Author Archives: Rob

About Rob

Bike trail and long distance cyclist and publisher of about-bicycles.com

River Bend, Randall Road and Great Western Trail Ride

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Yesterday, a friend and I went out and explored some new bike trails (which also connected to some bike trails that we had already ridden before) and had a really nice 35 mile ride.

I originally wanted to check out the Randall Road Bike Trail but it is actually a pretty short trail (4 miles) but what we discovered is that this is an excellent way to ride from the Fox River Trail to the Great Western Trail!

The other trail involved in getting from the FRT to the GWT is the River Bend Trail which is also known as the Silver Glen Trail. It is a little confusing since I have seen this trail referred to with 2 different names so I just referred to both names so people can find the info on it using either name.

River Bend / Silver Glen Bike Trail

The bridge over Randall Road on the River Bend (Silver Glen) Bike Trail

If you start on the Fox River Trail just before the long bridges in South Elgin, you’ll see a sign for the “Randall & Silver Glen Trails“. This is the River Bend Trail (as it is called on the map in the forest preserve that you go through).   Some of this bike trail goes along Silver Glen Road so I believe that is how the SGT name came about.

Anyway, if you get on the River Bend Trail from the Fox River Trail, you can follow the trail all the way to Randall Road. At Randall Road you can get on the north end of the Randall Road Trail which you can then take south the the Great Western Trail.

We connected to the GWT, as described above, and then took the GWT to Virgil, Illinois where we turned around and went back. I actually put together some bike trail pages, with photos for the River Bend Trail HERE.

The River Bend Trail is nice as you go through the John J Duerr Forest Preserve and if you take it through the wetland area west of Randall Road but the part that goes along Silver Glen Road is not that exciting.

Randall Road Bike Trail

A view of the northern end of the Randall Road Trail from the corn field

The Randall Road Trail is not very exciting either when you first get on at the northern end of the trail (at Silver Glen & Randall) but once you go over the long bridge (that runs parallel to Randall Road), it goes into a nice forest preserve area, followed by a real nice prairie and then you connect to the Great Western Trail (which I have always enjoyed).

There was no construction or detours on any of the trails that I have mentioned above and overall it was a really nice ride.

Bike Computers/Speedometers and GT Bikes 15% Off through 8/17/2011

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As I was updating all of the Bike Prices on this website for today, I noticed that Performance Bike has a sale going on where they are taking 15% off of all “Outlet” items through Wednesday, 8/17.

This sale is actually for 15% off of the lowest sale price listed and works out pretty well for the items that are on sale at Performance, including bikes.

I found that ALL of the GT bikes (Road, Mountain and Hybrid) on this website quality for the 15% off at Performance. So if you have been looking for a GT Bike, this is a good time to check out what they have on sale at Performace.  See any of the GT Bikes listed here.

There are quite a few other items that qualify for the 15% off sale at Performance including Bike Computers/Speedometers so if you are looking for a new (or first) Bike Computer  (or any other bike accessory) check out the Performance Sale that is going on now through Wednesday.

Diamondback Bikes on Sale at Amazon

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Amazon (like many other merchants this time of year) is having a back to school sale this month and as I was reviewing bike prices and the bikes that they sell, I noticed that they have quite a few Diamondback Bikes on sale right now.

I also noticed that I do not currently have any Diamondback reviews in my bike review pages (probably a mistake on my part and I will be correcting that as soon as I get back to bike reviews) but I do have Diamondback listed on the Most Popular Bike Brand page and I do mention that they have high quality kids bikes and high quality mountain bikes on our Kids Bikes Page.

Anyway, although Diamondback makes most of the popular bike types (road, mountain, comfort, etc.), I think that they make good quality mountain bikes and kids bikes, in particular, and at a decent price.

So until I get some detailed Diamondback reviews published, and especially if you are planning on a back to school  upgrade to your kids’ bike(s), check out the Amazon links on our  Kids Bikes Page for the bikes (and other back to school stuff) that are on sale now at Amazon.

A Simple Hot Weather Bike Riding Tip

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This is just a real simple thing and it may not be applicable to a lot of people but I came up with this on my ride today and I just thought I would write a quick blog post about it.

I have kept a handkerchief in my Topeak bike bag (which, btw, I really love due to the fold out panniers easy Quicktrack clip on and off mechanism) and I have found this to be very handy in quite a few situations.

Well, today I rode 26 miles and it is 94 degrees and humid! In very hot weather sometimes the sweat rolls down my forehead and into my eyes and the sweat on my face is just plain uncomfortable. The handkerchief can come in handy but it’s not so handy when it’s in my bike bag.

Bike handkerchief

Bike handkerchief

Well today I just decided to tie the handkerchief on to my handlebar post for easy access. This actually worked out very well and was very convenient. In addition to being handy it is also right there blowing in the wind to help it dry out a little between uses. 

I know some of you have helmets or hats (or dew rags) that help with this, or in hot weather you can just wear a bandana or keep a handkerchief in your pocket for easy access but I thought that tying it on to the handlebars worked pretty well and I haven’t noticed other people doing that (I’ll be more aware of it now).

It also reminds me a little of an Aerosmith mic stand (if it were a little longer and fancier)!!!

Aside from that little idea, don’t forget the more sensible hot weather riding guidelines such as dressing very lightly, bringing plenty of water and staying hydrated, bringing or wearing a hat or helmet, using sunscreen as necessary and taking breaks when you need to or just taking it a little easier in the heat (you can always work on breaking those speed records when it cools down a little 🙂 ).

Enjoy your ride and stay cool!

Indoor Cycles and Exercise Bikes at Johnson Fitness.

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Sorry, I had meant to write a more complete blog post here about my trip to the Johnson Fitness headquarters in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin (near Madison, Wi) last month but have been so busy with the about-bicycles.com updates (primarily indoor cycles and exercise bikes right now) that I have not been able to get to the blog update until now.

Johnson Fitness Logo

Johnson Fitness

If you are not familiar with Johnson Fitness (aka Johnson Health Tech), they are  a large and reputable company that designs, manufactures and sells fitness equipment worldwide. A few of the brand names that Johnson makes are Livestrong, Horizon, Matrix, AFG, Vision Fitness, Merit, Tempo and Treo.

You may not be familiar with all of the brands but we have had Livestrong and Horizon products on this site for years now and I have recommended the original Livestrong Indoor Cycle (the LS9.9IC) for years also.

I can tell you that Johnson is committed to quality and customer support and their contributions to the Livestrong Foundation are another example of their commitment to overall health and fitness. This year alone Johnson will be donating a minimum of $4 million to the Livestrong Foundation. That amount will also be increased with the sale of additional Livestrong fitness equipment. For example, an additional $1,000 donation will be made to the Livestrong Foundation for each LS28IC Indoor Cycle that is sold (they do not actually make a profit on this limited edition model).

Johnson Headquarters

Johnson Headquarters in Cottage Grove, Wi

OK, I don’t mean to make this sound like a corporate commercial (although it probably does at this point) but I really was impressed with the knowledge and integrity of the people at Johnson. Personally, I learned quite a bit about their exercise bikes and indoor cycles and had I an excellent opportunity to meet with the product specialists in these areas and review quite a few of the Johnson Fitness products.

I have updated many of the Exercise Bike and Indoor Cycle pages on this website with the relevant information on each product that I reviewed while I was at Johnson. I have also added some NEW Livestrong and AFG reviews including The Livestrong LS28IC Limited Edition Indoor Cycle, the AFG 4.0AR Recumbent, the  Livestrong E-Series and Livestrong S-Series Indoor Cycles, and the Livestrong LS7.0B Recumbent.

So, as you can see I have been very busy applying the knowledge that I picked up on my trip to Johnson to this website and I am not done yet! Johnson is revising the LivestrongFitness.com website and adding quite a few NEW indoor cycles and exercise bikes to this site. Some of these models have not been released yet so I can not release the details on them until the new LivestrongFitness.com site is up and the new models are for sale online. Johnson will also be opening a new AFG website this fall.

I am looking forward the revised Livestrong Fitness website, the new Livestrong Indoor Cycles and Exercise Bikes and the new AFG site!

Although this is prime time bike riding season, I have so much to do with fitness equipment updates (Exercise Bikes, Indoor Cycles, etc.) that it is a little hard to keep up with the regular cycling side of the website (but I am working on it).

Well, if you are looking into training or fitness equipment now or maybe will be later in the fall, be sure to checkout the updates here and on the new Johnson Fitness websites.

Fox River Bike Trail Conditions – 2011

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Fox River Trail Closed sign before the tunnel

Well we finally got out to the Fox River Trail this past weekend so I can post an update of the trail conditions from Dundee to Aurora.

There were 2 sections of the trail that were closed. The first section was at the Tunnel/Bridge where the Fox River Trail connects to the Illinois Prairie Path (just  South of Elgin).

This section has been closed for years now! A large part of the trail has been washed out right at the tunnel and there is a steep drop off from the pavement. I don’t know why they can’t manage to get this repaired!

If you do go around the “trail closed” signs (and I can not recommend that here, of course) you REALLY NEED TO BE CAREFUL AT THE TUNNEL.

Fox River Trail at the Washout

 The other section of the trail that was closed off made absolutely no sense to me at all! This is the section just north of the bridge in South Elgin. We went around the signs and proceeded cautiously. Other than the path being in terrible shape and having a lot of large bumps in the pavement it was just fine.

I think that having these sections closed off causes more problems due to people getting accustom to going around the “trail closed” signs which could have more serious consequences when there is a legitimate need to close the trial

Other than those two sections, the trail was clear with no major problems from Dundee to Aurora (a 55 mile round trip for us).

One really nice improvement (for me since I had not been on the trail this year) is that they finally finished the Stearns Road Bridge project!

They have also built a Bike Repair Station at the part right before the bridge in south Elgin.  This is actually pretty cool but I think that they missed out on one important feature. It is not very obvious that it is there and there is NO SIGN that says that there is a bike repair station there. This can easily be overlooked!

Anyway, at the repair station they have an air pump and tools that are attached to cables. The pump was already a little beat up but it still worked and the tools were all still functional. So if you have a bike problem and can make it to the bridge in South Elgin, you will have some tools available there.

I’ve added a few photos of the new bridge and the bike repair station on the related Fox River Bike Trail Photo Page.

And one final note, which has more to do with our ride than with the Fox River Trail conditions, is that we took a little time to get some photos of the Fabyan Windmill in Geneva, which I had not previously had posted on this site.

Since this is such an obvious landmark along the Fox River Trail, I selected and posted a page with a few of the Fabyan Windmill Photos here.

The Excitment of le Tour de France!

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I am not a racer so I have typically not been overly interested in le Tour de France. Well, this year I started watching the race early on and have now realized what I have been missing!

I had to write a post here to all the other cyclists and bike riders out there, that may be missing out on this, to check out the TDF whenever you get the opportunity. I am fully involved in le Tour de France this year and, being a biker (bike rider or cyclist if you prefer), I find the race and the entire event captivating and really exciting.

BTW: The Tour de France is being broadcast this year throughout the day on Versus and the end will also be broadcast on NBC.

It doesn’t matter what kind of cycling you are into (road biking, mountain biking, touring, trail riding, BMX, etc.), if you are really into riding, the TDF will have something to interest you.

Whether it is the overall speed that these guys are riding at, the twists and turns of the mountain passes, the individual and team strategies, the scenery, the wild and crazy fans, the crashes, or the total excitement of the finish of each stage, there is bound to be something to keep your interest once you get into it.

These riders are often averaging around 25-30mph on flat ground or going up the mountains and sometimes up to 60mph or more going down the mountains(!!! ) (I am American so I am more familiar with mph although, since this is a European event, they often give the speed in kph) but it’s not all just about the speed anyway (although I think that I have been inspired by the TDF lately and my own rides have been much faster than usual 🙂 ) there is also the bike handling and strategy (conserving energy until you really need it, etc.).

If you are new to biking then the speeds that these guys ride at will make much more sense when you monitor your own ride stats with your Cycle Computer. If you don’t already have one, this is an essential piece of equipment (and a lot of  fun too).

I must admit that I did not even know all of the basics about the TDF until this year. Well, Wikipedia has done pretty well at explaining the various jerseys that are won and worn, the various competitions, the history behind the TDF  and quite a bit more if you want to take the time to read all of it.

Briefly (since Wikipedia has so much information that you need to filter through it), the Yellow Jersey is worn by the general classification leader and is awarded at the end of each day to the rider with the lowest overall time, the Green Jersey is awarded to the rider with the most points which are earned by winning various events within each stage and Polka Dot Jersey(red and white)  is awarded to the king of the mountain (the best climber). There are other jerseys too and quite a bit more on the jerseys but I’ll have to refer you to the Wikipedia article for all of the details.

After contenplating the difficulty of the le Tour de France, it just blows me away that Lance Armstrong was able to win this race 7 times! The significance of the 7 stars on the seat of the Livestrong LS28iC Limited Edition Indoor Cycle  just can’t be overstated or overlooked.

Well, we have another exciting stage of le Tour in the Alps again today so for those of you that might have been missing this, there is plenty more excitement to catch today and the rest of the week.

Very exciting and very inspirational!

New Proform Tour de France Training Bike / Indoor Cycle

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Proform has just come out with a very new Indoor Cycle that is unlike any indoor cycle currently on the market. The Proform Tour de France (TDF) Indoor Cycle uses the existing  iFit Livetechnology (powered by Google Maps) and a new Intelligent Wind Resistance technology to simulate realistic road (and/or Tour de France stage) riding conditions. 

Proform Tour de France

Proform has used the iFit Live technology on their Elliptical Trainers and Treadmills for some time now but, to my knowledge, this is the first exercise bike (indoor cycle, spin bike) to use this technology.  What you do is select a course (anything that Google Maps has indexed) and the bike takes you down your course and adjusts the incline/decline to match the actual terrain of the course. Wind resistance is also calculated (and the bike wheel resistance adjusted) based on your height and weight.

Naturally, the Tour de France and other popular routes and courses are already programmed into iFit, but you may also be able to set your own neighborhood route if it has already been indexed by Google Maps.

There are, of course, many big advantages to the new Proform TDF Indoor Cycle. The most obvious advantage is the realistic riding environment and the variety in your workout. Other advantages are that the iFit Live technology has already been available for some time now and has proven to be reliable and just to have an indoor cycle that is more fun than most indoor cycles out there with the advantage of  relieving the potential boredom of  indoor workouts.

The disadvantages of this bike are that it is still very new and there is not a lot of customer feedback or customer reviews online and of course the price is still a little high at this point.

At this point I think that the advantages out weight the disadvantages and this looks to be a pretty exciting new kind of Exercise Bike technology.

For Our Full Review and more details on this indoor cycle see our ProForm Tour de France Indoor Cycle Review. 

Also one final note: You don’t really need to wear your helmet on this bike as pictured above (this is much safer than this year’s real Tour de France)! 🙂

Best Summer Bike Sale at Performance.

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Sorry I am a little late on this but I just found out about the 15% off sale at Performance Bike and I know from past experience that this is a great sale especially since it includes an additional 15% off of the sale price already listed for bikes.

So if you are looking for the bikes that qualify for this sale at Performance see our Bikes For Sale Online page. If you are looking for accessories that are on sale see our Bike Accessories page.

I have included big red banners for the bikes that qualify for this sale on all of the related Bike Sale and Bike Review pages (this primarily includes GT, Fuji and Schwinn but there are other manufacturers on sale).

I did not include the big red banners for the bike accessories since this applied to any bike accessory that is for sale at Performance once your order is over $75, See our Bike Accessories page for information and easy access to the most popular bike accessories.

Horizon RC30 Recumbent Exercise Bike In Stock and Available Online

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I just visited the Johnson Fitness facility just outside of Madison Wisconsin on Tuesday and was fortunate enough to review many of their Livestrong, Horizon and AFG exercise bikes in addition to having a product specialist in this area demonstrate and review these bikes with me and to point out the various features of each of the exercise bikes.

Horizon RC30 Recumbent Exercise Bike

Horizon RC30 in stock

I spent quite a bit of time there and have learned a great deal about their current models and the new models that are about to be introduced.  I don’t want to get into all of the details here because my goal for this blog post is to report that the Horizon RC30 Exercise Bike is once again available online (This popular model has been out of stock (online) for months now).

I will be getting into more detail on the trip that I described above in new blog posts very soon because I have so much information to pass on but for now, if you were looking into this model but were disappointed to find that it was out of stock, that issue has just been resolved!

Let me just say that this particular exercise is very high quality (as are most of the Johnson Fitness products) and this manufacturer is very committed to customer satisfaction.

For more information on this Recumbent Exercise Bike see the Horizon RC-30 Recumbent Exercise Bike Review.