With the 400k coming up next weekend I felt the need to get out for a longish ride today. I'm working tomorrow and Monday I'm having dental surgery and will be taking it easy Tue and Wed, then back to work. So yeah, today was really my only chance for an all day ride. Most importantly I got a hall pass from my wife to go for an all day ride although, truth be told, she rarely puts the kibosh on my riding.
After the 300k two weeks ago I had a problem with my Berthoud fender on my Hilsen and so took them off until I could find replacement hardware. I ended up mounting some Schwalbe Marathon 700x40 tires on the Hilsen since it was fender free and enjoyed some rambles in Forest Park and Powell Butte. I've really enjoyed riding the Hilsen with these huge tires, Grip King pedals and front and rear bags. It feels like the proper country bike it was meant to be. I figured for today I'd just do this big ride in a Riv inspired kit (MUSA knicers, LS wool undershirt, wool jersey) and pedal free (Grip Kings, Vans). It was a great ride. There were some showers and it was a little chilly out in George but it felt nice to be riding in something other than my lycranaut kit. I'm not against cycling in bibs and using clipless pedals but sometimes it all seems a little more complicated than it needs to be. At one point I got off my bike to take a picture and it felt so good to not have to step gingerly for fear of turning my ankle in my cycling shoes which have a narrow sole. I'm hoping to do more longer rides in this kit over the summer. We'll see. As for the route... I took the Springwater Corridor out of Portland to Boring and then got on back roads for the ride to Eagle Fern Creek Park and the loop around George. I love that area. The roads quiet for the most part and rolling. The loop out to George is fantastic. I didn't get to see Mt Hood as it was heavily overcast in that direction but I'll do this loop on a clear day later this summer and am sure to get some epic views. On the way home I stopped in Sellwood for coffee and treat. I figure the total mileage from my house in N. Portland was probably around 70 or 75. I'm really looking forward to revisiting these roads this summer and doing some bike camping along the Clackamas River. Here are a few photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/41335...@n00/sets/72157623925183594/ Today's ride was a variation of this route: http://www.rubbertotheroad.com/?p=54 --mike -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
