Bike ride adventures

[47of74]

7 minutes ago, Howl said:

My main advice is to stick with a flat handle bar and not a road-style bike with "dropped" (curved) handle bar.  There are umpty bazillion you tube videos on how to get the correct sized bike, so maybe start there. 

My biggest advise is to get one that you feel comfortable with.  Go to a bike shop and have a professional help with you sizing.  And even with the sizing make sure you're comfortable no matter what the pros tell you. 

My big thing was that I didn't really like bikes that made me feel like I was in orbit so I was particular about the size of bike.  My current bike is a M and not an L.  The bike shop I go to kept setting the seat up too high so as soon as I was out of sight of the people at the shop I'd adjust the seat so I wouldn't be up so high in the air.

[Alisamer]

12 hours ago, 47of74 said:

My biggest advise is to get one that you feel comfortable with.  Go to a bike shop and have a professional help with you sizing.  And even with the sizing make sure you're comfortable no matter what the pros tell you. 

My big thing was that I didn't really like bikes that made me feel like I was in orbit so I was particular about the size of bike.  My current bike is a M and not an L.  The bike shop I go to kept setting the seat up too high so as soon as I was out of sight of the people at the shop I'd adjust the seat so I wouldn't be up so high in the air.

I do think at some point I'm going to go to a bike shop and see what they think as far as sizing. Part of my issue right now is to find the spot where the seat is high enough that it "fits" based on the videos I've seen (and so my knees don't feel like they're in my chest) but also low enough I can get on and off the damn thing. It's already technically a kids' bike. I think I might need to adopt the method my equally short and round boss uses - put the bike beside a curb or something to get on and off. 

His new bike came in - turns out it's an E-bike! It's a Hemiway cruiser and looks fun, but it's huge. I don't know how he'll ever get on or off the thing without a curb to stand on. In the shop where we put it together he had to step up on a pallet to get on.

Also I have a doc appt. this week, so I'm going to mention my balance issues there. It'll come up on it's own probably, it's my gyno and my legs look like I've been run over still. And they usually ask "have you fallen recently?" 

Yes. Yes, I have fallen. A few times.

[47of74]

2 minutes ago, Alisamer said:

I do think at some point I'm going to go to a bike shop and see what they think as far as sizing. Part of my issue right now is to find the spot where the seat is high enough that it "fits" based on the videos I've seen (and so my knees don't feel like they're in my chest) but also low enough I can get on and off the damn thing. It's already technically a kids' bike. I think I might need to adopt the method my equally short and round boss uses - put the bike beside a curb or something to get on and off. 

His new bike came in - turns out it's an E-bike! It's a Hemiway cruiser and looks fun, but it's huge. I don't know how he'll ever get on or off the thing without a curb to stand on. In the shop where we put it together he had to step up on a pallet to get on.

Also I have a doc appt. this week, so I'm going to mention my balance issues there. It'll come up on it's own probably, it's my gyno and my legs look like I've been run over still. And they usually ask "have you fallen recently?" 

Yes. Yes, I have fallen. A few times.

 

Yes that would be a good idea to mention those issues to your doctor so he/she can make sure that there isn't something else going on.  I think one of the shops here in Dubuque sells Hemiway and I tried one out last summer while my own was in the shop.

[47of74]

Last Saturday's ride around Dubuque

 

[47of74]

Here's last Saturday's jaunt up in Dubuque

 

[47of74]

And Sunday's time lapse bike ride around Maquoketa.

 

[47of74]

Got out on the bike this morning for a nice 10 mile ride. 

Perfect morning for it too.

[47of74]

Got a late afternoon ride in around Dubuque

 

[47of74]

Went and did my first 2021 ride around Cascade this evening.

First time I ride around Cascade since Thanksgiving. 

[47of74]

Yeah the resident FJ GoPro monster is back and riding the damn two wheeled money sink around. 

 

[CTRLZero]

Nice day for a ride.  What’s the tall, narrow building at 1:26 on your video?  It looks like a smokestack, but with windows.  And is that a paddle wheel, couldn’t get the screen to enlarge so I could read the sign.

So glad you are back on the ol’ money sink, posting videos.  😊

[47of74]

6 minutes ago, CTRLZero said:

Nice day for a ride.  What’s the tall, narrow building at 1:26 on your video?  It looks like a smokestack, but with windows.  And is that a paddle wheel, couldn’t get the screen to enlarge so I could read the sign.

So glad you are back on the ol’ money sink, posting videos.  😊

The tall narrow building is the Dubuque Shot Tower.  It’s one of the last existing shot towers in the US and is a total symbol of the town.  Yes the river museum has a paddle wheel which was seen here. 
 

 

[47of74]

Got a nice ride in this evening going from Associates Dr. to Heritage Pond.

Just over 12 miles total.  The weather was cooperative too.  Not too hot out and it was starting to cool off a bit.

[47of74]

I sold one of my old bike racks to a guy up in the Twin Cities so I drove up to Preston to meet him halfway.  I then drove down to Decorah and rode my bike on their local Trout Run Trail.

It goes in a big loop through town then to the south of Decorah before going back into town and winding up by one of the local breweries.

[47of74]

And here's this morning's ride out on the west end of Dubuque heading into Asbury.

 

[47of74]

Got another ride in out in Asbury last Saturday before heading to the brewfest

 

[47of74]

And here's Sunday morning's pre church ride.

 

[47of74]

Got a nice ride in this afternoon in Dyersville. 

Forgot the GoPro so no time lapse today. Perfect afternoon for riding though.  Not too much traffic and they’re getting a good trail system going in Dyersville too. 

[47of74]

This afternoon's ride in Iowa and Illinois.

I went and got some new mounts for my GoPro as the old ones were busted.  I just clipped the GoPro on my helmet and pressed record.  Yep.  I forgot to put the card back in the camera so there was nothing to record the time lapse to.  I said Fornicate a few times and took the GoPro off the helmet.  Fornicate, indeed.  Would've been a perfect day for a GoPro time lapse too.  Oh well.  Just over 12.4 miles total.

Edited September 6, 2021 by 47of74

[47of74]

And this afternoon remembered the GoPro with the card inside so I went down to Cascade right after work for a ride.

 

And as for the musical selections...the Devil made me do it.

Got just over 10 miles in this afternoon, so I'm happy.  Would've done more but I had a 6:30 meeting so I had to wrap it up.

Edited September 7, 2021 by 47of74

[47of74]

And today's bike ride around Dubuque.

 

I used the chest mount today.  I thought it worked out fairly well. 

[CTRLZero]

I’m getting to know that Dubuque route fairly well.  Very pretty areas.  Are the large numbers on the center of your phone screen miles per hour?   

[47of74]

3 hours ago, CTRLZero said:

I’m getting to know that Dubuque route fairly well.  Very pretty areas.  Are the large numbers on the center of your phone screen miles per hour?   

Yes it is.  I use Strava to record my stats.  Top is the time spent exercising which pauses if one stops.  The large numbers in the middle are MPH, and the bottom which I'm not sure is visible at any point is the distance traveled.  Most weekdays and if I'm busy on weekends I shoot to get about 10 miles in, weather permitting. 

Don't know if anyone noticed the tunnel under construction under the railroad tracks at about 2:33 and 3:52.  Originally they thought June but now it'll be November.  That'll be nice when that is done cause that will link Bee Branch and 16th Street's systems together.  What I'm really waiting for is for them to pave the trail on SW Arterial.  They graded it when they built the new highway and are going to pave it sometime in the next couple years.  That would be a nice 12 mile total route quite close to home. 

[47of74]

Today's ride around Dubuque.  Got a bit more adventurous and went up and down a couple of the main drags today.

Tried to switch it up too instead of doing my normal route on the Bee Branch.  Got just over 10 miles total this evening.

[47of74]

Today’s bike ride. 

I can’t remember where I put the GoPro so no time lapse of it.  Pretty nice ride though.  Weather was about perfect today.  Couple more pics in the spoiler. 

Spoiler