Recent Ride Containment Thread - Post Your Recent Journeys Here

[Vipassana]

I think it would be interesting to have a thread where everyone can post pictures/maps/routes/GPS data from whatever rides they've recently done.  I go on plenty of rides with some cool photos/events, but that aren't quite interesting enough to warrant their own thread.  Let's post those rides here.  I'd enjoy seeing the types of trails and terrains everyone here rides. 

I'll start:
Two weekends ago, I rode part of the Arizona Trail with a buddy.  We did part of the Picketpost segment outside Superior Arizona.  It was an incredible ride.  Technical and slow going, but the views were unreal and the terrain will test you both mentally and physically.  In several parts, you're riding on a 2' wide path with a shear cliff on one side.

We rode in about 13 miles which took like 2.5+ hours, before some bike trouble so we decided to turn around.  We rode back a ways and met up to a Jeep trail which we rode down into Superior to get some water.  The weather was a perfect 80° and cloudy.  Saw some amazing flowers and a few reptiles. It is my plan to go back before the end of the year and ride the entire 34 mile segment.

Route (34.5 miles for the ride):


Elevation Profile (5241 feet total elevation for the ride):












You can see the trail winding along the mountain off in the distance.  It looks tame from this view.


Trusty Chiners


We ran into two of these 1.25 ft. long venomous guys: Gila Monsters.  Also saw a Rattlesnake.

[Vipassana]

This past weekend, I rode the backside of Mt. Lemmon in Tucson, AZ.  This ride isn't particularly pretty or fun. It's a grind climb for training proposes.  I did this ride almost exactly a year ago.  This year I was way faster and stronger.  We reached the summit in 2:19 (versus >3 hours last year) and descended in 1:30.  Had lunch at the top. I'm super pleased with my year over year improvement. I'm going to try to hit 2 hours up by the end of this year.  I'm not sure of that's even possible.

Also, last year when I did it, I was in the Granny hear of my 2x10 setup most of the climb. This year I was often one gear down from the 42T hear on my 1x11 setup so I'm definitely getting stronger.  HTFU!

Route (total distance of 41 miles):

Elevation Profile (total elevation gain of 5748 feet):

[Sitar_Ned]

Really cool data, Vipassana.. I currently have zero technology on my bike so I'm kinda behind in that area. You mind me asking what these images are from? Do you get all this with just a regular GPS unit? Comes bundled with software, I assume?

I'll definitely contribute to the thread when I get up to speed. The technology we all have available to us is just so damn cool.

[RS VR6]

Went with my GF for a ride to break in the 062. The ride up felt like a grinder. With some short and steep sections. Its bacically an access road for maintenance vehicles to get to the towers. Way back down is fast and fun...I didn't take pics on the way down.

We gave the Niner and Chiner a rest in the shade before we headed back down.

https://connect.garmin.com/activity/758193251

[Vipassana]

Really cool data, Vipassana.. I currently have zero technology on my bike so I'm kinda behind in that area. You mind me asking what these images are from? Do you get all this with just a regular GPS unit? Comes bundled with software, I assume?

I'll definitely contribute to the thread when I get up to speed. The technology we all have available to us is just so damn cool.

I actually use a fairly old device called a MotoACTV.  It came out in 2011 I think, but was super neat for the time. It has built in Bluetooth, GPS, and WiFi, water/dust resistance, and a screen which is highly readable in direct sunlight.  It holds and plays music and has an android app that allows me to get notifications from my phone on the unit so I can see them while I ride (routes, texts, calls, weather).  Like I said, it was very advanced for it's time. 

I use it with the Motorola heart rate strap and their speed/cadence sensor.  It has honestly always worked flawlessly for me, though I have nothing to compare it to.  It never really got the appreciation I think it deserved because of it's high price at the time and the general lack of advertising.  Most people who new about it were techy, non-athletic types I think.  You can still pick them up really cheap now with their accessories being cheap as well, but it is getting pretty long in the tooth now and I think there are probably some better alternatives coming out with all these smart watches.

I'd also probably hold off on it because Lenovo recently bought Motorola and it's not clear how long they will continue to support the device or it's web portal.

But basically I use this device to track everything.  It auto uploads the various workouts to the web whenever it finds a WiFi network it knows.  Then I log into the webportal to view my workouts.  They give you profiles and overviews, but I usually download the data and plot it myself in Microsoft Excel.


I've found some very neat websites that help you visualize/edit/convert all types of GPS files too.  This is one of my absolute favorites:
http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/


I think in a Garmin/Strava dominated world, their offerings are probably a better choice these days.

[Vipassana]

Went with my GF for a ride to break in the 062. The ride up felt like a grinder. With some short and steep sections. Its bacically an access road for maintenance vehicles to get to the towers. Way back down is fast and fun...I didn't take pics on the way down.

We gave the Niner and Chiner a rest in the shade before we headed back down.

https://connect.garmin.com/activity/758193251

Those rolling hills look like a great interval training ground and scenic ride.  This is right outside LA?

[RS VR6]

Yep...its about 40 mins north of LA.

You pretty much start climbing at about 1 mile in. I love the way back down. Pretty much wide open with rocky tech sections.

[Sitar_Ned]

Went with my GF for a ride to break in the 062. The ride up felt like a grinder. With some short and steep sections. Its bacically an access road for maintenance vehicles to get to the towers. Way back down is fast and fun...I didn't take pics on the way down.

We gave the Niner and Chiner a rest in the shade before we headed back down.

Beautiful pic in the middle! Looks like amazing riding to be had there. Nothing like that around me.. Some awesome wooded single track, but nothing like in that pic, unfortunately. Well, that I know of, at least.

And thanks for the detailed info VP. I was actually unaware that Lenovo bought out Motorola - I think I'll start doing some research into the best unit. Until reading your posts, I guess I hadn't realized I was missing out on so much gadgetry coolness. I love me some tech.

Just googled "best selling cycling gps unit amazon" and looks like the Garmin Edge 500 is a pretty clear favorite: http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Electronics-Cycling-GPS-Units/zgbs/electronics/617648011

A bit pricey at $200 but I'll dig into the features and see what it offers and if I need to step down a level to the Garmin edge 200 for $130 which is also very popular. Either way, looks like the Garmin Edge series may be the way to go.

[Carbon_Dude]

Really cool data, Vipassana.. I currently have zero technology on my bike so I'm kinda behind in that area. You mind me asking what these images are from? Do you get all this with just a regular GPS unit? Comes bundled with software, I assume?

I'll definitely contribute to the thread when I get up to speed. The technology we all have available to us is just so damn cool.

I actually use a fairly old device called a MotoACTV.  It came out in 2011 I think, but was super neat for the time. It has built in Bluetooth, GPS, and WiFi, water/dust resistance, and a screen which is highly readable in direct sunlight.  It holds and plays music and has an android app that allows me to get notifications from my phone on the unit so I can see them while I ride (routes, texts, calls, weather).  Like I said, it was very advanced for it's time. 

I use it with the Motorola heart rate strap and their speed/cadence sensor.  It has honestly always worked flawlessly for me, though I have nothing to compare it to.  It never really got the appreciation I think it deserved because of it's high price at the time and the general lack of advertising.  Most people who new about it were techy, non-athletic types I think.  You can still pick them up really cheap now with their accessories being cheap as well, but it is getting pretty long in the tooth now and I think there are probably some better alternatives coming out with all these smart watches.

I'd also probably hold off on it because Lenovo recently bought Motorola and it's not clear how long they will continue to support the device or it's web portal.

But basically I use this device to track everything.  It auto uploads the various workouts to the web whenever it finds a WiFi network it knows.  Then I log into the webportal to view my workouts.  They give you profiles and overviews, but I usually download the data and plot it myself in Microsoft Excel.


I've found some very neat websites that help you visualize/edit/convert all types of GPS files too.  This is one of my absolute favorites:
http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/


I think in a Garmin/Strava dominated world, their offerings are probably a better choice these days.

Vipassana, I work for Motorola, a different group than who developed the MotoACTV but I know the Mechanical Engineer who worked on that project.  He is also an avid cyclist, although he works for GoPro now.  When the MotoACTV was early in development it could do more, had a bigger screen, was bar mounted not wearable, and was planned to even have trails uploaded into the system so a rider could go somewhere they'd never been before and have the trail map available at the touch of a button.  Much of that didn't pan out but what they did finally ship was a pretty good gadget.

[Vipassana]

Vipassana, I work for Motorola, a different group than who developed the MotoACTV but I know the Mechanical Engineer who worked on that project.  He is also an avid cyclist, although he works for GoPro now.  When the MotoACTV was early in development it could do more, had a bigger screen, was bar mounted not wearable, and was planned to even have trails uploaded into the system so a rider could go somewhere they'd never been before and have the trail map available at the touch of a button.  Much of that didn't pan out but what they did finally ship was a pretty good gadget.

Cool information.  You should tell that guy he did a great job and many of us are still enjoying the product.

[Vipassana]

I've been out doing a lot of riding up until this past week; I took a cactus to the hand last Sunday and one of the punctures got extremely infected.  The infection spread up my hand and into my wrist/arm.  I'm on two strong antibiotics now and it appears that things are improving.  But it still hurts to hold a handlebar. 

The good news is that despite hitting a cactus and taking ~3 minutes to pull out thorns, I set a Strava record for this year on the ~15 mile course.  (1 of 102 riders)  I'm pleased because I know I had more in the tank.

From Strava:


And here are some other random pictures from rides over the past couple of weeks:

[byrt]

Thanks, looks beautiful!

[Patrick C.]

Very different from Arizona- Lakes District in England, looking down on Grasmere.

[Oolak]

Awesome thread, VP!

Patrick C. that's an absolutely stunning view, man. Very lucky to have that around you.

[Patrick C.]

Actually Oolak that's nowhere near me- I was over there for work, and took the bike along for a weekend getaway.  I agree, the views are stunning!