ANT Truss Bike... Mine!

For some time now I've had a trade deal in the works with Mike Flanigan of ANT. In the early stages we discussed what kind of bike it would be, but couldn't decide with certainty. A loop frame with faux lugs? A basket cargo bike? Then one day I knew: a truss frame. And trying one that belonged to a friend cinched that decision.





The truss frame bicycle is a Massachusetts classic, the original having been built by Iver Johnson in 1910 as a pathracer. Mike Flanigan revived the design about a decade ago and made it his own. The basic ANT Truss is what I would call a "civilised recreation" bike: a simple single speed with a reinforced frame, wide tires and low but swept-back handlebars, intended for casual road-to-trail cycling in one's regular clothing. Over the years, the Truss has become one of ANT's signature designs. This, and its relevance to local bicycle manufacturing, is why it appeals to me. I consider this bike to be a ridable collector's item and a piece of local history.





An additional aspect of owning this bike that's interesting to me, is that it is a prototypical ANT and in no way a "collaboration" with me. I merely signed off on features that the builder himself thought best to use. And yet, I like everything about it; I agreed with all the choices Mike made. The bike shows off the shared aspects of mine and the builder's tastes, with neither of us having had to compromise.





This Truss is a 52cm x 54cm lightweight cro-moly steel frame. It is a hybrid between a classic pathracer and a modern track frame, with a high bottom bracket, aggressive geometry, clearances for 35mm tires, and a generous wheelbase. There is no toe overlap with the 35mm tires. The Eastwood (not RAL) powdercoat is an interesting colour half-way between sage green and slate blue. It looks greenish in the sun, bluish in the shade.





The fork is also handbuilt by Mike Flanigan, with a brazed double-plated fork crown. These forks are Mike's specialty.





The main tubes are TIG-welded with a superbly smooth finish. The headtube features decorative lugwork. The handmade ANT headbadge was made right in front of me, with the process shown here.






The seat cluster features the signature ANT stays and a lugged collar.





This bike does not require a rear brake bridge, and in its place is a signature ANT plate.





Paul dropouts were used for the rear fork ends.






The stem is handmade by ANT, fitted with Soma Oxford handlebars flipped upside down, a Dia Compe front brake lever, and classic grips from Gripworks.






The stem is rather stunningly made and finished, and also one of the builder's specialties.





The hard plastic grips are made in Missouri. Gripworks only sells them wholesale in large batches, but Mike has individual pairs available, if anyone is interested. They are very firm to grip, which I prefer to the softer rubber ones. I also like the shape quite a lot - gently fluted and not too thick.






The crankset is Paul's, with 170mm cranks. I love the beautiful circles design and the classic look.






MKS Touring Pedals were customised with ANT cutouts and the cages powdercoated black.





Chris King headset and a Paul centerpull front brake with Kool-Stop pads.






Paul's seatpost with a standard amount of setback.






And a Selle Anatomica saddle.






Mike Flanigan prefers to make as many parts of the bike on his own as he can, and to source as many of the remaining components as possible from the US. On this bike Mike made the frame, fork, headbadge, stem, and pedal cages. The headset, crankset, brake,seatpost, saddle, and grips are US-made.





We wanted this bike to be a single speed with free/fixed possibilities, but we agreed that it should not be drilled for a rear brake. So the natural solution was to have two wheelsets: one fixed and one with a coaster brake. We installed the coaster brake wheels to start with and I will probably leave it this way for a while. The rear hub is VeloSteel, made in the Czech Republic. Harris Cyclery built this wheel around a spare Bella Ciao rim I had left over from an earlier project. The front wheel is also a Bella Ciao left-over. The rims are aluminum and made in Germany. My fixed gear wheelset is a very low-end one, but some day I will save up and replace it with one built around Phil Wood hubs, to honor the builder's US-made preferences.





You don't need me to tell you that ANT makes good bikes; Mike has been on the scene for decades and has a legendary reputation without my help. Having known him for three years now, to me Mike is a very real person - creative, independent, open-minded and kind, with great stories and valuable advice. I am fortunate to have been given the opportunity to own one of his bicycles, and I think the unique Truss was the right choice. The bike fits me wonderfully, it rides nicely, and I will surely post more about it as I get to know it better. Full set of pictures here.

Climbing Moby Grape (5.8), Cannon Cliff, NH

(Photo: a portion of Cannon Cliff, with some wetness clearly visible.)

A few weeks ago I got to bring to life a little dream of mine. I've been wanting for a couple years to do a long route on what passes for a big wall here in the Northeast, either the Diagonal route (5.8) on Wallface Mountain in the Adirondacks, or the Whitney-Gilman Ridge (5.7) or Moby Grape (5.8) on Cannon Cliff in New Hampshire. Until recently this dream has remained unrealized because I didn't want to take a whole weekend away from my family in order to do the climbs, and I didn't have a partner for whom it seemed to be a priority.

But then this summer I met A, who recently moved to NYC from Vancouver. He's been climbing at Squamish for two decades. Big walls are his bread and butter. It wasn't long into our first climbing conversation that I confessed to him my burning desire to go North to hit one of these big faces.

Then when A and I started talking about heading up to the Gunks for a weekend day a few weeks ago, A asked me if I wanted to head up to Cannon Cliff instead. It was like I'd rubbed a lamp and a genie had suddenly emerged. There was no way I was saying no. The only problem was that I couldn't take both Saturday and Sunday to climb. I quickly hatched a viable, if kind of brutal, alternative plan: we would head out Friday night and drive 5 or 6 hours to the vicinity, crash in a hotel, get up early, hit Moby Grape (and maybe the Whitney-Gilman too if we were really moving fast!), and then drive the 5 to 6 hours back home Saturday night. This way we'd be done in a day. A marathon day, but just a day nonetheless.

For some reason A agreed.

We drove out on Friday night, heading up Route 91 through Vermont until the junction with Route 93, which goes down through New Hampshire to Franconia Notch State Park, the home of Cannon Cliff. I had printed from Google a list of nearby hotels but I didn't think we would need it. I assumed there'd be room at the local Comfort Inn since it wasn't yet leaf season.

Unfortunately I was mistaken.

We pulled into the Comfort Inn lot at about 12:45 a.m. When we went inside, a very smug young woman seemed thrilled to tell us that they didn't have a single room for us. I asked her if she knew of any other hotels in the area with rooms and she replied with certainty that no one else would take us either. I never found out why the hotels were allegedly so packed. I couldn't wait to get away from this unpleasant person, so I neglected to ask her.

Back in the parking lot we were debating whether to drive around looking for another hotel or to simply try to sleep in my Subaru when I remembered my printed-out list of hotels. Several surreal phone calls then ensued, in which I called numerous different hotels only to reach the same late-night hotel desk man over and over again. It turned out that in the St. Johnsbury, VT area (where Route 91 meets Route 93), most of the hotels have no one at the desk at night, and a few different hotels have their late-night incoming calls routed to this one person who mans the phone for the Fairbanks Inn. I had a few conversations in a row with this same gentleman, and in each case he was equally incapable of determining whether any rooms were available at whatever hotel was in question. (He actually left me a message later offering me a room after we'd made other arrangements.) Finally we lucked out when I awoke the proprietress of an amazing little slice of history called Injun Joe Court. I'm not kidding. This place really exists. The lady told us to come on over, and she waited up for us, so I decided against asking her about the name of her establishment. We finally got to sleep about 1:30, vowing to get up at 6:00 so we could find breakfast and still get to Cannon pretty early.



(Photo: the sign for Injun Joe's. Crazy, right?)

We got up pretty much on time and had an indifferent breakfast at the Joe's Pond Country Store nearby, making it to the Cannon Cliff parking lot by 8:00 a.m. Upon our arrival, we learned some potentially upsetting news from other climbers who were sporting a pair of binoculars. They'd been scanning the cliff, and they'd found that there were multiple parties already on both the Whitney-Gilman Ridge and Moby Grape. Also, the cliff was looking pretty wet. I wasn't really surprised to find other climbers at Cannon on the weekend, but I didn't think it would be so crowded so early. It was supposed to be a nice day, in the sixties, but the whole park was still shrouded in fog. And as for the wetness, that really did catch me by surprise. It had rained pretty heavily two days before down in the NYC area (this was the time of the Brooklyn "tornado"), but after a full dry day I didn't expect it to be so wet on the rock.

What could we do but make the best of it? We'd come all this way. We weren't turning around. We geared up and hiked through the big talus field to the base of Moby Grape, and it immediately became apparent that we would not be doing more than one route on the cliff. We were already the fourth party of the day on Moby Grape. And the second party was not yet finished with the first pitch.

When we finally got started, the route turned out to be excellent, even though it got wetter and wetter as we progressed towards the top. Many climbers know of the famous features on the route, such as the triangle roof on the third pitch, and the Finger of Fate on the fifth. But the route has so much more than that to offer. Nearly every pitch has at least one unique feature offering a specific challenge to the climber. And despite what you may have read, nearly the whole route features good climbing on solid granite.

Generally good rock notwithstanding, as an alpine route on an exfoliating cliff Moby Grape certainly requires more commitment than your average Gunks 5.8. And with numerous sections featuring vertical jam cracks and granite slabs, the climbing was largely alien to a Gunks climber like me. Once the wetness variable was added to the equation I was thrilled to have an experienced granite climber like A along. I knew he'd be happy to lead all the crux pitches and in the end he led some of the ones designated for me as well.

We had with us the Jon Sykes guidebook to the area, Secrets of the Notch. Since there was a conga line of climbers ahead of us on the route, we barely used the book. Looking at the description in retrospect, it seems adequate to me, but no more than that. The description on mountainproject.com is really quite poor, leaving out a lot of crucial directions and inaccurately dismissing the climbing that follows the "finger of fate" to the top of the cliff. Probably the best route description can be found on the website for Chauvin Guides.

Pitch 1 (5.8)



(Photo: climbing Reppy's Crack, close on the heels of another party.)

We started, as I imagine most people do these days, with the Reppy's Crack variation. This pitch features a perfect hand jam-crack for about 120 feet, which is then followed by fun moves around a corner and up to a bolted anchor. I actually considered leading this pitch, despite my complete lack of experience with jamming. I figured I knew intellectually what to do, and that by the end of the pitch I'd get used to it and have it down. But jam cracks are A's specialty, so I deferred to his desire to lead the pitch, and I am so happy I did. After A flew up the thing, obviously enjoying himself and declaring the crack to be the equal of anything in Squamish, I slowly suffered to the top. I found the hand jams awkward, the foot jams painful. My progress was too slow, increasing the pain. And it never let up. No particular move was too hard, but the whole experience was just exhausting for me. Before the crux pod I felt one of my hands start to slip and I just let the fall happen. I needed a rest. Then I did the crux step up out of the pod without any trouble, and just willed my way to the end of the pitch, constantly wishing it could be over. I arrived at the belay a little demoralized. I vowed to get some practice jamming, but without a multi-day trip to Yosemite or Squamish I'm not sure how I'm going to get enough practice to improve! The rest of the climb went much more smoothly for me, without a moment's fear that I would actually fall, and the ratings on the whole seemed fair.

Pitch 2 (4th Class)

This is the route's lone throwaway pitch. It is about 90 feet of easy scrambling, starting left up some blocks and then up a corner to a good ledge at the base of steeper rock.

Pitch 3 (5.8)



(Photo: climbing up to the triangle roof, again not far behind another group.)

This is the physical crux pitch, featuring the triangular roof. The roof is a fun 5.8 challenge, one that any Gunks climber should have no trouble with. Something the guidebooks don't tell you is that the moves to get to the stance below the roof, up a right-leaning seam with slabby feet, are also tricky, and contribute to the sustained fun of the pitch. After pulling the roof it is another friction step up to a good ledge, which can be followed to the right for a belay at some suspect blocks.

Pitch 4 (5.7 or 5.8)



(Photo: working up the pitch 4 corner.)

This was one of my leads, and perhaps because A told me it was a 5.6 I thought it was easy. I later learned that Sykes calls it a 5.7 in his book and the Chauvin Guides' site describes it as 5.8. I thought this pitch was different from all the others and lots of fun, with somewhat committing moves up a layback crack for about 15-20 feet up to the right and around a corner, then up easier rock slightly to the left to a ledge, pretty much directly below the shark's fin-shaped feature known as the Finger of Fate. While A thought the layback was insecure, it didn't worry me much because there are good (if small) edges for feet wherever you need them.

Pitch 5 (5.8)



(Photo: getting into the Finger of Fate.)

The challenges of this pitch are more mental than physical. The Finger of Fate is actually the second challenge of the pitch. The first is a feature known as the Sickle. This curved, crescent-shaped rock starts almost horizontal and then curves up sharply to the right. There is a fun slabby step with crimpy fingers over to the Sickle, then a hand traverse to the right until your hands are high enough for you to pull your feet up so that you are standing on top of it. In my opinion this is the best part of the pitch. While the Finger of Fate looks intimidating from below, it is actually very easy to climb. People tunnel behind it from either side; when A got to it he chose the right. I made things more difficult for myself while following by stubbornly trying to climb it with my pack on. I had seen an earlier party climb it with packs, but theirs were much smaller than mine. I couldn't fit through with mine on, and I found myself basically stuck while straddling the Finger, unable to fit my body through so I could sit on top of it. I ended up slowly taking a sling from around my shoulder, attaching the pack to my harness with the sling, and then struggling free of the pack, all the while balancing my torso atop the Finger and staring straight down about 400 feet to the bottom of the cliff. I'm sure it made quite a sight; I wish I had pictures! Once atop the finger, this great pitch isn't quite over. There's still a low-angled slab move or two to some good holds and then a big grass ledge. These slab moves are not hard, but they are impossible to protect well and a fall here on lead would send you tumbling past the Finger. When we did it, the slab was wet, and I didn't envy A having to lead the pitch. It was a sign of what was to come for the rest of the climb.

Pitch 6 (5.7 or 5.8)

This pitch begins with a couple bouldery moves up a little polished channel. When we got there, we found out why it is polished: it was running with water, soaking wet. A kept telling me that my toes would still stick on wet granite, and it turned out he was right. The pitch isn't bad, even soaking wet. Past the start the climbing eases past some more slab moves on lower-angled granite to a belay below a chimney.

Pitch 7 (5.7)

When you look up at the awkward move out of the chimney and around onto the face of the cliff, it is hard to believe it is rated 5.7. It turns out to be just as awkward as it appears, and the committing move out from the chimney, if blown, might lead to a pretty nasty swing backwards. Nevertheless I think this pitch is really fun and different from all the others, and it is totally unheralded. There is a great handhold to latch onto before you make the move, and the challenge of the pitch is figuring out how to squirm your body around to grab the hold effectively. Once you've got it (and I'm not telling you which hand to use!), it's just a couple moves up and around onto the face of the wall, then easier climbing straight up to a good stance.

Pitch 8 (5.6)

There is a popular alternate finish to Moby Grape, a 5.7+ left-facing dihedral called Curt's Corner. We'd hoped to try it out, but it was really wet, just running with water. The guidebook described another 5.6 finish to the right, but looking up neither of us had much of a clue where we were expected to go. I tried to find the line, but failed, and then A came up and picked out a line I wasn't even considering, getting us off the route in no time. I have no idea whether we found the correct finish.



(Photo: a view from the top.)

The descent from the top of Cannon reminds you how far you've come up. It took us more than an hour to get down, but this may have been partly because the descent path was damp and slippery. For us it was borderline unpleasant, but I bet in drier conditions it would be no problem at all.

As we left and I steeled myself for the 6 hour drive back to NYC, I tried to look on the bright side: this would make the commute to the Gunks seem short!

Snow time...

Quite a bit of snow has fallen over the past week leaving plenty at Paradise (a solid 2 feet). As you can see in this John Piastuck image, skiers and boarders (32 ants by my count) are "chomping at the bit" to climb Panorama Point for early season turns... This is looking to be a very promising ski season folks. The question is, will it hold; will it continue?

The Washington State Climatologists have something to say about our weather. They just published an interesting report about our 2007 summer temperatures. It points to data that says we're still experiencing a warmer than normal trend (0.01 to be exact for Aug). I also found that they are willing to post an "Outlook" for the fall and winter. Check it out, but don't look for any clarity as it doesn't really predict anything substantial or exciting: "The Climate Prediction Center's 3-month outlook for November-December-January is for equal chances of above, below, or normal temperatures for Washington..."

Whatever the case, we're off to good start and the ants on Pan Point are seemingly stoked. With them are a few climbers who are hoping to find the summit this week. Perhaps they'll successfully weave through the upper mountain crevasses and visit Columbia Crest during this weather window.

If you are planning to climb this fall, here are few safety, registration and camping tips:

• Expect crevasses: Though it's been snowing quite a bit this Sept/Oct, be prepared for lightly covered crevasses on the mountain.
• Avalanche: Yes, slides have killed climbers in the fall on Mount Rainier and it could easily happen again. It doesn't take much to knock a team into a terrain trap (crevasse, cliff, hole) or bury someone. This is especially the case if the wind is blowing which could contribute to large snow deposits.
• Poor weather: Ok, this is a constant on Rainier, but fall is definitely the time when storms linger longer than expected and climbers regret their "fast and light" plans. Be prepared to sit out inclement weather and expect heavy wet snow.

You can register in Longmire at the museum, or self register (i.e. honor system) at Paradise on the front porch of the Jackson Visitor Center. Most teams will select the Camp Muir Public Shelter for high camp accommodations. Over the past few years, that hut has been very accessible... But you should still bring a shovel to dig out the door and always clean up after you leave. On nice/busy weekends, bring your ear plugs (snoring, running stoves, chatter) and expect to breath stove exhaust in the hut.

Cliff Ice at High Falls

Today felt more like a spring day than a December day, with temperatures approaching 40 degrees and rain falling all afternoon. The mild day made for a pleasant walk in the woods (well, before the rain started it was pleasant). I decided to take advantage of the warm weather and took a walk to High Falls on the Pigeon River in Grand Portage State Park. Along the walk to the falls there were tracks everywhere... from squirrels, birds, rabbits and mink to dogs (accompanying their human companions on their own walks to the falls). The cliff that High Falls drops over was amazing, with incredible ice formations everywhere along the rocks that make up the face of the cliff. This particular composition was just to the right of the main flow of water as it drops over the falls. This was taken with my 100-400mm lens fully extended at 400mm.

Redwood Canyon

On one of my stops at the Kings Canyon Visitors Center (in the western side, near Grant Grove), I asked the Ranger on duty if he had any favorite day hikes. He suggested Redwood Canyon saying that there was a 2-mile dirt road down to the trailhead without providing any other details besides asking if I had a large RV (and I didn't think to ask either).

So, the next morning I ventured a few miles south to the turnoff to Redwood Canyon. Once beyond the turnoff and around the first curve, there is no turning back! The narrow, steep, winding dirt road was carved out of the side of the canyon. There were several places wide enough for two cars to pass by each other but most of the 2-mile road (using the term loosely) was wide enough for just one vehicle.

I crossed my fingers and said a little prayer that I would not meet any vehicles coming up while I was going down! The dust flew up behind the rear wheels quickly covering the back windshield so that nothing could be seen from the rear. After a 25-minute harrowing drive, I made it safely to the parking lot, which was nearly full (and all of the vehicles had dust covering their rear windows).

The trailhead was easy to find. Going by what the Ranger had told me I took the trail to the right which gradually went up the ridge, through groves of “young” sequoia trees.

I have no idea what kind of pine tree the large cone belongs to but the cone is about 14 inches long. The three small cones belong to the Giant Sequoia. The medium sized cone is about the size of a chicken egg. The largest trees in the world have the smallest cones! But within those cones are hidden several hundred seeds which are released during fires – they require the heat in order to open up. Pretty amazing.

Once on top of the ridge, it was an easy walk through open meadows and pretty vistas. That's Big Baldy across the valley.

Once on top of the ridge, it was an easy walk through open meadows and pretty vistas. That's Big Baldy across the valley.

The trail (a 7 mile loop) went down into the valley via a series of long, somewhat steep, switchbacks. It followed a river for a short distance then went uphill the last two miles to the parking lot. Portions of the hike were somewhat strenuous (especially the last two miles) but it was mostly a nice, easy, pleasant walk through the forest, which I enjoyed immensely. Even though there were a lot of people visiting the area and the parking lot was full, I saw only four people on the trail and that was on the final uphill trek.

Photographs taken June 19, ..

Blue in the Garden

Spring Blue, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Those containers filled with California native wildflowers are starting to bloom now. After fairly slow growth due to about 2 weeks of continuous rain, they are now sending out flower buds and leaves in every direction. This flower is a baby blue eye, Nemophila menziesii.

Light is always right

It doesn't matter if you are sport climbing at your local crag or in the greater ranges, light is always right if you want to push the limits of what you are capable of.



Every trip outreinforces that mantra to me. It doesn't matter if the object under discussion is a super light weight forged wire gate carabiner,your climbing pack,the helmet or clothes you choose. All of them add up to significant weight as a whole. How you decide to climb, be it unroped, scantily protected or lacing it up matters as well. Are your skills up to the task and your chosen style?



How fast you climb will define what you bring for food and water. How you dress will define that equation as well. Too warm and you'll need more water and your body won't work as efficiently. Too warm and you'll climb slower.



Going lightmeans speed in the mtns. And speed in the mtns is all in the details which includestaying aware and alert top to bottom. Are the ropes organized? Did you bring enough gear but not too much gear? Will the climb push you or will you push on the climb?



The picture is a scan from the 1984 Wild Things catalog. It is worth a dbl click to read or reread.







In April of I publisheda "weight list" here on the blog. I didn't do it for anyone but myself. I update it it as needed and refer to it myself all the time. If you don't write it down and keep track of the info you'll never know what you carry or how much it weights. And what it weights matters if you what to push yourself. It is a habit worth developing.



My list:

http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//04/weights.html



If you are reading this blog then likely you are aware of the amazing climbs getting done in the alpine. If you aspire to those sorts of climbs it also pays to look at the gear and systems the major players are using.



There are few Willo Walzenbach's going off on their bicycles and using wool over coats to climb the big north faces these days.



There is how ever a ton of technology available to us today. All ofthe most recent hard climbs have depended on that same technology to some extent. Saying that takes nothing away from the climbers involved. It has always been that way. Modern gear and the resulting technology has just allowed us to push the envelope farther. Just as it has previous. Take a look at your "favorite flavor". I've mentioned or posted pictures of mine on the blog any number of times or just check the other links. The same guys that aregenerally pushing hard and going extremely light.



You don't have to climb at a professional level or in distant mountains to take advantage of what I am suggesting here. And to get good at it you need to do it in small doses, locally first.



Gear doesn't climb mountains, men do.



Alpine climbing (or any climbing) is a thinking man's game.



Smart climbers think about what gear they use, what it weights, the tactics they will try to use on the climband why. If you aren't doing all of that, you are missing well over half the game.

Flowers for Susan

These tiny flowers, about ¾ of an inch in diameter, some pink and some white, grow on several bushes planted in flower beds around the house. (I have no idea what kind they are.) I doubt that they were blooming in June when Susan was last here, so I thought I'd send her a virtual bouquet to say “Thank You” for her hospitality and friendship (thanks also to Don).

Seaside Tandem

Over the weekend we wanted to take our bikes to Cape Cod and cycle on theRail Trail. Unfortunately, our lighter bikes are at the shop and the Pashleys are too heavy for the car's rear rack. Browsing the rail trail brochure, I noticed an advertisement for tandem rentals. Tandems! Within seconds, I was making a reservation.



Our tandem was a modern Fuji mountain-road hybrid, with an aluminum frame and carbon fork. With our mismatched beach attire and sunscreen-streaked faces (it was a hot day) we didn't exactly look glamorous, but it was quite an experience!



Tandem bicycles look charming and fun, which makes them seem easy to ride. I assure you that they are not! Despite Sheldon Brown's detailed description, we did not expect it to be so challenging. The tandemists must learn to coordinate their pedaling and coasting patterns, pedaling cadence, and even their body movements, so as not to disbalance the bicycle by leaning in different directions. This takes some time! Steering, shifting gears, and turning corners require considerable skill.



The person at the front of a tandem is called the Captain, and the person in the back is the Stoker. The job of the Captain is to steer and balance the bicycle, and to control the gearing. The job of the Stoker is to provide extra leg-power on the pedals and maintain the balance.If you are the Stoker, the Captain's back will be your view (inches from your face), unless you turn to the side!



The Co-Habitant was a natural captain and could even ride the tandem stretched out from the rear pedals.



I could not, but I was a good Stoker!



One of the benefits of a tandem, is that it can go very fast. Once we got the hang of operating the bicycle, we were flying on that thing, grinning with delight and leaving other cyclists in the dust. Overall, I prefer to ride an individual bicycle, simply because I like the control and independence. But on occasion, a tandem would be so much fun. It's a tandem!

Happy Birthday, Tami...

Happy Birthday! Thank you for everything that you are doing. It is appreciated very much. If it wasn't for you, I very likely wouldn't be on this journey. I love you. Aunt Becky. (Photos were taken in November 1976.)

Dirt Trails on Skinny Tires?

Earlier today I went on a "welcome back to roadcycling" ride with Fixie Pixie and the route she planned out had us going though some short stretches of dirt trails. FP was riding a Redline cyclocross bike with 30mm tires and I was riding the Moser with 23mm tires.





Now in the past I've been on rides with others where I've refused to go off road on narrow-tired bikes, thinking that surely this was unsafe - at least for someone like me. But for better or worse I've come to trust the Pixie and to agree to whatever she suggests. And so we went.







Riding off road on the Moserwas surprisingly nice. In some ways it even felt easier than the bikes I have with fat tires, and I am trying to understand why. Possibly it is because the Moser is fast and doesn't get bogged down as much. But also, one thing I've noticed about bikes with racy geometry is that they "like to stay upright" more so than relaxed bikes. Maybe this is specific to me and my style of riding, I don't really know yet. But whatever the bike lacks in tire size it seems to make up for by recovering easily in instances where other bikes I own seem more prone to wiping out.






Maybe it is not as much about the tire size as it is about the bike itself - with certain geometries feeling more stable both on and off road? I do not understand the topic well enough to speculate. But it's interesting to discover that I do not need my 42mm tires to have fun and feel safe on dirt trails. Being able to go anywhere on one fast bike is simple and liberating.

Wild Sunflower

Sunflowers help brighten up my day.

The Trend for Hybrid Cycling Clothes: a Look at Vulpine and Velobici

Vulpine and Velobici are two fairly new apparel manufacturers out of the UK whose refined, hybrid approach to cycling clothing has been getting attention over the past year. The concept is appealing: technical cycling attire that can also pass as street clothes. But does it work? Some months ago, each company sent me samples of their lines to review, but I found myself inappropriately shaped for modeling these menswear garments. So I searched far and wide for a suitably sized male model and finally found the handsome and willing Vorpal Chortle - who is not only a lycra-shunning cyclist, but a self-described "xenoarchaeologist, gastronome, luminographer, zymurgist, anachronist, and eldritch pursuivant." In other words, perfect for the job. Read on for his take on the clothing and mine.






Vulpine is a Surrey-based company that launched in March , with the goal of designing garments that "perform a technical task for cycling and life." These garments utilise mostly natural fabrics and are available in subdued, classic colour schemes. The Merino Button Jersey shown here is one of their staple items.






Cut long and slim, this jersey is made from 180 gram Tasmanian merino wool, manufactured in China. Shown here in black, it is also available in blue. The overall look is subtle, with minimal branding.






The neckline of the jersey is V-shaped, similar to the neckline of an American baseball jersey. Four small buttons (engraved and featuring V-stitching) take the place of a zipper.






A silicone waist gripper holds the hem in place. There are two side pockets and one middle zippered pocket in the rear. Above the middle picket is a reflective strip and a tail light tab.






The sleeves are edged with gray trim. An encircled V is subtly embroidered in gray here and elsewhere on the jersey.






Model's feedback: VChas been wearing the Vulpine merino jersey for a couple of months for commuting now. He also wore it on the Vermont Fall Classic brevet earlier this season.The men's jersey fits his slender masculine build very nicely. The fabric feels comfortable and light to him. He finds the temperature regulation and moisture wicking properties excellent. The weight of the fabric makes it best suitable as a warm weather jersey, or a layering piece. The design of the jersey suits VC's riding style as well as his personal style. He is happy to continue wearing it for commuting and recreational rides.




My feedback: I worethis jerseyonce. I liked the soft, feather-light fabric, and felt that the amount of stretch was just right. While the cut of the men's jersey was a bit too long and narrow in the hips for me, there is now a women's version that should work fine. However, the style in general is not really for me: It is too sporty to blend in with my everyday attire, but not sporty enough to work as a roadcycling jersey for my needs. As far as commuting and casual riding, Vulpine's new long sleeve polo might be more up my alley. And as far as roadcycling, I hope they consider manufacturing a more traditional cycling jersey using the same great fabric.






The Vulpine Cotton Rain Jacket is one of the more unique pieces of outerwear I have seen. The aesthetic is at once minimal and eye-catching. The structured look is extremely flattering on a man's body: subtly broadening the shoulders while elongating and slimming the torso. Vulpine's description as "influenced by British and military tailoring" is spot on. The unexpected colourschemes (available in charcoal and indigo, with bits of neon green and red peeking out) add a modern, urban twist.






The Vulpine Rain Jacket is handmade (in South Korea) from "microscopically treated Epic Cotton™- a fabric created by applying a microscopic silicon coating to cotton before weaving." The fabric is advertised as wind, water and stain resistant.






The jacket's features include exterior side pockets and sleeve pocket with zip and magnetic closures, magnetic closures at the collar, rear vents, waterproof reflective zippers andsleeve cuffs, roomy interior pockets,drawcords at the hem, waistand neck.





The purpose of the sleeve pocket is to hold a set of keys, and a built in attachment is provided for this.






The rear features a magnetic pull-down splash guard with reflective features, and a tail light loop.






Model's feedback: VChas been wearing the Vulpine Cotton Rain Jacket for a couple of months now for commuting. He also wore it on the Vermont Fall Classic brevet - which included many miles of heavy rain. So far, he has found the jacket to be entirely waterproof and wind resistant. It fits him well and allows for easy movement on the bike. The sleeves are sufficiently long and do not pull. He finds the multitude of pockets and features useful. One critical piece of feedback, is that the pull-down flap in the rear does not always stay up when he wants it stowed away. Perhaps there is a way to address this in the garment's next iteration.




My feedback: As of now, there is no women's version of this jacket, and the men's does not fit my body well (too big in the shoulders and too long in the torso). I was therefore unable to form a personal impression of this garment. It looks great on VC.




Overall impressions of Vulpine apparel: If you prefer natural fabrics, classic design and are looking for a style that combines cycling clothes and casual wear, they are worth looking into. Mostly menswear for now, but a women's line is forthcoming.






The Leicester-based Velobici was launched in , manufacturing UK-made apparel "for riding, socialising or working." Their signature Seamless Knitwear line features classically cut merino wool tops and accessories. The San Remo Classic Turtleneckis a lightweight long-sleeve pullover cut slender and long. The garment pictured on the model is actually one that I've been wearing myself, but I asked VC to model it for the camera because the fit works so much better on his body than on mine. More on this topic later.






The distinguishing feature of the San Remo is that it's literally knitted as one piece. There is not a single seam on the entire garment, yet cleverly placed darts shape the garment and add interesting textures.






Velobici does not provide information about the weight of the wool, but it is versatile enough to be worn on its own or over a base layer.






The sleeves are quite long, with generously sized thumb loops.






The knit is reinforced at the long hem, for increased durability.






Model's feedback: VC wore the pullover in the course of the photo-shoot. He liked the texture and feel of the San Remo and found that it fit him well, including the thumb loops.




Myfeedback: I have worn the San Remo through all of last Spring and this Fall. I have found it most useful for long distance rides on an upright bike. I have never owned another "normal looking" wool sweater that works quite this well at regulating my body temperature. On my unseasonably cold trip to Ireland last May, I ended up wearing the San Remo nearly every day for 3 weeks straight, while cycling for 20-50 miles a day, simply because nothing else worked as well. When the pullover gets wet in the rain, it dries surprisingly quickly. It does not require much washing. And it has suffered hardly any pilling despite heavy use. The seamless construction eliminates chafing. The extra long hem at the rear provides full coverage even with low-rise trousers, whereas my other sweaters tend to ride up. The sleeves are long enough to use the thumb-loops. This sweater is in fact perfect, with my only complaint being that it is designed for men and looks awkward on me. Namely, my upper arms are not big enough to fill out the sleeves up top, and when I wear this sweater it looks like I have bat wings. It is also a bit too long in the torso. I strongly encourage Velobici to design a women's version of the San Remo. Functuonality-wise, this is the best sweater I have ever owned, and so I bought it from them for personal use despite the ill fit.






The Velobici Bob Maitland jersey, named after a 1948 Olimpic road cyclist, is a short sleeve two-tone jersey made from organic South African merino wool. It is seamless in construction. Sshown here with a pair of arm warmers.






The jersey features a 3/4 zip with a fairly high collar.






The tone-on-tone branding across the chest is subtle and textural. The zipper-pull is engraved with the Velobici logo.






The sleeves are quite long, extending neatly to the elbows.






The single rear button pocket is knitted with a textural, tone-on-tone Union Jack pattern. The hem is subtly elongated in the rear.






Bob Maitland's name is embroiderd in cream in the front.






Model'sfeedback: VCfound the Bob Maitland jersey soft, comfortable, warm and itch-free. Aesthetically, he finds it quite attractive. The size XS fit him snugly, but works both as a base layer and as a mid layer. In the summer, this jersey might be too warm to wear, he feels, but it works perfectly in the early Fall New England temperatures on its own, or layered later in the season. About the rear pocket, he reports: "It is basically unreachable and appears to be mostly decorative. My hand just can't practically reach that pocket, it's too high." However, for his style of riding, jersey pockets are not an especially important feature. This jersey suits his personal style and he is happy to continue wearing it for commuting and recreational rides.




My feedback: I wore the Bob Maitland jersey once. As with my pullover, I was impressed with the comfort of the seamless construction.It is attractive and the feel is luxurious.However, I felt that the fabric was too warm for a short sleeve jersey (I was not able to wear it in temperatures above 70°F). Long sleeves might have made more sense here.




Overall impressions of Velobici: The seamless construction of the merino knitwear line is impressive and might spoil you from traditionally constructed garments. The softness of the merino wool is almost cashmere-quality, and seems best suited for colder temperatures. While these garments are designed for casual more than performance cycling, there is now also a roadie line. Thewomen's lineis sparse and focuses on urban fashions.




Both Velobici and Vulpine seem focused on high quality, on classic looks, and on hybrid designs to accommodate both roadcycling and commuting. I am on board with all of this in theory, but remain skeptical that the last bit can be accomplished. I think that these brands have a future. But I predict their offerings will polarise into more performance-specific and commuter-specific lines over time - both of which could be interesting and useful.