Zizzo Liberte - folding bike

[A2022]

planning for Dayton OH again this Friday. this time it's going to be the Air Force Museum and Greene County airport, Joe's Pizza. bump the bike milage up, open the bike and let it roll! a bike is the best accessory for the airplane. worth its weight in gold.

the National Museum of the US Air Force = the best aviation museum in the world!



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if the weather is OK, I may jump out on this Thurs. bikes are now cleaner. I was having some creaking in the frame joint mechanism on the black Liberte. I adjusted the frame latch slightly tighter and the looser but that did not eliminate the creaking sound, so I returned it to the original setting which felt correct. I then lubed the hinge members with LPS1 and that solved it. upon visual inspection the hinge appears to be sound with no evidence of cracking. I ride these bikes hard.

these bikes have two 4-bar linkages; the frame hinge and the derailleur. the hinge geometry allows for totally different functions. the frame hinge swings 180 degrees for folding and over center locking and the derailleur shifts in and out to allow the chain to track to the pedal gear. pretty cool, if you like mechanisms. I find the gearing ratios to be good for me and I use them a lot.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-bar_linkage








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perfect weather for riding a bike, 6C in the morning and 12C in the afternoon, not much wind. pizza and ice cream hit the spot. Joe's Pizza is 60-70's style (my favorite) and it's been there 60 yrs, and it was very clean. I really liked it, and the pizza was good. I asked for well done. I would give it a score of 8.0. that is an excellent score, total bill for pizza and large coke, $16. the pizza alum foil was really thick. I could use it on my airplane somewhere... for soft serve vanilla ice cream, DQ has some of the best. the flight was not long enough to heat my oil. lots of photos. total cost of the day including food and fuel, $60. a very good day! I found a nice rock. I may be becoming stronger, because the final bike climb to the airport was easy today, a couple months ago it was harder.

https://joes-pizzadayton.com/ whenever you find a pizza place like this, go there! I called about 15 minutes out on the bike, and it was ready a minute or two after I arrived.

a couple things about the Wright Brothers: The Kitty Hawk airplane elevator was very short coupled and difficult to control; that was corrected by extending the distance in Dayton. Dayton, Huffman Prairie, is where they really learned how to fly. it was nice to see an original Wright Brothers bicycle. the brake system was inventive. some sprocket pieces they machined. the chain guard has artistic flair. a simple and elegant bike.

All of the edges of the F22 are exact and sharp, especially the trailing edges. they do not allow to see the exhaust area very well.

A new area recently added is more stuff for kids, that's good! a space shuttle exploration and catches some of the other aircraft.

the 9/11 monument is done well.

Dayton OH is the best place I have ever ridden a bike. Lots to see and do and bike paths are very well maintained and SMOOTH.

for some reason, sitting in the aircraft after the bike ride, going thru the preflight cockpit checklist was soothing and pleasant. I noticed it and enjoyed it.












































































































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hey, there's a bike in there!

[A2022]

Mt Vernon OH on Monday, 4/10. the Kokosing Gap bike path is the most beautiful ride I have ever done, gorgeous. Mt Vernon and Gambier were both neat and clean towns, highly recommended. a lot of businesses are closed on Mondays, I settled for Dunkin Donuts and coffee (worse donuts and coffee on the planet), and a pizza place that was next to the frozen custard place. I gave the pizza a rating of 6.1/10, not that good. other than the food the day was a 10 out of 10. like the whole area, the airport was neat and clean, and the people were friendly, Knox County airport 4I3. this area is a destination. a lot of beautiful bridges along the path and a lot of people were out enjoying their bikes today.

I found a couple rocks: the one in the field is granite and not from this area, it was transported by glaciers. they rise to the top of the soil during winter freeze / thaw. the other is limestone with some internal stuff that looks like chert. I've never seen one like this. the local area is mostly alternating (interbedded) limestone and shale (blue color and softer than limestone, about 500 million years old). it creates some small waterfalls with the shale eroding. glacial till is on top of it all. there are some sandstone beds in the eastern half of Ohio, not too far from here.

I'm still impressed by the carbon fiber air ride and still notice the improvement in foot feel.

the church organ was playing. I liked it.

50-minute flight or 150-minute drive Mt Vernon. a 3X travel time delta. flying makes it doable. going there; Dayton off the left wing, then hook around Columbus, off the right wing. a lot of aircraft doing maneuvers 20 miles NW of OSU airport. I presume that is their practice area, so beware of that.

I rode over 30 miles today and it was easy. 14 gallons fuel, food = $23. I think I got my money's worth for a full day adventure.

a couple things I would like to see as I have never been there and also planning to ride the downtown area:
https://arielfoundationpark.org/ this was very good, a benchmark of how to deal with old factories, turn them into artwork. people were there enjoying the space.
https://schnormeiergardens.org/ closed until June 1st.

Govi - Carousel (perfect for riding a bike path by the river on a Monday) time to shed the winter riding gear in Oho, it's warming.
https://youtu.be/q6thJ-T7bHM

Marsh - All Night Long (Official Visualiser) [Anjunadeep]
https://youtu.be/1KvQmxZsLEM

[A2022]

Nice trip to Lafayette IN today. Purdue University was hopping with my kind of people... Engineers! not many pocket protectors and brief cases these days, just backpacks. I rode to East Lafayette to try Azzip Pizza, it's like Chipotle but for pizza. I had a simple cheese pizza to keep the rating consistent. I'll give it a 6.2, not that good, but then again, I am a hard critic. I probably only did 14 miles today because Google kept telling me to turn the wrong direction and winds were gusting to 25. I didn't buy full at Purdue Aviation so $15 landing fee. Class-D and really busy with students. the students sounded good on the radio, crisp and clear. I saw several robots delivering foods, and a robot mowing testing ground. Soon the grass will be cut by robots, that will be nice to eliminate a boring job. Man was not born to cut grass but to invent a better way! Overall, a really nice and gorgeous day. the County Building is mostly sandstone. the wall, next to the sidewalk, is limestone. I would rate visiting Purdue with a bike a 10/10.

I demonstrated the rotating nose wheel chock to a couple of curious people. it seems like everywhere I go there is an operating helicopter.

If you want a really good pick me up Starbucks coffee, try a "venti shaken espresso, with skim milk, no classic". they will think you are the inside track.

so many contrails today that I noticed them.

bumpy on the way home but the bike was fine back there.

Govi - Sails of Joy
https://youtu.be/J2hjioyoim0

[A2022]

placeholder, Fort Wayne IN...

[A2022]

alternate road tire set. swapping some wheels from 1.5 inch to 1.1 inch to increase efficiency. I would like to be able to do 50 miles on this bike someday. not sure if I need a plastic spoke protector for this gearset install.... after some research I decided I will omit the "dork disk". when the road tires are on, I will not be banging the derailleur on rocks and roots on mountain bike trails. front tire is installed. swapping wheels is quick release. I like the shifting with the Shimano hyperglide system. the gear teeth are indexed, shaped and grooved, and in my opinion is mechanical artwork. I like lightweight elegant machines.

I don't have any maintenance items on the plane so that leaves time for bikes.

I like both riding and flying in the Winter better than Summer. at 27C OAT it's too hot for me here today and I hate mowing grass. I need to go to Michigan!

[A2022]

both 1.1 road tires installed. no mountain bike trails with these tires. it rides better than I expected. I think this is going to be good. I'm ready to go to Ft. Wayne and Smith Field, a new place for me, with the little speedster.

0C here this morning and it felt good but time to put away the heater. time to go North.

[A2022]

didn't have the folding bike in Scandinavia but did some riding with my daughter's family on Malmo rental bikes. 3-wheeler is electric with 1 adult and 3 kids on it. bikes are how they move over there. I saw a couple folding bikes but most use big wheels to smooth the ride on the cobble stones. very few fat people over there, I think I saw two. people looked fit. checked out some rocks, a lot of granite gneiss. an American car show in Bergen. they like those old cars. fjords in Norway, water 1500 ft deep. big Meteorite in Oslo, found in Greenland, 20 tons. various old gun mechanisms. huge calibers. picked up a flu virus on the last day from the granddaughters, slow today. nothing like a 24 hr travel day with a flu. back to printing some parts.....

on a scale of 1 to 10. this trip was a 9.5, perfect weather every day.

I would guess that half the cars in Norway are electric.

I saw one piston powered float plane flying the whole trip. not many small aircraft flying over there. don't take the freedom and access to fly in America lightly. America is unique that way.

I like the way the bass comes in on this.
Reflekt Feat. Delline Bass - Need To Feel Loved (Adam K & Soha Vocal Mix)
https://youtu.be/c7s9eKDQn9c










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nice round granite gneiss rock with horizontal stripes. this rock cooled slowly within the earth under high pressure. the black stuff is biotite, the white/tan stuff is feldspar, and the clear stuff is quartz. it is metamorphosed and foliated. Bowen's reaction series is very evident here.







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this meteorite is mostly iron. iron is the most abundant element, by mass, in the Earth. it makes up about 80% of the inner and outer cores of Earth. the Earth is made from these. this one just arrived about 4.5 billion years late. all the "lightweight" stuff we call rocks rose to the surface and formed the Earth's crust. in a way, you could say we are riding a giant iron ball bearing.





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proud to be associated with this family!

[A2022]

the Zizzo Forte is loaded, and bags are also in the back. I was able to load this big bike without moving the passenger seatback forward, but it was tight. this bike has additional aft rack and printed pannier brackets that increase height and the width. for this bike, standard procedure should be to move the passenger seat back forward. comparatively, moving the seatback is not needed when loading the ultra-lightweight Liberte bike. you can basically just throw it back there. a lot of stuff loaded in the baggage area.

[A2022]

Zizzo Forte... first time to be camping overnight with a bike. since the RepRap festival has a lot of people camping at the fairgrounds, I thought I would give it a try. the weather looks good. this will be a good pre-ride for the planned week-long Keweenaw ride later this Summer. determining what to pack and how to store it on the bike is a challenge for me. even though the Forte has a aft rack and pannier brackets, I can still top off the tires in the plane. so, if you had a back-to-back trip, and wanted to keep the tires at a perfect pressure, it's easy. I used a compressed gas cylinder to determine tire pressure upon usage as a test, 80 psi for these, perfect. it gets cold upon discharge. ready to launch tomorrow early. fun stuff!

the Forte bike really rides nicely when loaded. it feels stable and strong.

you can become better at anything, if you simply try:
SHUFFLE TRANSFORMATION | 3 Years Later... (I wish I could dance like her)
Emylee Ratzlaff
https://youtu.be/6H6gT_9Ynkk

Kaskade, Brohug & Mr. Tape feat. Madge - Fun (Extended Mix)
https://youtu.be/92ASghLIUlU









airplane microlight still working fine on original two-year-old battery. I may throw that in the bike bag as a spare light.









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hey, there is probably a bike in there...

Grum feat. Natalie Shay - Afterglow (Kryder Remix) | Official Lyric Video
https://youtu.be/4RZYwACI5Ks

[A2022]

Goshen IN.... this bike is the bike packing bomb. it's great! I didn't spend the night (nice to have options), my business was done, but I tested some camping gear. I think I found my next 3D printer. I may need a trip to South Georgia. take a bike trip and unlock the world. somehow it makes me very happy and one hour flying beats four hours driving, each way.

road closed, but not for me. very nice fairgrounds and it is BIG. the show starts in four weeks.

nutty buddies melt in a black pannier.

[A2022]

bear spray for the Keweenaw. the last couple times camping up that way, bears have ripped thru my food at night. so, if I am boon dock camping in the woods, I need something and I don't want to pack a Glock. may not be a good idea to have a pistol bouncing around on a bike for the first time. decisions: do you pack a gun or bear spray? not many people up that way, but hopefully I can find beer. 13 hrs to drive, 4.5 to fly from Cincy.

if I did carry one of the Glocks on the bike, I would keep it in the front bike bag side pocket for easy access. needs a snap or Velcro latch. just reach down. bull black bears kill more people than grizzles. not sure if slugs or hollow points are better for bears.

I need to pack some hot sauce because when I go to Northern Michigan, I tell them to make the wings as hot as they can, and they are still very weak. at a last resort, I could throw some Habanero sauce on the bear, and then go at him with my rock pick.

[A2022]

the Zizzo Forte headset was tight before the first bigger ride and I thought it would loosen, but it did not. I adjusted the headset screw 1/8 turn to relieve the pressure on the bearing. that did the trick, a five-minute job.

the pannier 3D printed brackets are doing fine. to get a Forte to fit in a RV9, you need to use the Zizzo aft rack because it is small, but then you need to restrain the panniers aft to prevent heel strike. the Forte is a strong bike but about 7 lbs heavier than the Liberte. when the Forte is fully loaded with gear it is 40+ lbs but rides very easily. I was pleasantly surprised.

[A2022]

I have two of these and they are good. I put racing slicks on one of them. ridden hundreds of miles. a quick and lightweight bike. do I need another, no, but I am tempted. a very good value. mind the weight limit.





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one of my favorites, I am going back this Winter. it's like a racetrack.

[A2022]

nice trip today, only 21 minutes flying. sure beats 1 hr driving in traffic. drops you almost right at the bike trail. I like the slick racing tires as this was my first real ride with them, about 20 miles. one portion was gravel, and I was concerned about them but no worries they are just as smooth as the stock tires. perhaps slightly less stable in gravel but worth the speed increase. I think this is going to be my go-to tire for the Liberte for smooth trails and I ordered a couple more since they were 20% off today. even with the smaller tires, I can get over the ramp edge if the pedals are horizontal. smaller, lighter weight tires on the Liberte make it even easier to load.

I am getting better about getting in and out will all the bike stuff. set everything on the wing. unload the bike. pick the stuff from the wing and go. getting better and faster....

the yellow chocks are useless for a castering nosewheel. it the jet fired up and pointed the engines at my tail, the nose wheel would pivot and rotate out of the yellow chocks. I only used the nosewheel chock today as it was light winds and not worried about the jet with this nosewheel chock.

I came upon an old graveyard with only a dirt trail in. the oldest grave I saw was 1833. the land already absorbed the people back to dirt and it's working on the markers. I wondered what they would have thought about me flying in, riding a bike trail, while listening to music. there were a lot of people on the bike trail today. it was very nice because everyone says high or gives a nod.

20-mile ride today, home by noon. it's nice to find good and close places so you can work it in often. the airplanes primary mission is... "to deliver the bike".

tire link, it's a fast tire.
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/product ... ire-hs-462

AC/DC - It's A Long Way to the Top (IF You Wanna Rock ' n' Roll) I like the bagpipes!
https://youtu.be/eQluGs2SFRs








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when I saw this "green" I needed to adjust my music playlist.

[A2022]

the forte bike is locked and loaded for the Keweenaw. I may come back, or I may keep going... loaded the bear spray in the plane but did not remove the zip tie. I can't image this going off in the plane.

[A2022]

Keweenaw...copper country. it was a blast, and everything worked out. the bike was flawless. probably not a ride to take your wife on because many of the road shoulders were slim, but for me, it was worth it. I found that Michigan drivers do their best to give room on the road for a bike. there are some hills to deal with on this route, but the scenery and cool temperatures made me forget about them. it started out shaky because my optical tach battery died and then my left headphone stopped working... so I reached back and got a new battery and a spare headphone set and carried on. all taken care of within minutes.

Tuesday - fly from Cincy to Houghton airport (4 hrs) and ride to Lake Linden campgrounds
Wednesday - ride to Copper Harbor and Wilken campgrounds, highway 41
Thursday - ride back to Lake Linden campgrounds, route 26 (north shore) and then highway 41
Friday - ride to Houghton airport and fly home to Cincy, but I took the Keweenaw air tour firstly... to see where I had ridden.

total cost for camping accommodations = $72

after a couple days I realized what was different about this place, it is sweet smelling clean air. I could feel it.

the only time I may have needed to use the bear spray was for a pit bulldog, but he stopped chasing.

lots of photos, too many....

[A2022]

more photos

[A2022]

more photos

[A2022]

more photos... enough already!


















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arriving home, cleaning and inspecting the bike. the printed pannier brackets look great. just like the airplane, I never wash with water. compressed air to blow off the dust then wiped down with wash/wax and lube everything with LPS.

[A2022]

planning for Northern Michigan and some local bike rides next week because it is so nice up there. accommodations at Empire are $3 per night and may also stay at another campground. take 2 tents and set base camp at Empire with 2-man tent next to the plane and 1-man tent for other offsite. upgraded my folding chair to Big Agnes, looking forward to testing it. you meet the nicest people when traveling. the trouble with traveling is, it makes you want more. with a plane you can really reach out.

The Rolling Stones - Start Me Up
https://youtu.be/SGyOaCXr8Lw