Boston Retro Wheelmen

Tweed Ride Recap

2011-11-02T07:37:00.000-04:00

Heather and Johnny riding through Boston Common

(Reposted from Danno's blog Pedaling with the Pugatch's)

The 3rd Annual Boston Tweed Ride was a success. The 5th tweed ride I have organized in just 3 years with the first and third rides extra tweediness to keep our metal machines happy. The turnout was perfect, not too many and not too little. We did attract attention as the Boston Globe sent their photographer Erik Jacobs down to follow us around for the day. The ride followed the famous Emerald Necklace from Boston Common all the way to Franklin Park. Every inch of road and path was filled with the beauty of Boston and the skill of Fredrick Law Olmsted an architect with an expertise in green spaces from over a century ago. The best part of this ride was seeing all these gorgeous locales in and around Boston that I have never seen before despite living less than 30 miles away my entire life.

pumping air into all tires is the key to a successful group ride

This year's ride came with the help of our new friend Devon Kurtz whom chose the route, one that was more exciting than my original plan to ride to Concord and commuter rail the way home. All the riders were in awe from the effect fall had on our ride. It truly was as our flyer called the ride Autumanal Bliss.

gratuitous shot of my bum!

Once we reached Franklin Park, we all rested and had a picnic before returning via the Southwest Corridor bike path. A few of us went to the Salty Pig in Back Bay before bidding adieu. Another neat part of the ride was our friend Boris came up from New York City and rented a Hubway bike to check them out. Normally he comes with his Raleigh Twenty but he wanted to check the bikes out and we are glad he did. They are as advertised practical errand bikes.

All photographs from Boston Globe photographer Erik Jacobs.

riding down Commonwealth Avenue

Boston's 3rd Annual Tweed Ride

2011-09-16T13:35:00.000-04:00

Join us on Sunday October 16th at the Frog Pond located in Boston Commons for our 3rd Annual Tweed Ride. Meet up time is 10am, ride departing at 1030am. This year we will ride out to Jamaica Plain taking the Emerald Necklace to Franklin Park.

Bring food and supplies as we will be picnicking at Franklin Park before returning back to the Commons. As always this is a family friendly event, vintage bicycles are not required but dressing up is encouraged:tweed jackets, woolen knickers, dress shoes, bow ties, lace gloves, sun hats and the like. Helmets are not required but encouraged.

Ruth Works SF: hand-crafted bike bags made to order

2011-09-07T22:30:00.004-04:00

A cottage industry of classically styled and constructed bike bags has emerged over the last five or so years, as bikes modeled after classic designs have seen something of a revival. Just a few years ago, few companies other than the old standbys like Carradice and Gilles Berthoud made classically designed bike bags, but recently several small startups have stepped in to satisfy this new niche market. Small artisan operations like Zugster and Acorn have started to gain serious recognition among the bicycle cognoscenti for making high quality, thoughtfully designed bike bags, and there are an increasing number of lesser known startups contributing to this niche market. Most of these gigs are one- or two-person operations, hand-crafting bags in small batches. Often these folks are cyclists themselves who know what the important qualities in a bag are.

I was lucky enough to get in the queue for a new bag by a recent one-man startup. His name is Ely and he recently started making bags for folks on the iBob mailing list. Although new to the scene, he's already made a bunch of rando bags, saddlebags and panniers (in addition to backpacks, wallets and other hand-stitched accessories), each custom-made to the customer's specifications. I was able to bounce ideas off of him throughout the design process, which involved lots of email correspondence, and Ely built features into my bag that I thought would be neat to have, but which I had been unable to find in any commercially available offerings.

I wanted a small (~7L), classically styled rando bag with features commonly found on such bags: clear map sleeve on top, pouches facing the rider, elastic closures, etc. Then I threw in some unique ideas (or at least unique to my knowledge): velcro straps on bottom for securing to a rack, internal sleeves for stiffener panels, internal D-loop to hold a keychain, and a few other minor design details. I couldn't afford a Berthoud-- the brand widely regarded as the crème de la crème of this genre, and I could never hit the 'submit' button quickly enough whenever a batch of Acorn bags was posted for sale (Acorn bags are so highly sought after that they sell out within seconds of being made available for online order). No one else makes a reasonably priced bag that has everything that I wanted in a bag. So I decided to put my trust in Ely and see what our combined ideas may lead to. He made it clear from the start that he was in the learning phase, and that I shouldn't expect a bag of Berthoud caliber. In return, he asked only for the cost of materials and shipping, and was appreciative of the trust put in him and for the opportunity to experiment and gain experience making bags. For the cost, I figured it would be a fun experiment: if it were to fail, I would at least have gotten to support a fledgling artisan.

When I received the bag, the first thing that struck me when I began to examine the bag closely was all the time that must have gone into constructing this bag. I think we take it for granted how much time and effort goes into something that has the overall appearance and outward simplicity of a fabric box, and balk at the prices that craftspeople must charge for their wares because we don't comprehend all that goes into producing them. I can't begin to imagine the hours measuring, cutting, sewing, punching, riveting, etc that Ely spent crafting this bag. Of course, once you have a template pattern established and you can churn out identical copies of the same article, production becomes more streamlined (and I imagine that this is the only way most established bag makers can price their bags affordably while still earning a profit), but for a completely custom-specified bag, it was humbling to think how much time and labor went into making it.

On to the finished product!

Map sleeve is closed on three sides, and has a velcro closure on the fourth side. It fits a standard folded map, or an 8x11" cue sheet folded in half. Side D-loops to attach a carry strap. External side sleeves. Two small pouches for cell phone, camera, energy bars, multi-tool, tube, etc. The small pouches snugly fit my camera, but unfortunately they are too small for my iPhone or wallet. Leather strap fits over rack tombstone:

Large front pocket can fit a rain jacket or extra clothing layers:

Internal sleeves on all sides and external sleeve on bottom are ideal for stiffener boards. Vinyl stiffener boards (which I sourced locally after receiving the bag) have been cut to size and added to all sides and bottom (one of my key objectives was to be able to use this bag without a decaleur, necessitating structural fortification with stiffener panels). Top flap opens facing the rider, and has integrated expansion flaps. These fold in when closed, but allow the top flap to bulge past the top of the bag when over-stuffing the bag, without creating a gap between the flap and the rest of the bag. This not only keeps rain out, but also helps prevent things from falling out as they get jostled around the bag. (This was Ely's idea, and I love it!).

Velcro straps on bottom fit most any front rack:

Bag mounted to bike:

On my first test ride with the bag, which involved dirt roads and bumpy trails, it became clear that the attachment provisions as designed were insufficient. I found that I had to add a small nylon strap (which I brought with me just in case) between the leather sleeve that slides over the tombstone and the bottom of the rack, to keep the back of the bag from lifting when riding over really large bumps. In addition, the velcro straps on bottom couldn't keep the bag from sliding slightly from side to side on the rack. To be fair, I wouldn't say the design is defective. Even the best bags wobble around when not supported by a proper decaleur, and I see this on lots of bikes with front bags. And this bag would do fine as-is if ridden on regular roads. But, I wanted something that would stand up to the rough and tumble of washed out dirt roads and fire trails strewn with rocks and branches.

To fortify the attachment without resorting to using a decaleur, I borrowed a trick from renowned frame builder JP Weigle, which is to drill two small holes in the bottom of the bag and use two small nylon R-clips with bolts and wing nuts (Weigle used knurled brass nuts) to secure the bag to the rack. This method keeps the bag firmly planted to the rack, but at the expense of making it a little cumbersome to remove the bag and reattach it to the rack. Since I don't plan on taking the bag off the bike while on day-long rides, this isn't a real problem for me, and it beats the extra weight and clunkiness of a decaleur. (A decaleur, on the other hand, provides a convenient quick-release system for people who want to take their bags with them when off the bike). Here's a rough field photo (literally from a field) showing the supplemental, rock-solid mounting scheme (sorry for the lack of detail in this crop-zoom):

The final test for the bag with the revised attachment method was the D2R2 ride from a couple weeks ago: 74 miles of mostly dirt roads with plenty of bumps. The bag was stuffed, and held on with the two R-clips bolting the bag to the rack up front, and a short strap holding the back end down. The bag held up great, keeping its shape without flopping around or sagging. It kept its contents safely inside, even on the worst bumps. It bobbed up and down slightly when going over bumps as the stiffener panels flexed a bit, but this is expected of most bags, especially without a decaleur.

Here's the view from the cockpit. Note that while I couldn't keep my iPhone in one of the small pouches as planned, it fit just fine inside the map sleeve and didn't obscure the cue sheet. The map sleeve's velcro closure kept the iPhone safe inside for the entire ride; I wasn't concerned for a single moment that it might get hurled out, even when descending steep dirt roads at 40 mph (no, I didn't snap this shot during one of those descents, that would have amounted to suicide):

Since the whole process was an experiment (for both Ely and me), it was expected that there would be a few design details that didn't work out as planned. This has turned out to be the case, but only to a limited extent-- the pouches being too small for wallet/iPhone, for example. But that's nitpicking, and honestly I'm tickled with the bag. Plus, I suspect that Ely is integrating comments he's getting back "from the field" once his bags have been put to use, so I predict his bags will only get better as he gains experience and feedback. Some of the fine details like the trim stitching may appear less than perfect under close scrutiny compared with, say, a Berthoud or Carradice, and parts of the bag aren't perfectly symmetrical, but so what? It's a one-of-a-kind, handmade article! It's got character, and I think it looks fantastic on my bike. More importantly, the seams appear to be strong. The rivets are reinforced. The bag is not under-built.

I'm also waiting on a small saddle pouch from Ely. I'll post about that once I've gotten it and have had the chance to test it out. Ely has a blog, and can be contacted through there. I have no idea what his current lead time is, nor his current pricing schedule. If you have an idea for your perfect bag, bounce it off him! He's super nice to correspond with. And, you'd be supporting an independent craftsman and getting a truly unique and custom tailored bicycle accessory!

Attaching a basket using a decaleur and fender stay

2011-07-29T10:37:00.000-04:00

Baskets are a convenient, inexpensive and attractive way of adding practicality to a bike. Most baskets attach to bikes using leather straps that attach to the handlebars. This method is not secure, and allows the basket to bounce around and rub against the bike's head tube and fender. Some baskets come with sturdy quick-release hardware that attaches to the handlebars. While this solves the problem inherent to straps, often this attachment method places the basket high above the front wheel, which is less than optimal for bike stability. I'm also not a fan of clamping things to handlebars in general, as this tends to clutter the bars.

For many decades, bikes designed to carry front "randonneuring" bags have utilized specialized hardware designed to keep the bag securely mounted to the front of the bike while also allowing the cyclist to remove the bag quickly and easily. This was common on old French randonneuring bikes, and the approach has seen a resurgence in popularity among randonneuring cyclists. The device is called a decaleur, and is composed of two pieces that interlock: one piece mounts to the headset or stem of the bike, while the other piece mounts to the bag. The two parts interlock to create a quick-release interface between the bike and bag:

Velo Orange headset-mounted decaleur, securing an Ostrich rando bag. Image courtesy dagoldenberg via flickr.

The decaleur holds the bag upright and centered, and a small but sturdy front rack, attached to the bike's fork, serves as a perch for the bag. The majority of the bag's weight is supported by the rack. The bag is secured to the rack with a strap:

Ostrich rando bag strapped to a front rack. Image courtesy Vincent Dominguez via flickr.

When my wife mentioned that she wanted a basket for the front of her bike, I began thinking of ways to attach it that not only would be more secure than the handlebar strap method, but would also position the basket as low as possible above the front fender to maximize the bike's stability. Essentially, I wanted to take the randonneuring bag concept and apply it to a basket. The idea of a decaleur plus front rack appealed to me, but I couldn't justify spending $50-100 on a front rack, plus another $25 for a decaleur. Not to mention that my options for a front rack would be limited for this bike, for reasons I won't go into. Some people find that just a rack alone is sufficient to secure a basket using zip-ties, but I wanted something more integrated. I noticed that many of the old French bikes used additional hardware to secure the front fender, presumably so that the fender could support the additional weight of a headlight without wobbling or shaking loose over time. This hardware was typically just an additional fender stay, as can be seen on this old (and beautiful!) French bike:

Front fender secured at three points: fork crown and two stays. Image courtesy protorio via flickr.

My wife's bike has traditionally inspired Velo Orange aluminum fenders, and since Velo Orange happens to sell not only decaleurs but also extra fender stays and hardware at reasonable prices, I decided my strategy would be to use a decaleur in conjunction with an extra fender stay. The decaleur would hold the basket upright and centered, and prevent movement, while the fender stay would prop the basket from below. Total cost of hardware: $33.

First, I installed the decaleur much the same as if I were mounting a rando bag: I mounted the receiver half to the headset of the bike (in this case, a 1-1/8" threadless Velo Orange headset). I positioned it midway between the stack of spacers, as that was the position that worked best with the basket we chose for the bike (a Peterboro basket). Then I mounted the bag half of the decaleur to the basket by drilling two 6mm holes in the top lip of the basket, aligned with the two pre-drilled holes in the decaleur. The top lip of this basket is made up of several layered strips of wood and is very sturdy. The 5mm bolts that came with the decaleur were just long enough to fit through the thick multilayered lip and accept the provided nylock nuts with washers.

Decaleur mounted to a threadless headset and basket. Note that the decaleur positions the basket well below the handlebars.

Next, I needed to install the additional fender stay. This required some small specialized hardware bits, also available from Velo Orange for a few bucks. Needed were two R-clips, for attaching the stay ends to the threaded bosses or dropout eyelets, and two drawbolts, for attaching the fender to the stay. Fortunately, my wife's bike has 5mm threaded bosses midway along the fork blades. These are usually reserved for mounting low-rider pannier racks, but in this case, provided a convenient mounting location for the stay. If those bosses weren't there, no problem-- the stay could just extend to the dropout eyelets. I had already used one of the mid-fork bosses to mount a headlight using a home-made mount, but I was able to piggyback both the stay and the headlight mount:

Fender stay attached to mid-fork threaded boss using an R-clip. Headlight mount is piggybacked with the R-clip.

To attach the fender to the stay, two 6mm holes were drilled in the fender on either side to accept the drawbolts. Before sliding all the pieces into place, a third R-clip was placed on the stay, centered between the drawbolts. This would be used to secure the bottom of the basket. Once the stay was in place, a 6mm hole was drilled in the bottom of the basket through two layers of weaved wood, and the basket fastened to the R-clip with a 5mm bolt:

Two drawbolts secure the fender to the stay, while an R-clip centered between the drawbolts secures the basket to the stay.

The net result is a basket that is neatly and securely attached to the bike at three points: two points provided by the decaleur along the top lip of the basket, and a third point at the bottom of the basket provided by the fender stay. The three points create a triangulated attachment scheme which eliminates any movement of the basket, and the basket does not rub against any part of the bike. Ideally, most of the load of the basket should be supported along the bottom, while the decaleur serves more to support the sides of the basket from tilting side to side, or back and forth, as the bottom of the basket bends and deforms under load. Since in this setup, the bottom of the basket is supported at only one point near the center of the basket, it remains unclear how well the basket will hold up over time using this method. One way to better distribute the support along the bottom of the basket would be to add a rigid metal (or strong plastic) bar (similar in length to the basket-half of the decaleur itself) along the bottom of the basket. The bar could be attached at three points, the center point also being the attachment point for the R-clip. Initial testing with a light load (e.g., handbag) demonstrated the basket to be sturdy and free of any movement. Time will tell how well the basket holds up with a variety of loads.

A secondary benefit of using an extra fender stay is that the fender itself becomes much more secure than before. Typically, front fenders are attached to the bike at only two points: the fork crown and the stay (just one stay, but occasionally two). By contrast, rear fenders, which are longer and thus require additional attachment points, are usually secured at at least three points: the chainstay bridge and brake bridge, and either one or two stays. Thus, rear fender attachment is at a minimum triangulated, while front fender attachment is not. By adding a front fender stay to support the basket, the front fender attachment becomes triangulated and more secure.

D2R2

2011-07-20T22:20:00.000-04:00

D2R2 has a more popular meaning but I like to think of it as Dry Dirt Road Riding. Such roads are perfect for the vintage (or vintage-like) all-road cycle. No need for those knobbly tires, just ones that are slightly wider and still work great on pavement. You can even take a three-speed on most. Furthermore, one can ride out to such roads easily on an all-road bike, without having to drive.

For a few years, I've been trying to create a map of the dirt roads in the Greater Boston Area. This is fun cycling and I don't see a need to keep these great roads a secret. But more so, we could use the help finding more great roads that are nearby and good for all-road bikes.

Here is my map centered on Concord & Lincoln. Pan around, there are other great roads on the North and South Shores.

View East Mass Dirt Roads in a larger map

Of course, D2R2 is more than just riding on dirt roads now that mud season has ended (not that we have much of a mud season in Boston :) The real D2R2, that is Deerfield Dirt Road Randonee, is only about six weeks away; and registration is still open... Which means it is time to get some preparation rides in.

I just put together a map of a few D2R2 preparation routes in the Boston Area. Over the years I've ridden on each to varying degrees and I plan to ride on them more in the next few weeks to get ready. The map is intended to be displayed with 'East Mass Dirt Road' map posted above, so you can see what is dirt and what isn't.

View D2R2 Preparation Routes in a larger map

I have mapped three routes. The two just west of Boston are the routes that I typically ride, and I suspect most here will understand the best. The Prospect Hill Loop is one of the best hill climbs in the area. The BCC Loop is nice specifically because of the large quantity of unpaved roads, though pedestrians will likely slow you down.

The Plymouth Loop is one I did a few years ago. The dirt roads here are nice, but can be rough, and thus good practice for D2R2. You can even take the commuter rail down. Just make sure you don't miss the train back, but if you do there is a fancy pizza joint nearby.

I've ridden on a North Shore loop, which is almost a century. It didn't have as much unpaved roads, but it is a very nice place to ride. There were a couple fords and a few of the old roads are a good challenge. Once I find the cue sheet, I'll add it to the map.

If you have another route or other dirt road suggestions, let us know and I'll update the maps.

Lastly, if you're looking for others to ride these roads with, post a comment, I'm sure others (including myself) would enjoy your company on our next ride.

Cape Cod and Away

2011-07-01T09:13:00.000-04:00

It is summer and time for a pleasant and relaxing holiday. Whether a weekend or a week we have a suggestion for you, yours and your trusty three, ten or twenty-one speed.

Take a trip to the Cape.

Last we checked, all you need is your bike and a saddle bag or two.

And we checked pretty recently. Our good friends, and contributors to BRW, Kyle & Megan toured Cape Cod last month for a long weekend. They started from P'town and ended in Sandwich using the ferry and bus to get from Boston and back. They both rode three speeds and had a wonderful trip.
Family Biking - Cape Cod

One of the more challenging aspects of bike touring on the Cape is getting a single night reservation, so you can continue on your tour the next day. Hosteling International Cape Cod will accommodate that touring aspect for you. Hostels are one of the few places in the Cape where you can reserve a bed, and sometimes even a room, for only one night.

Hosteling was started in the US during the 30's with bicycling in mind. So, the five hostels on the Cape are all within a comfortable days bike ride between them. Obviously you would need to take the ferry to get to the Nantucket or Vineyard hostels.

Hosteling Cape Cod just finished a competition showing how easy it is to bike the Cape by hostel. Check out the video:

Hopefully you'll get out to the Cape if so, take photos and let us know.

Mister Nutter Cycling Caps

2011-06-24T17:43:00.005-04:00

Mister Nutter is a clothier less than an hour north of Boston whom makes very nice cycling caps using reclaimed fabrics from vintage clothes and furniture. Always out on the search for just the right textiles for the next custom order.

I first met Mister Nutter almost two years ago when he came to Broadway Bicycle School in Cambridge where I was then a mechanic. We were all impressed with the quality and needlework and proudly became the first Boston area retailer to sell his wares. Orders can also be placed from his Etsy storefront.

Designs range from traditional tweed, buffalo plaid, military wool, to cotton it with vintage ties turned into racing stripes. Whenever I am wearing one of his caps (I have two), people always stop me to compliment and ask about where I purchased it. I am currently waiting for my custom order for a "train engineer" cycling cap. He has plenty of the fabric and you can get one too. His handiwork is not just limited to caps, this summer he now also has vintage bathing suits as well. If you are looking for local made, recycled, handmade, and stylish to go well with your bike then a Mister Nutter cap is for you.

Review: Spanninga Pixeo Xba battery taillight

2011-06-09T10:33:00.003-04:00

I recently built up a new city bike for my wife. When it came to lighting, I wanted an inexpensive but effective battery setup. I had used Spanninga lights before, and liked them (Spanninga is a Dutch company, and manufactures the lights for the majority of Dutch bikes... which is to say, a lot of bikes). When I saw that Spanninga had introduced a new fender-mount taillight with a neat auto mode, I thought I'd give it a try. I thought it would look the part on my wife's neo-classic mixte, and it was very reasonably priced ($16 from Peter White Cycles). I was also curious to test the auto mode, and see if the light could truly be used in a "set and forget" way.

The Spanninga Pixeo comes in three flavors, all identical in appearance: dynamo-powered Xs (left), battery powered Xba (with on/off/auto modes) (center), and battery powered Xb (on/off, no auto mode) (right).

Spanninga Xba mounted to a VO fender.

Installation
The light is very lightweight, and would work well on just about any properly mounted plastic or aluminum fender without inducing fender instability or wobble problems. It is designed strictly for fender mounting, with a curved shell to match the curvature of a fender. It requires two 5mm holes to be drilled into the fender, 20mm apart vertically. One hole serves as a positioner, accepting a molded plastic tab on the back of the taillight housing, while the other receives a 5mm threaded stud. A 5mm nut and star washer are included. Two Duracell AAA batteries are also included.

Use and impressions
The small push-button switch toggles between "on", "auto" and "off" positions. The button is also shrouded by the molded taillight shell to protect it from accidentally being switched when bumped, so any button action has to be intentional. The circuitry provides visual feedback when you select "auto" or "off" by blinking twice or once, respectively. Being a European light, there is no flashing mode, only constant. The LED is fairly bright, but not as bright as some of the super-bright lights out there... It also has a somewhat narrow beam, and is brightest and most focused when viewed directly from behind, although it visible from the side. 50% of the time that the bike is ridden by my wife, I am riding directly behind it, so I've developed a fairly good sense for what type of light conditions trigger the light to come on when in auto mode. After leaving the light in auto mode for a month, it seems like a fairly intelligent setting. The auto mode works by using two sensors: a light sensor and a motion sensor. Both sensors must be triggered for the light to come on: the bike must be in motion (or jolted), AND the ambient light must be fairly dim, for the light to switch on. I've found that the light sensor reliably triggers the light on at dusk, or even in midday ambient light if we ride under a shaded bridge or underpass. It seems to be calibrated to come on more often than you would need it to (such as early dusk, or during a rainstorm), which is a good thing, IMO. The motion sensor is on a timer and seems to work synergistically with the light sensor: if we come to a stoplight in low light conditions, the light stays on the entire duration that we're stopped. (I haven't timed it, but it's claimed to be four minutes, which seems long enough). The light sensor does not appear to be on a timer: if we ride under a dark bridge or tunnel, the light switches on immediately, then switches back off within a few seconds of exiting back into direct daylight. If your bike is routinely stored in a dimly lit area and frequently bumped into (such as in an apartment building foyer), then the auto mode might not work well-- the light may switch on frequently enough to drain the batteries prematurely. In that case, no problem-- just use it like any other battery light by manually switching it on and off.

After about 5-6 weeks of nearly daily use (but admittedly not much night riding), the two originally supplied AAA batteries are still going strong. When it comes time to replace them, the only tool needed is a phillips-head screwdriver to remove the lens, which is held on to the rest of the light by a single screw. Although some battery lights use a snap-on cover and don't require any tools to replace the batteries, I actually prefer this setup because there's no chance that the lens can pop off if banged into-- something that's happened with other lights I've owned.

All in all, it's a nice little light: lightweight, inexpensive, easy to use, good looking (IMHO), with an intelligently programmed and reliable auto mode. I like it enough that I just bought two more for two of my other fender-clad bikes!

Somerville Illuminations Holiday Bike Tour + 1369 Coffeehouse meetup

2010-12-15T11:57:00.010-05:00

This Saturday evening is the Somerville Holiday Illuminations Tour, a trolley tour of decorated homes. This year there is a twist: after the last trolley tour, there will be an organized bike version of the tour:

The Somerville Arts Council and Bike Committee announce that, for the first time, the city will offer the annual Illuminations Tour by bicycle Saturday, Dec. 18.

The Illuminations Tours, offering trolleys to neighborhoods in East and Central Somerville for viewing of some of the city’s best decorated homes for the holiday season, departs from City Hall Concourse every half-hour beginning at 4:30 p.m. The bicycle tour will depart one time only, from the concourse, at 7:15 p.m. Those participating in the bike tour are required to wear helmets and bicycle lights. Heavy wind, rain or snow will cancel the bike ride, and in case of inclement weather, participants should call 311 for updates.

For more information on the Illuminations Tour and the Illuminations Bike Tour, visit www.somervilleartscouncil.org, or call 311.

After the bike tour, the Boston Retro Wheelmen are planning to have in informal meet-up at 1369 Coffeehouse in Inman Square, where we'll (hopefully) meet other local bike bloggers Cycler of Biking in Heels, Charlotte of Chic Cyclist and perhaps others...

Hope to see you there!

Boston’s Bicyclists Movement Of The 1890s - A Retrospective

2010-11-23T16:24:00.000-05:00

Although not directly pertaining to vintage bikes, this event seems like an interesting historical retrospective on the social history of cycling in 19th century Boston:

Boston was a hub of black bicyclists in the 1890s, including: The Riverside Cycling Club, an all-black club with membership largely from Boston and Cambridge; Kittie Knox, a seamstress winning prizes for her cycling costumes and challenging the League of American Wheelmen’s “color bar”; Robert Teamoh, the Boston Globe newspaper writer/photographer; and state legislator who obtained a legislative resolution denouncing the “color bar“ in 1895. Learn about the impact of the “color bar” fight on the Good Roads campaign, the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia’s bicycle corps, and the Cambridge races of Major Taylor, an international champion and member of the first integrated professional sports team in the U.S.

Followed by a discussion on what we can learn from history, and join us in January for the 3rd Annual Boston Bikes Report by the City of Boston Bikes Director at the Boston Public Library to hear about what’s happening today.

Lorenz Finison currently teaches program and policy evaluation in the Doctor of Public Health program at Boston University. He is Principal of SigmaWorks, a consulting firm specializing in planning and evaluation. A founding board member of Cycling Through History: The Massachusetts African American Heritage Bike Route, Larry has a strong interest in the social history of cycling, cycling organizations and in social protest movements.

Where: LivableStreets office, 100 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA

When: Tuesday, November 30, 7-9pm

Open to the public. Suggested $5-$10 donation. For more information, e-mail events@livablestreets.info or call 617-621-1746.

Boston Area Bike Swap this Thursday!

2010-11-16T11:58:00.000-05:00

Although not at all "retro", this sounds like it could be fun and potentially useful. I hope I can make it:

Back Bay Cycling Club 1st Annual Bike Swap and Gear Sale, Presented by The Record Company

WHEN: November 18, 2010 – 5-11pm

WHERE: 960 Massachusetts Ave, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02118 (in the Newmarket Industrial District)

WHY: To sell or buy things.

HOW MUCH: $10 for a selling space, $2 to enter. Spaces can be shared.
Please contact Greg Whitney (gregwhits@gmail.com) to reserve a space.

WHAT ELSE: Parking is available in the adjacent lot. Nearby Bus and Train — 8 and 10 bus, Boston Medical Center Orange Line. click here for more information:

WHO: Back Bay Cycling Club (B2C2) is a competitive cycling team based in Boston, Mass. For more information about the team, visit http://www.backbaycyclingclub.com

The Record Company (TRC) is a non-profit recording studio committed to the revival of youth music education and the advancement of independent record-making in New England. For more information, visit http://www.therecordco.org

Somerville Bicycle Swap Meet of 2010

2010-10-03T18:08:00.008-04:00

Today was the Bicycle Swap Meet of 2010 held in Olive Square, Somerville, Mass. It was organised by Metro Pedal Power with Electric City Cycles. Present were ANT Bicycle's Mike Flanigan and many others with tables full of bike components, frames and complete bikes set up along-side the fence. I saw tons of hidden bike goodies just waiting to swap owners.

Mike Flanigan brought his new Porteur frames, complete with a front basket, his own bottom bracket-mounted chain case and low trail fork geometry designed to carry front loads. Here they are with Mr. ANT behind them:

There were some really nice goodies that--sadly--I had to pass up on, including a brand new SON hub, an Edelux light and a Dura Ace bar-end shifter kit for less money than I am willing to admit on here. Ugh. Why am I always down to food money when the time comes for swap meets? There were several tables like this one, with--if you know what to look for--better bargains than I've seen online or in bike stores anywhere:

In addition to bike parts, there was a miniature vegetable market set up and a truck full of electric bikes, several racks of clothing all amidst a chaotic atmosphere with people coming and going in groups. The commuter rail train would suddenly appear in the background under the bridge (so close to us!) and rattle the square. I would guess 100 to 150 people showed up and briskly picked out the goodies among the junk piles. The best items were gone quickly, but I did not see many frames or complete bikes sold. Perhaps people were more interested in bargain components.

I counted half a dozen ANT bikes in addition to Mike's own, some of which I've seen ridden around Boston before and a few I've not yet had the pleasure of meeting. Fellow cyclists who I didn't know were ANT owners brought theirs to the swap meet for some show and tell--thank you! I've seen this couple of ANT bikes around on local trails:

It was a great swap meet. I hope to be better prepared for the next one. I did manage to grab one item: Nitto Rando bars, the price was just too good to pass up. I have a few more pictures of the event on Flickr.

A Classic Tool Kit for Roadside Repair

2010-09-24T13:10:00.011-04:00

I have assembled a tool kit that I carry with me in a saddle or handlebar bag every time I ride a significant distance from home. It's in a small nylon zip-up case that I remember buying in an art supply store. The zipper is holding up fine even though the case is stuffed to the brim with tools.

The case is about 8" by 4", and about 3lbs. Here is what it looks like:

The tools inside are in individual pouches, most frequently used ones on top and rarely used stuff (like tire irons and patch kit--crossing my fingers here) on the very bottom.

I usually know which tool I want and can get to it, but sometimes I begin by laying out the individual pouches on the ground. I haven't had many situations where I actually had to do complicated bike repair in the middle of nowhere, but every time I work on one of our bikes in the home shop I first think about whether the job can be done with just the tools in my tool kit. Sure, the big at-home tool kit has larger and more comfortable tools (like a larger set of allen wrenches), specialized tools (headset wrenches and bottom bracket & cassette tools, diagonal wire cutters and so on), but the basic stuff can be completed anywhere. If anything, it is often the bike stand I most wish for, but you can't put a stand into any tool kit. Here is the stuff lying on the ground:

If I extract every little tool from its case and open it up, it looks like a hardware store exploded all over the cement tiles. It's a lot of stuff to carry with you on bike trips, but most of it is there for a reason. Here it is in all of its glory:

So, in no particular order:

(1) a set of 5 Craftsman wrenches: 6/8, 7/9, 10/11, 12/14, and 13/15mm. It covers the range from 6mm (small nuts in fender-mount lights) to 15mm (axle lug nuts). The set is held together by a spring-steel clip. It's very secure and does not rattle.

(2) a set of small Craftsman mini-wrenches: 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11mm and a Brooks Saddle Tension Tool (specialized thin 13mm). Why do I carry an extra set of these mini-wrenches? Well, modern bikes often use an allen bolt and a metric nut, but classic bikes need two wrenches, often the same size, i.e. 2 10mm or a 9 and 10mm to tighten a brake cable straddle, some rack attachment points and many other small jobs that just cannot be done if all you have is a single metric wrench. Some people prefer to carry an adjustable wrench for this, and I have one, just not in this tool kit. A good-quality adjustable is an excellent tool if used carefully. Sometimes it is too bulky to fit into tight spaces around the bike frame. The Brooks tool is often the only thing that can properly adjust a saddle and it's relatively small and light.

(3) an allen multi-tool: slot, philips, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8mm allen, T25 (common for disc brakes), and a chain tool. Can't go without a chain tool, and this is a good one that has served me well. Always test a chain tool on an old chain before it's part of your tool kit, some are crap and break before the chain does.

(4) tri-flow oil bottle, Brooks Proofide tin, 2 "Quick Stik" tire irons (you only need 1, the 2nd is a backup--this is by far my favourite tire iron solution for classic roadsters as well as vintage and modern road bikes), the contents of 2 REMA (Sheldon's favourite) patch kits shoved into one box and a super spoke wrench ring. More about this spoke tool: many modern spoke keys don't include large spoke gauges. This thing made by Hozan in Japan has gauges 10, 12, 13, 14 and 15. It's the only spoke wrench big enough for the crazy motorcycle-style spokes Pashley (and I think vintage Gazelle) use on their bikes.

(5) a Leatherman Wave multi-tool with a complete set of bits that resides in its own pouch. Why do I need a heavy multi-tool with me? Well, last Spring on the Cape (miles away from home) I bought a Greenfield kick stand that needed to be shortened. The saw went through the aluminum like butter. Do you have a saw in your tool kit? I am sure you have a can/bottle opener, but what about an eyeglass repair screwdriver? There were other cases where the multi-tool saved the day and kept me safe and independent. The pliers are fairly strong, have a built-in wire cutter/stripper. In fact, I've installed Honjo fenders (including made the proper holes) with only the tools pictured here. At home, the bike stand, dremel, drill and bolt cutters allow the job to happen much quicker, but who knows when you'll need to do an emergency fender installation (or do something else weird, like repair the leather straps or canvas of your saddle bag--I suppose on a long tour a heavy duty sewing kit, leather tools/awl wouldn't hurt). Anyway, the Leatherman bit driver is a very neat way of taking every imaginable bit with you in a very small package. Here is a close-up:

There are quite a few bits in the Leatherman kit. Here is a quick rundown: a bunch of hex/allen/torx bits in every imaginable size. These bits are flat, so they have to be used carefully. I use the bike multi-tool first, and at home I prefer to use the full size allen wrenches. But it will do the job on the road. The bit kit also has every size of slotted and philips bits, common square and pozi bits and a replacement small slotted/philips eyeglass bit. The bit kit weighs practically nothing and occupies very little space.

If a bike ride takes you far away from cities and stores, I would recommend packing several inner tubes in addition to the patch kit, also several flashlights and a lantern with batteries, replacement spokes, gaffer's and electrical tape, and a well thought-out medical kit. I'll write about my medi-kit in another post.

Add a cell phone + money, the best tools for getting someone to come and rescue you.

A homemade bicycle headlight mount

2010-09-03T13:33:00.001-04:00

Most battery powered bicycle headlights come with mounting hardware that fastens the lights to your handlebars. Most of the time, this works just fine, but sometimes you don't want to clutter up your handlebars with accessories: it can get seriously crowded once you add a bell, computer and headlight; most of all these accessories are made to mount on your handlebars and there aren't a lot of alternative mounting options included "right out of the box". Some people prefer to mount their headlights lower, like at the fork crown or on the fork. Some claim doing so provides better illumination of the road; others feel it makes the bicycle less visible to oncoming traffic. But if your bike has a front mounted basket, it might not make sense to keep a headlight mounted to the handlebars, especially if you carry bulky loads that obscure the headlight. I've had this happen to me when carrying loaded shopping bags. With a front basket, it makes more sense to mount the headlight below the basket, or in front of it. Fortunately, there are some alternative light mounting accessories designed to let you mount your headlight in places other than your handlebars. Cronometro makes a fork mount called the NOB. It's a simple plastic cylinder the same diameter as the handlebars, attached to an adjustable hose clamp that mounts anywhere on your fork. Most headlights (or computers) designed for mounting onto handlebars can mount directly to the NOB. A similar mount is the Minoura Besso. If you have low-rider pannier racks that make the front fork inaccessible, or if you don't like the idea of marring your fork's paint with a clamp-style mount, VO sells two versions of their "Low Down" light mounts, which mount directly to the front axle's quick release skewer.

I wanted something like the Minoura Besso or the Cronometro NOB, but with a direct attachment method similar to the Low Down that would allow me to use the existing 5mm threaded eyelets on my front fork: I happen to have a plethora of unused threaded eyelets: one on the dropout, another midway up the front fork, designed for a low-rider pannier rack, and two on the front rack, designed specifically for mounting lights. I was thinking of buying a Low Down mount, then threading it to some threaded rod, and finally threading that into one of the eyelets, but I didn't feel like paying $25 just to relocate my headlight. Instead, I decided to go the DIY route. I raided my parts bins and found an old flat handlebar from an 80s mountain bike:

Perfect! I figured I could cut off a piece, skewer it with some 5mm threaded rod between a couple of washers. For $1.50 worth of hardware, i could make my own mount. Here's how I did it:

First, I sawed off about 2.5" of handlebar to serve as the main part of the headlight mount. I could have gone shorter, but if I ever decide to upgrade my lighting to something really large and bulky, I may want the extra length:

Next, I soaked it in some paint stripper and scrubbed off the white paint, exposing the bare aluminum. To assemble it all together, I needed to figure out how to keep the long 5mm threaded rod centered inside the aluminum cylinder. I was going to use a wine bottle cork stuffed inside the cylinder, but I couldn't find one narrow enough to fit. I ended up centering the rod inside the cylinder and cementing it in place with hot glue (the kind that come as sticks, and must be dispensed from a hot-glue gun):

Lastly, I fitted galvanized fender washers to both ends, capped off one end of the rod with a 5mm stainless steel dome nut, and fitted a small aluminum spacer to the other end:

I chose to thread the mount to my low-rider threaded boss:

The result is a very sturdy, rustproof headlight mount that utilizes a pre-existing 5mm threaded boss, and that cost me only $1.50. I've never had a headlight mounted so low before, and I haven't ridden it at night yet, so I can't yet comment on whether I like it there. As mentioned above, some people prefer this location since it is supposed to provide better illumination of the road, but if I decide I don't like the headlight mounted so low (for a city bike, I prefer to have illumination that maximizes my visibility to others, as opposed to maximizing my visibility of the road), I can simply relocate it higher up to a threaded eyelet on the front rack (included on the rack for just that purpose), which would place the headlight directly underneath the basket (see above photo, zoomed in below):

If anyone is interested in making one of these, I'd be happy to provide a piece of handlebar stock... I've got plenty! I may even be tempted to make a few of these complete mounts for sale at a modest price.

What Is It About Vintage Trek?

2010-08-29T09:40:00.004-04:00

Over the summer, my BRW co-author somervillain and I both acquired vintage Trek roadbikes. These events were completely unrelated, and the bicycles themselves are of different models and vintage. And yet we had similar reactions to these intriguing creatures.

Initially, somervillain had planned to "flip" his 1988 Trek 560. As an aggressive, racy roadbike, it was not really his style, he thought. But the more he tried riding it, the more surprised he was to discover that it was a comfortable and pleasant ride - despite the aggressive handling.

Fast forward a month and the bicycle became a keeper. Fenders were installed, handlebars wrapped in cork tape and shellacked, a bell was mounted, and a Carradice bag attached. Not your typical Trek 560 set-up, but who needs typical?

My 1982 Trek 610 was a similar experience. I wanted to try this type of roadbike just for fun, but did not expect to keep it. I already had a perfectly good touring bicycle and did not need anything more aggressive. Well, I guess I did need it, because the Trek remains with me and is ridden frequently. Like somervillain, what got me hooked is that (unlike other vintage roadbikes), the Trek feels comfortable despite its racy handling. Riding it is downright addictive.

Vintage Trek collecting is its own microcosm, and if you are interested in exploring it the best place to start is vintage-trek.com. There you can learn the date and model of your Trek by its serial number, and even find the specs of its build in scans of the original catalogues. These bicycles have a mystique and a cult following that I did not understand until I got one myself.

Early Raleigh Tourist and Raleigh Dawn Tourist

2010-07-31T21:49:00.005-04:00

I am re-posting this from Lovely Bicycle, as I thought it might be of local interest. Great deal here on some rare bikes!

Today I visited the bicycle collector Neal Lerner and photographed some of his beautiful bikes. I am posting pictures of these two in particular - not only because they are rare and stunning, but because the owner is offering them for sale [note: both bicycles are now sold]. Here is more about the bicycles, for your viewing pleasure and for longevity:

The loop-frame bicycle is a 1938 Raleigh Lady's Tourist. This model was the predecessor to the DL-1. The frame is 22" with 28" wheels. It is a similar bicycle to the one I wrote about here; only this one is in ridable condition.

The main difference between the earlier Tourist and the later DL-1, is that the older bicycles are not quite as long - meaning that there is less distance between the saddle and handlebars. At the same time, they look "taller" than the DL-1, because the head tube extends quite a bit higher. Another difference, is that the older Tourists have a lugged connector between the downtube and the "loop" top tube which is absent from the later DL-1 model.

The handlebars on these older models are quite short and narrow - which makes sense, because of how closely the rider is seated to the bars.

The bicycle is in ridable condition and rolls surprisingly nicely (I've ridden it for a short distance). The shifting needs to be worked on (the gears slip) and the rod brakes need to be adjusted, but it is a stable and buttery-smooth ride. Sadly, there is a piece missing from the rear of the chaincase; it is so difficult to find these chaincases intact. The shifter, saddle and grips are replacements and are not original to the 1938 model.

Being from the WWII period, this bicycle has some "blackout" components - including the headbadge.

The second bicycle in the pictures is one I'd never heard of before: It is a 1948 Raleigh Dawn Tourist. The Dawn Tourist was apparently the predecessor to the Sports. It was lighter and more agile than the original Tourist, and featured a straight step-through frame instead of a loop frame. The frame size of this bike is 21" with 26" wheels.

Unlike the later Sports, the Dawn had rod brakes, just like the Tourist did. However, its handlebars were wider and had considerably more "sweep".

The seat-cluster of the Dawn looks just like that of the later Sports (whereas the seat clusters of the original Tourist and the later DL-1 were bolted together).

The rear fender with original glass reflector are in very clean condition on this bicycle. These reflectors are highly thought after (both of the bicycles pictured have them).

The middle bit is missing from the original full chaincase, but otherwise it is intact.

"The all-steel bicycle" is written on the downtube. The pain on this bicycle is in very nice, even glossy, condition throughout.

It is rare to see even one of these bicycles "in the wild", let alone two - so I felt privileged to take these pictures before these beauties go to new homes. Hope you enjoyed the show and tell.

........

Note: If you have a vintage bicycle to sell that you feel will be of interest to local readers, feel free to contact us about it. Please include good pictures and a description that is of historical interest.

Cataloging bike collections

2010-07-24T20:33:00.000-04:00

As I began accumulating bikes over the past four years or so, I decided I needed a system for cataloging my bikes. Occasionally I'm asked by others who see my bikes to provide them with "build lists"-- detailed accountings of every component make and model on the bike. With one or two bikes, this information isn't difficult to remember, but once you amass a small fleet of bikes, it becomes difficult to keep track of your builds. In addition, I've been cataloging the dimensions and geometries of my bikes, as well, to closely compare them. The reason is that when I find a bike with a comfortable fit, I can look back at the "spec sheet" and try to understand what dimensions and angles are associated with that comfortable fit. I can use that information to alter another bike by adjusting stems, seatposts, handlebars, etc, so that it can more closely match the bike whose fit I want to reproduce.

Thus, I began creating spec sheets for each of my bikes. To do this, I simply created an Excel worksheet for each bike. To spruce things up and "personalize" each spec sheet for the bike it describes, I used Excel's border and fill colors to approximate the color scheme of the bike. If you don't have Excel, most any word processor has basic table functions that can do the same job. And, most programs allows you to export the tables in pdf or jpg formats for posting online.

Here's an example: My Raleigh Competition GS. This is the bike:

And this is the spec sheet (click on it for full-size):

Easy! Of course, keeping a database isn't only pertinent to bikes, nor is it particularly novel. But for someone who likes to keep track of a bike collection, it's a neat and visually pleasing way of doing it.

BRW June 20 Meet and Ride Report

2010-06-20T19:49:00.003-04:00

The Boston Retro Wheelmen had their third meet today. The agenda was coffee, a short ride, and a wheel truing workshop. It was a hot and humid day, with the threat of showers, but thankfully the rain held out until after the event was over! To beat the heat before and after the ride, there were shady trees outside of Peet's and, more importantly, in Cycler's back yard for the truing workshop. In all, about a dozen people showed up.

Heading out from Harvard Square, we made a short pit-stop at Cycler's house to drop off the truing stands for the truing workshop. We then headed out along Memorial Drive toward Watertown.

We looped back around Cambridge Cemetery, and headed back to the Square via Mt. Auburn Street.

No group ride is complete without a group shot, so we detoured through Longfellow Park to pose with our bikes.

Time trials, anyone?

Back through the Square, and off to Cycler's house for Wheel Truing 101. Cycler graciously provided cookies and lemonade, in addition to the discarded practice wheels she picked from Menotomy Bikes for the exercise. Brian and I provided the truing stands and spoke wrenches. Ironically, the salvaged wheels were perfectly true. No problem, Brian made some random spoke adjustments to one to throw it out of true, then demonstrated how to bring it back to lateral true-ness.

What quickly became apparent is that there is no one "correct" way to true a wheel: it's a nuanced art and everyone has their own methods and tricks of the trade. Brian and I shared our own nuggets of truing wisdom, and I think everyone learned something-- including me and Brian.

Thanks to everyone who made it today, and thanks to Cycler for the shady space, the practice wheels, and the lemonade and cookies! All in all a great time. Next meet will probably see a longer ride, but still end with a workshop. Ideas and input for the next workshop are welcome... Hub rebuilding? Headset rebuilding?

More photos from today's event can be seen here.

Male bonding

2010-06-18T10:48:00.000-04:00

With the girls away, the boys got to play. That is to say, Velouria's co-habitant's Motobecane and my Jeunet got to engage in some male-bonding sport and earn a little street cred without having to be on their best behavior in front of their "better halves". After hittin' the pavement and agitatin' the gravel, the two fellas shared a proverbial pat on the sweaty back at the end of a spirited jaunt.

These guys look forward to being able to get together for more good times, maybe even doing some training together.

BRW group meet, ride and workshop: Sunday June 20

2010-06-15T23:28:00.001-04:00

Join us this Sunday, June 20th, for our 3rd Boston Retro Wheelmen group meet. This meet is going to be something of a departure from, and expansion of, the first two meets: this one will include Wheelmen's first group ride, followed by our first hands-on workshop! The theme? Wheel truing! Need your wheels trued? Want to learn how to do it yourself? We'll provide the truing stand, spoke wrenches and hands-on instruction to turn anyone into a pro in no time. You bring your wheel... and if you don't feel like using the wheels you depend on daily as guinea pigs, Cycler might have some old salvaged wheels on hand to practice on.

Of course, you might have no interest in learning how to true your wheels. In that case, just come for a leisurely ride, talk shop with vintage bike fanatics, or simply show your your vintage ride (and ogle others').

We'll meet starting around 9:30 am at Peet's Coffee, Harvard Square (corner of Mt. Auburn and JFK streets). There's plenty of lawn space for the bikes and benches for hanging out while we coffee up.

Around 10:15 we'll depart on a leisurely ride heading out of the square toward Fresh Pond, maybe working our way around the pond or around nearby Mt. Auburn Cemetery, and return to Peet's around 11:15 to re-fuel and catch up with anyone else who wants to meet just for the workshop.

Back at Peet's, we'll head to Cycler's house, just a few blocks away. Cycler has graciously offered her back yard for the wheel truing workshop. We'll wrap up around 1:00.

Looking forward to seeing you and your vintage rides!

Installing fenders on a road bike not designed for them

2010-06-12T15:10:00.000-04:00

Most bikes are designed with provisions for installation of "extras", such as racks, fenders, and bottle cages. This usually means small threaded bosses brazed onto the frame at carefully chosen locations. Touring bikes, which are designed to be ridden long distances loaded up with everything the rider needs to be self-sustaining for days, weeks, even months, usually contain braze-ons for just about everything: racks front and rear to hold camping gear, fenders to keep the rider and bike clean in wet weather, frame pump, multiple bottle cages, etc. However, not all bikes are designed to accommodate all types of accessories. For example, a city bike may not have threaded bosses for bottle cages or braze-ons for a frame pump. Conversely, a racing bike will have provisions for at least two bottle cages, and most likely a frame pump. But since racing bikes are designed to be as light and fast as possible and not carry luggage, they usually lack provisions for racks and fenders. I have such a road bike, a 1988 Trek 560:

But I'm also a firm believer that all bikes should have fenders, and I was determined to get this bike appropriately clad. When I started researching my fender options, I found that some companies like Planet Bike and SKS sell ready-made solutions for bikes not designed for fenders, including "clip-on" fenders. However, all of these designs leave something to be desired. Either the mounting schemes seem weak or crude, or the fenders lack "full coverage", i.e., they don't span the full arc length of a standard fender and only provide limited protection from water spray. I wasn't pleased with any of these options. So, I decided to "force" fit a conventional set of full-coverage fenders onto my bike.

After measuring the clearances at critical locations on my bike, I decided that the bike actually could fit standard road-sized fenders, i.e., 35mm wide fenders designed for road bikes with tires up to 28mm wide. The tires on my Trek are 25mm wide, and there is enough clearance under the brake calipers for the fenders to fit. What the bike lacks is threaded eyelets on the dropouts, and a chainstay bridge. Examples of these are shown below:

Double threaded eyelets on the rear dropout of this touring bike provide for installation of a fender and a rack.

Chainstay bridge on this bike supports the bottom end of the rear fender.

No chainstay bridge on the Trek...

...nor threaded eyelets!

The chainstay bridge is necessary to support the front, or bottom, end of the rear fender, and usually contains either a threaded boss or a hole drilled through it to accommodate a bolt with which to anchor the fender. So, I was going to have to fabricate solutions to these two deficiencies. I'll return to this later. For now, my next step was to choose a set of fenders. I wanted a set that would provide full coverage but also have a look befitting the bike. The Trek 560 has a nice lugged steel frame of classic proportions, but is not quite vintage. I felt that fender offerings from my two favorite brands, Honjo and Velo Orange, were a little too classic for this bike. I wanted to find a set of fenders that had a clean yet modern look that would complement the Trek's contemporary black anodized rims. Planet Bike has a nice line of fenders called Cascadia, which are available in a nice satin aluminum "chromoplastic" finish. SKS has a similar chromoplastic line of fenders. After reading reviews of both and finding a fantastic deal on the SKS fenders, I opted for the SKS. As a side note, the screaming deal I got was from an online seller in the UK (due to the weakening pound). The SKS fenders sold there are actually nicer than the ones sold in the US-- they include a really large front mudflap! So I got the nicer UK version for less than the US version.

So, back to solving the problem of not having threaded eyelets or a chainstay bridge. Of these two obstacles, the eyelets are the easier to overcome: P-clamps are a widely used and proven substitute for eyelets. They are inexpensive, and stocked by most bike shops. They wrap around the fork and seatstays, and the fender stays bolt to them. You can buy them with a rubber coating so they won't mar your bike's paint. After measuring my fork blades and seatstays, I determined I needed 9/16" clamps for the front, and 3/8" clamps for the rear.

The lack of a chainstay bridge proved more challenging. At first I thought I could use two P-clamps, one around each chainstay, with a hollow tubular aluminum spacer spanned between them. In effect, this would create a bridge. But this seemed awkward and cumbersome. Next, I thought I might be able to use just one P-clamp around one of the chainstays (probably on the driveside chainstay, which would be less noticeable, hidden by the chainring). Then I could make a small metal "L" bracket to connect to the P-clamp on one end and to the fender on the other. But then, I imagined it would look hacked and crude at best. Then I thought about how LED headlamps and taillamps are mounted, and I realized that it's often a variation of the P-clamp method. The difference being, that attached to the clamp is another plastic piece that attaches to the light and pivots to allow it to be properly aimed. Hmm... could a headlamp mount be the perfect "adapter" piece to secure the rear fender via the chainstay? It seemed like it could look very clean if done right. As it happens, I had amassed a stockpile of surplus mounting hardware from all the LED lights I've had over the years. Time to raid my parts boxes! I found a seatpost mount from a Planet Bike blinky, and discovered that it fits almost perfectly around the chainstay (it was a little big, so I cut a piece of an old inner tube to use as a shim). I trimmed the piece that attaches to the light, and this is what I ended up with.

I lined the front of the fender up with the trimmed piece that normally attaches to the light, drilled a hole and screwed it onto the fender. Then I screwed the other end into the circular seatpost clamp. Here it is in place:

You can see from the pictures that the pivoting part came in handy, since the fender is not at a right angle with the chainstay (the top photo shows this the best). The mounting system allows one to "dial in" a perfect alignment with the fender.

With that obstacle overcome, all that remained was to attach the supplied fender stays according to the instructions, except that instead of attaching them to eyelets, they were attached to the P-clamps:

Here's the finished installation, as well as some purely gratuitous shots of the bike:

Darkening leather accessories with Proofide

2010-06-08T20:07:00.007-04:00

Most people who own a leather bicycle saddle know they're supposed to treat the leather with a conditioner and waterproofer to soften and preserve the leather. Brooks makes a big point of this and markets "Proofide", their proprietary paste of a blend of various waxes and oils. They also make a point of not over-applying their product: saturating the leather can soften it too much and make the saddle too saggy. Perhaps that's one of the reasons they sell it as a paste and not a liquid. In fact, on the burnished side of the leather (the side you sit on), the paste doesn't even penetrate (burnishing seals the surface of the leather and gives it that smooth feel). You apply it like a polish, then buff it out. Since the paste doesn't penetrate the burnished side of the leather, it doesn't usually affect the color (soaking oil into leather darkens it considerably).

I recently bought a Minnehaha saddlebag for my Shogun touring bike. Like many saddlebags, it has leather straps, but they are natural colored, very light:

I also purchased a new Brooks saddle in "honey" color for the same bike (not the saddle in the above photos), and wanted to darken the leather on the Minnehaha saddlebag to match. I tried using neatsfoot oil, since that's generally regarded as the oil of choice for conditioning leather. However, after testing neatsfoot oil on a small section of leather and finding that it does indeed soak in and darken the leather, I later discovered that the color darkening was only temporary. Within a couple of days the leather lightened up again! It was as if the neatsfoot oil evaporated (a plausible idea, because I don't know how much of a solvent base there is in the neatsfoot oil I bought). So, I wanted to try a more permanent treatment. I rubbed in some Proofide paste, and found that it darkened the leather a little bit, but not as much as I wanted. I wanted a dark honey color. I wondered if "forcing" more Proofide into the leather would make the leather darker. So, I decided to pre-heat the leather, so the Proofide would melt upon application. My hypothesis is that the melted Proofide would soak into the leather, then as it cooled down again, it would again become a non-volatile solid (it wouldn't evaporate). To do this, I simply placed the saddlebag in the oven at 200 degrees for a few minutes. Then, I used an old toothbrush to apply the Proofide to the hot leather.

Proofide has roughly the same consistency as soft butter, and it melts upon contact with the hot leather much as butter does on a hot skillet. Wow! The leather soaked up the melted Proofide like a sponge! Compare the two treated straps on the left with the untreated strap on the right:

I found that the leather cooled down very quickly, and I had to keep returning the saddlebag to the oven every 5-10 minutes to reheat. Also, after a while I ditched the toothbrush in favor of just using my finger to spread the Proofide (I wore nitrile gloves the whole time). Here's the finished bag:

The color is very close to Brook's "honey", and so far, it hasn't lightened up since applying the Proofide two days ago. I'm hoping the color is somewhat permanent. In case you're wondering how much Proofide this small amount of leather soaked up, consider that this 4 oz tin was new before I started:

The last tin of Proofide I had was good for at least a half-dozen applications on leather saddles, applying to both the topside and underside of the leather. Here, I've used up half the tin on a few straps! Given the premium price of Proofide, I think the next time I need to stock up I'm going to try Velo Orange's new leather paste, at about one quarter the price of Proofide.

And in case you're wondering whether so much Proofide on leather is potentially damaging, well, I am inclined to think not, at least in this case. In the case of a saddle, which has to support a lot of weight, I would agree that too much Proofide may overly soften the saddle, compromising its ability to properly support the weight of the rider. But since saddlebag straps don't have much of a structural role, I doubt excess oil/wax can cause any harm. At any rate, the straps that attach the bag to the saddle are replaceable should they become weakened.

Another idea for the adventurous is to experiment with wood stain. Wood stain of various colors can be mixed with Proofide (maybe melt the Proofide to mix with stain, then let harden again). This might result in even darker tones to match darker saddles.

Lastly, here's the saddlebag along with the new Brooks saddle, in place on the bike:

An essential tool for every velo restoration: steel wool!

2010-06-06T22:40:00.001-04:00

As the number of bikes that I restore continues to climb, I'm finding that there are a few key workshop tools that I use over and over again to the point where they have reached "essential" status. In addition to the 5mm and 6mm hex wrenches, the 10mm, 12mm, and 15mm box wrenches, and various pliers and screwdrivers, there is one tool that particularly stands out: steel wool. In my workshop, steel wool has achieved all-star status, up there with duct tape and WD-40.

Steel wool comes in several grades of coarseness, denoted by a number: #4 is the most coarse, and smaller numbers denote decreasing coarseness. After #0 comes #00, #000, and finally #0000, the finest steel wool readily stocked by hardware stores (there may be finer, but I haven't found them). To give you an idea of the relative courseness, #0000 is similar in roughness to a dry eraser, only softer and more compressible, like a ball of cotton.

At its basic, steel wool is an abrasive material for removing dirt, grime, rust and other types of oxidation from surfaces. In its most common role in my workshop, it is a polishing agent, used to polish up just about every aluminum and chrome surface: hubs, rims, derailleurs, handlebars, stems, seatposts, cranks, chainrings, pedals, shifters, and even ball bearing cups and cones. The advantage of steel wool is that it is soft and compressible, allowing it to conform to uneven surfaces and work its way into nooks and crannies, something sandpaper can't do. Generally speaking, I use #000 and #0000 steel wool for most projects, and I use a variation of the "wet sanding" method exclusively: I liberally douse the steel wool with dish soap and use lots of water during sanding. The dish soap acts as a lubricant which allows the wool to work easier and to get into tighter spaces. It also helps remove grime! Below are some examples of bike components after polishing with steel wool (sorry, but I don't have any "before" shots for comparison). This quick-release skewer was full of surface rust before polishing:

This aluminum hub was chalky grey-ish white with oxidation before polishing with steel wool:

But in addition to its routine use as a metal polish, I've discovered more unconventional uses for steel wool. For example, when my Jeunet frame came back from the powder coater's, I was sorely disappointed with the finish: it was so high gloss, it looked like it was wet-dipped. But worse, the powder coater had made a critical mistake and applied too much powder around the seat cluster. This caused two very thick runs to form, flowing down each seatstay. These runs were a few millimeters thick and several inches long. I had already had words with my powder coater over other issues, and at this point I wasn't going back to demand a do-over; I wasn't going to return to this guy ever again. I needed to devise a way to remove the runs, or else just give the frame to another powder coater and have everything redone (at significant cost). With nothing to lose, I decided to file down the runs using a grinding wheel, followed by successively finer and finer grit sandpaper, and finishing with #0000 steel wool. I very careful progressed through this sequence, and the runs were removed to my satisfaction. But, I was pleasantly surprised by an unexpected outcome: the #0000 steel wool removed the fine scratches from the sandpaper, but left a nice, dull, matte lustre to the finish. It was no longer "dripping wet" looking, but soft and matte. I was elated! Wasting no time, I proceeded to test the effect of steel wool on other parts of the frame, and three hours, several wool pads and about a tablespoon of dish soap later, I had managed to dull the entire frame and fork. I was amazed by the transformation that steel wool had on the powder coat: it had removed the high gloss, leaving behind a semi-matte lustre which seemed perfect for a bike of this vintage and style:

So, steel wool seems to have two opposite effects, depending on the material on which it is being used: for unfinished metal, it polishes it and removes layers of oxidation; for painted surfaces it removes any glossy finish.

Intrigued by this dichotomy, I asked what would happen if I used steel wool on this glossy shellacked handlebar tape:

Would it remove the high gloss finish of handlebar tape that's had many coats of shellac? Or would it polish it further? Believe it or not, that shellacked bar tape was originally white:

I wanted to coat the white cork tape on this bike with amber shellac to produce a deep, red-brown leathery color. Cork tape doesn't absorb shellac as readily as cotton, so the first few coats came out light amber, too yellowy for me. But once I applied enough coats to achieve the color depth I wanted (about six), an undesirable side effect had emerged: a high-gloss, glaringly plasticky appearance that just didn't look right. So, in came our old friend steel wool, along with plenty of dish soap:

The effect was pretty dramatic. I don't know if it's captured in the picture below, but after treatment, there is a subtle, natural looking variegation that looks strikingly similar to leather:

Let's contrast before and after. On the left in the picture below is before dulling with steel wool; on the right is after. I think the look after treatment is more subtle and natural appearing.

So, I've used steel wool to polish up old components, dull a frame's powder coated finish, and dull shellacked bar tape. It truly is the velo restorer's duct tape.

Vintage bicycle taillight LED retrofit: Part Deux

2010-06-03T19:56:00.005-04:00

In an earlier post, I documented the retrofitting of a vintage French bicycle taillight with a modern battery-powered LED. In that post, I hadn't yet developed a solution for mounting the customized taillight to the fender. This post documents this final step, and shows the final product.

The 1950s Soubitez taillight shell has a single hole for mounting to an internal support assembly, which itself mounts onto the fender. That assembly was missing from my taillight, and I would have had to remove it anyway for the LED retrofit. So, I had to fabricate a small bracket, one end of which would attach to the fender, the other end of which would attach to the taillight via the provided screw hole. The bracket had to be small, yet strong, to prevent the taillight from wobbling. An added challenge was making the taillight easy to remove and re-attach for battery replacement.

For the bracket, I chose a small tang of hardened stainless steel. This originally came with a set of SKS fenders that I purchased for one of my road bikes (another future post), but I knew I wouldn't need it for that project, so I hacked it to work as the taillight mounting bracket. It is very strong and does not easily bend:

On the taillight end of the bracket, I glued on a 4mm stainless steel nut. This was essential for being able to screw the taillight onto the bracket, since the bracket is completely concealed inside the taillight.

To thread into the 4mm nut, I chose a nice countersunk, stainless steel machine screw that fits flush in the taillight screw hole. I had to cut the screw down, because the "guts" of the taillight (i.e., the circuit board) fit directly underneath the 4mm nut when the taillight is slid into place, and if the screw were to extend all the way through the nut, it would contact the circuit board and potentially cause problems.

And that's it! The taillight just slides into place over the bracket, and is held in by the single screw. It takes about 10 seconds to attach, with no fumbling.

One last finishing touch was to file the bottom of the lens to fit the contours of the fluted fenders. The taillight was probably designed to fit smooth rounded fenders, and would have worked just fine as is, but by filing the lens plastic, it looks like it was designed for these fenders.

Next up will be the LED conversion of this NOS French headlight, which is just mock-fitted and non-functional in these photos:

I found a suitable "donor" LED headlamp, and am in the process of tearing it apart to figure out how best to carry out the retrofit into this headlamp shell.

Boston Globe in Praise of Vintage 3-Speeds

2010-05-29T13:11:00.012-04:00

There is a nice article in the Boston Globe today about the local popularity of vintage 3-speeds. It mentions the Boston Retro Wheelmen, as well as other vintage bicycle resources in the area - including the Boston 3-Speed Club, Boston Tweed, Old Roads, Chic Cyclist, and Lovely Bicycle. Though I did not exactly say the quotes attributed to me in the manner they are phrased (I am not a part of "the slow movement" and I did not get a bike in order to "look good in the saddle"), I am pleased with the focus on vintage 3-speeds and with the recognition of their cultural significance in the Boston area.

En route to any of my daily destinations in Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston, I easily see dozens of vintage 3-speeds along the way. It never occurred to me that this was a special feature of our city, until I began to receive incredulous comments from readers in other parts of the country whenever I would post pictures of locally spotted 3-speeds. Why are there so many of them in Boston? Where are they coming from? These are questions I receive regularly from readers of Lovely Bicycle. I think the answer is in the history of Boston as both importer and manufacturer of bicycles for part of the 20th century, and I am hoping to post a well-researched article on this soon.

As for why so many people are buying and restoring vintage 3-speeds today? From my point of view, it is because they are simpler and more enjoyable to ride than most other bikes out there. This is a great secret that only a vintage 3-speed owner can know!

Conversion of a French road bike into a porteur: a preview

2010-05-26T20:33:00.003-04:00

I've posted before (here and here) about various sub-projects related to my conversion of an old French road bike into a practical porteur. Well, it's nearly done and I thought I'd give a preview. Here's the bike, a 1972 Jeunet 630 road bike, in "before" condition:

What attracted me to the bike originally (beside the fact that it is my hard-to-find size) was its lightweight lugged steel frame and fork made from Reynolds 531 tubing, with somewhat relaxed angles and room for fenders, its lightweight aluminum and mostly French components, and its overall classic, French character. I didn't need another road bike, but I was intrigued by the versatility and style of the classic French porteur bikes, so I decided I'd attempt to convert it into one: a bike that's light, and therefore easy to carry up steps, one with adequate gearing to conquer the hills of Somerville, one with an upright riding position, one that can carry a bag of groceries or haul a box to the post office, and lastly--and most importantly--one that is comfortable, fun and stylish enough to be my daily rider. I feel that the French porteur bikes, like the ones pictured below, integrate these features better than most bikes, and so it was that the porteur bike served as the template for my conversion:

1950's Motobecane porteur. Photo courtesy JP Weigle via Flickr.

Modern iteration of the porteur: handmade in the US by Curt Goodrich.

Photo courtesy spoke sniffer via Flickr.

Here's my Jeunet "after", newly powder coated in a matte, minty green (RAL6021). I've assembled it well enough to ride, but by no means is it completed. It's still missing lights (the subject of a prior post), and little things still need tweaking, like the brakes and the fender alignment.

Velo Orange, one of my favorite suppliers of classically styled bike parts and accessories, sell a beautifully crafted front porteur rack made from tubular stainless steel, taking all the design cues from the classic French constructeurs:

It's large and versatile, with pannier loops, mounts for lights, an optional side rail, and a neat mount for securing an elongated front fender (typical of old French bikes), to avoid rattling. I haven't decided how I'm going to realize the utility of the rack-- I can add a basket, a crate, or a side rail... or simply use a bungee net to secure stuff. For now I have a single pannier attached to it, a repurposed old leather school bag that just happens to snugly hold a 13" MacBook. Perfect! And I have an old wine crate that I may affix to the rack... we'll see.

Also from Velo Orange are the handlebars, shaped just like the classic French porteur bars: similar to English 3-speed handlebars (commonly known as "North Road" bars), but slightly narrower and with less rise. Actually, the French porteurs used to use the bars flipped the other way around, to achieve more drop, but I have them in the non-typical orientation, flipped up to provide a more upright riding position.

I'll also use this photo to illustrate the French style "inverse" brake levers. These are modern reproductions of old French brake levers. The inverse design is ingenious, it makes you wonder why this design hasn't become the de facto standard among city-style brake levers. With the pivot point placed at the end of the bar, it allows your hand to rest anywhere along the bar from the bend on back, and still reach the brake lever!

Originally the Jeunet was geared like a typical road bike of that era: 10-speed, with a double chainring in front and a 5-speed freewheel in back. The outer chainring was usually large, typically having over 50 teeth, allowing the bike to go fast.

The porteurs had simpler gearing, usually a single, smaller chainring in front, coupled to a 5-speed freewheel. This provided plenty of gearing for getting around town, but didn't allow the bike to quite reach road bike speeds. Not having a derailleur also means being able to have a chainguard or chaincase-- another common and practical accessory of old city bikes the globe over. Since I wanted a simplified gearing setup and the potential to add a chainguard, I decided to convert the double chainring to a single, making the Jeunet a 5-speed in the spirit of the classic porteurs.

So next on the agenda is to complete the lighting. These are the headlight casings that I intend to retrofit with modern battery-operated LEDs:

They'll mount underneath the front rack, attached by bracket, similar to the ones in the Curt Goodrich example above. I'll make a step-by-step write-up of the LED conversion the topic of a future post. Until then, if you'd like to learn more about porteur bikes with tons of photo examples, check out this link. Here are some more pictures of the Jeunet porteur:

May 23 Historic Bike Tour: Lost Theatres of Somerville!

2010-05-18T11:02:00.005-04:00

The Somerville Bicycle Committee and the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission are sponsoring an 8-mile ride through Somerville this Sunday to visit the sites of former movie theatres, some long gone, some converted for other use. If you're an architectural history buff, or simply want to enjoy a ride through the 'ville with some other local riders, this sounds like fun! I hope to see you there!

From the official announcement:

9th Annual Somerville History Bike Tour: Lost Theatres of Somerville

Sunday May 23, 2010, meeting at 1pm (leaving promptly at 1:15pm) in front of the Somerville City Hall (93 Highland Ave), and riding for about 8 miles.

This year's theme is "Lost Theatres of Somerville". We'll visit the locations of Somerville's former movie theatres, many of which are still standing and converted to other uses. Our tour will be based on David Guss's recent Somerville Museum exhibit and website of the same name.

In the event of steady rain, we'll postpone the ride to Sunday, June 13.

Information about the lost theaters of Somerville can be found on David Guss's website, the Somerville Museum's website and at CinemaTreasures.com.

A link to a map showing where all the theaters were located is here.

Sponsored by the Somerville Bicycle Committee and the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission
A $3 donation is requested to support the Historic Preservation Commission's activities.

Retrofitting a vintage bicycle taillight with a modern LED

2010-05-12T20:20:00.006-04:00

Among my favorite aspects of vintage bikes are the little accessories: the small period details designed into the peripheral parts such as chain guards, racks, fenders, and lighting fixtures. Like clothing accessories or room decor, these peripheral pieces combine to "tie together" the overall aesthetic (to paraphrase Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski). So when I embarked on my latest project, the conversion of an old French road bike into a porteur (the subject of a future post--it's being built up as I write this), I began studying the finer details of the classic French bikes. What struck me was the simple, streamlined beauty of their lighting systems, particularly the headlights and taillights. Here's a nice example of a 1950's René Herse porteur, displaying so many of the wonderful little touches that made these bikes so beautiful:

Photo courtesy of Flickr user spoke sniffer

Let's zoom in on the taillight:

There is no bulbuous plastic housing or any part of this light that looks bulky or intrusive. Unlike modern taillights, this one is trim, compact, and mirrors the smooth curvature of the fender. Unfortunately for me, all these wonderful, old gems of lighting accessories were designed to hold regular incandescent bulbs, powered by a dynamo. Since I have no intention of incorporating dynamo lighting in my porteur conversion, I wondered whether I could retrofit a modern battery-powered LED into once of these nice old housings. Fortunately there is precedent for this type of undertaking, which I discovered from perusing this Flickr set of Vélocia, a fellow vintage bike enthusiast and DIYer. Vélocia took the housing and lens of an old Soubitez Catalux 6 taillight and retrofitted the LED mechanism from a Planet Bike Superflash. What a great idea, and in one important way, an improvement on the original: the LED is undoubtedly brighter than the original 0.6W bulb!

Fortunately, vintage French bike parts are rather abundant on online auction sites, and I was lucky enough to find a NOS Soubitez taillight shell and lens on eBay, identical to the one on the René Herse example above. Inspired by Vélocia's conversion, I set out to retrofit the shell with a modern LED. Here's how I did it:

First, I needed to find an LED taillight small enough to re-package inside this petite housing. Fortunately, Sigma makes a nice small single LED taillight called the Micro, shown here next to the Soubitez fixture:

Next, I needed to remove the LED circuit board and see how it would fit inside the Soubitez housing. Would it fit? No!

I needed to do some surgery on the circuit board to make it fit. And that was not the only challenge. I also needed to remove the built-in tact switch (the part of the circuit that you press, and which gives that tactfully delightful popping sound when you press it, hence the name, "tact" switch). It's that round disc in the center of the circuit board. In its place, I soldered two short leads, the other ends of which I soldered onto a remote tact switch mounted on the housing. Radio Shack sells these, $3.99 for a four-pack! Good thing, because they're so small I lost two of them already!

Here's the circuit board with the tact switch removed. Conveniently, the Soubitez housing has a small notch cut out of its side, presumably for a switch or perhaps a dynamo wire. Whatever the intended purpose of that notch, it's a suitable location for a remote tact switch:

After surgical trimming of the circuit board with a rotary tool grinding wheel and soldering the leads from the circuit board to the remote tact switch, the switch was glued into place. The circuit board holds a button-type battery on the other side and couldn't be glued in place, else the battery would not be accessible for replacement. Fortunately, the circuit board fits snugly enough without glue, and can be tilted out of the housing to access the battery. When the fixture is mounted to the fender, the fender will hold the circuit board in place. The whole circuit board and soldered leads were covered with a thick layer of clear rubber adhesive, so there's no chance of shorting out if contacted by the fender.

The finished product (note the tact switch unobtrusively peeking through):

All that's left is to figure out how to mount this baby on the fender-- the subject of a future post!

Gotta tap before you ding: Mounting a bicycle bell à la française

2010-04-27T14:27:00.003-04:00

One of the things I love about old French bikes--especially the constructeur bikes--is the attention that was paid to small details. The better constructeurs saw to it that every part of the bike fit in harmony with the rest of the bike. This mindset was applied even to minor details such as the bell: an optimal location on the stem was chosen (usually on the side, near the headset), and a hole was tapped directly into the stem. The bell was then threaded into the stem. Elegant, with no clamp to mar the clean flow of the stem.

Today, most bike builders would cringe at the idea of tapping a hole in a $70 Nitto stem, for fear of weakening a structurally important part of the bike. But this is actually a misconception, as most stem failures occur at the handlebar clamp, the weakest part of the stem. The stem is strongest where most people would want to mount a bell, so drilling a hole should have little if any effect on the stem's overall strength. That said, most people are content with having their bells mounted via a clamp or bracket. Almost all bells sold today come with a basic clamp to attach to the handlebar or stem, and this is what I used to mount a brass bell on one of my bikes. But I can't stop thinking that the clamp looks disruptive; it keeps catching my eye. The folks at Velo-Orange apparently felt the same way, so they designed a very nice bracket to eliminate the need for an unsightly clamp, and I used this bracket on another one of my bikes. I think it looks quite nice. Velo-Orange also sells a headset spacer with a hole threaded for a bell, another alternative to the clamp, and even more elegant than the bracket solution. The biggest caveat to the spacer is that it is not compatible with all bikes. In fact, not one of my bikes can accommodate it.

Since I'm in the middle of building up an old French bike and will be adding a bell, the idea kept nagging me: should I drill into my stem? Well, in the spirit of the old constructeurs, it didn't take long to convince myself that that's how I would proceed. Herein I describe this deceptively easy process.

First, you need to buy a bell that comes with a 5mm threaded post. Any of the Japanese brass bells that you purchase from Velo Orange or Jitensha studio will work just fine. Next, assuming you already have a drill, you will need a 5/32" drill bit and a 5mm x 0.8mm pitch tap, as well as a tap "driver" (basically a handle that holds the tap). These can be purchased at any decent hardware store, and you shouldn't be set back more than $15 for everything. I already had the drill bit and tap driver, so I only had to buy the 5mm tap, which cost less than $5. Optionally, you also need a small rotary tool grinding wheel for a minor step which I will describe later... but honestly, you can do without it.

5mm tap secured inside the driver; 5/32" drill bit; rotary tool grinding wheel

First step is to determine where you want to mount the bell. Note how far the stem is inserted into the headset, since mounting the bell too low may restrict proper insertion of the stem. The rest is simply an aesthetic determination. Do you want the bell high up on the stem? In the middle? Or do you want the bell resting horizontally up on top of the stem, near the handlebar clamp?

Next, carefully drill the hole using the 5/32" drill bit. When drilling, be sure to hold the drill at perfect right angles to the stem. This can be tricky if you are drilling into a cylindrical surface, so try to use several points of reference to make sure the hole is drilled symmetrically to the stem. Otherwise, the bell will attach at an odd angle and look crooked. Drill until you reach the hollow section of the stem.

After drilling the hole, insert the tap. The tap is tapered at the end, and gradually flares out as you slowly thread it into the hole and it cuts into the aluminum. Just like the drilling step, make sure as you turn the driver that you keep the tap at perfect right angles as you thread it into the hole. You will feel slight resistance as the tap cuts the threads into the aluminum. Once the tap reaches the end of the hole, the resistance will cease and it will begin to feel like you are simply threading in a screw. This means you are finished! Unthread the tap, and you will have a perfect 5mm threaded hole. Blow out any aluminum flakes that may get left behind inside the stem.

5mm threaded hole

Next comes the optional step. If drilling into a curved portion of the stem, as is typical, it is desirable (but by no means necessary) to create a small spacer with a concave surface on one side to mate flush against the convex stem. The Japanese bells from VO and Jitensha come with a small spacer with which to make this minor modification. Theoretically, doing this makes the contact surface between the spacer and stem more uniform, and therefore the attachment more solid. But practically speaking, it's really just one of those annoying little details, which of course, my OCD tendencies compelled me to address. This is where the small grinding wheel comes in. Place the spacer in a vise or grip tightly with a pair of pliers, such that one side is exposed. Using the grinding wheel, grind away a small, centered concave "valley":

Using a grinding wheel to create a concave "valley"

The finished product, ready to mate to stem

In an ideal world, the grinding wheel would have the same diameter as the stem, so the curvature of the mating surface would be identical. However, the world is not so perfect (at least mine isn't), and getting close to the same diameters is really good enough. You can see in the picture below how grinding out a valley in the spacer creates a consistent mating surface with the stem:

Now all that's left to do is to screw in the bell!

Note the spacer uniformly mated to the stem:

Ding Ding Ding... Look, Ma! No clamp!

BRW April 24 meet: a summary

2010-04-25T01:16:00.003-04:00

No one could have asked for better weather for Boston Retro Wheelmen's second meet. With temps in the 60s and the sun shining, the streets of Union square were alive with people, and cyclists were out in full force. Several of us Wheelmen gathered at Bloc 11 to chat, show off our vintage rides, enjoy some coffee and even tackle some projects. The outdoor space at Bloc 11 proved the perfect setting. Okay, on to the bikes!

Here's Mark's Schwinn Breeze, found abandoned outside his home in Cambridge, and lovingly given a new life:

Next up, Dave's Schwinn World Voyager, one of the finer touring bikes of its era:

Cycler brought Minerva, her early 70s Raleigh DL1. Never a stranger to DIY challenges, Cycler brought a cache of tools with the specific intent of installing a new heavy duty Dutch rack... no easy feat on a vintage bike with non-standard frame fittings.

Success! It not only fits perfectly, but also complements Minerva's overall aesthetic. Wouldn't you agree?

Fast-forward to the present, Nao of 3rrr products brought his gorgeous Soma Fabrications cross frame bike, which he built up as a classic randonneur. Although not "vintage", this bike oozes classic with its timeless design and first-rate workmanship, and that's just fine by us!

Look at that hand-cut head badge! (You can also check out more examples of 3rrr's work). What a nice, personal touch!

And I'd be remiss not to mention the youngest Wheelman I met today, Nao's 3-year year old son Fugo. Like any true Wheelman, he couldn't keep his hands off the beautiful bikes that graced the yard of Bloc 11!

Mark, in what seems to be becoming a ritual act:

Dave, inspired by Cycler's array of tools, helps himself to a wrench to make some adjustments:

My 1986 Union:

Fugo really loves that Soma! (or was it just his way of communicating that it was time to hit the road?)

Good conversation, a nice collection of classic and vintage rides, and a project or two... essential elements of Boston Retro Wheelmen. Perhaps for future meets a group ride can be tossed into the mix?

Thanks to all who made it today... hope to see you at the next meet (date and time TBA)!

More pictures of the day's event

Group Meet-Up: Saturday, April 24th

2010-04-16T12:12:00.000-04:00

Spring is here, and classic and vintage bicycles are in full bloom.

Please won't you join us at the next group meeting of the Boston Retro Wheelmen!

Saturday, 24th April

11:30 am

Bloc 11 Cafe in Somerville, MA

Bring your meticulously restored bike to make us envious, or your crusty project bike to seek advice - all vintage bicycle lovers are welcome! There is outdoor seating and plenty of room to lock up bicycles.

Looking forward to seeing you there,

The Boston Retro Wheelmen

Vintage Touring Bikes

2010-04-13T00:15:00.001-04:00

Do you love beautiful vintage touring bikes? So do we!

At a casual Boston Retro Wheelmen meet-up, Somervillain delighted us with his meticulously restored 1984 Shogun 2000, built up as a traditional randonneur. Another club member brought along his silver Motobecane Super Mirage.

Abundant photo-documentation of both of these will soon be available in our image archives.

Cottered Cranks

2010-04-10T21:54:00.000-04:00

Got cotters that need replacing?

You'll need a cotter press.

And cotters!

The cranks will thank you.

As will your Roadster.

First BRW Meet-Up

2010-01-21T18:06:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday night, was the first informal get-together of the Boston Retro Wheelmen. Pictured above are somervillain, Cycler and Astroluc.

Somervillain has a beautiful collection of vintage bicycles and is the resident DL-1 Guru.

Cycler is the author of Biking in Heels and an owner of two vintage bikes: a recently acquired Raleigh DL-1 and a European "frankenbike" of unknown pedigree.

Astroluc is the author of "Hack Artist Extraordinaire ...who also likes bikes". He commutes around Boston year-round, reporting all sorts of fascinating local sightings on his blog.

And this is me on the right - the author of Lovely Bicycle

We are still fleshing out ideas about the club and it's moving along nicely. Next time we look forward to meeting several others who could not make it to this meeting. Stay tuned, and get in touch with us if you'd like to take part!