The weather here seems to have gotten summer-like. That means we don't want to miss the bike trips. We went out for a trip to Big Eddy campground two nights ago. One day out and one back along the Banks-Vernonia trail. This is the first time I've ridden it since they completed paving it all the way through. Even last year there was a section of a few miles that was gravel. I kind of liked the gravel parts, but now it's more accessible to everyone.
There are a couple of bikes that I'm going to post pictures of soon. Mike A's 650b Randonneur
But first, this morning, I'm leaving to ride up to Seattle. This coming weekend is the famous Seattle to Portland bike ride. Last year nearly 10,000 riders participated. Some people do the whole thing in one day, a little more than 200 miles. We'll be riding it in two days.
On the way up we'll be riding to Olympia, Washington, then up the west side of the Puget Sound. We're not sure where exactly we're going to catch the ferry across the sound, possibly Bremerton, or from Bainbridge Island. Then, Saturday morning, we'll be taking off with the masses to ride back down to Portland. We've got some big days ahead of us. I'll post an account of the trip once I get back.
Bike Camping!
I will be out of the shop for the week, so I won't be answering e-mails or phone calls. I'll be back in the shop on the 12th of July.
Here's the newest time-lapse video in the shop. This is what a day in the shop kind of looks like -- cutting, filing, sanding, brazing, etc. Here's what I first wrote about the video:
This is what a very typical day in the shop looks like for Mitch of MAP Bicycles and myself. He is working on some front racks, and I'm working on a fork and racks. It's really good to be able to talk through ideas with someone else, and I think we do a pretty good job of helping each other figure things out. We both have our stylistic differences, obviously, but there are often several ways to approach a problem, and to get insight into it, I think, makes each of us a little bit better at what we do. I've come to value that shared insight.
This is true in so many ways. Frame building can be, in many ways, a very isolated and isolating existence. Having another person there to bounce ideas off of, and just to talk with, is good sometimes. There are plenty of days in the shop when few words are spoken, but just the simple act of sharing lunch usually breaks up the day and brings a little peace to the head-space.
The BeastIn Portland, Oregon, we're pretty lucky to have Forest Park, one of the largest urban parks and nature reserves in the country. The main through-way in the park is Leif Erikson Rd., which is a mostly unpaved fire road that runs nearly 12 miles from one end of the park to the other. Forest park is a great place to walk or ride, and it's only about 10 minutes (by bike) from downtown.
Yesterday I rode through the park. The sun was shining and by mid afternoon it was nearly up to 70 degrees. I rode the new 29er touring bike totally unloaded to see how it handled, changing the tires from 47c semi-slick road tires to WTB Exiwolf 29” x 2.55 – big fat knobby off road tires. This is the same bike I picked up in Eugene and rode back to Portland a couple of weeks ago. It's a stable bike, but I wanted to see how it handles at speed over bumpy terrain.
This bike was built primarily as a touring bike, and has the clearance for fat tires and fenders. I haven’t reviewed this bike yet because I wanted to spend some time in the saddle in various conditions and see how I liked it. For the trip back up from Eugene it was great. Very stable with weight, sure handling, comfortable, a wide gear range. Even with about 15 pounds of gear on the front I was able to ride no-hands without a problem.
Park Entrance from Germantown Rd.
Going through the park yesterday I was again impressed with the stability and handling. The bike has detachable low rider mounts and a fairly sizeable upper deck on the front rack, which means it can hold a lot of gear. Even unloaded the bike steered easily, and flying down a rocky, gravelly section of Lief Erikson I sat back and took my hands off the bars and the bike held its line easily. Stability, no hands, with or without weight on the front – I like it.
I didn’t remove any of the racks, and carried along my u-lock in the integrated lock holder on the rear. The bike also has large stainless fenders, mud flaps and a kickstand – all these things add up, and make the bike heavier than one I would usually ride through the park. I would like to strip the bike down to the bare essentials at some point and try it out. But, even with all the extras on the bike I was very impressed at how quiet it was – no rattles, squeaks or knocking. Even the lock shackle is wedged in so it can't rattle. The only thing I noticed was that in especially bumpy places the lower part of the front fender would shake back and forth enough to hit the knobs on the tires -- not a big deal, and to be expected riding off road with fenders.
Knobby Tire TouringAnother trip I want to take is with the bike fully loaded on the same trail, just for a comparison – fully loaded front and rear panniers and a dry-sack on the upper deck of the front rack. I want to pack it as if I were going for a long trip off road. It will be slower going, obviously, but I’m very curious to know how it feels. I’m fairly certain that it’s going to do just fine.
You know what would be even better, would be to pack it as if I were going on a long bike trip, and then go on a long bike trip. We’ll see what this summer brings…
Check out Bill's new light touring/ commuter bike. It's got everything he needs to take himself and his stuff on the road.
A quick run-down of features: lugged frame with double chain stays and chain stay mounted disc brake tab; plenty of clearance for 35c tires and fenders; two-level rear touring rack; front rack with integrated light mount and internal wiring, and with detachable low rider racks; pump and three water bottle mounts, and a flask holster mount on the under side of the top tube; and the whole thing is built up with some very nice parts.
Bill picked it up this past Saturday. He came to the shop with his girlfriend, and she already seemed reconciled to the fact that she'd probably be sharing the bed with Bill and his new bike that night.
Bill Klingler's Light Touring BikeFlickr Slideshow
Explosions in the streets
Mike A's 650b Randonneur
Bike Camping!
