Something a little different...Dirt/Road

[Benny]

I put some fatter tires on the Casseroll and I'm going to go for some mixed paved and dirt road riding Sunday afternoon. I've been thinking about doing this for a while and now seems like a good time to try it. There are so many interesting looking dirt roads around Baldwin, Wilkinson and Jones counties that I've been wanting to explore.

I have the 37mm Continental tires that originally came on the bike, so I mounted them up. They actually measure 34mm (1.34"). Not wide by MTB standards, but they should be significantly more stable and smooth riding on dirt and gravel than the 28mm tires I had on before (which were already kind of wide compared to typical 23mm road tires). It seemed odd pumping the tires to 60psi front and 70psi rear instead of 90/100.

If anyone has a bike set up for dirt roads and want to join me, let me know and I'll work it out to meet you. I'm thinking of a 40-50 mile ride leaving around noon, but I'm flexible.

[Benny]

The bike worked out very nicely for the dirt roads. The wider tires made it very stable on the gravel and dirt roads. It never felt squirrely or like it might slide out and dump me. The ride was pretty smooth on the dirt roads as well as the shake 'n' bake paved roads. I like the look of the big tires. It makes the bike look muscular somehow. :p The bike was not as much slower on smooth pavement as I expected.

I found some nice dirt roads to Ivey and then found some out past the end of Union Hill Road. I got hemmed in between dangerous sections of Hwy 18 and 49, so after 40 miles of wandering around, I called Lori to come and pick me up. I'll study the Garmin map to see where I can find connecting roads to make a full loop for riding in the future.
http://ridewithgps.com/trips/132209

I really liked this kind of riding. It is nice to not be limited to only the paved roads but still be able to make good time on pavement. There are some very pretty places out there on dirt roads.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/sets/72157625386080702/show/
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/5176717654_e96439973a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5176717654/)
bike1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5176717654/) by BluesDawg (http://www.flickr.com/people/bluesdawg/), on Flickr
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/5176120813_5e9ba1cd23_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5176120813/)
dirt4 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5176120813/) by BluesDawg (http://www.flickr.com/people/bluesdawg/), on Flickr
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/5176727086_88788bab50_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5176727086/)
dirt6 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5176727086/) by BluesDawg (http://www.flickr.com/people/bluesdawg/), on Flickr
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/5176728114_65ecdd94e9_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5176728114/)
dirt7 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5176728114/) by BluesDawg (http://www.flickr.com/people/bluesdawg/), on Flickr
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4151/5176128257_693f0026cd_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5176128257/)
dirt10 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5176128257/) by BluesDawg (http://www.flickr.com/people/bluesdawg/), on Flickr
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4089/5176130193_3b894487a4_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5176130193/)
bike3 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5176130193/) by BluesDawg (http://www.flickr.com/people/bluesdawg/), on Flickr
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4104/5176734814_69fa71859e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5176734814/)
shack (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5176734814/) by BluesDawg (http://www.flickr.com/people/bluesdawg/), on Flickr
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4086/5176740982_83501831d3_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5176740982/)
dirt16 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5176740982/) by BluesDawg (http://www.flickr.com/people/bluesdawg/), on Flickr

[haywoodkb]

Nice kit!
The big wheels open up lots of routes choices you never had before.
This is the perfect time of year to enjoy the fall colors. :)

[Benny]

The big wheels open up lots of routes choices you never had before.

Yep. All those dirt roads I normally pass and wonder where they go I can now see where they go with this setup. Or the roads I don't go down because I think the pavement might end, I can go ahead and ride them.

[Benny]

Another Sunday ride on dirt and paved roads. I worked out the missing connections and made a good 45+ mile route (http://ridewithgps.com/routes/222644) with lots of beautiful scenery and almost no traffic. Highlights were ambling through the little community of James and finding the old Folendore Dairy Farm. What a great way to spend a nice fall afternoon! :D

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/sets/72157625386080702/with/5196134179/
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/5196164455_0c12454783.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5196164455/)
DirtDawg2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5196164455/) by BluesDawg (http://www.flickr.com/people/bluesdawg/), on Flickr
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4083/5196124059_4a2b334705.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5196124059/)
11_21 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5196124059/) by BluesDawg (http://www.flickr.com/people/bluesdawg/), on Flickr
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4110/5196134179_c6f51287a3.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5196134179/)
11_21 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesdawg/5196134179/) by BluesDawg (http://www.flickr.com/people/bluesdawg/), on Flickr