref for CBC.  He was honored tonight for his dedication to that role.   Congratulations to Leo, and keep up the good work!

Late notice

 I was busily mapping a series of routes I will be riding in Southern California in a couple of weeks when a friend sent an email inviting me to ride.......in an hour. I communicated that I had to be finished by 4PM to allow me to get to an evening meeting.  Eric said that wouldn't be a problem.  It was just over 30 minutes to drive to the start, so I dropped what I was doing and rushed out.

I arrived a bit late, but luckily one of the other riders was even more late.

We ended up taking off about an hour later than planned.
Within just a couple of miles I took my eyes off the road for a couple of seconds and paid the price by hitting a rock between golf ball and tennis ball size dead on.  I stayed upright, surprisingly, but got a pinch flat. Now we had the penalty of a late start and a flat to contend with.

The group was a little bit slower on the ascents, and braked on the descent.  Throw in a couple of potty stops, and before long it was obvious I was going to have to pedal a bit to get back in time.  Eric and I had a discussion on the plan if we got too late. With an hour to go, and about 18 miles still to pedal, I began pedaling.  Not fast, but consistent.  I really expected my partners to keep up, but alas, within a mile they were no longer in sight.

I arrived back at 4:06pm, within time tolerance.  Today sunset was at 4:27PM, so hopefully they weren't too far behind me.  At least one of the riders did not have lights along.

Thanks to Eric for getting me out on the bike today, it was a good day for a ride!





 Static map view available HERE

...........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total Today...........39..............0.............0..........0............39 Jan..............105.............34............0..........0............139 Feb.............428............108...........0.........24...........536 March.........809..............0.............0.........22...........831 April.........1010..............0.............0...........0..........1010 May..........1000..............0............20........0............1020 June.........1500..............0.............0..........0............1500 July..........1558..............0.............0..........0............1558 Aug...........531..............0.............0...........0..............531 Sept..........730..............0.............0...........0..............730 Oct............844.............0.............0............0.............844 Nov...........835..............0.............0...........0.............835
 Dec............155..............0............0............0..............155  YTD.........9501.........142...........20.........46............9709

Spreading some holiday joy

Rain was predicted again today.  Once again, the day ended up a bit better than predicted.  There was just a bit of drizzle this morning but by noon it had stopped and the roads dried off. I decided to join the two wheeled masses at Portland International Raceway to view the holiday lighting display.  I put a few lights on the bike, donned a holiday themed t-shirt and hat, and off I went.

  .  I decided that it was so nice, that I'd go ride some bonus miles before the PIR event.  I got in 52 miles of pre-ride.

I rode with a group of friends whom I had not pedaled with in months.  We met a few miles from PIR and planned to pedal in together.There were 10 of us total.

 While our little group only numbered 10, there were hundreds of bikes out there tonight.  The Portland Wheelmen and Butts on Bikes both were well represented as well as several other groups, and countless individuals.

We rode two laps of the track, then made our way back to our starting point.  The rest of the gang went into a local establishment for a club holiday party and a bite to eat.  I'm not a member of their club so, despite having an invitation offered after the ride, I thanked them for the ride and excused myself.

It was by far the nicest evening that I've been out there.

A fun night on the bike.


...........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total Today...........63..............0.............0..........0............63 Jan..............105.............34............0..........0............139 Feb.............428............108...........0.........24...........536 March.........809..............0.............0.........22...........831 April.........1010..............0.............0...........0..........1010 May..........1000..............0............20........0............1020 June.........1500..............0.............0..........0............1500 July..........1558..............0.............0..........0............1558 Aug...........531..............0.............0...........0..............531 Sept..........730..............0.............0...........0..............730 Oct............844.............0.............0............0.............844 Nov...........835..............0.............0...........0.............835
 Dec............116..............0............0............0..............116
 YTD.........9462.........142...........20.........46............9670

A nice day

 It started out sunny.  Surprisingly so in that it just poured rain last night. So much so in fact that my riding partner for the day had made other plans.  At the last minute things aligned and we went for a ride.
Some miscommunication meant that it was 90 minutes later than I had planned to ride before we finally got off.  No big deal, I really enjoyed the time pedaling with a friend whom I had not ridden with in quite some time.

While I waited for my friend to show up I managed to catch the old steam engine moving up the tracks near Oaks Park.

                               Those old steam engines just seem alive.

We rode Portland's 40 mile loop. I've ridden it quite a few times lately, but my friend had never ridden it. It was a good day to ride.  It started out mostly blue sky, but gradually clouded up as the day progressed.  When we got to the far end of the loop my friend bailed out. choosing to ride home, which was not too far away.  I escorted her home.  That was fortuitous in that it started to rain as we neared her home, and as we stood on her porch it absolutely poured.  I delayed leaving until the worst was past.  I made my way back to the 40 mile loop and finished the route.  With the out and back to my friend's home I picked up a few bonus miles. Not as many bonus miles as I had planned on,  but enough.

It was another good day on a bike.

...........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total Today...........53..............0.............0..........0............53 Jan..............105.............34............0..........0............139 Feb.............428............108...........0.........24...........536 March.........809..............0.............0.........22...........831 April.........1010..............0.............0...........0..........1010 May..........1000..............0............20........0............1020 June.........1500..............0.............0..........0............1500 July..........1558..............0.............0..........0............1558 Aug...........531..............0.............0...........0..............531 Sept..........730..............0.............0...........0..............730 Oct............844.............0.............0............0.............844 Nov...........835..............0.............0...........0.............835
 Dec.............53..............0............0............0...............53
 YTD.........9399.........142...........20.........46............9607

Half

Half of what you ask?

Well, it's like this:
I had a few errands to do today, helping a friend out, some banking, some motor vehicle upkeep.  The day was decent, online chatter was all saying how everyone wished they could be out enjoying it.
I finally got on my bike at 4pm.  It was still dry, warm (or at least NOT cold) and daylight.

That lasted for half my ride.

I started on the 40 Mile Loop.  It's my fall back ride in the winter.  Of the 40 miles there is around 5 miles on roadway, the rest on dedicated bike paths, most well lit.  I can do this route in my sleep.

The daylight left as I was along the Columbia River, about the same time it started to rain.  No big deal, I had good lights and raingear along.  I had expected these conditions.

I had one friend who had talked a bit about possibly joining me, but that didn't come together.

It was miles, that's what matters right now.

............road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total Today...........40..............0.............0..........0............40 Jan..............105.............34............0..........0............139 Feb.............428............108...........0.........24...........536 March.........809..............0.............0.........22...........831 April.........1010..............0.............0...........0..........1010 May..........1000..............0............20........0............1020 June.........1500..............0.............0..........0............1500 July..........1558..............0.............0..........0............1558 Aug...........531..............0.............0...........0..............531 Sept..........730..............0.............0...........0..............730 Oct............844.............0.............0............0.............844 Nov...........835..............0..............0..........0.............835 YTD.........9346.........142...........20.........46............9554

Wearing out the bike

They just don't make hubs like they used to. Only 35,000 miles on this one.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE too smartphone

UPDATE:  
My rear hub on my rain bike (that is running the original wheels from my carbon bike) has been making some noise when I coast.  At first it was only when above 25 mph, it's gradually been getting worse, and recently has made racket anytime I coast, no matter the speed.  Today I brought a front wheel in to my trusted local bike shop to be trued, and had Mike look into the noise issue on the rear wheel.  I thought it might need lubrication.

Alas, there is a plastic bushing in there that is now in several pieces. That is the cause of the noise. Evidently the piece is not available by itself, but comes as part of a package that includes a host of other parts inside the hub.  The parts should arrive by the middle of next week.

Since it looks like more rain than dry in the next seven days I really wanted to keep the rain bike road worthy. My carbon bike is 10spd so it's Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels and Zipp 404 wheels are not compatible.  I thought I might have to put in the cross wheels and tires that came on the bike when it was new, then I remembered that I had the Bontragger Select Aero wheels from my Marin.  They are 9spd, the same as my rain bike.  The cassette on the rear wheel isn't nearly as desirable as my Mavic Ksyrium Equipe wheel, but it will do for the miles I have planned for the next week.

So tonight I put in the Bontraggers, put in new brake shoes, and cleaned and lubed the chain.  I guess I'm ready to go get wet!

40 miles plus a full moon

 I had invited a few Facebook friends to celebrate tonight's full moon with a short little night bike ride and a stop or two for an adult beverage. I had time to ride to the ride, plus do a lap of Portland's 40 mile loop.

The forecast called for rain later in the day, but after a few morning sprinkles the afternoon was dry. I finished up the 40 mile loop and had some time to spend before the advertised 6:30PM start for the full moon ride.  I rode out to Weidler Street and grabbed a fast food fish sandwich meal.

As the 6:30PM start time loomed it became obvious that I was going to be riding alone.  No problem, the roads were still dry, and though I didn't think there would be much fun in stopping for beverages, I did want to ride the route, just to preview for future full moon events.

The moon cooperated and showed it's full moon self.

It was a nice evening to pedal, cool but not wet, though a few sprinkles did fall at times.  The roads never got splashy.  I finished up the route quickly since I did not stop at the three planned sites.

I pedaled back to my starting point near Bridgeport Village and called it a night.



............road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total Today...........78..............0.............0..........0............78 Jan..............105.............34............0..........0............139 Feb.............428............108...........0.........24...........536 March.........809..............0.............0.........22...........831 April.........1010..............0.............0...........0..........1010 May..........1000..............0............20........0............1020 June.........1500..............0.............0..........0............1500 July..........1558..............0.............0..........0............1558 Aug...........531..............0.............0...........0..............531 Sept..........730..............0.............0...........0..............730 Oct............844.............0.............0............0.............844 Nov...........795..............0..............0..........0.............795 YTD.........9306.........142...........20.........46............9514

A change of plan

I was back on my home turf, and the weather was just about perfect, I had planned to add some decent mileage to my total.  Alas, installing a new thermostat in my pickup and other issues got in the way.  By the time I had it all under control it was too late to ride to my mom's to scratch a few things off her "honey do" list, so I loaded my bike and drove out to Hillsboro.  I cleared off mom's list, then went for a short ride in the Helvetia area until it got dark. I rode two miles to the autoparts store earlier in the day for a combined daily total of 24 miles.

Not much, but I'll keep chipping away at this.  Tomorrow is another day.

............road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total Today...........24..............0.............0..........0............24 Jan..............105.............34............0..........0............139 Feb.............428............108...........0.........24...........536 March.........809..............0.............0.........22...........831 April.........1010..............0.............0...........0..........1010 May..........1000..............0............20........0............1020 June.........1500..............0.............0..........0............1500 July..........1558..............0.............0..........0............1558 Aug...........531..............0.............0...........0..............531 Sept..........730..............0.............0...........0..............730 Oct............844.............0.............0............0.............844 Nov...........717..............0..............0..........0.............717 YTD.........9228.........142...........20.........46............9436