Red (and black) Christmas Bike: the Sequel

   During Christmastime 2016, I received my Vitus 992, a bike that originally came from a shop in Montélimar, France, about an hour drive north through the Rhône valley from Avignon. The Cervélo bike was not coming from quite so far away (Salt Lake City), but its similar color scheme and the timing of its arrival were strangely familiar.
   This was one of the worst packing jobs I’d ever seen done by a bike shop – and you can imagine I’ve seen a bunch! There was very little cushioning provided to the frame, the wheels weren’t secured to prevent shifting in the box and there were no endcaps put in the hub axles to protect them and keep them from poking through the cardboard box. There was also no cushioning of the fork or one of those spacers attached to protect the dropouts and prevent the fork from being crushed laterally.
   Despite all this, the frame came through it very well. There were a couple nicks that I’m pretty sure were caused by the shifting wheels, but nothing tragic – it is a 15-year-old frame, so I wasn’t expecting perfection anyway.
   The CSC logos on the frame were a bit tattered on one side and, except for one “C”, were almost completely missing from the other. I noted that the design featured similar, kind of macaroni-shaped segments, to make up the letters.

    I did a pencil rubbing over one of the remaining letters on the frame, then transferred the image to a piece of card stock in order to create a stencil. I then traced a bunch of segments onto a piece of white vinyl decal sheet that I had purchased on eBay. I used what remained of the decals as a guide before removing/replacing those pieces, and I laid out a piece of masking tape as a straight edge to make sure the logos were lined up properly.
   The compulsive side of me thinks they don’t quite look perfect, but the realistic side of me knows I’m the only one who will think that! I have completed the tweaks to the setup that I mentioned in my last entry, and included a cassette with more "climbability":

   Like I did with the other bikes in my collection, I created a descriptive photo plaque to hang with the Cervélo, featuring the image below and the following text:

   Swiss great Fabian Cancellara excelled in the classics, winning Paris-Roubaix, Ronde van Vlaanderen and Strade Bianche, EACH three times! He also won four world titles and two Olympic gold medals in the time trial and holds the record for the most days in the Tour’s yellow jersey (29) without ever winning the overall title. The 2008 Cervélo Soloist, is the bicycle Cancellara rode to victory in that season’s Milano-San Remo.

   I’ll be taking a few weeks off from writing during the holidays. Stay safe and enjoy the festivities, hopefully with plenty of family and friends. I’ll leave you with a photo from the Cycle Tech “Ride with Santa” event held back on December 9th. Sue and I are in the back, dressed in white and red, right in front of our home. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Italian Excitement...and Disappointment

   There is a tendency for the good and bad in life to balance out, so I was not too surprised when my luck turned foul after two very good deals for Italian racing bicycles fell into my hands. I had been holding off on making any purchases, as sales had been rather slow for the past year, but a fairly recent three-way transaction made some room in my rafters and in my budget.
   I few months ago I had featured on this blog some photos of a 1989 Pinarello Montello in “Spumoni” colors. I’m always looking around for great bicycles at reasonable prices, and a local seller had that bicycle listed on eBay. I had sent him a note about a possible cash deal, saving us both some money (eBay’s PA sales tax for me, seller fees for him) with an in-person pickup instead. The bike required just a bit of polish and some new handlebar tape, before being added to my For Sale page.
   This was the company’s top-of-the-line racer from that era, and usually buyers from the States equipped these frames with more affordable components from Shimano or SunTour. However, this owner obviously had some disposable income and set up this Pinarello with excellent Campagnolo 7-speed Syncro gruppo and Cinelli bars/stem.

   A second Italian classic came to me in the form of a 1988 Colnago Super, again indirectly through eBay, with seller this time reaching out to me after I had noted an unreasonably high shipping price shown in his listing. We arranged instead a purchase through a Paypal invoice, again saving us both a nice chunk of cash in the process!

Excuse the weird photo, not mine

   The Super had the fishnet paint scheme that was common with several brands of that era, and I always liked it best in blue or green, as it resembled fish scales. This bike came equipped with a quality Shimano 600 Tricolor group, but you know me and Italian components – I’ll be swapping in one of the Campagnolo 8-speed groups I have stored on my shelf.

   …and then came the bad. First, when trying to arrange a ride with my brother, it came to light that the 2000 Pinarello Prince I had built for him about nine years ago had developed a fracture on the aluminum drive-side chainstay. Now, we were planning on an off-road ride, so at least our plans weren’t interrupted, but it became clear a replacement would have to be found for him eventually, as he wasn’t too confident about riding this bike again, whether I could arrange some type of repair or not.
   My brother didn’t realize how quickly I jump on such issues, and I managed to find a very nice, mid-2000s Colnago “Chic”. This was another eBay transaction converted to in-person exchange with a really friendly guy who lived in northeast Philadelphia, which yielded a quality aluminum machine with dependable Campagnolo Centaur components and a nice set of Easton wheels.

   It needed a bit of a tune-up and cleaning/repacking the headset with grease, but otherwise it was ready-to-go, and my brother was very excited, especially with the prospect of owning his first Campagnolo-equipped bicycle!

   The Prince curse unfortunately continued as some annoying creaking developed in my own Pinarello, and despite my best efforts, I could not come up with a solution. I headed over to my pals at Bikesport for a second opinion, and a couple days later was informed that the aluminum bottom bracket sleeve was separating from the carbon and that a crack was also present near the seatpost collar.
   I love this bike, but I had just put in over $400 for a repair to the headtube last autumn. I didn’t really want to sink a similar amount of money into mending this bike, just to have more issues creep up, so I’m afraid my Prince is going to become a wall-hanging in the “Cycle Tech Museum”.

   When considering something to take its place among the rideable bikes in my collection, I thought about some of my all-time favorite pros, and Fabian Cancellara came to mind. He won tons of races on Trek and Specialized bicycles, but I ruled those mainstream brands out, even though I’ve always liked the thin, curvy “Zertz insert” seat stays on the Roubaix bikes, circa 2008-2015.
   What I came up with is the bike on which the Swiss legend won a surprise victory at Milano-San Remo in 2008, a carbon Cervélo Soloist. These bikes were the grandfathers to the modern aero-road bikes, with drag-reducing tube shapes.

 
   The original owner had selected the upgraded version of the bike, with a 3T carbon fork and cockpit. The SRAM Force components weren’t CSC-team spec, but I’ll probably leave those be, since they are high-quality products. I will be replacing the Mavic Aksium wheels with appropriate Zipp 30s, although I will have the aluminum brake track version, as I didn’t really appreciate the way the braking surfaces delaminated on the carbon wheels I had previously.

82 Miles (mostly) On the Lehigh Canal

   During part of the Turkey Trek, I was riding with my friend Lee, and I was telling him how I wanted to ride the length of the D&L Trail from Mountain Top (about 7 miles south of Wilkes-Barre) to Easton, where the Lehigh River meets the Delaware. I explained that I had been trying to organize the trip with another friend for a while and was getting nowhere.
   He mentioned that I should have done it weeks ago, when it was not only warmer, but there had been more color in the trees up north. "I know!" I replied and explained the circumstances were beyond my control. Not that he should ever consider himself a second choice, but I asked if it would be something he might be interested in doing, and he seemed enthusiastic.

   In the back of my mind I wondered how much time he might be able to tolerate with me, but Lee is always a good sport, as he had teamed-up for the epic NYC-Croton Aqueduct Trail trip in the spring of 2022. Although there wouldn't be quite as much driving together during this trip, there would still be a bit of car shuttling involved in this excursion, and I promised that I would leave him to some quiet riding out in nature!
   We met early in the morning at the Northern Terminus of the Delaware Canal Trail (part of the D&L network), where I left my car, and we took our bikes in his vehicle up into the mountains. It is difficult to judge what to wear in the early autumn, as the morning air can be near freezing, but you just know you are going to feel overdressed as it warms up into the afternoon.
   Turns out I didn't have to worry at all about the crisp air, as Lee set the early pace, and we blew through the first ten miles into White Haven. I already had my jacket front unzipped to let the heat escape, and Lee later informed me we had set the second fastest Strava time on that segment! I told him that pace had better not last, or we wouldn't be able to walk very well later.

   Although the trees up in the northern section of the gorge were pretty clear of leaves by this time in November, we were afforded plenty of beautiful views of the rocky upper Lehigh River. We had been mostly pedaling alone so far, but the cyclist and hiker traffic picked up noticeably the closer we got to Jim Thorpe. Along the way we were treated to a couple passes by the scenic railroad trains.

   We noticed there were more leaves on the trees the farther south we rode, though they certainly were not a the peak color that draws so many tourists during late October. We crossed the new bridge connection at Jim Thorpe over to the east bank of the river and were able to see a section of the Lehigh Canal that looked to be in excellent condition. We could easily imagine mules pulling barges of coal down the waterway towards Philadelphia.

Just north of Weissport

   We crossed back over to the west bank at Lehighton and made an extended stop for a "comfort break", clothes adjustments and snacks at a park that was in view of the north portal of the Turnpike tunnel through Blue Mountain. I pointed out the scar across the mountain that was once the Lehigh and New England Railroad and mentioned that this was, incredibly, one of FOUR railroads that once served this area.

   Without the coal mining and zinc processing gone, it certainly isn't hard to believe that there is only (and just barely) one railroad remaining, since there is really no industry up here to feed the trains. I pointed out the abutments for a bridge that once carried the L&NE trains high over Lehigh Gap and told Lee about the derailment at Slatington that destroyed the large brick Lehigh Valley Railroad station.

North of Cementon

   I found it a bit hard to believe it was nearly a year ago when I was out here exploring some of the area rail trails connecting to this stretch of the D&L Trail. I recalled the less-than-perfect paving conditions through Northampton, but I had not experienced the primitive state of the canal trail through Catasauqua. There were so many rocks and tree routes bouncing us around, I was actually looking forward to the bit of street riding that I knew we had coming in Allentown.

   I came to regret my thinking when we were met with an unanticipated nasty climb near Overlook Park. Mind you, this hill probably wouldn't have been overly challenging during the average ride with my crew, but we had over 60 miles in our legs at this point and had just been beaten down by the gnarly trail section in "Catty".

   We made a final extended stop at the Allentown Canal Park to make a couple more clothing adjustments and refuel for the homestretch into Easton. Along the way we skirted the historic district of my hometown, Bethlehem, and caught glimpses of the dormant blast furnaces across the river.

    As we passed through Freemansburg, Lee and I were glad that an ominous flock of birds in a tree above us was crows and not vultures, but we were soon crossing the Lehigh River for the last time on an old, one-lane truss bridge near Hugh Moore Park and the National Canal Museum.

   We passed by a couple more railroad relics, including the bridge to the Lehigh Valley's Easton and Northern Branch (would be an excellent connection to the trails on the opposite side of the river) and the lower portion of the Valley's Easton passenger station. At long last we were looping around the trailhead lot where I had parked my car that morning.

   Lee offered to snap a couple of finish line photos as "evidence of the trip", and I should have been more with-it and offered to do the same for him. I'll blame it on 82-miles-worth of cycling fatigue!

By the way...

   Bundle up, decorate your bike with lights (not required) and bring your holiday spirit on our partly 31-mile loop. Starting at the Cycle Tech shop in Royersford, we'll head out over back streets and bike paths to connect with the Perkiomen Trail in Schwenksville. We'll pedal through Collegeville and Oaks on gravel sections, and reach the Schuylkill Trail, eventually following the canal towpath into Mont Clare. We'll hop back on the SRT through Phoenixville and Spring City to return. Hope you can join us!

She's "Turkey Trek Tough"

   Although we were disappointed that the temperatures were not what had been predicted earlier in the week (mid-60s, but ended up around 38 degrees at the start), a magnificent seven of us set off from Riverfront Park in Norristown early Saturday morning. Because I am slightly compulsive, I did a quick double-check-click to remotely  lock the doors on our Honda Fit, only to turn around and find Sue down on the pavement.
   Apparently, she was considerate enough to yell out to everyone else to watch out for the dangerous storm grate that stretched completely across Haws Avenue as it ducks under the Schuylkill River Trail, but didn't take her own safety into account. Her front wheel lodged right into one of the perfect-width-of-a-bike-tire slots in the grate and sent her catapulting over the bars.
   Maybe because she was just 100 meters from the start and not going particularly fast, it seemed she had gotten off pretty lightly. Most of the pain was in her upper chest, where she was impaled by her right shift lever. Although we all would have understood if she had decided to bail, there was no way she was having any of that, insisting, "I'll be fine." It now seemed the biggest obstacle to her continuing was the lever, which was twisted into a position that would make braking very difficult.
   Mind you, several of us had tools that would normally help in minor repair situations, but nothing we had would fit into the semi-concealed position of the hex nut on the side of the lever. It then occurred to me that her need to brake on the trail would be minimal until we reached Manayunk and that there were a couple of bike shop options along the way.

   With the Cannondale sorted out by a borrowed long-handle hex wrench at the Tricycle Café & Bicycle Shop in Conshohocken, we were back on the trail, spinning along at a comfortable, social pace. Although she didn't quite seem at 100% to me, Sue certainly didn't let it affect her performance among a crew that probably averaged a few miles per hour more than she would regularly ride on her own.

   She pointed out later that it had been about five years since she had tackled the nasty little climbs in and out of Manayunk up Umbria Street, since we had been taking the low route along the canal towpath during recent Turkey Treks. She was rightly proud not be lagging behind much, and she credited it to regularly riding the hilly terrain on her commute between our house and school.

   Although I prefer not to double back on the same route, we regretted the decision to ride along Kelly Drive on the way in, as it was mobbed with joggers who seemed to be amused by being an obstacle to our group. They really needed to stay out of the center of the trail and then consistently decide which direction and on which side they were going to be running!

   It turns out we soon had to come to a complete stop at Boathouse Row when a crew team blocked the entire trail. They must have been inexperience with loading/unloading their boats, because they had parked too closely to the door and couldn't swing their shell (I checked the correct term - a scull is a boat propelled by rowers with an oar in each hand) through the tight space between the boathouse and their trailer.

   In the photo below, you can see the woman on the left, in the white sweatshirt and dark vest, who had to duck the tip of the shell between the racks of the trailer in order to swing it clear. The operation was complicated by the fin sticking up in front of the guy in black.

   After a quick bathroom and water refill break at Lloyd Hall Rec Center, we continued on past the Art Museum, around Eakins Oval and east, down the bike lane on Spring Garden Street. The stop/start routine at traffic lights across to Old City was a bit frustrating, but the destination of the wonderful dedicated bike path along Penn's Landing was well worth it!

   I pointed out a few points of interest, as we rode under the Ben Franklin Bridge, past the River Rink, Great Plaza and the Seaport Museum. We talked about the in-progress project to cap I-95 with a park to improve access between the waterfront and center city. We eventually reached Spruce Street and briefly rode on the gentler brick-surfaced sidewalks, instead of the brutal cobbled streets around Foglietta Plaza.

   I wanted to show the gang some of the pretty neighborhoods that I discovered during my City Cycling rides a few years ago, so before pedaling out of Society Hill, we made a left at American Street, which is barely the width of a compact car. We then posed for a photo at the corner of Delancey and Philip Streets:

American Street

   Back on the bike lane at Spruce Street, we passed near Washington Square and crossed the Avenue of the Arts (Broad Street), right by the Kimmel Center. Within a stone's throw of Rittenhouse Square, we turned left on 19th Street, passing General George Mead's home to reach Panama Street. This pretty lane has long been the home of musicians, artists and writers:

   We returned to Spruce, soon reaching 25th Street and the link back to the SRT at Locust Street. The bridge at Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive is undergoing a major repair process, so we followed the detour over the Spring Garden Bridge and north on 31st Street/Mantua Avenue.

   After turning right on 34th Street, we were doing a fast, slightly downhill run past the zoo to the intersection with Girard Avenue. From here it was an easy coast down Lansdowne and Sweetbriar Drives to reach the trail on the west bank of the Schuylkill. We laughed to ourselves to see a handful of people riding in the street, since the newly-laid asphalt on this trail was super-smooth and completely free of traffic!

   The rest of the route was very familiar and, thankfully, free of any further incidents. Sue was expectedly sore the next morning, but not unbearably so. Unfortunately, her injuries seemed to be aggravated by a massage that she had scheduled ahead of time, so much so that the next morning she was wincing when taking deep breaths. 

   She decided to pay a visit to an Urgent Care facility near home, from which she returned with a sling for her sprained shoulder. A bruised chest wall also had her prescribed one of those little blowing (in her case, inhaling) exercise machines to help ward off pneumonia.

   A couple of the guys called or sent emails to check up on her and were only more impressed that she had dug in and finished off the four hours or so in the saddle.

   "Whoa, she's hardcore!" ...indeed!

  

   

   

Builder's Choice

   Before I move onto the intended subject matter, I wanted to give a bit of a shop update. I’ve sold a couple of bikes after a long inactive period in that department, so I will be getting back to working on some of my projects soon. In the meantime, I’ve had plenty of customer work, including two interesting builds.
   My friend Jonathan brought in a unique 2000 Cannondale Raven 700 SX mountain bike a couple weeks ago. He had purchased the bike at a very reasonable price, mainly because its aluminum rear suspension arm was cracked, but he was able to have someone weld the part back together.
   Jonathan has a taste for the unusual, and this machine definitely fits his preferences with a magnesium spine holding together the halves of the swooping carbon frame shapes. It also had Cannondale’s distinctive lefty fork (only one fork blade) and a front disk brake. Strangely the bike came with a rear rim V-brake, common to MTBs of the era, but had drilled/threaded mounts for possible disk brakes.
   Jonathan wisely decided to ditch the V-brake and set the bike up with full disk brakes, and after a tricky reassembly of the pivoting mechanism on the rear suspension, due to the lost material during the weld process, we were good to go!

   Another friend brought in his recent Ridley Fenix purchase for some upgrades, including a set of carbon wheels and some carbon bars with internal cable routing that absolutely drove me nuts! Mark also has a bit of a taste for the unusual, but only in his willingness to step away from the mainstream manufacturers. Yes, he has a really nice American-made Specialized Roubaix SL4, but he also has an Orbea Lobular (Spanish) and now the Ridley (Belgian).
   Ridley makes some very nice bicycles, and they have been a long-time supplier for the Lotto pro cycling team. I have worked on a couple different Ridleys over the years, including an Icarus and Boreas. The company’s bikes usually have wonderful designs and tube shapes, and the Fenix is no exception on that account.

   I was having a conversation with a client about parts on my custom builds and started thinking about compiling a list of all-time favorites, whether they are modern or vintage. Most people know of my affinity for Campagnolo, and really, when it comes down a complete group, it doesn’t matter much to me whether it’s Chorus, Athena or Record – most of the time it just comes down to cost and condition.
   There are a couple individual components I would like to mention, such as rear derailleurs, since their design differed greatly over the years. Visually, I really like the Victory derailleur, with its art-deco elegance:

   The C-Record rear derailleur goes a step further in its design, with curvier edges and a cowling over the lower pulley, and unfortunately, the customer really pays extra for it (often 3 or 4 times more):

   These two previous models were for 6- or 7-speed, down-tube friction shift levers. If I was selecting something for more modern shifters, I would take the Chorus Carbon version, which is lightweight, well-designed and provides super-quiet shifts.

   If I was choosing Campagnolo brakes, they would be the Athena D500, which are simply beautiful. Many people incorrectly call these “monoplaner” brakes, but those Campagnolo products had a slotted hinge that pivoted in one plane, hence the name. Both products had a similar shape, but the monoplaner caliper arms were slightly more angular – I prefer the lines of the D500:

   Ultimately, the best functioning rim brakes ever made, if you can find them at a reasonable price, are the Mavic SSC set:

   The only other item I wanted to mention that is technically from a Campagnolo groupset is the Record Aero seatpost. I had a small stockpile of these beautiful posts, back when they were less expensive, easier to find and in decent condition – a very rare “trifecta” these days!

   While we are at the back end, I’ll refer to saddles. I’d certainly take a good Selle Italia Turbo or Selle San Marco Rolls saddle, if I was lucky to find one at a good price, but the Selle Italia C2 Gel Flo looks good on any bike, is comfortable and won’t break the bank:

   My favorite saddle is the Prologo Scratch model, as it is the most comfortable seat I’ve ever used. Unfortunately, the design and look has changed recently, not for the better.

   I’m not overly choosy about handlebars, although I do like to match up with stem brands, whether it is ITM, 3T or Cinelli. I will say that I’m not too fond of putting bars with anatomical bends on vintage bikes – I prefer the traditional curved drops. If I had to pick, I would go with Cinelli (Giro d'Italia model pictured below), only because my favorite stem is the XA, though a couple of competitors have copied it.

   I don’t usually include pedals on the bikes I sell because they are such an item of personal preference. Certainly a vintage bike would look great with the old platform-with-toeclip-style pedals, but if someone is looking to ride often, I would choose a classic Look pedal. Today’s KEO model, with a slightly smaller delta cleat is my current favorite.

   Now we’re talking wheels, and I would want to match up a set of Campagnolo hubs with a set of their excellent “hoops” (Omega or one of their Olympic-themed rims), but compatriot companies Ambrosio, Fiamme, FIR and Nisi make excellent products as well. There are a few other manufacturers of note, but if I had to pick just one, I’d go with Mavic and a set of their MA40 rims. The quality of the French company’s products is high and consistent.

   On that note, a set of modern Mavic Cosmic wheels with aluminum braking surfaces are hard to beat. The rims are durable with a nice aero profile and the hubs have the typical smooth-spinning bearings. I also like the hypnotizing graphics as they revolve when the wheel is moving.

   However, my all-time favorite is the Campagnolo Vento wheelset, with their funky spoke arrangement and “angry bees” freehub sound when coasting. Over the years, I have had several bikes with these wheels, and I have NEVER had to true any of them. The only issue that ever occurred was a snapped spoke when I hit a pothole, but there was no damage to the rim. Spoke replaced and properly tensioned, I didn't have problems with them again!

   While we’re at it, we’ll throw on some rubber, and the Vittoria Corsa Pro would be perfect for any vintage build, but I’ve even used it on some modern bikes. The tan walls look great, and the tire wears/performs well – I generally ride 23mm width, but they somehow feel plusher on the road, like 25s.

   The go-to, everyday tire would be Continental Ultra Sport. It may not have the super-puncture resistance of the GatorSkin or the race pedigree of the Grand Prix 5000, but it has that magic combination of durability, ride quality and affordability!

Hope you find something useful here for your future build project.

Pedal Power

   I had mentioned a couple of times previously that Sue and were looking for an e-bike for her. She was doing some longer rides during our stay in Rochester this summer, and I asked her, if fitness and hills weren't a consideration, what type of distances she would consider riding.

   There are plenty of routes that I do regularly that I know Sue would enjoy, and I thought, with a little boost, she might be able to join me a little more regularly. I also mentioned to her some of the longer rides and the fact that being able to do them at a little quicker pace would reduce time in the saddle.

   So a bicycle with more of a road setup became the priority, but we also considered a bike with some flexibility, maybe with mounts for a rack and wider tires for gravel trails. Because she enjoyed a test ride on an Orbea e-bike with pedal assist, we came up with the Bianchi e-Impulso Allroad, essentially the electric version of the bike I recently purchased. This bicycle had the same motor as the Orbea and had all of the flexibility features we had discussed.

   Normally we wouldn't consider a Bianchi that wasn't celeste, but we really aren't the "his and hers matching bikes-types", and the black and silver color scheme looks pretty slick. We also had real trouble finding the bike in an extra small size, and this was the only one available anywhere!

   It is going to take a bit of trial and error to find the maximum range at the desired power output, and we had a real taste of what that might involve during a recent trip to the shore. We had set out on a 40-mile loop from Stone Harbor, down to Cape May and then out along the Delaware Bay side of the peninsula to return.

   This route is practically pan flat, except for the steep bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, so we were doing a fairly consistent pace of about 18 mph. With the pedal assist, Sue seemed to be handling that speed fairly comfortably, but as she had mentioned a few times, "It's not like you are just taking a ride on a moped - you are definitely pedaling!"

   Light rain started about 25 miles into the ride, and we decided to cut the ride short, but we didn't quite escape a drenching. Unfortunately the power started to fade shortly after our decision, so Sue was forced to pedal the 30-pound machine back to the house, completely unassisted, in the pouring rain.

   A couple weekends earlier, we had a Saturday with spectacular weather, and we put out trail bikes in our Fit to head out to the Enola Low Grade Trail. I had heard that the re-decking of the 1560-foot-long curving steel bridge at Safe Harbor had been completed, and was itching to check it out. I had been to this trail many times in the past and dreamed of being able to one day ride high over the Conestoga River on this structure.

   The bridge did not disappoint! 9 million dollars of locally donated funds were put to excellent use, affording wonderful views 140 feet above the Susquehanna River gorge. A couple of binocular stands were installed to exploit the vantage point, and construction of the concrete decking included a couple of glass panels, through which viewers could look down into the Conestoga River and the labyrinth of steel beams supporting the bridge.

   Amazingly, we found out that repairs to the Martic Forge Trestle had also been completed last autumn. The previous wooden deck and railings on the bridge had been destroyed by arsonists in 2018, and the detour to connect the two isolated sections of the trail involved a rather unpleasant 150-foot climb in each direction. Wisely, the new decking was made with concrete and the new railings with galvanized metal.

Sue pedals high over the Pequea Creek on the new trestle deck 

   We had equally spectacular weather when five members of my regular crew joined me for the annual Tro-Bro Brandywine ride last Saturday. Many of us noticed that what once was about a 50/50 proportion of asphalt and gravel roads has "improved" to about 60/40, but we weren't sure if all of the involved roads had actually been resurfaced, or if the gravel had just been scrubbed clear over time from weather and traffic.

   We had some unexpected company along our route when we found the Marshallton "Triathlon" was taking place around Northbrook, Bragg Hill and Unionville/Wawaset Roads. This is more of a fundraiser than competitive event (760 participants - three of the top five were over 60), involving a downhill bike ride to Northbrook Canoe for a rowing trip down the Brandywine's West Branch, a walk back to Northbrook and finally the ride back up to Marshallton.

   Near the start of our ride, we briefly shared the road with walkers, and at the end of our ride, we shared the road with cyclists, but other than a few clueless walkers, no one seemed to mind that we were there. The area seems to have events planned every other week, and I think folks are used to occasional having to share space.

   Otherwise the day was full of the normal beautiful scenery, as well as the suffering on over 2500 feet of climbing. I told my friend Dan, who is good on ascents but was not used to the quantity of hills in this relatively brief circuit, that it probably would have been more fun with company that was out of shape!

Thanks for snapping the photo, Steve!

   The Bianchi Camaleonte (C-Sport 3) is now officially on the market. Below are some photos of the reconfigured bicycle, and you can find the full spec sheet on the For Sale page.

   We're going to do something a little different for this year's Turkey Trek, starting at Riverfront Park at the end of Haws Avenue in Norristown. Our leisurely-paced, 42-mile loop will start on the SRT into Philadelphia, but then, at the Art Museum, we'll follow the bike lane on Spring Garden Street to reach the new bike path at Penn's Landing. We'll work our way south to Spruce Street and cut back across the city on the bike lane there. Along the way we can check out a couple of my favorite little streets in Society Hill and Rittenhouse Square. The MLK Drive bridge is being repaired, so instead we'll weave over to the west river trail on some bike-laned streets and make our way back towards Manayunk for the return on the SRT. Please join us, and feel free to ask a friend or two!