Back Roads of Indiana

NKY Century out of Newport, KY (Greater Cincinnati Area)

2011-11-30T07:48:00.002-05:00

With the cold / wet weatther I decided to complete the routing of a NKY Century out of Newport. I had previously verified about 2/3 of this around the Burlington, Rabbit Hash and Crittenden area so this time I worked on the area near Alexandria and Butler.What I found was a lot of scenic and remote roads with places along the way for water and snacks. Most all of the road conditions are great with no gravel. Between mile 31 and 35 North of Butler the route on River rd has seasoned chip-n-seal. It's solid but slightly bumpy however the remoteness and scenery are great as it passes by many homes and barns along the stream and river. Also between mile 39 and 42.5 Pendelton county chip-n-sealed the road in September of 2011. I rode through there in October and it was passable and now it is much better. By the start of the season in 2012 it should be fine. It's a really nice century+ route with plenty of elevation gain and great scenery. You shouldn't get bored and you'll probably get a great workout.
Route map:

I'd like to know!

2011-11-06T11:17:00.002-05:00

Please take a moment while you are in my blog and vote (to the right) for your preference on what type of route you prefer when biking in a new area. It's pretty obvious which I prefer however not all agree with this and I'd like to know what you think.
Thank you for taking the poll!

Tire pressure! You be the judge!

2011-10-25T21:29:00.001-04:00

First off I don't presume to be an expert on this but after reading the article in Bicycle Quarterly on "Optimizing Your Tire Pressure for Your Weight" I started to think about it more. For as long as I could remember I pumped my road bike tires to 110 - 120 PSI or essentially the maximum rated pressure. This was to reduce pinch flats and decrease rolling resistance. Sounded good since everybody else was doing it.
It's an interesting article that may or may not get you to thinking about pressure. I did reduce pressure to what Jan recommended on his chart. The only issue i had was when I bought a new bike and retained the tires using the lower pressure I had a pinch flat, hmm! I had been using Bontrager Hardcase tires which have a pretty stiff sidewall. The supplied tires were not nearly as stiff. My conclusion, right or wrong, was that the stiffer sidewall on the Bontrager tires did not need as much pressure. Probably the reason that Jan suggests measuring tire drop.
Oh well that's my story and I'm happy using the lower pressure.

Chain Maintenance / Lubrication

2011-10-18T13:03:00.003-04:00

Now here's a topic that draws lots of comments!
Anyway if you've got this far and are somewhat discouraged with your current methods you might try mine. Around 20 years ago after reading several riders methods on chain maintenance I adopted the following technique.

Obtain a Fry Daddy from the local thrift store or the basement. Since the Dr put me on a low fat/cholestrol diet it wasn't too much of a hardship. You'll also need a thermometer capable of 250 -300 degrees, a three blocks of wax from the grocery and (get this) a pint of motor oil, I use 10W30 since that is what my vehicles use. Plug in the Fry Daddy with the wax and motor oil and heat to around 230 degrees or just above the boiling point of water.. The wax and oil will mix with a little help using a spoon or piece of wood. Use an old spoke or coat hanger approximately eight inches in length with a hook bent on one end. Engage the hook at the middle of the length of chain then VERY CAREFULLY lower the chain into the brew, you can unplug the Fry daddy now. You'll want to allow the chain to fold back and forth when lowering it into the brew to help prevent it from tangling when removed. I usually allow the chains to remain imersed a minimum of five minutes to assure full penetration of the mix in to the links. This also boils out any water after that ride in the rain. It really cracks and pops untill the water is gone.

Carefully lift the chain out of the wax/oil allowing the excess to drip back into the Fry Daddy. When it stops dripping the chain is then wiped down with a rag to remove excess wax/oil. After cooling for a few minutes the chain is replaced on the bike. I have also installed it immediately wearing a pair of gloves when the road was calling.

When the Fry Daddy cools down the mixture will turn solid.

Pros:
1. The wax/oil job lasts much longer than pure wax job
2. Being emersed in the brew it assures penetration of the lube deep into the critical wear points of the chain.
2. We don't get any of those ugly grease marks if we get too close to the chain
3. Wheels, hubs and cranks stay clean and don't draw dirt (not sticky like oil)
4. Since the chain is not sticky it doesn't draw dirt, you can just remove the chain from the bike and drop it into the hot mix. Any dirt that has accumulated drops to the bottom of the fryer

Cons
1. Some may think it’s more work since yu remove the chain, maybe but if you do all
your bikes at one time it’s pretty quick
2. If the brew gets too hot it produces a smoke so do it in the garage
3. The kids might not like the taste of their french fries

Now for those of you who think this is a bunch of BS and are ready to spam the idea, give it a try first. Several of my riding friends have picked up on the technique and use it regularily.

If you really want to delve into this subject and see some examples of extreme chain wear check out Sheldon Brown’s views on chain maintenance.
Charlie

Fall Ride in NKY

2011-10-17T14:13:00.004-04:00

This past weekend four friends joined me for a couple of scenic rides in the Northern Kentucky area. We started out at Big Bone Lick State Park on Saturday and looped out to the NorthWest up to Petersburg then back down along the river to Rabbit Hash then on down to Jane's Saddlebag restaurant before returning to the state park. A 47 mile ride with a couple of new roads (for me) mixed in. Woolper Rd and Botts Ln were very remote and added a lot to the ride. We also went up Big Jimmy Hill which put a strain on the legs and lungs.
Route map:

Sunday we drove to Crittenden and looped down to Falmouth for a 50 mile ride. Several good hills along the way plus some great scenery. We did run into three and a half miles of chip-n-seal on Greenwood / Portland Rd (mile 12.5 to 16) which was passible with caution. At midpoint we stopped at Howard's Place in Falmouth for ice cream with apple dumplings before returning to Crittenden.
Route map:

A great way to wind down the summer of riding.

Riding with the Cincinnati Cycle Club

2011-10-08T15:38:00.000-04:00

After relocating to Northern Kentucky last year I sometimes ride with the Cincinnati Cycle Club (CCC). One of their weekly rides is the Wanders led by Joe and John. They move around the Greater Cincinnati area starting from different locations each week and traveling scenic roads. John plans the route and leads off the ride making all the turns from memory. Joe acts as the leader at the start and keeps tabs of the riders during the ride. It's a casual paced ride and is great for meeting people. On a recent ride with the fellas we rode East out of Goshen toward Lynchburg stopping there for lunch. A treat when arriving in Lynchburg was finding an episode of the Pickers being filmed.
Route map:

Falmouth / Cynthiana Kentucky Loop

2011-08-12T11:14:00.000-04:00

Wanting to ride the remainder of the last day of RRRiK I drove to Falmouth Kentucky to start.
The 61 mile loop was on remote roads as usual with a few miles of highway to connect the remote roads. A stop in Cynthiana at Biancki's Restaurant near the halfway point for lunch then heading back North to Falmouth.
The roads were scenic, rolling and a nice ride on a sunny cooler summer day.

Falmouth / Cynthiana Loop

Fantastic Road Ride Near Cincinnati in Northern Kentucky

2011-08-06T13:52:00.006-04:00

Today I had two friends from Indiana join me on a Crittenden / Falmouth Loop ride. It's a 50 mile ride on remote paved roads through the hills and hollers. The friends loved the route and scenery. Plenty of hills but just another thing that makes the ride so memorable.
The ride starts at Crittenden just off of Interstate 75 at exit 166. The halfway point is at Falmouth where there are several places to get a bite to eat.
Route map:

A word of caution! There are several great downhills on the ride however many of these have hazards such as sharp switchbacks, rough stream crossings or just varying pavement and gravel washed out. It's best to enjoy a nice easy decent.

Routing Toward West Virginia

2011-07-14T19:13:00.000-04:00

Over the winter I'll be working on a route through Kentucky to the West Virginia border.
The route will head East from Crittenden, South of Florence, passing through Mayesville to Catlettsburg. As with my other routes it will be on the most remote paved roads I can find that are paved. A few places the route will be on short distances of highways to connect to the next remote road.
From Catlettsburg East I hope to find a resource who can provide remote road routing to the East coast. Anyone knowing of a resource please let me know!

RRRIK (Ralf's Rural Ride in Kentucky) - Revisions

2011-06-19T21:46:00.011-04:00

I've made a few changes to the five day ride in North Central Kentucky. Originally it started in Verona which had minimal areas to park. Changing this to Crittenden allows for more services and possible parking, with acquired permission of course! This changes the first and last days of the ride. I also changed the Shaker Village to Cynthiana terminating it in Cynthiana. There are a couple of B&Bs in town plus the eateries are there also. The Evergreen Motel North of town is a mom & pop place which is clean but old. The owner is very accommodating however!
The route is remote with very little services. Most days we packed snacks, lunches and water along with a few repair items. It's a great route for escaping the city just a few miles from home.
The following five routes make up the 330 mile loop starting from and returning to Crittenden:
Crittenden to Frankfort
Frankfort to Bardstown
Bardstown to Shaker Village (Harrodsburg)
Shaker Village (Harrodsburg) to Cynthiana
Cynthiana to Crittenden

Does Indiana have any scenic riding?

2011-06-05T07:51:00.001-04:00

We returned home recently on Interstate 64 across Southern Indiana. I was looking at the beautiful scenery and wondered why many feel cycling in Indiana isn't good. I then realized that the majority of the people passing through Indiana see it on highways such as I70, I65, I90, I80 or most of I74. These of course pass through the farming areas are fairly flat and riddled with the checker-board roads systems.
On the other hand most of I64 between the Illinois state line and Louisville plus I74 from Batesville to the Ohio state line are quite different. The majority of the Southern third of Indiana provides some extremely nice cycling. Should you pass through Indiana this summer on your travels please try to steer South for a peek. You'll find the neighboring states of Ohio and Illinois look interesting too, plus a dip into Kentucky may whet your appetite even more.

Looking for scenic interesting rides?

2011-04-26T21:56:00.009-04:00

I've discovered that on YouTube you can find videos of most anything. So I decided to see if some highlights of the rides I've taken over the years are there. Sure enough I found the Tulip Trestle located in Greene County ENE of Bloomfleld, The round jail in Crawfordsville, St Meinrad Archabbey, The Shoe Tree South of Milltown, Colonial Brick near Cayuga, the Wabash & Erie Canal near Delphi, West Baden Hotel near French Lick, Marble Hill no more, and more. These and other interesting sites are found on routes in my book Back Roads of Indiana available through Hodsons Bay Company, 765-743-3506.

St Francisville IL to Vincennes Route - Crossing the Wabash River

2011-04-25T12:58:00.003-04:00

Just added is St Francisville to Vincennes route that completes a South Central route across the state. It uses the old Wabash Cannonball railroad toll bridge to cross the Wabash River at St Francisville Illinois. The bridge is sketchy to ride however it's not too long and the scenery can be nice.

Ohio River Crossing At Cincinnati

2011-04-10T16:03:00.007-04:00

Check out the route from SE Indiana into Kentucky via Ohio crossing the Ohio River on a ferry. The route is for the most part on remote roads with the exception of US50 for a few miles in Ohio. I try to keep the routes off of highways as much as possible however doing so on this route adds miles and elevation. Crossing from Ohio into Kentucky the route uses the historic Anderson Ferry West of Cincinnati. Further down the road SW of Burlington Kentucky there is an option of riding through Rabbit Hash along the Ohio River. It's both scenic and nostalgic. Camping is available at Big Bone Lick State Park
Should you use the route I'm just off it a few miles in Union Kentucky and would enjoy hearing from you.

Kentucky Bike Tours

2011-02-13T20:03:00.003-05:00

This is now listed on the ky.gov site and has additional information on each route. These routes were created by Kentucky cyclists.
It's now possible to transfer a route to your GPS.

Kentucky Bike Tours

Southern Cross-state Indiana Route

2010-10-16T22:36:00.000-04:00

The route is now complete across the state allowing cyclists a scenic route in some of Indiana's most scenic areas. The route is on paved county roads in most areas with a few stretches on secondary state highways to connect the county roads. Lodging can be found at the beginning or end of each segment of the route.
While the route is 100 miles longer than using US40 in the center of the state it exposes the riders to fantastic scenery and remote roads.
So if your travels take you through Indiana please use one of my routes and leave Indiana realizing it truly is a beautiful place to bike.