tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10540583731584506982024-03-05T19:25:16.991-08:00old bikeWhen you undertake to investigate a bicycle for the first time, take an old one as a subject, and endeavor to put it in perfect running order.tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-48383735324389325752010-02-09T22:29:00.000-08:002010-02-11T22:15:47.448-08:00Bikes in the House<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMS9ys9_k22v0pQYRCSZjmUjCYF3uIazSOZTBBBMT8jYhgzgIVR50bwl4vVcOLfoDq_K2CamKSwGULqVPhugozp8rcNFkFizAe-3cXwfl3RgQZ6MGC-pcEbJe9ck1lQe-_NcLDB-mNcJg/s1600-h/DSCN4771.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMS9ys9_k22v0pQYRCSZjmUjCYF3uIazSOZTBBBMT8jYhgzgIVR50bwl4vVcOLfoDq_K2CamKSwGULqVPhugozp8rcNFkFizAe-3cXwfl3RgQZ6MGC-pcEbJe9ck1lQe-_NcLDB-mNcJg/s400/DSCN4771.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349652064709924690" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Remember when you were a kid, and you were so enamored of your bicycle that you wanted to ride it everywhere? And your mother said, "No bikes in the house!" Well, maybe it's the little kid in me who was denied the joy of bringing his bike into the house, but there's something about having a bicycle inside that makes me very happy. I'm lucky enough to have a safe, sheltered place to keep my bikes outside of the house, but I brought the Huffeigh up for a bit of cleaning and adjustment tonight, and I've been enjoying having it in the living room as an </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">objet d'art.</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><i><span style=""><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I also take inordinate satisfaction in cleaning, checking, and adjusting all the little bits. Especially with old bikes, which can sometimes be temperamental, it's important to do monthly or weekly safety checks. Because I rebuilt both of these wheels myself, I'm a little paranoid about the wheels, so I check spoke tension and rim trueness, and I'm perennially making adjustments to the brakes. There's something about checking in with the bike, doing all the little maintenance things, that gives me a great deal of satisfaction. It stems, I think, from what motivated me to get into old bikes in the first place: getting to truly know and understand and maintain your own form of transportation. There's something very simple and yet very liberating about that.</span></span></span></o:p></span></i></p> <!--EndFragment-->tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-88448077701612274152010-02-09T14:56:00.000-08:002010-02-11T22:13:34.919-08:00Salvaging a Hub<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I know I have lots of updates to give on various projects, which I will hopefully get to this week, but in the meantime, here are some photos of my latest project, which is really just a side project for the Phillips roadster.</span></span></div><br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZlxZPyCpH6vNPjYj6v1n7BmqKu8n9Vgah5qrMUhEqYaVn_Ou0YO7ojL_zvgHzm9RxF9D1g6hVuThExIeDbTnVOA3J8C4Bv40Fl6Uhb-9TB2mcTRkyUY7gY8JAVK1JPEKrYHFONvZ1sM/s400/DSCN5571.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391469755401034322" border="0" /><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">My friend Mauricio tipped me off to a cheap junker bike at a local estate sale. I picked up what's left of this 1964 Huffy Sportsman for $10, and I'll probably be able to salvage a few things, but the main thing was the rear hub. It's a Sturmey-Archer TCW III, a three-speed coaster brake hub. Sheldon Brown says the TCW series is unreliable as a coaster hub, citing possible failure of the brake if the cable is not properly adjusted, but for the money, I'm willing to give it a try.</span></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">My wife has hinted that perhaps she would like to ride the Phillips when it's finished and she really liked the idea of a coaster brake. I, however, wanted to put a three-speed hub on it, so here's the compromise, which suits all parties. True, it's not period-correct for the Phillips, but the correct K Series Sturmey-Archer hubs seem to be hard to come by and somewhat expensive, and not available in a coaster brake model. We'll have the rod brakes, too, just in case there's a problem with the coaster brake.</span></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Here's a little photo series on my efforts to salvage the hub:</span></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms',serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The before photos:</span></span></p><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_QBm5FH3p-4UVu26Umr_kuFXPU-RVpoqCWZmlJtBV2FpakCQhZBqGe5CbibKR2aho9ryJxtSVI56KFeQtHO7ibk1zOITCAI1Fhs2C7a2tbcmXeOPeUy8G_dZv8xNV0t4bSiSqHWuijB8/s400/DSCN5575.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391470176567422018" border="0" /><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-swF4MKWW-deaAL6HaLSBTEYMpu914k-QwrFZ1HFZJal4_zpqsGhf1keId6NORbzA9x0h4lxF6_qjIx_mIaFn4b7QHyROlA083suzXH_HVElw-meu9gWr4ueYQUxzYkftqeKS0-yEMCQ/s400/DSCN5576.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391470427653518850" border="0" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I had to cut the spokes with a pair of aviation snips because the nipples were too corroded to turn and the spokes too rotten to reuse.</span></span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjByINRzG5wIPyR7SjXrncA55rOmGcrjWl7Gd_p2wlT08qBo1FvbZ8mVIn0y4T_zxtflpqg7eaPkOU2S8IMVhb_ffKnxart2LwraHQvw56yewiVGwdQeMEmPRrwP5w3MnzsCNainfOecc0/s400/DSCN5577.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391470712122934642" border="0" /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Below, the top layer of gunk and rust has been scraped off:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfpAS_oBYBTxiS51GIgTnf3UPKV4FDXwurvX_dRx8kfBpDhfRcBumx6m0UJP44123kXEUAJq5ByC0qMrixOt4MpLzVzj3QFDgCTGjnIMvUWkFIQRBHUDpJJ1LF-v-VINY0s-O5qT39x4/s400/DSCN5578.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391471101970865202" border="0" /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25hHmgW7CRT744bmkmcTSFkx1dnajGGLTpfTFdjh4l37L1IryZE_GbnnmgoSzg2rquWIySY3epAZpOR3BeVLMI9HNWKnxx1b9p32KPg8JOugkF7HnkN1aK9VEGSRMdjYcivNdrGFvM0s/s400/DSCN5579.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391471281764857890" border="0" /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Below, rust removal continues with fine steel wool, penetrating oil, rubbing compound, and even very carefully applied sandpaper over the worst rust spots, never used directly on the chrome.</span></span></div><br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATOg0xuEeYb-BH4uwc-ejjum8xnRajWw4L6mz39Ww2b095tW_WOPGrGOtWoyST_wbN7kGwOPQ1G7CX5qnPdjgmN1-sa5o9BlNeAKI2UJ984-gLUUvnxSU4ko3Yg9Fxu-ouXQ-9bug0vU/s400/DSCN5581.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391471623517210018" border="0" /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjZ-1IL_f2gtshjdGO88CgFd5kV1lkdcHKBUSMWB4PyLUIboTDIGleJiFhjNzDRBY371wbyczYAUL5Oyfld1au01-rerr4ytIjlc8N_dBOJhExTJaFeJPqKxTc_6YhcJtmHkuZpu5qbA/s400/DSCN5583.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391471864034162802" border="0" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The external cleanup on this hub is probably about half-finished. I'm hoping for near-pristine by the time I'm done, but it's going to take a lot more elbow grease to get there. I took a peek at the internals, and everything is surprisingly clean in there, so maybe I can get away with not dismantling it entirely.</span></span></div>tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-28754713848175038772010-02-01T08:41:00.000-08:002010-02-11T22:16:04.609-08:00My New Blog<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">Since making my blogging debut in 2007, I have been self-consciously a “bike blogger.” Bicycles are an important part of my life, but they are not the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">most</i> important, and in fact, I spend comparatively little of my time riding, working on, or thinking about bicycles.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>Over time, I’ve begun to realize that being a “bike blogger” is no longer something I’m interested in, at least not at the level I once was. This does not mean that bicycles are not a part of my life; indeed, I would like to emphasize that they are only <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">a part</i> of my life.</o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>In fact, although bicycles themselves are objects that provide me with a sort of satisfaction, I find that I am more interested in what bicycles represent: a more humane and more intimate means of moving through and interacting with my surroundings, both human and material.</o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In any case, it is very likely that I will no longer be posting at the Old Bike Blog, or at The World Awheel. Both blogs will remain up, although dormant for the foreseeable future. This is especially so for the Old Bike Blog, my first and most useful blog. I hope it will continue to be a resource for other old bike enthusiasts for many years.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p>I will be blogging regularly about bicycles (and a lot of other things, too) at my new blog, <a href="http://dorightfearnot.blogspot.com/">Do Right & Fear Not</a>. Come by, look around, stay if you like.</o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Cheers,</p><p class="MsoNormal">Thom</p> <!--EndFragment-->tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-5176644390409164842010-01-15T10:23:00.000-08:002010-02-11T22:11:09.580-08:00Reader Project: JP's 1968 Robin Hood<img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXw3AOf6Nl1Y2z8stjdkQo7D_Q25E0-KnZYQYc0MrgLZJfTIw6fwcxWyJeorwe5-5Oz9QxUhjkFZSkU2sqXq_AnRDn36i8mj7x12t9twm-09Itny9ccBtL_3ZTJCpg5nFMYZprymts15c/s400/robinhood.before.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381749962056067378" border="0" /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Before</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">One of the great and terrible things about the Interwebs is that you get to meet people of like mind who you wouldn't have had a chance to meet otherwise, and then spend a whole lot of time online discussing the finer points of brake levers, chain guards, and fender stays.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSM99r4xhXf5ZKcaW5tfQdZl0jQ6h9eHi35T7J78UXiBpXQk8u4ulKqI_PTIx5RpC-ZV6lxA_mIux2qidlDEJS36VfIkFIQdkBpmsODLvUBhPd4tEPboeJSlINSfLLmq7e2c-fWUmqww/s400/robinhood.after.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381750333098769554" border="0" /> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">After</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Flickr user </span></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/the-macnab/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">the-macnab</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> has been working on this 1968 Robin Hood (a mid-level brand of Raleigh) for quite a while, and his friend </span></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamhutchinson/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">williamhutchinson</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> was also working to restore a </span></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamhutchinson/sets/72157607085466389/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Raleigh Sports</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, all about the same time I was working on the </span></span><a href="http://oldbikeblog.blogspot.com/search/label/1955%20Huffy%2FRaleigh%20Sportsman"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Huffeigh</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. The three of us exchanged comments, tips, and frustrations as we worked, and engaged in a sort of long-distance race to finish our respective projects. I believe I finished first, but my project was decidedly less ambitious than either of theirs, and I cut a lot of corners (like painting rusted chrome parts silver instead of replacing them). I'll do another post on William's amazing work on his Raleigh, but this long-promised post is all about the J.P.'s Robin Hood, and it is well-deserved.</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Check out his </span></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/the-macnab/sets/72157605062793096/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">full Flickr set</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> on the restoration process.</span></span></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-92143754491659397902010-01-11T22:18:00.000-08:002010-02-11T22:18:55.191-08:00Privacy Policy<b>Privacy Policy for http://oldofbike.blogspot.com/</b><br /><br />If you require any more information or have any questions about our privacy policy, please feel free to contact us by email at juda34579@gmail.com.<br /><br />At http://oldofbike.blogspot.com/, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us. 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More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers' respective websites.tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-23798288551973076712009-12-20T10:56:00.000-08:002010-02-11T22:16:04.612-08:00Comments Are PostedSorry for the delay in posting recent comments, I've just started my winter vacation, and have been away from the computer. This will be the situation through the end of the week, so if you leave a comment before December 27, it may take a day or two to post. Thanks for your patience!tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-85100311653541887932009-12-18T10:09:00.000-08:002010-02-11T22:16:04.614-08:00San Diego Tweed Ride!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjwk48gBp2IEMv46cF4jIDVo5Kbk6yBvgTEzu5AuYjHHqTdWIaYf65Lpcmb4W6KNjCH0Ylo0zQVqANhyNobJeyzgS2kIz5PVpHx9irelpwrlegRzCwuBqwqGSA_W2jF80FK3nmBdE18w/s1600-h/TweedRide-4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 282px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjwk48gBp2IEMv46cF4jIDVo5Kbk6yBvgTEzu5AuYjHHqTdWIaYf65Lpcmb4W6KNjCH0Ylo0zQVqANhyNobJeyzgS2kIz5PVpHx9irelpwrlegRzCwuBqwqGSA_W2jF80FK3nmBdE18w/s400/TweedRide-4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416640928645913266" /></a><br />Photos from the First Annual San Diego Tweed Ride, in which my wife and I rode (sort of, see link below) with our 1955 Huffy Sportsman and 1977 Schwinn Suburban. It even rained, which is pretty rare here.<div><br /></div><div>I posted a ride report <a href="http://lifewithbicycle.wordpress.com/2009/12/13/tweed-bruises-and-novcember-weather/">here</a>, and there are many more photos at the <a href="http://www.velocult.com/index.php/blog/post/photos_from_san_diegos_first_tweed_ride/">Velo Cult Bike Shop Blog</a>. Good times!</div>tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-2964283614003415742009-11-19T16:33:00.000-08:002010-02-11T22:16:04.615-08:00As the Sprocket Turns<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYGVi0VnEO2cU9PPVOV_BPwZSTmV7jN-MGGCBhygixQsYcIoTyNpmWKHC6esCrlc8J-U-sAxDJZCmsYuoYYwQ6t_evVr6ZV11nidp9-mWGoDbofb7LwlkqUdaV31GoKwN6crgt7K5PEnM/s1600/OBBkeep.reading.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYGVi0VnEO2cU9PPVOV_BPwZSTmV7jN-MGGCBhygixQsYcIoTyNpmWKHC6esCrlc8J-U-sAxDJZCmsYuoYYwQ6t_evVr6ZV11nidp9-mWGoDbofb7LwlkqUdaV31GoKwN6crgt7K5PEnM/s320/OBBkeep.reading.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405991616121048498" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">One of the really wonderful things about writing this blog for the past two and a half years has been watching the different evolutions it has undergone. What started as an amateur's uncertain ramblings has become a genuinely collaborative endeavor, with readers posting questions in the comments, e-mailing me for information and advice, and sharing their own projects. I'm so glad that so many people have found this a useful and friendly place to visit on the Interwebs.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">As you have probably noticed, postings here and at </span></span><a href="http://worldawheel.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#4A2387"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">The World Awheel</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> have slowed down in recent weeks. I have been devoting more time and energy to advancing my professional (that is, non-bicycle related) goals, and have consequently spent less time both in the garage working on bikes, and at the computer writing about them. This will be the situation for some time to come.</span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">This, however, does not mean that either of my blogs will be shutting down. Rather, they will both be undergoing a bit of a shift in content and frequency of postings. I will also be instituting a fairly strict policy of not responding to technical questions or age/value/identification questions by e-mail. As much as I enjoy offering my advice and opinions and hunting about the Interwebs for useful facts to share with people, I just can't take the time to respond to all of them any longer. I will still welcome Reader Projects submissions, however, and updates from those of you with ongoing projects.</span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">So, I'll keep posting if you keep reading, and I'll look forward to whatever new directions the blog ends up taking (it has always had a bit of a life of its own).</span></span></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-87404693234570611712009-11-17T10:02:00.000-08:002010-02-11T22:16:04.617-08:00Reader Project: Pete's Mystery "Aircycle" Bike<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDfmQn40Z9Eqp-N5Q_sDZW_o_KOBr70Xk2Nz4gcsD-MUfDGjmryQVLJjM-ClHNo8dkj8X_qPzC1JYXju5rK_6izj3BFrJ-9-wBZ7mCmTLn4Q3PqHBs7qyxOIgwTRvdL0w2Le5BAzvhLA/s400/Air+Cycle+side.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405138599352074642" /><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><b><i>Edit: Bernard of </i></b></span></span><a href="http://www.cyclonecoaster.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><b><i>Cyclone Coaster</i></b></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><b><i> has answered in the comments that this is a 1939 Roadmaster built by Cleveland Welding Co. (CWC), USA. Thanks Bernard!</i></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">Y</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">eah, I'm still here. Just busy with non-blog and non-bike stuff lately and for the foreseeable future as well, but I'll try to get back to semi-regular blogging here. Thanks to my loyal readers and lurkers for being patient.</span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">This first post after my hiatus is long overdue, I'm afraid. Thanks for your patience, Pete.</span></span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">This bike was picked up at a garage sale, and </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">could</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> be a Dutch(?) version of a balloon tire cruiser. The tires, in fact, are of Dutch origin (Swift). Pete doesn't think the fenders, chainguard, or rear rim are original, and he knows the Schwinn saddle isn't, but otherwise, there's a lot of interesting stuff here that I don't know anything about. I'm posting most of the photos Pete sent me in the hope that someone out there will know what this is, where it came from, and roughly how old it is.</span></span></o:p></span></p><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vZVgzjlP0A3uF50MdfKMsBZSi9tgNdgvfuVYse12s7vug1sbcVkhR67ZbiFxOLHjfX4hAsBhNj5VeGMt-fqr_nU1w8dqOP67PPq20E8wSmNz3wMWSqoex0S9DVtFFQg7zuuXYg3Nm0g/s400/Air+Cycle+front.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405140590139935250" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzHfCNG2V9B64_FWUye_1YKtfR5o8D5GOoaoyMru-0cWP4lB6ZIDr03WlkWIr_tbYrKEUu5bDc4o7JbkAwtGLuzgXK8rnbFMBTObPCAHEEU_hFx3-2fHhBHa86c6JTlTq1Q0hTWWn0dk/s400/Air+cycle+Side+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405139693149487186" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3LdrlTrgbjBhpI7Gm01mN6TRdLiZNTuI343mlH4kTkzHv-IF7tWzbVn6SRSO3SgLpbzC2gSdSKX-Pn12TWb-SfYU2NUoDz2sQquS-uX4RDUOR8_HpTu2-K5MGte1VSU16uwIK6O7EVw/s400/1+003.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405136626631550418" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jI-wbEoN29oJOfzNxdoI91_kbllP0wb1byJmgGcJmbUvVAF3UlKxS-f3_qwfhalcORWa7-lr8ApPCEs7zF5o_yKVSUp-47kYe4uv-lMGF9YcaS5doaXYZJwblxrpf1fvzvJ6FZ3hHiU/s400/1+001.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405137670079345058" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55Ct5UshL0gxoBBtBhl562g5ZjTDlINfdkvTU2xExe2Lb38BSPPqPwI6f_7KQ2lyzN6GKye1fuX-jiWilJU9pPHVVVVwD777O1kenPPVL4tzUZqHswJCsNC7YZEk8bGezkO35-hrRpE8/s400/Air+Bike+Rear.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405139256819850706" /> <!--EndFragment-->tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-75965236878915673132009-10-28T17:37:00.000-07:002010-02-11T22:16:04.619-08:00Digitized Catalogues at the National Cycle Library (UK)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwa6G2cL6Hxfgs2LTQuSSCkOLrLd6EEKXidrk34viHAZ16-2QqZjJXppZ2qiuNnB6xpjvbzC344Xefqpchb8GiURkVaCQ0gRp74BMDCjjY462qOCnfcd7x52H7UHk0ZhWgO1thlIwqzQY/s1600-h/phillipscover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 217px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwa6G2cL6Hxfgs2LTQuSSCkOLrLd6EEKXidrk34viHAZ16-2QqZjJXppZ2qiuNnB6xpjvbzC344Xefqpchb8GiURkVaCQ0gRp74BMDCjjY462qOCnfcd7x52H7UHk0ZhWgO1thlIwqzQY/s400/phillipscover.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397855085567924402" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><b> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">WARNING: Clicking on the links below will almost certainly lead to sleeplessness, extreme feelings of envy and/or desire, and potential loss of marriage.</span></span></span></b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Doing some research on Phillips today, I found myself checking in with the website of the British </span></span></span><a href="http://www.cyclemuseum.org.uk/"><span style="color:#4A2387;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">National Cycling Collection</span></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. It has been a while since I visited, and to my great surprise and delight, I found that they've digitized much more of </span></span></span><a href="http://www.cyclemuseum.org.uk/ncl/ncl.php"><span style="color:#4A2387;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">their library</span></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> than they had previously. Of particular note are the </span></span></span><a href="http://www.cyclemuseum.org.uk/ncl/category.php?ggroup=14&cname=Scanned%20Catalogues"><span style="color:#4A2387;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">scanned catalogues</span></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, which provide an excellent reference for period restorations of many British-built bicycles.</span></span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Although it doesn't add much to my knowledge of my Raleigh-built 1955 Huffy, the image below of the "genuine" Raleigh equivalent (the Sports Light Roadster) is kind of neat to have as a reference. Now, if only we could still order from these catalogues...</span></span></span></o:p></span></p></b></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEs9sB_uVQg4t9-2n3fgxrnBM9AD67U0keNxCEDtaThz2ZKsw8GAQ-IgnjcrhalHuBpPYi2uVQjURk68a7ltQHd9lCsNCytfFhwHa14Ic2hB6RWddECQ0v7H1QXQWbcTrUQH1PlIZ17Y/s400/raleighsports1955.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397852975765871218" /></div>tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-5752996839118228652009-10-21T22:36:00.000-07:002010-02-11T22:16:04.622-08:00Photos of My Workshop<div style="text-align: left;">Really, it's more of a cave that sort of passes for a garage. We rent a small cottage on a lot with two other houses, a fairly common situation in Southern California. The property is on a hill and the garages for all three places were added as an afterthought sometime in about the 1930s or 1940s. They were sort of carved out from beneath the property and have never been finished or had electricity run to them, so they're pretty primitive. This space is exactly big enough for one car, but I've got five assembled bikes (and three disassembled, presently) in there. I've been working on bikes down there for about a year and finally this summer got around to organizing a workshop of sorts. I cleaned it up yesterday after finishing dismantling the hub donor bike, and though it looked about as good as it was ever likely to, so I took some photos.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrnXEyWsMXmiauqkiY3YhH3K4WecRPFimtoO3ipHPLeJ07keZQ93ffcz0We-yHmL6fz-95XGChW-YDQu_rHG6aVZl-lm653s3EznlAM6KR1ouk5fnxihjgc3aREMH1ut9v9My09hU57s/s400/DSCN5697.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395296479234663746" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXuNJcD5xmGaBSv6dci2qreX-rNbbMDxrIWqgi1yMHdN4uM1Lxxv9ItLoUJzr4tg0W801InD8myWsF2tlOErMiiJ8X5vHjuaLQWMF59TTPkanxy2EPyWX0D_zkFBWL772qXp_hErDmjzk/s400/DSCN5704.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395297390301062722" /><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghx9mlmvap04vkrS4ZNPr3fy20a0fuZFm9sPStCZ_3kFzM0XvZ7QV26M5v5UjpHb5-xlINS2QKuvjEpixBjysJKCIDNrpNl-TdhWBdc1anvNUuX056t-qL4XtTJ-7XjZRIv2WAkjSa8-o/s400/DSCN5698.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395296677913074770" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF13WLHtiklRbN16pK9Kjk0WQR3-3F3g8Y9jgxlKzr2XvH0jhq_6LMdnAS-qvT9kaYbkpyt4QS8EBhYCHCgY6VkIUOlC7rZe3qSCDSbCWmbxERzxSpd6aCSMBHV9rjeY0jda1xVxf4kL4/s400/DSCN5699.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395296872950474306" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZFQugKpRB9viNMDvMGKoSPBnYhn9s8mz75WMCu09BI3p5wwD2mJJG4tSD12LCsxIvHDm0aMF5whNGGnP6O3GSaNJhGGYa5cjRb5RjgPv0yUH-xo_PN_e9Z2ze4zFifX9x30roBLC5c8/s400/DSCN5703.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395297078234483346" /></div></div>tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-62968390039875880282009-10-15T15:49:00.000-07:002010-02-11T22:16:04.625-08:00Salvaging a Hub, Part II<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zAGwFVD9rB2q2-6sT7WysjmMwqqRhBLGDhlQqItnwkZ61hGTT3g7FnGNF7CZoT8tHpjadKy5iNlSqQVldpmI0ON5Rc8i3pUDw0cZTuMHBrzeF2BezYcnA1xSslJbdgoBYB4Yrhu1QR0/s1600-h/TCWIIIbefore.after.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 357px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zAGwFVD9rB2q2-6sT7WysjmMwqqRhBLGDhlQqItnwkZ61hGTT3g7FnGNF7CZoT8tHpjadKy5iNlSqQVldpmI0ON5Rc8i3pUDw0cZTuMHBrzeF2BezYcnA1xSslJbdgoBYB4Yrhu1QR0/s400/TCWIIIbefore.after.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392967399328948370" /></a>The final cleanup on the <a href="http://oldbikeblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/salvaging-hub.html">salvaged Sturmey-Archer TCW III</a> was accomplished by scraping the remaining rust off with a razor blade, then several rounds of polishing with rubbing compound and Brasso. Some areas of the chrome have been cosmetically damaged by the rust, but not the scraping. There has been no structural damage to any of the exterior pieces of this hub. In fact, all cleaned up, many of the bits are in better shape than those on the Huffeigh. I don't post this to gloat (okay, maybe a little), but to demonstrate that even a hub that looks as bad as this one did may be worth a try to salvage and make useable again. Don't give up on bike or on salvage parts just because they look a little rough!tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-51320292092308695722009-10-12T15:09:00.000-07:002010-02-11T22:16:04.629-08:00Sweet Ride: The Bicycle Art of Christopher Koelle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLuzQYwoqAoGiQu5jNFR765q1VDDMOTbdo1sOWF685ZhqXaj17ojHw0ylih1xiYq2sP-BRKyPlZMw8_lByRdpbF-ZsmXGvu-UmoTQ9UJTdmJudCkRqZzmuf6i9j1iC5S7YOfSsITYHyAc/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.86734632.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 391px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLuzQYwoqAoGiQu5jNFR765q1VDDMOTbdo1sOWF685ZhqXaj17ojHw0ylih1xiYq2sP-BRKyPlZMw8_lByRdpbF-ZsmXGvu-UmoTQ9UJTdmJudCkRqZzmuf6i9j1iC5S7YOfSsITYHyAc/s400/il_fullxfull.86734632.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391841553108879170" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I have a pretty hard and fast policy on not doing commercial posts of any kind, but I also really like to promote the work of independent artists doing interesting work. I mentioned </span></span><a href="http://www.karaginther.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Kara Ginther's</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> hand-carved Brooks saddles briefly in another post recently, so I wanted to give a little blog time to </span></span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7936629"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Christopher Koelle</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, too, especially since his work may be of particular interest to readers of this blog. From his Etsy profile:</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My name is Christopher Koelle and I love drawing people with bicycles, especially from the early days of cycling.</span></span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The original Sweet Ride art zine sparked in me an ongoing fascination with the history of travel and roads, from the Good Roads Movement of Horatio Earle to the epic, sprawling interstate highways we love and hate today. Sweet Ride is now just the beginning of a progressively larger ongoing body of work about these histories.</span></span></span></o:p></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><blockquote></blockquote></span><p></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family:"Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;font-size:13.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-88927877735614311272009-10-11T10:25:00.000-07:002010-02-11T22:16:04.632-08:00Mobile Museum of Material Culture<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-sPEj3TXTEFmfsgl8S3YLIjHev1EfJdmk9h3RIHzJSvgGVhal-0U496b7hNiZXzN2FSfx4ve9ZGRMUVMiEXxFrnjFv1MT7QyAOwDkIXZtNstP1wVKLvJB1arJeBFL93_lQk3nISOGIlc/s400/bike.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391399333650771026" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Artist Kara Ginther has been on the Interwebs a lot lately. You might have seen her hand-carving on leather saddles at <a href="http://www.tobeinspired.com/2009/10/interview-with-leather-artisan-kara-ginther/">To Be, Inspired</a>, or <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2009/10/09/hand-carved-bicycle.html">BoingBoing</a>, or <a href="http://chiccyclist.blogspot.com/2009/10/carved-brooks-saddles.html">Chic Cyclists</a>. While her leatherwork has been getting most of the attention (and rightfully so), I'd also like to mention that Kara has a very neat side project going called the <a href="http://www.museumofmaterialculture.com/">Mobile Museum of Material Culture</a>, which as you can see from the photo above, is powered by an old tandem.<div><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 383px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0enUFQcobKJ73aCQT8zN2_bB7m5wBhNCaKphGVYeBKVqCGtDRsXUu6TGbdmX3c19IjJyTWCBgt1A-d8_2fHpJxXHf0AExicvGZEkivatKGi3QeU4JL4olGIDVN1i6egS0Bgn5IHP-h_U/s400/cart.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391399522039051250" /><div>Kara and the MMMC are touring about the Madison, Wisconsin area this fall, so if you're in the area, check out their schedule, and if you're not, see her <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kgleather/sets/72157622130857886/">Flickr set</a>.</div>tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-70892427071279083902009-09-30T22:11:00.000-07:002010-02-11T22:16:04.636-08:00Brief History of the Runwell Cycle Company of Birmingham<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Note:</span></span></span></i></b><i><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> There is no official history of the company, and no collection of company records, with the exception of a few scrapbooks at the University of Warwick (UK). Since the author of this article did not have access to these scrapbooks, much of this information has been gathered through Internet research. If you believe any of this information is inaccurate, or if you would like to add something, please feel free to submit corrections or contributions.</span></span></span></i></p> <img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 145px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrVNi7_6vZnVYEZQI43SQY8AssEJjhYAo3fJKfRTN-jXQE1jE1g_aybG7A4Aq1giHMm6zoHM9ATa126K0B36biGZp4AMY_a_6GwlxGQRu6aSVFyMAf8Zaej3kA-256o2wv6S4ow8H80X8/s320/runwell.logo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387307977056371522" /><p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">For most Britishers, the name Runwell today connotes a mental hospital and community of that name east of London. However, between 1904 and the 1960s, it was also a small bicycle manufacturing firm located in Birmingham. The Runwell Cycle Company produced bicycles of several makes to meet the high domestic and export demand for bicycles in the first half of the twentieth century. By the post-World War II period, the ascendance of major manufacturers like Raleigh, and the declining popularity of bicycling, had forced many smaller companies like Runwell out of existence.</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Runwell Cycle Company was founded by William Henry Jennings (born 1873 in Derby, England). When Jennings was twenty, he moved to Leeds, where he was listed as a “clothier’s traveler.” By 1904, he had moved to Birmingham, where he founded the Runwell Cycle Company on Lawson Street.</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Jennings’s granddaughter remembers her grandfather as a kind, generous, and good-hearted man:</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"></span></span></o:p></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">My earliest vivid memory of my grandfather is of my grandfather’s 60</span></span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">th</span></span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"> birhday party in London before the war. Grandpa was a member of the Magic Circle and entertained all his small children (grown-ups, too!) with conjuring tricks, to their great delight. During the war, he stayed in London (14 Great Eastern Street) and I visited him there when the war ended.</span></span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">In 1945 my father had settled in the country in Warwickshire and it was then that grandpa gave me and my brothers a Runwell cycle each, which gave us the much appreciated freedom of being able to roam the countryside during our teen years. Grandpa wrote to us, too, and also gave us very generous birthday presents. I always remember him as being kind and generous and I believe his staff thought this too.</span></span></span></o:p></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"></span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Runwell Cycle Company started small, but “through sheer hard work and business acumen,” Jennings expanded the business until he had depots and branches in most of Britain’s large towns, and an overseas depot in Java.</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">One of Jennings’s daughters recalls that:</span></span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"></span></span></o:p></p><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Father knew all of his workforce by name and never employed anyone who belonged to a Union. There was always a happy atmosphere and we enjoyed going round the factory talking to the people and watching them tune the spokes in the wheels. He used to leave us on the a.m. train and came home twelve hours later and brought work to do on the weekends.</span></span></blockquote><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Runwell company relied on the strength of its bicycle frames and the quality of their construction to sell bicycles, rather than their brand name alone. In their advertising, they advocated quality workmanship and affordability as virtues of a good bicycle. Runwell originally manufactured only bicycles, but by the late 1920s seems to have also begun manufacturing toys and sundries, and by the 1950s had also begun manufacturing parts and accessories for the auto industry.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">While still focused on building quality bicycles, their earlier advertising claim that, “we concentrate our energies on bicycles alone” fell by the wayside. By the 1960s, the firm was known primarily as a parts and accessories supplier, and no images or examples of advertising could be located after 1961.</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Runwell bicycle in the author’s collection features a distinctive design element of the Runwell brand that was most likely in production in the 1930s: an unusual “rigid safety frame” design that includes an extra angled support connecting the head tube and top tube. Other features of the author’s late 1920s or 1930s model are provided here for reference purposes: rod brake on front wheel, Perry single-speed coaster brake hub on rear wheel, Westwood rims front and back, bottom bracket oiler, hub oilers, 32-spoke front wheel, 40-spoke rear wheel.</span></span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I have gathered a gallery of images of Runwell bicycles and advertising </span></span><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/tbahde916/RunwellBicycleCompanyBirminghamEngland#"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">here</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. Hopefully it will grow over time.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">*All quotations from original correspondence with Julia Jennings, 28 October 2008.</span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-74590941620445345112009-09-23T15:54:00.000-07:002010-02-11T22:16:04.646-08:00Here's a Surprise<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOF3YmB9T1GKgC2CLQLECdkRTAtRFRwRXFz_9UnjhUiTbyhhdkBUm0Fx2CdvkQkeJk7w5-cYHKHzDPABINPCmQZi9a0l8g1rNrqTXfM3FqpkGtbBNuYhozu8Nd5ol8FPMIW28jptLntw/s400/DSCN5407.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384803242802167026" />It turns out that the Phillips was originally a deep red, not black like I had assumed. The fork steerer tube gives a pretty clear indication that this was the original color. It seems, in fact, that the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">base coat</span> was black with the red on top, which creates a rather striking and rich red. This could mean that the bike is not pre-war, since most specimens from the 1920s and 1930s seem to have been black. However, at least <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25671211@N02/sets/72157622424494446/">one pre-war Phillips</a> that I know of had a rather more striking original color scheme. In other words, the color doesn't do much to help date the bike, but it certainly did come as a surprise to me.<div><br /><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6j500_TtcYaySS0GFfKHg9k6XI7lH4jN5_paCilS6rbsik6I9JcviZsR7Lv0ZhAP3t2yHEidTJFNlUjRhRIei6wympOFkYYf-LJ_FvL85_n0TEi_cV2ZS54K84PdBwHVpIlJ3-yY9d4/s400/DSCN5412.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384803374679371106" /></div><div>Also, I've managed to scrape the yellow paint off the head badge. This will be black, red, and gold when finished, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/36230096@N04/3344239035/in/photostream/">like this one</a>.</div></div>tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-44964464575485939882009-09-18T12:18:00.000-07:002010-02-11T22:16:04.654-08:00My New Project: Phillips Ladies Roadster<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaNNNIaf4cNgwD4kDiaHuZCK7Ema_3P3QCCo094kmNgEJMabWcfI3wPd3owkxUODICPbhSGqX0n4uBFFZk3vTwlMV-by7fnbCgQDBB6GhijSsyk1_qUYOQnepuOs_loJe7EocWo0kOQug/s1600-h/DSCN5376.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaNNNIaf4cNgwD4kDiaHuZCK7Ema_3P3QCCo094kmNgEJMabWcfI3wPd3owkxUODICPbhSGqX0n4uBFFZk3vTwlMV-by7fnbCgQDBB6GhijSsyk1_qUYOQnepuOs_loJe7EocWo0kOQug/s400/DSCN5376.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382890336234414210" /></a><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPbkFZXaUfxHt7L94D_3B3YaTZeY-kEc2DLIq3dceba2245K2wdrWpgdOGWCo276kcYKPP7ntfnJavczqNSsppWUS7cCxAFiK9NHSHPFSOFfk6aW6MeeyK7v7iyX-3WosC01OxRInZqE/s400/DSCN5377.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382890235503618114" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKxoJ1SxOoBhJFx2zOx410_71PBufZ2-Igj3G_CamG6uDX7tOTkbn-0g5iXUyQ-nJb4BYSZ9TUW9h6AVRt49c6IhrvvPh2G93yW52Cwm3RmzcD4My_ls4Ur2o-QTejb2xBl41-75tCaW0/s400/DSCN5381.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382890130142637714" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxefwRmUXBN1q6wvNW9Mdyjhj4Sx4xV4SbbQA6SvSA3_GR8bhUX-qzzov-DxDQOOb0yvqluyWdv8-yAsXSetF7dDZxTB_REuqQ6JBtwJMTav2FI4GRjV4-vQ-EBUkCxtyIKKl9if6m4VU/s400/DSCN5383.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382889989743169106" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cXi6ZpvYRtmq-vqMWOcxLxxcI8P3SKt9VSYW5iuXzQc_5OVxeEZ5G2U-YFpyT3F_6_l4YIdUu_lLZ9W0P93UviJ3ZJR1-gAemuaHDMJtP2q6QffFiKbSie48yYU4G_a6ZRwM9G08HzI/s400/DSCN5384.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382889886976996562" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmd6UvBnAZbja0O8LBh2bMSiEaEeax68O_XRjzfTV_XfDB202NWMHZXqdsdKlwEJTyWnPkgamIChFFsm4YbatHkFkqnJ_xab46VvX8AdmjLlTBivD7dYT87Mf7Z7Hq1R78ExnCUMDxO9w/s400/DSCN5392.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382889735956990738" /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnl6AurYS8S7St5C18z40oHGGe_I4cqj8AV9TZJHPtuaj_R1ekEofin6nQyVdMxYp0JsSiFd496Q8WohyhRbVqUohXX226Qhuid382ZBVvHht_aAtc0m-cTc-lFXxMOAL86f_qa-1l0b0/s400/DSCN5399.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382889563245777426" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeU2CWy1nkMhdlT32ciR6nsTu-q9gYv4xCuimEb2YzFNtip158RV5kLfuLr0hejSe7rR7c7poQUdki-REKxm7JLmCogFtcaFrYADBaTdAo7YsUVO86lG3wlaWKMIgG8gpzUC2N9G2rfFQ/s400/DSCN5400.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382889464455134322" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px;font-family:'trebuchet ms';"> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I just picked up this Phillips loop frame ladies roadster. A few bits of the rear rod brake mechanism are missing, the pump braze-ons are broken off, the wheels are wrong, the saddle is after-market, the rear hub was swapped out and replaced with a Bendix single-speed coaster (original would have been a Sturmey-Archer 3-speed, most likely), the mudguards are missing, and it's been painted a horrific yellow (original was black, I'm hoping the decals might still be under there somewhere so they can be reproduced). But the chrome is in good shape and I'm absolutely smitten with the lines. It's going to take a lot of work and a lot of patience to get all the missing bits together, but in the meantime, it's going to be a privilege to have this classy lady in my garage.</span></span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">PS -- The previous owners told me this was pre-war (which is what they were told when they bought it), and I'm inclined to agree, but I do not have independent confirmation on this. Does anyone know if there is a Phillips serial number guide or any scanned catalogues out there somewhere?</span></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </span></div>tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-65568108936006661952009-09-16T09:09:00.000-07:002010-02-11T22:16:04.658-08:00Reader Project: John's 1963 and 1964 Huffy Sportsmen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPw-lC_sFbmOSF2uoeDd67G7uMTND_3NDtayAX-z3G6JTOb7kinObBM9aAU0aRDrdFrLwWj4U0L6FLEPXPDDm9vau55nlwuq-hMqC1MbE4mjvcnjeQB3aVL6fFpZ4QGUDl2e5YZTSjt0/s1600-h/sportsman_matched_pair.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPw-lC_sFbmOSF2uoeDd67G7uMTND_3NDtayAX-z3G6JTOb7kinObBM9aAU0aRDrdFrLwWj4U0L6FLEPXPDDm9vau55nlwuq-hMqC1MbE4mjvcnjeQB3aVL6fFpZ4QGUDl2e5YZTSjt0/s400/sportsman_matched_pair.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382099456272241250" /></a>Remember <a href="http://oldbikeblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/reader-project-johns-1955-huffyraleigh.html">John's 1955 Huffy Sportsman</a> that was a brother of a different color to mine? Well, by some strange twist of fate, John came upon two more Raleigh-made Huffys, an almost-identically matched pair, in fact, and decided to restore them as a wedding present for his nephew and bride (the men's is 1963, the women's 1964). The results are astonishing, and John did a fantastic job of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39389118@N07/sets/72157622039511072/">documenting his work</a>. We hope the happy couple will spend many enjoyable hours awheel on these lovely bicycles.tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-50749704427848407502009-09-10T08:52:00.000-07:002010-02-11T22:16:04.661-08:00Making a Saddle Bag, Part IVNo real substantial update this time, but I wanted to share some photos of the entire bag finally all stitched up. The top edges haven't been finished yet, the top flap needs some work, and a few spots on the sides need to be reinforced and tightened up, but hey, it's starting to look like a saddle bag finally!<div><br /><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFU7qMyqnvAHCn0YteQvIPKEJX5tNdFdj4bLtNGlADSdX3aDce9YuMvEKhjvwR3cQcF0ngelEgimrwWuBSKX1n_zCgCICDiKzPryBI04wzEqcxlHWI4fuQwnqQamzfDMTt4QlAcsL1W8I/s400/DSCN5279.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379868075777371842" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_PoFEFQRXlKtV90Odmqx4_voUBv-M5m1NTLM32tPDcUUBKNG-YrImTu5h8pQ8D5TdUM8jx4F0qxRu-J7fvnRRA-I-wMgThcwuZzPKRHGxObt4tTSrZe_8nZDqUtAgrP4wfn6_HSdOmE/s400/DSCN5278.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379868294995375298" /><div style="text-align: left;">Previously:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://oldbikeblog.blogspot.com/search/label/saddle%20bag">Making a Saddle Bag Series</a></div></div></div>tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-8417849978614541042009-09-09T08:04:00.000-07:002010-02-11T22:16:04.663-08:00Making a Saddle Bag, Part III<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikiEDP5JGSQdjSYj9MRywrKYqSdvecNQfkgkJKa2-IqkhGPtDUMnliX5ZxP_hFhC1SclCs3dqzNAmlU6bWRhuluJEKkU59S8jIAbmEqV4Txhm4rtilvuXHQVEtnKAKRe8ZUxOooBkPbEE/s400/DSCN5236.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379523660717845074" /><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I've finally had some time in the evenings again to work on this project, but I haven't made a lot of progress. I have one side fully stitched in now, which means the bag is finally taking its proper shape. I ended up getting most of the other side done before I realized it wasn't going together very well (the seam was kind of loose), so I took it out and started over. I'm mostly finished with the second side now too, I just need to stitch up the front edge.</span></span><br /></p> <img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif63iTbagmIyihnvXm20SjA-Staf2m-wvKFLrvZbPc_HNIyRmUDsyI8I81YlOmyDHoVskJqeI_ARfZCIi-TbUOORR2GUhvGQaUcsPfV-ntSmKHJIk00I75SXFz0jWxZjxlE4X0x_Tecr4/s400/DSCN5238.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379523847562201106" /><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span style=""><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I'm still using a simple back stitch, which seems to be working fine. To sew the sides in, I ended up going with a small curved upholstery needle. Since I'm basically sewing from inside the bag, I find that this needle is really quite necessary.</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span style=""><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">My earlier suspicions that I somehow made the top flap too short have been confirmed. I'm trying to decide just how I'm going to fix the problem. I think I will probably just try to extend the side flaps (which have yet to make an appearance) around the front, but I'm not sure if I can do that in one piece, or if I should use a separate piece.</span></span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Previously:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><a href="http://oldbikeblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/making-saddle-bag-part-ii.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Making a Saddle Bag, Part II</span></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><a href="http://oldbikeblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/making-saddle-bag-part-i.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Making a Saddle Bag, Part I</span></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><a href="http://oldbikeblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/can-i-make-my-own-saddle-bag.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Can I Make My Own Saddle Bag?</span></span></a></p> <!--EndFragment-->tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-31710930172279694282009-09-02T11:25:00.000-07:002010-02-11T22:16:04.665-08:00Out of My Way<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">On the way home from running some errands this morning, as I approached my turn to go home, I decided that I wanted to keep riding, just for the sheer joy of it. I only went an extra block, but it got me thinking about the difference between riding a bicycle and driving. Whenever I'm driving, I really don't like having to go out of my way, even if it's just a block. As a driver, I've been conditioned (as most have) to expect convenience, and anything that inconveniences me in the car seems like a massive hassle. On a bike, though, a detour just means more time on the bike, and (usually) more fun. When was the last time you decided to drive your car an extra block just for fun?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">PS -- One of the errands was to get a different needle for my saddle bag project. Updates on that, and other things, coming soon</span>!</o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-59411326976304331422009-08-29T15:55:00.000-07:002010-02-11T22:16:04.667-08:00Temporary Interruption to Bike Bag ProjectI know a lot of you are anxious to see how my saddle bag turns out, so I wanted to let you know that my project is temporarily on hold until our current very warm weather passes. About the last thing I want to do of an evening is sit with a heap of wool on my lap. I think it's supposed to be cooler in the next few days, so I'll probably get back to it soon. Never fear.tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-52710818093904443542009-08-28T12:32:00.000-07:002010-02-11T22:16:04.670-08:00Bicycles in the Kibbutz<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fmD6stzGaUPk7Tcw2igisYFtJ_jOu80VNwF7yV7RcuA0zJIog7nqRWJxqFqRGmPg_eBkQL2Ka5XMHudwHhZ7KD_58XBSYbFCGJwGBBu3E91-THf7km6_zyFHVepsq_-V6ZPN9WYhB7M/s1600-h/kibbutz.bike2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fmD6stzGaUPk7Tcw2igisYFtJ_jOu80VNwF7yV7RcuA0zJIog7nqRWJxqFqRGmPg_eBkQL2Ka5XMHudwHhZ7KD_58XBSYbFCGJwGBBu3E91-THf7km6_zyFHVepsq_-V6ZPN9WYhB7M/s400/kibbutz.bike2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375100949400404786" /></a>Our friend Yanek of <a href="http://bicyclog.wordpress.com/">bicyclog</a> in Israel has just posted a <a href="http://bicyclog.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/bicycles-in-the-kibbutz/">lovely photo essay</a> of bicycles on a kibbutz.tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-67868594772522240562009-08-26T09:50:00.000-07:002010-02-11T22:16:04.671-08:00Making a Saddle Bag, Part II<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Boy, I had no idea so many people would be interested in my inept efforts to put a saddle bag together! Things are going slowly, but so far, so good. All I've done since my last post is cut and position the four plastic panels (cut from two cheap three-ring binders) that will form the front, bottom, back, and top of the bag. The sides, with their own plastic panels, will be what actually gives the bag its shape.<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span style=""><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In the photo below, I've just pinned the panels into place, but last night I got two panels fully stitched in. I'm using what my wife tells me is a backstitch, which she showed me how to do. I started off pretty slow, but by the end of the evening, I was getting much faster and more confident with my stitches. Once the panels are all sewn in and all the pins are removed, the bag will finally start to take shape as I begin the process of attaching the side panels to the body of the bag.</span></span></o:p></span></p><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 336px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVmdhyKWfHIKpRGZKMgsnRUBGeFZeBq8I83JP_hjpSmyzCwHhRvduSjxtE4Gh9SVn5X6Bi34ltYWTRxoxD8Lu4bx_S2R4GZ3KB4tHv3_viYGv9wVuNoxZ6gDPit7Qx5xF4Vy6fUqoJJk/s400/DSCN5179.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374320902563468098" /> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span style=""><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Previously:</span></span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none"><span style=""><a href="http://oldbikeblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/making-saddle-bag-part-i.html"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Making a Saddle Bag, Part I</span></span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><a href="http://oldbikeblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/can-i-make-my-own-saddle-bag.html"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Can I Make My Own Saddle Bag?</span></span></span></span></a></span><span style="Trebuchet MS"font-family:";"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1054058373158450698.post-48089846582544128412009-08-25T09:20:00.000-07:002010-02-11T22:16:04.673-08:00New Blog: Bike San Diego<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5Kimz7mU2JJ_rCibvhk13tqgVWs3wPWmBUKSxyBRrJCtePjT6idBhUxhOxyek58gPaFOMDzNq0F7aJ5h9bAX15KBj_wUDmrG1G0Wf3t3yEgxPsz00gG-v8f1P_jNw1BU9p3gUwMmG_E/s1600-h/bsd.logo.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 285px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5Kimz7mU2JJ_rCibvhk13tqgVWs3wPWmBUKSxyBRrJCtePjT6idBhUxhOxyek58gPaFOMDzNq0F7aJ5h9bAX15KBj_wUDmrG1G0Wf3t3yEgxPsz00gG-v8f1P_jNw1BU9p3gUwMmG_E/s320/bsd.logo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373553590764079154" /></a>Calling all San Diego bicycle bloggers, riders, shop owners, advocates, enthusiasts, and anyone with an interest in sustainable urban development! A small group of San Diego bicycle bloggers has just launched a new site called, appropriately, <a href="http://www.bikesd.org/">Bike San Diego</a>. Drawing inspiration from sites such as <a href="http://bikeportland.org/">BikePortland</a> and <a href="http://www.streetsblog.org/">Streetsblog</a>, the primary mission of <a href="http://www.bikesd.org/">Bike San Diego</a> is simple: to provide a one-stop source for bicycle-related news, events, and advocacy in America's Finest City. This is an all-volunteer effort at citizen journalism by and for bicycle riders in metro San Diego and San Diego County.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.bikesd.org/">BikeSD.org</a> is in pre-launch status right now; the site is up and content is flowing, but the editors are accepting suggestions from the community as the site takes shape. This is your site, riders of San Diego, be the change you would like to see in the world and help us provide content that is relevant to you! Please send your comments, suggestions and tips by filling out the <a href="http://www.bikesd.org/contact-us/">Contact Us</a> form at <a href="http://www.bikesd.org/">BikeSD.org</a>.</div>tonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288056183829987285noreply@blogger.com0