Dennis Ordiway

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Riding Tip: Posture And Static Joints

I want to begin by pointing out that I am not a doctor of any kind. However, I ran a bike shop for years and helped people get comfortable on their bikes. See a doctor and/or get a proper bike fitting if you have serious riding pain or similar issues. This is another in a …

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Riding Tip, Beginner Level: Foot Placement When Coasting

eBiking has brought many new riders into the two-wheeled world. Some are young people who are riding on the street for the first time. Some are older people who are enabled by their electric steed. In many cases, the eBike has enabled them to propel their bikes forward without all the skills needed to do …

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Motorists Who Consider Themselves Green Should Show More Respect To Cyclists

If respect for human life is not a good reason to respect cyclists, maybe caring for the planet is. I live in southern California, where a large percentage of the population consider themselves “green” or “environmentalists” or “tree-huggers.” The streets here are brimming with Teslas and Priuses, and buildings are festooned with solar panels. We …

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How To Make An eBike Triangle Battery Cradle

eBikes are getting more popular all the time, so it is easy to buy a complete ready to ride eBike. But it wasn’t always so. For years I have been making eBikes by converting regular bikes with a kit consisting of a motor, battery, controls and electronics. Ready made eBikes often have specific mounts for …

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Hugging The Mendocino Coast: Day 4 Of My Northern California Bike Tour

I awoke on the morning of day 4 in Westpoint Union State Park greeted by a classic California coastal scene visible outside of my tent. From the seaside bluff where my campsite was set up, light fog drifted lazily up from the beach below, cresting in slow motion wave over my campsite. The warmth of …

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A Local Multi Surface Meander

It has been a while since I have blogged on a ride, but certainly not since I have ridden. I busted out the camera for a blog and it’s time to share a few local secrets from this gravel ride. My current gravel steed is a Diamondback Haanjo Carbon 7c. It is not included on …

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Tackling The Leggett Climb: Day 3 Of My Northern California Bike Tour

On Day 3 I awoke to an empty campsite, though there had been another cyclist there the night before: Reuben. But I knew that Bigfoot had not scared him away during the night. Reuben had left camp early for something far scarier: the climb from Leggett. To be fair, Leggett IS the biggest climb along …

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Dwelling In The Land Of The Ancients: Day 2 Of My Northern California Bike Tour

Day 2 was the day of my tour where I had the least amount of riding planned. I normally covered about 50 miles a day. If I rode at that pace I would pass through the redwood region without spending much time there. Riding less would allow the day to be a sightseeing tourist day. …

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Eureka, I Found The Giants! Day 1 Of the 2019 Northern California Bike Tour

Day 1 started as expected: in a cute coastal town with overcast damp weather. I was pleased to find that I had not forgotten anything, which I usually do on bike tours. I would not be 100% sure until I made camp for the night, but it was “so far, so good.” I made a …

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Searching For Giants From The Sky: Getting To The Start Of My Northern California Bike Tour

As I prepared for my trip to northern California it seems like I went over my checklist about a dozen times. Each time I found something that I needed to pack or change. Somehow I ended up feeling confident that everything was good to go. I packed my bike and gear into a bike box …

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