no-pace ride.

Some rides you do for training, to stay (or get) in shape. Some you do for speed. Some rides you do for the challenge of a demanding uphill, or the thrill of a speedy descent. Some rides are traditional: we ALWAYS do the Stupid Sixty in support of some cause or other, perhaps.

But some rides I do to satisfy a social need. Some rides are just so I can get out with some people whom I don't see frequently enough, and spin some pedals and chat.

Today's ride was of these last. Laura OLPH had this on her blog about this ride:

Dust off your
a) heaviest; or
b) oldest; or
c) most beautiful; or
d) most worked-on; or
e) most unlikely; or
f) any combination of the above
bike and meet at 9:00 a.m. at the Hopewell Administration Building in Pennington (Main St., across from Ingleside) for a slow ride to Lambertville. We'll stop at Wheelfine Imports along the way to show off our oddities, then head to Rojo's and O Wow Cow to fill up on caffeine and sugar.

Friend Sean, who came to my birthday party but whom I've not seen since, hinted he might come along. Now, I like Laura, and ride with her frequently... but when I heard that Sean might come, I resolved to make this ride.

 So early this morning, I dumped the Krakow Monster, my fake-cyclocross do-pretty-much-everything bike in the car, and headed over to Laura's to ride to the start. Sean wasn't at Laura's, but they live close, so we went by his house and waited... and then he appeared and rode to Pennington to the start...

... where the only person waiting was John K. So the four of us made up this ride.

I was on the Krakow Monster, my steel bike that I built up earlier this year. Laura rode Gonzo, which she had had re-painted and rebuilt. John was on a venerable Serotta. But Sean had a nifty mottled-purple steel frame bike he'd built up with his Campagnolo components from 1971. You'll see pictures below; it's great.

We did this route. We maintained a regular pace, but made sure not to leave anybody; we chatted a lot (like, A LOT), and (this being one of Laura's rides), we stopped for pictures.

At Pennngton:

It was a beautiful fall day.

On the way, we stopped at Wheelfine Imports, where Michael Johnson had helped Laura get her bike powder-coated and built up. It's a maze of nifty bike stuff'. While there, I got some pictures of the bikes: here's Sean's "Purple Haze", with the purple skewers and the Campagnolo parts.

Gum-rubber hoods. Oh, my stars.

And Laura's Gonzo.

In that picture above the flecks in the powdercoat just pop out. Below, Michael at Wheelfine. We wasted so much of his time that, even though he fixed a flat for John, I bought a spoke wrench just to assuage my guilt at his idleness. (Hey, it's a Lezyne; it's a beautiful tool.)

Then to Rojo's.  On the way, I got a pic of my favorite truck on Alexsauken Creek Road.

At Rojo's, more bike pics. Laura's:

John's Serotta:

More of Sean's:

"Purple Haze". Of course.

Lambertville dresses up for Halloween; we saw these:

And, across the street:

And then, we saw a street closed and some kind of celebration.

It was a fundraiser for an animal rescue organization. They were friendly and it looked like fun.

We FINALLY got on the road again and came home. At the end, I got this last shot of Sean's head badge.

We've been accused of "fetishizing" these bikes. Yeah, I probably do.

It's cheaper than heroin.