A Tandem Experience

this and further images: courtesy ofPamela Blalock

In conclusion to a rather unusual, entertaining and exhausting weekend, yesterday afternoon I rode on the back of a tandem - with endurance cyclist and racer John Bayley, or, as he is known in his native tongue, Fear Rothar (I'll let you figure that one out).



This was a moment I'd dreamt of for some time! Four years ago my husband and I rented an upright tandem on Cape Cod and rode it back and forth along the bike path. At the time, it had only beenmonths since I'd started riding a bike of any kind, and neither of us had tried a tandem before. But despite initial fumblings, it was great fun. The more time passed, the more fondly I remembered it and the more I wanted to try it again - especially once I got into road cycling. With a fast and competent captain, I reasoned, I could experience a ride beyond the limit of my own meager handling skills and speed.So when John offered me to hop on the back of the tandem, I didn't need to be asked twice.





Overall, the process was far more intuitive and natural than I'd anticipated. For those unfamiliar with tandems, the person in front is called the captain, and the person in the rear the stoker. The captain steers, while the stoker goes with the flow and contributes pedaling power. The stoker's pedaling strokes are "fixed" to the captain's, which means that the captain controls the cadence, the gear changes, as well as when to pedal vs when to coast. Starting out, John mounted the bike by swinging his leg over the front and stood over the top tube holding the bike upright. I then swung my leg over the rear, and clipped my right foot in, bringing the pedals to where he wanted them to be. Then John clipped his right foot in. Then he pushed off and we both clipped in the left foot simultaneously. All of this happened fairly quickly and required minimal verbal communication. Subsequent stops and starts were even easier, because John prefers the stoker to remain on the bike with both feet clipped in. This made things pretty simple for me: At stops all I had to do was essentially act as luggage.



An important part of what made all of this work, I think, is that I had full confidence in the captain's ability to keep the bike upright. John is an extremely skilled cyclist who has been captaining tandems for 20 years. I also know him to be a responsible and considerate person. Secure in this, there was trust on my end from the get-go. We clipped in and off we went, with no tentativeness or false starts.





Now, all of this was happening in mountainous northern Vermont, where a group of us was staying over the weekend. There were no flat stretches where we were situated, only long ups and downs with steep grades and lots of dirt. We started off going downhill along a sweeping dirt road, before turning left onto the main road, which led us up a winding climb for a few miles. Once at the top, John did a nimble u-turn and we bombed down the same winding hill.



The experience of being on the back of the bike was wonderful. I was just in heaven for the entire ride. I enjoyed feeling the bike steered by another rider and accommodating to it. I imagine this is a "love it" or "hate it" sort of thing, as it does require the stoker to give up control and to trust the captain's handling. In my case, this was not a problem. Just as I'd hoped, I was able to experience things that I could not have done on my own: more extreme leans, faster speed, expert maneuverability. It was all tremendously exciting. I was only scared once, and that was when we first started descending. It was faster than my concept of "bike speed" had previously entailed and I felt lightheaded. But once I got used to it (and there was plenty of time for that, as it was a long hill!) I began to enjoy it.





Though not as thrilling as downhill, going uphill on the tandem was pretty nice. John is extremely strong and was spinning the cranks in a higher gear than I could have managed on my own. I contributed as much as I could, amazed at the sensation of spinning instead of grinding, at that grade, in that gear.



As the stoker, there is always the question of how much you're contributing as opposed to taking it easy and soft-pedaling while the captain puts in the real effort. My impression is that I was contributing when I felt myself pushing against a distinct resistance in the cranks. This is a different feeling from the resistance I feel when riding a single bike, but nonetheless there is feedback.



I found the switch from coasting to pedaling and vice-versa to be surprisingly intuitive and did not feel a need for the captain to warn me when switching; my feet would just immediately adapt. Same with switching gears. Surprisingly, I was somehow almost able to anticipate when John was about to coast, or start pedaling again, or switch gears. And the entire time, his cadence felt suspiciously perfect. I am not sure whether he was regulating his cadence to accommodate what he thought I'd be comfortable with, or whether this was his natural rhythm - but we were spinning at a decent rate the entire time, which felt great.






I know fairly little about the world of tandems, but one thing I've noticed is the difference in space allocated to the stoker. In some pictures of tandemists you see the stoker's face practically digging into the captain's back, whereas in others you see them set far apart. John and Pamela's tandem is somewhere in between. Had I wanted to, I could have leaned down to reach John's lower back with my chin when in the drops. But it wasn't so tight as to feel claustrophobic or uncomfortable. I have seen tandems where the stoker is basically "spooning" the captain.




Since this is the only road tandem I've been on, it would not make sense to attempt a review of any kind, but the ride quality felt pretty good on the 650Bx42mm tires, and in particular I noticed that I felt less "bouncing" than I do on single bikes. While I had no control over braking power, the discs worked very well in John's hands.




We did not do anything extreme on this ride, figuring a relatively tame spin over hilly roads was enough for my first stoker experience. But John did wow me with his tandem track-standing skills at stops, as well as with his ability to maneuver the long bike through tight spaces. The way I remember it, we actually started on the front porch, at which point John steered the bike down the steps, onto the lawn, in between some parked cars, around the picnic table and over the stone fence - as I hung on for dear life and his lovely spouse snapped pictures. "You can have him for free this once," she said, "but next time I'm charging a rental fee." Fair enough!



Based on others' feedback, it is clear that stoking a tandem is not for everyone. Some riders cannot stand the loss of control (I don't mind, assuming I trust the person in front). Others complain about the limited view (I found that turning my face a bit solved that problem). Finally, there are riders who just cannot get in sync enough to make a tandem ride work. I found riding with John enormously fun and would love to ride again with such a fantastic captain.



Interested in tandem advice from experienced couples? Here is a detailed guide from the Blayleys and a "411" from Chasing Mailboxes.

Upcoming Phend Family Reunions

Two "Phend" family reunions are scheduled for this year. The first one will be held on Saturday, July 5th in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I was actually considering attending that reunion this year but other family matters have postponed that journey. Contact me for further information.

Why a reunion in Colorado? Well, Samuel, the third child of Jacob and Louisa (Fisher) Phend, moved to Elbert County, Colorado in October 1907 along with his wife Mary Ann, their six living children, and several neighboring families. Their reunion is known as the "PALM" Reunion, which gets it's name from the families that married into the Phend family. Samuel PHEND married Mary Ann LAUDEMAN; their daughter Lillie Catherine married John Edward AKERS; and their daughter Dora Agnes married Frank John MANUWAL. When I was putting together the book "The Phend Family" a "few" years ago I made a trip west and met several of Sam and Mary's descendants and they were instrumental in providing photographs and information on that branch of the family.

The other Phend Family Reunion will be held on Saturday, August 2nd at the Family Life Center of the Troy Presbyterian Church a few miles north of Larwill, Indiana on old U.S. 30 (now Lincolnway). The carry-in potluck dinner will begin at noon. For additional information, please contact me!

This photo was probably taken about 1890: back row, left to right: John Ernest, Sophia (Phend) Ernest, Samuel Phend, his wife Mary (Laudeman) Phend, Jacob J Phend, his wife Louisa (Grimm) Phend.front row, left to right: John Phend, his wife Mary (Rarrick) Phend, Jacob Phend, his wife Louisa (Fisher) Phend, Christian Phend, his wife Mary (McConnell) Phend. Seated in front of his parents is Henry Phend.

Previous posts that may be of interest:

• Information on Jacob and Louisa (Fisher) Phend and their family part One and part Two
• A brief history of the Phend-Fisher Family Reunions can be found in The first Saturday in August
• A record of events and of the people who attended the Phend-Fisher Family Reunions was kept in a ledger. Images and transcriptions of the ledger were presented in a series of posts covering the years 1897, and 1909 through 1943.
• Links to additional posts on the Phend Family and the Fisher Family

The Pashley Princess: a Retrospective from a Former Owner

While we are still in hibernation season, I wanted to write a retrospective review of the Pashley Princess I used to own. My existing review of this bike was written after only a month of ownership and leaves a great deal out. I hope to make this review more representative of my overall experience, while providing the sort of information that might be helpful to those shopping for a new bike.



I owned a Pashley Princess Sovereign from June until August . A lugged steel bicycle made in England, the Princess is a thing of beauty and quality. It was my first "nice" adult bicycle, and the first bicycle I've ever ridden for transportation. As such, it saw me through a period of almost continuous transformation as a cyclist - defined by changes in skill level, confidence, knowledgeability, and preferences. For that reason, I will arrange this review chronologically - from the start of ownership to the end.





The Decision to Purchase

My Pashley was not an impulse buy. I did a lot of research, test rode a number of bikes, and took my time deciding. Among the other bicycles I test rode at the timewere Gazelle, Batavus and Velorbis. During those test rides, I remember that I did not feel comfortable with my ability to control the Dutch bikes (Gazelle andBatavus) in comparison to the Pashley. I did not understand why at the time, but now I think I do: Dutch bikes have a light front end, which can take some getting used to. The Pashley's handling felt natural from the start. As for Velorbis, I remember thinking that it was similar to the Pashley, but not quite as nice, and so it was out of the running. I also admit that my deep attachment to England - where I spent a good part of my twenties - influenced me as well. I liked the idea of having an English bicycle.





First Impressions

I purchased the Pashley Princess Sovereign in June from Harris Cyclery (not a sponsor at that time), together with my husband's Pashley Roadster Sovereign. I chose the 20" (medium) bike in "regency green," and immediately made a number of modifications to it, including the installation of a 7-speed coaster brake hub, netted dress guards and Brooks leather washer grips, as well as extra lights to supplement Pashley's lighting system. All lady's Pashleys have 26" wheels. Detailed specs can be found in my earlier review.





The bicycle's saddle height traveled steadily upward over the course of my ownership. When I first began cycling as an adult, I was extremely nervous about it and felt that I needed to be able to have my feet almost flat on the ground while remaining in the saddle. Over time this nervousness went away as I began to pick up bicycle handling skills. The 20" frame accommodated me throughout this process.





As far as ride quality, initially I was quite pleased with it. What I liked the most about the Pashley Princess was its stability and feeling of "solidness." It made me feel very, very safe - which in turn "empowered" me to try vehicular cycling. Pretty soon, I - a clumsy novice - was cycling for transportation daily in Boston traffic. What I didn't like so much about the ride almost from the start, but could not immediately express, was how much I struggled to pick up speed and go up hills on this bike. But at the time I thought that this was normal for classic upright transportation bicycles, and did not see it as a problem.





One thing that caused some frustration in the beginning, but was entirely my fault and not the bike's, was the question of how to transport my laptop. I did not trust the idea of clip-on panniers, and the front basket did not feel entirely stable with a huge bag in it. So, for the first few months of owning this bike, I carried a messenger bag. But eventually I stabilised the front basket by securing it with a myriad of zip ties and began to transport my laptop bag inside it - which was fine. However, had I just bought a clip-on pannier, such as the FastriderI now own, it would have been even better.





Discovery of Limitations

The first inkling that my Pashley may not be the right bike for me, came after I acquired and refurbished a vintage Raleigh Roadster. Despite being larger and clunkier, the old Raleigh DL-1 was considerably faster to accelerate and easier to ride up hill than the newPashley. I was stunned by the discovery of these differences, and my interest in frame geometry and ride quality was launched largely as a result.





With the arrival of Winter -, my qualms about the Pashley's handling were temporarily forgotten, because as a winter bike it was truly fantastic. Since I ride slower in the winter anyhow and stick to shorter distances, acceleration and climbing long hills no longer played an important role in day to day transportation cycling, and I was once again happy with the bike. But as soon as the snow began to subside, the frustration began anew.





The more skilled and confident I became as a cyclist, the farther I started to travel, and the more torn I began to feel about the Pashley Princess. It was such a sweet, well-made, picturesque and iconic bicycle - How could I even think of giving it up? But beyond gentle trails and neighborhood streets, I felt limited on it.





Experimentation and Modifications

In Spring , I began to experiment with the Pashley's positioning and components in order to address my complaints: I lowered the handlebars, raised the saddle, replaced the sluggish Marathon Plus tires with the faster Delta Cruisers, and even removed the front wicker basket in hopes of reducing wind resistance. Each of these changes indeed made a difference, and to my delight the bike now handled similarly to the vintage Raleigh.





I alsoinstalled a set of Wald rear folding baskets, which improved my quality of life immensely.





The Decision to Sell

At this point, I was once again happy with the Pashley Princess and had decided to keep it after all. I rode it for most of the summer without complaints.But then, something unexpected happened.By some bizarre stroke of luck I came across a 1990s Gazelle, which I was able to acquire for less than the cost of a Brooks saddle. The second-hand Gazelle handled similarly to my vintage Raleigh, but it was newer and I felt more comfortable using it for transportation. Once I had the Gazelle and found myself riding it all the time, I could not financially justify keeping the Pashley. I decided to sell it and did so swiftly to avoid further agonising over the decision. It was a beautiful bicycle, and I basically learned transportation cycling while riding it. But I do not regret my choice.



In Conclusion

I would describe the Pashley Princess as an elegant and well-made bicycle that is perhaps best suited for those who prefer to cycle slowly and do not live in a hilly area. But ride quality is highly subjective, and so I would recommend reading as many reviews of this bicycle as you can to get a sense of how others feel about it. After all, Katie Doncaster toured across Europe on hers and found it to be well suited for the trip. It is also worth noting, that the Princess model should not be compared to the men's Roadster model, as the latter has 28" wheels and possibly different frame geometry (it looked like it, but we didn't measure when we had both bicycles). While I decided to sell my Princess, my husband continues to ride his Roadster [edited to add: and has now posted a 2-year review].

Polartec Neoshell "Soft"? The real game changer?

Out of the box and onto the ice. The first Neoshell "Soft" garments from NWAlpine.

NWAlpinist Salopettes and a Big 4climbing jacket.





Last fall we were having a discussion here aboutsoft shells as I was trying to source garments for an up coming review. I had used the Westcomb Polartec Neoshell Apoc hard shell jacketand had been impressed with the performance in every condition. Other Neoshell "hard shell" garments followed. All equally impressive for performance as a hard shell that had a little stretch added. They did breath well. No doubt about that!



The first I heard of the newest Neoshell "soft" was from a reader here at CT. Not believing the comments actually I searched out the only two garments that were being produced at the time, one from Marmot and the other from Mammut.



I seldom really try to get garments for review and tests. But these two I REALLY did try to obtain but to no success. No pro deals, no freebees or demo loans were going to happen. And at $400 and $500 retail per garment I was stuck. No money for this one! I didn't have the money for that kind of test on something I really figured wasn't going to be all that impressive anyway. Love the blog and finding new groovy gear for my on use but throwing down close to agrand in short order wasn't going to happen.



Little did I know. (which seems to happen on a regular basis writing a climbing gear blog)



After giving up on the usual suspects for getting any deal on the newest Neoshell I went to the source. Polartec of course! RA you know who you are and I want to sincerely "THANK YOU!"

Best "new" product for imo.



In short order a couple of yards of the newest material, I like to call it Neoshell "Soft" was on the way to my "local tailor", Bill Amos the owner of NWAlpine. No clue what this stuff is really called.

My reasoning behind my manic behavior (this time) was I wanted a warmer pair of NWAlpinist Salopettes. Way more a "want" thing than a a "need" thing in this case. And to be honest I wasn't expecting much. I have lots of nice climbing pants. And they reall yare warm enough. What else was I going to get to play with?MWA'sclimbing specific jacket called the "Big 4" was sew up with Neoshell SOFT at the same time. In this casewhat I got was atotal surprise!



Here is a short comment prior to a full review and comparison coming in April.



"Compared to the three versions of Arcteryx pant fabrics and the current NW Apline fabric the Neoshell SOFT is the warmest and most breathable but least stretchy. But it is just stretchy enough for pants, salopettes ora shell top. And as tough or tougher than most fabrics I have mentioned and not any heavier. May be not the best material for warmer weather use though from what I have witnessed so far. But then again smart garment design work would solve that problem as well I suspect.



My NWA salopettes are 1# 6oz in the NWAlpine fabric which Arcteryx also uses. It is a lwt to mid weight very stretchy fabric which isn't very durable in the long run. Same salopette is 1# 5oz in the Neoshell soft which is much warmer, water proof, very breathable and no question more durable.

And I find the Neo Soft more comfortable to wear.



I have both a NWA Big Four Jacket and the Alpinist Salopettes in the Neoshell SOFT and will be doing a full review and comparison on the blog in April after the next trip north.



Short version? The Neoshell SOFT garments are changing the way I dress for winter climbing and the physical comfort level while doing so. All while wearing less and being better protected from any weather.



And it was not easy to get me off that dime.



Big claims I know but true to date. I have used a few of the current state of the art soft shell tops. And 3 of thehard shell Neoshell garments and been impressed with all ofthem, Currently I think the Neoshell SOFT is THE fabric that will change how we dress for cold weather climbing.



More to come in April.








NWAlpinist Salopettes in Neoshell "Soft" and lovin them









Both versions of the NWAlpinist Salopettes on the walkin.

Falling for Fillets

This morning I ran into Nao Tomii - a Boston area sculptor, bicycle component manufacturer, and recently launched framebuilder. I was excited to see that the roadbike he had been building for himself was now finished: There he was, riding it... in a matching outfit!

Tomii frames are fillet-brazed - a process I've been intrigued by after watching Ian Sutton building Icarus frames in the same workshop occupied by Bryan of Royal H. Cycles. Nao learned fillet brazing from Ian and began making his own frames this year.

Fillet brazing (pronounced kind of like "fill-it") is a lugless method of joining steel tubes together using a heated filler material. The construction, as far as I understand, has the strength of lugged steel. The look is absolutely unique: seamless and "liquidy."Whereas lugs create interruptions at the joints and welds create visible seams, fillets givethe impression of one tube flowing into another. There is no beginning or end to the joint and the effect is mesmerising.

It almost looks as if the frame is sculpted, which makes it easy to understand how this particular method would appeal to a sculptor.

To my eye, the streamlined look of the joints lends itself especially well to road/racing bikes - reinforcing the idea that they are light, unencumbered, fast. And on this particular bicycle, this is further reinforced by the "airy" colour.

Lilac-gray and white -

- with strategically placed powder-blue accents (an excellent paint job by Circle A).

The "lighter than air" effect is a clever way to suggest racy qualities without resorting to a traditionally aggressive colour scheme, like bright red. I love it and would like something similar should I ever have a road/racing frame built from scratch, or an old frame repainted.

The pewter headbadge, handmade by Nao, adds just a bit of flourish as the finishing touch to an otherwise minimalist frame. Sigh, I love it. This bicycle is just so perfectly elegant and tasteful.

Nao's frame is what I would consider my size, very similar to myMoser. I rode it in the parking lot very briefly, but would need to lower the saddle a tad and attach my own pedals in order to try it properly. The bike does not have toe overlap, proving once more that this can indeed be achieved with small frames. I look forward to seeing more of Nao's thoughtful and beautiful work in the future. If you'd like to inquire about a frame, his email address is posted here.

What is your take on fillet-brazing? anyone a fan, or own a fillet-brazed bicycle? A labor-intensive process that - when done well - delivers a flawless finish, it is the choice of some of the best custom builders.

The "first" North Face climbing boot?

The new Verto S4K GTX from North Face.




My first experience with North Face climbing boots was when they made La Sportiva a part of their corporation a few years back. I bought two pairs of La Sportiva boots on sale when that relationship ended. A pair of the first Trangos and the original Nepals.



So when I heard about the "first" North Face climbing boot I was at least mildly interested in the end result.



Seems North Face has saturated the blogger market with free boots to get the word out on the new Verto S-4K GTX. Smart marketing on their part.



I own or have owned and climbed in a lot of mountaineering boots. Boots suitable for technical climbing on the South Pole and boots suitable for a summer alpine scramble in the Sierras or Cascades. So there is a lot of leeway on what manufactures and users define as a "climbing" boot.



I have friends who use similarboots to the new Verto S-4K for much of their own summer climbing in the Cascades. The La Sportiva Trango S Evo GTX and Scarpa Chamoz GTX come to mind when comparing like boots.



North Face was also smart in using the obligatory red and silver colors on their new boot. It is now easy to confuse the La Sportiva Trango Extreme Evo LightGTX(an actual fully featured climbing boot) with the North FaceVerto S-4K which is not.



That doesn't mean the Verto S-4K isn't a good boot. It seems to be from my perspective as long as you understand its limitations.For one it isn't all that warm. But as warm as the red La Sportiva Trango Evo or Chamoz GTX I think. And because of the Gortex equally as water proof. It isn't all that stiff in the sole nor is it intended to be. So it is easy to hike in. It fits my narrow feet and heels very well and it seems to be is slightly more robust that my Trango SEvos. I like the fully bellowed tongue. And how comfortable this boot was out of the box. That alone should sell a ton of them.They weigh in at1# 15 oz per boot in my size 12s. The red Trango S Evo weighs in at 1#13oz in a comparable size 45.



The Verto S-4K needs a basket for the front of the crampon. But it will take a heel lever. They would work fine for any of the NWglacier slogs mid summer. But that is the limit of where I want to use them when it is cold and wet.



The soles are likely the best available for rock climbing in boots. It is the Vibram® MULAZ. Same sole on my beloved Scarpa Ultras and half a dozen other pairs of similar lwt mountain boots that directly compare to the Verto S4K. The soles are closely trimmed and the low profile toe lacing allows you to take every advantage the sticky rubber on the MULAZ.



Boots for me are first all about the fit. The new North Face Verto S-4K last fitsexceptionally well on my foot. Sad that the style of boot isn't one I use very much.



At least the sample boots I received are made in Romania. I have to say I am impressed with the end result. Rightfully or not my feet feel bettertrusting themto a European factory than one in Asia. I am hoping for great things from the future technical boot line up.



Bottom line on the North Face Verto S-4K?



It is not a highly technical "climbing" boot. But it will do anything a Trango S or ScarpaCharmoz will. So it is in good company. It could be lighter. But it is within ounces of the other two boots for comparison in my size. But I had hoped the new contestant would win the weight comparison with a knock out. It didn't. Neither did they hit any surprise price point. The buy in is steep at $350. Same as the Trango S Evo GTX.





As a first effort for North Face? They did extremely well.

Currently available in the UK.

The company spiel?



Verto S4K GTX £229.99



Inspired by the endeavours of The North Face’s team of elite mountaineers, the Verto S4K boot delivers absolute best-in-class technical fit and performance for the most demanding alpine conditions.



■Traditional Italian craftsmanship and innovative European design

■Finest materials assembled without compromise

■Synthetic leather and rugged Panatex textile uppers

■GORE-TEX lining gives waterproof, breathable protection

■X-Frame provides lateral stability and flexibility

■Over-injected TPU cage provides midfoot support

■Stainless steel upper eyelets and locking instep eyelet

■Smartlite PU mudguard resists abrasion better than rubber

■TPU Cradle heel stabilising technology with crampon spoiler

■Five-part co-moulded midsole

■BASF Agile PU body and EVA heel cushioning

■Northotic Pro+ premium EVA footbed with gel heel

■Ortholite forefoot cushioning pads

■TPU shank and polypropylene/fibreglass lasting board

■Vibram Mulaz outsole with climbing zone for superior edging

Small Wheel Shoppers: Wren and Bobbin

In my recent post about choosing a transportation bicycle one topic discussed in the comments was the available options for those who live in walkup apartments yet want a fully equipped upright step-through transportation bicycle. The thing about transportation bikes is that they tend to be on the large and heavy side, thus inconvenient for hauling up and down several flights of stairs on a daily basis - especially for those without a lot of upper body strength. The solution some might consider is a small wheeled bike. Not necessarily a folding bike, but what in England was at one time called a "shopper" - a bicycle with small wheels and a sturdy frame designed to withstand weight, equipped with fenders, racks and baskets. The Raleigh Twenty was probably the most popular of these and now there are two new bikes from England that channel its features. I rode them briefly at Adeline Adelinewhen I visited New York.






One of these is theWren bicycle shown here. Stiff cromoly frame, 20" wheels with wide city tires, 3-speed hub, swept back handlebars, adjustable saddle height, fenders and front and rear racks with optional enormous wicker basket.






The front rack is attached to the frame at three separate points. It does not move when the wheel moves and it sits low to the ground, which stabilises the weight and does not noticeably impact handling.





With the combination of front and rear rack, this bicycle can carry as much weight as a full sized transportation bike, and the frame is built to withstand that. But the bike itself is not heavy when compared to a full sized upright step-through, and being small it is quite maneuverable through tight spaces. Carrying it up and down the stairs is no problem. The low standover provides the same benefits as a full sized step-through frame. And the short horizontal bar above the bottom bracket functions as a convenient handle for picking up the bike.






While I was not able to get outdoor shots of the Bobbin Shopper, I did ride it briefly. The frame bears a strong resemblance the original Raleigh Twenty, but is lighter with tubing that is not as heavy-duty. Like the Wren, the Bobbin Shopper is equipped with 20" wheels, a 3-speed hub, fenders, a rear rack and an optional front basket. Unlike the Wren, the front brake is a caliper rather than a hub brake, there is a plastic saddle in place of the Brooks, and the handlebars are not swept back. The unicrown fork differs from the lugged crown fork on the Wren.






The Bobbin Shopper's frame is not designed to carry quite as much weight as the Wren and the craftsmanship is not on the same level, but these things are reflected very fairly in the price difference: The Wren retails for $1,150, whereas the Bobbin Shopper is priced at $550.






At these different price points, the basic idea behind the bikes is the same: small wheels,simple frame design, low stand-over, easy to carry,rack in the rear, optional basket in the front, hub gears. Both bicycles are made in Taiwan. And both bicycles weigh around 30lb, depending on how you set them up. One thing I wish is that each manufacturer offered an optional dynamo lighting package and it's a pity they do not.






Having ridden each bicycle briefly, my impressions are not extensive, but I'll share them such as they are: The Wren is undoubtedly a smoother, more luxurious ride. It is simply a higher quality build. But it also felt a little peculiar in both fit and handling and took some getting used to. The frame is very long and I felt quite stretched out and leaned over even with the upright handlebars. The Wren's handling seems optimised for a front load and with the basket empty it took me a bit to get used to it. The Bobbin's fit is more standard and the handling was more intuitive for me on first try. I do not feel that the small wheels are a limitation on either bicycle for city riding. And both bikes felt delightfully maneuverable. For those choosing between the two bikes, I would say it comes down to price point and fit preferences.




Not being folding bikes obviously means that neither bicycle can be made more compact than it already is, save for lowering the saddle. But one advantage of the non-folder is that the bike can be locked up outdoors in the city just as easily as full-sized bikes, whereas folding bicycles can be tricky to leave outside securely. I am a fan of this breed of bicycles and am glad more of them are emerging. What are your thoughts regarding non-folding small wheeled "shoppers"?

Midsummer Moonrise at the Spirit Tree

Last night's moonrise along the Lake Superior shoreline in Grand Portage, MN. After a perfect evening of paddling our kayaks on a local lake we headed back home for a quick bite to eat before heading out again to watch and photograph the moonrise. The waters of Superior were incredibly calm as the moon slowly rose between the tree and the Susie Islands. The night was so calm we could hear the cackle of gulls nesting on Long Island on the opposite side of Wauswaugoning Bay.

Washington Summer

Long term high pressure systems have surrounded the mountain, and after reading the forecasts, look to remain in the area. With July coming to a close, statistically the number of climbers on the mountain also begins to fall. Climbers looking for an experience of solitude in the alpine wilderness can come take advantage of the peace and quiet now. By climbing mid-week this time of year, even on some of the standard routes, the chances of meeting other independent parties on route is greatly reduced.

The late-snow season has left many of the routes in great shape. Climbers will find that the flowers and trails are just now starting to melt out in the alpine meadows. The "peak" of the flower season is still to come. On approaches, climbers have been seeing more Black Bears, Clark's Nutcrackers, and Elephant's Head than in previous years.

As the season progresses, different routes will start to see more traffic. The Mowich Face and the Tahoma Glacier are both routes which stay "in," well into September, along with the standard routes - the DC and EW. Welcome to Remember to bring the sunscreen!

The 'Thanking Your Bicycle' Give-Away!

Have you thanked your bicycle lately? Just think of all the wonderful things our velocipedian friends have done for us! Surely they deserve a little thanks?To inspire you, I have prepared a little give-away for the Thanksgiving holiday.



As a small "thank you" to my readers, I will be giving away a hand-knitted"cycling hat" - made especially for the recipient, in their size. The hat will be 100% wool - a soft wool that feels nice against your skin, densely knitted to protect against the wind. The shape is as pictured above and also here. It covers the ears, and can either be worn on its own or (and I am 98% sure about this) will fit under a helmet. The pattern will be stripey - using whatever colours spontaneously come to mind out of what I have available. If the recipient is male, I can make "manly coloured" stripes as well. And if you hate a particular colour, you can request that I not include it. The finishing at the top of the hat is as shown in the picture above. Just a simple, fun and (hopefully) useful hat, custom made for you by me.



If you would like to be considered for the "Thanking Your Bicycle Give-Away," here are the guidelines:

Please write a thank you note to your bicycle in the "Remarks" section of this post.

Description of your bicycle and a links to pictures are a bonus, but not required.

If you have multiple bicycles, multiple entries are eligible. One entry per bicycle.

Entries should be posted between the start of Wednesday, November 24th and the end of Friday, November 26th.

International entriesare eligible from all corners of the world with reliably functional postal systems.

Shipping will be taken care of.

Recipient will be announced Sunday, November 28th.

Thank you for reading Lovely Bicycle, and enjoy!

San Felipe de Neri Church

This is the huge, old Catholic church in Old Town Albuquerque. It is over 200 years old. I took this photo from across the street from the church, and you can see the steeple and gates leading to the area in front of the church. This church is still used and very popular for weddings and other celebrations. This church is known as the historic San Felipe de Neri Church.

Tuffee & Murphy

Tuffee, the border collie, and Murphy, the cat.

Goldfinches

I wonder if the goldfinches are as tired of the rain as I am.

Two male American goldfinches (Carduelis tristis), enjoying thistle seeds. Please excuse the state of the feeder - the wet hulls stick to it.

No, it's not the same kind of thistle that comes up in your yard. It's not really thistle at all, but it used to be called that, before they started calling it Niger. They later changed the spelling to Nyger. (The story I heard involved political correctness and poor spelling skills.) The botanical name is Guizotia abyssinica.

Finches (gold, purple, house, what have you) love these seeds. Pine siskins do too. Don't put them in a regular feeder - you'll need a special one (with smaller holes). We love Droll Yankee feeders. They last a lot longer.

Autumnal Updates

When I acquired my vintageGazelletwo months ago, I had meant to give her some TLC and a tune-up - but ended up doing absolutely nothing to her until now. She functioned fine despite having sat abandoned in someone's basement, and I've been taking the poor, loyal creature for granted. But every bicycle enjoys care and personalisation, and I have finally givenLindasome much-deserved attention.

The original rubbery-plastic grips must have been reaching the end of their life expectancy, because they felt soft and sticky - as if the material was slowly degrading. So I replaced them with Elkhide sew-on grips from Velo Orange.Although these are not exactly a breeze to install (they are strips of leather that you must cut to size and sew on yourself), the result is worth it - soft, pliant, subtly textured, and beautiful.Luckily, I did not have to destroy theGazellegrips in the process; with some effort they slid off and I will hold on to them as keepsakes.

I have also outlined the head tube lugs in silver. There was trace evidence that they had once been outlined in this manner and I wanted to restore Linda to her prior glory. I think the outlining goes nicely with the chrome fork crown and the silver headbadge.

But while these changes are nice enough, the Co-Habitant gave Linda a gift that is even nicer: he "brightened" her headlight by replacing the halogen lightbulb with an LED. This is a temporary solution, before we execute our grandiose plan to overhaul both the head and tail lights with a super bright LED + standlight system, while retaining the original Gazelle casings. It was reassuring to see that DBC did this to their bikes; hopefully our project will be equally successful (if it works, we'll post instructions). But for now, at least I have a brighter headlight - good to have that sorted now that it is starting to get dark so early.

In addition to the lights project, we are still planning to eventually replace the old, cracked tires with cream Delta Cruisers, and to finally give this bicycle a proper tune up. I am also considering whether I should replace the standard dress guards with something personalised, like the beautiful hand-made guards I've received from Bobbin and Sprocket.



Linda has been so good to me since I got her, that it is only fair to reciprocate. It's true when they say that one person's trash (she was discarded by her previous owner) can be another's treasure.