A proper English racer

We just finished the build on what is one of my favorite bikes to leave the shop. 52cm Rivendell Hillborne. Nitto B602 bars. 650b wheels, with Panaracer Col de la Vie tires. Single chainring and 8 speed cassette. Old Suntour shifter mounted to Paul Thumbie. Gilles Berthoud (jill brr2) stainless steel fenders. Bikes don't look right to me anymore without fenders. Brooks B17, green. If riding this bike doesn't put a smile on your face, you don't have a soul.

The only thing missing, in my opinion is the sweet Velo Orange chainguard, but some mounting details need to be worked out. If I can get that sorted out, I will post further photos for your edification.

A couple weeks ago a gentleman came in looking for a Tubus brand bicycle rack. He found our store on the Tubus website, because, well, we are a dealer. He walked out with a Surly Long Haul Trucker bicycle outfitted with two Surly Nice Racks, fenders and the sweetest lighting system ever. I want to talk about the light system, and I can, because this is my blog. I laced a new rim to a Schmidt Nabendynamo Son 28 hub. I have this hub on two of my bikes and on my wife's Bleriot. They are bombproof and they have only a nominal amount of drag when the lights are switched off. The system is not much if any heavier than a rechargeable battery and light system, but it is much more dependable, and, with an led light the illumination is competitive with all but the most expensive battery powered systems out there. So, even 24 hour cross country racers are using it. This customer had us wire a Schmidt Edelux headlight and a B&M DToplight taillight to the hub. Not every shop can say they have a Tufts University man working in their shop. This had better work Ryan!

Mounted on the fork crown brake bolt hole.

Peter White Cycles imports these and other fine lights. We buy from him and are able to charge the same retail prices, so, if you live near Boise and want to keep your money in the local economy, give us a call. 208-336-5229

Stacy, with her Bleriot.

Lucky Peak

One of the things about being a bicycle rider, and not a "cyclist" is that I have started to think in terms of using the bicycle as a means to an end. As a "cyclist", there are always demands and expectations, those we put on ourselves and those we imagine other people have for us. As a bicycle rider, suddenly, it is more about how to accomplish something using the bicycle. Then the bicycle ride and the thing we are doing, both become one thing, and are transformed, and the experience is totally new. For example, we decided to take a picnic basket out to Lucky Peak and have dinner. So, we loaded the goods on the Paul Components basket on my Surly Cross Check single speed, and rode out there. When the mosquitos started coming out we loaded up and rode back home. It was a nice little adventure, and it didn't take a lot of planning or time. I think we will do it again!

Organic Brewers' Festival, Portland

Last weekend I went, with my wife, and my son and daughter and their friends, to the North American Organic Brewers' festival at Overlook Park in Portland, OR. Portland is one of my favorite cities. People ride bikes everywhere here, and there are a ton of breweries. How could it get any better? Part of what makes it a nice city is the public transportation. It's convenient and cheap. It works because their is a critical population mass in a small area. There is a lot of controversy surrounding Portland's Urban Growth Boundary, but it is undeniable that the inner city is vibrant, because there is no choice but to work with the existing infrastructure for living and working. This means that a lot of neighborhoods that would otherwise be blighted are gentrified. I guess this is good or bad depending on one's own situation.
But back to the festival. there were 80 different ales, lagers and ciders from breweries all over the Northwest, Vermont, Idaho (Grand Teton Brewing in Victor) Wisconsin and Colorado as well as Europe. This is just one of the bike racks outside the brewers' festival. Portland may not be Amsterdam but lots of people use their bikes here. Downtown, some of the parking lanes on the side of the streets are blocked at either end and designated for bicycles, and there are bike lanes with their own signal lights!

This is a picnic pavilion in Overlook Park. It is supremely overbuilt. I don't know how long it's been here, but it will be here for a very long time. Why spend the time and money on something like this? Maybe the initial expense, amortized over the life of the structure, makes this the best way to build something. But it goes against the throw-away culture we live in. I'm just sayin'.