Favourite Cycling Routes

While I ride for transportation on the streets of Cambridge, Somerville, Boston and beyond on a (mostly) daily basis, it is of course physically impossible to photograph myself doing so. But recently the Co-Habitant was with me, and he surprised me by taking some snapshots with his mobile phone. I wanted to share these, because they happen to be of my favourite cycling route.

We cannot always articulate what we like or don't like about cycling in our city. But taking our favourite route as a starting point and examining what is so great about it, can lead us to discover our preferences - as well as our anxieties - when it comes to transportation cycling.

The pictures here document a busy street around the corner from my home that stretches through several neighborhoods along the border of Somerville and Cambridge, winds into MIT territory, and then proceeds directly over the Longfellow Bridge across the Charles River, into the center of Boston.  It is not a traffic-calmed side-street, but a crowded major road, and it is not especially attractive. And yet, it is my favourite cycling route in the area. It goes on forever, gives me easy access to Boston,  and does not make me deal with ambiguous traffic situations.

When cycling in the city, I think it is ambiguity that causes me the most anxiety: left turns from side streets onto busy roads; bicycle lanes that suddenly end; commuter trails that force the cyclist to cross busy intersections without streetlights; roundabouts and stop signs where questions arise about the right of way and I never know whether the car is really letting me go... I could go on. But on this route, none of those things happen. I am basically cycling down an endless avenue, and as long as I abide by street lights, the road will take me where I need to go. This not only eliminates ambiguities, but appeals to my love of the "endless open road." I like knowing that I can get on this road around the corner from my house and end up in downtown Boston, stress-free.

You have probably noticed that this route has a bike lane most of the way. But that is not what I like about it - at least not the lane alone. Unlike most streets with bike lanes in my area, this one is consistent and logical. At no point does it suddenly end in a dangerous spot, and at no point does it place you in the door zone of parked cars. It even takes you through a curve in the road with a left-turn lane specifically for bikes. The bike lane here functions as a bike lane should in my view - a suggestive marking, similar to a bus lane, that signifies a space on the road where bicycles have priority over motor vehicles. It goes without saying that you must still be vigilant of things like occasional double-parked vehicles, and vehicles making right turns at intersections. But overall, the lane - and specifically its consistency - has the effect of legitimising the presence of bicycle traffic. There are quite a few bicycles passing through, and it is just another lane of traffic. Normal. I do not always feel this way about bike lanes, but on this particular route it seems to me that they really do have this positive effect.

When a cycling route feels comfortable and convenient... well, that is pretty much how it ought to be. Cycling for transportation in the city should not feel as if you are going into battle every day; it should feel like the city you live in is open and accessible to you. This is my favourite route, because it does just that. 

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Creatures of the Night

As others are noticing, summer is slowly ending and darkness is descending earlier and earlier each day. Today I spent most of the daylight hours working on a difficult photo shoot (nothing to do with bikes) that in the end may or may not have been successful. Let me tell you... even if you love photography, it can be frustrating. Spontaneous pictures are fun, but when you have to get something just so or the whole project is no good, and there is a timeline, and you are working with medium format film photography... well, it can get just a tad stressful. I got home after dark and with every fiber of my body felt that I had to ride the Gazelle to clear my head. So I rode in slow motion to a cafe, drank coffee while staring out the window, and rode back. I felt better.

The bottle dynamo lighting on the Gazelle is not the brightest, but for now I think it will do. And I like the soothing, barely audible swishing/hissing/whistling sound that the bottle makes as it rubs the tire. Riding along and listening to it, I feel such a direct connection between myself and the light that illuminates the road. That's me, making light with my feet... how nice that is.  (And when such thoughts run through my mind, I know that I must be tired!)

From a more practical perspective, I will eventually need to either supplement the existing dynamo with LED lights, or upgrade to a stronger system. I have been considering the Dymotec 6. Any experiences with it or suggestions for alternatives? Autumn is coming, and increasingly this bicycle will become a creature of the night. Just imagine the tire sidewall singing this to the dynamo bottle...

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Cycling Clothes for the Lycra-Averse, Take 2

Last summer I wrote a post called Cycling Clothes for the Lycra-Averse, in which I explained my inability to wear synthetic fabrics (including lycra) and described my alternatives for sporty rides.  These included leggings, gauzy tops and breezy mini-dresses made of natural fabrics. Those outfits worked for the gently paced and mostly flat 20 mile rides I did at the time. But this year, as my rides grew longer and more intense, these outfits soon became unsuitable. At this point I feel that I need proper cycling clothes, and here is why:

1. Seams: The "normal" cotton leggings I love so much have seams at the crotch. The seams are fine when cycling upright, or semi-upright, or even partly leaned over. But once I adopt a more aggressive cycling posture and travel that way for over 40 miles... let's just say the seams are not a friend to a lady's anatomy. Not at all. I do not necessarily need padded shorts, but I do need something with a generous placket down there that will re-route the seams away from the sensitive areas.

2. Fluttering: Breezy tops are great for letting air circulate. But at speeds over 16mph or so, they begin to flutter against my skin in a way that feels like Chinese water torture and drives me nuts. I want something that is tighter around my body and will not flutter.

3. Stuff getting caught on/in the bike: I know that there are ladies out there who wear cute little dresses and "skorts" on diamond-frame roadbikes. Bravo to you, I mean that!  I, however, seem to have a talent for getting the hems of skirts, the tails of long shirts, and even the bottoms of loose shorts, stuck in various bicycle components and on the nose of the saddle when I mount or dismount a diamond frame roadbike. Therefore I have been moving towards wearing tighter clothing when doing this kind of cycling.

4. The "wet rag" effect: If I wear tighter cotton clothing to prevent the fluttering and the catching issues, I am faced with another problem. Cotton dries very slowly once it is wet, which means that if the clothing is snug and you sweat on a long and intense ride, it will plaster itself all over you like a heavy wet rag.  This becomes extremely uncomfortable, especially when there are temperature variations. Just imagine cycling wrapped in a wet washcloth!

In short, I understand that tight, seamless, moisture-wicking lycra cycling clothing were created for a reason. But while I understand that, I still cannot wear it due to my skin's rejection of synthetic fabrics (before anybody asks, I did give it a try). Many have suggested wool as an alternative, but after having already spent money on the lycra, I needed to recover and save up before giving the wool stuff a try. Last time I tried to wear wool next to my skin, it felt itchy and the memory of that is still strong. I am told the new merino is different, and I am slowly working up to believing that. In the meantime, my solution has been silk tops, and partly synthetic running tights.

Silk has similar temperature regulating and moisture wicking properties as wool, and it dries almost instantly when you sweat. I have several long sleeve silk tees, as well as a silk sports-bra (from Wintersilks), and that is what I've been wearing. When we think of silk, we tend to imagine a slippery satiny material, but in actuality it exists in "normal" textures as well. The top I am wearing here feels like a jersey-knit long-sleeve tee. It has been great in the oppressive heat and humidity so far, and it almost does not flutter. The bottoms are Champion leggings designed for running. They are made from a cotton-spandex-lycra mix that is not quite as bad against my skin as 100% lycra, but still has wicking properties and, most importantly a seamless placket around the crotch. The placket is not as large as I would ideally like, but it's been all right for now.

This iteration of my "lycra-averse" outfit has been working on rides of up to 50 miles at a time so far, but I suspect that I will need something even more serious for longer rides. So there will probably be a Cycling Clothes for the Lycra-Averse, Take 3 when I finally get real cycling shorts and jersey in wool.

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Clean or Dirty?

When I put my Pashley Princess up for sale last week, I had been planning to wash the bicycle before showing her to potential buyers. But things happened fast, and the Princess was purchased just as she was. And the surprising thing is, she looked absolutely clean even without having undergone a washing. Examining the shiny frame with just a few specks of dust here and there, you would never know that this bicycle had seen a year of use, including having lived through a New England winter. Not only were there no scratches on the finish, but there were no mud stains either. I am not sure how exactly that's possible, but there it is. Is powdercoating not only durable, but somehow stain resistant? Seems unlikely.

In contrast, my poor Rivendell Sam Hillborne is absolutely filthy after less than 4 months of use. I will spare you the close-ups of the dirty parts, but he seems to attract mud and grime like honey attracts flies. I am not a person who washes their bicycles after every ride, and I never will be. And while I expected the exposed components on a roadbike to gather dirt, it never occurred to me that the very finish of a bicycle could be dirt-prone or dirt-resistant. The pretty liquid paint on the Rivendell is delicate compared to the thick powdercoat on bicycles like the Pashley and the Gazelle and it is much easier to nick. But does liquid coat also require more cleaning than powdercoat? That is not something I had ever heard before, so I am wondering about others' experience.

Do your bicycles seem to stay clean on their own, or do they require constant washing?  And while I do not mind the look of a dirty bicycle, I am wondering whether leaving the Rivendell like this for long can result in any sort of damage or corrosion? Your thoughts appreciated!

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Handmade Dress Guards from Holland, by Simeli

My bicycles are not exactly run-of-the-mill, and they tend to get noticed when I am out and about. But nothing has compared to the effect of installing these dress guards on Marianne. Without exaggeration, the dress guards draw crowds of women, their eyes full of wonder at the sight of these unique creations. Subtle they are not. But they are sure to brighten up your day. I received these dress guards as part of an equal value exchange from Simeli (a sponsor July - August 2010), and here are my impressions:

First I must say that I've had the dress guards for some time now, but could not find a bike on which to install them. I was initially hoping to fit them on a loop frame bicycle, but all of mine already had dress guards and removing them would have been a pain. Finally I installed them on my mixte, and the combination is unexpectedly fabulous.

Here is a straight-up view. It is not as typical to install dress guards on a mixte as it is on step-through bicycles, but I really do not see why not. It was done in the past, and in Europe you will find many older mixte bicycles with holes drilled into the fender - evidence that at some point the dress guards were there. If you use your mixte for transportation and you wear fluttery skirts or coats, this is a useful accessory.

This angle gives you an idea of how the dress guards are attached: They connect to the bolts (or the fender stays) at the rear dropouts and to the fenders via clips. The clips are supplied by Simeli along with the dress guards, and are available in a variety of colours. If your fenders are deep enough to fit the clips without rubbing the wheel, you do not need to drill holes. However, please note that the attachment system was designed for the sort of wide, deep fenders that are found on Dutch bikes, English roadsters, and similar bicycles. If you have fenders like the ones pictured on my mixte, the clips will likely rub the tire. We have angled the clips on my bike as best as we could, and they still rub a bit. So if I keep this set-up in the long run, I will drill the fender and re-install the dress guards that way.

Simeli dress guards were designed to work with either 28" or 26" wheels, so anything in between is fine as well. This includes 650B, 27"and 700C wheels. The wheels on my bicycle here are 27" and the dress guards stretch tightly.

Another thing to note is that - like most dress guards - these have an opening to fit over either a "cafe lock" or a caliper brake on the rear wheel (click to enlarge the picture to see the opening). The opening is aligned with the  rear stays, so even if you have neither a lock nor a caliper brake on the rear wheel, it is unobtrusive.

As far as performance goes, these dress guards certainly do their job. They cover a large portion of the wheel and are densely knit. Any outfit you could wear is safe from the spokes with these installed. They do not shift or flutter or make any noise (other than the potential problem of the clips rubbing narrow fenders), and they hold up securely.

Of course the singlemost feature one is drawn to when discussing these, is the looks. There are several models offered by Simeli, and all of them feature crochet work in bright, cheerful colours. Mine are pink, lilac and light green, with silvery thread and a row of peralescent beads woven in between (the model is Linde).

Here is a close-up of the colours and the row of beads. If you've been reading this blog, you know that I do not tend to go for colourful designs like this, and instead gravitate towards neutral colour palettes. But it's nice to try new things once in a while, and hey - it's summer after all!

The shimmery aqua-blue of Marianne's frame is too much for me as it is, so I decided to go all out and make her my "technicolor dream coat" bicycle. And that she is!

But the crucial question: Would I buy these dress guards if they were not sent to me for review? I would if they were available in an off-white or natural-hemp sort of colour, or even something silvery or gold-ish. In fact, I am looking for something like that for the new custom mixte we are building up and would even gladly drill the fenders if they prove too tight for the clips. The bright and cheerful colours on the models currently available are not my style - but given the response they get out in the streets, I believe I am in the minority in that respect.

Final note: I've received emails from readers who are interested in the dress guards but cannot understand how to navigate the website (which is entirely in Dutch). If you'd like to order a set or have questions, please just contact Simone (the owner of Simeli) directly. She speaks English and can answer all your questions.

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Ladies Leading Double Lives: Sport vs Transport

Just as I have been experimenting with road cycling in parallel to using my bicycle for transportation, so have several other ladies with prominent bicycle blogs. 

[image via Simply Bike]

S. from Simply Bike normally looks like this when she cycles.  But above she is pictures riding across Iowa while taking part in RAGBRAI.  This was her first time on a roadbike! 

[image via Adrienne Johnson]

Adrienne Johnson of Velo Vogue dons bike shorts and a (surprisingly attractive) jersey as she cycles in the Marin Century.

[image via Meligrosa]

And here is Meligrosa, of Change Your Life Ride a Bike, who does not allow a mere 100 miles get between her and her Style (yes, with a  capital S!). 

[image via Suburban Bike Mama]

One of my favourite sporty cycling pictures is this one of Vee from Suburban Bike Mama, who normally rides a cargo trike, completing a triathlon last summer. 

[image via Chic Cyclist]

Of course the queen of the velo double life is Charlotte, of Chic Cyclists - who is as comfortable cycling to work on her upright city bicycle, as she is touring around France on her roadbike. Sigrid of My Hyggelig similarly alternates between her Pashley Princess and her Trek roadbike. And Justine,  of Midlife Cycling, cruises around New York City on her mixte and takes regular roadtrips to neighboring states. 

Over the past year I have noticed an increasing number of women who, after growing comfortable riding an upright bicycle for transportation, have begun to venture into sportier cycling, including club rides and touring. Being in this category myself, I have wondered whether this is a natural progression that will "stick," or whether it's the novelty of the bicycle that compels us to seek out different ways of using it in our lives. And if the latter, will we tire of it once the novelty wears off?  I also find it ironic that, after having cited "seeing roadies wearing special clothing" as a major reason why we were turned off from cycling in our pre-bike days,  many of us are now inching into that category ourselves. Not ironic as in "bad" or that I am critical of it, but ironic as in "something to think about". 

I am still not sure what I think about it myself. I have been spending a lot of time on my roadbikes (yes, plural now!) this summer, but I am conflicted in my attitude about this type of cycling. Since the start of summer, I have been flirting with the idea of joining some women's training rides that are offered to the public by a local cycling team. Given their criteria for minimum speed and skill level, I qualify. I have thought about it countless time, but have not joined - and the summer is nearly over. Maybe it's my general dislike of teams, authority, and group activities, or maybe I just don't want to admit that I am now that kind of cyclist. But am I? Maybe I should give it some time and see if it "sticks". 

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Coaster Brakes: Yay or Nay?

I love coster brakes on upright city bicycles and for me this feature is pretty much a must. But I am also aware that not everyone feels the same. So when I am asked whether I think a coaster brake is "better", I can respond only by outlining the pros and cons, as I see them. In short, here is my take on the coaster brake:

What is a coaster brake?
A coaster brake is a rear brake on a bicycle that is activated by pedaling backwards. If you want to slow down, simply start to push the pedals backward instead of forward with your feet. The harder you push back, the more braking power is applied. This type of brake is common in upright city bicycles, and it is usually (but not always) supplemented with a front hand-operated brake. The coaster brake is internal and lives in the hub of the rear wheel, rarely requiring maintenance or adjustments.

Why I love coaster brakes:
. I find that coaster brakes deliver softer (no sudden jolts), smoother, and more consistent stopping power in city traffic
. I like to have one hand free in traffic, so that I can signal while braking
. I find it easier to modulate coaster brakes at finer increments without totally losing momentum
. I have problems with the nerves in my hands, and find it painful to use hand-operated brake levers frequently (like in stop-and-go traffic)
. I find coaster brakes intuitive and stress-free to use: it makes sense to both accelerate and slow down with my feet
. I like it that coaster brakes require virtually zero maintenance or adjustments

Why some dislike coaster brakes:
. They find the act of backpedaling confusing or counterintuitive
. They find it inconvenient that with a coaster brake, you cannot bring the pedal back into starting position in the same way as on a non-coaster brake bike
. They feel that a coaster brake does not provide sufficiently strong braking power
. They lack the leg strength to activate the coaster brake (or have problems with their legs or knees that prevent them from doing so)

I should also add that coaster brakes make sense only on upright city bicycles. Using them on a roadbike would be tricky, because of the speed and the leaned-over position (though I do know of some who have tried, just for fun).

If you have never tried a coaster brake, there is no way to know whether it's right for you until you test ride a bicycle fitted with one. When I tell anti-coasterbrakites that I love coaster brakes, their response is usually "Oh, but I bet that's because you got used to riding a bike like that when you were a kid." Not true: The first time I tried a coaster brake bicycle was in April 2009. It was love at first backpedal!

How do you feel about coaster brakes, and why? I am sure all feedback will be useful to those wondering about this braking system.

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