Today I took the GRR across the Dumbarton bridge to Fremont, for a loop up the Alameda Creek trail and back to the bridge on Thornton avenue through Newark.
Raft of pelicans feeding on alameda creek
The total distance was 38.2 miles. This was the longest ride I've taken since... flip flip flip through log-book... summer 2007! Then I went 38 miles; between then and now, only a few rides over 20 miles.
The weather today was classic Bay Area summer: a chilly, boisterous sea wind out of the northwest poured fog over the coast range, looking like whipped cream slopping out of a bowl. This was a quartering tail-wind going out, and a quartering head-wind coming back. I used assist level 3 for a couple of miles where the road is at water level and completely exposed to the wind, and for climbing the Dumbarton bridge. Other than that I used level 1 going out and level 2 coming home.
The BionX battery started with a full charge (Joe had charged it up while it was at Velolectric for repair) and ended indicating half-charged. The charge indicator has eight segments. So far, one segment seems to equate to about 9 miles. That's for not-very-hilly rides, mostly flattish with occasional climbs.
If that relationship holds down through the bottom segments of the display—it might not be linear, auto fuel gauges often are not—but if it holds, a full charge should be good for a 70-mile ride. Comfortably over a metric century as I guessed early on.
Regardless, the motor assist is doing exactly what I hoped it would do: make me feel like a strong, confident rider, capable of longer rides again.
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