Bikes Outside: Handrails to Trails

This morning finds the roving Bikes Outside eye between the State Armory and the Legislative office building. While these structures are best known for their vital proximity to and support of the Capitol Ave. Dunkin Donuts, they have other important functions. The armory is a beautiful stone structure, and the LOB helps keeps legislators off the street.

The adjacent compounds also form the all-important gateway to the path to the southeast corner of Bushnell Park. It was on my way to this always handy, often sandy bit of the East Coast Greenway that I spotted this clean Trek hybrid tethered to a railing. I say tethered rather than locked because this is one of the more halfhearted locking jobs I have seen. Bike theft is a drag on many levels, and I cringe when I see such an easy target.

This style of handrail is probably the best of the non-bike-rack-bike-racks out there. A longish one like this can accommodate many bikes and any sort of lock, from a heavy-duty chain to a compact U-lock to a glorified bungee cord of the sort we see here. Actual bike racks would be even better, of course but barring that, a decent railing at your destination is a nice find. If the powers that be won't see fit to dot the cityscape with bike racks, someone can lobby for a bunch of small, short handrails to be installed on every sidewalk for pedestrian safety. I'm sure the lawmakers will get right on that.


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Over Hill, Over Dale

Honestly, anytime I venture into Farmington, I am surprised by its existence. That's how far from my daily consciousness the place is. A colleague once spoke of how the trails enabled her father to have an easy commute to work-- a factoid I quickly forgot as this little world had no relevance to my own. Then, after a different coworker raved about the trails -- she is over 60, had not ridden in a long time, and decided to hop on the trails one day, during which she easily, effortlessly rode about 20 miles -- I felt more inspired to see what exists on the other side of Death Avon Mountain.

She directed me to take Route 44, then Route 10, and park in a lot that would be visible fairly quickly. I found the Farmington Valley Trails Council site and stared at the intricate maps for awhile before having a duh moment. She meant going from her house on Route 44, not from Hartford. Finding the parking lot was probably the simplest navigation-related part of this adventure, and before I start hearing all kinds of judgment, Interstatement challenged me to bike to the trail from home before the end of summer. At the lot in Avon, we tried to plan our route by using the posted maps to guide us. In the future, we will print out maps to take along. Some sections of the trail were well-marked; others, not so much. I found myself yearning for the faded ECG emblems painted on the sidewalk in Hartford, if that tells you anything. The most confusing section we encountered was in an area undergoing construction. We kept looking for where the trail continued, only to learn later that we were riding a segment that uses the road. This stretch was not terribly long, but when you have no clue where the trail may or may not pick up, such things seem like an eternity. Just as I was ready for a fullblown meltdown (feeling lost, riding in direct sunlight, and having to pee), we arrived at Stratton Brook State Park. There, we found shade, the path, and a restroom with running water, hallelujah. This park has a beach, places to kill/torture fish, and a few cool bridges. Our original plan was to ride in a loop, going through Collinsville and so forth. So, we continued out of the park, expecting to find clear trails once more. This did not happen. We rode down a very rural road past about ten firetrucks, casually parked there, as if it were their natural setting. Just as I thought I could hear Dueling Banjos in the distance, we came to another small park with picnic tables and a sports field. There was a cool playground that was absolutely deserted.
I find it utterly depressed that kids would rather go to the newfangled plastic-everything-no-sharp-edges-playgrounds than to a little one (next to an equally deserted pond) where there is a metal backhoe with which to dig in the sand. It used to be that getting a bruised knee or removing a splinter was a routine event. Now, if a kid so much as has access to a metal slide, people panic. Being raised in a culture of fear makes it understandable why children are prone to obesity and videogame addiction; they simply are not allowed to have real fun.
We biked a little past the playground to see if there were any signs indicating where we were or if this was the trail. As the road turned into gravel, with no sign of ending, we said to hell with it and turned around. On the way back, we caught more of the bike trail that ran through Stratton Brook. Originally, we had missed the loop turn and had taken the trail North. It looks like it goes to or beyond the stateline, but we did not make it quite that far. This section runs along/through another park and has nice views of the Farmington River. I noted the picnic table which could come in handy on another day.

I was taken aback by how many cyclists were using this trail, as well as how many riders get their kicks apparently training for some race or another. If I want to sweat, I'll just ride downtown during Friday evening rush hour.

We obviously aborted our original plan, but shall return, at least to see if we can navigate the other half of the loop we did not quite get to attempt. Read more!

Legalize(d) It!

Brendan informed us a month ago that biking is now legal in city parks. Have you been exercising your rights?

There have been more bicycles about lately, but since this newly found freedom has not received major press, I doubt it's related to anything except the more enjoyable weather and more expensive gasoline.

Speaking of expensive gasoline, what is with the state capitol police who drive through the park? Aren't we in an economic abyss? If they do not feel like walking or biking laps around Bushnell Park, all they need to do is grab a pair of binoculars and sit on a park bench. It's a park -- get out of the cage and enjoy it!

Something sweet that I've noticed is that on weekends, I man rides with his grandson to the park. I've seen them a few times. The little boy--wearing a motorcycle-type-full-helmet-- rides on the sidewalk while the older man keeps pace next to him on the street. I would love to see more of this intergenerational cycling.
This was the first outing since I added a bell to my bicycle. Lacking the opportunity to use it with purpose, I have been daydreaming of going to Commercial Street in Provincetown, where I can ring it at throngs of pedestrians who make the jaywalkers around the Old State House seem predictable and well-mannered in their habits.






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May Bike to Work

Today was the monthly Bike to Work event, and from what I hear, the only one scheduled for the year. Finding this hard to believe, I read over the Bike Walk Connecticut website, clicking here and there, hoping to find evidence to the contrary. In the extensive spreadsheet of upcoming bike rides, I saw events listed throughout New England and New York, but no more monthly rides from wherever-to-downtown-Hartford for breakfast. What a shame! Could it really be that the first Bike to Work I managed to participate in will be my last for the year? I hope that Bike Walk Connecticut simply forgot to update their website on this matter. As lovely as all the legislation they are working on is, they must remember that the way to get asses on the bike seats, is, well, by getting asses on the bike seats.


Old banner?
I took some black and white photos, not to be artsy, but to remove the amount of neon yellow from the scene. Personally, I find motorists to be more attentive to my needs as a cyclist when I ride without my shirt. They respect the three-foot-law and slow down. Win win.


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Riding Massachusettsly

People who live in central and western Mass seem to be good at riding bikes. To figure out why I'm going up there this weekend. Well, no, that's not really true. I'm actually going up there, because Johanna's brother is having a wedding in Lenox. Maybe I'll have interesting stories upon my return, maybe I won't.

But, you can take some time from the edge your seat to stop by Catalogue over at 56 Arbor Street. This month it's Dawn Holder, she's awesome (and rides a bike to boot (maybe even rides a bike in boots)). It'll be at 8pm and here's a descriptive email about it:

Greetings and happy spring. May is the greatest.

This is an email announcement & invitation to our May CATALOGUE, featuring Dawn Holder:

Nocturne

Saturday, May 22

8 o'clock

56 Arbor Street

Suite # forthcoming

Hartford, CT 06106

Dawn is curious. She is an explorer, however an introverted one, navigating psychology rather than terrain. Her work is scary, and also fluffy. Porcelain explains it all. So does sugar. These are common tools.

Dawn is an adjunct faculty member and ceramics technician at the Hartford Art School. For CATALOGUE, she will venture into an odd, natural world, using oddly natural materials, creating environments with phosphorescence. We will walk in and look.

CATALOGUE is a monthly event that showcases artists, musicians and other creative endeavors, and is hosted by Joe Saphire, Nick Rice, and Joel VanderKamp. The event is a collaboration between artist, curator, community and space. CATALOGUEs for March, Brendan Mahoney, as well as other previous shows, will be available on Saturday the 22nd.

Contact us for directions or questions: CATA.info.LOGUE@gmail.com, and please pass this invitation along to those we might have missed.

Joe Saphire

Nick Rice

Joel VanderKamp

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Riding Silently

I don't really like themed rides. Actually, I'm pretty sure I don't like Critical Mass.

None the less, I was asked to lead Hartford's Ride of Silence again this year. Since I got hit by a car, I think it's important to memorialize others who weren't as lucky as me.

Come out and be quiet. Wednesday, 7pm, Elizabeth Park Pond House. Email me if you've got any questions: oiseaux at gmail dot com.

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Bikes Outside: YES! (Postcard from Portland)

I have been back in Hartford for less than one day as I type this, having spent the past three weeks taking classes at United Bicycle Institute in Portland, Oregon. When teaching new languages, there are many who feel that full immersion is the best and quickest way to achieve fluency. I think full immersion would be an accurate term to describe my sojourn in Portland. My days were spent studying, disassembling, reassembling, riding, modifying and intently geeking out about bicycles to a hitherto unknown level in my life. It was pretty freaking cool. While I am far from fluent in the language of bicycles and bike repair, the past few weeks have made me a bit more conversant, or at the very least less effluent.

Pictured at the top is the sheltered bike parking area used by the students at UBI and the employees of Queen Bee, located one door down. Also, we have a random pile of kids' bikes, a ridiculously heavy-duty cargo-hauling reverse trike, and a forlorn red Radio Flyer that had its handlebar swiped. How shady do you have to be to steal components off a kid's tricycle?

I found bike racks to be in abundant, if not downright decadent supply in Portland. The sheltered ones were somewhat less common, but were much-appreciated during the first two rainy weeks of my stay. Many businesses had signs inviting customers to park their bikes inside. One bike shop had a remote switch behind the counter that held the front door open as you wheeled your bike through. I may have cried a little at that one.

I saw a lot of older bikes locked up and in use during my stay, with a surprisingly large amount of Chicago Schwinns and French-made road bikes among them (the second bike from the front of the pictured rack is a 1970's Motobecane mixte, for instance) This post would be crammed full of many more street-seen bike pics if my camera had not bitten the dust a few days into the trip. I took a few more with a single-use film camera from the supermarket, but it will likely be a while before those get developed and scanned, so you shall be spared. Thanks to Schleppi for picking up the Bikes Outside slack for me. I have procured a substitute camera for interim use, so your man-in-the-street will be scoping out some local iron once more. It's good to be home.


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Post-lawsuit Reservoir

I went on the CTNEMBA RAW @ MDC WH Res, or the Connecticut Chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association's Ride After Work at the Metropolitan District Commission's West Hartford Reservoir. Living in the post-lawsuit mountain biking landscape, I was worried that I'd get there and have my bicycle confiscated. So, I rode my mean looking 29er. I met up with Don (from whom I bought my Kona, coincidentally) and Gary. Well, actually, they'd already left, so I rode to hopefully catch up. Not surprisingly, there were a lot of people riding in groups, so I kept asking each group I saw if they were the NEMBA group ride. Eventually, I caught them.

Nice slow pace and I was shown some cool new trails. Who knew that I'd keep finding new trails at the Reservoir. Also, lots of speculating about which gate was involved in the lawsuit.

Anyway, for the past few weeks there have been these strangely placed and confusing "trail closed" saw horses and they're still there. I don't know if they're related to the lawsuit, because they've been there since before the verdict was announced. Some are there because it looks like they're working on drainage stuff, but others don't make any sense.

After the ride, Johanna and I headed back into the woods for a five mile run. I slept well last night.

Not really any new updates on our beloved Reservoir. Hopefully status quo prevails. Read more!

USA Today

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-05-10-bike-counters_N.htm

through a friend of a friend i got interviewed for this story and then a photog came out and took some pics, ended up being a pretty good way to get hartford's bikers at least mentioned in a national paper!

the comments do illustrate that we have a LONG way to go on making the roads safe for all users. Read more!

Call to action!

If you live in the Hartford area, ride a mountain bike and read the paper, you've probably been following the story about the $2.9 million awarded to Maribeth Blonski of Rocky Hill. Ms. Blonski crashed her bike into a gate at the reservoir, broke four vertebrae in her neck and sued the MDC.

Mountain biking is an inherently dangerous activity. I've hurt myself mountain biking at the Reservoir, because sometimes I'm not very good at staying upright over rocks, but I wouldn't sue over that. Conversely, I feel that if someone is willfully negligent and creates an unsafe environment, a lawsuit is warranted. So, I'm sort of torn here, because a gate is a man-made (so, a created dangerous environment), but hitting a gate indicates a lack of control over one's bicycle. I'm going to stop there, but I don't know any more details in the case. I'm sorry Ms. Blonski got hurt.

However, as I freaked out yesterday, so did Rick Green. As someone who pays for MDC water, I want mountain biking kept legal at the Reservoir. I hope you do too. Please, contact the MDC and let them know your thoughts by email, stanguay@themdc.com, or by phone, 860 278 7850. Rick says there's a meeting of the personnel, pension and insurance committee tonight. These meetings are public, as far as I know, and are at 555 Main St. in Hartford.

CT-NEMBA chimes in, too.

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Threadless

I got my Stumpjumper back with its new headset and was excited to take it for a ride. I went up to Granville State Forest. I think the Hartland/Barkhamsted Dam/Mid-western Mass area is pretty and hilly. Trails aren't too trodden, but I was having a good time. They ran along side pretty, rocky streams. I like riding trails in remote and unpopular places, because it feels a lot more like hiking and nature-y. They may not have the most mountain bikesque lines, but that's ok.

So, I was about two miles in and having a good time, when all of the sudden my right foot feels weird. It was like I wasn't pedaling on something flat. In fact, it wasn't like I wasn't pedaling on something flat, I was not pedaling on something flat, because the pedal had eaten up the threading on the cranks. I don't know how I did it, but I did. Nothing felt cross threaded when I put the pedals on. My nice old Sugino cranks are ruined and it abruptly ended the ride.

And, shortly thereafter, a stick stabbed me in the face.

Note the odd angle of my foot.

What is this?

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Pasta, on the move!

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Errol Morris would be proud

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Borrow someone's GPS?

When you live somewhere for awhile, you figure out the cool ways to get around- on foot, bike, car, canoe, etc. This usually works because you figure cool places and then start devising way to link these things. I think this is why it's fun to ride a 'cross bike. You can leave from your house, ride 30-40 miles with pavement, singletrack, hiking, dirt roads, etc. and get to link it all together in the best way you can. That's the goal with The Eels and that's usually the goal when I go for a ride. I think it is also part of The Snails' mission statement.


However, the GPS-less like me have to resort to narratives and poorly made things in Google Maps if they want to describe these routes to anyone. I think it'd be really cool if I/we/someone could make a compendium of fun on and off road rides around here. USGS terrains maps can be helpful, but I don't have very good access to those. I've added a new link section of what might be helpful trail systems around here and if you can be creative by combining those with Google Maps.

I don't know what. What do you think?


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Bikes Outside: The Town Bicycle

If you don't lock it up, everyone's gonna take it for a ride.

This Schwinn was left, apparently unlocked, in the randomly asphalted rectangle (part of the Pave the Planet initiative?) on the corner of Capitol Avenue and Putnam Street. Nobody was loitering in the vicinity, so I did not have the opportunity to ask what was going on with the strange seat height-to-handlebar height ratio. I will assume that the handlebars are used to balance cargo, more than to steer the bicycle. Read more!

Dad Trek III: The Search For Spokes

As you may or may not recall (or care) two of the most worn-out parts on the old Trek were the wheels. This bike originally came equipped with 36 spoke wheels front and rear, laced to single-wall Araya rims in a cross-3 pattern. Nothing special. What they lacked in lightness and refinement they recouped by being seriously overbuilt. They stayed reasonably true and completely free of spoke breakage (despite advanced spoke rust) through many years of potholes, drops, curb hops, and off-road adventures. The last few winters took their toll, however, and the added grit and abrasives of road salt and dirt had ground the braking surfaces to critically thin condition-putting them at risk of sudden failure. The original hubs were the only parts with any life left in them, so I planned on lacing new spokes and rims to overhauled original hubs.

The choice of a pair of Sun CR18s as my new rims was an easy one. They have a great reputation, can be found online for short money and they are approved for touring and tandems. Mine were found at a discount for cosmetic reasons- slightly flawed anodizing on the braking surface is barely noticeable and will disappear as I ride the bike anyway. These rims should be more than sturdy enough for my planned trip and all subsequent flogging.

The original hubs are nothing special. It would make more sense and be more cost-effective to toss the wheels altogether and find a decent replacement set on sale, but that wouldn't be in keeping with my original goals to save as much of Dad's original bike as I could and learn new skills through this project. A "Joytech 95D" loose-ball bearing hub up front and a Shimano Acera cassette hub out back have gotten the job done for over 15 years now. I've been pretty good about cleaning and repacking the ball bearings over the years, so a new set of bearings should make them once again good-as-new.

I took the old wheels apart. While cutting is a popular method to quickly and conveniently liberate a hub for reuse, I loosened and disassembled the wheels spoke-by-spoke so as to reverse-glean some understanding as to how a laced wheel is held together. This gradual reduction of tension (versus the sudden release of cutting) also reduces stress on a hub if you are planning to reuse it. I set aside a couple of spokes in case they were needed for length-matching purposes (they weren't), and a few more because used spokes have a host of other uses. I noticed that the spokes were a tad long on the front wheel, ending slightly proud of the outermost part of the nipples. Between that and the slightly smaller inner diameter of the new rims, I reasoned that the new spokes should probably be 2 or 3 mm shorter than the originals.

I planned on buying the spokes locally, figuring it would be a good way to glean some tips and expertise from more wheel-savvy mechanics. DT Swiss and Wheelsmith seemed like the best-loved and most widely available quality spoke choices, but I figured I'd just use whatever they used at a knowledgeable shop. I wound up at Central Wheel, where Dave was cool and helpful and served as translator/go-between for the wheel guy, who for some odd reason wouldn't address me directly from 10 ft away (that was kind of weird, actually...). The wheel guy simply went ahead and entered the measurements of my old hubs and new rims plus the lacing pattern (cross two) into some fancy spoke calculating thingie. The results were 72 spokes labeled for their front and rear positions plus a bag of nickel-plated brass nipples. All these elements will come together to form some wheels in the near future. I'll keep you posted. Read more!

The hardest trail in the world!

Ok. It's certainly not the hardest trail in the world, because I don't think anything the reservoir is. In fact, a google search reveals that the Powerline Trail on Kauai in Hawaii is the hardest trail in the world. Although, looking at pictures and reading descriptions of it makes it sound like it's a fire road. That doesn't that difficult.

But anyway, I was riding my Redline last night at the reservoir. It was nice, I don't think I'd ridden my singlespeed since Christmas Eve. I also discovered where they hide all the man-made stunts- some of which are cool and some aren't very well constructed (a lot of rocks kept buckling under me), but that stuff isn't really my thing anyway.

This is the northern entrance to the really hard trail.

Anyway, as you can see in the map up top, I've mapped a little trail that runs on the west shore of Reservoir 2. It starts right by the entrance to the little trail that goes across the causeway. Someone took some time to construct this strange trail. It's benched nicely into the hill side and has stone stairs. It's also narrow and off-camber, with strange rock gardens and big logs. And, it looks deceptively rideable, not like a hiking trail. I had to hike half of it, though, so I suppose I just suck.

See? someone worked hard on this, but why?

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CCBA = Bike Walk CT

So the CCBA is now Bike Walk Connecticut, with a focus on advocating and educating. Checking out their webpage it is pretty clear that the organization is really intent on being a legislative voice primarily with an education component and a decreased emphasis on hosting monthly events, etc.

I am meeting with one of the organizations advisors for lunch on Friday and I have a few thoughts written down to discuss, but I want your input to add as well. Ponder the following and post up your thoughts, or send them to me at skullrider6@gmail.com if you want to keep them out of the blogosphere.

1. what is the best way to promote biking as a legit form of transportation? (ie events, legislative action, education, a mix)

2. are monthly bike to work or other gatherings critical in your mind to keep cyclists in the community's eye?

3. if you are not a member of bike walk ct, why not? what would it take to bring you in?

4. what kind of bike related things would you volunteer your time for?

5. what is the best way to educate potential riders? (ie target schools, target families, target the crazy people who ride against traffic with no predictable movement, no helmet and no awareness of anyone else on the road)

6. here is the big generic catch all, what do you want out of the organization that represents your interests in the state?

Positive, negative, neutral, i want it all. Help me put together some good thoughts and comments so we can make Connecticut safer and more generally conducive to getting around on two wheels!! Read more!

I've been getting a lot of use from my Mountainsmith backpack lately. The other evening, it made easy work of picking up a 700c wheel from Erik's man-cave of bike goodness (thanks again, Erik!) The weight wasn't really noticeable, but every time a streetlight cast my shadow ahead of me I could see that I was basically wearing a strapped-on continental kit.

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Head, set

I'm not that good at working on my bikes. My Stumpjumper needs a new a new headset, so I bought one awhile ago, a Cane Creek S-8. I have Cane Creek headsets on my 'cross bike and my Kona. I think they're great. So, to replace my relic of an aheadset, I brought it to the local bike shop. And sadly, they told me it wouldn't be ready for two weeks.

I guess I should buy a headset press.

I don't think I'll be writing much about riding my bike in the coming weeks; I've got hours and hours of budget hearings to sit at. Read more!

Happy Olmsted Day!

Today, April 26, is Fredrick Law Olmsted's birthday. He's responsible for making Hartford's parks awesome. At Keney Park today was the CT Olmsted Heritage Alliance's celebration & conference. The guy who wrote the Hartford parks book, John Alexopolos, spoke and then there was a bus tour of Keney. I went on a one man bicycle tour.



I hadn't been on any of the Keney trails since the bizarre call I got from an ATV owner complaining that the police were enforcing Hartford ordinances and confiscating his ATV. They're really ripping up the trails north and west and of the golf course. It's a shame, because they'd never really been that bad.


From there, I took the very long way back to City Hall.

my thumb shifting diamond back in all its glory.

And, in case you were wondering, I've always been a bad writer. I think I submitted that in sixth grade.

Finally, if you're ever cruising in the vicinity of the Portland Reservoir, make sure to check out the skills of the Wesleyan architecture students:

Weirdos. Read more!