[BansheeRune]

Might not see comlaints but if you looked at the credit card bill... I assume that many consider it the admission ticket to ride. Hell, one of my bikes is still running an early Deore rear derailleur that was a reman at the time I put it in service. Nearly 20 years later, still works like it should.
Any more, it is getting more and more difficult to keep the weight respectable and in line with my diminishing weight.
The frozen landscape this time of year is doable but come spring... ...I'll be doing my typical pilgrimage to dryer locations to ride dirt.

Mike, it is plain miserable to try to wash a bike with a bloody hose out in the yard this time of year. No freakin thanks! There is a damn good reason I like a snow base. I like going out with the Mayor and returning from a ride cleaner than when we left the house. Annnnd, my bikes live in the house where they are warm and happy!

Chief, looking forward to hearing about the Peloton and how it improves the times of no ride becoming a ride! Should be good stuff.

 

[MikeTowpathTraveler]

Wade, totally agree. One thing I do like about riding in the virgin snow is it's great ability to deep clean the tires right down to the rubber. Don't know how it manages that, but I can't do better if I had a stiff brush, Simple Green and a bucket of water.

On the other side of the winter solstice....won't be long until the sun is setting at 8:45 pm!

 

[BansheeRune]

I’ll be shipping a snow storm in the morning, Mike! Already addressed to you and Chief to share when it arrives! 😛

 

[MikeTowpathTraveler]

I’ll be shipping a snow storm in the morning, Mike! Already addressed to you and Chief to share when it arrives! 😛

Wade, with luck it'll arrive as rain. Not a trace of snow from the past storm, here. Lotsa downed small tree branches that will make great fireplace kindling, following that humdinger of a high wind storm event the other day.

Just got in after a ride right at sundown, a little ride into Roebling, NJ via the good ole Kinkora Rail Trail. No further work was done at the Kinkora grade crossing with New Jersey Transit, everything status quo with the crossing gates and signal switching shed in place. No breeze or wind, a nice little jog into town, 8 miles total.

Temperature here has moderated from the sharp chill of recent days, still I was dressed in the usual winter garb. Full moon was rising, a wonderful sight. Looking up river and down river, it'd be a perfect capper to have an ocean freighter to or from Fairless, but, all was quiet, navigation wise on the Delaware.

 

[CHIEF500]

I rode today, little chilly but it wasn't bad at all.

Wade send all the snow you can, the long range forecast here is that Jan & Feb will be the warmer part of our winter. Fingers crossed. I will let you know how the Peloton helps with the bad outside days rides. They have stretching and yoga classes too.

Mike we still have a few piles here and there from the plows.

Have a Happy New Year everyone.

 

[BansheeRune]

Mike, if it's gonna be cold, I'll take snow vs. rain on a daily basis! Don't care for misery caused by getting soaked and high humidity making it bone chilling.

Chief, I see the adverts for Peloton but have too many bikes to have space for a bike that goes nowhere fast. The utility the Peloton offers has to be very useful, needless to say.

 

[BansheeRune]

See, even Mikbur agrees! Besides, the Mayor hasn't approved any rain during winter, only snow cause he's a fatass fatbike with fatass tires for fatass bike fun when it's fukkenkold!

 

[CHIEF500]

Mike, if it's gonna be cold, I'll take snow vs. rain on a daily basis! Don't care for misery caused by getting soaked and high humidity making it bone chilling.

Chief, I see the adverts for Peloton but have too many bikes to have space for a bike that goes nowhere fast. The utility the Peloton offers has to be very useful, needless to say.

I agree on both. Snow over cold rain where you get soaked, get cold and stay cold.
On the Peloton, we had discussed getting it for a while. I wanted it for winter riding, she didn't see the cost vs use. She started riding and then wanted it. We calmed down and had been talking it out. The kids buying it for us now has us working to clean a room to use it in. My daughter (recently married) 😆 now has to decide what she wants/ needs out of her old room which is becoming our new workout room. 😆

 

[MikeTowpathTraveler]

Wade, I think your 2 Day Priority Snow Mail arrived.....in the form of rain. Not too bad though, usually anymore when it rains, it has to be noted in inches per half hour!

Back in the day, I bought a wind trainer for my Motobecane Grand Touring. Vetta was the make, I believe. It's still attached to the Grand Touring down the cellar. It was not the free roller type which requried your balance to ride upon; this was fixed onto the bike frame and the back tire rode on a roller in which there were two aluminum fans mounted on the axle. The faster you went, the more wind resistance you created.

About as analog as you can get, compared to I imagine, a very sophisticated, computer driven Peleton. Sounds like a fine way to maintain conditioning while the trails are muddied up; or there are tree downfalls blocking the path.

Wade: hope the house hunting trips are providing new leads that might keep you in that fatbiking nirvana of an area. That's an area I'd not mind the Full FatSix to try out, as long as the heights aren't too high.....Happy New Year, everyone. Here's to a better 2021.

 

[BansheeRune]

That's cause Chief received the snow and forgot to put it in the freezer, Mike!!

Chief, it's indoors, that makes it a workin room, does it not?

 

[MikeTowpathTraveler]

That's cause Chief received the snow and forgot to put it in the freezer, Mike!!

Chief, it's indoors, that makes it a workin room, does it not?

Look at that, Christmas gone and so is the old year. Happy New Year!

 

[iliketexmex]

Happy New Year! Here is to another year of Fat Biking and Health.

 

[BansheeRune]

Look at that, Christmas gone and so is the old year. Happy New Year!

Mike's shortest post, ever!

Happy New Year! Here is to another year of Fat Biking and Health.

Perhaps I can restart my business that was shuttered in 2020... I have doubts tho'.

 

[MikeTowpathTraveler]

Mike's shortest post, ever!



Perhaps I can restart my business that was shuttered in 2020... I have doubts tho'.

I hope you can too, Wade. Figure 6 months to see where this country is going to be (on alot of fronts, at that), regards to states allowing their small businesses to start up again. Does not help for anyone's confidence when the so-called elected leader of this nation says are darkest days are yet to come. One of the most ridiculous, confidence killing quotes I've ever heard a US leader say....

 

[MikeTowpathTraveler]

New Years Morning 2021 Ride Report......

Another patented, standard run to the Kinkora Non-Finished Grade Crossing, turning around and heading north on the KRT and the Crystal Lake Trail, into Fieldsboro, then Bordentown, NJ to access the Delaware and Raritan Canal for a run to the north end of the Lock 1 trail, then back home....

23 miles. Haibike Full FatSix, High Power setting. Weather: Cold, upper 20's. Calm with no breeze or wind. Damp. Gray skies.

Yet-to-be-commissioned grade crossing signals and crossing arm gates (yet to be installed). Figure some time in the spring or summer for this thing to be up and running? Your guess is as good as mine.

To the right and on the northside of the crossing is this signal shack that I guess powers up the crossing gates upon approach of a train, light rail or the night-only Conrail freight. Note, no wire runs going into the shack at this point.

The rear pannier is an Ortlieb E-Mate. It has additional internal bracing and a special compartment attached that accepts an extra Yamaha ebike battery. I bought 4 of these in total, summer of 2019 in anticipation of some longer rides and overnighters. Covid put a halt to the overnighters.

Looking north on the D&R Canal state park. Canal is on the right, abandoned since the 1930's. The ground is frozen damp, as this is early in the morning and the overnight freeze is wearing off.

Up near Duck Island, about 2/3'ds of a mile to the towpath end point. This is just off Lamberton Road. You get these shady types who come in the cover of darkness and off-load their trash for the parks folks to clean up. A-hole scumbags. This is why anything nice has to get destroyed here in New Jermany. Pigs being pigs. This garbage consists mostly of roofing shingles. Nice, isn't it? Tell me, F, B & Health readers and riders: do you folks encounter stuff like this on your rides like I often do??

End of the line, near Lamberton Road, Trenton, NJ. Last state park gate. Apparently, this is part of the East Coast Greenway, a planned and completed set of trails that run from Maine to Florida. Allegedly.....

Abandoned and buried rail spur that once led from the Bordentown Secondary Mainline of the Pennyslvania RR/Penn Central RR. This spur crossed Lamberton Road, here, and ran into the PSEG Duck Island Coal Generating Plant, which became a gas fired plant in the last decade and a half and has now been blown to bits and trucked away to the landfill.

Low tide, Crosswicks Creek, Bordentown, NJ, taken at midspan of the Crosswicks Creek train bridge that leads to Lock 1. It was in this creek that the British burned American ships to the water line. They say there are a few remains buried in the mud sand silt of crosswicks.

 

[CHIEF500]

Mike I agree with your statement above your last post. Darkest times ahead, Geez way to go.

Another great Towpath report. I'm glad you keep checking it out.

It gets into the 50's here today I will get an outside ride in (Wade).

I'll start cleaning out the new ride room this week. I'm hoping the new indoor ride will help me ride longer inside since I used to get bored and only ride for 20 - 30 minus in the basement. We'll see. Most of my riding will be outside.

Happy New Year everyone. Stay safe and healthy.

 

[MikeTowpathTraveler]

Chief, thanks for those kind words. I'll keep checking until the project is done, that you can count on. Folks in this area just don't have many good options to walk or pedal a bike with some kind of destination in mind. This thing going uncompleted for so long just because of this little crossing is typical of our do-little govts. All railroads today have a 100% All-In, Git Er Done attitude that does not allow an operational issue with their infrastructure to be left hanging. Except this little crossing project.

I imagine the trails are damp and wet after yesterday's heavy soaking rains. The D&L in PA especially, as the ground base is red clay, when they built the canal towpaths. Over here in NJ, no red clay underlayment below the cinders. Both are still messy when wet.

Recall riding the Vetta Wind Trainer, early 80's.....even took it and the Motobecane out to the island lighthouse I was stationed on as a means to work out and stay in shape in my month long duty out there, off shore. I found with that stationary device that there is no substitute for head winds or gradient changes; a big wake up call for me when I got home & riding on the local roadways. That Peleton is light years away from those elementary things.

Does this one have the ability to connect with a human trainer as they show in the commercials?

Happy New Year, everyone!

 

[PierreR]

Happy new year everyone. Ahhh, a new year and a year older. Every year older now decreases the useful years left by ever increasing percentages. My incentive to Get-er-Done increases with each passing year. The bucket list becomes more important. I have been hit hard in the face lately. My friends that are my age have started dropping or are fine one day and have co-morbidities, recovery and restrictions the next day, that all but obliterate the bucket list. At that point you are still alive to say "I wish I had----".
It hits you, you are one diagnosis away from the same fate. You realize the only solution is to modify the bucket list and be satisfied or the old saying "**** or get off the pot". A long cross country bike trip has always been on that list since I was a kid. Come and gone is the ability to go do the kind of trip I envisioned without the use of an e bike. I could do it without an e bike but the enjoyment factor would be greatly diminished. My choice is to go big right off the bat. I chose the Plateau Passage trip as described in Bikepacking.com or Bikepackingroots.org. The trip incorporates daunting logistics, significant hardships, significant dollars and significant time and may require some route modifications. Times up, decide Pierre, what are you made of?
Can I afford it? With a priority yes. Is my bike ready to go? No, it needs some mods? Is my kit ready to go? No but close. Am I capable and have the requisite skills? Probably--- Bon-Voyage. Might have to go it alone. Most of my friends whom have the time and money are in the Fk-U stage in life.
Some of my friends have shown interest in parts of it and driving a sag wagon along for the experience. They do not worry about breakdowns as they know I am totally capable of fixing anything, would have the parts and would do it even in the middle of the desert. I have targeted late May-June for the trip.
I have some alternate trips in mind with easier planning and logistics should things be just too much to overcome in the length of time I have to get ready.
Also on the bucket list is America's Great Loop boat trip.

 

[MikeTowpathTraveler]

Pierre, great post. Couldn't have said it better.

I take it the Plateau Passage trip would be on your E-Fatty? What would your plans for battery charging logistics be? Trailer with a small gas generator? Solar panels and battery?

 

[PierreR]

Pierre, great post. Couldn't have said it better.

I take it the Plateau Passage trip would be on your E-Fatty? What would your plans for battery charging logistics be? Trailer with a small gas generator? Solar panels and battery?

I have a number of options. Currently at 1,100 Wh for battery. I could add a pair of 21 Ah batteries in a set of panniers that would add about 20lb to the bike and provide 3,270 Wh for a range loaded in off road climbing conditions of 230 miles. I could charge with a 15 amp charger for 4 hour charge for very low.
The second option would be to build a trailer that could carry my Honda EU1000 generator and a gallon of gas plus a set of panniers using a 26" fat single wheel. The EU1000 is 23 lbs. I could charge anytime, anywhere fast and get more weight off the rear bike wheel. I could take both sets of wheels. More road and off road fatty. With a sag wagon I could pack the EU1000 into it and charge when we meet up and travel lighter overall. The last two options do not require buying more battery.