Wordless Wednesday :: Stone's Trace

The Tavern at Stone's Trace. Built in 1839. South of Ligonier, Indiana.

Bartering at the encampment.

Photographs taken on September 6, ...
Copyright © .. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman.

The 45 Minute Mystery

The furthest I typically travel for transportation is about 10 miles from home, and over time I've noticed something kind of funny: It takes me around 45 minutes to get there pretty much every time, no matter what bike I am riding. I have done the ride on several upright bikes, road and touring bikes, mixtes, single speeds - and it's always the same. If I happen to be a little slower or faster on any given day, it seems to depend more on traffic patterns than on the bike I am riding.

This is not to say that some bikes are not faster than others; clearly there are enormous differences. But when riding for transportation through densely populated areas, I find that more often than not these differences simply do not matter. Because I follow traffic laws and stop for red lights and stop signs, being on a fast bike just means that I am riding faster between those enforced stops. Maybe once in a while I'll make a green light that a slower cyclist would not, but somehow it averages out and in the end I don't really "win" any time.

Of course there are other benefits to being on a faster bike. Hills are easier. Accelerating is easier when going around obstacles or starting from a stop. All things considered, I prefer to commute on a bike that is fast - as long as it's also upright, comfortable, and fully equipped for transportation. But the faster bike does not deliver me to my destination any sooner; the 45 minute rule always applies.

The Shuder Family Mystery

The following records simply confirm information we already knew but they don't answer the questions as to whether Mary Tabitha Elzora Shuder was actually the daughter of Isaac Shuder and Nancy Jane Lavering or whether Noah Evert Long was the son of Mary Tabitha and John H. Long!

Mary Tabitha was born January 1, 1873 but Isaac and Nancy Jane were not married until October 26, 1875. Isaac would have been 29 years old when they married, Nancy was 20.

Noah Evert was born February 4, 1893 but Mary Tabitha "Dora" Shuder and John H. Long were not married until October 25, 1896.

For more information on this family mystery, please see my previous post "A new-found Cousin or Not?" Click on the images below to enlarge them.



The record on the left (above) shows that a marriage license was issued on October 25, 1875 to Isaac Schuder with consent of Daniel Lavering. Isaac Schuder and Nancy Jane Lavering were married on October 26, 1875. Elkhart County, Indiana Marriage Book 4 page 379.

On the right (above) is the marriage record that shows Dora Shuder married John H. Long on the 25th day of October 1896. Kosciusko County, Indiana Marriage Book K page 348.



On the left: Mary Tabitha Elzora Long married Walter L. Davis on November 8, 1926. Elkhart County, Indiana Marriage Book 35 page 618. The record shows that she was born in Kosciusko Co., Ind. on Jany 1, 1873; she resided in Middlebury, Ind.; her father was Isaac Shuder and her mother was Jane Lavering. It also shows that she was married once before and the marriage was dissolved by death on Sept. 16, 1920.

On the right: The marriage record of Noah Evert Long was on the next page (page 619). They were both married by S. S. Whisler a Justice of the Peace. Noah's record shows that he was born at Oswego, Kosciusko Co., Ind. on Feby 4, 1893; he resided in Middlebury, Ind. and was a Farmer; his father was John H. Long and his mother was Mary Tabitha Elzora Shudder.

Shipping Bicycles: a Delicate Matter?

Over the past couple of years, I have gotten the sense that shipping bicycles in the USA has become increasingly difficult - particularly bikes that are larger and heavier than a standard modern roadbike. Bike boxes aren't typically made large enough anymore, and the correct size can be next to impossible to hunt down.Shipping companies can give dramatically incorrect estimates for what the service will cost (this happened to me the last time I sold a bike and shipped it myself).And there are lots of accounts of bikes getting damaged in transit despite careful packaging.




For the recipient, receiving a damaged bicycle can be heartbreaking - especially if the damage is something major, like a dent in the frame. For the sender, damage in transit can mean having to pay for it, or at least meeting the recipient half way, if the shipment was not insured or the insurance does not come through.




Personally the only way I feel comfortable shipping a bicycle now is via a bike shop. Yes, we can pack bicycles ourselves and we can do an excellent job. But nonetheless we are not recognised as "professionals." Bike shops are. This apparently can play a role if there is damage in transit and an insurance claim is filed. "Was the bike professionally packed?"




Unfortunately not all bike shops are willing to ship bicycles anymore, especially not large or heavy bikes. This seems to be a recent development: A couple of shops in my neighbourhood used to offer this service, but stopped a year or two ago. Still, in my view finding a good bike shop that does provide the service is worth it. And getting the shipment insured is a must.




What has been your experience with shipping or receiving bicycles over the past year? Do you prefer to ship bikes yourself or to use the services of a bike shop? And in cases of damage in transit, how was the situation resolved? Tips and advice much appreciated.

Plains Coreopsis

Plains Coreopsis in July.

Where Do You Want to Go, Really?

I was telling a local cyclist about my dream bicycle tour, one I've imagined for years. It is still a matter of wishful thinking for now, but nonetheless I've mapped it all out: 650 miles of cycling up the coast, from the North Shore of Massachusetts to the easternmost tip of Downeast Maine. The coastline is jagged there and hugging it makes for a decidedly circuitous route. And my plan is to hug every curve - to not let the ocean out of my sight if I can help it. The cyclist I was talking to - an experienced bicycle tourist - said that the logistics of my plan sounded solid, but that it seemed like an awful lot of work for such a bleak destination. Do I realise how stark and desolate that area is? The picturesque Maine everyone envisions - with its seaside farms, historical houses and sandy beaches - is actually in the southern part of the state.There are some popular scenic New England routesthat I might want to consider instead.



In fact my choice of route is deliberate and I know exactly what that area is like. Still, I am taking the warning seriously. Often we imagine what we think is a dream destination, only to learn that it's not that great to actually cycle there. It can be a matter of traffic, of overly challenging terrain, of insufficient amenities, or even of scenery that, while beautiful, becomes unexpectedly monotonous at bicycling speed. Or maybe our memory of a place focuses on one specific spot that is stunning to visit, but glosses over the fact that the route to it is in itself unremarkable. I have had these experiences on local rides, so I can certainly imagine the disappointment on a long tour. After all, a tour is something we need to to plan for, take time off work - we want it to be special and worth it.



So how can we tell where we want to go, really? Reading others' ride reports of the route we are considering might be helpful. It's also worth paying attention to what we personally enjoy and don't enjoy about the cycling experience. I know that I prefer rough scenery to the more manicured postcard-pretty stuff.I like sparsely populated areas.I love to see bogs overgrown with green algae, dilapidated barns, ghostly forests. I don't mind badly maintained roads. I prefer as little car traffic as possible and am willing to pay for the backroads experience by climbing extra hills. I do not grow bored of looking at the ocean. But I also cannot ride for long in direct sunlight, and I know that coastal routes tend to have much less shade than inland routes. It's hard to say whether my hypothetical dream ride along the Maine coast will be enjoyable in practice. But it's nice to dream for now.



How have your dream bicycling destinations measured up against reality?

I'll second that

This is not awesome.

First Ken Jennings comes in second in the Jeopardy "Ultimate Tournament of Champions," then local boy Bo Bice comes in second on American Idol.

The winners were good, but...

I was prepared to be crowing today about Alabama's second AI winner (both Bo and Ruben Studdard are from the Birmingham area).

Still proud of him of course. People I know, who know people who know him, say he's very nice.

But boo hoo. Bo hoo. Dagnabbit.

Balancing Rock

Hats Off!

Because quite a few of you have ordered hats from me as part of barter deals via the Trading Post, I wanted to announce that: (1) I am now done with all the ones I promised thus far and they are going out in the mail on Monday, and (2) My waiting list has cleared and I am ready for more trades. Thank you for your interest in these, and I am happy to make them. I have problems with the nerves in my hands and knitting is a good form of physical therapy for that - so it's great to be "forced" to do it. While I am not looking to start selling hats, I am more than happy to trade them for bicycle components and whatever other stuff might appear on my Trading Post "want" list. Since I've received a lot of questions about the hats, I thought I'd provide some details here, and link to this post whenever someone has a question. Please feel free to skip if this is not of interest.





Materials and Patterns: I use a soft 100% Peruvian wool. I have a very good source for the wool now and can get pretty much any colour you want. I don't use patterns, but make up my own designs.





Styles: I can make three basic type of hats in many variations: a ski-hat ("beanie"), a rounded Scandinavian style hat, and a slouchy beret. I don't make hats with ear flaps or visors.





Texture: Most of my hats have some textural variation to them. This adds structure to the hat, as well as visual interest - especially when the hat is all one colour. If you prefer them to be smooth, that is fine as well.





Extra warmth? By default, the hats are warm and wind-proof. But if you want one that is extra warm, I can do that by using stitching that makes the hat thicker.



Summer hats? I can also make a summer weight beret using a delicate cashmere blend.





Colour combinations: Hats can be made single tone, or in various colour combinations. I like stripes and organic forms. If you have something specific in mind, let me know!





Which hat for under a helmet? If you want a hat specifically to wear under a helmet, I recommend opting for a ski hat with no textural variation. The colour combination of course does not matter.





Trade value?No idea. So far I've traded for things like handlebars and vintage camera equipment, and multiple hats for a (new) wheelset. The more complicated the pattern, the more time consuming a hat is to make, but I have no concrete value system in place. I am not looking to start a hat business or to market these. It's just a fun way to trade and thanks again for the interest!

Father of Eva Rupert :: Is it John or Adam?

Online trees are certainly a “mixed bag” when it comes to reliable information but sometimes you find a gem that provides a clue or lead to follow-up on. Such was the case with the WorldConnect database of another descendant of Conrad and Eva/Eve (Rupert) Yarian. Her parents were given as John and Barbara Rupert and it had a source for her baptism - the Lower Bermudian Church in Adams County, Pennsylvania.



From her modern gravemarker in Unity Brick Church Cemetery, Columbiana County, Ohio we know that Eve was born on December 21, 1786. In addition, the 1850 census gives her age as 64, and in 1860 she is 75 years old. In both census records (Unity Township, Columbiana County) her birthplace is given as Pennsylvania.





Photo taken September 19, .. by Becky Wiseman

A resource I had found in the early days of my research (forgotten but recently reviewed) was a short typewritten manuscript titled “Some Descendants of Mathais Jurian” (compiled by Miss Cecil M. Smith, Hollis, New York, no date) It has two slightly conflicting dates for Eve's birth. On page 6 her birth is given as December 24, 1786 while on the next page it is given as December 21, 1786. It also states that Eve was born in born York County, Pennsylvania. (Keep in mind that in 1800, Adams County was formed from part of York.)



A search of the Library Catalog showed that the 1943 typescript “Church record of the Reformed & Lutheran congregation at Bermudian, Latimore Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania, 1745-1864” by William John Hinke was available on microfilm.





The last entry on page 21 shows [Infantes] Eva b. Dec 21, 1786 bapt. --------, 1787[Parents] Hannes Rubbert and Barbara, [Testes] John Adam Rubbert and Margaret



Having looked for these people “out there” on the internet recently, I've found a lot of conflicting information. It seems some researchers think that John Adam Rupert and John Rupert are one and the same person. Of course, without further research into Pennsylvania records I can't say conclusively that this Hannes Rubbert (John) with wife Barbara and John Adam Ruppert with wife Margaret shown here in Adams County, Pennsylvania are the same individuals who lived in Columbiana County, Ohio. But I can say that Hannes and John Adam are definitely two separate individuals!





The first entry on page 22 is the birth of Johannes born Nov. 9, 1786 to Johannes Adam Ruppert and Margaretha with witnesses Hannes Ruppert and Barbara.



The fifth entry on that page (the last entry on the scan) is the birth of Anna Catharina born Febr. 23, 1789, bap. Apr. 13, 1789 with parents Adam Rubbert and Margaretha and witnesses Henrich Flliker and Christina.



Other family trees on the net (from some of the researchers who don't subscribe to the premise that John and Adam are the same person) show four brothers - Adam, John, Martin and Michael Rupert - with unknown parents. The first three reportedly all ended up in Columbiana County, Ohio at the about the same time.





This record is from page 71 of the Bermudian Church Records showing the birth of a son Johannes on Jan. 29, 1780 bapt. on May 14, 1780 to Martin Rupert and Elisabeth with witnesses being Peter Arnold and Margret. Is Martin one of the four brothers?





On page 73 we have the birth of Jacob on June 1, 1782 bapt. June 23, 1782 with parents Johannes Ruppert and Barbara and witnesses Georg Hermann and Apollonia.





On page 74 of the Bermudian Church Records is the birth of Salome on Nov. 5, 1782 and bapt. in 1783. Her parents were Johannes Ruppert and Barbara with witnesses being Felix Thiel and Elisabeth. As a side note, this record was on a page with births for both 1782 and 1783. It is highly unlikely that Salome was born in November 1782 if Jacob was born in June of the same year. This is a transcription of the church book so the record could have been copied incorrectly or the church cleric could have inadvertently written the wrong year.





As a final “exhibit” from the Bermudian Church Records is page 101 listing the “Communicants, 18th Sunday after Trinity, 1787.” In the first column at number 23 is Johannes Rubbert, number 24 is Barbara, wf. In the second column is number 30, Adam Rubbert.



Among other sources that I reviewed on microfilm (No. 317346) at the Family History Library was “Wills of Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties” compiled by Henry R. Baldwin, no publication date. I didn't find a will listed for John Rupert but did find an abstract for that of Adam Rupert.





This is a snapshot taken with the camera. The record refers to Book 10 page 376 with a year of 1838. Heirs of Adam Rupert were his wife Margaret, sons John and Adam, daughters Catherine married John Sheets, Margaret married Adolph Saschtebergen, Mary married John Snoke (Snook), Elizabeth married Henry Sentzenisen. Grandchildren (Sentzenhisen) May, John, Daniel, Adam, Jacob, Samuel, Benjamin, Margaret, Sitter, Eliza, Ester, Henry, Lewis. Executors were John Sheets and Adam Rupert. Witnesses were William Chain and Solomon Greenamyer.



Note that Adam's wife is Margaret and there is a son John and daughter Catherine, corresponding with the Bermudian Church records.



Armed with this information and hoping to find something to help verify that John Rupert was the father of Eve, I began looking at land records for Columbiana County, Ohio.

(dis)Comfort Bike Blues

Only two weeks left until I return to the US, where the Co-Habitant, our two kitties, and our small flock of bicycles await me expectantly!



That is the good news. The bad news, is that I will not be cycling for the remainder of my stay in Austria. Apparently, I have managed to mildly injure myself by cycling too fast and too much (60-80 km rides) on a bicycle that was not designed for it. I was warned that this could happen, but my enthusiasm for the trails got the best of me and I did not heed the warnings. Now I need to take a break and heal completely, if I want to be able to cycle for the rest of the summer. Grrr.



So I guess this is Good-bye to the rental comfort bike I have been riding here for the past 2 months. We've had some good times together, but she just was not made to cope with my demands.



It's not that comfort bikes are categorically "bad" bicycles. Short trips feel marvelous, and they can handle a wide range of town and country terrain. But the longer the trip and the faster you attempt to ride, the more you begin to feel the limitations of their anatomy. Whereas the road bike is built for speed, the mountain bike for off-road use, and the Dutch-style bike for utility, the comfort bike manages to combine components of all three in a way that provides the full benefits of neither.



Clever Cycles has an excellent article that compares the anatomies of different types of bicycles and explains why comfort bikes can feel the opposite of what their name suggests:

Ergonomically, I think comfort bikes ...are sort of a disaster. They have the steep-ish seat tube angle of a mountain bike, and simply bring the bars much closer and higher... This results in a very shallow torso angle so the buttocks can’t help much with pedaling. You see riders of these bikes bobbing their torsos forward with each pedal stroke trying vainly to enlist more muscles to the aid of their smoking quadriceps. The saddles are appropriately broad to support the upright rotation of the pelvis, but all that broad tragic squishiness leads to chafing because the seat tube angle puts the pedals too nearly below the hips. A common compensation is to set the saddle too low, which only makes the other problems worse.

This describes exactly the problems I was having with the rental hybrid. At first it feels quite comfortable, as it does give you a fairly upright posture. But the longer you cycle, the more you feel that the seating tube angle, the handlebars, the space between the different parts of the bike, etc., all sort of work against you rather than for you as you attempt to go long distance, climb a hill, or pick up speed. And, if like me, you keep at it despite feeling the bike's limitations, the inevitable results are pain and possible injury.



If you are shopping for a bicycle, be aware that what are called "comfort bikes" do not have the same construction as traditional relaxed frame bicycles such as the old English 3-speeds and the Dutch-style bicycles.



It will be difficult not riding a bike for 2 whole weeks now that I've gotten so used to it! But no doubt this period of velo-abstinence will make me appreciate the bicycles waiting for me at home all the more.

John Simac, Lee Tegner and Camp Schurman

Ed Hrivnak is a pilot and a writer (New Yorker and Operation Homecoming) and last September he took a special trip to Mount Rainier for two friends. Normally, this sort of activity wouldn't be too big of a deal (Ed flew many of the maneuvers behind the photos in my book), but his two friends have a special connection to Rainier and this trip could be their last chance to get up close and personal with "The Mountain." Here is an edited version of that flight and those men.

“I can not begin to express what an honor it was to fly John Simac and Lee Tegner around the mountain in September, 2007. As a climber and rescuer, the stories I heard from them during the flight were truly amazing. John talked about his first Rainier climb in 1932 and the body recovery of Delmar Fadden in 1936; Lee talked about being strapped into the open door of a plane while making cargo drops to the Camp Schurman hut in the early 1960's. Both reminisced about camping on the summit for a week, playing football and eating watermelon while teaching young Explorer Scouts the skills of mountaineering.

John had mentioned a flight to see the mountain six months ago realizing that at age 93, he may never see “the hut” and Mount Rainier up close again. After months of scheduling conflicts, we finally had a day that worked for all three of us.

The weather that day was absolutely perfect. There was a light wind and clear skies which made for stable air on the NE side of the mountain. This would be great for viewing Camp Schurman and the Emmons Glacier. You see, John and Lee both volunteered to build the Camp Schurman hut. Both spent many years on Mount Rainier's slopes. Both volunteered with Mountain Rescue for over 50 years. Both had given so much and I wanted to honor that.

We took four laps around the north and east face of Mount Rainier, Little Tahoma, and in particular Camp Schurman. No one was around that day; it was just us, the mountain, and the hut. After all I'd heard, I decided to pull a maneuver that would give them a clear view. I took the plane to 11 K and then dropped the flaps, pulled the engine to idle, and gently rolled in for closer inspection. We quietly glided over the glacier with the hut to our right. Then John spoke with a tear in his eye, "Seeing that hut again brought back a flood of memories that I can't sort out at once." Lee, with a smile, said, "we had a hell of a time on this mountain."

As the plane descended over the Winthrop Glacier, we watched large open crevasses pass beneath us. I looked over at Lee and John and noted that they were both lost in memories that I could only imagine. I wonder if there is anyone alive today who has volunteered more time on the upper mountain of Rainier as John and Lee. It was a privilege to pilot them for what might be a final view of a place so special. For me, I hope someone will do the same when I am 93." -Ed Hrivnak

Myrtle Beach State Park~The Boardwalk

When we were in OBX this summer, one question I was asked over and over again on the phone was, "is there a boardwalk there?". There wasn't. There is one here in Myrtle Beach though. We haven't visited it yet so I can't share what I think of it. I can say that I've loved all of the boardwalks I have visited so far so I am guessing I will love the one here too.



In the meantime, we enjoyed the boardwalk at the State Park. It connects the park areas to the beach and connects the access points to the beach to each other.



There is just something about boardwalks that scream summer to me. I know, it isn't summer...but it still feels like summer here.



And the view is just gorgeous from here! I'm content to just hang here for a bit! Can you blame me?





Living the life in South Carolina!

Bicycles in Brussels

I was in Brussels and London over the past few days. Am exhausted, but here are a few velo snaps from the land of waffles, chocolate, the European Commission, and Eddy Merckx. London pictures will follow in the next post.



I have been to Brussels many times, and not once have I seen the city sunny. So my main association with it - whether deserved or not - is darkness: dark sky, dark buildings, dark trees, dark chocolate...



People in black overcoats riding black bicycles fit right into the romantically gothic landscape.



A black Gazelle chained up in the city center. I saw many Dutch bicycles, from brands both known and unknown, as well as many modern hybrid bikes. To my dismay, I did not see a single bike by the Belgian manufacturer Achielle.



The bicycle infrastructure looks similar to how things are in Boston: occasional bike lanes and "sharrows". Mostly, bicycles share the road with cars, buses and trams. On large streets you mostly see roadbikes, because the bicycles really need to be going quite fast in order to blend into the flow of traffic. On side streets you see more of the Dutch bikes, since the traffic flow is less hectic.



One trend I noticed is the huge number of people riding folding bikes. There are definitely more folding bikes in Brussels than in other cities I have been to recently, and it's funny to see how aggressively they are maneuvered through the streets. I also saw at least a half dozen women whose outfits matched their folding bicycles, but alas I was quick enough to photograph only this red on red number. Notice also how the yellow panel on the backpack matches the yellow strip on the bike.



And then of course there is Villo, the Brussels bike share programme.



The Villo bikes look to be in spectacularly good condition compared to the Vienna Citybikes and the Paris Velib bikes I have seen. Not sure whether this is because vandalism is less prevalent in Brussels, or because the bicycles are newer.



Adverts are featured on the dressguards - but to my eye, these are not as overwhelming as the ones on the Vienna Citybikes. I also quite like the Iris emblem.



I had a very precise schedule while in Brussels, and cycling was not on the agenda. As for using the Villo for transportation - one of the main obstacles for me was the same as for Vienna Citybike: The basket will not fit my bag - which is a standard briefcase/laptop size bag - and it is not the sort of bag that can be carried messenger style. When I mentioned this in a post about Vienna's Citybike, I received some aggressive responses (that I subsequently deleted together with my defensive replies): Basically, a couple of readers criticised me for "whining" about this issue, and for carrying an "impractical designer bag" in the first place. Not that I need to justify myself, but my bag is actually a conservative, modest briefcase-style bag with no visible designer labels. This type of briefcase-style bag is standard to use in my line of work, whereas a messenger bag or backpack is not. Especially in cities like Brussels and Vienna - where so many professionals arrive for international meetings and conferences, such bags are prevalent. Therefore I do not think it is unreasonable to suggest that when designing a bike-share bicycle, its basket is made to fit a standard laptop-sized bag, for those who do not carry backpacks to work. If a system is designed "for the people", it seems useful to understand what factors encourage said people to use it vs what factors prevent them from using it.



I did not have a chance to visit my favourite places in Brussels on this trip, but at least I walked around a bit between my meetings. Brussels is a city that I like very much, but cannot imagine living in: Everything seems to be centered around EU activities and this gives it a certain hectic and bureaucratic feel even when things are quiet. I also find it disorienting that French and Dutch are used interchangeably (though the city is technically French-speaking), with occasional English and German thrown in as well. For these very reasons, I think it is essential to visit Brussels if you have never been. Its atmosphere is in many ways crucial for understanding today's Europe. It is a very easy city to visit and to get around - with excellent food, regal parks, beautiful architecture, and walkable streets.

Plumeria Flower Bud

A plumeria getting ready to bloom.

Helen, Dorothy and Mildred Jones

Helen, Dorothy and Mildred Jones were the children of Charles Isaac Jones (1859-1940) and Emma Liggett (1861-1949). The photograph is from the Whitley County Historical Museum. Charles is my 1st cousin 4 times removed. Our common ancestors are my 4th great grandparents William B. Jones and Elizabeth Helms. They were Charles' grandparents.

Helen was born May 1, 1888 in Columbia City and married John Albert Menaugh on April 22, 1913 in Whitley County, Indiana. In 1940 and 1949 she lived in Chicago, Illinois.

Dorothy and Mildred were twins, born January 9, 1892 in Columbia City. Dorothy married Russell B. Clapham on June 15, 1919 in Whitley County. According to her mother's obituary in 1949, Mrs. Dorothy Clapham was living in Washington, D. C. Her husband, Russell, died December 28, 1928 in Columbia City of cerebral meningitis. In addition to his wife, Dorothy, he was survived by his 8 year old son, Charles Clapham.

In August 1918, Mildred married Robert Dale Robertson at Peoria, Illinois. In 1940 and 1949 she was living in Washington, D. C.

A fourth child, Lucy, was born to Charles and Emma Liggett Jones in March of 1894. According to her parents obituaries in 1940 and 1949, Lucy was married to Walter Mitchell and lived in Washington, D. C.

Dream Wool Cycling Jersey Concept

A number of manufacturers have come out with updated versions of the classic wool roadcycling jersey over the past few years, and I've accumulated a few. All have some nice features, but none are perfect. Yesterday I noticed one that I think might come close, and exchanged some emails with my Ibex contact Julie lamenting that there is no women's version. This ended with the people at Ibex saying they will consider it for Fall , which, in turn, inspired me to be more specific about what I envisioned. This is not directed at Ibex necessarily, but at wool manufacturers in general. It is a simple concept, and shouldn't be difficult to execute - yet no jersey quite like this exists at the moment as far as I know.





The key to my dream wool cycling jersey is a very lightweight merino fabric. And by lightweight I mean summer weight, t-shirt weight. The wool Swobo and Woolistic use for their jerseys is too heavy. Rapha, Road Holland and Shutt Velo Rapide use "sport wool," which is a wool/polyester blend that, for me at least, works nicely over a base layer in cold temps, but not against bare skin. Icebreaker adds a touch of lycra to their paper-thin wool jerseys for stretch, and I like their fabric as a possibility. But the nicest I've worn so far has been the 18.5 micron, 195g/m2 merino used by Ibex for their Indie line of jerseys. That fabric feels pretty much spot on.




I prefer cycling jerseys with long sleeves, even in summer, because this way my arms don't get burned. Also, if the fabric is lightweight enough, I actually find it more comfortable to have my skin covered in the heat than not. The combination of the t-shirt weight wool and the long sleeve length is perfect for temperature regulation on both hot and cool days.One thing to add here, is that I beg whoever makes this jersey to not do anything crazy to the sleeves - like what Swobo did here by adding seams. I have both the older (no seams) and the newer (seams! why?) versions of their long sleeve jersey, and the seams on the newer one make the sleeves constricting. Please just leave the sleeves be; they don't need reinventing.






One feature I would absolutely love to see in a cycling jersey is a 2-way zipper. I think this would be an especially useful feature for women, as it would enable us to unzip the jersey for extra ventilation just like men do, but without exposing the bosom. With a 2-way zipper we can unzip along the tummy and leave the chest covered up. I am surprised no one has tried this yet actually. The zipper should be covered on the inside of the jersey, so that it doesn't come into contact with the skin.






Women sometimes complain that cycling jerseys are unflattering, and one way to remedy this would be to tailor the jersey via shaping darts - which Ibex already does in some of their athletic tops. However, I am reluctant to suggest this, because it does introduce additional seams which for some may cause chafing. Personally I am okay with or without darted tailoring, though a women-specific fit would be nice.






In the back, all I want is the classic 3 jersey pockets, elasticized at the top. No more or no less; no bells and whistles; nothing weird. Some manufacturers have been getting clever with the pockets - adding all sorts of secret zip-up compartments for pumps and wallets, which I really feel is unnecessary, and if anything, limits the use of that potentially vast pocket space. Just the standard 3 pockets please!






As far as looks, I am open - just please keep it simple. No flowers, no swirly shapes, no faux-oriental designs, and no clever slogans. Classic colours. Maybe a stipe or two somewhere, with room for embroidering a club name across the chest and back. I love this colourscheme from Ibex, and these from Rapha (sans prominent logo), and this one from Shutt Velo Rapide - and of course these vintage beauties from Bridgestone. Less is more, and a couple of contrasting stripes go a long way.






I have not described anything complicated here, and I hope manufacturers reading this will consider producing something like it. Ibex is probably in the best position to do it, because they already have the perfect fabric and a design that comes very close. But I'd love to see more options for lightweight, women-specific wool cycling jerseys across the board. Your thoughts and input are, of course, welcome. Who knows, maybe we can make something happen.