My first time out this way started the whole bike fit problem that I've been having for the past couple years, but this time finally brought me solutions.
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Monday, November 7, 2016
Monday, October 31, 2016
Greenwater (2016-10-22)
Despite its name, this town is actually on the White River. It shares its name with the Greenwater River, which is a tributary of the White River.
On this ride, I finally figured out what my knees really want, and realized that I needed to lower the handlebars with the saddle once past a certain point in order to feel like I'm getting any power out.
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Monday, October 10, 2016
John Wayne Pioneer Trail II (2016-09-30)
After the easy time I had with my Davidson on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, I decided to try something a bit more involved.
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This was yet another one of my rides where I shamelessly kept trying to make my knees happy. I found the right saddle height range, but fore-aft still needed work at the end.
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Thursday, September 29, 2016
Quimper and South Whidbey (2016-09-24)
A little ride around Puget Sound.
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I spent most of this ride adjusting my saddle position, most of which involved moving it down. It kept getting better, though there's still room for improvement.
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Monday, September 19, 2016
Seattle to Portland via Gifford Pinchot National Forest (Labor Day 2016)
I spent Labor Day weekend on a long, largely unsupported tour.
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Thursday, September 1, 2016
Snoqualmie Valley Trail on a General-Purpose Touring Bike (2016-08-27)
My custom Davidson does gravel even better than my Surly Troll!
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Monday, August 29, 2016
Foothills Loop with Heat Exhaustion (2016-08-20)
My first century ride on the Davidson touring bike I recently picked up, it was very difficult as the temperatures approached 100°F.
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Monday, August 15, 2016
Monday, August 8, 2016
Skagit City and Sedro–Woolley (2016-07-30)
More riding in Skagit County, away from the mess of the Seattle suburbs.
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Monday, August 1, 2016
Not Feeling Too Well (2016-07-23)
Plan A was heading out along the Quimper Peninsula, but I wasn't feeling well so I tried a simpler ride to South Prairie. I still had to turn back early at Sumner.
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Sunday, July 24, 2016
Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic 2016 (Mid-July)
The way I see it, the STP is more a social thing than a riding thing.
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Friday, July 8, 2016
Morton (2016-07-02,03)
Down through the foothills, up through the valleys.
I outfitted my bike with Compass Barlow Pass tires and sealant after the success of last lime.
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Friday, July 1, 2016
Bicycle Quarterly Un-meeting 2016 (2016-06-23 to 27)
I went out to another one of BQ's un-meeting, and turned the trips to and from Carson into fully-loaded touring adventures. Unlike last time, however, I had an easier time, and only turned early back because I had to start early the next morning.
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Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Good Fit, Bad Weather, & Coffee Overdose (2016-06-18)
I went out knowing that the weather would be not-so-great because I needed to finally dial in the last of the saddle position. I ran on coffee much of the day…which subsequently caused me to not pace myself when I did get the saddle position to where I liked it. I got too excited and burned my legs out.
More after the break…
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Rain Dodging (2016-06-11)
I rode along the unpaved trails in eastern King County, ducking out rain by going indoors multiple times.
Title for today: "Rain Dodging"
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) June 12, 2016
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Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Dabob Peninsula (2016-06-04)
I learned hard lessons about planning, water capacity, and saddle position.
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Friday, June 3, 2016
Aberdeen II: Hoquiam (2016-05-28,29)
Saturday reminded me of what I don't like about long-distance riding, but Sunday reminded me of what I love about it.
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Saturday, May 21, 2016
2016-05-21
My plan was to loop around Lake Washington, but the weather suggested I do something else. The main idea was roughly finalize the saddle position before having a professional take a look, and I pretty much got that done.
This ride ended up being a short out-and-back to and from Bothell, so there aren't many details to add. I did get a pinch flat, though.
More after the break…
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Orting and Green River (2016-05-14)
My plan was to do a foothills loop, but the rain discouraged me enough to turn back early.
I didn't take too many photos this time, so here are some related albums.
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Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Mount Rainier National Park II (2016-04-30)
Or "A Crash Course in Underbiking."
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Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Elbe (2016-04-16)
I rode down to the hometown of the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad on Alder Lake, using Link Light Rail to avoid downtown Seattle. In the end, I rode nearly 160 miles, but didn't feel too weak at the end as I got my saddle position dialed in almost perfectly.
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Friday, April 15, 2016
Washout Before Galena (2016-04-09)
I was trying to get to the place called "Galena" on the North Fork Skykomish River, the highway was completely washed out only a few miles below it. It was so bad that the entire ROW was turned into a river!
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Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Barlow Pass (2016-04-02)
Engaging in the 'sport' of 'pass hunting', I rode up to Barlow Pass along the partially closed Mountain Loop Highway.
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Monday, March 28, 2016
La Conner, Swinomish Reservation, and Mount Vernon (2016-03-19)
Wanting to get more of the "good stuff", I took the bus to and from Everett to extend my range further north.
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After only getting to Everett before turning back due to the conditions I faced that morning, I really was hoping to get a good ride in this time. Thankfully, that's exactly what I did!
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Sunday, March 6, 2016
Reverse Foothills Loop, Mostly (2016-02-27)
I really should've picked something less hilly for a shakedown ride.
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Saturday, February 13, 2016
Arlington Sans SR-9 (2016-02-06)
I wanted a route for tuning this bike's saddle position, as I'm sitting on it in the intended way now. Pretty much: minimizing long, steep climbs, which threw out SR-9 through Clearview.
More after the break…
Friday, February 5, 2016
Finally! A Century After Two Months (2016-01-30)
It was the perfect weather for a day-long ride.
After dealing with ice, ice, more ice and…
The verdict: rib cartilage tear up front, and intercostal muscle damage on the side. No fracturing.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) January 20, 2016
…I finally was able to get a real century ride out.
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Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Eugene (2016-01-15,16,17)
I took the train to visit Kent, who now works for Bike Friday, and he showed me around town.
For those who are curious, Kent has his own blog, which is primarily bicycle-oriented.
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Saturday, January 9, 2016
More Fog, Ice, and Bruised Ribs (2016-01-09)
It seemed like it'd be a great day for a long ride, but the freezing fog in the morning made for dangerous conditions. I went down in the early morning, but kept going until the pain in my ribs prevented me from being able to ride properly. Giving, up, I took the bus home.
After a couple rides cut short due to sheet ice, I thought I'd try to go out riding again. Boy, it was a mistake.
Heading out into the foothills would've been fun, but floods closed the trails, which means I probably won't be able to do that again for a long time.
With the Snoqualmie Valley Trail's closures, I doubt I'll be heading out there again soon. https://t.co/qWgqCF7etu pic.twitter.com/lGmrg0LvfV
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) January 9, 2016
More after the break…
Friday, January 8, 2016
Trying One More Time (2016-01-01)
Despite my hard, hard efforts, I had to turn back again due to ice.
More after the break…
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
It's an Ice Day to Ride (2015-12-31)
I tried to complete the reverse foothills loop, but there was too much ice on the rural side. I had to fight the cold, but I couldn't fight the ice.
I've tried to complete the route once before, but didn't find success that time or this time due to frigid weather.
More after the break…
Monday, January 4, 2016
Spin Around Lake Washington (2015-12-28)
I took my fast bike around the lake through the latter half of the day. Aside from a mystery flat near Bellevue, it was a lot of fun!
Since this ride was a relatively short loop, I'm not going to divide it into sections.
More after the break…
Snow in the Foothills (2015-12-26)
My original plan was to head to the North Fork Snoqualmie campground, but the snow forced me to turn back. I managed to stay warm, but I had to deal with a number of closures and detours on the way home.
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