Colour Me Smitten

My mixte frame has finally returned from Providence, so to speak, and we went to Royal H. Cycles last night to look at it. Now that I've seen it in person, I almost wish I didn't post those pictures earlier: it looks much better than the images. Not that the pictures aren't beautiful - it's just that the bicycle, including the colour, is even nicer in person, and for some reason it is very difficult to photograph.

This image is not representative either, but in person the frame colour is a mesmerising blend of gray, green and slate blue. It is more green than blue, and it is more gray than either. Not a flat boring gray, but a "stormy seas" sort of gray, with infinite depth of colour to it.

Looking at this snapshot of the beach in South Boston, I realise that the frame colour and the lug outlining are similar to the colours of the sea and sand in New England - which is probably what attracted me to the early René Herse aesthetic to begin with.

I will stop now before I begin composing sonnets for this frame, but as you can see, this is true love! And the bonus? The Co-Habitant, who would previously mutter that he does not need a custom frame, took one look at the finished mixte and said that he might like a matching men's touring bike. There is hope that our "his and hers" velo universe will be restored!

The Main Parallelogram

I am working on a step-through bicycle frame - a design which is simultaneously common and unusual. It is common if you look around the streets of Boston, which are teeming with vintage step-throughs. And it is unusual considering that no one I know has built this exact style of frame. Mixtes and modified step-throughs yes. But not plain step-throughs where the top and down tubes are parallel. In fact, this bicycle does not even have what can be called a main triangle. It is a main parallelogram.




The head tube and the seat tube are also parallel lines - each at a 72° angle. This double set of parallels makes for an interesting visual pattern.






For this frame I used straight gauge tubing, so that I could practice cutting and brazing unsupervised without worrying about butting and thin walls. The hardy tubing should also minimise flex and twist in the step-through design, as well as make it possible to store the finished machine outdoors and generally treat it as a beater bike.






The joints will be fillet brazed (lugless) - partly because I would like to practice fillet brazing, and partly because there isn't currently a reliable source for a step-through lugset. Fillet brazing requires using brass as the filler material and heating up the joints considerably more than you would with lugged silver brazing. Since I am using straight gauge tubing, this should not be a problem. The only thing I am a little nervous about is the bottom bracket. With a lugged bottom bracket, the tubes are inserted into hollow sleeves, allowing you to look inside after brazing and check whether the filler material has pulled through properly. With a plain shell like the one pictured here, this cannot be done. I've considered using a lugged bottom bracket while fillet brazing the rest of the joints, but ultimately decided against that. I'll just have to be especially diligent in this area.






My goal in making this frame was to get some practice with basic technique without having to worry about thin wall tubing, unusually wide tires or multitudes of braze-ons. However, it was also crucial to me that I ride the finished bike as much as possible as part of everyday life, and I knew that would not happen with a plain diamond frame. The resulting compromise was a single speed 26" wheel step-through with a raked-out fork. Basically very similar to the prototypical English "Sports Roadster," but with lower trail.






Getting the slanted top tube was in a sense straightforward, but not without its quirks. To start with I specced out the slope to match the angle of the downtube. Funny thing though: When the angles were mathematically identical they looked off to the human eye (several spectators confirmed this), so in fact the tubes had to be not quite parallel in order for them look right. Paul Carson taught me how to use his notching lathe, and none of the notches were problematic except for the top head joint. That one had to be adjusted repeatedly to make the angle look right - but finally it got there.




As the mocked up tubes are starting to look bike-like, those who see the beginnings of this frame tend to have an "Aha, I know what kind of bike this is!" type of reaction. It's been nice to get that feedback. While the first frame I made was done in the privacy of a teacher-student environment, now I am working in a shared shop space with loads of people around. Random people passing through will ask what I am working on, and repeatedly I find myself articulating not just the concept of the frame but the step-by-step process of building it. No doubt this recital helps me make more sense of the process myself.

In Appreciation of John Forester

Browsing theDFW Point to Point blog the other day, I learned about the recent release of the 7th edition of John Forester's Effective Cycling - that classic tome espousing the vehicular cycling philosophy. Thinking about this book, I feel great affection toward my own tattered blue copy.



When it comes to bicycle infrastructure, Metro Boston has changed considerably since I first began riding here. In Spring the majority of my routes involved traveling along streets with no infrastructure what so ever. When I discovered Vehicular Cycling, I thus interpreted it not as something that was a matter of agreeing or disagreeing with, but as a necessary tool for the realities of my environment. John Forester believes that bicyclists should behave like vehicles, sharing roads with motorised traffic. Effective Cycling gives precise and detailed instructions on how to do that.



As an absolute beginner, I purchased an older edition of the book and found it immensely helpful. It educated me about traffic maneuvers from the bottom up: Starting with very basic concepts that I was able to implement right away, then getting into more nuanced ideas that became useful once I gained a bit of experience and courage. And just as importantly, Effective Cycling got me into an "I can do this. I have a right to do this." frame of mind. It seems almost hard to believe now, but at the time I was often the only bicyclist out on the roads and there were no social or infrastructural cues to indicate that it was okay to ride a bike on the street. No sharrows, no "share the road" signs, no other people on bikes. Drivers would routinely shout "You're not supposed to be here!" at me, incredulous at my very presence. Effective Cycling gave me the confidence and the skills to operate in that kind of environment, and to do it safely.



Today there are bike lanes, sharrows and signage along most of my routes through the city. There are also many other cyclists out on the roads. The combined effect of this has been an increased awareness and acceptance of bicycling. The infrastructure here is far from perfect. The drivers are still far from nice. But nonetheless things are much better than they were three years ago. There is less hostility, less stress. It no longer seems abnormal to ride in the city, and cycling feels more accessible to beginners.



Extreme proponents of the Vehicular Cycling philosophy are against bicycling infrastructure of any kind, believing that separated paths and bike lanes are not in the best interest of cyclists. Often they will actively fight against infrastructure, making it a point to attend town meetings and speak out against it. Conversely, those who favour infrastructure tend to position themselves against Vehicular Cycling, viewing it is a discredited philosophy and a lost cause. But from where I stand, this battle manufactures an unnecessary and ultimately damaging dichotomy.



While I have experienced the benefits of cycling infrastructure firsthand, I nonetheless find the principles of Vehicular Cycling indispensable in environments where said infrastructure is unavailable or imperfect - or when I choose to operate a bicycle on the open road for other reasons. I do not agree with John Forester on every point, but I value much of his advice on riding in traffic. I would encourage cyclists of all persuasions to keep an open mind and give Effective Cycling a read.

Happy Feet

Today was the first time I felt well enough to ride a roadbike since havinggotten sicklast month. It was only 26 miles, but it felt great to have my full lung capacity and energy back.



Continuing with the Italian theme, I took Francesco - my fixed gear stallion. How happy he was, basking in the precious minutes of sunshine in between thunderstorms.



Riding a fixed gear roadbike is an experience that fills me with a special kind of enjoyment - I think because it combines the sensations of walking and flying (fly-walking?).



I was worried that I might be too out of shape to make it, but I had forgotten how comfortable Francesco is. The 26 miles of pedaling felt like a stroll in the park. Although, I have learned by now that even if I feel "fine" riding fixed gear while I am actually doing it, it does take more out of me than a free-wheel bicycle. I usually sleep longer after such a ride, and sometimes I am sore the following day.



One thing that has improved my comfort level with fixed gear cycling considerably, are these "fixie" Power Grips. I wrote about the standard Power Grips here, and since my initial review I have become addicted to these things. The fixed gear version differs from the standard model, in that it makes it easier to insert and remove your feet while pedals are in motion. I cannot tell what it is about the design that makes this possible, but none the less it seems to work. I insert my right toe at the starting position and start cycling slowly while nudging the left pedal with my left toe - then swiftly insert the toe into the left grip on the first stroke. After some practice this became a familiar and instinctive sequence of movements - though it definitely helped that I was already comfortable using this system on a free-wheel bike prior to trying it on a fixed gear.



Now that I am able to use foot retention on this bicycle, I am no longer apprehensive about cycling over bumps and potholes or going downhill at high speeds. The experience is pretty much perfect and very enjoyable. One thing in particular I have noticed, is how easy it is for me to ride "in the drops" - Francesco almost seems more stable when the handlebars are held this way than higher up. Is that possible?



And another interesting thing: I find it much, much easier to get out of the saddle and pedal standing up on Francesco than I do on my other bicycles. Is it the fixed-gearness that is facilitating this or the geometry? As I've mentioned before, I have a terrible sense of balance, and that is what I believe normally prevents me from pedaling while standing up. But on this bicycle, it seems not to matter.



It rained on and off for the duration of our ride, and the colourful leaves strewn over the trail turned into a mess of a slippery carpet. Was I so excited to be riding Francesco that I began to imagine things, or is it easier to ride in slippery conditions on a fixed gear bike? I have read comments about traction before, but I admit that I don't understand them. Could somebody explain it in layman's terms?



As I prepare for some more pruning of my bicycle overgrowth, it is clear to me that I "need" a fixed gear roadbike. So while I am now considering selling my Trek- which has been fun, but not essential - I will definitely be keeping the Francesco Moser.



In the long run, however - maybe a couple of years from now - I will probably want to replace it with a "real" fixed gear bicycle. Mainly, this is because the Moser's bottom bracket is not as high as it should be - and even though my lean on turns is not aggressive enough to warrant worrying about pedal strike yet, it would be better if this wasn't even a potential issue.



But for now,Francesco is my dashing Italian gentleman and I thank him for my happy feet.

Succulent Blossom

One of my houseplants, a succulent has been blooming some this summer. Here are some of the buds and an open blossom.

WBHM

My husband had an appointment yesterday to record a testamonial for WBHM, Birmingham's NPR station.

I tagged along because, you know, blog fodder.

If you're a local public radio listener you may soon be treated to the dulcet tones that are the basso profundo of my dear husband.

He mostly talked about NPR's news shows (Morning Edition and All Things Considered), WBHM's excellent local arts and culture show Tapestry, and the Ivory Billed Woodpecker Radio Expeditions story that I wrote about earlier.

With luck they'll find something useful between the parts with the chair squeaking, him leaning away from the microphone, or me butting in to tell him what to say. (Sorry, dear.)


My husband (left) with Michael Krall, WBHM's Program Director. Both are infinitely more handsome than they appear in this poor photo.

For the record, I am addicted to all the shows mentioned above plus:
To the Best of Our Knowledge
This American Life
Fresh Air

It's hard to say which is my favorite - I like them all. Click the above links to listen to them on the internet, or here to see WBHM's program schedule. (NPR's full list of programs is here.)

You can E-pledge to WBHM right now. We always do.

Dang, I forgot to ask where Steve Chiotakis sits.


In the interest of full disclosure: I have photoshopped two annoying glares out of the second picture above. Wish I could fix the harsh shadows too. I don't take many indoor shots and here you can see why. The built-in flash on my camera is somewhat lacking. Also, I tend to use "photoshop" as a verb even though I use a different editing program. And, since my husband won't sing to me, I don't really know that he's a basso profundo, but his voice is rather low. Finally, he may or may not actually have dulcet tones. I'm a little biased.

Indiana National Guard Unit 1907

This photo was probably taken about 1907. Hale Brubaker, in the middle of the back row (the fellow without a hat) was a member of Company G, 3rd Regiment, Indiana National Guard. He was a First Lieutenant at the time he left the unit in 1908 to attend law school at Columbia University in New York City. Click on the picture to enlarge it to see the details. It is obviously a posed photo made to look like a candid shot.

The 9th Regiment at Shiloh :: The Photo

This is the first of two photographs from the display at the visitor center at Shiloh National Battlefield.

The caption under this picture in the display reads: “Men of the 9th Indiana, a regiment of Hazen's brigade in the Army of the Ohio, in camp before the battle.”

Perhaps, partially due to the size of the photo on display (about 30x36 inches), it is out of focus.

The close-ups below begin from the left hand side of the above photograph. There is some overlap in the close-ups so some men will appear on more than one of the pictures.

Though out of focus, it is interesting to see the different stances and postures of the men. How some of them seem to be paying attention, and others, well not so much.

Over the Rockies

The Rock Cut Nature Trail is a short paved trail that goes up (and up) from the parking area.



Still snow-covered in areas, the slipperiness and elevation made for difficult walking at times.



Looking toward the west from the top of the Rock Cut Nature Trail.



And, looking toward the east.



Traveling on down the highway and over the summit, the scenery changes drastically. The snow is gone and the hazy skies return, as did warmer temperatures!



No offense to those living in eastern Colorado and southern Nebraska but after crossing the Rockies, the scenery was somewhat less interesting.



I made it “safe and sound” back to Indiana where I'll be until after the 4th of July weekend. And then? Well, time will tell...

Budweiser Clydedale Horses

A day or so before I let for Las Cruces I saw on Facebook where a friend of a friend had seen the big red trucks with the Budweiser Clydesdales going down the freeway in Oklahoma so I checked their website to see where they were going and a mircle. They were to be in Las Cruces at the same time I was with a stop in El Paso, Texas for Thanksgiving parade. Dustin and I got in a quick trip to a mall where the horses would be on display for a few hours one afternoon for the public to see and photograph. That is me in the hat and pink shirt. It was very crowed but I expected that. you could get up near the horses for photos. Had to say back 5 feet and lots didn't seem to know how far 5 feet was. Then they would drive the horses in a big circle around the parking lot and the trucks, then stop for more photos.





I love this one. One driver looks bored, maybe napping, as does the dog and the other driver is yawning.







































































































From the back of the wagon.






















Big feet.

Sunshine! and Panorama Point Snow Pit

Howdy Everybody!

The sun is out and the temperatures are soaring: 49 at Paradise today! Come out and ski in your shorts.



This week's snow pit was dug just below the bathrooms at Panorama Point. Except for the surface, the top 100 cm of snowcontains6 layers that are all the same hardness and temperature and a mixture of rain crust, ice crust, and rounds. There was about 5 cm of heavy snow on top of a rain crust as of yesterday afternoon. By noon today there was a good 5 cm of slush on top.



Stabililty tests for the snow pit were as follows:

ECTX

CTN

STH @ (15cm) Q2



The weekend forecast shows a drop in the freezing level (finally) and somesnow headed our way!

How about we ALL get on the clue bus?

It is so easy to avoid a train wreck...why wouldn't you?







Just the simple, basics of life...you know...like:



Packs you don't need to be Houdini to figure out how to get on, get off or pack



Hammers that you can actuallyhammer something useful with



Stop trying to sell down insulation as a "belay" parka



Trying to tell me why a detachable hood is a good thing on abelay parka



Umbilicalattachments or even umbilicals actually designed to stay attached



Tool handles actually as strong and reliableas the leashes they replaced



While we are at it, a commercial umbilical that can take 2000lbs static load



"Soft mid sole ice climbing boots"......which makes aboutas much sense as"melting ice cream".



Just say *NO*to flexiblecrampons, you life will be better for it



And say *NO* to climbing gear that you throw away after it hits a file twice





(hit and run, Rant mode off)