An Ode to My Gloves

It is true that sometimes we do not realise how much we need something until we lose it. I bought these "AIRius" bicycle gloves at Open a month ago, because the attractive crochet promised a more breathable alternative to the synthetic ones I owned. I did not know then just how much I would love them.

The top is crocheted cotton and the underside is a padded gray suede-like material. The gloves are inexpensive and generic, and I worried that they might be a novelty that would fall apart after a ride or two. Well, nothing of the sort happened. In addition to being more attractive, the AIRius gloves are more durable, more breathable, and more comfortable than the Pearl Izumi ones I wore previously. I especially love it that the padding on the underside does not bunch up after long rides, but remains evenly distributed. My hands remain dry even in the hottest weather. And the delicate-looking crochet was completely intact after a month of near-daily use.

As you can see in the photos, our happiness together knew no bounds... until I lost them on a long ride over Laborday weekend. I realised what had happened only after we were almost home and 12 miles from the area where I might have left them. We did not have the energy to return and search for them, and it would have gotten dark by the time we got there anyway. So I let the gloves go - but I knew no peace until I finally bought a replacement pair. Now order is restored in the universe and my hands are happy again. And if you happen to have found a pair of crochet bicycle gloves somewhere in West Newton or Waltham, please enjoy them in good health.

A double-ode: The old dropbars on Marianne and the lost chrochet gloves. Good-bye to them both.

Hoya Vine

And here, finely, is a half way decent photo of one of my hoya vines flowering. I have been trying each time it blooms to get a good photo and this is the best yet but still not as good as some I have seen online. There are hundreds of these kind of vines but all have simular flowers even though the leaves might be different. This leaf is long with white spots. And some have flowers that are very from a pale white to this dark pink. This one has a lot of sweet sent to it. In fact I find the sent so powerful that I don't like it, and frequently have to cut the flowers off and throw them out. This one hasn't been as bad this time. As they dry they shed their flowers all over the floor under them which can be a problem, too. But I love the hoya vine as it is so easy to grow and care for. I treat mine very simular to a cactus as they take only a little more water than a cactus but do like good light.

Mat Thorp Cokinos

Exclusive is not in the family vocabulary. Please welcome my neighbor, Mat Thorp into the fold:




"To make sure that I get included in your, obviously exclusive, blog; here are my Greek bonafides: The second photo from the right margin on the top line is Lynn`s mother, Lynn, with Nick Gaston owner of the Old New Orleans night club on 18th St at Connecticut Ave. This was taken by the Old New Orleans cigarette/photographer girl. On Lynn`s and my first date,in 1949, she asked me to meet her at Nick`s house on the VA side of Key Bridge where he had Sunday poolside parties. Nick`s main business was brokering restaurant deals. When Lynn and I were married the second time, Nick had the wedding group to the Old New Orleans before opening time."--Mat

Tower Galaxy

I haven't been doing much shooting so far this November, so lately I've been working on more photos that were taken earlier this fall. This particular photo was made on the night of September 4, at about 1:00 in the morning. The Milky Way was so bright that night it looked like it was jumping out of the sky at us. This was a 40 second exposure taken with a Canon 5D Mark II camera and Canon EF 17-40mm lens. The lens aperture was set at f4 and the camera's ISO was set to 6400.

How I Got My Moser Back...

So I bought my Francesco Moser frame back from the person I sold it to, and built it up as a geared racing bike with modern components... despite having sworn off vintage roadbikes earlier. Yeah, I know. Allow me to provide some context:

I got this 1978 Moser racing frame in Vienna two summers ago, mailed it to myself in the US and built it up as a fixed gear. It rode nicely, but wasn't really suitable for fixed gear conversion with its low bottom bracket and resulting tendency toward pedal strike. Once I got my fixed gear-specific Mercian, I moved the components over and decided to sell the Moser. Building it up as a geared roadbike was not feasible: I would have had to spend a fortune on new wheels and components only to put them on an old steel frame, with no guarantee that I'd like the end result. It seemed wiser to buy a roadbike that I could test ride beforehand.

For what it's worth, I still believe that it is not financially practical for a "civilian" (i.e. a person who is neither a wrenching enthusiast withspare modern groupsets lying around, nor someone withbike industry connections), to take on a project like this. However, I have not really been a "civilian" for some time: I am interested in bikes not only for personal use, but also for the sake of learning and writing about them onLovely Bicycle. And I do at this point have industry connections, as well as readers who are interested in making specific projects happen. All of these factors played a role here.

One of my readers offered to donate some of his used modern Campagnolo components and his old racing wheels if I were willing to experiment with a vintage racing frame. Around the same time, the person who bought the Moser from me built it up (with modern Shimanoparts) and discovered that the bike felt too small for him. Luckily, I'd sold the frame locally. I saw this as a cue to buy it back.

The second-hand components I received were a 9-speed Campagnolo Record drivertrain and levers circa (I believe) 1999 and a Campagnolo Vento wheelset of similar vintage. I already had the headset, stem, handlebars, tires and seatpost among my own spare parts. I bought a new bottom bracket, brake calipers, cable housing and bar tape at Harris Cyclery and they built up the bike for me.

The Moser is now finished, and I've ridden it - but not as extensively as I'd like before writing about it. I am also waiting to put some finishing touches on the bike before I take pictures.Not sure what I will do with this bicycle in the long run. The frame is 33 years old and was raced for years by the original owner. The drivetrain and wheelset are around 10 years old and well-used. Even if my impressions of the reborn bikeare positive, I have concerns about frame/component failure and will need to think about that aspect more carefully. But it is certainly informative to compare this bicycle's handling to the modern roadbikes I have been trying over this past summer and fall. Let's just say I am surprised.

I am glad to have theMoserback; in a number of ways it is an even more unique bicycle than I thought.I hope to share my impressions in the coming week and fingers crossed that it doesn't start snowing in the meantime.Stay tuned, and a huge thank you to everyone who's helped me with this project!

Beware the Punter! A cautionary tale.

On the then unclimbed N. Face of Mt Hunter, Alaska 1981



Punter (plural punters)



1.One who bets (punts) against the bank (banque).



If you don't know what you are capable of, one way to find out is to bounce your head off a few projects and see what sticks. Risky business if you are looking for what is possible whilealpine climbing. You could end up dead even if you do get up anew line or two and do everything right. You are rolling the dice every time you go out...but you do thatgoing tothe corner store as well. More than today at the storethan back in '81 it might seem.



You try to limit the odds by experience.



None of these if you are looking for something new. You'll have to write your own when you are done.





Bradley topo courtesy of Mark Allenhttp://www.alpinelines.blogspot.com/



Strong has no excuse...



Yes, I did see that on a T shirt yesterday.



In 1981, I had already climbed in the Alaska Range 3 times and done a couple of minor first ascents. But I thought we wereprepared technically by climbing harder technical ground in other parts of the world. My partner this timehad already done the S. Face of Denali, a route onForaker and he had solo'ed the N face of the Matterhorn. More importantly he was hungry for more.



Together we had done climbs in the valley in a quick day that seemed pretty good. We were convinced we really rocked! Truth is we were punters :)







When we helped Mugs and Paul over the 'shrund that morning we were pretty much kitted the same with two glaring exceptions. One was visible and one wasn't. The most powerful tool we were missing was a duplicate of Mug's experience and mind set. Like having an over grown Ueli Steck as you partner. Ya, we lacked that :) Not to say either Brad and I were gumbies, we weren't. The other thing I left behind was a set of ice tools capable on hard Alaskan ice.



I bet there are few rolling their eyes on that one. I still do.

I though I knew my shit. But I didn't.



Brad reminded me after 30 years..not so gently that I had a "small issue at home", a pending divorce.



Never good for the mind. But here is the real truth or at least part of the truth. I got scared.



More than onerather speedymodern dayalpinist has been brought to reality of the climbing on the North Butt. The realization, if you aren't up to climbing fast, you are going to spend some miserable nights out. That hasn't changed. The fact that some accept the top of the Butt, with still a full 1000m of climbing as the goal, has.





Photo courtesy of Will Simhttp://willsim.blogspot.com/

Jon going old school here on Hunter with no tent. And suffering through the coldest hours of the twilight night.

The tools? Ya, I know. Which is one reason I write this blog. In 1980 I sewed much of my own gear and tools were changing almost by the month.I figured any tool would work. How hard can alpineice be?

Imagine taking a set of randonee race axes on steep, colfd, hardice. Possible but not reassuring.I had just climbed one of the longest water falls in the world. No water falls on Hunter. (roll of eyes here) Lwt tools that I could easily plunge make sense...or so I thought. How bad could the ice climbing be on the Butt?

The answer? Bad enough.And no plunging required.

Mark Twight and Scott Backes do the climb,Deprivation, in

asingle round trip push, 13 years later after extendedschooling on Chamonix granite and the correct mind set.



Below is the crux where Brad and I bailed in the first rock band (and I got scared) and now known at the "death pitch" 30 years later. I could see that whipper coming. I had no intention of earning my alpine wings thereand wanted no part of it.A few50m rappels soon followed.





Photo Courtesy of Colin Haley and Nils Nielsen

http://www.colinhaley.blogspot.com/

http://www.alpineaddiction.no/



Strike One..unsettled mindStike Two...the wrong bit of kitStrike Three..the reality of abad night out

The Banque wins! A hard lesson butwe lived to play another day.The divorce was final a few months later.

Strong has no excuse!And very likely something Mugs would have gotten a good laugh from!Take only what you need and ignorethe rest.



The scene of the crime in May 1981

One Way Tikit: a Bike Friday Folder

For some time now I've been curious to try aBike Friday folding bike. They are pretty unusual around these parts, so an opportunity never presented itself. Imagine my delight upon discovering that someone I knew owned one. Hidden deep in her bike cave, this single speed Tikit stood mostly unridden since the owner, Pamela, stopped commuting to a downtown office. But hearing of my interest she dusted off the machine, and soon I was over to examine the rare specimen.






Made by the family-owned Green Gear Cycling in Eugene, Oregon, Bike Friday folding bikes have been handbuilt in the USA since the early 1990s. The range of models includes road, touring, mountain, commuter and tandem folding bikes - and all are highly customisable. Most of the models are designed around 20" wheels, with the fold optimised for packing the bike into a suitcase. However, the Tikit commuter modelsare made more compact with 16" wheels, and are designed to fold quickly for multi-modal transportation.






Welded in steel, frame and fork, there are 9 Tikit models in all, offering different drivetrain and handlebar setup options. The One Way Tikit is the single speed/ fixed gear version.






It is set up with a flip-flop hub,






v-brakes, fenders, built-in chainguard,






straight handlebars,





a handy carry handle (could be a bottle cage here instead),






and a low-rider style front rack.







Being a fan of generator lighting, Pamela had set up the bike with a dynamo hub wheel (unattached here, as it had recently been loaned out).







A bike bag also comes with the Tikit, which can be stowed away into a tiny packet when not in use.






Unlike most other folding bikes, Bike Fridays are available in different sizes. I am unsure what size this Tikit translates to, but its virtual top tube measures an inch or so shorter than the Brompton's (which is approximately 59cm). The seat tube is quite tall, with the saddle barely low enough to accommodate myself and the bike's owner (we are both just over 5'6"). However, as I understand it, the seat tube is modular and can be cut down or replaced with a shorter one.





Bike Friday Tikits have had a couple of modifications over the past few years. The area over the bottom bracket is now made stiffer, with older models retrofitted with a stiffener bar. They have also recently made a beefier stem for the Tiket, the older one having been recalled (the bike pictured here has the new stem).






The fold is fairly quick, "less than 9-12 seconds after loosening one twist-locking fastener," according to Bike Friday.






It is Bromptonesque in sequence, except for the seat tube - which gets folded over, rather than slid down.







Notably, the front pannier can be kept on the low-rider rack as the bike is being folded.






The folded bike can be rolled along, using the wheels themselves, with the bag still attached.






It can also be carried by the handle - though Pamela notes that carrying the bike gets heavy and uncomfortable quickly, particularly when stairs are involved. Picking up the single speed Tikit, it did feel slightly heavier than an all-steel Brompton similarly equipped. And the fold is not as compact. However, the carry handle is quite comfortable compared to how a Brompton must be carried, and being able to roll the Bike Friday by its actual wheels (rather than by the tiny roller-wheels on the Brompton) is a big help.






With its hub flipped to freewheel mode, I rode the Tikit around Pamela's neighbourhood. My first impression was that the front-end handling was not dissimilar from my Brompton's. In fact, I would describe the Friday as feeling like a "less extreme" version of the Brompton in that sense. As a result of this similarity, I immediately felt familiar and comfortable with the bike. While the Tikit is Bike Friday's commuter model, with less focus on performance than the others, I certainly found it lively enough - a fun, quick, maneuverable ride. This makes me want to try a smaller size - I bet it would be even more responsive for someone of my stature. With the 16" wheels, there would be no danger of toe overlap no matter what frame size I chose.




On pothole ridden streets, the Tikit's ride quality felt a bit harsh. Riding over torn-up pavement I felt vibrations in my hands and jolts throughout (an impression the bike's owner agrees with). However, on decently maintained roads the ride quality was smooth and pleasant. As an aside here, where we live the roads are particularly poorly maintained; just have a close look at the picture above to see what I mean - the entire street is like that. One could certainly argue that these are not "normal" commuter conditions.






After my initial spin on the Tikit, I then rode it again - this time loaded with some weight. We attached a pannier to the low-rider rack, in which Pamela placed a 10lb bottle of antifreeze. This is about the maximum weight she would typically carry on this bike, she said. The Tikit's low-rider will accommodate most standard panniers, including the one shown from Ortlieb. On a small wheel bike, it is actually not a "low" rider, since it sits above the wheel. This is also how it manages to lift the pannier high enough to keep from dragging along the ground. Little notches along the rack's tubing prevent the pannier from sliding, so it sits securely. The rack is one-sided (right side only), and rolling the bike along I could feel the weight of the pannier pulling to the side. However, once in motion no such thing was discernible. The Tikit handled great with the unilateral front load - I could not feel it at all. This system does limit how much weight one can carry on the bike, but it is handy enough for commuting. I believe that a rear rack is also available for this model.




While I would not switch from my Brompton, I liked the Bike Friday Tikit and would feel comfortable riding it for transportation. A particularly big advantage, as I see it, is the variety in sizes and customisation options. Being able to roll the bike by its wheels is handy as well. And being able to use a standard pannier, as opposed to having to buy a proprietary front bag, could be another plus for those with multiple bikes. Careful tire, saddle and grip selection could compensate for the rough-road harshness I experienced.






When I was over to test ride this bicycle, the owner surprised me by announcing that she plans to give it away. That's right: Pamela Blalock's personal Bike Friday One Way Tikit pictured here could be yours - complete with flip-flop freewheel/fixed gear hub, fenders, front rack, spare generator hub wheel and a spare set of tires (pannier not included). For details of the give-away, please visit The Blayleys blog!




And if you are in the market for a folding bike, visit the Bike Friday website and prepare to be dazzled with their myriad of stock and custom options. The history of the company is pretty interesting as well. Folding bikes of all types made in Oregon, USA, with prices starting at $1,400 and around a month lead time. Pretty neat!