Reverie

Sunday mornings often find me on Clark Street, and subsequently taking a ride through Keney Park. It's a nice way to clear my head. I lost a cousin in a motorcycle accident this past week, so I was especially appreciative of this morning's brisk ride. I didn't see another person inside the park, which made it all the more peaceful and reflective. This was just what I needed. The weather was bright and beautiful, more picturesque than my last overcast trip down this particular path.

The snow on the path was crunchy and compacted, well-suited to the smooth and relatively skinny 40+ year old tires on my Robin Hood. I know I really ought to change them, but nobody makes a red line tire in the 650A size. They complement the patina of my stately Nottingham beater so nicely as it is. The age cracking adds grip.

Be well, ride safe. Read more!

Another F-in' F-ie

This post is dedicated to Peter who recently added the following message to his winter bike: "One less fixie." Peter dedicated that message to his student who was embarking on learning to ride her fix gear and learning to ride in traffic on the streets Philadelphia. You go girl!

One of my new old bikes

So of course, with all that is trendy, what the world certainly doesn't need now is another fixed gear bicycle. Don't worry though, I'm not trying to be cool (for me, any attempt to that end would require oh-so much more than any bike could provide), and in fairness, this isn't so much another fixed gear as a replacement for the cherry red Fuji I just passed on to a new home.

So I like my new bike. Assembled on an old Raleigh Technium platform(steel lugs and stays with glued aluminum main tubes), it rides comfortably, fits me well, and is PINK! I even liked it enough to grab it for 40 miles of hills and dales through Colchester, East Haddam, and Salem despite having to pedal like a sillier person than I usually am on the downhills. Sometimes a cobbled together bike like this just works right and one likes it very much.

The Devil's Hopyard is icy, ironic?

So I'm not sure I like my new bike. No, not the Raleigh, I've been busy and also built up an old Shogun 400 that was unearthed from the deep bowls of the basement. It is a pretty basic 80's sport/touring/road frame with lugs holding together at least decent Tange double butted chromoly tubing and adorned with fenders for proper butt-stain-free winter riding. There is nothing wrong with this bike per say, but on my maiden ride with it yesterday I was bedeviled by the details.

The as yet unloved S-hog-un

1) I need to extend the toe clips so my feet are far enough forward to avoid knee pain even with wearing boots for winter warmth.
2) When I extend the toe clips, this will give me even more fender/toe overlap in sharp turns.
3) I fit it with a long stem for the short top tube, my I like short stems and long top tubes. I don't have the skills to fit a longer top tube.
4) It isn't pink.

I'll keep playing with the Shogun, but in the mean time, I supposed the world has an extra fixed gear, and I like it.

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Frog Hollow to Frog City

I recently found myself in Willimantic for the first time, and had an opportunity to check out a couple of places that countless people have recommended to me over the years. Both the Food Co-op and Scott's Cyclery were well worth the trip, and gave me a bit of envy, as I would love to have such establishments in my immediate area. This can be a great time of year to visit a bike shop, as the owners can have a bit more time to spare. In the case of my visit to Scott's Cyclery, that meant plenty of time to find a few parts for an unusual bike frame I have and more time to talk about old bicycles. Scott has a ton of vintage bikes, but I was especially keen on two that were made by The Pope Manufacturing Company in my own neighborhood.

The oldest is a Columbia high wheeler from the 1880's. The solid rubber tires are new reproductions, but I think this boneshaker is otherwise original. I have never ridden a high-wheeler, but would jump at the opportunity to do so. I might be rationalizing here, but it seems that all the inherent dangers of riding such a contraption in modern traffic should be offset by a marked increase in visibility. All the same, maybe the first try should be on a bike path...


This more modern Columbia safety bicycle dates from 1893. It combines such advances as pneumatic tires with throwbacks like the vestigial bike-mounting step from the older-school days. It's mostly rusty, but the nickel-plated rear sprocket looks good as new, thanks to a century of greasy protective coverage. I love the oil lantern. While modern LEDs are the brighter and more efficient way to light your way at night, there is an unmistakable allure to having part of your bike actually on fire while you are riding it. Come to think of it, I'm going to see if I can fit a propane cylinder in a water bottle cage and rig up a pair of gas lanterns (front and rear, for safety) as soon as I finish this post- what could possibly go wrong? That massive sprung seat frame looks like it would require a square yard of animal hide to restore.

One of my dreams is to someday own, or at least ride a locally-manufactured Columbia or Hartford brand bike, especially a shaft-driven Columbia Chainless. Scott had a vintage chainless bike in the house, but it wasn't a Columbia (it might have been a Pierce, but don't quote me on that). It's more than very likely that bicycle-building factory workers once lived in my circa-1900 home, so some sort of historical society should help me obtain one. I'll agree to wear period clothing while riding it if that helps my case.


This early 1950's vintage Phillips was not made in Hartford, but I wish it lived here with me. I love me some British roadster, especially in green. Gorgeous!

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CCBA, Ice Fishin By Bike, Etc.

Just an FYI to the beat reading world and then some bike stuff. I resigned from the board of the CCBA today, but will continue to be a member, do Ice Bike to Work, pitch ideas when they pop up, etc.

Nothing at all to do with CCBA or its workings, I just don't have the time to dedicate to the group to feel like I am doing a really good job and giving it all I have. Too many other things pulling at my attention right now and it is time to step away from Board activity for a while.

Anyway, I have been messing with my fleet and have myself down to three full bikes now (and of course a bunch of parts and a couple half bikes....). It has actually been a pretty fun process thinning the heard and I am happy with the two I have.

In the process I have rigged one out for ice fishing and will ride test the rig this weekend and actually fish off it next weekend one day so long as the weather holds. I will put up some pics of the inaugural voyage for sure! Read more!

The stupid things I do

Last year, I had big plans for the D2R2. Sadly, my big plans were met with failure. I was really hoping to be successful, because then I'd never have to do the 18(6? 7?)0k ride again. I could do the fun 100k ride, because I'd have the long ride under my belt. But, I've got nothing under my belt except weakness, so I've signed up for the long ride again. Ugh!


Conversely, these things can be filed under the awesome things I do category:

Soba with kickass spinach and fried tempeh.

Curry noodles with dumplings and bok choi.

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Signs of Spring

At the risk of being premature, and with snow in the forecast for tonight (hopefully enough for XC skiing), I saw some of the first signs of springs while taking an evening walk down the street. For starters, there was light at 5pm, from the sky, AND, making use of that light was the first non-enthusiast, non-lycra-clad, non-bike-junkie looking bicycle rider I've seen in quite some time. Bravo!
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The raggies

I wanted to read about President Obama's budget this morning in the Hartford Courant, but it was on pages A3 & A9. I hate turning pages, so I skipped that. What was on the front page? Even more important news: The Rip Torn saga brewing in Salisbury! As a cyclist, lover of Salisbury and its mountains and daily reader of Bike Snob NYC, there's a strange kismet to all this.

1. I like to ride my bike and hike up Salisbury's hills.
2. Rip Torn likes to hang out around Salisbury and perpetrate bizarre drunken crimes.
3. Rip Torn is linked to cycling because BSNYC has taken to using the RT mug shot when approving of things.

So, I have concluded that Rip Torn is the world's most famous raggie.

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Ice floes

Ice floes are awesome. They really elicit that feeling of it being the end of your life and you're being cast out to sea (even if that's some kind of racist myth). Since it's been really, really cold, the Connecticut River is full of them right now. Salem and I regarded them with awe on a recent jaunt down along the river.


We also contended with the excitement of pushing our bikes along the ice! Not river ice, but close to it-- not the kind of thing that your mother would encourage you to do.

I wasn't tough enough to go on the beard icicle ride the next day. Read more!

Bikes Outside: Bikes on Ice

This Monday we have a couple of the bikes that stopped off at Jo Jo's for this past Friday morning's Ice Bike to Work breakfast. A total of six people showed up according to the sign-in sheet. Friday morning was bitter and windy, well below the day's predicted high of 22 degrees Fahrenheit, which probably affected turnout. I arrived on the late side, so there were only two other bikes present.


Dave's nice Rockhopper is very well equipped for just about anything. I'm pretty sure most of the cars I have owned have had fewer electronics on board. Legend has it that Specialized switched to oversized tubing in recent years just so they could write their name larger.


I remember digging that left hand bar-end mirror tree on Kevin's Trek at another CCBA event and wondering how far I could go with that concept, clamping more and more bar ends and mirrors to one another until my bike either had aluminum antlers or became the human-powered version of a 60's Mod scooter. It may be for the best that I not admit how much thought I've devoted to the idea of building such a bicycle. Of course the mod bicycle would need a Rocker-style counterpart, which I also may or may not have thought about between one and fifty times.

A minute into my Friday morning ride, I discovered that some water from last Mondays rain-soaked ride had apparently found its way into my cable housings and frozen there. My rear derailleur (interesting note: spell-check only accepts the French spelling) failed to shift at all and my rear brake would stay clamped against the rim after releasing the lever (arguably a safer failure than not working at all). Luckily, the front brake was 100% functional and the sluggish front derailleur could be coaxed into position with a quick toe-tap. I decided to experimentally spray some lock de-icer in the cable housings as a dessicant/cable lube to free things up. I've been riding my internally-geared Robin Hood since then, so I have to take another sub-freezing ride on the cargo bike to see if this actually worked (it functions perfectly well in the heated indoors, of course).

My late morning and afternoon left me feeling thoroughly spent, so I skipped Critical Mass this month. Did anybody go?


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Nil

Colder than this

If one is the loneliest number, what is zero? Well, at 8 o'clock this morning, it was the temperature as I started my six mile pedal on the road to meet my friend Cliff for some thin-snow-cover mountain biking around Case Mountain. We are both fans of low traction conditions that don't involve mud (with its subsequent bike maintenance and trail damage), so some offroad riding was a must, but Cliff had obligations commencing at 11am, meaning early was the order of the day. And of course, early meant cold.

But really, depending on your outlook, cold can be a good thing, or at the very least interesting. I've experienced beard condensation icicles before, but today was truly special. Unfortunately, a camera wasn't on hand early enough to capture the first coating which had individual hairs looking like strands of spaghetti squash; old man winter didn't have a think on me. Still, the nostril stalactites were my best effort yet and survived for your viewing displeasure.

Even my bike picked up its own frosty goodness

So for the "it's too cold to ride" contingent, yes, zero is cold, maybe too cold for most, but if we can manage a good time down so low, maybe you'll want to reconsider the merits of riding at twenty. Just be sure to dress warmly, and keep your feet dry. Thanks mom.

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Attention Motoring Public!

This is a stop sign. It means you are supposed to stop.


I share this because I have had two incidents on two consecutive mornings where a motorist's failure to heed this very simple directive has put me and others in harm's way.

Late yesterday morning, I was in West Hartford when a driver lost control of his Pathfinder, slid rapidly though a stop sign and found a very short path into the passenger side of the borrowed car I was driving. The resulting impact spun the car into the front of an oncoming dump truck for a second, more destructive, impact. The car is probably totaled, but all of the humans involved were remarkably unscathed. Amusingly, this was one instance where I wish I had been wearing a helmet, as it would have cushioned the side-glancing headbutt I gave the driver side window midway through this bout of Car Pong.

I was understandably a bit rattled after this, but I was perfectly comfortable (if a touch more vigilant) when I was back on my bike a few hours later for my afternoon and evening plans. Even yesterday evening's scary black ice was tolerable at a very slow, careful pace.

Almost exactly 24 hours later, I was biking north on Hudson Street downtown when a speeding green Jetta overshot the stop sign as I reached the corner of Linden and Hudson. We both slammed on our brakes. He managed to come to a stop in the crosswalk. I managed to lock up my front wheel on some loose gravel/salt mixture, wash out and lay myself and bike down on the left hand side. I was up in an instant, as nothing gets the adrenaline pumping like realizing, "Oh crap! I'm laying down on a busy street!" Again I was happily uninjured, and continued on my way with only a slightly cocked handlebar to show for the incident. The Jetta driver displayed a look that might have resembled one of concern or surprise before driving off without comment. Hey, thanks for that.

It was only seconds later that I watched a woman careen around the Pulaski Circle in her black Mercedes with a cell phone at her ear before turning off without signaling. I saw that one coming and was completely unsurprised. I marvel at how someone can drop a condo's worth of coin on an automobile and won't pony up a few bucks for a Bluetooth or some other headset. The headsets these days are durable enough to withstand any chronic cranial-rectal insertion conditions that some drivers appear to suffer. I don't think there is anything to be gained by turning into a militant car-hating bike zealot, but some days some drivers make that sort of moderation very difficult. I digress.


Stop signs are usually placed at a corner for a very good reason. In the case of the corner of Hudson and Linden (pictured above) there are two compelling reasons for there to be a stop sign. Not only is Linden a minor side street to the busier Hudson Street, but there is what traffic engineers term a big ol' honkin' blind spot there in the form of a brick building smack-dab on the south side of the corner (traffic engineers are a folksy lot). It's nigh-impossible to see who or what is coming from the left until you reach the stop sign. Whomever it is, it would really be bad for all involved if you were to hit them.

In closing, motoring public, look both where you are going and where you would like to go. Slow down. The few seconds you save by driving like an idiot can cost you and others a lot.
Thanks.

Ride safe.
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Thoughts on Voicing Opinions

Maybe it is just the circles in which I spin, but there has been a large outpouring of comments regarding the NPR show from Tuesday. As I said before the show went on the air, give cyclists a chance to interact with the public in a forum that doesn't involve having things thrown at them, and we will jump at the opportunity. For those that listened and those that commented, thank you for helping us feel we are a positive influence regarding the bicycle question.

Truly, I expected, or at least was bracing for, some more callers with negative reactions to bicycles on the road. As it happened, even the one phoned-in gripe about bikes running red lights was not unreasonably founded and seemed constructively worded to me. If anything, this gave us a chance to explain our perspective on the issue: Yes, running lights is breaking the law, and maybe cyclist should refrain, but if traffic laws are about public safety, a 180 pound bike and rider present a small fraction of the risk presented by even the smallest of cars at over a ton.

Now the word "positive" is something I was thinking about before the show, and have continued pondering in the days that followed. In readying myself for the expected but unrealized barrage, I decided the best option for myself and bicycling in general was to remain positive, upbeat, and constructive. In simpler terms, I vowed not to argue. Certainly, there are plenty of complaints to be made about car/bike interactions, and oh yes, these complaints are certainly made, but as I reflect on the callers and comments that expressed a desire to ride more than they currently do, it seems to me the last thing we need to present to people are the negative aspects of riding a bike. In fact, it may be the last thing we need to present to ourselves.

See, in riding a bike a lot, I interact with a lot of motorized road users. As I said on the show, the majority are fine, and some might even go so far as being helpful, but no doubt, I've raised my voice, bumped some fenders, and even once had the opportunity to tumble across someone's hood before yelling at them through their open window. I got mad. Did that accomplish anything? Probably not. Maybe it raised my blood pressure a little, which is thankfully quite low, because I ride a bike a lot. But more importantly, being angry, it seems to me, might make me angrier in everything I do, and therefore more often a jerk. While riding the other night, Brendan again mentioned his resolution to be less of a jerk. Shooting for that goal, we could make life better not just for those around us, but ourselves as well.

Is this the face of an angry cyclist?
(Thank you to Chion Wolf for the photo, which I mangled)
(but Brendan fixed, THANK YOU!)

In reflecting on the show, there is one basic question I should have suggested that Colin ask: "Why do you ride a bike?". Sure there are problems with riding a bike, but at the core of it, there is the answer to this fundamental question. The answer must be pretty good considering some of the risks we choose to face out there on the roads, and it is. Just like the bikes themselves, the answer isn't the same for every rider, but there is something at the core of this sport, actually riding a bike, and loving it, that keeps us coming back. The more the merrier.


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Radio is a sound salvation

We had a great time on Colin's show the other day, with lots of positive and thoughtful feedback since. Read this for instance, it's real good.

Remember, Ice Bike to Work and Critical Mass are both today. Dress warmly and remember that free coffee warms you up 27% better than the kind you buy. Read more!

On the radio & mountain biking nostalgia

First, if you can't get enough of us on our poorly written blog, several beat bloggers and our friends are going to be on the Colin McEnroe Show from 1-2pm. Listen to the story about the time Salem had to boot a tire with his own skin! Marvel at how Chris turned cottered cranks into a Play Station 2! Cower in fear as Ben recounts a nine hour CCBA board meeting! Drift into a deep sleep as Brendan describes mountain biking at the reservoir for the 600th time! ...other people are going to be on the show who may actually be interesting.

UPDATE! In case you thought I was making stuff up, Ghostship Matt corroborates over on his blog. TJ'll be on, too.


Regarding the other side of the ampersand, I was over at my parents' house yesterday with a bike. Leaving from their house, you can make a nice loop of Avon with several miles of rolling singletrack. These are the trails of my youth (I never figured out why bikerag thinks Winding Trails is so terrible, if you know where the singletrack is, it's not that bad. People seem to rate trails by how much stuff there is to huck. My philosophy is not as such.), though there have been some pleasant additions. Sometimes, I would climb over Avon Mountain with my bike on my shoulder to ride at the Reservoir, but that was a lot of work.

I added something to the loop yesterday that I usually don't: Huckleberry Hill, which is on the other side of town. It's probably Avon's most technical riding by a significant margin, because it has rocks and hills. Huckleberry Hill is almost the site of my first bike race ever. In sixth grade I entered the Sam Collins Day Mountain Bike Race. It was a really big deal to me and I got all nostalgic about it yesterday.

In true Brendan-style, I had excellent start astride my Nishiki Pueblo until I hit the climb up Huckleberry Hill Rd. It's a legitimately steep climb, I think it averages about 10% for a third of a mile or so. But, I was destroyed from my sprint start and dropped to the granny gear and lost almost all my positions by the time I got to the top. We entered the woods at Huckleberry Hill School. About twenty feet into the woods, I went around a corner, hit a log, went over the bars, landed on my head and blacked out. I only blacked out for a few second and a very nice fellow stopped to help me. I got back on my bike, caught back up to a few people and finished in second to last place with a flat tire. It was like the coolest day ever. I even got a water bottle as schwag. I subsequently lost the water bottle the last time I rode at Nepaug (like five years ago, I don't ride there much).

Yesterday's ride was not nearly as exciting, though I had a relatively funny crash when my front wheel washed out.


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Bikes Outside: North by North Wet

This morning had me riding to an appointment in Windsor center. There was a negligible drizzle when I left home at 8 AM and it was warm enough to ride comfortably in a T-shirt. The rain increased to something just shy of biblical for the return trip a couple of hours later. My aging Gore Tex jacket was completely soaked through within ten minutes, but my garish "Safety orange" CL&P-issued rain bibs held up nicely. A few of the flooded areas were deep enough that my pedals were dunking into the murky, oil-slicked drink on the downstrokes. Despite my rainy glasses-induced blindness and possible violations of maritime no-wake rules, I was happy to see a few other bikes out and about.

Today, Bikes Outside spotlights a pair of mountain bikes chained up across from the Keney Memorial Clock Tower on Main Street late this morning. This extra small Specialized and its anonymous beater mountain bike companion were chained to a tree awaiting their owners' damp slog homeward. They look to be in pretty good repair and my guess is that this was a short-term parking spot. Big ups to my foul-weather friends, wherever you are. Here's wishing you a nice cup of hot chocolate when you get home.



Speaking of wet-weather riding, today was the first time I used my new Kool Stop brake pads in the rain. With a light-to moderate load on board, the cargo bike stopped very well and only squealed a bit during hard braking when the rims were submerged. I am pleased.
I also pinstriped my fenders with reflective vinyl to look like roads to increase night visibility and because I am a dork. If you are one of the three BBB readers who remember my old art car, this will make somewhat more sense.
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Happy as a Duck in Water

While riding today in the Marlborough/Colchester/Hebron neck of the woods, I saw three ducks wading and nibbling in a two foot wide drainage ditch on the side of the road. I don't dare claim to be an expert on avian emotions, but they appeared perfectly content, as was I. Truly, sometimes it is the simple things. Read more!

A Zumwhat Zilly Zing

On my ride of a few days past with Dario and Brendan, I though, while riding on the sidewalk of all things, to ask if either of them was familiar with "Sidewalk Points." They were not, and it has since come to my attention that in fact, vast portions of the cycling population have not been educated regarding this concept. So, to the best of my ability, I will impart some knowledge on this subject.

First the basics: if, while riding down the street, preferably with others, and most definitely preferably while having fun, you then switch to riding on the sidewalk, you will be earning Sidewalk Points until such time as you are no longer riding on the aforementioned sidewalk. This works best if you vocally announce, "Sidewalk Points!" to your riding companions. It may in fact be possible to earn bonus points should you dismount the sidewalk by riding off the curb rather than a ramped profile, but the rules and experts are not clear on this. Style may count.

Simple enough, right? Well as it happens, Dario and very much Brendan had addition questions, so in case you, dear reader, find yourself also in a similar state of query, here are some answers. Apply them to your questions as you see fit.
-No, Sidewalk Points cannot be redeemed for valuable or other merchandise. Really, why would you want to?
-Of course Sidewalk Points are valuable; they are Sidewalk Points after all.
-If you have to ask about their value, you are really missing the point, and likely weren't paying enough attention while earning your Sidewalk Points. Go back, try earning some more, and see if it comes to you.
-Six and three twelfths.
-Yes, it certainly is possible that a ride without Sidewalk Points is like a day without kumquats.

One last note and important disclaimer: No sidewalk points are earned in any situation that causes fear, distress, or urination for any other sidewalk users. That just wouldn't be cool.

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Ride the Park River

The Park River comes up a lot when people talk about Hartford. Some people want it to be unearthed and visibly go through Bushnell Park again. Some people like to paddle in it under the City. I think there's some kind of plan to make it in a greenway, in fact I think it's underway. There's a bike path south of Flatbush.

If you've ever been down Brookfield St or the Flatbush Ave entrance/exit ramp, you know that the concrete channel is pretty bad ass. And, it's a pretty bad ass place to ride a bike, at expedition speed or any speed. Best accessed by from Olive Street.


It's strange that there's such an effort from keeping the neighborhood away from the river.

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Crank Cull

Today, I present to you one of my least favorite bike components ever: The welded-together triple crankset.


I hate these for a couple of reasons: For one thing, they are heavy. For another, welding three chainrings permanently together prevents you from changing any individual chainring due to wear or personal preference. When one sprocket wears out, the whole assembly is effectively junk. The resulting junk is not easily recyclable in that it is mixed metal assembly, a hunk of steel-contaminated aluminum that is unwelcome at the scrap metal yard. I hate waste, and it bothers me that things are made to be so disposable, so I thought I'd see what I could do to repurpose and reuse one.

The subject of this experiment is a mid-90's Shimano Altus 38-32-24 from a Trek hybrid. It shows wear, but the 38-tooth sprocket still has some service life left. If only it could be freed from the albatrosses of its conjoined brethren, it would be a good fit for my current winter beater bike project.

I started by clamping the crank to a table. The fact that the pedal was still attached actually made it easier to secure it, so I'll pretend that I planned that. Next, I took a cutoff wheel to the 24-tooth sprocket, slicing it away close to its center.

I then tried to drill out the spot welds that held the 32-tooth sprocket to the biggest one, but didn't like how that was going. After accidentally drilling completely through the 38-tooth ring, I went back to the table and cut and ground it away with the cutoff wheel.

I ended up making five cuts and then breaking each fifth off with a big pair of pliers. An angle grinder would have been nice for the latter stages, but I didn't have one handy at the time. I made do with the cutoff wheel and cleaned up the sharp edges with a hand file.


I cleaned and sanded the remaining 38-tooth chainwheel, masked off the aluminum crank and primed and painted the freshly -exposed steel. I painted it blue because there was some blue Krylon handy. Whatever the color, a protective layer of paint was a must, given the corrosive salt bath it will endure on a cheap winter beater.


If I owned a drill press and had nice drill bits, I might have been tempted to drill a bunch of holes in it for some retro component-lightening flair, but I there is only so much time I'm willing to spend on this particular component. It's noticeably lighter as it is. This took about an hour from start to finish. I trial fit it to the bike, and it looks pretty good. Other than needing to swap the bottom bracket spindle for a narrower one (for a better chainline), I'm happy with the outcome of this experiment. The end result is that this part will be used again, which was the goal.


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