Lovely mid-day ride

[Patrick Moore]

Ride started at noon and about 62*F, North via ditch roads and paved back rods to Rio Grande bike path, then back South to major E/W boulevard, whence East to my brother's house -- who had finally just finished end-of-term grading, thence via urban parking lots and ditchbank trails (fortunately firm at this time of incipient Spring) to 4th Street and double back to a little coffee shops for coffee, vegan (Great Lent) oatmeal cookies and good black coffee; return; stopping at Sprout's for 3X 1/2 gal Oatley extra fat and various other fundamentals. ~19.5 miles on the Matthews AM hub Riv clone, loving the middle/2nd/direct 65" gear against headwinds and on dirt (75"/65"/56"). 

Only about 6 miles on dirt but great fun on all surfaces. The 42 mm Naches Passes at ~ 30-35 psi are just about fat and soft enough for roughish but firmish dirt (and excellent on pavement) tho' 48s or 50s at 23-25 psi would be better.

Next up: just bought 650B X 1.5"-to-2" tubes since 26 X 1.8 not available at LBS, to try to put in new pair of 26X1.8" Naches Pass extra lights to try on the 1999 Joe Starck gofast fixie, with the SA TF hub. 52 X 18 direct  for ~72" with 75% drop for 54" on firmer ditchbank paths. A Riv 2 speed fixed gear gravel bike. Hope to do this tomorrow and ride to church Sunday along ditchbanks; will photo and report.

Waiting for 3-speed quadrant shifter for the closer ratio TC hub due 3d week in March.

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Patrick Moore

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