Ahhh!

Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park, WashingtonSeptember 10, ..

Velo Suicide (Don't Do It!)

An alarming phenomenon has been brought to my attention that I wish to share with my readers. We don't give this a great deal of thought, but perhaps we ought to: People are not the only ones effected by the winter blues; bicycles feel them too.



[velo suicide; image by Astroluc]

In Boston, this most recent and serious victim of vSAD (velocepedian Seasonal Affective Disorder) plunged to his death off the bridge into the frozen Charles River. Thank you to Astroluc for bringing this tragic and under-reported story to the forefront. We do not know why this bicycle chose to end his life. Perhaps he was not ridden enough once the winter season began. Perhaps he was not loved enough. It could even be that I am to blame - with my incessant talk of "lovely bicycles" and my rants against welding marks. Clearly I have been insensitive to the fragile self esteem of our dear velo friends, and for that I am truly sorry.



[velo suicide: close-up; image by Astroluc]

To all the lonely, isolated, unloved bicycles out there: Please do not despair. You are all lovely and special in your own way. If your owner has neglected or abandoned you, know that there are options out there - such as Bikes Not Bombs, who will take you in, feed you hot soup, restore you to good health an find you a new home. Stay warm and keep away from the Charles River. And to all the bicycle owners out there, be aware that velo suicide can take on epidemic qualities, as one of my favourite educational films so poignantly illustrates. Take care of your bicycles and don't forget to tell them you love them this winter, even if you don't ride much.

Wordless Wednesday - Parade of Lights

Shriner's Parade of Lights. Three Rivers Festival, Fort Wayne, Indiana.July 1985. Digitized ...Copyright © 1985/.. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman

Beartooth Highway

Yesterday I took a break from sorting and deleting photos from my hard drive and decided to follow U.S. Highway 212 from Red Lodge, Montana south into northern Wyoming. This route is also known as the Beartooth Scenic Byway or the Beartooth All-American Road, and, according to an acquaintance, Charles Kuralt put this highway on his list of the top 10 spectacular drives in America. It is also the highest elevation highway in the Northern Rockies. And, it definitely lives up to its reputation!

Looking northeast from Rock Creek Vista Point (elevation 9,190 feet) in the Custer National Forest, Montana. The highway is that ribbon of white way down in the valley.

Looking northwest from Rock Creek Vista Point. The speed limit was 25 mph along this stretch of winding switchbacks that traveled up the south side of the mountains.

The view to the north, a short distance from Rock Creek Vista.

From Rock Creek Vista, the road continued upward and into Wyoming where the peaks were viewed from across wide-open meadows.

Stopping at almost every overlook along the way, I was taken by surprise when I saw this view as the lake was not visible from the road. The wind was quite strong and several times I had to brace myself when a big gust came along.

Taken from near the summit (elevation 10,947 feet at Beartooth Pass) in Wyoming, looking towards the north. It was windy and cold, and the short walk to get this picture was quite exhilarating.

Time Traveling

I took this photo yesterday at the end of the Minuteman Trail in Bedford, Mass. Looking at it later, it occurred to me that everything here is from another era. This might as well have been taken several decades ago. The Autumn scenery is probably a big contributor to the nostalgic feel.

This train car of the defunct Boston and Maine Railroad is now a merely decorative presence at the end of the Rail Trail. The heyday and downfall of Boston and Maine followed a similar timeline as the heyday and downfall of the Raleigh Roadsters. Will the charming regional train lines ever make a comeback? I would like that. And I hope they allow bicycles on board.

Sunrise - Sunset

First 2 photos are sunrises over the Sandia Mountains.







Next 2 photos are sunsets over the Sandia Mountains. Sandia is Spanish for watermelon. The sunset photos show the pink color that is frequently seen at sunset on the mountains that gives them their name.

Blue in the Garden

Spring Blue, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Those containers filled with California native wildflowers are starting to bloom now. After fairly slow growth due to about 2 weeks of continuous rain, they are now sending out flower buds and leaves in every direction. This flower is a baby blue eye, Nemophila menziesii.

My Favorite Kind of Day

Since we spent all summer in Florida, and Florida in the summer is a dreadful experience temperature and humidity-wise, we are really enjoying the cooler days. We went out to Sixteen Hands and spent the day there alone because everyone else went to an event. It was just a lazy kind of a day.











The horses are starting to really know Nathan now. They greet him and then go and do their thing. Well, except Patriot who believes "we" are his thing.



Gypsy girl shows us how she multi-tasks by drinking and bathing at the same time.



And Chevy bravely walks over to me, rather than running away from me.



It was a good day! Hoping for more of them over the next few months!



Living the life in FL!

Where is Spring?

We had a couple of warm days so I have the erge to plant some seeds. I know it is way to early. But I did pick up a handfull of morning glory seeds at the store anyway. Altho it is warm I am sure it will turn cold again. March always had to throw another storm or two at us before it will allow Spring to arrive. My roses are starting to think about putting on leaves, and the flower buds on the trees are getting bigger each day. It will be so good to see green leaves on all the trees, and srubs, and plants again. In the mean time it is clouding up again. I guess it was just the barest of hints of the spring weather to come.

Name That Frame

It is no secret that I am obsessed with classic bicycle design and enjoy referring to different frame types by their names. Sometimes I get emails and comments asking to explain the difference between certain types of frames - for example "mixte" vs. "step-through". So I've put together a basic illustrated guide of sorts - describing some common design elements of diamond frames, step-throughs, and mixtes.



DIAMOND FRAMES

The Diamond Frame - or a "men's frame" - is readily recognisable by its horizontal top tube.



Classic Diamond Frame

Be it on a roadster or a roadbike, the classic diamond frame has a horizontal top tube - like the one shown on the vintage Raleigh DL-1 above and on this vintage Motobecane roadbike.For reasons I will not go into here, this is the most structurally sound way to build a frame. However, it is certainly not the most comfortable to mount: One must swing a leg over the back, or else lean the bike over quite a bit in order to step over a diamond frame bicycle.



STEP-THROUGH FRAMES

A "step-through" is a frame where one can readily step over the top tube without needing to lean the bike to the side or swing a leg over the back. This, of course, means that the top tube must be sloped so as to be positioned low to the ground. There are several popular subtypes of step-through frames:



Straight Step-Through

Usually when the term "step-through" is used, it refers to a straight step-through design, where the top tube and the downtube run parallel to one another. The Raleigh Lady's Sports above is a classic example of a straight step-through.



Loop Frame

A Loop Frame bicycle is a type of step-through, where the top tube is gracefully and symmetrically curved, rather than straight. The curve runs as closely as possible to the downtube, so as to maximise the easy step-over area. Dutch "Omas" and English "Lady Roadsters" (like the Pashley Princess above) are the most common examples of loop frames.



Swan Frame

A less common type of step-through design is the "Swan" frame. Notice that on the bicycle in the picture above (a vintage Steyr Waffenrad from Austria), both the toptube and the downtube are curved. The tubes curve around the front wheel, forming a shape resembling a swan's neck - and allowing for the same easy step-over as the straight step-through and the loop frame. Today we can see this design on the Azor Swan and the lady's Electra Amsterdam.



MIXTE FRAMES

Mixte means "mixed" or "unisex" in French. It differs from a step-through in two ways. First, it is not quite as easy to step-over, because the positioning of the sloping top tube(s) is higher. Typically, the rider will still need to lean a mixte to the side a bit in order to climb over it. Second, a mixte possesses a key structural component that a step-though does not. If you take a look at the three examples of step-through frames above, note that the top tubes extend from the head tube (where the handlebars are) to the seat tube (where the saddle is). A mixte frame has "stays" that extend past the seat tube, all the way to the rear dropouts (see pictures below). This design element was created to strengthen the frame for long, intense rides. There are two general subtypes of mixte frames:



Classic Mixte: Twin Lateral Stays

A mixte with "twin lateral stays" has two thin tubes running in parallel from the head tube past the seat tube, all the way to the rear dropouts. Note in the above picture of my Motobecane Mirage, that the tubes are separated the entire time. My custom Royal H. mixte frame and the new mixte frame from Velo Orange are examples of this design.



Alternative Mixte: Single Top Tube that Splits into Twin Stays

We do not own a bicycle in this category, so I borrowed a picture of a vintage Rene Herse from this earlier post. On this type of mixte, there is a single, sloped top tube that stops at the seat tube, then splits into narrower twin stays. The Rivendell Betty Foy is a popular example of this type of frame today.



So there you have it: some common frame designs in three categories. This post is not meant as a complete list of all the possible classic frame designs that have ever existed. There are countless hybrids of the frames I've described - such as mixte frames with curved stays, step-throughs that are mostly straight but curved just a bit at the ends, loop frames with different degrees of loopiness, and so on. There are also additional categories, such as priest frames, truss frames, classic cruiser frames... the list goes on. So many beautiful classic bicycles, so little time! Of course my personal favourites are the loop frame and the classic mixte.

Can Your Bike Withstand the Outdoors?

A couple of days ago I forgot my bike lock and dragged the big steel bicycle I was riding that day, complete with a pannier full of art supplies, up 3 flights of stairs to my studio. While doable, it was certainly an ordeal - not even the weight alone, but the awkwardness and inconvenience of carrying something so bulky up a long, winding staircase. I cannot imagine doing this on a daily basis, and normally mytransportation bikes spend the day locked up outside.



That is why it surprised me to learn that quite a few cyclists I know apparently do this several times every day and will not leave their bike outdoors for anything beyond a quick errand. Their concern is not safety, but durability. One acquaintance tells me that leaving her bicycle outside - not overnight, but during a normal workday - leads to rust and mechanical issues, particularly if it happens to rain. Another cyclist complained that after half a year of leaving her new Dutch-style bicycle outdoors 9-5 on a daily basis, the bike is now in such bad shape that the shop she took it to for a cleanup and tune-up told her not to bother and just buy a new one. It sounds absurd, but I have more anecdotes in the same vein, all involving bikes purchased in the past 2-3 years: It seems that many of the new wave "city bikes" -unlike the European originals that inspired them - were not actually designed to withstand the outdoors.



Of the current-production bikes I've owned or had on loan, I have kept a Pashley, a Bella Ciao, a Pilen, an Urbana, and a Paper Bicycle outdoors for extensive periods of time and have observed no damage as a result of this practice. Same with the vintage bikes I've owned - my Gazelle and the Steyr I rode in Austria both stayed outside overnight and were none the worse for wear. So what did these manufacturers do differently, and is it possible to do the same to other bikes aftermarket? I suppose a frame can be sprayed with some rust-proof solvent, but what about the components?



Finally, I am curious to know what you feel is realistic to expect from a new transportation bike, as far as its outdoor durability. Should it be rated for being left outside for a couple of hours at a time? A standard 9-5 workday? Overnight storage? Your own experiences with specific bikes are welcome.

Ceasar Salad and Carrot Cake in Amsterdam

Earlier this month Blondine and I went to our favourite cafes in Amsterdam: Caffe PC in PC Hooftstraat and Esprit Café in Spui. We normally have lunch in Caffe PC and I always choose a salad from the menu while Blondine a sandwich. This time I ordered their Ceasar Salad which looked so scrummy.



This is indeed a delicious Ceasar Salad and I am giving this 5 stars. Nice when its paired with a chilled Chardonnay. Caffe PC also has really good gourmet little roll breads.



After an afternoon of window shopping and lots of walking, we went to Esprit Café for their yummylicious carrot cake. I think they have the best carrot cake that I have ever tried. And so as not to pile up more calories than we already had for the day, we decided to share the cake. Fresh mint tea was perfect to go with this nice scrumptious afternoon temptation.



The carrot cake is of course 5 stars.



Visit Period: June

Destination: Amsterdam (North Holland), The Netherlands

Anastasia in the Morning

Monday, February 11th - - After 5 days in the Saint Augustine area my stay at Anastasia State Park came to an end. It had been a wonderful few days with a little rain and gloomy weather along with a few days of sunshine and blue skies, but the warmer temperatures were great. I awoke early this morning and headed to the beach before the sun rose above the horizon. It was windy and the surf was from 3-5 feet high. The beach was nearly deserted with just a few other folks wandering the shore.