What's new

Today May 2021

joewein

Maximum Pace
Oct 25, 2011
3,532
3,693
Time to start May with a Mayday ride! It's been three weeks since my last big ride, though I did some hiking...

I may get a bit wet on the way home, but I'll pack my rain gear, just in case.

With the state of emergency it's not Golden Week as usual, but it should still be safe to have fun outdoors, provided you don't crash and need to go to a hospital.
 
lt seems as l have been told all free camping sites in Hyogo and Kyoto have been shut now.
Any one here know anything about this?
 
Anyone planning a GW ride out Tokigawa way will be pleased to know that the Green Line was fully open yesterday from the southernmost point all the way up to the highest point, Kabasaka Pass. No closed-off sections anywhere. Our group took a left at Kabasaka, so I can't comment on the northern part of the line up to Shiroishi and Sadamine.
 
pretend you have heard nothing and just stay in each spot one night. Keep moving and no one will care if it's just one solitary person.
Free camping is just that, free.
lt seems as l have been told all free camping sites in Hyogo and Kyoto have been shut now.
Any one here know anything about this?
 
today was a maintenance day. or more precisely, a big overhaul day, once every 2 years or so a job. all this got off the bike to be replaced (except for the FD, I'm keeping that)

1619840053154.jpeg


first I gave it all a thorough wash, esp the places that can be hard to reach when the chain and FD is on. the wheels first

1619840186535.jpeg


and then the bike

1619840218747.jpeg


I paid special care to cleaning the brake pistons. the gunk that accumulates there can make them less responsive when protracting, or more commonly, when retracting, and thus can rub the pads etc. esp the front caliper is prone to gathering a lot of dirt. BEFORE:

1619840370112.jpeg


AFTER:

1619840430005.jpeg


then to dry it all off

1619840473359.jpeg

I got other things to do in the afternoon, so reassembly, lubricating it all, thorough inspection, changing shifter cables and bedding in the new brakes will all take place over the next few days. then I can entrust it with my life again at least until around New Year's time... stay safe all!
 
Rain + Clay = whoops!

I did two loops on the local trail today and both me and my riding buddy met the dirt at some point. My first "crash" at speed since my knee got jacked in December and his first in quite a while. We knew conditions would be meh at best - but we decided to go for it anyway. Lots of laughs and overall a great time. I suspect I will be a tad sore in the morning -but a good kind of sore. I also am getting to know the new bike better and better - just in time to switch back to the full suspension for park season.


My XC bike that is in North Carolina is being converted to Single Speed by my buddy. His race bike developed an issue and he needs it for a race series. I like SS too, so I told him just to keep the drive train in a bag and keep it SS so I can ride it that way this summer.
 
Anyone planning a GW ride out Tokigawa way will be pleased to know that the Green Line was fully open yesterday from the southernmost point all the way up to the highest point, Kabasaka Pass. No closed-off sections anywhere. Our group took a left at Kabasaka, so I can't comment on the northern part of the line up to Shiroishi and Sadamine.
That stretch between Kabasaka and Takayama is open?
 
That stretch between Kabasaka and Takayama is open?
Yep. Everything south of Kabasaka is open. I noticed @joewein posted very recently about hitting a sealed-off section on the southern approach to Kabasaka (although he said it was easy to get around the barriers and keep going), so as we got closer to Kabasaka, I kept expecting to see barriers around each corner. They never appeared.
 
PXL_20210501_094924240.jpg
I'm having dinner in Ome before the last 40+ km in the rain back home. I rode to Hinohara, then over Rt33 over to the Uenohara side and up Rt18 to Kosuge to pick up a long missed tile. Then back via Okutama and Ome and down the Tamagawa. Beautiful day! I took lots of pictures. Shame the forecast was right about rain in the evening, but I had brought my rain gear. I'll post a proper report later.
 
Yep. Everything south of Kabasaka is open. I noticed @joewein posted very recently about hitting a sealed-off section on the southern approach to Kabasaka (although he said it was easy to get around the barriers and keep going), so as we got closer to Kabasaka, I kept expecting to see barriers around each corner. They never appeared.
Good to know, Thanks!
I went there like 3 weeks in a row and had to skip those barriers. I was already afraid to have my face in some police reports.
 
Yep. Everything south of Kabasaka is open. I noticed @joewein posted very recently about hitting a sealed-off section on the southern approach to Kabasaka (although he said it was easy to get around the barriers and keep going), so as we got closer to Kabasaka, I kept expecting to see barriers around each corner. They never appeared.
Yeah, when I passed there the road was already completely fixed, with new road markings and all - it looked completely ready for reopening. So I'm not surprised the barriers are gone now, but good to have it confirmed!
 
Just saw that the bike I have been looking at went up in price by $150 (frame only). Not that it matters, since it isn't available anyway. So, I'll just make do for another year. Wondering when/if prices and bike availability will return to a pre-COVID level.
 
Just saw that the bike I have been looking at went up in price by $150 (frame only). Not that it matters, since it isn't available anyway. So, I'll just make do for another year. Wondering when/if prices and bike availability will return to a pre-COVID level.
Talking to some friends in and out of the bicycle industry - this is clearly a bubble (obviously). The fear is ramping up production only to have covid go away and pre-covid supply & demand return.

The other fear is a ridiculously flooded 2nd hand market of nearly new bikes cutting into new bike sales.

Tricky spot for the industry.

Also - shipping prices are rising raisig their costs
 
Last edited:
Talking to some friends in and out of the bicycle industry - this is clearly a bubble (obviously). The fear is ramping up production only to have covid go away and pre-covid supply & demand return.

The other fear is a ridiculously flooded 2nd hand market of nearly new bikes cutting into new bike sales.

Tricky spot for the industry.

Also - shipping prices are rising raisig their costs
I was getting sticker shock before COVID disrupted supplies. Personally, if size 56 frames were more common in Japan, I'd probably go that route myself.

Wouldn't want to be a bike shop owner right now. Guess wrong and you could be out of business. If I had to guess, the biking 'craze' is going to be temporary. Like that 'banana diet' that was on TV, and for a month afterward, bananas were scarce. Two months later, back to normal. Much as I hope the newfound interest in biking continues, given human nature, I doubt it will.
 
Personally, if size 56 frames were more common in Japan, I'd probably go that route myself.
I have a bike on sale right now in size 56 😁
Wouldn't want to be a bike shop owner right now. Guess wrong and you could be out of business.
Yup. And at least in Sendai, unlike what you see in Paris and other cities around the world, no efforts were made to improve the cycling infrastructure. But I think in the places where they did have pop up bike lanes and such, there will be a lasting impact, I think. E-bike sales are exploding. I even saw dedicated e-bike shops in Munich in March. Sports cyclists are a different breed, so we may not notice that change as much.
 
Trails are in crap condition for riding, but there is one vine I have hit my head on so many times... It needed to go.
I decided I was gonna hike there and take it out. I asked my 6 year old if she wanted to go, and to my surprise, she said yes!
So we set up her camelbak and one of mine, grabbed some snacks and headed out.
9.5km and 3 hours later, some blood (dad), some bruises (Emily), tons of mud and even more water - we finished up our hike.
Trails that used to be there are gone due to landslides and we just kept pressing on.

I didn't turn over one pedal, but I sure am not upset about it.

1619956875452.png
 
Another hike with my wife and her dog at Oyama, this time also with my daughter and we climbed all the way to the top (1251 m). Including some bonus distance and elevation from taking a wrong turn during the descent and having to backtrack, we hiked 8.6 km with 1000 m of elevation gain. It was not exactly a recovery hike after yesterday's 176 km bike ride but so far I feel a lot better than after the hike a week ago.

PXL_20210502_060022461.jpg
 
Last edited:
Was a quite month with only @ 450km for me last month. Flying under the radar a bit rides all set to only me on Strava while I'm off on leave.

Did a bike packing trip to Kamakura, stayed in a really cheap but really nice little place near the Big Buddha. This month with rising covid & SOE (whatever that really is) I'm keeping to myself again when I can get motivated enough.

To help get motivated went to bed early last night & even put out my clothes for a ride today. Thinking of heading up to Hill Pines Espresso (motivation) in Kawagoe before the crowds arrive and meander back on some new roads. Sit in the shade & read a book somewhere.

In other May related news I'm strongly considering changing my Fairdale Weekender Drop (profile pic bike) into a flat bar single speed BMX pedal machine. I mostly ride it with my wife going slow & it's due to have the derailleur replaced. Initially I was thinking of a major group set upgrade to GRX but my LBS guy gave me an idea to convert this and if I still was keen on the GRX idea get a new frame that can take wider tyres. Good salesmen he is. Convinced me to buy a new bike in the future.

So flat bar will help with my ongoing shoulder pain rehab & will drop bike weight down, sadly not my weight…
 
Back
Top Bottom