Promo Pics

I'm going to have a small write-up in Long Beach Magazine this September. I wanted to reshoot the portrait of myself for the story.

I finally got the Xtracycle working with the Gary Fisher I recently acquired and took it out on it's maiden cargo voyage today. Laura and I rode out to the Queen Mary. I had my usual load of light stands and a Pelican case with my camera. I set up a few shots with Laura as the trigger woman. We were racing a bit with the setting sun, but I think the results look pretty good.

Bikes on the Brain...

This last week has been filled with bike stuff. We leave on the 16th for our 2 1/2 week bike tour down Oregon's coast. It's quickly approaching and it feels like we're still so unprepared. Laura and I finally bought a tent, it's an REI 3 person quarterdome.

I've removed my Xtracycle from my Trek 520 to an old Gary Fisher mountain bike. The transition has not been easy. I got rid of the stock suspended fork and replaced it with a Surly 1x1 fork. I have to build a new 700c wheel to run on the rear since the Xtracycle I have is made for 700c and the brake braze-on's won't reach. I replaced the rear der., the bottom bracket, cranks and soon I'll replace the straight bar with a Soma Sparrow bar, which is suppose to be like an English 3spd bar but much narrower.

So essentially, I've been working on two bikes at the same time. Trying to build up my tourer, the Trek, and my cargo bike, the SurlingGary (Surly/Gary Fish mix). The Trek is done. The SurlingGary is a pain in the butt and is still not rideable. I had a shoot today that I had to light so I dusted off my Burley Flatbed . It worked well, but it's definitely not as maneuverable as an Xtracycle.

Yesterday, I took a Road 1 course from Chris Quint, a League of American Bicyclists Instructor. It was great and gave me a bit more confidence in what I was doing. If you have an opportunity to take the class, I highly recommend it.

The classroom portion of the course.

Chris Quint, cycling instructor extraordinnaire.

AUDIO/visual of how a helmet works.

Chris demonstrating the "rock dodge" technique on his Brompton.

When you absolutely, positively MUST stop...shift your weight to the back and squeeeeeze...

Backpack vs. Pannier vs. BOB vs. Flatbed vs. Xtracycle (Part 1)

I've decided to start doing reviews of various gadgets that I've tried in my quest to be car free. Of course, one of the first problems a bike commuter faces is how to carry stuff. A bike is a great means to transport oneself, but isn't readily equipped to carry our human accessories. I think a lot of potential bike commuters give up at this point, thinking that if a bike can't also act as a moving warehouse of crap like a car, then it's no good. Here are the various things I've tried to solve this problem.

Backpack/Messenger Bag
This is the first level of carrying things. Everyone has owned a backpack at some point so it's not new or threatening technology. The messenger bag (let's face it) is a backpack with style points. Yes, some carry more than backpacks. Yes, you can access things quicker. But for the most part it functions about par with a backpack.

This method of accessory conveyance is not very comfortable. You and not the bike are carrying the load. While great for short trips and small loads, if you plan to carry anything heavy over distance it will be very uncomfortable.

Pannier
This is the next level and is a bit more involved. A pannier, aside from being a mystery to pronounce, necessitates a rack. Racks, in todays bike market, are decidedly uncool, something from a bygone era when men wore short shorts. The disdain for the rack is so great that most bikes don't have eyelets on the frame and fork to accomodate a rack even if you really wanted one.

It is making a bit of a comeback. Many bikes labeled as "commuter" or "hybrid" bikes have eyelets for a rack. Your best bet is to look for a "touring" bike, which despite its name is also great for training, commuting, errands, etc., It is the swiss army knife of bicycles.

Panniers often bought in pairs but also separately, are essentially large duffels that you can cinch up and attach to your bike. The advantage of a pannier over a backpack is that you are not carrying the load, the bike is. That's a good thing. Your back won't get sweaty and sore from supporting the weight.

The trade off is that panniers do slightly alter the handling of a bike. Emphasis on slightly. Unless you are carrying big heavy loads, you won't notice it much. Your body will adapt to the new center of balance and you'll be fine.

Panniers are great for groceries, shopping trips, commuting to work with a change of clothes, commuting to school with a change of clothes, etc., Essentially, if you can carry it in a backpack it will fit in a pannier.

For most people, panniers are about as far they go for stuffcarrying gadgets for the bike. The second part of this post will cover the tools of bicycle true believers.