Fast fat man

[Patrick Moore]

I took a nice fall out 'n' back on the new Matthews RBFR shod with the new 39 mm (actual with tubes on 21 mm outside rims; expect them to stretch) 42mm-labeled Naches Pass extralights. Slight headwind southbound, slight tailwind return.

I was trundling along smugly, thinking I was king of the road -- passed a number of mere mortals, etc. Reached the turnaround point at 10.5 miles, stopped for drink, heard loud ratchet sounds, little butterball of a greybeard pulled up, turned around, and prepared to head back north, and he greeted me. He was riding some state-of-art carbon fiber vunderbike with exotic wheels and hub with hornet freewhee. I recognized him as someone I had tried to draft a couple of months ago, on one of my inaugural rides on this same bike, as he headed north drafting a much younger man. So I said hello and expressed my recognition.

He headed off and I followed a minute or so later, but damned if I could reel him in; not that I was trying that hard. But -- here's the point: during our last encounter, I said, "well, I'm 65!" He retorted, "Well I'm 74." And this time I have to admit he put meters on me; started out perhaps 1/4 mile ahead and, after 10 miles, he must have added another 34 mile. (Not that I was really trying. And I was tired. And I had the drag of a pannier. And only 3 gears. Not that I really care.)

Anyway, me, I was riding as I said the new Matthews RBFR overgeared with the new Naches Passes: cog is 18 t for the 24.75" Elk Passes; the NPs are almost 1 inch taller at 25.8", so the gearing moves from 56-66-74 to 59-68-79, and while the 531 frame -- and the tires -- do not at all hold one back, I spend too much time between direct/second and overdrive/3d. Have 19th cog on order.

To further drive home my insufficiency, I was passed 3/4 of the way home by a young woman and shortly thereafter by a young man, but they did not catch up to the old guy, as far as I know.

I am not sure I'll continue with the NPs. The Elk Passes -- 29 mm on my rims -- are just wonderful; fast and giving the bike a really agile feel. The NPs do not seem to slow the bike down at all as far as rolling goes (and, this is interesting, this even with the much heavier and thicker-walled tubes: Schwalbe SV 12s at 150 grams versus the light Schwalbe whatevers at 70 grams [claimed 60 but actual 70]) but they do make the handling a bit more staid and, in fact, with these taller tires, the handling very much reminds me of that of my Ram shod with 700C X 29 mm Parigi Roubaix. I do prefer the faster turn-in of the thinner tires, but I am not sure at this point which I will choose as the default.

Anyway, very nice ride in very nice weather. No photo yet of the RBFR with NPs; the fender line is perfect, btw.

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

[Clark Fitzgerald]

Sometimes you can't judge by appearances. 😉

I regularly see people and think "There's no way they're that fast." Then I realize they're on an electric bike.

[Patrick Moore]

At least 8 years ago I was trucking fast up a long, steep hill feeling proud of myself when a man in jeans and flannel shirt sitting bolt upright on a cheap mountain bike passed me at 3 mph riding easily and pulling a trailer. Needless to say I was crushed. However, I passed came upon him stopped a mile or so down the road and asked what he was riding. I turned out that his trailer was really a prototype electric motor assist device and it was pushing him. Needless to say I felt vindicated.

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[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

I laughed. SO. Hard. I can see the scene, feel like I also met the old guy. Bravo! Who cares if you lost the race, you won a great story.

[Paul Brodek]

So they passed you, the 65yr-old, but didn't catch "the old guy," the 74yr-old?

Pot, meet kettle. Kettle, meet pot.

:^}

Paul Brodek

Hillsdale, NJ USA

On Tuesday, October 13, 2020 at 5:39:08 PM UTC-4, Patrick Moore wrote:

[snips]

...during our last encounter, I said, "well, I'm 65!" He retorted, "Well I'm 74."...

...I was passed...by a young woman and...a young man, but they did not catch up to the old guy, as far as I know.