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Post by lightspeed on Apr 19, 2006 15:12:50 GMT
Last Friday the weather was finally warm enough (+18C) that I could get the REX out, and put about 200 km on that afternoon. Nice to try out the winter mods. Fork brace seemed to add some stability to the front end, but didn't get to roads where I could really test it out. Bar end mirrors are rock solid (images are smaller but clear as a bell). Rearsets feel like they'll take some getting used to. I think I have to adjust the shifter up about 1/4" - it felt right when I was just sitting on the bike, but seems like a stretch to get my toe under it on the road. REX fired up after 5 months of hibernation (I did have it running once over the winter and kept the battery charged). One (and only one) advantage of the long winter - every time I get the REX out of storage, it feels like a new bike till I get used to it again. Tomorrow is supposed to be very nice weather and I would ride to work, but I have to travel to Calgary with a co-worker for a meeting on Friday and that person just isn't into bike travel. Anyway, spring is here and the bike is out!
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Post by floog on Apr 19, 2006 19:56:37 GMT
CALGARY ........I did'nt know you hailed from Canada, Lightspeed. Are you Canadian or one of them English infiltraitors? My family live in Sidney, on Vancouver Island, Beautiful British Columbia.....on the other side of the Rockies......superb biking roads and scenery..... The wife and I were going to emigrate there to be with the mob, but health issues put a stop to that..... I envy you......
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Post by lightspeed on Apr 19, 2006 23:08:14 GMT
I live and work in Edmonton, Alberta - 'bout 280 km north of Calgary, but since we have an office down there, I'm down fairly often. Not a transplant - born and raised here.
I also have family and friends in Victoria. I spent the first week of April in Victoria, and a day up in Sidney while I was there. Huge condominium developments occurring all along the old waterfront and things are changing a lot. Over the past 10 years I have spent a lot of time cruising by boat up and down the west coast (34' Trojan, twin inboard) but no boat now. I do still enjoy wandering through the marinas to see what's out there though. Yes they do have marvellous roads out there. I rode the REX from here to Victoria last September for a business conference. 3800 kms over some of my favourite roads. Some of the roads in the south Kootenays! - you'd think you'd died and gone to heaven. I try to get down there at least once a year for a week or two of riding.
We've got some nice roads on the east slope (Alberta side) of the Rockies, but nothing to compare with the interior of BC.
Victoria and some of the communities up Vancouver Island are some of the prime retirement destinations. Cost of housing has gone through the roof and has made it fairly unaffordable unless you got a pot o' gold from somewhere else. Not too many places you can sell your current house and afford to replace it out there.
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Post by floog on Apr 20, 2006 4:25:28 GMT
Sounds like a very nice lifestyle you have over there, to say that I am envious (In a nice way), would be very much an understatement You're right about the house prices though We packed mum off over to Sidney three years ago, and she bought a beautiful flat there which has gone through the roof value wise now. Again, as you say, Sidney and Victoria are very much retirement areas :jerry: increasingly for the well healed. The lifestyle our family have over there is ten times better than in the UK, we are a hybrid 50/50 split of Canadians and English. What I'd give to wake up each morning to the West coast's warm weather (English folk have a view of Canada of perpetual snow and ice), those big highways with Mount Baker dominating, and gentle rides taking in the fresh air Have fun
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