Gravel Bike – Author Ronin – Закрытие летнего велосезона и открытие осеннего велосезона +5°С

Gravel Bike – Author Ronin – Закрытие летнего велосезона и открытие осеннего велосезона +5°С

Today is such a day that it coincided with my day off (from work). And the weather is good. Dry weather. It had rained the previous days, so it was very cold due to the high humidity and the roads were very wet and muddy.

Today the roads are a little dry. Today I will close the summer cycling season, because the summer heat is no longer there. And I will open the autumn cycling season, because the leaves on the trees are already turning yellow. I’m starting the worst part of today. This is a climb up the mountain.

I want to say right away, before I’m tired yet, that I hate this uphill. The angle of climb up the mountain is very large. Approximately 40-45 degrees. I cycled a little less than 9 km from the city. Climbed a hill 200 meters high. And I’m already in nature. There are no roads here.

There are few people here. Nature is real here. Beautiful view. And when the middle or end of September comes, there will be a very beautiful golden autumn here. It’s very close to this place. If you drive at normal speed, you can bike to this location in 15 minutes (from the city center).

15 minutes by bike and you are in nature. This is impossible in big cities. As I climb up the hillside, to my left is this beauty. The lake, which used to be a channel of the Lena River.

Previously, water flowed into the lake from the Lena River from above (along the river flow) and then this river water flowed out of the lake back into the Lena River from below (along the river flow). This is our observation deck. The highest place in the city. I’ll take some photos here now.

I will rest in this place for 30 minutes. And then I’ll ride my bike in search of a beautiful tree to take autumn photos. In the meantime, I will be celebrating the end of the summer cycling season and the opening of the fall cycling season.

To avoid spoiling the appearance of the gravel bike in photos, I remove all the lights from the bike. I’ll leave only the bicycle duckling (Duck Bell). I’m going to remove the sand dust from my bike. You can’t take pictures of a dirty bike when you need to take beautiful photos of your bike

In order to show beautiful photos of your bike to other people (who don’t have a bike), so that people look at the beautiful photos of the bike (against the backdrop of beautiful nature) and want to buy the same bike for themselves, to start ride a bike to beautiful places in your city.

My friend Alexey… The rag absorbed a lot of water. Now I’ll wring out the rag to remove excess water from it. Alexey from Nizhny Novgorod, on my recommendation, bought himself his first gravel bike. Not a mountain bike, which is unnecessary. Namely, a gravel bike.

Alexey bought a gravel bike from the Russian brand Format. This is a good bike for the price. Some people don’t know whether to buy a gravel bike or not. The dollar exchange rate can at any time increase to 130 rubles per 1 dollar or even up to 150 rubles per 1 dollar.

And then it will be too late to think about whether you should have bought a gravel bike or whether you should not have bought a gravel bike. Because you should have bought a gravel bike and not thought (because prices increase every year). I made the same mistake when purchasing my first gravel bike.

While I was thinking about whether I should buy an Author Ronin gravel bike or not (when I was thinking about buying my first gravel bike a few years ago), Author Ronin cost only 60000 rubles. 60000 rubles! In the past, almost anyone could buy an Author Ronin gravel bike because the price was low.

I didn’t tighten the bolt on the frame (when I removed the bike rear rack). And now the price of the Author Ronin gravel bike is very high. Price in 2023 from 130000 to 155000 rubles). The price of my gravel bike has increased by 2.5 times because the ruble has fallen so much.

And the ruble exchange rate continues to fall. By the way, this small chip is on the frame. In my opinion, this is a terrible and large chip (of the paint). The paint has peeled off to the metal of the frame. This paint chip is the result of washing the bike on the rocks.

I used the pedal as a stop on a rock to keep the bike level.

Bicycle pedals are a consumable item. Therefore, there is no point in being very careful about the appearance of the pedals, because over time the pedals will definitely become not as beautiful as they were in the box on the day of purchase.

I often use the bicycle pedals as a support to keep the bike upright. But that day, when I was washing the bicycle, the pedal moved and the bicycle frame fell onto a large sharp rocky stone. And I had this question.

If I had a gravel bike with a carbon frame and it fell just as hard on a big sharp rock, would I be able to ride a carbon gravel bike? Or is that all? Would you buy a new gravel bike with a carbon frame?

There are no bicycle workshops in our city. No one in our city will repair a carbon frame.

If you send a broken carbon frame for repair to another city (the nearest workshop where carbon frames are repaired is located 5562 km from my city by road, or 3760 km if you fly by plane), then it may turn out that it will be cheaper to buy a new carbon gravel bike than sending a broken carbon frame for repairs to another city.

Considering that the minimum price for repairing a carbon frame is from 15000 rubles to infinity (and the cost of delivering a bicycle frame from my city to a workshop located in another city is about 5000-10000 rubles).

It’s probably cheaper to buy a new carbon gravel bike than to ship a broken carbon frame to another city for repairs. Ever since that time (since 2008), when we all rode only mountain bikes, there was a rule (tradition) in our city.

If a cyclist comes on a bicycle to some kind of mass cycling event (festival, trip, competition), The cyclist is obliged to come to the cycling event on a clean bicycle. To take beautiful bike photos. And just to enjoy your clean, beautiful, stylish bike. And to enjoy the appearance of your friends’ clean and stylish bikes.

Many of my friends take the choice of bike they want to buy very seriously. Friends don’t buy Walmart Bikes (Auchan Bikes).

We all once started our journey in the world of bicycles with the cheapest bicycle brands: Author, Atom, Cube, Dartmoor, DC, Felt, Focus, Giant, Chost, GT, Haro, Iron Horse, Kellys, Kona, LaPierre, Marin, Merida, Mongoose, Norco, NS Bike, Rossingnol, Orbea, Santa Cruz, Schwinn, Scott, Specialized, Stark, Trek.

Then we rode our first bicycles. We got to know each other at cycling events and rode together (in groups of cyclists of 50-100 people). In the process of communication, we learned that there are bicycles that are better than the ones we have. We saved money.

We bought new bicycles that were better than the old ones. When friends from our cycling club bought new components for their bikes that were better than stock. When friends bought new bikes that were even better than the first bike (with more expensive components). We were all very happy for each other.

Whenever one of our friends bought a new bike, we all rode that new bike. So we learned that there are much better bicycles that go faster, accelerate easier, that there are better suspension forks and rear shock absorbers.

I had the opportunity to ride new bikes that friends bought. This way I learned a lot about new bikes and new bike components. So I always wanted to improve my bike or sell my bike to save up more money to buy a new bike that would be better in every way than the old bike.

This is transmission cable protection. Protects the cable very well from external influences. It’s a pity that there wasn’t such cable protection before. Because on all old bicycles in this place the transmission cable was damaged from external influences. There should be protection from dust, dirt and water.

But I have not yet managed to make protection for this place. At this place (hole) I glue the protection. I cut out a circle from thick black electrical tape. I glue this circle to the hole to prevent dirt, sand and water from getting inside.

But I use this hole to insert a stick into it – a bicycle stand. When I photograph a bicycle. It’s comfortable. That’s why I still haven’t glued the protection to this place. Winter will come soon. I will remove these Panaracer Gravelking SK+ tires from the bike and put them in a box.

And I will replace these tires with the same Panaracer Gravelking tires, which have the Pink Flamingo color (for the winter cycling season). For the 2024 summer cycling season, my friend and I are looking for new tires with a new color. Because we bought new bicycles.

And we want to make bikes stylish. So that the tires and handlebar tape are the same color. This will be the color that appeared on the Panaracer Gravelking. If Panaracer Gravelking tires are sold in Russia. Now sanctions and almost all bicycle products and almost all bicycles are prohibited from being delivered to Russia.

And we want to buy handlebar tape in exactly the same color as the color of the tires. And there will be two stylish gravel bikes. But these will be Weekend bikes. Our new gravel bikes won’t even have mounts for water bottles. We will not attach anything to the new bikes.

These will be two stylish bikes for riding short distances at high speed. There will only be a bag on the body belt and nothing else, so as not to increase the weight of the bicycles. The new bikes will not have racks or fenders.

And this bike will be the main one. I will install 2 racks on it. Rear trunk and front trunk. And I will install all the side-mounted bike bags on the racks. Author Ronin will be a workhorse (cargo bike)

During photo shoots, all the lights that are installed at the ends of the handlebars broke. The handlebars of a gravel bike are not stable and are easily turned by the wind. Therefore, the bike often fell during photo sessions when there was strong wind.

Therefore, I decided to place 2 sticks under the wheels so that the bike would be more stable in one place while I was taking photos.

It’s a shame that all the lights were broken. Because such flashlights are sold only in the ChainReactionCycles.com store. Due to American and European sanctions, this store does not ship its products to Russia. Beautiful!

I’m having a glass of rosé to celebrate the end of the summer cycling season and the opening of the fall cycling season. A chipmunk came to me. This is good! A gravel bike is like a mountain bike. But a gravel bike is better! Beautiful autumn forest.

Now it’s going to be a very nice bike ride down the hill. The descent is long. If you haven’t ridden here, be sure to ride a bike here. You should cycle this route at least once a year.

It’s a pity that my best friend, who has a Merida Silex, is not around now. Together we could have a lot of fun on this road at high speed. But my best friend is at work now. Maybe the truck driver will give way to me? Yes! He made way for me. Thank you!

Great descent! There is loose sand here. We must drive carefully! On this descent, while riding my mountain bike, I went off the road. And I met tree bushes :). I misjudged the road surface. There was a lot of sand and rubble.

All. I walked down the hillside. Now I’m going to the botanical garden.

I don’t know if the guard who guards the main entrance to the botanical garden will open the gate for me. I’ll ask the guard to open the gate so that I can ride a bicycle from the botanical garden directly onto the asphalt road.

A paved road will be much easier to ride on a gravel bike than this sandy road. It was summer recently. But summer is over. Enjoying the short autumn period. Nice road! I’m going. No dirt flies into your face, because there are full-size wings. It’s great! And only a gravel bike can do this.

Today I will bike about 15 kilometers. But the important thing is that this is a bike ride in nature. A gravel bike is a break from the noise of the city and from work. I will end my bike ride in the park. It started to rain.

There is a lonely cloud above me. This cloud decided that I didn’t have enough rain. Autumn is one of the best periods for cycling. Because there are no mosquitoes and midges. Very beautiful nature in autumn. Because plants turn yellow, orange and red in the fall. These colors are very beautiful.

But this period is very short. Autumn is neither summer nor winter. Beautiful autumn in our city often lasts only a few days. Very beautiful! I’ll stop to take photos. Because it’s very beautiful here. If only I weren’t here alone. One doesn’t want to waste time.

I have a camping steel stove in my backpack. I also have delicious meat in my backpack. If I had a friend with me, I could heat the meat on the fire and eat. But I don’t want to eat alone. So I’ll move on.

I spent a lot of time taking photographs in this place with a Canon 80D camera. But it’s very beautiful! I had to take photos of this place.

Beautiful yellow tree leaves. So that I wouldn’t be bored alone, a woodpecker flew to me. I was taking photos, and a woodpecker was sitting on a tree not far from me. Let’s move on. Excellent day! There are still a few beautiful photos left to take. Beauty!

This is the territory of the botanical garden. To the right and left are beds and fields in which some plants grow. And here are two lakes. These lakes are very small and freeze quickly when it gets cold. While there is not much snow on the lakes, people come here to go ice skating.

The ice on the lake is transparent and smooth. This is the best skating rink. Often boys and girls come here to skate on the lake in the light of the moon. That’s very beautiful. We sometimes rode bicycles on this lake. It’s ice! Skate on the ice. Bicycle drift!

I drive in silence. Enjoying nature. This is beauty. The gate and door at the main entrance to the botanical garden are closed. And they don’t allow cyclists through. I’m lucky. The security guard opened the gate for me and I was able to ride my bike.

But in the future it is better to ride through dachas (a dacha is a private house). The German Shepherd came running. I don’t like dogs because they attack people, bite people (and even kill people). And this huge German shepherd came running to me. Dog! Get out of here! I don’t like dogs!

It’s already twilight. That’s why I install lights on my bike. I found strobes and am installing them on my bike. I’ll drive along the road with the strobe lights on. A dog attacked me. I had to defend myself with a large backpack so that the dog wouldn’t bite me.

I installed both strobe lights so that 2 flashlights would shine with a flashing light. And installed 2 rear red lights: one flashing light, the second constant light. Parking (large traffic jam). Caught up with Toyota Crown. Why are you stopping me from riding my bike?

The driver of the Toyota Land Cruiser deliberately prevents me from passing. The driver was obstructing the passage, trying to run over me. The driver is trying to run me over again. OK! I will upload this video to YouTube. n304at. The driver deliberately violated the rules because he wanted to run me over.

What happened here? One car crashed into another. The Subaru was smashed. Food from the Government House canteen. Bliss! When it tastes good, it tastes good! This is the best thermos I’ve ever owned. A little below five degrees Celsius. Let’s assume that +5°C.

– – – WEATHER – – –
2023 September +5°С

– – – VIDEO – – –
CAMERA 1: Sony FDR-X3000 [2021]
CAMERA 2: Canon PowerShot A650IS [2005]
CHEST MOUNT HARNESS: Sony AKA-CMH1 [2021]

– – – PHOTO – – –
CAMERA: Canon 80D [2017]
TRIPOD: Manfrotto Element Traveller Tripod Small with Ball Head Black [2021]

– – – CLOTHING – – –
HELMET: MET Veleno Black M (56-58 cm) [2023]
GLOVES: GSG Lycra Gloves Black M [2021]
JERSEY: Kemaloce Skull Long Sleeve Cycling Jersey Black M [2021]
JACKET: SAGA OG Jacket FW15 (М) Black Eye [2016]
PANTS: Adidas Terrex Agravic Hybrid Black/White/Raibow M [2022]
SNEAKERS: DC Shoes Zebra 10.5D [2018]

– – ACCESSORIES – – –
CYCLE COMPETER: Cat Eye Velo 9 Black CC-VL 820 – 29.3g [2022]
HEADLIGHT: Led Lenser P7R AL Black – 203g x2=406g 1000lm x2=2000lm [2021]
LIGHT FRONT (White): Moon Gemini x2 [2021]
LIGHT REAR (Red): Moon Ring – 21g, 25lm, 280mAh [2022]
MUDGUARD FRONT: SKS Edge AL Black 700x46mm Lenght 720мм [2023]
MUDGUARD REAR: SKS Edge AL Black 700x46mm Lenght 1200мм [2023]

– – – BIKE – – –
FRAME: Author Ronin Triple Butted Cromoly (52) [2021]
FORK: Author Rigid Cro-Mo 700C [2021]
STEM: Author Black 31.8х90mm [2021]
SPACERS: Author Black 6pcs x 5mm [2021]
HANDLEBAR: Promax 420 / 440 / 460 mm [2021]
HANDLEBAR TAPE: BLB Supreme Pro Reflective Pink Blue White [2023]
HEADSET: Prestine 1-1/8″ [2021]
TOP CAP: Inline Bicycle Components Black/White [2022] (Made in Russia)
TRIGGER: Shimano GRX 400 (20 spd) [2021]
BRAKES LEVEL: Shimano GRX 400 [2021]
SADDLE: Author Guru X 1 Gravel Serie 270x150mm 282g [2021]
SEATPOST: Author Black 27.2mm [2021]
SEAT CLAMP: Author Black 29.8mm [2021]
B/B: Shimano BB-RS500 BC1.37×24 Road 68 mm [2021]
SPEED: 20
CHAINRINGS: Shimano GRX 600 46-30 teeth 175 mm cranks [2021]
CRANKS: Shimano GRX 600 175 mm [2021]
PEDALS: HT ANS01 Black 94x95x16mm 372g [2021]
CHAIN: KMC X10 Silver [2023]
CHAIN LUBE: Squirt Low-Temp
DERAILLEUR FRONT: Shimano GRX 400 10 speed [2021]
DERAILLEUR REAR: Shimano GRX 400 2 speed [2021]
DERAILLEUR HANGER: Author Ronin Steel Black Stock 32g [2021]
RIMS: Jalco CR25D 622x21C 32 holes [2021]
HUB FRONT: Author Radon Disc 9x100mm 32 holes [2021]
HUB REAR: Author Radon Disc 9x135mm 32 holes [2021]
SPOKES: Black Stainless Steel 1.8 mm [2021]
NIPPELS: Stock [2021]
BRAKES: Shimano GRX 400 Disc Hydraulic [2021]
BRAKES DISC PADS: Shimano K03S Resin 8g L-26.5mm, W-16.5mm, H-29.9mm [2021]
BRAKE ROTOR FRONT: Shimano SM-RT66-S 160mm Mln. TH=1.5 [2021]
BRAKE ROTOR REAR: Shimano SM-RT66-S 160mm Mln. TH=1.5 [2021]
CASSETTE: Shimano HG500-10 11-34 (10 spd) [2021]
TIRE FRONT: Panaracer Gravel King SK+ 700x38C Black 480g 4.0 Bar [2023]
TIRE REAR: Panaracer Gravel King SK+ 700x38C Black 480g 4.0 Bar [2023]
TUBES: Schwalbe 700×28/47-622/635 Presta 40mm 153g [2021]
VALVE CAPS: Token TK3292 Presta Valve Caps Pink Al6061 0.67g [2021]
WHEEL FRONT: 1.125-1.140 kg
WHEEL REAR: 1.775-1.790 kg (with Cassette)
WEIGHT: 11,7 kg

– – – TIMESTAMPS – – –
00:00 Начало / The Beginning
00:28 Подъём на гору / Uphill
00:43 9 км от города / 9 km from the city
01:45 Смотровая / Observation deck
02:23 Мойка велика / Washing the bike
07:47 Розовое вино / Pink vine
08:17 Бурундук / Chipmunk
08:20 Вертолёт / Helicopter
08:35 Спуск с горы / Downhill
09:45 Дорога на БотCад / Road to Botanical Garden
10:36 Осенний лес / Autumn Forest
11:42 Ботанический сад / Botanical Garden
11:58 Озеро / Lake (2024)
12:30 Озеро / Lake (2010)
12:56 Ботанический сад / Botanical Garden
13:19 Нападение немецкой овчарки / Dog Attack
13:52 Дорога домой / Way Back Home
14:04 Пробка / Traffic Jam
15:38 Деревянный город / Wooden City
16:10 Парк Водяновой / Vodyanova Park
16:37 Когда вкусно – тогда вкусно / When it’s delicious – then it’s delicious
16:43 Конец / The End
17:15 Фотографии / Photos