The [mb Financial Bank] Bike the Drive in Chicago, IL

Florin is awesome ... because our tandem is awesome!

On Sunday, May 30th, Florin and I rode our newly acquired 1971 Schwinn Deluxe Twinn for 30 miles on Chicago's Lake Shore Drive as part of the [mb] Financial Bank and Active Transportation  Alliance Bike the Drive 2010 event.  We had stayed the previous night in the amazing Fairmont Hotel on the 32nd floor overlooking Millennium and Grant Park.  We were really jazzed about the lovely weather and the general excitement of being in the city again, especially by bike:


On the day of the ride, not only did we see a couple of other cool tandems (i.e., a dual-hitched tandem-recumbent), but we found another couple riding a tandem that looked just like ours!  As Florin and I were taking a quick rest, I watched the crowd going by.  Then, I saw it--a varsity green tandem.  As the couple neared us and pulled away, I was struck with the realization that it was identical to our own.  We needed to catch up to them and fast!

"Quick!  Get on the bike, Florin!  We need to catch that tandem!" I cried out and I pointed to their rapidly shrinking form.  He grabbed the handlebars to steady us as I threw my leg over my co-pilot seat.  We started pedaling as fast as we could.  It didn't take long before we pulled up alongside of them.

"That's a nice bike you have there," Florin nonchalantly complimented the pilot.  (We later learned his name was Ross).  Ross and his co-pilot looked over at us to say, "Thanks," and when they did, they realized they were staring at a reflection of their own bike.  We rode the next 15 miles together discussing cycling, the stories behind our bike acquisitions, and took photos.  We exchanged contact info and may plan a future ride together -- who knows?

Two is Better than One!

Florin scored a sweet deal today! As part of today's block yard sale, he spotted a tandem bicycle that our neighbor, Bill, had placed out for sale. For only $35, Florin picked up the (new to us) bike: a classic campus (or "varsity") green Schwinn Tandem Deluxe Twinn.

The serial Number beneath the badge is FG048363 which means it was produced in June 1971. The Schwinn catalogs (1967 | 1972) provide more information, although not exact data regarding our bike. (If nothing else, they are amusing to browse through.) The asking price for one of these in excellent condition, original, and operational can be $500+, although the going rate of resale appears to be closer to ~$250.

Guiseppe has a blog in which he shows some of the progress and changes he did to his 1973 Schwinn Deluxe Twinn over the summer of 2008:

• More Bike Related Shenanigans (Before)
• More Bike Related Shenanigans (Middle)
• More Bike Related Shenanigans (After)

I can't hardly wait to be able to ride with my beau on our tandem down the Rock Island Trail with our matching green picnic backpack in tow!

Triathlon, Cycling, and More in Peoria, IL

A little research uncovered that the Peoria area isn't the best for cycling, but that doesn't mean there aren't folks out there doing it!

Businesses

• The Blog Peoria Project: http://blogpeoria.com/
  
• Running Central: http://runningcentral.net/
• Bushwhacker: http://bushwhacker.com/
  
• Bellevue Cycle: 2212 S.W. Adams St.; 309-673-2734
  
• Illinois Cycle and Fitness: 9016 N Allen Rd; 309-693-2691
• Russell Cycle & Fitness: http://russellsfitness.com/
  

Triathlon:

• Peoria Triathlon Club: http://tri-peoria.org/

Cycling:

• Welcome to Illinois Valley Wheelm'n: http://www.ivwheelmn.org/
• Peoria Bicycle Club: http://www.peoriabicycleclub.com/
• Peoria Area Mountain Bike Association (PAMBA): http://www.pambamtb.org/

Trails/Commuting:

• Illinois Trail Map: http://www.trailresources.com/il13.html
• Wikipedia - Rock Island State Park: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Island_Trail_State_Park
• Rock Island Trail (Toulon to Alta): http://www.ritrail.org/
• Keller Branch Trail (Alta to Peoria): TBD?
• Pioneer Parkway (Alta to Peoria): http://www.traillink.com/ViewTrail.aspx?AcctID=6015789
• Pimiteoui Trail (Peoria to Peoria Heights): http://www.trailresources.com/trail-illinois-pimiteoui-trail.html
• DNR River Trail of Illinois (Peoria Heights to East Peoria): http://www.traillink.com/ViewTrail.aspx?AcctID=6015793 or http://www.fermatainc.com/il/site_36.html
  
• Morton Community Bikeway (East Peoria to Morton): http://www.mortonparkdistrict.com/bikeway.html
• Pekin Park Trail (East Peoria to Pekin): http://www.pekin.net/pekinparkdistrict/Bike%20Trail%20Map.html
  

This appears to be one route to get to the Rock Island Trailhead from our house:

View Larger Map

Logistics of a Biking and Camping Trip

If you've been following previous posts, you'll know that we bought new touring bikes and panniers for our two-year anniversary. (I think normal people go on a cruise or celebrate in Mexico. We buy bicycles and gear to haul around. Yeah, we might be a little nuts.) Anyway, we coordinated the celebratory trip the weekend before: I picked the trail and Florin made campsite reservations at Cliffview. The working week passed by and Friday night was upon us. There was suddenly much to do! There was camping gear to find, food and clothing to be selected and packed, and gear preparation that was sorely behind schedule.

Truth is, I was a little concerned because I was afraid that our Jalco rims wouldn't be able to support the large 700x38 tires and tubes I had purchased specifically for this trip on crushed cinder. (Turns out that I had nothing to worry about. The larger tires were a very good idea, fit fine into the deep-V rims, and worked amazingly well. What a relief!) I was even able to show Florin a few tips and tricks for making tire-changing easier and faster. (Yes, Florin did his and I did mine.) We then cannibalized our existing camping and backpacking gear to meet our needs. I grabbed my compression straps off of my hiking backpack, pulled out my down sleeping bag, and rolled up our Thermarest pads. Check, check, and check. Florin found his down bag, his backpacker's tent, and his white gas backpacking stove (which is awesome, for the record). Check, check, and check. Now, to fill the panniers.

If food is tricky for backpacking, in my opinion, it's even tricker for cycling. Yes, we have panniers, but we want to pack relatively light but also nutritionally dense. Cycling takes a lot more energy than hiking. In past cycling events I've participated in, I've recorded up to 1,000 calories burned in an hour. I figure we wouldn't burn calories at quite that high of a rate, but it would ultimately depend on terrain, temperature, and effort. We opted for Cliff bars, GORP (trail mix), Gala apples, Clementine oranges, and beef jerky for the snack 'ums. For dinner, we packed both the MSR "Mac and Cheese and Chili" and the MountainHouse "Oriental Dish" RTEs. (For the record, MountainHouse meals are FAR superior in taste, texture, and amount.) Breakfast was going to be leftover fruit, hot cocoa, bagel chips, and cashew nut butter. For me, that food plan was plenty sufficient. For Florin, there's no doubt he needs REAL food a lot more often. I suspect it has something to do with the difference in our "natural reserves." :)

I thought the GORP would be the constant hit of the two-day party, but surprisingly it was the Clementine oranges and the hot chocolate that were in constant and high demand. (My God, those were sooooo good.) Of course, I really didn't pack enough of either of those. We got by all right. We also each rode with 3 bottles of water, but refilled at every chance we could (which was at Cliffview and again at Draper). It wasn't particularly hot, but if it had been, we would've been hurtin'. I'm thinking about packing potable water tablets or bringing along a backpacker's filter, just in case. Probably not a bad idea. (Would make a good Xmas gift -- Hint, Hint!)

I'd probably also change what I wore. I'd definitely keep the Keen cycling sandals. (Those are possibly the single best clothing purchase I've ever made.) I would've opted out of my normal spandex shorts for something more "civilian friendly." Normally, I don't care about what I'm wearing as long as it works. It's fine when I'm straddling the bike and it's obvious that Spandex is for a reason. When you reach the campsite, however, you're walking around without your bicycle. Weaving through 5 campsites full of Boy Scouts, I felt a little awkward in my all-Spandex getup. I have two fantastic pairs of SkirtSports' Compression Fit BikeGirl cycling skorts and I didn't think to wear them on this trip. Next time, I most definitely will. It's either that, or I'm going to bring one of those ever-useful Terry wraparound skirts.

Stuff I would bring next time that we didn't have this time:

• Flint & tinder
• Potable water tablets or water filtration system
• More fruit (apples & oranges)
• Silk sack/liner for my sleeping bag (ideally the Cocoon Ripstop Silk Mummy liner, found at REI for ~$65, Item #735819)
• My GSI Backpacking Cook System
• My GSI 11-Piece Kitchen Set

"Which part did you ride?" "Uh, ALL of it."

I get that a lot. I should say, we get that kind of question a lot of the time, and we often give that kind of an answer. To us, it's funny in a way; 40 to 50 miles by bicycle is a decently moderate ride. We don't shy away from that kind of a distance, we actively seek it out. When you seek, you shall find. And what a find we made with the New River Trail in Southwest Virginia!

It technically starts in Galax, VA and rides 57 miles north, following the New River, up to Pulaski, VA. Being from Blacksburg ourselves, we decided to start on the north end, ride south, camp overnight, and ride back over the course of a weekend. My original plan was to ride down into Galax and stay in a lovely (and comfortable) Bed and Breakfast Inn. Florin, being the backpacker/camper type, talked me into a night of camping instead. While I was not initially thrilled at the idea of all-day exercise toting our own camping gear on our bikes followed by sleeping on the hard ground, I promised I'd at least give it a try before making any rash judgments. For the record, it wasn't bad; it was actually quite enjoyable. Go figure! Here's how it went down and the slideshow below reveals much of our two-day trip.

We started at the 2-mile mark, at the Pulaski/Xaloy gravel lot entrance to the State Park. With our bikes loaded up with all of our gear, we were ready to ride! There was no fanfare, but we were off! Immediately, I noted that riding with loaded panniers on gravel is a bit of a freaky experience. It's nothing like a road bike. My bike, Juniper, was sluggish and felt as if she had a mind and direction of her own. It took many miles before I learned that a light touch on the handlebars would prove easier. (Not only was it easier on my back, shoulders, arms, and hands, but on the general handling of the bike as well.)

I have to admit, I spent a lot of the first part of the ride staring in fear at the loose grit of the trail in front of me. Something I did notice was that it only took about 10 or so miles before I loosened up. Once that happened, the ride was fantastic. I cannot believe how well maintained, stocked, and fantastic the amenities and facilities were throughout the entire trail. And it was an absolute delight to see entire families riding shorter parts of the overall trail.

One last thing: cycling makes you hungry. If you're me, you can survive a two-day trip on GORP and crackers and water, but if you're Florin you'll be needing a lot more sustenance. That hamburger you see below was an out-of-the way ride-like-hell 6 miles roundtrip to the closest local store and "food grill" during the afternoon of the second day. It wasn't the best burger in the world, but it was a burger and Florin was satisfied. Not only that, but we found another gem of a camping spot on the way to Fries. Next trip, we're going to book into there.

Panniers are awesome!

As Amber and I are getting ready to celebrate our second anniversary, two huge packages appeared at our doorstep; packages resembling bike boxes. Of course, Amber was surprised. About now you're probably thinking how sweet I am for buying new bicycles for the two of us for our anniversary. WRONG! This is a good time to remind everyone that I am a poor college student while Amber is a successful career woman in addition to being a college student. That makes me the luckiest guy on the planet, because she is my sugar momma. She bought us touring bicycles for our anniversary. The reason Amber was surprised is because she was not expecting the bikes so early and she was going to surprise me by having them put together and waiting for me when I would return from the lab the following day. Despite her plan backfiring, it was a nice surprise and we spent an evening putting bikes together. We've even commuted to work on our bikes and just a few days ago, I retaliated by purchasing some nice panniers for the bikes. We are trying to get into the business of bike touring, and we have an overnight trip planned for next weekend. Well, today we got the panniers and I spent some time installing them. Check out the final result!

Here are our bikes, one naked and one fully dressed.

Can't wait to try these bad boys out on the road.