A New Bike, A Revised Way of Traveling

Blog Preface, September 10, 2024

The 2024 bicycling season has been ideal for bicycling in New York State’s Finger Lakes and Western New York  regions. From late April until July I used my 20 year old Bike Friday New World Tourist (NWT, pronounced, newt, as in the salamander) to accustom my legs to biking after a winter and early spring of not pedaling. I rarely use a stationary bike at the gym. Years ago I gave my bike trainer to woman who needed it due to illness. I find indoor bicycling very boring. Yes, I’ve tried to watch bike touring videos, use competition apps, all to no avail. None of these stationary bicycle enhancements come close to matching bicycling particularly bicycle touring outdoors.

My winter aerobic workout usually involves outdoor walking, indoor swimming, and a rowing machine.

In November 2023, after a bicycling season of struggling to pedal along at 10-12 mph/16-19 kph and faster on a straightaway or downhill I decided to purchase an electric assist bicycle. The pedal stroke confirming this decision was bicycling a 20 mi./32 km. loop around Monroe County, New York Mendon Ponds Park during the Rochester [New York] Bicycling Club’s Andrew Spiller Memorial Challenge Ride at the Club’s annual picnic. The idea of this Ride is to challenge members to bicycle a “century” 100 mi./160 km. in 24 hours. I bicycle the short loop several times. Some years I accomplish a century. That year I barely completed the 20 mile loop.

Mendon Ponds Park is a series of roller coaster roads and trails (no bikes on the trails) thanks to friendly glaciers. Glacial geologic formations eskers, kettles, and kamas comprised of rock and sand debris make the Park a delight for walkers, bicyclists, Nordic skiers, and wildlife. Drumlins are the most noticeable glacial formation on the State & county roads surrounding the Park.

“Don’t ship the electric assist New World Tourist,” my order stated, “road salt turns the asphalt white along the USA’s north shore. In spring when road salt is ground to a fine powder it easily invades bearings, adheres to chains and gears. Painted tubing is no match for road salt.” The sales agent laughed since Eugene Oregon must not use road salt when it receives its total yearly 4 in./10 cm. smattering of snow.

After several winter months reminding me I needed my new bicycle, I relented and Bike Friday shipped the bike in late March. The UPS driver simply lifted the double boxed bike from the truck up to the porch. “The lightest electric bike I ever delivered, Is the battery inside this box?” he remarked.

“Yes, it is. The bike is a folding touring bike. I think it weighs 29 lbs./13 kg.”

I waited two weeks before opening the box. In 2024, unlike most years, all day rain dominated most days during April and May. I used the non-electric assist New World Tourist (NWT), to slog through the rainy & dry streets and trails to the grocery store, library, gym, and occasionally bike up to Lake Ontario (11 mi./17 km. one way) before going on several short tours.

I’ll begin by relating my September 4-6, 2024 tour along the Erie Canal.