The Versatility of Folding Bikes on Amtrak - Dahon Boardwalk in Albany, NY

The Mohawk Hudson Bike Hike Trail, north of Albany, hugs the Hudson River.
 It's also the eastern terminus of the Erie Canal Trail. 

I'm a fan of the Empire State Trail system, so I waited for a good weather weekend to ride Amtrak to investigate the Albany, New York region with my Dahon Boardwalk. As I've learned, the Boardwalk rides best with limited baggage - perfect for indoor accommodation. With a new-to-me voluminous front bag, I was able to stow all my overnight gear, important for two reasons: easy carry-on while also lugging the folded bike on Amtrak (avoiding extra fee and a reservation), and because of pedaling both days, leaving late afternoon Sunday, returning by train, I had to tote all my gear on rides. It was a valuable exercise in packing essentials.

Pedaling five miles from home to the station, I easily folded the bike into a homemade tote, storing the bike behind my seat and settled in for a 5 hour journey.

In Albany, I lugged the folded bicycle to the train platform and assembled everything, then took the elevator one flight down to exit the station. Following verbal Google directions, I easily navigated over the Hudson River by way of a segregated bike lane.  

The goal for the late afternoon was investigating the nine mile Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail, ending southwest in Voorheesville. It was a surprising elevation gain the entire way, but doable in lower gears. I enjoyed the bird life, roaring cascades, access to community parks, and near the end, a lovely display of public art. What a fast descent back to Albany!

View east towards the Hudson River from my hotel. A nearly full moon eventually
 rose between the buildings.

Settled into the Hilton after a 30 mile day, I enjoyed a burger and tasty Lake George IPA in the oddly empty hotel bar. The hotel was full with participants attending Pentecostal Church Easter events. The only hiccup was the next morning, waiting on the 14th floor for 30 minutes with a luggage cart before abandoning it it to squeeze into a nearly full elevator, my bike pressed up against someone's stroller.

I set off north of Albany on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Hike Trail. The park-like setting squeezed between a nearby noisy highway (87?) and the Hudson River, but was pleasant on a brisk morning, them ambled on road through Watervliet, and a portion of Green Island before entering trails again to Peebles Island.

The bridge and pedestrian walkway from Peebles Island to historically significant Waterford was over 100 years old. The pipe (at left) carries power to the island.

I really enjoyed Waterford, especially as it's the confluence of two defunct canal sections: a branch of the Erie and the Champlain Canal, and the intersection of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. Specifically though, I aimed for the gravel Champlain Canal Trail to continue north. 

The 4-5 mile trail followed the remnants of the old canal. A portion had turned into wetlands or was dry. A couple spots lined with canal stones looked like it hadn't changed much from its glory days, ferrying wood and goods southward to the Hudson River. 

Wild iris (?) and skunk cabbage.

Early spring growth oozed from the wetland.

A heron perched on a log caught my eye, plus an ugly snapping turtle...and numerous small black turtles sunning themselves on logs slipped into the pond as I pedaled by.

By far, the oddest experience on the canal trail was climbing over a landfill. I laughed out loud at the absurdity. But I also rather liked the idea of reclaiming land for other uses. With controlled monitoring, and signs indicating remaining on the gravel path, why not let users travel through?

I had been carrying the purple purse/bag slung over my body, but as the day warmed I found a better solution, looping the strap around the large bag. This allowed easy access to my phone for taking pictures.

On the return trip, I grabbed a sandwich and ate lunch at a lovely spot overlooking the Hudson River. Timing worked out perfectly to catch the train home, and riding in the dark, I arrived home around 10:30 pm.

Parting Thoughts

I find mini journeys satisfying and worthwhile. I was pleased that packing light actually worked very well. I somehow forgot my toothbrush, but could've also left one pair of tights at home, saving more space. My legs periodically brushed the bag cinched to the seat post, but wasn't that bothersome or I would've moved it. As backup, I carried a cargo net that could secure the bag or anything else on the rear rack. 

Weight in the front bag was about 10-15 lbs., half of that tools. In addition to the typical flat repair stuff, rubber gloves, and rag, I carried a new wrench that adjusts seat, removes axle nuts, and tightens pedals - an all-in-one tool that's a must for the folding bike.

As for the Amtrak legs, staff were extremely helpful, accommodating the heavy tote bag (my bicycle weighs 30 lbs.) I'm pleased to pedal from home, board a train, and travel several hours to ride in a new region. I'm encouraged to go on more Amtrak adventures!

Why Jack the Bike Rack?

Attached close to the stem, JACK The Bike Rack frees up space on the handlebars.

I chose JACK The Bike Rack for it's easy removal and functional adaptability to fit all kinds of handlebars and bikes. Plus, the platform has multiple attachment points so conceivably you can lash just about anything there - within reason, of course. My new touring bicycle can handle bolt on style front racks, but I envision a lighter weight touring style on this Beaujolais beauty, and wanted to experiment with something different.

The rack was shipped directly from the manufacturer and was cleverly packaged, complete with spacers to fit different handlebar widths, straps, bungee cord and special carabiners - indeed much more than needed - and I'll hold onto the accessories box, should I decide to try the rack on another bike.

It took 30 minutes to sort out appropriate connections and tension, but understanding JACK's angle placement was half the battle.

I'm looking forward to trying out JACK on a weeklong tour in May. I plan to strap my sleep system up front, most likely adding a cargo net for extra security. 

Lightweight DIY Tote Bag for the Dahon Boardwalk

Double ripstop nylon construction, strong enough for the 30+ lb. Dahon Boardwalk.

The more I ride the Dahon Boardwalk, the more I want versatile traveling arrangements. Along with minimizing load carrying to one large front bag, one rear duffel, my goal was to create a foldable and stowable, but strong tote bag - something that's easy to lift on/off Amtrak, minimizing contact with a greasy bike, and avoiding the bicycle reservation and fee. 

With bag flat, I can easily pull up the sides.

I researched DIY tote bag construction for a one-piece design, figuring less seams was better; this pattern only had side seams. I altered the pattern by running the straps (1.5" webbing, easier on the hands) all the way under the bag for extra strength. 

For style and to define the exterior, I used purple thread and felt buttons from my stash.

I created several drawings, and measured multiple times before purchasing material and webbing. Black material was a given, but I initially wanted purple straps for contrast. However, supplies in general are expensive, so black made more sense. Using 40-50% off coupons, total cost was $40.

The bike sticks out a bit, but straps are placed correctly for carrying.

Even though I measured well, I misjudged the volume of vertical material, and had 18" extra, which also made the straps ungainly to lift. Rather than cut the bottom and compromise the ripstop's strength, I decided to tuck and fold the middle, ultimately creating 4 layers. It worked out well! At the outset, I was more concerned with ease of pulling up the sides around the bike, so erred on plenty of material.

With bike inside, the bag collapses of course, so the addition of hook and loop fixtures on the handles secures the bag upright.

I also placed 3" of hook and loop tape on each top end to visually make the bag smaller. There is plenty of space to put one of my two luggage bags also inside - possibly both - but the added weight might make it ungainly.

I had planned on sewing a simple wedge-shaped compartment for the tote bag, secured to the seatpost. Magically, I had saved a mesh exterior backpacking-type pocket, which was a perfect size - all that was required was adding hook and loop attachments to the existing buckles.

I'm excited to try out this arrangement! I have an adventure planned for an April weekend with accommodating weather. 

Dahon Boardwalk 6-Speed - Major Upgrades

Keeping the classic Dahon Boardwalk 6-speed on the road.

I'm very pleased with the major upgrdes to my Dahon! The bike rides smoothly - no more creaks and grumblings - and looks much better, in my opinion, with a sleeker crankset and a splash of purple to complement its dark green paint. In the process, it went on a diet, thankfully, or at least it feels much lighter.

The above photos illustrate previous cranksets: the first photo shows the 48 tooth one piece crankset that was installed a couple years ago, which vastly improved my pedaling range. The second photo displays the original one-piece crankset, possibly original, a 52T that was difficult on my older body.

 

Our son and his girlfriend talked me through removing the old parts and replacing the bottom bracket, crankset, and pedals. Their younger strength properly tightened the bolts.

Our bike mechanic son swapped in some new parts: Gripshifter, new cables and purple housing, rear cassette, and chain. He knew the bottom bracket was failing, and sure enough, after a week of riding during Jan-Feb's unusually balmy weather, I limped homeward with an awful creaky noise radiating through my feet. It was fortuitous though, because in addition to replacing the bottom bracket, it was time to get rid of the ugly one-piece crankset for a better upgrade. There's a lot of Web help, fortunately, and I sourced Litepro crankset, a common upgrade among Dahon owners. Going forward the new two-pice crank will enable me to easily replace the ring going forward.

Of course, buying components was contagious! In addition, I bought new pedals (old ones were loose), lock-on grips (yay) because I was tired of the cheap ones that rotated, I put there years ago. There's also a new Schwalbe Racer rear tire. 

Beside the frame, handlebar, and derailleur, the original wheels appear to be holding up well. It is interesting that for a 2003/4 lower end model, the bones of this bike are great. For it's smooth, steel-frame ride quality an durability - as I was telling someone the other day - I equate this Boardwalk model with a 1980s mountain bike, of course, in small wheel form.

And lastly, tired of the ziptie securing the fender to the rack, I dealt with a more permanent fix for the rattling fender.The metal fender is irreplaceable - the option is a black plastic version - so I'll do anything to keep this original classic intact.

Phew! Let's hope this baby will keep going for many more years.

The Winter That Was

 

This winter, like much of the mid-west, has been above normal temperature-wise and lacks abundant snowfall. Brief reprieves from intense cold have been prolonged and spring-like warmth has certainly been weird, but welcome! 

I embrace riding my bike in the winter with studded tires, and equally I've been enjoying exploring again on my Dahon on snow-free paths. The folder has been updated with new Gripshifter, new cables with purple housing, new cassette and chain, plus a permanent fix for a rattling rear fender. Recently, the bottom bracket has been creaking more so I have plans to give my spry Dahon more love.

Though the unseasonably warm - dare I say recording breaking - weather will not last indefinitely, the return of Canadian geese has been a nice surprise, along with more daylight. I've bolted from a home office to enjoy sunset rides, serenaded by Jupiter and Venus sparkling on the western horizon.