Bikeful Day

Many things coalesced yesterday (Thursday) that made it a very bikeful day. Not the least of which was gorgeous weather to pedal through on the way to the paper processing facility (AKA the office). As I moved through Camp Hill borough and then up 21^st Street, I saw three colleagues in their cars (and they saw me thanks to the new day glow orange jersey). Collegial street encounters are more common than I realize, as more folks at various social occasions tell me they’ve seen me on one road or another. Good that they see me, lest I become squished. 

I rolled in behind the corporate office center and locked up.

It was another 90 minutes at the office when I realized that a conference presentation downtown was on a schedule not anticipated by yours truly. It was to start in seven minutes. I figured I could make it (hmm: 2.3 miles, but a third of that downhill).  I zipped from my office down to the bulging Susquehanna, then across it via the Harvey Taylor Bridge, and eventually pulled into the Hilton, making a quick change of clothes before stepping into the “Delaware Room”…not bad for rapid commuting!

And then, thank you bike for getting me to more errands: clothes at Boscov’s, printer cartridge at Staples, organic stuff at Giant. What could make more sense?

This is all happening in one biking day, and to top it off, my lovely wife rode her bike into town today as well.  Great job, sweetie!

My lovely wife riding a bike in the Netherlands about 28 months prior to Thursday.

But there is more biking news today, taking place even after the sun met its zenith and fell behind the horizon. At about that time, the phone rang and a friend asked if he could drop by to fix a defective rear-brake on his Mongoose. Together we discovered the role of a missing washer, and within 20 minutes had improved  the cantilever brake significantly. Very satisfying! 

Hartford Cycling

I can't say too much about cycling in Hartford, CT, but in my brief stay here (Monday-Tuesday) I located only one bike shop in the center of town and they don't rent bikes. A fellow Connecticut bike blogger indicated there are no bikes for rent in his state. Oh my! This is a sizable disappointment, as I endeavor to cycle in every city I go to.  I watched several pedalers moving around during the morning rush hour here. I had hoped to be one of them, even if awkwardly scrying safe pathways through traffic lanes I don't know well. 


In short, all I can offer about cycling in Hartford is my modified photo of two neglected bikes chained to a tree in the center of town:

Preferred in Trexlertown

I learned only recently of a fantastic gathering of cyclists who assemble twice annually in Trexlertown, PA. Each Spring and Fall the Valley Preferred Cycling Center is a dense gathering of bike shop owners, bike manufacturers, and individual cyclists with cash in hand to buy clothing, parts and bikes inside the confines of a velodrome. There are tattooed, black-clothed types mixing with streamlined shiny road bike types, there are the old and young, commuters and mountain bikers. Blankets are strewn on the grass and tables to sell wares; mainly cogs and derailers and wheels. 

I found for myself two nifty posters, decals, a new helmet and a new reflective orange short-sleeve jersey. And for my offspring a classic bicycling cap and poster (they are so, so lucky)! If this were not enough, this event is ripe for striking up conversations with so many cyclists, which is highly unlikely on the daily commute. For one, I met a bearded and beer-wielding connoisseur of antique American bikes, who waxed on the design and build of a 19th century velocipede birthed in Chicago. "..all of its components are from Illinois...Had you ever seen a bike link tread?" By this point, yes. And hopefully again in the Fall...

Imagined in VeloOrange

Like every other bicyclist I am enjoying the Spring weather. With it I got a few rides in (Spring deluges and complicated schedules prevented more outings). One of them was late this afternoon, where I made a quick dash to the grocery store for dinner ingredients. I lock up with my own Ben-fashioned steel cable that stretches seven feet through my front and rear wheel, and through the loops of my panniers. Frankly, this lock has to go because it’s not hardy enough for a determined thief, but it is lightweight and easy to deal with.  The ride there is only one mile from my house, and today I slipped beyond so many motorists idling away their gasoline and rumps in car seats.

Here’s my bike imagined in a different color against the backdrop of the grocery store’s parking lot and entryway:

Earlier in the week I met a fellow cyclist on the morning commute. This is such a pleasure yet unfortunately a rarity. Riding in tandem gave a sense (mainly a false one) of greater security, as the car people SURELY saw TWO cyclists better than just one of us. We had the micro-collective going. A dyad! Are things changing for the better? I thought of Copenhagen then. And now I’m thinking of Copenhagen again. And reality is setting in…and Camp Hill is quite the opposite in terms of biking culture. One day….  ….I might move to Copenhagen….

Sixteen Miles

...to the office....
...then to the Agway ( for seeds a plantin' )...
...followed by a short spin to the Art Depot ( can't be short on brush pens )...
...and then home...
...all in sunny warm weather....
....superb!

Borneo Bicyclists

I feel pretty lucky to have a lead on bicycling in Borneo.  Last year we had an exchange student from Samarinda, and for the first time she’s been able to serve as a video correspondent for the bicycling scene in this equatorial town. As you will see below, many motorized scooters share a tight space with bicyclists here, as they move along past small shops at night in a cluster of vibrant, albeit noisy, energy.

Half Rate Biking...

My son and I think this guy Chris Akrigg is, well, merely half-rate on his "Mongoose", so we'll share, just in case you want to pick up a few basic mountain biking skills...

A Hill in Spain from chris akrigg on Vimeo.

Bicyclist Graffiti

I spotted this pro-bike graffiti underneath the I-83 bridge in Harrisburg. Seems to be the same author of the train bridge tag I found a few months ago in Lemoyne. Long live the message!