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They haven't changed the forecast so I think I'm in for a wonderful day of cycling. Mid to upper seventies with single digit wind is what they are talking. I'm talking riding my butt off. :) Tomorrow is supposed to enjoy similar weather. I'm glad the weekend warriors will get a beautiful day to ride.

My ordered color display has finally moved from the US facility after a 3 day wait. It has traveled to Dallas and now Grand Prairie is awaiting to receive the item and establish a delivery date. I'm just happy it made it through customs.

I was out riding by eleven this morning. It was in the mid sixties with just a whisp of wind. I rode South and back twice and came home and got into some cooler cycling clothes. I rode another two loops and a cool down loop in town then exchanged batteries and did the four loops again. I made two in town cool down loops and still have plenty of battery but I was suffering numb butt. :) I rode 88 miles today.

I saw quite a few riders my first two loops today but then they were gone. I saw my trike buddy Tim and some other riders I've seen before. I slowed down thinking that one rider was having bike trouble but she was texting someone. She waved in recognition... it was the gal that was so intimidated when I helped her get her chain and shifters back in working order last year.

The color display was received at Grand Prairie and departed in destination to a USPS facility. If they don't wear it out while shipping and sorting, I'll have it soon.
 
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I have a follow up appointment with my audiologist this morning. I should be home early enough to get in some good riding. It is supposed to get into the upper seventies this afternoon. Oddly, the wind will be out of the North in the low teens. Usually, South wind is warm and the North wind is cold. I'm looking forward to riding no matter the direction.

I went riding come the afternoon. It was warm but it was also windy. I did see a few cyclists but not the number I anticipated. I think the wind kept them off the bike. I met a group heading North on the sidewalk that were battling the wind. First was a woman on an e-trike and behind her two kids likely under ten. Behind the kids were four or maybe five guys. They seemed to be riding in a group and they all waved. My second time going South on the sidewalk I met the trike lady, the two kids, and a male. I then guessed that I was looking at a family group and the other guys were just behind them. The group waved again and had a look on their faces like how the hell did I come from the North twice :) I finished my ride by mostly draining the battery and came home with full intentions of calling it a day. I had a beer and couldn't help but notice the wind had died down. I geared up and rode another three loops before coming home and cooking dinner. I had fun!
 
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Today was colder and windy. I didn't bother to go riding until noon. I rode one battery down and called it a day. The wind was taking the fun out of riding and I wanted to watch the Chiefs game that aired mid afternoon. I should have grabbed another battery and skipped the game. The wind calmed some and the Chiefs were not playing good football. At least I did get in a ride.

I worked a bit on the Aquila this morning before riding. I adjusted the length of the kickstand. I had forgotten that it's adjustable and I wanted it to hold the bike a bit more upright. It might help avoid the wind blowing it over again. In the process, I noticed that the rack/fender I installed has a height adjustment. I raised it not because it was rubbing on the back tire but to give the tire more clearance. It was sitting extremely close for no reason beyond needing adjusting. I gave the pedals some close scrutiny. They are close to a half inch smaller standing out from the crank arms and a half inch from front to back shorter than that of the RipCurrent S pedals. They are also a nylon or plastic instead of metal and they lack the contact surface and friction the old pedals have. I've slipped off the new pedals a number of times. I thought I'd adjust to the new pedals but I'm giving up.

This morning the tracking of my color display showed that it had arrived at the Wichita facility. Before I went riding it showed that it had departed the facility and it had a delivery date of Thursday. When I came in from riding I checked, thinking it would be at my local post office. It had arrived... In Omaha Nebraska. WTF It's easy to understand how the postal service runs at a deficit.... sheesh. I guess they knew what they were talking about with the Thursday delivery. 🤣
 
It is to warm up nicely this afternoon with a fierce South wind. I have a Dr. appointment across the noon hour and will give riding a serious look when I get home. Max gust so far has been 41mph and it's common to see gusts in the twenty to thirty mile range. It might be the day to stay home. :(

To not try to ride an e-bike today is weak. I decided I would give it one loop and then thought why not another. Before I was done, I rode my normal four loops and a cool down loop in town. I logged 41 miles. I can't say it was loads of fun but it was doable and I needed the exercise. I had the sidewalk all to myself today. I wonder where everyone went? 😏 There is zero wind blowing now... go figure.

Tracking shows that the display is now in transit to the next facility. It will be interesting to see where it goes. I hope they don't send it back to China. lol
 
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It is fifty degrees now and the forecast has it warming into the low seventies. Single digit wind from the North today is calling my name. Today is to be the last day this warm of the next ten. I'm glad I don't have much planned. I hope to do a lot of riding.
I ordered a pair of pedals for the Aquila. If hope I can get the original pedals off. If the tightness of the handlebar clamps of the brakes is an indicator, I'll be in quite a battle. The tracking of the new color display now shows it is out for delivery. To save face, the tracking doesn't show it arriving back in Wichita and then to my post office. The shipping makes a good story if the item shows up and hasn't suffered damage.

I rode a couple of loops then came home about the time I normally receive my mail. I wanted to make certain I was here to receive the display. I didn't want them sending it back to China. lol I installed it when it showed up and took the RCS for a test ride. I rode my in town cool down loop which is just a couple of miles. It still exhibited the same problems as before. I rode the loop again on throttle only and it never faltered. It dawned on me that It must be speed related. The throttle maxes out at 20mph. I pedaled the bike keeping it under twenty without a hiccup and then rode my comfortable 21-22 mph that is a comfortable cadence for me and bingo.. it started having momentary outages. I can't begin to explain why a speed the motor rotates would be a problem but it seems to be the culprit. I often travel under 20mph but I'm not continuously pedaling at that low speed. It's a couple of pedal strokes and coast over and over. So, now the daunting task of finding a motor or a motor already spoked up in a wheel. It really needs to be the exact motor that it will replace. Same voltage and wattage with the power cable on the correct side of the bike with the same connector to plug into the bike.. etc. I could have and should have bought one last year when Juiced went tits up.

I rode the RCS 12 miles and the Aquila 51 miles today. Tomorrow is to be cooler. The new pedals might show up in time to install and use tomorrow. I'm glad I ordered them now being as the Aquila will be THE bike for quite some time.
 
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It was cooler but there wasn't much wind to worry with today. I rode four loops South and one cool down loop and came home. I had lots of battery left but I was hoping that my new pedals had been delivered. The pedals were waiting on me so I installed them, grabbed another battery, and rode one loop South and came home to start dinner. The pedals are the best twenty five bucks I've spent on a bike. They are very tactile and remind me a lot of the clipless pedals I had on the Iguana years ago. Clipless pedals hook directly to the sole of the riding shoe which allows the rider to enjoy some work out of the leg on the upstroke of the pedal instead of just the downstroke. The new pedals aren't fastened to my shoes but they allow me to start applying pressure immediately after the pedal is at it's highest point. It's sort of like pushing the pedal out and then down without sliding off the pedal. Not that I'm racing but it feels better.

While I was out riding a yellow mountain bike passed in front of me. I hurried up and saw that it was a yellow Iguana.. it had to be mine. I turned and followed it and sure enough, it was my granddaughter out riding the old bike. That makes all the effort of refurbing the bike worth while. She was having a blast. I loved that bike and it is great to see it have another life.

There is a great chance of rain tomorrow. I hope to ride some but I might not get to. I'm glad I rode today. I was surprised I didn't see more riders. I saw a moped sort of bike in town and nobody on a bike besides my granddaughter. I logged 56 miles and after seeing the forecast for tomorrow, I wish I had ridden more.
 
It was cooler today than yesterday. The high was in sixties without any wind. I went riding a bit after noon. It was cloudy and had rained some overnight with rain for the day in the forecast. I took my chances and was able to get in three loops and a couple of loops in town before it started sprinkling again. I was close to home and put the bike up and called it a day. I rode 33 miles and didn't see anyone while riding.

I spent the morning doing some RipCurrent S hub motor research. A year ago I bookmarked a site that had the entire rear wheel assembly with my motor for a bit over $400 but the item is no longer available. I found a similar wheel and motor in China with a thirty to sixty day delivery. I have the time but the wiring is wrong. I might not be able to make it work so I chickened out. I found a number of sites selling a conversion kit with wheel and motor to fit the bike. Instead of a 52v system which matches the bike and all of the components and batteries, they are a 48v system. To go that route, I might as well just buy another bike. That only left the option to buy a new hub motor and have a local bike shop build it into my existing wheel. I called my local bike shop and confirmed they had a wheel builder and then went looking for a motor. Just like the motor already spoked up in a wheel being impossible to find, the motors are also a rare bird these days. One retailer and two eBay sellers had my motor. The retailer had it priced at $315 and eBay sellers $150. I went with eBay and hope I haven't made a gross error. I will know more the first of December when I receive it. I should likely just call it a good ride and cut my losses and move on with that bike. I just can't. We've been working together for almost twenty one thousand miles.
 
The wife and I spent the morning doing our Thanksgiving shopping. I'm fairly satisfied that we will be serving enough food to feed the entire block. I'll be eating leftovers forever. Oh well. When we got home and have everything put up, I put on my riding gear and away I went. It felt pretty cold while riding today. It was in the mid fifties with a North West wind and the humidity 90+% . Riding I could feel the moisture in the air like a very fine mist. I rode three loops and called it a day. I had dressed warm but the cold wet wind chilled me. I saw nobody riding today.
My son came over tonight and I was able to show him the new Napune Aquila. He was like me, the bike is far better looking in person. The blue on the bike pops.
 
Mid fifties was the forecast for today and very little wind. I dressed warm and went riding. It just kept getting warmer as I was riding. I came home and changed batteries and my station showed the temp was in the low sixties. I rode another two loops and came home to cook dinner. I logged 60 miles today and had a great time. I only saw four other riders. I would have been very upset if I had missed riding today. I lack less than 30 miles of putting a thousand miles on the Aquila in the 21 days of ownership. I put almost 100 miles on the RCS. I've been lucky to ride that much this time of year. If I could enjoy such a December, I'd be one happy guy.
 
Today's forecast mirrored yesterday's but today it was accurate. It warmed into the mid fifties and that was the high. It seemed so much colder than yesterday with a gusty South East wind blowing all day. Although I had to ride around my smoking pork shoulder and football today, I still managed to get in a decent ride. I logged 38 miles and would have rode a bit more but the wind had drained my battery.

I saw a few walkers and two cyclists today. It really wasn't a great day to be riding. I can't think it would have been any fun without some E-assistance. I hope to do some riding tomorrow but they have now updated the forecast and there is a good chance of rain most of the day. I'll ride some if I can.

For kicks, I checked the tracking for the hub motor I have ordered. It was scheduled to arrive Dec. 2 but has been updated to be delivered tomorrow. I can't image there being that much variance in the shipping and I'll be surprised if it truly shows up tomorrow. In the scheme of things, I'm in no particular hurry. I was in a bigger hurry to secure the motor while it is still available.
 
I believe that USPS doesn't have a clue. Why provide tracking that makes no sense? My last order that used USPS shipping was my color display. It came to Wichita then to Omaha and back to Wichita for deliver. The motor that's in transit via USPS entered their system in Florida with a projected delivery the second of December. Yesterday it was updated to be delivered today. I checked the tracking today and it was received at a shipping center in Florida early this morning. :) It doesn't matter at all when it gets here.... as long as it gets here. However, it might might make a great deal of difference to someone else. Bogus information is worse than no information IMO.

It rained a third of an inch yesterday and it is bog like conditions outside with an additional .03° since midnight. I hope it will dry enough to ride but it is not looking good.
 
I didn't get to ride yesterday or today. It was too wet yesterday and way too windy today. It is supposed to be considerably cooler tomorrow but with less wind. I hope to ride some though I have duties to perform in preparation for the Thursday feast.

The ordered motor is reported to be in Wichita. If it doesn't take a round trip to Omaha, I might get it this week. :)
 
It was cold and windy today. It started out just above freezing. It warmed up into low forties this afternoon and the wind laid down. I was caught up on my home duties so I went for a ride. I only rode 18 miles. I was frozen by the time I got home. It felt good to ride but it felt good to get home and warm up.

My hub motor showed up early afternoon. It came in a Juiced box that had been opened and taped back up. Inside was the original form fitting styrofoam and a bag of spacers, dropout washers, rubber end caps, and screws to reattach the rotor. The motor is the exact motor I need and is obviously new and never used. I put a battery in the RCS and powered up the motor. It ran just fine without any noise. I think I got very lucky! Giving the box a serious look, I can easily see a shipping label under the retape job. There is Juiced labeling on the outside of the box as well. I'm guessing the seller ordered the wrong motor or changed his mind in using it. Keep in mind, Juiced went out of business over a year ago. He's had the motor for a while. He only has 30 some auctions and most are items he's bought. I see he is not selling any other bike parts. I reiterate, I got very lucky! My only other half decent buying option was from an online retailer that had the 1000w 52v motor that had the power to the motor on the wrong side of the bike. I only think that was the only difference and I might have been able to accommodate the wiring. The motor was $350 instead of $150.

I'm doing the family turkey thing tomorrow and won't get to ride.
 
We had a great time today. My youngest daughter and her husband and daughters were here and we ate early. They had evening plans so they were out of here by three thirty. I put on my bike gear and tried to ride off some of the incredible amount of food I ate. I only rode 21 miles and had to quit with it getting dark. I was the only person out on the sidewalk but I did see a couple of family groups taking a walk in town. It was in the low fifties with blue sky and very little wind. It was a good day to ride. I would have been out earlier if the kids had left earlier.

Tomorrow I plan to pull the back wheel off of the RCS. I'll pull the tire and tube from the wheel and clean it up the best I can. I hope to get it and the new motor to the bike shop and see about getting the new motor laced up in the old wheel. I called them before I bought the motor and they said they have a good wheel builder but wouldn't give me a price estimate. I have no idea how much he charges or how busy the guy is. I don't even know if he is an employee or someone that they sub the work to. All I know for sure is the sooner I get the ball rolling the sooner I might have my old bike back in riding condition. I really like the new bike but it isn't as much bike as the old bike. The RCS has a larger motor and a better controller. It takes more readings per pedal revolution which makes it far more responsive. Between being more responsive and having more power, it's far more fun to ride. Both bikes are fun to ride but going from one bike to the other, there is a lot of difference.
 
Not only cold but it was very windy today. It was the perfect day to pull the rear wheel off of the RCS.
I brought it inside and removed the tire and tube and the liner that keeps the tube from rubbing on the ends of the spoke nipples. I cleaned up the wheel and cassette and removed the brake rotor. That's all I know how to do and I have tools for the job. I took the wheel with the old motor and the new motor to the bike shop and met the man that will do the job. He was very pleased that the motor was an exact replacement so the spokes should work. There were two spokes that he thought were bent a little and I told him I have three new spokes that I got with my first RCS back in 2019. He wants them on hand in case he has need for them. I'll run them up there tomorrow. He wants to replace the nipples and the ones on the wheel now are chrome. He asked if he could go back with black nipples that match the spokes and wheel. He can get them a lot faster and cheaper. The front wheel has chrome nipples but I can't see that it makes any difference to me. He's guessing he should have the parts and have the wheel built in a week. I ordered a new brake rotor. The rotor I pulled off is scored and for the price, it might as well be new while starting new with the rebuild. He was amazed that the old motor has that many miles on it. I told him I wanted the motor back. I might have it rebuilt as a spare at some point. It's not like it has burned up, it just has a hiccup at 21 to 25 mph. I'm sure it will eventually fail without a rebuild.
 
It was raining when I got up. It only dropped .17° but when it quit the wind took over. I ran the extra spokes to the bike shop and the wind was blowing the cars around. I was glad I was on a four lane. It was a wicked gusty wind mostly from the North. I did my delivery duty and then did a walk around their showroom giving their bike inventory a once over. They had a lot of super nice looking road bikes and a row of e-bikes. Everything was eye watering expensive... just wow! The e-bikes were nothing special in my opinion and were priced between four and five and a half grand. I wouldn't trade my Aquila for any on their showroom floor. The luxury of fit and form is the only perk of buying from a brick and mortar. It comes at a high price.

I recognized the e-trike the elderly lady rides that I often see. It is a strange light olive green in color. I'm sure she has the very same trike. It didn't have a sale price on it but I'm betting there is nothing cheap about it. The big smile that lady wears so well when riding convinces me that no matter the price, it was a great purchase for her.
 
There was no riding Sunday or today. It has been too cold and windy. Today the wind calmed some but it didn't get out of the twenties and there we received a trace of snow. I haven't given up on tomorrow. The forecast is calling for mid forties but windy. Depending on the intensity of the wind, there is a decent chance I will get to ride some.

The rotor I ordered to put on the new rear wheel build was delivered today. The old rotor I removed is actually in pretty good shape but it has been noisy since day one. I've cleaned it and I've given it close scrutiny. It has a little wobble and I think it is slightly warped. One way or another, it lets out an annoying sound vibration when braking. It is recommended not to reuse an used rotor. For the small invest involved, it seemed a good idea to just trash it and get a new one.

I hope to hear from the bike shop before the end of the week. It hinges on him getting in the replacement nipples. I can't believe they will be slammed with business with the crummy weather and time of year. I shouldn't be in a line for a wheel build.
 
I bundled up and went riding this afternoon. It wasn't warm but it was very doable. The sun was shining and there was a gusty wind out of the South. I did three loops and called it a day. I was surprised that I didn't have enough battery for another loop. The cold seems to drain the battery faster. I logged 31 miles and saw nobody on the loop. It was cold enough today that I put my handlebar mitts on. The last time I rode, my hands hurt from the cold though I was wearing gloves. The mitts keep most of the wind off of the hands and with gloves my hands stayed pretty comfortable.
 
(Wednesday)
It wasn't in the cards to ride today. I thought about riding around noon. It had warmed up to 40° and the wind was in the single digits from the South. I decided I would run down to the cabin property and grab my extension ladder while it was warming up. I need my ladder so I can clean the leaves out of my house gutters. My landlord passed the cabin and said he had left room in one of his out buildings to store my mower across the winter. I managed to get the mower started and drove it to his property and put it up for the winter and hiked back. It seemed like it was getting colder and more windy but it is always seems windy when out in the country. I hurried home to find it really had cooled back down and the wind was ripping from the North. I missed the doable riding window. Tomorrow doesn't look very promising with the high temp to just barely get over the freezing mark. Friday and Saturday might work.. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
 
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Today would be the ideal day for the bike shop to call with my completed wheel. It's far too cold to ride today but would work great to mount the tube, tire, and brake rotor. I might even fire up a little propane heater in the shed and mount the rear wheel assembly on the bike. They won't likely call but it's fun to dream.
 
It never warmed up as forecasted and remained overcast all day. Mid forties sounded great but it only reached the 37° with a stiff South wind. I missed another day of riding but haven't given up on my chances of riding tomorrow. It might not happen but fifty one glorious degrees are forecasted for tomorrow. Back into the thirties Sunday but next week has some warm days projected. I'm ready!

My son was coming over for BS and brews when he got off work today. As luck would have it, the bike shop called about the time I expected him to show up. My back wheel is ready to be picked up. I told Tyler I'd be up first thing tomorrow. I asked how much I owed and was surprised it was only $75.25. I will hustle home with the wheel, mount the tube and tire and then install the new rotor while it warms up. I can't wait to get it mounted on the bike and take it for a ride. You will see me cry if the bike still has its cutting out problem. The motor replacement was the last and most expensive variable that hadn't be explored. Fortunately, I had some of the electronic parts to substitute for a test. I replaced the torque/cadence sensor and now a new hub motor. I'm out close to $350. A small price to pay to put my beloved bike back on the road. It's a lot to spend if it isn't fixed.
 
It didn't quite warm up as predicted today and it was far windier. I ran up town early and picked up my back wheel and old motor. Tyler wasn't working but he had told the main guy working to pass on the message that the motor was far easier to spoke up than he anticipated. The wheel was already very true and the motor was an exact match to the original motor. I got home and immediately went to work putting tube, tire, and brake rotor on the wheel. The most difficult tasks were putting the wheel liner back to protect the tube from the spoke nipples and the liner between the tube and the tire to add a bit of puncture protection. Once I finally had it ready, I mounted it on the bike. I spent considerable time trying to adjust the rear brake that was ticking on the rotor. It should be an easy job to fix but I struggle to see the clearance between rotor and brake pads and I struggle to hear it rubbing. I can feel it ticking and notice the the tire slow as it passes the area where it rubs. I've had this trouble before and gave up getting it perfect. Another day and more time will get it tuned up.
I was too anxious to ride to mess with it all day. I put my trunk on my RCS and I put my Kinekt seat post with the original seat back on it and was ready to ride.

I put on my warm riding clothes and crossed my fingers and went for a ride. With the cold weather and the stiff South wind, I was only able to do three loops to the town South and a bit in town on a battery. I logged 34 miles. Considering that I was only able to ride 25 to 50 yards before the original motor would pause for an instant and as much as three seconds, I rode 34 miles without a single lull. I think I can safely say that the old motor was the culprit for the hesitations. To say that I'm thrilled would be the biggest understatement I've typed in this entire thread.
 
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