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Bikes

 My mountain bikes (2021 version anyway): https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2021/12/mountain-bikes.html 

Fixing a loose freewheel on the trail: https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2022/11/tighten-loose-freewheel-on-trail.html

Bicycling websites: https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2022/10/biking-websites.html

Local bicycling video YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ4ONVypz2fZ5xMkYY1JLYMXCMMy0rDGe .  I have other videos on my YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@JimRoal 

Riding the Rock Island Trail in Illinois: https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2013/10/riding-rock-island-trail.html

I track my rides with a Garmin fenix 6x Pro Solar watch which automatically uploads to Garmin Connect and syncs to Strava.  Since I sometimes go to places with no cellular, I use a Garmin inReach satellite messenger along with it.  

2023 Husqvarna 701 Enduro

Sometimes I want to go on longer adventures so I decided to get a dual sport motorcycle. This is what old men who used to ride dirt bikes back in the day do now.  They move on to adventure bikes.  While these bikes are heavier they better fit our less daring riding style.  There was about a 30 year gap between selling the KTM 500MX and buying this bike.  This is also the first street legal motorcycle I ever owned so I had to get a motorcycle riders license too.  





Biktrix Juggernaut Ultra FS Pro 3


After riding my Rurui XT10 off road for over 1000 miles I realized I needed a more off-road focused bike.  The XT10 could not handle long steep hills well and it lacked enough gears to handle the variety of off-road situations I ride in.  After searching out many alternatives, such as upgrades to the XT10, I finally realized it was time for a bike upgrade. Here is a short post from when I ordered it: https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2023/03/new-bike-on-way.html 




Rurui XT10 Electric Mountain Bike

I bought this in December 2021 from Amazon.  I named it the Cheat-O-Cycle since it is electric.

Initial post with assembly and 150 mile review: https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2021/12/rurui-xt10-electric-mountain-bike-130.html .  This includes some initial upgrades too. 

Gear upgrades: https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2022/10/rurui-xt10-gear-upgrades.html

700 Mile Update: https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2022/10/rurui-xt10-700-mile-update.html

Cheat-O-Cycle hits 1,000 miles: https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2022/12/cheat-o-cycle-hits-1000-miles.html 



Bikes I used to own and now sold

Kent Flexor Full-Suspension Mountain Bike 


I call this my Cheap-O-Cycle since I bought it from Walmart December of 2020 during the pandemic when it was very hard to find bikes.  I rode it for about a year before selling it.  In that year I put about 700 miles on it, most of that off-road.  I sold this bike in 2022.

Specialized Hybrid 

This is my bike in Illinois.  I bought this in 2014.  I mostly ride the Rock Island Trail and Rock Island Greenway with it.  No need for electric in the flat land.  I sold this bike in 2023.

1989 KTM 500MX



I had this back in the 1990's.  500cc 2-stroke.  The only 2-stroke I owned.  This was a great bike.  I sold it in 1997.

1986 Honda XR600

I bought it in the late 1980's I think.  Sold it around 1989.



Honda XR500R

The XR250 was too under powered for me so I stepped up to the XR500.  I don't recall what year it was but the model year was somewhere in the early 1980's.  I sold this bike to buy the XR600.



1982 Honda XR250

I need to find some photos of this bike.  Interesting story though.  This was my first real motorcycle.  I was at a friends party and he said he just destroyed the engine on his motorcycle.  We went out to his garage and the engine was in pieces.  I offered him $150 as-is and rebuilt the engine.  Rode it for several years.
This photos was taken years later (2010), after the bike was relegated to farm duty and about 20 years after I had it.