Brown Season: Urban Ramble

Spring is on the doorstep.

 Monday was the last "good" day of the week in terms of weather. So, I decided to head out for a ride. I had intended to ride the Twin Six Standard Rando v2 to test out those new Easton drop bars. However; a stem change caused an issue, (I'll post about all that later at some point), so I ditched that idea and went in on the Noble GX5 instead. 

It was Sunny but cold when I started out. It was below freezing, which turned out to be to my advantage. The wind was out from the Southwest, but since I stayed within the confines of the city, I was out of most of that wind's powers. 

The one thing that turned out to be a bit unfortunate but no big deal, was that I forgot my "stinger" rear fender. Actually, it is an SKS clip-on rear deflector. I like it a lot too. Well, as it turned out, I wasn't in danger of getting gooped after all, but things could have gone sideways in a hurry had a few things been slightly different. 

The Level B nature of my unpaved adventure was fortunately still frozen- but juuust barely!

So, my route was along some of my old Andy's Bike Shop commute and the aim was to get to old Shirey Way where there is that bit of dirt road I like to hit when I cannot get out into the country. I'll tell ya one thing- The only constant is change. My OG commute to Andy's? No longer possible. There is a new development going in where there used to be a big grassy field I crossed. 

Once I dropped into the back end of Hartman Reserve, I had to slow down a bit here and there to negotiate some snowy and icy places on the old road. But eventually I reached Shirey Way and found it to be passable only because it was still ever so slightly frozen. 

Bits of ice flowing down steam on the Cedar River

I went halfway in and decided to turn back around because with the increase in temperatures, you could literally see the ground softening by the minute. It would not be long before what I was riding on would be a quagmire and impassable with the bike I was on.

At the point where I turned around I dismounted to take an image and I noted some clumps of mud on the Noble Bikes top tube. "Hmm....", I wondered, "How'd that get there? I didn't see anything coming off my front wheel." I was assuming I had taken the SKS clip-on fender, but then I noticed that I had not. Whoops! Another good reason for getting out of there, and quickly!

Back at home and none the worse for wear.

Fortunately the way that Shirey Road had already been rutted and post-holed up by walkers and riders made it so that I had to take matters slowly and deliberately to avoid going off the bike. That kept the speeds down and that kept me cleaner and the bike actually came out of it okay as well.

Anyway, it was a nice foundational ride to base more on. I hope that these building blocks carry me onward and upward to bigger and better things on into 2023.

Brown Season: Urban Ramble

Spring is on the doorstep.

 Monday was the last "good" day of the week in terms of weather. So, I decided to head out for a ride. I had intended to ride the Twin Six Standard Rando v2 to test out those new Easton drop bars. However; a stem change caused an issue, (I'll post about all that later at some point), so I ditched that idea and went in on the Noble GX5 instead. 

It was Sunny but cold when I started out. It was below freezing, which turned out to be to my advantage. The wind was out from the Southwest, but since I stayed within the confines of the city, I was out of most of that wind's powers. 

The one thing that turned out to be a bit unfortunate but no big deal, was that I forgot my "stinger" rear fender. Actually, it is an SKS clip-on rear deflector. I like it a lot too. Well, as it turned out, I wasn't in danger of getting gooped after all, but things could have gone sideways in a hurry had a few things been slightly different. 

The Level B nature of my unpaved adventure was fortunately still frozen- but juuust barely!

So, my route was along some of my old Andy's Bike Shop commute and the aim was to get to old Shirey Way where there is that bit of dirt road I like to hit when I cannot get out into the country. I'll tell ya one thing- The only constant is change. My OG commute to Andy's? No longer possible. There is a new development going in where there used to be a big grassy field I crossed. 

Once I dropped into the back end of Hartman Reserve, I had to slow down a bit here and there to negotiate some snowy and icy places on the old road. But eventually I reached Shirey Way and found it to be passable only because it was still ever so slightly frozen. 

Bits of ice flowing down steam on the Cedar River

I went halfway in and decided to turn back around because with the increase in temperatures, you could literally see the ground softening by the minute. It would not be long before what I was riding on would be a quagmire and impassable with the bike I was on.

At the point where I turned around I dismounted to take an image and I noted some clumps of mud on the Noble Bikes top tube. "Hmm....", I wondered, "How'd that get there? I didn't see anything coming off my front wheel." I was assuming I had taken the SKS clip-on fender, but then I noticed that I had not. Whoops! Another good reason for getting out of there, and quickly!

Back at home and none the worse for wear.

Fortunately the way that Shirey Road had already been rutted and post-holed up by walkers and riders made it so that I had to take matters slowly and deliberately to avoid going off the bike. That kept the speeds down and that kept me cleaner and the bike actually came out of it okay as well.

Anyway, it was a nice foundational ride to base more on. I hope that these building blocks carry me onward and upward to bigger and better things on into 2023.

Pushed Pause For Maintenance

A much needed break for some maintenance was taken over the weekend.

 'Creak.....creak....creak...' It wasn't getting better. It wasn't going away. You may have heard something similar on your bikes from time to time. The 'cry for maintenance' from the bike. 

I knew I needed to heed the call and last weekend, with forecast temps into the 80's-90's and high winds of 25mph with gusts up to 40mph, it was a great time for me to plan to do the deeds. Plus I had those new chains and the 'Lube-Off' to get going. It all just made sense to me to take the time to get the stuff done. 

So, the first thing was the Twin Six Standard Rando v2 which had developed a noise from the rear wheel. I think the bolt on axle drop out plates were to blame here. The bolts which fix them to the frame were all juuust a tiny bit loose. That seemed to take that noise down to almost nothing. I may have to do a bit further research into that one. 

The next job was cleaning up the Noble Bikes GX5. It really needed it! Plus that bike had developed a slight creak from the bottom bracket area. I figured it was the thread-together PF-30 insert from Wheels Manufacturing. A wrench to the interface for the component revealed that it needed only a slight 'snugging up' and that was taken care of. Meanwhile, I double checked all the chain ring bolts. Yep! Every one of them was slightly loose. 

I am an example of 'one', as they say, but my takeaway is that 1X systems and less than 5 chain ring bolts puts a lot more stress on chain ring bolts and in ways not normally seen on 2X and 3X systems where lateral loading is not as common. But that's just my theory. I do know that many mechanics are reporting 12 speed (which is mostly 1X set ups) are wearing out chains laterally before they wear out in the traditional way. So, there is that supporting evidence as well. 

The Standard Rando needed some TLC too.

Well, then the new chain went on and with that drive train all spiffed up, I can now turn my attention to the final bike (for now) that needs attention and that is the pink BMC MCD. That bike is also getting a new chain and a good once over. While it doesn't have any noises to track down, I still need to make sure it has been gone over. 

Once I get through that, my three main gravel rigs will have been spiffed up for the 2021 season. I will need to look at the Fargo soon as well. That bike is in line for some new drive train bits, but with the current shortages, I am still not in possession of all the parts necessary to do what I want to do with that bike. So it is kind of on the back-burner, in terms of maintenance.

And with things going the way they have been, I just don't know when that work on the Fargo will happen. It could be that I don't ride it much this year due to all of that. I had made plans on getting new wheels built up for it but I have put that all on hold for the time being since everything is so difficult to get now. I have an option I could exercise there with the Fargo, but it will depend upon a couple of other things happening first, which are also parts dependent. 

Bah!

But whatever, right? I have three bikes which will be just fine and single speed bikes which will work just fine and on and on.... I have nothing to complain about! Besides, I managed to quell the noises 100% on the Noble GX5 and I have almost done that with the Standard Rando v2. I count those as major victories. Not to mention me finding time to go do the work in the first place! So, all is rolling well here. 

Now for some riding!

Pushed Pause For Maintenance

A much needed break for some maintenance was taken over the weekend.

 'Creak.....creak....creak...' It wasn't getting better. It wasn't going away. You may have heard something similar on your bikes from time to time. The 'cry for maintenance' from the bike. 

I knew I needed to heed the call and last weekend, with forecast temps into the 80's-90's and high winds of 25mph with gusts up to 40mph, it was a great time for me to plan to do the deeds. Plus I had those new chains and the 'Lube-Off' to get going. It all just made sense to me to take the time to get the stuff done. 

So, the first thing was the Twin Six Standard Rando v2 which had developed a noise from the rear wheel. I think the bolt on axle drop out plates were to blame here. The bolts which fix them to the frame were all juuust a tiny bit loose. That seemed to take that noise down to almost nothing. I may have to do a bit further research into that one. 

The next job was cleaning up the Noble Bikes GX5. It really needed it! Plus that bike had developed a slight creak from the bottom bracket area. I figured it was the thread-together PF-30 insert from Wheels Manufacturing. A wrench to the interface for the component revealed that it needed only a slight 'snugging up' and that was taken care of. Meanwhile, I double checked all the chain ring bolts. Yep! Every one of them was slightly loose. 

I am an example of 'one', as they say, but my takeaway is that 1X systems and less than 5 chain ring bolts puts a lot more stress on chain ring bolts and in ways not normally seen on 2X and 3X systems where lateral loading is not as common. But that's just my theory. I do know that many mechanics are reporting 12 speed (which is mostly 1X set ups) are wearing out chains laterally before they wear out in the traditional way. So, there is that supporting evidence as well. 

The Standard Rando needed some TLC too.

Well, then the new chain went on and with that drive train all spiffed up, I can now turn my attention to the final bike (for now) that needs attention and that is the pink BMC MCD. That bike is also getting a new chain and a good once over. While it doesn't have any noises to track down, I still need to make sure it has been gone over. 

Once I get through that, my three main gravel rigs will have been spiffed up for the 2021 season. I will need to look at the Fargo soon as well. That bike is in line for some new drive train bits, but with the current shortages, I am still not in possession of all the parts necessary to do what I want to do with that bike. So it is kind of on the back-burner, in terms of maintenance.

And with things going the way they have been, I just don't know when that work on the Fargo will happen. It could be that I don't ride it much this year due to all of that. I had made plans on getting new wheels built up for it but I have put that all on hold for the time being since everything is so difficult to get now. I have an option I could exercise there with the Fargo, but it will depend upon a couple of other things happening first, which are also parts dependent. 

Bah!

But whatever, right? I have three bikes which will be just fine and single speed bikes which will work just fine and on and on.... I have nothing to complain about! Besides, I managed to quell the noises 100% on the Noble GX5 and I have almost done that with the Standard Rando v2. I count those as major victories. Not to mention me finding time to go do the work in the first place! So, all is rolling well here. 

Now for some riding!

Guitar Ted "Lube-Off": SCC Tech Lube

The next round of the "Guitar Ted Lube-Off" has begun and both of the new contenders have arrived. The first one I will cover here is the SCC Tech lubricant, or as they like to say in their marketing, "drivetrain treatment'. Kind of like STP, I guess.

But first, I wanted to quickly address a request heard from my original blog post last week and from social media. These pushes came too late, so I am afraid that regardless of the passionate responses, I am left with the only option I have at this point. Let me explain.....

A week ago today I posted the announcement for this new round of the 'Lube-Off' and asked for your suggestions. On Thursday last week, I announced my two selections for this round based upon the feedback I had gotten to that point. So, we're off and running. The orders were placed and product was on the way.

Friday, a "Jeff from Silca"made a near novel length comment pushing hard for Silca lubricant to be included. Then on Saturday, a no less weighty request came from another industry person on social media, whose opinions I regard highly, asking for the inclusion of Silca lubricant. Okay......look. As I stated, (I thought it was clear) in my posts last week, there were only going to be two slots in this round which were filled Thursday of last week. So, all I can do is to wait and ask you passionate about Silca lubricant to wait, until the next round of the 'Lube-Off' happens, which I guess is going to be right after this one, eh? 

Now with all of that out of the way, let's take a closer look at this SCC Tech stuff. As you can see in the image, I purchased a small bottle of the lube and it came with that sticker and cloth you see in the image there, which I did not expect, but it was a nice touch. The lubricant's application process is online at the SCC Tech site. So, I hopped on there and did a little studying to see what I needed to do with my new chain and current drivetrain. 

By the way, I am using a brand new Wippermann 11SB chain for this lube. The drivetrain is made up of a Shimano XT 11 speed cassette, GRX 1 X ring and GRX rear derailleur. In terms of the cassette, chain ring, and derailleur jockey wheels, SCC claims the lubricant will 'clean' it up, but I went ahead and 'dry cleaned' (NO SOLVENTS) the parts with a rag as best I could. 

They don't really say what to do with a new chain, so I did not strip the chain down with cleaners, as I would typically do. I thought I saw where SCC claims you don't have to do anything there, but when I went to verify that I could not find that claim. Anyway, this stuff, if claims are to be believed, should handle whatever Wippermann ships chains with easily because it isn't much. A Wippermann chain seems to have a LOT less shipping oils/grease than say, a Shimano chain, and feels a lot cleaner than any SRAM chain I've handled out of the box.

This is what the chain looks like midway through the first test ride.

So, SCC Tech wants you to put a drop of this blue lube on each link, rotate the chain a bunch of times, and then remove the rear wheel and clean the drivetrain bits. Well, I had started with a clean drivetrain, so I just wiped off the excess lube and let it sit overnight. Then I rode it the next day for about 45 minutes (to run in the chain and make sure everything was shifting good) and that was that. Mid-way through the ride I checked the chain with my 'Wipe Test', which longtime readers know is a simple swipe of the finger tip across the mating side of the chain. I did get some wet, blackish residue, but as SCC Tech says, this is simply the lube working out anything in the chain and drivetrain that shouldn't be there. 

My impressions of this blue colored lubricant is that it is about the same viscosity and feel as DuMonde Tech, it just lacks the latter lube's aromatic element.  It went on easily, wiped clean easily, and left the requested 'sheen' on the black side plates of the Wippermann chain.

It should be noted that SCC Tech claims this lubricant is neither a "Wet" nor a "Dry" class lubricant. They call it a 'drivetrain treatment' which is fine as long as I don't end up with a bunch of caked on limestone dust after every ride. We will see....... 

Now a brief word about the chain, in case you are curious about Wippermann chains. I used the Shimano chain sent with the GRX group up until this point and so there is a distinct difference here between the two chains. Immediately I noted a much louder and authoritative 'ker-chunk!' with each shift of the gears. It was quite reminiscent of how a SRAM drive train sounds when shifted. After riding for 45 minutes though, the sound deadened out quite a bit. I'm not sure if that was due to the lubricant or just the chain 'getting acquainted with' the rest of the drive train.  Of course, this being a clutch derailleur and 1X, the drive train is going to always have a bit more noise when shifted. 

You don't get that sort of an experience with a Shimano chain. It just runs with whatever noise it makes for its lifetime, and that isn't much noise at all. So, I'll be keeping an eye out for where this goes as I keep using the Wippermann chain. Shift quality was fine, and speed of shifting was excellent, but I did a bit of a tune-up as well, so keep that in mind here. 

Stay tuned for the next contender- The NixFrixShun "Blue Devil" lubricant.

Guitar Ted "Lube-Off": SCC Tech Lube

The next round of the "Guitar Ted Lube-Off" has begun and both of the new contenders have arrived. The first one I will cover here is the SCC Tech lubricant, or as they like to say in their marketing, "drivetrain treatment'. Kind of like STP, I guess.

But first, I wanted to quickly address a request heard from my original blog post last week and from social media. These pushes came too late, so I am afraid that regardless of the passionate responses, I am left with the only option I have at this point. Let me explain.....

A week ago today I posted the announcement for this new round of the 'Lube-Off' and asked for your suggestions. On Thursday last week, I announced my two selections for this round based upon the feedback I had gotten to that point. So, we're off and running. The orders were placed and product was on the way.

Friday, a "Jeff from Silca"made a near novel length comment pushing hard for Silca lubricant to be included. Then on Saturday, a no less weighty request came from another industry person on social media, whose opinions I regard highly, asking for the inclusion of Silca lubricant. Okay......look. As I stated, (I thought it was clear) in my posts last week, there were only going to be two slots in this round which were filled Thursday of last week. So, all I can do is to wait and ask you passionate about Silca lubricant to wait, until the next round of the 'Lube-Off' happens, which I guess is going to be right after this one, eh? 

Now with all of that out of the way, let's take a closer look at this SCC Tech stuff. As you can see in the image, I purchased a small bottle of the lube and it came with that sticker and cloth you see in the image there, which I did not expect, but it was a nice touch. The lubricant's application process is online at the SCC Tech site. So, I hopped on there and did a little studying to see what I needed to do with my new chain and current drivetrain. 

By the way, I am using a brand new Wippermann 11SB chain for this lube. The drivetrain is made up of a Shimano XT 11 speed cassette, GRX 1 X ring and GRX rear derailleur. In terms of the cassette, chain ring, and derailleur jockey wheels, SCC claims the lubricant will 'clean' it up, but I went ahead and 'dry cleaned' (NO SOLVENTS) the parts with a rag as best I could. 

They don't really say what to do with a new chain, so I did not strip the chain down with cleaners, as I would typically do. I thought I saw where SCC claims you don't have to do anything there, but when I went to verify that I could not find that claim. Anyway, this stuff, if claims are to be believed, should handle whatever Wippermann ships chains with easily because it isn't much. A Wippermann chain seems to have a LOT less shipping oils/grease than say, a Shimano chain, and feels a lot cleaner than any SRAM chain I've handled out of the box.

This is what the chain looks like midway through the first test ride.

So, SCC Tech wants you to put a drop of this blue lube on each link, rotate the chain a bunch of times, and then remove the rear wheel and clean the drivetrain bits. Well, I had started with a clean drivetrain, so I just wiped off the excess lube and let it sit overnight. Then I rode it the next day for about 45 minutes (to run in the chain and make sure everything was shifting good) and that was that. Mid-way through the ride I checked the chain with my 'Wipe Test', which longtime readers know is a simple swipe of the finger tip across the mating side of the chain. I did get some wet, blackish residue, but as SCC Tech says, this is simply the lube working out anything in the chain and drivetrain that shouldn't be there. 

My impressions of this blue colored lubricant is that it is about the same viscosity and feel as DuMonde Tech, it just lacks the latter lube's aromatic element.  It went on easily, wiped clean easily, and left the requested 'sheen' on the black side plates of the Wippermann chain.

It should be noted that SCC Tech claims this lubricant is neither a "Wet" nor a "Dry" class lubricant. They call it a 'drivetrain treatment' which is fine as long as I don't end up with a bunch of caked on limestone dust after every ride. We will see....... 

Now a brief word about the chain, in case you are curious about Wippermann chains. I used the Shimano chain sent with the GRX group up until this point and so there is a distinct difference here between the two chains. Immediately I noted a much louder and authoritative 'ker-chunk!' with each shift of the gears. It was quite reminiscent of how a SRAM drive train sounds when shifted. After riding for 45 minutes though, the sound deadened out quite a bit. I'm not sure if that was due to the lubricant or just the chain 'getting acquainted with' the rest of the drive train.  Of course, this being a clutch derailleur and 1X, the drive train is going to always have a bit more noise when shifted. 

You don't get that sort of an experience with a Shimano chain. It just runs with whatever noise it makes for its lifetime, and that isn't much noise at all. So, I'll be keeping an eye out for where this goes as I keep using the Wippermann chain. Shift quality was fine, and speed of shifting was excellent, but I did a bit of a tune-up as well, so keep that in mind here. 

Stay tuned for the next contender- The NixFrixShun "Blue Devil" lubricant.

Country Views: Resistance Training

Escape Route: bike paths to the East.

 We have been experiencing quite the 'weather-whiplash' here of late. Earlier this last week it was 18°F in the morning and it never got above 40°F for the day. My son said he saw snow flakes during his track team's practice. Saturday? It was 75°F and Sunny. Weird weather! 

So, you know I was planning on getting out to ride Saturday, and that's exactly what I did. I even made it out of the door before 9:00am, leaving Guitar Ted Productions' headquarters at 8:30am. The ride would start out in the upper 40's and end up around 70 degrees before I got back. That always makes dressing for a long ride a challenge. But I figured a wool jersey, arm warmers, and a vest would make my choices variable enough that I could make it work. I also wore a pair of knickers over some bib shorts and long wool socks on my feet. The Giant MTB shoes I have are a bit too warm for Summer, but for Spring they are spot on. The bike was the Noble GX5 which I am using to test the WTB Proterra wheels for a review for RidingGravel.com. 

So, the route plan was South, West, then back home in a giant loop. The wind was supposed to be light- 7-8mph with gusts of 15mph out of the Southwest. That didn't sound too bad, so I made my way via the bike path network to Foulk Road and I planned on heading South first. 

Morning light strobing through the adjacent trees always makes seeing tough.

Four of these giant cottonwoods, all spaced evenly, stand vigil on the East side of Foulk Road near Washburn, Iowa.

Of course, once I hit Foulk Road I found out that the wind was raging. This was definitely not a mere breeze, as forecast. It was a full-on gale, and I was struggling against it on the flat opening plain of this section of my route. Also- fresh gravel. I mean, why wouldn't there be? So that made the going even harder. 

There was a bit of a respite as I went East on Eastman Road a mile.

I thought my eyes went buggy. The sky was a weird grey-blue Saturday.

I hopped over to Cotter Road and then I went as far South as Reinbeck Road and then back West. No quarter was given by the howling wind, nor by the copious amounts of fresh gravel on the roadway. At times the gravel was so deep and loose that the bike would pitch sideways as the stones rolled underneath of the tires. 

I'm not sure why, but I found it really hard to get my legs going. I felt sort of dead, and that further compounded my difficulties. While I try to always be very grateful for every opportunity to ride in the country, I must admit that the 'suck meter' was pegged at about this point in the ride. I made frequent stops to give my legs, heart, and lungs some relief. 

Lots of fresh gravel on Reinbeck Road. Here's a look at it from a spot I stopped to rest.

A nice, clear stream, a spur off of Miller Creek, which sang a babbling song to me as I rested.

I ended up stopping to make a plan to see if it were possible to tack into this nasty Southwestern gale. I came up with a good plan which netted me a turn about every mile or two. This would give my tired legs a break. 

I took this shot over my shoulder of a passing tractor. Note the dusty cloud getting blown away by the stiff winds.

A tractor waiting for its next assignment.

As my fate would have it, every Northbound section had cleared gravel, or was so smooth it was like pavement. Then I'd turn left into the wind and boom! More deep, fresh gravel, because, why not? I just kept on pedaling....

I've feared that our very dry weather would begin to break down the roads into dust. This is Hammond Avenue.

This farmer painted his house and garage a kind of purple. I salute his boldness!

As I plodded along, a strange thing started happening. I 'found my legs', as the saying goes. I was making decent headway, and what is more, the winds seemed to be relenting now as well. The big gusts were gone, but it wasn't like the wind went away. 

This lonely cement pillar was probably a survey marker for an old farm plot long gone now.

Ditch burning is a traditional activity during this transition to Spring. Note all the gravel flung into the ditch by snow plowing.

While my legs found new strength, by this time I was getting pretty tired from my earlier efforts. Talk about sore muscles! But I wasn't going to get home by whining about my legs. I kept on pushing and tacking the wind until eventually I ended up on Aker Road and the end of battling the wind was coming. 

A pile of dirt from a burrowing animal on the road, and a tractor doing field work.

I'm not 100% familiar with all of Iowa's burrowing creatures, but some are finding this breakdown of the roadways to their liking and are boring holes right into the road bed. Big piles of dirt, flung up from excavations, were seen here and there on my ride. I'm sure the County maintenance department will be having some complaints filed concerning these activities! 

I also spied my first tractor in a field for 2021. Kind of early, but with these unusually warm temperatures, I suppose the soil temperatures are following suit and farmers will be getting prepared for planting with a vengeance here. 

I finally made it home after almost four hours and about 35 miles of riding. Slow.....but really hard. The resistance to moving was high for much of that time I was out, so I burned some matches there! My legs were aching for quite a while after that effort.

Country Views: Resistance Training

Escape Route: bike paths to the East.

 We have been experiencing quite the 'weather-whiplash' here of late. Earlier this last week it was 18°F in the morning and it never got above 40°F for the day. My son said he saw snow flakes during his track team's practice. Saturday? It was 75°F and Sunny. Weird weather! 

So, you know I was planning on getting out to ride Saturday, and that's exactly what I did. I even made it out of the door before 9:00am, leaving Guitar Ted Productions' headquarters at 8:30am. The ride would start out in the upper 40's and end up around 70 degrees before I got back. That always makes dressing for a long ride a challenge. But I figured a wool jersey, arm warmers, and a vest would make my choices variable enough that I could make it work. I also wore a pair of knickers over some bib shorts and long wool socks on my feet. The Giant MTB shoes I have are a bit too warm for Summer, but for Spring they are spot on. The bike was the Noble GX5 which I am using to test the WTB Proterra wheels for a review for RidingGravel.com. 

So, the route plan was South, West, then back home in a giant loop. The wind was supposed to be light- 7-8mph with gusts of 15mph out of the Southwest. That didn't sound too bad, so I made my way via the bike path network to Foulk Road and I planned on heading South first. 

Morning light strobing through the adjacent trees always makes seeing tough.

Four of these giant cottonwoods, all spaced evenly, stand vigil on the East side of Foulk Road near Washburn, Iowa.

Of course, once I hit Foulk Road I found out that the wind was raging. This was definitely not a mere breeze, as forecast. It was a full-on gale, and I was struggling against it on the flat opening plain of this section of my route. Also- fresh gravel. I mean, why wouldn't there be? So that made the going even harder. 

There was a bit of a respite as I went East on Eastman Road a mile.

I thought my eyes went buggy. The sky was a weird grey-blue Saturday.

I hopped over to Cotter Road and then I went as far South as Reinbeck Road and then back West. No quarter was given by the howling wind, nor by the copious amounts of fresh gravel on the roadway. At times the gravel was so deep and loose that the bike would pitch sideways as the stones rolled underneath of the tires. 

I'm not sure why, but I found it really hard to get my legs going. I felt sort of dead, and that further compounded my difficulties. While I try to always be very grateful for every opportunity to ride in the country, I must admit that the 'suck meter' was pegged at about this point in the ride. I made frequent stops to give my legs, heart, and lungs some relief. 

Lots of fresh gravel on Reinbeck Road. Here's a look at it from a spot I stopped to rest.

A nice, clear stream, a spur off of Miller Creek, which sang a babbling song to me as I rested.

I ended up stopping to make a plan to see if it were possible to tack into this nasty Southwestern gale. I came up with a good plan which netted me a turn about every mile or two. This would give my tired legs a break. 

I took this shot over my shoulder of a passing tractor. Note the dusty cloud getting blown away by the stiff winds.

A tractor waiting for its next assignment.

As my fate would have it, every Northbound section had cleared gravel, or was so smooth it was like pavement. Then I'd turn left into the wind and boom! More deep, fresh gravel, because, why not? I just kept on pedaling....

I've feared that our very dry weather would begin to break down the roads into dust. This is Hammond Avenue.

This farmer painted his house and garage a kind of purple. I salute his boldness!

As I plodded along, a strange thing started happening. I 'found my legs', as the saying goes. I was making decent headway, and what is more, the winds seemed to be relenting now as well. The big gusts were gone, but it wasn't like the wind went away. 

This lonely cement pillar was probably a survey marker for an old farm plot long gone now.

Ditch burning is a traditional activity during this transition to Spring. Note all the gravel flung into the ditch by snow plowing.

While my legs found new strength, by this time I was getting pretty tired from my earlier efforts. Talk about sore muscles! But I wasn't going to get home by whining about my legs. I kept on pushing and tacking the wind until eventually I ended up on Aker Road and the end of battling the wind was coming. 

A pile of dirt from a burrowing animal on the road, and a tractor doing field work.

I'm not 100% familiar with all of Iowa's burrowing creatures, but some are finding this breakdown of the roadways to their liking and are boring holes right into the road bed. Big piles of dirt, flung up from excavations, were seen here and there on my ride. I'm sure the County maintenance department will be having some complaints filed concerning these activities! 

I also spied my first tractor in a field for 2021. Kind of early, but with these unusually warm temperatures, I suppose the soil temperatures are following suit and farmers will be getting prepared for planting with a vengeance here. 

I finally made it home after almost four hours and about 35 miles of riding. Slow.....but really hard. The resistance to moving was high for much of that time I was out, so I burned some matches there! My legs were aching for quite a while after that effort.

Country Views: One Before It Gets Bad

Escape Route; County V-49 North From Raymond.

 Nearly 60°F and a breeze from the Southeast on a clear-ish day? March? You have to get it when you can. Especially when a big storm is headed your way, the temperatures are supposed to plummet, and snow is forecast. So, yeah, doubly important to get your butt off the couch and ride. 

I knew this, but I also knew I had a few errands to tackle for the family before I could get out of the house on my ride, so I ended up doing those things and grilling lunch, and it was time to go. 

I decided on using the Noble Bikes GX5 for this run and I decided to embark from the softball complex in Raymond, Iowa. I've used that a few times before as a place to take off from to get to the Eastern side of Black Hawk County a little faster. I can reach this area riding from the house but it takes another 20 or so miles, round trip, to do it and I didn't have that kind of time. 

I also wasn't really feeling right. I woke up stiff, felt really tired, and then that kind of went away but after lunch I felt like I had a balloon in my gut. Maybe salad isn't my jam before a ride? Possibly. Whatever the deal was, I had this uncomfortable, nagging feeling and I wasn't quite 'right' on the bike, so keeping things realistic in terms of ride length was a better idea anyway. I did have a slightly longer loop as an option, but I went with the original plan instead. and that ended up being the right call in the end. I was able to complete the ride comfortably, with no big issues and no damage incurred to the body. Which is a good thing. Longer days will happen soon enough. 

There now is very little snow to be found. I saw some leftovers in ditches like this on Osage Road.

Things look like late October again out in the country. That won't last much longer!

The roads out East of Waterloo weren't so super-smooth as they were North and South of town, but they weren't what I'd call 'normal' conditions. No, this still qualifies as 'Hero Gravel' despite the fine covering of grit and almost 'pea' gravel in places that I experienced. It was, as it has been everywhere this early Spring, completely and utterly dry. 

In fact, I must report that I was 100% wrong about this changing 'when the frost comes out' because the frost is out now. This is sort of an unprecedented year then. Without copious amounts of rain, I see no reason why this condition won't turn the roads into moon-dust and get really powder-like out there real soon. It was obvious that the frost had come out since most every drainage tile end was dumping out water and all the rivulets, creeks, and streams are running full-tilt now. Realizing that we haven't had much precipitation to account for this, I believe it is the early season frost that is coming out that accounts for my observations. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable can correct me if I am wrong there. There are some pretty smart people reading this blog, I know......

A giant pile of field stones sits alongside Pilot Grove Road near a creek crossing on the right here.

A quick stop on Newell Road at the Poyner Creek crossing.

Like I was saying, there was wind. It was a tiny bit on the annoying side, but you know, that's par for the course out here. So, I wasn't complaining at all. But it was one of those winds that you never got a good push from because of how our roads are gridded out on the compass points. Even when I returned from the East to go back to the truck it wasn't the sort of tailwind push you'd hope for. 

Sad eyes, crooked crosses, in God's country.

Super fast conditions on Young Road.

I ended up heading back on Young Road which has this climb that is one of those that grinds you down. It doesn't look all that bad at first, but it just keeps going, and going, and going. I paid attention to this and it is slightly over a mile in length at what I would say is about a 6% grade. It isn't remarkable, in comparison to many other climbs out there, but it is one of those climbs that bites you because it initially looks like no big deal, and then a half a mile later you are wondering when it quits. It's hard to explain it, but maybe you've been on something similar? It just grinds on and I had to really pay attention to my cadence and effort level so I wouldn't get too far in the weeds with regard to effort and then end up blowing up. Anyway...

I was happy to say I managed it well, but I remember when this past Summer, on a hot day, this same climb kicked me in the butt because it had a ton of fresh gravel on it, and maintaining a cadence was hard to do. So, I'll have to revisit this climb again later in the year to gauge my progress. Not that it is fun to do...

After the climb I found my legs, (finally) and was kicking it in gear with some good rhythm and power. I felt really good and to end the ride on that note was a good way to end. I rolled up to the truck and headed back home. That'll likely do it for nice weather for a bit. I doubt we touch 60 degrees the rest of the week. Heck, I was riding in a base layer and a long sleeved jersey only on Saturday. The first 'no jacket' ride of the year, although I could have gone no-jacket there back a week ago, but I was being conservative. 

More soon......