Ringing Them Bells

The bicycle bell is a useful, cheerful and inexpensive accessory. There are many styles available now: large and small, traditional and modern, subdued and colourful. But looks aside, bicycle bells can differ in their functionality - which is something we don't always consider when choosing one. Last week I received an email from a reader who found the big, beautiful bell she bought for her city bike difficult to use and wanted to know what other options were out there. I will take this as an opportunity to describe the different styles of bells I have used over time.






The prototypical classic city bike bell is the "ding dong" bell. It is huge. It is shiny chrome. And it makes a distinct, loud sound, hence the name. Ringing it involves moving the lever with your finger. The first bell I tried of this kind was on thePashley Princess, and like the reader I heard from last week, I must admit I found it difficult to use. The lever required a lot of pressure to depress. Sometimes I could not ring it fast enough, or would hurt my finger doing so. I adjusted the angle of the bell several times, but it didn't help; it was really the pressure required that gave me trouble. Additionally, the enormous chrome surface would blind me when riding the bike in direct sunlight. Overall I was not a fan of this bell, despite its iconic looks.






Of course similar bells exist that use the same mechanism but are easier to use, because the lever requires less pressure. It might just be be a matter of looking around and trying them if possible.






And if the highly reflective surface of chromed bells bothers you, consider a painted bell or one with a matte surface. You could even hand-paint it yourself.






Not all traditional city bikes come with lever-operated bells. Pilen Cycles and a couple of other Swedish manufacturers offer a spinning bell that is extremely easy to use. Simply tapping the top portion lightly makes it spin and the bell produces a ringing sound, no pressure required. The ring is not as loud as that of the "ding-dong" bell, and sounds more like a continuous trilling, but I find it sufficient. Though in the US I have only seen these bells branded with specific manufacturer names (here is one from Kronan), it might be worthwhile asking an importer whether generic ones are available.





Another popular style is the striker bell. The Japanese brass bells that have become abundant in recent years are usually available with this mechanism. You pull back the lever, let go and it strikes the surface with a crisp, loud ring. On all the bells in this styleI've usedso far, the lever has been easy to pull back, not requiring a great deal of finger strength. Another thing I like about these brass bells, is that their surface is not as blindingly reflective as chrome. While they can be polished to a high shine, they can also be kept matte for those who prefer a less reflective surface. Overall, the striker brass bell is the one I now gravitate toward.





Striker bells are available in less traditional forms as well, such as this teapot bell that came bundled with the Paper Bicycle. Though I can't vouch for its durability,I found the plastic lever very easy to use. The sound was loud enough, and the small bell took up little space on the handlebars.







The classic brass bell also comes in a spring-operated version: Pinging the spring with your finger makes it ring. These bells tend to be smaller in size than the striker variant, and the sound they generate is on the quiet side, gentle and zen-like. Some find that the ring is not sufficiently loud for the city, so you may want to try it out.






Most of the bicycle bells I've seen - while varying in materials, size, and aesthetic - use one of the mechanisms described above. However, there are other styles I have not tried yet but would like to, such as the twist bell and the bar-end bell. I am sure others exist as well. Do you have a preference as far as bicycle bells? Feedback on the ones you've used would be most welcome.

A Riverview Site

One of the advantages of having an annual site is that you can pick any spot in the park to plunk down on. One of the advantages to doing lottery and driving the park is when a great spot opens up, you see it right away. Which was the case a few weeks ago. As I drove through the park, looking for empty sites, I saw something that shocked me. One of my favorite spots that had been occupied by an annual site member, was now opened up. I drove back to the office and asked for permission to move to it. Then I went home and asked Nathan if he was ok with moving to it. Normally I would do that in reverse, but I knew if I waited then the site would be gone!



We are now on the end of a dead end road. Our side only has two spots, counting us. We are fortunate to have Rich and Donna behind us. Two of the spots on the other side of the road are annual sites with friendly neighbors also. And the site one away from Rich and Donna is the same way. So we are surrounded by great people that will remain neighbors for longer than two weeks at a time.



As great as they all are, the real draw is that this is now our "front yard".





More of the front yard view:



Most of the side yard is the part that joins with Rich and Donna's yard. Some of it empties into a hiking trail.




We are loving it here so far. It is so peaceful and we have a bit of space to spread out in, especially if we have company. The beautiful weather has meant that Nathan can work outside in the tent, and enjoy working without people walking by all day long. It helps him to not feel so cooped up inside and it gives me some space to get away from "work" when I am at home. We are already toying with the idea of renewing the site for next year!



Living the life in gorgeous Florida!

A Wedding Celebration Happy Hour

Buddy is one of our favorite pickleball people. He is pure sunshine and has a permanent smile on his face. He partnered with an equally sweet lady named Diane last year. I didn't really get to know Diane until this year. I could see why he fell for her after I did spend time with her. They are both musical, so they share a common love in that area. She doesn't play pickleball, but she will come down and visit with us when Buddy plays.



They were married during the holidays and we decided to throw them a
celebration party-Pickleball style, meaning with a Happy Hour. Rich and
Donna helped us pull off a great party for them.



Here is the honored couple. Don't they look miserable together?!?



They are so cute together. They walk through the park, hand in hand, with those big grins on their faces. They remind me of what honeymooners look like every time I see them.



Since we have that great shared space, we had tons of room for this party!



Donna got a guest book for people to sign. Vicki and Mira coordinated a huge pot of spaghetti sauce and meatballs and everyone else brought goodies. We had three tables for food for this feast! We were discussing Happy Hour food when going through the line and saying how everything we have ever had at a Happy Hour is great.



We had a great crowd, milling around the fire chatting with each other and giving the couple hugs and happy wishes for their shared life together.



Here is the guest list, copied from Donna's blog:


The Guest List:

Nate and Krystal

Bob and Vicky

Vick and Judy

Rene and Mira

Tom and Karen

Art and Hedy

John and Carla

Earl and Cindy

Garth and Rosemary

Paul and Carla

Woody

Sally

Jim and Patti

Jim and Judy

Nick and Tonya

Rich and Donna


Here is a shot I captured before it was too dark to take pictures and before most of the crowd showed up:





It was a great night. Best wishes Buddy and Diane! We will throw you that baby shower we talked about, if you do end up needing it!





Living the life in friend filled Florida!

On the Symbolism of Cargo Bikes

Lately I have been spotting more and more cargo bikes and trikes "in the wild" in the Boston Metro area. Bakfiets, Christiania, Nihola, Xtracycle, Yuba Mundo, Gazelle, all sorts of neat models. Interestingly, almost none of them could have been purchased locally, because no local bike shops carry them. This seems to be based on the bizarre notion held by local bike stores and importers/distributors, that Boston would not make a good market for cargo bikes. I have personally heard this rhetoric many times from various members of the bicycle industry: Cargo bikes in Boston? Oh no, there is no market. Terrible place for cycling. Awful drivers, dense car traffic, narrow streets with no room for bike lanes, rude people. It's a good place for fixies and such, but cargo bikes? No way.

But clearly there is a lag between how Boston is perceived by the bicycle industry and what is actually happening here - especially in the lively suburbs (more like boroughs) of Cambridge and Somerville. Beacon Street - a main road that acts as a border between the two - features parade-like processions of cyclists during morning and evening rush hour of almost Copenhagenesque proportions. Women in skirts, men in smart blazers, child seats strapped to rear racks, baskets on the handlebars, enormous panniers, and even - that's right - cargo bikes.



No market for them, eh? I must have seen half a dozen over the past week alone. And since local shops won't sell them, the cargo-bike-starved population of Boston is forced to travel to Portland ME or NYC to shop for them, or else order online, or else attempt to get them direct from the distributor with lots of behind the scenes begging. Odd really.

At this point you might be wondering why I care. In fact, why do I have reviews of cargo bikes here at all (see my test ride reports of the Bakfiets, Larry vs Harry Bullitt, Christiania and the Maderna Cycle Truck)? I don't have children and I don't really have enough stuff to transport on a regular basis to need a dedicated cargo bike. So why the interest?

I think cargo bikes are important in that they indicate how far a city has come in embracing and normalising transportational cycling. They equate cycling with safety and comfort, as opposed to danger and athletic skill. The mere sight of cargo bikes suggests:

"Look, people here must feel comfortable carting around their children by bike!"

"Look, there are people here who even replace their trucks with bikes!"

"Look, it must be okay here for bicycles to take up lots of room on the road!"

And of course when people see signs that something is okay to do because it looks like others do it, they are more likely to consider doing it themselves. So even if they do not need or want a cargo bike per se, they may be more likely to look into cycling with their children, cycling with baggage, cycling on the road, and other aspects of transportational cycling because these ideas are suggested by the mere existence of cargo bikes.

I suppose a simpler way of saying what I am trying to say might be that cargo bikes are symbolic of a strong, healthy "bike culture." Going with this premise, I am pleased that more of them are popping up in Boston and wish the industry would take note. What about your city?

The Risky Business of Attracting Women

On my way to Interbike registration yesterday, I walked by the Bikes Belong booth as they were setting up their new poster. I snapped a picture, uploaded it to Twitter, and received a flurry of hilarious reactions - ranging from "Where does she keep her keys?" to "Find Cipo and reshoot the scene!"




Of course this is a reference to Elly Blue's "Is this thing sexist?" bike test. Modeled after the Bechdel Test for women in movies, the bike test asks:

1.Are women present or represented at all?

2. Are the women presented as active subjects rather than passive objects?, and

3. If the gender were reversed, would the meaning stay more or less unchanged? (Or would the image become hilarious?)

Showing a woman pedaling a bicycle, the poster passes points 1 and 2. Assessing point 3 is trickier. Of course a poster of an identically dressed male would look ridiculous, but that's taking it too literally. What about a young male dressed in tight-tight cutoff shorts, a plaid shirt flapping open in the breeze, and a pained, sexy expression on his strategically unshaven face? I'd consider that the equivalent, in which case the meaning would indeed remain unchanged. So I say the Bikes Belong poster passes.




Still, images of women cycling in dresses and heels seem prone to rubbing us the wrong way. It is hard to describe what brings about the sense of unease, especially for those of us who actually wear dresses and heels on a bike. Often it boils down to subtle things: A coy facial expression, an unnatural posture, a too-conveniently billowing skirt... Point is, from a marketing perspective, images designed to attract women to cycling seem inherently risky. Too sporty or gender-neutral, and they can be read as "there is no place for femininity on the bike." Too feminine and they can be read as gendered, objectifying, or downright pornographic. The line between attracting women and offending them is blurry.







And while the sphere of roadcycling seems far removed from transportational advocacy, the same basic theme arises - see, for instance, Bike Shop Girl's "The Bike Industry Needs More Women Like Liz Hatch". When speaking to Felt Bicycles later in the day, the question of colour and graphics came up as well. When I commented on the dark violet hue of Felt's new women's road model, the representative explained how difficult it is to develop a colour scheme for women's lines of bikes. On the one hand, there is now a great deal of criticism hurled at anything pink, pastel or flowery. On the other hand, gender-neutral colour schemes don't sell as well. Women want something feminine, but not too feminine. They do not want a caricature of "girl bike," but they do want it distinguished from the men's models. I have heard exactly the same thing from the manufacturers of athletic cycling clothing. There is now almost a stigma to producing a women's jersey with any trace of the colour pink or flowers on it. Yet there is demand for feminine styles. Designers have to get a lot more creative these days in coming up with those styles; hitting just the right note is tricky.







Still, I believe the bicycle industry will keep trying. With women referred to as the "indicator species" for the success of transportational cycling and with the push for more women in cycling as a sport, the pressure is coming from all directions. As both manufacturers and activists struggle to figure out how exactly to market to women, we are likely to see some interesting results in the years to come.

Phend-Fisher Family Reunion Ledger (1927)

The Phend - Fisher family reunion was held at McNaughton Park Aug 26-1927.

The time before dinner was spent socially. At 12:30 all gathered around the table and prayer was offered by Rev. Oberholser after which every one got busy eating and talking.

After dinner the President called us to order for a short business session. The Sec'y report was read after which we were favored with two solo's by Mary Poole. Duet by Rev. and Mrs. Oberholser and a reading by Rev. Oberholser.

The officers elected for the ensuing year were.
President, Claud Poole
Vice Pres. Will Phend
Sec'y. Raymond Phend
Treas. John Ernest.

Programe Com.
Iva Wherley & Katherine Pletcher.
Memorial Com.
Surelda Thornton

[page 2]
Publicity & Family Tree
Fred Ernest.

Com. On Arrangement.
Grace Vassmere, Goldie Lynch.

There were 91 present.
Ed Phend
Sec'y.

P.S. It was voted to hold the next annual reunion at McNaughton Park, Elkhart, Ind. on the last Sunday in August.

Within My Grasp, Yet Out of Reach: the Evasive Century Ride

Once a cyclist begins to ride longer distances, it is inevitable that they will hear the siren call of the Century - the 100 mile ride. While 100 miles is as arbitrary a number as any, it has an undeniable cachet to it. It is a three digit number, a round number, and impressive number. Put simply, 100 miles is unambiguously "a lot." It is often considered a marker of seriousness when it comes to long-distance cycling.



Although I never set it as a goal for myself to complete a century, to tell the truth I thought that surely I would have done it by now. Distances of 30, 40 and 50 miles were so easy for me almost from the start, that I assumed 100 miles would inevitably follow. However, it is now my 3rd summer of cycling and somehow I still have not managed it - 65 miles being the longest distance I've covered so far in one go. One obstacle has been lack of time. As someone who gets annoyed when others tell me they don't have time to cycle, I can't believe I am using the same excuse. So maybe I should rephrase: My time management skills have been inadequate. I try to set a day aside for a century ride, but something inevitably comes up to make it impossible. Shorter rides are easier in that sense, because they do not require taking an entire day off. The other obstacle has been finding places to ride to. While the countryside outside Boston offers excellent cycling, I am having a hard time mapping out routes that exceed 65 miles and are still within my comfort zone when it comes to car traffic and elevation changes. And doing repeat loops just to cycle 100 miles is not appealing.



While on Cape Cod last summer, I thought that surely a century would finally be completed. Our plan was to gradually work up to it, but in the end we did it too gradually: Just after the 65 mile ride I got sick, and by the time I felt better it was time to go home. This summer, the inability to reach the 100 mile mark is becoming almost comical. Now that we are on Cape Ann - with both the time to do it and the perfect location - weather and other factors have intervened to foil our plans repeatedly. 50 miles along the coast has been the longest we have managed so far, and with half our stay over and more storms predicted for this week, it's possible that a century is simply not in the cards during this trip either.



It is becoming clear that, while I am accustomed to fitting rides into my life "organically," the century may necessitate a different approach. If I am serious, then I will need more careful planning, stronger determination, and a willingness to do it in poor weather conditions or along a route that I am not entirely comfortable with. But frankly, that just doesn't seem like much fun. When I finally find the time to do a 100 mile ride on my terms, it will be fantastic. But to approach it as a grimly goal-oriented undertaking for the sake of saying that I've done a century would defeat the purpose. As far as endurance goes, I am fairly confident that I can handle the mileage, so it's just a matter of an opportune situation presenting itself. I am sure someday it will.

Hawker Food Culture in Singapore

In the first leg of my Singapore trip I have only eaten at ‘Hawker’ places. What a delight! I just love these home-grown places. They are the archetypal fast food places in the country, a celebrated and brilliant idea in bringing together and showcasing the different food culture and tradition -- Malay, Chinese, Indian that reflects the country’s colourful history in the now modern day Singapore.



Hawker food centres are very local, very low-key and very affordable, which are the reasons why I fell for these quirky places in the first place.



Tanglin Halt Market & Food Centre



This area is known as the elderly district but don’t let this set you back because they have a yummy hawker centre. Here I ordered the 'Prawn Noodle' at this stall for just S$3. It was delicious.











We also ordered 2 plates of 'Roasted Chicken Rice' at Tong Kee Chicken Rice for Sister J and Myrrh:











Then our drinks / desserts at this place:









The epitome of Singaporean ice dessert - Ice kachang (with mung beans, jelly and pearls), and this is my dessert, just S$1.







This one is a cocktail of fruits, pearl jellies, beans, milk and ice. You squeeze the lemon on top of the pretty cocktail. S$2.



Hawker places are basically a food court, market or a centre. It houses food stalls with a common seating area. They abound in Singapore and each neighbourhood has its own hawker. In the city centre there are many hawker places and I have already been to a few of them.



Singaporeans seldom cook because the food at hawker centres are fast, readily available (hello 24 hours) and cheap. You can have a meal for just S$4 (Singaporean Dollars) which is around 2.30 Euros. Not bad for a lunch or dinner huh?



I’ve also had my fair share of fancy restaurants in the first half of this year in the Netherlands and in my travels around Europe, as well as here in the Philippines where I am currently sitting, so I think I will be continuing my hunt for hawker places in the second leg of my Singapore trip which will happen in a few weeks.



Watch this space in the coming days and weeks as I will be posting the hawker places I have visited in the city.

Gunks Routes: The Last Will Be First (5.6)

(Photo: A view of climbers on the High Exposure buttress from high on the first pitch of The Last Will Be First (5.6).)



So you had your heart set on climbing High Exposure (5.6+)... but you arrived at the base of the climb to find it stacked three-deep with parties waiting to get started?



Well, don't waste your whole day waiting below the cliff.



Go hit The Last Will Be First (5.6) instead. It features high-quality moves all the way from the bottom of the cliff to the very top. It is in my opinion harder than High E and more sustained in its difficulty and its quality. I climbed it for the second time in early December with Liz and I was struck by how great it is, from start to finish. I think it is a contender for three stars, though I understand why Dick Williams gives it only two. It has no single standout moment, like the swing out onto the face on pitch two of High E, or the move over the big roof on Shockley's.



But it has something different: consistent fun. I think only Madame G's rivals The Last Will Be First when it comes to great continuous 5.6 climbing.



The first pitch is outstanding. After the initial easy moves up a slab to an obvious crack, you'll find never-ending steep climbing on good rock with good pro. Nice move follows nice move and then you hit the crux, where you'll bust it over a rooflet and up to the top of a shallow left-facing corner. Then you escape right from the corner and past a dead tree to the final good moves up to the GT Ledge. 160 feet of goodness. I can't think of another pitch of 5.6 in the Gunks that is so long and sustained at the grade.





(Photo: Liz almost finished with pitch one.)



When you arrive on the GT Ledge, you'll see a set of rap bolts off a ways to climber's left. I'd recommend against belaying from these bolts, as they do not put you in the best position from which to start pitch two. Instead you should build a gear belay in the cliff behind the ledge, just a step or two left from where you top out after pitch one.



Dick describes pitch two as beginning at the first left-facing corner, about 20 feet to the left of where you emerge from pitch one. I think it is actually less than 20 feet, and there are two corners right next to each other. You want the closer, shallower one. I was confused by Dick's instructions the first time I did The Last Will Be First and ended up going a little too far to the left, coming closer to the second pitch of Unholy Wick by mistake. What I actually did was an unnamed variation between the two climbs. Perhaps this was a first ascent? I can call it The Last Will Be Unholy (5.6). I thought my new variation was fun and well-protected.



I realized I was off-route afterwards, when I looked at the topo photo in the back of the guidebook. In this instance the photo is more helpful than the description. I also have a photo of my own that should help you make sure you don't suffer from the same confusion I had the first time around.





(Photo: Going the wrong way on pitch two of The Last Will Be First (5.6). The actual route is the yellow line on the far right. Click on the photo to enlarge and see the captions for the lines approximating the correct positions of the routes in this part of the cliff.)



In early December when I did the route for the second time I did the correct pitch two. Don't go as far left as I am in the above photo. Instead go up at the first, shallower left-facing corner, heading straight up about ten or fifteen feet thenheading diagonally upleft to the break in the little overhang.





(Photo: Looking down the correct pitch two of The Last Will Be First, from just above the crux overhang.)



The second pitch is not as sustained as pitch one. Itfeatures face climbing up and left to a small crux overhang that is cleared at the notch. The pro is good but it's a little spaced as you head left from the corner to the overhang. Great pro is available at the crux.



Once above the overhang the climb joins Ken's Blind Hole (5.6) to the finish. Straight up a shallow dihedral to a fun, easy traverse beneath overhangs to the right along a big horizontal. This leads to an exit at the top at a set of belay/rappel bolts.





(Photo: Liz at the finishing traverse on pitch two.)



While it isn't as sustained as the first pitch, pitch two offers good variety: face climbing, then a small overhang, then an entertaining traverse. Definitely well worth doing, and a fitting finish to a really nice climb.

Booty

We found this in the woods. I wonder if it has anything to do with Dave's unsafe socks.

Berlin Walking Tour: Nikolaiviertel, nearby Alexanderplatz to Am Lustgarten

If there is one thing Dutchman and I agree when travelling together... that would be WALKING. We both love to walk, a lot, except that he walks faster. While I tend to go astray, checking corners, peeking into alleys, a quick stop here, a long pause there. It is neverending. I cannot help myself really and I blame my point and click camera for this.

If I am retired now (wishful thinking I know) I would spend my days taking pictures of places, people and daily life on the streets. I have a quick eye and can right away see countless opportunities and angles to photograph. It gives me a sense of fulfillment being able to capture life, at least in my own way, style and interpretation. Sadly, I do not have the time to do this often because I have a demanding full-time job.

Apart from this (my real life world which clearly revolves around my career), photography, travelling and this blog are my breather. Like literally. They are my escape. I feel at home here.

Let me take you on a walking photo blog tour of a little part of Berlin. From Muhlendamm to Nikolaiviertel (Nikolai Quarter) to Spandauerstrasse to Alexanderplatz to Karl Liebknechtstrasse to Am Lustgarten.

Ready to go?

The view to Nikolaiviertel (Nikolai Quarter) and the Spree (river) from Muhlendamm (Mills Dam).

The Spree and the Berliner Dom.

Statues and gold details on the Ephraim-Palais on Muhlendamm.

Cosy Nikolai Quarter.

Nikolai Church and the Berlin bear.

Alexanderplatz, also called Alex by the locals.

Neptunebrunnen (Neptune Fountain).

The Rathaus (City Hall) and the Berliner Fernsehturm (TV Tower).

The Berliner Dom from the park on Spandauerstrasse.

The Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral).

On Karl Liebknechtstrasse.

Schlossplatz.

Altes Museum on Am Lustgarten.

Humboldt Box on Karl Liebknechtstrasse.

Alte National Gallery. Dutchman told me these could be bullet marks on the column.