Tucson BICAS and Ride Around

The Santa Cruz River Trail

I'm still quite a bit behind on my photo processing and ride reporting... one in particular held many new things to me back in November in the wonderfully 70ish degree city of Tucson, AZ.  Boy do those temps seem attractive right now!  I suppose I can very tenuously claim a partial bike industry visit credit here as well because I visited and rented a bike from the Bicycle Inter Community Art & Salvage (BICAS).  Given the amount of time I've spent volunteering and hanging out at my own nearby Velocity Co-Op I was intrigued to see a different approach.

BICAS is pretty impressive, it has a massive space mostly in a basement of an old light industrial area...literally on the edge of the train tracks.  Great steampunk kind of atmosphere.  The 'Art & Salvage' part of the Co-Op can't be minimized, the amount of creative scupture and decor created from bikes, and the number of somewhat rideable franken-bikes they have inside is impressive.

From the more traditional Co-Op side the availability of quality parts is pretty few and far between.  Great place to find that finishing touch on a beater but if you are hunting for diamond's in the rough I'm not sure you'll be satisfied.  If you are looking for full bikes from which to start a project on the other hand there is a ton on hand.  Again mostly lower end stuff but I thought most of it was semi reasonably priced, and there may be negotiating room.  The other striking thing to me was the number of volunteers on duty, it seemed like there were at least a dozen both times I stopped in.  Very cool.

As for the bike Rental, it was pretty straight forward.  They had a couple of single speed, coaster brake, steel bikes available and once you pick one out you can get it for about $10 an hour.  A volunteer runs through a full maintenance check on the bike (takes some time) and helps you adjust the fit if needed.  I thought I picked the best of the bunch but it was still a pretty rough ride. There was one MTB for a little more and I wish I had just gone for that in retrospect.  Being able to rent a bike on short notice and in good proximity to some decent local riding was a great thing either way!

For the ride I used google maps to scout out and asked around a bit at Bicas settling on as much of the Santa Cruz River Trail as I could do before my dinner reservations.  Turns out a 16 mile loop was in order and I got to see a fair bit of the excellent bike/mixed use trail that covers both sides of the dry river bed.  I guess the river bed floods at certain times of the year, during my visit it was dry as could be.  I saw plenty of apparantly homeless camped out in the river bed... seems like an odd choice.  Another highlight was seeinga couple of smallish falcon/hawk type birds that kept perching on the bike path railing. My 28mm equivalent lens was no match for their size/speed but it was cool to see them so relatively close.  I wrapped up the ride when I got close to the mountain w/ the University of Arizona  'A' on the side...  Tucson has a ton of bike infrastructure and I saw plenty of people on bikes at all hours of the day and night. I'd love to spend more time and even get out to one of the many off road trail areas.  Enjoy the pictures!

So many cool bike-monsters... I've never seen anything like all the mongrelized (in a creative fun way) bicycles!

Want-a-fork?

How cool is this!

I ate well in Tucson, but had to come back to Nico's Taco Stand for the Carne Asada Fries... so deliciously awful for you. (no bike content here... yum)

My steed for the day... one of the least comfortable bikes I've ever ridden, the left pedal cracked at the spindle (about halfway through) during my ride but I got it back to the co-op.  Overall it could be a decent bike but the size was a bit small for me.  Got the job done and me off my but in the hotel room though!

Single-speeding in AZ!

You can just make out this falcon-like bird on the railing ...there were a couple of them circling the dry river bed and I never got much closer than this, the 28mm equivalent lens just didn't cut it for allowing me to isolate the bird.  Check out that skyline!

How's this for bike infrastructure!  Great repair stand with tools, a bike stand and air pump.

Rivendell Bike Book and Hatchet - A visit

Given the amount of time I've spent on Rivendell's website, or corresponding with fellow devotee's on the RBW Owners Group, or obsessing over the build on my own new-to-me Riv Atlantis.... it was only fitting that I make it by the new flagship storefront from Grant Peterson in Walnut Creek.  I was a little suprised by Walnut Creek, I had never really looked into it and didn't expect it to be such an affluent and bustling area.  I guess the pictures from Shell Ridge/Mt Diablo area colored my thoughts that Walnut Creek was a sleepy country-ish suburb in the Bay Area.

That notion was instantly disabused and my buddy Kamal and I grabbed some coffee down the street and easily found the RBB&H.  The store is really cool, I'm happy for the company becuase I think they really executed a fine looking storefront that balances the best of Riv's stuff with the innate quirkiness.  I hope it is a commercial success for them!

From the perspective of someone already bought in to the Riv universe/lifestyle I only wished that more (or all) of the goods available at the website were available at the storefront. I understand that for the full gamut you can go to the HQ which is nearby but I was close to closing time and missed that opportunity. Other than storage space at the storefront I'm not sure I understand having two differenent but similar inventories... enjoy the pictures!

For a boring and wordy discussion that includes some thoughts on the RBB&H visit check out this post.

The pile of wood outside is pretty amusing, as is the sign.... STOP if you love The Wind in the Willows!

Hatchet = Great GIFT

Brand new Alba-stache bars, more on that and my demo ride soon.

Keven's mystery bike 'Apalloosa', really long chainstays and really cool looking diagi-stays... The front shopsack sold me on getting one for myself.

Great looking bike displays, with lots of information handy.

I wish there had beena slightly smaller Hunq for me to ride but I imagine it would be very similar to my Atlantis

I love the ceiling tratment... a grid of twine hung with bells... grab a hatchet to ring the bells!

one of the bell pulls

Why not finish with the hatchet wall!

Bruce Gordon Cycles - A visit

Bruce Gordon Cycles

Bruce Gordon recently opened up a small showroom and even a museum loft of his own personal collection of self-built frames (built up in period correct parts).  I happened to be near enough to stop in last week and was overwhelmed by the craftsmanship and even more so by the man himself.  Enjoy the pictures, let me know if you have questions and definitely put Bruce on your list of frame builders to visit in the San Francisco area!

Every one of the bikes pictured was hand made by Bruce, most of them on the premises of the shop adjacent to the show room.  Bruce is a one man operation and it was clear to me that he takes great pride in his craft.  Oh yeah, "Bruce Gordon was nice to me!!"

All of these shot's were made with an extreme wide angle (20mm) lens so please forgive any distortion, its the camera not the bikes!

A more wordy discussion of my visit here.

I love this 'rust' powder coat...looks fantastic in person, there is a great texture to it as well!

I just wish I could get a picture of Bruce atop the flinstone bike!

Bruce does (or has done) Ti...

Those joints are preeeeetty sweet!

Petaluma, CA is a lovely place... I had a great lunch downtown just a couple blocks from Bruce's place.  Looks like the riding is pretty darn good too.

I didn't get alot of pictures of the custom racks, but cro-mo tube, tig welded racks are also one of Bruce's calling cards... I'd love to get a set for my tandem!

Drumroll please.... Bruce's 'Autobiographical' collection... every bike he has made for himself in the 30+ years he's been fabricating bicycles, nearlly all built up.  It's a wonderful display and a great idea.  You can just see the man himself in the back left.  Bruce is very friendly and happy to talk about his bikes!

How gorgeous is this?!?  Look at those custom racks too!

More from the personal collection... scary thing for me is that I think I'm about the right size for ALL of these bikes!!!

NAHBS Winner... yeah just another award winning stunner of a steel lugged bike for BG Cycles...  gorgeous (the color is quite remnescent of my Riv Atlantis though!)

Another custom rack that looks sweet... check!

Most important bike in the shop... Bruce's personal commuter.  Check out the steel integrated seatpost,  I don't see those at the bike rack ever!  Other cool details include a rear tire generator hub, BB mounted that can be moved in and out of postion by the extra shifter tab on the seat tube.  Good color too.

Yet another unique, and this time aerodynamic rack

Guess who else is in town!?!  Oh yeah we partook of the tasting room before heading out of town.  White Industries is right around the corner as well but according to Bruce they don't have a showroom.

Lots of beer... go check out Petaluma and BG Cycles!

California Bike Industry Touring

This will be the least interesting of three or four posts about my recent California trip… wordy and not terribly focused.  Bottom line is that I’m taking a step beyond internet research and forum discussions to go meet and experience different parts of the bike industry in person.  It is a really fun process!

One of my 2014 goals, and in general a part of my curiosity for the world of bicycles is to visit in person and have conversations with designers, frame builders, parts fabricators and companies.  In this vein I recently had the opportunity to pay visit’s to three radically different , yet philosophically linked bicycle companies in California and came away impressed by the passion and at the same time had my eyes opened to some significant challenges to achieving and/or maintaining a profitable business.  This past week I stopped in at Ocean Air Cycles in Ventura, Bruce Gordon Cycles in Petaluma and the just opened Rivendell Bike, Book and Hatchet storefront in Walnut Creek.  I got exposed to quite a few strong opinions, some excellent bikes and parts from each of these companies.  Here are a couple thoughts on each of my visits;

Ocean Air Cycles

Ventura, CA

This was my second visit with Rob Perks and I’d encourage you to check out my ride report on his excellent Rambler, the low-trail Rando/Porteur bike he designed based on his experiences with vintage, skinny tubed steel Trek bikes (among others).  We didn’t have time for a ride unfortunately but the conversation was very good.  My interpretation of Rob’s business model is that he identifies or designs items that he himself uses, sources them from local, US business (the smaller the better) and presents them for sale.  The collection of bit’s and pieces available through is storefront is pretty eclectic and I find it fun to peruse and read about his suggested uses.  The Rambler, the heart of his operation is a blank sheet design spec’d out by Rob and fulfilled by Zen Bicycles in Portland.  I found the myriad of responsibilities Rob has too his customers to ensure his design get’s satisfied in the one-man-shop operation to be pretty dizzying.  My impression is that all Rambler riders are in good hands as Rob really cares and almost seems honored by each customer’s business.  I would have bought a pair of the new Soma C-Line tires if he’d had them in stock, I still may put in an order for them but I’ve had another fit of bike-tire-buyers-preemptive-remorse (BTBPR) and am not sure.  But I will be ordering one of his cool embroidered hats offered in partnership with Randi Jo Fabrication, it’ll be my first cycling cap… J

Bottom line, another great conversation with Rob and I’m hoping to try out a Rambler again when I’m in Ventura next!

Bruce Gordon Cycles

Petaluma, CA

I only had a passing familiarity with BG Cycles before last week, I’d taken note of the BLT (Basic Loaded Tourer) bike they were offering at a very attractive price last year and then on my first visit with Rob Perks he showed me one of BG’s renowned cro-mo tubed racks.  I’d read Lovely Bicycles’ blog post about meeting BG…  none of that could have prepared me for meeting the man, and seeing his bicycles!  I think I was actually somewhat enthralled to spend the roughly 2 hours he gave us, a running conversation about the bicycle industry, frame building, details on frames and components and of course getting to see his amazing ‘auto-biographical’ collection of every bicycle he has made for himself since the 1970’s (10 points for anyone who takes the High Fidelity reference).

I don’t really know where to go describing this visit other than to say if you are interested in steel bikes you owe it to yourself to have a conversation with Bruce.  What I really took from Bruce’s conversation was his deep seated belief in the value of handcrafted, made in the USA components and bikes.   I’m convinced that every detail of a BG bicycle is INTENTIONAL, and that those details reflect a lot of riding and building experience.  I think a set, or at least a rear BG rack is in my future but I need to figure out a couple of things first.  In the mean time I couldn’t help but purchase one of his cool aluminum tail-lights, bullet shaped and smooth…  it’s already found its way onto my Atlantis (not sure Bruce would approve but it looks great either way)

Rivendell Bike, Book and Hatchet (RBBH)

Walnut Creek

Not quite the ‘origin’ as I opted with my limited time to check out the new storefront vice the warehouse/HQ.  Grant Peterson’s book, Just Ride, is definitely responsible for jumpstarting and directing my interest in bicycles.  So it’s only fitting that I finally make the pilgrimage. 

This visit not only satisfied my curiosity in seeing the Riv storefront but it allowed me the opportunity to meet Keven, with whom I have been corresponding with questions about my Atlantis since the summer.  First the shop… it is as dazzling as I could possibly expect, I was impressed by the quality of the displays and of course the bikes.  Thinking back they had a Hunq, a Cheviot, 2 Sam’s, a Rodeo… I think that was it, I wonder if they turn over the selection?  The riv-ish-ness of the shop is undeniable!  My hands down favorite part is the ceiling bell grid w/ pull cords… I’ve never heard of such a thing and I love it!

I arrived hoping I’d get a chance to check out a 58cm, 650B A. Homer Hilsen from a fit perspective and probably could have made that happen at the HQ but the shop didn’t have one.  The brief conversation I had with Keven was interesting, based on my PBH (Riv’s handy dandy measurement system, mine is ~90) he was unequivocal that there were no Riv 650B bikes in my size… end of story.  Honestly I would have liked to discuss it a bit further but the confidence and manner that he presented kind of put me off a bit.  Amazingly though, he did it in the most friendly way possible… weird actually.  He is hugely knowledgeable about Riv’s bikes and pretty much any offerings they have.  Anyway, it came down to what bike to test ride (since we were there we may as well test one out) and I picked the 58cm double top tube Sam (blue w/ cream headtube).  More on the ride later but I have to pass on the most amazing thing to me about my visit.  Keven, armed only with my self-measured ~90 pbh adjusted the Sam saddle and handlebars without any input from me or trials…  that one #, and his skills resulted in a PERFECT fit.  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised but I was very impressed.

Upon our return to the shop I couldn’t let the opportunity to pick up a medium dark green Shopsack and a sweet (but $$$) RBBH Tshirt.  Great visit, awesome putting a face to the email address with Keven and I’m still looking forward to making a stop in at the HQ some day!

Monster-Snow-Cross-Atlantis

I'd been waiting for the opportunity to try out these massive 29x2.1" Kenda 'Small Block Eight' tires on the Atlantis... well they fit!  Another snow day in the offing for the DC area and this stuff is promised to be 'fluffy'.  I guess it's a good thing I don't need the bike to commute in and out of the city today though the challenge was appealing.  Also check out the long awaited front rack/basket/dyno light configuration.  2 months of thinking about it, 20 min of wrenching...

The pull away of the full bike always gets too much background but I  was to lazy to move the bike outside and get some lighting around midnight when I wrapped up.  The fender's and 45(42)mm Nomad tires came off, as did the rear rack.  Good clearance all around, the right fenders might just fit w/ these beasts.

When I ordered my Cyo Premium II from Peter White I got to talk directly with Peter... as soon as I mentioned mounting the light low he immediately and somewhat rudely told me if I did so I'd be wasting my money.  He conteds that the center, fork crown mounting is what the lighth is designed for and that's the end of it.  Well his comment did make me think long and hard about keeping the light centered so here it is.  The former WALD basket hook strips do an admirable job as a rugged light mount on the front of the basket. I'll have to keep an eye that the nylock nuts and star washers do their job but it is very solid right now.  Peter would still be scandalized that there isn't fender protection below the light so I may look to add some tape or other replaceable splash guard to the bottom of the unit just in case.

The Nitto M12 front rack bolts directly to the canti studs, based on a recommendation over at the RBW list on Google Groups I used valve stem nuts as spacers to help push the rack line closer to level with the top tube. It still dives a bit towards the front but I'm happy with it.  The Wald 137 (medium) basket is the same that is on several other bikes in my garage and it gracefully accepts my new Riv medium 'Shopsack'...

The reason for the occasion...Kenda Small Block Eight, used from my co-op for a pittance... small knobs and supposedly a high TPI, good overall tire for hardpack conditions.  We'll see how it handles some snow today!

Great tread remaining on this tire.  The clearance looks closer than it really is in this pic... can you make out the out of focus new rear light in this shot?!?

My very own Bruce Gordon, CNC Aluminum bullet rear light... more on my visit with this legend.  I'm not sure he'd be thrilled to see his light on my Riv Atlantis (made in Japan)  but I think it looks super sharp.  Depending on my rear rack future this may not be the long term location for the light but we'll see.

That New Bottom Bracket Feeling - CCT Ride

At long last the Atlantis got it's new bottom bracket... the cheap Shimano sealed unit is in some ways a downgrade from the gorgeous, and lighter TA Axix bb that seems to either be in need of new bearings or I"m just incapable of adjusting correctly.  Just for anyone who is curious;

64cm Rivendell Atlantis
TA Zephyr Triple
Shimano UN55 68x127mm Sealed Cartridge BB

All work together just fine!  A 125mm axle would probably also work fine.

The new BB does really feel great, making me wish I'd done this $20 project months ago.  I can now go back to hearing/feeling the creaks from my sprung B67 saddle as the sole offender of my ears whilst on 2 wheels!

What to do with this smooth, silent ride...?  Well of course my friend Erl from the RBW Google Group came in with an opportunity to meet in Bethesda and do some riding on the CCT Trail.  Downtown Bethesda is almost exactly 15 miles from my garage and provided a great ride uphill at a reasonable grade.  Bagels and coffee were waiting along with Erl who very kindly indulged my curiosity for the sizing of his 56cm Atlantis (26" wheels).  The verdict - I think I could ride that bike very happily with a reasonably high stem.  The standover is excellent and the reach is pretty close to what I have on my 64.  Bike sizing is a weird science/art!

We kept going on the CCT towards Silver Spring and got to enjoy a fantastic boardwalk-bridge over the headwaters of Rock Creek.  Great conversation and nice weather contributed to a really good time all around.  The pair of handsome Atlanti got plenty of appreciation both parked in Bethesda and out on the trail!

In Bethesda, the Soma Saga at the front here was ridden by a friendly and chatty gent who was very impressed with our Atlanti

Handsome pair of bikes!

Erl and his Atlantis over Rock Creek

I and my Atlantis over Rock Creek (note the new shop-sack, purchased direct at RBB&H last week!)

Contemplating the C&O...I'll be back!

2013 Review

Seems funny to be doing a year in review post, but I've enjoyed reading a couple other cyclist and photographer posts like this so here is an abbreviated one for myself.  A signpost for me to measure the coming years by.  Metrics (a few)

Miles Biked - 3,129 (up from 976 in 2012)
Photographs taken - 5,046

First the bike... bike commuting started in February and I can honestly remember only 6 work days that I drove or took a ride from someone.  I do travel for work both locally and out of the area, so that is not to say that every other day was a bike commute.  But the bike commuting absolutely made up the bulk of my mileage.  In 2014 I may try to keep track of commuting miles differently in order to keep pushing myself.  I'm proud of my record here, riding in all kinds of weather and truly loving the whole experience.  I pushed my continuous mileage total from 40 to 55 to 100 over the course of this year as well, though since that Oct Century outing my longest is probably in the 20's... I want to keep exploring this endurance riding, more in the goals section.  I've learned a tremendous amount about maintenance and bike building, in one year I've gone from novice to 'dangerous intermmediate'.  I took a spectacular 8 week Park Tool School that gave me the booster shot of knowledge, and between personal wrenching and volunteering at Velocity Co-Op since March I've continued this.

Second the photography... definitely took a backseat to both the biking and house projects this year.  I had started to taper in 2012 and I don't really see this as a problem. I'm still making good images, and between 2010-2012 I really pushed both my technical, creative and business skills in photography.  While I'm positive that I didn't grow much photographically this year, I didn't regress either.

2014 Goals

1. Complete a 200K Brevet (preferably for score w/ the DC Randonneur's)
2. Ride a 50 miler with my wife on the Tandem
3. Do a multi-day mini-tour by bike (planning in the works for a GAPCO!)
4. Do a S24O
5. Visit 3 Bike Builder's - (targets; Waterford, Boulder, Rivendell, Bruce Gordon, Bilenky, Bishop)
6. Re-open my darkroom (at least for bw negatives)
7. Shoot all the film I have in storage as of 1/1/14 (plenty!)
8. Consolidate/Rationalize the Camera Collection
9. Consolidate/Rationalize the Bike Collection
10. Get down to 210lbs..... 35-45lbs less than now

Ten is enough, we'll see how I do.  Speaking of 10, here are 10 of my favorite photo's of the year.

New Year's day 2013, celebrated with friend's at a resort in Jamaica

View from Mount Vernon Trail last winter, I took and liked alot of early morning shot's this year with a similar color palette to this one.

My best friend's daughter at 6 months... I just loved the moment of play frozen and juxtaposed with the Capitol... colder morning than it looks here.

My favorite sunrise shot of the year, I found out later this day that my Grandmother had passed away in the night.

At the BicycleSpace Full Moon ride... I visualized this shot instantly and made it happen w/ my Nikon 1V1

I didn't shoot any film this year, and did very little b/w conversions. This one is to drab still, lacking punch... but I liked the lines and reflection.

Ocean City, MD... cycling content, I gave my wife a day at the beach so that I could pick up my XO-3 I'd bought on ebay in OC :)

My niece and brother-in-law, lots of memorable pictures of this little cutie but this is my favorite.

Another visualized, then realized image... ISO 6400, moving car, late at night coming into Chicago.  I was really happy with the resultant 'selfie'.

Two selfie's to finish up the list... yikes what does that say!  Well, the Chicago 'Bean' is as cool as anyone describes and photographically I could come back again and again.