I took a short, and moderate effort ride on Tuesday. I call it the Allen Road loop, basically I have a few versions, and all are 20 miles or less. But the catch is, there is a bit of climbing, as Allen goes up for about a few miles. The jaunt is good for a quick workout. I usually leave out of Spring Ridge go around Liberty Corner, across Somerville Rd. and then up Allen Road. Down the back half and back up Allen to Douglas. Then head out on Liberty Corner and up Valley. Here is the profile of the climb:

I put in 17.14 miles in 1 hour and 6 minutes, 15.58 mph I think. Elevation was 689 feet, so the effort was moderate but not too easy either. I also did this ride on my 1982 Schwinn le tour. That vintage steel bike probably weighs in at 25 pounds or so. It has a double chain ring, with only 6 rear cogs!  Yup, a 12 speed. So the climbing effort was a bit tougher if you ask me! Sometimes I like to break out the old school bike and make it challenging, plus the ride is so comfy...Mmmmm steel. There is nothing like Carbon Fiber in my opinion, but for comfort you just can't beat good old steel...

Here is a picture of the 'ol schwinn...I found it in 2004, at a Goodwill Store in Trexlertown Pennsylvania. It had two flats, but the rest of the bike seemed fine. In fact it was in such good shape, I bought it right then and there...the price!? A whopping $12.97 It was the find of the year!

I bought a couple of new tires and tubes, cleaned it up just a bit, lubed all the necessary parts, tightened all the hardware, and it was ready to roll on the roads. The color is kind of drab....but the chrome still shines! It would be cool in black or green maybe. How about bright red? Oh well, for 13 bucks and two new tires...how could I complain?