Bicycle Book Gems

In my family, there is a running gag that if you want to try something new--and we love that--you'd better get a pile of books first. Especially my brother! And being older, he was my role model.

The singular anticipation that comes from a good introductory book is sublime. And the key ingredients are a little self-effacing humor and and a distinctive charm. In the 35 years since Anybody's Bike Book and Bike Tripping were published I haven't seen any to supplant them. (If you disagree, please post a comment with your recommendation!)

Anybody's Bike Book was the first of the two in 1971, and my smudged copy taught me how to repair bicycles and start repairs I had to have "fixed" by a real pro, though there weren't many around Pittsburgh then. But mostly what it did was demystify bicycles and nudge me into seeing bicycles as the revolutionary vehicles they are. Of course in 1971, Revolution was in the air and at 14 I was tuned in (too young to turn on or drop out) to everything that challenged the status quo. Though not quite the Steal This Book (by Abbie Hoffman and also published in 1971) of bicycling, the underlying theme was self-sufficiency--a requirement and trademark of randonneuring--and the notion that society was changing and we better help it along.

Rick Morrall was the illustrator, and juxtaposed with clear, exploded views of complex components, say a headset, he provided clever caricatures of all the funky bicyclists out in the world, and the goofy ways we have of getting into trouble. He doesn't compare to Daniel Rebour in terms of precision or fineness but his cleverness and wit satisfy. Bike Tripping (published in 1972) includes a special frame section written by Albert Eisentraut, but otherwise the text in both books is by Tom Cuthbertson.

Cuthbertson provides the charm:

You can do an amazing amount of your short-distance traveling on a bike, instead of in a smogmobile. If you live in a small town, or a suburb, or even in a quieter neighborhood of a big city, you can learn to take routes that mix good transportation and ecology vibes with enjoyment and escape from the humdrum. Do at least part of your daily commuting and/or shopping via bicycle, and it will break up the routine, like recess used to when you were a kid.

Truth be told, these two books formed deep impressions into my psyche. Bicyles became more than getaway machines, they became transformative machines. They were also my pals. Check out the big old grease stain!

Looking at the diagrams I came to understand that machines had logic to them, and were no more than a composite of separate pieces. Sounds obvious, but if you are intimidated by machines, it is a profound revelation.

But check this out. Who is the conspirator? Who is wrapped up in their own world? Who is at risk?

I loved these old charmers, and I refer to them still.

Bike Tripping even sent me on my first cyclotouring trip down the C&O Canal towpath at 16 years old for two weeks with a pal. We pedaled into a Washington, D.C. festooned with Soviet flags in honor of Premier Leonid Brezhev's visit. But that is another story!

How about you? Any cycling books that turned your crank? Don't be miserly now, SHARE!

Keep it curious and keep it tripping,

CurioRando

Read All About It: 600k!

For someone whose longest brevet is a 300k, a 600k feels overwhelming. I suppose that's how someone training for their first century might look upon my 300k. From where you're currently situated on the continuum, the limits beyond your own can seem unattainable.






John Day River (National Parks Service photo)


What's becoming clearer to me is that each distance has its own demands that are more than the obvious distance differences. What follows is not news for veterans, but I am still catching on to the nuances.

For instance, depending on your speed, the 300k is the first brevet that could demand night riding and therefore a proven lighting equipment package and night riding strategy. Though if you're fast enough, you might not have to ride at night.

The 400k requires nighttime strategies for all riders. But there are finer points. Experienced riders project where on the course the night riding will likely take place and that determines whether they go batteries or generator. Also, will the night riding be hilly or not? Wouldn't have crossed my mind.

Sleep strategies are demanded if you're not fast enought to blast through. Building up a time bank to draw on if something unforseen occurs gets factored into sleep stop and other strategies.

But don't take it from me. Check out the Oregon Randonneurs website to get a variety of exceptional ride reports and photo collections. Also, see Mark Thomas' (of SIR fame) detail his struggle on his blog, Mark's Rando Notes.


















Deschutes River (Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Photo)


Responding to those postings, Vince Sikorski wrote to the Oregon Randonneurs listserve about his unique river dunking strategy for the same OR Randonneurs 600 XTR:

I really do not have much to add to the extensive write-ups already provided. It was HOT!, I set a P.R. for river dives. Really not deep enough to dive, but I only removed my hemet and any food in my jersey pocked. Would walk into the river (shoes on) and would lie down in the water until sufficiently cooled. Three dunks in the John Day river. One in the small stream on the left side of HWY-26 shortly after turning right on it. Once in the Deschutes River (Coldest and shortest dunk), and once in Eight Mile Creek (along Eight Mile road approaching The Dalles). For extra credit, I also lied on the ground under the open faucet at Cant Ranch (that was also very cold) and took a quick spray from Michael Wolfe at the hose outside of the store in Mitchel.These dunks really brought down body core temperature. I would feel great for the next 5 miles or so afterwards. In the dry Central Oregon climate, I dried out (too) fast.

And if all those postings got you rarin' to go, the Seattle International Randonneurs have their own 600k this weekend:


Is this your first time? 600k

Ride Description:This is a beautiful course and lots of "firsts abound" If you've been waiting to do your first 600k, this is the one. If you've been looking for a personal best on a 600k, this might also be the one. By SIR standards this is a relatively flat 600k, no mountain passes and 'only' about 10,000 feet of elevation gain total (we have some 200k rides with that much elevation gain).

Keep it cool and curious,

CurioRando

Demise of a fine tree, birth of a fine bicycle

Pramila and I did a quick spin around the Mercer Island Loop this morning, and as I was heading back into our yard a glint caught my eye. A new bicycle!

Our neighbor, Grace, was showing off her new Rivendell Hillborne to our other neighbor, David. David was cleaning up his yard since the City Light crew removed the old tree that had faltered yet again, this time in the latest windstorm. During the big windstorm of 2006 that old tree was resposible for ten days of blackout (Is that right, David, ten days?) when its limbs took out the power lines.


Here's David with the elegant snag/stump that remains.

Here's the drivetrain.

And here is Grace, proud owner of this new inspiration.

As David noted, it is a quite lovely shade of green.

And, Grace told us, another new bicycle is on the way. Her partner, Dylan, has a new Mercian on order!

OK, can you spot the cat in these pictures?

Our condolences, David, on your grand old tree.

Congratulations, Grace, on your grand new bicycle!

Keep it fine,

CurioRando

Which is Worse: Unceasing Rain or No Gears?

Newbie Randonneur Tip #1

Sidle Up, Latch On, Pester

This smiling randonneur is John Vincent, experienced randonneur. This grimacing randonneur is me. The Smiler is holding a chain tool. The Grimacer, pointing at the chain tool, could cry at any moment. Twelve hours earlier we never knew one another existed. Eleven hours earlier I sidled up to John, latched on, and pestered him about everything randonneuring.

John and I rode the Oregon Randonneurs Berkie 200K (3/28/09) together in the pouring rain. I had stopped in the first few kilometers to remove a layer of leg warmers I'd soon regret removing when John came by, and we rode most of the remaining rainy brevet together.

I know what you're thinking: this is where the author spins a long story of exaggerated rain and details just how hard and for how long and how no other rain could compare. Normally, you'd be right. This time though I'll refer you to a much better description than I could convey. Narayan Krishamoorthi tells the tale: Narayan's Birkie 200k Ride Report.

I had remembered Narayan's name even before I had ever ridden a brevet when I checked out his blog on randonneuring. I said to my wife, an Indian-American, "Look, honey, there's even an Indian randonneur," crudely trying to impress her with my new passion and desperate to make any oblique connection for her. She was, naturally, unimpressed that one of her over one billion fellow Indians had found his way to this obscure sport. Nonetheless, Narayan is a consummate rain tale teller so check out his version of this brevet, and I'll only add this lone fact about the rain: John and I kept rigid observations and throughout our entire 12 hour brevet, it stopped raining for no more than one minute total. Truly.

What do you do for twelve raining hours? Well, I spent the time invoking a Vulcan mind meld on John and he imparted all sorts of randonneuring lore. I won't reveal it all here, because my dear Newbie you'll have to do your own sidling and pestering. That's half the fun!

I will reveal one tidbit. John insisted as we climbed Timber Mountain on the way out that the essence of randonneuring is just staying committed to a brevet once you've begun until it is simply too late to finish. More directly, if you run into a difficulty don't quit until it is physically and absolutely impossible to finish in the allotted time.

I hear you muttering "Well, duh! That's kind of basic, isn't it?" Well, it may sound basic, but I am hereby elevating it via fontifying and boldifying to Tip status:

Newbie Randonneur Tip #2

Don't Quit--Let the Clock Crush You First!

Here's why this tip is more than what it seems. After about 150k, we became noticeably more relaxed. Despite some barking knees I felt I could finish. John had felt extraordinarily cold earlier--really chilled--and Life was getting better for him. We had just been overtaken by a small band of merry bikers and now comprised a chatty, little peleton rolling along when I suddenly screeched to a halt as my chain wrapped around that little area between my largest cog and my spokes. In the process, it destroyed my rear derailleur. Hmmm. I also found that the chain didn't want to unwrap. Tug as I would, pry as I might, it was stuck-stuck. Pretty bleak as the you-know-what-that-I-pledged-I-wouldn't-talk-about came down on John and me.

At that point, I knew I was finished. I knew it. How could I finish with a wheel that wouldn't turn, a broken derailleur, a sore knee, and that stuff pouring down? I was sizing up my hitchhiking probabilities (I have hitchhiked and freight-hopped myself across the country so I wasn't worried), and gave one more try at the chain. Somehow something was different and it came loose! I heard someone say in what sounded like my voice that if I just had a chain tool I could convert the bicycle into a singlespeed cycle and possibly continue. John heard that voice too and said that he indeed had a chain tool.

FREEZE FRAME! At that moment I am looking at John and trying to determine whether I was grateful, relieved and hopeful or whether I was pissy, impatient, and filled with dread. In that frozen moment I weighed going back over Timber Mountain on a one-speed bicycle and suffering vs. the cliched image of regaling a pickup truck driver in the cab of a warm truck about how I almost finished a 200k bicycle ride. The pickup was tempting.

RESUME ACTION! I said "Great!" or something as John gave me the chain tool and asked for leave to carry on without me so that he could finish. This was only right as the chances of my success were slimmish and asking him to wait would be clearly unfair.

As he pedaled away and no trucks or cars or cyclists came by for at least a half hour I felt a little lonely. I also worked furiously. I had been riding a fixie a good deal about a year ago, and knew I might be able to go on if I could just get the chain the right length. There was a moment when I pushed the rivet all the way through both links and it fell into the mud and I couldn't find it. That was my personal nadir.

But I did find it, and reassembled the chain! The rivet wasn't all the way into the outer link, and it was barely hanging in the bent outer link. Again, I pondered whether I really wanted the chain to hold or whether I was secretly cheering for its coming undone. I discovered I in fact had a two-speed as I could switch rear cogs by hand if I adjusted the fore-aft of the rear wheel. Great, except that I realized in my haste I had set it for the wrong two cogs (one cog smaller, therefore harder) than I intended. Oh well. Just pedal, dammit!

So I saddled up. My mental imagining of Timber Mountain was far greater than the reality, and when I crested I knew I had a chance. When I overtook John, I was elated. I knew if I kept with this experienced randonneur I could do it. Now there was no dissembling on my part. I wanted to finish--desperately so. I was kicking myself over the crooked link and dreading its coming undone.

By the time we were within 5 kilometers I was mentally calculating the time available against the kilometers to go and factoring in the slowing if my chain broke and I had to trot my bicycle in. One last pestering question to this experienced randonneur: must one ride the entire brevet or could I simply push my bicycle over the finish line if I had to? He confirmed that I could push. YES, I WILL FINISH!!!!

And we did. And when I asked Susan France and the other ride organizers, of whom I am very grateful for their brevet organizational roles, to take the picture of John and me with the chain tool I could have cried.

Later, in the privacy of my car and surrounded by wet and steaming clothes and bags and a muddy bicycle, I called my wife. When she answered I sang my new song: "I AM...a RANdonneur! I AM...a RANdonneur!" as I choked up with many mixed emotions.

Sidling up, latching on, and pestering led me to discovering for myself the truth of what not-quitting means, and I had completed my second ever brevet. Thanks, John.

What is the answer to the question: Which is Worse: Unceasing You-Know-What or No Gears?

The answer is: Neither.

Keep it and keep it and keep it curious,

CurioRando

Cool Randonneur Bag

This is a photo of Cecil Anne while she is on the first day, May 30, of the Oregon Randonneurs 600k XTR. You can view her Flickr album of 111 photos here.

For folks new to or curious about randonneuring, there’s a great deal to learn from this photo.

Randonneurs often:

1. Mount a handlebar randonneur bag setup as she does here instead of panniers or side bags. Reduces wind resistance, makes items available while riding, provides a convenient location for the cue sheet or route directions, and looks coooool.

2. Bring a rear bag on longer rides for tools, extra clothing, spare tubes/tire.

3. Provide full fenders and mudflaps since we ride no matter the weather. Riding behind a fenderless bike in the rain that sprays a constant stream of muddy water onto your glasses and lips is a big dragola. Fenders protect the rider’s shoes from drenching and also those around you. Most courteous.

4. Utilize generator powered lighting instead of batteries so that we always have light without the worrying over inadequate batteries. Dependable, powerful, and the accompanying headlight is retro cool.

5. Sit on leather saddles. Believe it or no, they are more comfortable than any others. And of course, they look so c………

6. Pedal lots of lowish gears so that we can get up the hills and mountains with all the junk I’ve just been describing. Most look down their noses at our plethora of cogs, but we’re too cool to care.

7. Ride on fat rubber. Wider tires grip better, are comfier, are not necessarily slower than skinny tires, and to some eyes are the cat's moustache. Nine out of ten folks think they look dorky, but they happen to be wrong.

8. Are thieves when it comes to nourishment. See how Cecilanne steals that poor farmer’s water. We’ve been known to raid cooling fruit pies sitting on window sills (just like in O Brother, Where Art Thou?). Fruited or nut-filled trees? Look out. Watermelons? Only if we can get them in our cool handlebar bags!

These are generalizations that comport with my preferences, but Cecilanne’s bicycle is tricked out very similar to how I envision my new ride.

Please visit Cecilanne’s album; she’s got pics of snakes, including a “pissed-off” rattler, a walrus (how many Walruses would one normally see on a bicycle ride? [In Googling the plural of Walrus {it is officially “Walruses”}, I discovered that there is an online petition to Merriam Webster asking him to change it officially to “Walri” due to their "majestic" nature]), and even mesmerizing, tattooed, cyclist legs!*

Keep it curious,

CurioRando

*I think I have an adult onset of some kind of parenthetical fetish. Love those parentheses (really!)!

Happy!

Gotta love sitting in the sun at a cafe AFTER a ride! Pramila, my wife is very happy, and her friend, Andrea on the right, graciously shares the moment.

We are at Tutta Bella's pizza joint in Columbia City.

Pramila and I had just ridden around Lake Washington, the first time for her. It had been one of those lurking fears--whether she could do it or not--that just disipates once conquered.

"Yep, I just rode around Lake Washington, thank you very much" is the proper translation of Pramila's glowing face. Don't you love that face?

I particularly do today, because Pramila is returning home tomorrow after six days in D.C. that includes her emcee'ing a Town Hall today with 700 folks including members of Congress. This is the launch of the nationwide Reform Immigration for America campaign put together by a coalition of immigration organizations.

Pramila's organization OneAmerica is a statewide immigrant rights/human rights organization that is absolutely amazing. Check them out!

Isn't it funny, our fears?

Pramila was a little afraid of the ride around Lake Washington yet thinks absolutely nothing about being the Emcee for a huge national event that includes certainly-not-egoless members of Congress on one of the most controversial topics in America today.

And what's up with our deep fears of immigrants? We need them, they need us. Isn't that what we learned as children: that we need one another?

I'm proud of Pramila. Her fears, her overcoming her fears, her fearlessness at fighting injustice.

Which is why my face will be beaming with the broad smile when she returns home tomorrow!

And imagine if you will the faces of immigrants and the rest of us once we pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform once and for all. It will be like sitting in the sun again.

Keep it curious...and smiling...and in and around that fear place too,

CurioRando

I Forgot my Pants!

Wow! What a commute to work today. Was it the birds chirping? The warm air that was perfectly moderated so that going downhill I felt buffered by soft Mediterranean breezes? Was it that I climbed the hill as if pulled up by a mysterious tow rope?

I dunno. But it was great, and I don't want to jinx it by introspecting too closely.

As I had partially climbed the "big hill" (Beacon Hill in Seattle) I remembered that I had packed two shirts and NO PANTS! Oops.

Dilemma.

Should I go back down, fetch the pants and return back up? Before going to bed I had read a tract on climbing and Greg LeMond's tips. One was to always choose the hilly course. By that I should have gladly rolled back down, then back up the smaller hills to the house, then back down from the house and up again to the "big hill". Nope. I remembered that I had a crumpled pair of pants from last week sitting in a grocery bag at work. That'll do.

Unencumbered by propreity or proper training techniques I resumed the sheer exhillaration of this morning's commute. It could have been the cast of the Sun's rays, but it sure was sweet. Like riding your first faster bike as a kid and discovering serious speed. Everything was right in the world of flying bicycles.

All I could conjure up was that I was on a bicycle with wings.

I needed a picture for the post so I Googled bicycle with wings and got two great features.

The first is a reprint from "The Silent Worker". "The Silent Worker" I learned was a newspaper for the deaf. In a story from a 1909 edition they report on a man with a bicycle with wings. And he took a test flight in Pittsburgh, my home town, between landmarks I know. What a trip! Ended up crashing into a... well, see for yourself. Check it out here: The Silent Worker. Be prepared, the story also includes a reference to how society viewed "negroes" at the time.

Fascinating paper, "The Silent Worker". Seems to be a focus on how deaf mutes are entitled to good jobs and make good workers. Reminds me of U.S. Senator Tom Harkin's remarks (hero of the Americans with Disabilities Act) when I was in D.C. last month (subject of a future post).

Next, I found this video of another chap on a winged bicycle assisted by a rocket of some sort. All I can say is it's a good thing he didn't forget his pants! Check him out here: Google Video.

Keep your curious pants on. Or not!

CurioRando

In Awe.

I’ve not yet ridden a 600k, or even a 400k, so I am in awe.

The Oregon Randonneurs conducted their Oregon 600XTR over the weekend and judging from the comments it was a humdinger. How about 21,269 feet of elevation? If you’d like some insights into the ride, here is a wonderful photo album that will give you a sense of what it means to ride a 600k, at least as well as any group of photos can: Michael Johnson's Flickr Page.

The elevation graph of the Oregon 600 XTR at the top of this post is from The Kramer Blog. Visit there to get the low down about the route, how such an event is organized, and how some the riders were talking to themselves prior to the ride.

I tip my helmet to all the riders who finished, those who couldn't, and to the organizers! Thanks for the inspiration.

Keep it awesome,

CurioRando

Inauguration Day

What's the connection between cycling and the inauguaration of the first elected Salvadoran President from the left?

Trust me, I can find the connection between bicycling and just about anything that's good for the masses.

It's so easy because the bicycle is such a fundamentally democratizing machine.

In this case the connection was provided serendipitously by a chance encounter in a local bicycle shop. I overheard a conversation yesterday between a woman with a taco-ed rear wheel (from her second auto-avoidance maneuver) and the mechanic. A "tacoed" wheel means the wheel is in the shape of a taco shell--irrevocably damaged usually. Upshot was that her wheel was a 27" wheel, and the array of choices was getting expensive given nobody makes or sells 27" wheels much anymore. As they bantered I remembered that I had a 27" wheelset sitting in my basement shop that I had been planning to donate to BikeWorks. I offered Rachel the wheels and she offered me chocolate. Not satisfied I bargained hard, and true to my shameless self-promotion I told her she could have the wheelset and keep the chocolate if she'd just look at this blog and pass it along to her friends. Deal was struck. Or so I thought.

In accepting the deal via email, she "hinted" about a ride she is planning to participate in. So now here I am promoting HER agenda AND giving her the wheelset AND she's keeping the chocolate! Tough bargainer, Rachel!

Actually, I say the meeting was serendipity because she sent me the link to the CISPES (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador) website and the Solidarty Cycle 2009 ride to raise money for CISPES. I was familiar with CISPES back in the day, but hadn't been tracking lately. The serendipity is that President Mauricio Funes was sworn in today! How wonderful. Even Hilary Clinton is attending. Talk about a shift in U.S. policy!

Truly, the only serendipity is in my learning about all this. Funes' election is the culmination of years of struggle by many selfless and committed folk in El Salvador and of course here by the CISPES folks. Here is a little background about this historic day:

Funes' March 15 election highlights the leftward political shift witnessed throughout Latin America in recent years, and marks the rise of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) to win executive power in El Salvador for the first time. The former guerrilla group became an official political party after signing a peace treaty with the U.S.-backed Salvadoran government in 1992, ending 12 years of civil war. The historic nature of Funes' election is adding to the international attention being afforded his inauguration. CISPES representatives will join heads of state and other international dignitaries in witnessing the first peaceful transfer of power between two distinct political tendencies in Salvadoran history. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to attend the event. She and President Barack Obama previously met with President-elect Funes at the Summit of Americas in Trinidad and Tobago in April.

Funes, a former television journalist who campaigned on a platform of change, hope and support for El Salvador's poor and disenfranchised majority, will inherit a nation seeking a break from 20 years of far-right government under the ARENA party, a staunch Bush administration ally. The new president will be challenged with an economy hit particularly hard by the current economic crisis, due in part to its reliance upon trade, migration, and investment ties with the United States. In recent months, under the current ARENA administration, key ministries have been unable to carry out their basic functions due to budget shortfalls.

So please check out the CISPES Solidarity Ride website to find out more about joining or supporting the ride and about the work of CISPES.

And please don't tell the people I work with that I'm such a poor bargainer; I work for a labor union after all!

Keep it curious,

CurioRando

Billbicycles for Health Care!

Bicycles as Billboards, perfect!


Look what I spotted at the Mothers' March for Health Care. This "billbicycle" (variation of billboard) was pedaled by Sheila Hoffman and Spencer Beard. They were among the 3500+ folks who marched, rolled, and got pushed for Health Care reform in 2009!

It was a righteous march in Seattle that couldn't have been more timely. The battle for a public option is where the action is and Sheila and Spencer capture the tension. The health insurers are afraid to compete against the public option because they are all about providing profit disguised as insurance instead of providing health care. Suddenly they don't like competition. Hmmm.

Sheila and Spencer have their own site s2cycle.com that is very cool. Among other endeavors, they started a tandem club, sold their house for a smaller footprint, have cyclotoured far and wide, and have fascinating individual profiles. Do check them out.



Fiona and Stella (l. to r.) are counting on us. We better get Health Care right! Papa Stefan is getting them wheeled good and early.






The Seattle Police were either on their bicycles or motorcycles. I was the designated "police liaison" for the march organizers, and I had contemplated being on my bicycle, but I figured it might hinder my ability to be a part of the crowd. What I found was that for the police is gives them the combination of mobility and integration. Next time.
I enjoyed working with the Seattle (Mounted) Police. It was a calm and celebratory though militant march and there were no major issues. Thanks, officers.


But what got my beat really going was the band at Westlake Mall, the march destination. Check out Big World Breaks. They did a sweet cover of Stevie Wonder's Living for the City, and I really dig their Beep Beep. I was trying to figure out how to describe them when I found this on their MySpace: Original and re-mixed Breakbeats, Soul, International Funk, Hip-Hop, Afro-Latin, Afro-Carribean, Reggae, Afro-Brazilian, Dancehall, Roots Rock, Reggaeton, Afro-Beat. A percussion heavy collection of intesity, groove and spirit ... and ya don’t stop!!!

I say: Yeah!


Ya Don't Stop Ya Curiosity

CurioRando