Wilmot Ride: Abundant Sunshine

"Abundant sunshine."  I do not recall seeing such descriptive text on a weather.com forecast, but abundant sunshine sounded pretty good so Ryan and I made plans to ride today.  For no particular reason we decided to ride southeast.  Before heading out from Ryan's place we looked at a map and decided to do a loop out to Wilmot and back from Apple Creek.  We made a general plan of what roads to take and headed out.

The sunshine was indeed abundant and combined with temperatures in the upper 40's, it was a comfortable day for riding in a long sleeve wool jersey.  We rode east into Stark County on Harrison Rd. before turning south to Wilmot.  A short section of gravel road brought us across a low area and we soon found Wilmot. 

We hooked up with TR606 in Holmes County to come back west.  It was a nice township road with many well kept Amish farms lining the way.  We saw many, many more livestock than cars or people along the way.

Ryan trying to explain our route options

while I'm messing with the camera.

We intended to turn onto the Holmes County equivalent of Criswell Road to ride back north, but we ended up in Fredericksburg and road northeast to get back home.  These few extra miles gave us about 40 for the day.  I find it suprising that we still find new, unridden roads within short distance of our homes.  TR606 felt like it was "way out there" but we road its entire length on a little 40 mile ride.

I wonder how many more rides we will have this year in abundant sunshine with temperatures in the 40's... of course I've been wondering this same thing for the past month and the mild weather continues.

Pedal to Church

Daniel's runny nose kept him from going to church, and Katie decided it was her turn to stay home with him on a Sunday morning.  While eating breakfast the thought occurred to me that I could ride to church.  Yes, no, yes, no, yes, no... I couldn't decide.  A second cup of coffee at 8:45 convinced me to ride.

Partly cloudy skies and a heavy morning dew joined me on the roads.  I rode up Overton and turned east on Smithville-Western to climb to church.  Just before starting up the hill I zipped the arms off my convertible jacket and removed my winter gloves, I didn't want to accumulate too much heat.

Smithville-Western heading east out of the Overton Valley.

At church I walked my bike into the classroom for our ABF (adult bible fellowship) class and had a seat at ten before ten, about five minutes late.  Maybe I should have climbed faster, but at least I wasn't a sweaty mess.  I sat down next to Ryan figuring he would be least mindful of a lycra clad person beside him.

On the ride home, I rode back into the valley on Smithville-Western and climbed McAfee up to SR539.  I passed several hunters, including a young boy in the front yard  of their house with his dad and a deer.  I knew it was the opening weekend for youth hunters.  I wondered if it was the boy's first deer.  He seemed to be looking at it in an odd fashion, like "are you really dead?"

 By noon I had already ridden, been to church and ate lunch.  A good way to start the day!

Let the light shine through.

A Night Ride on Friday

Between my persistent cold of previous weeks and the wet weather this past Wednesday, I had not made it to an OCC night ride in several weeks.  I proposed a Friday night ride to Ryan and he thought it was a good idea, so I posted it to the club forum and was glad to read replies from Bob and Brian reporting they would join us.

It was a perfect night for a ride.  Temps fell from the upper to lower 40's, minimal wind, and no rain.  Bob and Brian had ridden in the rain Wednesday night and, as Brian put it, he was hoping to replace the wet memories with dry ones.

We departed in the dark and as we rode south on Kansas Rd. a bike light approached in the opposite direction.  As we passed the rider behind the light let out a devious growl, kind like Tony the Tiger in a Frosted Flakes commercial.  I didn't get a good look a the rider but Ryan and Bob said it was Lorson.  He must have been on his way home from work, as Ryan had seen him riding to work in the morning.  It's tough to know who is coming towards you in the dark, so a comical growl is as good as any greeting.

The comments throughout the ride and after were unanimous; it was a great night for a ride.  Even better than a Wednesday night ride, there was no work the next day!  My legs were toast by the final section up Rohrer.  A couple weeks off seems to have taken its toll, but it's okay this time of year.  It was fun to be out on the bike with a good group of guys!

New Cycling Cap

Two and three years ago Ryan and I made a spring cycling trip to watch a couple stages of the Tour de Georgia and then ride near Asheville, NC (links: 2007 and 2008). We rented a cargo van and built a bunk in the back to hold a mattress and our bikes. They were great trips and we missed out on such a trip this year, but we recently began thinking about a 2010 spring cycling trip.

The cargo van was a fun and utilitarian option for hauling our bikes and for camping, but I began to think the $250 rental fee could be avoided. It occurred to me a truck cap for my truck may allow a similar setup to what we had with the cargo van. Knowing a new truck cap would cost $800 or more I navigated to www.searchtempest.com, a site that searches regional craigslist pages.

Searching for "dakota cap" resulted in many Dodge Dakota truck caps for sale. Problem was finding the correct size for a truck of my year with a quad cab and finding a tolerable color. The prices ranged from $75 to $600 or more. Caps at the low end of the price range were the aluminum type for older model year trucks. There were some fiberglass caps in the $200 range that looked pretty decent but none were hunter green. Katie began to worry I'd be one of those guys that drives a truck with a mismatched cap. Really, how bad would a light purple truck cap look on a dark green truck?

After giving up for a couple weeks I returned to searchtempest and was excited to find a listing for a good condition dark green fiberglass cap that came off a 1998 Dakota quad cab. It was listed for $150, near Coshocton. A little research on the web told me model years 1998 through 2004 quad cab Dakotas would use the same cap. Sweet!

I emailed the seller asking for pictures and he sent back some cell phone images that gave me further confidence his cap would work for me. He lowered the price to $125 saying the pictures didn't do the cap justice. We talked on the phone and he said the cap had some scratches from a fallen tree branch but it was intact and otherwise in pretty good shape. For $125 I figured I couldn't go too wrong.

First glimpse of the truck wearing a cap, cell phone

picture on the way home from Coshocton.

Last night I drove an hour south to pickup the cap. The seller and his son were very friendly and helped me set the cap on the truck and clamp it in place. We all agreed it was a perfect match in size and color. The cap has some scracthes and dings but being made of fiberglass, it's not going to rust. A little touchup paint will hide the white fiberglass showing through the paint.

Now I need to come up with a design for a platform in the back. I've got some ideas that would allow the bikes to ride in the back while driving and for sleeping the bikes would be stuffed into the cab. I also have some ideas about how to best utilize the space in the extended cab of the truck.

Alright... another project to day dream about!

End of Season Litespeed Re-tread

Prior to heading out on my ride the other day I made a tire swap.  For the past two seasons plus I have been riding on the tires that came with my Litespeed, a pair of Vittoria Rubino Pro Slick.  They have been good tires, no complaints whatsoever, and seem to have lasted a long time.  I'm guessing they have 6 to 7,000 miles on them and the rear tire has started to show threads.

I have a new pair of Hutchinson Fusion tires at the ready, but I was hesitant to put these on this time of year.  My fear is to be out on a night ride and cut or otherwise damage a brand new pair of lightweight tires.  Instead, I used some credit I had with Performance Bike to buy a pair of cheap, heavy and hopefully durable tires.

The Forte GT2 Kevlar tires are a house brand tire from Performance.  They are definitely heavy at 295 grams for a 700c by 25mm tire.  The tires were on sale for $12.99 each when I ordered and free shipping was offered.  The reviews indicated they are durable, hopefully the Kevlar lining helps with durability.

The tires went on relatively easily.  I wasn't sure if the wire bead would make things more difficult, it didn't seem to matter.

Out on the road I immediately noticed a rougher ride.  I had inflated the both tires to 100 psi, just as I had always done with the Vittoria tires.  Perhaps these Forte tires need to be run a lower pressure, or perhaps they are just a stiffer, less forgiving tire.  Next time out I will try 90 to 95 psi and see if there is a difference.

There's not much I would say about handling.  These tires are for making it through the end of year before switching to my cross bike for the winter, so handling is not something to be scrutinized with these tires.  They are round and roll so that is good enough for me!

Warm, Sunny & WINDY in November

One week into November and we are treated to a 66 degree, sunny day.  I have not been out on a ride since last Saturday due to a nagging cold.  There was plenty of coughing and nose blowing in the last week, but no bike riding for me.  With today's warm weather I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a ride in short sleeves.

The wind was really stiff, 20 to 25 mph according to the Weather Channel.  Everywhere I looked flags were standing at attention and leaves were on the run.  It was actually distracting as I rode past corn fields, several times I mistook the rustling of the dry corn leaves as an approaching vehicle.  Yeah, I'm not sure how wind blown corn plants can sound like a vehicle but they did.

Steady winds blowed from the SSW.

I made a conservative loop out through Moreland and passed by the Kister water mill on the way back.  My route was appropriate for the wind, as I was given a boost on the final leg while riding NE on Millbrook.

Kister water mill.

Surprisingly to me, I only had to stop once during the ride to evacuate my nose.  Hopefully being out for a little exercise will help me shake off this cold!

Halloween Night Ride

We took Daniel to his first Fall Fest at the church tonight.  He ran around as a little Incredible Hulk amongst what had to be hundreds of other kids.  Good times, he seemed to have fun amongst all the chaos.  Katie whipped together a sewn chef's hat just before leaving to complete her chef costume.

I went dressed as a cyclist, which Katie proclaimed to be unfair and boring. To complete the costume, unknown to people inside the church, I plugged the bike rack into the car and brought along my bike.  Katie and Daniel drove home while I pedaled home.

It was a nice Halloween night for a ride, with a nearly full moon overhead.  I stopped along the road around the block from home for a few pics.

 

Worms, Cottage & DST

It's time for a little catch up on the happenings since the beginning of this past weekend....

The big excitement of the weekend, and Monday, was a family trip to Dillon State Park.  We stayed in a small cottage for a couple nights and enjoyed the fall colors and weather.  Katie made a post with some nice pictures here.  It was a nice extended weekend.

Just prior to leaving for the State Park on Saturday, Ryan and I made it out for a nice ride around the block.  What was not nice was the aftermath of our ride.  It had rained the night before and the roads were a bit damp, no standing water that I remember, just damp.  Upon return home I was shocked to see the amount of worms, worm pieces, and worm guts our bikes were carrying.

On a ride in the spring we experienced a similar wormy situation but it was nowhere near this gross.  As Katie was packing up for our trip, I was in the basement trying to get the bulk of worm gunk cleaned up.  I was afraid of how bad the basement would smell if I left it go until we came back.

Post ride bike posing in the front yard.

Usually I use a damp rag to clean my road bike, but the rag was not working on the worminess, it was just smearing the slimy, bloody worm residue all over the place.  I ended up with the bike in the front yard, using a garden hose and a brush to clean up the mess.

Downtube worm chunk cling-ons.

Tonight was the last OCC night ride ride of the year that departed from the shop in daylight.  Sunset was at 6:28 today but with the expiration of daylight savings time, subsequent rides will depart in the dark.

It was another good ride tonight.  On the way out Ryan asked me if I had fun cleaning the worms off my bike after our Saturday ride.  It was not just me plagued by the worm cleanup project!

Chain Tattoo Pants

Last night was an excellent ride with a small group of OCC guys.  About 10 of us left the shop in the unseasonably warm weather.  Everyone was speculating it may be the last Wednesday night ride without jackets and heavy gloves.

Upon reaching Moreland Road, seven of us continued on for the full loop while the other guys opted for a shorter route.  As we slipped through the night behind our headlights, we encountered varying temperatures in the rolling hills around Fredericksburg.  I distinctly remember a couple low areas that felt refrigerated as we pedaled along.

Sitting at my desk today, I looked down and was amused to find a nice chain ring tattoo on the thigh of my jeans.  It must have happened when carrying my bike down to the basement.  Oh well, I kind of like it!  Maybe I should have a similar design embroidered into all my pants.

A Solo Fall Ride

This past week did not present many opportunities for a ride.  I didn't even find a good morning to commute by bike.  Friday I took a vacation day and headed down to Dayton to help at my brother's recently purchased house.  Dad and I worked on installing new kitchen cabinets Friday and Saturday.

Sometimes it's harder for me to get motivated for a ride after having not ridden in a week, especially when headed out solo.  I find the best approach is to get out bike, clothes, and gear without thinking about it too much and try to get to the end of the driveway before inventing a reason not to ride.  By the end of the street, I'm always excited to ride.

Thanks to the wind, I headed north through Overton Valley before climbing Smithville-Western to the west.  That's always a good climb and did a fine job of warming me up on a windy 54 degree day.  I rode over to New Pittsburg and through Reedsburg before heading home.

Stopped along the side of the road for a couple pictures.

The fall colors are starting to get serious, which made for a nice combination with the big clouds throughout the bright, blue sky.  I enjoyed the ride and hope to not go another week without getting on the bike.  The weather forecast is showing a warmup this week, 65 for the high on Thursday, with overnight lows in the mid 40s.  It's looking good for an OCC night ride on Wednesday night!

Looking west into Ashland County, near Reedsburg.

Road Ride to MTB Race in Loudonville

Yesterday was a good day on the bike.  Ryan and a handful of OCC/Soupcan Racing guys were doing an OMBC (Ohio Mountain Bike Championship) race at Mohican State Park, and I rode down to see the guys at the finish.  KT and Daniel also came down to see us at the finish and then go for a hike with Helena and her mom.  It was the third or fourth time I've ridden to Loudonville.  On previous rides I'd taken a west then south route but yesterday I decided to try a south then west route. 

Just into Holmes Co., looks like the perfect candidate for a haunted house.

I road out of Wayne County on South Elyria road and continued into Holmes County until the road dead ended.  Turning right, I ventured westward on some new roads.  You never know which roads are paved or gravel or dirt in Holmes County.  I brought a small pencil with me to make notes on my map about which roads were good.

A crowd assembled when I stopped for a "nature break" along the road.

The weather was perfect and I found some really scenic township roads.  With recon data of the route and crossroads wirtten on my map, I have a good idea for a winter cross bike route on some unpaved roads.  As I closed in on Wally Road, south of Loudonville, I made a wrong turn on some twisty township roads and ended up flying down a dirt/gravel road before realizing I would have to back track.  When I turned around and looked at where I had come from, I had to take a picture.  It looked like a farm access road.

Twice traveled.

A sunny, fall day.

After pedaling solo on lonely backroads for two hours I rolled into the campground where the mountain bike race finished.  I tried to hold a track stand at the entrance to the campground while two racers passed in front of me.  There was still a racer coming from my left but my track stand was at its limit.  I pedaled onto the campground road and looked back to see... Ryan!  He was riding on a flat rear tire as he crossed the finish line.

The Soupcan guys had fnished and the OCC guys were continuing to come in as I wandered about the finish area.  Katie and Daniel had arrived and we were all taking in the spectacle.  Daniel liked all the bikes but seemed a bit overwhelmed by all the activity.

As the racers continued to finish I made it around the finish area to hear the race stories from the OCC and Soupcan guys.  Flat tires, exploded pedals, podium finishes, and more.  I guess a good time was had by all, or at least most.

Light up the Night

Last night was my second Amish Night Ride with some fellow OCC riders.  Thanks to my new Cygolite Mitycross 350 light system, I have been able to join the small group of guys who defy early sunsets and continue to ride on Wednesday nights.

About 9 of us left the shop at 6:30 and headed south.  We rode nearly the same route as last week: down to Fredericksburg and back, about 35 miles.  Sunset was shortly after 7pm, prompting blinky tail lights and high output head lights to be turned on prior to reaching Fredericksburg.  The temperature was mid 50's when we started and dropped into the upper 40's once the sun went down.

Ryan pedaling toward sunset.

Riding as a group at night is a visual spectacle.  Beams of light move around the road up ahead, while varied blinking sequences of bike tail lights flash out the back.  All this makes for a unique display as a member of the rolling light show.  I'm sure it's equally unique for a car to come upon a pack of us riding the back roads at night.

Riding west towards Fredericksburg.

There's a sense of isolation as you pedal down a dark road.  Instead of being surrounded by the expanding countryside, your attention is constrained to the 40' of lighted road up ahead.  Even with a group of other riders there is solidarity in the night.  The darkness obscures the identity of the person riding at your side.  A turn of the head to check if it's okay to change position results in a good view of the bike light behind, but the rider behind that light remains cloaked in darkness.


Back at the shop we recovered from the high pace of the final miles and the sprint for the last road sign.  Bikes were returned to their car racks, trunks, and truck beds.  We gathered under the security lighting of the bike shop and made plans for next week's night ride.  "Let's ride 'till the snow stops us!"

The post-ride assembly.

Bike Lighting
Following is a link to an article I wrote for the Orrville Cycling & Fitness web site.  The article presents two Cygolite bike lighting systems, complete with on-the-road images of the lights at night.
http://www.orrvillebikeshop.com/articles/lights/let_there_be_light.htm

New Camera Working Well

Last week KT suprised me with a new digital camera for my birthday.  It's a Canon Digital Elph SD1200IS and is very compact, the perfect size to fit in a cycling jersey's pocket.

This morning I decided to commute to work and try for a sunrise picture.  It occurred to me that a slight alteration to my usual route would provide an elevated view to the east.  I rode across Valley Rd. to Batdorf Rd. and stopped at the top of the hill, overlooking the Prairie Lane area to the east.  After trying a couple settings on the new camera I captured the following fiery sunrise picture.

Satisfied with the sunrise pictures, I was about to get back on the back when I then turned around and saw a nearly full moon still high in the sky.

The 40 degree morning air was making my fingers cold, so the gloves went back on and I continued my ride to work.  I'm impressed with this little camera!  More pictures to come.

- AAron

DoG Tour - 85 miles of enjoyment

Today was the Day of Generosity Cycling Tour, an event to support the Grace Brethren International Missions and national missionaries.  Brian, Ryan and myself were along for the 80 mile route, which was actually 85 miles.

Under questionable skies we rode west to Ashland.  It was about 52 degrees when we left and the forecast didn't predict the temperature to make it out of the 50's.  We made a stop in Ashland, near Brian's place of work, for a coffee warmup and then headed north to Spencer.

Coffee break in Ashland.

The bikes took a rest during the coffee break too.

From Homerville north to Spencer we caught an excellent tailwind.  We shared some good pulls as we sped north with ease on SR301.  Brian made the prediction, "I think we are going to pay for that on the way home."

Tail wind plus a good road equals high speed.

Upon our arrival in Spencer we stopped at a convenience store for food and bottle refills.  Pop Tarts, Fig Newtons, and peanut butter cracker sandwiches were the popular choices.  Ryan  polished off a zip lock bag of Cheez-Its he packed for the ride.  I've got to say, I have been entertained over the years by the food he brings on a ride!  :-)

Food stop in Spencer.

Brian's prediction was very, very true.  We were eating a headwind for about 25 miles from Spencer south to Overton.  The sun had sporadically shone itself throughout the ride, mostly between Ashland and Spencer.  But on this final stretch we pedaled beneath heavily overcast skies.

My legs were toast after a couple pulls.  I felt like I couldn't recover from the efforts, no thanks to the persistent wind.  Fortunately Ryan and Brian were still strongly turning the pedals over and we pushed onward to Overton.

From Overton it was south to Smithville-Western and a eastward climb out of the valley.  We approached the climb and I dropped my chain shifting to the small ring.  I couldn't shift it back on and had to stop and dismount to the return the chain to its useful position.  Great, a perfect way to start a climb.

Thankfully my legs had recovered during our eased pace, and the blocked wind, on Overton Rd.  I felt better and had a good climb up Smithville Western.  After a long wait to cross SR83, we returned to the church where we had started.

Representing the OCC.

It was a pretty good ride: we stayed dry and warm, the route was enjoyed with some new roads for me, and we helped support international missions.  I'm glad the three of us were able to meet up and ride!

BDAY4ME

Today would be my birthday.  I enjoyed a visit from my parents as well as a delicious dinner by KT.  Mom's apple dumplings made for a perfect dessert.  DNL entertained us during his longest ever sit at the table in his high chair.  Many people said "Happy Birthday" today.  A nice day it has been.

Last night I declared I would ride to work this morning regardless of the weather, perhaps as a birthday gift to myself.  I set my bike out, with new light attached, and laid out my gear to greet me at 6:30 this morning. 

I was on the rode by 6:40 and it was an exhilarating ride, complete with spotty rain and wind gusts of 22mph (per the Weather Channel).  Fortunately the wind was mostly at my back or side.  Several strange looks were received by coworkers as I rode into the building.  Hey, it's my birthday and I wanted to ride!

- AAron

Time to Maul

Friday night's foray into nightime photography worked out pretty well.  I got some good comparison pictures of the bike head lights.  It was surprising how many vehicles were traveling down Messner Rd through the swamps at 10pm+ on a Friday night.  Some of the traffic had to be due to the Triway football game.  The web page bike light review for the shop is en route... link to come soon.


The weather for the weekend messed up plans for riding on Saturday and then messed up plans for riding on Sunday.  It did clear off Sunday afternoon and was really nice out, but the time for a ride had already passed.

Instead of riding a bike I decided to exert some energy splitting firewood.  After an hour I had split a good stack.  I still have about four times this amount of wood cut and waiting to be split.

Yellow handled maul in center of picture.

Let there be Light

Enjoyed a nice morning commute today that began in the dark.  Thanks to my new light, I was able to light it up and ride in the dark.  Too bad it's a camera phone pic, but it's still a nice picture of the sunrise greeting me this morning:

Tonight I'm packing up my new headlight, RYN's new headlight, a camera, and a tripod for a field trip to some deserted back road.  I'm going to try to take some pictures in the dark that show the light output of the lights.  These pictures will end up accompanying a review that will be posted on the shop's web site.  I'll have to post a link once it's uploaded.

Until next time,

- AAron

DNL's First Rainy Ride

In defiance of a forecast for afternoon showers we headed to Fredericksburg for a southerly ride on the trail with DNL.  Unfortunately RYN was not able to join us but HLNA was along for the ride.

Rain was not an obstacle from Fredericksburg to Holmesville but a crazy buggy driver was a bit of a challenge.  Apparently he thought his buggy should not be passed by cyclists because as we first tried to go around he flogged his horse into high gear.  DNL and I were not having any of that so we dropped the hammer and showed him his one horsepower was of no match.  The only problem was the ladies did not do the same so we had to sit up and wait for them.  In the meantime crazy buggy driver caught up.  But this made for great fun because we got to do it all over again.  The second time the ladies caught up was at a crossroad and the buggy was stopped.  KT asked who should go first and the buggy driver said his horse was not willing to move, as horse froth billowed from its mouth.  I'm sure some of these events could be used in an Amish version of Fast and the Furious.

Light showers greeted our arrival to Millersburg.  We sat in the picnic shelter for 30 minutes or so until learning from an Amish guy with a cell phone and radar access that the showers were about passed.  We outfitted DNL with my rain jacket and headed north.

DNL in rain gear on the trail.  He says: "Daddy out kicked a horse!"

Now the bikes sit in the garage covered in an gross slurry of buggy droppings sprayed up from the wet trail.  They are certainly due a good washing!

- AAron

Eggcitement in the Backyard

I do believe it is time to introduce a project, especially with the big news of the day: we have our first egg!

For the past couple years KT has been interested in raising chickens.  This spring I gave in and built her a chicken coop as a birthday gift.

After submitting concept drawings to KT, I had an approved plan and began construction of what would be called a "chicken palace" by the neighbor.  The barn siding is 140 years old and was purchased from a farmer down the road.  He also gave me corrugated steel roofing a few years back to cover firewood piles.  I reallocated a few panels from the firewood area for use on the coop roof.  Enough talk, pictures tell the story:

 

 

And now, back to the big news of the day, four months after moving into their palace one of the six chickens laid her first egg!  Hopefully there are plenty more to come.

Monday Bike Commute

Mondays are a good day to ride to work, the morning ride makes for a nice introduction to the work week.  Last year I began commuting a couple days per week and surprised myself...

I thought the morning commute would be a bother.  I like to wake up and get to work as soon as possible.  For example, if I get out of bed at 6:30 I'm out the door by 6:45 and at work by 7:00 if driving to work.  I figured a 40 minute morning bike commute would have me thinking "come on, I just want to get to work to get the day started!"  And I figured the commute home would prompt me to take a longer route and add miles.

As it turns out, I thoroughly enjoy the ride to work and the ride home sometimes seems a bother.  Waking up on the bike is enjoyable and I still get to work by 7:30 if I leave home by 6:50.  On the way home I automatically take at least a slightly longer route due to traffic, there's too much traffic on my morning roads at the end of the day, but often end up thinking "come on, I just want to get home!"

With DNL in the picture it is more desirable to get home without delay.  Several times this year I have ridden to work and had KT pick me up while she is already on this side of the town getting groceries, etc.  Today Katie is going to pick up my bike during the day, after a grocery run, and I will ride home with a coworker.  He wants to see the chicken coop I built in the spring (now there's a project I'll have to share in a future update).

Oh yeah, a big benefit to pedaling to work... seeing a bike every time I turn around at my desk!