Not much going on these days

The sun came back out and the weather got warm and DNR stocked the trout ponds. I haven't cycled nearly enough in the last month or so, only getting out for a few bike-trail rides with the family. My little guy LOVES his trailer and I am so glad to have it! Any sort of "training" stopped and the Cycl_ops sit;s idle as does the 3 speed, the Peugeot and even the Marathon. My "MTB" is in pieces in the basement workshop and I somehow lost touch with the nice man that was going to sell me his one-owner UO-8. My wife's project bike sits neglected as well. I have had some lovely paddles on the local lakes and eaten some yummy fish dinners though. I miss cycling though. We'll just have to see what kind of time that I can make for it soon!

Minuteman Bike Traile with the new Burley

Saturday morning I was lucky enough to meet a wonderful couple up in New Hampshire who were selling a Burley bicycle trailer that was in excelent shape. Like new in fact. I bought it and quickly made arrangements with my wife and another trailer-towing couple to head for the Minuteman Trail to try it out. We met yesterday morning at the Bedford end. It was colder than I would have liked for my baby's first bike ride but we bundled him up and at the end, he seemed no worse for wear.

The Burley Encore trailer went together in a jiffy and was very sturdy. The nylon covering was tight and there were no rips or tears any where on the trailer. The only design flaw that I saw was that to use the flag there had to be a small opening where the cover did not fit all the way on the frame. Not a big deal unless it was raining, which it wasn't. On the trail the width took some getting used to. The weight of the trailer, and The Bruce, was noticeable but not overwhelming. Once underway it didn't really slow me down all that much.

The trail, on the other hand was a but of a disappointment. I had expected something wider and nicer from the grand-daddy of the Mass Bike tails. It was crowded, but not overly so, with walkers and joggers. There were PLENTY of recreational cyclist and families out too. The little ones trying out their first little bikes with their training wheels were adorable. We had the only two trailers that I saw. Honestly, I wish that there had been a lot less traffic out there as I was still just learning how to maneuver the Burly.

I have a pet-peeve about cycling and that is Road Bikers. Not a guy on a road bike, or even a couple of people out on road bikes together. NO, the thing that scalds my butter is when a gang of six, ten or twenty of the lycra-clad once a week cyclists with bikes that cost more than my car spew out of the suburban bike shops lots to clog the roads and (yes) sidewalks pretending to be some European TT star or whatever fantasies are being played out under those $300 lids. As obnoxious as they are on the roads, at least they are in an environment where people walking their dogs or letting their children ride little tricycles and stuff. These people with their inflated Egos and low self esteems do NOT belong coursing down the MUP at twenty miles and hour in big gangs. They didn't bother me any or I would have been in the news this morning instead of typing this but the behavior that I saw was atrocious. A few years ago I had a Harley Davidson motorcycle. I loved that bike but in the and d I couldn't STAND the Harley "people" and did not ever want the "real" motorcycling public to think of me as one of those Hayley Guys. I sold it. I smell the same smell coming off the Road Bikers as I did the Harley Guys. I love my Vintage road bikes but I'm not sure any more that I will by buying a modern one any time in the future. They come with a smell that is distasteful to me.

Salisbury Paths

I noticed that there was a new, paved MUP in Salisbury a couple of weeks ago and decided to look into it more. According the web site this was part of the Coastal Trails Network and that "Salisbury’s Coastal Trails provide an integral link in the Coastal Trails Network that connects Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport and Salisbury." Well, not really. You see, the trail in Amesbury is separated from the Salisbury trail by a major highway (Rt. 495). None of the trails in Salisbury connect without riding on roads that are not marked as bike routs nor without crossing over Rt. 110. Newburyport's paved trail is separated from Salisbury's paved trail by a small thing called the Merrimack River. Other than that last one, these obsticals are rather minor and any one that is fairly confident about riding on the road can string together a nice little trip that ends with a rather dramatic view of Newburyport and the river from the point where the trail would have crossed the river when it was a rail line.

Previously, we rode the Amesbury part of the trail. Although paved, it was quite hilly for what one would expect of a "rail trail". It was a medium-scenic peddle through a quaint New England town. Today we rode the Salisbury part.

The Salisbury Point Ghost Trail is said to be hard-packed gravel and to "pass through beautiful woodlands". Well, today found that the gravel was pretty loosely packed and quite difficult to peddle through. Surrounded on wither side by scrub forest, marshy ground and the refuse-strewn back sides of commercial buildings, construction yards and private homes. There were benches and planters along the way and it certainly had the potential to become a scenic ride but for the time being I'll just have to give cudos to whoever wrote the grant. I rode this section of trail several years ago before the hippies gentrified it. At that time it was not passable by a recreational bicycle rider but it was passable by dirt bike! Well, the trail today has been graded since then and....... that;s about it. Other than the installation of the above mentioned benches and planters there is not much different about the trail or the view since then. Some body got a lot of money out of somebody else for very little work.

The second part of the non-interconnected trail is called the Old Eastern Marsh Trail. This is a flat, wide, paved fairly straight MUP with a nice little down-hill at it's head. The scenery along this trail was much nicer than along the Ghost Trail encompassing rolling woodlands, vast salt marsh and the aforementioned view at the end of the trail. Rumor has it that eventually the old railroad bridge will be modified to allow the MUP to continue onto the paved trail on the other side of the river which is clearly visible from the overlook.

Overall it was very enjoyable to be out WITH my wife for a change. She had fun and we both got a little exercise. While the "Trail" was actually "trails" and did not quite live up to the billing, it IS a great start and a welcome and relatively safe way to get out cycling. If the cyclist is moderately comfortable riding "transitions" on the street, there are a wide variety of relatively easy and family friendly cycling opportunities that rise from these trails including a trip the the Dairy Queen a nice little playground and the bike rout to Salisbury beach and the state reservation.

Trek 820

I recently added a bike to my collection. The intent was to get ahold of a "winter beater" that I could ride around and trash with relative abandon. I had tried several times of course. I got the three speed because of the IGH and fenders and chain guard but, alas, I feel in love with it and couldn't see "ruining" by riding it around in foul weather on salty roads. So then I got my first Trek 820. It was a 1999 model and aluminum. It was too small for me didn't work right anyway. It caused a pretty good wipe-out that has me very apprehensive about "hammering" on a used bike since, up to the point of the crash on my first "real" ride, the bike had performed flawlessly on multiple test rides. Then came the latest, a 2006, steel framed Trek 820 in the 19.5 inch size.

Brand new these bikes are Trek's CHEAPEST adult bicycles at $329.99. I paid considerably less for mine.I have to rave about it. It fits me perfectly. It is smooth riding and quick shifting. It did NOT have a component failure that caused me to crash. It has trigger shifters, which I prefer to grip shifters. The seat is reasonably comfortable. The bike rides very smoothly and comfortably and even felt sturdy after taking it off of a few small drops to try it out. Amazingly, especially at this price-point, the fork is supple and not overwhelmed by my 220 pound weight! I have to highly recommend this bike as an around-town fun bike. I have taken it on neither long-distance rides or any off road rides but I think that it's weight would hinder it in either venue. Combine the out-door fun that I am having with this bike and the in-door fitness that I am having with the Cycle-ops trainer and I would have to say that this was a very well spent sixty bucks.

New Junk

I have, for some time now, desired to transition from one who gathers together old, used , low end bicycles to one who gathers together functional bicycle equipment I have, sort of, succeeded. On Thursday I purchased another Trek 820 (steel), of all things. This was to replace the Trek 820 (aluminum) that fell apart under me and is to serve as my "winter beater" when I need that multi-geared bike and the Three Speed isn't going to get me there. So, I now have seven bicycles, three bicycle frames and a bunch of spare parts. With the steel 820 though came... THINGS! I got a set of green Nashbar panniers, a spare wheel with a MTB slick tire on it (rear only please) and a Cycleops trainer!!! WOOT! Add this haul to the Wald basket that I got and installed on the Triumph and I am starting to usefulunate some of these things.I got the trainer set up to work with the PRN and I got her brake cables and bar tape straightened out. Tomorrow morning I RIDE baby!

Getting a UO-8 and I think I like it.....

As you may or may not know, I am currently in possession of a late 70's Peugeot PRN that is two sizes too small. I was surprised to find that it was mostly original and for that reason and because it was a gift, it has a special place in my heart. Plus: it's French. In researching it I realized that French is to bike as KLR is to motorcycle or Apple is to computers and I AM a dedicated Mac guy! So I like them because they are quirky. I also respect the history of the things that I have collected and hold my father's old camera in very high regard as I do my father in law's Raleigh Marathon that he passed along to me recently. I use them, but carefully. I have been searching for a larger PRN or PX to come up for reasonable money locally, but it has not been the case. Even the UO level Peugeots that have come up have been "big bucks". Then, one day I found a bike on Craigslist for cheep enough money and sent an inquiry for a picture. I got a very long and detailed reply from a nice gentleman who bought the bike new and had ridden it ever since, making some practical modifications along the way. We made a "deal" in the sense that I didn't haggle at all and he agreed to hold it for me for a couple of weeks until I can get some other things straightened away.

I know tha this is a low-level bike-boom bike. I know that it's going to need some work to make it road-worthy. I know that the guy is asking a little more than it's worth. I know it won't be as nice as either the PRN or the Raleigh. What it will be is a 10-speed bike that fits me and that I can feel completely free and comfortable riding in all circumstances because that is what the man who owned it since new want's for it and has always done with it! And it's French. I'm as giddy as a school girl. Seriously. I can't wait until next week to get it!

Thank you for listening. I just wanted to share.

I heart my babysitter

She came over and watched The Bruce for an hour so that I could go ride. Since she was "going out of her way" I felt compelled to cycle for exercise and not just to be wandering around on a bike. The too-small-for-me-anyway Peugeot is OOS with disconnected break levers and the Precious Sorrento is OOS because I rode it into the ground and now I can't make it shift right. That left the Raleigh Marathon. So out she came. I gotta tell ya, I like this bike. I got a chance to adjust some things over the winter but haven't ridden it since my Father In Law gave it to me. I really like this bike. It's smooth riding and shifting. The riding position is sporty enough to get me out of the wind but relaxed enough that I did not feel at all uncomfortable. The bars have a larger diameter than the Peugeot's bars do and I liked the bend of them better and the cushynes of the old-school foam bar-wraps was very comfortable. The reach to the brake levers is much, much less than on the PRN. Of course, it did not feel as fast or as "lively" as the Peugeot. It doesn't speak french. It is WAY easier to get up hills with it than with the Triumph three speed though. It's a shame that I get so emotionally attached to these things. This is really a great, all around bike but it's an irreplaceable heirloom and if any thing ever happened to it...... I am supposed to be picking up a nice UO-8 in a week or two. I am hoping that that bike will combine the best features of the two bikes for me in a package that is designed and supposed to be RIDDEN not cherished or admired.