The Bike Deconstructed

The Bike Deconstructed is an elegant book. Subtitled "A Grand Tour of the Modern Bicycle" this 8 by 10 inch volume is a nearly 200 page visual and textual examination of the various mechanisms that combined make the delightful machine we call a bicycle. It is a book best browsed, taken in small chunks and contemplated over time. For that is exactly what Richard Hallett did in constructing this book.

With clear photographs and prose, Hallett examines each bit of the bicycle. As each part is contemplated histories are revealed and options explored. Hallett's gaze is through the lens of now, but the past is not forgotten, indeed as Faulkner noted, it's not even past. So we see electronic shifting but also hub gears. Carbon fiber is here but so is steel, aluminum and titanium.

This is a book a child will find fascinating but The Bike Deconstructed will also reveal some new insights to the even the most grizzled of bike gurus. This is a book for those that gaze at bicycles with a sense of wonder. This book informs that wonder and the knowledge of the parts increase our appreciation of the whole.

Fans of recumbents and mountain bikes may lament that their machines are not considered here but Hallett has chosen to restrict his scope in this volume primarily to the conventionally framed modern road bicycle. I cannot call this a fault of the book, for the extreme focus has brought forth great clarity.

This book, like the bicycle itself, offers something for both the poet and the engineer. That something is beauty and it is presented beautifully in the words and photographs that fill the pages of this book.

Fix It Sticks: A smart pocket tool kit gets even smarter

Last year Brian Davis ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to launch Fix It Sticks. The original Fix It Sticks were (and still are) a couple of light, strong hunks of aluminum with steel bits on each end and a hole in the middle that lets the two sticks fit together to form a T-wrench. My original set of Fix It Sticks is still going strong, but last week I got my hands on Brian's latest version of Fix It Sticks and he's made a good thing even better.

First, the bad news for you weight weenies out there, the new Fix It Sticks are a bit heavier than the old ones. The new sticks have nickel-plated steel bodies and magnets that securely hold various interchangeable bits in place. The original Fix It Sticks came in various configurations (say 3, 4, and 5 mm Allen heads and a Phillips screw head or 4, 5, 6 mm Allen and a T-25 Torx head), you had to make your choice at the time of purchase and that was the set of tools you had.

The new Fix It Sticks come with two sticks and eight bits (2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6 mm Allens, a PH2 Phillips head, and a T-25 Torx. The sticks and the bits all fit together in a handy rubber pouch made from a bit of recycled bike inner tube. The magnets work really well at holding the bits in place. It takes a very strong tug to get them out, and they also keep the tool solidly in the T configuration for use.

If you need a bit that isn't included with the Fix It Sticks any steel bit with a standard hex base will fit. You can find a wide range of these bits at any decent hardware store.

The Fix It Sticks are made in the USA and you can find out more at their website at:

http://www.fixitsticks.com/

The Kickstarter for their new tools, including a shop T-wrench that I haven't talked about here, is at:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fixitsticks/a-re-imagined-replaceable-wrench

I've always been a guy who travels with tools and I appreciate people and tools that do their job well. Brian Davis is one of those guys and his Fix It Sticks are a good tools that are now even better.

BTW, full disclosure here, Brian did send me the Fix It Sticks for free, but I gotta tell you, I get lots of freebies that I don't rave about. These things work well. And oh yeah, my pal Hughie said he thought the recycled inner tube pouch was "cheesy". I think it's cool!

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah WA USA

He'll Never Ride His Bike Again

He'll Never Ride His Bike Again

He was out there
Every day.

The kid with the big grin,
The fast legs,
The BMX bike with the seat too low.

It didn't matter,
He was never sitting.

He was moving,
Spinning,
Dancing through the world.

She saw him every day.
Reckless kid, she thought.
Perhaps his mom is thoughtless.
Doesn't she know
It's a dangerous world?

Kids don't know these things.

We have to teach them.

Teach your children well.

She saw him every day,
The grinning kid,
Dancing on the bike.

What's wrong with him?
Doesn't he know?
It's a dangerous world.

That's why she drives
Bobby
Every day.

Too many cars
On the way to school.
Too dangerous.

She saw him every day.
Except today.

The phone chirped.
Important text.
From Marci.

She didn't notice
That the light had changed.

Dave,
Behind her,
Did.

Honked.

Quick acceleration.
Reflex.
Right turn.

Green light,
After all.

She saw him every day.
Except today.

It wasn't her fault.
She told her self.

He was reckless.
Reckless as a kid.

We have to teach them.
It's a dangerous world.

That's why she drives
Bobby
Every day.

We have to watch out
For them.

Oh God,
I never saw him.

Except every day.

Except for today.

He'll never ride his bike again.
Spin his legs.
Dance through the world.

Or say she missed him.

He's not
Crumpled.
Lifeless.
Dead.

Say the last second
Wasn't the last second,
But the closest call.

Urgent.
More urgent than the text from Marci.

Did she get the message?

Did he?

Is he dead on the road?

Or lifeless in the back of a car?

Driven.
Every day.
Like Bobby.

He'll never ride his bike again.
Spin his legs.
Dance through the world.

Pictures from the 2014 Seattle Bike Expo

I normally work on the weekends so my virtually weekend is midweek, but Mike and Hughie said that they could handle things at the shop on Saturday March 1st, so folded up my scooter and hopped on the handy Sound Transit 554 bus from Issaquah to Seattle. Once I got to downtown Seattle, I scootered off in the general direction of the Seattle Bike Expo.

Along the way, I stopped to check out this sculpture. It is not as delicious as it appears.

It was a nice, overcast morning in Seattle. In the background of this shot you can see the Seattle waterfront Chump Hoister and several of the metal dinosaurs that always seem ready to attack the city.

I scootered north on the waterfront bike path with bikes on the brain. At the Expo I saw about a zillion people I knew and there was lots of bike stuff. This is by no means an exhaustive report, but here are a few photos of some of what I saw.

There is always a big display of classic bikes. This Orange Crate brought back memories of my youth.

This speed record bike would not be a good choice for hill climbing.

A lot of the bikes have a great story behind them. This is Doris Kopsky's championship bike.

One of the coolest things at the Expo were these lovely wood bike stands.

A little more detail on the stands. If you want one, contact the folks at Elliott Bay Bicycles.

Peter is the inventor of the BikeBok, a light, weatherproof, secure alternative to panniers. Peter and his family live on Whidbey Island. In a note from the "it's a small world" department, Peter's wife Beth and my wife Christine have been friends since 7th grade!

Here's another shot of the BikeBok. It doesn't require a rack but attaches securely to a wide range of bikes via a clever seatpost bracket and a modified quick-release fitting at the bike's rear axle.

In case you were thinking "I like my helmet, but I wish it looked dorkier", the folks at Hectic Helmet Hair have you covered.

Hectic Helmet Hair is available in a range of non-subtle colors.

The CruzBike folks were showing off their light, front wheel drive recumbents.

Morgan Scherer is always ready to chat about family and cargo bikes. She and Maddi (@familyride) Carlson took turns staffing the Cargo and Family Bike booth.

Another bike proponent of Family and Cargo biking is my buddy Davey Oil. Davey pedals what he preaches out of his shop G&O Family Cyclery and he had a variety of "Oh my god that's so cool" bikes on display.

Of course I spent a lot of time catching up with people I know and I connected in real life with a few folks I'd only known through my blog or Twitter. Sally Hunt and I had to do that selfie thing that all the kids and world leaders are doing these days.

My buddy Joe Kurmaski kept the crowd enthralled with his old-time preacher revival-style stories of life on the road.

I got a deal on this copy of one of Joe's books 'cause he'd scribbled in it.

It's a proven fact that if you want to get more internet traffic, you should add pictures of cats to your blog. So here you go. I cast my "People's Choice" vote for this picture in the Bike Expo Photo Contest.

There were a ton of bikes I didn't take pictures of, eventually things begin to blur together. As I left the Expo, I did see this old moped, which caught my eye.

Anyhow, it's Sunday morning now. The Bike Expo runs for one more day in Seattle, so if it's March 2nd when you're reading this, you can still go. If not, there's always next year.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah WA USA

Cycling Sojourner

The Cycling Sojourner books are the print equivalent of having a pal who enthusiastically says "Do you want to go on a bike trip? I know the best spot!" Ellee Thalheimer and her friends have done a lot of riding around Oregon and Washington and, more importantly, they've done a lot of work in making note of great places to stay, to eat, to see and remember. They've taken pictures, drawn maps, done the work of checking the mileage and finding the good roads to ride. The result of a couple of years of effort (fun effort, but still effort!) are two compact guides detailing some of the best bike touring spots in two very beautiful states.

Inside the front cover is an overview map which provides a quick index to the more detailed maps and routes contained within each volume. Each book is a 5 1/4 by 7 inch paperback, small enough to easily tuck into a corner of your pannier or handlebar bag. If you want to save some weight and only bring copies of the pages pertinent to your trip, you'll find the size is perfect for photocopying two pages at a time on a standard sized piece of paper. This is not a convenient coincidence, but an indication of the level of thought Ellee and her team put into the creation of these volumes.

The routes chosen for these books vary in length, terrain, and difficulty and there is something for every skill level, budget and taste. Camping options are listed as well as motels, places to eat and sights to see. Turn by turn directions, maps, elevation profiles and route info is clearly and compactly presented.

The best part about these books is the fact that each trip has been ridden and documented by a person who loves bike touring. These are books that make you want to pack up your bike and hit the road. And that, like these books, is something I strongly recommend.




Keep 'em rolling,
Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson Issaquah, WA USA

Wadjda

Last night Christine and I watched Wadjda, a terrific movie about a ten-year-old Saudi girl who becomes obsessed with getting a bicycle. Amazon's spooky good recommendation software suggested this to Christine and the movie trailer convinced us to drop a few bucks on the instant video rental.

Wadjda is the first movie to be shot entirely in Saudi Arabia and it's in Arabic with English subtitles (yeah, you'll have to cope with reading if, like me, you don't speak Arabic but the movie is so compelling you'll just roll with it.)  Wadjda is a very spunky kid and watching her cope with a society that is, to western eyes, very oppressive, is fascinating. In Saudi Arabia women are not allowed to drive, so you can imagine how they feel about Wadjda wanting a bike.

Wadjda is a great hero. She's smart, loyal, resourceful. A great role model for anybody, anywhere in the world. And by the way, the bike stuff in the movie is great. Christine and I both highly recommend Wadjda.

Bike Talk: Winter Commuter Bike Considerations

Kenney writes:

I don't know if you're still offering up cycling insight, but I do have a question.

Bicycle commuting and salty roads.

I've been riding my ultegra friction shifting, don't ask, commuting bike on the salty roads of the Midwest.  I clean and lube the chain and derailer more frequently, spray the drive train down with a hand pump squirt bottle and plain water after every salty ride, and I also ordered Chain-L which is on the way.  So far so good.  I was just wondering if there is anything else you think I should be doing?

I used to ride fixed which is almost zero maintenance, but my commute gained miles and hill climbs so I switched to gears.

Research on the internet states:

-Get a winter specific commuting bike. Which I don't want to do.

-Get a cheap drive train that you'll replace after every couple winter seasons. Again no.

-Drive a car and wait until spring.

I don't know if you have already written on this subject or not, I couldn't find anything on your blog.

Thanks Kent.

-Kenney from the Arctic state of Indiana.

--------------

I reply:

Hi Kenney,

Well, you've already ruled out a several of the most cost effective solutions for winter riding (a fixed gear, a serviceable but inexpensive bike and less expensive drive-train components), but let's see what you can do.

First off, it sounds like you're doing the right things cleaning-wise. Pay particular attention to rims and brake pads, BTW, I've found KoolStop Salmon pads to be the best for winter & wet riding.

Keep an eye on chain wear. Be real proactive on changing chains to prolong the life of your cassette & chain rings. I know you like the Ultegra stuff, but I've never found any usable difference between it and 105 level stuff. And I run SRAM chains with their quick-link instead of Shimano chains. Works fine & saves money.

Even if you do everything right, you may wear out rims. Around here, it just takes a couple of wet years of hilly commuting to wear through a set of rims.

You probably don't want to hear this, but think again about the fixie. Years ago my friend Peter came into the shop with his lovely Ultegra-equipped titanium Davidson for a tune-up. It was his do-everything (brevets & commuting bike). While I had it in the stand so I could do an estimate on what all it needed I pointed him to a Bianchi San Jose (single speed/fixed gear). "Take this for a spin while I do tally up the estimate." Peter test rode the bike and liked it but "it's not as good as my Davidson." "No, it's not," I countered, "but it's $600 and you've worn through that much in chain-rings, cassette, rims, brake pads and the labor you'll spend for me to fix up your Davidson." Peter got his Davidson all fixed up AND bought the Bianchi. He still logs more miles on that fixie.

Of course, you knew I'd tell you something like this. I'm not exactly the guy to listen when someone says it's too far or too hilly for a fixie!

Ooh, one other thing, make sure you blast some lube like TriFlo into your cable housings.

BTW, the best winter bike I ever had was an old Schwinn American with a Bendix 2-speed kick back hub and a coaster brake. No cables to freeze and super-wide cruiser bars which gave me great leverage for coping with snow and ice-ruts.

I don't know if I've been much help, but that's my 2 cents.

And for gosh sakes don't get a car. That's just crazy talk!

Kent

--------------

Kenney replies:

Thanks Kent, always appreciate your input.  

My goal was to get rid of bikes and not have a designated "winter" bike.  I wanted to get by with just one road bike, mountain bike, and folder.  It may be time to re-think this.  

I'm not dedicated to Ultegra, it's just what I had in the tool box when I built my most recent bicycle.  I may be the only person that has a friction shifting Ultregra groupset.  

 I have an old Fuji 12 speed and a track rear wheel lying around, I'll build a new commuting fixie this weekend.  This is probably my best option.  My current commuter gets covered in salt and it makes me cringe.

I work nights so my bike sits outside in the elements for 10 hours.  The other morning it was -2degF when I hopped on my bike, it didn't take long to realize that all of my cables were frozen.  I didn't have brakes or shifting. Why have them when you can't use them?

A couple years ago I was looking into the kick back shifting hubs, but from my research it seems the new ones aren't reliable, so I never pulled the trigger. 

Thanks again Kent, looks like fixed it is.    

-Kenney

-------------

I reply:

Cool. If you get a chance,send me a picture of your fixie commuter.

BTW is it OK if I post our email exchange on my blog? I'll cut out your email info and just refer to you in the "no last names" way like Tom & Ray do on Car Talk.

Kent

-----------

Kenney replies:

I'm always happy to share a picture of a bicycle.

Of course you can post our email exchange on your blog.  

Now off to scrap the salt off of my bike.  

Thanks.

-----------

He also adds:

You didn't ask, but here's a recent picture of my current commuter. 1st year using studded tires and they're working great.  

-------

Kent,

Here is a picture of my new 30 year old fixed gear commuter.  I was only able to commute on it two days this week.  My first day of work the bike wasn't complete and the second day we had a bad ice storm so I chose not to ride.  Even though I didn't get a full week of commuting on the bike I feel I have had enough ride time to give an accurate review.

After two days and 44 miles the bike worked out very well.  Gear ratio is 42:16 and so far I think this is a good choice.

The climbs are tough but not bad.  Momentum is your friend.

Of course the main advantage and the reason for the bike build was the ease of cleaning and maintenance. Two days of snow, slush, mud, and salt proves it.

I forgot how beautiful a simple fixed gear bike ride is. I'm pretty sure when the snow and salt are gone I'll still be on this bike.

Thanks Kent for the little nudge back to the fixed gear side.

-Kenney

Still Scootering

I continue to lead a fun, comfortable, but not especially blog-worthy life here in Issaquah, but I figure there are still a few more bike adventures in my future. For now, though, here are a few pictures from yesterday's scooter trip.

I could've easily biked up to the used bookstore in Redmond but I have so much fun on the scooter and I had no need to rush, so that's the machine I chose for this journey. There is a decently wide shoulder along the East Lake Sammamish Parkway. My pals in the Seattle International Randonneurs work to keep the shoulder clean.

At the bookstore, I scored two good books and got change back from ten bucks.

I scootered south on the west side of Lake Sammamish. This sign didn't offer any options for a scooterist. I rode in whichever lane had the least debris.

I stopped for a snack and hung out with some ducks. When I got home my phone, which tracks such things via an app called RunKeeper, tells me that I scootered for 27.75 miles and that my average speed is about twice my normal walking speed and half my normal biking speed. It also tells me that coming down the biggest hill I got up to 18.5 mph. I can tell you that feels pretty zippy on a scooter and that's where I started feathering the fender brake. Someday when I'm feeling braver, I'll break 20 mph.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent