1,965 bike calories

NorthCascades
NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
This was 44 hilly miles: 20 of pavement, 24 of sandy gravel. It took just shy of 4 hours. I got to my car almost an hour after the sun set due to a late start.

https://www.relive.cc/view/1098531122

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Replies

  • victory68
    victory68 Posts: 76 Member
    That's incredible!!! Nice job and such a beautiful ride!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Looks fab! Enjoy eating ALL the food!
  • Javachipgirl
    Javachipgirl Posts: 27 Member
    Beautiful!
  • tiny_clanger
    tiny_clanger Posts: 301 Member
    Jealous! I went on a 20 miler yesterday, but mine was all on busy city roads including a deeply unpleasant dual carriageway underpass. Must be lovely to have such wonderful locations within a drive/ride away :)
  • cbstewart88
    cbstewart88 Posts: 453 Member
    Really jealous too!! I miss biking :(
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    Nice. Hopefully not to derail your thread too much, but...

    I'm doing less and less training riding and more and more exploring on my bike. I'm currently on a road bike with 25s - do you do anything special to prevent punctures? I'd like to be a bit more confident on dirt/gravel roads. The bike can handle them fine, I'm just worried about flatting.
  • tiny_clanger
    tiny_clanger Posts: 301 Member
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    Nice. Hopefully not to derail your thread too much, but...I'm doing less and less training riding and more and more exploring on my bike. I'm currently on a road bike with 25s - do you do anything special to prevent punctures? I'd like to be a bit more confident on dirt/gravel roads. The bike can handle them fine, I'm just worried about flatting.

    I went for a test ride on solid tyres and absolutely hated them, they were really slick and I skidded about everywhere. I've seen a few people recommend Marathons. My tyres are on their way out and I'm thinking about replacing them with marathons or similar.

    However, tbh, the best advice I've had was just carry an inner tube to two and a pump and know how to use them. Tis super boring mid ride though!
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    tiny_clanger wrote: »
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    Nice. Hopefully not to derail your thread too much, but...I'm doing less and less training riding and more and more exploring on my bike. I'm currently on a road bike with 25s - do you do anything special to prevent punctures? I'd like to be a bit more confident on dirt/gravel roads. The bike can handle them fine, I'm just worried about flatting.

    I went for a test ride on solid tyres and absolutely hated them, they were really slick and I skidded about everywhere. I've seen a few people recommend Marathons. My tyres are on their way out and I'm thinking about replacing them with marathons or similar.

    However, tbh, the best advice I've had was just carry an inner tube to two and a pump and know how to use them. Tis super boring mid ride though!

    I don't have any problem fixing flats... it just kinda kills the mood of the ride.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    tiny_clanger wrote: »
    Jealous! I went on a 20 miler yesterday, but mine was all on busy city roads including a deeply unpleasant dual carriageway underpass. Must be lovely to have such wonderful locations within a drive/ride away :)

    This is outside the town of Leavenworth, about two hours drive from home. I haven't been there in a while and didn't know how crowded it would get. I thought we could just show up and get a hotel room. We got the last one in town at about 4 pm, I got such a late start I didn't get back to the car until 10 pm, an hour after sunset. First time I've ever been benighted on a ride!
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    Nice. Hopefully not to derail your thread too much, but...

    I'm doing less and less training riding and more and more exploring on my bike. I'm currently on a road bike with 25s - do you do anything special to prevent punctures? I'd like to be a bit more confident on dirt/gravel roads. The bike can handle them fine, I'm just worried about flatting.

    Check the puncture resistance rating on the tires. My daughter is riding one of my old bikes that has an ancient pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires, you sacrifice weigh & rolling resistance but I've never had a flat using those.

    I've also had great luck with Continental Gator Skins for when I want puncture resistance but less weight & reduced rolling resistance and I've ridden those on gravel quite a bit.

  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    Nice. Hopefully not to derail your thread too much, but...

    I'm doing less and less training riding and more and more exploring on my bike. I'm currently on a road bike with 25s - do you do anything special to prevent punctures? I'd like to be a bit more confident on dirt/gravel roads. The bike can handle them fine, I'm just worried about flatting.

    What are you worried about? I bump into you a lot but I don't know where you live. Are you in goat head country? Anyway, tires that have a good reputation for whatever the main culprit is in your area. They probably won't be supple race tires. Definitely don't use Pro Ones.

    I like 28 to 32 mm, this is light enough for the pavement but wide enough to corner on dirt. If you go tubeless, the lower pressure involved means the sealant will probably do its job before too much air escapes.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited July 2017
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    Nice. Hopefully not to derail your thread too much, but...

    I'm doing less and less training riding and more and more exploring on my bike. I'm currently on a road bike with 25s - do you do anything special to prevent punctures? I'd like to be a bit more confident on dirt/gravel roads. The bike can handle them fine, I'm just worried about flatting.

    What are you worried about? I bump into you a lot but I don't know where you live. Are you in goat head country? Anyway, tires that have a good reputation for whatever the main culprit is in your area. They probably won't be supple race tires. Definitely don't use Pro Ones.

    I like 28 to 32 mm, this is light enough for the pavement but wide enough to corner on dirt. If you go tubeless, the lower pressure involved means the sealant will probably do its job before too much air escapes.

    Punctures due to the unpredictability of dirt/gravel roads. I run a pretty high PSI to prevent snake bites, but wasn't sure what to expect from training tires (not race tires, but not gatorskins, either) on unpaved roads. Maybe I should just ride a few dirt roads and see what happens... maybe I'm worrying about a problem that isn't a problem.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    You won't get a snake bite on a dirt road. If you hot a pothole, the dirt will give enough that your tube won't puncture.

    We don't really have much in the way of thorns here. And broken glass is rarer on dirt roads. It's mostly sharp pointy rocks here. So good side walls are important (for me).

    Slicks are great on hard packed dirt! :smile:
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Stunning scenery, great ride.
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