'Tis the tweason!

It's another one of those damn times in Michigan.   Daily seasonal changes become a season of their own and happen a couple times a year. The November tweason means it's sunny, cloudy, foggy, rainy and snowy in a matter of hours and we just have to adapt because it will change soon (fifteen minutes according to legend). 

But  real winter is around the corner which turned into NOW this year. It's enough to send the spandex hamsters to their spin classes and video cycling.  I'm spending the Thanksgiving holiday giving the bikes a cleaning and tuneup before putting most away for a few weeks,

The Park Tool Cyclone cleans my chains.  I've seen many internet "experts" claim that this gadget simply does not work.  My question is; If it doesn't work, why is it full of  grease and grit when I'm done?  I don't normally worry about getting my hands dirty but the gloves keep my fingers warm when the garage temps are in the twenties.

The brakes on the Soma needed adjustment and it's a simple method to use a small clamp to hold the pads to the rim.  Then adjust the barrel adjusters to about 50%, loosen the cable bolt, pull the cable taut, re-tighten the cable bolt, remove the clamp and loosen the barrel adjusters until you have exactly the brake tension you like. There is a tool called "Third Hand" to hold the caliper, but I found the clamp works better since it's adjustable, the Third Hand is not.

It seems a bit early, but I'm swapping the regular tires on  the Brompton for the studs.  It's possible we'll have snow and ice on the streets until March, so err to the cautious side. Now I can choose between the winter beater with 50mm studs and the Brompton with it's 32mm studs. the Riv's and Soma will rest in the rafters until we get a  thaw.

That wasn't the best way to spend a holiday weekend, but I am several weeks ahead and ready for any day that gets warm.

The old days are still here.

     I think is had been pre-Covid since this group of vintage bike enthusiasts had gotten together for a ride.  It had been nearly an annual thing to ride the White Pine Trail from Grand Rapids for a 40 mile trip to Sand Lake and back.  But Tom Parker was the one to motivate 16 of us to get together for a mid day ride through the trees of Michigan.  

     We started from Dwight Lydell Park in Comstock and rode north casually along the trail, there was plenty to talk about as the season ended.  Everybody was an experienced rider who had been around much longer than their vintage bikes and most of us agreed it's easier to ride 50 miles than get out of a chair after watching TV.  

The beauty of riding the trails is the availability of pit stops 

and plenty of reasons to stop along the way.

There was a lot of great gear to admire

 but the show stopper was the new custom

Grand Boise which Tim Potter brought, 

built by a small shop in Kyoto Japan.  It's a beautiful green metallic with 

every classic nut, bolt and proven technic meticulously in place.

We stopped along the river in Rockford for a group photo on the way home.

At the end of the road we had lunch at Nick Fink's bar,

 storied to be the oldest in Michigan.

Conversation there led to tales of racing triumphs and jokes about the failures in years past.  It seems everybody else took up cycle racing somewhere in their early days.  After a while Tim Potter(knowing the answer)  asked me if I had ever raced "back in the day. " I said, "No, I've never thought of cycling as a competitive sport."

Empty silent stares, 

After a few moments I explained that I started in college when I was so busy with classes and a job I needed some recreation that blended into my schedule. "It's just a fun way to go places."

More empty stares.

It always happens that way, but I am always a little surprised.

The Stable

N+1 is the formula we all use to justify our bikes. Some of us are figures of blatant American consumerism, some are collectors and some try to explain it as practical. Most bikes have some overlapping abilities and are not really pigeonholed into one specific use. At 73 I'm still riding as frequently as ever if not as fast or as far. but I have developed a collection of bikes purely around the theory (or pretense) of practicality. My bikes are all of the multi use designs, which of course could mean I don't "need" them all, but that's poppycock. "Oh reason, not the need!" screams Shakespeare.

The Rivendell Hunqapillar is a heavy duty all terrain touring bike. Designed by Grant Peterson to be ridden on any terrain and field tested on the Continental Divide trail from Canada to Mexico,it's a wonderful machine that I've ridden thousands of miles fully loaded on self supported tours. It's also good around town, to work, the store and, despite being heavy, I've ridden a number of group rides at 15 mph or better. Riv's are incredibly comfortable bikes. They are famous for their fancy paint jobs and lugwork, but the quality of the ride is what keeps us on them.

After riding the Hunq for a season I HAD TO HAVE the lighter faster version. The Sam Hillborne from Rivendell was the best choice. The basic difference is in the tubing. It's lighter, the geometry is nearly the same, but it sports narrower tires and is not built to carry the load the Hunq will tote. It's a fun everyday bike, and is the bike of choice for charity/club rides or credit card touring. I'm not a fast rider at all, but I've ridden this bike on several metric centuries in less than 4 hours and run with group rides averaging 18 mph. It's only as slow as the rider and good for gravel, asphalt, rail trails, commuting,just about anything.

The SOMA Buena Vista is a modern take on the Mixte frame design. I built it as a brisk cafe racer to ride around town. The nice convenience of a Mixte is being able to step over the top tubes (something you appreciate as you get ah...more mature). This guy gets a lot of activity during the school year going to work.

Rivendell Yves Gomez is another take on the Mixte design. This is my "luxury" city bike. Like the Soma Mixte it's capable of riding a brisk group ride but it's really a classy, comfortable town bike.

The Brompton is the legendary folding bike. I've never had a bike that was easier to ride. It's surprisingly comfortable, this year I rode it in the 5 Borough Tour in NYC. It was 50 miles riding and I was comfortable all day. Folding as it does it's easy to transport by car, train, bus, subway or airline. Every thing considered, it will probably be the last bike I ride simply because it is so versatile, easy to transport, mount and ride. So, I'd like to believe I've reached the end of N+1. For now the selection I have is all I could want, certainly more than I need. But, Brompton did just release the G-Line model...

"April is the cruelest month..."

     April always feels like "Are we there yet!"  A couple hours at a time we are teased to wear shorts and t-shirts only to go back to long johns and sweaters.  "Hope it doesn't rain," is what we cling to every time we choose to ride.  A little cold ain't bad, a little rain ain't terrible but together are just plain dangerous.

Of course the puddles and mud give the bike some real character, dirty the way a bike should be.  And, it's still a relief from the ice and abominable snow tires.

Turkeys are brave near the trails but scamper off to the safety of their natural camouflage. They go off in a huff, at the sight of an intruder on "their" trail.  

We get to welcome a new trail segment which, although only a mile long, 

connects an east/west route free of cars

all the way across town. 

Streams and ponds are coming awake

and a chorus of frogs is out to entertain.

After last year's tornado devastation 

the forest will be in recovery for years

while the early blooms are trying to wave goodbye to winter.

I did it again!

    Some people have noticed I writ me another book.  Well, really, it's more of a booklet. It'll only be an e-book.  That makes it cheaper and easier for more people.  this one focuses on the the experiences I've found urban cycling over the past 50 years and the hows, whys and whynots to use a bicycle rather than slump into a sedentary lifestyle around town. Like the first, it'll get under the skin of a few people (hopefully a lot), but if you don't piss somebody off, you're not being honest. 

 

Baby, it's cold inside!

 So we had a cold snap a week or so ago. It's Michigan, it happens, like for months sometime.  Temps were down in the teens, wind chill in single digits. Schools were closed one day but not the next. I went to work and back without any discomfort. Winter jacket up top and base layer under my slacks and was perfectly comfortable.

After work, I had an appointment and two quick errands to run.  The streets were still frozen, icy and rutted, the temps in the teens and it was getting dark early. I decided to drive my car in the evening.  Sitting in the car, in the same clothes, I was freezing and shivering.  In and out of the car, bundled up as I was while riding my bike, I was totally uncomfortable while I was perfectly comfortable riding my bike in the same temps and clothing. Sitting to go places ain't good. Biking is the warm cold weather sport.

Just had enough...

 of this crappy weather in Michigan.  The past few weeks the weather from day to day has ranged from 60 to 20 degrees and changed seemly on an hourly basis.  Driving snow with 10 degree wind chills one afternoon to find the snow gone and 45 the next.  I decided to find some kind of sanity, loaded the car and headed south.  

The Hoosier National Forest along the Ohio River sounded good.  It's a 6 hour drive, straight south, and clear 70 degree weather was predicted.

The weather guessers delivered and the first evening was beyond beautiful.  The forest was just coming awake with early buds on the trees, violets and daffodils sprouting around the sides of the roads.  I didn't come for any epic ride, just some casual cruising in a warmer clime.

Did I say clime?  I meant the other "C" word. There is something wrong with my vocabulary these days.  It seems there's something about the term "German RIDGE"

that I did not get when I chose the desination.

Every blind winding turn on this side of the river valley

 brought a new climb with it.

It's always 50% downhill but I seemed to find inclines 

which also delivered some pretty

spectacular scenery

leading to the inevitable honky-tonk where the juke box was wailing country tunes I remembered from grade school (I'm 72!).  Sitting at the bar, I saw some  good looking burgers come out of the kitchen.  I could see the kitchen through the swinging doors and decided to stick with bottled beer (the locals probably develop immunity).   Chatting with a local, I was laughing inside listening to a guy complain about the wind while he was on his Harley.

Just a six hour drive was worth it to ride around in shorts, in some beautiful countryside and forest.  It might be an excellent destination in the fall when the colors come out, and the temps in Michigan drive me South again.

Growing pains.

      Remember how growing up seemed really exciting,  then you got a job, mortgage, kids and everything kinda sucked?  When you pass all that there's a new phase.  At 71, after reading for a couple hours, I've found it harder to get out a chair then it is to ride a bike 35 miles.

     This time of year is especially interesting.  When the snow has fallen along with the temperatures, I shuffle across the parking lot to the garage telling myself how stupid I am until I've ridden a few blocks and need to loosen my cuffs and pull the hood back to cool off.  

It's not a 35 mile ride this time of year,  the roads are barely cleared for cars let alone bikes so it's a unique challenge to get around town, but the sense of smug superiority it provides is well worth it.

On the other hand our city does a responsible job of clearing, or at least trying to clear the trailways.  The result is an icy mtb track protected from traffic where we can enjoy overheating under our parka for 25 miles or so.  It's a limited pleasure and a change of pace for a few weeks.

Turned what corner?

       It's that time of year, but it's nearly January and "freezing" still feels cold.  Normally, we (those of us who don't Zwift) have become calloused to cold temps and forty degrees feels warm by now.  We've had only 24 hours with snow on the ground and rainy 45 degree temps to live with most of the time.  The winter solstice has come and gone, the days are getting longer by about 30 seconds a day and we are coasting  towards spring already.  Nearly a month of winter has passed us with barely a blink of cold or snow.  Even though the spandex hamsters have retreated to their pretend cycling games, outdoor rides are demanding nothing more than a layer beneath a hoody. 

The outdoor season is normally limited to a daily commute or trip to the store on these days, but now I find myself taking a couple 25-30 mile rides a week. The smugness level enjoyed by riding ice encrusted trails on studded tires is not there this year and spring is slowly marching toward us.  At least we can hope, we still do have January and February to face.

Surprise!!!

 

It all seemed innocent and very low key.  Our local club decided to gather a few people to ride the new cycle track through our downtown area.  The track has, of course, inspired bike haters to complain.  Ignoring the fact that the changes made, reducing and narrowing motorist's lanes, were made for their safety, they focus on the existence of bike lanesto justify their protest. 

 I expected 6-10 people would show up in support of the new cycle track. Instead we found a gathering which rivaled a critical mass ride, well in our community it would qualify.  Over 65 people came and created a very visible crowd of support for the cities new development.

Even non cyclist spouses came out to be part of this transportation sub culture and participate along with the crowd whose ages spanned 6 decades.   

John Knowlton, the club's president tapped me out to drive this bus and I was helped by my two Rivendelian friends, Leah  Peterson and "Doc" Rehkoph.  

It didn't take long for the group to be broken into several groups by the new bike signals which have been installed.   Bike signals are a new curiosity here in Kalamazoo and a major source of conversation among the riders. 

Every kind of bike and rider was represented somewhere in the group. We had a few dedicated roadies, vintage, custom and modern along with Dutch cargo bikes, touring, Big Dummies and trikes. 

After the ride everyone was invited to participate in a survey to be sent to the city, hopefully to be read rather than ignored.  To say it was a successful demonstration of support would be an understatement, hopefully it will help the public accept the benefits they receive from it.

Traffic is slowly returning.

      I'm going to miss this.  Not the obvious urban ugliness and sprawl we live in.  Most people don't notice how horribly ugly our business areas have become because they drive past so quickly.  Ironically, the business owners protest making the streets more attractive, maintaining they will lose business by increasing non motorized traffic.  Do they think somebody driving past at 40 miles an hour even sees their business?

I digress.  What I will actually miss is riding the sidewalk safely.  The businesses are beginning to open as we gain control over the rate of COVID infection.  Soon the driveways will be dangerous and taking a short cut on the sidewalk will again be a life threatening exercise.

On the other hand, it's construction season.  Some of our busiest roads have  "pop-

up" bike lanes to help us out now.  People are getting back to outside work here in Michigan and some of the potholes will even be fixed, that will be a treat.

Bike week

Kalamazoo Bike Week kicked off with another addition of the annual Bike Camp.  49 new and returning riders signed up for the 4 Saturday classes to reintroduce them to cycling.

Volunteers from several bike shops as well as the club were on hand to give bikes a mechanical going over as well as provide an expert fitting and adjustment.

After which they were lead through a safety riding course and supervised rides of 5, 10 or 15 miles on the city streets.    

In another area of town the Vintage Bike show and swap was going on at the Old Dog Tavern downtown.  I arrived kind of late and didn't get to see some of the wares for sale,but did get to see the excellent New Belgium city bike being auctioned off.  The only thing this beauty missed is a decent dyno hub and lights, but with the nice steel frame, accessories and the Nexus 8 speed gears it was a real deal for the winner.

I was late in the day and a few of the vendors had packed up but there was still a large selection of bikes hanging around and people enjoying the courtyard bar with with a brew.

There were bike events and rides scheduled throughout town for the week and I missed most of them.

At the end of the week the Bike Camp continued with an hour and a half of maintenance tips and training for the 49 campers who signed up.

For our local club, this has become a great growth mechanism.  The campers get four Saturdays of instruction about various facets of the sport as well as membership to the club and the benefit of our supplemental medical insurance.  The club has gained new members year as a result of this program.

Each classroom session is followed by another ride of various lengths and speeds to help the new riders acclimate themselves to different traffic situations and riding techniques.  It's a little scary for those of us who are instructors and are constantly reminded of all the problems, techniques and solutions we take for granted.   

         One great event that fell below most people's radar was the implementation of the signage for the new Bikeway being developed.  The first of the new signs were put in place along the commuter route being developed throughout the region.  I have mentioned this before but this is an integrated route developed by the Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study for the the Bike Friendly Kalamazoo group.  Based upon mapping by KATS it will provide the largest and only designated regional cycling network I have heard of, at least on this continent.