Who knew there was a bike equivalent?
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
You know those well educated cars?
You know, the ones with three or four stickers from Ivy League colleges in the back window? Extra points if they're a mid-80's volvo wagon?
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Modernized Phillips
After building up Gilbert, I have a soft spot for modernized English three speeds, and I found a great example in this copper colored Phillips parked next to the ART (American Reparatory Theater).
Front and rear Sturmey Archer Drum brake hubs (3 speed in back, generator in front)
Fantastic placement of a horn- I was sooooo tempted to see what it sounded like!
And sparkly red grips! I wondered if the front light was a stock B&M retro, or if it was "modernized"
I especially like the retrofitted fender stays. A lot of the original fenders on these old steel bikes fail at the stay attachment to the fender. This is a seamless integration of modern stay and old fender (or a VERY good paint job to make the fender look original).
Charming rear light. I assume it's an LED retrofitted into a vintage housing. Note what appears to be cat5 cable for the wiring :)
Front and rear Sturmey Archer Drum brake hubs (3 speed in back, generator in front)
Fantastic placement of a horn- I was sooooo tempted to see what it sounded like!
And sparkly red grips! I wondered if the front light was a stock B&M retro, or if it was "modernized"
I especially like the retrofitted fender stays. A lot of the original fenders on these old steel bikes fail at the stay attachment to the fender. This is a seamless integration of modern stay and old fender (or a VERY good paint job to make the fender look original).
Charming rear light. I assume it's an LED retrofitted into a vintage housing. Note what appears to be cat5 cable for the wiring :)
The hubs were built into stainless steel rims which is unusual- I couldn't read the manufacturer. I am not certain, but from the fender line, I wonder if they're 650B.
All in all a lovely modernization of a classic city bike.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Hot rides in the city
I knew it was going to be a hot ride when my radio said it was 83 at 7:00 when my alarm went off.
I took a couple of steps to arrive at work not a sweaty mess:
1) Wear as little as possible- skirts for women, shorts for non-cross dressing men. Today I wore a light colored all natural fibers sleeveless dress (silk liner, cotton exterior).
I also didn't dry my hair- evaporation being a good thing to encourage on a day like today.
2) Icewater. I don't normally bring a water bottle on my 5 mile commute, as I just don't think a normal healthy person can get dehydrated that fast. However, icewater helps cool you from the inside, and is a real help above and beyond hydration.
3) Stay away from cars , and seek shade as much as possible. I don't know if you've noticed, but cars put out a lot of heat, and being stuck in among a bunch of them in not a good thing in the heat. I chose to ride on the dirt path, which I normally avoid, but it was in the shade, and the concrete was not.
An advantage of taking the multi-use path along the charles is that I personally don't feel the need to wear a helmet there, as I do on a city street.YMMV. I keep a "vented" style helmet around for the couple of days this time of year when my bern helmet's holes are not enough airflow, and I put it on before I ride through the city, in traffic which might cause me take evasive action or wreck.
4) A handkerchief is the fastest way to make yourself presentable at your destination. If my face is dry, I feel 100% more pulled together, even if the small of my back is a bit damp. I have a bunch of vintage linen-cotton hankies with cute leaf appliques, which I treasure, but any kind of hankie works wonders.
5) go slow. Not a good day to set a PR. I have to consciously remind myself to shift down a gear, and go slower than I feel "comfortable" doing, because I know once the breeze of my passing stops, I'll be hotter than I 'd like to be.
What steps do you take to cope with the heat of riding in summer?
I took a couple of steps to arrive at work not a sweaty mess:
1) Wear as little as possible- skirts for women, shorts for non-cross dressing men. Today I wore a light colored all natural fibers sleeveless dress (silk liner, cotton exterior).
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| I love these polka dot heels ($19 at DSW) |
2) Icewater. I don't normally bring a water bottle on my 5 mile commute, as I just don't think a normal healthy person can get dehydrated that fast. However, icewater helps cool you from the inside, and is a real help above and beyond hydration.
3) Stay away from cars , and seek shade as much as possible. I don't know if you've noticed, but cars put out a lot of heat, and being stuck in among a bunch of them in not a good thing in the heat. I chose to ride on the dirt path, which I normally avoid, but it was in the shade, and the concrete was not.
An advantage of taking the multi-use path along the charles is that I personally don't feel the need to wear a helmet there, as I do on a city street.YMMV. I keep a "vented" style helmet around for the couple of days this time of year when my bern helmet's holes are not enough airflow, and I put it on before I ride through the city, in traffic which might cause me take evasive action or wreck.
4) A handkerchief is the fastest way to make yourself presentable at your destination. If my face is dry, I feel 100% more pulled together, even if the small of my back is a bit damp. I have a bunch of vintage linen-cotton hankies with cute leaf appliques, which I treasure, but any kind of hankie works wonders.
What steps do you take to cope with the heat of riding in summer?
Strange and rare events
I was going to post today about riding in the heat (it's supposed to be 100 today, which is about as hot as it ever gets here). However, my post was completely hijacked by two strange and rare events.
The fact that they both happened on the same day, within 1000 yards of each other makes me wonder if the stars are in alignment!
For our first miraculous event: A state trooper pulling over speeding motorists on the Longfellow!
I have NEVER seen this in 5 years of biking this route. I did a speed survey with an engineering friend whose company lent him their radar gun, and on the other side of the bridge (where the construction is) we found not a single motorist was obeying the speed limit, and we had two (out of a sample size of about 50) that were going 20 miles above the 30 MPH speed limit. There's never enforcement, except sporadically on the cambridge side of the bridge by CPD. And yes, he's pulling people into the bike lane, but I'll not quibble. I had seen him getting out of his car with radar gun in hand as I passed, and then walked back up from Charles circle to tell him I thought he was doing a great thing! He had already pulled over someone by the time I got this far, so I didn't want to mess with them.
For our second miraculous event: A meter reader giving tickets to double parked trucks on Cambridge Street!
Cambridge street is always a slalom between people turning left and double parked delivery vehicles on the right. It's actually usually not that hard for bikes to get through, but drivers get cranky and try to gun through small gaps, which can be dangerous. Considering how much it holds traffic up, I'm really surprised that there hasn't been more enforcement. Traffic moved with record efficiency today with no double parked trucks at the top of the hill.
The fact that they both happened on the same day, within 1000 yards of each other makes me wonder if the stars are in alignment!
For our first miraculous event: A state trooper pulling over speeding motorists on the Longfellow!
I have NEVER seen this in 5 years of biking this route. I did a speed survey with an engineering friend whose company lent him their radar gun, and on the other side of the bridge (where the construction is) we found not a single motorist was obeying the speed limit, and we had two (out of a sample size of about 50) that were going 20 miles above the 30 MPH speed limit. There's never enforcement, except sporadically on the cambridge side of the bridge by CPD. And yes, he's pulling people into the bike lane, but I'll not quibble. I had seen him getting out of his car with radar gun in hand as I passed, and then walked back up from Charles circle to tell him I thought he was doing a great thing! He had already pulled over someone by the time I got this far, so I didn't want to mess with them.
For our second miraculous event: A meter reader giving tickets to double parked trucks on Cambridge Street!
Cambridge street is always a slalom between people turning left and double parked delivery vehicles on the right. It's actually usually not that hard for bikes to get through, but drivers get cranky and try to gun through small gaps, which can be dangerous. Considering how much it holds traffic up, I'm really surprised that there hasn't been more enforcement. Traffic moved with record efficiency today with no double parked trucks at the top of the hill.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
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