Big Wheels and Any Fork You Want

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

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

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

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

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?

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...

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.