A New Life for Old Mountain Bikes

We have mountain bikes that we love. But they are a little along in years. They came into our lives in the '90s. They're hardtails with front suspension forks, titanium frames made custom for us by Seven Cycles. We put these bikes to very good use for many years.

Eventually we realized it was time for us to give up off-road and technical stuff. It was bone-jarring, just too much for our aging joints. We decided to keep the ti mountain bikes, making minor changes to them so they were more suitable for gentler rides on trails and pavement. They're slow but very comfortable, sturdy but elegant as mountain bikes go. In other words, nice second bikes for us.

This month we decided it was time to bring the old mountain bikes forward in time, to modernize them a bit and give them some new life.

So we walked over to our local bike shop and had a conversation. Could he make some changes to our old bikes?

• Replace the front suspension fork with a rigid titanium or carbon fork; and
• Replace the outdated triple chainring mountain bike setup with a single chainring (1x) groupset, one with electronic shifting.

We talked about how the bikes would be used, and he made suggestions about the chainring and cassette sizes. He took notes. He wanted to make some calls and pull together an estimate. We agreed on a time to get back together.

Walking home from the bike shop I realized that this is almost more fun than buying brand new bikes. 

Running Away from Home on a Bicycle

My favorite bicycle rides all start and end at my home. But since my preferred ride length is a metric century, Homestead/Florida City is as far south as my rides from home usually go. Key Largo, the northern end of the Florida Keys, lies about 25-30 miles south of Florida City. Too far for an ordinary day ride for my tastes.

One day recently, however, I just wanted to run away from home, to be by myself, to be unbothered by chores and routines and obligations. So I packed a few things into some randonneuring/bikepacking bags. Then I set off and rode to the Keys.

Before I left home I did have the foresight to make reservations for lodging in Key Largo. (You can do this run-away thing without reservations, but, hey, why invite chaos and drama into your day.)  Since I didn't have to ride home until the next day, I could max out my miles for the day. So I pedaled past my lodgings and kept going south for as long as I wanted before finally stopping for a quick snack. Then I circled back and checked into my motel.

I had picked a motel on a canal near a marina. It looked to have been originally set up to cater to divers. For a price significantly below the nearby chain motels, I had a condo-like unit with a master bedroom and bath upstairs and a living room, bath, and kitchen downstairs. (Clean and freshly painted and pleasant despite the worn furniture and the wonky but functional drapes.) The place's best feature was a great screened balcony overlooking the adjacent canal. I sat out there and watched dive boats go in and out with their loads of tourists. And the African Queen (remember the Humphrey Bogart/Lauren Bacall movie?) chugged in and out of the canal, too, tooting its horn and making tourists happy.

It was a relaxing, successful trip. I stopped for a bunch of photos. I watched hundreds (yes, hundreds) of motorcycles roll by me on US 1 by Lake Surprise. They had an escort of dozens of motorcycle police. (The cascade of sound from the motorcycles was stunning.) I noodled about in a residential area or two, once finding myself in a delightful conversation with a very funny little woman about her newest gardening project. I chanced into Jon, the Cycling Viking, and rode and chatted with him for a while. (Jon's currently working on a Guinness world record for the longest triathlon. He's quite an interesting guy to know.)

These are the serendipitous little things that make traveling on a bicycle so entertaining. It just never gets old.

St. Augustine and the 27th Annual Tour de Forts Classic

St. Augustine is a historic old city dressed as a tourist town, its timeworn but stately downtown embellished with wonky museums, weird shops, and popular but plebeian tours. A spot perfect for spending some time by yourself or with family. (Something for everybody.)

Each year the North Florida Bicycle Club holds the Tour de Forts Classic. 2018 marks the 27th year for the event. It's a well organized event from top to bottom. The routes are excellent.

Our 70 mile route included all the best features of the area:

• The forts and historic St. Augustine;
• Lovely Anastasia Island with its lighthouse;
• The inland agricultural areas;
• A section of the area's terrific trail system; and
• The road along the river with its huge live oaks draped in Spanish moss.

With 800+ riders, there weren't the congestion problems that trouble the really big event rides. Police support was excellent.

There was something special at the last rest stop. People were hot and getting tired. And there it was: SNOW CONES! Total genius.

A view of St. Augustine and the Bridge of Lions from the base of the Castillo de San Marcos.

Riding in the agricultural section of the county.