DIY Waterbottle Mounts on the Pashley Roadster

For a while now, the Co-Habitant has been wanting water bottle cages on his Pashley Roadster. I thought the idea was ridiculous, until I received a few comments from male Pashley owners expressing the same desire. I guess men like bottle cages on their bikes, even on a roadster? Fair enough! For those interested, here is the Co-Habitant's DIY solution:

Yes, you are seeing what you think you are seeing: Not one, but two bottle cages mounted on the inside of the handlebars, with twined, flat-capped Kleen Kanteen bottles inside them. The bottle cages are generic bolt-ons that can be found in many bike shops for around $7 (same bottle cages as here). For the Pashley, the Co-Habitant first took them apart, shortened them so that they would not stick out too far past the handlebars (I believe the drill and superglue were used), and bolted them to the handlebars, with the bottles facing inward. Now he has direct access to water, while remaining upright.

Here is the "cockpit view".  And yes, that is a cycling computer you see mounted on the stem, in between the bottle cages. On a Pashley. What can I say, the man has his quirks.

My opinion on this project? I think that if he mounted just one bottle and stopped there, it would have been successful.

With two bottles, I think he went overboard with the eccentricity factor and the bottles look like a pair of missiles. What do you think?

And if you are wondering why he did not just use one of those coffee-cup mounts that are designed for the handlebars, he did not think they were sturdy enough, or accommodating enough of different containers. I agree: These bottle cages are super-stable and the bottles do not budge or vibrate at all inside them. It is a very secure set-up, and the flasks can be filled with coffee as well as water.

While I do not agree with the choice to mount two bottles, I think that otherwise this is an innovative and practical solution. I am now considering installing a similar set-up (with just one bottle though!) on my Pashley Princess.

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Marianne's Conversion

Poor, faithful Marianne. She has led so many lives, and has suffered through her reiterations with remarkable stoicism. Nothing she did for me was good enough. I railed against her when she was a road bike with drop bars. And though things improved with upside-down Albatross bars, the poor creature continued to be verbally abused for being "uncomfortable," "unstable" and "twitchy". Faced with the prospect of redundancy, Marianne shed bitter tears and begged me to take drastic measures: "Make me a fixed gear!" she cried, "I would rather go under the knife than be sold and make yet another owner miserable with my ridiculously steep geometry. Who could say no to a beauty in tears?

I will not bore you with too many technical details of the fixed gear conversion, except to say that with the right bike it is not difficult for the mechanically inclined. Marianne was the right bike, because she had the horizontal(ish) dropouts necessary for the conversion and not too many braze-ons.

To convert this type of bicycle to fixed gear, you need to remove the rear and front derailleurs, the shifters, and all the wiring between them, and replace the rear wheel with a fixed gear wheel. In theory, you could also rebuild the original wheel with a fixed gear hub, but this is not recommended for old wheels - Given that a complete fixed gear wheel can be had for as little as $60, it is not worth the risk. You will also need a new chain, a fixed rear cog and a lock ring.

The cats were skeptical about the process, but it took the Co-Habitant just a couple of hours to turn Marianne into a ridable fixed gear.

But while the bike was ridable, the aesthetics of the result were not spectacular. As you can see here, the Motobecane crankset was the kind that had both the inner and outer chainrings attached to the spider and included an integrated chainguard. There was no way to remove all that stuff and just leave one chainring and the cranks. But we did not want to get a new crankset (and the new bottom bracket that would have to go with it) - both for financial reasons, and because I really like having the original Motobecane cranks. So we decided to modify the existing set-up.

We first removed the large chainring and cut off the spider arms starting after the small chain ring. This required the Co-Habitant to spend some quality time with somervillain's dremmel.

He then polished the edges of the remaining spider arms.

All this took longer than the initial conversion, but the result was worth it.

I painted the inlays of the cranks with red nail polish.

Marianne emerged from the operating room more beautiful than ever. She even lost weight.

No more stem shifters!

I know this might invite criticism, but we did cut off the derailleur hanger from the rear dropouts and are thinking of popping off the little braze-ons for the shifter cables. I think this bicycle is better off as a fixed gear/ single speed (it has a flip-flop hub for the option of being turned into a freewheel) and will stay this way. Even if I should sell it down the line, I would rather sell it to a girl who can ride a bike like this, than to a girl who is hoping for a cute cruiser-type mixte and will be disappointed by this bike's handling. Also, this is a mass produced and very common frame that is not some fantastic piece of French bicycle history. I would not do this to a valuable or historically significant bike.

I've ridden the bike already, and I love it. I haven't the energy to discuss the riding experience in this post, so will save that for next time.  Doing the fixed gear conversion on our own was an educational experience, and the DIY crankset turned out beautifully.  Of course, all this was mainly the Co-Habitant's handiwork; I was the helper. He does not like fixed gear bikes, but did this for me anyway - which was kind of him. But maybe he will come around want a matching bike as well some day... Though personally I see him on one of these!

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Who Wants a T-Shirt?

The other day I received a couple of t-shirts from Jon Gehman (maker of the Roadster Rack I wrote about earlier). These come in funky colours and are made based on his pen and ink drawings of wacky bike cartoons. I have more t-shirts than I know what to do with, so I thought it would be fun to give them away! Here is what I got:

"Biker Chick". This t-shirt is sage green and features a drawing of a Mennonite(?) woman in a bonnet and apron, riding a step-through bicycle with a basket and baby chicks on the rear rack. (Take that, WSJ!) The size is marked "M", but I would say it is an XS-S - suitable either for ladies size 0-4, a child, or a very scrawny man. It is longish in the torso. 100% cotton.

"Go Gitcher Bike, Let's Roll!" This t-shirt is bright turquoise and features a drawing of a mischievous boy, about to take off on his 1950s banana seat cruiser. The size is marked "L", and I would say it is a ladies' L / men's M. In the picture I am cinching it at the waist, but in actuality it is loose throughout. 100% cotton.

If you'd like one of these t-shirts, please leave a comment with the funniest, or silliest, or stupidest, or cleverest bicycle-related slogan you have seen (or came up with yourself), and don't forget to mention which of the two shirts you want. I will pick a recipient for each t-shirt at the end of this weekend. Continental USA only please (unless you are willing to pay for the shipping). As some of you know, I am very bad with mailing stuff, but I promise I'll be good on this one and will try to send the shirts to their rightful owners quickly!


[Edited to add:  The recipient of the green t-shirt is sarahgringa. Turquoise shirt goes to MandG.  Please email your mailing address to: filigreevelo-at-yahoo-dot-com! ]

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Velo Inventory

Sometimes I am asked how many bicycles I have and what is the function of each. As we are building up my custom Royal H. mixte, I have been giving this some thought. I do not want to have redundant bikes and therefore I need to make some decisions. So here is my velo-inventory for the world to see - and pass harsh judgment upon, if so desired.

Pashley Princess Sovereign (Eustacia Vye)

used as: a transport bike
age: made in 2009
unique? No. My vintage Raleigh performs the same role.
pros and cons? Pros: very stable and great in bad weather. Cons: very heavy and more sluggish than my vintage Raleigh.

Raleigh DL-1 Lady Tourist (Velouria)

used as: a transport bike
age: made in 1973
unique? No. My Pashley Princess performs the same role.
pros and cons? Pros: As fast and nimble as this kind of bike can possibly be. Cons: It is old and I am afraid to rely on it as my only transport bike.


Rivendell Sam Hillborne (Graham Greene)

used as: a road and touring bike
age: made in 2009
unique? Yes. I have no other bike like this.
pros and cons? Pros: A fast and extremely comfortable bike for road cycling. Cons: none.

Mercier Mixte (Suzanne)

used as: an errand bike to keep in my photography studio (which is in another town) for running local errands
age: made in the late 1960's or early 1970's
unique? No. My Motobecane Mirage mixte could take its place.
pros and cons? Pros: makes a great errand bike. Cons: It is old and ever-so-slightly too small for me.

Motobecane Mirage Mixte (Marianne)

used as: A light touring bike when I want to be upright, yet go fast-ish and climb hills
age: made in 1981
unique? No. My new custom mixte will make it redundant.
pros and cons? Pros: It is pretty, but not a rare or high-end bike; can lock it up and not worry. Cons: It is too aggressive for its purpose; not a comfortable bike.

Royal H. Mixte (not yet built up or named)

(will be) used as: a light touring bike when I want to be upright, yet go fast-ish and climb hills
age: frame built in 2009
unique? No. The vintage Motobecane already serves the same function.
pros and cons? Pros: Hopefully, when all built up it will be perfect. Cons: I will be afraid to lock it up and leave it unattended anywhere.

So there you have it, my inventory to date. As you can see, I "only" have 5 bikes so far, which I do not think is too insane. Okay, and a 6th one being built up. Still not totally bonkers, right?..

In terms of bikes performing overlapping roles, there are two major redundancies: the Pashley vs the vintage Raleigh, and the Royal H. mixte vs. the vintage Motobecane. The redundancies bother me, and I would like to have only one bike in each category. This would mean either selling whichever bike is redundant, or repurposing them in some way. Not at all sure what I will do yet regarding the Pashley vs Raleigh conflict. As for the vintage Motobecane mixte, she is currently in the process of being saved from elimination (or being butchered, depending on your perspective). God, I guess I do have too many bikes!

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Truss Lust!

[image via ANT]

There is never a shortage of gorgeous ANT bicycles to fantasize about, and my latest obsession is the striking Truss Bike. This design is modeled after the original Truss Bridge Bicycle built by Iver Johnson in 1910, which in turn was modeled after the truss arch bridge.

[image via fixedgeargallery]

The original Iver Johnson bicycles were built in Fitchburg, MA. The truss frame was available as a "racer" or a "roadster", as you can see in the catalog here.

[image via oldbike.eu]

Iver Johnson was an interesting man who also made handguns, among other things. The truss bridge bicycle frame design is generally credited to him.

[image via oldbike.eu]

However, there was also La Labor - a French bicycle manufacturer that seems to have built a similar truss frame at around the same time. There have not been any truss patent wars between the two, as far as I know.

[image via Ahearne Cycles]

Another contemporary remake of the truss: a randonneur from Ahearne Cycles. Stunning workmanship, and I love the colour - although I never thought I would say this, but there is too much lugwork going on here for me. To my eye, it seems that the truss frame is best shown off with clean TIG-welding, without lugs. This is possibly the only bicycle design of which I would say that.

[image via John Grinder]

And here is an ultra-modern interpretation by John Grinder. This is a welded 29er mountain bike with sloping top tube and derailleur gearing. Certainly not your everyday mountain bike!

[image via oldbike.eu]

If anybody out there is knowledgeable about truss bridge bicycles and their history, I would love to know what the original purpose of the design was: Was the intention for it to withstand extreme stress during races? Or was it meant for loaded transport cycling, like the double top tube? I am also interested in whether the original was welded or lugged; from the pictures it is difficult to tell.

I am glad that this classic but eccentric bicycle design has been resurrected by several excellent builders. If you have a truss bike, what is it like to own and ride? "Jim the mechanic" at Harris Cyclery has an ANT Truss Bike in a deep red, but I missed the opportunity to properly photograph his, so stunned I was by the bicycle's beauty!

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New Legs! The Bicycle as Sculptor

Since I started riding Graham (my Rivendell Sam Hillborne), a few readers have commented that I have nicely defined legs in my pictures. I generally don't do well with compliments, but I think this particular one is worth addressing - because I have my bicycle to thank for it.

The legs are quite "new" and seem to be a direct result of riding a roadbike. Having ridden upright bicycles since Spring last year, I experienced a general increase in my level of fitness and some definition in the calf muscles, but nothing like this. Before the roadbike, the area above the knees was ...shall we say, cottage-cheeselike. Now it's long, lean muscles, and I still can't quite believe that they are mine.

The change began to happen almost immediately when I started to ride in a leaned over posture, and even in the process of cycling, I can feel the difference between this kind of cycling vs riding an upright bike: When I am leaned over, it feels as if I am pushing with the back of my thighs; when I am upright, it feels as if I am pushing with my calves. When going uphill, the strain increases, but it always remains within the bike-specific muscle group. That is, I never feel as if I am pushing with the back of my thighs on one of my loop-frame bicycles, even when going up the steepest hills.

I have the bad habit of forming theories too soon about things I do not entirely understand, so I asked an acquaintance - bicycle fit expert Kevin Saunders - whether what I felt happening is real or imagined.

Kevin's explanation was that the glutes (butt muscles) and quadriceps (thigh muscles) need the cyclist to be bent over for them to engage, so it makes sense that this should happen when cycling in a leaned over posture. Furthermore, if you are pushing down hard enough on the pedals, you are holding up your torso with your core and back muscles, which act as a resistance to the load generated by the glutes and quads. Essentially, this means that the muscles in your abdomen and back will get strengthened as well - resulting in a flat tummy and a decrease in "muffinage" - both of which I have noticed as well.

Don't worry, readers: This is not a fitness website and I do not intend to start regaling you with the details of getting in shape. But I do get questions from women about fitness, and I think that may be because they feel more comfortable asking me (a self-admitted "unathletic girl") than someone who was more sporty to begin with. Getting in shape was never my goal, but I admit it is a nice side-effect. The bicycle is a talented sculptor!

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Rediscovering Familiar Places... and the Hills You Never Knew Were There

Yesterday was a special occasion for us, and we wanted to do something special to celebrate. We decided to visit an area of Seacoast New Hampshire and Southern Maine where we used to live a few years back - but for the first time, get around entirely on our bicycles.

We began by driving to Portsmouth, NH - which is only an hour North of Boston. We parked in a municipal lot, unfastened the bicycles, and set off. Portsmouth itself is a fantastic town and is very easy to cycle in, but our destination was Maine - which is accessible via a very cool truss lift bridge.

We had to wait for some ships to pass underneath, but they soon lowered the bridge and we walked our bicycles across.

The views from this bridge are amazing, and we even spotted a boat with some bicycles strapped to it.

The Co-Habitant's Myles.

And my Marianne, enjoying the view. I took the vintage mixte, because I wanted to be more upright than on my roadbike - so as to have a better view of the scenery and to carry a camera across my back. All of that I did, but at the expense of both comfort and speed: Despite her beauty, this bicycle is just not as pleasant to ride as the Rivendell Sam Hillborne, and without drop bars it is also not as fast. In fact, now that I am finally building up my custom new mixte, we have plans for Marianne that will rescue her from redundancy - but I will save that for later.

And here we are, in Kittery Maine. This was the first time we crossed a state line on bicycle.

I like to think that I know coastal Southern Maine like the back of my hand. And if you were to ask me, "Is it hilly?", a few days ago I would have answered "not at all" - and I would have been so wrong! It is amazing how we are just not as aware of topography in a car as we are on a bicycle.

We have a favourite road in this area that is an off-shoot of Route 1A and offers spectacular views of the coastline, and I simply do not remember this road having hills. But on my 12-speed Motobecane mixte, I was soon switching gears all over the place as I tried to keep up with the frequent and considerable changes in elevation.

Still, it was so worth it and our trip was spectacular; I would most definitely recommend Southern Maine for touring. The traffic on the roads was much lighter than we expected, and cycling was considerably more peaceful than in the countryside around Boston. There are many non-touristy spots in the Kittery, York, and Ogunquit areas where the beaches are pristine, the restaurants are inexpensive, and the landscape is not cluttered with "motel sprawl".

Steamers, caught on the property of the restaurant that serves them. When it comes to seafood in Maine, there is so much choice that you really need to know where to go, so it helps having once been a local. Our favourite place was right along our route, and we happily stopped by after all those lovely hills.

All in all, this was probably the nicest cycling trip we have taken so far. Next time we will figure out how to plan it so that we can keep going further North before turning back - maybe stay in a motel somewhere overnight. One of our favourite places on Earth has become even "favouriter", once traveled by bicycle.

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