The Silence is Deafening

Yeah, it's been a while since I last posted. I guess it's time for a little update...

Stats for 2008, as of 04/15
Total Mileage: 1,656.49 miles (an average of 15.48 miles per day)
Average Speed: 9.7 mph
Total Time: 167 hours, 50 minutes in the saddle


Mileage by bike
2004 Gary Fisher Wahoo: 800.79 miles
2008 Kona Sutra: 839.63 miles

The mileage on the Sea Star is unchanged - no zoobombing in a while

So, in the last 2 months, I've nearly tripled my mileage - not too shabby. If I keep my current pace, I'll still outdo last year by 300 miles, but I have ambitious plans this riding season once we get out from under the rain. This past weekend, I led 16 other cyclists on a trip to Champoeg State Park for Exchange Cycle Tours. It worked quite well, and as you can see from the pictures, my bike was pretty loaded. See the second pic for a great example of exactly how much you can fit onto a fully loaded touring bike! The Sutra with racks, GPS and mount, and lights weighs 36 pounds. I was carrying about 77 pounds of gear, food, water and bags, for a total load of 113 pounds. Despite the load, I still managed to average 10 mph from Portland to Champoeg, even with a 400' climb through Oregon City sandwiched in the middle of the ride.

The camping trip was great - we had a few mechanicals, but with a few exceptions, everyone had a good time and the trip was completed safely.

That's not to say that it didn't have flaws - besides the mechanicals, we had difficulty communicating along the rider line, the pacing was sometimes too fast for some of the beginners (and no one told me), and I broke two welds on my rear rack before we'd gone 4 miles. (No, it wasn't overloaded - it was within the listed specs for the rack!) So, I guess it's time for an Old Man Mountain rear rack.

The good thing is that my setup has proven itself, and I'm totally ready to do the touring trip through the northern California coast in late May. (Yeehaw!)

-peace