beautiful beautiful bicycles

I wonder if Ms. Dottie of Let’s Go Ride a Bike fame or the gang at Rapid Transit know of this guy? Surely they must. Cooper Technica is based in Chicago, but I’m posting about them here because a friend of mine said the guy behind it is a University of Michigan alum. The bikes are indescribably gorgeous. I am especially fond of the 1950 Bates “Best All Rounder,” the 1950 Rene Herse, and the 1965 Hetchins Magnum Opus Phase II.

Meanwhile, my entry has now been posted at EcoVelo. I’ve got to tell you, I’m thrilled even just to be on that website. EcoVelo is such an incredible blog, and every visit I make is a breath of fresh air. I’ve sent pictures of the bike to Old Ten Speed Gallery. I think they’re still pretty backlogged, but they’ve been posting some really sweet bikes of late.

 

never mind the man behind the brake cable

Ahh, the glory of an amateur effort. Behold! A video tour of my late afternoon commute home from campus. It was shot this past Monday, which was a spectacularly gorgeous Fall day in our little corner of the world. Take a gander, and tell me if our humble little hamlet doesn’t look ever so charming from the vantage point of my vintage Fuji.

This is my first effort at something like this. Beg pardon the rough edges. All in all, I think Ms. McCaskill did a stellar job with the editing. I’m much obliged. A tip of the cap to the Cowboy Junkies for the soundtrack. And cheers to Adrian, Michigan. You look smashing.

Enjoy.

 

PALM 2010

Plans for the 2010 edition of PALM are well underway. (Thanks, LuAnn, for alerting to me to the fact that a preliminary route has been posted.) The event will run July 19-25. The ride is slated (tentatively) to begin in South Haven, and to proceed through Otswego, Hastings, Eaton Rapids, Grass Lake, Milan, before finally concluding at Erie Metro Park.

Last year, Adrian was represented by a small but respectable contingent. This year, I think we should do some recruiting to see if we can get our numbers up a little. If there are enough of us, maybe we could make plans to all camp together. Maybe we could even get some t-shirts for our group. Any takers?

EcoVelo Photo Contest

Wish me luck. I just entered my first photo contest on EcoVelo. My submission is below. Visit EcoVelo for the associated commentary.

I’ve never before entered a contest like this. I don’t suspect I have much chance of winning this bid, but I did it largely to give this bike some exposure. I have plans to submit it to the Old Ten Speed Gallery, too. I’m pretty pleased with how it’s turned out. But I have to say that I’m even more pleased with how it rides. I can’t describe it. It’s so plush. I absolutely love it.

I’m still in search of a suitable name.

I’m wicked sorry it’s been so long since my last post. My sincerest thanks to the handful of you who’ve hung around, as well as to any who return as signs of life begin to surface. I have a lot of things I’ve been wanting to post, but I’ve found even less time to write than I have to ride of late. I don’t know what I’d do without my daily commute. I only wish it were longer sometimes.

I’ll make every effort to get the blog spinning again. Really, I will. Just one small public service announcement in the interim: the local Kiwanis Trail is being resurfaced from Sutton Road north (I assume as far as Occidental Highway), and therefore is closed temporarily. I would be interested to know who’s behind it so we can make a point to convey our appreciation.

Centre Fall Fun Ride

Announcing the Centre Fall Fun Ride!

Date: Saturday, October 17, 2009  (no alternate bad weather date)

Place: Kiwanis Trail (River Raisin Greenway Project), Trestle Park trailhead entrance, West Hunt Street  (Turn at Subway on Main Street), Adrian, MI 49221

Time: 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Parking: There is free parking available at Trestle Park and more parking at the intersection of Hunt Road and Riverside Drive in Adrian.

Registration: Registration begins at 8:30AM and ends at 11:00 AM on the day of the ride at Trestle Park on the south side of the parking area.  There is no pre-registration, but if you intend to ride you can request the registration document by emailing leanfreeagent@gmail.com with Centre Fall Fun Ride in the subject line.  An adult responsible for their behavior and safety must accompany all children under 16.  Riders under 18 must have their parent or guardians signature on the registration and release form.

Fee: NO FEE!  Donations will be accepted to cover the cost of support, water, fruit and snacks.

Helmets: We will expect all riders to conform to local bicycling laws.  Helmets are strongly recommended for all riders, but required for children under 14 years old.  If you do not own a helmet, please contact us by email before the day of the ride and we will try to provide one for you or your child.

Route: The entire ride takes place on the Kiwanis Trail (River Raisin Greenway Project), a beautiful FLAT paved pathway that runs from Adrian to the outskirts of Tecumseh.  The trail is mostly wooded with several wooden bridges across ravines and water.  This ride is intended for leisure and recreational riders.  This is an excellent fellowship opportunity for family and friends, especially those interested in exploring bicycling for fitness or commuting.  Ride support includes trail guides, limited mechanical support, three water and healthy snack rest stops, a restroom facility near the trail midpoint, and crossing guard volunteers for the heavy traffic intersections.  The trail is approximately 8 miles.  Most riders are encouraged to ride to the end and return for a total distance of 16 miles, but riders can extend or shorten their rides by turning back anywhere along the trial or completing the circuit multiple times.  Remember, support packs up at 2:00 PM.   NOTE:  Racing and drafting will not be tolerated as they create a hazard for slower and beginning cyclists and walkers.

Questions: Please contact the Christian Family Centre or email leanfreeagent@gmail.com if you have questions or want to volunteer to help!

from the random parts bin

First, an update on the Fuji Special Tourer. This weekend, after removing the old bar tape and all of the crusty cables and housings, I overhauled the bottom bracket and headset, cleaning and polishing everything I could along the way. What great fun! I am convinced that there are few things so cool and so rewarding as pulling apart, for the first time in decades, the inner workings of a bicycle, cleaning, refreshing, and re-assembling the unit, and watching it spin the way it did when it rolled out the door for the first time at some local bike shop 35 years ago.

As I worked, I stumbled upon a few things that I need to investigate further. Some issues are probably minor: a bent rear dropout, and a front dropout that doesn’t take the wheel as easily as it should. But one is cause for great concern: a crack running across the top tube just before it meets the lug at the head tube. I’m hoping it’s only surface deep, as there are no other indicators of frame damage. Keep your fingers crossed. It would be a tremendous disappointment to learn that this bike is no good.

Update: Good news! Both of the mechanics at the bike shop think the crack is only a flesh wound. Onward we roll…

Meanwhile, remaining optimistic and hopeful, I’ve ordered a rack, handlebar bag, fenders, and a sweet, long-awaited, self-indulgent Brooks B-17 Special saddle in honey. Now, despite second thoughts about keeping it, I have no choice but to sell my Gary Fisher bike! Otherwise, I’m going to be in very big trouble.

Now, I want to throw out a couple of ideas for local rides/events. First, with the fall weather settling in, I think those of us in and around Adrian ought to organize a “Tweed Ride.” We’ve all got an old bike within easy reach. Oil the chain, inflate the tires, and grab your favorite wool skirt or hounds-tooth blazer, and let’s take the long way round to the local pub. What say ye?

Second, if there’s anything I miss from my time in Dayton, OH, it’s the bike path network in that area. I’ve been toying with the idea of a weekend jaunt that would begin at the northern terminus of the Simon Kenton Trail in Urbana, OH, proceed to the southern terminus of the Little Miami Scenic Trail in Newtown (89.3 miles) where we’d spend the night, and return to Urbana on day two. Any takers? I can be flexible on the distance. I think it makes the most sense to begin in Urbana in order to shorten the drive from Adrian. At the other end, however, Loveland and Milford are viable alternatives to shave a few miles, and both are likely to offer a bit more to do in the evening.

fuji-licious

Tuesday, I found my long-awaited new project. One of the librarians at the college, who happens to be an aficionado of dapper, old rides and a connoisseur of classic velo style (he commutes to work on a 1960 Schwinn Spitfire he restored, his wife cruises on a Monark Americana, and his six-year-old rides a 1976 Schwinn Stingray), tipped me off to an old Fuji ten-speed sitting in the back corner of the local Salvation Army Thrift Store.

Sure enough, I ventured down there to find a 1974 1975 Fuji “Special Tourer” in surprisingly good shape with a price tag reading $29.99. Best of all, it was the right size for me. It even had the original owner’s manual with it!

This is exactly what I’ve been in the market for. Isn’t the color magically delicious? The pictures don’t do it justice. Once I got it home, I couldn’t wait to start wrenching on it. So, regrettably, what you see here isn’t a true “before” picture. By this point, I had raised the seat, removed the chain, and switched out a set of aluminum wheels I had with new tires already installed. The wheels I put on it had a cassette with slightly different gearing and larger pie plate already in place. Hopefully, the set up will work with the derailleur, but I’ll have to wait and see.

I have on order at the local bike shop new bar tape, new brake levers, new cables and housings, and some pedals that will take toe clips. While I wait for those to arrive, I’m going to try to carve out some time to refresh the bottom bracket and headset myself. Meanwhile, I’m shopping for a new saddle, some fenders, and a rear rack.

I’ll be selling the Schwinn Suburban I rebuilt, as well as my Gary Fisher Monona to pay for it all (not to mention needing to make space in the shed). I sort of hate to see the latter go. It’s been a good bike, and the one that carried me back into the joys of cycling. But frankly, I just don’t enjoy riding it as much as I once did. It feels too slow and heavy. It’s been a terrific commuter bike. But the Fuji will be every bit as good once I’ve gotten her properly decked out.

A bike like this won’t be complete without a suitable name affixed, so I’m opening the floor for nominations. Look for new pics of the finished project in two or three weeks (fingers crossed).

nutty bar 100

This past Saturday, Dennis, John, Bill, Jeff, Marsha, and I rolled out from west Adrian at 7:45am. The air was crisp, the sky somewhat foreboding, and the weather forecast anything but optimistic. Doppler be damned. What unfolded was a magnificent fall day.

beginning

I posted the route map some time ago, but here it is again for those interested.

It was a fantastic route. We were treated to roads that were in good shape and largely quiet, and to some terrific scenery. We kept a fairly easy pace, which allowed for plenty of enjoyable conversation, and also ensured that exhaustion and fatigue were kept to a minimum. Kay provided great SAG support, with snack stops at frequent intervals and a delicious lunch in Whitehouse, Ohio.

I rode my bike to the starting point, to be sure I cleared the 100-mile mark. I finished the ride with103.95 on the trip odometer. Aside from some stiffness in my shoulders and neck, I felt terrific. Tired, yes, but terrific. It helped, I’m sure, that we celebrated our tour with champagne and munchies.

One of the high points came at roughly 97 miles when we passed the house of our friend, LuAnn, who unfortunately wasn’t able to join us this year. Still very much with us in spirit, however, she had parked her bicycle at the end of her driveway with a handmade sign leaning against it congratulating us on having come so far. Thanks again, LuAnn!

Meanwhile, one of the low points of the trip was running into one of my students while wearing my bike gear. We’ve seen each other since, and neither of us has spoken of the unpleasantness. My hope is that his mildly inebriated state left him thinking it was all nothing more than a bad dream.

end

Now, a word about the name. This is the second annual century event for John and Dennis. With the addition of Bill and myself, and a pledge to do it again next year, it was decided that this thing is on the brink of going legit, of becoming a bona fide movement. Movements don’t survive without names. So, with the mind softened by the day’s exertion, and the imagination fueled by champagne, we proposed (tentatively, pending possible lawsuits for copyright infringement and clearer heads sure to come with time) to name this “The Nutty Bar 100.” Not only does it so happen that Nutty Bars are the junk food of choice for our gang, but the name simply has a pleasantly funky ring to it, wouldn’t you agree?

I hope some of you will be able to join us next year.

how to interpret flat tires

A friend just alerted me to this bit in the NYTimes Magazine:

I locked my bicycle to a fence outside my building a few times over two weeks. One morning, it was gone. My landlady had the police remove it, claiming she tried to alert the owner by letting the air out of the tires. She left no note. At the precinct, an officer said she told them the bike had been there for three months. Fortunately, I reclaimed it undamaged. Unfortunately, the police cut the locks: replacement costs are $150. Should my landlady cover that? NAME WITHHELD, NEW YORK

I don’t understand how flattening the tires says, “Please move your bicycle,” but then I have trouble with nonverbal languages like the raised eyebrow, the crisp uppercut and the hula.

You are not entitled to store your bike on your landlady’s private property. She has the legal right to ask the police to haul it off to bike jail. But ethics take a less sanguine view of her conduct. Your landlady made no meaningful effort to contact you and, if your account is accurate — hers might differ — she filed what amounts to a false police report. She should do more than contribute to your bill; she should replace the locks, apologize and maybe sew some new curtains for your apartment, to expiate her misconduct. Or do some sort of dance that would communicate remorse (to erudite Hawaiians, if not to me).

There is no citywide policy covering situations like yours, according to the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, but Manhattan’s Ninth Precinct has adopted a prudent approach. Transportation Alternatives wrote in a recent issue of its magazine that, upon receiving a complaint, the police put a note on the bike “alerting the owner that the bike will be removed after 10 days.” The assumption is that if the bike belongs to someone, its owner will see the notice and remove the bike; if it’s abandoned, the police will then remove it. In your case, the police should have acted similarly. Conflicts like this could be reduced if the city provided sufficient spots for cyclists to lock their bikes. Happily, the Department of Transportation is installing many more bike racks around town.

UPDATE: The cyclist asked her landlady to replace the bike locks; the landlady refused.

Humor aside, this does raise some issues in a city like Adrian where bike racks seem few and far between. Is this an opportunity for civil disobedience, a chance to raise awareness, and/or potential leverage for securing bike racks, e.g., by means of supporting more faithfully and generously businesses that provide them? What are your thoughts?

a wave and a nod

Two shout-outs to local Adrian riders.

First, to the guy on the sweet-looking, lime green fixie cruising Art-A-Licious.  I made note of the name on the frame as you rode by, but now it escapes me.

Second, cheers to the guy heading south on M-52 (on the sidewalk unfortunately), hauling what appeared to be a rather hefty bag of ice or groceries. Man, I dig that old school Fuji you were pedaling. Let me be the first know if you’re ever looking to unload it.

So long as I’m pontificating about who or what deserves notice this fine evening, tsk, tsk to the dude that about ran me over on the sidewalk as I was stepping out of El Chapulin Saturday evening. Use the streets, my friend. And if you think it’s worth putting your boy in a helmet while you’re carting him around in the child’s seat, then snap one on your own noggin if for no other reason than the sake of setting before him an example.

It sure is nice seeing all these bikes around town. Pedal on, Adrian.