Bella Bicicletta Azzura

   Not a whole lot to write about this week, as the goal was mainly to complete the Pinarello Veneto and post some photos of the finished product. There weren't any real complications to the assembly, except for the noisy operation of the rear derailleur and chain that was occurring when I spun the pedals.
   Turns out that after I sized the chain, I failed to notice that the Campagnolo rear derailleur had a small guide fin on the cage near the upper pulley wheel, and I had mistakenly installed the chain on the outside of that fin.
   Luckily the chain had a master link that could be opened and then reconnected, so rerouting it was a simple operation. No need to mess with the chain tool and remove any pins!
   An operation that can be a bit frustrating is cutting lengths of housing for the cables. It is a simple job to replace housing, as you can use the old pieces as a guide to cut new lengths. However, with a bare frame it really is a matter of trial and error to maintain the proper amount of slack, especially in areas around the handlebars, where turning can pinch or stretch the cable if the housing is cut to the incorrect length.
   From years of practice, I've learned to err on the long side, so that I can trim to the correct fit. Early on in my build experiences I ended up with a good collection of mistake pieces that I had set aside to eventually be used for smaller sections, such as between the chain stay and rear derailleur or from the top tube to rear brake. I'm finally nearing a point where I'll have used up all those "blunder bits".

The Veneto is now listed in my For Sale page!

 

Bikes On the Pike

   A quick project update before getting into the bulk of this blog entry: now that I’ve cleared out a significant amount of my inventory, I’ve been able to get back to some bicycle building that I had set aside. I finished removing the old, crumbling decals from the Pinarello Veneto frame. I also touched up some of the nicks that were in the blue paint, since the exposed white primer underneath was particularly noticeable.

   I was glad to find that the kerning (space between the letters) for the downtube decals was correct, and the letters fit exactly into the spaces left behind in the clearcoat. Unfortunately the vertical seat tube decals did not have the correct spacing and had to be applied individually, letter by letter. I think the results look pretty great, though.

   I’ve had the majority of parts, including a Campagnolo Chorus 10-speed component group, Cinelli bars and stem, plus a very nice Campagnolo Electron wheelset, stored in my shop since last winter. There are a few minor things to gather, then assembly should go quickly. Here are some pics of the frame with the new VeloCals:

   Back in April, my friend Ed - another fellow Anthracite Railroads Historical Society member – invited me to join him, his wife Kelly and some friends to ride on the abandoned section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike just east of Breezewood. We unfortunately had a string of bad weather weekends, wrapped around Mother’s Day, and eventually even Memorial Day, until it was decided, since people were becoming busy with other outdoor events, to postpone until September.

   Finally with a reasonable forecast, we set off early Saturday morning to meet up at the Gateway Service Plaza, where we could grab a quick lunch before heading out on our bikes. A thirteen mile stretch of the turnpike was bypassed in 1968 to relieve congestion through a couple of tunnels that had only one lane of traffic in each direction, and the old route was pretty much left to be reclaimed by nature.

   However, the South Alleghenies Conservancy bought the property in 2001, and it is managed by the Friends of Pike 2 Bike, a coalition of non-profit groups that intend to convert the area to a bike trail. “Officially” the property is closed, but cyclists are allowed to use it at their own risk, with signs posted asking riders to wear helmets and use lights in the tunnels.  

   About nine miles of the abandoned route is open for use after the removal of bridges over Route 30 on the east end and Pump Station Road, near the site of the old Cove Valley Travel Plaza, on the west end. The demolition of these structures eliminated the liability and expense of their repair, marked the property lines between the public and Turnpike Commission-owned sections of the property, and prevented motorized vehicles from easily entering the abandoned highway.

   It was quite appropriate that railroad enthusiasts like Ed and I were riding on this route, since the right-of-way was originally part of the South Pennsylvania Railroad. The venture that became known as “Vanderbilt’s Folly” was set in motion by the New York Central, with the aid of wealthy backers such as Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller and Jay Gould, to challenge the Pennsylvania Railroad’s stranglehold on freight traffic through the state. There are many interesting websites that detail the history of the South Pennsylvania Railroad, including an entertaining article from Harrisburg Magazine that mentions J.P. Morgan, who was concerned with the battle between the two railroads negatively affecting stock prices, holding executives hostage on his yacht until they agreed to stop construction.

   A very short drive east on U.S. Route 30 led us to the trailhead, which was a short, steep climb up from the parking area to the pike's paved surface. We found the road to vary in condition from decent (think little-used country road) to absolutely miserable, with crumbling chunks of asphalt strewn about.

   I learned a quick lesson about controlling my speed on one of the not-so-great sections when Ed and I got brave and decided to tuck down to bomb downhill. A piece of broken pavement flipped up and clipped my right leg, leaving a nice lump on my shin and several scrapes along the inside of my calf. We began a routine of switching side to side over the weedy median in order to ride whichever lane was in better condition.

   Not that it had a whole lot to do with the road condition, but I also managed to have a flat, caused by a tiny thorn. I was lucky to even have noticed it before putting the repaired tube back in the tire – nothing is worse than fixing a flat only to have to change it again immediately! The group teased me about seeing Cycle Tech put his skills to work, but I was happy to end up being the only tire victim on the trip.

   The temperature was very comfortable all day, so it was a bit of a shock to feel the air drop about twenty degrees as we neared the east portal of Ray’s Hill tunnel. I was initially surprised that the interior of the passageways were in such good shape, but even after fifty years, considering the limited exposure to the elements, I suppose that’s understandable.

   Although, I remembered to bring my tool kit, in case anyone needed any adjustments before starting off, I did not remember my headlight. Fortunately because everyone else had good quality lights, I could manage riding side-by-side with a partner.

   Besides the occasional beer can, the tunnels were free of any obstacles, but they were really very dark and disorienting without light (we had a brief unplanned “experiment” when one of our party had a lamp malfunction). Balance would potentially become an issue without being able to see the ground, and running into the walls would definitely be an issue in Sidling Hill Tunnel, which arches slightly so that one cannot see light at the opposite end.

   We’ve had a lack of rain this summer in Pennsylvania, so it was dry and dusty inside, but I’ve heard that dripping water is otherwise more frequent. Ed mentioned that you can really hear the rushing water of the snowmelt behind the walls during the spring.

   At the east end we speculated just how fast we’d have to be travelling in order to jump the gap across Pump Station Road. Someone then made a little Duke’s of Hazzard reference with a vocal rendition of the General Lee’s car horn.

   I’ve always felt that, because one has visual recall of what has already been passed, a return trip always seems to go faster, but it was definitely the case on this ride. There was less downhill riding in the westerly direction, so even though our speed was slower, there was more conversation going on to pass the time.

   It felt like we were back at Ray’s Hil in no time, and it was pointed out that we didn’t have to wait for a flat tire repair on the return leg. From the tunnel it was just a short stretch back to the trailhead and our cars.

   By the way, after facing the shock of a $16.75 toll from the Morgantown interchange to Breezewood, I opted to take “the scenic route” home, via Route 30 and a combination of other state highways. Yes, it took an hour longer, but it was a beautiful drive over the mountains and through Amish country, and I felt much better keeping the money in my wallet!

Adventure Bike!

   While my Bianchi Cross Concept is definitely a cyclocross bike, I hesitate to call it that, because I don’t want to give anyone the impression that I actually do any cyclocross racing. I also don’t want to refer to it as a gravel bike (a bit of a pretentious name, I think), which is a recently marketed bike design, with road geometry, disk brakes and clearance for a knobbier set of tires.

   Recently I’ve been trying to find more places to ride where I can combine streets and trails that are paved and/or unpaved. Not too long ago I actually took the Bianchi on a very mountain bike-specific trail, and although I got bounced around a bit more than I would have been on an MTB with fatter tires and suspension, the Cross Concept was quite nimble and faired relatively well. Since the bike can go pretty much anywhere, I’ve taken to calling it my “adventure bike”, and hope the phrase has only a positive connotation!

   With the remnants of a tropical storm due to come through the area, I had planned to ride on some of the area rail trails to stay sheltered from the wind. However, the forecast was WAY off – in fact, my son Carrick even went down to the shore for a few days, and was treated to some beautiful weather after an early storm that really wasn’t worse than any of the nor’easters that pound the surf every winter. Meanwhile in Royersford, we were supposed to have winds gusting up to 20 mph, but they never materialized.

   I was sitting around Monday morning watching the end of the day’s stage of the Vuelta a España, thinking about where I would ride, now that I didn’t have to consider getting blown all over the place. I then received a call from my friend Rich, who is a fellow member of the Anthracite Railroads Historical Society. Regular readers would know of my interest in railroads, as I am always looking into the history of the many rail trails I ride, and I also have a model railroad layout at home.

   Rich helped my decision on where to ride, as he informed me that one of Norfolk Southern Railway’s heritage locomotives was parked with a train in nearby Pottstown. In 2012, to mark the company’s 30th anniversary, Norfolk Southern had 20 new diesel-electric engines painted in schemes representing the predecessor railroads that eventually made up their current system. They even had a special event at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, where all of the units were posed at the turntable and roundhouse.

Norfolk Southern grouped some related railroads together around the turntable, in this case the anthracite-carriers - from left to right: Erie, Delaware Lackawanna & Western, New Jersey Central, Reading and Lehigh Valley.

   The heritage locomotive Rich mentioned was the Erie, and having seen the Lackawanna unit pass through Royersford, I would only have to see the Lehigh Valley engine to complete my personal “collection” - I model the Erie Lackawanna (the two companies merged in 1960) and Lehigh Valley Railroads. My plan was to link up the Schuylkill River Trail (SRT) with area roads in order to form a loop out and back to visit the small railroad yard in Pottstown.

   Much of the SRT, including the segment that runs through Spring City just across the river from my hometown, was built on the roadbed of the former Pennsylvania Railroad Schuylkill Division. The line had originally been built to compete for anthracite coal-hauling business with the rival Reading Railroad. Due in part to the collapse of coal traffic, but mostly from the growth of air and truck transportation, the complete network of eastern railroads was in crisis by the 1960s.

   The two railroads were eventually absorbed into Conrail in 1976, and because the Reading was the preferred route, having been first to build through the Schuylkill Valley on a course featuring less curvature and far fewer bridges to maintain, most PRR trackage was removed. Although I understand the advantages of diverting the trail through booming downtown Phoenixville, I was disappointed the SRT didn’t use the bridge across the river at Mont Clare or the tunnel under the north side of town (resulting in a very uncomfortable climb over the hill there). However, many other fantastic structures along the PRR route remain and have been developed for trail use.

The Pennsylvania Railroad bridge at Manayunk, once a key feature of the Schuylkill Division, is now part of the Cynwyd Heritage Trail.

   The SRT has a projected length of 130 miles, and construction is now in progress to finish a small segment between Parker Ford and Pottstown that will allow cyclists to ride all the way from Philadelphia to Reading. As it stands, after the short ride on the SRT from Spring City, I chose to avoid the busy Route 724, and take the parallel Old Schuylkill Road, which eventually meets back up with 724 near Kenilworth. Traffic is much lighter on the road beyond this point because a majority of it is diverted onto Route 422 at an interchange here.

   A right turn on Hanover Street took me into Pottstown, were I again hooked up with the SRT near Montgomery Community College’s West Campus. A good portion of the trail is paved at this point, but nearing Douglassville, the path becomes cinder. This segment is also known as the Thun (pronounced tune) Trail, named after the founder of the Textile Machine Works in Reading, and the surrounding woods are dense here, making you feel quite secluded at times. A couple of road crossings are the only breaks in the shady quiet, until you emerge on the PRR concrete bridge that arches high over the Schuylkill River west of Douglassville (photo below).

   I returned to on-road cycling as I crossed back over the river on Main Street into the town of Monocacy Station and followed Monocacy Creek Road across Route 422 into the small community of Amity Gardens. I then headed down Route 662 to reach Benjamin Franklin Highway/High Street, which parallels the railroad yard in Pottstown. There was a good amount of trees and growth blocking a full view of the Erie locomotive, but a couple of breaks allowed a decent enough view.

Not my photo - fresh from the Norfolk Southern paintshop

   The rest of my trip involved mostly roads, as I continued east on High Street onto Ridge Pike, then cut across Airport and Limerick Center Roads through Linfield to rejoin the SRT at Parker Ford for the ride back to Spring City. I enjoyed the ride and most of this circuit could become a regular route. In the future, without the railroad diversion and with a preference to avoid the heavy traffic through Pottstown, I would probably otherwise turn right from the Ben Franklin Highway at Squirrel Hollow Road to rejoin the SRT.

   Until the trail connection is finished between Pottstown and Parker Ford, I would probably use Industrial Highway and Moser Road around town and continue home down Ridge Pike much as I had on Monday. When that construction is complete, this route would be a relatively flat 33 mile ride - except for the nasty little climb up Main Street in Royersford to my home!