Two Wheels, one GPS and a Camera
This isn’t my style of riding (I’d probably break a hip), but I still have to admire Danny Makaskill’s ability to stick the bike where he wants to.
His web site makes him sound like a pretty nice kid who was surprised that his trick riding has become one of the most popular sports videos on YouTube.
I saw my first LHT in the wild when my Trek 1220 was at Cape Bicycle getting a shifter replaced. I wish I had put the money into an LHT instead of the repair. I really liked the LHT's look and feel, but wasn't sure I was ready to buy a new bike.
When I got back home, a buddy of mine offered to sell me his Cannondale T800 at a good price. I was torn. Did I want to buy a used bike and make it fit me or make the jump to a LHT?
My first stop was to get a professional fitting to see if the Cannondale was right for me and to see which LHT would be suitable. The fitting was a good investment. I wish I had done it years ago. Read about it here. The best part is that the fitting was free if I bought a bike from them.
The fitting determined that the T800 WOULD work if I did some tweaking, but after polling the phreds and getting Wife Lila's blessing, I decided I'd rather have a brand new bike. After all, I had just retired. I DESERVED a new bike.
When the new bike came in, the LBS did a final fitting to get everything dialed in right.
I finally got to wheel my LHT into the driveway and go on its first ride. I tell folks that the Surly Long Haul Trucker is a Peterbilt, not a Ferrari: both of them will get up to 80 mph, but the Peterbilt can do it with 40 tons on board.
Adding a second stem gave me plenty of cockpit room for all my toys, plus my Arkel Small Bar Bag.
The next big step was to get a wheel built around my SON generator hub. I'm fairly pleased with the video and I'm REALLY pleased with the hub and wheel.
I later replaced my B&M DLumotec Oval N Plus and B&M Lumotec generator lights with a single Busch & Muller Lumotec IQ Cyo R N Plus. The Cyo IQ easily puts out more and better light than the other two combined. You can see a video of the installation here.
I kept the taillight setup I had on my Trek 1220. My NiteRider battery died, so I took it off the bike, but I haven't gotten around to removing the NiteRider taillight. I think this video will give you an idea of why I don't think anyone should miss seeing me at night.
I use a ESGE/Pletscher Double-legged kickstand AND a Click-Stand to hold the bike up (not at the same time). It's overkill, but they both have their uses.
I have a much-loved Brooks Champion Flyer that I almost killed with too much Proofide. I cover it when it rains. It is perched on top of a Velo Orange Grand CRU seat post which allows finer adjustments to saddle position than the factory post.
I've only had a couple of problems with my nearly-year-old Surly. My seat tube had a tendency to slip down. On one ride, I cranked a fraction of a turn too far and snapped off the seat tube clamp bolt.
That caused me to stock up on some spare bolts and take an inventory of the tools I carry on the bike.
Some rust has shown up on some of the bolts. I guess that's to be expected when you live surrounded by blowing salt air like we do here in South Florida.
My Dad gave me the family Kodak Tourist II folding camera when I was 12 years old to take on our Florida vacation. Little did he know that he was going to launch me onto a career as a photographer.
Over the years, I’ve used Nikon, Kodak, Canon and Pentax 35mm cameras; 4×5 Crown and Speed Graphics; a Mamiya 2-1/4 x 2-1/4 twin lens reflex (hated it) and view cameras (REALLY hated them). I’ve owned lenses from fisheye to 500mm and just about everything in between.
My favorite camera was a 1969 Nikon F black body that I bought used from a guy who needed money more than a camera. I used it so much that the finish was worn down to the brass. It was my “crash camera” that was in my lap for every takeoff and landing. It went under water when I got pitched out of the back of a truck covering a flood; it went into smoke-filled buildings and through several hurricanes. I could change every setting by feel. It was a great tool and it’ll outlast me.
When I made the switch to digital photography, I started with a Nikon Coolpix 950 and then moved onto a Canon point-and-shoot. I was frustrated by the lag between pushing the button and having the shutter fire. I also missed the WYSIWG world of single lens reflexe
Kid Matt bought a Nikon D700 DSLR and acquired most of my old lenses. (Acquired as in, I went on vacation and returned to find that there was a lot more room in my closet.) He paid me back by giving me a Nikon D-40 when I retired.
You can read his excellent review here.
Follow on down through the comments and you can read how I feel about the D40 and feedback from others. Bottom line on the D40: I’ve rediscovered the fun of photography.
It’s the perfect camera for me. It works like a REAL camera, it’s light enough that I can carry it my my Arkel Small Bar Bag and it works under low light. The Arkel bag comes with a carrying strap, so I use it for a camera bag when I’m off my bike.
The only thing that’s really disappointed me about the D-40 is its inability to serve as a master to fire the Nikon SB-600 electronic flash remotely. I wanted to shoot a cavern used for beer storage in the 1800s while I was on vacation and needed a remote strobe to light the back room.
From what I had read, it sounded like the built-in flash would trigger the remote. It wouldn’t. You have to be up a grade or two in cameras to make that happen. My workaround was to put the camera on a tripod and use a slow – six-to-eight second – shutter speed. My wife would fire the camera; when I saw her flash, then I’d fire mine manually in the back room.
You can only do that when you have a long shutter speed, obviously.
It’s a great little strobe, though. I loaned it to Kid Matt to shoot some party pix and he was thrilled. (I make sure NOT to leave it in the closet when I leave the house.)
If I’m going to be doing serious shooting, I don my Domke shooting vest. It’s perfect for carrying my video camera, Nikon SB-600 flash, tape recorder with lapel mike, spare batteries, business cards, extra flash memory cards, a couple of large ziploc bags in case of rain and anything else that comes up.
Read the whole review of the vest here.
It was a little chilly when I was back in the Midwest in October,but zipping up the front make a good windbreaker. There’s mesh in the back to keep it from getting too hot in Florida.
We’ll talk about camera mounts and video in another review review.
The most useful bicycle accessory I own is my Chuck Harris helmet-mounted mirror. (OK, I guess I'd have to list my Giro Atmos helmet in first place. Without it, I wouldn't have a place to mount the mirror.)
You can read the complete review here.
The Chuck Harris mirror is made out of a piece of recycled mirror and a bicycle spoke covered at the helmet end with heatshrink tubing.
It's a wonderfully simple device that doesn't get knocked out of adjustment like plastic mirrors I've tried. It's strong enough that you can pick the helmet up by the mirror and it'll stay in place (not recommended).
I buy my mirrors from Hubbub Bicycles in Cleveland. If you order one, tell Diane Lees that I sent you. I've never met her, but we've become virtual friends over the years.
It costs $22.95 plus shipping, but they are frequently out of them because their supplier can only turn out so many at a time.
The mirror is also available in an eyeglass mount.
After I wrote my Chuck Harris review, Bruce left a comment that he had developed a light-weight eyeglass mirror that I might like to try. He would be happy to send me a free one to evaluate.
True to his word, a couple of days later, the MessengerMirror arrived and I set about to give it a shot. I had one strike against me to start off: I wear wire rim glasses with skinny frames, so the fit wasn't ideal. Still, it worked after a little fiddling.
You can read the full review here. It includes a video by Bruce that shows how to adjust it.
Bruce took a little umbrage at my description of it looking “Mickey Mouse” (although I HAD qualified that by saying, “OK, Mickey has been around a long time, so that's not necessarily a bad thing”).
If you've been wanting to try a head-mounted mirror, but didn't want to spend a lot of money, the MessengerMirror is perfect for you.
It costs $4.99 plus 88 cents postage.
It's a simple device that does what it's supposed to for a price that's more than reasonable. You can't get any better than that.
There have been rumors for several months that HubBub Custom Cycles may start producing their version of the Chuck Harris mirror because of problems with the supply chain. I don't know if that's REALLY going to happen, how much they'd cost if it DOES happen or when it might happen, but I'll be sure to post a review if it comes to pass.
I was digitizing old negatives when I came across these pictures from the Cape Girardeau Southeast Missouri State College Homecoming Parade in 1964.
[Editor’s note: (The Rialto Theater to the left of Barry is where I met my future wife.]
The local Democrats countered with two boys on bikes that had signs that read, “Let’s Bury Goldwater.”
Bicycle power must have been the key to success: Lyndon Johnson beat Goldwater, carrying 44 of the 50 states and winning with 61.1% of the popular vote, the highest percentage since 1820.
Maybe we should find those boys and those bicycles and use them to promote bicycle and pedestrian rights.
I can’t see what brand the bikes are, but both of them have fenders and chainguards. They were set up to carry things: both bikes have front racks and the one in the foreground has a rear rack and a saddlebag.