Trial run to a brewery

[KillRamsey]

The big bike ride (340 or so miles over 5-6 days, Pittsburgh to DC) is next week. I needed to test out the electric assist bike rig with my daughter, AND I wanted to reaffirm my belief that I can live without a ton of primes if I really want to badly enough. So I brought nothing but the capable 18-55 kit zoom, and off we went this past Saturday. Once again the weather was gloomy. That keeps happening to me...

She likes the electric assisted rig.

KBRX0142 by gordopuggy, on Flickr

The non-assisted bike we'll also be taking, a 70's peugeot I rebuilt into a single speed 3+ years ago

KBRX0180 by gordopuggy, on Flickr

Group photo. Manual focus, set interval to wait 1 minute then shoot 5 a second apart.

KBRX0219 by gordopuggy, on Flickr

Friend Jess came along.

KBRX0236 by gordopuggy, on Flickr

You gotta stop for these...

KBRX0245 by gordopuggy, on Flickr

By about 18mph, you're out of gear on this guy. Tucking in helps.

KBRX0255 by gordopuggy, on Flickr

Location shots for the Mrs

Bikabout-Buzzards-Bay-Brewery-1 by gordopuggy, on Flickr

Personal favorite. She climbs our friends.

KBRX0334 by gordopuggy, on Flickr

Bocce in wet grass

KBRX0415 by gordopuggy, on Flickr

Nother product / place shot for her.

Bikabout-Buzzards-Bay-Brewery-6 by gordopuggy, on Flickr


The zoom did fine, I think. I'm going with it, and the 12.

 

[Biro]

Hi Kyle. Great images. Completely off-topic from photography, I couldn't help but notice the old Peugeot that you rebuilt and converted to one-speed service.

I'm thinking about getting into casual biking for moderate excercise after decades away from the sport/hobby. You can tell from my avatar that I'm a motorcyclist.

To my point: I see many bicyclists around me spending all kinds of money on multi-speed bikes, most of them in excess of ten speeds. While I understand the need for such versatility under certain circumstances (true competition or operating in mountainous areas, erc.), I have a theory that five or even three speeds is enough for most people.

I rode a single-speed bike throughout my childhood. I'm not young any longer but still think ten speeds is overkill. I see single-speed cruisers on sale in the $200-300 range fairly often. You know, Huffy, Schwinn, etc. These are attractive to me and fit my budget but I'd consider something a bit more sophisticated.

You seem to take biking fairly seriously. What say ye?

 

[KillRamsey]

If you live somewhere very flat, a single speed is great. Simple, nothing to break. Think of it as a 70's beemer R90. Simple, clean, and does everything you need (and nothing more). I would highly recommend a 3-speed, though, for almost everywhere else. 3 speeds is more than enough for me around town and touring. Specifically, look for a bike with a Shimano 3 speed hub, called a "nexus." It's the most popular 3 speed hub, but Sturmey is still out there, and it's a much older, fussier, weaker design than the japanese stuff. Beyond that, just get a good fit, put a Wald basket on the front, and go goof off! Get ice cream, hit the parks, go on photo runs, whatever.

 

[Amin]

Terrific series, Kyle!

 

[Bobby T]

Terrific series, Kyle!

Agreed

 

[Lightmancer]

Kyle, it's always a visual treat to open a thread of yours and see one of your photo essays. You are rapidly mastering the art of visual storytelling. What I find particularly impressive is the way in which the images flow from one to the next. It's not just about technical competence, it's having the eye for the overall story arc and editing and selecting accordingly. What you end up with looks like stills from a film. Exceptional stuff.

 

[tonyturley]

I enjoy these essays, too. More and more I'm getting the urge to get out and do some cycling. In fact, my wife took her bike in for some repairs this morning. I think I'll have mine tuned next.

TT

 

[KillRamsey]

Thanks a lot folks. Honestly, that's incredibly uplifting to read. I never can tell if I'm making progress. I just got done biking 340 miles from Pittsburgh to Washington DC with the family, with 3 days first in Pitt and then 2 at the end in DC. I had 2,800 or so pics to weed through, and I'm about halfway through the cull. Aaaand I leave in 3 hours to drive to Wisconsin for a long weekend.

Too many pictures in the can, not enough time to clean them all out.

 

[KillRamsey]

And as for the gear selection, I think I made the right choice with just the kit zoom and the 12, mostly because the trail was about 60% mud / rain. I improvised a ziplock bag covering for the camera that the strap ran through, to keep it from getting splashed by all the mud puddles. I notice a lot more of the "watercolory foliage" issue people often complain about with the X-Trans using the kit, though. A LOT. The 12 was often sharper in the fine details. But it was worth it not to have to open that body up out there, and to go from wide scenic shot right into a LOOK THERE'S A DEER zoom at 55.

 

[tonyturley]

Amazing journey, Kyle. I can't even imagine what it takes to make that kind of ride.

TT

 

[Ray Sachs]

C&O I presume? I almost did that ride back in 2001, but my Dad got really sick and I needed / wanted to tend to him so had to bail on the bike trip... Your brewery shots are great, as usual. I hate zooms for lots of shooting, but for some reason I like them when traveling, so I think you made the right gear choice...

 

[KillRamsey]

Ok, I survived the 4th of July weekend in Wisconsin, and have pretty much just given up on post processing. There's NO time. I leave again in 2 days for another long weekend, this time to upstate NY. So I'm just going to post an album of Wisconsin, then go back to the Pitt-DC set. -sigh-