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.