Breaking Away

A luckless morning. I had attempted to join a 100K club ride, only to get an important phone call as I pulled up to the start. By the time I got done the others were nearly an hour ahead. I would never catch up. I decided to ride the route anyway.




The weather had been beautiful. But as I set off, it began to rain - cold, hard little drops, carried sideways by the wind, sharp against my face.




On the road there was more traffic than usual. A mile in, adriver cut me off and I barely avoided a collision.Still fuming over this, I began to notice that my throat hurt. I was hot and cold. I felt sluggish. Maybe I was running a fever.Maybe I should count my losses.




A deep irritation over a day wasted was building up. Workdays that have no clear end or beginning. A weak constitution that has derailed my plans one time too many. If it's not one thing, it's another.








For some miles, it was angry riding. Riding a wave of frustration. But I pedaled. Mechanical motions. Round and round. Rain and chills, traffic, scratchy throat, round and round. "Oh shut up," my legs said to my throat. We would break away.




I had the sense that once I was a certain number of miles out, it would all resolve itself, because turning back would no longer make sense. Concord, West Concord, Maynard. I pedaled harder.




But then came a moment of doubt. I had not meant to be on my own with my thoughts on this day. What would I doout there, for hours, with all these thoughts? "Oh shut up" my legs said to my brain.




And we broke away.





20 miles in. As if someone had waved a magic wand, the cars were gone. The sun came out. The pedals lost their resistance. We floated up hills.My mind emptied.




In Still River I passed aBenedictine monastery. It stands on top of a hill, overlooking a green and blue rolling landscape. Slowly I rode through it, not seeing a single person on its grounds. The monks must have been indoors.




In Boxborough I stopped at a farm. It had visitor hours and notices posted, but looked abandoned. With my bike, I stood in the middle of a field dotted with white barns, thinking of nothing. I heard ringing in the air. The field was full of dandelions.






The climb leading up to the Fruitlands was shorter and tamer than I remembered. Today, the hill was an invisible host, gently taking me by the arm and leading me to the view.




At the hilltop, I had the place to myself. No cars were parked at the scenic overview along the side of the road. No cyclists passed. I had made it all alone up there and the world felt far, far away. The sun flickered through thick clouds, a flood of light going on and off.I looked down at the little mountain clusters across the state line. The entire world felt close.






Descending into town, I remembered that I had not eaten for hours and stopped at the general store. When I ordered coffee and a sandwich, it felt strange to talk - as if I hadn't spoken out loud in years. Was I even saying the right words? The boy behind the counter had an inscrutably friendly face that had seen many cyclists.






Orchards and orchards on the return leg. The apple orchards have such neat rows of such crooked,erratic-lookingtrees. Line-dancing trees. Shaker trees.




This ride was coming to an end much too fast, I thought. I wasn't ready. And I veered off course onto another road, with more uphill floating, more orchards.






But at length, unfamiliar farms gave way to familiar ones, a gentle reminder of being homeward bound. Then finally, the bikepath, and the city - with 100 miles on the computer and frustration a faint memory.




Sometimes if you just keep pedaling, everything else breaks away, falls away. If you keep pedaling, the mind quiets down.

Lake Superior Ice Ornaments

Yesterday while walking the shoreline to photograph the first sunrise of the new year, I found countless fascinating ice formations hanging from the rocks at the water's edge. These particular formations were my favorite. The first thing I thought of when seeing them was "they look like Christmas ornaments!" The sun was just starting to hit the rock on the upper right. The "ornaments" were still in the shade had this beautiful blue color. As the water lapped at the ornaments, they would momentarily lose the blue color. When the water receded, they once again turned blue. You never know just what you're going to find when you're out exploring in nature :-)

Plate Ice Paradise

Tonight's sunset was AWESOME! We drove a few miles down the shore to see if there was any ice left after today's insane winds (which continue to blow as I write this). Yesterday there was ice going out across the lake as far as the eye could see. Today that ice is gone, but there remain pockets of ice that had already been built up along the shoreline. We found one such amazing stretch of shoreline by driving slowly along the shoulder of the highway and peering down through the trees at the beach. This spot looked pretty good from the highway, but it looked AMAZING when we got down to the beach! Large mounds of plate ice had been sort of mashed/fused together by the wave action from the lake. Some of the plates were sticking up at all different angles. In other areas the plates were all laying more or less flat, like you see in the lower right of this photo. The plates that were laying flat were reflecting the light from the sky, making for one of the most eye-catching ice scenes that I've ever seen. Topping off this incredible ice was this majestic cloud which, despite the high winds, was hardly moving at all. We watched the cloud turn from grey to orange to pink and back to grey again as the sun went down. This is a sunset that will live forever in my memory as one of the most glorious sunsets of my life. What made it absolutely perfect is that I got to share the whole experience with the woman I love, who in exactly one month will be my wife :-)

Blizzard Report, from Somerville MA

As you may have heard, we've had a little snow here in the Northeast. We were out of town in the days before it was expected to hit, and hurried to make it back before the travel ban went into effect. Yes: a motor vehicle travel ban for all of Massachusetts was declared, with violations punishable with a year of jail time. Still, here in Greater Boston many doubted the seriousness of the blizzard to come. We've been fooled before with promises of sensational snowstorms, only to receive a measly couple of inches.






This time however, the universe followed through. Over 2 feet of snow had piled up outside our front door by morning, and that was after the stairs had been shoveled the night before.






Beyond the front door I could see an awkward heap of snow, which I realised was the neighbours' car.






Our street looked like this, after the plows had gone through it.






The normally busy main road looked like this.






And this. (Notice anything missing?)






At around 9:30am I saw a procession of plows making their way down the road.






But it continued to snow until mid-morning, quickly covering any progress the plows made with another dusting.






I encountered surreal scenes, such as this one. Any car that had been left out on the street had now turned into a giant snowbank.






Once the snow stopped falling, vehicle excavations began.






They would continue zealously until sunset.






Clearing sidewalks was tricky, considering how much snow had fallen. Some dug trenches, which had to be navigated single file - the snow nearly waist-high.






But for the most part the sidewalks had not been cleared and pedestrians took to the roads.






Mostly on foot, by sometimes on sleds, snowshoes, and skis.






I was a little envious of the snowshoes I have to admit; I would love to try them.






In the first half of the day, I did not see any bikes being ridden. The road surface was too uneven and soft for most cyclists and bicycles, myself included.






At least in the first half of the day, the driving ban was enforced. A police SUV slowly circulated the neighbourhood shouting threats over the loudspeaker at anyone who attempted to drive, other than snow plow operators and city workers.







Pedestrian movement was not impeded, and soon people took over the roads.







At some point, word came that a party was being held in nearby Union Square.








Pretty soon, it seemed like the entire neihgbourhood headed that way (except those still digging out their cars!).






There was music blaring and people dancing. Despite the potentially serious nature of a blizzard of this magnitude, the atmosphere in the entire neighbourhood was downright festive. Those out on the streets were saying hello to one another, and smiling ear to ear.






Kids, adults, everyone looked happy to be outdoors, enjoying themselves.






Some wore costumes.






Others came ready to fight.





Which they did, to the sounds of dance music, with the Somerville Gateway mural as proud backdrop.






As the afternoon waned and the snowplows laboured tirelessly, I began to see a few bikes here and there.






But still mostly sleds.






Andtoboggans.






And skis.






And various snowboard-like contraptions.






I did a lot of walking throughout the day. Many layers were donned to deal with the cold, but nothing out of the ordinary.






Others got creative with plastic bags, various DIY overshoes and blanket-capes.






To see our entire neighbourhood so active and energetic at a time when it was expected to be immobilised was quite something. By mid-afternoon a few local businesses opened their doors to meet the foot-traffic demand for coffee, alcohol and groceries. All of these places were packed.






It seems that Somerville, MA has weathered the storm well, and there have been no disasters. In the meantime, the snow plows are still at it. Excavations of vehicles continue. And although the motor vehicle ban is now lifted, along the largely unplowed side streets snowshoes continue to rule the roads.


More pictures here - enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Yeah Baby! Transportational Elegance Reigns at Interbike

As I was setting off for Las Vegas, those who'd been to Interbike before warned me that 90% of what I'd see there would be completely irrelevant: that the road, mountain bike and BMX industries would rule the floor, with city bikes and classic bicycles making up a tiny fraction of the offerings. So what surprised me the most about my first Interbike, was that this was far from the case. The upright, step-through city bike was downright ubiquitous: From exclusive European makers such as Cicli Montante (above) to mainstream giants such as Trek (see my post about their "Dutch bike" here), it seemed that anyone who is anyone had one on offer.



I start with the Italian Cicli Montante, because it's companies like theirs that really set the pace. Montante city bicycles are unapologetically opulent, bombastically over the top - and I think it's good for the industry to have a manufacturer who is willing to exhibit such showmanship and attention to detail.



Old school touches such as newspaper racks, satchel-style panniers and leather-shod rod brake levers are victoriously exhibited with little concern for weight reduction.



Every component is pantographed with the company name; everything is covered in leather and dripping with colour. It's too much for me, but I am glad companies like Montante exist and I hope they find a North American distributor.

But if you are looking for a more accessible burst of colour, you will be pleased to hear that Bobbin Bicycles are coming to the North American market. Distributed by Fourth Floor in Canada, they should soon be available at bike shops.



Bobbin are offering a full line of classic city bicycles and accessories in a multitude of colours and for what look like fantastic prices (sub-$1,000 on all the models, as far as I could tell).



Here is their Birdie model in sky blue and yellow.



And here is a more sombre model in black, with full chaincase and dressguards.



Bobbin also introduced a number of pannier prototypes, including this leather satchel. I think the satchel is stunning, but I am wary of the snap-closure attachment system.



Here is a handsome canvas and leather one as well. I've spoken with the Bobbin representatives and may get to test ride one of their bicycles - fingers crossed.



It is also official now that standard production Bella Ciao bicycles (i.e. not just the Superba) will be available for sale in North America - distributed by BoxCycles/ the Nordic Bike Project.



Here is the men's model suspended from the ceiling. I can also tentatively announce that there may be a new line of Superba bicycles (ladies' and men's!) in and I hope to have details on that shortly.



Pilen had their classic Lyx models on display,



as well as a beautiful raw finish prototype with a SRAM automatic 2-speed hub. I have mentioned before that I think Pilenframes are unusually well finished for their price category, and the unpainted model really shows this off. I am picturing a swan-frame version with cream tires and feeling a little light-headed.



Pashley did not disappoint with their multiple booth display that was like a cozy clubhouse. I found myself falling in love with them all over again, returning repeatedly to take more photos and speak with the reps.



What appeals to me about Pashley is not only the beauty of their products, but their genuine commitment to making their bicycles on a small scale, in England, by the same people who've worked for them for years - despite external pressure to produce more volume. Though I ended up selling my Princess a year ago (see my review here), I wish that Pashley would do some research on how to tweak its geometry or tubing so as to make it a bit faster and more responsive - perhaps a loop frame version of the Guv'nor (come on, wouldn't a Reynolds 531 loop frame be awesome)? I truly want to support them as a business and to ride one of their bikes, as the Co-Habitant still happily does (see his review here).



In addition to having their range of loop-frame models on display, Pashley introduced the Parabike. My understanding is that this model is similar (or identical to?) the Tube Rider, but with a vintage military colour scheme of dusty slate blues and sage greens. I had not known the history of this frame style before, and it was explained to me that the bicycles used to be disassembleable, and British paratroopers would jump out of airplanes with the bikes strapped to them - then assemble them on the ground and ride away. Clearly Pashley needs to make at least a promotional prototype of a version that actually disassembles and film someone jumping out of a parachute and using it in this manner!



On board with the elegant transportation trend, Velo Orange had more than half of their display models set up with upright handlebars, which I thought was interesting. Does this reflect the preference of their customers?



The new green Polyvalent looked stunning and very inviting with its chaincase, Porteur handlebars and sizable front rack.



Happy to see the Sturmey-Archer 3-speed trigger shifter - not only on this bicycle, but on many others at Interbike.



Finally, the new colour they chose is a very pleasant shade of green, with a touch of soft gray mixed into it. Lovely all around. I am hoping VO will re-release their mixte in with a similar set-up and a softer colour scheme than their previous model.



One thing VO did I thought was interesting, was put small handlebar bags on upright bikes. I sometimes get emails asking whether I think this would look good and my instinct is usually "no," but this set-up is quite nice. I think the harmonious paring is largely due to the shape of the handlebars here, so that's one factor to consider. Another view of this set-up here.



The trend for colour was prominent among all city bicycles on display, and this pair of Gazelles illustrates nicely the two categories the colours seemed to fall into: vibrant "candy" shade, such as yellows and pinks, and subdued "vintage" shades, such as slate blues, creams, and sage greens.



Though I've focused on what I found to be the more interesting and trend-setting offerings, I cannot stress enough how popular the city bike was. There were so many, and from such a large number of manufacturers, that featuring them all would have been akin to posting a laundry list.



They came in all shapes and sizes, with the common design themes being a step-through frame and upright handlebars. Here is one from Benotto - an entire range actually.



The new city bike from Terry - the women-specific roadbike manufacturer.



And here is what looks like an Electra-imitation from Shanghai Forever.



A Pedersen-esque contraption from Virtue Bikes.



A couple of readers asked me to stop by the Linus booth and determine to what extent their mixte is lugged, so here are my findings. The front end is completely lugged (including the split lug for the mixte stays!), but is paired with a unicrown fork. And the seatcluster is welded.



Somewhat to my surprise, e-bikes were a huge trend at Interbike - I mean huge. I did not photograph many only because they do not interest me, but there must have been over a dozen manufacturers selling some version of an electric assist bicycle. This one is a Zoomi Monterey.



And here is an Achiever PedElec tricycle with enormous wicker baskets that make it resemble a laundy-getter. I spoke with a couple of the e-bike representatives, and each mentioned their belief that e-bikes need to look more classic and not so "techy" in order for the demographic they are trying to reach (read: women) to find them appealing. I agree.



Though this post is ridiculously long as it is, I can hardly neglect to mention folders. As with e-bikes, there was a huge folder epidemic - including electric folders. However, I am sorry to say that most of them were not easy on the eyes or simple to operate at all, and I will leave it to other blogs to post photos of them. Of course, the ever-practical and attractive Brompton was there, the rep tirelessly folding and unfolding it for awed spectators.



And Moulton wowed everyone with the limited edition stainless steel F-frame bicycle. As I understand it, this was actually made as a gift for a long-time Moulton employee upon his retirement, which is pretty amazing.



There were also miniature non-folding bicycles, such as the Bobbin Shopper - reminiscent of the Raleigh Twenty, outfitted with a rack and basket, and reasonably priced. The more folders and miniature bikes I try, the more convinced I am that they are a great solution for those who make relatively short trips and share bikes in the family, as well as for still-growing children and teenagers. Problem is, that not every manufacturer makes these bicycles equipped (or even compatible with) racks, which essentially kills their versatility. I am glad to see more models that do take this factor into consideration.



One aspect of the transportational bicycle trend that I noted was lacking at Interbike, were "box style" cargo cycles. There was the Christiania and I think the Gazelle Cabby, but I am pretty sure that was it. The Yuba, the Surly Big Dummy, and other long-tails were on display, but not the large, Dutch and Scandinavian bakfietsen and long-johns. It may be simply a matter of the design being difficult to replicate and "Americanise" by manufacturers, or perhaps it's just too much of a specialty item for Interbike at this stage.



So where does all of this leave us? The variety of designs and price points in the "city bicycle" genre, as well as the sheer number of models, are an encouraging sign, to say the least. But do you think this is a sign that we - and by "we" I mean those who have been stressing the need for user-friendly city bicycles that can be ridden while wearing regular clothing - have arrived? Is the industry showing its commitment to catering to transportation cycling, or merely testing the waters? Your thoughts appreciated.