Community Forums

milasman · 01-28-2014, 12:09 PM

What do you ride? How do you transport? How many miles per year and favorite ride?

Gocoffeer · 01-28-2014, 01:55 PM

My gal and I have converted our older Bounder into a bike hauler. We got cycle serious again and modified the coach so that we can place the cycles inside. We ride recumbent trikes. Trikes are stacked on a shelf like design that I built ....inside for security and safe transport where the dinette used to be bolted. Additionally we rid ourself of carpet and placed a rolled product in as floor covering that you might buy for garage flooring. This made the inside most durable for wearing cleats and coming in filthy and sweaty. Installed a small HarborFreight 12v High PSI compressor in the electrical closet and placed a coupler thru the basement door for quick release access to its tire fill ability. Tools and repair items all have space. It is one decent cycling platform.
I do not know how many miles we ride per year....but we ride many fair weather.
weekends.
My favorite ride.... I have some local Louisville rides I really enjoy...but I think a ride that just keeps wanting to be done repeatedly is the Key Largo to Key West trip....EASY ride...get sites...120 miles. We drop off the trikes at Pennekamp on Key Largo.....drive to Key Bahia and ditch the RV in the state park facility....take the city bus back to Largo and ride to the RV. Then we finish up by pedaling to Key West.

milasman · 01-28-2014, 02:00 PM

Very cool.

TexasTom · 01-28-2014, 02:05 PM

DW and I have been racing for a while and now probably going to just focus on Time Trials to keep our training and fitness. So I would imagine we will only log about 5,000 miles this year.

Transport bikes in the basement/cargo area unless we have a lot of cargo, then the bikes go on the racks. I prefer to have them inside so I don't have to constantly watch them when we are stopped. Our race bikes are about $6k each so we don't want them to walk off.

Favorite rides are any in which we make it back without being harassed or hit by a car.

Gocoffeer · 01-28-2014, 02:06 PM

Also.... I am going to pedal the GAP (Great Allegheny Passage) this season. It is a decent ride from Pittsburgh to Cumberland MD on a rail trail. You can continue onto the C&O Canal segment all the way to Georgetown MD but I am not going to continue on this section this season.
Looking at the Silver Comet trail starting in Atlanta....the Keys ride again in Oct\November...Nashua Rail Trail September (Nashua NH to Ayer MA)... next season...the Erie Canal (Albany NY to Buffalo NY).... As you can see we are becoming fans of the rail trail type rides....I love the safer ride and more quiet environment.
Bubba Pampered Tours has a nice Cross America (Coast2Coast) ride. SanDiego to St Augustine FL....he does that once every year. He just started doing RAGBRAI....and Erie Canal...and also does the Florida Keys trip. He offers a nice trip package....but I am more the soloist.

Gocoffeer · 01-28-2014, 02:14 PM

Texas... what type of bikes are you pedaling? I used to ride a few races myself in my youth...pedaled Serotta cycles as my go fast bikes. Loved being in the saddle more than anything else then. 80mile rides as leg warmers almost every night in the San Fran Bay area....and 120-200 mile trainers on weekends...I think my best year almost topped 30,000 in saddle miles. We used to measure the months by how many silks we burned thru. Moved to Colorado and got most serious in riding....terminated my riding career in the later 80s due to some work related needs. Now I have gotten nice and fat..and love bopping around on a less wedged saddle like that of a recumbent cycle.

Sky_Boss · 01-28-2014, 07:26 PM

I do a fair amount of riding for an old fart. We just went full time in December and without a garage it was a challenge. On top of that I bought a new Trek Domani to replace my 1999 Trek 5200 Project One. I also have a Trek 8000 Mountain bike.

When on the road this is the rack on the back of my Honda CRV we carry the bikes on.

http://www.saris.com/en/bike-racks/v...&category_id=8

The bike rack has its own cable and lock that is pretty good but I also run a second cable through them when on the road. We just don't really have the room in the basement to carry them and since we have added 2 large crates for our German Shepherd Dogs there isn't a good place in the coach either. If the weather is really bad I will put the road bike in the back of the CRV and haul the MB on the carrier.

I once saw a bike cover a gentleman used with his CRV and the same carrier too. It had opaque covers over the wheels that would let the brake lights shine through. I was not impressed with that system because it really seemed to dim the brake lights at night and during the day made it even harder to see them. I'm always looking for a bike cover for when the bikes are on the carrier but I haven't found one yet that I felt was durable and safe. Now, I suppose I could put magnetic auxiliary brake lights that mount on the top roof of my CRV and get above the bikes but I just don't like that...for now.

I'm down in the Rio Grande Valley and found a place that does windshield covers and they also will make covers for just about anything. Today I took my mountain bike there to have them make a custom cover. they only charged me $55 and it will be form fitted to that bike including bottom ties and some eyelets to run cable locks through. I'll try to remember to post some pic of the set up after I pick up the cover on Saturday. If that works, then I will take my road bike with aerobars for a custom fit also.

Sky_Boss · 01-28-2014, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gocoffeer

...
Bubba Pampered Tours has a nice Cross America (Coast2Coast) ride. SanDiego to St Augustine FL....he does that once every year. He just started doing RAGBRAI....and Erie Canal...and also does the Florida Keys trip. He offers a nice trip package....but I am more the soloist.

I did RAGBRAI in 1981, the year of SOGGY MONDAY. What a horrible start! Anyway...I won't do RAGBRAI again. There were some groups of riders that just ruined it for me. It was like Woodstock on Wheels in some places. Sometimes RAGBRAI riders wear out there welcome quickly. There are not towns that will not support it. Keep in mind that sometimes there are 4-5 time the number of riders as residents. Don't get me wrong, I am no prude but it wasn't fun at times. I'm glad I did it but I don't see doing it again. Since I tend to also be a solo rider I went on RAGBRAI on my own. Maybe if I had been with a larger group to socialize with I might have felt different. YMMV.

milasman · 01-28-2014, 10:03 PM

Anyone got a Strava profile? (Cycling app that tracks miles and course by GPS)

ctpres · 01-29-2014, 05:29 AM

ME! See this post.
http://http://www.irv2.com/forums/f5...-a-191004.html
Two bike rack on back of toad. Current road bike about as cheap as they come - Vilano. Have more than doubled cost of bike with addons. When in shape 1,000 miles a month. One major life event for me was riding Katy Flatland 100 in under 5 hours on my 50th birthday. Currently training for second big one. "Sub 7 100 mi this May - my 75th birthday. See link above. To be honest I have no idea if sub 7 will be doable for me with over 2,500 feet of climbing. And no real place to train in hills before the ride.
Currently parked for winter at north end of Lake Okeechobee and ride the lake trail almost daily.
Would really love to get some IRV2 riders together for the Gasp 100. Custom jerseys with IRV2.COM logo and maybe even tees for our support team! If there is enough interest - it will happen. I am already registered for the ride. Lots of great RV parks in the area, charity ride, great ride support with food and some of the legendary Shiner beer at the end.

Gocoffeer · 01-29-2014, 06:51 AM

ctpres.... What a nice place to be at this moment. The KATY ride is on my list. Have you driven up to Floral City and pedaled the Withacoochie trail yet? Hampton Cycles in Floral City is a wonderful place to start your adventure. I park my rig in a vacant lot across from the shop.....and the bike shop rests right off the trail.

Gocoffeer · 01-29-2014, 06:54 AM

milasman: I do not have that app on my phone as of yet...I will ask my gal if she uses that...she plots our rides on her phone automatically. I still use MAPMYRIDE for basic trail and road instructions. I copy off multiple copies for our riding group and place fall back instructions on the ride instructions...If I am playing ride captain. Other than that....I just pedal and suck down water.

Sky_Boss · 01-29-2014, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milasman

Anyone got a Strava profile? (Cycling app that tracks miles and course by GPS)

I use Garmin Connect with my Garmin Edge 800. I will take a look at Strava though.

scubastevee · 01-29-2014, 07:38 AM

Used to do a lot of road biking until, I discovered the "dark side" aka x-country and downhill biking.

I have cab-over space in my Class B that I use for storage, rather than as a bunk bed. I do have to remove the front and back wheels to place up there, so only use that for long haul trips. An alternate that I use is a platform carrier large enough to hold one bike - Much more convenient if using the bike on a daily basis.

Cheers,

Steve