Happy day but no photos

Today I got to ride for the first time since the big snowfall last week. What a relief it was! I was in a much better mood all day and I honestly felt safer in the street - the plows and salt/sanding made the road surfaces much more consistent than the sidewalks and by avoiding rush hours I had no problem taking the lane when needed.

Beacon Street has a de facto bike lane. There's so much snow that the normal parking spaces are filled and the cars are parked in the travel lane, leaving a bike lane's worth of travel lane free and clear. It was perfect!

I can also confirm empirically that with my old metal pedals there is no problem wearing YakTrax while riding. Indeed in the few times I walked my bike for safety I was glad I didn't need to stop and put these on. They were there when I needed them and did not catch or snag on my pedals while I was riding.

My husband has the camera on a business trip, so I regret that we will continue to be light on photos here at Chic Cyclists, but I hope to soon be able to share images of some of the hardy souls I've been seeing out and about - and their extra-tough bikes!

Stay warm...

Reflections: Preparing for Darkness

Here is a test photo of my nighttime reflectiveness, as imperfectly demonstrated by a camera flash (rather than a car's headlights). It's easy to see that the wide strips of 3M Scotchlite on my Carradice bag and coat are much more effective than the smaller reflections created by my gloves and the sidewalls of my tires (though those certainly help in correctly identifying my bicycle as such). When riding long distance I add reflective ankle bands, but I usually forget when riding a couple of blocks in town.

Far more effective than reflectiveness is my own light source and you can clearly see that with my unbelievably bright Planet Bike Superflash. They say it can light up a small town. Seriously, this tail light is so bright my husband doesn't like to ride directly behind me. There are two other tail lights in this photo but you're unlikely to notice them. I have the main light and the helmet light blinking (when I'm riding in town) and leave the light on my fender on steadily, just for a change (and because it uses batteries less quickly than the brighter lights).

The clocks fall back this weekend, let's all be ready for the darkness!

Bicycle Fixation Classic Wool Knickers & John Fluevog Westerly Shoes

Gentlemen cyclists this one's for you, courtesy of my friend Cris:

For the last few weeks, I have been commuting to work with a pair of knickers from Bicycle Fixation as my main leg garment. Normally I've ridden with standard lycra bike tights or shorts and just changed when I arrived in my office, but lately I've come to miss having pockets. I'd ride with pants, but have never been fully happy with ankle straps and, before you ask, I am not in the market for a chainguard.

To this end, the Classic Wool Knickers from Bicycle Fixation have been a welcome addition to the wardrobe. Made of grey wool gabardine, they blend well into a downtown office setting and the burgundy satin gussets add a welcome bit of visual flair along with some practical benefits. The gussets allow the wearer to pedal a full stroke without feeling like the clothing is binding or restricting, and this makes them more comfortable than a pair of pants that have just been cut to 3/4 length.

I've owned these pants since November, and have worn them through a wet, cold and windy December. Like most wool garments, they are not waterproof and will retain some water if rained on, but they do dry relatively quickly and cleanly. The garment blocks wind rather well, but I have had to swap my knee high socks for tights over the last couple of freezing winter weeks since these knickers lack any sort of insulation aside from the thin wool fabric.

The only complaints that I have about these pants are the back patch pockets, which aren't quite as elegant as ones that are set in, but that's a relatively minor quibble. I suspect that filled set in pockets might tend to be uncomfortable while pedaling, anyway. With all that said, I love these knickers and they've rapidly become one of my standbys.

I was wearing these knickers when I had stopped by the John Fluevog store earlier this month. The staff at the store were intrigued by the pants and when I was rhapsodizing on their utility for bike commuting, one of the salesperson pointed me to one of their shoes, known as the Westerly.

The Westerly, they explained to me, was a shoe designed by Mr. Fluevog during one of his bike commutes. Like a standard bike shoe, the Westerly has a very stiff, hard sole for optimal power transfer on the downstroke, but unlike a bike shoe, it has no fittings for cleats to let your foot pull on the upstroke -- which is all just as well. Eventhough I have bike shoes with SPD cleats, which are very walkable, I've never been particularly fond of the way cleats scrape against concrete or wooden surfaces. If I expect to do a lot of walking, I'll just ride in regular shoes.

To that end, for regular dress shoes that perform well on a bike; the Westerlys are a good start, but they aren't perfect. They do have some nice features for the fashionable cyclist. The upturned toe naturally places the ball of one's foot on the pedal spindle for optimal pedaling position. The softer leather between the lace and cap is also well suited to work with toe straps on the pedal. As walking shoes they also perform as well as any dress shoe might, especially since the stiff sole is augmented by a strategic use of rubber in the heel and base of the foot.

Still, for life on a bike, I would prefer a monk strap buckle to laces; if only because a strap and buckle are less likely to come undone or get caught in the drivetrain while pedaling. I would also like to see a little more stiffness or reinforcement at the cap and toebox. Cyclists spend an extraordinary amount of time standing on their tiptoes while waiting at a light, and a reinforced cap makes such waits a little more comfortable. Overall, though, while the Westerlys are not a must have by any means, they are a nice selection if one is in the market for dress shoes.



(Can I just add how much I LOVE that the color scheme of the knickers matches his beautiful ANT bike? -Charlotte)

Cold Kool Stops Stop

Brrrrrrrrr.

Last night was the coldest ride in a long time.
The reasons are complicated, but for the moment I have the old style black brake blocks on my front brake and salmon Continental Kool Stops on my rear brake. On the ride home my face was frozen, the bottoms of my non-skid Dansko clogs were frozen, the black brake blocks felt like ice cubes scraping against my rim... but the Continental Kool Stops performed like it was an afternoon in June. It was incredible. I'm fully converted.

Speaking of conversions, I have a set of Kool Stops for the front brake, I was going to install them with my new front wheel. More on that soon!

Reflective Tires

I was pretty happy a year ago when I got my Schwalbe Marathon reflective tires.

Now I would guess that they're not at all reflective. Age and road grime have worn away the strips on the side. I'll get a photo to show you how they look now, but I look at this old photo and wonder if there's anything (other than moving to a gentler climate) I can do for them?

They really ARE cute....

I realized that part of why I think folders are cute is that a Brompton folds its underside to sit down, just like a dog. Then he sits and waits for you to come back for him.

A regular bike looks like its ready to roll off at any time, but a folder looks like a patient and loyal hound.


Dog photo by DBarrett

Bicycles and gardens go well together

Well, you can see I need my wine box pronto! Today was the first day of distribution for my organic farm share. It seems there is something about bicycles, public libraries, and community gardening that all go together. I'm not the only cyclist enjoying a share in an organic farm and I'm not alone in maintaining and enjoying a Community Garden plot. I wonder why these things just seem to fit together so nicely, like a contentment jigsaw puzzle?

It's going to all work even better when I put that produce in a wooden box and use a bungee cord net to keep it all safe. My filets/string bags did not work well as pictured. However I hope the veggies will be as good as pictured:


Though it's clearly off-topic, I'm so excited about our local food I want to share what we got:

• two heads of lettuce (chosen from many varieties)
• .33 lb salad greens
• .66 lb spinach
• 1 bunch radishes
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 3 Hakurei turnips
• 1 bunch chive flowers

We'll be eating well tonight!

My community garden plot isn't doing as well yet. It's off to a slow start but I'm starting to get some flowers and I think the dill and basil will be taking off soon. I'm hoping!

Product Review: Nitto Periscopa stem

This is really just an excuse to post another photo of my beloved bike.

The new stem is a Nitto Periscopa from Rivendell. It is intended to "shorten the cockpit" and that it does. I take a larger frame because my legs are long, but then I feel like I'm reaching too much for the handlebars. This stem has completely changed that. As I ride around town I have noticed that I'm finally getting things to exist where I intuitively reach for them. That's proving to be good when attempting to take photos, ride a bike, and stay safe in Boston traffic, all at the same time.

Discussing Schwinns

A frequent reader recently pointed me to this discussion of Schwinn Cruisers.

EXCERPT:
(Here is) yet another Ode-to-the-Dutch-Bike. Seems like every one of the bike-fashion / fashion-on-bikes / chic / etc blogs are doing it. OK, Dutch bikes're maybe nice and certainly it's maybe neat to buy something new (here) and trendy. I submit though that old Schwinns are a much better fit for the American commuting and city-bike scene.

1. They're ubiquitous and cheap. Every thrift store in every metro gets maybe 50 of them per year. Here in the Iowa/Illinois Quad Cities' 7 thrift stores they are priced between $5.38 (don't ask me - that 38-cents thing is unique to Goodwill nationwide apparently) and on up to, but never higher than, around $25.
2. With a disassembly, cleanup, lubing, and new rubber/cabling/chain, they'll likely be good for another 28-44 years. Those are the ages of the youngest and the oldest of the twenty-some Schwinns that I refurbed this past year.
3. They are city-riding-comfortable. Fenders, upright handlebars, and really comfy old mattress seats are on every Schwinn I put out, even the ones that originally came set up as roadies. I mostly prefer the 3-spd internal Sturmey Archer hub bikes altho I have put out a few 5-spd derailler bikes, two 10-spds, and converted four 10-spds to different gearing/drive set ups.
4. They can be _very_ chic. Please look at this bike to see some photos and a narrative about one such Schwinn I recently finished.

So anyway, it's my opinion that the ideal bikes for putting Americans back onto bikes for urban riding are here, right under our noses and we're perhaps too snobbish to see them.

I confess that I have long been under the impression that Schwinns aren't worth much (maybe it was the $5.38 pricetag?). I don't want to be snobbish. If possible I'd love to borrow a Schwinn in Boston for a quick joyride. I know that some people adore theirs, and I'd love know know how they ride... Anyone?

I'd be very interested in hearing other people's experiences (good and bad) with their Schwinn, please leave a comment.

Product Review: Test Rode a Velorbis

There's been some talk lately about Velorbis.

During Bike Week here in Boston I was lucky enough to get to test ride a Velorbis Scrap Deluxe. I confess that I was so tantalized by the shiny bike and the smooth lines that all thoughts of attribution fled my mind and I cannot recall who provided my test ride. A google search turns up The Dutch Bicycle Company as my likely hosts.

The bike is beautifully made. The cables are all routed through the frame and sealed, which seems great for longevity. The parts are all of remarkable quality (Brooks saddle and grips, nice hubs with internal gearing and dynamo lighting, etc). The rear rack is rated to 75 pounds which could be essential if carrying both food and a child. I'm not sure about the bolt-together rear triangle, I have an email out to a materials scientist friend about that one, but semi-official channels say it is better than a weld. My unscientific general perception weight-wise is that it's less than my old Raleigh Sport but more than my current townie. Everything works together so well that weight seems less an issue.

However the tires were the most astonishing. What total fun! I felt like a kid on a bouncy ball toy.

The only colors I got to see were black and just clear-coated (showing up as grey metal). Obviously I gravitated to the bare metal look, but now there are colors available and that will be exciting.

Perhaps after our elections the dollar will rebound a little and make these lovely bikes more accessible to Americans. Here's hoping! It's a lovely bike.

Update: my friend was not a fan of the bolted together triangle, but it seems this is becoming a trend with modern bikes, you can see it on non-Velorbis bikes as well. I understand that weld is difficult. I'll be interested in watching how the technique plays out.

Product Review - Gap wool coat

Santa brought me a wool jacket from the Gap. I can't rave about it enough as a cycling jacket. I got the extra-long, which provides sleeves that still cover my arms when I'm on my bike. It hits at the hip, but that's fine on a bike. I replaced the plastic buttons with some carved horn buttons from a local boutique. The jacket is now perfect.

Tall women - check out the Gap next winter for a normal coat that's good for cycling and that will actually fit!

Product Review: Schwalbe Marathon Tires

Tires with reflective sidewalls are legally required in the Netherlands. I can see why, and cars can too. What a simple way to be passively visible - no lights to remember, no batteries to burn out. The idea is just so simple.

The Schwalbes are simple too. They're well made and easy to put on your rims. I'm not sure I even really needed my tire iron. I haven't flatted yet but they're still pretty new so let's just knock on wood. I think they're attractive and add a slightly old-fashioned sporty look to my bike, like a safety version of the old V-necked tennis sweater.

Product Review: Carradice Bike Bureau

Both my husband and I have only positive things to say about the Carradice Bike Bureau. We've both used it for daily commuting and found it to be well planned and easy to use. I was happy to find an accurate and more complete review than I would ever write, if you're interested in learning more about this particular bag click here.

Rave Review: Earbags

Please allow me to rave about my favorite winter cycling gear.

I LOVE my Swedish earbags. They are sold at many places: REI, Filene's Basement, and online. They're slim, they're warm, they stay on easily (even with my elvish mutant left ear), and they fit underneath hats and bike helmets. In the dead of a Boston winter they fit under both hat and helmet at the same time. They aren't particularly noticeable, as you can see in this photo (mine are black, but you can hardly see that). They store in my purse or my pocket without much bulk, and I'm glad to always have them with me. I'm not sure I could cycle in the winter with out them.

I look forward to the day when spring has finally arrived, but in the meantime I'm always glad to have my little earbags in my pocket.

Product Review: Rivendell summer gloves

Most commutes don't last long enough to need gloves in the summertime (your mileage may vary). Cycling-sport clothes don't really fit this blog's charter.

Yet all these concerns melted away admiring the Rivendell summer gloves. They're just so classic, cheerful, and just plain pretty. It is pouring rain out at the moment but they make me think of hot summer rides and the very desirable crochet-glove tan lines. All these happy thoughts for $15? I'm ordering them now!

UPDATE: These gloves arrived and they're sized for monsters. I don't know if any woman could fit in these. I wear a size 8 glove (extra-large for women) and these gloves were extremely uncomfortably huge. They were on their way back to Rivendell in less than an hour. So bummed.

Another Update: Rivendell was super cool about taking them back and refunding my money. Thanks!