# February Fixed Frolics Florida Style



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

We had such a good time in Florida over New Years that we decided to give it another shot.

It was freezing when we left DC, not so in Lake County.
:thumbsup:


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

The plan as usual was to ride as much as we could in a week. 

700 miles would be nice.

Of course what with weather and all we were going to have to get in some longer rides to cover for the days when conditions were not ideal.

108 the first day (even though we had to wait out a thunder storm under a freeway). Miss M wanted a challenge so we climbed the biggest hill around.

Sugarloaf actually has a fairly good view from the top.

Ice Cream! Pizza! Life is good!


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Laugh, I know. "Howie in the Hills," "Mt. Dora," "Sugarloaf Mountain," Thrill Hill". It is Florida, what the heck are they talking about?

Still it did break up the riding (123 miles this time).

More rain and a nicer place to wait it out. We even had time to do a little house shopping (amazing prices compared to DC).

Pork Chops!


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

It was getting to be routine-get up, ride, eat, ride, fool around with the camera (FIXED, is that Slones Ridge any relation?) while riding, finish riding, really eat.

At one of our rest stops there was a cat hanging around looking for scraps.

I like cats, I hope it liked the chocolate milk I gave it.

101 miles or so.

Chips!


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Chips?*

Now any fool knows that chips aren't a real meal.

OTOH Wait till dark, follow the locals to some dim joint with loud bad music and chow down on Oxtail Stew, Potato Curry, Dirty Rice, Fried Fish and Plantains with Fosters in a plastic cup. Real food and fine dining indeed.

That gets us through day 3, four more days of great riding to come........

Tomorrow maybe.


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## rideorglide (Dec 3, 2005)

Dayum!

Looks like fun and tasty too -- the funky food. I ain't allowed none of that pie and ice cream, hundred miles or no hundred miles. 

Clyde dreamworld all those flats; ain't got any of those near my driveway. Makes me think it must be time to travel to somewhere to ride a little different terrain for a bit.

As ever great pics.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

Great report as usual MB.

I just had oxtail for the first time ever. It was at a little Cuban restaurant. Man was that good.


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## YuriB (Mar 24, 2005)

Fantastic Florida fixed frolicking and funky food fotos.


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## 10ae1203 (Jan 14, 2007)

I've seen plenty of apples and peaches growing on trees, but it would be pretty cool to have an orange tree. NIce pix of a warm place.


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## bigrider (Jun 27, 2002)

As usual great ride report.

Did you suffer any soreness from a 700 mile week?

We you all staying with friends or in a hotel?


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Pain? We laugh at pain!*



bigrider said:


> ...Did you suffer any soreness from a 700 mile week?...We you all staying with friends or in a hotel?


Brooks saddles rule!

Hotel.

Our only problem really was getting in enough calories, it is not like either of us have a lot in reserve.


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## Chain (Dec 28, 2006)

Looks like Ms. M was on the fixie and you were on a gearly bike.

Great pics as always.  The one with the oranges looks like the oranges were photoshoped in.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Fill flash.*



Chain said:


> ...Great pics as always. The one with the oranges looks like the oranges were photoshoped in.


No stinkin' Photoshop here!  

.


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## Chain (Dec 28, 2006)

MB1 said:


> No stinkin' Photoshop here!


I wouldn't think you would. Just the lighting and the crips edges look like a cut and paste. Must have been early in the day to get the light like that.:thumbsup:

edit...
Just saw the title, fill flash. That explains it. (too early to read or comprehend here in denver)


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## SilasCL (Jun 14, 2004)

Did Miss M get aerobars to punish you even more or is it just a comfort thing?


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

SilasCL said:


> Did Miss M get aerobars to punish you even more or is it just a comfort thing?


The latter was the stated reason that still holds true. The first was a side benefit that no longer applies.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Warm bad weather is a lot better than cold bad weather.*

As we were about to be reminded.

But first another day of fine Florida fixed riding (well, for Miss M anyway:blush2: ). This trip as compared to our New Years trip we were mostly riding North/South as the winds were different. The riding had just enough new roads and towns to keep our interest high.

We seemed to be visiting most of the lakes in Lake County-and there are a whole bunch of them.

The dining remained fine. :thumbsup: 

111 miles closing us in on 450 for the week so far......


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

We had been getting rain on and off but on Thursday the forecast was grim and indeed in the morning the skies opened up. Of course the same storm that was giving Central Florida a break from the drought was blasting DC and points north with with a nice wintery mix. Good thing we were in Florida.

We opted for a drive to a MUT and Miss M wanted to see what this thing called "Single Track" was.  

I tried to explain that it was for mountain bikes but she knew there were no mountains in Florida. Oh what the heck, I had gears and a freewheel so off we went. :thumbsup: 

Getting to the single track involved a bit of MUT, a dash of sandy roads and some slipping and sliding. Once we were fully off road (and I explained to Miss M the key was to keep rolling, don't keep a death grip on the bars and try to avoid bare sand) she started to rip it up.  

She enjoyed it so much we went looking for more.


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

didja see any skunkapes?


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Miss M was digging it and I was digging that she was digging it.

I had a bit of an advantage as my rear tire had developed some extra traction but we both had buckets of off-road fun. :thumbsup: 

Then we headed over to Mt Dora to pick up a few more miles (52 for the day) and some shopping (and eating!).

We were liking this trip and still had 2 more days to go.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

Epic.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*No.*



FatTireFred said:


> didja see any skunkapes?


But we scared the heck out of some jackaturtles.


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## rambn (Aug 12, 2007)

those are awesome pics, thanks!


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## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

Awesome

Len


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

Mt. Dora... I was wondering if Mt. Dora was in Lake Co. So then let me change my question... see any bears? or at least the bear fences along the highways?


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## superjohnny (May 16, 2006)

A couple of things I notice: 1) you guys love food. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that cycling is just a way to burn calories and get from one good eatin' spot to the next? 2) Miss M could crack walnuts with them calves. Looks like an awesome trip. Thanks for sharing


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

FatTireFred said:


> Mt. Dora... I was wondering if Mt. Dora was in Lake Co. So then let me change my question... see any bears? or at least the bear fences along the highways?


In January we saw a panther. This trip it was snakes, rabbits, turtles and lots of dogs behind fences.

Are there actually bears around?


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

MB1 said:


> Are there actually bears around?




apparently so... along some of the highways in that area they have fences that are designed to "funnel" bears into underpasses and keep them from crossing the roads... no joke


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

superjohnny said:


> A couple of things I notice: 1) you guys love food. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that cycling is just a way to burn calories and get from one good eatin' spot to the next? 2) Miss M could crack walnuts with them calves. Looks like an awesome trip. Thanks for sharing



The thing you gotta know about Miss M is that she is tiny. Weighs about 100 lbs in a driving rainstorm (more on that in the next installment) and her bike is a 48cm with 650C wheels.

Not that she ain't fit or anything but my pix of her riding with no one else in the frame make her look much larger than she really is.

OTOH one of her joys in life is to drive guys with a "hello little woman" attitude into the ground.....


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## Qstick333 (Jul 21, 2004)

MB1 - 

As usual - great pics - although jealousy is starting to creep in. With all the different types of terrain you seem to ride (dirt, gravel, paved etc...), what size and type or tire do you guys use? I am building up a Salsa Caseroll to start conquering more than just paved roads (I'm just across the mountain from you in Northern VA) and unsure what tire would work well...

Thanks for the help,

Zach


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Heck, I'll use just about any tire on or off dirt.*



Qstick333 said:


> MB1 -
> 
> As usual - great pics - although jealousy is starting to creep in. With all the different types of terrain you seem to ride (dirt, gravel, paved etc...), what size and type or tire do you guys use? I am building up a Salsa Caseroll to start conquering more than just paved roads (I'm just across the mountain from you in Northern VA) and unsure what tire would work well...
> 
> ...


I guess my tire of choice would be either the Rivendell Ruffy Tuffy 700x26 (which is really much wider than 26) or the Continental 2000 700x28 but I will run anything from 22-32mm quite happily. That rear tire that I finally wore though the tread was a 700x32 that I hated for a couple of years (but now that it is gone I find myself missing it :blush2:  ).

Right now Miss M is running 650x28 Terrys but she pays very little attention to her bike at all.


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## Qstick333 (Jul 21, 2004)

Although generally I have no concern over speed while riding - I do enjoy some group rides with a few decent paced groups. Is there a significant/noticeable difference in speed when going from a 25mm to a 32mm? The Salsa will definitely have 32mm and my Lemond's have 25mm Conti's now. 

Just curious, 

Thanks,

Zach


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## Brick Tamland (Mar 31, 2006)

Qstick333 said:


> Although generally I have no concern over speed while riding - I do enjoy some group rides with a few decent paced groups. Is there a significant/noticeable difference in speed when going from a 25mm to a 32mm? The Salsa will definitely have 32mm and my Lemond's have 25mm Conti's now.
> 
> Just curious,
> 
> ...


Contis always seem sort of, eh, soft (?) to me? I can't put my finger on it, but I've never been a big fan of Contis. 

That said, I just put a 25 mm Specialized Armadillo on the rear. I'm liking it a lot, and I think it would do fine off road (such as the C&O). It's not light, but it's very sturdy and seems to smooth things out quite a bit, even at high pressure. I plan to go back and get one for the front.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Hello Kitty, goodbye Florida.*

I'll think about some text....

O.K., to pick up where I left off; we were in Lake County Florida spending a week riding our bikes and just generally having a nice vacation. This report picks us up on Friday, the 6th day of our trip. To date we had ridden about 500 miles but the weather was nasty on Thursday and we only managed to get in about 50 miles (but good enough to keep us on track for a 700 mile week).

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=122783

Earlier on the trip we had reaquainted ourselves with a kitty who had make a home for itself under a shelter on the Van Fleet bike trail. I have a soft spot for critters so we decided to bring along a treat. It was well received.

Since we had only gotten in 50 miles yesterday I had in mind that if the weather held we would be a bit more ambitious. 200K sounds good.

The weather held.

But while we were cruising along my thoughts turned to the way we have been riding this trip. It didn't hurt, Miss M wasn't crushing me. This trip I was at the front for endless miles and I was the one thinking we should ride more. Now mind you, Miss M wasn't complaining one bit when I got to the front whenever the winds picked up and she sure wasn't complaining about riding some extra.

I realized that I had gotten into the kind of riding shape I hadn't been in for years and years. Adding it up I figured out that this was going to be something like our 22nd century ride since Christmas and all that riding had finally paid off. I was having a real good time on the bike again.

Lets ride some more!


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Wet and wild.

The weather that is on our last day in Florida-this trip.

We always keep a close eye on the weather forecast and Saturdays didn't look good. A front that had stalled out just north of us was finally on the move. The weathermen muttered dire warnings about staying indoors and seeking shelter if the winds started kicking up.

But we only needed 80 more miles to get our 700 mile week.

We rode.

The skies opened up at about mile 40. It had been years since I had been so wet on a bike. But since we were on quiet back roads and MUTs and it was nice and warm I quite enjoyed the weather (Miss M on the other hand was muttering curses that I could hear over the pounding rain storms so I kept my enjoyment to myself).

Just before we reached the point where we could take a shortcut back to the hotel the skies started to clear. After a brief consultation Miss M decided that since we couldn't get any wetter and the storm had moved off in the direction of the hotel we might as well keep on riding.

So we got in another nice century (abet something of a wet one) and a little bit of tourism.

Then it was time to pack up the bikes before heading off to the best pizza we found in Florida.

BTW when I opened up the frames a fair bit of water dripped out. Good thing we ride steel (I hate to think what all that water would have done to an aluminum frame!).


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Home again, I think (check that; I know!) I would rather travel by bike.

The worst part of traveling is the flying part. Man it sucks although it has gotten a lot better since we got the S&S couplers.

We got home early enough to catch up on some chores and shopping. For some reason though (the cold weather, the grey skies or just that we were no longer on vacation) I just wasn't riding with the same bounce as I was in Florida.

It actually felt like I was dragging a load of bricks or something.

I'm ready for another vacation!


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## crj (Jul 31, 2006)

As always great pic's, very interesting.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

crj said:


> As always great pic's, very interesting.


Do you like it with or without text?


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## Brick Tamland (Mar 31, 2006)

*Wait, what?!?*



> I was having a real good time on the bike again.


Does that mean you weren't having a good time on the other 5,000 miles you've ridden this year?

I love the "prisoners working" pic.


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## undies (Oct 13, 2005)

Super pics!

And it looks like you made that kitty's day :thumbsup:


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## jd3 (Oct 8, 2004)

I've been watching these reports and really liking what I see. Untill you showed all those snakes!


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## llama31 (Jan 13, 2006)

Love the photo of Miss M's bike against the yellow wall.
And the one of the dock out on the lake.
And the one of those ominous skies with your bar end in top of the frame.
And the one...
Ok, lots of nice pictures. Looks like a great trip (depstie the rains)

What the heck are doing with a BOB full of tarps and dowels?


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## JohnnyTooBad (Apr 5, 2004)

Great pics. Great trip (except for the snakes).

I prefer with the text (narration).

You know, I enjoy being 6'2", but man it must be a lot nicer to fly when you're five-foot-nothin', like MissM.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

llama31 said:


> ....What the heck are doing with a BOB full of tarps and dowels?


Getting ready to plant tomatoes. We are going to stake them up really well this year.

BTW those wern't tarps, they were deer fencing which works really well for vines.......


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## FlynG (Aug 23, 2006)

Ditto on the text, major CRS by the time I scroll down...

I always look for your pix posts! If I show those snake pix to Mama G I'll never have to set foot in FL again.


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## thinkcooper (Jan 5, 2005)

I was going on yesterday, for close to half an hour, about you and your wife and your posts, to my wife, following the RBR ride yesterday. In short, I think that you two are pretty much perfect.


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## booksbikesbeer (Jun 17, 2007)

I have always liked your photo-essays. I like them even better with a little bit of writing. Can't wait for your next vacation.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Nothing of the sort.*



thinkcooper said:


> I was going on yesterday, for close to half an hour, about you and your wife and your posts, to my wife, following the RBR ride yesterday. In short, I think that you two are pretty much perfect.


But thanks.


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

Guess you'd better really check those bathroom stalls before dropping your bibs! Yikes. Steak medium rare . .perfect. Loved all the pics and can only dream I was in that good shape.


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

I liked it with the text. I think your D.C. shots are often self explanatory (usually just draws me into the photos), but on things like your vacation excursions I really like to read your thoughts.


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## bigrider (Jun 27, 2002)

First,

You don't use dowels to stake tomatoes. Dang city slicker. Why do you need deer fencing in Gtown?

If you need some real stakes get some locust split stakes. They will last 15 years or so.


When you decide to use the trailer to camp (ie. talk Miss M into camping) let me know. I have a special route you could use that would be really cool.

I like the narrative with the pics. I still don't know where the victorola fits in.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Sure you do. I thought of you when I took that pic.*



bigrider said:


> ....I still don't know where the victorola fits in.


The thing even worked.

*They got a vintage Victrola 1951 
Full of my favorite records that I grew up on 
They got ole Hank and Lefty and there's B24 
Set 'em up Joe, and play ‘Walking The Floor’ 
Set 'em up Joe, and play ‘Walking The Floor’

I'm gonna spend the night like every night before 
Play a new tune and I'll play 'em some more 
I've gotta have a shot of them old troubadours 

Set 'em up Joe, and play ‘Walking The Floor’ 
Set 'em up Joe, and play ‘Walking The Floor’ 

All my neon neighbors they like what I play 
Cause they've heard it every night since you've walked away 
Every day they replace old B24 
Cause every night I run a needle through ‘Walking The Floor’ 
Every night I run a needle through ‘Walking The Floor’ 

I'm gonna spend the night like every night before 
Play a new tune and I'll play 'em some more 
I've gotta have a shot of them old troubadours 
Set 'em up Joe, and play ‘Walking The Floor’ 
Set 'em up Joe, and play ‘Walking The Floor’ 
I said set 'em up Joe, and play ‘Walking The Floor'
Set 'em up Joe, and play ‘Walking The Floor' *


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## bigrider (Jun 27, 2002)

MB1 said:


> The thing even worked.
> 
> *They got a vintage Victrola 1951
> Full of my favorite records that I grew up on
> ...


I kid you not on this one. The last time you posted those lyrics I got home that day and turned on the digital classic country channel on cable and that song came on. Coincidence? I think not.


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## YuriB (Mar 24, 2005)

That is one purty splat snake.
The rest of the pics ain't too shabby either.


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