Pilen Contest Winner and Other Updates

Thank you so much once again to everybody who took the time to create the wonderful images paying tribute to Swedish cinema and the bicycle! After much deliberation I am pleased to announce that there is a winner. Over the course of the past week, I wavered between eight finalists. In the end, I took into account not only the image itself (it was really impossible to choose on that account alone), but also how suitable I thought the Pilen would be for the person.

Without further ado: The winner of the contestis Amanda Hamilton, and this was her picture:

To create this striking image, Amanda cut out a paper silhouette of the bicycle, then shot footage of herself and played it on a loop while filming the cut-out in front of it.



This is the paper cut-out that served as the bicycle model. I was surprised and intrigued by this entry, both in terms of its creative interpretation of the guidelines and in terms of how labor intensive it must have been. It was only one of my favourite images, but when I contacted Amanda over email it became apparent that she and the Pilen would be a good match on many levels. Congratulations!



Over the course of the next two weeks I will be finished with my review, and then the bicycle will be shipped to the winner. I hope it is understandable that this is a demo model that I have been now riding for a month - so there will be some scuffs and other mild signs of use. Happily, the Pilen is very durable and my intense testing has left it none the worse for wear. Many thanks again to Pilen's North American distributor BoxCycles for donating the beautiful bicycle and making this give-away possible.



I would also like to update you on other contests, past and future:



The winner of the Po Campo Spare Pocket give-away, sponsored by Planet Gear, has been named, and will receive this enigmatic item shortly from Planet Gear directly.



The winner of the Bella Ciao Superba give-away is being a good sport and waiting patiently, as the bicycles are running fashionably late and have not arrived in the US yet! More on this soon, and they are on their way as I write this.

And finally, after some delay the Lovely Touring Bike contest is coming up next! I have some ideas for this one, but am not yet sure what the rules for it will be. Requests and suggestions welcome!







Many thanks to everybody once again for taking part in the give-aways and I will try my best to keep them going. And of course, thank you for reading Lovely Bicycle!



Oh, and can anyone tell what that camera is, resting on the Pilen's rear rack, and during what years it was produced? A roll of 35mm film for the first person to post the answer : )

Pre-teen spirit

My cutie-pie niece, in the shirt she's not allowed to wear to school any more.



I can't remember if she was actually sent home, or just asked not to wear it again.

Tomato Worm

These dirty devils are trying their darnest to eat up my tomatoes this year. Got about 10 off of six plants in 2 days. Then a few each day this week. The tomato worm is the first stage of those super large moths that fly around at dusk making you think they are hummingbirds. (they are about the same size). The worms start out real small but by the time most are noticeable they are usually about 3 or 4 inches long. They are green the same color as the tomato plant leaves and stem. They can eat an amazing amount of leaves in just one night. Some of these worms have a 'horn' on top of its head that is about a half inch long and looks like a needle. I don't know if they can sting with it or not and I don't intend to find out. I use two sticks to pull them off the plant then smash them with a rock.

Family Time in St. Clair

Today some of my family came over to St. Clair to visit with us. My older sister Lisa and two of her children, Katelyn and Dillon, came. My mom came with my niece and nephew, Kyanna and David. And my cousin Balinda came too. I haven't had a chance to visit with Balinda in about ten years so it was a real treat to catch up with her. They have a fifth-wheel and travel too, so we are going to try to coordinate something together. We taught them to play Mexican train and we had a hard time quitting once we got into it. It was a really wonderful day!

Stormy Weather

After considerable thought regarding my options, I decided to head south again, to southern Arizona and revisit Chiricahua National Monument. I had some unfinished business there involving several trails and I (perhaps somewhat foolishly) thought that it would be warmer there. The days were nice at the Grand Canyon and in northern Arizona but the nights were still a little cool for comfort.

Returning to Holbrook, I turned south onto Arizona 77, which takes you through the towns of Snowflake and Show Low. Noticing that there was a scenic highway “sort of” on my way I continued east on Arizona 260 then picked up U.S. 180/191 south through the White Mountains. It was an absolutely beautiful drive, and I highly recommend it, but only if you aren't in a hurry, aren't easily excited and you have a great deal of patience. Whew! I'll just say that I was very happy when I got through those mountains!

The weather had taken a turn – from a beautiful day with blue skies and sunshine to just plain weird looking. It was a hazy-foggy mix with a little sunshine penetrating the gloom. I decided to stop at Roper Lake State Park, a few miles south of Safford on U.S. 191. As I pulled into the registration booth it started to rain, poured down, but just for a minute.

About an hour later this appeared to the west (click on image to view a larger version):

With the dark clouds came strong winds, rain and snow.

A close-up view of the mountains beneath those big gray clouds. This particular storm passed by quickly. But other storms and more wind came again during the night. It was a very restless night!

In the morning we were greeted with sunshine, blue skies, and somewhat cooler temperatures. As I headed a few miles south toward Willcox and Chiricahua, I wondered what more Mother Nature could bring my way.

Death Valley National Park

After six days at Joshua Tree, I traveled north to Death Valley National Park, arriving there on Tuesday March 23rd.

When I arrived at Texas Springs Campground (sort of in the central portion of the park near Furnace Creek) it was almost full. It's one of those first-come, first-served self-check-in campgrounds, so you have to drive around and find an empty spot. It took a while but I pulled into what I thought was an open site at the same time as someone else pulled in to the one next to me. We looked at each other and said, “Hi neighbor!” But a few minutes later they pulled out and went to another spot. As I was standing there looking around, a little old lady (the 80-year old camp host) came up and told me I was in a handicap only site, so I had to move. She said there were only three empty sites left and told me where they were.

As I pulled into my next selected site, I saw that my new neighbors were actually the young couple that had pulled in beside me earlier. We looked at each other and laughed. They had gotten the last site that had a picnic table and fire ring. My site had nothing. But it was better than no site at all. Being nice neighbors, the young couple (Ian and Jennifer) invited me to join them at their table and campfire. They were very sweet and pleasant. We had a wonderful time sitting around the campfire in the evening and talking the night away, literally.

We were neighbors for Wednesday night also and once again they were gracious and companionable and we spent another evening talking around the campfire. By the time the night was over, we each knew quite a bit about the other. I spent two more nights at Texas Springs. On Friday night, Ian and Jennifer joined me at my camp site after spending Thursday in the back-country. (I had moved to a new site Thursday morning with a table and fire ring.) Thank you, Ian and Jennifer, for helping to make my evenings in Death Valley so enjoyable. It was great fun!

Death Valley from Dante's View, 5500 feet above the valley.

The Golden Mountains. Those two little vertical “lines” in the middle of the picture are people!

This is an area known as the Artist's Palette.

At Zabriskie Point.

Zabriskie Point.

The Devil's Golf Course. Telescope Peak, in the background, is the highest peak (over 11,000 feet) in the Panamint Range that borders Death Valley on the west.

Close up view of the Devil's Golf Course. In 1934, it was determined that the salt and gravel beds of the Devil's Golf Course extend to a depth of more than 1,000 feet. Later studies suggest that in places the depth ranges up to 9,000 feet.

The salt flats at Badwater, which is the lowest point in Death Valley at 232 feet below sea level. Walking on the salt flats was strange. It looked like concrete but there was some “give” in each step. In several spots there were muddy pools of water where small holes had been made in the salt flat.

Dynafit Speed Skins? Help!?

I'm a little desperate here. I just bought a pair of Se7ev Summit Dynafit skis and figured getting the Dynafit skins would be easy. Seems there are none to be had in the US through normal channels. Anyone know where I can get a pair?Do they ever go on sell in Chamonix? I'm looking for a pair in163cm.



Huge "THANK YOU!"to everyone that offered sources and advice on the skin search. With everyone's help I was able to find a pair of Speed Skins for my new boards this morning! Seemingly the last pair still available in the US ;-) Truely pure chance but both skis and skinscame from REI

The Pashley Princess as Winter Bike

In several posts now I have expressed my frustrations with winter cycling and my disappointment over not riding as much as I did during warmer months. But today I realised that winter is more than halfway through already, and I have been cycling all along. Not as much as in the Summer and Fall, but cycling none the less. So it's not so bad, really. Not because I am becoming more brave or skillful, but simply because it doesn't snow all the time and the temperature isn't always below 30°F. On some days it is even enjoyable again.

Since mid December I have been riding my Pashley Princess exclusively. Initially I considered getting a "beater bike" for the winter, but came to the conclusion that I should just stick with the Pashley. It was definitely the right decision.

I don't need a winter bike, because the Pashley Princess Sovereign is a winter bike. For one thing, everything on it was designed to withstand the elements: The fenders, internal gear hub, fully enclosed chaincase, enclosed hub brakes, dynamo-powered lighting, extremely durable powdercoat and rustproof components make her essentially a zero-maintenance bike in winter weather conditions. I know that some feel the Princess is "too pretty" to ride in the winter, but the prettiness in no way detracts from her toughness and utility. It simply does not make sense to get a sub-par winter bike because you think your bicycle is too attractive to be used the way it was designed to be used.

The other major benefit or riding a Pashley Princess in winter, is its incredible stability and indifference to weather conditions. I had noted this several times when riding in the rain, and it is also true in slushy winter weather. I am trying to put my finger on what feels so good about this bike in bad weather. It is probably the combination of the heavy frame, stable handling, wide tires and enclosed brakes that makes it feel just so wonderfully stable where other bikes don't. I can ride this bike through a flooded road and corner at close to normal speed, and it will behave the same as on a dry road. It's pretty amazing and certainly helps in winter, when there is either slush or lake-like puddles from melted snow everywhere.

Pashley's platform pedals interact well with all of my winter boots and I have not had to worry about slipping.

And my trusty Carradice Barley saddlebag has proven itself to be completely rain and snow proof even in the nastiest weather. All in all, I cannot think of a nicer winter setup: I simply ride the Pashley and don't worry about a thing other than watching out for sudden chunks of hard snow on the road.

Speaking of obstacles on the road, here is a stunner I experienced cycling home at dusk yesterday. On one of the side streets near my house the asphalt cracked so much that it formed a "step" in the middle of the road, with 8+ inches of elevation change. If you are coming from the direction this picture was taken, you can see the rise as you approach. But coming from the opposite direction (as I was last night) you really cannot see the drop that awaits you; it just looks like a regular crack. So I basically launched my Pashley into the air by riding straight over this crater at full speed. I am glad to report that the bike handled it fine. It landed hard, but was very stable, and just kept going as if nothing happened. I did stop to check the tires and rims afterward (as well as take some pictures, in disbelief that such a thing could have formed right in the middle of the road overnight), and everything is perfectly fine. I wonder how other bikes would have fared under the same conditions.

Having ridden the Pashley Princess in both warm months and cold, I can say that she is really at her best in poor weather conditions. I can think of few other bikes that are so well suited for the title of "winter bike". And if she is beautiful to boot? Well, I won't hold that against her!

Silver River State Park

After eating our lunch, Donna and I decided we had plenty of time to do something else before heading home. We tossed around a few ideas and then decided to go to Silver Springs. I have never visited there before and am very much wanting to see it. We drove over there, only to see they were closed! After August 18th they are only open on weekends and holidays. We passed Silver River State Park and decided to try that instead. I asked the girl at the front gate what was at the park and after her giving us the run down we went inside the park. We parked and saw the Cracker Pioneer Village and Silver River Museum, which are only open on weekends and holidays.



We looked at our map, then saw a sign for Sinkhole Trail and decided the sinkhole sounded interesting. We started down the sandy hiking trail, with flip flops, and decided very shortly after that it was hot and we didn't have the best hiking gear on. I also saw on the map that this path was 70 minutes long and we still wanted to do the trail to the river, so we turned around and backtracked at that point. We then took the River Trail so we could see the Silver River. We arrived at the river and I saw an alligator right near the boat ramp.



You can barely see him, but he is to the left of the wooden post. We hung out here a bit, catching our breath and giving my aching calves a rest and listened to all the sounds of nature around us. Then we headed back.



Just as we began to head back, it started to rain. That should have been no surprise to us because we had noted that it felt like it was going to rain, saw clouds and heard thunder. We must have thought we could beat it still, but we did not at all. Since we were so hot and sweaty, the rain felt nice. We were worried about our cameras but once we situated them in dryer spots we laughed the whole walk back to the car. I am borrowing Donna's picture to show you what we looked like when we were done with the trail.



This was not the adventure we were expecting, but then again, they rarely are! It was a great day. Hopefully we will manage to get a few more day trips in again before we head back to Peace River!

Salewa Pro Gaiter Mountain boot?

This is a boot Salewa first showed at the summer OR show in . It still hasn't hit the dealers shelves yet but thought it worth mentioning some of the things I know about it from the samples I have.



The most obvious it this little guy and flex adjustment for the sole.

And a closer look at the internals that make it possible











With my friend Eric giving us a tour of the boot at OR this summer.



What is missing here and easy to not see with all the new technology is the last and human engineering that has gone into this boot. To be honest most climbers are not into fluff. And it might be easy to pass off Salewa's newest technology as fluff in a hardcore mtn boot.



What impressed me even more (and surprised me as well) was the last (actually two lasts) of the new Salewa.



In long email conversations with one of Salewa's and Dynafit's boot designers, Federico Sbrissa it became clear as to why.



I easily saw the design, lastand fit similarities to the new TLT5 Dynafit ski boots and the new Pro Gaiter from Salewa. The emails back and forth to Federico Sbrissa just confirmed that guess on my part.

What I have here is the performance fit. It is tight and form fitting. I really like the fit but would prefer what I think will be a warmer boot the INSULATED PLUS FIT in this boot. Only because I know something of the Dynafit/Salewa design collaboration and trust the end results. Only time will tell if I am right.



But if I am correct the Pro Gaiter might well end up being a dominate player in full on technical boots just as the TLT has become in BC and touring boots. The TLT has done that so thoroughly that few are even in the same game right now. Salewa is betting a lot on this new technology.



The new Pro Gaiter isn't the lightest "super gaiter" style boot out there with even more to come from the major players, new and old. But if a boot truly fits well I am willing to give up a lot of things. And I suspect this boot is going to fit my foot exceptionally well. A few ounces being one of the things I am willing to accept for a perfect fit.



I am really looking forward to giving this boot and several others a real test.











A close up look at just two of the newest boots that will be available by early summer of .

Brookgreen Gardens

I stumbled across Brookgreen Gardens online and I almost didn't visit because I didn't know if I wanted to forfeit my beach time to visit a botanical garden. My reasoning was that we can visit gardens almost anywhere we visit but the beach is fairly rare as far as how often we can visit.



I'm so glad I pushed past that thinking and decided to branch out and see something different beyond just the beach fun. I had no idea it would be as large or grand or interesting as it is. This place ranks up there on our top ten list of attractions outside of natural attractions. It is that great of a place.



It is huge, with 9,100 acres. It is well done and has a wonderful historic sense, having been founded in 1931 by Archer Huntington and Anna Hyatt Huntington. It is quite frankly, breathtaking. I must have said wow at least once every ten or fifteen minutes.



First off, are the trees. The amazing, some of them 300 year old, trees.





Then there are the gardens. The gardens are laid out the shape of a spread wing butterfly. There are different sections, each with its own theme and beauty. It would take me hours to describe them so I'll just point you to the website: here.



As we walked through them we were so taken by how many spaces were made just to sit and take in the beauty for as long as you'd like.





There are water features throughout the gardens.



And there are even spaces for children's fun in the Children's Peace Garden.





The gardens alone would have been well worth the visit. On top of the gardens, there is also a wildlife refuge and incredible art galleries and sculptures. I'll leave the other parts for another day because there is just too much to tell to fit in one blog post.



If you are in the area, please visit this place. Tickets are $12 for adults and they are good for a whole week. You really can't beat that, can you?



Living the life in South Carolina!

Vegan Options for Classic Saddles

[image via somafab.com]

Though I am personally not against using animal products, some of my friends and readers are - which makes bicycle saddle purchases especially difficult for them. The problem is the basic construction of the saddles: There simply aren't any vegan options on the market today that are made in the same manner as suspended leather saddles, whereby a tough yet breathable material is stretched over metal railings like a hammock. So, what is the next best thing in terms of construction? Since saddle preferences are highly personal, I can only tell you what works for me, and hopefully it will be useful to some of you as well.If not suspended leather, then the next best thing for me is anergonomically-shapedsaddle that is a hard plastic shell, covered with a thin layer of synthetic material and very minimal padding in between. I prefer this construction by far over heavy padding or gel, which I find completely unridable. A number of experienced cyclists, such as Jon Forester, recommend these hard saddles over padded ones - the reasoning being, that the padding/gel bunches up under your sitbones and becomes uncomfortable over the course of a ride, whereas a hard plastic support with minimal padding holds up your weight equally.



[image viasomafab.com]

For roadbikes, there are several vegan options available as far as these types of saddles go. Notably, SOMA has recently released the Okami series (above, and the previous image), which comes in black, white, and embossed floral "synthetic leather," with copper-plated rivets. I've heard good things about this saddle, though I personally have not tried it. And it certainly looks classic.



[image via tokyofixedgear.com]

The Japanese manufacturer Kashimax has recently re-issued several colourful models in this tradition, many of which are vegan (just look for the models labeled "plastic" rather than "suede"). Though theKashimaxsaddles look scary-long and uncushioned, I've tried one on a friend's bike and really liked it.

[image via cinelli.it]

Another all-plastic option is the Cinelli Unicanitor re-issue - "the first saddle with a plastic shell in the history of cycling".

[image via cinelli.it]

And a limited edition Barry McGee version, covered with a lightly padded synthetic leather.

[image via chari &co]

Two Italian manufacturers have re-issued their original versions of these classic saddles as well. Selle Italia has released several versions of the classic "Turbo" model. I have ridden on several vintage Turbo saddles and loved them, so this would probably my vegan saddle of choice for a roadbike. There is something about the squarish back, the sloping sides and the down-turned nose that I find very comfortable.

[image via sellesanmarco.it]

The Concor release by Selle San Marco is a similar design to the Turbo, though I have not tried these personally. And SOMA's Ta-Bois yet another version.



[image via selleroyal.com]

Now, as far as saddles for upright bicycles go, I am not really sure what to tell you. I have not found a good vegan alternative to a sprung leather saddle, so these are more like "the lesser evil" suggestions. The Ondina model by Selle Royal (above image) is a mattress-style saddle. It is more evenly padded than other models I've tried, and resists bunching up. I have ridden on this saddle and thought it was fine for a short urban ride.



[image via lepper.nl]

I have also tried the mattress-styleLepper saddles (which come standard on many Dutch bikes), and those are similar to the Selle Royal, though with a more boxy profile. They are also usually quite heavy and the springs are enormous.



[image viaelectrabike.com]



Electra offers a number of vintage-inspired saddles that look the part, and aren't as horrendously over-padded as others I've seen - including these narrower styles that would work well on a mixte.

[image via electrabike.com]

Electra alsosells a lot of colourful models that could work well on a traditional bike. After all, a classic look does not necessarily need to imitate leather.

[image via nirve.com]

The cruiser manufacturer Nirve offers a number of traditional styles as well, including the riveted saddle pictured above and a number of floral-embossed models.

[image vianirve.com]

And another classic design by Nirve, with the "diamond" pattern popular on cruisers. If you are going for looks alone, there is a great deal to choose from between Nirve and Electra, but ride quality reports for these vary considerably.

If you have experience with any of the saddles listed here, please share your thoughts. And if you have other vegan alternatives to recommend for those who do not wish to buy leather saddles, your suggestions would be much appreciated.