Very Pleasant

Near the Trail's starting point in Archer

I t was another perfect spring day in Florida and required that I do something outside. I joined three things I wanted to do into one extended ride.

Heading toward Archer gave me an opportunity to see progress on the Archer Braid Trail after I recently discovered how much work had been done and how little remained to be completed. I hoped to be able to ride into Archer on the segment that disappearing into the woods west of SW 143rd Street. Before doing so I spoke briefly to two men working on the path. They expected that asphalt would be ordered to begin paving "sometime next week." I thanked them for doing all of this work for me and set off toward Archer.

The nature of the path changes dramatically when it enters the woods east of Archer. To that point traveling west it will be a wide black ribbon and it will be a well used black ribbon, too, but the Archer section will become one of the favorite places to ride because of the  seclusion created by the canopy of trees. Sounds of Archer Road remain a constant, but visually it will be a nice place to ride.

The starting point in Archer is much further from completion that the rest of the path. For riders accustomed to riding through Archer on one of the many GCC routes and stopping at

Not yet ready for Prime Time Riding

the Kangaroo will be comforted knowing that the path is a conveniently short distance south of the common stopping point where the railroad crosses N. University Avenue (US 41). While there is still much to do the result of the investment of money and time will be of broad benefit, especially to people living in Archer. For anyone trying to ride the path now be aware that you cannot easily exit the path in Archer, as the accompanying pictures show, but this is a minor and temporary inconvenience.

  

Looking north toward Kangaroo in Archer from unfinished starting point of Archer Braid Trail

After enjoying discovery of this portion of the Archer Braid Trail I headed north on US 41 to Newberry then east on State Road 26 with the intention of stopping at Tioga Town Center. The last time I'd had a battery replaced in my Fossil chronograph I felt the guy who did it didn't have even a hint of customer care. I knew. I knew that I could count on the people at Lang Jewelers to do the same thing and I'd feel better about the whole transaction.

When I received the Fossil as a gift it had been many years since I last wore an analog wrist watch, but reduced visual clarity made seeing time on a digital very difficult. Hand position solved the problem of telling time. Eventually, new lenses cured the problem of being able to see at all, but by then I had grown very attached to the chronograph. You say, "But it's only a battery!" I say, "Yeah, but it's no different than choosing to have work done by my FNBS" (which you all know is Friendly Neighborhood Bike Shop and that is, of course, Bikes and More). It's no different than choosing a set of Marathons over any other tires. And it's no different than making my FNBS the place to acquire 'em. Some things make more sense to me than other things do.

I got to experience the Archer Braid Trail, got my watch running again and did a very pleasant 32 miles. What a day!

Is Better That Much Better

Back when I was a serious driver I liked finding things that improved the experience and gave me something to talk about (or brag if it made sense). It was more than a few years ago and involved cars like a ’73 Beetle and a ’77 Rabbit. You might ask how one can brag about Beetles and Rabbits. You choose your venue and audience well. One item worthy of mentioning to anyone who knew their way around Beetles was that in 152K miles I never replaced the muffler, but I did have to replace the gaskets sealing the muffler to the exhaust pipes from the motor. The probable reason was that there was little chance for moisture to cause rust. Seldom was the car on the move somewhere. I once had to replace and adjust the ignition points somewhere north of Charlotte on the edge of I-77 using old points and a pack of matches. Being able to use a pack of matches to set the spark gap was pretty much common knowledge. Having a set of used but usable points was also common. Middle of the night and flashlight help in the mouth makes it a mite more interesting.

How does any of this relate to bikes? Tires, that’s how. The TS771s had gone 70K miles when I replaced them with Semperit M401s. I gave the tires to another Beetle owner who used them for many more miles. They sucked in snow but were outstanding otherwise and the choice of many drivers competing in the SCCA’s Showroom Stock. After buying a lot of less expensive tires, some of which are identified as “city” tires, meaning they can handle the rigors of urban streets, my experience has made me a Schwalbe buyer. Just as I liked the Continental TS771s I had on the Beetle, I like Schwalbes on my bikes. Research suggested strongly that Schwalbes were well worth the cost and their performance was exemplary for bicycle touring. As noted in past postings here the Marathon Plus tires I use did exactly what I anticipated on my aborted tour. When I began repairing the Schwinn to be a more useful everyday bike I did not consider any other tire manufacturer.

I’ve ridden the High Sierra enough miles to be able to know that I made a good choice. Whether my preferences match those of someone else is irrelevant insofar as it’s my ride. One criticism of Marathons is that they are heavy. So am I. Another few ounces, even pounds is inconsequential. Much of the HS 348 Marathon Plus’ extra weight (110kg) is a result of the thick layer of rubber under the tread (Schwalbe calls this their SmartGuard) which serves to keep sharp things from doing the highly undesirable poking thing. Urban streets are always debris laden, so any extra protection makes a lot of sense unless you’re really enjoy repairing and replacing tubes. I have the tires inflated to their maximum, 85 psi, and fine the ride to be wholly acceptable. I also like the steady hum they make on long rides.

 

On the High Sierra I put HS 420 Marathons with Schwalbe’s Green Guard (also weighing 110kg) . They are a higher pressure tire (55 to 100 psi). After starting at 80 psi I have since increased the pressure slightly to 90 psi. As with the 348s the ride is very firm, but not at all uncomfortable. They do not hum like the 348s and roll just as smoothly. It’d be difficult to be more satisfied.

In a discussion about bikes and equipment my opinion about tires, at least, is that better is much better.

Stability Helps

Returning to stability takes time.

Living without adequate income is tough. Returning from the brink takes time, but as stability returns life on the edge becomes less threatening. With the resolution of the unemployment quandary in my favor hope can now spring eternal.

    Hope springs eternal in the human breast; 

    Man never Is, but always To be blest: 
    The soul, uneasy and confin'd from home, 
    Rests and expatiates in a life to come.
– Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man

Too dire. Things are mostly good and I continue to work on leaving a small carbon footprint by investing some of my newly received resources into good tires and fenders, both made of carbon based materials, of course, but very little compared to my past life style.

It’s unpleasant to riding in rain on a bike lacking fenders and my venerable High Sierra, an excellent two wheeled transportation appliance, required that upgrade if it was going to be my daily ride. Almost as important for an urban ride is tires that can handle accumulated detritus found on bike paths and roadsides.

Choosing tires was a simple matter because of my experience with Schwalbe tires on the Safari. I put Marathon Plus (HS 348) on the Safari and have neither complaints nor punctures. Only when one was sliced completely through to the SmartGuard belt during my aborted tour have I had any kind of problem. Even then, the tire lost pressure slowly rather than catastrophically. For around town, everyday use Christian at Bikes and More suggested the updated Original Marathon (HS 420) with its 3 mm GreenGuard layer providing almost the same level of puncture protection. Weighing 730 grams (1.6 pounds) each (versus 940 grams or 2 pounds for HS 348) they are not road racer tires. They’re built to handle what I want; an everyday bicycle lifestyle.

Fenders presented a more complex question; what fenders would fit the High Sierra’s Roller Cam brakes that were popular in the 80s. They are very good brakes with remarkable stopping power, but, as most bike mechanics know, very hard to adjust properly. Adjustability was not the first problem; fitting current-day fenders under the Roller cam mechanism was. Again, Bikes and More took care of the matter.

Paul was able to fit a pair of Planet Bike Cascadia ATB fenders to the bike with a minimum of effort. The only adjustment needed was to the front fender where the spacing between the frame attachment and the fender was greater than normal. Nice fenders! While he was at it also adjusted the Roller Cam brakes. Nice work!

 

Using the High Sierra as everyday transportation is going to be much more pleasant with the ever-present concern about punctures reduced to a minimum. The Marathons are 100 pound tires (currently inflated to 85) that make riding remarkably smooth and noticeably more efficient. It’s no longer a mountain bike by function, but it is a fine bike.