Return from Whidbey

26 Wednesday Aug 2020

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I haven’t been writing for a while now. It looks like my last post was in 2018 and “A LOT” has happened since then. Highlights: a graduating senior is leaving us for college in a month and I will be very sad at her departure, I’ve been through some work changes, but work has been stable, and then there is this pandemic thing…

I’ve spent a lot of time on Whidbey Island this year – probably more than half-time since February. I love how it feels rural, but is still an hour from Seattle. It has helped me maintain my mental state through the pandemic and social disorder affecting the world.

Now, back to bikes. I have moved most of my bikes up here, including the following that are getting very regular (daily) use:

Rivendell A. Homer Hilsen (my primary road bike)
Rivendell Hunqapillar (my road/trail bike and camp bike)
Miyata RidgeRunner (my fishing/crabbing/lounging bike)
Kona Hei Hei (when I want to kick it up a bit on the trails)

My normal day starts early with half my team on the east coast. I’ll usually do a lunch ride for 1 to 1.5 hours – either a nice 15 mile road ride, or a 6-10 mile trail ride. I then work to the end of the day. After dinner, I will go on a beach walk, kayak, or fish for whatever is nibbling. I enjoy standing in the cold Puget Sound waters for an hour or so while fishing to numb up my legs and relax from the day’s work.

Typical Road Ride: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/55001772?privacy_code=NBuzdhA7QvKegnWl

Trail Ride at Trillium: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/16459760#postcard

Posted by Stonehog | Filed under Cycling

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Winter Hills

11 Saturday Feb 2017

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cycling, Miyata, Whidbey Island, winter training

Late January rides are hit or miss in the Northwest, but when a nice day comes along, they may be the best time to be on the roads. Little traffic greeted me a few weeks ago on a winter ride on Whidbey Island.

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This one was to have some hills, and my bike was a fendered island bike – an old Miyata RidgeRunner Team. Not the lightest bike, but it seems to go as fast as I can go on anything this time of year. I have ridden a few of these hills recently, but wanted to try out Swede Hill on the south end of Whidbey.

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As the elevation graph shows, most of the big climbs were done in the first half of the ride. A couple were quite steep. Swede Hill hit at about the 12 mile mark. It went straight up from a picturesque beach area into a forested ridge. No real views west, but this picturesque farm awaited me at the top.

The next scenic stop was just past Clinton at the 20 mile mark. This area of the island is mostly high bluff. You can see Camano Island peaking out on the left.

The mountains were out, and I had great views of the Olympics and the Cascades, but I find most roads on the southeast side of the island are buried in dense forest with sporadic scenic stops.

This stop overlooked Baby Island – a small refuge where Holmes Harbor meets Saratoga Passage. It is on a small dirt road with a mean, steep hill up to the main road near the end. Very secluded, it offers a great rest stop and views north and east into the Passage.

The next time out, I’m going to reverse the course and see how it works out. It felt like a lot of work too soon going counter-clockwise.

I shaved about 10 miles off what I had planned when the route got a little too close to the cabin. I was done. The hills had taken their toll…

Posted by Stonehog | Filed under Cycling, Northwest

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Backup Bike

30 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

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bicycle, bike, bike commute, Miyata, Sealant, Stan's, Stumpjumper Pro, tubeless, Whidbey Island

Sometimes life throws you a lemon. Don’t get me wrong – first world problem hit me today. I’m chilling on Whidbey Island for the week, and my wife and daughter went back to the mainland for a cat feeding, and shopping expedition (the cat stays home in Seattle). I wanted to ride to the local Ace Hardware to get a steelhead jig for shore fishing. I planned on doing the ride with my Toussaint, but when I went to get it from the garage, I found the front tire nearly empty. It appears that one of my rides to the beach brought it in contact with a shell shard that caused a slow leak.

Not Lemons…

These tires are in a tubeless config, but I haven’t added any sealant in about 8 months, and that seems to be too long (a friend refills every 6 months or so). I pulled the shard and spun the wheel a bit after pumping them back up, so we’ll see if it holds, but I’m doubtful. Lemons.

Needs more sealant

Did this stop my jaunt to Ace? Hell no. I just jumped on my backup bike! I have my old Stumpjumper Pro from 1991, and the tires had air. No fenders, but it is cold and clear with no water on the roads, so no worries. I was out and back in less than an hour, and even felt that old early ’90’s rigid mountain bike feeling sensing even some of the same smells I remember from riding my first real MTB. The brain is a weird organ.

I read a lot of folks talking about getting an “extra set of wheels” or a “different cockpit” for different kind of rides. In my experience, you can often pick up a whole bike to do what you want for the same price as the parts to rebuilt your existing frame into something else.

More time to see the barns!

Having another bike gives you more time to ride. There are less excuses needed. I read a great statistical analysis of Seattle commuters using the Fremont Bridge route. One of the points was a look at how rain affects commuting (spoiler – it does). If you had a backup bike, say like a “beater” that had fenders and tough tires, you would have less reason not to bike in the rain, right?

In my case, most all my bikes have fenders, but I find myself pulling my Miyata out for rain duty more often than my other, nicer bikes. It still rides like a dream, and looks great with the hammered Honjo fenders, but I don’t mind if it gets soaked, muddy, put away wet, etc…

A Bike for Dad

25 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

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bosco, Miyata, mtb conversion, rivendell, upright, urban bike

My folks are visiting Washington this summer to escape the heat of Arizona. My mom had a bike with her (an older Japanese Soma from the 80s), but my dad was out of luck. I happened to have a pretty good solution in the Miyata that I had relegated to “lunch ride” bike. The cockpit wasn’t going to work, however. Way too hunched over for a 72-year-old. The genius of Rivendell’s Bosco bars came to the rescue. I showed him an Albatross setup, as well, but he wanted the higher bars. After an interesting start launching off the driveway wall, he was underway. I lowered the seat a bit, but otherwise the bike fit him just right. Look at that upright position he’s able to get on a laid out ’88 downhill MTB large frame! Not bad!

I’ll miss this one this summer, but will make due with the alternates. I’m glad this bike is still finding a home with someone who will be able to enjoy it. It deserves to be ridden for a few more decades. Lugged steel!

The Weapon of Weep

14 Monday Apr 2014

Posted by Stonehog in Cycling

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Tags

Brooks Pro, canti, compass, CX70, diamond bar wrap, dirt drop, harlequin wrap, Miyata, RidgeRunner Team, scrambler, thumbie, u-brake, v-brake

I plan to become a stronger rider. That much is for sure. One way to do it is stop eating big fat lunches with the workmates, and go out on my bus/carpool/motorcycle days to ride intervals. I don’t really have a great bike for that, however. Wait… Maybe I do? The old Miyata RidgeRunner Team that was my Bosco’d lazy bike might fit? I’ve always sort of loved this mutt – it has a great fast, low feel to it. Awesome Compass tires that feel like 26″ Hetres!

But, there is that high bottom bracket which was made to fly over fallen logs and various obstacles on the ’88 downhill circuit. That’s the achilles heel for this bike, I fear. Then there is the obnoxious U-Brake. Hmmm – I guess this may still work for a 1-hour lunch ride slash torture session. Better than sitting barless and sad in the basement bike heap. OK – first things first. Put on an old dirt drop cockpit setup I have laying around. I hope the reach isn’t too short.

Nice! Even has the diamond tape! Not really a match, but I’ll add a little blue to the drops. There. Much better… Now about shifters. Hmmm – I could do the stem setup like I had on the clown bike?

Nope. Too much hand movement – can’t deal with that while I’m cranking up a hill at top speed, right? How about something more ergo – perhaps thumbie style?

Awww yeah – that’s more like it… Now is this a scramblin’ interval machine or what?

This sucker looks fast just standing there. Like it’s going to jump the start and kill the field. Those lugs! Those fenders! That raked cockpit! Damnnnnn. Better put some clipless pedals on this beast. Need maximum torque. Let’s put a Ti Brooks Pro on there, too. Keep the weight and comfort down – no sense getting complacent and sitting down on the ride…

Hmmm – that old V-Brake’s gotta go. No problem solver rig this time. This bike was built in the golden era of cantis. Hey – I just got a pair of CX70s for the rando bike that I didn’t need (had centerpulls). How about we try one out on the front? Crap – gotta put a cable hanger on there somewhere… Hmmm… I know I have one lying around somewhere. There we go. Got it. OK – now comes the fun part! Get it to work. It’s raining tomorrow – perfect day for a transport stage. There’s life in this old steed yet!