Great looking Transportfiets
Pashley Classics in California
July 19th, 2009 § 0
Browsing around and admiring pictures of the Pashley Guv’nor a friend of mine has thought of purchasing on his trip to England led me to the site for Gold Country Cyclery in northern California. I’m glad they’re an eight-hour drive away, or I’d probably spend far too much time drooling over this great looking three-speed.
It’s not quite right for me (I prefer to sit up, and there aren’t enough gears for the hills in this area), but it is a great looking bike; the Roadster Sovereign and the Princess Sovereign are also fine examples of what I’m going to have to start referring to as “Dutch/English”-style bicycles. The cork grips and the white tires are a nice touch, but the brand logo really seals the deal for me — guess I’m just shallow.
Quite possibly my proudest moment…
July 8th, 2009 § 3
THE CONFERENCE BIKE!!!!!!!!!!! – WheelHouse: Classic and Modern Bicycles.
The “McClintock 7″ — What greater honor is there? These guys are undoubtedly on to something, and are already making a great contribution to Santa Barbara’s bike scene.
7-person conference bicycle
June 21st, 2009 § 0
The gentlemen at Wheelhouse Bicycles really scored when they got this used conference bike – just a few days later it was ridden in a local parade with bystanders jumping on and off along the entire route. Will and I had a chance to ride it with Evan, one of the wheelhouse guys, and can testify to it’s excellence… If plans to rent it pan out MarineMap will be at the top of the list for sure!
Abici
June 7th, 2009 § 2
Just a beautiful bicycle from Abici, in a very nice color, that I wanted to share. I’m almost glad that these aren’t available in the U.S. — if they were I’d start scheming to buy one.
Bell
June 6th, 2009 § 0
I’ve been meaning to post about this bell Greta got me for my birthday for some time now — it’s remarkably simple, just a brass cup, inverted, and a small spring-loaded weight that you can strike with your thumb. No moving parts, aside from the spring. And it weathers nicely, not too bright after a week or so in the air.
I just love it. It doesn’t “br-r-r-r-ing!” like other bicycle bells, it simply goes “dinggggggggggggggg” — one long tone that hangs in the air for 10-15 seconds. You can make it more annoying/remarkable by striking that little mallet with your thumb a few times, though in my opinion the single “ding” is just right. Not too alarming, and it gets the attention of pedestrians and folks sitting in their parked cars.
Credit goes to the Crane Bell manufacturing concern in Japan for this fine product.
Talking with my Mom…
May 19th, 2009 § 0
We were discussing bikes and how heavy some of the older models used to be, when she told me about the bike her dad bought her in the late 40s
Columbia Compax Civilian bicycle
I found a picture that matched the description at The Folding Cyclist — including a really great catalog shot of a paratrooper with his machine-gun, astride a Columbia Compax. The military aspect held no interest for my mom, as she attended a Quaker school, but the portable part really appealed to her engineer father, and she was able to take her bike with her when they left town for summer vacation each year.
Nice looking top-tube pocket/wallet
May 14th, 2009 § 0
The folks at Hambone Design have come up with an elegant way to keep your necessary items close when cycling:
Simple, practical, and good looking! It’s also brought to my attention just how much crap I actually keep in my pockets these days. Wallet, keys, phone, earbuds, receipts, and sundry bits-n-bobs that accumulate over the course of the day. At least half of those things I must stop by the side of the road to take out of my pocket every now and then, and it would be nice to be able to store them somewhere else. I’d just have to learn not to answer the cellphone while riding…