Spring Blooms

Cherry, Apple, and Redbud blossoms before the wind hit them.

Old Truck

On the edge of the meadow where the logging camp used to Lee and Tuffee check out the old truck.

Out With The Old

One after one they fall, those old dusty places that no one will ever be able to replace because they belong to another time. The Market Inn is the latest casualty in the name of progress. I know I'm a little weird attached as I am to the rock holes and relic type restaurants, but I also recognize that history is being obliterated, and that the value of these lost places has no price tag. (Well, maybe pieces of it have a price tag which is why I was able to liberate the upright piano when the Roma auctioned its contents. It's a great old work horse that needs to be put out to pasture according to Bobby Birdsong, but I can't bring myself to do it and so it sits, moldering in my living room- still reeking of cigarettes on hot summer days.) The Market Inn auction is later this month.

The new trend towards reviving the town center is a good idea, but how did we stray so far from the originals? Silver Spring and Hyattsville were towns in their own rite, but now their new "down towns" have an interchangeable feel. And I just can't imagine people working their whole lives in a Baja Fresh as they did in the old family run places. Hyattsville now boasts an arts district which is a great idea, but part of this includes the most sterile "urban row homes" to house bohemia that I've ever seen in the new town center behind PG Plaza. Somebody needs to go in there with a case of spray paint. And I doubt any of the new restaurants will be collecting nudes, or full suits of armour or hunting trophies like they did in the Market Inn, the Orleans House and The Roma. Ulysses Auger, of Blackie's House of Beef once built an annex called Lulu's which was dedicated to his wife's one time experience as a Queen of Mardi Gras. Now that's what I call a theme restaurant!Sprinkled here and there the old and odd places are still clinging to life- like Tastee Diner, Crisfield's, Vincino's and god bless Roger Miller's African Restaurant. Franklin's is a great blend of new and old- housed in an old hardware store and serving some of the best beer in the area. And one of my all time favorites is The Hitching Post where you can get a fried chicken sandwich which boasts at least 5 pieces of bird and almost as an afterthought two pieces of Wonder bread on the side. Here's a picture of my mom on her ninetieth plus birthday ( you heard me) and her chicken sandwich. It just doesn't get much better than this.

Past its Prime

Saw this Old School at the intersection of U.S. 160 and 1300 Road, in western Montgomery County, Kansas as I was zipping by at 70 mph. Just had to turn around and go back to take some pictures. There were large rolled "bales" of straw along the fenceline near the road, fencing all around, and a locked gate so I couldn't get too close. Love that 15x zoom on the new camera for "close up" shots! © .. Rebeckah R. Wiseman. Photos taken November 26th.

Adjusting to the Velo Timezone

This is the first time when my stay in Austria involved cycling from beginning to end - without relying on public transport for any reason. And a curious thing has been happening: everywhere I go, I am always early!

I am a moderately punctual person, but definitely not someone who is obsessed with arriving "on the dot," let alone ahead of time. So why was this suddenly happening? Then it hit me: After living in Vienna on and off for 3 years now, I've developed an internal "estimator" of how long it will take me to get to any given location in the city - based on my experiences with the U-Bahn (subway) and trolley systems here. Even though I cycle now, my internal time estimator has not adjusted yet and still functions based on "public transport time" - making me always early, because it is actually faster to travel in Vienna by bicycle! To me this revelation was a "wow" moment because Vienna is such a large city. Sure, traveling by bicycle is more pleasant, but it never occurred to me that it is also faster. I can honestly say that my days here have been made less hectic by the time I've saved on commuting. I like being in the velo time zone!

His Pashley Roadster Arrives!

[edited to add: There is now a review of this bicycle here.]



The end result of our frenzied search, was that both my darling Co-Habitant and I decided to buy Pashleys: he the Roadster Sovereign (which comes only in black), and I the Princess Sovereign in green. My Princess is getting some custom work done at Harris Cyclery (a coaster brake installed) and will be waiting for me when I return from Vienna. The Co-Habitant's Sovereign arrived last week and he has been enjoying it ever since. Lucky, lucky him!





My dandified Co-Habitant added Brooks leather grips and bags to the bike, but everything else pictured here came standard. This is an enormous bicycle and he absolutely towers over the traffic as he rides to work. I can't wait to see him ride it in person, and to pick up my Princess!





The saddle that comes with the Roadster is the Brooks B33 in black. The bags are the Millbrook and Glenbrook. The leather grips in black are pictured here. All of these are available at Harris Cyclery in West Newton, Mass.

A Look at the Rawland rSogn

A week ago, I spotted a Rawland rSogn at the Brevet Season Kick-Off Party I wrote about earlier. Never having seen one in person before, I was extremely excited by the sighting.





Turns out this rare specimen belongs to local cyclist Jon D. Generous and trusting, Jon offered to lend me the bike to photograph and test ride. Long story short, Jon's Rawland is now staying over for a visit.






So what is so special about this bike? The Rawland rSogn is a production randonneuring frameset, made for 650B wheels and wide tires, with low trail geometry and standard sized tubing. Currently priced at $725 and available without a wait list, it is the most accessible frameset with this combination of characteristics available on the market today, as far as I am aware.






Not everything about the rSogn is "classic randonneur." The dramatically sloping top tube, mostly welded frame, and threadless steerer mark it as a modern bike. But for anyone interested in trying out the low trail/ 650B handling characteristics, this is a comparatively affordable way to go. And it's not just about affordability: rSogn owners seem very pleased with this model - describing it as fast, responsive, and comfortable over long distances. It is reputed to be a fast brevet/road-to-trail bikethat fits cushy tires and is optimised to carry a front load.





Rawland Cycles is a tiny operation based in Danville, California. Owner Sean and his spouse Anna run the company and design the frames, which are hand-made in Taiwan. Sean is of Norwegian heritage and he pays tribute to this with the Nordic theme that runs through everything from the company name, to bicycle model names, to the graphics and even frame design.





The story of how the rSogn came into existence has become almost legendary in bikey/internet circles, as apparently Sean asked for feedback in an open forum and tweaked the specs based on popular suggestions.





The result was a frameset with cantilever brakes, no toe overlap, massive tire clearance, eyelets for racks and fenders, and a variety of braze-ons including a pump peg on the left chain stay. Full specs are available here.






Aesthetically, my favourite part of the bike is the massive, double-plated fork crown - difficult to photograph because of the front rack attachment, but in person a commanding presence for sure.







Here is a side view. The flat top of the crown is engraved with Rawland's Nordically-stylised "R."






The decorative motif on the seat tube complements the font used elsewhere on the decals.





The bicycle's owner built up the frame with a needle-bearing headset, dynamo lighting, downtube shifters, cantilever brakes, a wide range double drivetrain, handlebars set slightly above saddle level, and a large custom front rack. The build is heavy on Velo Orange, mixed with Shimano, IRD, Grand Bois, Berthoud, Cane Creek, and other usual suspects. If you have a question about specific components, please ask in the comments.






Jon rides clipless, but he switched the pedals out for flat ones so that I could ride the bike. For tires, he switches between the 42mm cream Grand Bois Hetres for road-to-trail riding and 2" knobby Pacenti Quasi-Moto tires for rougher off-road stuff.





The front rack is designed especially for the Rawland rSogn by Haulin' Colin. It is 12" wide and can support a great deal of weight.






Jon uses the rack to carry heavy loads when cycling for transportation, but for road rides and brevets he attaches a small Acorn handlebar bag.






The bag is attached to the rack alone and does not require a decalleur; it appears to be pretty stable. To carry it off the bike, Jon uses a long Surly toe strap as a shoulder strap. Walking away with the bag slung over his shoulder, he left me alone with the Rawland.





While I love having the Rawland around to photograph, unfortunately I cannot review it - it is just too large for me. The frame measures 53cm x 57cm with a sloping top tube. Not only is the reach quite long, but even if we were to flip the stem and move the spacers, the handlebars would still be several inches higher than what's on my other bikes right now. Additionally, I am not comfortable using downtube shifters on serious rides, and there is no easy way to change this aspect of the build. All in all it just wouldn't be fair to attempt a review out of this. But what I can do is provide some feedback that is not test-ride-dependent.





On the positive side, I find the frame to be well-made and well thought-out. The joints are clean and do not call attention to themselves, the braze-ons precise, the fork crown beautifully executed. I really like the paint colour and the general frame aesthetics. I like that there is no toe overlap (though it's close and could depend on your shoe size and pedals). And the low trail design with clearance for 650B x42mm Grand Bois Hetres is what drew me to the frame in the first place.



As for drawbacks, the main one for me is weight: As shown, the Rawland rSogn weighs about as much as my similarly built Rivendell Sam Hillborne - close to 30lb. I am told by those who've ridden both bikes that the Rawland is more responsive and faster, particularly uphill, and that is good to know. But I'll be honest: I am a little tired of heavy roadbikes. I would like something lighter, and I know it's possible.Aside from this, I would of course prefer it if the frame were lugged, but that is a matter of personal taste. The double-plated fork crown and the decorative lugwork on the headtube do create sufficient visual interest to keep me from dwelling on this for too long.





Similarly to my Rivendell, the long and sloping top tube makes the fit of the rSogn somewhat tricky: Assuming that the rider wants their handlebars at or below saddle-height, they must pay attention to the top tube and head tube measurements, and not to the seat tube measurement in which the sizes are given. And judging by those measurements, the rSogn is not currently available in a size small enough to fit me well.



Coincidentally, Rawland has a new model coming out - the Nordavinden - that could address both of the above issues. It is a lighter, sportier frame, with an almost level top tube, and they are offering it in a size equivalent to the size I normally ride. While the larger frames are designed for 700C wheels, the smallest (my size) will be 650B with clearances for 42mm tires. If I were to consider a Rawland for myself, I think this model might be more appropriate for me than the rSogn. [Edited to add: There is now a review of the Nordavinden.]





For those interested in trying a low trail 650B randonneuring bicycle without the wait and expense of a custom built frame, the Rawland rSogn is a great deal. There are many happy owners who ride long brevets on these bikes. The Chasing Mailboxes couple each have one. Chris Kostman of AdventureCORPS has one and it is his favourite bike. And here is another owner's in-depth review.






And of course there is Jon, this particular bicycle's owner. Jon is only a little taller than I am and does not have the bike set up in a particularly aggressive manner. But according to his riding buddies, he is super fast on it. Jon has other bicycles, but the Rawland rSogn is his favourite - both for commuting and for brevets. Last year he completed a good chunk of the Boston Brevet Series on this bike, and hopes to do more, longer ones this year. He also rides quite a bit off road, and his rSogn turns into a mountain bike when fitted with fat knobby tires.




As usually happens with bicycles I am excited about, there is too much information to fit into a post without making it ridiculously long. If you have any specific questions, please ask and I am sure a number of owners reading this will be glad to give you feedback. My sincere thanks to Jon for being so nice and loaning me his bike. It is doing well here and making new friends. Full set of pictures here!

Creative Outsourcing

Hmm, there's something different about the office this morning...



I think they've brought in some outside contractors.



"Umm, your drawings may be a little late...



... we kind of had an incident."



I guess he heard there would be no bonus this Christmas.

-----

This happened at an office in Birmingham today. Raccoons really did pee on the drawings and poop all over the desks. Animal control wouldn't come, since the racoons were indoors. Did you know that private critter control starts at about $450 per hour?!

(I didn't take these photos - Hubby's co-workers sent them to him.)

Basket 2.0

What luck I have. Beset by medical and dental problems simultaneously, the past few days have left me drained. We went for a super slow ride on Saturday, but even that was difficult to manage in my drugged up, diminished lung capacity state. But when we passed Cambridge Bicycle I knew there was one thing that could make me feel better. A basket. Of course. What better cure for life's woes?



I have been eying this particular basket for months, and finally she is mine! It is made by the Peterboro Basket Companyin New Hampshire, out of locally harvested White Ash. I think the model is this one. This basket is small, boxy, with a rectangular footprint, and it does not taper from top to bottom - which was exactly the style I wanted for this bicycle.



I refer to this as Basket 2.0, because I did not get along that well with the large wicker basket on my formerly-owned Pashley, and eventually removed it. This time around I looked for attributes that I hope will work for me.



For one thing, the Peterboro basket is fairly small, with a low profile and sides that don't stick out too far.It is also feather-light, made of such thin slivers of Ash that it almost feels like Balsa wood. Finally, we attached it directly to a front rack and not to handlebars, which minimises its impact on steering. Though the basket came with leather straps and metal buckles, we removed these and fastened it to the rack with zip ties. The straps and buckles were heavier than the basket itself, so doing this really made it weightless, as well as eliminated any potential jiggling. Cambridge Bicycle were nice enough to give us a handful of zip ties and some wire cutters, and we installed the basket right outside the shop in a matter of minutes.



When the basket is empty, I cannot feel it on the bike at all. It does not cause the wheel to flop to the side when the bike is parked.



It also leaves the frontmost tip of the tire unobscured, so that I can still see it while cycling. When a huge basket obscures the entire front wheel, I have a harder time feeling connected to the steering, but this is not an issue here.



When the basket is full, the weight feels well distributed and does not interfere with either steering or balance.With dimensions of 10.25" x 7" x 7" it is not meant to carry large objects; I have a rear rack and panniers for that. But the squat, boxy shape allows it to accommodate more stuff than you might think. As pictured above, the basket contains a huge portion of smoked salmon, a bucket of cream cheese, an economy pack of cheese sticks, a blueberry encrusted "goat cheese log," and a flower bouquet. There is room for more.



Since I am now using the mixte predominantly as a transportation bike, I wanted to maximise its utility as such. This basket provides a useful space for a jacket, camera, small handbag, or even a quick grocery store purchase, without impacting handling or (to my eye at least) marring the looks of the bike. The Co-Habitant wasn't too crazy about the look at first, but it grew on him. What do you think? What front-mounted basket systems have you used on your bikes, and have they ultimately worked for you? The difference between this set-up and the large, handlebar-mounted basket I used to have on the Pashley Princess is like night and day.

Look Once, Look Again...More Free Books

Here is the second set of books I have to give away. This is a set of "Look Once, Look Again" books. Again, these are hardcover with library bindings. I have a set of five of them: Mouths, Tails, Feathers and Fur, Leaves and Eyes. They are recommended for ages 4-8. You can take a peek at one of them here: Amazon