Month: November 2018

  • Osaka – Kyoto

    Osaka – Kyoto

    Part II of our Kyoto – Nara – Osaka saga was a leisurely day of riding from Osaka back to Kyoto. We’d agreed to meet in the lobby of the love hotel at 8, which gave me ample time after waking to soak in the tub and repack my kit. In fact, Fearless Leader Joe…

  • Kyoto – Nara – Osaka

    Kyoto – Nara – Osaka

    Fearless Leader Joe is always on the lookout for new adventures, and so he suggested we use our three-day weekend in November for a triangle ride starting in Kyoto and hitting Nara and Osaka before returning to Kyoto. He and Sanborn have frequently ridden two of the legs of the triangle: Kyoto-Nara and Kyoto-Osaka. But…

  • Links for Cycling in Japan

    Following are some links for future reference. Hokkaido Cycle Touring Japan Cycling Navigator Cycle Tokyo! Kamakura route

  • Suboptimal conditions

    Suboptimal conditions

    When I looked at the clock this morning, it was much later than I expected. I got up and checked for messages and there was the Halfakid, reminding me that I was supposed to meet him within 10 minutes. I told him I’d need another hour or more, and started getting ready for the ride.…

  • Bike Beautification Project

    Bike Beautification Project

    Kuroko has needed a bath since our return from Okutama in the rain, and this morning I finally had everything ready and enough free time to get the job done. A good work stand is not necessary to wash a bike, even in a high-rise condo, but it helps. It holds the bike in place,…

  • One out of three ain’t bad

    The next big adventure will be Kyoto-Nara-Osaka-Kyoto, a two-day trip at the end of this month together with L2P veterans Fearless Leader Joe and Sanborn. My plan is to ship the bike out and follow on by shinkansen. The lads had discussed (and more recently apparently affirmed) staying in tents for the night, but in…

  • Takaosanguchi

    Takaosanguchi

    The Halfakid and I set out early Sunday for a new destination: Otarumi Pass in western Tokyo. I’d mapped it out at 113km round trip, based on some other rides I’d found on line. I was glad I’d found the routes, because there’s a second bike path covering the whole distance from where we leave…

  • How to Service Shimano Ball Bearing Hubs

    Here you go, Halfakid. You just need a few specialized tools, some degreaser and new grease, and some manual dexterity. Oh, dear: he said something in there about doing this a couple of times a year. It might be too late for dear Ol’ Paint …

  • Okutama Revenge!

    Okutama Revenge!

    This ride has always seemed a no-brainer, and I first started planning it four years ago. The Tama river has a nice cycling course for the last 53km to the mouth at Tokyo Bay (near Haneda airport). But why not trace it further, up to the source? Okutama, an artificial lake created by damming the…