First bike ride 2012

We've now survived 3 months in Pajan. We eat well, have a fancy roof over our head and watch a bunch of TV. So faa, so goooda. But I've yet to do any significant bike riding. With 2012 approaching, I promised myself to go on some longer awesome bike rides. So, I did. Todyeah.

Here's what I ride. I was hoping for a Long Haul Trucker but bought this Pacer used because I was getting tired of being bike-less. It's fun to ride and the Grand Bois Cerfs are as great as advertised. It's a 29mm tire that doesn't make me feel really fat. I dig it. I might try the 26mm Cerfs some day so I can fit some fenders in there.

The front bag on it was made in Japan and was the first thing I bought-for the LHT. It's dangling off the handlebar cuz this bike is rack-less. I loved using it but I took it off because the way it was mounted on the bars took away a hand position.

Abandoned bikes abound.

Peoples on the cycling road.

I've always loved exploring. Most of the time I don't take a map on my rides. Not a good idea in a forest but it's great for city exploration. My plan was to go farther on the Tama Cycling Road(Japanese link) and see what I could find. I live right around the middle of the route.This ped/bike road is roughly 50km end to end and follows the banks of Tama River(English link). Most of it is paved with numerous dirt trail options along the way. I can't begin to explain how awesome this trail is.

A swapscene.

I can across this bike swap meet thingy while on the cycling road. It was great to see some friendly cyclists and I enjoyed looking thru the the stuff people had for sale. There were some nice bikes too. I desperately tried to buy something but I either didn't find anything I needed or didn't know what I was looking at.

This guy rolled in on this big wheeled thingy. Everyone was checking out the bike but not talking to him. So I ignored him too.

The knickers and high socks gang. The guy with the red socks is the leader.

Classic Made in Japan Alps road bike. Me want.

Beer and yakitori by the river. Cheap and awesome but closed today. Interior pictures next time.

It was such a beautiful sunny afternoon. I think I rode about 20 miles. The most I've ridden in about 4 months and it took me about 3 hours to do it too. I'm really looking forward to exploring the ins and outs of the cycling road. It's really a treasure. It's very similar to the Centennial Trail in Spokane in that it separates you from car traffic and has many trail options. But unlike the Centennial Trail, the Tama Cycling Road has bars, bike shops, hardware stores, restaurants, cafes, a horse race track, a Keirin track and hot springs. That's why it takes 3 hours to do 20 miles. Wanna come visit?