Mount Olympia Panorama - 4/2012
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Bike Items for Sale - Here's a photo journal of bike parts that I'm trying to clear out of my workshop.
Shipping is $10 or (actual shipping charges + (optional) insurance charges + delivery confirmation fee), whichever is greater. I will try to find cheapest shipping option (e.g. USPS for US Domestic delivery) or will ship according to your carrier of preference.
Some of the parts are new, some are used. If you think my item pricing is off or you're buying multiple items, please make me an offer.
I am selling everything "as is". But, if you buy an item that is dead on arrival, damaged in shipment, or you believe you got a raw deal, please contact me as soon as possible so we can work out a solution. Given the time involved in selling these items I am not making a profit on this and am more interested in seeing components and parts I no longer use but that have remaining useful life to find a home with other bicycle enthusiasts, where they will be used instead of collecting dust in my workshop.
Contact me at the following . It will help if you include the links to photos of the items that interest you. All prices are in US Dollars.
Entire Blog - Display the entire Blog for all years. This is a large file!
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 117.0 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 8950 feet |
| Total Time: | 6:56:52 |
| Riding Time: | 6:17:45 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 18.5 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 37.6 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 48 |
| Battery energy available: | 2800 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 1861 wh |
| Net battery energy consumed: | 1065 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 9.1 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 55.4 |
| Regen Amps-Hour Recovered: | 14.8 |
| Peak Forward Current: | 20.8 Amps |
| Peak Regen Current: | 21.1 Amps |
Lee Vining to Tuolumne, October 13, 2018 - I slept in later the next morning. I knew the temperature was freezing outside, and I was in no hurry to rush out into that cold air to start my day's ride. I had less distance and climbing to complete and was confident I could finish well before sunset even with a mid-morning start.
I thought of walking up the street to the Epic Cafe again for breakfast, but as I had brought breakfast food with me, I decided to eat in and not go out into the cold air other than to the common room next door with the microwave oven. Eating in would also save time and expense and would save me from carrying breakfast back to Tuolumne on the bike. I did not even consider throwing it out to save a measly few hundred grams.
The batteries had all charged up normally by morning. This time I wired them correctly, connecting the two large batteries in series, the two small in series, then each of these composite batteries in parallel with the other. I probably had enough battery capacity to ride back over Carson Pass, if necessary.
As I was ready to push off out of the motel parking lot, I nudged the throttle lightly and got no response. Hmm. I had experienced this in the past for a variety of reasons, usually due to a high starting voltage tripping an over-voltage error condition in the controller when spinning up an unloaded wheel. I cycled the controller's power as that clears such errors, but I still got no motor response.
I then checked the next most frequent error, the motor phase wires having come disconnected. I reached my hand back and with a sense of relief I could feel two of the phase connectors had come disconnected. While rewiring the batteries I must have inadvertently pulled apart two of the motor phase connectors. If one phase wire disconnects the motor will run roughly and with little torque. But, if two or more disconnect, then there is no response from the motor at all.
I reconnected the wires and all was good. The time was just after 0900, and the air was crystal clear but still cold, about 3-5 C, but the sun was warm. I wore longs but no shell. The only clouds I could see were in the distant south.
As with the prior day's departure from Tuolumne, today's departure from Lee Vining north on US395 had me descending a few hundred feet to the shore of Mono Lake before starting the climb to Conway Summit. It was on this descent that I saw my maximum speed as my battery was too fully-charged to accept a regenerative charge on the downhill.
Since I had overexercised yesterday my plan today was to pedal only with enough effort to keep me warm and to let the motor do most of the work. I would save my hard effort for the climb up the east side of Sonora Pass where I knew the motor would need my help. This plan worked well, and I maintained a cruising speed very close to 20 mph for most of the day. I stopped only for nature breaks or the occasional photo opportunity along the way.
My ride north on US395 passed uneventfully. Traffic was light, and though marred by a rumble strip most of the way, a decently wide shoulder was available for my use. Where the shoulder disappeared or was covered with debris I rode in the right track of the right lane. No motorist took offense at this.
The descent from Conway Summit into Bridgeport Valley became chilly near Willow Springs as the highway passed into shadow. Bridgeport Valley was cold, even in town. I stopped a couple times to take photos of Sawtooth Ridge hovering in the distance, but I did not stop in the town itself. As I climbed north toward Devil's Gate Summit I was happy to see the road construction I encountered in September had completed, leaving fresh asphalt and a generous shoulder. The temperature also warmed about 10 degrees C by Devil's Gate Summit.
I continued down to Sonora Junction on an extended section of highway on old asphalt and no rideable shoulder, then turned left and stopped by the road to peel down to short sleeve uppers and ate a sandwich. It was time to eat something before the climb up Sonora Pass. I continued to wear my longs.
I was pleased to see that the motor did not start to overheat on the first couple of steep climbs up to the pass. But, near the final push to the summit the motor started to overheat, so I stopped for about six minutes at a level spot with a good view of the imposing final climb to let the motor cool to 80C before pressing on. While stopped I watched two Clark's Nutcrackers flying playfully from one tree to another.
On the final push to the summit the motor did start to overheat, cutting back power to about 500 watts before I arrived at the summit sign. At Sonora Pass one is never in any doubt about reaching the pass as either approach from the west or east is steep and sharp. I rested at the pass for another five minutes to allow the motor to cool before starting down the west side. I planned to make liberal use of regenerative braking on the descent.
A convenient side effect of having a motor brake for the descent was that I could set the maximum speed to 20 mph then free a hand to snap photos along the way. There was no need for me to use the friction brakes unless I wanted to come to a full stop.
Precipitation earlier in the week had left more snow on the peaks near Sonora Pass than on those near Tioga Pass. Most of the northern slopes and faces of the ridges and peaks above 10,000 feet had a light covering of snow. Elsewhere aspen trees were in full color, while in a few spots the trees had already dropped many of their leaves.
Although the motor does not get as hot regenerating as powering, it will get hotter if my speed is too low or the downgrade too steep. Some short steep sections pushed the motor temperature over 100C on the upper part of the descent. Fortunately, the descent leveled off for some distance, allowing the motor to cool before starting the lower part of the descent to Eureka Valley. Only on the lowest part of the descent below the Rock Window did the motor start to overheat. I relaxed the speed brake a little to 22.5 mph, and this slowed the increase in temperature but not until it had maxxed out at 126C. I try to keep the motor temperature under 120C as that is the temperature at which the bearing grease starts to break down. But, I figured I was close to the bottom and would only be pushing the temperature over 120C for a short time.
When I got down to Eureka Valley I did not stop to let the motor cool as the motor cooled quickly on its own even though I was still gradually descending through the valley.
Earlier in the summer the Donnell Fire had roared through this valley. Unlike the Rim Fire the Donnell Fire did not leave as much widespread devastation. Some trees had burned, others partially, and some not at all. The fire's destruction had been spotty. The worst affected area appeared to be near Dardanelle's Resort where only the gas pumps could be seen standing. Everything else had been burned to the ground.
On September's trip through the area I was pleased to see that the ranger's cabin near Dardanelle's was standing, as was the nearby hose bib, a place where I had taken on water when climbing the pass in 2015. I stopped at this hose bib to check and was not surprised to discover that the water had been turned off. Perhaps by next season it will be restored.
My ride down CA108 past Donnell Vista and Strawberry continued without much to report. The road is mostly smooth asphalt in the forest, traffic passing in occasional platoons once every several minutes, leaving me to enjoy the road in peace and quiet most of the time. Traffic heading opposite was more frequent.
Once I got past Pinecrest and Cold Springs, traffic heading in my direction became more frequent but never impolite. I was always given at least three feet passing space. As I neared Twain Harte, my left turn onto Tuolumne Road came after the highway widened to four lanes for the second time.
In 2015 I had ridden up Tuolumne Road, and the road surface was much as it was then: alternating smooth and cracked asphalt with occasional potholes to be avoided. It was not long before I arrived back at the Black Oak Resort where my van was waiting.
After changing into street clothes and putting my bike and panniers into the van I felt hungry enough that I decided to eat dinner at the Café instead of trying to drive home and then eat dinner after 2030.
The Café's weekend buffet was $28 with no meatless option available, so I ordered from the menu.
After dinner I drove home and returned to the crowded roads of the Bay Area.
| GPS track: | GPX |
|---|---|
| Bike Ridden: | Power Gold Rush |
| Distance: | 125.7 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 17960 feet |
| Total Time: | 8:58:44 |
| Riding Time: | 8:04:44 |
| Avg. Speed (moving): | 15.5 mph |
| Max. Speed: | 30.5 mph |
| Nominal System Voltage: | 48 |
| Battery energy available: | 2400 wh |
| Battery energy consumed: | 2868 wh |
| Net battery energy consumed: | 2099 wh |
| Wh/mi: | 16.7 |
| Battery Amps-Hour Used: | 55.4 |
| Regen Amps-Hour Recovered: | 14.8 |
| Peak Forward Current: | 20.8 Amps |
| Peak Regen Current: | 21.1 Amps |
Tuolumne to Lee Vining, October 12, 2018 - In 2017 I attempted to return to Columbia from Lee Vining by way of Cherry Lake and Cottonwood Road, but I was turned back by a closure due to storm damage during the prior winter. This year I made plans to revisit the area. This time I started from the Black Oak Resort, a casino run by the Mi-Wuk Indians in the town of Tuolumne, planning to ride east over Tioga Pass and to return over Sonora Pass.
Usually I prefer to sleep in my own bed at home then drive out to the Sierra foothills early in the morning, starting my ride around 0900. But, due to the short days in October and the unusually great amount of climbing in the west to east direction of travel on this route, I decided to spend the night before at the Black Oak so that I could get an earlier start and not feel like I'm racing the sun all day. It didn't hurt that the Black Oak Hotel offers a quality lodging experience, probably the best in Tuolumne County, for the price of a modest motel room in the area.
My quiet hotel room was on the first floor at the end of the hall. Although the room was darker than I like—seems most hotel rooms are too dark—I especially liked the broad console that included a microwave and refrigerator. Obviously, the Black Oak hopes I'll drop some coins into one of their slot machines, sashay over to one of their gaming tables, or eat in one of their restaurants. I obliged them by doing the latter.
After checking in I made the short walk over to the casino to take dinner in the Black Oak Café. I was able to enjoy a meatless all-you-can-eat buffet for $10, although that option seems to be at the discretion of one's server. The normal weekday buffet price was $15, which was not unreasonable given the selection available. The casino is said to be smoke-free, but I could smell cigarette smoke in a portion of the casino that I had to walk through to get to the restaurant.
After dinner I retreated to my room to get the battery charge topped off for the big day tomorrow and to get to bed early. Since the hotel, casino, and surrounding grounds are covered by many security cameras I made sure my battery panniers did not have loose wires protruding when I carried them in through the front door, so as not to arouse understandable suspicion.
The next morning I awoke at 0500 and was checked out and ready to depart by 0715. The Hotel had given me verbal permission to leave my van in their parking lot for an extra day, so I left it parked where I had parked it the evening before. By 0715 the sun had not yet risen over the ridge to the east, although morning twilight was bright enough not to feel like I was starting at night.
The Black Oak sits at the edge of the Stanislaus National Forest, and as I started out Buchanan Road, in less than a mile from the Black Oak I felt I was deep in the countryside.
Buchanan Road drops a few hundred feet into a canyon carrying the North Fork Tuolumne River. Since my battery was fully-charged I could not recapture energy from the descent and had to allow my speed to drift higher with occasional use of friction brakes. It was here that I saw my maximum speed of the day.
At the bottom of this descent an unmarked intersection appeared. (I saw only one road sign along my entire route in the area, and only at one spot along Forest Route 1N04 far from an intersection.) I stopped and checked my online map and decided that a right turn over the bridge crossing the river was correct as the road continuing straight ahead appeared on the map to dead-end a few miles up. The road to the right (labeled on some maps as Buchanan Road) climbed a short distance then turned into rough asphalt and then dirt and gravel. This continued for another quarter mile before I began to think I had made an error. I hadn't recalled a long section of rough gravel road on my reconnaissance drive through the area in 2015.
I flagged down a motorist passing in the opposite direction to ask, and he told me that I was taking the long, hard way and it would be easier for me to return to the paved road and turn right (what would have been straight ahead at the prior junction), and that the road "had good pavement all the way to Cherry Lake".
I carefully descended the rough road and turned right on what is labeled on some maps as Fish Hatchery Road. This road had nice, smooth asphalt and almost no traffic.
Fish Hatchery Road continued up the canyon to a similar-looking bridge (perhaps the source of my confused memory of having traversed the route in reverse by car three years ago) over the North Fork Tuolumne River before changing its name to Cottonwood Road where it started to climb alongside Basin Creek. At a spot called "The Basin" the road leaves the creek and begins a long climb through mixed conifer forest to the ridge to the south. (Note: My entire route on this section of the ride, other than my erroneous detour, was on Forest Route 1N04.)
The temperature started at about 8 C and varied as high as 15 C at some of the warmer spots along the way. Until I crested the ridge my ride was mostly in shadow, so the air was cool. But because I was exercising I started to sweat a bit. Just as I thought of stopping to peel off an upper layer, I'd hit a cold pocket and was glad I hadn't.
As I started down the south side of the ridge into the Cottonwood Creek watershed, I found myself in the warm sun more frequently. Soon I started passing parts of the forest burned in the Rim Fire of 2013, a fire that devastated a vast swath of the forest in this area. After I crossed the Clavey River bridge the road entered an area that had been more fully consumed by the fire. Only burnt tree trunks remained, and the land was left more barren and open.
The road began to climb again as it rounded a sharp bend that offered a wider view of the devastation. Just after crossing the Reed Creek Bridge I came to my turn. My original plan was to follow Cottonwood Road all the way to Cherry Lake, but due to the short October days and my first trip by bike through the area I decided to take the "cutoff" route on Forest Route 3N01 that cuts off the portion of the route past Cherry Lake. The paved cutoff route saves about 1000 feet of climbing and about seven miles. Although I had calculated that I ought to have enough battery energy to do the full route option to Cherry Lake itself, I decided to play it safe by taking the shorter option. Due to a battery wiring error that I discovered later, I had made a wise decision not to try for the extra mileage.
I started down un-signed Forest Route 3N01. The road descended a couple hundred feet, then climbed again before descending gradually to Jawbone Creek. Along the way I flagged down another motorist traveling opposite to confirm that the road intersected Cherry Lake Road. Then after a short climb, the road descended again to its junction with Cherry Lake Road, Forest Route 1N07, again un-signed. Fortunately, I recognized the road and surrounding terrain from my trip last summer. I turned right and descended.
Cherry Lake Road descended to a bridge over Cherry Creek, then climbed for a short stretch past Kelly Flat before descending to the crossing of the Middle Fork Tuolumne River near the very spot where water is drawn into the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct.
On the south side of the bridge the road began the steepest ascent of the day, climbing 1600 feet in 3 miles, or a 10% average grade. It is on this section that I pedaled hardest to maintain speed and to delay the onset of motor overheating. The motor did start to overheat near the top of the climb, but only in the last couple tenths of a mile did the power roll back slightly. On last summer's ride under 36 C heat I endured half the climb at reduced motor power.
I turned left on Mather Road and began a more gradual climb along the ridge marking the southern wall of the Tuolumne River Canyon. The road offered dramatic views into the canyon and eastward toward Hetch Hetchy Valley.
Camp Mather was quiet, and all the buildings had been shuttered closed for the season. I turned right on Evergreen Road and a half-mile later found the Evergreen Lodge bustling with activity. I continued without stopping.
Evergreen Road passes Dimond O Ranch, Ackerson Meadow, Aspen Valley Road and Carlon Trailhead before arriving at CA120 just north of the Big Oak Flat Entrance Station for Yosemite National Park. At the park entrance I purchased an annual pass, then headed for the parking area so I could top off my water supplies and take my only off-bike break of the day. Although I probably carried enough water to see me to Lee Vining on this cool day, I did not expect any services along Tioga Road and wanted to carry a margin of safety with me.
The climb from Hodgdon Meadow to Crane Flat I expected to be the least enjoyable due to traffic heading for the Valley. I was surprised to find traffic fairly light and coming mostly in platoons. At Crane Flat I turned left and started up Tioga Road. Traffic came in less frequent platoons the further east I traveled.
From the crossing of the Tuolumne River I had been in shorts and short sleeves. Temperatures had warmed to the mid-teens C. While it was still too cool to sit around in shorts, working hard on the bike I found I was comfortable in them. As I climbed to White Wolf Road at 8000 feet the temperature continued to drop. I considered stopping to don more clothing but decided that I'd do that once I passed White Wolf where Tioga Road undulates on its way to Tioga Pass.
It was on this climb that I encountered four other cyclists riding from Groveland to Lee Vining for the night. I was pleasantly surprised to see them, the only other cylists I saw along my route the entire day, making a similar journey. I rode alongside and chatted with them for a short while, but when they stopped for a break I continued on.
After stopping to don my longs—I had stopped climbing, and the temperature had dropped to 12 C—I continued down to the crossing of Yosemite Creek then climbed the eastern side of the creek, passed Porcupine Creek Trailhead, May Lake Road, and arrived at Olmstead Point with its view of Half Dome and Clouds Rest. Since the parking area was crowded I did not stop at the point but further along the road itself where an expansive view of Tenaya Lake and the surrounding peaks and domes, marred only by an ugly storage container parked next to the road, could be enjoyed.
I descended to the shore of Tenaya Lake, stopping to take a panorama of the northwest face of Tenaya Peak, then continued climbing toward Tuolumne Meadows. Along this narrow section of Tioga Road one tourist towing a camper trailer passed me with about one foot to spare, although he could have waited a couple of seconds for opposite traffic to pass, thereby leaving him more room to pass safely. This was the only time on my tour I had been passed unsafely.
At Tuolumne Meadows I continued riding, although I snapped several photos along the way.
As I started up the final climb of the day to Tioga Pass I noticed that my remaining battery energy seemed lower than I expected. As I had been pedaling harder than I had intended all day and was already rather weary and looking forward to a hot shower and a meal, I expected to see more energy in the battery by this point. Fortunately, I had enough to get to the Pass. (I later calculated I had less than 4% remaining in the battery at Tioga Pass.)
The temperature had dropped to a sunny 7 C at the pass, and even wearing longs I had not overheated on the climb from Tuolumne Meadows. I donned my windbreaker for the descent, and even while pedaling against regeneration for the first couple thousand feet of the descent I got slightly chilled. But, below about 8000 feet elevation the temperature "warmed" about 6 degrees C.
Lee Vining is less than a mile north of the junction of CA120 and US395, so by 1630 I was at Murpheys Motel. The "No" on the vacancy sign outside was lit. I hoped the motel had not lost my reservation as I did not want to find alternate lodging, especially if it meant riding south to Mammoth. Fortunately, they had no trouble finding my reservation.
After checking in, I showered in the unusual sunken shower in my bathroom, changed, started charging the batteries, then walked up the street to the Epic Cafe for dinner where I enjoyed their rice and vegetables dish finished with a large slice of apple pie and whipped cream.
By the time I walked back to the motel after dinner the temperature had cooled again. But, my room was warm and cozy. I spent some time catching up on email and news, but I turned off the light before 2200 as I was quite tired, more tired than I expected to be. My heart was a little jumpy as it sometimes gets after I exercise too hard, and I was expecting to be awakened sharply in the night from leg cramps. To forestall the latter I drank some electrolytes with large servings of water.
As expected I awoke several times in the night, mostly to eliminate the large servings of water I had drunk the evening before. But while no leg cramps presented themselves, I had trouble returning to sleep.
It was during one of these wakeful episodes that my mind got to thinking about why my battery capacity appeared to be lower than expected, which explained why I was more tired than usual from having pedaled hard all day.
Normally for a tour like this I carry four small (25-volt, 23Ah) batteries altogether, two in each pannier. But due to the large amount of climbing on the eastbound route over Tioga Pass I carried in each pannier one large (25-volt, 31Ah) and one small battery so that the battery weight was evenly distributed on the bike. It was then that I remembered I had connected each pannier's battery, the large and small, in series with the other (as I'd normally do with two small batteries), reducing the effective capacity of my large battery to that of the small. I also realized I was at that very moment charging the entire system at 50 volts as one battery in this erroneous configuration.
With that I turned on the light and jumped out of bed. I checked the charge status and battery voltages. Fortunately, the large and small battery resting voltages were within 0.2 volts of each other, so there was no surge current when connecting them in parallel. I then rewired all of the batteries to continue charging in parallel with each other at 25 volts.
Although I did not expect to need as much battery energy for the return trip, I wanted to start with a full charge in case I ran into strong headwinds or unexpected delays or detours.
After correcting my battery wiring I returned to bed and enjoyed a more restful sleep for the rest of the night.
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