Had a fun ride yesterday. Terrain was pretty good, mostly flat. Saw quite a few late 60-70 something retirees in their full road biker spandex outfits out bicycling too. They still have gorgeous, expensive road bikes, but they're like 20 years out of date. Amuses me, Idk why. Probably because roadies used to think that super skinny tires were best (fastest), but modern road bicyclists ride much wider/thicker tires. 700 x 35 tires have been proven faster than 700 x 25's. Way more comfortable too.
Anyhoo, the ride I did only had 1800 ft elevation gain over 43miles, fairly flat. Longest climb I did was half a mile long with 200ft elevation gain, so pretty easy compared to the Covered Bridge ride I did before.
Also, my butt didn't get sore at all, so I'm ready for longer bike tours I think. 1-2 days before the ride, I discovered that the seat clamp holding the fore/aft position of the bike saddle had gotten loose enough that the seat had slid all the way back without me noticing. I think that was why my lower back was getting sore on rides. Oops. Didn't notice because I keep a dust cover over the suspension seatpost to keep it from getting dirty and squeaking, and the clamp was still tight enough to hold the seat level. So I'm happy to report, I biked for over 4 hours and my back felt fine, no issues.
Had some fun food stops, one was my favorite gas station along Rt 2, they have good prepped food. Cold/hot. I often stop there when heading up to Vermont to camp in the truck. Also finally risked eating at the sketchy taco truck in Northfield. Glad I tried it, yummy. And happy to report a day later, no digestion issues.
My only regret for yesterday's ride was not bringing a chair to sit on for lunch/breaks. I think I may go to REI and try the Helinox, which is lighter. Going to test first, and bring my current Kilosgear chair to compare.
The helinox is 22 ounces, the Kilosgear I already have is 36, so it would save nearly a pound of weight. But I have doubts that saving a pound of weight is worth $160. I've been losing over a pound a week for the last year.
For half the price, $80, I'm considering this Crazy Creek chair option, pic above. It's 2 ounces heavier than the helinox at 24 ounces, with built in foam and carbon stays to support the back panel, but it looks more rugged and easier to pack/unpack. Reading the helinox reviews, people break the plastic connector rod connectors sitting on uneven terrain. At worst for the Crazy Creek, there are complaints of stitching slowly failing, but i can repair that easily on my sewing machine if it happens.
With the Crazy Creek chair, if I'm stuck in my tent waiting out the rain, It gives me a way to sit up inside the tent without damaging the tent floor, making it easier to read or watch movies on my phone. I can unbuckle the straps and use it under my air mattress for puncture protection or more insulation during cold weather camping. The down side is sitting on the ground, which isn't as comfortable for my butt even with the back support, and it folds up a little long compared to the helinox (12" vs 20"). Another bonus though, I could use the crazy creek when sitting in my truck camper's roof top tent. that would be a nice option.
I still love the discontinued kilosgear chair. It's like a lazy boy version of an ultralight chair, so I think for day trips I'll just bring the kilosgear chair, even though it weighs 1 pound more. It's more comfortable than benches, and it feels super solid. Getting old, but I love taking a comfy 10-15 minute break on long rides, and the chair helps a lot. Gives my butt and lower back a break.
I had the Kilosgear on the Erie Canal ride, but I didn't bring cooking or meal stuff; it was too easy to find food along the trail. I think I'm worrying about adding 10lbs of food and cooking stuff. The tiny 1.5 liter pressure cooker I got weighs the same as the kilos gear chair. Not to mention the stove, dry food, and bear vault canister. Then again, I'm 220lbs now, and I was 265lbs when I biked the Erie Canal trail, how much should I worry about adding 10lbs of food and cooking stuff; I need to get over it I think. I'd rather have healthy beans/oatmeal meal options when touring. It's too easy to get caught up in all the weight saving stuff you read/watch online about bikepacking, but I think i'm way too old for the minimalist approach.
Anyway, here's a map of my ride
After the first 5 miles, you join a few miles the Ct river rail trail.
The rail trail ends in Turners Falls Mass. While crossing the bridge i took photos and video of the falls.
I posted a short 30 second montage of short video clips I took of the falls to my instagram account,
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZr_HYBRe4h/
Cool cantilever/arch dam design
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Near the top of the longest climb of the day, I saw this house with birdhouses decorating the top cover over their front door.
Also during the climb there was this very unbothered deer staring at me as I pedaled by. What impresses me is i was able to activate the camera mode on my phone, unhook it from the mount, and snap photos one handed while pedaling uphill. I was only going 4-5mph, so at most would've only hurt my pride if i fell.
        
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