We had unusually fine weather this past weekend. 60's in November in the Twin Cities is not very common. Decided that it was a good opportunity to ride my Rivendell bikes.
After the old-time jam on Saturday (where I committed to buying a guitar built by a friend) rolled the Atlantis out and took off for an adventure to Stillwater, MN. Riding out was smooth and easy. Passed one Rivendell (green custom?) on the Gateway trail. Pretty sure it was a member of this list. The trail was pretty crowded both out and back. Even after making the turn to head out to Stillwater itself, saw quite a few folks out riding. Seems like it was a fairly popular plan. With all the ease of riding out there, knew something was up. By the time to head home, knew the answer. Wind. Lots of it. Added to that was the ride, which is hilly. And yet the hills are not tall enough to shelter when climbing. Made things even more challening. Still, was able to enjoy the ride and get away with a thick Wooly Warm short sleeve t-shirt and shorts. Which caused a few of the more heavily wrapped "serious" riders to question my sanity. (One woman, riding with a friend said as she headed the other direction "look at this idiot in a t-shirt and shorts." For some reason it was funny. Insulting to my face, yet acting like I wasn't there or just could not hear her.) Overall, a tiring, but fun, 36 mile ride. Sunday was just as nice. Decided to take the Sam Hillborne out and do a loop through a different part of the Twin Cities. Mostly enjoying the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers. This ride also had a fair amount of climbing, but the grades were generally easier. It helped that the longest climb is on a converted railroad line. Again, there were quite a few people out enjoyong the day. But as the ride started earlier on Sunday, it seemed like a few less folks. Total ride was just under 40 miles. The last couple done with my wife who had been out visiting a friend. After riding both bikes over the weekend have to admit it would be nearly impossible to choose just one. Set up as the ultimate cruiser, the Atlantis is a cushy fun ride. Although the upright positioning made it less than ideal into the wind. Add canvas baggage and the bike flies in the face of the current trends. Which really seems to insult the local fast riders. The Hillborne is also a great bike. The one that has the most miles on it for the year. Wide tires make the ride nice and smooth. And with the drop bars nice and high, am even able to get into the drops to help face the wind. Or gain more control on long downhills. A few photos here: http://tinyurl.com/yjy7g9v Eric Platt St. Paul, MN --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
