Cycloculture

Big Wheels and Any Fork You Want

2011-10-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, we must let a flight of fancy take us for a ride. I have been looking at photos of bicycle with 36" wheels for a few years now, thinking, "Hey, wouldn't that be fun." A few weeks ago, I noticed that many of these big-wheeled bicycles were made by Walt Wehner of Waltworks Custom Bicycles. I was intrigued, so I looked into Walt's work. It turns out he does much more than build "36ers." He builds all kinds of bicycle frames and he also has a passion for building custom forks using the segemented, "Yo Eddy" design that I love so well. Plus, he loves to ride, which is a big bonus in my book.

I asked for an interview, and he agreed. His answers were modest, insightful and straightforward. Enjoy.

Walt, working
Photo by Ed Ellinger

Q: Tell us a bit about Waltworks Custom Bicycles, its history and your vision for its future.

A: Well, the story goes something like this: I was employed as a technical editor for the DOE at Los Alamos National Lab, but funding for the renewable energy programs started drying up, so I was offered the choice of a job I didn't like... or a layoff. So I was looking for something to do (this was 2003) and my good friend Feldman forwarded an ad for an Anvil framebuilding fixture he'd found online. So, on a whim, I bought it, along with some very basic welding and metalworking equipment, and started building bikes for all my friends (and myself, of course). My first frame was built for my wife for her birthday, weighs 7 pounds, and looks like it was built by a 6 year old. And it took me a month. But I improved, thank god, with practice, and eventually people I didn't know wanted to pay me for frames. So I bought some liability insurance (this is 2004 now), put up a website, and things basically snowballed from there.

A Large Drop on a Very Cool Bike!

To be honest, I do not have a real concrete vision for the future of the company. I will keep doing it as long as people want bikes and I am having fun with it. It's not tremendously profitable, but it's enough to pay bills, put food on the table, and even go on vacation now and then, so that's good enough for me. At some point I'd like to offer more of an "experience" for the customer - meaning work out of a much larger shop in a location where someone could come and go for a riding vacation and watch their frame built and assembled (and get to test ride it and have me make changes if needed). I do enjoy talking to people about what I do and showing them how frames come together, and that's something that customers also tend to really enjoy, so it would be really cool to offer a more experiential service. That's in the distant future, though, as my current space is much too cramped for multiple people. I would not mind hiring an employee or two down the road (packing boxes and making parts orders gets pretty old after a while), but once again, that would have to be at another location.

Ahhh... Segmented Goodness

Q: According to your website, you enjoy building custom forks. I know a lot of folks experimenting with fork geometries for Porteur-style bicycles. Can/will you build forks to just about any spec, or do you prefer to build them in the geometries you like?

A: I'll happily build any fork geometry a customer wants. I've done everything from 20" to 36" wheel forks with configurations all over the map. I'd estimate I've built 400 forks at this point, so I've seen a lot of different stuff and am pretty adaptable with unusual requests.

Segmented Fork, Nice and Muddy

Q: What else do you love to build? Where do your passions lie?

A: I like building almost anything that's metal. I've built berry-picking devices, furniture, terrarium equipment, home carbonation systems, and even a crutch for my neighbor. I also really enjoy fixing stuff (not just bikes) and solving fun little problems. Of course I like riding bikes of all kinds, as well as rock climbing, yoga, and cooking.

Q: I love 36"-wheel bicycles! And, at 6'6", it seems like I could use 36" wheels to build a bicycle with a nearly normal geometry. Given the wheel parts available, can a 36"-wheel bicycle be a real, practical alternative? Or are they just fun toys for people who want to be seen? What else would you like to say about 36"-wheel bicycles?

A: As of now, 36ers are at the novelty stage. What I mean by that is that the components (primarily rims and tires) are pretty substandard (the tires are 4-ply slicks that weigh in excess of 2000 grams, the rims are pretty similarly junky). That being said, they are very enjoyable to ride even with all that extra wheel weight, and the next few years will probably tell if the size "takes off" to the point where there's at least one decent tire and rim (something equivalent to the launch of the 29" Nanoraptor in 1999). I've explored having a run of tires and rims made, but as of now, there are fewer than 50 bikes on earth that would use them, so it's hard to justify the cost and risk (and yes, I'm aware that there are lots of unicyclists who ride this size).

Little Lady, Big Wheels
(At least she looks little compared to those 36" monsters)
Photo by Brad Bedell

Sizing is interesting. A 36er can be built to work pretty well for someone down to about 5'10" tall, but to really do something without any serious geometry tradeoffs, you're looking at the very tall folks - probably 6'4" and bigger at a minimum. If you're looking to win races or beat your buddies to the top of a climb (or the bottom, really), a 36er probably isn't for you. If you enjoy having a different experience on the bike and want to get lots of attention while doing it, they're great. So yes, they are "fun toys for people who like to be seen", but they also have a lot of enjoyable attributes that make them a worthwhile addition to a bike collection for the right rider (you think your 29er rolls over stuff well? You ain't seen *nothing* yet!)

It's also worth pondering whether it would be better (since the existing 36"-specific parts are crap) to scrap the size in favor of something else. There's an argument to be made for something between 29 and 36 (32"?), and making it happen wouldn't be any harder, really, than getting good stuff for the 36" size.

Q: What off-the-shelf bicycles do you recommend for people who cannot afford custom?

A: I used to like Cannondale, since they made their higher-end stuff in the US, but that's over with now.

Actually, let me back up. A short rant - custom bikes aren't that expensive compared to other high-end stuff. If you want me to build you a complete bike with a nice suspension fork and XTR-level parts, I can easily do it for around $3500-4000 (of course it depends a bit on exactly what you put on there). If you look around, that's actually not any more expensive (and arguably cheaper) than a non-custom bike (check out the price on a similarly equipped Yeti: ). In fact, until you get below $2500 or so, you're really not saving anything by going with an off-the-shelf bike.

That said, $2500 is still a lot of money to many people, and if someone's looking for a bike in the $1000 range, I don't spend much time shopping around for them, but I remember Giant and Surly being a good deal. Ventana, Ellsworth, and a few others still make bikes in the USA for folks who care about that (like me), but they tend to be just as pricey (or more) than custom.

Q: What components do you recommend for different types of bicycles? Is there anything new out there that has impressed you recently?

A: I don't have strong component preferences - ride whatever is comfortable and works. I do like the stuff made by Paul, Phil, King, and Fox particularly since they're fine products made here in the US.

A wall full of bikes is a very good thing

Q: Are there any bicycle fads currently underway that you absolutely despise?

A: Nope. I know I'm supposed to say hipsters and fixies (Editor's Note: I promise, I was not fishing for that response!), but I just don't really hate anyone who rides a bike for fun (or for work). There's a lot of complaining about new headset and bottom bracket standards, but I think most of them are pretty good for at least some applications. Bikes have gotten tremendously more fun and functional in the last decade or so, so I gave up being a retro grouch long ago.

I do generally dislike a lot of the stuff that I see displayed at bike shows, simply because it's pretty clear that a lot of it was never intended to be ridden, but I wouldn't say I despise that kind of thing. Bling can be fun and if your goal is to make bike jewelry, that's great. I tend to crash my bikes, though, and get them dirty, so show bikes don't usually appeal to me.

Anyone will tell you that all true craftsmen have their own beer label

Q: We hear a lot about the bicycle culture in places like Portland, San Fransisco, and Minneapolis, but Boulder has had a strong cycling culture for decades! Tell us a bit about bicycle culture in Boulder and how it is different from places like Portland.

A: I guess I'm not sure what that question really means. People in Boulder like to ride bikes a lot, and we've got the usual groups of triathletes, roadies, mountain bikers, college kids on fixies, etc, etc. But I don't know that it counts as a "culture". I do know that there's a lot of animosity between cyclists and non-cyclists here, both on the road and the trails, and that's unfortunate, but probably inevitable given the population density of the Front Range.

Q: What else would you like to say?

A: I hope this interview wasn't too boring.

Q: What did you have for breakfast?

A: Some homemade biscuits with eggs and cheese, plus a few slices of tomato.

Serving Those Who Do Not Race

2011-07-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

The term "Keeper of the Flame" is generally reserved for framebuilders who build lugged, brazed frames according to "old school" manufacturing techniques. But the frame is only one part of a bicycle. Your old Raleigh Pro will not look so classic if it is equipped with carbon bars and "Deep V" rims.

Enter Velo Orange (V.O.). Rambling through their website makes me feel like I am flipping through the pages of a French parts catalog from the 1950s. The parts are beautiful, shiny polished metal and rich leather. Yet they also look solid, ready to take on the rigours of riding in the real world.

V.O. was founded by Chris Kulczycki. He was kind enough to grant me an interview.

All photos are from the Velo Orange blog.

Velo Orange Founder, Chris Kulczycki

Q: Is there an overall theme to the Velo Orange product line? If so, please describe it.

A: Here is the little introduction I wrote when I first started VO. It's been on the landing page of our web site ever since. It's as good a description of our products and philosophy as I can write:

"Most cyclists don't race, yet they ride uncomfortable racing bikes and try to go too fast and so miss much of the world around them. Our emphasis is on a more relaxed and comfortable style of riding, and on refined bikes that are comfortable on a century ride, an inn-to-inn tour, or even on a ramble down your favorite dirt road.

"For many years some of the wonderful parts and accessories once produced by small firms in Europe for the cyclo-tourist and randonneur have been unavailable, or outrageously expensive. So I started Velo Orange to find and sell these remaining items, and to produce those that were no longer available."

V.O. Grand Cru Quill Stem

Q: Are you a cyclist? If so, what kind of riding do you do?

A: I'm a lifelong cyclist. My main interest is light touring, but I've done some racing, mountain biking, and loaded touring as well. My ideal ride is a leisurely tour lasting anywhere from one day to a couple of weeks winding through beautiful countryside. I love to stop and wander around little villages, take meals at local cafes, and spend the night at B&Bs or country inns. I'll stop at every farm stand, boatyard, vineyard, atelier... But the reality is that business and family obligations mean that most of my rides are an afternoon on the back roads of Maryland with, maybe, a stop for lunch.

Q: Please tell us a bit about the history of Velo Orange. What inspired you to start the business? What have you learned along the way?

A: After we'd started and sold a successful company, we started doing a lot more cycling, including some touring in the US and in Europe. I found that I wanted certain components that were getting hard to find. I guessed that others would want them too. The plan was to have a little part-time business importing and making a small selection of practical components. We got carried away and now, 5 years later, we have hundreds of our own products and sell to over 400 shops and custom builders in a dozen countries, as well as through our own e-store and through wholesale distributors.

V.O. Grand Cru 50.4bcd chainrings. Look Familiar?

Most of what I learned at VO is technical stuff about manufacturing, sourcing, shipping, etc. The really important stuff I learned at my first company, and it's just been reinforced at VO. There are three most important things I've learned about business. The first is to communicate with customers. We learn a tremendous amount from those who use our products and often make improvements and develop new products based on their suggestions. The second point is to hire the very best employees you can. Always try to hire people who are smarter and more talented than you are. Finally, I learned to continually improve products; never believe something is “good enough.”

Q: How much design work do you do "in house?" How much of what you sell is "off the shelf" product that you buy from various suppliers?

A: We do a tremendous amount design in-house. Examples include our racks, most of the handlebars, 50.4bcd cranks, retro cages, bike luggage, Grand Cru stems, our frames, and many more. There are some things that we can't design alone because they require more technical expertise than we have. The roller bearing headset, the Polyvalent crank, and the hubs are examples. In these cases we go to the factory and explain our concept and their engineers help with the design. Sometimes there is no need to develop a new design. We can take a product developed by a factory and simply specify the finish and cosmetic details we want, or we might ask them to upgrade the alloy or the hardware or the bearings.

Q: How would you like Velo Orange to evolve over the next five years?

A: VO will continue to introduce new components and accessories and refine existing offerings. One big change is that we're considering introducing a line of complete bikes. We may do this on our own or we may seek a partnership with a larger company.

Unlike most other companies we hope to use many of our own components. I'm a fan of a boat building company in Maine called Hinckley. What sets them apart, beyond impeccable workmanship, is that unlike most boat builders they don't just build the hull, deck and interior. They also make a lot of their own rigging, fittings and hardware that work and look better than off-the-shelf stuff. In the bike world the French constructeurs were superb custom bike builders who not only made frames, but often also made racks, stems, and brakes – even drive-train components that improved on what was made by the big companies. We hope to bring that sort of integration into production bikes.

V.O Raid Rim

Q: Are the products that Velo Orange sells meant to be practical, functional, durable items for "real world" bicycling, or are they intended more to make a fashion statement?

A: I don't know what to make of this question. Designing items as "fashion statements" is the exact opposite of what we do. Yet, unlikely as it seems to some, many people see our products as very fashionable because they are elegant and purposeful.

People have funny ideas about fashion. Consider the middle aged and overweight guy huffing along in logo covered spandex on a carbon race bike. The gearing is too high for him, the saddle too narrow, the bars too low, and the 20mm tires are rock hard. Now that is following fashion to the point of absurdity. And it's exactly what many bike shops still push customers into.

Now put the same guy on a rando frame with proper gearing, a comfortable leather saddle, bars at saddle level, and wide comfortable tires. He might now cover that 50-mile Saturday ride in perfect comfort and still get a good workout. Fortunately we're seeing a big shift in perception, a shift in fashion. More and more cyclists are learning that, unless you actually do race, the rando or light-touring bike is a far better choice.

Q: Please choose one item you stock, perhaps one that has not gotten much attention yet, and describe it to us. What makes it special? Why do you like it?

V.O. Grand Cru Hub

A: One of the things that makes VO different from most bike companies is that we develop more products than most companies five or ten times our size. There are so many new VO products that I think are special. The Grand Cru touring hubs which use four identical and large Japanese bearings, yet can be field stripped without tools, are the latest example. Or look at our new Grand Cru stems, or the double-eyelet Raid rims, or the Porteur rack, or our large range of metal fenders.

Q: Is there a "typical" Velo Orange customer? If so, please describe him/her to us?

A: I suppose the thing that most impresses me about the customers I meet at the shop and at bike shows is that they are usually very experienced cyclists who put a lot of thought into their bikes.

V.O. Polyvalent

Q: I am 6'6". I have a commute that is fourteen miles each way, with roughly 1300 feet of overall climbing. What is the perfect commuter bicycle for me?

A: I know that there are plenty of bike pundits out there who would happy to tell you exactly what you should ride and how you should set it up. I'm not one of them and it's not the sort of question I'm often asked. The people who come to VO have usually had a number of bikes and know what they are looking for. As for me, my VO pass hunter (basically a rando with canti-brakes) works very well as my commuter and as my “sportif” for fast day rides.

Q: What do you like for breakfast?

A: Most days it's just coffee, either an americano or a Kona drip, but occasionally a can of kippered herring and some sliced tomato.

Caltrain Increases Bicycle Carrying Capacity

2011-06-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

Good news for Bay Area commuters! Caltrain recently announced that all trains now have two "Bike Cars." Most trains will now hold 80 bicycles, while the rest will hold 48. According to this article at RedwoodCityPatch.com, Caltrain has increased its bicycle carrying capacity by more than 50% since 2008. 3600 cyclo-commuters use Caltrains on a typical weekday, representing 9% of total Caltrain ridership.

It is good to know that at least one West Coast metropolitan area "gets it." Encouraging commuters to try multi-modal transportation, such as bicycle/train combinations, will show people that they can get from the final train or bus station to their workplace in a few minutes. Now, if we could only convince officials in Southern California to adopt a similar attitude...

Portland Area "Pay-to-Ride" Smackdown

2011-05-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

In the red corner, Jerry Willey, mayor of the cash-strapped Portland suburb, Hillsboro, OR!

In the blue corner, Portland-area cyclists who pay taxes and do very little damage to roads compared to cars and trucks!

DINGDINGDINGDING!

Willey comes out slugging, proclaiming that adding bicycle lanes costs money that should be provided by those using the bicycle lanes. BikePortland editor Jonathan Maus counters, “Willey should focus on the problem — which isn’t that people don’t pay more just because they happen to ride a bike sometimes — it’s that too many trips taken in our cities are taken by cars.”

Photo by Jonathan Maus, BikePortland.org

This article in the Hillsboro Argus, by Kurt Eckert, gives readers a blow-by-blow description of the conflict to date. Maybe I am biased, but the arguments from bicycle advocates seem quite convincing. F'rinstance, Bicycle Transportation Alliance president Rob Sadowsky points out that "Ninety percent of BTA members own a car and drive it, but make a commitment to drive less. They all pay drivers license fees, vehicle registrations and other fixed costs, and most pay property taxes that go for maintenance on the system."

Still, in a time of fiscal desperation, who can say what people will believe? Read the "Comments" section of the article to get an idea of what we are up against in terms of anti-bicycle evangelists whose heels are thoroughly dug-in.

The Brothers Hampsten

2011-05-14T10:22:00.001-07:00

Steve and Andy Hampsten have loved bicycles since they were kids growing up in North Dakota. Steve has worked at different jobs including gourmet cooking and blacksmithing, but he always returned to the bicycle industry, first as a shop mechanic, then as a bicycle maker when he and Andy founded Hampsten Cycles in 1999. Since then, he has been running the company full-time.

Andy is a cycling legend who does not conform to the "rock star" image seen in so many of today's racers. While the professional bicycle racing crowd became famous for its steroid-drenched egomaniacs, Andy developed a reputation as a genuinely nice human being. Kent Eriksen, Andy's long-time friend and a frame supplier to Hampsten Cycles, describes Andy as "a gracious guy with an incredible talent for climbing hills. He is a good spirit, very unassuming." Even when he was winning some of the biggest races in Europe, Eriksen explains, "Andy always liked to eat good food even more than he liked cycling."

Andy has found a way to pursue both passions in Cinghiale Cycling Tours. His company is known for fast-paced riding through the Tuscan countryside, but it is also famous for the wonderful food and wine consumed along the way.

Andy (left) and Steve (right) Hampsten

Question: Steve - You have learned to build many things in your life, from gourmet meals to items from a blacksmith's forge. How and why did you finally choose to devote your career to building bicycles?

Answer (Steve): I think it chose me... at one point I met with a career counselor - and this was after five years wrenching in bike shops followed by seventeen years cooking - following an hour of tests and chatting she said "You should be building bicycles." About that time I started leaning to work with steel and I've never looked back.

Question: In a nutshell, describe the design philosophy at Hampsten Cycles, please.

Answer (Steve): "Road bikes for all types of roads"

Hampsten Zucchero

Question: How many bicycles/frames does Hampsten Cycles sell in a typical year?

Answer (Steve): Fifty is about normal, this year we're at forty as of the beginning of May. Should be an interesting year.

Question: Do you hope to grow the company? If so, what directions do you see such growth taking?

Answer (Steve): I'm really happy with the size we have and that I don't have to spend my days managing people. If we grow I'll need to spend more time managing the business, less time working with customers and on design - so that feels like a dilemma. But if I had another builder who could wrench and help in some other areas - painting, shipping, or organizing the work flow - we could conquer the world.

Question: Does Hampsten Cycles build frames at fixed sizes/geometries, or are most of your frames custom-built for each customer?

Answer (Steve): On one model, Crema, we push fixed sizes and limited options - but we're still flexible - everything else we do is custom.

Hampsten Crema

Question: You have recently moved much of your your manufacturing from outside companies such as Co-Motion Cycles and Ken Eriksen Cycles to in-house production at "HampCo Towers." You have hired Max Kullaway, who has extensive fabricating experience at Merlin and Seven Cycles, suggesting you are very serious about achieving world-class titanium fabrication quality. How has the move to in-house fabrication worked out for you? Do you intend to keep developing your in-house capabilities, or are you considering going back to out-of-house vendors?

Answer (Steve): It feels like everything we've done here has been evolutionary: first our frames were built by Match, then Dave Levy, then Moots got involved, etc. At the same time, since we started, I've been buying tooling and we've long had the ability to produce lugged frames with Martin Tweedy wielding the torch. So it's been a back-of-my-mind goal to build welded frames in-house for some time and meeting Max made that happen. But if he moves or goes to divinity school then I'll be looking at my options again, won't I? Of course there are other people who can build bicycle frames but there are very few who can do it as well and as consistently as Max - really, it's a short list.

But in terms of this year and last year, doing 95% of production right here has been the best thing possible for the company and for the bikes - it would be difficult to rely on others after this experience. It's not that we don't appreciate how IF/Co-Mo/Eriksen/et. al. build their frames, it's that here we can have each frame done the way we want down to the smallest detail.

Hampsten Gran Paradiso

Question: Why did you choose to create a separate "Tournesol" brand name? Please tell us a bit about the Tournesol models.

Answer (Steve): Tournesol was originally conceived as a project between myself and Douglas Brooks. We wanted to focus on bikes that fit differently and looked less contemporary than what we were showing with Hampsten They probably feature larger frames, have less saddle-to-bar-drop, and almost always use a rack, fenders, and maybe some sort of light system. We felt that a more retro look suited Tournesol well - Douglas even came up with the name - and I felt that there would likely not be too much overlap in customer bases between the two marques. Rene Herse, Alex Singer, Rivendell, Toei, Mariposa: these were all our influences, inspirations, and some are even our friends. In the last ten years we've seen a good amount on interest in French-style touring bikes, randonneuses (hey, I don't make this stuff up), 650B, front racks, "planing", Mafac/TA/Simplex/Huret - mon dieu...

Tournesol Audax

Additionally, I wanted to avoid confusion with our Hampsten customers. I never wanted Hampsten to be painted with the "retro" brush; classic and commemorative were fine but I didn't feel that looking DeGaulle-era suited Hampsten Cycles very well.

Cycles Tournesol was also a good opportunity to play with a different graphic design look and color palate. The parts we use for most Tournesol builds tend to be silver, frames are usually some dark shade, shiny fenders, nickel-plated racks, gum-wall tires, etc. So it's been a fun direction to go in that stands slightly apart from HC in terms of looks and fit but remains very much a Hampsten in terms of build quality and functionality. Sort of like BMW with Mini Cooper, if you will.

Question: I commute fourteen miles each way to work, with roughly 1300 feet of total climbs on the way. What is the perfect bicycle for such a purpose?

Answer (Steve): Crema, Strada Bianca, or Tournesol - anything that gives you options with tire sizes and whether or not to use fenders.

Question: Cinghiale Cycling Tours has a reputation for "highly energetic" days in the saddle. Say, for instance, that someone is in his mid-forties and carrying 20-30 extra pounds. Could he keep up with Andy as the group pedaled through Tuscany?

Answer (Steve): Hey, that's me! Well, maybe I'm older - and what do you mean by "extra" pounds? But Andy waits, if that's your question - no rider left behind...

Answer (Andy): I'll start early. We are all in our forties or carrying more than we wish. We look for a largish group so when we hit our own groove in the hills we end up with good company. Some trips are in the mountains and we warn people about how hard the riding is, so we get fit riders who know how to pace themselves. Extra weight and all. We regroup a few times a day, or on very long days we stay in one group and roll at a nice constant pace.

All work, no play? I think not...

Question: Andy - Do you ever get strong riders on your tours who are itching to "cross swords with a legend?" If you do, have you exhausted all your competitive urges during your days as a professional cyclist, or do you still feel the need to teach the young whippersnappers a lesson?

Answer (Andy): I am too old to cross swords with the young and overly fit. And too old to not spank them on chosen occasions. Our rides are non-competitive. Of course there are some guys that need to find the pecking order on climbs to be happy. Especially when there is a female rider in the group that has dropped them. We are good at keeping the pace social at the beginning of our rides, and letting the lactic acidly challenged know when they can go hard.

Question: Andy - Cinghiale seems to run tours primarily in the late Spring through early Fall. What do you do with yourself during the rest of the year?

Answer (Andy): Drink wine. I mean do research. I hate to claim title to a legit job but running the trips takes time all year long. Hanging with my daughter and wife tops my list of preferred activities. Finding new roads in my back yards and hitting favorite rides is always fun. For a strange reason I started racing on back country skis in Colorado, that will not be a new career.

Cinghiale tours give riders a chance to ride the Alps with Andy Hampsten WITHOUT trembling in fear

Question: What else would you like to say?

Answer (Andy): Riding is more fun than ever. Or more to the point it is as fun as when I was a kid determined to explore the world on my bike. Having a super bike and fancy food is nice, but riding in good company or alone makes any one of my days a great day.

Answer (Steve): Buy American, support people who make stuff, be nice to others.

Question: What do you like for breakfast?

Answer (Steve): Eggs scrambled with whatever was yummy last night, toast with gooseberry jam, 2 cups of coffee, OJ.

Answer (Andy): An Ozo house special coffee and a breakfast burrito!! Why can't Europe get the second part of this combo??

Is The BikeShare Movement Gaining Momentum?

2011-05-14T08:07:00.000-07:00

This article in the Alexandria Gazette Packet, by Michael Lee Pope, describes the proposed BikeShare program in Alexandria Virginia. This program is based on similar bicycle sharing systems in Washington, DC and Arlington, Virginia. The proposal is receiving strong support from local government officials who look at it as an important tool in fighting traffic congestion. However, it is facing predictable opposition from those who question the validity of spending government dollars to encourage bicycle riding. Poul Hertel, an Alexandria resident, said, "The city can’t afford to put the bus schedule at stops throughout the city but they want to spend $400,000 on this?"

Bicycle sharing station in Arlington, VA
Photo by Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz

Cycloculture applauds the proposal, as well as the courage of those making it. Facing down people who cannot accept the bicycle as a valid piece in our transportation puzzle must be a difficult task, at times. Keep up the good fight!

The Bicycle Craze!! Of 1890, That Is...

2011-05-05T17:22:00.001-07:00

There is nothing new under the sun. This applies to bicycles as much as any other human endeavor. Those of us who have been around bicycles for a few years understand that the popularity of the bicycle rises and falls through the years and decades. Some of us get recklessly optimistic when there is a surge in bicycle usage. "This time it's really going to stick!" we tell ourselves and others. And, perhaps one day it will.

For a little perspective, read this article by Alison Nowak, writing for the "Southwest Minneapolis Patch." Her piece is a wonderful glimpse into history. It is also, perhaps unintentionally, a telling study on human behaviors. Sure, our bicycles have changes a bit since the 19th Century, but the fundamentals of marketing and salesmanship have remained constant.

Bicycle fashion circa 1890
Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society - Credit: Edward Albert Fairbrother

"By the 1890’s bicycle mania had fully taken hold in Minnesota. Throngs of bicycles were seen on the streets of downtown Minneapolis between the years of 1893 and 1897. Many used their bikes as transportation to work, as well as to theater shows and other events downtown." Hmmm... Sounds a lot like modern day Minneapolis, doesn't it?

On a side note, readers who are interested in bicycling history from the 19th Century may wish to take a look at the recently-published book The Lost Cyclist, by David Herlihy. It is a globe-spanning tale of bicycle adventurers during the time period described in Nowak's article.

Should Your Next Bicycle Be Electric?

2011-04-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

Ed Benjamin has been designing, selling and promoting electric bicycles (ebikes) for decades. He has led such ebike companies as Wavecrest Laboratories and Ultra Motors. He is also the founder and chairman of the Light Electric Vehicle Association (LEVA), and organization dedicated to promoting and facilitating the use of electric bicycles and other light electric vehicles world-wide. Additionally, he is a co-author of the highly-influential Electric Bikes Worldwide Reports, which are published annually and are viewed as the industry "Bible" on the current state of the electric bicycle industry as well as on future trends.

No one has done more to promote electric bicycles than Ed Benjamin. As many of my readers know, I am an enthusiastic supporter of this technology, so I wanted to introduce the subject through the eyes of the world's leading expert. Mr. Benjamin was kind enough to agree to an interview. Enjoy.

Ed Benjamin tirelessly promoting electric bicycles

Q: Many of my readers are "bicycle purists." What would you like to say to them about electric bicycles?

A: I am going to consider a “bicycle purist” as a person who believes and asserts that only human power should be used to propel a manual bicycle.

I used to feel that way and let me present my credentials as a purist: I worked in, or owned, bicycle shops from 1969 to 1996. I was a Jr. State Champion, Bicycle Road Racing, and later an ABLA Senior “B” racer (for those too young to know, ABLA preceded USCF and a Category B was equivalent to a Cat 2 today). I am an ex USCF Cat 2 official, and have promoted bike races, triathlons, and club events too numerous to remember. I was riding a “fixie” back when we called them track bikes. My current manual bike is a Moulton.

People like me often own bike shops and are often “purists.” And it is common for me to hear “I don’t need no stinking motor” along with comments about lazy, or cheating, from my peers.

But this attitude and definition of bicycle purism is one that I associate with “bicycles as sport”. For the USA and parts of Europe, that is the primary use of a bicycle, riding for fun, competition or fitness.

Ultra Motors A2B Electric Bicycle

But world wide, the billions of people whom ride a bike every day, do so for transportation.

“Bicycle as transportation” is a different matter, and the sport rider may not have considered that strong legs, a good wind and the time and interest to ride are luxuries to most transportation riders. Transportation riders are not much interested in sweating, being tired from their commute, or improving their fitness.

For a transportation rider, a bicycle is an upgrade from walking and an electric bike is an upgrade from pedaling a manual bike. An electric bike allows one to get to work without dripping sweat and it allows one to go farther with less effort – often translating into a better job or a nicer home (being located farther out, and thus costing less). In some cases, an electric bike is a vehicle that can cut through the traffic jam, or find a parking place.

Transportation riders, even in the USA, include the old, the fat, the pregnant, the injured, the less than fit, and others for whom a bicycle is a tool that enables them. The bicycle is not recreation, fitness, sport, or a lifestyle.

So, purists…I say that you are fortunate to live with a luxury that you may not appreciate. And…it is not forever. Your strong legs and good wind will give way, no matter how hard you work at it.

And as evidence of the role that an electric bike may play in your future, consider the electric bike riders of Holland, Germany and Switzerland. These are strong bicycle cultures where one’s fitness and strength are matters of great pride and concern. And places where the average age is rising fast. These older riders, who, on the average, have far more miles behind them than any USA “purist”, have found that the electric bike allows them to be comfortable on their bikes, at an age when they were finding the manual bike to be increasingly arduous.

And many westerners do not realize how strong a “bicycle culture” exists in China and other Asian countries. Although their bike culture is riding a 60 lb roadster everywhere, for decades, and living and working up many flights of stairs. Bicycles are a major transportation tool in China, SE Asia, India, Africa, and many other places. These are fundamentally bike cultures in ways that most westerners do not appreciate.

The USA will buy every year, around 15 million bikes. A lot of them are children’s bikes. The EU is similar, but with a larger proportion of adult bikes. And China is about 56 million bikes, almost all for adults.

Approximately 1 in 2 bikes sold in China is electric. About 1 in 4 in Holland. 1 in 8 in Germany, 1 in 10 in Switzerland.

Wavecrest Laboratories TidalForce Electric Bicycle

Q: What are the best things about electric bicycles?

A: They extend the rider’s range, reduce his fatigue, are generally more comfortable and have more functional utility for the transportation rider.

They are green. Yes, really. An interesting study from Germany shows that an electric bike actually produces less carbon in its life than a manual bike – even if the rider of the manual bike eats only vegetables. Of course, the manual bike user also benefits from increased fitness, a worthy benefit that may outweigh the carbon they are creating. Anyone who emails me and asks for it can receive a copy of the study (ed@eCycleElectric.com).

Nearly everyone who rides one for the first time gets a big grin. They are fun (the last time I saw these grins was in the early 80’s when customers test rode the new fangled ‘mountain bikes’).

They make money for all parts of the bike industry. They are a higher ticket, higher margin, and more attractive to a wider demographic than manual bikes.

They are affordable and improve the life of many millions of people (there are an estimated 119 million in use today).

Q: Please describe the "typical" electric bicycle rider.

A: I will present four:

Hong J. is a 46-year-old schoolteacher in Shanghai whose ebike allows her to live farther from the metro station. That allowed her to buy a much nicer home. And she gets to work less tired and cleaner than riding her old manual bike. It is easy to carry her son, or groceries or both. Her transportation costs for the year are equal to one month of wages (most Americans will work for many months to pay for their annual transportation costs).

Hans O. is a 67-year-old retiree living in the Appledorn, Holland. His ebike allows him to accompany his wife on rides to cafes that were becoming just a bit too far to reach on his manual bike on Saturday mornings. (Anyone see the historical reference?)

Jim S. is a 29 year old in Los Angeles who is personally committed to reducing his carbon footprint. He is adamant about using his ebike and mass transit to get to work and to run his errands. He does not regard himself as a cyclist. His choices are not convenient, but a matter of principle.

Lee P. is a retiree living in Orlando, Florida. He and his wife ride their electric bikes no farther than a few blocks. They appreciate the comfortable saddles as they sit on the bikes for hours talking to their friends and neighbors about … their bikes.

Q: What are LEVA's primary goals?

A: To promote the use and business of electric powered two wheelers and other light electric vehicles. We are primarily an industry group, and we help with networking, information, and services.

Q: What needs to happen - culturally, economically, politically, etc. - in order for the electric bicycle to become a viable alternative to the automobile in American society?

A: Exactly what is happening today:

- Fuel price is rising (120 per barrel as I write)

- Americans are less affluent than before, and we are undergoing changes in lifestyle – and the necessary change in transportation costs is a biggie.

- Americans are moving more and more to the city. In the city, a manual or electric bicycle is more useful than in a suburban or rural setting.

- Traffic congestion.

- Shortage of parking spaces in cities.

- Politicians and planners looking for ways to reduce costs and improve lives.

Electric Bicycles in Suzhou, China - Photo by Patrick Benjamin, 2009

Q: Why has the electric bicycle been such a huge success in China?

A: It works for the dense coastal cities where traffic congestion, parking shortage and air pollution are important issues. And where the majority of Chinese live.

Most Chinese are cyclists already. The ebike is a step up for them. But even Chinese car owners often have an ebike as well – finding a parking place for the car is often impossible. And the traffic jams can be a major problem.

Strong government encouragement, in terms of licensing costs, bans on gasoline motorcycles, bans on mopeds, etc.

Cheap to buy, cheap to maintain, and very low cost for fuel.

Q: Electric bicycle sales in Europe have also been growing rapidly, although not to the same extent as they have been growing in China. Do you see this trend continuing? Or will ebike sales in Europe plateau?

A: I believe that ebikes will become about 1 in 2 bikes sold in Europe. A combination of the same reasons I list above for USA, plus a rapidly aging population and a strong two-wheel culture.

Q: What electric bicycle(s) do you ride? What do you like about it/them?

A: I have an old Tidal Force bike that I love because it is fast, solid and a product of my work. I also have a Trek ebike that is a pedelec that uses BionX motor – both companies that have been my customers. Keep in mind that both bikes were free. There are a LOT of good bikes available today.

Q: How do you see electric bicycle design developing over the next 5 to 10 years?

A: World wide, I believe the trend will be towards a light scooter concept, something like a Yamaha Passol. In the USA and EU I expect it to be more like the popular pedelecs of Germany and Holland.

The Yamaha Passol

Q: What else would you like to say?

A: Bicycles are a bit like the typewriter. There was a time when a manual typewriter was the standard. It was replaced by an electric typewriter, and later by a computer. We are sort of where the electric type writer came in, and it is just as hard for us to know what the evolution of the ebike will be – as it would have been for an electric typewriter engineer or user to imagine the laptop I am writing this piece on.

Electric two wheelers face a bright, and interesting future.

Thanks for the venue.

Q: What do you like for breakfast?

A: Fried eggs (with soy sauce, due to many breakfasts eaten in Asia) a strip of bacon, fruit. Coffee and OJ.

And if I am not riding a bike, I drive a pickup. Like the farmers I am descended from. But, at 80.00 to fill the tank…I avoid using it.

Is the "Gyroscopic Effect" a Myth?

2011-04-18T07:48:00.000-07:00

In this Gizmodo article, Jack Loftus points to research that studied the real reasons why a bicycle in motion will, in general, stay upright. The journal Science published the results of experiments which used a "gyro-negating contraption" to determine whether or not a bicycle deprived of the gyroscopic effect created by its spinning wheels will fall over at speed.

Caution: This experiment done using SCIENCE!

The result? Even without the benefit of the gyroscopic effect, a rolling bicycle will tend to keep the rubber side down. The reason? "It's all about how a bicycle leaning automatically causes steering, which can bring the wheels back under a falling bike," reports Andy Ruina, one of the paper's authors. He goes on to say that the front-end geometry of the bike, including trail and center-of-mass position, is critical in determining whether a bicycle will be stable or not. If the front end is designed correctly, a bicycle will try hard to stay upright. Otherwise it will be unstable and unsafe at any speed.

Yes We Can! (Build Bicycles In America, That Is...)

2011-03-16T10:54:00.000-07:00

Defying modern "wisdom," the team at Bowery Lane Bicycles have chosen to build bicycles in the USA. But wait... Not only do they build bicycles in the USA, they build them in New York City, an area renowned for sky-high rents and salaries. This location choice would be remarkable if Bowery Lane were building ultra-expensive boutique bicycles, even though the manufacturing costs of such custom machines might be overwhelmed by the price customers were willing to pay. But wait a little bit more... The hand-built bicycles made by Bowery Lane sell for less than $600!

Any reader who has been following "Cycloculture" for any amount of time knows that one of my primary interests lies in finding USA-based bicycle builders who are offering products at prices which are affordable to "the masses." No company has succeeded in accomplishing this mission better than Bowery Lane Bicycles. I needed to find out why and how the comany was taking this approach. Co-Founder Patrick Benard was kind enough to answer some questions for me.

The "Broncks Black" - Reliable, American-made transportation for less than $600

Q: Why did you choose to manufacture bicycles in New York City? How is that working out for you?

A: My partners and I chose NYC because we live here and managing the manufacturing and launch of this project from anywhere else would have been impossible for us. The fact that the bikes have a certain NYC cache has been a definite benefit though.

Our project really has the history of a cooperative effort that has ended up leveraging the skills and good-will of a dozen professionals (photographers, graphic designers etc.) that we had access to (many in our own building). There are only a few other places in the US where this could have happened.

NYC has allowed us to be very flexible and nimble in every respect except one. Commercial rental space is so prohibitive that it limits our potential as far as retail is concerned.

Q: Describe your manufacturing facility and process, please.

A: We designed the bikes and were fortunate to find a small manufacturing facility in the heart of a West Indian neighborhood with many talented welders. I've said before that we aspire to be the Model T of American bicycle manufacturing and that remains true. Our manufacturing principles are: local, affordable, durable, and stylish.

Q: How many bicycles do you make in an average month?

A: We have made 500 bikes in our two year experience. We are aiming to make and sell twice that in 2011. We also have accessories planned such as front racks, clothing and cycle caps.

Q: Do you see areas for potential improvement, in terms of manufacturing? If so, what are they?

A: A friend once said that the ideal bike was cheap, strong and light and that we should pick two out of these three. Our bikes have not been light. The production we are presently preparing is lighter. Our bikes are relatively inexpensive and we make it a priority to keep it so. Our bikes have been and will be strong.

We also hope to produce more and more of the components locally in the future, chain guards, fenders, racks and anything we can keep in house.

We will continue to innovate and learn keeping our principles in mind.

The "Broncks Raw," All the fun of the "Broncks Black" with clear-coated tubes and brazing.

Q: Please describe your design inspirations.

A: My wife and I visited Amsterdam in 2008. I've always been a cycling enthusiast, and the holiday, the city, the people, and the bike culture inspired me. We wanted to create a Dutch inspired bike that was NYC- street tough. Basically, if our bike can make it here, it'll hold up anywhere...

Q: When someone buys a bicycle from you, what do they get that they cannot get anywhere else?

A: A hand built bike made in America, that's stylish and functional while remaining affordable.

Q: How are your bicycles equipped? What accessories are included?

A: We've tried to offer a complete bike that's ready to ride once assembled. We include a bell, cork hand grips, chain guard and fenders, kickstand, rear rack, as well as our signature wooden crate.

An excellent use for a large cargo box.

Q: What is the price of one of your bicycles? Do you see that price changing in the near future?

A: We'd like to keep a basic single speed bike in the $595 range. We'll be offering a few internal geared versions that will add a bit, price wise, but affordable is our goal.

The "Breukelen," for those who prefer a step-through.

Q: Where would you like to see Bowery Lane Bicycles in five years?

A: I hope to have a five year plan in five years.

Q: What else would you like to say?

A: There are reasons why so little manufacturing is done in the U.S., it's difficult. But it’s important.

The "Reclaimed Crate," a cargo box made from re-used lumber.

Q: What do you like for breakfast?

A: 3 cups espresso, toast with peanut butter and honey from my own hives. Hope the girls (bees) are weathering the cold alright.

Wheel Flop, Defined

2010-06-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

(Some readers may recognize this from recent editing work I did on Wikipedia)

Wheel flop refers to steering behavior in which a bicycle or motorcycle tends to turn more than expected due to the front wheel "flopping" over when the handlebars are rotated. Wheel flop is caused by the lowering of the front end of a bicycle or motorcycle as the handlebars are rotated away from the "straight ahead" position. This lowering phenomenon occurs according to the following equation:

f = b sin ∂ cos ∂ *

Where:

f = "wheel flop factor," the distance that the center of the front wheel axle is lowered when the handlebars are rotated from the straight ahead position to a position 90 degrees away from straight ahead
b = trail
∂ = head angle

Because wheel flop involves the lowering of the front end of a bicycle or motorcycle, the force due to gravity will tend to cause handlebar rotation to continue with increasing rotational velocity and without additional rider input on the handlebars. Once the handlebars are turned, the rider needs to apply torque to the handlebars to bring them back to the straight ahead position and bring the front end of the bicycle or motorcycle back up to the original height. ** The rotational inertia of the front wheel will lessen the severity of the wheel flop effect because it results in opposing torque being required to initiate or accelerate changing the direction of the front wheel.

According to the equation listed above, increasing the trail and/or decreasing the head angle will increase the wheel flop factor on a bicycle or motorcycle, which will increase the torque required to bring the handlebars back to the straight ahead position and increase the vehicle's tendency to veer suddenly off the line of a curve. Also, increasing the weight born by the front wheel of the vehicle, either by increasing the mass of the vehicle, rider and cargo or by changing the weight ratio to shift the center of mass forward, will increase the severity of the wheel flop effect. Increasing the rotational inertia of the front wheel by increasing the speed of the vehicle and the rotational speed of the wheel will tend to counter the wheel flop effect.

A certain amount of wheel flop is generally considered to be desirable. Bicycle dynamics expert Jan Heine wrote, "A bike with too little wheel flop will be sluggish in its reactions to handlebar inputs. A bike with too much wheel flop will tend to veer off its line at low and moderate speeds." *

References:

* Heine, Jan. "Bicycle Quarterly -- Glossary". Vintage Bicycle Press. http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com/glossary.html.

** Foale, Tony (2002). "Motorcycle Handling and Chassis Design". Tony Foale Designs. p. 3-11. ISBN 8493328618. http://www.tonyfoale.com/book/

Ian Murray, Real World Racer

2009-11-17T13:56:00.000-08:00

At first glance, Ian Murray appears to be the quintessential Hollywood version of an elite athlete and coach. His athletic career as a triathlete includes eleven years on Team USA without a single “DNF” (“Did Not Finish’). He has competed in many ultradistance triathlon events, including Ironman Canada, Austria and Hawaii, as well as the first-ever off-road Ironman event. His coaching resume is even more impressive. As a USAT Level 3 Coach with the Triathlon Training Series (TTS), he was named Developmental Coach of the Year for 2006 by USA Triathlon. He has coached world champions, movie stars and many, many other promising triathletes.

Murray in full coaching mode

However, what makes Murray truly “Hollywood” is the company he keeps. Not only does he coach movie stars, he married one. Alexandra Paul is glamorous, active in environmental causes and “in demand.” From her starring role in the television series “Baywatch” to her recent appearances in the documentary, “Who Killed the Electric Car,” Paul embodies the public’s perception of a superstar.

So, given his “lifestyle of the rich and famous,” one might expect Murray to get around in a stretch limo, or at least a Tesla electric supercar. Anyone who had such expectations, however, would be disappointed. What is Murray’s preferred vehicle for basic transportation? It is an old Japanese bicycle frame built up as a fixed gear commuting machine! Murray is living proof that all that glitters is not dependant on foreign oil! I wanted to get inside his head, so I offered him the chance to speak to Cycloculture. His honest, “down-to-earth” comments surprised and impressed me.

Q: How and when did you become interested in cycling? Did you start out with competitive aspirations, or did you start out using your bicycle for transportation?

A: I grew up in Aspen, Colorado and, as kids, we LIVED on our bikes in the summer time. Initially my bike simply meant freedom to me, it connected me to friends and experiences. It was just a joy... My first bike was a Schwinn Scrambler and what I remember most about it was its demise – I laid it down in the driveway behind the family jeep and, naturally, it got backed over. In grade school I started racing BMX on a red Mongoose that I had on lay-away at Sherpa Sports of months (Sherpa sports was owned by the Grewal family, Alexi won a gold medal in the Olympic road race, Los Angeles 1984). We’d have to drive crazy distances to get to the nearest BMX track to race so I got this wild idea to propose that the City of Aspen build the local kids a BMX track. I must have been 12 or 13 when I stood up in a City Council meeting and pitched my idea. I was so nervous that I could hardly read my notes the way my hand was shaking. In the end, they gave us a bit of land behind the city pool, they gave us two days use of a bulldozer and an operator, my step-father built a phenomenal start ramp and we held a ABA sanctioned event soon after.

Q: Is it hard to transition from a lycra-clad cycling god to a "normal Joe" who is riding his bicycle to the grocery store?

A: Not really – the bike is the essential element. It’s just the most brilliant device ever. I’ve ridden in a suit and tie and I’ve ridden 112 miles in a swim brief - it’s far more about the roll than it is about the garb.

Murray competing in an off-road triathlon

Q: What bicycle(s) do you normally use for transportation and errands? Do you try to maximize the speed and efficiency of your transportation bikes?

A: I am not a consumer and I don’t own a lot of “things”…. except when it comes to bikes, in that area I’m taxing our resources in a big way and I’d like to apologize to the folks 27 generations ahead.

If I’m just running around town, it’s on my fixie and my fix is a Franken-bike. The current one (we have an epidemic of bike theft on the west side of Los Angeles where I live now, so I’ve been through a few fixies) is a steel C. Itoh (Japanese company that used to build and/or import Bridgestone bikes) that was gifted to me as a rusted, filthy, cob-webbed 7 speed. I stripped it, cleaned it up and rebuilt it as a fix. It’s a hideous mint green but I refused to paint it for one, critical reason. Printed on the down tube is one of those classic, iconic examples of when a bit of English get’s poorly translated – it reads “Tested Finest Bicycle With Precision Mechanism”. LOVE THAT!!!

Murray in the real world

In addition to that I own a Litespeed ti hard tail mountain bike, a Trek, aluminum cyclocross bike, a Cervelo Soloist, aluminum road bike and a Cervelo Carbon P2 TT/ Triathlon bike. I train and race on all of those bikes but probably log more miles on the Soloist than the others.

Q: When you are coaching triathletes, do you encourage them to ride their bicycles for their daily transportation needs?

A: When I launch into a coaching relationship the athlete, I spend a lot of time in the consultation. If I see an opportunity for them to commute on their bike I’ll jump on that. Sometimes the athlete is so tight on time – between family, work, swim, run, etc. that I’ll suggest the bike for daily transport just to make good use of time.

Q: When you are commuting or shopping on your bicycle and you see a bicycle up ahead, do you "drop the hammer" and try to catch him/her, or do you get all your competitive urges out while you are training and competing?

A: If there is a bike ahead of me – I’m in pursuit. It doesn’t matter if it’s a homeless guy carrying 5 bags of recycling, a small gaggle of club riders, a septuagenarian, a mother on a beach cruiser towing a kid in a trailer – I’m on the gas ‘til they are collected and dispatched! I’m even more embarrassed to admit that I have this little voice I do in my head when I see another roadie up the road….it’s probably spun out of Top Gun or something of that ilk. I’ll see them and say “bogey…12 o’clock….time of acquisition 2 minutes, 43 seconds”. It’s ridiculous and juvenile. I’m probably not revealing much – I’m sure I’ve said that out loud on training rides with some of my TTS teammates.

Q: How can a cyclo-commuter maximize the health benefits of riding to work?

A: Firstly plan a head – use some of the tools we have now like Gmap-pedometer or Map My Ride to pick a route that is both safe and appropriate to the workout. It takes time to shift our thinking from “what’s the best route” to “what’s the best route via bicycle” – those are two very different things. You have to aim for roads with bike lanes or wide shoulders or few stops. Consider going at an off time so that the volume of traffic is lighter. Consider a circuitous route that, while longer and forces you to leave earlier, is better for the training. In many cities first time commuters are shocked to learn that riding a bike on an errand or a commute takes nearly the same time as driving.

Q: How can we, as a society, change the public image of bicycles from recreational/athletic equipment to vehicles used for transportation?

A: That’s happening and will continue to happen automatically. Two things are forcing it – transportation costs are rising (mainly due to the price of energy) and the density of population is growing. As people continue to get frustrated by inching their cars forward through traffic jams while paying three, four and five dollars a gallon they will take envious note of the smiling cyclists who are rollin’ on by. Current commuters, the early adaptors, can help to welcome drivers onto bikes by riding legally and safely. We gotta obey the laws of the road as if we were driving if we’re going to be loved and respected.

Q: Imagine yourself at age seventy. What role would you like your bicycles to play in your life at that point?

A: I’d like my wife, Alexandra and I to own matching bikes at that age. I’d like us to ride together often in a peaceful setting and observe the world with experienced and satisfied eyes. The bicycle is a great way to take in a new place so perhaps we’ll travel to small towns we’ve never seen and just ride through, absorbing.

Murray loves bikes and going fast in different circumstances, including cyclo-cross

Q: What else would you like to say?

A: Tire pressure means more than anything – I love to hear folks wax on about how their bike “rides with an oaky flavor and just a hint of cassis” (I’m quoting bike guru, Dan Empfield there – he’s very quotable). And, of course, they say their bike rides that way because it’s steel or because it’s carbon or whatever. Or that say it because they ride tubies or a clincher with an unobtainum bead and 550 tpi or some such drivel. It all comes down to tire pressure. You want less vibration from the road? Don’t rush out and blow your white collar bonus on some trinket, just tweak your tire pressure. You want the bike to feel more responsive? Don’t spend all the money you saved from your quinceanera on new cranks, just tweak your tire pressure. In fact, if you’re so hot to shop and spend, then buy a really good pump with a gauge you trust so that you can get super specific about tire pressure. Whew! It’s nice to get that rant out, thanks!

Q: What do you like for breakfast?

A: I like a mix of low glycemic carbs, protein and fat.

For the past two years I’ve been eating the same meal for breakfast: a quarter cup of oatmeal with a dozen raisins and so much cinnamon that it stirs to look like chocolate. Along with that I’ll eat a half cup of Eggology egg whites with a half an avocado and some sort of funky, mom-n-pop hot sauce whispered across the top. Damn, just writing that makes my mouth water. I hope I never bore of that meal!

Product Review - 27X1&1/4" Continental Ultra Sport Tires

2009-11-03T12:46:00.000-08:00

I had been running 27X1&1/4” Continental Sport 1000 tires on my roadster-style bike for years. I loved them! They were durable and comfortable, and they seemed to roll nicely. So, I was quite sad when a sharp piece of metal debris got caught between my chainstay and my tire and shredded the sidewall. I looked and looked for a replacement Sport 1000, but I could not find one. This model has been discontinued, and I could not find an "New Old Stock" (NOS) replacement anywhere.

I decided to try another 27X1&1/4” Continental tire, the Ultra Sport. I ordered a pair and mounted them. They looked nice, and I was excited about testing them out with a load of groceries in the front basket and my son in his child seat on back. Unfortunately, the beauty of these tires is only skin deep.

I have been riding on the Ultra Sports for a couple weeks now, and I do not like them at all. The rubber on the tread is very sticky. I hear the constant "tink, tink, tink" of road debris getting tossed up against my steel fender with the Ultra Sports that I did not hear with my old Sport 1000s, which just rolled over such debris without grabbing it and flipping it up. I am very concerned that the Ultra Sports will grab something sharp and hold onto it until it punctures the tire. Many of the reviews I have read say these are very flat-prone tires, and I do not doubt it. For now, I am glad that I mounted Mr. Tuffy tire liners inside these tires. They should afford me some protection against the inevitable tire puncture.

The Ultra Sports are also very narrow. I checked mine with calipers, and they measured out at 1.13” (28.7mm) wide at their widest point when mounted on Velocity Synergy rims. They are 1.05”(26.7mm) high as measured from the top of the rim’s side wall to the top of the tire. I have already bottomed them out a few times while riding over uneven concrete sections with my son in the child seat and the tires inflated to 80 psi. Fortunately, I have not experienced any pinch flats, but it is just a matter of time before I do.

I'm going to keep riding the Ultra Sports for a while to see if the rubber loses some of its tackiness. I will run them at higher pressures and hope for the best, but if I had it to do all over again, I would not have bought them in the first place. On the other hand, I love my 700CX32mm Panaracer Pasela TG tires, so I would not hesitate to recommend those in their 27" form. Also, I am looking forward to mounting my cheapo 27X1&3/8" Kenda K40 tires on another bike. These look A LOT like the old “Specialized Commuter” tires used to look, and I think they will work well on bicycles used primarily for utilitarian cycling. I'll let you know how those work out.

27X1&1/4” Continental Ultra Sport Overall Grade: D+

Bring On the Geeks!

2009-11-02T14:28:00.001-08:00

Since the early days of Fat City Cycles, the Boston area has been a center for high-end bicycle manufacturing in the USA. Today, bicycle companies and frame-builders such as A.N.T., Seven Cycles, Independent Fabrications and Peter Mooney are all contributing to make this region a vibrant, thriving hub of the industry. Geekhouse bikes is another worthy player in this mix. Geekhouse founder Marty Walsh has developed a reputation for building bicycles which perform beautifully while maintaining a remarkable level of practicality in the real world. The geekhouse “Woodville” is a bike that can do everything from hauling groceries and supplies to touring across the country.

Furthermore, geekhouse has bucked recent trends by switching from overseas manufacturing to building frames in-house. Somehow, they have managed to keep their prices remarkably affordable through this process. Take that, all you Cannondales of the world!

Walsh was kind enough to give Cycloculture his take on the geekhouse Woodville, domestic bicycle production, and a variety of other subjects. Enjoy!

Marty Walsh, geek extraordinaire!

Q: How did you get your start in the bicycle industry?

A: I got my start in the industry at the age of 16 at a bicycle shop. I worked at the shop through college and upon graduation became a store manager. I then worked at a bicycle components manufacturer for a few years before leaving to pursue Geekhouse.

Q: What sets the Woodville apart from other touring/commuting bicycles?

A: The Woodville is definitely unique in its class. While most of our Woodvilles have gone out as the kind of hyper-practical commuter bike, we have the capacity to build the Woodville to near infinite spec combinations. This coupled with our ability to do custom fit geometry means that your Woodville can be personalized to you down to a point. Our Woodville stylings so far have favored really functional commuters, but we are working on two totally custom bikes that will be ridden from Boston to San Francisco next summer as part of an upcoming project. We can also alter the Woodville for Commuter, Touring, Rando, Porteur, and Dutch styles.

The geekhouse Woodville, in commuting attire

Q: Woodville frames start at $1199. Custom frames start at $1299. How do you keep the price so low?

A: The Woodville, like all our custom bikes, are set up a la carte style. We start with a bare bones frame and then you can add a variety of features including forks for $250 and a variety of tubing and braze-on options. In the end most Woodville frame/forks usually end up around $1600 and then we also have the ability to sell them with components. But in the end the price is still lower than that of other builders because #1 the frames are TIG welded which is a much faster process than brazing, #2 because we have the ability to powder coat all our frames in-house saving on the expensive paint jobs and #3 because we purchase many of our tubes in bulk at a discounted rate. Though even with all these reasons, prices are still very low compared with other builders and we will most likely be raising our prices in the near future.

Another Woodville, this one with a step-through frame

Q: Geekhouse used to farm out frame production to an outside vendor. Who used to build frames for you? Was it an overseas vendor or someone in the USA?

A: Initially, in 2003-2006, I just designed the frames and then had them built first at Brew in NC, and then in Taiwan. I also aspired to build frames myself, but I never thought I would be able to do it the way we have things set up now.

Q: Why did you bring production in-house? How has that worked out for you?

A: It wasn't just bringing production in-house, it was a long process of learning the craft and creating a shop out of first just my simple tool box to now a 1000sqft building packed with a variety of large machines. In the end I wanted more control over the products under the geekhouse name. But I also wanted to make this my craft and my trade. I want to build the best custom bikes we possibly can and I want to feel proud at the end of the day that we actually made something beautiful and practical. So, yes, this is working out, and I think things will only get better in the future.

The Wormtown was once made overseas, but it is now made in Boston!

Q: Do you build mostly stock bicycles or custom jobs?

A: All of our frames are built to order so when you order something from geekhouse there is nothing pulled "off the shelf" or anything like that. As for stock sizes (we do a 50-62cm run) vs. custom fits, it is roughly 30% stock sized and 70% custom.

Q: Do you plan on expanding production?

A: Production is currently expanding and will hopefully continue to do so. Within the past year we have added in-house powdercoating and geekhouse-specific front and rear drop outs. We're still a young company but some specific themes will stay with us for the long term. Every month is busier than the month before. We manage a cyclocross team, our new website is less than a year old, and there are near infinite offers and creative outputs for future projects. But while we will be expanding, it's still on a relatively small scale comparatively. I would like to keep it that way though, I don't want to lose ourselves in getting “too big.”

A geekhouse Mudville cross bike

Q: Do you think it would be possible, given today's global economy, for a domestic manufacturer to attain production levels similar to those of Fat City Cycles back in its heyday?

A: I think Fat City was a one-time thing. They started making mountain bikes right at the beginning of the boom and made some really nice models, although most of them were all in stock sizes, which, at the time, was fine.

I think there's at least three factors as to why this won't happen now: #1 With the boom of custom and the large amount of domestic custom builders, there are so many options for people to go to on a beautiful hand-crafted frame. #2 The large manufacturers are doing just about every style of bicycle now, and they're doing them quite well. I've seen many production bikes mimicking what I've seen at the NAHBS show not too long ago. #3 There are even a ton of small US companies manufacturing in Taiwan or importing from abroad and people are eating it up, because most of these bikes are honestly pretty cool.

Q: Would you consider shifting production to an overseas vendor if the demand was there?

A: I think that there are opportunities for us overseas with purchasing components. But as far as frame production, I am happy keeping things in-house and I would like to keep it that way as long as I possibly can.

The name of the geekhouse road bike, the "Fast Chance," is a nod to Boston-area bike builders of the past

Q: What can we do to get people out of cars and onto bicycles?

A: I think the best way to do it is to just get more people on bicycles first on any level. I think the fixed gear boom in the cities is a good start to that. A lot more people are riding fixed gears because they are simple and require little maintenance, and now also they have become “cool” which I'm really excited about. I think that this is a good start to getting people into bikes for transportation that haven't ridden before. I hope that as these people get more into bikes, they will check out other styles and grow on the styles that they ride. I think we're already starting to see this with fixed gear people getting into touring-style rides.

Q: What else would you like to say?

A: Ya, check out our flickr and facebook for up to the day progress on what we're up to:
http://www.facebook.com/MartyWalshGeekhouseBikes?ref=profile
http://www.flickr.com/photos/geekhousebikes

Q: What do you like for breakfast?

A: Ideally pancakes. But most morning I settle for a breakfast bar and a mug of Earl Grey tea...

How to Live Well Without Owning a Car

2009-10-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

Elisa Munoz wrote a great review of the book How to Live Well Without Owning a Car, by Chris Balish. I read the article on BikePortland.org, but it was originally published on BikeSkirt.com.

I have not had the chance to read the book yet, but after reading Munoz's review, I am looking forward to it. Here are two clips from the article:

"Balish covers all the bases, talking about biking, transit, carpooling, walking, motorcycling…even inline skating! The advice is simple and well thought out. Real life examples pepper the pages, telling of suburbanites and city dwellers who went carfree for a multitude of reasons and have found success."

"Wondering how to get groceries, meds, shoes and diapers without a car? All covered in this book that I am now calling my 'non-drivers manual.' Tips on arriving fresh and maintaining good hygiene are also covered, and I found the ideas to be right on track. Dating without a car scare you? Check out Chapter 22."

Elisa Munoz (Photo by T. Scott Carlisle)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tscarlisle/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Any reference that can help me get more diapers and groceries on my bike is welcome! I cannot wait to start reading!

More Business Travelers Bring Bikes

2009-10-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

A New York Times article by Tanya Mohn describes a trend in which more travelers are bringing bicycles with them on business trips. When these road warriors arrive at their destinations, the bicycles help them to stay sharp, avoid traffic and experience foreign lands in ways which would be impossible for travelers who spend all their time in hotels, taxis and office buildings. Mohn interviewed Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists, who said, "Health, being green and, more recently, economics were among the reasons more people are cycling to work. Many riders are continuing the habit on business trips."

Christopher Bennett, a civil engineer, experiences Tbilisi, Georgia on a bicycle

The article also discusses the difficulties in transporting full-sized bicycles on airplanes, but the recent introduction of many wonderful folding bicycles allows travelers to pack high-performance machines into small suitcases. Airlines may charge extra for travelers bringing bikes on planes, but this expense can be small in comparison to the money saved by getting around on a bicycle once you have landed. Alison Chaiken, a software engineer in the San Francisco Bay area, "estimates that she saved the company hundreds of dollars by not renting a car and avoiding the high price of gas overseas. And she skirted rush-hour traffic."

We are told that the world is getting smaller all the time. Business travelers who bring their bicycles, or rent bicycles once they arrive, have the chance to expand it a bit by seeing how people live outside of office buildings and fast-food joints in destinations across the globe.

Sales Booming at U.K.'s Largest Bicycle Retailer

2009-10-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

Bloomberg just reported that bicycle sales are booming at Halfords, the United Kingdom's largest retail outlet for bicycles and car parts. Strong consumer demand for bicycles is driving the company's record profits. Sales are up 2.2%, and profit margins are up as well.

Cyclo-Commuters in London
Photo by Sara Richards

“Cycling is a good-news market,” David Wild, Halford’s chief executive officer, said in an interview with Bloomberg. “It’s in tune with health, sustainability, and the economy. We’re helping the move towards more cycling in the U.K.”

If sustainability and economic concerns are driving the growing demand for bicycles in the U.K., then we may have cause to hope that more British folks are opting to ride bicycles for their daily transportation needs. If London and Edinburgh join Amsterdam and Copenhagen in terms of becoming bicycle-oriented cities, then perhaps this trend will gain enough momentum to become a world-wide phenomenon.

Fashion Meets Function in Po Campo Bike Bags

2009-10-07T15:40:00.000-07:00

Maria Boustead and Emily Siegler have added a new twist to good, ole' American entrepreneurial spirit. They have introduced a line of bike bags that not only work well, but also look FABULOUS! According to Boustead, "Po Campo continues to place emphasis on bags that look as good on the bike as off and function equally well as both a purse and bicycle accessory."

A stylish rack bag with a clip for a blinky light. Now that's my kind of fashion statement!

The company is selling both handlebar bags ($92 MSRP) and rack bags ($160 MSRP). While they are not Walmart-cheap, they are much less expensive than a Gucci bag, and that Gucci will be destroyed if it gets chain grease on it! The Po Campo bags, on the other hand, are made with water resistant materials that "will wipe clean easily with a mild soap and lukewarm water."

Po Campo handlebar bag

All Po Campo products are made in Chicago and come with a full one year warranty. Check out their website at www.pocampo.com.

More Palo Alto Students Cycling to School

2009-10-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

When it comes to children and bicycles, most of the news we get these days seems bad. Children are becoming increasingly sedentary and obese. School districts are prohibiting bicycles for safety reasons. Parents do not have time to ride with their kids. With all these discouraging trends getting media attention, it is especially encouraging to see that the City of Palo Alto, California is proving that bicycles can be a practical, enjoyable option for school transportation.

This article in Palo Alto Online, by Chris Kenrick, describes the sustained growth in the number of Palo Alto students cycling to school over the last decade. Currently, more than half of Palo Alto elementary school students, and one third of high school students, get to school without using a car. The article discusses the city-sponsored "Walk and Roll" week which includes many activities designed to encourage more students to make the switch from cars to bicycles. It also discusses measures which can be taken to make cycling on school routes as safe as possible.

These students in Portland, Oregon show that bicycles can be a safe, fun way to get to school. Photo by Jonathan Maus, BikePortland.org. Some rights reserved.

Cycloculture salutes Palo Alto and encourages the city to publicize its many advancements in integrating bicycles into its overall transportation plans.

Bike Sharing Poised to Hit the Heartlands

2009-10-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

According to this article by Todd Erzen in the Des Moines Register, Des Moines, Iowa is poised to join visionary cities such as Paris and Denver in implementing a bicycle sharing program.

Tim Lane with a Trek city bicycle he proposes to rent from downtown kiosks. Photo by Rodney White/Register Photos

Tim Lane, of the group "Friends of Central Iowa Trails," is proposing to rent up to sixty bicycles from kiosks located in various spots in Des Moines. Apparently, traffic congestion has made it difficult to get around town. "I don't even go out for lunch because when I come back there won't be a place to park," says Lane.

Lane is looking for roughly $100,000 in start-up funding to get this project off the ground. Cycloculture wishes him the best of luck and hopes he starts a trend that takes off across the Midwest and the rest of the country!

Big Ideas from Lennard Zinn

2009-09-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

If anyone within the bicycle industry qualifies as a "Renaissance Man," Lennard Zinn does. He is a racer, writer, framebuilder, clothing designer, and component/tool engineer. When I found out he and his team at Zinn Cycles were devoting much of their time and energy to designing and building bicycles, cranksets and clothing for tall people, I was intrigued. I contacted Zinn, and he was happy to answer questions for an interview.

Lennard Zinn, Renaissance Man

Q: Why did you decide to cater so specifically to big and tall bicycle riders?

A: I originally started making big and tall bikes because I, at 6'6", felt at a big mechanical disadvantage when I was on the US National Team relative to other riders in terms of both fit and performance, particularly descending. I had won, for instance, the Durango-to-Silverton stage of the Iron Horse Classic in 1980 and had set the course record, using a Masi that was pretty stiff and descended well. In 1981, I had a different bike sponsor, and I had to let the group go when we hit the descents toward Silverton because the bike shook so bad at high speeds. I had a degree in Physics and figured I could do a better job. As long as I was limited by building with lugs, it was hard to make a bike that fit that was not also so flexy that it shimmied on descents. Eventually, using TIG welding and using larger tubes, lowering the top tube, sloping the top tube, raising the bottom bracket and using longer cranks, and adjusting the front end geometry, I was able to eliminate shimmy issues and produce consistently stiff, high-performance bikes, even for riders well over 6'8" and 250 pounds.

Q: Please elaborate on what you mean by “adjusting front end geometry.”

A: In general, I reduce the head angle to absorb more shock in the fork and select a fork rake which, when combined with the head angle and wheel radius, will give a large amount of fork trail and hence stability.

A Zinn Fassa magnesium frame

Q: How does your attitude toward big and tall cyclists fit in with your approach to the bicycle business in general?

A: In general, in this day and age, it is hard for a small builder to compete with the large companies making superlight carbon bikes, which admittedly are often extremely good bikes. This was not the case when I started my company in 1982, because at that time the top of the market was a custom steel lugged frame. Production builders were using the same tubing, but a small builder could improve on the fit, the paint, the brazing (or silver-soldering) quality and on the filing of the lugs. Now, I see the only way for a small builder like myself to succeed is to find niches where there are not those strong competitors, and since I don't see anybody else making bikes for big and tall riders that are nearly as good as ours, there's a great niche right there. I'm talking about road -- where we make custom titanium, magnesium, and steel frames for big riders, and mountain -- where we make stock full-suspension 29ers in two models in two sizes: only XXL and XXXL, as well as custom titanium, magnesium, and steel hardtails and custom titanium full-suspension 29ers. The other niche that we exceed the quality of anything else on the market is in travel bikes, especially those for tall riders. We make custom frames with four couplers (patent pending) out of both titanium and steel that break down into four pieces to easily fit a huge bike in a small 28X28X10-inch case and a stem with a coupler in it to speed breakdown and buildup yet more.

A Zinn Travel Bike, with a detail photo of the stem

Q: Other bicycle companies have indicated that their largest bicycles and frames are generally their slowest sellers. Have you found a way to entice and energize the big and tall market that others have missed?

A: We are a small company. There are plenty of tall customers to keep us busy. Especially after they've bought a bike that fit so poorly they didn't enjoy riding or one that scared the crap out of them on a descent when it started shaking uncontrollably.

Full suspension for the full-sized fella...

Q: Do you see the big and tall bicycle market as a growing market segment?

A: I don't know. I suppose so, as more tall riders discover that there are bikes that can make the sport fun for them.

Q: How do plan on helping it to grow?

A: By serving those customers well, and we do that not only with the bikes and cranks and forks we have for tall riders, but also by offering big and tall cycling clothing and big cycling shoes for both road and mountain-bike riding, we can keep tall riders happy and keep them talking to their tall friends about what's available to make riding possible for them.

Any tall person will tell you that an extra long bib is a VERY good thing

Q: Are most of the large bicycles you build mountain bikes or road bikes?

A: Both. Our sales are split pretty evenly between road and mountain bikes.

Q: Are most of them "performance" bikes or bikes built for transportation?

A: Most are performance bikes, but we are a custom builder, so we build anything the customer wants. We have built some amazing transportation bikes for tall riders for the third world and for hauling trailers, etc.

Touring bike, Zinn style

Q: What is the biggest bicycle you have ever built?

A: Probably 72cm road bikes. I have done that a few times for 7-foot riders.

Q: Tell us a bit about that project, please.

A: One that comes to mind is the bike I built for Bill Cartwright, the former 7'1" star center and later coach of the Chicago Bulls.

More Zinn clothing for the extra tall

Q: Other than your Big and Tall Bike Shop, what is Zinn Cycles up to these days?

A: Making and designing long cranks and tall bikes. And designing tools. Have you seen the Pedro's Vise Whip? I designed that tool, which revolutionizes removing a cogset, http://www.pedros.com/visewhip.html, and of course, writing my books (I just finished the 3rd edition of Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance) and writing for VeloNews.

Looooooong cranks

Q: How can we get more people out of their cars and onto bicycles?

A: Make better bike paths and make sure people know about them.

Q: What else would you like to say?

A: I have a dream job, designing, building, and riding bikes and bike equipment and writing about it. Whenever I have regrets about having quit racing so early when many of my peers went on to long careers in it, I look at the fact that I'm basically being paid to ride a bike still at age 51!

Q: What do you like for breakfast?

A: I make a smoothie with two raw eggs, a banana, apple juice, and whatever other fruit we have in the house almost every day. I've probably been doing that for 15 years and love it.

More from Minneapolis! Thoughts from Handsome Cycles

2009-02-13T12:18:00.000-08:00

Cycloculture continues our series on Minneapolis-based bicycle people with an interview of Handsome Cycle Company owners Ben Morrison and Jesse Erickson. Their "Handsome Devil" offers real-world cyclists a well-designed, versatile frame and fork for less than $400. They are also planning to expand the line of Handsome Bicycles. Given their emphases on practicality, beauty and fun, I can hardly wait to see what they come up with next.

Ben Morrison and Jesse Erickson, co-owners of Handsome Cycles

Q: Please tell us the story of Handsome Cycles.

A: We come from a small bicycle shop background. Working with the customer to find their ideal bicycle can be a difficult task. Especially when the customer has a very good idea of what they want. Many of the bikes we look at are close but lack the versatility the customer needs in one area or another. The answer is a custom build with a very versatile frameset. In comes the price tag monster. Handsome Cycles started a few years ago when we set out to tackle both of those issues. We have developed in our first offering, The Devil, a very versatile, very affordable frameset that will allow a customer to build their dream bicycle while staying in their budget. We wanted to build a bicycle that could grow with them, year after year, as they tried out a single speed, commuted to work every day, took a ride around the lakes with their children, or ran to the store to pick up a loaf of bread.

We love the classic look. We are suckers for mustaches, old-timey dress, chivalry, and clean living. We incorporated those feelings into the look of our company. That clean look is important for us in our product as well. People we talk to always want to customize their bicycles and find the pre-existing decals under the clear coat inhibiting. From the beginning, we wanted to design a frameset that was versitile to the very end. We started with the idea of delivering the product to the customer without our logo on it. We provide with our frameset a decal sheet with 4 different downtube stickers, 4 different headbadges, and The Devil logo in two different colors. Run a theme, mix and match, or leave your bicycle naked, it's up to you. We like the way our bicycle looks no matter how you decorate it. As our company motto states, "People are handsome. We make their bicycles."

Q: According to your website, you are inspired by Bridgestone Bicycles. Please elaborate on that. What specific design attributes found in Bridgestone bicycles do you find particularly inspiring? Is your appreciation based solely on product design, or were there other aspects of the company that you admired?

Methinks I see a bit of XO-1 in this Handsome Devil

A: Jesse's dad started The Alt Bike and Board in 1974. Both of us work there today. When Bridgestone was still producing for the U.S., The Alt was a huge dealer. One year the shop sold over 500 Bridgestone completes. The biggest reason they were so successful is because they just simply built the most well thought out bikes available. Another reason was that Gene Oberpriller, who ran The Alt in the 90's, was one of their pro riders. Gene now owns his own bicycle shop/coffee shop called One On One Studio in downtown Minneapolis. He is one of the people in the cycling scene here that we look up to very much. To this day everyone that either works at The Alt, or has worked there, has a true affinity for Bridgestone bicycles. The model that has really stood out for us is the XO-1. We started our design of The Devil with the XO as a template. We admire Bridgestone for making a very versatile bicycle in the XO line. The ability to morph into a city bicycle, a touring bicycle and a mountain bicycle in the same frame is what we wanted and felt that our customers would as well. We then took that template and adjusted it. We changed it to 700c wheels instead of the 26 inch that the XO-1 came with. We felt that 700c wheels are a more efficient way to go, and now a days you can get a 700c wheel that is just as strong as a 26 inch. We also changed the geometry to make it a great city commuter, touring bicycle, cyclocross bicycle, or single speed winter bicycle.

Old school...

Q: Do you sell complete bicycles or just frames and forks (or some other combination of products)? Do you have any plans to expand your product line?

A: Our first offering, The Devil is simply a frameset. The '09 Devil comes in one color, Shaving Cream. The '10 Devil will come in two color options, Shaving Cream and another classically sexy color we will announce on our website, www.handsomecycles.com, sometime this summer. Our thought process for products is see a need, fill a need. That being said we plan to get into the much neglected female market and make the Devil as a mixte frameset called the She Devil, which currently is looking like a 2011 launch. We are currently working on our second frameset, set to launch in April of '10. Sorry we cannot elaborate on that right now. There are other products in the works right now as well. We are collaborating with an excellent local product engineer on a hub and a shifter. We are always looking at the bicycle scene around us, in other markets and throughout the world for inspiration and plan to continue making handsome solutions to the problems the average cyclist faces from day to day.

Q: What frame material(s) do you use?

A: For our fames we are using 4130 double butted. It is extremely durable fairly light-weight and keeps our frameset affordable.

Q: What sets your frames apart from other steel frames available today?

A: Versatility, affordability, quality and attention to detail. We made sure that however the customer built up our bicycle, the correct cable routing was there, the dropout was the correct width (132.5), and the frame was built strong enough to handle the every day rigors of commuting and play.

A "Go-Fast" Devil shows the model's versatility

Q: Where are your bicycles made? Any plans to change manufacturing locations or add additional ones?

A: We are working with an excellent frame builder in Taiwan. They have shown us that we can produce a quality product while keeping the end price affordable for our customers. While we plan to have a long and happy relationship with our current manufacturer in Taiwan, we are looking to stateside manufacturers for the parts and accessories we are planning for the near future.

Q: How much do a "Handsome Devil" frame and fork cost? Do you see this price staying stable, or do you predict pricing fluxuations in the near future?

A: For 2009, the Handsome Devil frameset retails for $379. We plan to keep it at that price as long as humanly possible. We originally had the price set at $359. We had to change it because of escalating production and shipping costs. We are not alone. If you look at the bicycle market, just about every bicycle is going up in price at least $50 this year. So us keeping at that price as long as possible might only be for a year or two. I would say however that it will never get too much higher than where it is at, because that would defeat one of the main purposes for this frameset, which is to make it affordable.

Notice the finely-detailed printing

Q: The largest frame you make is 58cm. Do you have any plans to make larger frames in the future?

A: Yes we will eventually make it in both bigger and smaller sizes. As a small start up we needed to keep our costs reasonable, and with manufacturers minimum order requirements, it was just out of the question to do a size run of 8 or 9 different sizes. We are looking at adding a size or two for 2010, then looking at restructuring our size run for 2011 to offer 7 or 8 sizes running every 2cm.

Q: Tell us a bit about the cycling scene in the Minneapolis area, please.

A: Those who read cycling magazines, watch blogs, and talk to other cyclists in the know, have seen the Minneapolis bike scene blow up in the last few years. We have gotten a lot of press and for good reason. There are many great cycling events in Minneapolis, the city has worked hard to provide newer safer dedicated bike paths, and new companies have sprouted up offering innovative products. Although competition between shops and companies exists here, everyone is very supportive of each other. We love biking. Everyone knows how to put any competitive issues aside when it is time to ride. We are proud to be a part of this culture. We are a product of this culture.

Q: What else would you like to say?

A: The Devil frameset is slated to be available mid-April. We are currently working with shops in Minneapolis and other major cities to carry our frames. If your favorite shop does not have our stuff, feel free to encourage them to become a dealer. That being said, we are also selling them directly through our website. We can work with you to build the bike of your dreams or let you work that out on your own.

If I needed to go to a "Happy Place," this would work well

Q: What do you like for breakfast?

- I rarely have time to eat breakfast in the morning. When I do I usually slide through CRC and get a Hot 'n Ready from Hurl. -Ben

-I hardly ever eat breakfast. Does jalapeno cheeseburgers from White Castle at 3AM count? –Jesse

Civia's Scott Thayer on Bikes, Racks, Minneapolis and Bamboo

2009-01-21T12:56:00.000-08:00

From a distance, Civia bicycles look like practical, sturdy products with full fenders, chain guards and internally geared hubs. Only when one looks more closely do the subtle touches become apparent - leather saddles, bamboo fenders and slight curves to some of the frame tubes which give these bikes graceful lines. When inspected closely, it becomes obvious that Civias are not cookey-cutter transportation units. They were designed and "spec'd" by people who love bicycles and appreciate both form and function.

I wanted to know more, so I contacted the company. Scott Thayer, Civia's general manager, was kind enough to grant me an interview. Note that Civia Cycles is one of the bicycle companies operated by Quality Bicycle Products in Bloomington, Minnesota, so this interview constitutes the second installment in Cycloculture's series on bicycle companies from the greater Minneapolis area.

Scott Thayer at the top of the Bootleg Canyon Downhill runs in Boulder City, NV

Photo by Scott Thayer

Q: Who came up with the idea for Civia?

A: The idea for a transportation focused brand came from the employees of Quality Bicycle Products. After coming back from Interbike 2006, a few employees were recounting trends they saw and commuting and transportation kept coming up. We realized that many brands were starting to offer more commuting options, but few were devoting design and engineering resources to it. They would simply repurpose existing products as their new commuter.

We wanted to bring the attention to detail and engineering to transportation that was being allocated to road and mountain products.

Bamboo fenders from the Civia Loring
Photo courtesy of Civia Cycles

Q: The Loring just screams practicality. It looks like a "world bike" with modern features such as disc brakes. Can you tell me a bit about the evolution of that design? How are those bamboo fenders working out?

A: Our product design process starts out with defining who the user is going to be and identifying their experience. With the Loring, we see the user being someone that is running shorter errands or just out and about enjoying the day. They want to be able to carry things with them and not necessarily have to have planned for it by bringing a bag in advance. This is also a bike that could serve as a family bike with multiple riders.

From this scenario, we developed a bike with a comfortable, upright riding position, a practical, well-balanced front basket, a two leg kickstand for loading stability and gave the frame plenty of standover height for easy on and off. We wanted to do something fun with the details, so we went with bamboo for the racks' decking as well as the bamboo fenders. The design of the bike and the bamboo have definitely caught people's attention, as it stopped them in their tracks at Interbike.

Civia Loring

Photo courtesty of Civia Cyles

Q: Gas prices are up! Gas prices are down! Do you see the sales numbers for your bicycles move with gas prices? If so, what is the relationship?

A: We've been selling Civia product for the last 10 months. It's hard to correlate our sales growth with gas prices going up, since we launched at the time prices were starting to spike and winter coincided with them dropping. Anecdotally, we definitely noticed more people riding and strong sales with gas prices up. It's hard to know if sales have slowed due to gas prices falling, it being the middle of winter, and the economy in the tank. It's likely a combo of all three. I'm anticipating sales to pick up once spring hits, as people got into the mindset of saving money on gas by riding their bikes when fuel spiked. I bet they will continue to look for ways to be frugal in this current economic state. Bike riding is a great way to do that.

Civia Hyland
Photo courtesy of Civia Cycles

Q: Tell us about the bicycle scene in the Minneapolis area, please. There are so many people running bicycle-related businesses there, it seems as though Minneapolis has become a magnet for bicycle folks. Any thoughts as to why Minneapolis has become such a center for the US bicycle industry? Is bicycle culture part of the overall urban culture in the Twin Cities, or is it limited to a smallish group of bicycle people?

A: The bicycle scene in Minneapolis is strong and it's growing. The success of our scene is a great mix of passionate riders, selfless advocates and friends in political office. One thing I've always appreciated about the Twin Cities is how active its residents are. Spring through fall, people are outside enjoying the great weather that we have and when winter rolls around, the outdoor activities simply change to skiing, ice skating, sledding and jogging. Because of this level of activity, we have great park systems and trail connections that allow people to easily bike throughout the city. We have a growing network of dedicated bike lanes and trails. Part of this comes from a federal grant we received, and part of it comes from the support of influential politicians, such as Minneapolis mayor, R.T. Rybak, himself an avid cyclist. We also have a strong bicycle industry comprised of a mix of retail, wholesale and manufacturers that is vocal about biking.

Q: Are there any new Civia models coming out soon? If so, could you tell us a bit about them?

A: Our two models are the Hyland (700c flat bar road bike) and the Loring (26" swept back upright). We're just starting to look ahead at what's next. We've got a couple ideas that we'll be flushing out. Right now, we're not at a place where we're ready to get into details. What I do have is that we'll be displaying our 2010 product at Interbike in September and are targeting a March 2010 availability.

Civia Loring rear rack
Photo courtesy of Civia Cycles

Q: Those Loring front and rear racks with the bamboo slats look "Mm-mm good!" That porteur-style front rack looks especially practical and beautiful. Tell us a bit about them, please. It appears as though these racks are currently available on the Loring bikes, but will not be available separately until June of 2009. Is that correct?

A: The Loring comes in 3 builds. A 9 speed internally geared version that has front and rear rack. A 3 speed internally geared version with both racks and a 3 speed version base model with no racks or fenders. The Lorings will be available for sale in late April and the racks, frame and fork will be available shortly afterwards. We're thinking early June is the soonest we'll have them ready for sale.

Q: What else does Civia have in store for the near future?

A: For the future, we continue to look towards improving the offerings in bicycle transportation. There's so much that can be done to improve on what's out there, our biggest problem is what area to tackle next.

Civia Loring front rack
Photo courtesy of Civia Cycles

Q: What other bicycles do you like?

A: My background in cycling started with road bikes, added mountain bikes, and integrated commuting bikes. My tastes run the gamut. Right now, I'm really enjoying my Litespeed Niota full suspension mountain bike. I'm also a big fan of the current hand built scene. I think it's quite telling that most of the bikes being displayed at NAHBS and being raved about in magazines are variations on transportation bikes. Ultimately, what Civia is trying to do is to bring the hand built passion and style to a larger audience.

Q: What do you like for breakfast?

A: My work day routine is toast with butter and jam accompanied by yogurt and fruit. On the weekend, I sometimes get lucky and my wife will cook eggs, pancakes and veggie sausages. It's fantastic!

Bilenky Junk Yard Race

2009-01-16T12:40:00.001-08:00

Cycloculture does not generally cover the competitive side of bicycling, but when Bilenky Cycle Works hosts a race, you know it is going to be special.

Welcome to the urban jungle
Photo courtesy of Bilenky Cycle Works

Words cannot do this event justice. Click here to see the video.

Enjoy!

Capricorn Bicycles' Bradley Wilson

2009-01-04T21:54:00.001-08:00

The dead of winter seems an appropriate time to write articles on that bicycle Mecca of the North - Minneapolis, Minnesota. Cycloculture has already published interviews with representatives of two greater Minneapolis operations, Kogswell and Surly, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Bicycle companies, from giants such as Quality Bicycle Products to smaller operations such as Handsome Cycles, are thriving in greater Minneapolis, as is the regional cycloculture. What does this area have that warmer, sunnier climes are missing? With luck, the answer to this question will appear as Cycloculture chats with various figures who are part of the bicycle picture in that part of the world.

My first interview in this series is with framebuilder Bradley Wilson, sole proprietor of Capricorn Bicycles. Wilson runs a smallish operation, but when I saw his work on his Flickr page, I was instantly impressed. His frames, forks and racks appear to be well made while maintaining a sense of fun. Two very large frames he built caught my eye. His description of an off-road touring rig he fabricated caught my imagination. His very short waiting list is an added bonus.

Bradley Wilson

Q: Your prices are quite reasonable, with frames staring at $1000. How do you keep prices down?

A: My goal in starting Capricorn was to bridge the gap, so to speak, between cookie-cutter import frames and the high-end show-stoppers coming out of Portland (or thereabouts). My shop and my tools are pretty modest by industry standards and as a result I do most of the work by hand and eye, but that's how I like to work: it's the difference between manufacturing and craft. It takes a little longer, but not much; and some measurements might be off a millimeter here and there, but it's nothing I can't rectify with a couple whifs of a handfile. Paint and powdercoating are outsourced and that helps too. I couldn't even begin to imagine the costs associated with setting up my own paint shop.

Q: How is business? Are the economic woes felt by so many people effecting your business? Or do people see your bicycles, especially your utility bikes, as cheaper alternatives to SUVs?

A: Business is slow right now. I don't know if it's the threat of worldwide economic meltdown or just because it's winter, but people just don't seem to be thinking about throwing around $1000-1500 like they used to. Bicycles are definitely a cost-effective mode of transportation, but I think a lot of people looking into frames are finding much more cost-effective options like Surly, Salsa, Rawland, and Handsome. They're also Minnesota companies but the frames are made overseas, and folks won't feel bad about beating the crap out of them in winter.

Mustachioed fixie

Q: How long have you been building bikes? What have you learned about the craft over time?

A: I started building frames at Waterford Precision Cycles in the late 90's and worked there for a couple years before moving up to Minneapolis to go to school. In 2006 I had a lot of free time so I started making frames again on rough plywood and angle iron fixtures, basically relearning the whole process a step at a time. Now my shop's a little more sophisticated, and the process has evolved too and keeps evolving with each new project. Working at Waterford taught me a lot about the tools and the process, but it's a factory more or less, and it wasn't a "fun" place to work. Working on my own has been a real challenge. To know that Capricorn lives or dies by my talents or lack thereof is daunting. The craft of framebuilding is so much more than just making frames. There's cash flow to manage, inventory to stock, tools to maintain, decals to design, blogs to write... and it's more a matter of staying on top of it all.

The Capricorn "Errand Rack," designed to hold one standard paper grocery bag (or anything else you can fit)

Q: What are your favorite frames to build? What was your favorite build of all time?

A: Most of the frames that I build are single speeds or fixed gears. I like the simplicity of these and customers can build them up for significantly less than they could build up a bike with gears and shifters and what not. I love bicycles when they are simple and practical and used everyday. There's not a whole lot of sense in having a bicycle that's so expensive that you can't lock it up when you go somewhere, in my opinion. Having said that my favorite build was probably the most expensive one that I did: an off-road touring frame, with 29" wheels and custom front and rear racks for a guy that wants to do the Continental Divide Trail. Spectrum Powder Works did the paint and it's truly impressive. The build process ended up sprawling over two or three months, then it was in Colorado Springs for another two months getting paint. But it's totally unique compared to my other creations, everything about it is spot on, and the customer loves it.

Pacenti fork crown gives LOTS of clearance and note the Schmidt hub wire guides

Q: Do you travel more by bicycle or by automobile?

A: I commute by bicycle from year-round. My operating range is -15 to 110. I used to deliver coffee beans by bicycle and trailer 51 weeks a year when I worked at Peace Coffee. As far as "travel" I rode from Minneapolis to Seattle a couple years ago on an old Breezer mountain bike. I'd love to travel more by bicycle and just built myself a frame with touring in mind. But it's nice to just drive somewhere too, get there, and go out for enjoyable rides everyday. Moab's one of my favorite places to travel to. I try to get there at least once every couple years.

Q: There is so much bike stuff going on in Minneapolis. We hear all about Portland's bicycle culture, but Minneapolis seems to have an incredible number of bike companies as well. What's it like to be part of all that? Do people ride their bikes in the middle of Minnesota winters?

A: Minneapolis is a pretty decent place for a cyclist, and for a prairie/taiga town it does have a vibrant bike culture. Folks here know how to have a good time, but there's usually moderate to heavy drinking involved and I'm not sure it always works in their favor. But who am I to say? Winters here can be brutal, but there's nothing we can do about that so we ride year round. The "Stupor Bowl," the annual alleycat race is held every February. Last year something like 300 people turned out to compete, four of them riding Capricorns. It's cool to be part of something much bigger than yourself, and I forget how many people around here that I've never met know who I am or know what I do just by reputation and word-of-mouth. It's humbling. Minneapolis is unique and anomalous and shouldn't be compared to Portland, even though it always is. It seems like God's own light is shining on Portland lately and that's good. If I lived under the daily threat of volcanic cataclysm I'd probably make more of life too. But as it is, we Midwesterners are just too sensible to try to keep up.

Fork fun

Q: Do you want to grow your business? Or would that interfere with your ability to build bikes that make you happy? If you do want to grow it, what do you envision it looking like a few years down the road?

A: The bicycle industry is not one that smart people get into to make money. I've purposely kept my endeavor modest and honest because I don't want to work under the pressures of supporting employees and the schedules and expenses of a factory setting. For now I'd be satisfied with having a steady demand and always something on the cue for a few months at a time. I'd like to get to a point where expanding the operations can be an option, maybe by focusing more on a specific style of bicycle, or finding a like-minded individual to co-own Capricorn and tackle some of the business aspects that I'd consider my weaknesses. It's really hard to commit to expansion as a policy because, from my experience and observations, it invariably leads to a decrease in hands-on craftsmanship, which is the part that I really enjoy.

Q: I'm 6'6 and my weight is down to a svelte 240 lb. Do you have any special design philosophies for building bikes for large folks such as myself?

A: I've built a couple big frames: a 68cm fixed-gear commuter and a 66cm touring rig. When thinking about the design of these frames I went into it thinking about proportions. What can make this bike look "normal" instead of just big? On the fixie I used over-over-sized tubes wherever possible and gave it clearance for bigger (700x32) tires. This made for not only a stronger, stiffer bicycle, but it diminishes the "gangliness." On the touring bike I didn't have the over-over-sized option since he wanted lugs. Instead I went with the heaviest tubes available, including thick chainstays. Again it has plenty of tire clearance and a Pacenti MTB crown which is bigger than the average, plus four water bottle cages. Now that it's all built up with racks and 48cm-wide handlebars I'd say proportionally it looks like it's supposed to.

A fixie after my own heart

Q: How should we go about getting people out of their cars and onto bicycles?

A: Unfortunately I don't think people are going to abandon their cars unless it hits them economically. Commutes are too long, there's just too much stuff to buy and carry home, kids hate to exercise: the excuses go on and on. The streets are too dangerous, and I think that's the biggest problem that city planners and bicycle advocates need to address. Until driving becomes less convenient and more impeded; until cities stop sprawling and focus more on developing core communities, with distinct cultures, parks, shopping and entertainment venues; until we abandon wanton polluting as a national policy... but these are huge issues. I know a lot of people who rediscovered their bicycles this past summer, when gas prices were four dollars a gallon and I hope that trend continues. Last winter I made a frame for my girlfriend and she kept the car parked most of the summer, even riding into work at 5:30 in the morning. This winter I'm making a frame for my dad and my sister, not because I want them to ride, but because they want to. I think people are finally coming to terms with car culture here in America, symbolized perhaps by the financial problems currently experienced in Detroit.

Q: What else would you like to say?

A: Hmm... be good to each other. Expect better for and from yourself and others. Be surprising. Keep learning. Don't forget to call home once in awhile. The North American Buffalo population is on the rise and we need wild places though not necessarily to visit them. Freedom means never being in a hurry. Get more fiber, drink lots of water, and don't eat when you're not hungry.

Wilson's own "Sorta Tourer"

Q: What do you like for breakfast?

A: Usually an appetite suppressing dose of coffee, maybe a peanut butter and jelly sammy. I usually skip breakfast and get a big lunch instead.

Voice of America Reports on Rising Cyclo-Commuting Numbers

2008-09-22T15:17:00.001-07:00

No one is going to accuse the "Voice of America" (VOA) of being part of the liberal media, so it is especially encouraging to see this type of media outlet reporting on more Americans bicycling to work. The article starts by stating, "Rising gas prices and a slowing economy are forcing many Americans to leave their cars at home and find alternative methods of transportation."

A quintessentially American cyclo-commuter

Whether Americans are "forced" onto bicycles or choose them as clean, healthy transportation options, the mainstreaming of bicycle commuting is a very good thing. After the somewhat negative introduction, the article turns positive as it delves into the environmental benefits of commuting by bicycles. Gary Gardner, a senior researcher with the environmental research organization WorldWatch Institute, is quoted as saying "All of the impacts that we would associate with car use: the pollution impacts, the climate impacts, don't apply to a bicycle so there's not that kind of environmental downside."

Minnesota Congressman James Oberstar

Not surprisingly, VOA also outlines some of the ways in which the US government is supporting bicycle riders. Minnesota Congressman James Oberstar, Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in the U.S. House of Representatives, states, "We're transforming the landscape. Cities, counties, state governments, state highway transportation agencies are planning the roadways of the future and planning for bicycle facilities in dense urban areas creating bicycle lanes along with bus lanes and setting aside well marked, well protected paths for bicycling in urban centers and between communities and establishing off-road bicycle paths"

VOA, Cycloculture salutes you!

Full article here. Photos from on-line article.

"Bicycle for a Day" Comes to New York City

2008-09-11T21:34:00.000-07:00

Matthew Modine is not just another pretty face on a movie screen. He is also founder of the organization "Bicycle for a Day" (BFAD), an group dedicated to demonstrating the benefits of cyclo-commuting and other alternative forms of transportation with low carbon emissions. The group just sponsored its first major event, "Bike for a Day," on September 10 in New York City.

"Bicycle for a Day" logo

"Bicycle for a Day was founded in an effort to raise awareness of the ease and health benefits of carbon-emission-free transportation alternatives such as walking and biking, but also on a much broader level, to inspire and inform the public of the simple practices they can implement in their every day lives that would collectively have a huge impact in our fight against global warming," said Modine.

Matthew Modine

Bicycle for a day? That sounds good, but if it leads to people bicycling EVERY day, that will be even better.

See a press release for the event here.

See a related video at Amsterdamize.com.

Bicycle Use Still Increasing in the Netherlands

2008-09-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

South Africa's IOL Motoring website just reported on newly released data showing that bicycle use in the Netherlands continues to increase.

"The average Hollander cycled 902km in 2006, up 16 more than 15 years earlier, according to official statistics, and annual new bike sales rose by 80,000 in 2007 to 1.4-million."

For those readers who are metrically challenged, 902 km is 560 miles! Almost 50 miles per month! I am guessing that is... roughly... almost 50 miles per month more than the average American. Furthermore, this figure is dominated by people who use their bicycles as practical vehicles in the real world, not as recreational toys.

According to the article, this trend is driven by rising fuel prices, increasing health awareness, and mounting frustrations over traffic. "Traffic jams in the Netherlands are a major irritation. Dutch commuters travelled a combined 14.7-billion kilometres on bicycles in 2006 compared to 22-billion by public transport and 95.8-billion in cars."

Are wooden-soled biking shoes also making a comeback in Holland?
Image: AFP, from www.motoring.co.za

The article also mentions the surge in popularity of electric bicycles. "The models are becoming more attractive and the technology better. People want to avoid traffic jams and save fuel petrol and cycling 10km to work seems less intimidating with an electric bike."

I am not sure what else to add here, other than "Go Dutch!"

Huffy? Yes, Huffy!

2008-09-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

So, you are looking for a practical, reliable bicycle for the real world. You want to use your car as little as possible, so your new bicycle will need fenders and a rack so you can ride in the rain and carry groceries. Let’s take a look at your options. You could spend three to five thousand dollars on a custom bicycle from Rivendell, ANT, Bilenky, etc.. Oh, and you’d have to wait months, at a minimum. Undoubtedly, your bicycle would be wonderful, but not everyone can afford the funds or the time involved. Alternatively, you could spend less than $2000, if you were prudent and cost-conscious, in building up a frame from Kogswell, Surly or Soma. Still, not everyone has $2000 burning a hole in his/her pocket. Fortunately, you can also walk into any decent bicycle shop and ride out on a great bicycle for the real world. Even with the added expenses of fenders and rack, you could buy a wonderful bicycle for $500 or less.

The Magellan step-through model

Photo from Walmart.com

But what if $500 is still too much? If this is the case, you might consider visiting your local Wal*Mart and investing $200 in a Huffy Magellan. That’s right, the Huffy Magellan looks like a real bicycle for the real world. From five feet away, even a hard-core bicycle enthusiast would have a hard time finding major differences between this bicycle and similar offerings from companies such as Specialized and Trek.

Good Things About the Magellan:

There are plenty of things to like about the Magellan. The bike has an aluminum frame with what appear to be very good welds. Plastic fenders are included in the purchase price. These look similar to products from Planet Bike. The Magellan also comes with a rear rack which looks like it came right out of the Blackburn catalog. The low-end Shimano and SRAM drivetrain components in the 21-speed setup look perfectly functional The wheels are composed of sturdy-looking 700C aluminum rims, aluminum hubs, tires that remind me of the tires on roadster-style bicycles from India, and stainless steel spokes. The pedals have metal cages and bodies.

The Magellan comes equipped with a rear rack and fenders

Debatable Component Choices:

Some folks will like the adjustable handlebar stem, others will not. There is a steel kickstand mounted to a kickstand plate near the bottom bracket, where many frames have a chainstay bridge. The kickstand will be convenient, but it is not as nice as an alloy model from Greenfield.

The clear plastic chain guard that covers all three chainrings is intriguing. If it works well, it would provide a huge benefit to people who want to keep their pants clean. If it gets in the way of the chain, on the other hand, it could be worse than useless.

If the chainguard works without interfering with the chain, then it could be a very good thing!

I was disappointed by the suspension-style fork by Zoom. I would have preferred to see a rigid steel fork, preferably cro-moly. A nice unicrown fork would be far cheaper than the suspension fork on the bicycle, and it would improve the performance as well. However, I understand that I am not the “target customer” for this bicycle and that some market research team told those responsible for specifying components on the Magellan that they must include a suspension fork. This is unfortunate, but not the end of the world. The suspension fork will probably be viewed as a benefit to most of the people who consider buying this bicycle. If it gets them out of their cars and onto a bike, then it is ultimately a good thing.

The Bad News:

This bike has some design elements and components which scream “Cheap!” Most importantly, this is a “one size fits all” model,” and that size is “SMALL.” Both the diamond (“men’s”) and step-through (“women’s”) frames measure 16” (41cm) from the center of the bottom bracket (BB) to the top of the top tube. The measurement from the center of the BB to the top of the seat collar is 18” (46cm). The effective top tube length on both models measured out at roughly 21.7” (55cm). The adjustable stem will allow for a bit of flexibility in terms of both vertical and horizontal handlebar position, and the sloping top tube could make somewhat taller people a bit more comfortable, but the Magellan will not be a good fit for anyone over 6 feet tall.

Frame size and geometry on the step-through and diamond frames seem to be identical

Typical of bicycles sold in “big box” stores, this model comes with cheap, old-fashioned headsets and bottom brackets. The crankset had a coat of silver paint on it, making me think it was probably steel. But all the other components seemed decent.

Another real issue for consumers who are not mechanically inclined is the lack of professional assembly, and I do not consider a seventeen-year-old Wal*Mart employee with a screwdriver and a pair of pliers to be a bicycle professional. As is the case for all bicycles, if the Magellan is not assembled properly, it will not work properly. If you are intrigued by the bicycle but you do not have experience putting bicycles together, make sure to call a few of your local bicycle shops to find out how much they would charge for assembly. In all likelihood, buying a new bicycle from your local bike shop will cost about as much as buying the Magellan at Wal*Mart and having it assembled by someone who knows what he/she is doing. Plus, if you buy a bicycle from your local shop, it will come with a good warranty and one or more free tune-ups. So, if you are not familiar with bicycle mechanics, I strongly recommend you visit a reputable bicycle store and look at your alternatives.

My Discussion with a Magellan Owner:

I met a gentleman riding a Magellan outside of Trader Joe’s one day. I asked him how he liked the bicycle. He replied that he thought it was great, although a bit hard to get on and off due to the top tube on the diamond frame. When I asked him why he did not buy the step-through frame, he told me that he would be too embarrassed to ride a “woman’s” bike.

The Magellan diamond frame model

Photo from Walmart.com

He also told me that the salesperson at Wal*Mart had said that the Magellan was being discontinued. I contacted Huffy corporate headquarters multiple times to find out if this is the case, but I got no response. I noticed that the Magellan is not listed on Huffy’s website, so I fear that the gentleman I talked to might be correct. If that is the case, let us all hope that Huffy has other “urban bike” models in the pipeline.

It would have been nice to see a "Greenfield"-type kickstand, but at least the Magellan comes with metal pedals

Conclusions:

I did not ride a Magellan. If I did, my 6’6” frame would not have been able to get a good feel for how this small bike performs. Given the “down sides” I listed above, buying a Magellan would certainly involve risk, but the risk would be low. After all, the full purchase price of a Magellan is less than millions of Americans spend on gasoline in a month. Yes, the cheap headset and bottom bracket might wear out quickly, but the frame looks to be well-built, so the heart of the bicycle is likely to be sound. I do not know which factory in China built this bike, but quality control in most Chinese bicycle factories is quite good these days (see my story, “Fifteen Days in the Belly of the Beast,” for details). Decent headsets and bottom brackets are cheap, so if you have to replace the original units after a year or two, the price would not be intolerable.

The bottom line: If you have some mechanical skills and you fit the smallish frame, the Huffy Magellan could be a great bike for you at a very low cost.

Dublin's Ecocabs are Pedal Powered

2008-09-04T20:14:00.000-07:00

"Mother Proof" just ran a story by Emily Hansen on a "new twist on bicycle rickshaws." Dubbed Ecocabs, these are being used in the most congested parts of Dublin. The rickshaws are three-wheeled recumbents with a plastic or fiberglass body to protect the cabbie and passengers from the elements. These cabs can carry up to three passengers.

An Ecocab, ready for action

The body panels also serve a second purpose; they turn the Ecocabs into rolling billboards. The money paid by advertisers fully funds the Ecocab program, which allows passengers to use these vehicles free of charge.

While I shudder at the thought of yet another form of corporate marketing forcing its way into my life, I would make an exception in this case. If Ecocabs came to my home town, I would welcome them with or without ads.

A Tribute to "Forever" Bicycles

2008-09-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

Shanghai is embracing "modern life" with what seems to be reckless enthusiasm to an outsider such as myself. Everywhere one looks in that city, one sees new buildings, new cars and a citizenry passionately embracing a new way of life.

So, I took some comfort in seeing an article by Nie Xin in the Shanghai Daily which looked back fondly to the days when "old fashioned" bicycles ruled the roads of this city.

A lovely roadster by the Shanghai Forever Bicycle Company

"For decades, China has been associated with bicycles. Even today, for most foreigners, the image of hundreds of cyclists in the streets still symbolizes the country."

Products made by the "Forever" played a key role in raising the bicycle to the position of dominance it has held for so long in China. The article quotes 57-year-old Gao Guozheng as saying, "About 30 years ago, during the 1970-80s, a Forever men's bike or a Phoenix ladies' bike was one of the must-haves when you wanted to get married. They were regarded as one of the 'old four articles.'" The article goes on to explain, "The other three were a Red Light radio, a Shanghai watch and a Butterfly sewing machine."

The original Forever bicycle model was named "The Iron Anchor." Ah, to live in a society that valued the solidity of a bicycle over such petty concerns as weight...

Does This House Come with Bike Lanes?

2008-08-30T20:32:00.000-07:00

Whitney Malkin just wrote an encouraging piece for the Huffington post. It seems that a growing number of home buyers are demanding more than good schools and safe streets when they purchase a house. They also want to live in bicycle-friendly neighborhoods.

"With gas prices high, bicycles flying out of stores and a buyer's market for houses, a handful of real estate agents around the country are touting the two-wheeled appeal of their listings."

We don't need no stinkin' driveway
Photo from a related story on ABC News,
courtesy of Pedal To Properties

Kirsten Kaufman, a Portland real estate agent, takes this concept very seriously. She gives clients the option of visiting houses by bicycle. "The mother of three started hosting bike tours earlier this summer, doling out energy bars and apricots to a growing tail of clients whose passion for pedaling weighs heavily in their choice of homes."

Once again, it appears that Portland is at the forefront a bicycle-friendly trend. Real estate agents in Colorado and other areas have also started showing houses by bicycle recently. Let us all hope that the rest of the country picks up on this concept.

Taiwan Exporting More Bicycles

2008-08-29T08:24:00.000-07:00

As mainland China grew into a manufacturing powerhouse in the 1990s, Taiwan's bicycle industry suffered. As exports from China grew, exports from Taiwan's bicycle factories dropped from roughly 1o million units per year to roughly 5 million.

That trend may be reversing itself, or at least stabilizing. Taiwan has been successful in establishing itself as a relatively low-cost source for mid-to-high end bicycles. Quality controls in certain Taiwanese factories meet or exceed those of factories anywhere else on the planet. The quality of Chinese-made bicycles has improved dramatically over the last several years, and mainland China is increasingly proving that its factories can accomplish relatively complex manufacturing processes. However, most experts in the bicycle industry still believe that Taiwan has more capabilities in terms of building top-tier bicycles.

An assembly line at Giant Bicycle's factory in Taichung, Taiwan
Photo from Reuters Pictures

The recent surge in commuter bicycle sales in the USA and Canada may have contributed to the 19% increase in Taiwan's bicycle exports to North America during the first 6 months of 2008. Sales numbers grew from 325,745 during the first half of 2007 to 386,671 during the same period this year. As consumers look for bicycles to replace their gas-guzzling automobiles, many are willing to pay higher prices to purchase bikes that are attractive, efficient and accessorized to meet their commuting needs.

This trend is described in detail in a recent press release by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA).

Pedicab Companies Use the DNC to Test the Market

2008-08-27T08:24:00.001-07:00

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal (WSJ) ran an interesting article about pedicabs at the Democratic National Convention (DNC). The author, Kelly Spors, discussed historical precedents for using large, public events like the DNC to "test the waters" and get s0me data as to whether an idea is likely to catch on with the general public.

"Ice cream cones and X-ray machines were popularized at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. Will 'pedicabs' – those passenger carts pulled by bicycle riders – be mainstreamed by the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver?"

Pedicabs, a.k.a. "bicycle rickshaws"
Photo from the Wall Street Journal, by Getty Images

A large element of the current "Democratic message" revolves around environmental issues, so the DNC should provide pedicab operators with a very friendly customer base. Photo opportunities of delegates spurning gasoline-burning cabs in favor of pedal-powered transportation could be valuable to those seeking to enhance their "green" image. If pedicabs can operate profitably at this venue, entrepreneurs may be encouraged to open pedicab businesses at other locations.

After yesterday's rant about the recent WSJ article on the lack of recreational bicycling in China, I was glad to see them redeem themselves with this positive coverage of bicycles (okay... tricycles in this case) as a practical mode of transportation.

Stephanie Simon, also working for the WSJ, wrote a related article.

WSJ News Flash! Chinese People Ride Bikes to Work!

2008-08-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

In his Wall Street Journal article, "Chinese Still Bike for Life, Not Sport," Hiroko Tabuchi scoops all others with his revelation that, in China, the bicycle is still considered a practical vehicle. It appears those poor, backward folk have not yet realized that the true purpose of a bicycle is to serve as a piece of exercise equipment or a toy.

Have no fear! Companies such as Trek are coming to China's rescue! The big bicycle companies are organizing recreational bike rides and other events designed to show the local people the light. The Olympics also served as a widely viewed showcase for road, track, mountain and BMX racing. Despite soaring gasoline prices, we Westerners may be able to convince China that bicycles are for playing while cars and trucks are for commuting.

The trike will have to do until he can afford his F350

Alright... I suppose I should get my tongue out of my cheek, but this article really got on my nerves. Tabuchi's position was probably not as demeaning to real-world bicycle riders as I might have suggested. Still, in a world in which bicycles are rapidly gaining popularity as a serious transportation alternative, the Wall Street Journal should wake up and smell the coffee. Bicycles... They're not just for lycra-clad fashionistas anymore.

NPR Does a Nice Piece on Electric Bicycles

2008-08-25T20:44:00.001-07:00

NPR's "All Things Considered" just ran a very nice story on electric bicycles. The story focused on interviews with "normal folks" in San Fransisco. Aging baby boomers tell tales of conquering hills which would have been impossible for them on regular bicycles or of getting startled looks from fit, young bike messengers as the "old folks" zip past them.

The piece also pokes a bit of fun at bicycle shop employees with shaved legs who "Look at us in pity and say 'No, we don't have anything like that,'" when asked about electric bicycles.

An e-bike by "OHM"

This is another good example of the positive media coverage bicycles and e-bike are receiving these days. Bravo NPR!

Cyclo-Commuting Numbers Continue to Rise

2008-08-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

Not only are more people bicycling to work these days, but more media outlets seem to be paying attention to this trend. If this keeps up, cyclo-commuting could become a mainstream affair in American society in no time!

Jane Whitehead's recent article in the Boston Globe demonstrates both of these trends. In this piece, she chronicles the commutes of several Boston-area cyclists while touching on some of the numbers indicating a substantial increase cyclo-commuting over the last few years. She also talks to various people in the bicycle industry about sales increases in bicycles and accessories, increased demand for training in bicycle maintenance, advocacy efforts, etc. It is an informative, well-written article.

Jocelyn Gaudi of Medford, MA cyclo-commutes 20 miles each day
Photo by Pat Greenhouse/Boston Globe Staff

But the article is also important above and beyond its specific content. The more positive media coverage is given to increases in cyclo-commuting, the more acceptance bicycles could gain within the American commuting population. Whitehead's article presents cyclo-commuting as healthy, safe and fun. It may act as a wonderfully inspiring piece to someone who has been considering ditching his/her car, but needed an extra shove to turn intentions into actions.

Bravo Ms. Whitehead! Keep up the good work!

Bikes Being Bumped Off Bay Area Trains!

2008-08-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

Today at MercuryNews.com, there was an article by Shaun Bishop describing the difficulties faced by Bay area commuters who try to combine cycling with riding on "Cal Trains."

"Incentives are also driving more commuters out of their cars and into the trains, causing a logjam inside to rival the gridlock on nearby Highway 101... And when push comes to shove, it's the bicyclists who get left behind - or, in Caltrain parlance, 'bumped.'"

A cyclo-commuter boards a Cal Train with a bicycle
Photo by Gary Reyes / Mercury News

When the trains are full, the number of bicycles allowed on each train is reduced. Caltrain is starting to consider building bicycle lockers or starting a bicycle sharing program, but the commuting population is demanding a simpler answer - more trains! However, tight budgets and governmental bureaucracy are likely to make any of these options difficult to implement.

It is a difficult situation. On one hand, increased train ridership is a very, very good thing. On the other hand, anything that discourages dual-mode commuting with bicycles and public transportation should be viewed as a significant problem. Perhaps this scenario gives us a glimpse at some of the difficulties our society will face as personal automobile use decreases over the next decades.

An Interview with Grant Petersen

2008-08-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

I first learned of Grant Petersen’s work while he was with Bridgestone in the 1980s and 90s. I was working at a bicycle shop, and I sold lots and lots of the bicycles he designed. In a world of cookie-cutter models, Bridgestone bicycles dared to be unique. At any given price point, they tended to favor well-designed frames and sensible components over whatever parts were trendy at any given moment. People who bought Bridgestones from me saw the value in Petersen’s design philosophy.

After Bridgestone closed its bicycle operation in the USA, Petersen founded Rivendell Bicycle Works in 1994. Since then, they have been designing and selling wonderful bicycles, made with lugged-steel frames and equipped with components that make sense. The company also sells a wide variety of practical parts and accessories designed for use in the real world.

I asked Petersen for an interview, and he accepted. I sent him questions and he e-mailed back thorough, extensive answers within two days. I was impressed, but perhaps I should have expected this; Petersen loves what he does, and he has developed a wide range of ideas about bicycle design, the bicycle industry, and other aspects of practical riding. I am grateful that he shared his thoughts with Cycloculture with such enthusiasm.

Petersen on his version of a “Recreational Vehicle”

Q: What are the fundamental design elements of a bicycle that performs well?

A: In any vehicle the performance is in the engine, and that’s up to the rider, not the bike designer. Is a 16-pound bike that can’t take a 28mm tire or a fender or a gouge without being dangerous a “high performance bike?” It’s light and severely limited, that’s it. It won’t perform well on a rough road, or on a wet road, and it isn’t designed or expected to last ten years under the weight of a 180-pounder. Yet that’s what people think of when they hear “high performance,” which is why I’m not a fan of “high performance bikes.”

If the question was “What are the fundamental design elements of a useful, comfortable bike?” I’d say things like a good fit to the rider, the ability to get the handlebar at least as high as the saddle, and “saddle height” shouldn’t be the ceiling.

If it’s a mostly-road bike, it should fit a tire 38mm wide, and with a fender. Most racy-style riders consider 28s fat, but that’s ridiculous. Air is light, free, and wonderful, and the current rage of 23mm tires pumped up to 125psi misses the original point of the pneumatic tire. They’re like light rocks.

A Rivendell Mixte

The frame should be steel, because steel is the safest and best material for bike frames, and the joints are lugged, because lugs are the best way to join tubes. Steel always ages well, even paint ages well. Titanium is a good material, too, but it stays the ghosty same forever, and to some people that’s good, and to others it’s creepy. Anyway, you can’t just take a good material – steel or Ti or whatever, and make a skinny-tire, low-handlebar frame and call it “good.” What’s it good for? If it doesn’t fit, it if isn’t useful beyond racing or some weekend warrior’s fantasy racing and if the buyer doesn’t race, then it’s a nice bag without a bottom to hold anything.

Some of this is just personal preference, and talking about preferences like this comes off as snobby, or trying to impose your values on others, as though they’re the right values. That’s not my intention. I can impose those things on the Rivendell bikes, and I do. I like forks that bend low and tight, with a constant radius, and it’s hard to get that. At certain price points, you can’t. It can’t be done in Taiwan – that I know for a fact, but it doesn’t make the Taiwan bikes ride worse. I don’t have any experience with Chinese bikes, but I don’t see it happening there either, because the process that results in the kind of bent we aim for is a tedious process that quadruples the length of time to make the fork, literally, and when your market isn’t demanding it, there’s no reason to do it.

For the rest of the bike, my preference is for an overall appearance that’s spindly and bird-like, and the decals should be easy to read and basically plain, with some fanciness but not too much, and simple paint jobs. It’s not “high performance,” or “sexy” in the way that revs up the 20-something bike magazine editors, but it’s a useful bike that’ll be safe for many years, and will age well.

Q: Do you have a favorite bicycle in your collection? If so, please describe it.

A: I like all my bikes, or I wouldn’t have bought them. I do buy them, by the way, and I’m not rich, so I can’t buy indiscriminately. I don’t think I have a favorite. I’m riding an A. Homer Hilsen a lot, and a Bombadil prototype, and my old custom with the 71.5-degree seat and 85mm of drop. I experimented with it, and found out some limitations of Shimano front derailleurs from it, but – well, I also love my Atlantis, with Albatross bars, and my Mercian tandem. They each have a specialty, but they all work well for lots of things.

Q: My favorite bicycle is my old Kabuki/Bridgestone Skyway 12, which I have set up as a commuter/shopping bike. The frame is made from high tensile steel tubing with bulge-formed lugs, but the geometry is wonderful. It is a 67cm frame with a 61.5cm top tube, so someone put some thought into the frame design. This bicycle proves to me that a bike can be both inexpensive and wonderful. I think that model was released before you joined Bridgestone, but please correct me if I am wrong. In any case, while you worked for Bridgestone, you designed some remarkably great bicycles with low price tags, such as the BUB and the MB6. Is there any chance that you will design and market Rivendells which are even less expensive than the $750 (for frame and fork) Bleriot?

A: Yes, before my time, but I’m familiar with the bike and the bulge-formed lugs and all. I’m shocked that you got a 67, because I didn’t know you were that tall – 6’4” at least – and I didn’t know B’stone made them that big. [Editors note: I am 6’6” and extremely grateful that B’stone made some large road bikes “back in the day.”]

A bike or frame’s cost is mostly in the labor, not the design. The dollar is weak, and labor rates all over are going up, and transportation costs and other boring things affect bike prices just the way they affect everything-prices, and in 2009, bike prices are going to either jump up 25 percent, or the manufacturers are going to look for more ways to cut costs.

In our case, the cost of Japanese-built frames rules out selling them wholesale to dealers. We could sell at our cost and the dealer margins still wouldn’t be satisfactory. Everybody wants to be the last guy to buy at the old low prices, but these days, a bargain on a bike means that somebody along the way lost money on it. If bikes are your deal, pay what it takes.

A Rivendell Bleriot

Q: Imagine a world in which you could build bicycle wheels of any size at the push of a button. Is there a formula or a process by which someone could calculate the perfect wheel size to match any given frame size and intended purpose for each bicycle?

A: Well, the “perfect wheel size” implies some kind of sweet-spot performance boost that’ll come of it… or maybe I’m inferring that. Wheels go like this: Smaller is stronger, bigger rolls over bumps easier. Smaller tread gets more wear because the tires roll around more often. In the end, I’d say “the perfect size” would be the one that allowed the most pleasing bike proportions – for instance. I don’t mean to say aesthetics should drive everything, but the actual performance differences between 650B and 700C, for instance, are hard to nail down. You may prefer one or another for emotional or romantic or traditional reasons, or because you swear to God you can detect a favorable nuance in one and not the other, but chances are you’ve had some wonderful rides on both, and so you actually could defer to the super-subjective area of aesthetics.

Right now, if you get a 51cm 700c bike, the head tube is dinky. The frame is well-triangulated, which is good, but the head tube is too dinky. And on your Kabuki, the head tube is really long, and you lose triangulation and gain some kind of funny look there. And, if the bike is in the high-60s, it seems the wheels should be bigger than 700c, maybe even three inches bigger across. Big bikes grow in height way more than they grow in length and wheel size, so the proportions are completely different than they are for small-to-medium bikes. If I were rich, I’d get those wheels made and design big bikes, and I mean bikes in the super high 60s and low 70s, with lengths in proportion to their heights, and arrange for the wheels to match.

You know, things get wacky on small bikes, too. On a small, low-to-the-ground bike with small wheels, you have to counter the tendency of the bike to fall fast, which is what small bikes do, like a short pencil stub trying to balance on your finger, compared to a long rod. Plus, they react more dramatically to wind and road influences, and the usual result is a snappy little pinball on wheels. The best way, I think, to fix that is with a long wheelbase, usually in the back half of the bike. You can’t create a long front-center without making the bike nutty forward of the bottom bracket, but you can absolutely just lengthen the chainstays and make the bike less jerky that way. There are no drawbacks, either. We did this on a 48cm custom bike with 26-inch wheels and 46cm chainstays, and it works great.

A really large A. Homer Hilsen frame with twin top tubes

There’s also a more practical side to it that most riders who don’t design bikes aren’t aware of, and that’s the angle formed by the seat tube and down tube. Like, on your monster Kabuki, it has a 61.5cm top tube, for instance. Well, if you need a bike that big and you have three-speed style bars that sweep back, you could probably survive even better with a 65cm top tube. I’m not saying your bike doesn’t fit, I’m just using it as an example. But, with a 65cm top tube, the seat-tube to down-tube angle would open and would have ruled out any bottom bracket Bridgestone had access to. Or it may have required it’s own special box, or something. Sixty one and a half on a 67 seeeems a little out of proportion, just a hair. I’m guessing. But the bike speaks for itself, and I’m being the way I don’t like others to be –letting the numbers define the bike. I’m sorry! [Editor’s note: Petersen is, not surprisingly, “right on the money” in this response. The top tube on my Kabuki is too short, but it is far better than the old 67cm Fuji frames which had 59cm top tubes. I even had a 67cm “Terranaut” with a 56cm top tube at one point! When I designed my own frame, I spec’d a 63.5cm top tube and I certainly could have gone a bit longer.]

Q: Do you have a long-term plan for Rivendell? How do you see Rivendell progressing over the next 5, 10 or 20 years?

A: There are certain things that I want to accomplish while I’m here, and I’ve done some of them. It seems like lugged steel bikes have become art objects, and I’d like to make some that medium people can afford and ride. But as I said, that’s hard to do, and it’s especially hard to do Not in China, and the only thing we sell from China is a measuring tape. But – I want to have more Taiwan-made bikes, three or four models, so you don’t have to be rich to buy one. And I’d like to have a lugged tandem. I want to introduce a new wheel size that’ll be misunderstood from the start and raise a ruckus among those who don’t understand it.

I feel most strongly about racing’s influence on bikes and on riding, and the perception of riding among non-riders who might want to start, and somehow, I don’t know how, I want to influence a trend toward just riding. Not putzing around, necessarily, but a kind of riding that’s acceptable to most people, that isn’t redlining your heart rate and keeping it there long, and going faster than comfortable and longer than comfortable. Just riding like kids ride, but as adults; wearing clothes that work but don’t look the racing part. I want that to happen, and Rivendell doesn’t have to lead the charge, but I want us to play a role.

I would like to retire in 2018 or so. I’ll be 64 then, and that’ll be enough. I may not be able to afford to, but if I can, I’d do it, and Rivendell would keep going. It’s hard to talk about ten years from now, because you know, every month is a struggle. Not every day, but every month.

There’s a lot of work to do, and I’m not all that organized. I want to do a nice lugged tandem, and I want to establish some solid vendors, so when I’m not here, whoever is working on the bikes will have an easier time of it.

We have a good group here, and I want them to continue to want to work here, and I’d be sad if I thought my leaving would kill the company. I don’t manage the day-to-day, but I work here and do some stuff that everybody else does, and some things that only I do, and I want to shift the ratio. We have people here who could take over, easily, and if that’s what they want to do, that’s what I’d like to happen.

Eventually, Sara Lee or Beatrice Foods buys everything and turns it into a women’s clothing supplier, but not while I’m alive, anyway, and I plan to live to 85.

Rivendell’s Logo

Q: What is your favorite part of running a bicycle company?

A: "Running" would get a laugh from anybody who works with me, but I know what you’re asking, and the answer is developing the bikes and getting happy people on them. I like getting somebody who loves to ride but has been uncomfortable on a 56 onto a 61, or whatever size here fits him.

And I like the Reader, but I hate laying it out, but we just got a new guy here, Dave, to help with that. I like the people I work with. There’s no politics, no backstabbing, no nervousness. We have a vast range of personalities and histories, but everybody is really, really good at what they do – at what their main job is, anyway. We all do many things, but everybody has a specialty.

Q: What is your least favorite?

A: I don’t like the fame and the fallout from being semi-famous and stating a point of view that inadvertently but inevitably steps on somebody’s toes or challenges their long-held beliefs, and the next thing you know they think I’m a jerk. It makes me want to die, or at least quit, and it happens a lot. I don’t like people talking about me behind my back, but it happens constantly, and I hear about it from well-meaning people who “think I should know” that somebody on some chat group is mad at me or something. I’d much prefer to be anonymous, which is why my photo hardly ever shows up, except when it has to.

And I don’t like being misrepresented or misunderstood. I feel like I’m stuck because the business (and the Rivendell Reader) depend on me being public with these points-of-view, but they’re points-of-views that make people not like me, and that is a drag. They don’t know me, but they know they don’t like me because I like lugs and steel and they think that means I think they’re dumb for riding something else…or something.

My friends know I’m scared to death of carbon forks, because they fail so suddenly and so frequently, but if I say that on some kind of stage, then everybody who makes them for living or sells them or just bought a bike with one will – well, they’ll all gang up on me and call me names, and that hurts.

A stock Rivendell frame being brazed in Japan

Q: Do you have any favorite frame builders, other than those used by Rivendell? Which other people in the bicycle industry do you respect to an especially high degree?

A: I don’t like the question much, because if I name names but leave one off, that guy gets bummed. I got bummed when a friend and famous builder posted a link on his site to other frames, and we weren’t listed. I know he didn’t mean anything by it, but it hurt my feelings, and I don’t want to do that.

I like that there are more lugged steel frames out there. I would like to see more steel bikes of any kind sold in normal bike shops, but “steel” means “death” to a typical modern bike retailer. All people know is they don’t want steel, and carbon is cool.

One company I like that doesn’t make lugged frames, is Surly. I like that they’re making useful bikes affordable for anybody. They’re plain and smart, down-n-dirty or at least frill-less, and there’s nothing stupid about them. These days, that’s saying a lot. Soma is less well-known, but has done the same in a smaller way. The Fuji Touring bike has certain things going for it that are good and surprising, for being a big company bike in the year 2008.

Q: You were one of the world’s biggest proponents of moustache handlebars for many years. I have not heard you say much about them lately, nor have I seen as many moustache-bar-equipped Rivendells as I would have expected. What are your current thoughts on moustache bars and handlebar types in general?

A: I love the bar, and I have it on one bike. When I get a Bombadil, it’s going on that. You’ve got to get it high enough and close enough, but when you do, I think it’s as good as any bar out there. Drop-bar fans felt threatened by it, as though it was trying to lure them away from drops, and it’s not. It pretty much is a drop bar, just one that’s been run over by a truck. You still get the curves that give you the hand positions. We sell a few hundred a year, maybe almost 300. That’s not bad. That style of bar has been around since 1907; I didn’t invent it. But the one we sell – the one I designed for the Bridgestone XO-1 – is a really nice variant.

Nitto “Moustache” handlebar

I like drops, Moustache h’bars, and Albatross-style bars, with a sweep-back and a rise. If I had one bar to ride forever, it would be an Albatross bar. I have it on two bikes now, including a tandem, and I imagine it’ll be the only bar I’ll be comfortable on when I’m old. Also, I’ve been saved by Albatross bars two or three times when I’ve had injuries, so I will never forsake that bar.

Nitto “Albatross” handlebar, CrMo (Rivendell also sells an aluminum version)

I’m not a fan of straight handlebars, like normal mountain bike bars. I think they’re fine, but the wrist position isn’t normal. I like flat ramps on drop bars – the ramp being the part just behind the brake lever.

Q: Do you see any newly developed bicycle parts or components which are catching your eye?

A: Tektro is coming out with wide-opening sidepulls that open wide and clear huge road tires – up to 37mm – and these brakes are totally underappreciated. The Silver brakes started it, and then without any provocation (that part’s a guess) they redesigned some of their other brakes and put on the same kind of quick-release, and I think it’s just fantastic.

Panaracer got behind the 650B resurrection, and now others are doing them, too. Velocity made rims when nobody else would, and now there are plenty. It’s a good time for leather saddles. Chris at Velo-Orange is doing great things, interesting and helpful things. Jan Heine continues to make his mark. Kogswell has some neat bikes. Kirk Pacenti is making progress with knobby 650Bs, and whether you agree with that or not (I do, I like it), it’s doing something, it’s contributing. Schwalbe tires are killer. Nitto is still around, making the best of everything. I like the major cargo-hauler bikes, like the Xtra Cycle and the bikes that followed it – Surly’s Big Dummy, and the Ritchey Africa coffee bike, that kind of thing. They’re extreme in a way that makes them not most people’s first choice, but they expand the bike’s potential to new, non-racing ways, and I am all for that.

The “traditional” or classical or snooty or nose-in-the-air bike market or whatever you want to call it, with the burnished wood and wool and fleur-de-lis this and that can get testy and territorial, because there’s this false notion out there that we’re in a niche market, some kind of weird fringe. I don’t see it that way at all. I think the normal bikes are the weird fringe, and these are the bikes that appeal to most people, but they have to be exposed to it, and that’s not happening in the normal bike shops and the normal media. The slicks cover these bikes now and then, when they want to dwell on some nostalgic aspect of them, or the “art” involved, but turn the page and it’s back to carbon fiber, 15.9 pound reality. [Editor’s note: The “slicks” are the major commercial bicycle magazines]

A well-designed and well made, properly fitted and rigged-up lugged steel bike is nearly perfect, but perfection or 'near perfection' or anything like that still can't compete with the endorsement of pro racers and the other things that make single-purpose ridiculous bikes so popular – national distribution, advertising, glowing reviews in the big bike magazines who are supported by the manufacturer's advertisements, and so on.

Tektro “Big Mouth” brake, with 73mm of reach

Q: Any disappointments, parts-wise?

A: I’d like to see Shimano make bike parts that are less extreme. They’re all fringe, everything they do. Extreme fringe racing, extreme fringe downhill, extreme fringe commuting, with the Coasting group and stuff. I’d like to see Shimano make a nice touring or useful road group, based on old things they’ve already done (like the Deore XT crank of 1987 or so), and then add some useful sidepulls or even centerpulls, with reaches in the mid-60s. Market it as a group, and the big makes would design bikes around it, and those bikes would be useful, really nice. Shimano makes wonderful parts, but most of the parts are based on racing or wannabe-racing, or some ultra-techno futuristic commuting fantasy.

Q: Rivendell has been selling the Atlantis for a long time. Are sales on this model rising, falling or staying steady? To what do you attribute this model’s longevity? Any upcoming changes proposed for the Atlantis?

A: It’s a durable bike in our line because it’s useful and we keep it around. It’s hard to not like it – it rides fine, it can fit a huge range of tires, and you can rack and fender it with ease. A bike like that deserves to live, so I don’t kill it. Sales are steady, hardly changing year to year. If we always had them in stock we’d be able to sell 230 of them a year, but it’s often out of stock, so we sell around 150, I think.

The new Bombadil may take some sales away, but as long as I’m here we’ll have an Atlantis, and the stock color will stay the same. We may be selling more A. Homer Hilsens now, though. Just by a little.

Rivendell Atlantis

Q: Do you have something against the letter “e?” But seriously, are there any plans for new contests in the “Rivendell Reader” once we have gotten rid of all those dreadful “e”s in The Raven?

A: I’m a huge fan of the fifth letter, but I’m also a huge fan of writing around it, and I used to think I was good at it, until our customers started submitting their e-free Raven verses, and they put me at the back of the class.

I don’t use “very,” though. I’m not against it, I don’t hate or condemn it, but I don’t think I’ve used it publicly in writing in the past 14 years. Maybe I have, but I don’t think so. It’s a good word to write around. Now it’s a habit and I don’t think about it.

I’m not a mathematician or a scientist, and I’m not a good writer, but I’m comfortable with words, and I like goofing around with them some. I love poetry, certain kinds. I like Poe, Kipling, Wordsworth, Byron, Coleridge, Elizabeth Barret Browning, Emily Dickenson. I’m always memorizing one poem or another, even long ones. Certain poems, or certain parts of them just make me so happy I want to scream, and it’s especially neat when it’s a poem from 1799 or 1816 or 1848, and you think, “That poet would like to know that the words are sticking, still.” If you don’t like Kubla Khan, The Idiot Boy, The Prisoner of Chillon, and To a Young Ass, and Christabel, then – well, that’s OK, but how can you not? They’re so, so beautiful, and it is neat to think that they’re all written with just 26 letters, and the letters are just curved lines on a page that make us utter this or that, and communicate through the years and centuries.

Cycling apparel, Rivendell-style

Q: What else would you like to say?

A: I’m 54 and looking back. My oldest daughter is a sophomore in college, my young one is an eighth grader. My marriage is terrific. I’m undereducated and am lucky that I can make a living. There are so many things I can’t do that I wish I could, and things I wish I knew more about. I wish I’d paid more attention in school, and I’m glad my girls do. I wish I could read 2 hours a day, but I’m lucky to get in an hour. I love books and bikes, and thank goodness for Rivendell, because I have a family I need to support, and without it, I’d be spec’ing comfort bikes for some market-driven bike maker somewhere, and it would make me really sad.

Q: What do you like for breakfast?

A: Today I had red snapper and blueberries, but my favorite is fried salmon, walnuts, and blueberries, and I eat that at least twice a week, and often three. My daughters don’t eat that way and don’t like the smell of fish, so I fry it in the backyard on my small camping stove. My dog always gets some. I’m trying to get her off of normal dog food, with all the cereal. Dogs are modern wolves, but they have the same needs and physiology of the cave-wolves, and they seem to prefer meat.

Electric Bicycles Taking Over Europe!

2008-08-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

Business Week just published an article by Emma Vandore, describing the surging popularity of e-bikes in various countries in Europe. In France, Germany, the Netherlands and other countries, e-bike sales are up dramatically from a year ago. The article states that "electric bikes are one of the hottest buys in Paris this summer."

To some extent, the surge in popularity is due to the availability of less expensive e-bikes manufactured in China. "The Chinese bikes are less than half the price of Italian ones, and clearly that makes a difference to a lot of people," explains Alberto Antonelli, a bike shop owner in Italy.

The "A2B" electric bicycle by Ultra Motors

Per the article, China exported three million electric bicycles in 2006, and numbers have grown substantially since then.

The article also states that roughly 10,000 e-bikes were sold in the USA in 2007. However, I have heard from other sources that Currie Technologies alone sold 40,000 e-bikes, mostly through "big box" stores such as Walmart, in the USA last year.

The article concludes by quoting a shop owner who states that e-bikes are only the beginning of the revolution and that people are waiting for electric cars. Fiddlesticks! E-bikes are far more efficient as well as being better for people and the planet. Let the revolution center on them!

Washington D.C. Launches Bicycle Sharing Program

2008-08-13T11:51:00.001-07:00

Washington D.C. is now the only city in the USA to offer a bike-sharing program. For an annual fee of $40, anyone 18 or older can gain access to 120 bicycles located in ten different locations across the city. The bicycles can be checked out in three-hour increments using the card issued to plan participants.

The bicycles are rugged-looking three-speeds with fenders, bells and a chain cover that provides good protection. They have integrated front racks which look as though they could carry a large briefcase or a small suitcase.

One of the "Smart Bikes" in D.C.'s bike sharing program
Photo from smartbikedc.com

Compared to Paris, which has 20,000 bicycles available through its own bike-sharing program, D.C.'s pilot program seems modest, but such programs must start somewhere. Cycloculture will be watching this effort carefully. Will it be the start of a new trend? Or will the shared bicycles disappear over the first few weeks? Bicycle advocates across the nation will be keeping our fingers crossed.

Full story here.

Accident Insurance for Cyclo-Commuters?

2008-08-12T20:31:00.000-07:00

According to an article by Yoon Ja-young in the Korea Times, there is a big push underway in South Korea to get accident insurance coverage for bicycle riders.

The article states, "Cyclists have been marginalized from insurance coverage.... Bicycles are categorized as cars according to traffic law, and are subject to the same regulations as cars in case of accidents. If a cyclist collides with a pedestrian on a sidewalk or bicycle path, for example, the cyclist is liable. Cyclists might face criminal charges as they are not insured. Consequently, an increasing number of cyclists have been calling for insurance products."

Cycists in South Korea
Photo from AP by Ahn Young-joon

There are many problems with insuring cyclists. "There is also skepticism whether bicycle insurance would work. Insurers may be reluctant to sell the policies due to a relatively high loss ratio. Samsung Fire and Marine Insurance, for example, launched a product for bicycle riders in 1997, but suspended it after a few years due to growing insurance money payouts... Though bicycles are more vulnerable to accidents, ascertaining who is responsible for an accident isn't always clear. Since bicycles are not registered, the potential for fraudulent claims is high."

The thought of "cycling insurance" leaves me feeling conflicted. On the one hand, it would be nice to be covered for damage I might do in an accident. On the other hand, one of the wonderful things about riding is getting away from the whole automotive bureaucracy that squeezes so much cash out of so many people. Furthermore, I strongly suspect that if cyclists CAN buy accident insurance in the USA, it will not be long before some lobbyist pushes for a law that requires cyclists to do so.

Pittsburgh Trying to Make Cycling Safer

2008-08-11T17:32:00.000-07:00

Pittsburgh is seeking to make cycling safer and more convenient. A recent article in the Pittburgh Business Times describes some of the measures the city is taking as they prepare to apply for "Bicycle Friendly Community Status" from the League of American Cyclists.

Bicycles parked in Pittsburgh
Photo by BikePGH

"Specific measures include designated and marked bike routes around the city, a volunteer bike registry to help with the recovery of stolen bikes, and reinvestment in the city’s steps and stairways, according to the mayor’s office."

Additionally, Pittsburgh has hired a "bicycle and pedestrian coordinator" whose specific job will be to help implement these changes.

Keep up the good work, Pittsburgh!

Product Reviews: Offspring Haulers

2008-08-10T19:33:00.000-07:00

Many dedicated real-world cyclists give up on using bicycles as their primary vehicles once children enter the picture. There are various reasons for this shift. Cycling with a child can be a scary experience for a parent who puts his/her child’s safety above all other concerns. Additionally, most bicycles are not set up for hauling small humans. And, in the hectic world of parenting, cycling can be time-consuming and just plain inconvenient. However, there are solutions out there which can make cycling with your kids in tow safer, easier and more fun.

As the father of a seven-year-old and a nineteen-month-old, I have been wrestling with these issues for several years now. I have recently developed a combined approach that seems to work well. I own a child seat that snaps onto a rear bicycle rack and a trailer designed to hold two children comfortably. With both of these items at my disposal, I can carry my infant (or is he a toddler already?) without towing the trailer, or I can carry both kids in the trailer, or I can carry the baby in the seat and fill the trailer with groceries and/or other children.

My main bicycle in full child-toting regalia

My bicycle trailer is the Nashbar Kid Karriage. I bought it several years ago, and I have come to think of it as one of the best investments I have ever made. Its “normal” price is $159.99, but I have seen it on sale as low as $79.99, with additional discounts available through Nashbar’s frequent coupon offers. The trailer holds two children securely and comfortably. It is a bit smaller than some other trailers I have seen, and my children tend to rub elbows while they ride in it. My daughter is 46.5” tall, and her helmet now pushes up against the cloth roof when it is in place, but we generally ride with the top down these days, so height restrictions are not an issue.

Glossy marketing shot of the Kid Karriage from Nashbar.com

The trailer is great for carrying groceries as well, with plenty of space for one child and two full-sized grocery bags or six bags and no passengers. Unlike BOB trailers, this one does not require a special rear wheel quick-release mechanism, so it can be attached to any bike. Be warned, however, that the plastic-coated attachment clamp can rub away paint on a frame’s chainstay. Anyone worried about their bicycle’s finish should wrap the contact area with cloth tape before attaching the trailer for the first time.

Safety-wise, the Kid Karriage leaves me feeling confident and secure. The attachment clamp is supplemented by a nylon strap which acts as a “fail safe” device. If the clamp ever came off, the strap would still hold the trailer securely (note that the clamp has never failed while I have used my trailer). There is a thick coil spring between the attachment clamp and the main frame. This spring twists as the bike leans, so if the bicycle falls over, the trailer stays upright. Consider also the wide track and the low center of gravity. This trailer is designed to keep the rubber side down under extremely adverse conditions.

The Kid Karriage in the real world

Inside the passenger area, children are held by both three-point shoulder harnesses and a lap belt which stretches across one or two occupants. The harnesses can be configured for two children sitting side by side or one child sitting in the middle of the seat. There are nylon storage pockets on either side of the interior, and there is also room under and behind the seat for stowing toys, tool kits, etc.

The trailer’s frame is made from high-tensile steel tubing. It is very sturdy and much heavier than fancier models with aluminum frames. It folds up flat with by pulling a few spring pins, and it stows easily in relatively small spaces.

After I owned the Kid Karriage for a few years, I bought the “Stroller Attachment” which sells for $24.99. This kit provides everything needed to turn the trailer into a stroller which can hold two children. As an added benefit, the converted stroller can still be used as a trailer without having to remove the conversion pieces.

Topless Kid Karriage, great for bigger kids

After several years and several hundred miles, I am completely satisfied with this trailer. I recommend it highly to anyone looking for a sturdy, albeit heavy, solution to carrying any combination of kids and groceries.

Nashbar Kid Karriage Overall Grade: A

I also own a Topeak BabySeat, a.k.a. the “Suspension Child Carrier.” I bought this from my local bicycle shop at the full retail price of $129.99, minus the 10% discount I get for being a member of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. The price was surprisingly high, but it looked like a quality product, so I bit the bullet and made the purchase.

Installing the seat assembly was as simple as installing a standard rear rack. In fact, that is all that is involved. I installed the heavy-duty rear rack which came with the package, snapped the seat in and, “Presto,” all was accomplished. When the seat is off the bike, the aluminum rack works well with standard panniers. Taking the seat on and off is quick and remarkably easy.

Topeak BabySeat detail

With shoulder straps, a padded snap-down crossbar and foot straps which keep the passenger from kicking, the child seat seems quite secure. While I am sometimes nervous that a fall on my part would take my passenger down with me, I also acknowledge that my bicycle is much more maneuverable without a trailer in tow. Furthermore, I am less nervous about riding on busy streets with narrow shoulders when I do not have the wheels of the trailer sticking out into traffic.

My son seems very comfortable in the seat. The seat pad is adequately cushy, and the crossbar is at just the right height for him to lay his helmeted head down on it and go to sleep. Frequently, he is out cold within ten minutes after we start riding. There must be something about the rhythmic swaying motion of the bicycle…

There are a few downsides to this product, however. The Velcro foot straps are a bit awkward to secure, especially when one is trying to balance the bicycle and passenger during the loading process. It is not horribly difficult to strap a youngster’s feet down, but it is tricky enough that I am considering looking for some wheel skirts to install when I install fenders on the host bicycle. With wheel skirts keeping kicking feet out of the spokes, I would forgo the foot straps entirely.

Glossy marketing shot of the Topeak BabySeat from Topeak.com

The shoulder straps have two positions. One of them is a bit too low for my child, the other a bit too high. Still, with the straps in the higher position, he seems safe and fairly comfortable, so maybe I am complaining about a non-issue. My final gripe has to do with the adhesive-backed Velcro strips which are supposed to hold the seat pad in place. They are worthless. The adhesive does not stick to the plastic shell, and the pad settles wherever it wants to go. Fortunately, there are enough straps and buckles going through the pad to hold it in more-or-less the right place. Topeak should save a few manufacturing dollars and get rid of all these Velcro strips. Perhaps they could pass the savings on to the customers by lowering the price a bit.

Despite the high price and quirky problems, I am glad I bought the child seat. None of the issues effect overall performance significantly, and the price was not high enough to make me balk.

Topeak BabySeat Overall Grade: B

Tired of Smog-Belching Tourists? Rent them E-Bikes!

2008-08-09T18:25:00.000-07:00

"To encourage travelers to get out of their cars when they arrive at Ashinoko lake in the sightseeing hot spot of Hakonemachi, Kanagawa Prefecture, a tourism committee is offering another mode of transport--an electric bicycle."

This sentence opens a recent article in Japan's Daily Yomiuri Online about an e-bike rental program. The piece goes on to describe the government-sponsored program aimed at "killing two birds with one stone, reducing traffic jams and pollution."

Ashinoko lake, the site of the electric bicycle rental project

Just imagine tourists parking their RVs at the gates of our national parks and proceeding into the natural settings on clean, quiet electric bicycles. It makes me smile just to think of it.

27" Tires in Abundance!

2008-08-08T19:07:00.001-07:00

Stephen Krcmar just wrote an encouraging piece for the New York Times describing a wide array of tire choices available for folks fixing up older bikes with 27" wheels. The article describes offerings from Vittoria, Specialized, Panaracer, Continental and Michelin at prices from $15.95 to $50 per tire.

Lots of really good 27" tires
Photo by Natasha Calzatti for The New York Times

Last time I checked, my local Wal-Mart also stocked some 27" tires by Bell Sports for $9.95/each, and Nashbar.com frequently has 27" tires on sale for less than $10 as well. The bottom line is that anyone can walk into a neighborhood bicycle shop these days and buy some very nice tires in this size, although some shops might have to order them from a distributor.

All of this is great news for people fixing up older road bikes, arguably the best bicycle type for someone looking for a real-world bicycle. They are cheap, sturdy and efficient. And most of the road bikes sold in the USA from 1970 through 1987 or so had 27" tires.

So blow the dust off that old Univega, Nishiki, Schwinn, etc., put on a new pair of tires, and leave your car at home!

Full story here.

Government Workers in Tainan Ordered to Cyclo-Commute

2008-08-07T20:11:00.001-07:00

After visiting China for almost two weeks last Spring, I flew to Taiwan for a few days. The differences in transportation choices were striking. In China, most people used bicycles or e-bikes. In Taiwan, the vehicle of choice seemed to be the gasoline-powered scooter.

The city of Tainan is doing its part to change this situation by requiring city workers to ride their bicycles, walk or take public transportation to work every Friday. A story in the China Post states that this is "an effort to conserve energy and cut carbon emissions."

Government official in Tainan, Taiwan

The measure is meeting some resistance from city workers. "Those who said they will have difficulty cited reasons such as frequent bicycle thefts, lack of bus stops near their homes, the need to use cars to transport their children to and from school, long distances to the city government offices and the inability to ride a bicycle."

Some female workers also expressed concern regarding their personal safety.

Requiring people to stop driving gasoline-powered vehicles may seem to be a drastic measure. In doing so, the city government in Tainan is recognizing that the problems caused by our dependence on fossil fuels need to be addressed before they cause an irreversible crisis. Cycloculture applauds the bravery of the government officials who made this decision.

Suit and Tie Cycling in the Real World

2008-08-06T11:32:00.000-07:00

An article by Ilana DeBare in the business section of the San Francisco Chronicle hints that cycling as a means of transportation is becoming more accepted and encouraged in certain professional firms. The Emeryville architectural firm, Siegel & Strain, reimburses employees who bicycle to business meetings the same 58.5 cents/mile that it gives employees who drive.

The article quotes Nancy Malone, a principal at the firm, as follows, "It's a really effective way for staff to reduce emissions and encourage good health... Our practice is focused on sustainable design, and we had been looking for ways to walk the walk."

Image by Chronicle graphics

What about meetings involving hardhats and other items which are difficult to carry on a standard bicycle? Malone indicates that Siegel & Strain is approaching the possibilities creatively. "In the future, we may look at having an office bike with attachments allowing people to carry a little more - a new version of the company car."

The article is encouraging, as is a related post in Debare's blog, the Village Green, which presents a list of Bay Area companies offering innovative encouragements designed to get employees on bicycles. One company provides employees with $250 toward the purchase of a bicycle. Another company offers free lunches, movie tickets and even massages as rewards to cyclo-commuters.

Electric Tricycles for Australian Postal Workers

2008-08-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

In an effort to move away from oil-dependent vehicles, the Australian Post is considering replacing some of the motorcycles used by letter carriers with electric tricycles.

A recent article by Rhys Haynes in Australia's Daily Telegraph states, "Yesterday an Australia Post spokesman said the move was a way of 'searching for initiatives to make its fleet more energy efficient' and trials would include several new modes, including electric bicycles and tricycles."

The electric tricycles under consideration are sold by Australia's Electric Bicycle Company. They cost 2000 Australian dollars (roughly 1830 U.S. dollars)/each and can carry up to 150 kg (331 pounds).

The tricycle Australian postal officials are considering for use in mail delivery

The Australian postal union counters that the main goal of the switch would be to open up certain mail delivery jobs to people who do not have motorcycle licenses. Whatever the real reason for the change, Cycloculture says, "Good on ya'!" to all those supporting the proposal.

If You Build It, They Will Ride

2008-08-04T12:51:00.001-07:00

Adam Voiland wrote an article entitled, "Bike Commuting By the Numbers" for today's US News and World Report. It describes the success that certain European countries have had in encouraging transportation by bicycle rather than by car.

Some interesting statistics from the article:
- 37% of trips under 2.5 kilometers in the Netherlands are made by bicycle
- 0.02% of trips to work in Kansas City, Missouri are made by bicycle
- Motorists in the Netherlands and Germany are legally responsible for collisions with children or elderly people on bicycles, even if the cyclist is not obeying the law
- 1.1 cyclists are killed per 100 million kilometers cycled in the Netherlands, while 5.8 cyclists are killed in the United States over the same distance cycled
- One third of cycling fatalities in the United States involve alcohol use by the driver or cyclist

A bicycle parking area in the Netherlands

The article states, "Transportation planners in the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark have invested heavily in bicycle paths and lanes, discouraged the use of cars, and gone to great efforts to protect the legal rights and safety of cyclists." The results of these efforts seem definitive. When a country makes a sincere effort to encourage cycling as a form of transportation, it works. When a country allows oil companies to dictate transportation policy, we get what we should expect.

The Dangerous World of Cyclo-Commuting in L.A.

2008-08-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

There was an excellent article about the dangers faced by Los Angeles cyclo-commuters in yesterday's Wall Street Journal. Rhonda Rundle, the author, describes cyclists dodging potholes and car doors. More intimidating are the "caffeine-infused psychotics" who yell at cyclists to get off the road. Even in my peaceful L.A. exurb, Santa Clarita, I have experienced this. It seems that many drivers throughout L.A. County have no patience for slowing down their SUVs, even momentarily, to accommodate cyclists.

The Thrills and Chills of Cycling in L.A.
Photo by Jason Varone, from www.streetsblog.org

The car culture in Los Angeles is so pervasive that almost everyone views bicycles as toys or exercise equipment. Cyclo-commuters are often looked at as silly and strange. These are cultural barriers which will be hard to break, but rising gas prices may be the catalyst we need to make the change happen.

View the full story here.

Are Shared Lanes for Bikes and Cars a Good Idea?

2008-08-02T10:07:00.000-07:00

An article by Christopher Smart in yesterday's Salt Lake Tribune described a pilot program in which Salt Lake City will designate certain traffic lanes as shared bicycle/automobile lanes, or "sharrows." Per the article, "The green lane would carry the white bicyclist's symbol and chevrons (markers shaped like an inverted V) to alert motorists to expect to share space with two-wheelers."

The idea behind sharrows is to maximize available space for both bicycles and cars while alerting drivers that they should drive cautiously and expect to see cyclists in their traffic lanes. Tim Harpst, director of transportation for Salt Lake City, states "We want bicyclists out in the center of the lane... We want them to take ownership of the lane."

A "sharrow" in Montreal
Photo from UrbanPhoto/Christopher DeWolf

The article states that sharrows have been implemented successfully in cities in Europe and North America, but I still have reservations. Perhaps cyclists could share traffic lanes safely with Smart cars and 500cc Fiats in Europe, but the thought of sharing a lane with clueless drivers in Escalades and Suburbans scares the dickens out of me. In fact, I have noticed that any time I see a "Share the Road with Cyclists" sign on a street or road in Los Angeles county, it can be taken as a warning that things are about to get really dangerous for folks on bicycles. These signs, put up by transportation officials, are generally placed where bike lanes end in heavily trafficked areas or where there is no shoulder whatsoever.

Do not misunderstand. I am not dismissing the idea of sharrows. I am adopting a "wait and see" attitude until we know whether they are a real solution or just a "feel good" idea that does not have a beneficial impact on cycling safety.

Jonathan Maus on Bikes, Portland and BikePortland.org

2008-08-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

I first came across BikePortland.org a few years ago when a virtual acquaintance posted a link to a story about a Starbucks manager firing an employee for riding his bicycle to work. Since then, I have had many occasions to visit the website. It consistently brings us real news about bicycle-related issues, and its impact extends far beyond Portland, Oregon. At times, it is the first news source to break important stories, as was the case last week when it ran an article on the proposed law which would require all cyclists in Oregon to wear helmets.

I have communicated with Jonathan Maus, the founder and editor of BikePortland.org, through e-mail and flickr. He is very helpful and insightful. Plus, he is a really nice guy, so I was glad when he agreed to let me interview him for Cycloculture.

Q: Bicycle culture in Portland seems to be growing explosively. Is that true? What are some of the most impressive developments?

A: That's definitely true. What we have here is the simultaneous flowering of many different aspects of the bike culture – frame builders, shops, racing, non-profits, fun rides, the political scene, everything seems to be hitting on all cylinders. Most impressive is just the sheer amount of bike traffic out on the streets. During peak times, on popular bikeways there are often more bikes than cars waiting to cross intersections. The local racing scene is also very impressive. On any given week, there are all types of events going on... from road criteriums to velodrome action, and even a mountain bike series just a few miles from downtown that pulled in record numbers this year (over 400 entries on Monday nights!). The other thing that continues to amaze me is the number of people building frames and other bike-related products and accessories. I think we're getting close to 20 handmade bike builders in Portland - from icons like Sacha White of Vanilla Bicycles to up-and-coming builders like Aaron Hayes of Courage Cycles, it seems like every other month or so I discover a new one.

Q: Has readership of your blog, BikePortland.org, been growing rapidly as well? Where do you see your blog headed in the future?

A: Thankfully, yes. BikePortland.org has grown a lot in the past 3 years since it was started. These days I am seeing more traffic than I could have ever imagined just a year ago. In the future, I will strive to make the stories even better and I hope it can become regarded as one of the best independent news sources (on any subject) on the Internet. I can also see the addition of some dedicated staff to help me with a lot of the day-to-day tasks and reporting that are starting to get pretty overwhelming.

Lots of Portland cyclists
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Maus/BikePortland.org with some rights reserved

Q: According to ForbesTraveler.com, Portland just displaced Copenhagen as the second most bicycle-friendly city in the world. Do you agree with that assessment? What are your thoughts on the matter?

A: I don't really put too much faith into any of those lists, but I think it depends on how you define “bicycle-friendly.” Without a doubt, Portland is far behind Copenhagen (and several other European cities) in bicycle facilities and infrastructure (which explains why 35% of their trips are made by bike and in Portland the number is about 6%). We are also behind several of those cities in how the bicycle is respected by local politicians and city bureaucrats. Relative to the rest of America, Portland is fantastic in these regards, but compared to the World Class biking cities, we still have a lot of room to grow. On the other hand, I think Portland has arguably the most exciting and vibrant "bike culture" in the world. When you take in all the grassroots energy, annual events, racing scene, personalities, sub-cultures, etc... there really is no city that compares.

Q: What could Portland do to become more bicycle friendly?

A: We could be a lot more innovative and bold in the type of bikeway treatments we use. – for instance, begin to try some physically separated bikeways. We can also start to allocate more roadway space to bicycles (and away from cars). We could form a task force to comb the city and fix small trouble spots that disconnect our bikeway network. Many of the things Portland could do are not being done because the traffic engineering standards our city planners are forced to work with are outmoded... but that's a national-level problem and not really Portland's fault.

Photo from a recent Portland event, the "Chariot War Death Match"
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Maus/BikePortland.org with some rights reserved

Q: Cycloculture has already spoken to Portland frame builders Joseph Ahearne and Jordan Hufnagel. Who else in Portland should I interview? Note that I am not just looking for frame builders, but anyone doing interesting work in the field of "real world" bicycles. Who in Portland is inspiring you from a bicycle perspective?

A: I've discovered several new bike-powered businesses lately. There's a "Fossil Fuel Free" landscaping business, a women who bakes cookies and delivers/sells them via her trike, a real-estate agent who gives bike tours of neighborhoods and points out local bike-friendly amenities to prospective buyers. On the other end of things there is the amazing Community Cycling Center. This non-profit has bike summer camps for young kids, they empower lower income folks by teaching them to become self-reliant bicyclists, and they recycle used bikes and give them to kids in need. They've got a new executive director, Susan Remmers, who is really taking them in a great direction.

Q: Tell me a bit about your own bicycles. What kind of bikes do you own? Which is/are your favorite(s)?

A: I have a lot of bikes in my basement at home and a few in my office. Right now, my daily bike is a Batavus trekking bike from Holland. It's got all sorts of bells and whistles like a wheel-lock, full fenders and a skirt/pant guard, hub-generator front light, etc... It's heavy but it's super strong and it practically rides itself. I also have a Bike Friday Tikit folding bike (which is great to have around), a Kona Major Jake cyclocross bike (I raced it a bunch last season), a custom Co-Motion Ristretto road bike (that I got years ago thinking I might race again...but never did), and then I've got a few old Schwinn three-speeds.

Cycling is a family activity in Portland
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Maus/BikePortland.org with some rights reserved

Q: What kind of riding do you do? Do you travel more by bicycle or by car?

A: Most of the riding I do these days is just around town, covering events and getting to meetings, interviews, etc... I very rarely drive anywhere. We own a mini-van but I only get in that as a last resort (I don't really enjoy driving).

Q: Electric bicycles are sweeping across much of Asia and Europe as a practical way to address some of the limitations of bicycles for commuting purposes (or maybe the limitations have more to do with the riders and less to do with the machines). Millions of e-bikes are being sold across the world, and sales numbers are still rising dramatically. As the bicycle trend leader in the USA, Portland could be the first city in this country to experience a surge in e-bike popularity. Have you seen any indication that e-bikes might be catching on? What are your thoughts on e-bikes? What is the general attitude amongst Portland cyclists toward e-bikes?

A: The e-bike thing is strange. They've been around for several years but I rarely see them on the roads. I'm not sure why that is, but my hunch is that many people enjoy the simplicity of a bicycle and perhaps e-bikes are a bit intimidating from a technological/logistical standpoint for people. They also lack the distribution network that would put them in front of likely customers (where can you buy those things!?). Another factor is that biking makes you strong and for some people, the added weight of the battery might be annoying because they can ride at a comfortable speed around the city with their regular bike. The other thing likely going on with the e-bike trend is that the market it appeals to – folks that aren't your regular bike commuter crowd – are the same group of folks that are afraid to be out on the roads on a bike. If we had a network of safe, more comfortable bikeways, I think we might see more e-bikers hitting the streets.

Q: You recently reported on a proposed bill which would require all cyclists in Oregon to wear bicycle helmets. What are your thoughts on this proposed legislation?

A: I am not convinced of the benefits or necessity of such a law. There are many dangerous things people do on a daily basis but a mandatory law that requires safety equipment is not always the best approach. I am usually skeptical of laws that come from reactionary emotions (like the death of one person) and that are based on personal anecdotes. It's not as simple as saying, "if we can save one life than it's worth it,"... we have to consider the larger context of a proposal like this. And at the end of the day, is there any conclusive research that shows mandatory, all-ages helmet laws actually improve safety? No. Have mandatory seatbelts in cars led to fewer deaths and injuries in cars? No, because the number of cars on the road and the speeds and carelessness with which they're driven have increased. The problem is not that people on bikes need more head protection... the problem is a culture in the U.S. that is in love with the speed, power, and "liberty" of cars and is afraid to really deal with the problems they cause in a direct manner. We should focus on making our roads safer, not on padding ourselves against the dangers our roads create.

Another distinctly Portland cycling moment
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Maus/BikePortland.org with some rights reserved

Q: What else would you like to say?

A: Thanks for the work you are doing, Forbes! (Editor's Note: Aw, shucks. Thanks!)

Q: What do you like for breakfast?

A: Coffee and toast with avocado and eggs over easy.

Orange County Residents Fixing Up Their Old Bikes

2008-07-31T10:17:00.001-07:00

Orange County (OC), California is known for planned communities and homeowners' associations. The area glitters with shiny new BMWs and SUVs. So, it is somewhat surprising to hear that OC residents are turning to bicycles as a means save money in this time of spiking gasoline prices. It is even more surprising to learn that they are taking their old bicycles to shops to have them overhauled or tuned up rather than buying the most stylish new bicycles they can find.

Katherine Nguyen of the OC Register reports on this phenomenon in a recent article. In this article, one shop owner reports that, "So many people are bringing their bikes in that it now takes roughly 10 days for repair work to be done at Bicycle Discovery, up from what used to be a 24-hour turnaround."

Dare to Repair!!

Are OC folks fixing up their old rides because they appreciate the beauty and functionality of an older bicycle? Do they understand that refurbishing and reusing old bicycles is the "greenest" transportation option available to most people? Are they hoping that gas prices will come back down and looking to cyclo-commuting as a temporary plan until they can afford to drive again? Whatever the reason, I hope the trend continues!

Proposed Tax Break for Canadian Cyclists

2008-07-30T08:48:00.001-07:00

Canadian legislators are currently considering a proposal which would eliminate the goods and service tax (GST) "from bicycles and cycling-related goods and services including panniers, helmets, locks, repairs and bike safety courses."

Joyce Murray, the liberal MP from Vancouver Quadra, introduced the legislation specifically "to encourage cycling."

Joyce Murray, the Canadian MP who is proposing to eliminate the GST on bicycles and bicycle-related products

Bravo MP Murray! Now, once you've convinced the Canadian Parliament that this makes sense, could you come south and pitch your idea to Washington, please?

See Cheryl Rossi's full story in the Vancouver Courier here.

Sky Yaeger on Integrated Design and Derailleur-Free Riding

2008-07-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

Sky Yaeger has been leaving her mark on the bicycle world since the 1970s. Her years at Bianchi brought us such industry-shaking models as the “Milano,” the "Pista" and the “San Jose.” She also introduced the world to the first production single-speed ATBs (the Bianchi BOSS, BASS, BUSS, MUSS, DISS ,SISS, SASS, WUSS, GUSS, MUSS and LEWIS). Since she joined Swobo in 2006, it appears that she has been given the freedom to let her imagination and her design sense run wild. The results are wonderful. Swobo’s bikes are unlike anything the world has ever seen. Who would have imagined a galvanized bicycle frame until Yaeger made it happen?

I wanted to understand Yaeger’s design philosophies and motivations, so I asked her to do an interview. I was overjoyed when she agreed.

Sky Yaeger getting silly on a Swobo Otis
Photo Courtesy of Richard Masoner and Cyclelicio.us
with some rights reserved

Q: You've been in the industry for a number of years now. Could you tell us a bit about your history with bicycles and bicycle companies?

A: My first 10-speed, as we called them, was a used bike I bought in 1970 for $60.00. I was in sophomore in high school and there was a senior who I didn't really know who had the only other bike in school. Riding a bike was not cool, but I loved the freedom. All my friends had the use of a car, so I didn't get a driver's license until I was in college and didn't get a car until I was 30 years old. I worked in a Schwinn shop in the early 70's and then worked in the famous Yellow Jersey bike shop in Madison during and after college. In the late 80's I was the marketing manager for Suntour USA and when the Japanese closed the company I went to Bianchi USA. I was there for 17 years and made the move to Swobo 2 years ago.

Yaeger's famous "100% Chick Designed" decal

Q: The Swobo bicycle product line seems to be almost Shimano-free. Why so?

A: It wasn't the goal, but more a result of the model mix, as we have no bikes with derailleurs. We have 3 single-speed bikes and 3 internal hub bikes in the line now. The Folsom has a Shimano coaster brake hub that Shimano Japan is customizing for us, with a longer axle. I like all internal hubs, but the lead times for Shimano are much longer than with SRAM now. The new SRAM i-Motion 9 hub is the only internal hub offered with 9 speeds. The SRAM internal hubs have a more user-friendly cable attachment at the hub, as well as being serviceable, by swapping out the guts, which negates a wheel re-build if there is a problem. Spec'ing high-quality German-made hubs also differentiates our bikes from everything else out there, as we are the only company in the North American market using the i-Motion 9 hub.

Swobo Dixon

Q: Do you think that derailleurs are a thing of the past? Do you think you will ever spec another bicycle with derailleurs?

A: Until we can bring an infinitely variable internal drivetrain to market at a weight the roadies could live with, derailleurs are very much not a thing of the past. I have nothing against derailleurs! I can imagine spec'ing a bike with derailleurs, yes. For most urban riding, however, an internal hub bike just makes more sense considering all the benefits. There's a reason why bikes with internal hubs are the most common type of bikes in Europe, where the primary use of bikes is for transportation.

Swobo Del Norte

Q: How many speeds does as average "urban cyclist" need?

A: For most cities with flat terrain, I think 3 speeds is enough. Certainly there are thousands of people riding one-speed fixies in hilly cities like SF, so a lot depends on the rider and the intended use. We're seeing some people who have been riding fixies wanting a 3-speed now, for more utility.

Q: Your bicycle designs are so very different from the offerings of any other company. What inspires them? Is there a design thread which ties all your Swobo bikes together?

A: My education is in fine arts and design, and I get inspiration from everything, but I look to cars and architecture a lot. In most bike companies there are many people involved in bringing a bike to market and it is very rare to have the luxury of conceptualizing a model, designing it from a blank sheet of paper and seeing it through to production. I think of them as a complete, integrated statement.

Swobo Novak

Q: I get the feeling you own quite a bicycle collection. Please tell us about some of your favorites.

A: I have a new lugged steel Pegoretti that is quite lovely and rides like a dream. My commute bike is built around an alloy/carbon-fiber cyclo-cross frame that I designed that also rides like a dream, with 700 x 28C tires. The Continental tires on that bike have almost 3000 miles on them without one flat. Another favorite is a steel Dedacciai frame with carbon rear triangle. The important thing is the ride and my favorite is whatever bike I just got finished riding. I like all frame materials, with steel and Ti being right up there. I ride Campy, Shimano and SRAM.

Yaeger with Dario Pegoretti (left) and an unidentified admirer

Q: If you did not have to worry about cost, marketability or any other mundane concerns, what would be your version of "the perfect bicycle?"

A: There is no one "perfect bicycle," but I guess it would have to be whatever inspires someone to get out and ride. One person's perfect bicycle would be another person's nightmare. There are few things in life that are as varied and personal as bicycles and the opportunity to personalize your ride is part of the appeal. I love looking at all the pimped out bikes on the Fixed Gear Gallery site. They have almost 8,000 bikes posted now. If you are talking about what I would design if a million bucks landed in my lap, it would have to be a light-weight belt-driven internal hub urban bike with integrated features like lights and locks and carrying capability integral to the frame.

Swobo Folsom

Q: Where do you see the US bicycle market/industry going over the next decade or so?

A: If gas prices continue upward, we're going to see bike sales and ridership continue to increase. Hopefully, the component companies will recognize that more engineering and R&D dollars need to get directed to internal hub technology. I'd like to see real puncture-resistant tires that ride as nice as 120 tpi clinchers and disc brakes that don't rub. I'd like to see all the technology invisible, like a car or a computer, so casual cyclists are not intimidated by suspension components, multiple chainrings and shifters with 4 levers.

Q: Electric bicycle sales are surging throughout the world, even in the USA. Have you considered designing and releasing a Swobo e-bike?

A: No.

Swobo Sanchez

Q: What else would you like to say?

A: All categories of bikes are good. Every company makes fine bikes. All styles of bikes and all riders are equal. If somebody waves or says “Hi” on the road, say “Hi” back. Don't ride the time trial of your life on the bike path.

Q: What do you like for breakfast?

A: During the week I love yogurt and fruit with some Grape-Nuts thrown in. On the weekend eggs and bacon, or eggs and sausage.

Bicycles Making a Big Comeback in Pakistan

2008-07-28T08:47:00.001-07:00

Who knew that bicycles have come to be considered, "the outmoded but cost-free means of transportation" in Pakistan? Certainly not me! However, in an eye-opening article in Pakistan's Daily Times, Daud Khattak describes how high bus fares are driving Pakistan's citizenry back to "the 19th century invention [that] is considered the most efficient self-powered means of transportation."

Cyclo-commuters in Pakistan
Photo courtesy of Jawad Zakariya with some rights reserved

Will high fuel pricing stem the wave of people in India, China, Pakistan, etc. who are clamoring to buy gasoline-powered automobiles? Will bicycles become, once again, the default commuter vehicle across the world? Will electric bicycles be the compromise that keeps everyone content? No one can say with certainty at this point, but this article gives us a revealing look at the "silver lining" associated with high oil prices.

Full text here.

Rochester's Bicycle Recyclers

2008-07-27T14:24:00.000-07:00

There was an interesting story by Kris Dreessenon MPNnow.com yesterday. It was about a group of people who call themselves "R Community Bikes." The group has fixed up and distributed, free of charge, more than 5000 bicycles since it was founded in 2001. Volunteer mechanics get the bicycles in working order, then Dan Lill, director of R Community Bikes works with his volunteers to give the bikes to low-income residents of Rochester, New York. Lill explains, "We’re trying to level the playing field a bit."

Dan Lill, director of R Community Bikes in Rochester
Photo courtesy of MPNnow.com

Community-based bicycle repair is almost always a good idea. It is even better when the bicycles are going to people who really need them as their only form of reliable transportation. And "community" is what this group is all about. Lill talks about the origin of the group's name, "'R' is a big part of the name. The R is for Rochester, and the idea of it being 'our' community bikes... It is part of the community, we are part of the community."

Kudos to Mr. Lill and the rest of the group. Cycloculture wishes you the best of luck. You have given others something to emulate.

Full story here:

http://www.mpnnow.com/lifestyle/x1542100972

Product Review – Shimano Nexus “Red Band” 8-Speed Hub

2008-07-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

“Internal gear hubs are more reliable than derailer systems, and require much less maintenance. Unlike derailers, they may be shifted even when the bicycle is stopped, a valuable feature for the cyclist who rides in stop-and-go urban traffic.” – Sheldon Brown, 1944 - 2008

The Shimano Nexus "Red Band" Hub

There were three main reasons why I wanted to try an internally geared hub. First, it fit with the character of “the Plummer,” a bike I have built up as a modern(ish) version of an old English roadster. For those of you who need to know, it is named after a character who rides a beautiful old Raleigh on a children’s TV show. Secondly, I look very dorky when I ride with my pant legs rolled up, and I have a nice chain guard I have been wanting to install on the Plummer, but it would not work with a multi-cog freewheel. Finally, Sheldon Brown said that internally geared hubs are better, and when Sheldon spoke, I generally listened.

I did a bit of research and chose the Shimano Nexus “Red Band” 8-speed internal hub. This is Shimano’s premium product in their Nexus line. It has a good reputation for being sturdy and reliable, which is important to me because I am 250 pounds and I haul lots of extra weight (groceries, supplies and my children) up the very steep hills in my home town of Santa Clarita, California. I tend to “mash” the rubber block pedals on the Plummer. My pedal cadence is generally low and I tend to stand up and push very hard, a pedaling style that can destroy a wimpy geared hub pretty darn quickly. Another nice feature of the Nexus Red Band hub was its wide gear range which could come in quite handy in the hilly terrain around my home.

Another view of the Nexus hub

I chose master wheel-builder Anthony King, of Longleaf Bicycles, to build my wheel for me. King is well known for building strong wheels for use in the real world. He also has good expertise in setting up old bikes with new equipment, and he has lots of experience with internally geared hubs. King described the different 27” rim options I could use, focusing on the excellent selection of 27” rims offered by Velocity. I chose the double-walled Velocity “Synergy” rim to get the most strength possible. King laced the 36-hole wheel up with double butted stainless spokes. Finally, King listed the shifter options from Shimano, which include twist shifters and trigger shifters. I chose the twist shifter without the integrated brake lever. Once King had all my requirements, he gave me a very fair price on the parts and delivered them quickly.

My new drivetrain in all its glory

Setting up the bicycle with the Nexus equipment was simple and easy, for the most part. Shimano’s printed instruction sheets are pretty good. Make sure to keep them and read them as you do the installation. Unfortunately, when Shimano instructs the user to “Install the retaining ring” that holds the cog to the hub, they do not give any further details. That ring is STOUT! I wrestled with it for thirty minutes or so, using flathead screwdrivers, needle nose pliers, and anything else I could get my hands on before I finally got it to snap into place. Of course, I waited until I was finished before I e-mailed King at Longleaf Cycles for advice. He responded promptly and wisely,

“When installing or removing the snap ring, start at one the end of the ring, not the middle, and work your way around. I can usually install the ring with my hands and removal should only take a small flat head screw driver. If you start from the middle of the snap ring you'll have a very difficult time.”

The twist shifter unit is designed for handlebars with an outside tube diameter of 22.2mm at the installation point, so my upside-down Nashbar moustache bars were too big. Luckily, I had a set of very groovy “North Road” handlebars sitting on a shelf. Made from good, old fashioned chromed steel, they fit the character of the bicycle perfectly, and they were the right size as well.

The only other “hitch” in the assembly process was due to the fact that the shifter cable and housing provided by Shimano were a bit too short for my massive 67cm frame with its long top tube, long stem, and upright bars. I could just get the cable and housing installed, and they actually worked, but I thought the bend radius of the housing was too tight in places, and the cable housing kept pushing my wicker basket to one side. Absolutely unacceptable! The cable housing had printing that read “SEALED” on the side, so I was not sure what I should use for a replacement. Once again, King came to the rescue, saying,

“There is nothing special about the derailleur housing or cable. I'm not sure what the ‘sealed’ on the housing is meant to refer to – perhaps the inner liner (which all good housing has) or that the housing is continuous. If you want to run split housing you can. In theory this adds entry points for water, dirt, etc but in practice the shifting will remain extremely low maintenance.”

The Nexus twist shifter, with the "too short" cable housing

Once everything was installed, adjustment was almost trivial. I rotated the barrel adjuster on the shifter until the system shifted properly, and off I rode. Over the first few days of riding, I gave the barrel adjuster very minor tweaks as things settled into place, but I never had a major skip or any other sort of problem. To get the official instructions, I asked King about proper adjustment and routing maintenance. He responded,

“The only routine maintenance is to check if your shifting is adjusted properly – just shift to gear four and make sure the two yellow lines on the hub are aligned. If they aren't, use the barrel adjuster on your shifter to align them. Of course, cleaning your cog and chain periodically will extend the life of both, but they'll last a very long time even if you don't. Most people get an internal gear hub because they don't want any fuss, and these hubs deliver.

Overhauls aren't routine maintenance but you can overhaul the hub after a break-in period and at regular intervals to extend its life. You'll need some special tools from Shimano (see parts 34-40 here). Consult the hubstripping website for more information. Shimano doesn't have a recommended overhaul schedule, and particular riding conditions will greatly influence how often the hub needs to be serviced."

On the road, the system works just about perfectly. It is far easier to operate than any derailleur setup I have ever used. It shifts flawlessly whether the bike is in motion or at rest (and I have to keep reminding myself that I can shift when I am stopped). I tend to “let off” a bit on pedal pressure when I shift while pedaling. The shifts are smoother and more quiet when I do so, and I have to believe that it is better for the internal mechanics. The Nexus hub came with one 19 and one 21 tooth cog. I set my bicycle up with the 19 tooth cog mated to a 42 tooth chainring. This seems to be a good compromise. Although I do spin out at lower speeds than I am used to, the easy gear on this setup is just adequate for hauling fifty pounds worth of kids and groceries up the hill to my house. If this were a bike set up for high-RPM spinning, I probably would have used the 21 tooth cog. If I lived in a flat area and was not using the bike as a cargo/passenger hauler, I probably would set it up with a 46X19 combination.

"The Plummer," as she is now configured. Fenders and chain guard to be installed sometime between now and the first rain storm in Southern California this fall

In conclusion, I would recommend the Shimano Nexus Red Band hub to people who:

Are not weight weenies; the hub is fairly heavy
Do not need thirty gears; you will be limited in both overall range and increments between gears versus a derailleur system
Don’t want chain gunk on their legs or pants
Like things to be simple and functional

Now, if you will excuse me, it is time for me to hook up the cargo trailer, strap my baby boy into the child seat, and head for Trader Joe’s. And I shall enjoy my ride tremendously. I loved my bike before I put the Nexus hub on it, but I love it even more now!

Jordan Hufnagel on Building Frames and the Portland Bike Scene

2008-07-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon Jordan Hufnagel’s flickr photo stream a few weeks ago, and I immediately knew I wanted to interview him. His bikes are lovely. He obviously builds them to very high quality standards. But they look immensely practical, too. He shows lots of frames built with track dropouts for assembly as fixies, and he shows lots of bikes built up with flat bars for urban riding.

Hufnagel builds in Portland, Oregon, which is experiencing a bicycle boom of epic proportions. So I asked him about the bike scene in Stumptown, as well as about the bicycles he builds. He gave me great answers to all questions.

Hufnagel, the hairy-chested he-man frame builder (photos from his website www.hufnagelcycles.com)

Q: Portland has always had a very active cycling community, but it seems to have exploded in the last few years. Is that accurate? What is the bicycle scene like in Portland these days? Where do you think it is going? What are some of the important elements of bike culture in Portland?

A: I have been in Portland for almost 4 years now and I could instantly feel the serious presence of bikes. No type of cycling is left out here. There is heavy participation in everything from mountain biking to track racing, and you can't deny the amazing cyclocross scene here, but at the heart of it for every cycling enthusiast in Portland is commuting. There is a defiant effort on behalf of the people here to do all they can by bike, and the city government is behind it too! I see more porteur racks, panniers, and cargo bikes than ever. I think that Portland culture breeds this mentality. This is a city designed to support local businesses and develop self-supporting neighborhoods. To find a big box store you have to go well out of the city center, and there is no reason to. You can find most things you desire within 20 blocks.

Stylin'!

Q: What can other US cities do to develop a cycling mindset similar to what we see in Portland?

A: Make the roads safer for cyclists. This means educating drivers and cyclists, and developing functional bike routes. Focus on a local economy. Shop locally owned neighborhood businesses. I think this plays a huge role in Portland culture and the cycling community. Plus, it makes it easier for people to live in their neighborhoods and not feel like they have to make massive shopping trips by car to big box stores. And also have a fun race scene. The Cross Crusade has been a great example of how to make competition fun and accepting to all interested!

Q: You make a lot of frames for fixies, from the look of your website. How many frames with track dropouts do you make for each frame you build with road dropouts? Any thoughts as to why so many of your frames go derailleur-free?

A: That was definitely the deal this past year. I built about 1 geared bike to every 3 single speeds. However, when I look at my build queue now, there are only 2 track bikes in the next 6 months of builds. Cyclocross has taken over my shop! I think the number of track bikes I build has a lot to do with their popularity in general, and the simple classic look I give them. I also love making the clearance super tight and I think that speaks to a lot of people looking for an awesome track bike.

Mmmm... Shiny track dropout goodness!

Q: You seem to use a combination of lugs and fillet brazing. Why did you choose these frame building methods? Have you thought about TIG welding frames? Why or why not?

A: Aesthetics. I just love the way a smooth fillet looks and feels, and the elegance of a well done lug. They get me really excited. The first bike I made was TIG'd but I think I have always had my heart in brazed bikes. With that being said, the TIG work of guys like Jim Kish at Kish Fabrication, Mike DeSalvo at Desalvo Cycles, and Sean Chaney at Veritgo Cycles is really something to love!

That's what a filed fillet braze should look like.

Q: Please tell us a bit about your shop. I know you are a one-person operation. What kind of tools do you use? What kind of building are you in?

A: My shop is in SE Portland right on a major bike avenue. I occupy a 500 square foot box in the corner of a warehouse with some big windows. The tools I use on each build are your usual shop selection ranging from a large selection of files to a 2000 lb vertical mill. I have a lug vise from Efficient Velo Tools as well as a bunch of odds and ends that I have made over time that have made my work a lot easier too. You can usually hear some Tom Petty or Neil Young blasting while you ride by, or see me drinking massive amounts of peach tea and eating cookies!

Craftsmanship? Yup.

Q: Please describe your ideal bike.

A: Any bike I'm having fun on, but right now it would have to be the new cyclocross bike I'm making myself in a couple weeks!

Q: Do you travel more by car or by bicycle?

A: Locally it's the bike for sure. Long distance travel has been by plane mostly, with my bike as my checked baggage.

Urban machine.

Q: Which off-the-shelf bikes do you like?

A: As far as the big companies go I’ve been into the steel Lemonds. They seem like a good deal with a classy look.

A lovely Hufnagel mixte

Q: What do you like for breakfast?

A: Breakfast food plays a serious role in my life. Brunch is the meal that brings most of my friends together. A tofu scramble with lots of veggies and vegan sausage would be my favorite I think.