East haven

Ken doesn't ever seem to want to write blog posts here anymore, but with our poor writing quality, it's no big surprise.

None the less, here's a moving piece just written.

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Keney carriage roads are being cleared out

Very cool. I wonder who's doing this. The park is the cleanest since I've lived here.

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Things I love besides my bike

You may have noticed that there are no people in that blog post from yesterday. Johanna emailed me and told me that it looks like I went on vacation with bikes, a fishing pole and nothing else. Well, that's not true. Johanna didn't appear in any pictures, because she gets mad when included in blog posts. But, to make her happy and prove that I love her, here's a secret picture. Hopefully, she doesn't see this.

This is atop Gore Mountain, if you're interested.

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My summer vacation

Per usual, I spent my summer vacation more or less in Vermont. In addition to riding around, I endeavored to take up fishing. Since, I also love canoes and bikes, which you may have heard, I tried to fish using those things. So, I bought a telescoping reel that I could pack into my bag. It worked great, except that when I rode my bike to other bodies of water, I never caught any fish.

I also did some good bike to hike, whereupon I hiked up this really cool, though short trail up Wheeler Mountain. I wasn't attacked by any falcons.

I tried to do some philosophizing, but Dario did way more, so I will spare you mine. I read a lot of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Saul Bellow, though.

I also like rope swings a lot. A good one developed last year across the lake form Johanna's place. At first, I canoed to it, but then I rode my bike to it.

 

Finally, the day before I left I won the Glover Mountain Bike Race. It was the most important race of my career. Now that I've won the Hartford Alley Cat and the Glover Mountain Bike Race, I think I can retire and concentrate on canoeing full time.

Below is Wheeler Mountain. I guess I should put this picture near the paragraph about.

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38 Special

The other day marked my completion of 38 trips around the sun. While not the birthday party type, I'm more than happy to use it as a guilt-free excuse to clear my to-do list for a day and indulge in a bit of meandering on the bike. I started with a hearty lunch of "Texas Caviar" (a seriously tasty black-eyed-pea salsa) from the Urban Gourmet at Bushnell Park. From there I made my way toward the Connecticut River and followed the Riverside Park Trails to the railroad tracks by the Windsor line. From there I followed the newly-paved Windsor multi-use path north to the Bissel Bridge and crossed the river to South Windsor.

Keeping the river on my right (albeit mostly out of sight) again, I pedaled south through East Hartford to Glastonbury, where I visited the bike shops, refilling my water and lingering in their air-conditioning. I meandered along Southward toward the ferry, taking in historic homes, farm fields and unmanned honor-system farm stands along the way. I picked up some peaches, tomatoes and hot peppers (honorably) for my short-and-medium-term eating pleasure. I arrived at the east bank of the river and bit into the first of several peaches as I waited for the ferry to land and offload.
 

Edibles with a stern warning taste better.

I love riding the ferry.  This 350+ year old institution will never get old for me. For something so close to Hartford, it has a quaint, Brigadoon-like remoteness about it that makes me happy each and every time I use it. I'm going to make a point of taking more ferry trips this season. To that end, I prepaid for a special order part at Bicycles East, ensuring an easy excuse for a return trip this week. Note: the operating hours (10:30-5:00 every day) on the CT DOT site don't match the longer hours (M-F 7-7, S/S 10:30-5:00) posted at the ferry.







Back on the west bank, I hopped on the abandoned rail line near the Rocky Hill ferry landing and rode north into Wethersfield. There was more natural and man-made debris in the way than I recalled from the last day I spent along this stretch of track, but it wasn't that bad. With late-afternoon temps still holding in the 90's, the added effort of riding the traprock and rotted, uneven ties of the tracks made quick work of draining my on-board water reserves. I left the tracks in Old Wethersfield, where an impromptu visit with nearby friends provided snacks, water bottle refills and good conversation in front of a blessed electric fan. As dusk fell, I pedaled off refreshed, making my relaxed way through Wethersfield and the South End to home and a refreshing shower. It was a very fine day.

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NPR and Velosophy

I had the opportunity to be an in studio guest on the Colin McEnroe show this week to chat about bikes, bike culture, and infrastructure.  Dario took a listen, and may have had some wine.  Results below.

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I listened to the replay of Colin McEnroe's show on NPR this evening. Nice job. You should consider doing a brief write-up about the show and posting it on the beat bike blog with a link. Allow me some random thoughts, maybe a little rant, but hopefully the beginning of a good discussion, besides our usual conversation concerning esoteric bike parts. Please excuse the length of this message.

A couple of things dawned on me as I listened to the show, one was inspired by a comment by someone (was it you or Tom Vanderbilt?) that we in the US talk about bike culture, whereas in some other countries there is little or no discussion about it. They sort of just do it. We talk about "bike culture(s)" because we really don't have one, I believe was the speaker's point. He overstated it in my opinion. There is a bike culture or bike cultures and in some places it's pretty healthy (Portland Oregon) and in others far less so (Hartford?). In Italy, I've seen bikes piled up one against another in provincial railway stations that belong to commuters who park their bikes and get on the train. The scene is even more impressive in northern Europe where the climate works against cycling commuters. Italians are also debating creating better infrastructure in their cities. Interestingly, the name of a major advocacy group there is "Salvaciclisti" (Save the cyclists!). The Dutch and the Danes have a long tradition, but theirs is also the result of conscious debate and awareness of "cycling" culture. So, I think that those cycling countries have rich cultures, but not to be taken for granted because they continue to advocate for legislation. The Danes, of course, are well ahead of us.

My point, actually a question, about the show's discussion is: Why does everything have to be a theological debate? Spandex vs. no spandex, racing vs. "just riding". We talk about cycling as if we were 17th C English Puritans dropped into the 21st C. Cycling is far richer and more nuanced than the hackneyed dualities trotted out during the show, even if it is modern radio and everyone has only ten seconds to respond. The problem on a practical level is certainly two-fold: educating drivers and cyclists to be more considerate (look who's talking, right?) of one another, and creating the appropriate infrastructure (bike lanes, etc…). Yet, I see the problem as being bigger than just educating drivers and cyclists to being more courteous and bigger than improving our cycling infrastructure.

Let me try my hand at "velosophy" (cycling philosophy) a word coined by Grant Peterson, although on the show he didn't express a crumb of it and he sounded very confused. The reason why he can write a book (and I'm sure it is a provocative book), titled "Just Ride" is the same reason why Michael Pollan can write a run away bestseller about food titled "In Defense of Food". Just go for a ride. Just eat real food. Their positions are tautological however because they don't explain the underlying problems in my view. (I haven't read Peterson's book, but I have read and re-read many of his "essays" on the rivbike.com website and I agree with a lot of what he says. Also I use Pollan's book in an undergraduate course about food culture.) What both books seem to be addressing is the lack of "good sense" and that we have to get it back (presuming we ever had it). My philosophical point?: We are detached (alienated) from food and nature. And we are detached from natural movement. Cycling requires that we interact in time and space differently from the way we do in an automobile, a train, a plane, which literally (and not just metaphorically) obliterate time and space. So does the bicycle vis-a-vis walking or running perhaps, that is "obliterates time and space", but we get the best of both worlds with the bicycle, expeditiousness and economy of movement with the psycho-physical engagement with the environment. The bicycle is a sophisticated technology, too, but one that potentially enhances our engagement with nature, not lessens it. In the U.S. I believe that we are generally alienated from movement. An example is the simple activity of walking. Walking or moving our bodies is called exercise, not simply walking (to work, to the store, to school). People go for walks to lose weight, to stay in shape, as if it were an unnatural activity, something one makes a point of doing; not something one does as necessary to existence. I bet you can buy a book about walking technique, too. And it will certainly state the obvious, "lean forward and put one foot in front of the other." We are (and I'll overstate the point) alienated from our bodies in no small part and inevitably because of technology. 

I'm definitely low tech, but certainly not a Luddite. The particular brand of American capitalism has determined that certain technologies prevail over others, cars over bicycles, Facebook vs. face time, elliptical trainers vs. walking up hills to get to the store or to work. So the problem is not so much as between choosing low tech (riding a beater bicycle) over high tech (an oversized SUV with all the bells and whistles); rather, that our culture of consumerism and conformism compel many to purchase and to mis-use technological goods that are not in the collective's best interests, creating consequently other problems, like pollution and waste. Most people could get around on foot or by bike just fine, and keep the car for other longer trips. Right? However, the political, cultural, and technological framework we inhabit is such that it is actually advocating against cycling or walking for that matter. It's not even that our society is indifferent to cycling. It's against it. Colin McEnroe opined on the show that mini-van drivers are the worst because they have no sense of the size of their vehicles. Nonsense! The mini-van driver has bought a house on wheels and wants to moving his or heer fucking house on wheels wherever he/she pleases. When you've decided to buy a house on wheels you don't care about the "other", be it a smaller car, cyclist, or pedestrian. Obviously, ditto for SUV drivers. Houses were not meant to be on wheels. (Except for trailer homes, but you get my point.)

I understand quite well that it is a lot simpler to argue for bike lanes and for cyclists to not blow through red lights (especially when you're allowed only sound bytes) than it is to change our consumer and conformist bad habits. But I think that if we understand better the deeper roots of the fracture in our own society we can have a clearer discussion about the remedy. Cycling, food, the environment, and especially social relations (how we talk to and behave with one another) are all intertwined, of course. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that these conversations happen in such a vacuum. I'm probably not saying anything you don't know, but I was sort of disappointed that a deeper discussion about "culture" didn't develop.

One question I had for you (and I would for other guests) is: Were you "king for a day" what three things (legislation, etc…) would you change or implement to enhance cycling safety?

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I'll answer Dario's questions soon, but want to give the internets first dibs.

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Gay Pride Parade

While enjoying an otherwise beautiful family weekend in northern Michigan one of my uncles repeatedly heckled me about the gay pride parade going on that weekend.  The day after the Au Sable River marathon canoe race there is the Black Bear bike century.  Not a whole lot going on up there other than beatiful country, so I'd think locals would be happy for the annual economic boost and camaraderie from the pair of events.

At first I didn't catch on to my clever uncle's ruse.  First thought was, "Wow!  A gay friendly culture in Northern Michigan?"  But after pressing his point and commenting on spandex, I realized that I was supposed to feel insulted.   This particular family member has gigged me ever since I came up to a family weekend sporting nail polish.

After his 2nd or 3rd mention of the parade, and my unsuccessful attempt to turn the confusing attack into a chat about bike tours and gas prices, I pointed out that four others in the room were cyclists.  That number included my father, Bill Cherolis, standing just behind the persistent uncle.  My dad rides a recumbent, has a beard (reqd for bent riders), and gloriously bonked at mile 120 of the Ride Across Indiana a couple years ago.

Now that the attack was defused, I'm blogging on it to exercise the underlying issue - the fear and hatred of the Other.  Be that other a bicycle rider, a homosexual, or in my uncle's wildest dreams - both.  I know my own tendencies to group with and feel comfortable with people that look like me and share my worldview.  That said, comfort with similar doesn't have to result in fear and hatred of those that are different.  I would hope that reasonable discussions and our shared humanity would encourage a more universal approach to difference.  Perhaps I was too uncomfortable to start a discussion directly, but maybe this post will spur others.  Noticed that Bezos put some big money down on a conversation about difference.  Curiously a newspaper article on Bezos was up front in the Sunday edition of the Detroit Free Press.

Anybody up for a gay pride parade this weekend?  Thinking of a long ride to New Haven or other points South.  My bike is all dressed up and ready!

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Why do engineers ride bikes?

The weather was looking iffy on Thursday morning, but the sky held itself together for our sake.  Had about 50 cyclists check in, and the Mayor of East Hartford showed up to say some words.   Not sure if she's ever biked to work or walked for that matter, but she thinks it's a good idea for others to do so.

Some engineers are so cheap they only use one wheel.

When I gathered up the sign in sheets it surprised me that almost everyone was a P&W employee.  Figured most would be, but tried hard to get others involved.  Goodwin College, American Eagle Credit Union, the East Hartford YMCA, and the City of East Hartford were all co-sponsors.  Figured the event, located on a major north-south arterial would draw others into the fold.  No such luck.  We were on Goodwin property, but I don't think I saw anyone that rode into Goodwin that day.

What makes engineers more likely on average to be bike commuters?  Mostly male workforce.  Cheap.  Already social outcasts.  Relatively casual dress code.  Often mechanically inclined. Your suggestions?

On another note - I got a call from one of the young teens that rode with us on the Real Ride pre-ride.  I'd given him my number (bad idea?) and told them I'd help out if they wanted to put some brakes on their bikes.  They stopped by on a couple of pixie bikes.  My dad and I did some minor maintenance.  The kids were also paying close attention as I walked them through tightening up hub bearings and installing coaster brake straps.  Sending them away with slightly safer bikes, reflective stickers, and blinky lights, it felt like we'd done some good.

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Bike to Work Breakfasts on Thurs and Fri

Heads up.  Free food for bike commuters.  Thursday in East Hartford, and Friday in downtown Hartford.  See you there.

Free water bottles and blinky lights at the East Hartford event.  Raffle tickets for premiums from Bicycles East.  Lots of food, juice, and coffee.

More info.

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It's bigger than us.

Colleen was run over by a box truck last year.  She died.  Twice.  But somehow with modern medicine and lots of donated blood she survived.  Join her in person our in spirit tomorrow as she puts up a ghost bike.   I'm getting up early and riding the 40 miles from Hartford, a minor trip considering Colleen's experience.

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Tomorrow morning at 9am at the School House Deli in Madison on Boston Post a Ghost bike will be placed where I was run over. Join me and other cyclists, the Madison Ambulance, and supporters of safe roadways as the bike is put in place. Also, please consider bringing a LIVE potted plant to put beside the bike to symbolize LIFE. Although my life was taken twice, I am here and living. We will gather with hands held, prayers lifted up, seeking to work towards change. I will be wearing my triathlon swim bikini top, and Tri swim shorts, with my helmet, gloves, and cycling shoes, scars exposed, working to help save another's life. If I wasn't an athlete, I could not be welcoming you to help me create change. Also, bring YOUR bike-Depending on weather, we will take a GROUP SAFE ride afterwards and grab some brunch. Pain and fear can be crippling, but it can also be the greatest moving force on the planet.. As Jody Williams says, Anger without Action is irrelevant. Well, Im pissed, and Im acting. By the Grace of God, Go I.
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http://countytimes.com/articles/2012/01/31/news/doc4f281437dd01a682959639.txt

Ken K will be bringing the bike down.  We also placed a memorial in East Windsor for a cyclist struck and killed July 1st.

http://www.kenkrayeske.com/2012/07/11/on-placing-a-ghost-bike-for-jay-albert-rip/

Stay safe kiddos.  And make a difference.

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We like nearby music.

Today!  July 14th.

http://www.charteroakcenter.org/index.php/2012/07/indie-fest/

Come out to the Charter Oak Cultural Center and catch amazing bands well known throughout the region for leading Indie movers and shakers. Music from The Radical Dads, a Brooklyn New Yor ‘college rock’ trio will headline the fesitval in Charter Oak’s beautiful garden; followed Farewood, and the Suicide Dolls. In addition, local bands will be playing during the day.

Indulge in Music, Food, and a really, really free market. FREE.

Featured Bands: 7 PM -12 AM is the Electric Set: The Radical Dads, The Suicide Dolls, Farewood, Post-Modern Panic

2-6 PM is the acoustic set: Kevin MF King, Brett the One Man Band, Rum Glass Serenade

You can ride your bike there.

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Colnago deals

Google had an interesting ad for me based on a search:



Colnago Bikes at Walmart

Walmart.com/Bikes·Save on Colnago Bikes at Walmart. Get Riding for Less!

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In praise of Connecticut government!

Connecticut government is much maligned. Rightly so, for the most part, but the General Assembly and Government got their shit together this fiscal year and the Rocky Hill-Glastonbury ferry is running full time. The other night when Dario and I rode it, we even saw Sen. Len Suzio (R) and it's not even his district! Read more!

Klunkerz Tonight!

photo: DirtRag

Join some of your fellow Hartford bike folk this Tuesday evening at 7:30 PM for a showing of Klunkerz at La Paloma Sabanera. Klunkers is a documentary about the early days of Mountain biking in California.

I've been looking forward to seeing this film for a while.

poster images: Charlie Kelly

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America's Saturday (Continued)

Brendan properly celebrates America's Saturday by bailing before the good parts of a fixed gear century (or so).  I'll finish the story for him.  Salem and I found a new rail bridge at the end of the Airline Trail in East Hampton, and there was some unexpected graffiti.  Salem's routine throughout the day was, "You should put this (25 mile out street art) on the next graffiti tour."  Eye roll.

On our way back in we decided to cut through the Portland Meadows rather than ride the boring and somewhat hilly Route 17.  This is a known mudhole / quad haven, but on past trips I've only seen a couple straggling rednecks.  We ran across what appeared to be every redneck in CT having a bear soaked, mud slinging party.  Salem and I found ourselves practicing our drawl, just in case we had the need to interact.  Unfortunately no photos.  We didn't know if the natives would appreciate the gesture.

After leaving the Mad Maxx excitement we were puttering along idyllic Tryon street in South Glastonbury and were nearly run off the road by an aggressive Jeep pulling a jet ski.  After being told to "get off the road" we were informally challenged to a duel.  Fortunately we were able to wave the jerk on his pissed off way and were surprised to be yelled at again by his girlfriend who had been in the next car back.  We took this opportunity to call the police who were quite responsive.  We took a break and waited for the patrol car to take a statement.

There was some swimming, although I only waded.  You'll notice that Salem wore shorts.  It was an excellent ride, although the premise was questionable.  I was really surprised that Salem had four people take him up on the idea. Read more!

How to properly celebrate America's Saturday

July 4th, no matter what calendar day of the week it is, is Saturday. On such a hallowed day, it's important to show America how great it is by doing something in the American way. For weird cyclists that probably means going on some weird theme ride. So, Salem, the impresario of weird theme rides decided we needed to ride a long way on fixed gear bikes. People still have those things around here. Since it was Saturday, Salem didn't make us get up too early. We met in East Hartford, went to Enfield and then Willimantic. The plan was to return via the airline trail, but it was getting late and I was supposed to go to a cookout and drink beer. I turned around in Willimantic and I don't know if Salem and Tony survived flat tires and swimming. I hope to hear from them again some day.

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Salvaging cartridge bearings in an orphan headset

For machines that have been essentially unchanged for the past several decades, bicycles suffer from a remarkable amount of planned obsolescence. Today's case in point: the threaded headset.

I've ranted about this in the past, the fact that most of the bikes I see in use on the street have threaded headsets, yet most bike shops don't even keep them in stock. The industry prefers that you buy a complete new bike with a 1 1/8 threadless headset and abandon your aging-but-otherwise-serviceable ride. If your headset has ball bearings and the bearing surfaces aren't damaged, you can renew a tired headset with a fresh set of balls and some grease. If your headset has cartridge bearings, you may not be so lucky, but there's still hope. Here's how I went about it:

My gently-used Breezer Venturi road bike, circa 1995, still had its original 1" threaded carbon fiber fork and Shimano 600 cartridge-bearing headset. I decided to retire the OE fork due to suspicious surface crazing and my general distrust toward carbon of advanced age and unknown provenance. While swapping on a replacement fork, I found the cartridge bearings were lacking a bit in the smooth department. Actually, the top bearing still felt pretty silky, while the bottom cartridge felt downright crusty-- not surprising given the added load and dirt the bottom end of a headset sees on a fender-less bicycle.

A few days of searching showed the bearings to be made of high-grade unobtainium, although there were a few complete new-old stock 600 headsets to be found. While I was chatting with the mechanics at the Bicycle Cellar, one of them suggested that I might be able to pry apart the cartridges and repack them. He was right!

Top left: complete cartridge. Everywhere else: races and retainer from disassembled cartridge.

I started by gingerly prying the assembly apart with an old, well-worn putty knife. This revealed within each cartridge 18 balls held in place by nylon retainers.



Removal of the bearings/retainers revealed very slight pitting (shiny spots, really) on the bearing surfaces-- and also cracked the retainers. I mitigated both problems by installing loose bearings without retainers. I learned this cheapskate trick from Sheldon Brown-- the lack of retainers means you can install more ball bearings and that they will no longer line up with the tiny dents in the old bearing cups. It's technically not quite like new, but I couldn't tell the difference once it was back together. Most 1" threaded headsets take 26 5/32" balls per cup. You want a little bit of play between the bearings.



In this case, the bearings were identical top-to-bottom. With both cartridges repacked, I reinstalled them in the opposite locations from whence they came, so the former road-dirt-eating bottom cartridge can enjoy its golden years in the sheltered luxury of the top cup. I figured this overhaul would be a stopgap measure until I found new bearings, but I'm thoroughly happy with the results and don't feel particularly motivated to change them again. For under $6 in grade 25 loose ball bearings, it feels great. Read more!

Not a good June

So, we only had four posts in June, which is a low point for our venerable blog. And, that is forcing me to write another excuse post. Damn!

In other news, I rode down to the.blow hole last night and continued my battle with the trail braider. While he (I saw him once) keeps moving away the branches, I think I'm winning because the offending braid is showing less and less use.

Oh, there's a semi-new Thai place on park near south Quaker. It's very good. I can't remember the name. I think it's something like "chili mountain".

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Corporate commuting

As I continue not to write blog posts, my thoughts turn to other things. I've been working in City Place II and I'm impressed that the garage has 2 racks and they're  usually full. There's even a recumbent and a time trial bike. No idea how those things work.

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GHGT and RR - Be there.

So.  Tomorrow evening (Friday, June 29th) I'm going to ride around Hartford and nearby environs to peruse some choice graffiti.  The not so organized ride will be dubbed - the Greater Hartford Graffiti Tour (GHGT).  You are welcome to tag along (pun intended?).  There is a Facebook invite, but I've heard some people out there still shun Facebook.   Meet up at 5:30PM at the carousel in Bushnell Park.  We'll roll around Hartford, then branch out.  The Hartford bit will be short.  Bring fattish tires and don't expect to ride fast.  It's going to be warm out, so beverages are probably a good idea.

Also, the Real Ride approaches.  Saturday, July 7th a raucous group of lighted revelers will roll about Hartford and converge on the riverfront to watch the Riverfest fireworks from an undisclosed prime location.  Show up at Real Art Ways at 6PM to start the festivities and decorate your steed.  The ride begins at 8PM and we'll catch the fireworks at 9PM. Real Art ways has concessions if you're hungry or thirsty.

Bring your own materials or use those that will be available to bling your bike.  The more glowing, flashing, lighted-ness the better.  This is the fifth one of these, and they keep getting better.  If there be rain, the rain date will be July 8th - same as Riverfest.

Oh yeah.  Both rides are FREE!  So even if you have a horrible time, you didn't waste any of your hard earned dough.  See you there, and spread the word. Read more!