1300 miles of Easy Rolling

K2 Easy Roller
In 2009, I saw a bike with blowout pricing at REI called the K2 Easy Roller. It is a cruiser style bike with a couple of interesting features: it has a 3-speed automatic transmission and it has a suspended seat. I had been looking for a cruiser bike for tooling around between home and downtown and the 3-speed feature and the low price made this an appealing candidate. I was skeptical about the effectiveness of the 3-speed automatic shifting, but with REI's generous return policy, I figured I would give it a try. Since it was a blowout of a discontinued model, my local REI only had size "S" in stock and online REI only had size "L" in stock. An "M" would fit me fine but out of the choices, I went with the large.

The bike is fairly lightweight given its equipment and intended mission. The frame, handlebars, and wheels are aluminum. The handlebars have a flat pulled back style that looks interesting as well as placing the handgrips in a position to allow fairly upright riding style. I've adjusted my handlebars to be parallel to the ground as opposed to the downward tilt shown above in the stock photo.

The tires were 700x50 Kendas, a thick heavy tire. While they proved fairly flat resistant (the main issue in this area is goatheads which are evil plant seeds which are able to disable bike tires quite effectively), after two seasons I replaced them.

I replaced the tires with Continental TopContact 700x47 which have anti-puncture features along with quite a bit less rotating mass. I like the built in reflector on the Continental tires also. I did pick up one goathead riding on a dirt trail, which just managed to cause a slow leak in the Continental front tire. The wheels are aluminum hoops and they are laced with just 20 spokes to the special Shimano hubs -a bit flimsy but okay for cruising.

I added an aluminum rack I had on hand from a previous bike, a flashing LED light in the rear, a low power LED light on the front handlebar, a bottle cage, and a CatEye wireless computer with speedometer/odometer features.


Riding the Easy Roller
After three riding seasons and significant time (split between my favorite mountain bike and not so favorite road bike) on the cruiser, I decided to write a blog about the bike. The tally so far is 1300 miles of pleasant riding. What I expected to use for occasional errands and maybe 100 miles per year has turned into almost 5x that. That speaks to the appeal of the bike. Whereas I expected to make sub-10 mile trips on the bike, I have gone on rides up to 30 miles covering some hilly terrain. Keep in mind, the perspective of the comments here are cruiser-centric, i.e. slow turning, slow stopping, mild paced biking.

Since the main differentiator on this bike is the automatic shifter, I will talk about that first. The front hub has a built in generator which supplies power to the control module via a frame routed cable that looks like a shifter cable. The control module decides when to shift and does so by actuating a cable to the rear 3-speed hub. The speeds at which shifting occurs are fixed once set, but are set via a screwdriver adjustment. I adjusted my shift points up a bit from the factory setting, resulting in 1st-2nd upshift at 9mph and the 2nd-3rd upshift at 13mph. There is a bit of hysterisis built in for downshifts, which at my settings occur at 12mph and 8mph. The upshifting work almost seamlessly which on the downshifts there is some hesitation and noise, especially under load. I set my shiftpoints based on a personal tradeoff of speed and pedal cadence, essentially matching the bike to my preferred cadence and effort. On the flats I tend to travel at 15-16mph on the bike at an estimated cadence of 90 strokes/min. My decision to keep or return this bike was based on the effectiveness of the shifter and it is a keeper.

Control Mechanism with Shiftpoint Adjustment

Rear Hub Front Hub

The suspended seat is another nice feature for riding the local greenbelt with it's cracks and heaves caused by tree roots. The suspension consists of a cantilevered spring which allows the seat to travel down inline with the seatpost. The 1" or so or travel really smooths out the bumps.

The riding position is fairly upright and I have my handlebars adjust flat to enhance the upright posture. I can pedal at a decent clip at moderate effort in comfort. When hills are approached, I can stand on the pedals and attack the hill for a short distance, although the bikes geometry and the slick flat pedals make this a challenge. I would estimate 6% grades are rideable for short distances on this bike, your quadriceps may vary.

Swept back handlebars adjust flat.

The weakest point of the bike, in my opinion, is the braking. A single anemic rear coaster brake is not something I have had to deal with since my childhood. However given the complexity and clutter of improved braking systems, and remembering the intentions of the bike, the coaster is probably a good fit.


Hiccups
I had one instance where I was transitioning from a road to a bike path, I rode across some grass and hit a 6" curb at too high a rate and popped a rear spoke. Given the sparsity of spokes, the rear wheel became quite dished due to the loss of this one spoke, and the rear tire rubbed severely on the frame for the 4 miles it took to get home. A visit to the local bike shop was able to repair the spoke and retrue the wheel for not much more than a regular bike. More judicious crossing of curbs has eliminated this as an issue.

Once when riding through downtown, a approached a traffic light which turned red. In my typical breaking style, I waited until close to the light and then applied the brakes fairly aggressively. This time, the chain popped off the sockets, which instantly released the coaster brake in the rear hub. After checking the nearby proximity for cars and quickly weighing my options, I elected to hop off the bike and run beside while bringing it to a halt. I could find no reason why the chain popped off, the links were fine, the sprockets fine, and the tension set by the rear axle nuts appeared fine. After reinstalling the chain, I have never had this happen again. Strange.

Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes

Trail Map

This trip was just Charlie (the dog) and myself. Due to the mileage involved and the relatively conservative stature of the Scottish Terrier, I figured a sag wagon was in order for Charlie. I modified a used lightweight Burley cargo trailer with some clamps, tubing, and bungies to create a coverable cockpit for camping gear and dog. We arrived in Plummer Idaho on Thursday Aug 20, 2009 evening and after eating a burger, decided to hit the trail, certain there would be a camping opportunity at or near dark. There is parking at the trailhead and the locals assured me it was fine to leave a vehicle there for an extended time. Locals did not have any trailmaps which seemed odd. The trailer was attached to the bike, everything loaded, and off we went.

The trail is newly paved, well marked, and with bathrooms, picnic tables, benches, and informative signs throughout.

The first part of the trail from Plummer decends toward Lake Coeur d'Alene and a bridge with a resident Osprey.

The shores of the lake are beautiful and dotted with private docks and 'no tresspassing' signs. Major flotsam and jetsam accumulate on the east edge of the lake due to the predominate winds out of the west. The size of some of the 'floater' logs were immense.

About 15 miles in sits the marina and town of Harrison. Camping is a confluence of boat trailers, RV's, and a small corner set aside for tents only. No thanks.

The marina was pretty good size with the obligatory few a-hole boaters pumping obscene rap music into the environment for all to hear.

As the sun set, the trail turned away from Lake Coeur d'Alene and heads east along a series of joined lakes and marshland.

Hoping to find an unimproved camping spot, I continued on past Gray's Meadow, Medimont, and Lane. Medimont was tempting to camp at due to a large, apparently empty, house and yard next to the trail. Even though it would have been fine, if a bit illegal, I continued on. At dusk, two large elk were startled trailside. One bounded over a small fence and onto the bike trail, trotting for 20-30 yards before exiting on the opposing side it entered. The other elk continued running parallel to the bike trail, through the brush. As I caught up with its location, I was worried it would decide that would be a great time to bound onto the trail and a collision would ensue. Elk number two eventually stopped and headed back and then slipped into the creek. As I pedaled off, the elk was attempting to jump out of the creek and onto the relatively steep bank. Saw two Great Blue Heron's and many other unknown birds.

Night fell and my meager Cateye light provided minimal lighting. I left the light on blink mode just to warn anyone that may be coming the opposite direction. I pulled my CR123 lithium battery powered flashlight at Lane, to try and get a better idea what my camping options were. As I continued pedaling, I decided to point the high powered flashlight off to the side of the trail to see what was out there. Two wide set large reflecting eyes, about 30 yards distant, returned the light. "Mountain lion" popped into my head and faster I pedaled, promising myself not to be so inquisitive again. (As I write this from the comfort of my house, it was probably just a moose or elk, bedding down for the night.) At Black Rock, I contemplated setting a rogue campsite but after examining the map once again, decided to push on to Rose Lake.

At about 10:30pm, I exited the trail at Rose Lake to see what my options were for sleeping. A small congregation of houses dotted the waterfront and Highway 3, but no campgrounds or motels were spotted. A small church with a partially sheltered nook became my campsight for the evening. A simple "no hitch pitch" tent and sleeping bag was deployed, Charlie and I shared a banana, the only fresh food I had brought, and we slept. 1st evening was about 33 miles.

I was planning on getting a picture of the tent in the morning, but was awokened about 4am by lightening and thunder approaching from the west. My head was at the east end of the tent and could see the stars clearly through the mesh tent, but looking west through the mesh was completely dark, with occasional lightening flashes. I decided I better get up and pack up before everything got wet. Within 5 minutes, everything was packed and the raindrops started. I put the cover I had made onto the trailer to try and keep things dry. We sought shelter under the meager eve of the church building, standing, drinking water, and eating beef jerky until dawn at about 5:30am, at which time some nearby roosters declared a new day was at hand.

Back on the trail, several elk were seen bedding in the immediate trailside. Charlie lead the way as the storm blew over, switching between an 8 mph trot and a 4-5 mph fast walk. The trail meandered away from the highway into sparesly populated riverfront houses and farms.

Charlie was having a blast. After some water and some rest, Charlie went into the sag wagon where he enjoyed the ride and we enjoyed the sights as the sun rose.

Bewteen trail mileage marker 34 and 35, I saw what would have been a good (but illegal) campsight. One of the picnic table areas was about 15 yards off the trail and set into a cove amongst the towering trees. Dry as a bone in that nook.

Reaching Cataldo about 6:45am, there were signs of a more commercial population. Just before Cataldo was a commercial camping area that would be okay for a stay. The RVs were a bit farther from the tents and the tent area was not very populated. The sign said $15 for tent camping. A reasonable option for camping at mileage marker 42 if you plan your time and stops right.

Nearby Mission Inn looked open so I parked, fed and watered Charlie and went inside. The proprietor informed me that the cook did not arrive until 8am but coffee was available. I sat a bit, drinking coffee and talking to the old proprietor about the trail a bit. He left myself and one other local in the place while he left to take care of personal tasks at home. When asked what I owed him for the coffee, he replied "don't worry about it". Nice old guy.

We got back on the trail headed east as the trail continued to dry out.

I spotted a beautifully formed bee/wasp nest in the uptilted stratifed rock formation. Luckily the inhabitants were not around.

At about mileage marker 48, the trail nears Interstate 90 and parallels that until the end at Mullan, ocassionally passing under from one side to the other. We continued on through the towns of Kellogg and Osburn. Osburn has a very attractive public park (pics further below) although the signs said no pets allowed. Not a soul was seen in the park. The trail starts a gradual climb at Kellogg. At the town of Wallace, the trail runs under the elevated Interstate, providing some desired shade at the expense of scenery. At this point my hands were hurting pretty good but I decided to push on to the end at Mullan, "only" 7 miles further.

The trail from Wallace to Mullan is noticeably steeper and with the weight of the gear on the bike, the trailer, and my throbbing hands, was a bit of a chore. At one point my sleeping bag had fallen off the back of the trailer, unbeknownst to me. A fellow traveller going the other direction spotted it and returned it post haste - thanks dude! Mile marker 71 indicates almost the end of the trail. Picture at the trailhead in Mullan. I wanted nothing more than to drink something cold and take a nap. I found a cafe where I bought a cold can of diet coke. With no park in evident proximity and hills leading further into town, I decided to "coast" back to Wallace and get a room there for the night. 2nd day was about 45 miles.

We rolled into Wallace about 1pm and I booked a room at the Brooks Hotel where the sign declared 'no pets allowed". I talked up Charlie quite a bit and demonstrated his good demeanor. For an extra $10, he was allowed in. They allowed my bike to be stored in the lobby and the trailer went into the room. A short walk around town with an incredibly delicious lunch at the Smoke House (pulled pork sandwich, red beans and rice, and a huge mound of potato salad were fantastic. Wallace Brewing Amber Ale beer was okay but nothing to crow about) was followed by a 2 hour nap at the hotel. http://wallace-id.com/smokehousebbq.html

After a shower and the nap, went back out for more food! Found the "1313 Club" (when they opened, there were already 12 bars and 12 brothels doing business in Wallace, making this the 1313) where I ate a pretty good prime rib sandwich with au jus and horseradish and drank some incredible cloudy draft Widmer Hefeweizen, much better than what you get in a bottle. http://wallace-id.com/1313.html Walked Charlie around town a bit, sat in front of an antique store listening to the 50's music they had piped outside, and watched the sun go down.

The architecture of Wallace is interesting if you like old mining towns.

Saturday morning we hit the trail early with no firm plans on where to stop for the day. The campsite at Cataldo was too close and the monstrosity at Harrison was not an option. Charlie wanted to walk and run but had a noticeable limp that progressed quickly after just a few minutes of trail work. Examination revealed a sore worn into his front paw, relegating him to the sag wagon most of the return trip. As much as he wanted to get out and run/walk, he could not make any kind of time and was in obvious pain. The return trip is obviously the exact same path as original, but with a chance to see other things due to the lighting, time of day, animal activity, etc. Charlie was much more aggressive in his sag wagon riding posture.

The public park in Osburn.

The original trail around Kellogg, now part of the Trail of the Couer d'Alenes. The tram to visit the mine in Kellogg. The trail passed over many public roads, requiring stop at each crossing. Not very bike/trailer friendly.

A cool old wooden flume around Kellogg and another Great Blue Heron.

Some nice scenery on the way back.

By mid-day, a steady headwind had developed and made for even slower going. Saturday had way more (10x) trail traffic than Thursday or Friday. An apple tree was growing right next to the trail and I managed to pick a couple. But given the concentration of heavy metals the trail was meant to prevent migration of, I chickened out on eating them.

More eye candy.

I was hoping to see a moose and was not disappointed. This gal was standing out in the water eating the plants.

One cool thing about the trail is the trail is a dark colored asphalt and it is easy to see animal tracks that have ventured onto and across the trail. This picture of (bear?) tracks is an example. Deer, elk, and other small critters were obvious.

More eye candy from the trail.

Saturday must be a good day for moose. Saw a second one! See him to the left of the bush in the middle?

By the time I reached Harrison heading west, my hands were screaming and my butt was not far behind. 3 cumulative days of damage were catching up to me. On just an empty bike, it would not have been bad, but loaded and with Charlie in the sag wagon made it worse. We were sore and beat, shadows of ourselves from three days prior.

Manged to find a spot on Lake Coeur d'Alene frontage for Charlie to swim a bit. For a terrier, he sure likes the water.

The climb from the lake back to Plummer was the steepest, I was beat. 3rd day was about 65 miles. I carried 6 liters of water and used it all. When I got to Plummer I drank two 24 oz cans of iced tea and still did not have to pee. On the drive home drank a 20oz soda and a 12 oz orange juice. Managed to pee a tiny bit about 5 hours later!

Nearby

Route of the Hiawatha - cool converted rail trail that traverses towering trestles and terrific tunnels. A paid permit is required (and enforced by aggressive trail-nazis) on this public land and forced helmet wearing is implied although there is no way to enforce this. Most people ride the downhill direction and then take a bus (a few $) back to the parking areas topside. Certainly rideable both ways. Flashlight is mandatory!