More from Summer OR

New Trango Cube




I am jammed for time right now and haven't been able to write up much of what I saw at OR.

So here is a drive by of my highlights. Hopefully more thoughts to come on each piece when I get time.








La Sportiva rock shoes..









The newest La Sportiva touring free ride boot...4 buckles!









DMM's newest tools





Trango with a proper gear sling and a innovative and nifty rope tarp









Grivel's crampon binding conversion kit!!





OR's Astroman rock climbing shirt...which I really liked!

It is a very limited market, with a really cheap core audience. Bravo for OR jumping into that snake pit.









New tech approach shoes from Scarpa





a new, flat lasted trad shoe





Much anticipated Pro version of the Rebel Carbon.

It takes clip on crampon now has a bit of insulation and worth the wait I suspect.

The Rebel Ultra certainly was.





A mini biner I really liked from Edelrid





I hate lockers...but not this one...stoked on Edelrid here!





MSR Reactor is likely headed for the bin....Newest Jetboil rooooocccckkks!








OK, no question, I want a Machine 3.0!

Not really very sociable to justbring picturesto OR ;=)











Two sizes and two colors..Acrteryx's newest climbing pack is slllllick!









Camp as always has the goods...not new but it is the goods!





New pack from Metolius....that is built from haul bag material





And a 000 TCU...for thinnnn cracks









Mammut's climbing harness in sew into their pants and shorts now. Kool idea.









My personal RAB model in the new award winning lwts.









More Scarpa porn.....yes I want two of the three

and no I can't afford them all either!




and some of the newest Dynafits TLT 6s as well!





My '80s brief case for comparison and the smallest Grivel haul pag/day pack.





Rolex Sub and the newest Luminox Navy Spec watch,

















Mountain Equipment down! But they did indeed have more than just down.




There is more but I wanted to get some of the newest stuff out there for you to see.

Cream Tires Directory

It is no secret that I like cream bicycle tires.If you are a fan as well, you will find this recent thread on bikeforums a real treat - loads of pictures of classic and vintage cream tired bicycles. And, since I am asked about this all the time, I have compiled below a directory of cream and white tires in various sizesthat are available on the market. My criteria for these selections were reasonable availability and all-over colour (as opposed to white sidewall on a black tire). Unless noted otherwise, all tires listed are puncture-resistant.



Cream Tires for City Bicycles



28"

Schwalbe Delta Cruiser (28 x 1 1/2")

Vredestein Classic(28 x 1 1/2")*

*available in EU only or from Dutch bike dealers



700C

Schwalbe Delta Cruisers (700C x 35mm)

Kenda Kwest (700C x 35mm)

Specialized Nimbus(700C x 35mm)*

Electra Amsterdam City Tire (700C x 40mm)*

* may not be puncture resistant



26"

Schwalbe Delta Cruiser(26 x 1 3/8")

Schwalbe Fat Frank (26 x 2.35")

Geax Tattoo(26 x 2.3")

Kenda Cruiser (26 x 2.125)*

Electra Retrorunner (26 x 2.125")*

Electra Vintage Diamond (26 x 2.35")*

Electra Blossom Trail (26 x 2.125")*

* may not be puncture resistant

Cream Tires for Road Bicycles



650B

Grand Bois Hetre (650B x 42mm)



700C

Panaracer Pasela (700C x 28mm, 700C x 23mm)

Vittoria Randonneur(700C x 28mm, 700C x 23mm)

Vittoria Zafiro Pro (700C x 23mm)

Origin 8 Elimin-8er (700C x 23mm, 700C x 25mm)

Schwalbe Durano (700C x 23mm, 700C x 25mm, 700C x 28mm)



27"

Cheng ShinCST C-740 (27" x 32mm)



The selection is not huge, but there is something to be had in almost every wheel size. If you know of other cream or white tires I have omitted, please let me know and I will add them.

Variations on Red and Green

Growing up, red was my mother's favourite colour. And my mother was a tirelessly creative woman back then. She sewed, she knitted, she made things. Consequently I was dressed in red sweaters and coats. I slept under a red patchwork quilt. You get the idea. I did not know how to communicate my dislike for this colour. When I was 3 years old, I was gifted a red tricycle and stunned my parents by breaking into tears at the sight of it. I loved riding that trike. But when no one was looking, little by little I began trying to scrape the paint off. My parents grew concerned and eventually got rid of it. They must have thought I was eating the paint.




As a teenager, I gravitated toward all things drab. This was the '90s grunge era, so that was easy enough. Army-navy stores, denim, plaid, combat boots. I rode a matte black bicycle then, and even peeled off its bright decals. When asked what my favourite colour was, I did not have an answer. In college I wore black. I made large charcoal drawings. I took black and white photos.






Sometime in my twenties I saw a weathered old bicycle locked up to a farm gate by the river. It was a lady's bike in the signature English shade of bottle green, and the weak East Anglia sunlight was hitting it just so. The enamel paint had a special quality to it that made it resemble an aged candy wrapper. I saw it and I knew right away that I liked it. As an adult, it was a thrill to learn that I had a favourite colour after all. I began to experiment, to chase after the perfect green. Somewhere between sage, chartreuse and olive, this ideal shade existed and was waiting for me.




After that I relaxed about colour. Blues and lilacs began to sneak their way into my surroundings, mingling nicely with the greens. Accents of pinks and reds appeared.



A couple of summers ago, I was staying in Vienna and looking to buy a vintage racing bike to bring home. A friend found me the perfect one and took me to see it. It was a bright red Moser. I remembered the trike of my childhood and laughed. "I love the bike, but I hate red." I got the Moser anyway and rode it for two years. It wasn't just red, but an unusual shade of strawberry with a subtle golden sheen to it. Everyone complimented the colour, protesting when I revealed my plan to eventually repaint the frame. "But the red is great, and it's so you!" Soon I began to receive red articles of clothing as gifts. I remembered how, as a child, I hated being known as the girl in the red coat, the girl on the red trike. But now it just struck me as funny. I still dislike red, but I guess I no longer think that's important.




I talk to lots of people about their fantasy bikes, or bikes they are nostalgic for, or bikes that simply stick in their memory for some reason. Red bikes and green bikes are mentioned more than any other kind. The colours play an important role in the story, but for reasons the story teller cannot clearly express. They will just keep repeating that it was a red bike, or a green bike, stressing the colour as if this information is pertinent to how special the bike was. It's not always a straightforward, cohesive story, just like mine is not. I suspect a lot is left out, possibly the most relevant parts. Of course we could break it down to the basics. Colour, motion, emotion. Excitement, tranquility. Stop, go. Red bikes, green bikes. But who wants to see it like that.

Hawaii the Big Island - West Side

King Kamehameha. Hawaiians believe Kamehameha's birth fulfilled the prophecy that foretold of the birth of a male child who would rise to power and become a mighty conquerer and ruler of all the Hawaiian islands.

A Seer told him that if he built a Heiau (Sacred Temple) dedicated to his war God he would achieve his destiny. He built the Pu Ukohola Heiau between 1790 and 1791. He conquered all the Islands by warfare except Kauai which was negotiated in 1810 and his prophecy of Hawaii being ruled by onewas fullfilled. This is Pu Ukohola Heiau



When life hands you lava rocks - build walls. These are all hand layed without mortar.

Next isLapakahi State Historical Park

No one remembers when the walls were built or the people who first lived here, but they probably came for the bounty of the sea.





We continue up the Coast to Makapala for lunch. Just outside town was thisgreat tree house'

The road ends at Waipio Valley. We of course cannot resist the signs and take the trail down.



It leads down to beautiful Waipio Bay.

It's a rock trail with lots of switchbacks.

But we keep our final destination in mind

There is light at the end of the tunnel!

Time for a short rest.

Definately worth the trip!

A stroll along the beach before the tide comes back in.

Another beautiful day in Pardise!

Till Later,

Meanwhile, we keep on Trek'n

Melissa & Gary

Minnehaha Saddlebag: a Splendid Bargain

Riled up by the discussion in the comments section of this post, we caved in and bought a Minnehaha medium saddlebag from that place where it is on clearance [link removed since the item is no longer sold there].



The Co-Habitant attached it to his Raleigh DL-1 Roadster and it is a perfect match. Black canvas with tan leather straps - a simple, classic design. Those light strips are our own CatEye lights; they do not come with the bag.



We do not have pictures of the bag before the lights were attached, but above you can see it on our friend somervillain's beautiful Shogun (which I will be writing about soon). The Minnehaha looks as good on a stately 3-speed as it does on a regal randonneur.



The bag originally came with two reflective strips of fabric, attached to the leather straps via cords that resemble hair elastics (these are pictured above). The Co-Habitant removed these when he attached the lights, and now I will use them as actual reflective hair elastics when I cycle at night.



Side view of the Minnehaha on the Roadster. As you can see, the leather straps attach to the two saddle loops and to the seat post. If you prefer, the strap around the seat post could instead be secured to a rear rack, placing the bag at an upright angle.



The bag is voluminous. Dimensions are 11"W x 9"D x 9"H and it has a 10L capacity. A wooden support (visible inside, along the top) ensures that it will keep its shape. There is only one large compartment, which can be loosened or tightened via the cord shown in the picture.



The design is not complicated. It is basically a large, versatile bag that can be stuffed to the brim and will still look good. We have filled it with clothing, food, purchases, bottles of water, etc., and it has behaved very well. Attached in the manner shown, the bag is extremely stable and does not dangle. It also keeps its form even when empty.



One aspect of this bag worth noting, is that both the canvas and the leather come "unfinished", which some who purchase it may not realise. When treated with a water-repellent conditioner, the leather will turn a dark chestnut brown. So if you prefer that look over the black and tan, keep in mind that the bag will look that way once you treat it. We will probably do this eventually, but haven't had time yet.



As others have noted, the main drawback of the Minnehaha medium saddlebag is the location of its closure - which is so low that it's almost underneath the bag. One must either lean over or kneel in order to access it, and it's hard to see the buckles from either of those positions. The Co-Habitant also reports that he found it difficult to fasten the buckles at first, as the fit wasn't perfect - but over time everything stretched out and softened up and this difficulty subsided.



The final verdict on the Minnehaha medium saddlebag: We are very glad that we got it at the bargain price, and I highly doubt that anybody would regret that purchase. As for the retail price? Well, I still think it is a good value - simply because all bicycle bags are expensive nowadays, regardless of looks or quality, and even at full retail it is still less expensive than most. The Minnehaha bag is large, classic, and matches practically any bike. You can learn more about their full line-up here.