Author: mb

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DirtBak


Took a detour home from town to take in the Intervale in all its late fall glory. We are lucky to live in an area of Burlington that is served by 1 main road route to downtown and several options for MUPs. The route of choice on the Bak is usually along the gently graded lakefront MUP, and old railbed turned into the ‘Burlington Bike Path’. Another option is the ‘127 Bike Path’ – which parallels and crosses the Winooski river into town, cutting through the Intervale. Its a great shortcut when getting from our place to points southeasterly of town. On our trip home last week I took the Bak for a gently off road roll. First on dirt farm roads and then on some flat single track along the river and through Ethan Allen Homestead. We connected back up to the 127 MUP for the last leg of our journey into the New North End. The Bak handled great on the dry stuff – but when it got really snotty I felt transported to my youth when I piloted my first car – the hand me down family wagon – through the snow.


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Wrenching


Fall maintenance time… the IF is in the shop (my garage, I mean bike storage facility) for the forseeable future. I try to pull the BB and most of the components at least once a year. Tonight I noticed a bit of a play in the BB after getting the drive side off – the Phil BB seems to have worn into its inner shell on the non drive side – the axle wobbled when I spun and pulled on it. I’ve sent an email off to Phil & Co. – hopefully they can refurbish this with a new housing. I imagine that the axle and bearings are still good.

Looks like I’ll be on the Surly FG for the next few days until I sort out the BB. Worst case is that I’ll be shelling out some $$ to fix this with a new BB, which is double the quote price of a refurbishment of existing components.

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Another Fall Ride


Did a nice loop through Richmond 2 weeks ago. Was planning on riding the southern half of the 200k Permanent but opted instead to get up late, sip tea at a favorite cafe, and roll south at a leisurely pace. The landscape was a riot of color.



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The Cut via Bakfiets


Short ride with Greg and Keenan out to ‘the Cut’ on the causeway. This is the first time the Bak has made the trip to the waters edge. The path is in good shape, the bike ferry docks look great, and the temps and colors were perfect.


Greg is riding his all-terrain-a-saurus. He bought a used mountain bike from Old Spokes two years ago and converted it to a road bike. He’s added some really wide semi knobby tires for dirt road cruising, and picked up a free bike trailer for the little one. Missing are his rack, panniers, and bright yellow fenders. Last winter he made his own studded tires.

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More Pics


Hoping to ride the southern half of the 200k route this Sunday. We are promised good weather… everything is shades of yellow, orange, and red – hopefully we’ll have a bright blue sky. More pics here, here, and here. The image above is of me climbing a short 15% grade during the first 1/3 of the ride. The real climb starts after a steep pitch to a stop sign – and then a left turn into the wall.

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Dirt Road Permanent


John, Patrick, Jim and I did a test run of the northern half of a 200k Dirt Road Permanent I have been planning. We covered ~75 miles of the northern part of the route. I was cooked and the gents did well to get me back to town.




The route was 60% dirt, with plenty of sharp rollers and a few long climbs. The grades ranged from steady 5% to an 18% wall about two thirds into the route. Temps were in the 50s and even though I was dressed well (in Ibex wool) I had a persistent chill most of the day. The foliage was peak at the higher elevations – colors simply stunning. We’re hoping to ride the southern half of the route this weekend – colors should still be peak – and if we get some sun and clear skies we might get a view to the ADKs.











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Endless Mountains 1240k

I just sent in my registration for the Endless Mountains 1240k. The ride starts in Quakertown, Pennsylvania and is put on by a very active and successful RBA. For a short time in 2000 I lived a few towns over from the ride start – I was working with a friend surveying, dismantling, moving, and repairing historic barns (we turned 2 of them into houses). The country that the ride traverses is beautiful. I have just about a year to build on my base and get my rando legs back under me – I hope to not only complete the ride – but enjoy the scenery and maybe stop and smell the flowers along the way. I’ll need to complete a full brevet series to qualify – and I’d like to add a fleche to the mix to hone night riding and sleep deprivation skills.

Something I’ve learned over the last few years is that it is important for me to have goals and targets. This year I stayed motivated by planning and riding a solo 300k through the ADKs. With the 1200k on the horizon I’ll be able to build on a series of small goals that lead to the big event. It should be an interesting year.

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Snaps

Some snaps from the last few weeks – its been busy. The lake, a trip to the Boston Aquarium, Jen’s first triathlon (she placed 8th of 46th in her group! Not bad for a new mom!), a stop at my favorite cafe, Crocs and Baks, and fall has arrived.






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Stitching



Stitched together the last bit of a 200k mixed terrain ride… hopefully to become a registered RUSA permanent. Three route options range from 70 miles to 125 miles. The usual suspects will be tackling the 90 miles to verify the cue sheet in early October and I’ll get out solo to confirm the extended closing leg of the 200k route in late October.



Lots and lots of dirt – maybe 80% of the route. Plenty of climbing. Fantastic views to Mansfield and Camel’s Hump – even a quick peak at the lake and the Adirondacks. Country lanes, small towns, country stores, sheep, horses, and mountain ponds. The colors are just starting to pop – I think it will be the perfect leaf peeping ride.