White Raleigh is very Orange

As a Raleigh fan, of course this Carleton-made Reynolds 531 Gran Sport caught my eye as it was parked in Kendall Square. It's been updated in a manner consistent with my personal preferences to make an attractive, practical city bike.

I was particularly delighted to see such a functional front rack, and all the more happy when I got back to my desk and saw that there is currently a coupon available for exactly this rack: Velo Orange Porteur Rack

The whole bike seems to have been updated with Velo Orange parts - racks, grips, handlebars, saddle, bag, and I particularly like those chrome fenders.

I'm not sure about the bag though. It is looking a lot floppier here than my Giles Berthoud bag, on which it was modeled. I would be interested in speaking with the owner of this bike and learning how much exposure the bag has taken. It's all academic though, while one thing is certain - this bike will catch your eye, even if you're running late. Gotta go!

Brainstorm light mounting with me?

Hey everyone,
I've been pushing a dynamo hub since last summer, with all the best intentions of getting a headlight mounted. Now it's nearly the darkest time of the year and still no dynamo headlight. I'm having a hard time deciding how to get something on there. All these photos should click through to enormous ones if that's at all helpful...

I have a vintage Blackburn front rack, which I love for the consistent aesthetics to my frame and it's match to my rear rack. Also my 1977 frame just doesn't have mounting points for a Nitto rack (or a headlight!).

The rack has stays at two different positions, narrower in front and wider at the middle. I'm not committed to using a particular stay for the mounting point, but I would love to nestle the light as best as possible inside the protection of the rack's platform, just for help preserving the light while parked next to bikes who might be careless, etc. This is a city bike and I'll still be parking it and leaving it for a bit.

I have the headlight my husband took off his Brompton, upside of using it is that it's currently just taking up space, downside is that it's unclear how to mount it on my bike. I'd prefer to mount my eventual headlight to the front rack and not the fork, to keep my fork as blemish-free as possible. I'm open to the idea of buying a different headlight, but I'm wondering if you folks have any ideas for getting this (or any other one) mounted on my somewhat narrow-gauge Blackburn front rack?

This light's mounting bracket can easily be removed, leaving us with a plastic housing with a bolt going through it. I can certainly get a longer bolt and any number of washers.

What I can't do is invert the light, as there are wires on the underside that must rely on the top of the light for some added rain protection.

Here is where I imagine mounting the light, allowing it to be easily seen by other road users, and allowing my rack to continue to be functional. The mounting needs to be secure enough that it stays pointed forward and doesn't slide down the rack's stay.

Edited to Add:

Here are my clamps from Harris, as well as some spacers which had come from the mounting bracket on my second tail light set. If I go the p-clamp route it would be ideal to find one smaller than this one, I'd be wrapping a whole lot of padding to get it to a good clamp on the thin tubing. I went to the hardware store hoping to find something like that and they guy there suggested hose clamps, which I understand can be smaller and certainly very adjustable. He also suggested this pre-drilled metal tape stuff, the idea being that one band of it would go around the stay, and a vertical band would go up and over the rack platform for vertical stability. That sounded like it would rattle, and I could probably do something similar with zip ties (and less rattle). I'm liking the VO bracket suggested below for stability reasons, but I think it would also have a challenge in getting it on to my rack (maybe someone could solder it on?)

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

Here's hoping you have a wonderful holiday filled with friends, delicious food, and bicycles!

Better Chevrons for Transportation

Chevron's slogan may be "Human Energy", but this jacket displays the sort of chevrons I like seeing on my streets.

Why you need a front rack on your bike

Carrying a dessert to a dinner party just isn't the same when you can't keep an eye on it, particularly if it's fragile and still hot from the oven.

(Yes Cycler, it's a tarte tatin, which I should not have made in a springform pan, but it tasted delicious anyway)

Old School Raleigh Sports

This bike stood out among her peers due to her vintage perfection. How many Raleigh Sports still have their pumps? Not many.


Gleaming chrome always pulls me in...

Miss Purple

Smokey purple helmet and stunning purple ANT... cute sandals and a matching top... I love it all.

Miss Purple, I'm your biggest fan!


(oh, and the other day? That was my grandmother's king sized down comforter on my front rack. I was pretending to be a UPS truck and hauling things all over town)

Handsome Cyclist MGH

I'm happy to be feeling better and ready to start blogging again. I missed you guys.

I have for you here a handsome gentleman spotted near MGH. I got several photos of him but it was difficult to capture the gleam of his bike. Despite the muck everywhere his bike was obviously well cared for. It looks like a perfect city bike - fenders, rack, basket, chainguard, and a sprung Brooks saddle. Beautiful.

Happy start of street cleaning day!

Early Winter Light

Bundled up and still looking good as she rides her bike in Boston in February. The light is getting warmer though!

Blue Pinstriped Bike

This blue singlespeed with the enormous basket and matching rack was cute enough to get me to cross the street to check it out, but it was the blue pinstripe on the fenders that really won my heart. Small detail with a big impact.

Heeled Boots and Cargo

This chic cyclist, spotted in Cambridge, isn't letting February get her down. It was a beautiful crisp morning for a ride.

Getting There!

What a treat to look back at my post from March 4, 2008. As of this weekend I have accomplished all the goals listed there and more.

On the list for upgrading I had:

• a front rack
• a wine box from a good vineyard for carrying groceries (we'll have to buy the wine too, this is an expensive upgrade)
• better tires
• chainguard
• maybe go singlespeed

Well, as to this last goal, I decided that an internal hub might be better for my needs while still accomplishing the winter protection I was looking for. My husband built the wheel and we got it installed yesterday. The only challenge was that my handlebars are not round, and not standard, so getting the shifter on was a big deal. Everything else went smoothly. I chose a new Sturmey-Archer three speed mostly because it was already sized for my very narrow dropouts and I didn't want to have to spread the rear triangle. We laced it to a Salsa Delgado rim. My only complaint thus far is that I didn't realize the hub would click whether I was pedaling or coasting. I used to be much more stealthy! But that's not much of a complaint and I'm thrilled with how the bike now just smoooothly glides. I had no idea how much resistance had built up in the old wheel and derailleur. I know the derailleur was contributing because now when I backpedal I marvel at the lack of friction.

In the photo below you can see the results of my fender painting. After all these years of full-time commuting my Honjos are not looking as shiny as they did. I'm liking the pinstripe that now picks up my frame color on the fenders.


I still have more upgrades planned. I have a tire and new brake pads waiting for a new front wheel, I'd like it to match the rear. Hmmm. Is that it? Might I be getting close to the end of upgrades for the bike? Is that possible?



I might have saved some money (maybe) if I'd just bought a new bike and was done with it. Especially now that there are some cute, affordable city bikes (though probably made in Taiwan).

I am perhaps more proud of this old bike. I created this. It's my bike, there's not another one like it in the world, and I have learned so much in doing this. My husband has also learned a lot, I have him to thank for taking the wheel-building class. We've both grown in bike knowledge (and if we can, anyone can).

There's a wealth of old 10-speeds out there, and many are great bikes. Please don't send them to the dump! There's an adventure, sometimes frustrating, always informative, to be had in recycling them into lightweight beautiful city bikes.

Mystery Bike

Spotted in East Cambridge, the make is no mystery - even though it's painted over the bike is clearly a Trek. No, the mystery is what is contained in the locked box on the rear rack.

This commuter bike is well thought-out. It has Schwalbe marathon tires, full fenders, those upright handlebars, an internal hub, and both a tail light AND a red reflector.


The mystery box is locked, and there is even a bit of foam in the lock, presumably to reduce the rattle. What do you suppose is in there? I'm hoping for something super-top-secret. Any guesses?

Little Black Dress on a Little Black Bike

This classy cyclist in Cambridge has me very impressed. It got quickly cold here and I went for comfort today. Not her, she's looking good today. Her black stockings looked especially nice with her coat and heels. Bravo!

Mixtes across the Hexagon

While I couldn't possibly photograph all the mixtes I saw in France, here are a few of the photos that were convenient to get. I've mentioned that I came to urban cycling after living in Paris, upon returning I'm convinced that the archetype of the mixte frame entered my subconscious while I was there and that is why I love it so. They are so very practical, always have fenders and little platform racks, are lighter than most city bikes... I still don't own one, but they are lovely, aren't they?

This lady in Paris has the only reflective ankle strap I saw in France:



There's no lycra here in deep Provence! Monsieur was pumping up that tire and fiddling with the bike. I couldn't wait long enough to get a photo of him riding, but he must have gotten it running because the next day the bike was gone.



Fully loaded for camping in Lyon, that may be a 2 Second tent but I learned it's two seconds to put up and about twenty minutes to fold back down again:


This one looks better if you click to expand the image:


Finally, a pink mixte in Lyon:

Summer City Cyclist

What a handsome chap! I spotted him in the South End last night.

Add a scarf

This lady knows - take a simple classic bike, add a simple classic outfit (LOVE those ballerina flats!) and then add a scarf. That's what I noticed first.

She's turned her head to say something to the cabbie, it seemed like a friendly chat.

Follow that bike

I noticed her bike first, skirt guard and helmet second, shopping last.

This blurry photo was taken as I tried to keep up with her, take a photo, and not fall in a pothole. You can see that we've been having grey, cold weather. Her gold lamé bag was my only bright spot all day.

Simply Commuting

I have been noticing more and more KHS green bicycles around. The ladies frame is especially nice - with a few key upgrades I think it could be a good, simple, affordable option. Sure, it lacks the glamour of the trendy city bikes, but that may work out in its favor long-term.

Poised, in blue

She does look elegant with her summer trousers and her blue mixte.

Thanks for the submission from Lovely Bicycle!