A quick road trip

The offspring at Gravert's orchard 

Along Mill Creek rd between Bellevue and La Motte

The locks along Mississippi river at Bellevue, Iowa

Gravert's 

road travelers! 

Bellevue Iowa before the sub 5pm sunset

Mt Carroll , IL 

 Was able to get up early with the offspring and hit the road just after 8am. The target was Graverts Orchard to catch the last batch of apples of the season. I have grown accustomed to only eat apples from Gravert's. Store bought stuff is just so bland that I kinda veer away from it. We picked up 1/2 a bushel, some bosc pears and a dozen fresh eggs and a caramel apple for the offspring. Gravert's is a family owned orchard in Sabula Iowa and we have been going there for years. We make 4-5 trips there a year from Chicago. 

We later cruised along the river towns taking photos and getting something to eat. On the way there we also stopped in Mt Carroll,IL to check out the downtown and the spooky Raven house inn. A long day of driving but it was worth the sights, the apples and produce and spending time with the offspring listening to her music. Temps were in the mid 50's and the sun was out quite a bit. 

thanks for reading, 

ari 

Cold outside

 We are left with a few days of 40's before the thermometer takes a little dive. I've been busy at the shop with different projects. Yesterday I cut and threaded 56 spokes to lace up these nices hoops and hubs. The rims are the new Velocity Aeros. They are an updated version and homage to their OG rim. This rim is disc only, 25 internal, TR and it is made of a more durable alloy. I'm excited to build these up today. I think they will be amazing. The color listed on the box for the hubs is "matte Jade", in case you were wondering. 

Thanks for reading, 

Ari 

A metric in November

 Pulled the Surly Straggler out of the trunk after dropping the daugther off at University. I drive her there then ride home and she gets to practice driving back when Chicago traffic is just a bit less crazy. 

As soon as the wheels on the Straggler hit the parking lot I saw the rear was completely flat. Stans Grail rim running a Vittoria tire 700x38 tubeless. I pulled out my pocket compressor and aired up taking off with the intention of NOT having to put a tube in there. 

I made it home 18 miles later and took a careful look at the tire. I discovered a small shard of glass imbedded in the tire. Took the core out and noticed the inside was dry. And I'm a pro mechanic! Shot in 2oz of sealant, put the cut towards the bottom and presto! Aired it up and off I went in pursuit of that 100K on that beast of a bike. 

I headed south and took up the Centennial trail then the IM canal trail , which is gravel, and ended up in Lockport, IL. A customer had recommended "Godfathers" for lunch and that's what I aimed for. After a delicious, affordable lunch I headed home into a damp, headwind. All and all it was a great solo ride and good training for The Virtual Turkey Burn and also the Rapha 500 coming up in December. 

thanks for reading 

Ari 

Sneaky November

This front was already brewing on Sunday out in Iowa

Been trying to get as many miles as possible in the bank before it gets to ugly. Weatherwise Chicago has been decent. However, we just got one of those new Artic Blasts and it dumped a little snow to just freak everyone out. But in reality it was the snow mixed with the falling leaves that made a concoction that was slippery as snot. 

Today I did my normal routine of dropping my daughter off at college and then riding the 16 miles home. It was an adventure for sure, having to scoot over some slick spots a few times.

I rode my trusty Gunnar Ruffian SS 29er with a Thunderburt in front and a racing Ralph in back. 

An excellent choice for today. I was fortunate to get to work on a nice tailwind. We'll see what happens trying to get home this evening.  

November!

 With the new job and the daughter attending a local college my time has completely vanished. Sorry for the absence and lack of writing on this blog. The new job at 2bici bike shop has been going really well. A great summer and we are still staying busy with mtb repairs and rentals of mountain bikes for riding in the woods. 

2 weeks ago I was able to sneak across the big river and spend some hours in Iowa. It always feels right there. Seeing those gravel roads and hills makes me wanna go ride there. We spent some time picking some delicious apples at Gravert's Orchard in Sabula then had lunch at Kalme's restaurant in St. Donatus. We then cruised back to Chicagoland to the never ending rat race. 

Planning on going there tomorrow. Stay tuned. 

Picking apples at Gravet's 

Giulietta and Jamie

Bellevue, Iowa

Bellevue Iowa

August, 2025

 July and August are fast slipping away. I started a new job at 2Bici bike shop in Willow Springs, IL. It's been good there. I'm still getting used to being there and learning where everything is. Also getting used to new customers and such. My commuting to work and back has been almost all I need ride wise. I get out with the fast road group just to socialize and not ride alone all the time. Most of my riding has been on paved and crushed limestone allowing me to think and reflect on things. Don't really have to worry about cars that much and that's a good thing. I hope to continue riding into the next season of fall/autumn. It should be good to see the foliage change and the temps cool off. My commute is a minimum of 12.5 miles and is easily dialed to 15miles one way. I have been rifling thru the many bikes I own and getting to ride all of them on different days. Still love my road bikes the best on the paved trails. Soon enough school will start and things will change. My wife will start teaching and my daughter will start college closer to the city. We have been practicing the route she will take to school since public transportation is feasible but will take a long time to get there. The practice drives have been a good idea specially when we stop at Johnnie's for Beef sandwiches and Italian ice. The best ever. I will be taking some days off maybe, maybe in October. It's been a busy season at the shop and it will be a welcome treat to get out and visit some friends and see something different. Working on some bikes and some small projects and Ideas. I finished building up a 1995 Cannondale m500 ATB and I will make a post about it soon. It came out better than expected. Needs a couple of components still but is fully rideable. On a different note my tomatoes did not do well this year. Too Cold, too hot, way too hot. I'm just dissapointed and I guess will have to go to the farmstand and buy some. Next year I will get some advice and put some more effort into them. Also got my clutch fixed on our antique 2006 CRV. The last year the CRV came in a 5 speed manual. We love that car and is perfect for our gravel adventures in Iowa. Thanks for reading and pardon the long paragraph. We did get out to the Ogle county fair despite heavy rain and getting stuck in the mud with a front wheel drive Chevy. 

Ari 

Almost 300

 Been trying to push myself to get ready for a long ride. This past week I was able to clock in about 293 miles for the week. Saturday I did 100 miles and Sunday a metric century. Legs are sore but some stretching and good nutrition should be enough to get rid of that fatigue. I'm aiming to get this much thought about ride sometime late July or early August. Been playing around with tire selection and will most likely stick to riding 32 mm slicks. There might be some gravel sections and such a tire should be plenty. Heck ,I used to ride 23mm Vittoria tires on gravel back in the day. Gonna keep rolling and see if I get a chance to get another ride in that's a bit longer than 100miles, maybe a 125. Hope everyone is doing well out there. Be safe and stay hydrated. It's been a warm June here in Chicagoland. We'll see what July brings. 

thanks for reading, 

Ari