Sunset Ride with Rossa

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/160 sec, ISO32
“Sunset with Rossa” Cedar Park, 2022

It’s been a while since I have biked to my regular sunset spot. This evening, I went for a ride with Rossa around the neighborhood and by chance, the sun was setting just as I was passing the sunset spot.

I wasn’t planning on taking photos, so I left my Fujifilm X-E4 at home and only had my iPhone 12 Mini with me. I think the photo turned out pretty good! I took many photos using both the iPhone’s camera software and the RAW camera app, but the iPhone’s built-in processing handled the sunset scene better than my Lightroom skills did with the RAW file. I’m happy with it!

Anyways, it was fun to get out on the Bianchi bicycle again and just cruise around the neighborhood and seeing the sights and saying hello to neighbors.

Using the Jaws Flex Clamp Mount on the Peugeot

“Sophie Accessories” Cedar Park, 2022

At lunchtime today I went for a ride with Sophie to Brushy Creek Regional Trail. I wanted to try out the Jaws Flex Clamp Mount which I got a few months ago. I wasn’t really happy with the video I was getting when the GoPro was mounted directly to the handlebars. It tended to pan side-to-side quite a bit which didn’t look so good. So I thought that mounting the GoPro to the bicycle’s top-tube might give a smoother result, and I was right!

Even though the cables are in the way of the shot, I like the field of view much more. I enjoy watching POV bicycling videos where the handlebars are in the frame, which was a difficult angle to capture on the Peugeot. On my mountain bikes, my body is more upright, so I can wear the chest-mount and get the desired angle. But with my road bike, my body is leaning so far forward that when I use the chest mount, there’s too much of my arms in the frame.

The Jaws Flex Clamp Mount solves this problem, and now I can have smooth video with the field-of-view I like best. The clamp looks a bit silly on the bike, but when I am riding, it’s hard to tell it’s there.

Road Bikes are Fast

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/5.6, 1/600 sec, ISO320
“Sophie” Cedar Park, 2022

One thing that I appreciate every time I go out for a ride with Sophie (my Peugeot bicycle) is that road bikes are much faster than mountain bikes on the pavement. Of course that makes sense since the frames are generally lighter and the narrower, smoother tires that are inflated to a much higher pressure have less rolling-resistance, but I am still taken aback at how quickly Sophie accelerates and gets up to speed.

She’s 50-years-old and I am 53, so we’re no spring chickens, but it’s still fun to ride fast. Or maybe it just feels fast. At any rate, it’s a blast.

Mail Retrieval Vehicle

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/90 sec, ISO3200
“Mail Retrieval Vehicle” Cedar Park, 2022

I’ve been riding with Mango to pick up our mail at the mailbox down the street lately, and the old Kona with its butterfly/trekking handlebars and rear rack is well-suited for the task. I’m able to put letters into the panniers, and if we receive a package too big to fit into the bags, I can rest it on the handlebars easily.

Additionally, Mango is a breeze to ride one-handed, with the right trigger shifters and rear brake lever easily accessed. Mango is not a beauty-queen like Sophie, but this ugly duckling gets the job done. What a wonderful bike!