tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84926855257056911862024-03-19T04:46:28.829-04:00The RetrogrouchOld is GoodBrookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.comBlogger708125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-63369592601180961682021-10-25T08:43:00.002-04:002021-10-25T08:43:47.377-04:00A Milestone<p>This blog just reached a milestone - and I missed it!</p><p>A couple of weeks ago, apparently, I hit 3 million visits to <i>The Retrogrouch</i>. </p><p>Understand that I'm the kind of person who gets a little kick out of seeing my car's odometer tick over a big significant number - like hitting 50,000 or 100,000 miles. I had one old car that turned over from 99999 back to 00000 (I doubt anyone born after 1975 will remember when odometers only went five figures before rolling over). I was stoked about that one for months. Yeah - I know - I'm kind of a dork.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxvLjKBdcJ4Qk_Fr52Nhm_3npZMafWqtnL78IVV_mst0K_exCVYeIMGdPm-rXp1Z3TuS2zCG__UE8W7hEX_attN1-O-f37wCofky7ggk20FV_uqBW8v7BLqrIvlSvsH0P6KBcUhDAtwkjur141HFvZniwOUdABjp0uw-i_zlcswWTGt7gOoawUIsiC=s300" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxvLjKBdcJ4Qk_Fr52Nhm_3npZMafWqtnL78IVV_mst0K_exCVYeIMGdPm-rXp1Z3TuS2zCG__UE8W7hEX_attN1-O-f37wCofky7ggk20FV_uqBW8v7BLqrIvlSvsH0P6KBcUhDAtwkjur141HFvZniwOUdABjp0uw-i_zlcswWTGt7gOoawUIsiC" width="300" /></a></div><p>Anyhow - I knew I was getting close to 3 million, but forgot to check for a while, then this morning I looked and saw that I'd missed it. Oh well. I should also point out that, on the scale of the internet, there are probably bloggers and other sites that reach those million-visit-milestones every few <i>months</i>, not years. </p><p>Still<i> - The Retrogrouch Blog</i> may only be small taters. But they're <i>my</i> taters.</p><p>I first posted for this blog in August, 2013. I didn't know how long it would last, and I'm sure I never thought I'd still be writing it 8 years later - though admittedly I don't write or post nearly as often as I did back then.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmxbTfZJw5LUgjBblsjFAeU4QctDGFJ9vzblbAubsr6Lhg2I6YHMF9VVqtUnclIzWvmowFso5ftCX7kdMIUEMFbaDg_M2Mgbz3hEQKRyXrEXYw7QGOKWzmYE8PqjZXO_jogC2djHvFIAuzD7aihMo2RseFv3XZbPtQ4psvN_LNrqbf7Iz0gxPTAKLl=s293" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="293" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmxbTfZJw5LUgjBblsjFAeU4QctDGFJ9vzblbAubsr6Lhg2I6YHMF9VVqtUnclIzWvmowFso5ftCX7kdMIUEMFbaDg_M2Mgbz3hEQKRyXrEXYw7QGOKWzmYE8PqjZXO_jogC2djHvFIAuzD7aihMo2RseFv3XZbPtQ4psvN_LNrqbf7Iz0gxPTAKLl=w200-h182" width="200" /></a></div><p>Over the years, it's interesting to note, that the three most consistently popular articles in the blog's history were posted within the first 6 months since going online. Number one was a post about <a href="https://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2014/01/classic-tubes-tange-and-ishiwata.html" target="_blank">Tange and Ishiwata frame tubing</a>, number two was on <a href="https://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2013/10/changing-positions.html" target="_blank">Bike Fit Then and Now</a>, and number three was about the <a href="https://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2013/09/bridgestone-x0-1-cult-of-personality.html" target="_blank">Bridgestone XO-1</a>, a bike that still has something of a "cult-like" following. Month after month, those articles will still attract new readers, and occasionally generate new comments.</p><p>If I had to pick some favorite articles, I might pick the series I did about the American bicycle industry - and its shift from manufacturing bikes in the US to "designing" them here, and importing them from Asia (<a href="https://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2016/07/designed-in-america-part-one.html" target="_blank">"Designed in America"</a>). That one was in four parts and took a lot of research. I thought (still think) it was a pretty good history. I also enjoy the articles that explored vintage bike safety films or other educational materials - most of which would more likely convince people they'd be much safer not riding a bike at all. I long ago covered most of the bike education films I could find or had copies of, so there hasn't been a new post on that subject for a long while. But I had fun with those ones, being that they combined my interests in education (as a teacher), film (I teach a film class), and bikes.</p><p>I also enjoy looking back at articles about some of my vintage bike projects, documenting the process of taking a frame - possibly getting it repainted - and building it up like new. Those projects are very enjoyable to me, and covering them here in the blog, with pictures and descriptions of the process, is a great way to remember them. Some of those include my <a href="https://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2016/04/new-old-bike-project-finished.html" target="_blank">Expedition</a>, <a href="https://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2017/03/mercian-753-special.html">753 Mercian</a>, and most recently, my <a href="https://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2020/03/putting-it-all-together.html" target="_blank">Sequoia</a>. I also covered the process of building bikes for my daughters (<a href="https://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2019/03/new-bikes-for-retro-kids-update.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="https://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2019/04/new-bikes-for-retro-kids-another-one.html" target="_blank">here</a>).</p><p>Well, now that I've hit 3 million, the question is, can I make it to 4 million? Hmmm. . . </p>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-80432253284969254372021-10-20T12:08:00.000-04:002021-10-20T12:08:17.918-04:00Rolling Coal - Open Season on Cyclists<p>If you want to kill someone - and get away with it - it would be hard to find a better way to do it than to get the person on a bike and run them down with your car. </p><p>Cynical?</p><p>Maybe so - but statistically speaking, it's very unlikely that a driver who injures or kills a cyclist will face any jail time, and in many cases may not even be charged with a crime.</p><p>There's a pretty egregious case of this brewing currently in Texas - where a teenaged driver of a big modified diesel pickup truck ran over about six cyclists while attempting to harass them by "rolling coal." For those not familiar, "rolling coal" is what they call it when these neanderthals modify their diesel pickups to spew noxious black clouds of smoke on demand, and they typically do it to their perceived "enemies" on the road, including Prius drivers, suspected "libs," and (of course) <i>cyclists</i>.</p><p>I had a brief article about it some years back, including a cartoon of sorts:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhup-FHxpsk8VTGa5WnzVonv05M_WE0l2KmfrJOj2-j2x8KoqDxA3VWO3EseWya_JFCp41qWXiFVOrck6fe5fVcjBSY2sT478-c-N5aHXWqyYP3dwdBdFAZlkhHfZvKBjMYCQdzee6VBNV1Q3aCeoUp0P4X-6sofujZ306jBuBx_V4fTF8XCBsPUVVU=s1600" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhup-FHxpsk8VTGa5WnzVonv05M_WE0l2KmfrJOj2-j2x8KoqDxA3VWO3EseWya_JFCp41qWXiFVOrck6fe5fVcjBSY2sT478-c-N5aHXWqyYP3dwdBdFAZlkhHfZvKBjMYCQdzee6VBNV1Q3aCeoUp0P4X-6sofujZ306jBuBx_V4fTF8XCBsPUVVU=w400-h309" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>In this case in Texas, the 16 year old driver came up on a group of cyclists who were out on a training ride, pulled alongside of them, then hit the gas to drown them in his smoke. According to witnesses, he'd run down at least three of them before even attempting to brake. Several of the riders had to be life-flighted to the hospital with serious injuries, ranging from broken vertebrae, collarbones, hands and wrists, as well as brain injuries, cuts, bruises, and road rash. Many of them required surgery. Thankfully none of them died, but there's no question that they all have a long hard recovery ahead of them - both physically, and psychologically.<div><br /></div><div>The teenaged driver's parents showed up at the scene, the boy was questioned by police - and then <i>let go</i>. This happened on September 25th - and as of today the boy still has not been charged with anything. The district attorney of Waller County, where the crash occurred, has insinuated that the police have mishandled the case and may have given special treatment to the driver because of his well-connected family's prominence in the community. The police chief denies any special treatment, but local cyclists claim that there is a long history of animosity towards cyclists by courts and law enforcement. The story is still being covered by Houston area news, and recently made it into <i>Bicycling</i> Magazine as well. (Links to <a href="https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/transportation/article/waller-bicyclists-hit-truck-teen-driver-ironman-16490862.php" target="_blank">Houston Chronicle</a>, <a href="https://www.bicycling.com/news/a37808647/texas-driver-assaults-six-cyclists/" target="_blank">Bicycling</a>)</div><div><br /></div><div>Stories like this one just drive home the point that cyclists are frequently marginalized - and targeted - and that justice can be hard to come by.</div><div><br /></div><div>A friend of mine used to say that it was not enough to assume that drivers might be inattentive, inexperienced, or clueless - he just took it for granted that drivers were <i>actively trying to kill him</i> - and rode his bike accordingly. I used to chuckle at that advice - but these days I can't help but consider them wise words.</div>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-40902147167338282702021-10-05T09:22:00.001-04:002021-10-05T09:22:44.054-04:00Saddle Relief<p>Well, I finished my test period on the Brooks B-17 Imperial, or "Carved" saddle. I'd put several thousand miles on the saddle in that time, but when the year-long test period was over, I was actually glad to swap the saddle on my commuting mule. I took it off and replaced it with the Brooks C-17 I had been using previously, and it was a relief.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QTV65MQ-lOA/YVxII6-KyHI/AAAAAAAAUmo/FG6jkr5G4U4NqMkVtThaFjW0GDaMDJBWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="2048" height="215" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QTV65MQ-lOA/YVxII6-KyHI/AAAAAAAAUmo/FG6jkr5G4U4NqMkVtThaFjW0GDaMDJBWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3342.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The C-17 saddle's top is made of rubber and fabric bonded together. Its look is somewhat more "modern" than the B-17, but the "feel" is similar. I find that it more or less "disappears" under me, like a good traditional B-17 (<i>without</i> the big hole in the top). I chose it for my commuter because it is more of an "all weather" saddle - more impervious to occasional rain showers.</div><p></p><p>The "carved" B-17 Imperial is supposed to relieve perineal pressure, but I hate to admit that I never got used to it. If anything, I felt that the big hole in the top led to <i>more</i> pressure - not less - and chafing. Even with padded riding shorts, I could feel the edges of the hole "digging in." I had hoped that it might get better as the saddle got more broken-in, but the sensation never really went away.</p><p>If someone is still tempted to try the Imperial, I'd recommend taking out the laces right from the start. Unlike regular versions of the B-17, the lower skirts on the Imperial are laced together from the factory, which is a trick people will use to firm up the top of an old saddle that has gotten too soft and saggy. But on a new saddle, it seemed to be overkill. I used mine as it was shipped, with the laces, for at least 6 months, and it made the top feel way too solid, as if it would never break-in. I eventually removed the laces, which allowed the top to flex more. It helped, but I could still feel that damned hole.</p><p>In the end, I'm just going to say that the regular non-carved B-17 - and also the C-17 (which has a similar width to its all-leather cousin) - are pretty hard to beat. Even if someone has concerns about "perineal pressure" I think these saddles - if properly set up for height and angle, etc. - will provide a lot of comfort, making the huge hole in the top unnecessary. </p>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-26278992053612223002021-09-03T08:10:00.000-04:002021-09-03T08:10:24.721-04:00An Invitation to the Undertaker<p>Okay - I'll start this off by pointing out that this isn't exactly going to be a typical retro-grouchy, vintage-bikey kind of post. There won't be any pictures of lovely old bicycles, or photos taken from bike riding adventures. There won't be any grumbling about modern bike tech, or nostalgia for the beautiful simplicity of vintage bikes. But there <i>is</i> some connection to my usual retrogrouch interests.</p><p>My now-teen-aged Retro-kid is an art student in high school, but so far has not learned how to do silk-screen printing at school. Silk-screening is something that I did many years ago and enjoyed, and she's expressed an interest in learning, so we decided to do a project together before our summer break ends.</p><p>Some time back, readers might recall I posted about an <a href="http://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2017/02/bike-safety-101-police-safety-council.html" target="_blank">old bike "safety" manual from the 1950s</a>. If the children who were given these manuals learned anything from them, the main lesson would be "Don't Ride a Bike or You Will Die."</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t_quH3b0xoE/YNiVML2xSJI/AAAAAAAATs8/H0ZH5w_x15oLuOkwfvgQgAljR_25qZoWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/0245_005.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t_quH3b0xoE/YNiVML2xSJI/AAAAAAAATs8/H0ZH5w_x15oLuOkwfvgQgAljR_25qZoWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/0245_005.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>My daughter was looking through the old safety manual and we were both getting a good laugh out of it. She found one panel in particular that she found especially ridiculous and said "We should put this on a t-shirt." There you go - the genesis of an idea.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mywxxbjDjmg/YNiV_l2ZSMI/AAAAAAAATtE/JBKeACtYrTw7paFjsMjeaeY2v2BRZGYdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/scan_kbrooks_2021-06-04-09-51-08.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1866" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mywxxbjDjmg/YNiV_l2ZSMI/AAAAAAAATtE/JBKeACtYrTw7paFjsMjeaeY2v2BRZGYdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/scan_kbrooks_2021-06-04-09-51-08.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The kid just looks so smug as he heads to his (apparently) impending death</div><div><br /></div><div>I looked the image over, and thought it might work okay for screen printing. For one thing, it's all "one color" - black on white, which is needed for reproduction on the screen and ideal for a "first time" project (if you have a multi-color image, you need a separate screen for each color - then you need to make sure all the colors line up in the final print!). However, there are "shaded" areas in the original artwork which can potentially pose a complication. They're done with a "half-tone" process (that's the pattern of little tiny dots, which you'll also see in newsprint photos) which <i>should</i> transfer OK on the screen - but when inked up and printed onto fabric they would create a muddle in the final result. So I cleaned up the image with some photo editing software, and while I was at it, I enlarged the text to a size that would show up much better when printed on fabric. I also enlarged the whole image to a good size for what we wanted, and printed it off with our basic home printer. The next step was to take the printed image over to the local copy center to have them turn it into an acetate transparency.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-szPC1p7LGV4/YS56QQoDfNI/AAAAAAAAUhI/qKcIPmyrfYch7ousG9kXICPRfSp_DTYAQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2033/scan_kbrooks_2021-06-04-09-51-08%2Bcopy.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1781" data-original-width="2033" height="280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-szPC1p7LGV4/YS56QQoDfNI/AAAAAAAAUhI/qKcIPmyrfYch7ousG9kXICPRfSp_DTYAQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/scan_kbrooks_2021-06-04-09-51-08%2Bcopy.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">(image cleaned up, with larger text)</div><div><br /></div><div>We also needed to make a trip to the art supply store to get a screen printing photo-emulsion kit, along with a fine mesh polyester screen (actual <i>silk</i> screen is rare these days), a squeegee, and some inks. We would also need a good shop lamp with 150 watt bulb, which I already had.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4-NQwcYUI_I/YSz68GAG4RI/AAAAAAAAUgY/_DUvxDoE1dQteEvVC9P3f1k6JWhTZHNZwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3310.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4-NQwcYUI_I/YSz68GAG4RI/AAAAAAAAUgY/_DUvxDoE1dQteEvVC9P3f1k6JWhTZHNZwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3310.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">There are a few methods for creating silk screens, but the "photo-emulsion" method gives the most accurate transfer, and is what most professionals use. One nice thing is that, for beginners, there are pretty detailed instructions in the box.</div><div><br /></div><div>We temporarily converted my bike workshop area in the basement into an art studio/darkroom - by covering the room's one window with cardboard, turning the workbench into an exposure area, and creating a makeshift drying rack over in the corner. I suppose at this point I should explain briefly that one thing about doing the photo emulsion process in screen printing is that it's a lot like photography. It uses light sensitive materials to transfer the image to the screen, which in turn creates a very detailed "stencil" which can then be used to print the t-shirts (or whatever you happen to want to print your design onto). Creating the "darkroom" isn't quite as demanding as with film photography, however, where every last bit of light has to be painstakingly "sealed out," because the light sensitivity of the materials is much less than with film. When working with film, even the slightest crack of light coming in from under a doorway can ruin the film. But with the silk screening process, a few cracks of light won't do much harm.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sFsbngtLIAM/YSz7LNn0_zI/AAAAAAAAUgc/S3Pxkvv130QgGRmE5LfYdEs3h4StjQn9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3309.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sFsbngtLIAM/YSz7LNn0_zI/AAAAAAAAUgc/S3Pxkvv130QgGRmE5LfYdEs3h4StjQn9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3309.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The kit shown above primarily consists of a 2-part chemical mixture: a large bottle with an emulsion (it looks a bit like blue Elmers glue), and a small bottle with a "sensitizer." Mix the two together (it turns bright green) and it becomes light sensitive. We then used a squeegee to spread that emulsion on both sides of the screen - smoothly covering the entire surface, front and back. That has to be put into a dark space to dry thoroughly. I created a little drying rack in the back corner of my workshop for that purpose, with a fan for air circulation, and I put an additional covering around it to ensure more darkness.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once the screen is dry, it's time to transfer the image onto it. Here's where the process really starts to look like photography:</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GdCZoh-xJEY/YSz7aL9p_aI/AAAAAAAAUgk/bev-aCATQC8A69yaJBnN7EzZqvwecLUVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3315.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GdCZoh-xJEY/YSz7aL9p_aI/AAAAAAAAUgk/bev-aCATQC8A69yaJBnN7EzZqvwecLUVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3315.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I cleared space on the top of my workbench, and clamped my work light about 12 - 15 inches above the surface. We put the screen down on the surface, placed the transparency of our artwork into the screen, and put a piece of glass on top to help hold the artwork flat against the screen. Set a timer, and turn on the light to expose the screen. The instructions in our kit gave us the exposure times, depending on the size of the screen, and the type of light source we were using. In our case, our exposure time was about 30 minutes.</div><p>So, here's what happens. Wherever the light shines on the screen, the emulsion gets "cured" or hardens into the screen. Wherever the light is blocked by the artwork, the emulsion remains softer and can be washed out, exposing the design in the holes in the screen. When the exposure is done, we took the screen to the sink with a sprayer and an old toothbrush - and washed the screen to open up the design. At that point, the screen is like a very detailed stencil, as already mentioned, and ready for printing.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pL6qj9TLbuQ/YS_zCeEdLII/AAAAAAAAUhg/je-o24nUXYgu2euj1JpA4QdumDj2vXspgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3323.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pL6qj9TLbuQ/YS_zCeEdLII/AAAAAAAAUhg/je-o24nUXYgu2euj1JpA4QdumDj2vXspgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3323.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's my Retro-kid with the screen inked up, and transferring the design onto a t-shirt . . .</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JQ2-O5nn92E/YS_zX1-4vxI/AAAAAAAAUho/3WgFW957dvgBQ12PwTOE5vVE0EOHqV5XQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3325.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JQ2-O5nn92E/YS_zX1-4vxI/AAAAAAAAUho/3WgFW957dvgBQ12PwTOE5vVE0EOHqV5XQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3325.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">. . . and the finished result.</div><p>We printed off a few t-shirts for ourselves and to give to friends. It was a fun project - and now that she knows the basics, she can experiment with more complex images and designs. </p><p>Okay - so, not <i>exactly</i> a bike-related project but I thought folks might enjoy reading about how we spent our last days of summer break.</p></div>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-63679859450933527802021-08-14T14:10:00.001-04:002021-08-14T20:04:46.168-04:00Biking Historic Virginia - part 2<p>If you read the <a href="http://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2021/08/biking-historic-virginia-part-1.html" target="_blank">previous post here</a> in the blog, then you know that my family and I spent about a week in eastern Virginia, soaking up history in a part of the country that's just steeped in it. Well, our vacation is done, and we're back home in Akron - but now I have some time to write about how I spent my last day in VA.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KruTI4sJxB8/YRe7tvBK_ZI/AAAAAAAAUbk/LW1v26NhOo4hBrRGsrHgncChcaiLBMhuwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3249.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KruTI4sJxB8/YRe7tvBK_ZI/AAAAAAAAUbk/LW1v26NhOo4hBrRGsrHgncChcaiLBMhuwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3249.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>In doing some reading about bike routes and trails in the area around where we were staying, I learned about the Colonial Parkway, which is operated by the National Park Service. The parkway connects the three main historic villages of colonial Virginia - Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown - all located on the peninsula between the James and York rivers. These villages form what is often known as the "Historic Triangle." The parkway provides a beautiful, natural landscape and scenes, and somehow manages to avoid views of modern development. The roadway is wide and paved in concrete which has a surface of what appears to be river pebbles - which is supposed to make it recall (somewhat) the look of a colonial-era road. There are very few intersections (it usually passes over or under crossing roads) - and instead has "exits" to access the few other roads it actually intersects. For cyclists, the parkway's features, and lack of big trucks, make it an excellent route - though I would highly recommend a steel-framed bike and with tires of at least 32mm (or more) in width, because that "pebbly" surface can really generate some "buzz." Luckily for me, the Sequoia perfectly fit the bill. <p></p><p>The parkway is about 23 miles long from end to end. But for me to ride the whole thing, I needed to turn it into a loop that started and ended at our "home base." I mapped it out and ended up with a ride of almost exactly 50 miles.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CSjzQyGiZrM/YRfH8V82FtI/AAAAAAAAUdc/3ybJiQoTDl0Px9nrVED8lbnEEFAJt8RkACLcBGAsYHQ/s2140/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-08-12%2Bat%2B12.42.03%2BPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="988" data-original-width="2140" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CSjzQyGiZrM/YRfH8V82FtI/AAAAAAAAUdc/3ybJiQoTDl0Px9nrVED8lbnEEFAJt8RkACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h185/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-08-12%2Bat%2B12.42.03%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My start/end point is at that big red dot, to the north-west of Williamsburg. To ride the parkway, I'd have to ride south to the settlement of Jamestown (which incidentally is also where the Capitol Trail starts, which I'd written about in the previous post) - then east along the James River. Then the parkway heads north to the village of Colonial Williamsburg, and then turns east again to the York river, and eventually to the village of Yorktown. At that point, I'd have to return along the parkway back to Williamsburg, and then take the regular roads back to our home base. One caveat for bicyclists riding the parkway is that in Williamsburg, the road enters a pretty long tunnel that passes completely <i>underneath</i> the restored historic village. Bicyclists are prohibited from riding in the tunnel. It is necessary for cyclists to "exit" the parkway just before the tunnel starts, ride on the surface streets through Colonial Williamsburg, then get back on the parkway. This is hardly an inconvenience because it lets you see the village by bike (which is nice). The National Park Service website offers a suggested route for that little detour - but on the whole, it isn't hard to figure out for anyone with a map.</div><div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zY_w-KVTP9Q/YRe8A-UDKuI/AAAAAAAAUbs/mT43JmfUXlsyVSGvSleOZzTENZn3P_JEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3216.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zY_w-KVTP9Q/YRe8A-UDKuI/AAAAAAAAUbs/mT43JmfUXlsyVSGvSleOZzTENZn3P_JEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3216.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I left "home" at 7:00 am, and arrived in Jamestown at about 7:30. Even at that early hour, the temperature was already in the 80s, with ungodly humidity, so within minutes I was already getting soaked in sweat, and dripping. Here, near the start of the parkway, I had a nice view of a marsh and a creek that flows into the James River.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rJHLID3eoeM/YRe8Vm5sCkI/AAAAAAAAUb0/IFJopoayeg0CgytCyk_0OwTEb7dAzXi1ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3232.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rJHLID3eoeM/YRe8Vm5sCkI/AAAAAAAAUb0/IFJopoayeg0CgytCyk_0OwTEb7dAzXi1ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3232.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HwgDpBB6OjQ/YRe8qovDkLI/AAAAAAAAUb8/jNwifWasgAs8OG6VrR07aXXQ_1Yjm-IDACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3230.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HwgDpBB6OjQ/YRe8qovDkLI/AAAAAAAAUb8/jNwifWasgAs8OG6VrR07aXXQ_1Yjm-IDACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3230.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Passing through these wooded areas at this hour, there were these lovely shafts of sunlight streaming through the trees. But the fact that the sunlight is glowing like that is also an indicator of how high the humidity was. Remember - that's <i>water vapor </i>glowing there in the sunlight. These pictures also give an idea of the parkway itself, which as I've said, is nice and wide - but also lacks any lines or lane markings. You can kind of see that pebbly surface I mentioned, which does generate a high-frequency "buzz." Most of the time my tires and frame managed to soak it up pretty well. Traffic was overall pretty light - especially early in the morning.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UdCFn0SK9kU/YRf6ohl08jI/AAAAAAAAUdo/NOERQgklwgoTGxOgaME2_o68hI8_JK41ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3219.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UdCFn0SK9kU/YRf6ohl08jI/AAAAAAAAUdo/NOERQgklwgoTGxOgaME2_o68hI8_JK41ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3219.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>I mentioned above that the parkway has minimal intersections, and either passes over or under crossing roads. Most of the bridges one passes under are built of red brick, like these shown here - giving them an attractive colonial-era look. I should also mention that the parkway is very well maintained.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kxHKgkk-HKQ/YRe9nycafTI/AAAAAAAAUcM/xQafN-EOSy0trrF2wJijU9DGoSEza_hsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3234.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1432" data-original-width="2048" height="224" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kxHKgkk-HKQ/YRe9nycafTI/AAAAAAAAUcM/xQafN-EOSy0trrF2wJijU9DGoSEza_hsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3234.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I spotted this flock of wild turkeys along the way. You know - unlike the bloated, genetically engineered domestic varieties bred for Thanksgiving dinners, wild turkeys deserve some respect. They are pretty ugly birds - but they "own" it. They are also clever - and they can defend themselves. It's a good idea to give them a little space. Though the frequently repeated notion that Benjamin Franklin had actually wanted the turkey to be the "national bird" is actually a myth, he did in fact have some thoughts on the subject - expressed in a letter to his daughter. An excerpt: <i>“For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead tree near the river, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent bird has at length taken a fish, and is bearing it to his nest for the support of his mate and young ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him. . . The Turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original Native of America… He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a bird of courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his farm yard with a red Coat on.”</i></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0QuPmEDiyWc/YRe9z5pj6xI/AAAAAAAAUcQ/CFAdT17P4qE1inV9tkcjTffCwuHYmplogCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3235.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0QuPmEDiyWc/YRe9z5pj6xI/AAAAAAAAUcQ/CFAdT17P4qE1inV9tkcjTffCwuHYmplogCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3235.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">About 25 miles into my ride, I emerged from the woods to my first glimpse of the York River.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bETM-JemrlE/YRe-MdK_gQI/AAAAAAAAUcc/96wfLuAjHawheq6Rn8_eR3sWeG7Kxpu_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3236.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bETM-JemrlE/YRe-MdK_gQI/AAAAAAAAUcc/96wfLuAjHawheq6Rn8_eR3sWeG7Kxpu_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3236.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Okay - so this was an unexpected sight. I came around a bend to see the flashing lights of a sheriff's car and a couple of tow trucks - looked out into the river, and saw this car about half submerged in the river. I have no idea how it got out there. I can't imagine a car getting that deep into the river on its own power unless it was really <i>flying</i> when it hit the water. Did it go in at some other point in the river and get pulled further out by the current? Did the driver go out there while the tide was low - then get trapped as the tide came in? (I'm not familiar enough with the area to know if the river is affected by the tides to that extent - but I assume there must be some tidal effects). By the time I'd be on my return ride, they'd have it out.</div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iZwItKrZ6B4/YRe-glZQshI/AAAAAAAAUck/-jvxg6IAYiYHHz214A9KKn_srvUMtKdDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3239.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iZwItKrZ6B4/YRe-glZQshI/AAAAAAAAUck/-jvxg6IAYiYHHz214A9KKn_srvUMtKdDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3239.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Seeing this bridge in the distance told me I was getting close to Yorktown. That's the Coleman Memorial - US Route 17 bridge from Yorktown to Gloucester Point. It's a moveable "swing bridge" that can open up to allow navy ships access to the Naval Weapons Station on the York River. At this point, I must have been about 5 miles from the end of the parkway.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dhFIW6PQuRs/YRf_bRCfzeI/AAAAAAAAUd0/K4wPehmAnkAddfsaAQLJGZDKNn9M-vnUwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3251.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dhFIW6PQuRs/YRf_bRCfzeI/AAAAAAAAUd0/K4wPehmAnkAddfsaAQLJGZDKNn9M-vnUwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3251.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Speaking of that Naval Weapons Station - here it is. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I1o7yMm_dLY/YRe_GSMtfTI/AAAAAAAAUcs/9MZDuTTXJtMnK86CVyAn_HHGRZcLUf2NwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3247.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I1o7yMm_dLY/YRe_GSMtfTI/AAAAAAAAUcs/9MZDuTTXJtMnK86CVyAn_HHGRZcLUf2NwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3247.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The Parkway ends in Yorktown at the historic battlefield. If folks don't remember from their American History classes, Yorktown was the site of the final siege in the Revolutionary War - where Lord Cornwallis surrendered to Washington in October 1781, thereby ending the war and guaranteeing our independence.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Upon reaching the end of the parkway, I decided to ride around the village of Yorktown to see some of the sights before heading back. It's a lovely little town with some interesting stories.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HufTP5Egw8M/YRfASzuiqvI/AAAAAAAAUdE/MY8sZVNQtHAodZrizlHOhK-bE4HndHbNACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3242.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HufTP5Egw8M/YRfASzuiqvI/AAAAAAAAUdE/MY8sZVNQtHAodZrizlHOhK-bE4HndHbNACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3242.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This was the home of Thomas Nelson - signer of the Declaration of Independence, representative for Virginia in the Continental Congress, and a brigadier general in the Virginia Militia - and one of the commanders of American troops in the battle of Yorktown. Later he would be elected to follow Thomas Jefferson as Governor of Virginia. Some interesting history on Nelson, and his home: British troops captured Yorktown in August of 1781, took over the local homes to board their soldiers, and dug in for battle. Being one of the largest and grandest houses in the village, Lord Cornwallis selected Nelson's home as his headquarters. When the American and French forces arrived to battle the British, the American troops, led by Nelson, opened fire on Nelson's own house. Legend has it that Nelson offered a prize of 5 guineas to the first soldier to hit his house. Now <i>that's</i> what we call commitment to a cause.</div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JzZ-e44QXjE/YRfAeW5ERVI/AAAAAAAAUdI/h481HI8Gl5YwdlgoOkXx9dWK05EeBSvXACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3243.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JzZ-e44QXjE/YRfAeW5ERVI/AAAAAAAAUdI/h481HI8Gl5YwdlgoOkXx9dWK05EeBSvXACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3243.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Signs of the battle are still evident all around the Nelson house - with holes and divots all over the outside bricks. Here, you can see a cannonball still lodged in the wall. Too cool. I was also told that the house was used as a hospital during the Civil War, and local legend says the house is haunted by the soldiers who died in it.</div></div><div><div><br /></div>Anyhow - Yorktown was a huge tactical mistake for Cornwallis. French ships totally blockaded the York River, bottling up the British Navy, and cutting them off from supplies and reinforcements by sea - while American and French soldiers moved in by land to surround the British forces - then bombarded the hell out of them. The siege lasted a couple of weeks, during which time the British were weakened and ran out of ammunition, food, and men. By October 17th, Cornwallis was asking for terms of surrender.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2MqGEWSDfBQ/YRe_2BlYaxI/AAAAAAAAUc0/D81nzoy2jb4SGwzuCTKJgNf0-5A0ZpbGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3244.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2MqGEWSDfBQ/YRe_2BlYaxI/AAAAAAAAUc0/D81nzoy2jb4SGwzuCTKJgNf0-5A0ZpbGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3244.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pUNT1k2ey3Q/YRfADMdhuSI/AAAAAAAAUc4/ssuX1Vb9X8QmZxQDxuHsLgW-_71Y_PzPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3245.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pUNT1k2ey3Q/YRfADMdhuSI/AAAAAAAAUc4/ssuX1Vb9X8QmZxQDxuHsLgW-_71Y_PzPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3245.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Shortly after news of the victory reached the Capitol, Congress commissioned the construction of this monument. It wouldn't actually be built until 100 years later - which could be seen as evidence that Congress has <i>always</i> moved at a snail's pace. Fun fact: that figure of Lady Liberty on the top of the monument is NOT the original statue from the 1880s. The original figure was struck by lightning in the 1940s, which <i>literally</i> blew her head off. A new figure was created and put in place in the 1950s (apparently with a lightning rod running through it, and a pretty extensive grounding apparatus installed). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Anyhow - after seeing the sights in Yorktown, I went back to the parkway and the ride back to the home base. By the time I was heading back, the temperature was in the mid 90s. I should mention that there are literally no places along the parkway to stop for water or other refreshments - especially on that long stretch (approximately 15 miles) between Yorktown and Williamsburg. So having plenty of water is key. I had an extra bottle in my saddlebag - but by the time I got back to Williamsburg, that was just about gone too. The "Market Square" area in Williamsburg has a number of places to stop for food and drinks - so that was like a welcome oasis.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well - a 50 mile tour of the historic peninsula was a great way to finish up my vacation in Virginia. The next morning, we faced a 9-hour drive back to Ohio. I'll just wrap this up by mentioning that Virginia is a beautiful area for cycling - with lots of resources and amenities for riders - lots to see and do - and the people I encountered were genuinely friendly. Seriously - I got friendly waves and "hellos" from people everywhere I went. So overall it was a great place to take a bike and explore. </div><div><br /></div><div>That's all for now - Till next time . . .</div></div>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-31633526399911250132021-08-12T20:43:00.000-04:002021-08-12T20:43:54.580-04:00Biking Historic Virginia - part 1<p>I had mentioned in my last post that the family and I would soon be taking a vacation trip - and that's exactly what we did. We made a drive from Ohio south to Virginia, where we would be spending about a week in the Williamsburg area - in the eastern part of VA, near the Chesapeake Bay. Well, by the time this gets posted, we'll actually be wrapping it up and on the way back home. But since we were driving, it was a simple matter to bring a bike - which as far as I'm concerned, is the <i>best</i> way to explore someplace new (or in this case, someplace very <i>old</i>).</p><p>There is a lot of history in this part of the country - which has always been a point of interest for me. I mean - I'm an English teacher, but for me, History was also a possible path. Seriously - how many people do you know who read Alexis de Tocqueville's <i>Democracy in America</i> at 17 - and <i>not</i> as a required reading assignment? I'd seen enough references to it in other books that I figured I should check it out. You know - for a little "light reading."</p><p>Anyhow . . . this part of Virginia is full of destinations for anyone interested in history. Colonial period, and Revolutionary War history and lots of Civil War history too. Everywhere you go, there are old battlefields, historic homes, monuments, gravesites, museums, and more. We had plenty of activities planned out as a family, but I also made sure to leave some time for riding during our stay.</p><p>On my first day out on my bike, I got out early while everyone else was still asleep to do some exploring without wandering too far from our home base. I planned out a ride to Colonial Williamsburg, which was about a 20 - 25 minute ride away from "home." Most readers are probably at least somewhat familiar with Colonial Williamsburg, but in case anyone needs the info - it's a fully restored "living history" village, where people dress in 18th century clothes, and give demonstrations on all aspects of colonial life. Williamsburg had been the capitol of the Virginia colony until 1780, when the capitol moved to Richmond. After the move, Williamsburg basically became just a sleepy little southern town until the 1930s, when a foundation was created to restore it to its 18th century appearance. </p><p>Getting to the restored village at 7:30 am on a Sunday morning meant that I was seeing it before the other tourists started arriving, and before anything was open. There were lots of workmen and maintenance people all over the village - cutting grass, trimming shrubs, making repairs - and then by 9:00 am, they all clear out, and the folks in period costumes take over the scene.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QTwc1wkUs14/YRV4z29TkMI/AAAAAAAAUZ0/VAf5yoZvnFcQ3kCW3fx6XokV2yWoHTNfACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3109.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QTwc1wkUs14/YRV4z29TkMI/AAAAAAAAUZ0/VAf5yoZvnFcQ3kCW3fx6XokV2yWoHTNfACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3109.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">One of the major parts of the restoration of Williamsburg was to completely rebuild the Governor's mansion, restoring it to its former glory. Again - I was there before opening - so the gates made a decent backdrop for a bike shot. And yes, I did also get to see the place during normal hours with the family, tour the inside, and explore the gardens and grounds. It's impressive.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7aVFXaw8Ffc/YRV468qFUVI/AAAAAAAAUZ4/x82Z2H4109EgX4X9XENcRteAz-PYYqE-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3098.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7aVFXaw8Ffc/YRV468qFUVI/AAAAAAAAUZ4/x82Z2H4109EgX4X9XENcRteAz-PYYqE-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3098.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Another bike pic - just outside a paddock where historical re-enactors would be doing demonstrations later in the day. As folks can see, I brought the Sequoia, which has become a favorite riding mount since its restoration last year.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eiA50B3WzPc/YRWFg3VCZMI/AAAAAAAAUbI/OguJiIUJ1aoeBPMHBV3AvGliYN5ggOWXACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3101.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1371" data-original-width="2048" height="214" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eiA50B3WzPc/YRWFg3VCZMI/AAAAAAAAUbI/OguJiIUJ1aoeBPMHBV3AvGliYN5ggOWXACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3101.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I explored the village some more, riding up and down the various streets, checking out the houses and shops. One thing I found interesting is that Colonial Williamsburg is also a residential community. While some of the houses and shops are open for tours and demonstrations - some of the houses are actually private residences. The foundation apparently owns all the buildings, but they lease some of them out for people to actually live in - primarily some of the village's re-enactors. So it wouldn't be so unusual to see, for example, the village blacksmith emerge from one of these houses in the morning, dressed in period costume, and head off to work.</div><div><br /></div>Just outside the restored village of Williamsburg sits the College of William & Mary, which I learned is the second oldest college in the U.S. (Founded in 1693 - only Harvard is older).<div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o6d74j7zUVI/YRV5DTHPyoI/AAAAAAAAUZ8/36r_-bLOsDUweNMaR93e_8Dz38JHn8l-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3113.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o6d74j7zUVI/YRV5DTHPyoI/AAAAAAAAUZ8/36r_-bLOsDUweNMaR93e_8Dz38JHn8l-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3113.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My first stop on the campus was the square where the original and oldest buildings are located. But honestly - the whole campus is gorgeous. Almost all the buildings keep a similar style architecturally, with the same style and color of brickwork. Seriously - even their football stadium is designed to blend in with the historical buildings (at least in as much as a stadium can).</div></div><div><br /></div><div>After riding loops around the restored village and the lovely college campus, I headed "home" to get ready for a day of touring and activities with the family. I think my ride was about an hour and a half - and maybe 15 (mostly) relaxing miles.<br /><p>My next excursion would be much longer. I did some checking about bike routes and trails in the area, and found that we were only about 10 miles away from one end of the Capitol Trail - which runs from the historic Jamestown Settlement to the city of Richmond. It's a little over 50 miles from end-to-end. The trail mostly follows a route beside some of the rural highways, though it is fully separated from them - and at least one section of the trail is on a former railroad line. The trail is paved, well marked, and has mile markers (which can be handy). And again - though many readers may already know it - Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in North America - and it includes the story of Pocahontas, Capt. John Smith, and all of that - though most versions of <i>that</i> story are highly romanticized and likely inaccurate. All I'm sayin' is that the Disney version is <i>way off</i>. So was the one I learned as a kid, for that matter.</p><p>Aaannyhow. . .</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T06k0YGElZE/YRV5PUSZYoI/AAAAAAAAUaI/JqtW2QU3uEYP35dAVuBLqRVNwcugPQ3YACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3129.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T06k0YGElZE/YRV5PUSZYoI/AAAAAAAAUaI/JqtW2QU3uEYP35dAVuBLqRVNwcugPQ3YACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3129.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I drove down to Jamestown to start the ride. There was a large parking lot at the trailhead, and parking was free. Though riding the full length of the trail all the way to Richmond would have been great, I did <i>not</i> feel up to a ride that would end up being over 100 miles out and back. I determined I'd ride a respectable stretch of it, and turn back.</div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n2-rlQlvido/YRV5Z3MUFzI/AAAAAAAAUaQ/qNQYt-hxKDUaZWDv91lGmgqntpfFwKPFwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3139.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n2-rlQlvido/YRV5Z3MUFzI/AAAAAAAAUaQ/qNQYt-hxKDUaZWDv91lGmgqntpfFwKPFwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3139.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Shadow selfie. Much of the eastern stretch of the trail is flanked on one or both sides by trees - mostly pines, so there were many long stretches of shade, which was nice, since it was going to be a hot day. It was nearly 80 when I started out, and that was at 7:30 am! It would be well into the 90s by mid-day.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CuQMp5FW0kU/YRV5kyjLlAI/AAAAAAAAUaY/NB1clOPcpLIvEdxeyu2shwqoJWYzV_vvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3175.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CuQMp5FW0kU/YRV5kyjLlAI/AAAAAAAAUaY/NB1clOPcpLIvEdxeyu2shwqoJWYzV_vvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3175.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The eastern half of the trail is mostly flat (I was told by a fellow rider I met along the way that it gets a little hillier closer to Richmond). The longest and steepest hill I had to climb was the bridge over the Chickahominy River, which that same rider told me is known as "Mount Chickahominy" by the local riders. At least the path is very wide, and there is a very substantial barrier between it and the car traffic.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BWRb0zmPqbQ/YRV5rlsWS_I/AAAAAAAAUac/UEYvWli4qik1IEPFAYhcQQP9Z4yuFuZCwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3173.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BWRb0zmPqbQ/YRV5rlsWS_I/AAAAAAAAUac/UEYvWli4qik1IEPFAYhcQQP9Z4yuFuZCwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3173.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The view from the top of the bridge. Did I mention that I do not enjoy heights?</div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-51mkwF2Cadc/YRV526gofyI/AAAAAAAAUak/lzKf_y1aS5kyw7f9lO1MnjtqvCCnXwviQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3176.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-51mkwF2Cadc/YRV526gofyI/AAAAAAAAUak/lzKf_y1aS5kyw7f9lO1MnjtqvCCnXwviQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3176.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Okay - so there are historical markers or signs all along the Capitol Trail. I didn't stop to read every one of them (there were a lot) - but I did read this one, and it seriously bothered me. In case you can't read the text, here's the short and dirty version: This Paspahegh Indian chief resisted the intrusion of the Jamestown settlers, and their stealing of his tribe's lands - so the English settlers killed his family, and wiped out his tribe, then eventually they killed him in a "skirmish" near Jamestown in 1611. <i>Jeezus</i>.</div><p>Upon returning from my ride on the Capitol Trail, I wanted to extend my ride a bit by heading down to James Island. I found that by following the road just a short distance from the trailhead, there is a nice quiet road, called the "Island Road" or the "Island Drive" that takes you on a lovely loop around the island.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qbjs1_cE-I4/YRV6BW_jZFI/AAAAAAAAUas/iQYUd18tSzgfGXPGXUbJgrf1QGPNseBGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3182.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qbjs1_cE-I4/YRV6BW_jZFI/AAAAAAAAUas/iQYUd18tSzgfGXPGXUbJgrf1QGPNseBGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3182.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Most of James island is either woods, or tidal marshes. The "Loop" lets you see plenty of both. The tide was out, so the middle of this marsh was lots of muddy bottom and tide pools.</div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pM0mL5zvmv0/YRV6IvBHRKI/AAAAAAAAUa0/czrFXGDsGyISct3gJ8ks8nlilOcY87AygCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3185.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pM0mL5zvmv0/YRV6IvBHRKI/AAAAAAAAUa0/czrFXGDsGyISct3gJ8ks8nlilOcY87AygCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3185.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Some of the loop around the island is made up of boardwalks like this one - that extend out over the marshes. </div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7IadxNzg8M/YRV6ZqbS1LI/AAAAAAAAUbA/G7MqH8nv4soxrU7NNXH98df61fwRbTcbgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1958/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-08-12%2Bat%2B12.52.35%2BPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="1958" height="199" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z7IadxNzg8M/YRV6ZqbS1LI/AAAAAAAAUbA/G7MqH8nv4soxrU7NNXH98df61fwRbTcbgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-08-12%2Bat%2B12.52.35%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I did map out the day's ride - which ended up at right around 40 miles total. A respectable ride for the day.</div><p>That's all I'll cover for now. I'd manage to get out for one more "epic" ride before heading home, and I'll cover that in the next post. </p><p>Till then . . .</p></div></div>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-71613045954375896672021-08-09T13:48:00.000-04:002021-08-09T13:48:09.766-04:00An Early Morning Ride<p>I haven't had a lot to post about lately - this summer has had me off the bike quite a bit for various medical things, minor surgeries, and other procedures - Nothing too serious or alarming - but it has meant that I haven't been able to ride as much as I might otherwise. For a guy who rarely gets sick, and almost never goes to the doctor, it seems like I had to have a lot done all in one summer.</p><p>Anyhow - I'm doing better - and I did finally manage to get out for a nice ride, early in the morning, just a bit after sunrise. We had some mist in the lower lying areas, especially down in the valley - and I needed to stop a few times for some pictures.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cb06Tdg-y2c/YRFjkcJW3QI/AAAAAAAAUUM/vkbY6kFZPC0jgXD14rjvItiU-1WQLiMNQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cb06Tdg-y2c/YRFjkcJW3QI/AAAAAAAAUUM/vkbY6kFZPC0jgXD14rjvItiU-1WQLiMNQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3003.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">At one point, on a narrow and twisty stretch of road that is mostly closed to traffic (or at least, car traffic) I came down a short hill, around a bend - and damn near ran head-on into this buck standing in the road. I swerved, and he bolted - but he didn't go far before stopping to look back. That was a bit of a scare - but a good one.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-54nO4NoYVYs/YRFmZdFH2NI/AAAAAAAAUUc/PoDIWZd6rXIW_VBgYxPUETHYT6SJCEc2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-54nO4NoYVYs/YRFmZdFH2NI/AAAAAAAAUUc/PoDIWZd6rXIW_VBgYxPUETHYT6SJCEc2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2970.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Had to get at least one bike picture in here - it is a bike blog after all. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VJcV7tm3-Ek/YRFkjule7vI/AAAAAAAAUUU/3HzfEdB3eKYyDL0txCcZcjaQJMEioq1fgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VJcV7tm3-Ek/YRFkjule7vI/AAAAAAAAUUU/3HzfEdB3eKYyDL0txCcZcjaQJMEioq1fgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3047.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Passing by a marsh - known as "the beaver marsh" - though truthfully speaking, I've never actually seen a beaver there. I know they do live in the marsh, as one can see where they've chewed some of the trees, and there is definitely a beaver hutch out there in the marsh if you know where to look. But an actual living beaver? Strangely, I've yet to see one. But the sun coming up, just behind the trees, cast an awfully pretty glow over the scene. Those flashes of purple you can see out there - that almost look like purple flames rising out of the water - are actually a non-native, invasive species known as "purple loosestrife" that the national park service would like to be able to control. It's apparently harmful to the native species - but it does look pretty.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w4ESr0eT63U/YRFnFyBFEuI/AAAAAAAAUUo/TH1ZXGcAOs4wMaMR-KmguqiepdqBzEH2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w4ESr0eT63U/YRFnFyBFEuI/AAAAAAAAUUo/TH1ZXGcAOs4wMaMR-KmguqiepdqBzEH2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>There are cornfields like this scattered all over the valley, along both banks of the Cuyahoga River. Here you can see some fog just starting to burn off as the sun is coming up. Passing by the fields at this hour, you can really smell the corn. It smells sweet, which shouldn't be a surprise. They've been harvesting and selling the corn at the little farm market for the last couple of weeks, and I think the corn so far this season has been the sweetest I can remember. We've had a lot of rain this summer - especially earlier on - but more recently, we've been getting a lot more sun. Evenings have been cool, and the days have been warm and sunny - and something tells me that those are probably the perfect conditions for the best sweet corn.</div><div><p>Well - that's all I've got for now. We'll be heading out for a family vacation very soon - and I'm taking a bike, so there will be a report coming up. </p><p>Until then - happy riding.</p></div>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-19019437559688422022021-07-16T08:45:00.000-04:002021-07-16T08:45:15.863-04:00We Have Identified the Virus - And It Is Us<p>How long after the Covid 19 pandemic ends will we still be finding discarded masks littering the ground?</p><p>It's probably an impossible question to answer, but I have a feeling we'll be seeing them for a long time to come. Every time I go for a ride (or a jog, or a walk . . .) I'll see them everywhere I look -- soggy, dirty, and gross -- on the sidewalks, streets, and grass.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-86ja__jwP5Q/YPBNuwWWwhI/AAAAAAAAT-w/x1tD8BibZ0oyOhi1V-Mvt6xr0nCNgayoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2997.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-86ja__jwP5Q/YPBNuwWWwhI/AAAAAAAAT-w/x1tD8BibZ0oyOhi1V-Mvt6xr0nCNgayoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2997.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just one of a dozen or so that I spotted <br />on my ride today.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I should emphasize that the pandemic is far from over, but it's hard to tell from looking around at people shopping or dining out. I still wear a mask when I go into a store, but often I'll be the only one. I've had the shots - but many people still haven't, and cases are actually rising again. Needless to say, new cases and deaths are rising the most where vaccination rates are the lowest -- that's not a coincidence. As soon as the pandemic (even just the <i>belief</i> in the pandemic), and the wearing of masks, or getting a vaccine, became cannon fodder in the culture wars - a declaration of one's political alignment - the idea of "getting back to normal" became an illusion. If all these anti-vax folks were only taking themselves out of the gene pool, I'd say good riddance - but unfortunately, it's not just themselves they're putting at risk. All those folks who <i>can't</i> get a vaccine because of a medical condition, or age, or whatever - they're at risk too. And the more people pass on the infection, the greater the risk becomes that new variants will emerge - and eventually one or more of those could render the vaccines useless. We still have a long way to go to get "back to normal."</p><p>Then again - is "normal" really something we should be aiming for?</p><p>Like I said - I still wear a mask when I'm indoors with strangers. The risk of infection for a vaccinated person is low, but it still happens. But I can't imagine even for a <i>moment</i> taking that mask off when I get outside, and tossing it on the ground. Even if it ripped, or became otherwise useless, I can't imagine doing that. Then again, I also can't imagine tossing <i>any</i> kind of garbage out on the ground that way, but on any bike ride, I'll see all kinds of litter along the side of the road. Fast-food bags and packaging, plastic soda bottles, cans, drink cups, and cigarette packs (and butts, of course) make up the most common items. In the past few months, though, face masks have joined that list.</p><p>Tossing trash on the ground - whether it's a drink cup, an empty cigarette pack, or a medical mask - refusing to bear even the slightest inconvenience for the good of our neighbors, refusing to get a shot to help stem a pandemic, driving a hulking gas-guzzling SUV as we see the west burning up, watering lawns as reservoirs dry up -- these things might seem unrelated, but I figure it's all connected. They're all manifestations of a kind of selfishness, and they're all like symptoms of a disease. A virus, if you will. And the virus is <i>us</i>.</p><p>Sorry if this all seemed pretty negative. It's all just some thoughts I was having on my bike ride this morning.</p>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-60362473113539705122021-07-12T09:21:00.004-04:002021-07-13T11:22:44.659-04:00Remember 7/11<p>I've long been a fan of the comic strip "Frazz," by Jef Mallett. Mallett is an avid cyclist (and very competitive triathlete, if I recall correctly) and he frequently works bicycling into his comic strip. The main character of the comic, Frazz, is the custodian at an elementary school, who happens to be a fount of knowledge, wisdom, and experience - and like the strip's creator, is also an avid cyclist.</p><p>Mallett's comic strip often incorporates bicycle-related content (and it's notable that Mallett is one of the few comic strip artists who can actually draw a bicycle accurately). I had the pleasure to meet him once and get him to sign a copy of a book that he had illustrated, <a href="http://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2015/07/maynard-hershon-bicyclists-writer.html" target="_blank"><i>Tales from the Bike Shop</i> by Maynard Hershon.</a></p><p>So, I was thrilled to see his comic strip for <a href="https://www.gocomics.com/frazz/2021/07/11?fbclid=IwAR1EyCePQjpxwVhcon4McQj_2h6ynRNjdY6tkfNFrYlyygT8GqxNnlFshkY" target="_blank">Sunday, July 11</a>, and had to share it here:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7ghG9ZL8YSo/YOw9zJA264I/AAAAAAAAT94/e_tzLacNo80vh15MWy-kHEJ2YHFQh9LswCLcBGAsYHQ/s1832/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-07-12%2Bat%2B8.47.52%2BAM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="1832" height="203" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7ghG9ZL8YSo/YOw9zJA264I/AAAAAAAAT94/e_tzLacNo80vh15MWy-kHEJ2YHFQh9LswCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h203/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-07-12%2Bat%2B8.47.52%2BAM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />That's right - Mallett cleverly makes the case that July 11th - or "7/11" should be a day to honor the 7-Eleven bicycle racing team.<p></p><p>Two fun things to note in the strip:</p><p>One: The depiction of Andy Hampsten riding the Gavia Pass in the 1988 Giro d'Italia - in which he became the only American to ever win that race.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DNBI_cjYTfo/YOw_iP7e_0I/AAAAAAAAT-A/qWGj9n4PJ0o-QJVq3_O9mh2Nha4VLuUoACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/hampsten-giro.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="925" data-original-width="1200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DNBI_cjYTfo/YOw_iP7e_0I/AAAAAAAAT-A/qWGj9n4PJ0o-QJVq3_O9mh2Nha4VLuUoACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/hampsten-giro.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Two: Frazz is wearing the iconic red/green/white 7-Eleven team jersey in the final panel of the strip.</p><p>I just need to applaud Mallett - and agree with Frazz. July 11th - or "7/11" should indeed be the day we cyclists honor the greatest American racing team. </p><p>Bravo, Frazz!</p>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-9958617761894984662021-06-27T10:57:00.001-04:002021-06-27T10:57:35.698-04:00New In Box<p>I thought I'd take a moment to share a recent find that I've added to my collection of vintage parts: a first-generation SunTour Cyclone derailleur, new-in-box - or NIB.</p><p>I've always been a SunTour guy, and the Cyclone has long been a favorite. I have a couple of them, both in short cage and long-cage GT versions, and one of them gets pretty regular use on one of my vintage Mercian bikes. I have a second-generation version (M-II) on my Sequoia. Clean or lightly-used examples come up for sale frequently, but finding one like this is rare these days.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--dadytNiPX8/YNIsxGyuCOI/AAAAAAAATrM/D2rrqzwDZC4_wByrF9zQpOd9hz57fPt1ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2874.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1462" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--dadytNiPX8/YNIsxGyuCOI/AAAAAAAATrM/D2rrqzwDZC4_wByrF9zQpOd9hz57fPt1ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2874.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The box has seen better days, but it doesn't matter because what's inside is still perfect.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xX8KlZh5g8g/YNIs5_JImGI/AAAAAAAATrQ/FmWXW42C7pE-86YHccWYpAZaL7GvUEh5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2875.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1621" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xX8KlZh5g8g/YNIs5_JImGI/AAAAAAAATrQ/FmWXW42C7pE-86YHccWYpAZaL7GvUEh5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2875.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lift the lid, and there's this clear plastic display cover, and a red plastic tray that is form-fitted to hold the derailleur. Notice there's also a little compartment to hold the hanger "claw" that one might have needed if their bike didn't have an integrated derailleur hanger. The original manual is tucked underneath the red tray, out of sight.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">It's really very lovely packaging - it isn't hard to imagine the components in a bike shop's glass display case, tempting a younger version of myself.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cZ1CyT8v6nU/YNItEJO4Z8I/AAAAAAAATrY/GbKw2U_E8Kw-DdvIcl17DBBHKoCFrczCgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2876.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cZ1CyT8v6nU/YNItEJO4Z8I/AAAAAAAATrY/GbKw2U_E8Kw-DdvIcl17DBBHKoCFrczCgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2876.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">With the clear plastic cover removed. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YqDTLJ7taKA/YNItTBmIgJI/AAAAAAAATrg/v2i4GbCe1OIj-Pr4RStiv4qhGqS-p9AwACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2879.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1533" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YqDTLJ7taKA/YNItTBmIgJI/AAAAAAAATrg/v2i4GbCe1OIj-Pr4RStiv4qhGqS-p9AwACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2879.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>And here it is, freed of its packaging. The date code on the back of this example is "R D" which, according to the <a href="http://www.vintage-trek.com/component_dates.htm" target="_blank">Vintage Trek site</a> means it was made in April 1975 - well within the first year of production.</div><div><br /></div><div>There were some very small changes made in the first generation Cyclone derailleurs during their production run - mainly in the design of the upper pivot arm. These very first versions have a shorter, more compact upper arm, while later ones have a slightly longer arm that drops the parallelogram a few more millimeters. It was a subtle difference, but it probably increased the largest cog size they could handle. Or at least, that's my guess.</div><div><br /></div><div>These early Cyclones were one of the lightest derailleurs a person could buy, at only 175 g. They were beautifully finished and detailed, and cost less than anything in their class. In 1975, a Campagnolo Nuovo Record cost $40, as did a Huret Jubilee. A Shimano Crane (Dura-Ace) was $20. The Cyclone was $16, and shifted better than all of them. I think they get more respect today than they did when new. Price-snobbery tended to make people think SunTour was "lesser" somehow because they were cheaper, when the only "lesser" was the price.<br /><p>I don't have any immediate plans for this one. It was just one of those things where I spotted it for sale and the price was too good to pass up. Not much else to say about it - so I guess that's bye for now.</p></div>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-10418406962991103202021-06-22T14:28:00.000-04:002021-06-22T14:28:21.379-04:00The Tour is Coming<p>It's almost time for the Tour de France. </p><p>Okay, if I'm being honest, I will probably miss most of it. But I just saw a fun promotional ad for the upcoming Tour coverage from TV2, a subscription TV station based in Denmark.</p><p>The ad pokes some lighthearted fun at we men of a certain age -- an age that I have to admit now includes myself (and probably a lot of others who read this blog) -- squeezing into lycra and trying to recapture their youth. I think the relevant term here is "MAMIL" or "Middle Aged Men In Lycra."</p><p>Though the men could perhaps be described as "vintage," most of the bikes are not, with a notable exception where I could distinctly see some downtube shifters.</p><p>Note this very dramatic - and dusty - reveal:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oNLbI5_V8o4/YNIqJ2DkVQI/AAAAAAAATqk/qlIb00yqEBoNq8Bi-_PocOVu75U1_sPcQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1772/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-06-22%2Bat%2B2.08.01%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="1772" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oNLbI5_V8o4/YNIqJ2DkVQI/AAAAAAAATqk/qlIb00yqEBoNq8Bi-_PocOVu75U1_sPcQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-06-22%2Bat%2B2.08.01%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jpMoSmJUc3A/YNIqVHGVZJI/AAAAAAAATqo/W7FvqyHW-84YUfzp47AAyTe-6kcIcFkFACLcBGAsYHQ/s1772/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-06-22%2Bat%2B2.08.17%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="1772" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jpMoSmJUc3A/YNIqVHGVZJI/AAAAAAAATqo/W7FvqyHW-84YUfzp47AAyTe-6kcIcFkFACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-06-22%2Bat%2B2.08.17%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kx0PZAPzdJE/YNIqnZWAhbI/AAAAAAAATq0/i0wzjZzWxG0sjwnRAohFZhmvLB3E4kLSACLcBGAsYHQ/s1772/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-06-22%2Bat%2B2.08.28%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="1772" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kx0PZAPzdJE/YNIqnZWAhbI/AAAAAAAATq0/i0wzjZzWxG0sjwnRAohFZhmvLB3E4kLSACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-06-22%2Bat%2B2.08.28%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sucOFOzeHhI/YNIrE5pVYsI/AAAAAAAATrE/1pWywaf-sUQ22uvdOtpSRuihnrPrsvoQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1772/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-06-22%2Bat%2B2.04.26%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="1772" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sucOFOzeHhI/YNIrE5pVYsI/AAAAAAAATrE/1pWywaf-sUQ22uvdOtpSRuihnrPrsvoQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2021-06-22%2Bat%2B2.04.26%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Seriously - I can <i>smell</i> the dust.</div><p>Not much else to say here - except enjoy the video!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iWFEtuVqOag" width="320" youtube-src-id="iWFEtuVqOag"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-89768995218817542582021-06-17T07:25:00.000-04:002021-06-17T07:25:22.977-04:00The Year That Wouldn't End . . . Is (Finally) Ending<p>It's a rare thing when my school/work year extends past the end of May - but here it is, June 17, and we're still in school - albeit for another day. Between the extra weeks added to the end, along with pandemic quarantines, COVID protocols, mask mandates, shutdowns, "virtual" lessons online, altered schedules, video conferencing, and Zoom, my colleagues and I have dubbed 2020-21 "The Year That Wouldn't End."</p><p>Yet the end is <i>finally</i> near. Or should I say, the end is <i>nigh</i>?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eA-jymExEcw/YMoM6xAn79I/AAAAAAAATlw/7S9Byx8tbN4tvwUqUawul0dcSuFZCV0YwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/repent.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eA-jymExEcw/YMoM6xAn79I/AAAAAAAATlw/7S9Byx8tbN4tvwUqUawul0dcSuFZCV0YwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/repent.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gkMKtoFlqyw/YMoEnMslNeI/AAAAAAAATlA/4eFg2Dh3TM07DAK822M7QBF5Ma0w1aqqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2799.JPG"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gkMKtoFlqyw/YMoEnMslNeI/AAAAAAAATlA/4eFg2Dh3TM07DAK822M7QBF5Ma0w1aqqgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2799.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">An omen? This guy was eyeing me rather suspiciously on my ride to work Wednesday morning. The locals call them buzzards, but really, they're more properly called turkey vultures. Still . . .</div><p>In the previous post, I pointed out that I had reached my bike-to-work goal for the year with just a few days to spare, so this post is an update with some final numbers and new pictures.</p><p>So, I will officially finish the year with 103 bike commuting days, for a bike-to-work average of 65.6% (gotta get that .6 in there!). That's 2,935 miles of commuting for the year. My 9-year total is 843 days with a long-term average of 55% which means I'm meeting/exceeding my goals more often than not. I've only fallen short of a 50% average 3 times since I started biking to work regularly. I guess you could say that's not half bad (groan).</p><p>Unfortunately I must drive on the final day as I still have bikes hanging on the classroom walls that need to go home for the summer:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tDxs9bzuAGI/YMoI3kJQFKI/AAAAAAAATlo/8zwRZAW375YAPcwYIXa5qCDf1rRN5Na4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2848.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tDxs9bzuAGI/YMoI3kJQFKI/AAAAAAAATlo/8zwRZAW375YAPcwYIXa5qCDf1rRN5Na4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2848.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I still have some packing to do . . . </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h-7lI8Zw7lo/YMoIjesiyUI/AAAAAAAATlc/00ROKp5dxLUJGmQ1MPnn-v28l_zPCZceQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2527%2B%25281%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1317" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h-7lI8Zw7lo/YMoIjesiyUI/AAAAAAAATlc/00ROKp5dxLUJGmQ1MPnn-v28l_zPCZceQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2527%2B%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>And now, let's end this with a couple more pics:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HwpLiZRrvhQ/YMss_VeRI4I/AAAAAAAATmw/ah9eOAu2r889RHmE-b4HOSEGEntz_D6AQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1504" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HwpLiZRrvhQ/YMss_VeRI4I/AAAAAAAATmw/ah9eOAu2r889RHmE-b4HOSEGEntz_D6AQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2849.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Keeping a tally of the days on the classroom whiteboard</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jD1B8R63xwA/YMoF4z8ZGaI/AAAAAAAATlI/-i9EPTcbB0E6oHfGP2kaS6Sr4V_-eIWSQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2784.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jD1B8R63xwA/YMoF4z8ZGaI/AAAAAAAATlI/-i9EPTcbB0E6oHfGP2kaS6Sr4V_-eIWSQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2784.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Taking time to smell the flowers - or at least photograph them - on an early June morning.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xfww4WHMNHc/YMoEVfUecLI/AAAAAAAATk4/-q3rMfEFXGAJzzDRVKdC2tvky2ZZgi6SwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2820.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xfww4WHMNHc/YMoEVfUecLI/AAAAAAAATk4/-q3rMfEFXGAJzzDRVKdC2tvky2ZZgi6SwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2820.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Self portrait, with bicycle. June 17, 2021</div><p style="text-align: left;">Well, that's it for 2020-21. Make the most of the summer . . . </p>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-73680605125157279672021-06-14T09:33:00.002-04:002021-06-14T09:57:12.690-04:00100 Days<p>I'm in the final week of what has been a pretty unusual school/work year. At the beginning of it all, back in September, I had set a goal for myself to reach 100 days of riding to work for the year.</p><p>This past spring has not exactly been cooperative, weather-wise, what with lots of rain - and even snow in April (!) - to where I was starting to worry I might not reach my goal. But today, with just a few days left to go, I hit 100 days.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QY3aHVY33aw/YMc-tU2wFMI/AAAAAAAATik/sg1GRIODx1QiVhVXYF-YQGuLIa9M-sytwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2778.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1474" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QY3aHVY33aw/YMc-tU2wFMI/AAAAAAAATik/sg1GRIODx1QiVhVXYF-YQGuLIa9M-sytwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2778.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I anticipate that I'll be able to ride a few more days before week's end, which should give me a bike-to-work average of 64 - 65%, depending on how many more days I can squeeze in. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The fact is, 100 days would be pretty respectable in any school/work year (usually August through May, but because of the COVID pandemic, this year was September through June) but this year it works out to be even better because we had a shutdown for most of December and January. During that time, we were engaged in "remote learning" and I was basically teaching from my living room. Those are almost never good months for riding a bike in Northeast Ohio, but since I was working from home, the days didn't count for or against me. The result is that my overall numbers might be a bit lower than what they could have been, but my average held up through the worst of the winter. Once we returned to our regular work schedule in late January, my average started falling (as it always does in the winter months) - from 72% before the shutdown to 64% by the end of February. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've held a steady average of about 64% since then, which has actually been frustrating. I kept hoping to increase my average through the spring, but between the uncooperative weather and various commitments that made driving necessary on some days despite the weather, I just couldn't do it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, how does this compare to previous years?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This has been the 9th year that I've been riding regularly to work. In that time, it has been a long-term goal to do at least half of my commuting by bike. I have met or exceeded 50% in 6 out of the last 9 years. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My best year was 132 days, 76% (2017-18).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My worst year was 61 days, 35% (2014-15)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This year, at 64-65%, will rank as my second-best. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While I anticipate adding at least a couple more days to this year's total, I can do some easy calculating that 100 days at 28.5 miles per day is 2,850 miles. My car (VW wagon) averages around 28-29 mpg in mixed driving, so we can also figure that I probably saved around 100 gallons of gas in the past year, which at current prices (about $2.80/gal) comes out to around $280 that I didn't spend on gas.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As of today, my combined numbers for the past 9 years are 840 days (out of 1523) for a long-term average of 55%. That's 23,940 miles, and a savings of roughly 840 gallons of gas, and somewhere around $2300 in fuel cost savings. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Some pictures from the past year:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z23ykwpZIHk/YMc-xOrOIeI/AAAAAAAATio/lH27xwIrYU4Cr_ZwS2v3en58uTspYpsZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2776.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1701" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z23ykwpZIHk/YMc-xOrOIeI/AAAAAAAATio/lH27xwIrYU4Cr_ZwS2v3en58uTspYpsZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2776.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">A beautiful morning for day 100. I decided to leave the black commuting mule at home and ride an old favorite for the occasion. There's rain and a possible thunderstorm in the forecast for the afternoon, but I just had to risk it. The morning was just too nice.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hr35ZwY5bIY/YMIaiDaGbfI/AAAAAAAAThs/mRIsap0JL8QgF2M5V3KpEXQAcSWaOP0swCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2775.JPG"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hr35ZwY5bIY/YMIaiDaGbfI/AAAAAAAAThs/mRIsap0JL8QgF2M5V3KpEXQAcSWaOP0swCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2775.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A misty morning in early June. There must have been some mist/condensation on my lens, giving this crazy flare effect. A ruined photo - or what Bob Ross would call a "happy accident"? You be the judge.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_R1XURGd5AM/YMdVEqly1ZI/AAAAAAAATi0/nBmwu3iwcJwiL7q-BZ6CIKdWXOihrjtMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2689.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_R1XURGd5AM/YMdVEqly1ZI/AAAAAAAATi0/nBmwu3iwcJwiL7q-BZ6CIKdWXOihrjtMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2689.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Snow in April. Jeezzz.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5WkoOtcf_Q/YMdWgCBqWVI/AAAAAAAATjI/tHrsA1uC5RU9tTBcTh0II_5Y2m_FvkmhgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2548.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1493" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5WkoOtcf_Q/YMdWgCBqWVI/AAAAAAAATjI/tHrsA1uC5RU9tTBcTh0II_5Y2m_FvkmhgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2548.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Full moon in October.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6T-rL1s71zI/YMdVPk4joPI/AAAAAAAATi4/fAV3M-yyccA17VZIT-IeEzRFCsMwVLwVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2517.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6T-rL1s71zI/YMdVPk4joPI/AAAAAAAATi4/fAV3M-yyccA17VZIT-IeEzRFCsMwVLwVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2517.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">A misty morning in September.</div><p style="text-align: left;">The forecast for the next few days looks good, so I'll add to my totals and post an update soon. That's all for now . . .</p></div>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-13904507010214829492021-06-07T10:21:00.002-04:002021-06-07T13:18:16.210-04:00New Dura Ace Anticipation - And a Look Back<p>A lot of the bike blogosphere has been making much of the fact that 2021 marks Shimano's 100th anniversary. Much is also being made of the fact that the company's usual 4-year cycle for major component redesigns was interrupted by the pandemic, so while 2020 might otherwise have marked the introduction of a new version of their top of the line Dura Ace group, many are now salivating at the prospect of a 2021 introduction to go along with the company's anniversary.</p><p>Just so we're clear on this, the current iteration of Dura Ace is their 9100 group, which is an 11-speed setup, available in cable-op or electronic shift versions (electronic Di2 is labeled 9150). Since Campagnolo has moved up to 12-speeds, most of the cheerleader blogs are hoping that the next generation Dura Ace (9200, presumably) will also shift 12 cogs in back. And there's a lot of anticipation that the electronic version may even be wireless to go head-to head with SRAM.</p><p>By the way, here's the current 9100 rear derailleur:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nl_SxbeqQ4o/YL0LyQN0hVI/AAAAAAAATf0/_gMnOQARUuQcgakhVk2gXR2h8nN1KNGIACLcBGAsYHQ/s900/9100.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nl_SxbeqQ4o/YL0LyQN0hVI/AAAAAAAATf0/_gMnOQARUuQcgakhVk2gXR2h8nN1KNGIACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/9100.jpg" /></a></div>Sorry - but as far as I'm concerned, that thing is just fugly. Yes, it will shift an incredibly wide range for a road racing derailleur, but it hurts my eyes. <div><br /></div><div>In fact, I'd say the same for the whole group:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y05sMI1exSE/YL0NkKWAorI/AAAAAAAATf8/IlqtbusdbK8lXnRMPJZ3-COQFG7rWm8TwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/29053_shimano_dura_ace_9100_groupset.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y05sMI1exSE/YL0NkKWAorI/AAAAAAAATf8/IlqtbusdbK8lXnRMPJZ3-COQFG7rWm8TwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/29053_shimano_dura_ace_9100_groupset.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>I have no doubt that the new 9200 Dura Ace, if it is indeed introduced in the upcoming months - or whenever it gets released - will work flawlessly. And I also expect it will look similarly hideous.</div><div><br /></div><div>It really increases my appreciation for the stuff of the past.</div><div><br /></div><div>It just so happens that I have nearly complete Dura Ace 7400 group from 1984 in my possession. I think it would be impossible to fault the performance of that group. But not only did it work impeccably, it also looked <i>beautiful</i> - crisp, simple, minimalist, and finished with jewelry-like attention to detail.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's the rear derailleur:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h32QBWoRfd4/YL0SBd4kFTI/AAAAAAAATgM/9GW9LIUPQwksDEJsPywA9R6Z4Anp472CACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2766.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1889" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h32QBWoRfd4/YL0SBd4kFTI/AAAAAAAATgM/9GW9LIUPQwksDEJsPywA9R6Z4Anp472CACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2766.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This particular example has just a bit of road rash on it, but overall still holds its own. The logo is unharmed, and functionally it's still perfect. The smooth, but crisp design was cutting edge in 1984, and still looks great today.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hFOmQpEzMfs/YL4IihMEPxI/AAAAAAAATgY/pRCLZOtnqnwtSi-iXyDeQjqm0JUDYJr5wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2767.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1507" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hFOmQpEzMfs/YL4IihMEPxI/AAAAAAAATgY/pRCLZOtnqnwtSi-iXyDeQjqm0JUDYJr5wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2767.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The front derailleur is similarly sleek, compact, and minimalist.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eNDL7elApA8/YL4JUyW5kOI/AAAAAAAATgg/Yw3TxbaaBjYUHYogDPVNgVKjTcL-uzKsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2774.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eNDL7elApA8/YL4JUyW5kOI/AAAAAAAATgg/Yw3TxbaaBjYUHYogDPVNgVKjTcL-uzKsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2774.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The shift levers are simple and smooth - but the thing that made them revolutionary was hidden inside. The clicking detents in the right lever were the heart of the SIS (Shimano Indexing System) that upended the industry. These are the original 7400 - 6-speed version, and could be switched to normal "friction" mode in the event one needed it.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3_SduPm_94Q/YL4KSoyjX-I/AAAAAAAATgo/m5LO077EuL0Zc5Cpatdcnui2imFIJoKagCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2770.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1185" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3_SduPm_94Q/YL4KSoyjX-I/AAAAAAAATgo/m5LO077EuL0Zc5Cpatdcnui2imFIJoKagCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2770.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The crank had that same crisp-edged aesthetic. It was smooth and low profile - without being overtly "aero." It was almost as though Shimano was doing a complete about-face after their less-than-successful aerodynamic Dura-Ace AX group.<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cGIBZ-SOSus/YL4NDwtwZeI/AAAAAAAATgw/RUD7X6LV11U68SY_qEhQt9v3nQN0cV5rwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1232/dura%2Bbrakes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="1232" height="131" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cGIBZ-SOSus/YL4NDwtwZeI/AAAAAAAATgw/RUD7X6LV11U68SY_qEhQt9v3nQN0cV5rwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h131/dura%2Bbrakes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The brakes were a sleek design - and were about as good as single-pivot sidepull brakes would ever get. Only available in short reach, as far as I know. If one needed a longer-reach brake, the 600 brake (most readers probably remember that 600 was later renamed "Ultegra") from that time looked similar, and were available in a 55mm reach version.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ww_pVHelgl4/YL4PWLn1CBI/AAAAAAAATg4/LTpS0oO-6NwupFa0pRScYIuJ5ZKHj1tOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1240/dura%2Bpedals.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="1240" height="135" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ww_pVHelgl4/YL4PWLn1CBI/AAAAAAAATg4/LTpS0oO-6NwupFa0pRScYIuJ5ZKHj1tOQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h135/dura%2Bpedals.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The pedals retained some of the aerodynamic styling of the 7300 AX group, but without the bizarre "Dyna Drive" innovation with its oversized spindle (which required a similarly oversized pedal hole in the crank). These had a low-profile design that allowed for more cornering clearance - not that pedaling through corners is really a recommended practice, but tell that to criterium racers in the '80s. The design would have been welcome on track bikes, too. One issue I have with the pedals is that the toe clips are yet another "does not play well with others" example from Shimano, as they are a unique design meant to integrate with the pedal. Also, there was an attempt to make a unique Shimano shoe cleat that would also integrate with the pedals and clips. The toe clips have little "wings" that would interloc with matching "wings" on the leading edge of the shoe cleat, with the intent being to make a more "positive" attachment to the pedals. All of that was rendered obsolete when Shimano embraced clipless pedals a couple of years later. But good luck finding either the special toe clips or cleats today. (luckily, the pedals do work with common non-Shimano slotted cleats - or with flat-bottomed shoes, but it's less than optimal).<br /><div><br /></div><div>Though I didn't take a photo to post, I also have a nice pair of wheels with the appropriate Dura Ace hubs (freewheel, not cassette) and the correct Dura Ace seatpost. In fact, I think the only thing I <i>don't</i> have is the headset.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's a scan of one of the ads explaining SIS, from early 1985:</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1YJgfag_f6Q/YL4YCYRPHiI/AAAAAAAAThA/3xL7WyuUEUg0jRyCABXF-HYb8Yg5shmjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/scan_kbrooks_2021-06-07-08-44-05.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1564" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1YJgfag_f6Q/YL4YCYRPHiI/AAAAAAAAThA/3xL7WyuUEUg0jRyCABXF-HYb8Yg5shmjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/scan_kbrooks_2021-06-07-08-44-05.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div>Funny thing is that even as a teenager in 1984, I was already showing serious retrogrouchy tendencies. I remember reading all the hype about indexed shifting, and all I could think was "who needs that?" and dismissing it as a fad. Keep in mind that in 1984, I was still very much a SunTour guy. One thing that the ads and articles about SIS never mentioned was that one of the key elements of the new Dura Ace derailleur design was taken straight from SunTour, whose slant-parallelogram patent had just expired.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another thing about indexed shifting that made me skeptical was that I knew it wasn't really "new." Shimano had several versions of their Positron system which brought indexing to low end entry level bikes and never caught on. Even SunTour had an early indexed shifting system called "Mighty Click" which failed to catch on. In fact, click shifting systems actually can be found all the way back to the beginning of multi-gear bicycles. But unlike Positron and most other indexing attempts, Dura Ace was a top-level group aimed at pros and serious racers - which brought that "trickle down" appeal (unlike the economy, "trickle down" does actually work in marketing bicycle components). And the engineering of the design - as a whole drivetrain system - was what really transformed things.</div><div><br /></div><div>Other attempts to create indexed shifting usually focused on either the shift lever, or the derailleur - either one having precise detents built into their mechanism. But SIS integrated the whole drivetrain and shifting system. It wasn't just the clicking levers. It was about optimising the chain, the profile and spacing of the sprockets, the movement of the derailleur in each gear position, and even the cables and housing. As the competition tried to answer with their own indexing systems (SunTour's Accushift, and Campagnolo's Synchro) that full-system integration was the stumbling block they had to overcome. And by the time the competition figured that out, Shimano was working on integrating even more of the bicycle's components.</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay - so was this all a good thing for the industry? From a retrogrouchy perspective, probably not, as that increased specialization and integration came at the expense of simplicity and compatibility - and ushered in an industry-wide race to obsolescence. But to be fair, the precision that made this Dura Ace group work so well gradually filtered down the line to more cost-conscious component levels to the point that even an entry level bike will function like a top-of-the-line machine -- and for the general bike-buying public, that's probably a good thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember all the "excitement" among my college bike club friends when SIS made its way to the second-tier 600 group, then later 105, and so on. The whole time, as more and more of my friends were clicking, I saw no reason to jump on the bandwagon. It's funny when I think back on it, but I didn't get a bike with click shifting until my <a href="http://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2013/09/retrogrouch-ride-rivendell-long-low.html" target="_blank">Rivendell in 2001</a> (20 years ago!), which I built up with Ultegra 9-speed and bar-end shifters -- which by that time was more than 10 years after everyone else had moved on to STI integrated brake/shift levers. Even now, while my main commuting bike has STI, and I have a very nice <a href="http://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2019/09/retromod.html" target="_blank">retro-mod Mercian</a> with Campagnolo Ergo, I still do a lot of my riding on bikes with traditional friction shifting. </div><div><br /></div><div>I don't currently have a project bike in mind for that 1984 Dura Ace group. But if I do end up using it someday, I still like to think that I might substitute some old <a href="http://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2013/09/retro-friction-part-one.html" target="_blank">Simplex retrofriction</a> shift levers just to be contrary.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once a retrogrouch, always a retrogrouch.</div></div></div>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-72823994651701268982021-05-31T13:54:00.003-04:002021-06-16T11:02:49.175-04:00Memorial Day 2021<p>After several days of non-stop rain, our Memorial Day Monday turned out to be a perfect day for a bike ride. Brilliant sunshine, low humidity, and temperatures in the upper 60s. The RetroKids and I took our bikes to the canal towpath, but instead of heading north through the national park as we often do, we decided to take the somewhat less-traveled part of the path that passes through downtown Akron and southward out of the city.</p><p>One of the cool things about this section of the towpath is that it gives a person a glimpse at the industrial roots of the city, as it passes between the old Ohio & Erie Canal and the former rubber factories of the city's heyday. It's a good place to go with a camera, too, as there are great contrasts with the rusting iron structures, stone and brick masonry, burgeoning greenery, and occasional bursts of urban art/graffiti.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3gesGPFH0Tk/YLUZH8dzfHI/AAAAAAAATdQ/EoLz6i-dk8wga-PNjQYIPl0WPh4u9Kf8gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2706.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3gesGPFH0Tk/YLUZH8dzfHI/AAAAAAAATdQ/EoLz6i-dk8wga-PNjQYIPl0WPh4u9Kf8gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2706.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">After a long uphill climb, and crossing a bridge over the city's old (and now mostly defunct) interbelt, the path comes into the downtown landscape - which was dead quiet today for the holiday.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-stVS40lIPSU/YLUaHWcGKZI/AAAAAAAATdY/c6tgQMmqQ7MwG25wKUTTfrxnaGtigHBOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2727.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-stVS40lIPSU/YLUaHWcGKZI/AAAAAAAATdY/c6tgQMmqQ7MwG25wKUTTfrxnaGtigHBOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2727.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">A view of what had once been one of the factories for the B.F. Goodrich Tire Co. - One of many factories that made Akron the center of the North American tire and rubber industry. B.F. Goodrich, Goodyear, Firestone and more all called Akron their home. Only Goodyear remains headquartered in the city, but most of the factories are closed.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aQc63pw2Rtc/YLUa1h1lsvI/AAAAAAAATdg/Te3L3i-DPMU-wHA4o5HLxqOrcuAGDyVUQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2719.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aQc63pw2Rtc/YLUa1h1lsvI/AAAAAAAATdg/Te3L3i-DPMU-wHA4o5HLxqOrcuAGDyVUQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2719.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Colorful urban art where the path passes under one of the city streets.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kWmvz6Wb26M/YLUbWj1kmWI/AAAAAAAATdo/hzLl5Ofqj7geS14nytKp-VnFTaDtezbBACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2712.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kWmvz6Wb26M/YLUbWj1kmWI/AAAAAAAATdo/hzLl5Ofqj7geS14nytKp-VnFTaDtezbBACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2712.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">One of several giant-sized Adirondack chairs placed along the path, overlooking the canal.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yt696_ogxJw/YLUb7h2kcYI/AAAAAAAATdw/Kuv6Y0uuha4CAK8T1IUHBWPZTy6MYjz7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2714.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yt696_ogxJw/YLUb7h2kcYI/AAAAAAAATdw/Kuv6Y0uuha4CAK8T1IUHBWPZTy6MYjz7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2714.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">An urban park on the edge of downtown, with the canal as its centerpiece - and another glimpse of the old B.F. Goodrich factory.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MPkyfSXMaGU/YLUc3hRj0yI/AAAAAAAATd4/pg_3zG0EZQUxtP68MM6N4__QoqARphYmQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2722.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MPkyfSXMaGU/YLUc3hRj0yI/AAAAAAAATd4/pg_3zG0EZQUxtP68MM6N4__QoqARphYmQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2722.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">South of downtown, a floating boardwalk carries riders over Summit Lake -- once the site of an amusement park featuring a rollercoaster, ferris wheel, a dance hall, an enormous swimming pool, and other attractions. It was known as Akron's Coney Island. All of that's gone now.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XxWN7Dh_YrU/YLUeKcnKcYI/AAAAAAAATeE/gINUBrWEEpYRcUBJr8nT1yd2IEGR6WUOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2739.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XxWN7Dh_YrU/YLUeKcnKcYI/AAAAAAAATeE/gINUBrWEEpYRcUBJr8nT1yd2IEGR6WUOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2739.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-obwwmErVHUs/YLUeJEQ-XrI/AAAAAAAATeA/1EVZYnD8yGgdZMujhmHAYS4quPLhY4EEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2748.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-obwwmErVHUs/YLUeJEQ-XrI/AAAAAAAATeA/1EVZYnD8yGgdZMujhmHAYS4quPLhY4EEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2748.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here was a cool spot under a railway trestle, beside the remains of one of the old canal locks.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And, some pictures of the bikes:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UZdLFkuzBEg/YLUfjKuUPkI/AAAAAAAATeU/_XWzhqGMI28c3IYveddebjO1VKAceiNcQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2749.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UZdLFkuzBEg/YLUfjKuUPkI/AAAAAAAATeU/_XWzhqGMI28c3IYveddebjO1VKAceiNcQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2749.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aSV0FL8o1JU/YLUfmPUXgwI/AAAAAAAATec/qkCo4k2cKmYLcjxfYpI4Qlc8A_RWtXGIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2751.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aSV0FL8o1JU/YLUfmPUXgwI/AAAAAAAATec/qkCo4k2cKmYLcjxfYpI4Qlc8A_RWtXGIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2751.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QbL1wlHGKfU/YLUfkD9Q7cI/AAAAAAAATeY/rvCi4chMA6MSv5EXKRCKBy1-gQVRUtjMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2759.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QbL1wlHGKfU/YLUfkD9Q7cI/AAAAAAAATeY/rvCi4chMA6MSv5EXKRCKBy1-gQVRUtjMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2759.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Not a whole lot more to say. It's just still my favorite way to spend time with my kids, and I can't overstate how much it means that they still enjoy getting out to explore things on their bikes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Whether you get out on a bike or not, wherever you are, I hope you're having a good holiday with someone you love.</div>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-25096772899013875632021-05-23T09:25:00.002-04:002021-05-24T08:43:26.350-04:00Beating the HeatHere in Akron we're having an early heat wave. It's unusual for us to be hitting the upper 80s in mid May like this, but that's where we are. We're expecting some days in the 90s next week. Heat like that can make a bike ride a little less enjoyable, but there's one way to beat the heat - get out on the road early while it's still cool.<div><br /></div><div>While the rest of my family was still in bed taking advantage of a chance to sleep in, I got out shortly after sunrise this morning - on what promises to be a very nice - but hot - Sunday. It was partly cloudy with a bit of hazy sunshine, patches of mist in some of the lower-lying areas in the valley, and temps in the mid 60s. </div><div><br /></div><div>I hit the road on the Sequoia and was once again reminded of what a well-sorted-out bike it is. Its handling is reassuring and predictable. It soaks up rough pavement handily. The '80s vintage SunTour drivetrain works so well, it convinces me even more certainly that much of the "innovation" of the past 30 years has been "new for the sake of new," but not real <i>improvements</i>. </div><div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DCiBULUXavo/YKpNFkvWVQI/AAAAAAAATb4/UQIrYhuU0MQyNOEOXe8bcQAG7N18yyljQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2704.JPG"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DCiBULUXavo/YKpNFkvWVQI/AAAAAAAATb4/UQIrYhuU0MQyNOEOXe8bcQAG7N18yyljQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2704.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I stopped for a picture by the farm market in the heart of the national park. Activity at the farm hints that their season opening is just around the corner.</div><br /><div>The little farm market has corn fields scattered all around the valley floor, and I could see workers plowing and sowing one of the fields. Others fields are already sprouting with this summer's crop. As this summer promises to take us more "back to normal" after the pandemic, I can imagine the market (which is always a popular stop for visitors to the park) will be busier than ever. Seeing the work going on around the farm fills me with anticipation for summer.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>By the time I was climbing the long hill back home, I could already feel it getting hotter - but I'd beaten the worst of it. After a cool shower, I could relax outside on the porch with a cup of coffee while I'd wait for the rest of the family to rise.</div>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-52849378137767550652021-05-19T07:46:00.001-04:002021-05-19T09:22:10.670-04:00Road(s) Closed<p>Anyone who reads this blog with any regularity knows that I am fortunate to live near, and to be able to do a lot of my riding in and around the Cuyahoga Valley - with its national park and variety of county metroparks. Between the canal towpath, a rails-to-trails path, a couple of mountain bike trails, and a network of roads into, around, and through the valley, the local area is a Mecca for NE Ohio cyclists.</p><p>In the southern part of the valley (that is, the Akron end), there are two main roads that run along the valley floor, roughly parallel to one another, beside the east and west banks of the river, with several roads connecting them along the way. From Akron to the little town of Peninsula, which is right in the heart of the national park, those roads form the backbone of most out-and-back riding loops. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-udz5UfV4XGo/YKAUJC6qjAI/AAAAAAAATaw/JW8YfI0kmO47KTdAceXjWeYCdzv3R0YDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2698.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-udz5UfV4XGo/YKAUJC6qjAI/AAAAAAAATaw/JW8YfI0kmO47KTdAceXjWeYCdzv3R0YDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2698.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sign may say <i>Road Closed</i> -- <br />but that doesn't stop someone on a bike.</td></tr></tbody></table>Due to erosion problems on the eastern bank of the river, one of these two valley roads has been closed since winter - and I should add, closed <i>indefinitely</i>. Hopefully there is a plan to mitigate the erosion issues where the river comes close to the road, and then reopen it. But so far, I haven't heard any specifics regarding a plan, or any kind of timeline for completion. At least one sign I saw literally says "closed until ?" <p></p><p>The good news for cyclists is that, despite signs clearly indicating no cyclists or even pedestrians allowed, it's a simple matter to get around the barricades and ride a couple of car-free miles. The closure probably hasn't stopped hikers or joggers, either. Is it legal? Hell if I know - but I was riding through the closed section on Saturday and saw a park ranger who didn't say a word as I went by. It's probably not worth the trouble to stop us - and there's no immediate danger, so why bother? </p><p>This isn't the only closed road in the valley these days.</p><p>The northern end of this same road - the end that offered a long, steep climb out of the valley - has been closed for roughly 20 years now. That end of the road was closed permanently and allowed to "go back to nature." I and many other cyclists continued to ride that section of road for a lot of years and observe it as it was gradually reclaimed by plant life. Over the years, as the pavement disintegrated, it became increasingly difficult to ride, and the last time I tried exploring it, I ended up finishing on foot - the former road was virtually indistinguishable from the surrounding woods.</p><p>Another road in the valley was closed a couple of years ago - that road formed part of a loop around Hale Farm & Village (a local living-history village/museum) and an old covered bridge that has appeared in photos here on the blog a few times. It also included another long and challenging climb out of the valley if one were so inclined. That road was closed permanently, as the county officials decided they no longer wanted to maintain it. Local cycling clubs petitioned to keep it open - at least for use by cyclists and hikers - to no avail. Again, the barricades and signs don't keep us out, but the road is degrading noticeably. Grass is protruding from the many cracks in the pavement, which leads to more and bigger cracks, and more crumbling asphalt. I still ride it regularly. The red Mercian pictured above with its 25 mm tires works okay, but I'm finding that bikes with fatter tires are becoming more desirable. The Sequoia (32 mm tires) the Rivendell (33.3 mm) and the Motobecane (650B - 37 mm) all feel more reassuring where the pavement is crumbling.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b_0-VJGBXVM/YKT0rZ3unDI/AAAAAAAATbU/cxoYQKTa0FwyBJyW7MpNHnnv7me47A7VACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2699.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b_0-VJGBXVM/YKT0rZ3unDI/AAAAAAAATbU/cxoYQKTa0FwyBJyW7MpNHnnv7me47A7VACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2699.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p>Still another closed road sits right on the edge of the valley, in one of the metroparks, and which also happens to be one of the connectors between the two main valley roads. Locals have been used to this one being closed temporarily for a few weeks every year due to -- (wait for it) -- <i>salamander migration</i>. That's right. Apparently there is some rare salamander that lives in this part of the metropark, and for a few weeks every spring, they have some kind of mating migration from the marshy areas on one side of the park road to the marshy areas on other side of the road. There's probably a bad joke in there somewhere (Why did the salamander cross the road?) For the last couple of years the road has been closed - at least to the cars - more or less permanently. I don't know if the park service has any plans to reopen it someday, but the joggers and cyclists have no complaints about the closure. It's actually nice to have some car-free roads in a park like this one, and the inconvenience to drivers is minimal.</p><p>The closed roads do make for quiet, more secluded riding experiences, and offer some variety on rides through the valley. Nevertheless, I'm hoping the latest closure is only a temporary one.</p>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-27108362538707611482021-05-10T12:07:00.003-04:002021-05-11T11:11:54.986-04:00A Foggy Morning - and an Odd Sign<p>As I'm sitting here typing this, the sun is once again shining in through the window after a solid week of rain in NE Ohio. No joke - it rained every day for the past week, and seemed especially biblical on Mothers Day as some of our local streets looked like canals, and flash flood warnings were the order of the day. I know of more than a few folks in my area whose homes are currently looking like lakefront properties. I don't think the showers stopped until sometime early this morning.</p><p>This morning promised to be the start to a good day for riding to work, but first I'd have to negotiate with heavy fog for the morning commute. The fog got particularly thick once I'd left the city limits and got into the more rural part of my ride as I neared my workplace. On the rural roads, the visibility was reduced to only about 20 yards -- possibly less in some spots.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZsFGXfYyEBg/YJlR_97tGgI/AAAAAAAATZY/cCFe4F-QkQwSrZ7j0mVbB3lIKP5jte1MQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2693.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZsFGXfYyEBg/YJlR_97tGgI/AAAAAAAATZY/cCFe4F-QkQwSrZ7j0mVbB3lIKP5jte1MQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2693.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>I do get a little concerned about my own visibility on such mornings. I've got a flashing light on the back of my helmet, a couple of bright tail lights on the back of my bike, and two bright LED headlights - but in fog as thick as what we had this morning, I can only hope it's enough. I couldn't see car headlights until they got within about 30 yards away, so I doubt my lights are any better than that.</p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qj79LR2B-ho/YJlSERUrZHI/AAAAAAAATZc/qby3F5JmaiE1TQsj6PIt4UwTSzE5wn16QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2694.JPG"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qj79LR2B-ho/YJlSERUrZHI/AAAAAAAATZc/qby3F5JmaiE1TQsj6PIt4UwTSzE5wn16QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2694.JPG" /></a></div><p><span style="text-align: center;">An odd sight emerged from the fog. Some kind of sign? A single lost shoe, looking to be reunited with its mate? And if so, why is it that whenever you see a shoe on the side of the road, it's always just ONE shoe? How does that even happen?</span></p><p>As the morning progressed, the fog burned off, revealing clear skies - finally. The ride home should be quite nice. In fact, if the forecast is to be believed, we should have a nice week ahead of us. That would be a welcome turn.</p><p>Well, that's all I've got for the moment. Just a short post for today.</p>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-10874770496743522602021-04-28T11:21:00.001-04:002021-04-29T09:08:06.046-04:00Brooks Imperial Test Update<p> I wrote some months back that I've been testing a Brooks saddle - specifically a B17 "Imperial" or "carved" model. That's the one with the big "pressure relieving" hole cut into the top. I've been using the saddle since August, and have put well over 2000 miles on it and can report a few observations.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dETcgJB0N1g/YIfy0S3YnPI/AAAAAAAATV0/DRtVRhGHNJcOgNYaYBNIHIkeGOu7xgwEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2690.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dETcgJB0N1g/YIfy0S3YnPI/AAAAAAAATV0/DRtVRhGHNJcOgNYaYBNIHIkeGOu7xgwEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2690.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p>First - the saddle still looks beautiful. The leather barely has any signs of wear. I did apply some Brooks Proofide before installing it on the bike, and I've used a cover whenever I've encountered rain, which I'm sure has helped protect it. But really, it hardly looks like it's been used. The chrome on the undercarriage is keeping its lustre. Like most Brooks saddles, it is, and remains, a thing of utilitarian beauty. The chromed rails (as opposed to painted, as on a "standard" B17) mark it as a deluxe model. The contrast between the rich brown leather and the gleaming chrome gives the saddle a luxurious look.</p><p>As far as comfort goes, something I've noticed is that the saddle remains quite stiff or hard, even after more than 6 months of regular use. It's almost as if it is taking longer to break-in than what I've experienced with other similar (non-carved) Brooks saddles. I'm curious as to whether this saddle has a different quality leather from what they use on standard B17 saddles. Maybe a tiny bit thicker? I have no way of knowing for sure - but I do suspect there must be something different about it. The Imperial model has been around for more than 10 years, so I can't understand why Brooks would be asking people to conduct long-term tests on one unless they were doing <i>something</i> different with it - and since I can't see anything <i>obviously</i> different, I can only suspect it may be something harder to detect. Different leather might be the thing.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u9zB0lwGJ8Y/YIghj6w1HyI/AAAAAAAATWA/yk79B-oDFhoJitVRcUsNnqPhx0AzW72NACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2691.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1471" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u9zB0lwGJ8Y/YIghj6w1HyI/AAAAAAAATWA/yk79B-oDFhoJitVRcUsNnqPhx0AzW72NACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2691.JPG" /></a></div><p>Having said that, there could be another reason the saddle has remained so stiff. The laces along the bottom really keep the lower sides of the saddle from flexing, which in turn keeps the top firm. People will sometimes lace an older sagging saddle in the same manner to firm it up. Lacing a new saddle is probably overkill. The thing is, I typically find B17 saddles to be reasonably comfortable right out of the box, and they only get better as they break-in. This one doesn't yet seem to "disappear" underneath me as my other saddles do. I have loosened the laces on this example to allow some more of that flex that I've come to appreciate. That has helped some - but I'm considering removing the laces entirely to see what difference that makes to my comfort.</p><p>OK - so what about that big hole in the top?</p><p></p>Some readers may recall that about 20 (or so) years ago, some doctor published a study in which he connected frequent cycling to erectile dysfunction in men. The article was widely publicized in mainstream magazines, newspapers, and even on television talk and news shows. Even though the study's findings have since been called into question, if not flat-out refuted, the result is that many saddles today come with slots, holes, channels, or grooves in the top that are designed to reduce pressure on the blood vessels and nerves that travel through the perineum.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a6mW3kkibNs/YIgmwSruxVI/AAAAAAAATWI/aDWVlqlOLicATquOSJ8PNCberS6rgFw6gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2692.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1337" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a6mW3kkibNs/YIgmwSruxVI/AAAAAAAATWI/aDWVlqlOLicATquOSJ8PNCberS6rgFw6gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2692.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I for one have always been skeptical of the scare stories about impotence and the claims about "safer" saddle designs. In some cases, I've even questioned whether some "grooved" or "channeled" saddles might not be prone to do more harm than good. No, I can't perform a scientific study on it - but just looking at some of the designs, it simply strikes me that some "channeled" or "grooved" designs replace one large, broad pressure point with two much smaller, sharper pressure points, and I'm not sure that would really help the issue.</div><div><br /></div><div>So back to the Brooks . . .</div><div><br /></div><div>When I first looked at the saddle, I wondered if I'd even be able to notice the hole, much less whether it would it make any difference in comfort. After getting on the bike and riding a few miles, I started thinking - was it my imagination, or could I actually <i>feel </i>that hole? But I don't mean in a good, "pressure relieving" way. I mean, I thought I was feeling the <i>edges </i>of the hole - like <i>digging in</i>. After more miles and more days, weeks, and months of riding, I was certain of it. The edges of that hole were causing some chafing, even with padded cycling shorts. I had hoped that as the saddle softened up, that sensation would go away, though as I've already mentioned, the saddle still remains quite stiff so I'm still waiting to see if that happens. I'll remove the laces, free up the top to flex more, and maybe that will help. But what I'm struck by is that I'll get out for a ride on another bike with a standard B17 (and by the way, this can include saddles with similar mileage on them, or not that much more) and feel instantly comfortable with no fussing.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've still got some time with the Brooks Imperial, and I remain open to the possibility that with more break-in miles, that it could match the comfort of the more traditional saddles I'm accustomed to. But so far, my impression is that the standard "non-carved" B17 is hard to beat, and I'd be willing to bet that would hold true even if someone truly was concerned about perineal pressure.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh yeah - one more thing. . .</div><div><br /></div><div>Back in August, when I first wrote here in the blog about receiving this test saddle from Brooks, I mentioned that I had noticed an odd thing. Brooks leather saddles are notably still made in England, even though Brooks is now owned by the Italian company Selle Royal. When my saddle arrived, I saw that it had come shipped from Italy. I've since then learned the story. The leather saddles are indeed still made in the English factory (the non-leather saddles may be made elsewhere, though I'm not certain where) but they are then shipped to Italy for distribution. This arrangement is causing a bit of a flap now in post-Brexit Britain. Brooks has no distribution within Britain -- it is all handled through the parent company in Italy. That means that the saddles are made in England, shipped to Italy, and then (for U.K. buyers) have to be re-imported to the U.K. Post-Brexit trade, tariff, and tax issues with European Union imports means that U.K. buyers are having problems getting their hands on Brooks saddles, even though the saddles are made in their own country. What a mess. </div><div><br /></div><div>If anything changes my impression of the saddle, I'll be sure to give an update.</div>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-15349137205650007762021-04-22T08:51:00.001-04:002021-04-22T08:51:56.452-04:00Catching Up <p>It's been a while, hasn't it?</p><p>The past few months have been pretty uninspiring when it comes to writing blog posts. Combined with work, and family concerns, updating a blog has shifted lower on the priorities. But I have a few moments to think about what's gone on since I last posted here on the Retrogrouch.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Pandemic</h3><p>Still dragging on. I got two doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Our state prioritized teachers, so I was able to get my shots a little earlier than other friends of my same age group. I was also fortunate enough that our employer made the arrangements for all employees to get the shots, so it was a simple matter of picking a time slot and showing up. It has been a lot more complicated for many other people. At this point, every adult in Ohio is eligible for a shot, but for a while there, actually getting an appointment for one was something like an "every-man-for-himself" proposition, made harder for those who weren't computer/internet savvy (which includes most of the oldest population who were most at risk of the virus). Needless to say, getting a vaccine for my aging father was an ordeal, though I did manage to get him one. I understand the process is getting better, or so I hear.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Commuting</h3><p>I've been back at work full-time since late January, and I've been riding to work whenever I've been able. January and February are <i>always</i> lousy months for riding a bike in Northeast Ohio, but I still managed to ride a few days in those dead-of-winter months. Since March, I've been riding at least three days a week, but rain, and even snow sometimes, have made it hard to do much better than that. I know - I <i>could</i> always simply ride in the rain, but cold <i>and</i> wet is a terrible combination. Plus, part of the attraction for biking to work is that I enjoy it. I'm not actively seeking out misery.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m8U5qMVMSXU/YIFpk8DDaSI/AAAAAAAATUU/nTEuDQ4lXsEF4wC-M869PDMJtljq0G2FwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2689.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m8U5qMVMSXU/YIFpk8DDaSI/AAAAAAAATUU/nTEuDQ4lXsEF4wC-M869PDMJtljq0G2FwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2689.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yesterday we had a snowstorm blow through the area in the morning, and I ended up driving. This morning the roads were clear, but black ice was an ever-present danger. The trees along this stretch of road still had that "wonderland" snow-frosting. It was cold - but a good ride to work.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Progress - Or So Some Might Say</h3><p>For about 27 years now I've been passing, and admiring, this "perfect" old barn along my route to work. I've even captured it in a number of photos over the years. The barn, the little farmhouse nearby, and the surrounding farm fields with their rolling hills have always captured my imagination. The scene exhibits such a quiet, peaceful beauty, and I've long found something soothing and reassuring in it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g1-NpeLUbME/YIFvIq1eLEI/AAAAAAAATUk/ofGVLL-kwpsTogEkWH-Xi9irCxn9QOC7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s960/12991106_10209492359695523_5362866439272094642_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g1-NpeLUbME/YIFvIq1eLEI/AAAAAAAATUk/ofGVLL-kwpsTogEkWH-Xi9irCxn9QOC7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/12991106_10209492359695523_5362866439272094642_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f7PHXSpdu98/YIFvMXLjNtI/AAAAAAAATUo/CWopTSRuI8UGrj0hPWOsj3mQF27KzJC5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_1379.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f7PHXSpdu98/YIFvMXLjNtI/AAAAAAAATUo/CWopTSRuI8UGrj0hPWOsj3mQF27KzJC5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_1379.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M7Hg-jHPgE0/YIFvQVYAz7I/AAAAAAAATUs/t091kNKODQ0bNoPe-YTAGw-sSvOqK38XwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_0162.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M7Hg-jHPgE0/YIFvQVYAz7I/AAAAAAAATUs/t091kNKODQ0bNoPe-YTAGw-sSvOqK38XwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_0162.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Em5BnJ-YHtQ/YIFvVZy3SqI/AAAAAAAATUw/hEXrHaR1jfIwMbpUy2XPa-ty0TSbjV4nQCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/12241569_10208302612872596_7142187620866411721_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="960" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Em5BnJ-YHtQ/YIFvVZy3SqI/AAAAAAAATUw/hEXrHaR1jfIwMbpUy2XPa-ty0TSbjV4nQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/12241569_10208302612872596_7142187620866411721_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>About a year ago, the farm was sold to developers, and I knew it was only a matter of time before the fields were carved up for houses that people like me would never be able to afford. I had hoped maybe someone would buy the farmhouse and the barn, and possible keep them, but that was probably just foolish wishful thinking.</p><p>Earlier this week, passing the farm on my way home, I saw this:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K95udkwo5ok/YIFuzb5QP3I/AAAAAAAATUc/kDyjhRsDXtkueNutV_BMIC8PJztpC4PcgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2687.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K95udkwo5ok/YIFuzb5QP3I/AAAAAAAATUc/kDyjhRsDXtkueNutV_BMIC8PJztpC4PcgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2687.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It had been standing that morning. It took only a few hours to reduce it to scrap.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>It was one of the last little farms still left in the area. Such a shame to see it go this way.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Don't it always seem to go</p><p style="text-align: center;">That you don't know what you've got till it's gone</p><p style="text-align: center;">They paved paradise, put up a parking lot</p><p style="text-align: center;">- Joni Mitchell</p>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-7834617265143533262021-01-25T17:09:00.002-05:002021-01-27T09:11:19.311-05:00On Again - Off Again - and (Maybe?) Back On Again<p>As if to prove that keeping a "keeper of the flame" classic steel bike business alive in a carbon-fiber world is no easy feat (complicated further by our current pandemic realities), we have seen the Leeds, England-based Bob Jackson Cycles die, get resurrected, and die again all in the space of about 3 months.</p><p>After announcing last October that the 85-year-old company would be closing its doors by the end of 2020, it was then announced the following month that the company had secured some new investment and new blood, and was poised for another 85 years. Visitors to the site would have been pleased to find this announcement on the homepage in November:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UGzIzJAM8w/YA74-uXN1RI/AAAAAAAATFc/EdHnrGzqQ60vZq9xXaAtmudoKrLJ_TbrgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1760/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-11-26%2Bat%2B9.25.13%2BAM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1760" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UGzIzJAM8w/YA74-uXN1RI/AAAAAAAATFc/EdHnrGzqQ60vZq9xXaAtmudoKrLJ_TbrgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-11-26%2Bat%2B9.25.13%2BAM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Well then, apparently whatever deals or arrangements that were being made to keep the brand alive must have fallen through. By the first week of January, the message was "We are ceasing trading with immediate affect."</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Z_bDiRK_nc/YA7uevUAecI/AAAAAAAATFQ/mhfKDttfDv8lYPKwB74W5FdxexmnTLpFACLcBGAsYHQ/s685/Capture.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="452" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Z_bDiRK_nc/YA7uevUAecI/AAAAAAAATFQ/mhfKDttfDv8lYPKwB74W5FdxexmnTLpFACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Capture.PNG" /></a></div><div><br /></div>WAIT - BACK ON AGAIN?:<div><br /></div><div>It seems, however, the brand may not be <i>entirely</i> finished after all. Though I haven't seen anything posted on other sites, it was recently announced by Kevin Sayles, the Master Framebuilder at Woodrup Cycles (which, like BJ, is located in Leeds, England), that the rights to the Bob Jackson brand, along with some of the old shop's tooling and materials, have been purchased by Woodrup. Frames built by Woodrup, but badged as Bob Jacksons, may soon be available. Exactly how that arrangement will work has yet to be announced, but if true, the brand is in good hands. Woodrup has been in business since 1949, and still has a full-service bike shop. Their hand-built "bespoke" frames are beautifully made and have an excellent reputation. For Sayles, the arrangement brings him around full circle in a sense -- he was a builder at Bob Jackson early in his building career back in the 1970s.<div><p>Like I said, there seems to be little information anywhere else about the arrangement - it's not even on the Woodrup website yet - and to the best of my knowledge, details about starting production, pricing, ordering, or anything else haven't been determined yet. I guess that makes this is one of those "Watch This Space" kind of announcements. </p><p>In the meantime - I suggest visiting the <a href="http://www.woodrupcycles.com/" target="_blank">Woodrup website</a> and drool over some of their handiwork. </p><p><br /></p><p>UPDATE: 1/27/21 - more info just came up on CyclingWeekly. The new Bob Jackson will be run as a separate company from Woodrup, with a goal of getting production going in about 6 months time. The plan is to have a new website where people will be able to order frames - and have a renovated workshop in Leeds (separate from the Woodrup shop) where the frames will be built. Here's a link to the news from <a href="https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/product-news/bob-jackson-to-continue-making-steel-frames-in-leeds-488920" target="_blank">Cycling Weekly</a>.</p></div></div>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-19651283026325480592020-12-28T14:40:00.001-05:002020-12-28T16:57:19.099-05:00Hindsight is 2020As 2020 comes to a close, now seems like a good time to look back at a year like no other.<div><br /><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ZuO56SZur4/X-n-4tDhprI/AAAAAAAAS_w/VTDjr1OjqIkAFHVpKjUfNS4VH1YDLgqtgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3874.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ZuO56SZur4/X-n-4tDhprI/AAAAAAAAS_w/VTDjr1OjqIkAFHVpKjUfNS4VH1YDLgqtgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_3874.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's been a while since we've had such <br />a "White Christmas."</td></tr></tbody></table>I'm going to start this by mentioning that I don't know how much biking material will be in this post. We had a big winter storm come through our area beginning on the night of Christmas Eve, dumping over a foot of snow, and that meant no Christmas bike ride this year. Even now, on the Monday after, my street is still a thick sheet of ice since no city snowplows ever rolled through my neighborhood. We are low priority, I guess.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sorry to say, but the Covid-19 pandemic will NOT be over when the new year is rung in. It's crazy to think about the fact that it started almost a full year ago, first being reported in China last January - though it didn't really come to dominate our news and our lives until March when everything shut down. More than 300,000 people have died here in the U.S. since then, and the spike in cases is far beyond what it was back in March. Hospitals across the country are overwhelmed and healthcare workers are exhausted and desperate. Yet somehow there are huge swaths of the American public who refuse to even believe that it's real - even when they're dying from it. Without getting too specifically into the politics of it, I'll just say that the national-level response has been a disgrace. And the state-level response, depending on the state, has been equally pathetic. I felt pretty good about the response by our Governor here in Ohio, at least early on. But when our state's excellent health director started getting death threats and had to resign as a result, the state response has become much more anemic.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lHowjiQS7vg/X-n_xF5RiGI/AAAAAAAAS_4/WIkmB6W54hwOp_c1cbK1aga2JEo39kumACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_1199.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lHowjiQS7vg/X-n_xF5RiGI/AAAAAAAAS_4/WIkmB6W54hwOp_c1cbK1aga2JEo39kumACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_1199.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prior to the coronavirus, most of my posts at the beginning of 2020 dealt with my project of restoring this beautiful vintage Specialized Sequoia. I had just finished it when everything "hit the fan."</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>I was looking back at my blog posts from the past year, and mentions of the virus come up in the majority of them, beginning in March ("<a href="https://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2020/03/corona-virus-blues.html" target="_blank">Corona Virus Blues</a>") and continuing right up to now. There are posts about working from home, working on bike-related projects during the shutdown, a Covid-19 bike boom, and escaping the quarantine by bike. It's kind of funny to think that someday those posts could be part of some future historian's study of life during the pandemic. A<i> </i>modern<i> Journal of the Plague Year</i>, if you will, as I'm reminded of Samuel Pepys, or Daniel Defoe, in that regard.</div><div><br /></div><div>The pandemic has already changed many things about our culture and society - both for better AND worse. I'm saddened to think of all the businesses, particularly restaurants and small family-owned businesses, that have either closed or will close before it's all over. I'm frustrated at the way fake news and conspiracy theories have replaced reputable news and common sense as the guiding forces of so many people. I'm concerned that the pandemic has really exposed the serious weaknesses and inherent inequalities in our systems, including economic, political, and healthcare - and I fear that the people who benefit from those weaknesses and inequalities will prevent anything from making them better. I'm not an optimist, and I haven't been since 1992 (yes, I can actually pin it down that specifically).</div><div><br /></div><div>But have there been any <i>good</i> things to come out of this dumpster fire of a year?</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, I think it has made people (at least <i>some</i> people) consider what is really important. For every one selfish and ignorant person who refuses to wear a mask because of a twisted and self-indulgent interpretation of "freedom," there are perhaps several more who are making sacrifices to help an elderly neighbor. I think a lot of people have gained more appreciation for family, and cherishing whatever time they are able to spend together.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>I've hated many aspects of trying to teach remotely - but I've loved the fact that I've been able to see my wife and my own children so much more during the day (in between our various zoom meetings, etc.). I know that when I do have to return to work, that will be something I will miss.</div><div><br /></div><div>And, as was mentioned in the post about a pandemic "bike boom" - it seems that a lot of people have come to rediscover the joys of riding a bike. Being stuck indoors has made people crave some kind of release, and bicycling turned out to be a great way to find it. Living so close to a national park, I could see firsthand how people were flocking to the park to enjoy the simple pleasures of a hike or a bike ride through our natural resources.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's another thing: people have been driving less, and there has been a marked improvement in the quality of air and water in some places. I wouldn't be surprised if car-related fatalities for 2020 show a significant dip compared to previous years, too.</div><div><br /></div><div>There is a vaccine now, which means we can almost see a light at the end of the tunnel. But the challenge, as I see it, is staying healthy until one can actually get the dose, and that could take months. When that time finally comes - maybe some time next summer - when we can feel comfortable enough to sit in a theater, or a restaurant - when we can hug that friend or relation without hesitating - when we can begin to feel "normal" again - what will we do? How will we respond? Will we be ready to to make serious changes to our addiction to oil? Will we finally be ready to address issues of inequity and very real weaknesses in our safety net and access to health care? Will people keep riding those bikes they bought - or shove them back down in the basement?</div><div><br /></div><div>The Anglo-Saxons of the so-called "dark ages" believed in something they called "Wyrd." It's from this word that we got the modern-English word "weird" (and why, incidentally, Shakespeare's witches in <i>Macbeth</i> were called the "Weird Sisters"). The belief in Wyrd was essentially that the skein of any person's fate was woven long before they were born, and nothing they do can change the outcome. But even as we cannot change the outcome of our fate, we can control our <i>response</i> to it -- and it is our response to it that determines what kind of person we are, and the way we will be remembered. This past year has been a reminder that life can sometimes deal us things that we simply can't control. But we <i>can</i> always control how we respond to them. How will future generations view our response to this very weird 2020?</div>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-25863790539653940682020-12-17T13:06:00.000-05:002020-12-17T13:06:31.534-05:00Bike Safety 101: "This Is Johnny's Car"<p>Covid is surging. There is a vaccine currently making its way to the highest-risk folks - but the rest of us still have a long wait. Schools are "online" again as our region has reached the "purple zone" on the state's risk-level color chart. I'm working from home, alongside the RetroKids and my RetroWife. We're all on computers in separate rooms fighting for internet bandwidth and distraction-free zones for our various Zoom meetings. 2020 is drawing to a close.</p><p>Damn, that sounds almost post-apocalyptic, doesn't it?</p><p>So I'm digging around through some old boxes in my basement, looking for what, I don't even remember, when I came across this:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7epltPZzNro/X9td0bbs_lI/AAAAAAAAS74/r84V7UJnOr8N_uNLyaKG9vuiMCl-50ekwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2630/IMG_2616.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2630" data-original-width="1196" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7epltPZzNro/X9td0bbs_lI/AAAAAAAAS74/r84V7UJnOr8N_uNLyaKG9vuiMCl-50ekwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2616.JPG" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I have no doubt that this little bike safety pamphlet is older than I am. I don't even recall where I got this nostalgic gem, but as usual, I couldn't throw it away. It's a voice from a much simpler time. In the context of our current realities, from pandemic to political, finding this felt a bit like Charlton Heston finding the statue of liberty at the end of <i>Planet of the Apes. </i>This faded little pamphlet is clearly evidence that our world was once a different place.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hPxY6bfR62I/X9td1sy-54I/AAAAAAAAS8A/rAUUz_wySYYpsW_RDnUMV60dFycv4bmtQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2618.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1607" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hPxY6bfR62I/X9td1sy-54I/AAAAAAAAS8A/rAUUz_wySYYpsW_RDnUMV60dFycv4bmtQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2618.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>"This is Johnny's car" and "Johnny is a safe 'car' driver . . ." the pamphlet proclaims. You see, while ostensibly promoting safe bicycle riding, the true message is pretty clear. A bike is something for kids - just a step on the way to the real goal of any true-blue (and staunchly non-socialist) American - Car Ownership.</div><div><br /></div><div>The safety advice is pretty typical for the time, which I assume to be pre-Bike Boom, and relatively benign - mostly phrased as what Johnny does or doesn't do.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">"Johnny Doesn't . . . "</h3><div>Johnny Doesn't Wobble - on purpose or by accident. "Be sure you ride your bike well before you go out on the highway." Well, at least they admit he's allowed on the roads - but I'm a little surprised they encourage kids (the obvious target audience) to ride on the <i>highways</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Johnny Doesn't Let Anyone Sit On His Lap - Ever.</div><div><br /></div><div>Johnny Doesn't Hog the Road. "Always ride single file. And just like slow cars . . . keep right so faster cars can pass."</div><div><br /></div><div>Johnny Doesn't Hitch a Ride. "Ever run head-on into a wall? You will if that car stops"</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">"Johnny Does . . . "</h3><div>Johnny Observes All Traffic Signs. "For extra safety, he walks his bike across busy intersections. You should too." A bike is "equal" to a car -- but don't go getting any <i>ideas</i> now. </div><div><br /></div><div>Johnny Looks Before He Leaps. "Cars don't barge out of driveways and alleys into traffic. You shouldn't either." (except when they DO!).</div><div><br /></div><div>Johnny Uses Directional Signals. That's nice -- I encounter a lot of drivers who don't.</div><div><br /></div><div>Johnny Has Lights for Night Riding. "And a horn or bell, too." Funny thing, when the CPSC started regulating bikes in the 1970s, they specifically decided NOT to require lights. But yes - definitely use them.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rrUVa3XADXA/X9td1o75cjI/AAAAAAAAS78/S-gc8TjawS8dyzg1NVNQHKErqu6ma4YbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2619.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1625" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rrUVa3XADXA/X9td1o75cjI/AAAAAAAAS78/S-gc8TjawS8dyzg1NVNQHKErqu6ma4YbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2619.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tailfins on that car give a clue as to the age of this thing.</td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br />"Safe Bike Riders Like Johnny Make Skillful Drivers"</h3><p>Now there's something I can definitely get behind. I'm convinced that people who routinely ride with traffic are generally more observant and better able to predict the behavior of other road users. I sometimes describe it as "Spidey Sense" - and it comes from knowing how badly most drivers drive, and how clueless (or even aggressive) they can be when it comes to cyclists. I also recognize how much that carries over when I'm in my car.</p><p>The pamphlet also explains that according to state law (Pennsylvania, in this case) a bike and a car are the same - and subject to the same rules. Good to know as a cyclist - but it's something that probably bears repeating to drivers more. Equal in the eyes of the law - but the real problem to us as riders is getting drivers to recognize our rights - or even to respect us at all. Especially when their attention is compromised by that addictive attention-sucking cell phone. But then again - such things were the stuff of science fiction when this pamphlet was published.</p><p>In that same box, I found a few other old pamphlets with similar, and sometimes dated, safety advice.</p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PINbEFpx_M4/X9uU0OgvsZI/AAAAAAAAS8Y/1IoelT8nnt4wYGwsrSTwxDedoYQYRTrXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2661/IMG_2615.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1182" data-original-width="2661" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PINbEFpx_M4/X9uU0OgvsZI/AAAAAAAAS8Y/1IoelT8nnt4wYGwsrSTwxDedoYQYRTrXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2615.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <br /><span style="text-align: center;">The <i>Bike Riders Rules for Safety</i> from Employers Mutuals (sounds like an insurance company to me) suggests that kids only ride on streets where traffic is light, dismount and walk at intersections, always pull over to allow cars to pass, and (oddly, if you ask me) always park your bike on the sidewalk. </span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8rmg7hNjhzo/X9uYuUXD5_I/AAAAAAAAS8s/N2aPNi4jLG4Pc2wMY8kt2DaJeilqEkzSwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2610.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1277" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8rmg7hNjhzo/X9uYuUXD5_I/AAAAAAAAS8s/N2aPNi4jLG4Pc2wMY8kt2DaJeilqEkzSwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2610.JPG" /></a></div><br /><i style="text-align: center;">The ABC of Safe Bicycle Riding</i><span style="text-align: center;"> from the Bicycle Safety League looks to me like something that would have been hanging from the handlebars on a new bike in the early '50s.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HJAFETw6Rnw/X9uYqyxWRMI/AAAAAAAAS8k/_GaSsgcHpK4pW0CKud2K084p-iuyvqZiACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1723" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HJAFETw6Rnw/X9uYqyxWRMI/AAAAAAAAS8k/_GaSsgcHpK4pW0CKud2K084p-iuyvqZiACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2612.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3yOiGczvIks/X9uYrTA3d4I/AAAAAAAAS8o/BTKRULP4ZKcXmxPGNRK_Nup2M1HA86mKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1219" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3yOiGczvIks/X9uYrTA3d4I/AAAAAAAAS8o/BTKRULP4ZKcXmxPGNRK_Nup2M1HA86mKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2614.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p>There was another one that was more like a little handbook than a pamphlet: <i>Fun on Wheels</i> from The Insurance Office.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rbUYq3hQA2g/X9udUZTJM2I/AAAAAAAAS9A/pyGz8z5K4VIt5h-sAkbcInw11E3pyYjJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1193" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rbUYq3hQA2g/X9udUZTJM2I/AAAAAAAAS9A/pyGz8z5K4VIt5h-sAkbcInw11E3pyYjJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2620.JPG" /></a></div><div><br /></div>This one has so much to it I may have to save it for another post. But it all begs the question, where the heck (and when, and why?) did I get all these things?<br /><p><br /></p></div>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-13706914983309323162020-11-26T09:41:00.000-05:002020-11-26T09:41:04.485-05:00An Interesting Development<p>Happy Thanksgiving, folks!</p><p>Just a super short post today. Readers might recall it wasn't so long ago that it was announced that Bob Jackson Cycles in Leeds, England, was closing down. Apparently, there was such an outpouring of interest in the marque that plans had to be changed. This notice is currently on their website:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NE43xvT-Lqg/X7-7-98KukI/AAAAAAAAS2s/NxYmbBe5hWgn5lGXO-BFaWNrhPisN1TZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1760/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-11-26%2Bat%2B9.25.13%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1760" height="189" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NE43xvT-Lqg/X7-7-98KukI/AAAAAAAAS2s/NxYmbBe5hWgn5lGXO-BFaWNrhPisN1TZQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h189/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-11-26%2Bat%2B9.25.13%2BAM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>It sounds like someone stepped in to keep the place going financially, and I'm assuming some new, younger staff have come to learn the framebuilding trade. I'd call that encouraging.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2gIE50fbrTg/X7-95YFS1JI/AAAAAAAAS24/BZ2RUaBoSKYFhcTuBTrHFlnnIwg_FEDvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/bj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="254" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2gIE50fbrTg/X7-95YFS1JI/AAAAAAAAS24/BZ2RUaBoSKYFhcTuBTrHFlnnIwg_FEDvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/bj.jpg" /></a></div><p>As I had mentioned in my earlier post about Bob Jackson Cycles, they offer some excellent traditional "keeper of the flame" steel bikes - built and painted to order - at very reasonable prices. I guess it isn't too late, after all.</p><p>Fans of classic steel bikes, let's give thanks!</p>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8492685525705691186.post-74432472329194542162020-10-19T11:22:00.000-04:002020-10-19T11:22:14.118-04:00Peak Fall<p>It had to happen eventually. After several weeks of gorgeous riding weather, our good-weather-fortune seems to be coming to an end. I'm sitting here on a computer at work on a chilly, rainy, miserable day - and the forecast looks like more of the same this week.</p><p>This past Saturday was glorious, though, and I got out on one of my vintage Mercians to enjoy brilliant blue skies and sunshine, cool temperatures, and vibrant fall colors.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S5ga_S8sGa0/X42qjCH9BKI/AAAAAAAASvE/4vaaDKHf3vMmisU1doNVQq3yMe4k3zKOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_2561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S5ga_S8sGa0/X42qjCH9BKI/AAAAAAAASvE/4vaaDKHf3vMmisU1doNVQq3yMe4k3zKOgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/IMG_2561.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I stopped for a photo on a quiet road that winds its way through the woods where the light just looked like gold filtered through the fall leaves.</div><p style="text-align: left;">There may still be some nice riding days left this season, but I've got no doubt that trees will be far more bare and a lot of the color will be gone. I'm reminded of a line from a well-known poem by the renaissance poet Robert Herrick, "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may." I'm glad I got to enjoy it while I still could.</p><p style="text-align: left;">That's all for now - just a short post today.</p><p><br /></p>Brookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12110998345857993287noreply@blogger.com0