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Frink

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I wanted to start a general thread, inspired by Fan of Ray Williams winter thread.

I am currently in Sweden biking on the massive Kattegattleden national bike trail which runs 260 miles from Gothenburg to Malmo. While I am not doing a massive ride (maybe 70 miles over 3 and a half days) it has been a beautiful challenge. Below is a pic atf the start of the trip in Helsingborg. The castle us Kronborg that is the setting Shakespeare used for Hamlet. This has been incredibly beautiful and I never had swimming in the North Sea on my bucket list but by God it felt good on my aging bones in the middle of a hot 25 mile ride.
 

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Frink said:
I wanted to start a general thread, inspired by Fan of Ray Williams winter thread.

I am currently in Sweden biking on the massive Kattegattleden national bike trail which runs 260 miles from Gothenburg to Malmo. While I am not doing a massive ride (maybe 70 miles over 3 and a half days) it has been a beautiful challenge. Below is a pic atf the start of the trip in Helsingborg. The castle us Kronborg that is the setting Shakespeare used for Hamlet. This has been incredibly beautiful and I never had swimming in the North Sea on my bucket list but by God it felt good on my aging bones in the middle of a hot 25 mile ride.
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How hilly is the trail?
 

Frink said:
I wanted to start a general thread, inspired by Fan of Ray Williams winter thread.

I am currently in Sweden biking on the massive Kattegattleden national bike trail which runs 260 miles from Gothenburg to Malmo. While I am not doing a massive ride (maybe 70 miles over 3 and a half days) it has been a beautiful challenge. Below is a pic atf the start of the trip in Helsingborg. The castle us Kronborg that is the setting Shakespeare used for Hamlet. This has been incredibly beautiful and I never had swimming in the North Sea on my bucket list but by God it felt good on my aging bones in the middle of a hot 25 mile ride.
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Sounds like an amazing trip! Thanks for sharing. Bike safely and enjoy the experience!

I have been to Malmo, beautiful area.

Go Frink!!
 

Frink said:
I wanted to start a general thread, inspired by Fan of Ray Williams winter thread.

I am currently in Sweden biking on the massive Kattegattleden national bike trail which runs 260 miles from Gothenburg to Malmo. While I am not doing a massive ride (maybe 70 miles over 3 and a half days) it has been a beautiful challenge. Below is a pic atf the start of the trip in Helsingborg. The castle us Kronborg that is the setting Shakespeare used for Hamlet. This has been incredibly beautiful and I never had swimming in the North Sea on my bucket list but by God it felt good on my aging bones in the middle of a hot 25 mile ride.
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Ski U Mah Gopher said:
How hilly is the trail?
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Not much at all thankfully. I booked through a place called Travelshop that picks up your luggage and moves it from hotel to hotel so I just have a few things in the pannier and my backpack. Yesterday's 15 Mile ride felt a lot longer in spite of that because of jet lag and I'm fighting off some sort of sickness. Would have been too much to do any serious climbing.
 

Also, this summer I've been happy to explore a couple sections of the Mesabi trail that I have not hit before. Hit the far Western section from Grand Rapids to Colereaine a few weeks back and the section from Cook to Giants Ridge and the side spur to Aurora earlier. The Mesabi is just fantastic.
 


Frink said:
Also, this summer I've been happy to explore a couple sections of the Mesabi trail that I have not hit before. Hit the far Western section from Grand Rapids to Colereaine a few weeks back and the section from Cook to Giants Ridge and the side spur to Aurora earlier. The Mesabi is just fantastic.
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Wow. That Sweden trip sounds incredible, 260 miles is enough to get a good amount of riding in. I wonder how much traffic it gets, how crowded it gets, if more hard core cyclists avoid it because of the volume.

Surprisingly, I have never heard of the Mesabi Trail up on the Range. I have to believe that route would be incredibly scenic and fun. 130 miles would be a long day but doable; probably better to stretch it out over 2 days. Again, I wonder how much bike traffic, foot traffic it gets. I'm going to guess if you want to really get in some good fast riding you would want to do that outside of summer peak season; well before Memorial Day or after Labor Day.

Just now getting my miles back up after enduring the couple months of summer heat; also just about healed up after a crash on my TT/Triathlon bike almost a month ago, definitely time to crank up the miles.

Good thread!! Enjoy that Sweden route, it looks absolutely amazing!
 

Ogee Ogilthorpe said:
Wow. That Sweden trip sounds incredible, 260 miles is enough to get a good amount of riding in. I wonder how much traffic it gets, how crowded it gets, if more hard core cyclists avoid it because of the volume.

Surprisingly, I have never heard of the Mesabi Trail up on the Range. I have to believe that route would be incredibly scenic and fun. 130 miles would be a long day but doable; probably better to stretch it out over 2 days. Again, I wonder how much bike traffic, foot traffic it gets. I'm going to guess if you want to really get in some good fast riding you would want to do that outside of summer peak season; well before Memorial Day or after Labor Day.

Just now getting my miles back up after enduring the couple months of summer heat; also just about healed up after a crash on my TT/Triathlon bike almost a month ago, definitely time to crank up the miles.

Good thread!! Enjoy that Sweden route, it looks absolutely amazing!
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The Mesabi is fantastic. I have not had issues with it being overcrowded even on holiday weekends. There are some places you could go flat out but there are also some hilly curved areas you'd want to be a little cautious on.
This trail in Sweden would not be a place to really push it on a road bike. At least the section I am covering.
If you're looking for a beautiful place in Minnesota where you could really just open it up I would recommend the Paul Bunyan between bemidji and brainerd. It's straight on an old railroad track but it's through the woods amongst all those beautiful lakes. Some of the other ones where you could just go full tilt
like the Woebegone or Munger can be a little dull because they're just out in open fields.
 
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Frink said:
The Mesabi is fantastic. I have not had issues with it being overcrowded even on holiday weekends. There are some places you could go flat out but there are also some hilly curved areas you'd want to be a little cautious on.
This trail in Sweden would not be a place to really push it on a road bike. At least the section I am covering.
If you're looking for a beautiful place in Minnesota where you could really just open it up I would recommend the Paul Bunyan between bemidji and brainerd. It's straight on an old railroad track but it's through the woods amongst all those beautiful lakes. Some of the other ones where you could just go full tilt
like the Woebegone or Munger can be a little dull because they're just out in open fields.
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The Bunyan trail is actually what I was thinking about when I was talking about traffic. In the summer, way too much foot and bike traffic on the Paul Bunyan trail, at least between Pequot and Nisswa, and probably all the way to Brainerd.

I'm guessing once you clear about a mile north of Pequot, you can have some really clear sailing on that trail heading north all the way to the end, with the possible exception of around Hackensack and Walker? But I can't remember how close the trail in those areas is to Hwy 371 and also those towns and/or resorts? I notice the trail periodically off 371 while driving from Pequot to Walker and it looks pretty clear, but can't say for sure.
 

Gotcha. Well I don't use a road bike anymore so I'm not as concerned about that. I'm currently riding an Orbea Carpe that's more of a multi-purpose bike. I've moved all the way up to 35 CM tires so it's not like I'm going to be averaging 20 miles an hour for long stretches anyway. I had a little better luck on the Bunyan but then again maybe it was the timing.
If that is more of what you're looking for then I would also say steer clear of the gateway trail out by Stillwater and the Cannon River trail. Both beautiful but pretty busy.
 



Frink said:
Gotcha. Well I don't use a road bike anymore so I'm not as concerned about that. I'm currently riding an Orbea Carpe that's more of a multi-purpose bike. I've moved all the way up to 35 CM tires so it's not like I'm going to be averaging 20 miles an hour for long stretches anyway. I had a little better luck on the Bunyan but then again maybe it was the timing.
If that is more of what you're looking for then I would also say steer clear of the gateway trail out by Stillwater and the Cannon River trail. Both beautiful but pretty busy.
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Thanks for the tip about the Mesabi Trail! I don't get a lot of riding done in MN anymore but it sounds like it's worth checking out if I remotely can make it work. It looks just plain awesome!!

I know what you mean about the bigger tires, different bike, different ride. A month or so ago I picked up a Trek Checkpoint (I think?) to leave at one of my houses where the riding will either be gravel or shitty pavement; the Checkpoint I think has 40's on it, or at least 38's. Smooth, comfortable, not built for speed at all. Just enough to get in a good ride and get the heart moving. I'm a Trek guy, despite the fact it means supporting the Wisconsin economy (;)). All my bikes are Trek except one of my TT/Tri bikes.
 

What a trip! Continue to post some as you go on and stay safe!
 

Took a road trip with the kids to CO last week. Lots of driving through winding mountain passes with steep dropoffs and no guard rail. I was nervous driving it. And there were dudes biking it! How they can make it up those mountain passes, and still have the wherewithal to not fall off a cliff, is incredible.
 

Frink said:
The Mesabi is fantastic. I have not had issues with it being overcrowded even on holiday weekends. There are some places you could go flat out but there are also some hilly curved areas you'd want to be a little cautious on.
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Doesn't the Mesabi trail go over the tallest bridge in Mn? In Virginia from what I remember.
 



tikited said:
Doesn't the Mesabi trail go over the tallest bridge in Mn? In Virginia from what I remember.
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Yep, you got it, the Thomas Rukavina bridge. You get a great view coming downhill into town at sunset or anytime just stopping in the middle and checking out the lake in the old mine that it spans.
 

Talked to some road biking friends in the last several days and interestingly they said they would only go on the Paul Bunyan trail with a mountain bike, mostly because of the condition of the pavement. Drove up from Brainerd to Walker this morning to go to Reed's (yes, the gun store was calling) and made a point to look as often as I could as the PB trail borders MN 371 through a lot of there. I'll be damned, yes, I saw a lot of areas where the pavement most definitely was not in great shape.

If I'm not mistaken, my friend said a few spots of the Mesabi he'd been on weren't in great shape either. At the end of the day, freeze/thaw is a killer on asphalt pavement; if the trail wasn't built with that in mind and accounted for, it's not surprising if they are in rough shape.

Anyone that has spent any significant amount of time on either trail want to comment on the condition anymore? Just curious.
 

Today is going to be a nice one to get out and pedal. Already 50 degrees at 11 in the morning.
 

Frink said:
I'm currently riding an Orbea Carpe that's more of a multi-purpose bike.
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Aluminum 1x10 with front hub dynamo? I am always interested in front hub dynamos. Thinking of putting one on an old Fuji hybrid. That’s as far as I’ve got, just thinking about it.
(Sorry, didn’t see this thread until today. Don’t know how I missed it.)
 
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Too chicken and lazy to go out yesterday. That beautiful day spoiled me. Going out today.
 



Ski U Mah Gopher said:
How much are you going to get in this weekend?
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Don’t know. For sure today and the next few days. Are you going out this weekend? Weather looks so much nicer to ride in than yesterday. Unreal. Sometime this summer would like to get on the Mesabi that Frink posted about. Never been on it.
 

fan of Ray Williams said:
Don’t know. For sure today and the next few days. Are you going out this weekend? Weather looks so much nicer to ride in than yesterday. Unreal. Sometime this summer would like to get on the Mesabi that Frink posted about. Never been on it.
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I'm probably going to get out this weekend.

The Mesabi Trail is awesome. I've been on it between Eveleth & Hibbing, and had a great time. One of these days I'll get the western part done.
 

It would be nice to hit the century mark total for the weekend for a change but in all honesty, I'll be lucky to get to 75-80 miles logged. At this point in the season, it's still just building up saddle time and logging miles, building up the base.
 

Frink said:
Yep, you got it, the Thomas Rukavina bridge. You get a great view coming downhill into town at sunset or anytime just stopping in the middle and checking out the lake in the old mine that it spans.
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Glad you like it. I've yet to drive or bike it myself, but I was involved in its design. The design team originally envisioned it as a (non bridge) high fill through that old mine but eventually took our advice and made it a bridge. In retrospect, I can't imagine it as a big pile of embankment. Also, we put the project manager in a headlock until he agreed to a 5 percent grade for economy (less rock excavation). A little steep in the uphill direction for bikers; hope it isn't too oppressive.
 

Bad Gopher said:
Glad you like it. I've yet to drive or bike it myself, but I was involved in its design. The design team originally envisioned it as a (non bridge) high fill through that old mine but eventually took our advice and made it a bridge. In retrospect, I can't imagine it as a big pile of embankment. Also, we put the project manager in a headlock until he agreed to a 5 percent grade for economy (less rock excavation). A little steep in the uphill direction for bikers; hope it isn't too oppressive.
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A 5% grade for bikers only sucks when it lasts about half a mile to 2 or 3 miles long. I don't know if I'll ever make it up to try this route, I would really like to do that. I would probably have to do it as a stand-alone bike trip, pack up the bike, fly up there and spend a few days riding the whole route.
 

Ogee Ogilthorpe said:
A 5% grade for bikers only sucks when it lasts about half a mile to 2 or 3 miles long. I don't know if I'll ever make it up to try this route, I would really like to do that. I would probably have to do it as a stand-alone bike trip, pack up the bike, fly up there and spend a few days riding the whole route.
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Message me if you ever decide to. I've been trying to interest my friends in biking the length of it, to no avail so far. We'd have a fuck of a time. There are some good roadhouses along the way.
 

Bad Gopher said:
Message me if you ever decide to. I've been trying to interest my friends in biking the length of it, to no avail so far. We'd have a fuck of a time. There are some good roadhouses along the way.
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I just did. A willing participant may be all it takes to push me over the edge and commit
 

Nice out today, but riding into the wind for an old slug like me ain’t all that easy.
 


fan of Ray Williams said:
Aluminum 1x10 with front hub dynamo? I am always interested in front hub dynamos. Thinking of putting one on an old Fuji hybrid. That’s as far as I’ve got, just thinking about it.
(Sorry, didn’t see this thread until today. Don’t know how I missed it.)
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Different version. This is a simple 1x8. It's the middle level version without the dynamo and carbon fork.
I'm happy with it and got a great deal but I'm still depressed I had to at all. It's a replacement for my All City Pony Express that was stolen. I absolutely loved that bike. I'll get back to a steel frame like that some day. In fact Surly has put out a nice 1x8 steel, The Preamble. Looks like you can get the flat bar for under $1000.

ETA: I just learned the All City is going out of business. Too bad, they made some terrific bikes.
 

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