Spring 2024

 

On Big Ben Road

It's been an uneventful Winter and Spring, riding-wise for me. I am getting some miles under my belt and am anticipating a century soon, hopefully before I depart on a month long European River cruise in June!

On Mcourtney Road

The longest of my rides was a 100k ride which went through the lower foothills and across the farmlands and orchards north of Lincoln. Nothing really impressive, but I did explore some portions of the flatlands I hadn't tried before and I will incorporate them into my annual "Three Rivers Century" coming soon!

I also did one long fixed gear ride, starting at Lincoln's McBean Park, I rode up to Sheridan and then took Riosa Road west to Pleasant Grove Road at the Four Corners Market. Instead of turning south on Pleasant Grove, I continued straight. This took me to Swansons Road which bends south and crosses the river. Then I continued south on Pacific Road to Trowbridge/East Nicolaus. At that point I turned east and took the familiar route back to Lincoln. In all, over 40 miles on a fixed gear!

Well, it was a flat ride!

Otherwise, I've been doing my usual local rides, except now I start in Rocklin instead of Loomis. Getting out of Rocklin is a little tedious but I can get to my old routes without too much struggle.

On Old Foresthill Road

Equipment-wise, no big changes to be reported. I did get a nice deal on a set of short reach Campagnolo Nouvo Record brakes which I installed on the Raleigh Pro. I also built a new set of wheels for the bike. I used some 126mm spaced hubs but I respaced them to accept a 5 speed freewheel. This allows me to offset the hub a little to the drive side, reducing the difference in dish between the drive side and non drive side spokes. I hope this results in a stronger wheel. 

For a freewheel, I used an old SunTour New Winner Ultra six, this gives me the six gears while keeping the wheel's spacing more centered. I like the New Winner. I always found them to be reliable and robust. Although the body only has a 2 prong connection for removal, I never had a problem with them, since those two prongs are nice and deep. The later 4 prong bodies never seemed to have a very secure lock and I did have some problems with them. Sadly, the newer model Suntour freewheels used and different system of securing the cogs to the freewheel, so those cogs are not compatible with the New Winners that I prefer. 

This has led me to a new hobby, rebuilding New Winner freewheels! The spacing of the New Winners' cogs had been a mystery to me, but I found a copy of a Suntour technical bulletin on the New Winner which included the diagram shown below:

New Winner cog chart!

The lower diagrams broke down the spacer locations and specs. This is really useful when assembling a cog set for this freewheel. Between the assortment of old New Winners I had and a couple of purchases off eBay, I am able to prepare a couple of Ultra 6 freewheels with the 13-28 tooth combinations I wanted for the Raleigh!

Replacing the brakes on the Raleigh meant I now had a spare set of normal reach Campy brakes. I put them on the "go-fast" 1980 Mercian Olympic, replacing the Gran Compes. While I kept the Tektro levers on for now, I may install the original Campy non-aero levers someday.

Finally, I replaced the stem on my KOM with a Velo Orange Tall Stack for a cleaner look. At the same time I re-installed the VO Decaleur to help support my handlebar bag which had been sagging a bit lately.

2023 Riding year in review.

 

Along the Sunrise Highway in San Diego County

2023 started out rather quietly, with frequent rains restricting my riding quite a bit. Still, I was able to record a total mileage of 4,500 miles, so it wasn't a complete bust. I did one century, my "3 River Ride" in June, and for the first time in several years I was able to do the Iowa Hill ride. 

At the I-5 overpass beside the Sacramento River.

At Iowa Hill

While visiting family in San Diego County, I completed one of my favorite rides, the Descanso-Mt. Laguna loop. 

On the Sunrise Highway, about to descend into Pine Valley.

So, I had some memorable rides this year despite the slow start of the year. In addition, I enjoyed a couple of nice, albeit short rides while camping this year as well. Camping at Antelope Lake in Northeast California, I found some nice dirt roads:

Above Antelope Lake.

While at Salt Point State Campground on the north coast, I took a little 10 mile jog around the park environs.

Near Salt Point CG

Equipment-wise no big changes occurred. I did mostly complete my rebuild of the 1978 Raleigh Professional and got a miles on it. It certainly is a sweet ride, nice handling and stable for no-handed riding as well. I still have to complete a set of wheels for it, but other than that, it's all set to go!

The 1978 Raleigh Pro

In July, we moved into a condo in Rocklin, about 4 1/2 miles from our old house in Loomis. This most likely will not be a permanent move  but we should be here for a few years so I had to make it comfortable for me and my bikes. We have an attached garage so I had to come up with a storage system for the seven bikes in our household. Here is the result:

The bike rack in our new home.

The first time I tried this rack, the screws I used were too short and the whole thing came crashing down!! With larger screws, the rack proved capable of holding up most of my bikes; I still have to store the Schwinn on the ground, but that isn't a huge problem. I really don't have room for any more bikes though! My bicycle posters fit nicely above the rack.

All in all, it was a successful year for my cycling. 2024 poses a couple of new challenges to my cycling calendar however, with a month-long European River Cruise and a camper trip to Alaska slated, so I'll have to work to get my miles in! Stay tuned!