Well said, David...and congrats on your 2023 return to randonneurig in Korea and SR status! Also, major kudos for all of the hardwork and research you've put into starting your own channel. Fantastic!
Thanks Jason, it's been a great year, and riding with you has been a joy. Except when I get dropped and yo-yo'd. Sorry you missed out on this course again this year. Looking forward to sharing the road more in 2024!
Thank you! It wasn't a goal, but this was my highest normalized power on a brevet ever. Still felt pretty fresh at the end too. I think hefty lunch at 100km helped a lot.
Just started exploring Kanagawa but haven't made it off of the Miura Peninsula yet. So far, I like it. It's definitely different than riding in the US. Think I'll check out the Kanagawa chapter of Audax Japan and see what they have. I'm still going to keep my RUSA membership active. I don't have the aero race bike I normally use available to me but the gravel bike with road tires I brought over is extremely capable and should be able to handle any adventure.
Good luck settling in. Between jet lag, culture shock, setting up a new living space, and new work obligations it's nice to get any cycling time. For what it's worth a bike frame accounts for very little of a bikes speed or slowness. You get lots of extra flexibility for very little downside. Happy to hear you are already getting out and exploring
Brilliant! A cerebral dose of philosophy and insight to things! Very refreshing. The Korean roadways and countryside are very inviting. I dream of credit card touring Korea and Japan one day. I naively started bike commuting (during Covid) with the simplistic notion that “what are people fussing about … it’s just a bike … how complicated can it be”. Well, I’m learning and continually fussing over bike gear. I started with a 3-speed Brompton because “that is all that I will need”. I now ride all year. I have all the gear to endure the elements: rain, snow, heat and humidity of summer, extreme cold and windchill of winter. Tried like heck to make the Brompton more comfortable. You mentioned that your Brompton brethren are tough! I saw a Brompton at one of your pit stops. I guess the Korean road surfaces are well kept. Or, randonneurs are just much more durable - than mere mortals like me! Alas, I’m still learning … and upgrading my gear! The roadways that I haunt - commuting (NW of Boston, MA) - are decidedly erratic with numerous potholes, bumps, cracks, sewer gratings. It doesn’t appear that there is much rando activity around here. Thus, I best head to Korea!
Keep up the good work, and thank you for the kinds words! There are a lot of riders here that impress me to no end. The Brompton crew are part of the cohort. They have their saddle, tires, fit, and handlebars well sorted. Swapping the Sturmey Archer 3 speed for a 5-6 cog cassette setup is probably the biggest efficiency gain you can get on a Brompton. Roads here are not glass smooth, but not rust-belt bad either. I would put them halfway between Georgia and Ontario roads. Scenery-wise, I feel quite spoiled in this corner of the country. Here are your New England Randonneurs: ner.bike/nersite/?page_id=835
.. that's why I don't ride in groups... frigging blinking lights al the time trigger me so much. (and loud rear hubs are a close second) I can't even watch this video and get very annoyed. (probably an autism scale thing) Over here they're forbidden by law but alas too many people still use them because they see them on instagram or youtube and you can just buy them.
You are spot on with the blinky lights. I'm a bit sensitive to noise and light too, and sometimes get nauseous or swimming head feelings riding behind them. I actually felt that way on this ride, even with just two hours exposure to it in the morning. It's just normal here, though. Flashing lights are commonly set up on the side of the road or in medians too. That said, I should do a better job keeping my lights on constant mode instead of flashing. Might make a good PSA video for in the future.
Same here. We have rules in the us, and I remind people to put rear light on solid when riding in a group. I also hate noisy cassettes, mine is silent.
Well said, David...and congrats on your 2023 return to randonneurig in Korea and SR status! Also, major kudos for all of the hardwork and research you've put into starting your own channel. Fantastic!
Thanks Jason, it's been a great year, and riding with you has been a joy. Except when I get dropped and yo-yo'd. Sorry you missed out on this course again this year. Looking forward to sharing the road more in 2024!
All in 10h, all the hard work is paying off 😅.
Congrats on another one and thank you for sharing.
Thank you! It wasn't a goal, but this was my highest normalized power on a brevet ever. Still felt pretty fresh at the end too. I think hefty lunch at 100km helped a lot.
Just started exploring Kanagawa but haven't made it off of the Miura Peninsula yet. So far, I like it. It's definitely different than riding in the US. Think I'll check out the Kanagawa chapter of Audax Japan and see what they have. I'm still going to keep my RUSA membership active. I don't have the aero race bike I normally use available to me but the gravel bike with road tires I brought over is extremely capable and should be able to handle any adventure.
Good luck settling in. Between jet lag, culture shock, setting up a new living space, and new work obligations it's nice to get any cycling time. For what it's worth a bike frame accounts for very little of a bikes speed or slowness. You get lots of extra flexibility for very little downside. Happy to hear you are already getting out and exploring
Brilliant! A cerebral dose of philosophy and insight to things! Very refreshing.
The Korean roadways and countryside are very inviting. I dream of credit card touring Korea and Japan one day. I naively started bike commuting (during Covid) with the simplistic notion that “what are people fussing about … it’s just a bike … how complicated can it be”.
Well, I’m learning and continually fussing over bike gear. I started with a 3-speed Brompton because “that is all that I will need”. I now ride all year. I have all the gear to endure the elements: rain, snow, heat and humidity of summer, extreme cold and windchill of winter. Tried like heck to make the Brompton more comfortable.
You mentioned that your Brompton brethren are tough! I saw a Brompton at one of your pit stops. I guess the Korean road surfaces are well kept. Or, randonneurs are just much more durable - than mere mortals like me! Alas, I’m still learning … and upgrading my gear!
The roadways that I haunt - commuting (NW of Boston, MA) - are decidedly erratic with numerous potholes, bumps, cracks, sewer gratings. It doesn’t appear that there is much rando activity around here. Thus, I best head to Korea!
Keep up the good work, and thank you for the kinds words! There are a lot of riders here that impress me to no end. The Brompton crew are part of the cohort. They have their saddle, tires, fit, and handlebars well sorted. Swapping the Sturmey Archer 3 speed for a 5-6 cog cassette setup is probably the biggest efficiency gain you can get on a Brompton. Roads here are not glass smooth, but not rust-belt bad either. I would put them halfway between Georgia and Ontario roads. Scenery-wise, I feel quite spoiled in this corner of the country. Here are your New England Randonneurs: ner.bike/nersite/?page_id=835
.. that's why I don't ride in groups... frigging blinking lights al the time trigger me so much. (and loud rear hubs are a close second) I can't even watch this video and get very annoyed. (probably an autism scale thing) Over here they're forbidden by law but alas too many people still use them because they see them on instagram or youtube and you can just buy them.
You are spot on with the blinky lights. I'm a bit sensitive to noise and light too, and sometimes get nauseous or swimming head feelings riding behind them. I actually felt that way on this ride, even with just two hours exposure to it in the morning. It's just normal here, though. Flashing lights are commonly set up on the side of the road or in medians too. That said, I should do a better job keeping my lights on constant mode instead of flashing. Might make a good PSA video for in the future.
Same here. We have rules in the us, and I remind people to put rear light on solid when riding in a group. I also hate noisy cassettes, mine is silent.