BullHorn

Fixated on Fixed

Women on Wheels

Revolving and Evolving

Bikes Not BombsReplacing Cables

First EditionMarch 2010

Portland Bike Scene

Tips for TripsSugino Messenger Crank Review

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TableofContentsBikes.indd 1 4/14/10 12:44:15 PM

WomenWheelson

“I can just get on my bike and go... It’s freedom.

“

“I thInk (bicycling) has done more to emancipate women than

anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance.” Susan B. Anthony’s

words, spoken in 1896, ring true today. Courtney Ramey, a dedicated bicycle commuter, agrees

with Anthony: “It’s easy. It feels great. It’s freedom.” Pam Polizzi loves that “biking gives you a great deal of freedom in getting around the city easily.” The invention of the modern “safety bicycle” in the 1880s made riding acces-sible for women, who embraced the freedom and mobility they found on a bicycle. Since then, bicy-cling has sometimes been seen as an athletic pursuit more suitable for men. As the bicycle again becomes the logical choice for convenient transportation, more and more of the wheels on the street are driven by women. Ramey, who

started cycling in October and has become a dedicated rider, was initially hesitant to ride in the city. “Worrying about cars

was my biggest fear,”

2

Laura McCamyT h u r s d a y , March 11, 2010

Th

e inve

ntion of the modern “safety bicycle” in th

e 1

880s

mad

e rid

ing ac

cessible for women, who embraced

freed

om an

d mobility they found on a bicycle. Since then, b

icycl

ing

has

som

etim

es been seen as an athletic pursuit

suita

ble for men. As the bicycle again becomes t

he logic

al ch

oice

for

con

venient

Women.indd 2 4/14/10 12:45:58 PM

3

Th

e inve

ntion of the modern “safety bicycle” in th

e 1

880s

mad

e rid

ing ac

cessible for women, who embraced

freed

om an

d mobility they found on a bicycle. Since then, b

icycl

ing

has

som

etim

es been seen as an athletic pursuit

suita

ble for men. As the bicycle again becomes t

he logic

al ch

oice

for

con

venient more and m

ore of the wheels on the

street are driven by w

omen

.

Women.indd 1 4/14/10 12:45:58 PM

she says. “I was under this misconception that it is so dangerous to be a bike rider in San Francisco. It’s actually not - you just have to be aware of what’s going on around you at all times.” Julie Lucas, who got her first bicycle since childhood in 2008, agrees: “I had never ridden in traffic before. It took a while to be com-fortable that I was actually supposed to be on the street.” Now Lucas is happy to use a bicycle as her main mode of trans-portation. “If I want to go somewhere,” she says, “then I can just leave when I want to. I can just get on my bike and go.” Once you are comfortable, bicycling becomes a source of delight. “I love the air on my face,” says Al-bany’s Catherine Sutton, who started her love affair with cycling at an early age, recalling fond memories of riding through the British countryside with her father at age 6. “At night, I love the smells from the flowering plants as you go by. I like us-ing my body. I wouldn’t say it’s exercise. It feels like honest transportation - I’m using my own energy rather than stealing it from the Earth.”

4

N i n a Criswell and Lane

Fricke began their bike com-muting career in kindergarten riding

a triple with their father, John Fricke. Now they ride their own bikes when they

don’t have after-school activities. They agree that they prefer riding to being driven around by car. “In a car it’s really boring, be-cause you don’t do anything,” Nina says. Lane adds, “I like not getting carsick and

seeing the whole thing. ... In a car, it’s all stuffy and there’s peo-

ple in front of you so you can’t see out.”

womencontd.indd 2 4/14/10 12:47:03 PM

Susi Holman, who commutes from Larkspur to downtown San Francisco by transit and bicycle, says having a bud-dy to ride with is important. She adds a fun suggestion: “Acces-sories really help. For instance, I just bought a pink frog headlight. Because I love to accessorize with girly things, it’s exciting to shop for things and be able to accessorize my bike.” Lucas’ experience of sharing the road with cars was improved by the knowledge she gained taking an urban cycling workshop. “I think that the best thing I took away from the class is to feel more comfortable about tak-ing the lane when that’s appro-priate,” she says, “espe-cially when

the lanes are nar-

row. I realize t h a t when I ride farther

out in the lane, the cars actually pass me with

more space rather than trying to squeeze by me and stay in the lane.” Ramey says, “I feel like have so much more time now to my-self. It’s great decompression before and after work. It’s a lot less scary than I ever dreamed or hoped.” “It’s an easy way to get some exercise and fresh air and to easily get from one place to another,” Polizzi adds. “The feel-ing of freedom that you get from biking will definitely put a smile on your face.”

Bike About Town is presented by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, an 11,000-member nonprofit dedicated to creating safer streets and more livable communities by promoting the bicycle for everyday trans-

portation. For more biking resources, go to www.sfbike.org.

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Learning how to ride a fixie was like drinking decaf your whole life and then suddenly having the real thing“

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Learning how to ride a fixie was like drinking decaf your whole life and then suddenly having the real thing”

“Now all the college kids want

them because they have had courier bags for the last five years and now they want

the bike to go with it,” said Wirtanen.The bikes are also popular with racers

wanting to work on their form, com-muters who ride in rain and snow, and,

increasingly, with those taking up track racing on banked velodromes.

Some who ride them on the street simply buy production track bikes from

companies like Bianchi and Fuji Bicycles, while others retrofit old steel road bikes into the “fixies” now often seen parked

outside hip city bars.Fixie is short for “fixed gear,” meaning the rear wheel and the pedals are con-

nected through a single gear anchored to the rear wheel.Unlike standard road bikes, there is no way to coast, there is only one gear and brakes are optional.

Simply put, when the wheels are moving, the rider’s legs are moving.As with a child’s Big Wheel, if you want to stop, you have to use your leg muscles to slow the bike.

Many riders, but not all, add a front brake, but the pure and brave (or foolish) of heart scoff at the notion.Oddly, when this configuration was first introduced in the late 19th century, it was known as a “safety

bicycle,” since it replaced the “high wheel,” whose enormous front wheel made for an unstable ride.Though hand brakes and free wheels were invented soon after, the fixed gear remained a popular bike for

decades, including during the early years of the Tour de France.One modern-day devotee, a former mechanic at San Francisco’s Pedal Revolution who goes by the name

Moon, compares the simplicity of his current fixie to the BMX dirt bike he rode as a teenager.“Learning how to ride a fixie was like drinking decaf your whole life and then suddenly having the real

thing,” Moon said.Learning to slow a bike with your legs and cornering while pedaling makes one a better cyclist, according

to Wirtanen.

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fixedcontd.indd 1 4/14/10 12:48:47 PM

Though Wirtanen’s shop tries to make sure all nonexperts install brakes, he waxes poetic about the thrill of a pure track bike.

“You take the brake off and you can’t get any crazier for field testing your skill level than playing in traffic on a track bike,” Wir-

tanen said. “If you are an intelligent cyclist, it makes you far more aware. Instead of looking a car or two ahead of you, you have

to look three to four blocks down the road and have to scan left to right constantly to look for escape routes.” “It’s a Zen thing.

Once you get used to traffic, then you can float through the chaos,” he said. Sam Murphy, a San Francisco-based photographer who

has been riding her brake-equipped fixie for two years, is surprised at how many brakeless fixies she sees parked in San Francisco’s

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fixedcontd2.indd 2 4/14/10 12:49:58 PM

bohemian M

ission district. “The trend is a little scary in some w

ays, but I’m just glad to see m

ore butts on bikes,” Murphy said.

fixedcontd2.indd 1 4/14/10 12:49:56 PM

Adobe Design Suitewww.adobe.com/products/creativesuite

Where greyscale meets color. Adobe.

pg12.indd 1 4/14/10 12:50:55 PM

Cranksets and chainrings bearing the Sugino mark are familiar to just about any bike tinkerer, they are widely spec’d as new and replacement equipment. Made for the keirin racing circuit of Japan, Sugino track cranks are some of the finest out there and seen on many discerning riders bikes. In recent years Sugino has branched out into urban market, offering street riders a chance to take advantage of some of that track quality as a nicer price. The roughly $75 Mes-senger Chainring is one such item, a high quality “track” ring made with fewer teeth and to fit 130mm BCD road cranksets. There are certainly less expensive chainrings out there in 42/44/46/48 tooth configurations, but when run-ning a fixed or singlespeed drivetrain there is good reason not to choose the “cheaper” alternative. Without a derailleur to tension the chain, the roundness of the chainring and cog are of utmost importance to keep tension even and prevent a potentially catastrophic chain throw. The Messenger ring is pretty round, and assuming your chainring spider is also in true should yield even tension. Tall teeth and no shift ramps or pins also help keep the chain where it should be – on the ring. The 140g ring is thick and stiff, noticeably more-so than road chainrings, and requires the thicker 1/8 width chain common on track and BMX bikes. Available in a number of colors besides the pictured black, this ring should last for many miles. With only 150miles or so on this particular ring, I suspect I’ll have this purchase for a long time.

Sugino Crankset Review Messenger

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City rid-ing can be

a trectcherous thing, even for

the seasoned rid-er. Pedestrians scoff

at bikes on the side-walk, and motorists honk and yell if you’re too close to the middle of the road. It seems like every-where a cyclist turns is another accident wait-ing to happen. But there are ways to ride safely in the city.

At-lanta is

a tough city for cyclists. It’s even been of-

ficially recognized as such by Bicycling Magazine. Unfortunately,

we Atlantans have the dubious honor of having one of the worst cit-

ies in the country for biking. (Atlanta, Boston, and Houston seem to vie for the

title each year.) Traffic is heavy, bike ac-commodations few. However, that doesn’t

mean you can’t ride your bike here. You just have to know where to ride and how to ne-

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go-t i a t e

the traffic when you’re out

there. Here are a few tips I hope will help. But first a side note.

I’m often asked whether it’s legal to ride your bike on the sidewalk. The answer is, technical-ly, no (unless you’re under thirteen). The dilemma here is that while riding in the street certainly has its dangers, so too does riding on the sidewalk. On the sidewalk, you not only have to negotiate curbs, root damage, and other sidewalk users, but you’re also vul-nerable to drivers entering and exiting side streets who are not expecting to see traffic (you) on the sidewalk. If you do choose to ride on the sidewalk, you must be aware of the inher-ent dangers there. Use your common sense on this one. Now back to the tips. Tip One: If you remember nothing else, remember this: Be visible. Be predictable. Being visible is self-explan-atory. Dress so drivers can see you. Wear yellow. It’s the color most visible to the eye. Don’t wear gray. That’s the color of the street. You’ll be nearly invisible in gray, blending in to the street, especially at dusk. Of course at night, use lights and wear reflective gear. The more you light up at night, the better. Be visible. Being predictable simply means that you follow the rules of the road. Bicycles are classified as vehicles. Thus, they are required to follow the same rules of the road as other vehicles. Ride on the right hand side of the road; obey the

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the signs and signals; take the left lane when turning left, and signal your inten-tions to other drivers. We have only one set of rules for the road, so when everyone abides by them, everyone knows what everyone else is go-ing to do. Be visible. Be predictable.

Tip Two: Be aware of hazards that are specific to bicycles.

Watch for cars making left turns in front of you, and look for cars pulling out from side streets and driveways. Although these are obvious dangers, cyclists need to be particularly vigi-

lant of them. Drivers often misjudge the speed at which bicycles travel and they do not perceive bicycles as a danger to them. Drivers will often pull out in front of a bicycle where they would never consider such a move if the oncoming traffic were car or truck.

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Watch for sew

er grates that have the

bars turned parallel to the curb. Your

front wheel can fall in and toss you

over the handlebars. Knowing

your route helps you avoid this hazard.

Watch for cars that pass

you and then make a

right turn in front of

you. You prevent this

situation by moving to

the center of the lane

before you get to the

intersection.

Be aware that railroad tracks

and steel cover plates are

extremely slippery, espe-

cially when w

et. Cross

them slow

ly in a per-

pendicular fashion.

Be aware that drivers cannot

see the holes, debris, and other

hazards that you have to

negotiate. Signal drivers, if

possible, before making

any unexpected

moves to

avoid

them.

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tipscontd.indd 1 4/14/10 12:53:25 PM

18

Riding with cars is scary. That’s a healthy fear.

“ ”You can find lots of neighbor-hood streets or more lightly trav-eled thoroughfares when you look for them. You can also ask other cyclists about good routes. You can always spot the bike riders at a gathering. They’re the ones talking ad infinitum about what streets they use to get to such and such a place, how bad the hills are, and which traffic lights don’t recognize their presence. You’ll suddenly find this most boring of subjects to be of great interest when you start city bik-ing. You’ll see that a good route is not only safer because there is less traffic on it, but also safer because you’ll know ahead of time where the hazards are. Un-fortunately, sometimes there are no good routes from point A to point B. Sooner or later you end up having to travel on a road that you feel is just too dangerous to

ride on. In this instance, it may be that riding on the sidewalk is your best option. Again, use your common sense on this one. But all in all, you’ll find that riding in Atlanta is quite doable. Yes, it gets stressful sometimes. Rid-ing with cars is scary. That’s a healthy fear. But if you’ll keep these three tips in mind: Be visible, be pre-dictable; know the hazards specific to bicycles, and pick good routes, you’ll be surprised how far you can go. Plus, you can brag about how hard-core you are for riding in one of the toughest cities in the country for biking. Happy Trails!

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N e w

Let us change your mind.

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City Spotlight: PortlandNational Geographic Traveler Awards Portland Most Bike Friendly City

T h e City of

Portland has been struggling to improve

its infrastructure as sanc-tioned by the Portland Bicycle

Plan for 2030, regardless of the esteem honor it earned from the Na-

tional Geographic Traveler as the most bike friendly city in the United States of America.

Planning ahead was their key to the honor ren-dered to the city, according to Gerik Kransky, advocacy

campaign manager at the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. He also added that Portland has a high riding population that brought

about the ranking and likewise did open the need to improve its infra-structures based on previous plans. However, this is just the beginning.

On February 11 of this year, the City Council by a unanimous vote of 5-0 passed the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030 with its objective to en-

hance Portland’s ridership, to attract new riders, improve practical biking policies, appropriation of suitable parking space, the expansion of biking

programs and networks in support to cycling and to fund such facilities. The new plan ensures public safety and health by promoting clean

air. As proposed, it is cheaper to encourage building of bicycle networks instead of cars and vehicular infrastructures that contributes to air pollu-tion. The City of Portland, together with the BTA and the Portland Bureau of Transportation has already launched to pave 24 kms bicycle lanes this year. The BTA likewise has initiated the social awareness among its populace in their efforts known as The Build It Campaign that promises the realization of the Port-land Bike Plan for 2030 that will benefit the general public. This move convinced the City of Portland and its Metro Council to support and get the plan rolling into action.

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What kind of bike do you have?

What kind of bike do you have?

“It’s a 1997 Bianchi, but it wasn’t re-ally used when i bought it. So it’s just like riding a new bike.”

“It’s my first real bike.. not counting those mountain bikes you get as a kid. I dove right into the fixed gear and it started out as a Republic bike, which is an internet, IKEA for bikes sort of thing.”

I feel like a happy little puppy w

hen i’m

on a

bike

“I loved my republic, but it was like a training wheels bike. It was pretty cheap. So far i’ve upgraded the frame, handlebars, headset, pedals, and i had the crankset custom powder coated. It’s about half the weight my Republic was, and such a smoother ride.”

“I got it from Ebay for around 400$, which is great considering what kind it is. It shipped from Hawaii.”

“Every day. I ride to and from school, so it’s about a mile or two depending on how often i come back between classes.”

“I love riding in the morning. (When) there’s no cars out, and it’s just me on the bike and the bike on the road. I love starting my day off that way.”

“I love how relaxing it is to me. I feel like a happy little puppy when i’m on a bike. And i hate running, so this is my de-stresser and my exercise all in one.”

“Definitely. It’s really rewarding to build your own bike, and be so involved in the process.”

Where did you get it?

Where did you get it?

Would you get the same bike again?

How often do you ride?

What’s your favourite thing about city biking?

What’s your favourite thing about city biking?

Rea

der’s Rides

“”

21Ashley SmithSarasota, FloridaCustom Fixed Gear

A m a n d a P r i n c e h o r nSt Augustine, FL1997 Bianchi

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What do the following have in common: a derailleur gear, an aluminum frame, the free-wheel, disk wheels, anatomical saddles, clipless pedals, sus-pension, folding bikes? An-swer: they were all ideas that originated in the late 1800s. The late English cycling historian, John Pinkerton, once remarked,“Think of a new idea in bicycle design and someone will have already invented it, probably in the nineteenth century.”

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After the fun-damentals of

bicycle design had been con-ceived by the

end of the 1860s, a multitude of

subsequent im-provements were

suggested and tried. In some

cases the ideas died, marking

the end of that particular evolu-

tionary branch. In other instances,

the concepts were embraced to the point that they led to com-

mercial suc-cesses. It’s worth

noting that Jim Hurd, the former

curator of the Bicycle Museum of America, says

that at the turn of the century there

were two buildings in Washington DC that held

every patent in the U.S. One building held pat-

ents covering every type of product you can think

of. The other building was reserved specifi-cally for bicycle patents. It’s a manifestation of how much energy had gone into refining

the bicycle and it’s the reason why it’s such a challenge for modern designers to make any

sea-change improvements. Always remember that bicycle inventions

that were successful were rarely the result of a spontaneous flash of inspiration by one person. More commonly, they were built on previous ideas and experiments and no one

date or individual can always be attributed to a particular design. Furthermore, many

viable prototypes were abandoned and not pursued until years later.

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One could argue, perhaps, that an invention should have successful “prog-eny” to be considered a true milestone. Some “milestones” can thus be challenged in that they only gained importance in retrospect; they might have marked a stepping stone to something more advanced from which there was no turning back but in reality, the innovation was quickly for-gotten and had no permanent impact. All this creates both ambiguity and controversy as to who the “true” inventor was and the date when the first successful version was produced. To add to the confusion, in recent years several early icons of bicycle his-tory have been rele-gated to the hopper of popular myth. Most, if not all, alleged devel-opments before the granting of the Von Drais patent in 1818 are highly conjectural. There is also the risk that, unless there is credible documentary evidence, some early innovations are actual-ly subsequent bicycle priority claims from the 1890s or later and

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evolvingcontd.indd 2 4/14/10 12:57:35 PM

gears, wheel rims made of anything ex-cept wood and frames of a configuration other than the stan-dard diamond. Not surprisingly, noth-ing earth shattering shows up between 1910 and 1930, un-til Tullio Campagnolo begins to influence the industry. There seems to be another period of relative in-activity in the 1950s and 60s but this was followed by the bi-cycle boom of the 80s led by Japanese and American com-panies and which spawned the high-tech machines of today. Trickle-down of the technology means that sophis-ticated bicycles can now be had for rela-tively modest prices.

25are thus false step-ping stones that do not convey an accurate history. Arguments about who invented the bicycle are thus rarely fruitful and never conclusive. In all likelihood, the Baron von Drais (Germany), Kirkpatrick Mac-millan (Scotland), the Michaux fam-ily (France), Henry Lawson (England) and many others, all contributed crit-ical elements but it was the Starley family of Coventry, Eng-land who can perhaps lay claim to bring-ing it all together as a commercial venture even though their first models were unsuc-cessful and they did not necessarily “in-vent” the designs that they incorporated. Since those early days, there have been periods of relative famine when it comes to dramatic improvements in bicycle or component design. This was largely a re-sult of two phenomena. First was the rise

of the automobile in the 1920s. The sec-ond cause was rath-er more ominous, namely the perverse policy of the Union Cycliste Internation-ale and other cycling organizations to ban radical or innovative bicycles from com-peting in their sanc-tioned events. These prohibitions included derailleur

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In the last two decades, there have been many recent advances in materials, especially the increas-ingly widespread use of carbon fiber and titanium. In addition, the demise of the threaded fork and quill stem in favor of the threadless fork/stem combination, the increased numbers of gears and the

improvements in wheel design are valid contributions to bicycle evolution. Finally, the fat-tire folks would probably consider the new fork and frame suspensions as fairly revo-lutionary changes in their bikes even though there were marketable versions of effective suspension systems that date back 100 years. the new fork and frame suspensions as fairly revolutionary changes in their bikes even though there were marketable versions of effective suspension systems that date back 100 years. Other design changes, such as larger steerer tubes, integrated headsets, and compact frames may still be controversial but do seem to be working their way into the mainstream of bicycle development. At some point, maybe the crank/chain/cogs system of the drivetrain will be replaced by something totally different or at least by non-metallic components that need no lubrication. In the meantime, it is inevitable that still further increases in the number of gears is probably being considered though with thirty-speed systems now readily available, one must continue to ask what the practical limit is. Perhaps CVT (Continuous Variable Transmission) shifting system will achieve the light weight, robustness and efficiency to become a market player. Looking further out in time, magnetorheological or electrorheological brake and suspension systems (which rely on fluids which change in viscosity when exposed to electrical or magnetic fields) might become viable. Bi-cycle computers will unquestionably get more and more sophisticated and minicomputer-controlled applications for various functions will become commonplace. As if to reinforce the premise made at the begin-ning of this article, many of these ideas have been tried in the past but time will tell which of them will

qualify for future lists of milestones.

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evolvingcontd2.indd 1 4/14/10 12:58:13 PM

One of the great controversies of chain maintenance is whether you should oil a chain or not. The downside of oiling a chain is that the oil may carry grit into the interior of the chain, and that this grit-mixed-with-oil will act as grinding compound, causing accelerated wear. Many experts whose judgement I highly re-spect hold this opinion, but I do not believe that this is always the case. I have no doubt that this "grinding-compound" effect can occur, but the severity of the risk depends upon the sort of dust/soil prevalent in a given area, and, particularly, the oiling technique used. Many cyclists oil their chains by spraying, usu-ally aiming the spray can at the rear of the derailer cage, because this reduces the risk of overspray getting on their rims or tires. In my opinion, spray lubricants should not be used on bicycle chains, because they get too much oil where you don't need it and/or too little where you do.

There are several ways that people try to clean their chains, none of them very satisfactory. The traditional way to clean a bi-cycle chain is to remove it from the bike, then soak and scrub it in solvent. This is a problem with newer chains, however. Im-proved sprocket design, such as Shimano’s “Hyperglide” system have made it possible to shift under full power, which is very stressful to chains. If you wish to make a habit of cleaning your chain off-the-bike, the best ap-proach is to buy an aftermarket master link, such as the Craig Super Link or SRAM PowerLink. These permit removal and re-installation of the chain without tools. The Power Link is standard equipment supplied with SRAM chains, but it also works on other chains of the same width.

The problem

with lubricating conventional chains is that thick

lubricants can’t penetrate into the inaccessible crannies where

they are really needed, but thin lubricants don’t last long enough. T

here is a family of popular chain lubricants that deal

with this by m

ixing a thick oil-type lubricant with a volatile sol-

vent. The resulting m

ix is thin enough to get some penetration

by capillary action, then the solvent evaporates and leaves the thick oil behind. T

his type of lube is easy to apply, and is very popular for that reason.

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