Initially I wasn’t too excited about the paving of the Schuylkill River Trail from the Cromby Trailhead north of Phoenixville down to Parkers Ford, as several friends and I have cyclocross/gravel bikes and had enjoyed riding on the rougher surface for years. During the past few weeks, I have grown to appreciate how being able to ride on the smoother pavement with my road bike has opened up some opportunities to ride west from Royersford, as I no longer have to traverse the ridge of hills that lie in that direction.
I’m even more excited about the construction that is starting beyond Parker Ford, toward Pottstown. Years ago, when the Route 422 bridge over the Schuylkill River was replaced at Kenilworth, area planners had the foresight to include a road-separated trailway on the bridge deck. It seems progress is finally being made towards making the connection that will complete an uninterrupted path to Reading, with very limited on-road pedaling!
I’m even more excited about the construction that is starting beyond Parker Ford, toward Pottstown. Years ago, when the Route 422 bridge over the Schuylkill River was replaced at Kenilworth, area planners had the foresight to include a road-separated trailway on the bridge deck. It seems progress is finally being made towards making the connection that will complete an uninterrupted path to Reading, with very limited on-road pedaling!
Speaking of the route to Reading, a decade ago I mentioned in THIS blog entry one of my initial rides out toward the Pretzel City and a particularly dangerous trail crossing of Route 724 near Birdsboro. Construction of a bridge over the highway started last year, and it is nearly complete!
Back home in the shop, I have a couple of new plans brewing, plus a long-term project has come to its conclusion. First off, I found a Tommasini bicycle for a local gentleman, and he gave me a 2004 Look KG 481 Team bicycle as part of an exchange with cash. I was considering upgrading the bike (and if that is something you’d be interested in, let me know), but thought I’d try selling it at a low price, as it stands. Its specs are listed on the For Sale page, but here are some photos:
Two different customers have approached me about SRAM 1x drivetrain conversions, one is a Marin mountain bike that was recently a single-speed, and the other is a vintage Panasonic racing bike. For a while I have been collecting components for the Marin and have most of what I need, but I’m a bit concerned about the recent scarcity of parts. I am considering the strip of components from a complete bike purchase and a downgrade of its parts for a less expensive resale. This is a strategy that has worked out well for me in the past.
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| Concrete beams are loaded into position for the bridge spanning Rt. 724 |
In the other direction, progress has been made toward connecting the Chester Valley Trail with the Schuylkill River Trail. Although I’m not sure exactly where its planned path will be, I noticed paving along Ross Road in Bridgeport, part of the future 3.8-mile Chester Valley Trail Extension that will link the two trails.
A couple of months ago I tried out the Schuylkill River West Trail, which is planned to run from King of Prussia through Bridgeport to a possible hook-back-up with the SRT near Manayunk. I rode just over two miles from Bob Case Park in KOP, west to an abrupt end of the line in the area behind the Lafayette Apartment complex just east of Valley Forge. Strangely, the SR West Trail’s connection to the Sullivan’s Bridge area is in place, but it currently dead-ends under the Route 422 bridge, separated from the rest of the West Trail by only 50 yards of woods!
I received a phone call from a really nice gentleman whom I had helped out with some misinformation in an eBay listing. He ended up giving me a really good price on the Pinarello Montello bicycle he had up for auction. It has a bit of a mix of Shimano and Campagnolo, but should be a fairly easy swap out for an all-Italian setup.
Finally, I wrapped up Todd’s Ciocc World 77 – it looks really great with his set of Campagnolo Super Record parts, which I cleaned up before reassembly.
There is also a Casati Monza bicycle on the way, which I am tweaking a bit for a tall friend of mine. He has a set of Campagnolo Delta brakes which should fit in nicely with the rest of the more modern Veloce parts.
Finally, I wrapped up Todd’s Ciocc World 77 – it looks really great with his set of Campagnolo Super Record parts, which I cleaned up before reassembly.
