March 20, 2011

Gypsy Stats:
150 Miles
6 hrs 30 min elapsed time
3 hr 51 min riding time
39 MPH ave speed

Tim: ’00 Triumph Sprint ST 955 Triple

Dave: ’99 Triumph Sprint ST 955 Triple (aka Smokin’ Red)

Lindsey: ’07 BWM R1200R (grin)

It was lining up to be a beautiful first-day-of-spring day, but the thermometer read just 28 first thing in the morning so full winter gear was in order. I put on the same as last week - LD Comfort long sleeve base layer, thinsulate and flannel lined jeans, new Aerostich wind proof pullover jersey, Gerbing electric jacket, and RevIt riding suit with liners. This time, I wore the jersey under the electric jacket and was much happier with the overall performance. It was more comfortable, I did not have to take the jersey off to take any of the jackets off, and I was warmer, which was important since the temperature was running a chilly 25 to 28 crossing the Oley valley in the bright morning sun. Once again, the new Aerostich fleece neck kerchief proved its worth; this is the best thing I have found for sealing the gap at the bottom of the full face helmet in cold weather and in just a couple of trials has found a permanent home in my tank bag. Here is a picture of the over-the-chin wearing style.

I was also trying out another new piece of gear, my new BMW brand riding boots. Now I am not into marque branded riding apparel, but Tim and Dave both swear by the comfort, utility, and durability of these BMW brand boots and as my old leather engineer boots were getting a bit thin in sole I decided to spring the $237 for a pair of name brand high tops. First time out with these, I think I have to agree, they are a winner. They are very lightweight, extremely comfortable, and easy to get on and off. Tim and Dave claim they are waterproof also though I have not had the opportunity to test that yet. The picture shows a rider's-eye-view of the toe of the boot peaking out on the right side.

When I was ordering the boots on-line, that wiley internet marketing computer popped up a targeted ad for BMW brand socks. Marque branded socks. I mean really, that's a bit over the top. But they are specially ribbed to wick moisture away from your feet and impregnated with silver for life-long bactericidal action and feature a special shifter pad on the left sock only... OK, I confess, I fell for it. So, the BMW sock are very comfortable under the BMW boots. Only time will tell if they are really significantly more comfortable than regular old socks from Walmart.

For breakfast we headed up to the Lyons Fire House -family style seating but no buffet, strictly order from the menu featuring the famous Lyons Fire House Cheese Steak omelet. I went for pancakes and sausage and got more than I could eat.

After breakfast, temperatures had risen to the mid 30's, so we were plenty warm. For me ( a cold temperature wimp) my current riding gear set up is good for extended riding down to about 30 with something like a 6 degree safety margin. I can go down to about 24 with the jacket turned up all the way as long as it doesn't go on all day. By the time the temperature is up in the low 40's, I am backing the jacket off somewhat and am good for an all day ride. Anything lower than that will require a whole new approach to layering on the gear.

We headed east towards the river, winding up in Upper Black Eddy. I was starting to believe that someone had spiked Tim's Cheerios this morning; he was running hot, hot, hot on that Sprint. Turns out he just got the front forks rebuilt. I guess it made a difference in the handling because he was hard to keep up with this morning.

Stopping for a break at UBE, it was pretty clear that my new rear tire was at the end of its useful life. The tread is gone and there is a little bit of cord showing through. Enough to get home today, but not enough to go out again on this one and certainly not enough for a trip to West Virginia. You may recall that I am running the set of Conti Motions that we put them on when the odometer read 8880 miles last summer, now over 14,000 miles. I have been reasonably happy with the handling of these tires, especially in the rain, and at >5000 miles, this rear tire does not owe me anything, especially at the very reasonable price of $168 for the pair, delivered. And the front tire still has some tread on it. We will have to get the new Michelin put on before the next ride.

Well, stuff to do, so we can only go short today; a quick ride across the counties brings us to home in the early afternoon.