Cable-tie snow chains.

... somewhere on the web I saw this technique of banding bicycle tires with cable ties / zip ties, to provide extra friction and control-ability in snow and ice.   I believe the practice started in the Pacific Northwest, but I'm not positive.  

I decided to try this out on the rear wheel of my Felt3, starting Christmas Eve. When I got back home after a short 5 mile circuit, I noticed I was short a few cable ties.   Well today I commuted by bike, and ended up picking up most of the cable-ties I shed on Christmas Eve.  Don't want to litter, and all that.   By the time I was at work, I had shed all but three or four out of 30 something.

Upon examination of the broken cable ties, they had failed not at the zip-locking mechanism, but had snapped clean in the center of their bands, where they were being overridden by the tire itself.

Seems that while cable ties might stand up to the somewhat warmer winters of the PacNW,  the plastic becomes embrittled quickly in the 10F and below temperatures of the north-central midwest.  Ping!

I haven't really noticed a degradation in performance without the ties. The bike handles about as well as you'd expect on stretches of compressed snow or compacted ice sheet. Which is to say, marginal. :)

Snow Bike Lantern

snowy woods

This was actually my first time riding in the snow, but it was quite fine. I've been a little lazy in getting up early enough to commute by bike into work. I decided to course the trails on Christmas Eve. Temperatures was around 11F or so.  Merino thermals, denim overalls,  key shirt, wool sweater, amana wool scarf, wool earflap cap, wool gloves, and the waxed pointer chore coat.  Hiking boots, wool socks.  Stayed plenty warm.   

The Felt Cafe3 makes a pretty good snow bike. Nexus 3 IGH with coaster brake, keeps the drivetrain closed up and simple, no packing snow into derailleurs.  The other plus, is the aluminum frame sidesteps corrosion concerns.    One nice thing about living on the frigid plains, is that when we do get snow, it is dry and powdery, while you do get thick drifts, it generally is only lightly covering regular flat surfaces, and consequently does not get too deep.  With close fitting fenders, V brakes, and tight fits at the seat and chain-stays, this bike would not well tolerate a thick wet lake-effect snow.   Aluminum also makes it easy to portage over deep drifts. Cyclo-cross style.   This would be awkward with the Flying Pigeon, or all but impossible with the Kruisframe. 

Once I got off the streets and onto the trail, I turned off all the blinkies, Cygolight, and lit my dietz kerosine lantern. This is one of the cold-blast models and produces a suprising amount of light. It is easy to grip both the lamp and the handlebars with enough 'give' to prevent the lamp from being overly-jostled. 

I then cycled the upper length of the trail, making the rounds, lighting the snowy woods, and the crunch of snow underneath the tires.  Very fun!   Hopefully everyone is having a good holiday season! 

Persistence of Pigeon

Just sort of touching base, but I continue to ride my PA-02 Flying Pigeon more than my other bicycles, and the more I do, the more I am aware of  how oddly "right" it feels.  I was considering putting on a three speed IGH hub in the back, but now I'm not so sure. According to Sheldon Brown's Gear inch calculator, I'm running around 56" and basically I climb on the bike and go.  My daily commute features a few gradual hills, and one steep 20% grade climb 50 feet up onto a former railroad embankment.   I'm not out of the seat for this.

Sunflowers from the backyard - back in September. Actually this is kind of neat:   They were last planted three years ago.  Now the chipmunks have them coming up all over the place. 

Admittedly I top out at a pokey 13mph, at a comfortable spin, but on the miles of crushed limestone trails, and suburban back streets this speed feels entirely fine.  The responsiveness of the single speed drive train is terrific. Or, maybe it just feels natural?   In comparison, the Nexus Inter 3 on my Felt Cafe, and Nexus 8 on my Workcycles/Azor Kruisframe feel lethargic, disconnected and full of friction.

When I got the Pigeon, I repacked the wheel bearings out of curiosity of the process when I was assembling, it, and waiting for other parts to arrive. I also later upgraded to the 20 tooth 3 pawl BMX freewheel.  Now the wheel is tight in the stays and on the bearings, no slop - but I can spin it with one stroke by hand, and it keeps going for almost a minute Neither of my IGH bikes can do this.

There is some sort of mystic British Raleigh Perfection here even when executed as a Chinese knockoff.

Not that the Pigeon is entirely trouble free - Yesterday evening, before my ride home I checked the crank tightness, and found that the cotter on one was  a bit loose and notchy. (I had dismissed it as the slightly crummy MKS 3000 pedals)   I rode it home carefully and then hammered the cotter in with a few good whacks, seating it further and tightened the cotter nut. Problem solved.  Also, I finally found 5mm hex head screws to replace the nearly stripped originals for the rod-brake clips at the local hardware store.

So I'm thinking about simplifying the Kruisframe a good bit, maybe try the very efficient SRAM automatix 2 speed hub on it, strip the bike down a little bit.

It is interesting, how perceptions change with experience.  I was thinking about getting a 10 speed-ish road bike next year, possibly to do Ragbrai with, and then a few months later, I was thinking about just 3 speeding it with a front derailleur and Paul Melvin tensioner...     now I'm realizing that I can just go all day on a single speed.

Cheap and made in America Shell Coat

I've mentioned this in a few other postings, and with the weather finally getting down into the 30s, I figure it is time to address my DIY shell coat.  

This is pretty simple really.  

Take one Pointer Brand Chore Coat.  Which is a made in the USA simple single layer cotton denim coat, with some pockets. You could probably substitute with any other similar cotton garment. 

Then take one bar of Otter Wax, waterproofing wax. 

Apply wax to the coat liberally, on a concrete patio, on a warm summer day.  Maybe when you're done just toss it in a old pillow-case and run it around in the dryer on low. Or let it be warmed by the sun some more. 

The result is an impressively smelly, waxy cotton chore coat. It also outright blocks wind from penetrating, and it is not overly bulky. The water resistance isn't spectacular. It keeps light stuff at bay. Having a wool layer on underneath will limit soak-through. 

On last Friday's morning commute, it was 34, and I wore a wool guide shirt, and wool sweater, and the wind was just coming right through.  I warmed up after the first mile, but it was kind of unpleasant all the way to work. That evening, I rode home after dark, and it was back down to 34, with a gusty breeze.  This time I wore the chore coat out. The wind did not get through the coat at all, and I quickly became nice and toasty, and had a tremendously great ride home.

 I think, as long as I'm actively biking, with two wool layers on underneath, I should be good down into the tens or so. 

When this coat isn't in use, it is strapped to the top of  my Carradice or Zimbale bags. It does make a nice impromptu ground cloth, for maintenance, or napping on, etc. 

Near miss venting.

Maybe I should've gone after her, yelled at her or something. Stupid lady in her minivan turning oncoming in front of me, just so she could get to her freaking parking spot at Target.  

I was fine, no contact was made, but it was disconcerting. I was commuting home on the Flying Pigeon when it happened. I had a light on.  I was doing everything right, yet still nearly got hit because of a stupid self important driver.

The rod brakes on the Pigeon aren't bad, but they're still  less effective than a coaster or good caliper brakes, I nailed them hard as I decelerated and though they're fine when I'm using them to modulate my speed, they seem to lack a little bit for panic stopping because of stupid drivers.   Might be time to rebuild the rear wheel around a coaster brake.

Carry and Portage / 3 Saddle Bags Poorly and Subjectively Reviewed

from left to right,  Sackville Saddlesack Small,  Carradice College, Zimbale 7 Liter

During my first few months as a new bike commuter, I carried my junk in a backpack, which while admittedly was a nice backpack (Osprey Halo) left alot to be desired as far as back-ventilation goes. Riding on warm summer days equaled sweaty results. Picking up some groceries on the way home? Plastic bags dangling from the handlebars or  haphazardly tied to the rear rack.

This continued on for half a year, until I had changed my Felt Cafe's stock saddle out for an easier-riding Selle An Atomica- and I noticed that it had bag loops. "Bag loops. Hmm. You can attatch a saddle bag to those,"  went my very slow mental process.  "Oh, maybe I should get a bag..."

First up, the Rivendell Sackville SaddleSack (Small)

It is hard to find anything wrong with this bag- out of the three of them, it is the easiest to open, load and close. The bag hangs on the level from  the saddle loops which are located halfway along its length, unlike the 'British' style bags, which lean and tip backwards.  The bag flap is secured by a single strap, that is routed through a integral wooden dowel, this applies closing pressure over the entire flap. There is also an inner cargo flap that further secures your contents. 

SaddleSack open, cargo cover flap pulled back, exposing corroplast load floor. 

The single main compartment is big enough for some carry-out food, cable lock, and my tool kit which is in a klein pouch. The overall volume is enough and no more.  

 The strap leather seems a little raggy, but it after a spring and summer of use, they aren't any worse for wear and holding fast.  The construction of the bag itself is fantastic-superb- the flap's reflective strip adds extra visibility, while looking integrated into the design, which is more than I can say for the diamond and triangle reflective patches on the other two bags.  Metal hardware is brass, the buckles are finished with smooth edges. 

The Sackville is my favorite bag to deal with on a commuting basis.  It gets compliments from the LBS folks, from Lycra-types, from recumbent tricycle riders, - pretty much everyone.  

  

Carradice College

Next up, Carradice College. 

The Carradice is paired with my Azor/Workcycles Kruisframe bike.  I had been reading up on Brit-Dutch cycling before I made the order,  and a Carradice seemed to be the way to go, as far as keeping the theme rolling. I snagged this College bag from VeloFred.com for a modestly discounted price. (particularly compared to the cost of the Carradice Camper)  The College is simply the Camper, without the Long-flap or the side-pouches.  The interior of this bag is huge. I did bring home a complete rotissere chicken dinner for two in it at one point, and this maybe half filled the bag. On a single day of Ragbrai-  It held 6 liters of bottled water and assorted sundries.  Other riders kept offering me water, (no visible bottle cages) but I'd point at the bag and said that I had all I needed.   

Construction is waterproof cotton duck, hangs from the saddle  bag loops with chrome-white leather straps that are in turn secured to a dowell.  There is a cargo drawstring, and a nylon rain-cover.  The flap has slotted leather points for securing a rain-tarp or poncho. (Additional straps sold separately)  I use this as intended for keeping my waxed-cotton chore coat. Build quality is described as serviceable. I felt a little let down actually, many of the straps had incompletely punched buckle holes, requiring further reaming, some of the leather rivets were only half-engaged and the stitching wandered in spots (but always secure). Buckle hardware is stamped metal, rough-edged. The chromed leather itself is good.    The flap has an attachment loop for securing a bicycle tail-lamp but it sits so high, that I am finding it pretty much useless.  There is also an extraneous metal and leather Carradice name-plate which I removed. Too gaudy. 

I'd call my interaction with this bag 'unremarkable' . I'll frequently only deal with one of the buckles, reaching in under the flap and pulling out what I need, based on touch.  It gets the job done. 

Zimbale 7 Liter

Finally, Zimbale 7 liter.
Zimbale is a South Korean shop that has come up with a line of traditional bicycle bags on the English pattern, and a competitor to Carradice.  Seeing as I already had a Carradice, I decided to try the Zimbale. I ordered the 7 liter, which would complement my Raleigh-Roadster-Ripoff Flying Pigeon PA-02.

Wow. The build and material quality should be called "Luxury". Straight stitching, great leather, loops for a shoulder strap, metal poncho/tarp lashdown loops, and a nice plaid flap liner, not a single loose thread anywhere. The buckle hardware is either bronze or antiqued-brass, and smoothly finished.

I've spent the least time using this bag. Unlike the other two bags, it uses quick-release slot and post tabs, which are further adjusted by conventional buckles. These are holding securely, although it is a little bit of a pain in the rear to separately adjust these buckles if your cargo is a little larger than normal. Just adds another step to what would be a normal strap and buckle workflow. I might replace these closures with some curb-strap derived belt and buckle- when I can work up the energy.   There is a tail-light attachment loop that works well with a Blackburn Flea blinkie.

Side pockets hold spare tubes, and the inside can accommodate a modest amount of supplies, probably not a rotisserie chicken, but two cans of lager, tool kit, a bag lunch, cable lock, extra socks, etc.  I can lash my chore coat on top.  It lacks the broad uninterrupted shelf of the Sackville, or the super-capacity of the Carradice,  but for a light day-outing - Good Enough.



In Review:
As a light commuter:  Sackville SaddleSack all the way- it is just so dang effortless.   Supplies for a 60 mile day? Carradice College.   Zimbale? A few essentials, somewhat difficult.  

Grand Weekend, Planes, Pigeons.

 

PA-02 Pigeon and Travel-Air 6000

Wow, the Pigeon received overwhelming attention at the antique airplane fly-in.  More attention than say, the more deserving airplanes. I was accosted four or five times on friendly terms "I've been looking for you, I want to ask you about..."    or "Does the light come with it?"    I pedaled about, and it was a great way to get up and down the rows of planes or to and from my campsite.  The schwalbe delta cruisers made easy work of the grass turf.  I probably should've stayed a little longer, but was somewhat quickly home-sick and: bugs.
Previously I've camped in a KampRite Tent-Cot, which I can't recommend enough.  This time, with the Pigeon filling up most of my hatchback, I decided to use my MountainSmith 2 person tent.   Well, it seemingly attracted ants and bugs like there was no tommorrow. I would turn on the light and look up, and see 300 ants crawling between the tent proper and the rain fly. A proverbial and psychologically damaging sword of formicidae hanging over my head. Even when I applied citronella to the tie-downs.   Between that and the weather, I went home early.  I'm going to have nightmares about that.

A day later after getting home, I followed up  Friday and Saturday's riding with the annual ride of the local Trail Sponsorship Committee, and then back up the CVNT trail to home, making for 20 more miles, and the longest single ride for the Pigeon.

The Pigeon held up strongly with it's British roadster heritage. Single speed and 53 or so gear inches, it has an easy going Pepe-le-Pew sort of pacing that has me covering plenty of ground with even effort.  I did get a little nervous during the group ride, as I was hemmed in, and the rod brakes don't quite stop as fast as everyone else.  Also, with such a thick crowd of varying skill levels, I had no problem wearing a helmet. As much to protect myself from accidents caused by my fellow bikers.

Dagnabit Dangit Nabit.

About two miles before I reached home, I got my first bicycle flat. Well, I pulled off in a shady spot, flipped the bike, and practiced what I've only seen instructed. Located the hole, rather an almost knife like slit in the tube with no visible penetration in the tire, or anything stuck in the tire.   I used one of the Park Super Patches,  but it let go, or  the slit-cut expanded after half a mile or so further. I noticed that the new rim-tape I purchased from the LBS was not covering the entire inside of the rim, also that there were a few sharp-seeming machining spots. Probably the issue.  Well I'll pull the wheel again and tape the rim with some 24mm tape, and throw on a new tube.

All in all a good labor-day weekend.

Postretrogression

I've been further at work on the Flying Pigeon, I finally got around to having the still pretty wobbly wheels trued up at my LBS. The shop mechanic looked at my wheels for about thirty seconds, spinning them on the truing rig, then he said to me "How do you stop on these things?" I explained to him how Westwood Rims are designed for rod brakes, and the brake pads make contact up against the inner surface of the rim.




Two days later, I had my wheels, put some rim tape on them, and then went about trying to mount the new Schwalbe cream colored Delta Cruiser tyres onto the
wheels. I seemed to have great difficulty with this, after half an hour, I went and consulted with the bicycle oracle (Sheldon Brown's website)- and that is when dear friends, I learned that there was a difference between 700C and 700B, which classic roadsters use. About 10mm worth of difference. Well that had me waiting another week for a special order of Schwalbes to ship direct from Schwalbe USA. That said, I can save the 700Cs for either the Felt Cafe, or for a future bicycle. (I'm considering a Surly Cross-Check). The new Schwalbes roll great, tremendously improving how the bicycle handles. I highly reccomend them.

The new tyres came, and I put them on with ease. New tubes, then did some paint work, as I really did not care all that much for the extensive decaling the bicycle came with. Some of it was even horribly applied, such as on the chaincase- "Made in TiaSQUIGGLE" So I scuffed up the clear coat over the offending decals with a sanding block, masked what I wanted to protect from overspray, and used some Krylon Appliance Epoxy-Black spraypaint. This stuff seems almost indistinguishable from the stock paint in tone and gloss, and has made me quite happy with the toned down looks.

I then spent an extra night or two adding some twine and shellack, tapering the handlebars in front of the grips, and adding a protective wrapping along the top-tube, where it had a habit of getting nicked from collision with the brake-levers.

The final touch, was adding some retro-lighting, in this case a reproduction oil-lamp from Rideable Bicycle Replicas. This is the only current production oil lamp I can find, and for the price is a pretty good deal if you're just dying for a light. The build-quality is so/so, and I had to reverse the side-glass, as it had red on the right, and green on the left, which might have been okay if it was a tail light, but standard position lights for ships, planes, traines have green on the right and red on the left. It does work though, although seems to seal poorly between the kero/oil tank and the burner. I might gasket this with some innertube rubber. A further improvement might be to add a sheet metal reflector internally. But oh my gosh, when it is lit, it is so cool. I got lots of attention on the dusk ride home I made with it tonight. Drivers smiling and such. It stayed lit in some pretty strong winds, with moderate speeds. I have it mounted to the fork-light mount via an old bracket adapter. It does some with a headset bracket as an option.




These little box-style lights seem to be thin on the ground- original items that is. I'm not too suprised though, given the light stamped construction and the high heat gradients, they appear to corrode/warp into unserviceability. A check on Ebay will show a dozen or two good looking carbide lamps, and just a handfull of the black box lamps all ragged looking, and going for more than the ornate carbides! Looking over the construction, it gets me wondering about how hard it would be to make my own. A Niche market to be sure!

Heated Miscellaneous Days

The past few weeks have been more about trying to survive the opressive uncharacteristic heat than much else. Although I did manage to get out on a group ride, this one starting in Iowa City, and held as a benefit ride for an all-ability sports organization. I had expected a quiet trail ride, but at some point a shortcut was taken that had us biking along an extremely busy 55mph road. Yikes. Well we managed to survive that, and made good progress the rest of the way on the trail to North Liberty and suprise, a drinking establishment. There was conversation, beer, and fried food. On the way back I took a detour that avoided the same stretch of dangerous road and stayed on the trail. And that was the last I saw of my fellow riders, who continued on. My detour led through a nice natural preserve and then through an adjoining subdivision with some absolutely fearsome hills to climb.


On the plus side, I confirmed my general fitness and hot weather tolerance, also I just got to ride around in Iowa City, which at least compared to The rest of urban Iowa, is a bicyling paradise. Sharrows, slowish traffic, half a dozen separate bike paths, and an extremely vibrant down-town and campus, filled with things to do. I'll definitely be heading down again. In another year or two, they should have an all but uninterupted trail stretching the 100 some miles of the north-south corridor.

I spent some time fussing with the flying Pigeon, decided to lower the gearing, by putting on a new freewheel sprocket. Wikipedia says the PA02 Pigeon has a 20 tooth rear sprocket. After a protracted session of advanced cursing and manipulations with a pipe wrench- and getting ball bearings scattered over the livingroom floor, I suceeded in removing the stock freewheel... and counting the teeth... It was an 18 tooth! I replaced it with a quality 22 tooth BMX freewheel, then spent the next two evening sessions learning how to join and dejoin chain. Eventually I got everything back together, and suprisingly the case's chain rub was gone! And the 22 tooth sprocket fit fine in the chain case! I managed to fully enclose the case with a few new screws that replaced loose, poorly fitting stock screws. Dropping the gearing about 12 inches makes it so much easier to pedal along. More soon!

Commuting by Pigeon

Me to my Flying Pigeon: Feige, can you take me to work today?
Feige: Sure.
Me: Oh hey, there is a deer, let's stop and take a photo of it.




Really, it wasn't too bad of a ride. Perhaps the only fault of the stock Pigeon, is the extremely high gearing, which makes it a bit hard to get going, or to get up the one steep 30% grade hill, that is on my route. Once you get going though, up to 10 or so mph, it is nice and easy. I'm researching various gearing options. That and some new tyres and tubes. Otherwise the Pigeon is fine, I had to go back down that grade at a walking pace, to make sure the rod brakes could keep up. That's when I saw the deer. Full stop and take out the camera.
It's tremendously fun to have a "project" bike. Every little thing that needs a fix, or dissasembly for examination or upgrade - leaves me more saavy.

Pigeon pedal.

This is suprising, but I took the Feige out yesterday for a brief hour or two of plein-air painting. I picked a forested spot, and fussed with my watercolours, then rode home.  About half way home I started to note a shifting or notching sensation that occurred on my right crank, when it reached the apex of the pedalling, just before the downstroke.  

"Oh great." I thought, probably the cotter on the crank backing out or something un-wonderful with the bottom bracket.  It got me home, and I poked and prodded at the Pigeon, seeing if I could force in my hands, the same sensation. Eventually I took the pedal off (MKS 3000) and replaced it with the Union Platforms that came on Zwartehond.  I had to leave riding it for today. And when I did, the 'notching' sensation wasn't there.  Go fig, the problem is with the MKS pedal.

Pigeon across amber fields

Flying Pigeon PA-02

The Pigeon's new cotters arrived, although I was able to use the original cotter with a little more hammering, assisted with a new nylon lock nut that seems to hold quite fast.
Like the Raleigh DL-1s, the Flying Pigeon has 'loose' seatstays that are joined to the rear dropouts and then are secured to the seat-tube top/cluster with the seatpost binding bolt. One of the problems I had with the build was an inability to really secure the seat. It would always sink in or twist, no matter how tight I got the seatpost binding bolt.  Eventually I stripped its threads.   I took it down and looked at it... the bolt had an anti-rotation shoulder.. and one would suspect the rack adjustments and the seat-stays to have appropriate notches to accommodate the shoulder. (The seatpost lug flanges had the notches)  But nope, inexplicably none of these had notches for the shoulder. Indeed the shoulder had been gouging the rack about considerably as I attempted to tighten it down.

Pigeon of the Proletariat

This was solved by tossing the rack. I was kind of dour on it anyways. Yes, tossing the rack, and more importantly getting an unshouldered 8mm bolt from the hardware store, along with some better nuts and washers for replacing various existing bits. It is funny, how much a single quality fastener can improve something. I barely had to tighten it on the new seatpost, and everything held was held fast like iron. The  B.72 Brooks that I had leftover from trialing various saddles, clamps and seatposts on Zwartehond replaces the somewhat oversprung stock seat.  (Which just goes to show, a quality saddle such as a Brooks is a good thing to have an extra of) With everything tightened up, I decided to take Feige for a sunset ride.

I have many things to be thankful for, one of them is the sudden explosion in my area of bicycle trails. Just in the past 4 months a new rail-to-trail has been constructed and opened, a portion of the route which I can now take, that reduces by 3 or 4 minutes my work-commute, and gets me off the exceedingly bicycle unfriendly streets and into nature.  When completed the total new trail, will allow me to bicycle from my small bedroom community town, down to the city proper, faster than by using a car.  As it stands, the trail meanders through a wooded floodplain of one of the major creeks, crushed limestone pathing with gentle rolling rises, before ending for lack of additional construction by a larger river.   I bicycled through the evening air to the end of the trail, took photos, then leaned back on the bike, watching the sun set and turn the long prairie grasses green to gold, and the clouds purple, orange and blue-white.

the spread of the heavens reflected round in a bell

Every bicycle ride is a journey, although the wheels stop for awhile, they will soon roll again, forward. I have found something extremely spiritual about bicycling, in that bicycles are always of a good nature. They are the amongst the best machines we as humans, as a race have ever created. You do not cheat on a bicycle, it takes you as far as the energy you put into it. You're not borrowing petrol or electricity, it merely re-expresses your energy through a series of cleverly arranged wheels. And so we all roll.

Introspection aside, the Pigeon isn't a perfect bicycle, but for me, I find it a great bicycle.

When the sun touched the horizon, I set off for home, back through the now blue-shadowed woods. I lifted my foot and hit the release for the dynamo-light, letting it press against the tyre with a 'Whzzt!-rrrr' and it started producing a warm illumination, casting over the cool white of the limestone trail. Along up a ways I passed a gentleman walking with his young daughter who was cavorting in childish delight at a magic summer's eve.  He was carrying a pheasant feather.  I doubtlessly looked like an apparition from the 1920s in my clothing, and with the pigeon clanking, whirring and bobbling along. We greeted each other.  I rode through the little valleys and crested the small hills of the all but deserted park.

I can't help but like the Feige. I feel very perched upon it. Very little of the bike comes into my field of view when I'm riding it.  The single speed is set quite high, making for, slow starts, but it cruises nicely. You need to build up some speed for hills, but I find that I can 'drop' forward well and start putting some power down. The B.72 with its only very minimal suspension doubtless helps me feel the bike.  The rod brakes work, not outstanding, but not bad either.  Stay at a reasonable speed, and they'll suffice.  It is less 'twitchy' in the steering than my Felt, or the huge Azor/Workcycles Kruisframe.   It is very likeable, and has me curious about other English style bicycles- all of which are sadly non-existant out here on the prairie.   I'll keep riding about on it though, just ordered a zimbale 7 litre bag for it.

Pigeon Placeholder

notepad watercolour

I learned a few things building the PA-02 Flying Pigeon, one, that I probably need to take a camera with me on maiden voyages,  two: don't attempt to tighten cotters by tightening their nut. You'll just strip the threads.  - Verbatim from the wise Sheldon Brown, but I unfortunately read these words... after I stripped the threads.   I finished up the Pigeon Sunday, tentatively tightened everything up, positioned the rear wheel to what I thought was a good chain tension, got the rod brakes working, put the bike out on the driveway, mounted it-

  And promptly rode the bike I had assembled for four miles.  The bum cotter fell out right as I got back into the driveway.  So the Pigeon is convalescing while some new cotters, and a somewhat better seatpost arrive by post.  It is a bike!  I didn't reduce it to scrap! I learned things!  Rod brakes actually work well when set up correctly!   I just pre-tensioned them a little bit, no problem. They pull at least 70% of regular cable and caliper-rim brakes.

I'll get a proper review done up shortly.

Pigeon Parts, Cafe Flowers

Flying Pigeon in its box

I really can't say that I was in a bit of a lull- nearly every day for the past two weeks I have commuted by bicycle, probably averaging 13 miles or so a day. Nothing special, but isn't that what we strive for? Incorporating cycling as a basic part of our lives?   Hey hardware, that is always easy to write about!

My Flying Pigeon PA-02 arrived on Monday after its trip from Flying Pigeon LA. Thankfully double boxed- well packed.  The box did however exude that un-wonderful eau de 'Guangdong Industrial' also known to people as 'That Harbor Freight' smell. Seems to be a mixture of vinyl plasticizers and some sort of anti-corrosion solvent.  The bike was quickly unpacked and the stinky packing materials were banished to the garage.

pigeon strewn about

I purchased this bicycle for a few reasons, one of which was to have a cheap project bike, preferably something with very basic or old technology. Something that I could assemble, disassemble, and basically not freak about if I scattered parts across the floor and had to spend an hour or two at Sheldon Brown's website, learning how to put said parts back together. Tonight I learned about adjusting the bearing cones on a rear hub. What? I could've done that with the rear wheel mounted?   I've always had reasonable amount of mechanical aptitude, but no in-depth experience with bicycles. Basically, this is my erstwhile tutor.

Actually on review, the wheels don't seem particularly warped. The only thing that slightly bothers me about the construction are the rear drop-outs, basically they're just the chainstay tubing, stamped flat, and with I think another sheet of steel in there, and tacked with a few spot welds, then the slot is milled out.  Forged dropouts would've been nice, particularly when the rest of the bike's structure seems otherwise competent.  That being said, I know from other engineering examples, that formed sheet steel can be stunningly resilient, and I see photos of Pigeons being used day in and day out in China. 

- Update: Upon further examination, I can't find any visual evidence that classic Raleighs were any different in the construction of the rear drop-outs. Indeed on photographic inspection, several vintage bikes seemed to use a system where the chainstay tubes were flattened, and welded, potentially with another piece of thick sheet or thin billet to hold things fast.  I think with the additional reinforcement of the heavy kick-stand attachment plates, that the rear-dropouts are absolutely fine for intended use.

I'm going to build the Pigeon up to stock specs, and ride it around a little. It can be a bike for the low-traffic trail, and for biking up to the Dairy-Queen. All nice and flat routes.  Then maybe I can experiment some. The Sturmey Archer S2C kickshift hub seems like it might be a nice upgrade.

Closing out with a photo of my Felt Cafe3 pausing amidst some flowers.  Having more than one bike is great. The big WorkCycles Kruisframe is smooth and leisurely, but when I'm on the Felt, I approach something that might be called swift and speedy!

ShadowPandas

Shadow Pandashot

As I was bicycling home today, I took particular note of my shadow-self, pedaling away in exaggerated perspective. As soon as I reached a particularly vacant section of cul-de-sac out came the camera.

Everything is 100% good with Zwartehond. The Ritchey liquid torque worked great, and the Brooks single rail seatpost clamp, flipped around and backwards allowed me to use the lovely sprung B.67 again. The classic style seatpost and clamp, allow for about a 40mm drop over the stock kalloy micro-adjust.  I spent Saturday morning going back and forth on the local crushed limestone trail, dialing everything in. I stayed off the big dutch-belgian beast until today, and when I climbed into the saddle this morning, it was like an old friend. Perfect fit, perfect reach.  As I commuted to work, the phrase
that came into my mind to describe my impression of the bike:  'The Big Easy'.

I rode the Felt Cafe3 quite a bit last week, and on Sunday as well, biking up the 12 miles from downtown in the 95F heat.  Not too bad.  This was the first time I had done this stretch of trail on the Felt, and it was suprising, just how swiftly the light Aluminum 3 speed took me. I stayed at least at 15mph. Zoom. Maybe I overdid it just a tad, as I had consumed a large lunch, as I ended up feeling slightly ill, even though I was hydrated. Ahwells.  Sometimes fast is good, sometimes it is good to take it easy.

Zwartehond saddle saga

I keep flailing with saddles for my WorkCycles Kruisframe, Zwartehond. The classic seatpost with B.72 works pretty well though. My only complaint is in how nightmarishly slick the B.72 was.  I hunted around on the internets for advice, then *gulp* lightly sanded the seat. Quite an improvement, and the lighter color of the abrasions all but disappeared with a little Obenauf's and some more riding.  My only complaint was that the seatpost and its shim was slightly shifting- twisting in the frame. It took a frightening amount of torque to stop it, and I backed off. I'm going to try some of that Ritchey Liquid Torque, and making sure the surfaces are reasonably burnished.

I also acquired a Brooks single rail classic saddle clamp, to experiment, maybe I can stick the B.67 back on, with a height comparable to the B.72s  I mean the -72 is great, but the 67's springs are so nice. Also the leathery texture is pleasant. I just flipped the post clamps around, so the clamp rides a bit above the rails, and keeps the overall height as low as possible.

Last Weekend Rides

Zwartehond and the wind turbine

I should probably get around to documenting these things when the weekend is still occuring.  Last weekend was enjoyable. My old-timey seatpost pillar and Brooks B.72 arrived, just in time to get Zwartehond out for a charity ride, most of the ways down to the end of the Cedar RiverHoover whatsit trail.  Zwartehond got quite a bit of attention, I also thought that the days of wine and roses were over, when the Nexus 8 hub started to act erratically. It just spun in third gear, and seemed to centrifugally clutch out of first into something like 6th.  At the turn-around control which happened to be a pub, I opened the chaincase and tried to remember anything relevant about the Nexus8 settings. Everything looked normal, but then, I had never read the service manual.  

As I departed, full of dread about having to bike with a failing gear system  20 something miles back to town and then home, I noticed the shifter-  the cable had bounced 3cm or so out of the adjusting barrel. I re-secured it, and everything started operating fine.  Seems like the shifter could be a little more durable. I should research if there are more austere metally ones- yes, that's right, I'm jealous of those old Sturmey Archer 3speed hub shifters.

Also, I really haven't been consuming alcohol much at all lately. So when I got to the control/Pub and had a pint and a half of Guiness, I expected to end up a little too buzzed to immediately return to bicycling. Nope. It bounced right off me.  I'm still not sure how that happened. Mind you, I'm still a neophyte when it comes to this cycling and drinking thing.  I'll confess, the fervent behavior of roadies and RAGBRAI clubs for alcohol is distressing to me.  I've had friends and family with drinking problems, and I guess I'm a little soured on it all. 

Lots and Lots of Bikes Actually!

I had a leisurely ride back to town, and had a little lunch at the Parlor City pub. Then a leisurely bike back north. I detoured to see if a biking enthusiast friend was at his house, but he was out. Ah well, just more miles. :)

Coming to an end of bike to work week, I was able to ride all five work days to my place of employment. I usually work something like 10 to 7, so I only rarely saw fellow bicycle commuters. Although I did meet one on Friday, since I left work early.  We were both waiting to use the cross-walk on a busy intersection that is absolutely abysmal- almost entirely untenable for bicycles. 

I also participated in the local Ride of Silence Wednesday evening. I was the only person there who was not in full tilt road-bicycle gear-  and probably the only person on a bike with less than 20 speeds. At least I was pretty silent. No clicking in or out, no derailuers clattering. Just soft clicks from the Nexus 3 hub. I still make freewheel noise, mind you.  :

I'm also currently caught playing saddle roulette with Zwartehond, the Azor / Workcycles Kruisframe.  Zwartehond is probably just a smidge too big for me. With the seatpost all the way down, I have a just a little too much over-the-top whip on my pedal stroke - with the Brooks B67 fitted.  When I fit the Selle An Atomica Titanico X,  which is about 3cm shorter, everything feels great- But the Titanico really isn't such a good sit up and beg saddle. The stock micro-adjust seatpost I've noticed has quite a bit of height taken up with the mechanism. The B67 has so much height taken up with the springs..

So I hypothesized that a classic seatpost, when coupled with a Brooks B72 and old style seat clamp ought to come out at the same height as the Titanico- and still afford me with some spring suspension.

I can save the B67 for... the Flying Pigeon PA-02 that I just ordered from Flying Pigeon LA.   Why did I order a Flying Pigeon?  I wanted a bike that would let me do some more mechanics on, and particularly old mechanics.  That and vintage Raleighs are all but impossible to find out my way.  So I'm sure that will be an adventure. But that's what we all want from cycling right?

Opinels

From Top to Bottom: Opinel Numbers  9, 6, and 5

I've seen Opinel knives starting to show up in lifestyle merchants, places like Archival Clothing, and the Kaufmann Merchantile - sometimes with little explanation about why these knives are good, or little in the way of reviews. Well I've had Opinels 20 years, so this is a long-term review and some thoughts.

The French version of the block-corner store is the Tabac, and when I was visiting that country in  1992,  I invariably remember that along with the newspapers, magazines, and tobacco, would be a display of these wood-handled pocket knives, set in a red velvet flocked tray.  This was my introduction to the Opinel knife. Seriously affordable, I think my No5. was 30 francs or a little more than $5.00 dollars.  I purchased it and a No6.

The Opinel brand starts in the 1890s, but similar pocket knives go back much, much further, to at least the late 1500s, chiefly seeming to be a product of various Arabian and Middle Eastern countries, migrating repeatedly into Europe through trade. By the 1600s  familiar pocketknives are regularly produced in cutlery centers, Toledo, Sheffield, Solingen, Aveyron, etc.  Most of these were of moderate to considerable quality, with numerous hand-operations required for production, and as a result carried something of a price.

In 1890 or so Joseph Opinel created a pocket knife suited for mass production - with techniques first pioneered in the United States - and largely automated handle shaping and finishing, resulting in knives of extremely low cost, but of quite reasonable quality. Distribution through peddlers and consignment in Tabacs- resulted in high sales, which further increased purchases and drove economics of scale - with sales growing to hundreds of thousands a year. The Opinel quickly eclipsed its more expensive Laguiole knife brother.

Opinel No6 with the Viroblock collar rotated to lock the blade

The classic opinel knife has a wooden handle of varnished beech, with no liners. The handle is capped by a ferule, through which the rivet that secures the blade is driven and peened. In Opinels #6 and up, a locking collar - the virobloc is clamped over the ferule. This twists so as to lock the blade into the open or closed position.  In the No5 and smaller opinels only the friction of the handle keeps the blade into open or closed position, and care must be taken to only apply force back and against the edge, or else the blade might just close onto your fingers. I tend clamp-grip the No.5 between my fingers and thumb, out of the way of the blade's travel. That said, even the locking models are not intended for excessively stout work, and care should be taken to keep forces applied to the handle to a minimum.  I will also hold the blade only, by the sides, for fine work.

The Opinel blade is thin -  a bit over 2mm thick, and while latest models can be had with a stainless - inox steel, the classic knives use a high carbon steel. While requiring some maintenance, this steel is both easier to sharpen and arguably cuts more effectively than stainless.  The Carbon or "Carbone" steel blades will take on a patina- (the so called 'stain' that stainless steels avoid) with use- especially when cutting acidic fruits or vegetables, this has no effect on the cutting power of the blade though. I lightly coat my blades with olive and/or vegetable oil, to keep them from rusting. My No5, is in my pocket every nearly day, and I use it frequently in peeling oranges. I'll keep the blade dressed in the orange-oil from the peel, which has some anti-rust properties.

The large No9. Makes a great light camp and cooking knife, perhaps the only one needed while out in the field. (Do the heavier cutting chores with a hatchet or camp-saw) All Opinels prepare vegetables with aplomb, their thin flat ground blades chop slice and peel, my No9. has seen weeks of use in this role. All opinels are very light, making them perfect for bike camping or hiking.
Sharpening. It took me forever to become good at sharpening, and my Opinel no5. holds a special place in my heart as it was the first knife that I was able to resharpen to a hair-shaving edge. I would always use stones, but never get a truly sharp edge. After much internet research, especially at youtube- I picked on the technique of drawing the knife along the stone- (I use a Smith's Tri-Hone-6) as opposed to pushing. I'll use the fine-stone to set the edge with alternating strokes to each side. Then to finish, I will use the scary-sharp method (again, learned on the wonderful internet) which involves using extremely fine grit sandpaper (I use 2000 grit) laid on a cheap mousepad. With light alternating circular draws over the paper, the blade will then become literally shaving sharp.   I've found that I can touch up the edge by stropping in a similar motion on the rough cardboard back of a legal pad.

When I recieved my Workcycles Kruisframe from the freight company, the only knife I used in the unpacking was my diminutive No5. I then cut the cardboard shipping container into quarters, to toss in the recycling stack. The blade literally cut through about 18 feet worth of corrugated, and with a stropping on the back of a notepad, is just below hair-shaving sharp.  When I get around to it, I can sharpen it back up fully. Not bad for a 20 year old, 30 franc knife.

Hopefully this review has given some background on Opinels, a little flavor, and an idea about the knives. You can pick them up for very little from various merchants on the internet. If you've never experienced a carbon steel knife, or want a economical but good knife to learn to sharpen on, it would be hard to go wrong with an Opinel.

Felt Cafe3 and Flowers

I had a nice riding day, just warm enough to get only the mildest of sweats going while biking, and cooling off quickly when stopped.  Lunch on a grassy hillside with the Felt. A coworker asked me where my new bike, the Azor was.  It was a Felt Cafe3 type of day. Hills that once left me breathless, were forgotten ten seconds after I crested them.

So I guess the Felt Cafe 3 was so down-market that it did not warrant the availability of a rack for it. However my bike shop was able to get the rack from the Felt Verza.  The only downside of this, was that it was paint matched to that model year of Verza, with a very yellow-ish cream color.  About a month and a half ago, I finally went nuts, and attacked the rack with sanding blocks, emery sticks, sand paper, and a wire-brush wheel chucked to a drill.  After about five hours of effort I was rewarded with a mostly paintless shiny aluminum rack. Definitely a better look.

Zwartehond Voyaguer

Zwartehond and I went a-travelling last Sunday. While my daily commute takes me to the west, and I have also gone east and north to a degree, I had not yet made a trip down the length of the Cedar River trail.  So I gathered my things, strapped my newly waxed pointer chore coat onto Zwartehond's Carradice bag, and struck out west-ward to get onto the trail.  The sky alternated between grey and threatening - with a few warning drops, and periods of soft sunlight.

Powerplant and Kruisframe

 I ended up not needing the chore-coat, but the trip was good, as it assisted with further airing and curing of the otter-wax applied the day before. It now has only the faintest of scent, before, it smelled strongly similar to pine-sol, like an entire bottle of pine-sol emptied onto the floor of a room. About like that.

I stopped at a Dairy Queen for a frozen confection, but the line inside was interminably long, and I grew nervous for Zwartehond- chained up outside and gathering a bit of a crowd- it seemed as one individual was ascertaining the resiliency of the fencing to which it was secured.  That had me return outside and huffily set forth onto the trail again.  Maybe I was just paranoid.

All was not lost, ice-cream wise- for a mile or so down the trail was a walk-up ice-cream place, one that had formerly been a Tastee-Freeze. So I did get my small chocolate dipped cone, feeling safe being 10 feet from Zwartehond with the cafe-lock deployed, and what seemed like a more amiable atmosphere.

Finishing my cone, I continued my sortie down the trail, listening to WIRE's Manscape, as the ugly industrial infrastructure side of Starch City sprawled wide across the flat stagnate waters of Cedar Lake. Eventually I rolled through the quiet weekend streets of downtown, and guided Zwartehond through alleys still familiar from my days of working in the city.  Lunch at a favorite cafe. I locked Zwartehond up outside- there was a squad of firefighters also dining at one of the outside tables. The big kruisframe gathered quite a few long glances from them as they left. An older couple stopped to look at the black beast as well, the gentleman particularly spending a minute or two looking it over.

Black Dog Big City

 There is not too much more to tell perhaps.  I took the same trail that I had ridden about a month before on the Felt Cafe3. Maybe going at a more leisurely pace, although the big bike gets going quite speedily.  Twenty miles down, Twenty miles and five back, as I stopped by a friend's house. Fourty-five miles even, in no great hurry and under six hours.  This is the equivalent to mileage to day seven of Ragbrai, which I hope to bike this summer. I probably won't do it on Zwartehond, but it is nice to know I can cover some distance on such a big bike.  Twenty more miles, or a hundred kilometers, with a morning start would've been no big challenge.

Kruisframe Impressions

Gracious, what a big enormous beast of a bike.  I feel like I’m perched on top of the world- because I pretty much am. I found myself at the same eye level as the drivers in  most pickup trucks and SUVs.  The steel frame combined with the big Schwalbe Marathon tyres, and the Brooks B67 minimizes road-discomfort, a good thing too, given the quality of the roads around here.

The Shimano Nexus 8 speed is interesting, it certainly has a lower bottom end than the Nexus 3, and that’s probably a good thing, given that hills are a bit more of a challenge.  It also has no freewheel noise.  I snuck up behind some of my coworkers who were on a stroll,  and gave them the bell at 3 feet.

There is a bit of plastic on it, in spots I dont like, and I’ll be working on replacing that with metal or leather, I’m trying to really make it more 1920s appropriate.
It feels like a comfortable assuredness, riding the bike. A certainty that as long as you keep leisurely spinning the pedals, it will take you to whatever destination you wish. I love it!  

I was skeptical about the Brooks B67, the first few rides were rough.  I spent several hours tweaking the positioning, and now it is pointed just right and pretty comfortable, even though the leather is as hard as a rock.  I ordered another Selle An Atomica Titanico -X anyways. I’ll see how it goes.  The bag on it is a Carradice College, ordered from VeloFred, I’ll do more of a review later perhaps. I can admit however that on Tuesday evening, I rode home with a rotissere chicken, cornbread muffins, a can of cranberry sauce, and a change of clothes.

I tossed a coin for which bike I would take to work today, and the Felt Cafe3 won. Getting back on it after 4 days of Kruisframing was an eye opener. How fast and agile and insubstantial it felt. How quickly I could accelerate. How bone-shakingly brutal the ride is. I went all over heck and back on it today, about 18 miles, and ended up having to tighten up the fenders- some of their bolts were loosening up from road vibration.  Need to get some blue loctite.  The Felt is a good bike, my gateway bike… and now I’m cyclo-addicted.

What next? well, one goal- if I manage to get back down to my ideal weight of sub 145lbs-  I’m going to reward myself with a Highwheel bike. Yes, just to be that obtuse. 

The nice freight delivery man spent several extra minutes trying to find my house, but then saw me waving at him from down the block.  He stopped by, and dropped off a big cardboard box.  I had to sign lots of paperwork.

What could be inside?

I painstakingly spent the next hour with my trusty opinel No5, clearing away cardboard and pallet-wrap- and this is what was inside!
Presenting ZwarteHond, my Azor-Workcycles Kruisfame. *Happy Sigh* Now I guess I’m just another Dutch bike blogger.

3 Speeds are also right for me

I think Velouria is right. I rode in a short event ride this past weekend, with maybe thirty or forty other riders.  This was only my second event/group ride, and the first I did not hold back on. (I played tail-end charlie on the Iowa City Tweed Ride and held rear guard for some slower riders, having turned on my tail-lights and blinkies to be nice and visible on that grey April day).

The ride was an easy 18 miles down and back on one of the local trails.  I started towards the rear of the stream, and just kept pace and passed other riders when I felt comfortable.

Now I was riding the only bike I have, my Felt Cafe 3.  It has a Shimano Nexus 3 speed internal geared hub, and big 700C tyres.  It has a generic mountain bike stem, and some Wald cruiser handlebars, set up backwards and high. Much more comfortable to ride than stock. There is no getting around the fact that I’m sitting bolt upright and not at all aerodynamic.

The ride out was mostly a long shallow climb, and the people I passed were all the folks on knobby-tyred mountain and what passed for ‘comfort bikes’  8 years ago. Then I passed a few others, and some more riders, a club I guess, pulled off for recreational libations at a park pavillion. There were no other riders in front of me, and I relaxed just a little and went at a comfortable pace as my metabolism and aerobics got situated.  About the fastest speed I got on the level with the headwind, was 21mph, in third gear.

There was a series of stops, as the trail crossed some county roads, and I waited on some traffic. At this point, a recumbent had pulled up behind me, and some other bicyclists further back.  I just kept on, and finished the remaining few miles with the recumbent close behind. I wasn’t pushing, just going swift and smooth and enjoying myself.

The recumbent cyclist and I pulled into the trail-head parking lot, which was the turn around point - and we were the first two there.  We confirmed to each other that we were both riding in the event (we had declined to wear the sponsor T-shirt), and as he looks over the Felt he goes “Wow, that’s a three speed. You were going fast.”  At this point the rest of the cyclists behind us pull in- they all knew each other, and he announces to all of them “Hey guys, it’s a three speed!”   At which point these six or seven other riders are all going. “Wow, that’s alot of work,  nice biking. How much do you do in a year?”   Talk about ego stroking.  Two of the nice lady bikers were both enamored and weirded out about my Sackville seat-bag. 
  “It is like something- It looks like it belongs in a movie!”   So Grant, I guess that is a positive comment.

Everyone snacked and made polite conversation,  I fueled up on gatorade cut with water and baklava from my extra special favourite local Russian Cafe.
We all rode back together, and I came up in the rear.  It was interesting to watch these riders. They were on average road bikes, or 28” wheeled hybrids. They shifted so much.

One of them remarked again, how much work I had to be doing with three speeds.
“Not really!”  And seriously, I wasn’t.  Three speeds. I pick whichever of the gears lets me keep a fast easy 70-80 rpm cadence, and I go down the road as fast as that rpm will comfortably let me. If it is a bit of a climb, of course I’ll end up slower than that, but otherwise that is how it is.

I stopped for a bit to switch out of my cotton dress shirt and wicking sport shirt to put on my wool high collar sweater, as it had started to rain.  This was still a bit bracing. (I really need to get a shell-garment)   We all went our specific ways at the end of the ride.   It was fun, and I learned some things.

I met this serpent yesterday, as I was biking along. Going at a nice slow speed on a soft path, really allows for a great view of wildlife up high or down low. I thought he was a bullsnake, but now I believe he is a youngish Prairie Kingsnake or a Northern water snake. Some sort of innocuous snake at any rate, pleasant and of no harm.

I biked, and biked and biked some more, then I got a dipped cone at the not Tastee-Freeze. I passed 200 miles on the bike’s odometer.  LovelyBicycle’s photos are extremely inspiring. Olympus EP-1 with the Fearsome Fujian 25mm TV lens

My Felt Cafe3.
When I originally bought this last July, I had not owned a bicycle for 18 odd years.  I knew I wanted something reasonably austere and reasonably stylish.  What I kept going back to, in my head was an old three speed I had in the early 80s, that was all-about fine. I don’t remember too much about it,  it was probably dead stock, and decidedly old looking by 1985.   I was later gifted a generic 80s steel framed 10-speed of domestic name brand.
But anyway, the Felt. I tried out the Electra Townie at the bike shop and the Amsterdam, but they were a little too ‘comfort’ bike.  I opted for the Felt Cafe3 without a test ride (the shop had to order it)  and to my delight when it arrived, it was a reasonably perfect fit.  So I paid for it, and began my modern era of bicycling. Then I found the webcomic Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery…

It’s a light, surprisingly fast bike. I did not like being leaned over with half my weight on the bars though, and the pinch-stem did not seem to hold the handlebars all that tight. I tried to tighten them, shim them, and eventually just had the stem replaced with a pop-top generic mountain bike stem, and the bars were replaced with some wide Walls-bars. Then I could raise the seat.   Pedals replaced for some skeletonized grippy things.  Then the rear rack, and  Selle An Atomica seat, gewgaws, and finally a Sackville Small bag from Rivendell.

Basically, I have half- Van Sweringen’d the thing. And it gets me around nicely.

Break seatpost quick-release binder.  Drive to bike store to purchase new one. Spend an hour getting seat post, seat, saddle bag situated.  Leave too late to make the parade. Sulk. Bike 15 miles anyway.