Bicycle Quarterly

Bicycle Quarterly is a really wonderful magazine. I'm pretty sure I'd say that even if I wasn't friends with Jan Heine, the editor and publisher of the magazine and also if I wasn't friends with several of the other folks who write for Bicycle Quarterly on a regular basis. But I am friends with those guys in great part because we share a common interest in and love of bicycles. Originally Jan called his magazine Vintage Bicycle Quarterly and it was an astounding source of great information about bicycles from an earlier time. But Jan's interests aren't just historical and while the magazine still has lots of historical information, it also contains reviews of contemporary bicycles, stories of epic rides, tests of modern tires and lights and a wealth of other great information.

Unlike most other magazines, Bicycle Quarterly, is not just a bunch of slightly reworked ad copy designed to make you buy the latest this or that. A lot of thought and work goes into each issue and the quality shows through on every page. Each issue of Bicycle Quarterly (at least every issue I've seen!) is one of those all too rare items in this day and age, a genuine treasure.

More info about Bicycle Quarterly can be seen here:

http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com/vbqindex.html

Studded Bicycle Tires

I wish I could get in touch with Al Gore and have him direct some of that global warming to my neighborhood right now but I understand that he's a busy man and it's a complex issue. While my friends and family back in the midwest are having warm temps with rain, there's an inch of ice on the roads in Issaquah and the temperatures are rather nippy. I took the very crowded bus to work today.

Peter Jon White has the answer: fat studded bicycle tires. He's got a wonderfully grumpy and informative page here:

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp

and it really makes me want to send him $104 dollars (plus shipping) for a set of Schwalbe Snow Stud tires. "The perfect tire if you want one tire to do everything." That Peter knows how to write ad copy that hits me right in the "reach for wallet" reflex.

But then I think "hey, it never really ices up here and by the time I get the tires, this freak cold snap will be gone and I'll be back to normal riding." This sounded like a rational, save your money argument until I talked to my pal Ken who pointed out "if you have tires like that, you'll seek out the snow." Damn, he's right. We've got all those mountain passes around here and every winter I sulk in the low valleys, waiting for spring. These tires mean more adventures. More stories for the blog...

Back in my big buck software industry days, I'd already have those tires Fed Exing their way here. Now, in my non-profit professional bike advocate days, I ponder my purchases a bit more.

Hmm...

Winter Wonderland

Yesterday the forecast was for snow but my morning commute was actually icy but clear. At the end of the day I rode through the Seahawk game traffic (My office is a couple of blocks north of the football stadium and last night was game night). By the time I crossed Mercer Island, a few flakes were coming down and once I climbed up to Newport Way, which skirts the northern flank of Cougar Mountain, the snow was coming down in big heavy flakes.

I felt like Andy Hampsten on the Passo Gavia in 1988. Except, of course, I was going a hell of a lot slower than Andy did. And Andy didn't have to worry about dozens of SUVs slipping and sliding along the same narrow road. I might have had about the best traction of anything on the road and my traction was minimal at best. Fortunately, most of the SUV drivers seemed to quickly learn that their advertising induced confidence was misplaced and aside from seeing a few Explorers fishtail widely and wildly through some turns the ride home was pretty much without incident. As soon as I could I got onto lower traffic roads and trails. The snow was coming down thick and wet enough that it would form a layer on my helmet and then when enough mass accumulated a big clump would whooph off in a solid sheet.

It was dark and I was too busy to take pictures last night, but I snapped a picture of my porch this morning. Temps are still below freezing here and all the schools are closed. I normally spend one day a week working from home on documents and things. I figure I used up all my luck on the ride home last night so today I'm staying put with my computer and a cup of hot coffee.

Momentum Is Your Friend

My friend Joe "Metal Cowboy" Kurmaskie writes wonderful books that are both funny and wise. His latest book, Momentum Is Your Friend, is the story of Joe bicycling from Portland Oregon to Washington DC with this two sons, second-grader Quinn and five-year-old Enzo, literally in tow. Joe has a reporter's eye for detail, a poet's way with words and a genuine interest in the people he and the boys meet along the road. Over the course of a few thousand miles and a few hundred pages, Joe and the boys take the reader on the ride of a lifetime. I really felt like I'd met the watermelon whiz-kid, the grumpy and grizzled bicycling vet, the midwestern cheerleader in the mysteriously empty town and all the other people too real to be called characters.

But of all the real people in this book, the one we get to know the best is the one telling us this story. This is not a mid-life crisis book but it is a good story, well told, by a man in the midst of his life. With his kids in tow, his wife in grad school and the ashes of his father in a Tupperware bowl tucked somewhere in a pannier, Joe wonders about the things we all wonder about. Am I being a good dad? A good husband? A good son? And can I make it up this hill with this 250 pound contraption? OK, maybe not everyone wonders about that last one.

B. and Roy, a kind-hearted couple in a huge RV voice the concerns of many about Joe and his cute kids, "you wouldn't want anything to happen to them." But Joe explains that this isn't categorically true.

"I want all sorts of things to happen to my children. I want them to smack line drives during clutch moments of baseball games, smell the sweet bite of creosote bushes in the Arizona desert after an August monsoon, eat a pile of messy short ribs dripping in Kansas City's best BBQ sauce, then sleep off their food comas under the whispery shade of a willow tree. I want them to stick up for themselves when it really matters, and someday slow dance with that girl, the one that makes them uncool and cotton-mouthed, at the junior high school mixer. I want them to find themselves at a loss for words from the beauty of the world, and make up fantastical names for constellations under the open sky this summer."

"What I don't want is something horrible happening to them. That's what he really means. It's a small distinction, but, when magnified through the video black magic of Madison Ave. and filtered by the unfounded fears of parents fueled by the nightly news, it's what cheats us all of so much."

Joe and Quinn and Enzo not only survive, they thrive. They remind us all that life is for living and adventure is everywhere if we are not afraid to roll out the door and see what's around the next corner. If momentum is my friend, then I guess that inertia is my enemy. Thanks, Joe for wonderful book that's a kick out the door. I'll see you on the road.

BTW, if you get a chance to see Joe in person go see him. He's a great speaker as well as being a terrific writer and if you buy a book straight from him, he'll sign it. When you buy a book straight from Joe (either in person or via his website at www.metalcowboy.com) 80% of the profits go to Joe's latest venture, Camp Creative. Of course, Amazon and other bookstore sales are a great help as well but Joe's trying to raise a big chunk of money for Camp Creative (details on his website) and direct sales earn more direct cash.

One General Purpose Bike

Despite my Dad's observation that "a Swiss Army Knife really isn't much of a knife," I've always preferred the mutts to the purebreds. While some folks delight in having the ideal knife for cutting, a set of perfect screwdrivers for every fastening chore, the right cork screw for that vintage bottle of French wine and so on, I've always liked the idea of one gadget that does a lot of things. It doesn't have to do everything perfectly as long as it's enough to get the job done.

I've done some long rides on minimal gear, like riding the GDR on my Monocog or touring back to Minnesota on a fixed gear but when I think about riding fast with my pals on the road and climbing the steepest stuff I can find on the mountain trails, then even I can see the value of those Disraeli gears. I mucked around a bit with a little mountain bike but those cyclocross bikes have always had an appeal for me. I've never been tempted by cyclocross racing, mind you, it's a little too muddy and the races are a little too short for my tastes, but some of the bikes are just so darn versatile. Something like a Surly Crosscheck has always been high on my list of bikes I recommend. A cross bike would be a little faster than the mountain bike and be at home on the road or the trail.

Have I mentioned that I have this weird bike karma? Some bikes just find me and some bikes I have wind up finding their way to more fit owners. The Kogswell Model G is a great bike and in it's three-speed configuration I think it's perfect. Well, perfect for everything but that really steep back country trail. But perfect for my buddy Ken. Ken who rides on roads and stays off the steep trails. Ken who takes forever to decide to buy a bike but who has the Model G on a semi-permanent loan now. And my son Eric got his bike stolen but I happen to have this mountain bike to give to him. So now I can explain with a straight face to my very understanding wife (who really just rolls her eyes at all these velo permutations) that we really are simplifying things here.

My latest bike is an old steel Novara CX. Novara is REI's house brand and this old CX is kind of workhorse bike like a Surly Crosscheck. It's not at all fancy, it doesn't have lugs, and there are lots of chips in the paint. Reflective tape and stickers do wonders for covering up a dinged paint job. I swapped the bars and shifters for something I like, but that's why I have a big parts pile. The stem is the ugliest thing I had in my parts box but it's the right length and somehow it just seems right. The CX can take massive tires but for now it's fine with 28 mm tires for commuting. A guy on the iBOB list is selling me a set of 700*40 Specialized Hemisphere tires for twenty bucks. That twenty bucks is the only money I've sunk into this bike thus far. Once I have the fat tires I'll see how this bike works in the backcountry. The low budget also explains the funky color of the bar-tape, it's what I had laying around. Of course the fenders and rear trunk are custom coroplast specials.

Is this bike the one? I don't know. I never know. Could I come up with a better bike to ride to work? Probably. Could I come up with a better bike to bomb down the back side of Tiger Mountain? Sure. But do I carry the perfect knife and a set of screwdrivers and a wrench and everything else in the front pocket of my shorts? Nope.

I've got a little red knife in my pocket. It does a pretty good job on a lot of tasks and I carry it with me every day. And now I've got this bike. It's kind of ugly but that appeals to me. As Stuart Smalley might say "it's good enough and doggone it, I like it!"

One Way To Burn Off That Turkey

Mark Vande Kamp and I figured we needed to burn off some of the Thanksgiving calories we'd piled on yesterday and we thought that a ride out to the Olympic Penninsula would probably do the trick. My son Peter was home from college and he decided to join in the fun. Our buddy Jon Muellner lives over in Port Townsend and the plan was to meet up with him somewhere near the Hood Canal Bridge.

So in the wee hours of the morning Peter and I rode from Issaquah to meet Mark in Seattle and catch the 6:20 AM ferry to Bainbridge Island. Peter had been worried that his jacket might be too warm, but en route he informed me that this wasn't a problem. It was 37 degrees when we left home.

The sun was just coming up as Mark, Peter and I rolled across Bainbridge Island and in Poulsbo the thermometer said 32 degrees. "That can't be right" we all agreed and then we noticed the white layer of frost on the roadside leaves. On Big Valley road the temperature seemed to drop a bit more and parts of the road had a rather ominous sheen. As we neared the Hood Canal Bridge, things warmed up a bit.

I got to watch Peter do an impressive bit of bike handling as he hit the edge of a metal plate on the bridge but with something that looked like a cross between a ballet move and muscle spasm he managed to keep the bike upright.

On the road to Port Ludlow we met up with Jon and he suggested a hearty breakfast at the Chimacum Cafe. This proved to be a wise decision. Over breakfast we discussed various weighty world matters and why we all loathe flying because we all hate being without a Leatherman or a Swiss Army knife.

After breakfast Jon headed back to Port Townsend and we rolled back towards home on Beaver Valley Road. Back in Seattle Mark headed for home. Pete was cutting things close on time so he got in touch with the college buddy who was also his ride back to school and they to met up in Factoria. So Peter's ride was little shorter than mine, he only had 106 miles for the day. But considering that he's been busy with school (he's double majoring in physics and chemistry at Eastern Washington University) and has ridden zero miles in the past two years, I was pretty damned impressed.

But that wasn't the most impressive thing Peter did this week. Yesterday morning, when Christine got up early to put the bird in the oven, it was already cooking away. "It's a Thanksgiving miracle!" she reported to me as she came back to bed. No, it was Peter. He made the whole meal and he did a great job. The green beans with bacon and onions were amazing. It seems when Peter's been away at school, he's become quite the chef. "The chicks really dig a guy who can cook," he explained.

This is the time of year when we give thanks. I'm thankful for so many things but mostly I'm thankful for the many fine people who are a part of my life, my family and friends.

Bike Riding in Minnesota

I just got back from a five day trip to Minnesota where I visited my family. Christine and the boys had work and school obligations so I was the only one who headed back to the midwest this time. And unlike the last time I went back, this time I used several of those fancy aeroplane thingies to get there. I still find riding a bike to be more fun than flying.

My sister Candy knew I'd go stir crazy without a bike, so she loaned me her son's old-school mountain bike. Nothing fancy, but perfect for my needs.
On Friday temps were just a bit below freezing but the roads and trails were clear. I rode from my folks place in Scanlon to Carlton. From Carlton to Duluth I rode along the Willard Munger Trail, a converted rail-trail that runs from southern Minnesota all the way up to Duluth. In Duluth I stopped by Aerostich HQ to check out various cool motorcycle touring gear (much of which works well for pedal bikes as well) and then I headed over to Twin Ports Cycleryto see my old pal Denis. The best way I can describe the impact Denis had on me in my formative years is to say that if I'm any kind of a cycling Jedi then Denis is Yoda.
Denis and I talk of our families and bicycles and advocacy and mostly about riding. His main bike these days is a Bianchi cyclocross bike with a studded front tire. "Clearance," he says, "enough clearance to run a decent sized tire and so you can fit fenders so the bike stays cleaner." Why do they still call it common sense when men like Denis are increasingly rare these days?

On the ride home, I stop to take pictures of trees,a little trailside rest hut, and the totally Minnesotan uber-cautious trail highlighting.
As I near Thompson, I take an Oil is for Sissies-style shot of the the bike by the riverOK, I'm not as artsy as Jim, but I do manage to get off a good shot of about half a dozen deer who are trying hard to avoid folks dressed in orange these days.And speaking of orange, I wore a bright orange hunting vest that I borrowed from my brother-in-law as I rode on this adventure. In the course of forty or so miles, I saw no other cyclists, one roller-blader and several hunters. One of the hunters complemented me on my clothing sense.

Sunday night we got about three inches of snow, so I got to play a bit on Monday There wasn't time for a big adventure but I did get out to the library and the local coffee shop.
And that's it for the bikey stuff from my vacation. I won't bore you with pictures of my relatives and their cats or tell you about all the food I ate. I will tell you that if I lived near my mom, I'd probably weigh about three times what I do now. One of her favorite jokes goes like this "Why don't Norwegians ever learn how to swim?" Answer: "It's never more than 30 minutes since they've eaten."

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent

Lives Per Gallon

Hey Ho Blogoids,

I just got back from the midwest (visiting my folks and bike-related details will show up here soon) and now I'm back at work and digging through my email. I found this in my in-box and Elliott Bay Book company is just around the corner from my office. So rather than rushing home tonight, I'll swing by the bookstore to see what Terry has to say.

---

COME AND MEET TERRY TAMMINEN, AUTHOR OF THE EXPLOSIVE NEW BOOK LIVES PER GALLON: The True Cost of our Oil Addiction.

WHO: Terry Tamminen is an architect of California's climate change and energy initiatives, which are the most progressive energy independence plans in the country. A dedicated environmentalist, he served as Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger, head of the California EPA, and now has written Lives Per Gallon (www.livespergallon.org).

WHAT: Terry is touring America talking about his book and the issues. He knows that America's addiction to oil is taking a huge toll on our health, environment, and national security, and that oil and automobile companies have conspired for decades to hide the damage their products have done to America and the world.

Lives Per Gallon is a diagnosis of our petroleum problem and a prescription for change. The choice is clear: continue paying with our health, or kick our addiction and evolve beyond an oil-dependent economy. By forcing corporate giants to pay the true cost of their business practices, the economics change in favor of more sustainable, healthier products. Terry shows how we can evolve beyond oil to products that are far cleaner and truly sustainable.

WHEN: November 15, 6:00pm

WHERE: Elliott Bay Book Company
101 S. Main St.
Seattle, WA 98104
206-624-6640

WHY: Now is a window of opportunity for change on national policy as a result of the midterm elections. Be part of the debate and the drive for energy independence in America. The event is a perfect opportunity to ask questions about local issues, policies, or federal legislation. Learn what California has done and what your state and Washington can do to make a difference. Terry helped make change happen in California and is now calling for change all over America.

What people are saying about Lives Per Gallon: "Terry Tamminen has turned a spotlight of clarity on the defining issue of our age." ~Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President, Waterkeeper Alliance

A Bike Commute is a Happy Commute

According to an article in the Globe and Mail, more Canadians like their commute than loathe it. And "those who bike to work are the employees who enjoy their commute the most, the study found." Read the story here:

http://tinyurl.com/snhnl

Ride Anyway

The Puget Sound area is getting hit with a lot of warm moisture from what's known as a "Pineapple Express." Sunday night I made the mistake of watching the news and dire predictions of massive downpours and flooding made me nervous enough to take the bus on Monday. Yeah, I felt like a wimp. And to make things worse, my colleague Mark rode in yesterday and confirmed my suspicion, "what a great day to ride!" he said.

I rode in today and it really is a great day to ride. My pal Michael Rasmussen (the famous bike commuter, not the famous bike racer) has commented that he never regrets biking to work, but he often regrets the times when he drives to work. That's how I felt Monday. Maybe if it had been really horrible I would've felt different, but it was really just predicted to be wet. And wet isn't really horrible.

Box Rivets and Coroplast Construction

Longtime blog readers will know that I build all kinds of bike-related things out of coroplast. Things like:

Fenders

A Coroplast Handlebar Bag

A Coroplast Tailbox

Fenders for a kids bike

So I'm looking forward to getting my hands on some box rivets from these folks:

http://www.mrmcgroovys.com/

These things look really handy.

BTW, I found these things by following a link from

http://www.boingboing.net/

which is probably my favorite random funky stuff website. Yesterday they posted a link to the greatest pie chart ever. Yeah, it has nothing to do with bikes but, hey we can't think about bikes 24 hours a day!

Keep 'em rolling

Dave Moulton -- Chasing Charlie

Dave Moulton posted a great little story on his blog here:

http://davesbikeblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/chasing-charlie.html
Ride safe out on those dark roads folks,

Kent

Wheeler Dealers

The Seattle Times ran what I think is a pretty good article about some of the cycling issues here in their Pacific Northwest Magazine this past weekend. The full text of the article and pictures can be seen here:

http://tinyurl.com/y44wmy

There has been some lively discussion (both pro & con) about Critical Mass, helmets, bike lanes, bike safety, etc. You can see some of the discussion over on the Cascade Message Boards here:

http://tinyurl.com/y4xfeu

What I like about the article is that it shows that different people have different views of the situation, different perceptions, different ways of trying to further their cause. There are some folks who think Critical Mass does more harm than good, some folks who think it's making a real positive difference, some folks who view it as a party. Some folks really think bike lanes help matters, some folks strongly think otherwise. The article stresses that there are diverse views on these issues.

I wear a helmet but I don't favor mandatory helmet laws. I stop at stop signs and red lights. I use a whole lot of lights and blinkers and bright clothes. I try not to give people another example of "you bikers who run red lights and break laws" but I understand that some other cyclists feel that civil disobedience is the way to institute change. I defend both their right to protest and the rule of law.

I don't believe the premise that "if you're not with us, you're with the enemy." Some folks see things as being very black and white and others see everything as shades of gray. I guess I'm not consistent or maybe the world isn't that consistent. I look around and see some things are black, some are white, some are gray and some are all kinds of other colors.

I like fluorescent yellow and reflective tape. And blinky LEDs. We can spend lots of time yelling at each other about how you're doing it wrong and I'm doing it right (or vice-versa) . Or we can try to do our best. Sometimes doing our best involves yelling at the other guy and telling him he's doing it all wrong. Sometimes doing our best means just doing our thing.

I don't have any neat answers. Sometimes I'm not even sure I'm asking the right questions. But I like to ride my bike and I try to do what I can to help other people ride their bikes.

Keep 'em rolling. Ride safe out there.

-- Kent

David Smith's Bicycle Fatality Report

David Smith thinks a lot about bicycle safety. He rides a lot of miles and asks a lot of questions. He is an advocate of the position that cyclists are safest when they behave as vehicles and he is often a critic of segregated cycling facilities. One of David's pages is at:

http://www.bikedexter.com/

David strongly believes that the current bike lane structure on Dexter Avenue in Seattle is flawed and could be improved. I think he makes some good points.

But David has a problem in that he often presents so much information that things get buried. In chatting with David a while back he told me about a study he did of cycling fatalities. I got him to send me the direct link and I found it very interesting. Some quirks of in the original formatting prevented me from printing the report and it also seemed to not show up on Google's nearly infallible radar.

I took the liberty of reformatting David's original paper (I didn't change any of the contents) and posting it here:

http://www.carsstink.org/peterson/FatalStudy-Smith.html

I found the paper to be quite interesting and I think it deserves a wider audience. By mentioning it here, I'm exposing it to the blogosphere.

Solving the Right Problem

Sometimes the most important part of problem solving is making sure that you are solving the right problem. Recently I was involved in this exchange over on the iBOB list.

Here is the original post that kicked things off:

---

Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2006 13:04:03 -0500
From: "Gates, Keith W [NTK]"
Subject: [BOB] From saddlebags to panniers

After a long stint using a single Carradice Super C saddlebag for commutes, I've reached a point in my job where I have to start ferrying the laptop home in the evenings. I looked at this as a chance to upgrade my commuting rig! No problems!

So, I recently bought and installed a Tubus Fly, and bought a cheapy pannier, waterproof - but cheap and basic - so basic I won't bore you with the name of the company. Nothing notable. A recent heavy rain proved it's waterproofness, but it has no pockets, a cheap suspension system, and look like it might only last a single season, maybe slightly longer.

I love the rack --- VERY well made, with tubing almost as thick as the seat stays on the bike!! Install was clean, and it's SOLID. Makes me wonder how conservative their 40 lbs. rating is -- but I'll never exceed it on a commute anyways. I digress.

To my chagrin, the Super C saddlebag was not big enough to hold all my clothing and such AND a laptop -- the laptop *DID* fit in there, surprisingly, but it left me no room for winter layer overflow, groceries. Thus the pannier solution -- Carradice Super C holds all the normal commuter stuff with room to spare, and the laptop in a neoprene sleeve rests inside the cheap pannier between some 1.5" thick foam pads I cut out. However, this is a little clumsy, so I'm already thinking of ways to fully convert from saddlebag-dom to pannier life.

My saddlebags will survive for tours and weekend stuff, but for the daily grind I'm looking for opinions on office-style panniers -- I have it narrowed down to three makes, for functionality, weatherproofness, build, and apparent functionality off the bike:

Carradice, Arkel, and Ortlieb all make "briefcase" style panniers, all with differing mounting systems, and all with their own unique attributes. I have to admit, I'm biased towards Carradice for the fabric, build, and the luck I've had with three of their other products I've owned (which is why I was hesitant to give up on the saddlebag in the first place!) --- I had heard of Arkel, but had never seen one, and after an internet search I found that Arkel seems to be VERY well thought-thru, very well-made - but sadly not waterproof as it sits, unless I added a rain cover to my order. Back to Carradice: Cotton duck has it ALL over anything else I've used, but I wonder if Carradice has as much thought in their laptop protection, pockets and suspension as Arkel seems to have? Then, there's Ortlieb; famous fr waterproofness and toughness, but it seems always at a the expense of pockets, features and off-bike convenience -- their bags will take you around the world with maximum protection, but it seems like they are smaller, have fewer features, and it's harder to access things. At least that's my impression. There are some other options from Jandd and a few others, but for the price and the quality it seems that the three I mentioned are truly the best choices, unless I missed one out there.

So, before I rush out and buy the Carradice briefcase pannier, any thoughts from people that have used either of the other two in the real world?

Sorry my posts are always so long, folks -- I'm a details guy, and I think it gets me a quicker answer if I try to cover everything right off the bat. Thanks again!

After I get this answered, I wonder what I'll do with the OTHER side of the rack??? :)

keith Gates

---

Keith did get a few replies about various panniers and then a fellow who goes by the online name of "Nom DePost" sagely replied:

---

Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2006 16:45:32 -0700 (PDT)
From: Nom DePost
Subject: Re: [BOB] From saddlebags to panniers

> After a long stint using a single Carradice Super C saddlebag for
> commutes, I've reached a point in my job where I have to start
> ferrying the laptop home in the evenings. I looked at this as a
> chance to upgrade my commuting rig! No problems!

Plan B:

i stopped dragging the laptop around - flashdrives.
first i used a chunk of my iPod to store data and then got
into flashdrives, 4-GB so far.
also, check out this site:
<http://portableapps.com/>
(i'm typing this in portable Thunderbird.)

---

At this point I jumped in with my advice:

---

From: "Kent Peterson"
Subject: Re: [BOB] From saddlebags to panniers
Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2006 17:03:15 -0700

Nom DePost wrote:

> Plan B: i stopped dragging the laptop around - flashdrives. first
> i used a chunk of my iPod to store data and then got into
> flashdrives, 4-GB so far. also, check out this site:
> <http://portableapps.com/>
> (i'm typing this in portable Thunderbird.)

Amen to everything Nom typed and I'd add this. A lot of us have high speed connections both at home and work. You can file transfer a lot of stuff back and forth and use remote desktops like:

https://secure.logmein.com/

My job is helping people commute by bike and probably half of those who think they need to take a laptop back and forth are amazed to find out that they don't.

Kent Peterson
Commuting Program Director
Bicycle Alliance of Washington

---

The next day Keith posted this note to the list:

---

Date: Sat, 14 Oct 2006 18:29:27 -0500
From: "Gates, Keith W [NTK]"
Subject: [BOB] RE: Saddlebags to panniers

> https://secure.logmein.com/

> My job is helping people commute by bike and probably
> half of those who think they need to take a
> laptop back and forth are amazed to find out
> that they don't.

> Kent Peterson
> Commuting Program Director
> Bicycle Alliance of Washington

At the risk of venturing off-topic, I'll keep this short:

Once again, Kent Peterson saves the day -- honestly, this solution never even crossed my mind.

I just saved at least 8 lbs off the bike, the extra hassle of docking/undocking, etc. every day to and from work, not to mention the removal of risk while commuting this winter, etc.

The system recommended above works flawlessly - my problems are solved!

I'm keeping the Tubus rack -- it's so light, it doesn't matter that it's there, and I still have the cheapy pannier for grocery runs, etc. I'm back to my successful "one bag" formula with the Carradice Super C saddlebag and SQR system. Life is good again, as I reply to this on my work computer, which is docked at work, while I sit here at home with a cup of coffee and the TV going. Bliss.

Thanks, Kent! Superior recommendation, and a great example of something non-cycling directly benefiting the cyclist.

keith Gates

---

I'm glad Keith has happily solved his problem. I myself go into the office four days a week and on Wednesdays I use logmein to telecommute.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent

You can't make up for slow climbing

I live at the base of the Cascade Mountains in Washington state and I like riding my bicycle in the mountains. I'm a fairly light guy so I don't suffer as much on the climbs as some of my heavier companions. Some of those folks are much faster descenders than I am and you might think that at the end of the day it all evens out. It doesn't. Climbing slows us all down but if you want to be faster in the hills, you have to get faster on the climbs. You burn up your time by going slow, so the key is to spend less time going slow.

Here's a simplified example. Let's say you can ride 24 kph on flat ground. In an hour, you cover 24 kilometers. Now let's put a big mountain in your path. The mountain is symmetrical with 12 kilometers of climbing to the summit followed by 12 kilometers of descent. Let's say that it's steep enough that it knocks your speed in half on the climb and your speed is doubled on the descent. So you climb 12 kilometers at 12 kilometers per hour and descend 12 kilometers at 48 kilometers per hour. That works out to a total of 1 hour 15 minutes to go 24 kilometers so your average speed is 19.2 kph.

But let's say you can put some more effort in somewhere, you can descend even faster or put some more effort into climbing. You get much more payoff by climbing faster. Let's say you can get your climbing speed up to 16 kph and keep your descending speed at the same 48 kph. In this case you'll spend 45 minutes climbing and 15 minutes descending and your overall average is 24 kilometers per hour.

But let's say you tried putting your effort into descending faster. You get a nifty recumbent bike that doesn't climb any faster but it can descend like a rocket at 90 kph. So now you climb 12 kilometers at 12 kilometers per hour and then zip through the 12 kilometer descent in 8 minutes. Your average speed is 21.18 kph. Your super fast descent might be really fun (or really scary!) but it doesn't buy you nearly as much overall speed as what you gain by climbing faster.

The way to get faster at climbing is to work on climbing. Weight does matter somewhat but Eddy Merckx said it best when he advised: "don't buy upgrades; ride up grades."

By the way, I think this relates to something I've noticed about myself. If I'm riding a fixed gear, or a single speed, or a three speed or a bike with a whole bunch of Disraeli gears, it doesn't seem to matter much in terms of my overall speed. With more gears I can maybe go faster on the descents, but the lower gears seem to make me a little lazy and I gear down and go slow on the climbs. With fewer gears, I'm more likely to grind it out. The simpler bikes might not be real fast but they spend less time going slow.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent

The Big Lebowski Brevet

This past weekend was the first Oregon Randonneurs 600K Big Lebowski Brevet. Four of us van pooled down from Seattle for the ride. Peter Beeson made me swear that the SIR newsletter will get first publication rights to my story of the event so this isn't the ride story, this is just a tiny comment on the ride.

Half the Seattle crew (Eric Vigoren and myself) were on bikes with those Disraeli gears and the other half (Bob Brudvik and Peter Beeson) were on single speed Bianchi San Joses. The San Jose riders continue to say wonderful things about their steeds although Peter has adopted a new monosyllabic mantra that rhymes with "truck." He chants this while weaving up some of the steeper climbs.

The Big Lebowski is the prettiest, most fun and hardest 600K I've ever ridden. Huge kudos to the Kramer and Ms. France for an epic course and wonderful support. Scheduling a meteor shower for Saturday night was really going above and beyond the call of duty.

A map of the route is here:

http://www.orrandonneurs.org/brevets/2006_BigLebowski_Map.jpg

Ride info is here:

http://www.orrandonneurs.org/brevets/2006_BigLebowski_Info.html

The Big Lebowski Results, September 30 -October 1

Peter Beeson	39:04		Jon Beilby	37:25
Ken Bonner	33:32		Robert Brudvik	39:04
Albert Kong	37:09		Greg Olson	35:00
Scott Peterson	DNF		Kent Peterson	37:52
Eric Vigoren	39:04		Paul Whitney	DNF

Things a non-cyclist might not understand

Crazy Biker Chick (who doesn't sound that crazy to me!) has a wonderful open letter to motorists here:

http://crazybikerchick.blogspot.com/2006/09/things-non-cyclist-might-not.html


BTW, I'll be off riding The Big Lebowski 600K in Oregon this weekend. With luck I'll have some tales to tell when I return.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent

Disraeli Gears

I've logged a lot of fixed and single speed miles over the years but the bike I'm riding the most these days is this beat-up old orphan Bianchi mountain bike. The Bianchi has three chainrings up front, seven decadent gears in the back and deraillers, so of course my fixed and single speed pals tell me that I've gone soft. Maybe I have, but for now I'm having fun scooting around on the Bianchi.

But there has been a problem, most of my bikes wind up having some kind of a name, not a personification exactly but more a shorthand that sums up the bike. My Monocog pretty much always will be the Monocog and the Kogswell seems sufficiently Kogswellian but this Bianchi mountain bike doesn't seem like a Bianchi to me. It's not celeste, it's not an Italian road machine and it doesn't have a bit of Campy gear anywhere on it. It may have a Bianchi sticker on it somewhere under all the stickers I've added to it but it doesn't feel like a Bianchi. It's something else, something I haven't quite identified yet.

The bike came very close to being dubbed the "Strawberry Pancake" thanks to my evil friend Tarik. If you want to understand the story, you will follow this link here:

http://tsaleh.blogspot.com/2006/08/pancakes.html

If you value your sanity, you won't click on the above link.

Alas, I did not follow the advice in the above sentence and I have had the wretched Strawberry Pancake song stuck in my head for weeks and I have this bike that is sort of strawberry colored (and the crossbar's real low). Something needed to be done.

In an effort to clear my mind, I regressed to my wasted youth (as Meatloaf noted "a wasted youth is better by far than a wise and productive old age") and have been running classic rock through my head and digging through what we used to quaintly call "albums."

Which brings me to Cream's classic album Disraeli Gears. I got to wondering about the name and found this fascinating tidbit in the Wikipedia entry at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disraeli_Gears

The title of the album was an inside joke. Clapton had been thinking of getting a racing bike and was discussing it with Baker, when Mick Turner, one of the roadies, commented on the performance of "those Disraeli gears", meaning to say "derailleur gears". The band thought this was hilarious and decided that it should be the title of their next album. Had it not been for the roadie's malapropism, the album would simply have been entitled Cream.

So what bike am I taking down to Oregon this weekend? Not the Bianchi. Not the Strawberry Pancake. Nope, I'm taking the bike with those Disraeli Gears.

The Salmon Return to Issaquah

Every autumn the salmon return from the sea and swim up the Issaquah Creek. We have a salmon hatchery downtown and the first weekend in October there is a big street festival called Salmon Days. But the salmon have their own schedule and they are already returning. I hopped on my bike this afternoon and snapped a few pictures with my cheapo digital camera.

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The late afternoon light under the Dogwood bridge made the water glow. It took a few tries to get a shot of a salmon swimming in the light.

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The salmon really have to struggle in the shallow waters of the creek.

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The salmon range in size from about 15 to 30 inches long.

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Near the hatchery the salmon pack the creek much like cars pack in on Front Street at rush hour.

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The salmon motif is all over Issaquah. My panniers are made from recycled coroplast campaign signs and here you can see the salmon that was part of last year's campaign.

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This year's slogan is "Born to be Wild" and one of the "Ofishal" Salmon Days T-shirts features a fish on a chopper. Salmon Days is one of those corny small-town things that fills the town with tourists and a lot of us local folks try to lay low until it's over. Soon the tourists leave and the fish all die and the town stinks like hell for a few days. Then the gulls and the rains come in earnest, strip away the last of the carcases and we spend the winter sipping coffee, riding in the rain and watching the mists cloak the mountains.

Neither Rain Nor Gloom of Night

This evening we held an afterwork seminar on the subject of bicycle commuting in the rain and darkness. The text of my remarks is posted here:

http://www.carsstink.org/peterson/NeitherRain.html

Passing Clearance, Helmets and Lane Position

A study in the U.K. made the news recently, primarily (I think) because it fits so well into our "fearful soundbyte" model of news presentation. So televisions have been blaring with well-groomed talking heads saying things like "Is your bicycle helmet putting you at risk? Find out at 11:00!" The Walker study of 2,500 passing cars showed that test cyclists were given 8.5 cm (3.3 inches) more clearance by cars if they were not wearing helmets and the alarming headlines quickly followed.

The most unfortunate thing about the fearful soundbyte is that many people don't look beyond the soundbyte. But there is more to the story and this link is a good place to start:

http://www.helmets.org/walkerstudy.htm

The above page looks critically at the study and brings up a very relevant variable in the cyclist/motorist interactions, the lane position of the cyclist. John Forester has long advocated "taking the lane" in his Effective Cycling book and courses. But the Effective Cycling folks are not without their critics as well. As with many things, I find it most useful to listen to what the loud voices have to say and try to find the part that seems true and workable. A recent discussion on the Bicycle Touring List on this subject made a lot of sense to me and I'm directly quoting the two people involved with their permission:

A fellow named Bob very nicely summarized the Effective Cycling "take the lane" strategy and Alberto responded:

I think you make a good point that I seem unable to follow: being more aggressive in taking the lane as opposed to the extreme right position on the road. It makes a lot of sense to make cars "see you" in the lane so they supposedly have to venture into the opposing lane to pass you with sufficient space. Riding with my friend Paco, who is a seasoned racer and does many training miles on the road, I find it very uncomfortable to follow his technique of taking the lane so aggressively as I ride close on my right. I find that cars tend to get more ticked off at him than me, though, as they cannot pass until they have clear room from the opposing lane. It is true, however, that cars seem to squeeze closer to me than to him, though I've never felt in danger in my position.

Very interesting idea to think about and work through.

Seasoned touring cyclist Mark Boyd replied with this advice with the list:

I think keeping far right does encourage people to pass close, but sometimes that is what you want. When I am riding in light to moderate traffic, where passing is not difficult, I will take the lane because that is safer. However, if traffic is heavy, I will do every thing I can, including getting off the road periodically, to help cars and, especially, trucks, get by me. Under those circumstances, I think taking the lane is rude and, while possibly safer for me at the time, will anger drivers and increase the chances that they do something unsafe for bicyclist in the future.

Riding a bicycle safely in traffic on the road requires cooperation between the cyclist(s) and the drivers. Both groups need to recognize the rights of the other group and act in ways that help the other group share the road with them. Taking the lane can be a good thing or a bad thing. The experienced rider should be able to decide which it is in any given circumstance.

I follow the rule that, in traffic, I should ride as near the edge of the road as practical. It is up to me to judge where that is. It can, and does, change as road and traffic conditions change. It can, and does, depend on the drivers behavior. If I 'give' drivers the lane because they need it to get past me and the result feels dangerous to me, I'll take it back again or, in extreme cases, get off that road.

Like Mark, I try to ride safely and courteously. All of us on the road are trying to make our way in the world.

I've mentioned this before, but it's worth repeating. A good page on cycling safety is Michael Bluejay's How Not To Get Hit By Cars at:

http://bicyclesafe.com/

Ride safely,

Kent

Seattle's Stolen Bike Listing

M.J. Kelly over at Cascade Bicycle Club has set up the very handy Seattle Stolen Bike Listing. You can read about and subscribe here:

http://www.cascade.org/Community/stolenbikes/

It would be great to live in a world where we don't need such things but even though most people are good, there are enough rat bastards out there to make things like locks and stolen bike listings something we all have to deal with. And if you see a really sweet orange 56cm Rivendell Rambouillet with shellacked brown cloth tape on handlebars and a tubus luna rack, good-guy philosopher Dave Shapiro would love to hear from you.

Be careful out there,

Kent

Commute Seminars: Ride Into Fall & Winter

I'll be presenting a couple of bicycle commuting seminars on the next two Mondays. If you are in the Seattle area, feel free to stop on by. I'll also be posting written notes on these subjects shortly after the seminars.

Date: Monday 9/18/06
Time: 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Location: Bike Station Seattle, 311 3rd Avenue South 206-224-9252
Subject: Neither Rain Nor Gloom of Night
Description: Practical advice on how to equip you bike and your body for commuting through the dark and the damp.

Date: Monday 9/25/06
Time: 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Location: Bike Station Seattle, 311 3rd Avenue South 206-224-9252
Subject: Roadside Repair
Description: A discussion of what tools to carry and how to use them to deal with flat tires and other mechanical challenges.

Both of these after work seminars are free and open to the public. No prior repair or commute experience is required.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent

Bob Shaver's Patent History Blog

Bob Shaver is an attorney with a really interesting blog that contains images that Bob has scanned and cleaned up from a bunch of old bicycle patent drawings. It's fascinating to see just how long ago people were making things like suspension systems. You can see the blog here:

http://patentpending.blogs.com/patent_pending_blog/bicycle_technology/index.html

327 Words "Patchkit" Alleycat

Dave has decided to become the master of the 327 word essay and he's damn good at it. And today he wandered into the Bikestation to tell me about an alleycat race he's created. It sounds like a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon/evening. Some details are here:

http://327words.blogspot.com/2006/08/327-words-patchkit-alleycat.html

A Lacing Pattern For Cycling Shoes

While browsing a surprisingly compelling website on shoelaces, I found this:

http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/bushwalklacing.htm

It was the key to keeping laces out of the drivetrain in the pre-Velcro days of yore.

Tape Case Bike Light

Now I've certainly done my share of DIY projects but while I find this one interesting, I won't be building it any time soon. The guy who did this put a lot of work into making the light and making a nice webpage detailing the construction. You can see it here:

http://www.spacetoast.net/STP/177.html

But really if you value your time at all, there are lots of LED headlamps, flashlights and bikelights that fall into the sub-$20 pricepoint of this project. So why am I posting this here? Well, it is kind of nifty. And I'm thinking maybe you clever folks in the blogosphere will add a bunch of neat comments with links to your own home-brew lights and/or great bargain bike lights you've discovered.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent

Janet's Cool Bike Stencils

Somebody who goes by the name of Janet Bike Girl has created a very nice archive of bicycle stencils. You can see and grab high res images of the stencils here:

http://tinyurl.com/jzlht

Janet is obviously a very cool person and has made these stencils freely available under the Creative Commons NonCommercial-ShareAlike License, so people can freely use and modify the images for their own noncommercial purposes. I'm thinking I'll print out some of the stencils and use them to make a few T-shirts or maybe some "Bike Parking" signs.

One More Bike

I'm pretty good at not buying things, but I have this tendency to adopt things. I'd adopted an aluminum bike that I named Al but I managed to pass Al on to a poor college student. I'm still trying to pass my old PX-10 onto someone and that bike has migrated down to the Bikestation and I know it'll end up with some messenger or urban hipster soon. So I should be making progress in terms of simplification.

And then an old steel mountain bike comes along. A little too small perhaps but maybe something fun to mess around with. Strip off the broken Gripshifts. OK, I'm only going to do this if it's a no money kind of thing. But I do have a big pile of parts. And tools. And time. And I do get this urge to putter.

Beth in Portland likes old stem shifters, maybe I will too. For now the gears will stay. A long seatpost and a Butt Buddy get the saddle high enough. Knobby tires get swapped for something slicker. Rough enough to wander, fast enough to be fast enough. I don't care much about the optimal but I'm fascinated by what is sufficient.

All my bikes wind up looking like my bikes. Brand names tend to get buried. Stickers tend to get cut-up and repurposed. Old campaign signs are made into fenders. All that really matters is where the bike hits my butt, my feet and my hands. The rest will be whatever it is. The Cowboy Junkies said it best, "the beautiful is not chosen, the chosen becomes beautiful."

This bike works for commuting or for exploring gravel roads or tiny trails. I could probably ride it to Inuvik or Patagonia or to the Safeway or the Starbucks. I don't know what I'll do with this. This morning I rode it along the Cedar River and I took some pictures. You can see them here:

http://www.carsstink.org/peterson/OneLessPed/OneLessPed.html

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent

Joe and the Joetator

Back in 1998 I wrote a series of articles for Recumbent Cyclist News. The story of Joe and the Joetator is the most memorable of those articles and Bob Bryant has generously given me the greenlight to put the tale up on the web. You can read it here:

http://www.carsstink.org/peterson/Joetator.html

The Road Not Taken

My plan for the weekend had been moderately ambitious. I would take Friday afternoon off, ride down toward Packwood, camp out Friday night, ride the SIR 3 Volcanoes 300K Saturday and then ride back home on Sunday. I told people I was doing this and I was looking forward to the trip. But my lovely wife has been going through a lot of turmoil at work and as things turned out, Friday was the day she was interviewing for the position of managing her tumultuous department. She'd didn't expect me to cancel my trip to be with her and in fact there was little I could do.

There was little I could do, but I could do one thing. I didn't ride to Packwood. I bought her a card and some dark chocolate and we went out to dinner Friday night. I heard about how the interview went. By the way, it's very hard to find a card to cover the possibilities of a) you got the job because you are skilled, talented and deserve it b) you didn't get the job because you work for morons or c) we don't know yet and the powers that be will decide at some future date. I settled on a card that said "In all the world, my favorite place is just being with you."

So, one less ride report for the blog. There will be other days and other roads.

But for the record, my wife doesn't work for morons. She is skilled and talented and is the new manager of the Dot Com department of the Issaquah Safeway.

Redline 925 Review in Dirt Rag

My review of the Redline 925 is in issue #122 of Dirt Rag and it's also available online here:

http://www.dirtragmag.com/print/article.php?ID=778&category=stuff_reviews

For those of you who wonder what happens to review bikes after the review is done, in this case my pal Dave wound up buying the bike from Redline.

Cycling Expenses

While hunting around for something else, I found something I posted to the iBOB list a few years ago about expenses and cycling. Here it is in slightly edited and updated form:

Jeff Potter (the editor and publisher of a neat magazine called Out Your Backdoor) wrote:

I find that adopting anything as a lifestyle results in that thing causing you to be broke. Even if you're on a big team and get most of your stuff for free or half price.

It's not just the travel that makes racing "expensive." I think that hobbies are all designed to tap you out, no matter what you make. They take what you have to give. They inspire you to give all you have. If you're buying it all cheap, used, then you're nickel'n'dimed to death. Well, you're tapped out.

Now I count Jeff as one of the good guys in this world but I'm going to argue the other side of this issue here. But first, I'm going to agree with him that "hobbies" tap you out. Yes, for most people a hobby is something they choose to do. It's fun, they don't need to do it. They enjoy it. Once you've used some of your time for earning what you need for food, shelter and clothing you spend the rest of your time and money on what you enjoy. Call it entertainment. Call it a hobby.

But that hobby, even if it's just a hobby is something you enjoy. Maybe it becomes your passion, a key focus of your life. Guess what, where you spend your time, that is where your heart is. That is where your wealth is. Your life is your wealth, how are you spending it? Are you tapped out? Well, if you feel you are, then you are. But if you find joy in what you've chosen, if you don't begrudge the choices you've made, I'd argue that you aren't broke.

People could look at me and say I'm broke. I currently own two bikes, I haven't owned a car in about 20 years, I probably make less per hour than most people reading this note.

But I'm the richest man I know. I share my life with a wonderful woman who knows that wealth has very little to do with money and everything to do with being at home in the universe.

Sure the magazines and the business of cycling or fly fishing or whatever exist and thrive by selling dreams. If I had Reynolds wheels I'd have won that sprint, if I had that carbon flyrod I have landed that trout, etc. Yeah, whatever. If Reynolds wheels make you happy, go for it. But don't whine that they cost $2K a set. That's what they go for. You decide if they're worth whatever chunk of your life it takes to earn that $2K.

But I need them to be competitive in the Cat 2 races and it's so hard to be a Cat 2...

Yeah...life is hard.

The Buddha tells us that life is suffering and when I saw the Buddha in Greenwich Village a few years ago he told me that "life is suffering, pal!" I read somewhere that when I meet the Buddha on the road I'm supposed to kill him but I was running late and had other things to do.

But I digress. Where was I? Oh, yeah. You can be hardcore into your thing without getting caught up in money. Yvon Chouinard lived out of his VW bug, forged climbing gear in the field and was basically a great climbing bum. The man was so broke he ate catfood but he did OK for himself.

Moitessier had great adventures and was one of the greatest sailors ever. Most of his adventures were done on budgets that wouldn't cover the insurance payments on a Hummer H2.

Enough rambling for now.

Have fun out there.

"Society is a system of lures, I'M THROUGH WITH IT."
-- Jack Keroauc, Some of the Dharma

A Lightweight Commuter Bike?

Let's just speak hypothetically here. Suppose a guy who tends to have pretty beefy, simple bikes (say something along the lines of a Redline Monocog or a Kogswell Model G) happens to possibly be in line to get an old (1990ish) Klein Rascal. Now I know the lugged steel crowd will cringe here but the Klein is aluminum. And it's a really ugly shade of purple. On the plus side it's got a steel fork and it is old school; no boingy bits and a seven speed XT drivetrain w rapid fire shifters. Still, not really my, uhm make that "this guy's", kind of bike.

But did I mention the bike is steekin' light? Wicked light. And it's got these odd, short little rear facing track ends. It could really be a dang light single-speed down the road but for starters it might be fun to keep it light and shifty.

Rattlecan paint it black. Trade the knobbies for street tires. But make a goal of this project to keep it light and fast.

Could it be a light, fast commuter bike?

If you had suck a project what would you do?

How would you deck out such a bike?

Could you keep the budget for this project at zero?

All hypothetically speaking, of course.

Nice Ride - Pictures and a very brief report

On Sunday we had mixed weather for the "Nice Ride for Dave Nice." You can read a bit about the ride and see pictures here:

http://www.carsstink.org/peterson/NiceRide/NicePics.html

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent

Nice Ride Info

The picture above is from last year's ride on this route. Doesn't it look pretty? Doesn't it look like the riders are having a good time? I think everybody did have a good time on a good route, so we're doing this ride again. Here are the details.

What? The Nice Ride for Dave Nice. Dave is a pal of mine who was racing the Great Divide Mountain Bike Race this year when he got his bike and stuff ripped off while he was taking a nap. Yeah, major bummer. Dave learned a valuable lesson -- check out this post on his blog:

http://cellarrat.blogspot.com/2006/07/new-mt-napping-routine.html

So what is this ride? It's a ride mostly on gravel rail-trails and gravel roads from North Bend to Snoqualmie Pass and back. It's a bit over 60 miles (just under 100 kilometers) and it's just a fun ride, not a race or anything. The route is rideable on a roadbike with fat tires, a cyclocross bike, a hybrid or a mountain bike. You probably don't want to do this on 23mm skinny roadie tires, however.

There is a couple of mile long dark and spooky tunnel up at the pass. You'll need lights for the trip through the tunnel. It's cold in the tunnel as well, so you might want to bring along an extra layer.

Why? Even though various of Dave's pals scraped together cash for a replacement bike, he still has to replace his gear and finance his race for next year. Dave's a good guy who had some bad luck and I came up with this scheme to help him out. We're doing this ride and we're collecting donations. This ride is FREE but anything you want to donate will be sent to Dave.

When? Sunday July 30th, 9:00 AM.

Where? We're meeting at parking area at the corner of North Bend Way & East McClellan Street in North Bend. I'll be riding up from my place in Issaquah. If you want to get up early and have a longer ride, drop me a note and we'll work something out.

What about food? I don't know how many people are showing up for this and I have no idea what kind of food people want or how much to bring. So let's do this. Bring what you'd like to eat and some food to share. It'll be kind of a potluck. We'll picnic up at Hyak.

Do you have a route sheet? Yep. I'll have copies of the cue sheet that I'll hand out at the start, but you can preview it and/or print your own copies of the route sheet here:

http://www.carsstink.org/peterson/NiceRide.html

I also used Bikely to map out the route and you can check that out here:

http://www.bikely.com

OK, I think I've got the basics covered. If anybody has any questions or comments, email me or use the comment feature of the blog.

Keep 'em rolling.

Kent

A Coffee Mug For Your Bike

I'm really not much of a coffee snob. I drink expensive foofoo coffee and cheap coffee and coffee that's too hot and too cold and bitter coffee and coffee with loads of cream and sugar. Most mornings at home I drink cheap instant coffee and I've really grown fond of it. I'm also fond of good coffee served by cute baristas at places like Zeitgeist in Seattle.

I don't really like throwing away paper coffee cups and for quite some time I've been looking for a coffee mug that would work well and that would fit in one of the waterbottle cages on my bike. My pal Tarik reviewed Trek's Soho Coffee Mug here:

http://www.tariksaleh.com/bike/mug.html

and the definitive Bike & Coffee site is here:

http://www.bicyclecoffeesystems.com/

A few weeks ago, while roaming through various stores in a quest for just the right garbage cans to use to make a set of panniers, I found an OXO Good Grips LiquiSeal Travel Mug at Linens-N-Things. Ten bucks and it looked like it had a good seal up top. I vaguely remembered the OXO name being mentioned favorably on the bicycle coffee systems site, so I bought the mug. It turns out Linens-N-Things also has the pricier ($20) stainless mug but the $10 mug I bought has the same seal and works great.

The cover really is spill-proof. It has a clever little push-button up top that opens and closes the seal. When the lid is closed you can flip the mug upside-down and nothing leaks out. The mug slides in and out of the my plastic down-tube mounted bottle cage OK but I worried about the tapering shape of the bottle. The mug never popped out of the cage, but I could envision the bottle working loose. I also got to thinking that the mug could be insulated just a bit better, so I modified the mug slightly.

I wrapped the bottom half of the mug with a layer of old cork handlebar tape. This adds a layer of insulation and makes the mug a bit more of a straight cylinder instead of a slightly tapered cone. I then covered the cork tape and the rest of the body of the mug with a very stylish layer of black duct tape. The modified mug fits perfectly in the bottle cage now, snug enough to stay put but still easy enough to slide in and out when I want to take a drink.

That's it. No solution to global warming or profound insight into the human condition. Just a coffee mug that does a pretty good job and isn't too pricey. And it's made better with duct tape.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent

Bikely: A Bike Route Mapping Tool and Library

Thanks to Todd over at Cleverchimp for the heads up on Bikely. Bikely is a route mapping utility geared towards bicyclists. Anyone can map out a route but the great thing is the routes are stored, shared and searchable. So it's not only a handy tool for mapping your own routes, but as more people use it, the library will become more and more useful. So head on over to Bikely at:

http://www.bikely.com/

Also, if you are at all interested in cargo bikes and or electric-assist motors for bikes or just plain general bikey stuff, check out Todd's Cleverchimp blog at:

http://todd.cleverchimp.com/blog/

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent

VanIsle Ride Report

My story and pictures from the VanIsle 1200K can be seen at:

http://www.carsstink.org/peterson/VanPics/VanIsleVagabond.html

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent

Duct Tape Panniers

I made myself a new set of panniers. You can read all about it and see pictures here:

http://www.carsstink.org/peterson/Pannier/DuctTapePanniers.html

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent

VanIsle Pictures

It'll still be a while until I get the story written, but I've posted some pictures from the VanIsle 1200K here:

http://www.carsstink.org/peterson/VanPics/VanIslePictures.html

Back from VanIsle

I had a great ride up on Vancouver Island. 1200 kilometers in 83 hours 2 minutes (including some pretty decadent sleep breaks). Lots more pics and details once I get all the photos cropped and sorted and I take some time to get the whole story typed up.

-- Kent

VanIsle 1200K

I'm on the road again. I'm riding up to Port Angeles where I'll catch a ferry over to Victoria BC. I'll then ride the Vancouver Island 1200K before returning home so I'll be gone for a bit over a week. Christine has made me promise to "not get eaten by bears or other different bad animals." (This was the way my friend Hermine expressed her concerns about cycling in Alaska!). I should have some good stories and pictures when I return.

Keep 'em rolling everybody,

Kent

Ride Announcement: A Nice Ride for Dave Nice

OK Seattle area folks, save the date of Sunday July 30th, 2006. We're going to have a fun ride and raise some money for a good guy.

As many of you know, Dave Nice had to drop out of the 2006 Great Divide Mountain Bike Race when his bike and gear were stolen in Montana. Dave has vowed to come back next year and various of his pals have already raised some bucks to get him a replacement bike and some gear. I was thinking about how I could help and came up with this idea.

Last year a lot of my pals put together a 100 kilometer mostly off-road ride from North Bend up to Snoqualmie Pass and back. It was called the "Not a Nutrional Role Model" Ride and donations went fund my 2005 Great Divide Race. Everybody had a great time and now Dave's misfortune gives us a great excuse to run the ride again. The ride will be basically the same route. There is no fee for the ride but we'll take donations and the money will be sent to Dave.

I'll post more details when I get back from The Van Isle 1200K, but to get a feel for the ride see my report and pictures from last year's ride here:

http://www.carsstink.org/peterson/NotNut/NotNut.html

BTW, if you can't make the ride or want to help Dave right now, Paypal any amount to scott@salvagetti.com

Keep 'em rolling,

-- Kent

Great Divide Race Photo Gallery

The good folks at the Adventure Cycling Association have a nice gallery of pictures from the first day of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Race here:

http://www.adventurecycling.org/gdrgallery/

They've got terrific shots of each racer's bike and some nice trail shots. You can follow the day to day action on the GDR here:

http://www.greatdividerace.com/