2024 Wrap-up

Long Ravine Road on my Camp Far West ride.

 2024 was a fairly quiet year for me cycling wise. My total mileage was a hair over 4,500 miles, my best month was April, when I rode 604 miles. In May I rode my century, doing 108 miles on the 7th of that month. Other significant rides included an 84 mile jaunt to Colfax and Grass Valley in September and my 68 mile Camp Far West Gravel ride in April. Also in May, I went down to San Diego and was able to ride the Descanso-Cuyamaca-Mt. Laguna ride.  I didn't ride at all in June because I was on our European cruise, and a lot of August was lost due to camping, so 4,500 miles wasn't too bad. I did not get to do any bike camping, I hope to get something like that done this year!

Near Mt. Laguna, looking down at the Anza-Borrego Desert.

Equipment notes for 2024.

The seat tube failure on my '82 Mercian.

Gear-wise, the most notable change was the loss of my '82 Mercian fixed gear ride! The seat tube broke at the bottom bracket. I haven't tried to repair of replace the bike. To be honest, my knees actually have felt better since I stopped fixed gear riding so I don't know if I will build a new one. I also don't mind freeing up space in the garage to a more manageable  stable of 5 bikes!

Now all of our bikes fit on the garage wall!

Nitto M-12 fail!

Another change brought about by an equipment failure occurred when my Nitto M-12 front rack snapped at the fork crown! I hadn't even noticed that until I read something about those racks on the iBOB forum. I looked at mine and sure enough, it too had cracked! The rack was pretty secure even without that attachment point but I removed it anyway, along with my handlebar bag and I hung my Carradice Pendle back on the saddle. I have to say that the bike seemed to handle a little better without the front bag and there was no more noise from things bouncing around inside, so I also removed the handlebar bag from my Mercian Olympic and replaced it with my Zimbale saddlebag. Both of these bags a re a little bigger than I need in the summertime so I may be looking for a slightly smaller saddlebag soon.

My two saddlebags.

Another mod I did was to switch to 10 speed friction shifting. 10 speed cassettes and chains have been dropping in price and I've read that the friction shifting with then was at least as easy if not easier than 8 speed. I found some Black Friday deals on both 9 and 10 speed cassettes. I tried a 9 speed first but found it was not all that easy, but the 10 speed shifted fine! So I now have 10 speed cassettes on both of my Mercians for a longer term trial. I still have some adjustments to make; I get an occasional skip in the two largest cogs when really bearing down on the pedals. I think it may be a chain length and derailer "B" screw issue. We shall see.

I also went on a pedal buying rampage and installed Shimano PD-A520 SPD pedals on all of my road bikes and also found an NOS pair for a spare! I find these pedals are more comfortable than the standard MTB style SPD I have been using so I decided to stock up since, of course, they seem to be going away.

A sharp eyed reader may also notice that I am using a full size frame pump again. The Topeak Road Pump is getting hard to find now, but I have found that it is an excellent pump for high pressure road tires. That's something I had forgotten, having been using mini pumps for a while. But once I tried one of these on the road, I ordered two more! They're great!

So much for 2024, I'm looking forward to more adventures in 2025!

So long 2024!

September riding, goodbye to my '82 Olympic and other musings

 

On Dog Bar Road

September arrived so quickly! Seems like it was spring time just yesterday. Now, 100 degree weather has roasted Northern California for much of the summer. The longer nights of September are beginning to temper the heat, and mornings are consistently mild. Watching the forecasts, I noticed that Tuesday was expected to be relatively mild, with highs reaching "just" the low 90s, so I decided it was time for a challenging ride. 

The route I selected was one I haven't done in a long time, but I figured I could get it done fairly painlessly. I would ride up to Colfax following Placer Hills Road, then from Colfax I'd take Highway 174 to Grass Valley. From Grass Valley I would follow Dog Bar Road back to Placer Hill Road and follow that through to Auburn then finally return on Ophir and Taylor Roads back to Rocklin.

Here's a low-resolution plot of the ride.

It was a fairly strenuous ride with a lot of climbing. I made it tougher when I arrived at Colfax. Instead of dropping down Placer Hills Road and following the frontage road into town, I chose to follow a road that seemed to be a shortcut into town. Unfortunately, it turned out to be both longer and to contain more climbing! After finally reaching Colfax, I got on Highway 174 and headed towards Grass Valley. I stopped at Cedar Creek to get a cold drink and snack before dropping into Grass Valley. 

From Grass Valley, I connected to Dog Bar Road and headed south back to Placer Hills Road. The stretch on Dog Bar was hot and I began to feel a hint of a cramp in my legs so I lowered my gear and took it easy, finally reaching Placer Hills Rd and making my way to Meadow Vista, where I got a chance  to refill my water bottle with the great, cold water fountain at the grocery store, free of charge. What a great service!

On the climb out of Meadow Vista I experienced stronger leg cramps. I was able to gear down and spin until the cramps let up. That was the last of the cramping I experienced on this ride, thankfully. They probably were a result of the heat I experienced on this ride; well, that and the climbing!

Anyway, I finally pulled in at 8 hours and 16 minutes. A pretty long time for a sub-100 mile ride, but the climbing really takes its toll.

No mechanical issues on this ride, I used the KOM with a triple crankset.  Didn't even have a flat!

Post-ride view of the KOM. No mechanical issues.

Goodbye to my original Mercian.

A broken seat tube at the bottom bracket!

One morning I attempted to have a fixed gear ride. As I left the parking area I hear a weird noise coming from my "82 Mercian Olympic. Coming to a stoplight, I dismounted and tried to find the cause, but no luck. I took the bike home and put it on the stand. It was there that I discovered the sad news; The seat tube had snapped at the bottom bracket! It was a bit of a shock, I've owned this bike since it was new in the spring of 1983. 

You can see daylight through the crack!

Well, I did get my money's worth from this frame, but it's still sad to see it go. I've been wondering if running it as a fixed gear for the last few years was too much of a strain on the tube. I've torn it down and will probably dispose of the frame eventually. It's kind of hard to let it go.

Since then I haven't set up another fixed gear and to be honest, I feel like my knees have been better off. I may not go back to fixed gears after this. As an added bonus, all of my bikes now fit on the garage wall! Also notice that I have upgraded my bike hooks to some nice heavy duty ones I found on Amazon. 

The new bike hooks offer a more solid support.

This Year's mileage and other thoughts.

The year's statistics through the end of September, haven't been too bad:

Map My Ride's stat page for the Calendar Year.

Riding 531 miles in September brought my yearly mileage to a little over 3,600 miles; within 400 miles of my goal of 4,000 miles for the year. With three months left, I should be able to approach 4,500 miles, maybe even 5,000 if the weather holds and I get time to ride.

Gear, kit, etc.

Gear wise, I've been collecting spare parts for my 86mm BCD crankset, I even found an SR Apex in pretty nice condition on eBay for a nice price.  The sweet thing about this deal is that the crank was a triple, so I get three chainwheels! I may still get a few more chainwheels from Spa Cycles in the UK as they have a good selection. 

This SR Apex came as a triple but can be easily changed to a double.

I'm also stocking up on Shimano SPD road pedals, the PD-A520. I've found those to be very comfortable and work quite well for my road cycling. I bought one NOS pair and then got a good deal on some lightly used ones so all my road bikes will be equipped with them

Shimano PD-A520, my latest favorite pedal.

I'm looking forward to cooler Fall temperatures, maybe I can get another 1,400 miles in before the end of the year!

May 2024; RIP Mercian

My fleet of Mercians.

I was saddened to hear this week that Mercian Cycles of Derby has ceased operations. Mercian had been building bicycle frames for 78 years, they were ten years older than I am!

I was a big fan; Over the past 40 years had bought 4 different Mercians; 3 new and one used frame, here they are:

My first, an Olympic frame bought from La Mesa Cyclery in 1983. I considered it a touring bike, it is in fact more of a sportif style geometry. This is it's current configuration as my fixed gear road bike.

I bought this one new direct from Mercian via email in 1999 to replace my Colnago. It's an Audax Special which turns out to be a renamed Olympic! This one was actually a tad smaller than my Olympic, so I eventually sold it. (Wish I had held on to it now!)

My King of Mercia Tourer, it was my retirement gift back in 2013. A 60 CM frame, probably my ideal size.

Another Olympic/ Audax! This one I got used on eBay and had it updated. It's big at 61 CM but it is actually a pretty good fit.

The geometry of the Mercians, in particular the Olympic/Audax geometry, meshed well with my body. Way back in 1983, when I was getting rid of most of my bikes to strike out on my career, the Mercian was the only bike I kept. I even sold my Peugeot Super Comp as I always felt more comfortable on the Olympic!

I've got a lot of good miles and memories on these bike...

Touring with a pal in 1983.

Same 1983 tour.

The 1983 Olympic in (around) 2014.

The KOM arriving in 2013!

Just out of the box, 2013.

One of my first rides on the KOM.

Sub-24 hour overnighter on Foresthill Road.

Gravel grinding on Finning-Mill Road.

Touring through Yosemite.

Well, it's sad to think they're gone. I hope the employees can recover and carry on. Deep down I had hopes to maybe order one more someday, Sorry to think that won't happen now. 

The Mount Laguna Loop in May 2024

At Lake Cuyamaca

 Had a chance to come down to San Diego County for a few days so I brought a bike along and went up to the mountains to do one of my favorite rides: The loop from Descanso through Cuyamaca State Park and Lake Cuyamaca, then up the Sunrise Highway, (San Diego County highway 1) up to Mt. Laguna and then back down through Pine Valley and Guatay back to Descanso.

Here's the plot of my ride.

I left El Cajon by car in a cool drizzle, but the marine layer had just about completely broken up by Alpine and the Descanso Park and Ride was in the sunshine.

However, my ride was off to an inauspicious start when I tried to pump my tires! The rear tire wouldn't hold a high pressure. Taking it off, I found the tube had failed near the valve stem! I replaced the tube, (I was carrying two), and then took off. Of course, I was now concerned because I had only one spare tube left and I wasn't sure about the patch kit in my tool bag! 

Once you get rolling however, you forget about those little problems, at least until you get another flat! 

Heading toward Descanso

This was a Friday morning and I was hoping that traffic would not be a big factor in the days ride. As it turned out it wasn't, although it seemed a little busier along Highway 79 than on my other rides which were usually done on a Monday - Thursday. 

Entering the State Park

Highway 79 through Cuyamaca State Park is a pretty good road but the shoulders are not too generous. There were a few times where I was passed by several cars at a time. I think things were beginning to pick up in anticipation for the weekend. Still, no real problems were encountered. 

A nice view of Stonewall.

I was concerned about my knee. It had been bothering me a little since last week's century so I was pretty conservative with my gearing, frequently using my small chainwheel, (a 30 tooth ring), and I just took my time twiddling up the hills. 

Lake Cuyamaca

Coming up to Lake Cuyamaca, I encountered a pretty good westerly wind. No surprise there because the heavy overcast and drizzle in El Cajon meant there was a fairly strong onshore flow going on. This wind turned out to be very helpful once I turned on to the Sunrise Highway and headed up to Mount Laguna!

After turning on the Sunrise Highway, traffic almost ceased! This was a very quiet stretch of road! I did have to be careful to try to avoid the caterpillar traffic! Seems like there is some sort of migration going on with a lot of them crossing the road! I tried to avoid them, which wasn't too hard since I was plodding up hill most of this section.

Up here above 4,000 feet, the wildflowers were still in bloom and there was a lot of color to enjoy.  

There was lots of color on the roadside this year.

Looking to the east as I climbed I could see the Anza Borrego Desert. 

Of course, I stopped at the viewpoint a little below Mt. Laguna and enjoyed the view, There was a group motorcyclists and some Corvettes up there as well. I kind of feel sorry for those guys though; I really feel that the best experience to be had on the mountain roads is on a bicycle, where you can really feel, smell and hear everything this wonderful area has to offer! I'm fortunate indeed to be able to enjoy bicycling at my age!

A familiar vantage point, looking down at the Anza-Borrego Desert.

I stopped briefly at the Mt. Laguna Visitor Center to answer a call of nature, then off I went through the village and up hill for a bit. Soon, however, I began the long descent down towards Pine Valley. This is a thrilling downhill and with little traffic, it was a lot of fun. 

This is along the descent below Mt. Laguna, still a lot of flowers blooming.

At the bottom of the Sunrise Highway descent, one of my favorite spots for a picture!

The climb out of Pine Valley to Guatay was in the sun and getting warm, but that westerly wind did provide a bit of relief from the heat. After that last summit it was a easy pull to Descanso and then the last climb to the Park and Ride.

Just as I was approaching the Park and Ride my rear tire started getting soft! I was able to pull into the lot and to my truck. Looking at the tire, I found a piece of glass lodged in the tread! I must have picked it up in the last mile; Wow, what luck!

So my ride was "bookended" with flat tires at the start and finish! Well if you have to have flats, that's the way to do it!

Equipment notes:

Well, other than the flats, I had no problems. I used the 1980 Mercian with the 46/30 Stronglight crank and a 11-30 cassette so I had a pretty wide gear range with plenty of low gearing! As I mentioned above, I wanted to baby my left knee so I used the 30 tooth chainwheel a lot while climbing. As a result, my average speed seems a little slow, but I'll take that if it means my knee is happy!

Speaking of stats...here are the basic ones for my ride:

A look at the stats, a lot of climbing!

All in all, this is an enjoyable ride that I recommend to anyone who happens to be in San Diego County. However, I strongly recommend that you do this ride on a weekday. This time I rode and a Friday and it wasn't too bad, but Monday through Thursday would be best.

2024 Three Rivers Century

 

Nimbus Dam as seen from the American River Parkway.

With a looming extended trip, (non-biking), coming up in June, I decided to try to get my century ride in as early as possible. My mileage on the bike has been decent and the weather forecast was for nearly ideal conditions so I decided to try for it in early May.

Outside of Lincoln.

The route is same as last year's. Starting from my place in Rocklin, I rode up to Lincoln, then followed McCourtney Road up to Riosa Rd. There I turned west and passed through Sheridan and crossed into Sutter County following Bear River Drive, continuing through the four corners at Pleasant Grove and Bear River Drive, eventually turning south and reaching Pacific Avenue. Pacific will take you to Trowbridge/East Nicolaus. I had explored this route earlier in the Spring on my Fixed gear bike, see my blog entry: Spring-2024.

At Coon Creek on McCourtney.

Through the Walnut Groves on Bear River Drive.

At East Nicolaus, you now turn right, (west), and proceed over the Highway 70 overpass into the village of Nicolaus. Up until this point the weather had been pretty benign. But as I was approaching the Garden Highway I became aware of a wind starting to kick up, blowing from the north. This had been forecast and it's direction proved to be a help! I enjoyed at least a partial tailwind as I cycled down towards Sacramento! Temperatures were mild. I took off my wind breaker and long sleeved undershirt upon reaching the Garden Highway.

A nice wildflower patch at the entrance of Nicolaus.

Along the Feather River on the Garden Highway.

Farmland looking east off the Garden Highway.

I reached my usual lunch spot beneath the I-5 overpass at just shy of 5 hours. The distance at this point is now almost 59 miles! That's a little bit more than when I rode this route from Loomis. After lunch, I continued down the road heading to Discovery Park and the American River Parkway. Occasionally the road turned east and I felt more of a crosswind than a tail wind, but it still was not bad.

On the American River Parkway, a look at the American River.

So the rest of the ride was up the Parkway to Beales Point State park. From there I hopped on the Auburn-Folsom Blvd. After the day of quiet farm roads and the Parkway, it was kind of unsettling to be on this busy road. Fortunately, I was able to get off Auburn-Folsom at Cavitt-Stallman Rd and then on to Laird and on to Webb and back to Rocklin, so my time on Auburn-Folsom was short.

Post ride look at the bike.

Equipment notes:

I rode the Mercian KOM today and had no problems. I carried a spare water bottle in the handlebar bag as this keeps the water in that bottle out of the sun and fairly cool. 

I wore my Santic bib shorts. I have to say I'm a little disappointed in them as I developed some chafing. They have been good for 4 hour rides but 9 hours seems to have been beyond their capability.  

Here's a map of the route.

Here are the stats. Nothing earth-shaking but I was satisfied. I still have to get about 300 mile ridden before I take off in June to have 2,000 mile at the half year mark!

Here are the stats.