This years beach ride

Thought I'd post a ride I've been doing about once per week. It takes me past farms, horse ranches and along most of the NH coast. I start in Newfields and go through Exeter, Kensington and Hampton Falls on my way to the coast. I ride north along the coast so that I'm on the same side as the water.  There are a few one half to one mile long hills on the route, but overall it is flat to rollers type of terrain. A fun ride that provides miles of cruising at a good speed along the coast and inland hills/rollers that let you hit the upper 30's mph.
Google map of the ride

And some pics of my new ride, the sweet Bacchetta Carbon Aero 2.0

Drinkwater Road

Drinkwater Road

Just North of North Hampton Beach

Looking North

Acadia: Dirt and Pavement

I took the Giro to Acadia National Park, where I road it on the packed gravel carriage paths and the Loop Road.

For the carriage paths, I put on the 24" (520) front wheel that I built, with the Intense Micro Knobby tire. Luke at Calhoun Cycles was a big help in selecting the parts for the wheel. Changing from the 26" (559) to the 24" (520) had no effect on the handling of the bike and lowers the bottom bracket slightly less than one inch. The rear wheel was a Mavic Crossride UB with a Nashbar  Accelerator Mountain Tire. I was hoping the first wheel I built wouldn't collapse into a pancake and the bike would have enough traction so I wouldn't slide out in the gravel and crash. We started at the Bubble Pond parking area, and headed out over rolling hills to the Around the Mountain loop. I got the usual recumbent stares, since I was the only recumbent on the carriage paths. I have ridden the carriage paths many times, but have never seen a recumbent on the paths. The bike worked flawlessly, no skidding at all on the fast twisting downhills and great traction while climbing the couple of one or two mile climbs on this ride. On one fast downhill I coasted past Amy on her mountain bike and she said "Dad, your crazy". I didn't think I was going that fast, just letting the bike slip through the air. Lot's of fun. Here are a couple of pictures at the highest point on Sargent Mountain.

Sargent Mountain on Around the Mountain Loop

Sargent Mountain on Around the Mountain Loop

I put on the wheels and road tires that came with the bike for Thursday's Loop Road ride. I also filled up two water bottles and brought along a cable lock in case I wanted to go into the souvenir store on top of Cadillac Mountain for some food. I started at the Visitor Center and headed up the climb that leads out onto the Loop Road. That is always the hardest part of the ride for me. It takes me awhile to get going, especially after four days of hiking and biking, so starting with a long climb is not fun. The Loop Road has a 10 mile one way section with two lanes. The rest of the ride is on narrow roads, but the cars are mostly courteous. There are many great views along the way.

Acadia Loop Road

I was deciding whether to go up Cadillac Mountain, as I was climbing from Bubble Pond. The Loop Road has much more climbing than I'm use to and it is a pretty good climb from Bubble Pond to the road up Cadillac. I turned onto the road and took a break at the turnout just as you get onto the road. I felt better after the quick break and figured I don't get this chance very often. So, up I went. Soon I was wishing I hadn't brought the extra water bottle, lock, sunscreen .... but just kept turning the pedals. I made it all the way up, sometimes just doing 5mph, but didn't have to stop the rest of the way.

Top of Cadillac Mountain

River Rides

The Giro26 has turned out to be a nice bike. The handling is different than the Ti Aero. The Giro26 has steadier steering and with the wider handlebars it is easier to make a turn when starting. Not as fast as the Aero though.

A couple of times I just felt like going out for a relaxed pace ride or should I say cruise.  I rode the Giro26 to Packers Falls on the Lamprey River one day at lunch, hung out on the rocks at the falls, road back via Campground Road and ended up with a nice 25 mile ride.

Another night I road down to Exeter and road through Swasey Park along the Exeter River. Next time I do this, I'll have to check out the new ice cream shop in town.

Yellow Bike

I've always liked yellow bicycles. Maybe it has something to do with my first 10 speed, a yellow Schwinn Varsity.

For a few years now I have been thinking of buying a Bacchetta Giro26 ATT frameset and building it up using some spare parts I have. It seemed like it could easily switch between a good rails to trails path bike and a decent road bike, by having two sets of wheels and tires. It would work out well for trips to Acadia and other places with a mix of road and trail riding. And it happens to be yellow! Looking through the classifieds on the web I saw a Giro26 ATT for sale ..... large frame ..... and in Dover NH. I held out for a couple of weeks, but it was still there. I couldn't resist any longer, went over, saw that it was in great condition and brought it home with me.

Picture from the previous owner

 I've only had a couple of rides on it. It came with the Recurve seat which I just couldn't get use to. It was hurting my butt, so I leaned it back more, but it's wider bottom is designed for a more upright position. I have had a Euromesh seat around for awhile. I put that on and it feels much better. Reduces the weight by a pound or two also. I added a Planet Bike computer that I already had and some Crankbrother Mallet pedals which I also had. 

Catching Up

Catching up with posting on here and trying to catch up with lost miles. The spring continues to be wet and cool, while the "good" days have continued to have some strong winds. I did manage to ride 50 miles on one of the last Sundays of April. I think that is the earliest in the season that I have done 50 miles. I rode to Dover and back with a break to visit and get some food at a family gathering. I was feeling good on the way home and my odometer was approaching the 20,000 mile mark. So, I skipped a turn and took a route that would add an extra 5ish miles to get the odometer to 20,000 miles. It turned on my way home on Route 87 in Newfields, just west of the Bear Hill Road Junction.

Lee Hook Loop

This ride takes you past farms, rivers and through the woods on mostly lightly traveled roads. If you start at the Newfields Town Hall, you will go through "downtown" Newfields with all the hustle and bustle of a country store. The country store is across from the Town Hall and offers coffee, muffins, sandwiches, soups and more.

Head west on Route 87 (Piscassic Road) and you will pass Piscassic Ice Pond on the left. Route 87 does not have much of a shoulder and usually has 2 to 4 cars per minute. Often fewer cars than that. Turn right onto Bald Hill Road which is has very little traffic and is mostly residential, with a few small farms and fields along the way. You can follow Bald Hill Road to the end and take a right onto Grant Road, but I like to turn right on Johnson Road just before reaching Grant Road. Grant road has more traffic than Bald Hill, and no shoulders, but usually not too many cars pass me while on Grant. There is a short climb shortly after turning onto Grant. Follow Grant straight through the 4 corners intersection with Ash Swamp Road, and all the way to the end. Then left onto Route 152 which has more traffic, but does offer a shoulder most of the way until you reach Lee Hook Road. You will then pass by picturesque farms and have some fun on some rolling hills. The last hill at the end will get your heart rate up. Be careful when making the left onto Route 155. The view of cars coming is not very good. The speed limit on Route 155 is higher and there isn't a shoulder, but you are only on it for a short run down a fun hill. I am almost always able to make the left onto Tuttle Road at 30 mph. Once in awhile I have to hit the brakes and let cars go by. Tuttle Road is very lightly travelled and goes through a forested tract of land. Wadliegh Falls on the Lamprey River is at the intersection of Tuttle Road and Route 152. Go left on Route 152, over the Lamprey, then a quick right onto Campground Road, which is also very lightly travelled. Campground Road takes you to Jacobs Well Road which ends up back at Route 87, a little further west of Bald Hill Road.

View Lee Hook Loop in a larger map

The Versatile VRex

I finished the cleaning and tune up of the VRex. It's a 1999 Rans VRex, the second recumbent bike I owned. The VRex is a classic that's known as a do everything bike. It does well on the road, isn't bad on dirt roads and has a lower seat to bottom bracket difference than my Aero.

I am about 3mph slower on the VRex than the Aero, but the VRex is setup with wider tires and rugged rims. The newer VRex's have lighter seat options also. I haven't weighed mine but I'm guessing it is in the low 30 pounds range. It's a little easier to get it started than the Aero and I can wear baggier shorts when riding it without the wind blowing the short's legs up. The shorts still can't be too baggy though. The lower bottom bracket does mean the rider is not as aerodynamic as a rider on a high racer like the Aero.

As I understand the history of the VRex, it was originally designed by Mark Colliton who is now with Bacchetta Bikes. He showed it to Randy and John Schlitter of Rans in 1994 or 1995 at a show. They liked the bike and decided to add it to their lineup.

I've ridden it on the rails to trail path here in Newfields and have also taken it on the Mickelson Trail in South Dakota. It does pretty well, but the smaller front wheel does get a little squirmy when the sand gets deeper. I don't have aggressive treads on it though.

April Fools and Wind

Seems like there has been some sort of precipitation every second or third day this spring. And when we get a "nice" day, over 40 degrees and no precipitation, the wind is howling. We were treated to an April Fools Day snow storm, that dropped 3 to 4 inches of wet snow on Friday. Most of the new snow was gone by Monday, but it did mess up the roads some. I did get out for short rides on Saturday and Sunday, but didn't take any pictures. I was too busy holding onto the bike as the wind was trying to blow me over. Also got a ride in today with a strong wind, but not as gusty as the weekend. The forecast is for a pretty good weekend and 70 to 80 degrees on Monday!

A couple of pictures of April 1st.

Third Ride Of The Year

After a lot of snow, rain and a cold late winter. And painting the sun room, I finally got a chance to get out for a ride today. The temperature got up into the 50's with bright sun. I really needed that! I haven't been X-country skiing or anything, so have missed getting out and getting some exercise. Even went on the stationary bike at work once. Yuck!

The Painted Sun Room

There is still some ice on the water. This one struck me due to the color of the ice. I'm not sure why it has the brownish color, and maybe I don't want to know.

Wetlands along Rt 27 in Exeter

The snow has melted in most of the area, but there is still plenty of snow in the shaded areas. At least the snow banks have receded away from the roads, leaving the roads pretty dry.

Church in Brentwood

Rockingham County Complex

Coming Together

We had a couple of "warmer" days, with temps in the upper 30's to lower 40's with bright sun. That gave me some motivation to get going on getting the Aero back together. I've cleaned everything up, put the cranks on and the cassette on the rear wheel. Soon, it will be ready to ride. Too bad cold days are on the way and we have had some storms with wet snow, rain and ice. So, the roads aren't too good for riding and I'll have to get out to the woods and see if the trails are still ok for skiing.

Not Exactly Biking Weather

We have been getting one snowstorm after another this winter. Almost every one of them has been nice cold snow that is great for cross country skiing out back in the woods. This has been one of the best skiing winters that I can remember. I enjoy having a break from cycling, especially when the X-country skiing can take its place. The forecast is for another storm on Tuesday and Wednesday. And potentially yet another one next Saturday. I broke down last weekend and bought a new set of skis. Fischer Silent Spider, with back country bindings and boots. They are 189cm long, with metal edges. Designed to be used for light back country or at the touring centers. My previous Rosignols, 15 to 20 years old, are 215cm without metal edges. What a difference the shorter skis and edges make. I can actually make the turns without worrying about kissing the trees!

Chloe loves the winter in the woods

So do I

Brian wishes Mom and Dad were faster

I have been giving my Aero its yearly cleaning, so it is in no shape to ride anyway. The frame is on the workstand and most of the parts are off the bike. I am starting to get the itch to get back on the bike. Sometimes when I drive down a rode that I ride on often, I think about what it feels like to ride the bike down that stretch of the road. That's why I like having this break. When the weather does turn, I am really looking forward to getting back on the bike.

For now, I am going to enjoy the great skiing conditions.

New Years Day Ride

I believe this is the first time I've ridden on New Years Day. This year's temps were in the mid 50's about a week after a snow storm. I did the 21 mile Brentwood loop and stopped for a couple of pictures at the Creamery Brook Farm on Rt 111.

A good year

The year ended with a total of approx 3000 miles for the year. Not many miles for some, others think its a lot of riding. It's a good year for me when I hit 3000 miles. My last ride in 2010 was in early November. We have been turning our decaying deck into a sun room. Even though I am not doing most of the work, it has kept me busy. And when the cooler weather comes, I get busy cutting and splitting wood for the next winter, along with getting ready for the coming winter. Not to mention the very short days and I don't feel comfortable riding at night on the roads in this area. So, the bike tends to get put aside.