Mixte Lovers, Rejoice: VO Prepares a Little Something

Some of you know that I have been considering a custom bike for next spring. It has been a somewhat tortured search, because of my pickiness when it comes to things like lugs and stylistic detail. Basically, I want the mixte to have the classic twin lateral stays (as opposed to a single top tube), and I want it to be fully lugged (which is nearly impossible to achieve nowadays, as mixte lugs are no longer made). To get the kind of bicycle I want, I basically had three choices : (1) to go with a builder who can hand-make the lugs, (2) to go with a builder who can alter lugs meant for diamond frames into mixte lugs, or (3) to find a builder who has a stash of NOS (new old stock) mixte lugs that they would be willing to use. All three choices are rather costly, and I am not sure whether I am in a position to commit those kinds of funds to the purchase of a bicycle. A more economical option like Rivendell was not possible, because although beautifully lugged, their mixtes are the type with the single top tube.

[image from Velo-Orange]

Enter Velo Orange, which announced in their recent blog entry the release of a fully lugged mixte with twin lateral stays. Thank you, Mr. Kulczycki! The photo above is a prototype frame.

[image from Velo-Orange]

Here is a close-up of the lugs. The projected price is $700 for the frame and fork (!), and the anticipated delivery date is January . Three sizes will be available: 50cm, 54cm, and 57cm, making it accessible for both short and tall riders.

What I love about this frame:
. the lugs,
. the classic construction with the twin stays,
. the choice in sizing (54cm should be just perfect for me),
. the 700c wheels (larger than the wheels on the Betty Foy, which I found too small)
. and the excellent price.

What I don't love so much:
. the colour (if I order it, I would definitely get custom colour or have it repainted),
. the way the rear stays connect to the seat tube (I think this could be more elegantly done),
. and the fact that, like the Rivendell Betty Foy, it is made in the far East.

So what do you think? Regardless of whether I decide to go for this bike, I am very excited that this product has appeared on the market. Now, if only I can persuade VO to alter the rear stay connexions and change the production colour...

Christmas Dinner

This year the family ‘Kerstdiner’ (Christmas Dinner) was held at the second Dutch sisters’ home on the 25th. Christmas in the Netherlands is celebrated 2 days—December 25 and 26.

Each of us had a pre-dinner gift, the Christmas Cracker (actually an English tradition and quite commonly practiced as well in the commonwealth countries, i.e. Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia) which contained some trivias and a paper crown in different colours that we all wore throughout the evening. I had a pink crown.

For our dinner fare, we had a nice combination of meat and vegetarian diets prepared by the host family and I volunteered to make two types of leafy salads: Spinach (with honey, mustard and balsamic vinegar dressing) and Chickory (honey, mustard and cheese dressing). I always make something every year for the Christmas dinner. Last year I did the starters.

It was freezing arctic conditions outside, the streets have even iced and I am glad I wore my snow boots. Half way through the dinner it snowed. Beautiful. It was lovely evening.

The foto collage below is for my mom who is curious to know what the Dutch eat during Christmas.

Left to right: Table setting; Salmon Tartare; Goat cheese with pecan nuts; Braised pork (I think) with beets and boiled potato topped with white sauce; Spinach salad with boiled white eggs, raisins, tomato and pine nuts in honey-mustard-balsamico dressing; Chickory salad with apple, walnuts, radish, onions, celery in honey-mustard-cheese dressing; Tiramisu; Creme Brulee with cranberies and blueberries; and Christmas chocolates to go with the coffee.

Not on foto are: tomato-beet soup, steamed broccoli with cashew nuts, risotto with vegetables and some frites (for the kids).

Heavy equipment and during/after photos

The road to Mt Rainier National Park's recovery is passing through some interesting terrain. Today, I saw a large bulldozer working in the Nisqually River. One of the vexing problems for the NPS is that rivers and streams have jumped their main channels. During a storm, riverbeds can become filled with debris, which in turn causes the river's flow to change its course. To some extent, that is why the Emergency Operations Center was threatened, and why the stream jump at Kautz Creek is causing such a repair headache. So to protect the facilities in Longmire, heavy equipment is now being used to clear the build up of rock, logs and other debris from the last rainstorm and flood.

The historian in me wanted to capture a during and after view of the Nisqually River. Here is the "during" image from Monday afternoon, Nov. 6th when things really started to roll. This picture is taken from the Longmire bridge looking upstream.

And here is the "after" view, taken today Nov 17th. Note the tree that hangs over the Nisqually River in both photos, and also the color of the river.

How Many Bikes Are You Riding?

Lately I've been testing and experimenting with many bikes, and some have asked which ones I ride on a regular basis. Or do I ride a different one every day? Well, definitely not that. Despite a penchant for accumulating temporary and permanent bicycles, I prefer to ride the same ones over and over, and the fewer the better. The rotation changes, but the pattern has been three bikes at a time. Now that it's the hottest part of the summer, I've been riding the mixte for transportation, as well as a roadbike and a touring bike for sporty rides. As the cold season approaches I will start riding the mixte less and my hardy 3-speeds more. For roadcycling I will probably switch to a fixed gear as the days grow shorter, because it packs more punch into shorter rides. But all in all, it's pretty much no more than three bikes at a time for me, one of which is always a fully equipped transportation bike.



Giving this some more thought, I can see how I arrived at experimenting with multiple bikes. I don't drive, so every time I leave the house to do anything it is on a bike. But I don't have a consistent commute either, instead traveling between different places numerous times a day. The destinations vary, the distances vary, even the terrain varies. And that's all just for transportation. Add an interest in touring and roadcycling to the mix, and it's easy to see how things can get out of hand!



How many bikes do you have in rotation at a time? Do you enjoy switching from one bike to another, or are you a creature of habit who prefers to stick with the same one(s)?

4th Horse

It was never planned that we would have more than two horses and here we were at three. So another horse came to live with us, making it four. Sundance is about 20 years old. He was another of the millions of unwanted equines that are hunting homes everywhere. Sunny, as he is better known as, is an ex-roping horse or that is what we assume, with what was a bad hoof when he came to us. Lots of vet work and even more good farrier work has fixed the bad hoof up enough that we can now ride him for short lenghts of time. At some point the hoof and heel of his right front foot had been injured, almost as if it had been sliced off. There wasn't a lot that could be done to repair it except let time see if it could. It has as much as it can, I think. And for us Sunny is a decent riding horse, considering neither of us is up to riding for long periods of time. Sunny is abit stand-offish, but will do anything I ask him to but would rather do it for my husband. Sunny will follow Lee like a puppy dog. Sunny is a big horse, like our bay mare, Nita. Both are close to 16 hands, and weight about 1200 pounds. Sunny is a brown and white paint Quarter Horse. As soon as Sunny came in I was able to put him out with Nita. But it has taken about 2 years to be able to put them out with Jack and Star. There has been quite a bit of fussing, kicking, and nipping to determine what the pecking order is to be in this little herd. But when all was said and done, Sunny came out on top. He is the boss. Jack is next, followed by Nita, and poor little Star came in at the bottom. In this photo he is looking out across the desert toward the Sandia Mountains. Actually Albuquerque is hiding down in the valley just under the moutains, and over the desert ridge.

Hard Core Bicycle DIY: Is It Worth It?

Over his year and a half of adult bicycle ownership, the Co-Habitant has progressed from not knowing much about bicycles at all, to completing two full bicycle builds from scratch. In the course of that time, knowledge was gradually gained, tools were purchased one by one, and increasingly complicated procedures were mastered. I helped when I could, but mainly the mechanics are his thing. I will stick to writing about it, thank you.



It certainly would be nice to write an inspiring post about what a rewarding and empowering experience it is to do one's own bicycle builds and overhauls. But the truth is, that I do not necessarily believe that to be so - which is why I do not do it myself. Assuming that we are speaking ofserious DIY here, beyond simple maintenance, these projectsrequire the investment of considerable amounts of time, energy and money.At the risk of coming across as discouraging, here is how I see it:

It is worth doing your own bicycle mechanics if...

...You truly enjoy it and look upon it as a hobby to fill your spare time with. That is the #1 reason in my view. If you do not enjoy it, the process can be extremely frustrating. Also, keep in mind that like any hobby, this one will require spending money on supplies - some of which will be wasted on trial and error. You will surely ruin cables and cable housing, possibly even components. You will order the wrong parts and will need to return them. Sometimes you will only realise that they are the wrong parts after you try to install them and scratch them up - making returns or exchanges impossible. You will have to make multiple, unexpected trips to bicycle shops and hardware stores for things you will suddenly realise you need. All this better be enjoyable, or it makes no sense.

...You own multiple bicycles, plan to build up multiple bicycles, and/or foresee yourself frequently changing components on your bicycle(s). Only then does it make financial sense to invest in the many tools you will need to do your own overhauls and builds - and to go through the learning process before you actually get good at it. Things like a proper bike stand and a standard tool kit will already cost more than most bicycle shops charge for a bike build. And then there are the less common, but often necessary tools, such as headset presses, cotter presses, bottom bracket tools,dremels, and so on, that raise the cost of DIY even higher, if you properly account for it all.

...You are good at bicycle mechanics. If not, then it is just plain dangerous to work on your own bicycle. While some mistakes make for good learning experiences, others - especially when it comes to brakes, steering and the drivetrain - can have disastrous consequences.

...You are, at least to some degree, a control freak and like everything about your bicycle to be "just so". Sure, a bike shop may do an all right job. But you would just feel better if you trued those wheels or tensioned that chain or installed that bottom bracket yourself.

Ifall of the aboveapply, then by all means - full speed ahead with the DIY. You will enjoy it, and it will be rewarding. However,if your primary goal is to save money, I would suggest you think twice. It is not just about buying all the necessary tools that you may seldom have occasion to use again, but also about time. While on the surface it may seem that I would save money by doing abicycle build myself, in economic terms this is actually untrue. In the time it would take me to build up a bicycle, I could insteadtake on an extra freelance project in my own line of work - and the income from it would be greater than the money I'd save by building the bike myself. Financially speaking, the wise thing to do would be to allocate that work to an experienced mechanic while using the time saved to earn money in my own field of expertise.

I am fortunate to live with someone who enjoys working on bicycles (see his description of his travel tool kit!) and is quite good at it. I am also fortunate that he had some time off this summer and actually wanted to spend it working on bikes. Now that he has accumulated all the tools he needs and sufficient experience, we can do pretty much anything bicycle-related at home - and I appreciate that very much. But I by no means think that it is every "real cyclist's" duty to be able to do these things on their own, just like I do not think it is every "real home owner's" duty to be able to do their own plumbing and electrical work. If you are passionate about bicycle mechanics and are good at it, then certainly it can be fun and rewarding. Otherwise, it is best left to the experts - for the sake of your nerves and your wallet.

Mt. Rainier, Kautz Glacier

After climbing the easiest routes on Rainier, we wanted to climb something a little more challenging. So we decided to try the Kautz Glacier.

We crossed the Nisqually Glacier, then we went up a gully called "The Fan." It is full of rocks that break loose each day as it warms up.




We headed up the Wilson Glacier and found a great camp site just below the Turtle Snowfield. The rock wall would serve as a windbreak and there was running water close at hand. Unlike Camp Muir, we did not have 99 people camping right beside us. Mt. Adams in the background.





Jonathan in the kitchen area.





The main challenge of the Kautz Glacier route is a short section of 45 degree ice.










The shadow of Rainier just after sunrise. If you want to get the most out a sunrise, you need to be above 11,000' in elevation!





Jonathan finishing the fun part of the route.





Dave just above the icy section.







One of several large crevasses on the upper mountain.








Dave and Jonathan on the summit. The upper mountain was really windy and covered by a cloud cap.










Doug (holding onto his hood) and Jonathan. We took pictures and headed right back down.










Jonathan found a hidden crevasse on the way down!









Here are 3 tired and hungry climbers just a couple of hours from the car and some real food. Jonathan was able to summit an intermediate route for his first attempt on Rainier! It was fun to climb something new and challenging in this awesome part of creation.

The Manatees of Blue Spring

Sunday, February 3rd - - Located north of Orlando, Florida along the St. Johns River, Blue Spring State Park is the winter home of a small population of West Indian Manatees. Perhaps a dozen or so were within the viewing area provided by the park on the day I visited. For more information on the Manatees, see the Save the Manatee website.







The shallow, crystal-clear water is ideal for viewing the Manatees.





A little one coming up for air.





A group of four youngsters heading upstream.






This one was feeding on the algae at the bottom of the stairs. It was there for quite a while and it was one of the larger manatees in the area that day.





Another large one meandering upstream. They seemed to like to hang out beneath the viewing platform.






A more mature manatee.





A psychedelic version, compliments of a little wind and some sunshine.





There was a lot of pushing going on around a tree that had fallen into the stream.





The green leaves must have been the best tasting...

Putting Your Foot Down

Enough people have asked me about this now that I thought it worth writing about: How do I put a toe down in traffic while remaining on the saddle, and also manage to get full leg extension on the downstroke? I will try to explain.



First off, let me clarify that I get "more or less" full leg extension, and obviously my leg would be even straighter if I had the saddle higher. So there is a bit of give and take to it. But the idea that your leg needs to be arrow-straight on the downstroke with the toe on the pedal and the heel raised, is not one that everyone subscribes to - especially not cyclists in cities where riding a bike for transportation is common. In Vienna, I would say that about half the cyclists I saw had their saddles adjusted so that they could touch the ground with a toe. Based on the pictures here, this seems to be the case in Copenhagen as well. When riding in cities with frequent intersections and stop signs, it can be tedious to get on and off the bike every 3 minutes. Being able to put a toe down makes things easier.



Another point, is that some bicycles' geometries work better for this than others: Typically, Dutch-style city bicycles have very relaxed seat tube angles, which increases the distance between the saddle and the pedals while keeping the saddle height constant. A lower bottom bracket helps as well, though not as much as a slack seat tube. You can watch this video of Dottie starting and stopping on her bike to get a better idea of how this works on a Dutch bike.



Finally, this may not be sufficiently noticeable in pictures, but I lean my bike to the side in order to reach the ground with a toe. I also keep my other foot on the pedal for balance. I cannot reach the ground with both toes, and I cannot even really reach with one toe unless I lean. This is something that becomes instinctive if you do it often enough. Alternatively, you could set the saddle lower. I've basically raised mine as far as I possibly can, while still managing to reach with one tip-toe while leaning.



Adjusting your saddle so that you can stop with a toe down is mainly about convenience. Some cyclists prefer this method, while others feel that not having their leg 100% straight on the downstroke robs them of power. How do you stop in traffic when cycling for transportation? And is it the method you've always used, or did you develop it after some trial and error?

Climbing packs?

Ken Glover's photo from the Canadian classic, Deltaform.



Colin Haley said it well, "it's 2000 year old technology...amazing how pack manufactures can still screw it up".



That was just before him showing his audience for the evening two really basic alpine climbing packs that were prototypes he was using and happy with from one of his sponsors, Patagonia.



Those same packs that could just as easily be copies of the original Wild Things or later CCW packs. Or the Karrimore Brown, Whillians or Haston sacs bitd. See a theme there?











"Colin Haley photo of Bjørn-Eivind Årtun unroped onthe Cassin, June ."





It doesn't take a large pack toalpine climb in. Most have figured it out thatsomewhere between 18L and 35L is about all they want toclimb seriously inanyway.



Nothing has really changed. Some are going bigger today and mostare climbing faster and lighter because of the new technology.





John Bouchard..who had more imagination and an idea of where we would be going that almost anyone else in NA at the time.



In 1981 John Bouchard and Marie Meunier started Wild Things. New to most Americans,the "light is right" ideawas already well entrenched by those climbing hard things in the Alpine. Guys like Bouchard pretty much had the idea written in stone for themselves. Generally back then everyone sewed their own stuff (swamis, packs and clothing) to some extent. Wild Things was one of the first to sew up stuff guys were trying to make on their own.



It was a big deal in 1981.



Not that well known but Wild Things supported and influenced and entire generation of serious alpine climbers, Bill Belcourt (now at Black Dianmond), Randy Radcliff (now at Cold Cold World) and Mark Twight (where is he these days?)all got started in the retail/whole sale business to some extent and stayed a while at Wild Things. It was the "tin shed" of alpine climbing on the East Coast (most of NA actually) with Bouchard instead of Chouinard at the helm and a good step higher in technical alpine climbing. Bouchard maybe with even more impact on what we do and see today in gear than Chouinard has.Micheal Kennedy, Mark Richey, Mugs Stump were all big Wild Things gear fans. Most were.







Mugs Stump had that same imagination pushed the idea even further by his own climbs.



Wild Thingsgear was a natural progression of what Lowe Alpine Systems, Don Jensen and Sacs Millet started before them.



You either got it or you didn't, then and now. The gear was exceptional for a certain use. If you weren't using it for that, it likely sucked for your use. Many of those original designs were the first look at very specialised climbing gear...clothing and packs.







Pays to remember that Mugs and Paul went over the 'shrund on Moon Flower with one Wild Things Andinista. It was in part their climbing sac, haul bag, bivy sac and hammock. Today guys do it in day packs. But they wouldn't be able to do that today if a few weren't always pushing the limits on gear and technique before them.





And several generations later. And here is a Cold Cold World pack..still sewn one at a time by Randy Rackliff. You are looking at 40+ years of experience and technology here.



Few designers have so much experience in the use and application of their own designs. Chouinard, Todd Bibler, John Bouchard, Don Jensen come to mind. My point is there aren't many in the same category. None making climbing packs. When cutting edge practioniers are directly involved in design and manufacture it makes a difference.



Rackliff's alpine climbing resume is worth a look. Findingout what he has done is a little harder. Among hisclimbs are earlysolo ascents of Slipstream andPolar Circus,a complete ascent ofMoonflower Buttress, and the obvious and unrepeated Reality Bath.



A video and more here:

http://www.marktwight.com/videos.php?id=2



When I wanted to replace my small (30L) climbing pack I looked around, bought a few production packs and one "custom". One of the production packs I have kept but the others I returned in short order including the spiffy "custom". Obvious the makers had no idea what the intended use was to be for a "climbing sac".





A little heavy and too expensive, but one I keptand really like, but now use only as a ski pack, the Arcteryx Khazi 35.



Back to Colin Haley's original comment, ""it's 2000 year old technology...amazing how pack manufactures can still screw it up".





For most every climb I have done that didn't require a sleeping bag I've useda pretty basic but actually very complicated pack.



*1973*



So when I went to replace that pack it quickly became obvious I'd want someone building them that was of a like mind set. The pack I was looking for wasn't full of flash, hype or excuses just the basics done extremely well.











Custom red Ozones in **













I like the option of a removable lid as I seldom use one climbing.













Custom Ozone made from White Widow Spectra Ripstop.





Turns out Randy Rackliff at CCW was already making what I wanted and was willing to make it even better for my own needs with little extra cost. Although I suspect it was more labor than I imagined, he has been more than happy to oblige when I ask. No excuses, no argument, just helpful suggestions and a quick delivery time. With one more even smallerclimbing pack in the worksnowat CCW, my long term climbing pack requirements are covered.



Specs off the Spectra Ripstop Ozone:

Cost $130.

Pack weighs in at less than 1.5 #. Material is Spectra ripstop. Shoulder harness is off a full size CCW pack for the extra padding required on heavier loads. Some where above a 35L in my 21" back size.



custom sizing

custom pattern originally based on the Ozone size

2 liter+ top pocket

2nd zippered pocket in lid with key holder

Zippers reversed for use on hanging belays

pull down shoulder straps

main bag guide book zippered pocket

coveredlid buckle

removable foam pad

oversize shoulder straps

Perlon haul loop

dbl strap patches on lid

dbl rope straps

dbl bottom

10" extension

lid is extendable or removable

bar tacked daisy chain on the bottom of the lid strap



Another project from CCW that I am pleased with is a big sack. Something I don't use often these days but when required a big sack needs every bit of the attention to details as a smaller more sophisticated climbing sac does.







No surprise I suspect that I base my needs on the Wild Things' original Andinista. I used one a lot over the years both guiding and my own trips to the greater ranges.







Wild Things took the large pack idea way beyond anyone before them. The Andinista was a pack you could lug huge loads of gear to base campwith, then zip it downand strip the lid and use it as a summit pack. Wild Things and CCW were also the some of first to use Dyneema® in pack production.More than one pack sewn at CCW that went out with a big name manufactures label sewn on for the brand name, sponsored climber. Saying it, doesn't make it a reality.



From the Wild Things web page:















I went looking for a new larger volume climbing sack. Of course anything I wanted would have to be sewed up to my size and a special order. I have lots of packs but the only company I own several of and continue to use every where, is the CCW stuff.





Built mainly from a black "spider web" Spectra rip stop, Choas in size, leashless tool attach and crampon bag included.



Worth noting CCW retails (and still amazing to me) are less for a totally custom pack than others are for a production pack.



Totally custom pack to my specs, with select materials, harness and accessories with the Chaos' volume. $245 and $10 shipping from the East coast to Issaqauh WA. And amazingly, a week after the order was placed it was shipped out to me. Freak'in stellar customer service!



Not the best know fact...but certainly no surprise if you know their back grounds,Twight, Belcourt, House and dozens of others have used "COLD COLD WORLD" packs off and on for years.



The one shown is a size Large with a 19.5 back.



Postal scale says 2# 4oz stripped (lid and foam off)

Tri folded 9mm Foam 3 or 4 oz (3/4 size and 22"x37")

mongo size lidanother 8 oz



Just under 3# all added up and 4000+ cu in. for a size large. Extension is at least another 1500ci. 4000 in³ = 65.5482 L



Big enough to be used as a half bag if required and strong enough to stand in while hanging on the haul loops. Material is 500 denier nylon with a Spectra carbon fiber ripstop reinforcement woven into the fabric. The pack could be made lighter using lighter weight materials and triple the cost. I was looking for something lwt weight, would look good in photos and tough enough to last a decade or so, all without dropping a gazzillion $.



CCW's even sewn up a few "white" ones you've seen in the Patagonia catalog that another company just loves to take credit for :-) Imagine their customer service with that as a base line.



If you are looking for something really special for your own climbing you should make the effort to discuss your project with Randy @ CCW 603 383 9021 http://www.coldcoldworldpacks.com/



FWIW I have happily paid full retail (which is generally way less than anyone's normal retail ) for every CCW I own. This blog postis about as good as a personalendorsement as I'll evergive a piece of kit or a manufacture. No one even in the same ball gameas CCW for design and customer service building climbingpacks these days. When you are that good no incentive to brag about it.