Category: Event Coverage

Sometimes we got to cool bicycle related shows and events and cover them here.

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Adventure Cycling Association 40th Advocacy/Awareness Event Coverage

Somewhere in the Middle of Montana

The 40th anniversary of Adventure Cycling Association.
I will be riding my bike from Bozeman to Missoula, MT for the 40th Anniversary of Adventure Cycling Association, which happens July 15-17, 2016. As it turns out I will be following the route of my very first bike tour. I didn’t know it at the time but as I was doing my first tour Greg and June Siple were halfway through their bike trip from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, a little jaunt they called Hemistour. When they were done with that they went back to Missoula and started working for a concern they helped start called Bikecentennial, which later became Adventure Cycling Association.
ideale leather saddle
Back in those days it was hard to find bicycle touring gear, or any bicycle gear for that matter. I think my sister or my mom made my panniers from a Frostline Kit. My Peugeot bicycle came with sew-up tires. I ordered an Ideale leather saddle from an actual paper catalog and it eventually appeared in the mail. Plastic bike helmets didn’t exist, and LYCRA was not yet being used for shorts. There were no cell phones and “internet” was not a word. I would stop at a pay phone when I could to call home and let them know where I was and that I was OK. That puts Hemistour in perspective and squarely in the category of extreme sport.

TOSRV West
The Tour of the Swan River Valley, or TOSRV West is a 220 mile, fully supported, two day bike ride that begins in Missoula, goes through Seeley Lake and Swan Lake to Big Fork and returns along Flathead Lake back to Missoula. Two other Hemistour riders, Dan and Lys Burden, were inspired by the Tour of the Scioto River Valley in Ohio and they organized the first TOSRV West in 1971. In the late 1970’s and early 80’s riding TOSRV West was a chance to see some exotic, for the time, bicycles. Of course the high end bikes were all lugged steel with full Campagnolo or Zeus kits. There was even a custom builder in Missoula at the time; Dennis Sparrow, who drove along the route with a van full of tools and worked as the mechanic for the riders. If memory serves, Sparrow was not built like a sparrow. I also remember that he smoked cigarettes which did, and does, seem like an anomaly. Then again Dario Pegoretti wouldn’t strike one as a builder of exquisite bike frames either.

These are some of the memories I will be taking with me to Missoula next month. There is a contingent of riders from Idaho who will be converging on Missoula the middle of July. I’m sure they all have there own reasons for going and will have their own stories and memories from the trip. I intend to collect some of those stories over beers in one of Missoula’s brew pubs. Also looking forward to getting a chance to talk to Greg, June, Dan and Lys.

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Event Coverage

Interbike- Part 1

Interbike
OK time for the annual Interbike trade show in Las Vegas and for my annual rant about the bike “industry”. Why is every bicycling publication, product and advertisement focused on performance? I logged into my show planner on the Interbike website to search for products and companies in the Navigation/Maps/GPS category since that seemed like a logical place to find gear for bike touring.
Here is a pic from the Bike Computer page on the website of one of the leading GPS makers:

racer!
From the Garmin Website.

Another maker calls their GPS computer “the perfect companion for any professional athlete in training”. What? Talk about a tiny market segment.

I’m sick of being insulted by every publication and company that tells me I need to climb faster and ride stronger and hammer out of the saddle every time I get on my super light, super stiff road bike and to fly through the air every time I get on my full suspension 29’r mountain bike.
What sort of “industry” is so myopic that they think they need to sell the same stuff, with a few tweaks to make it shinier and/or lighter, to the same people over and over again? How does that grow the market? I still think road racing is a beautiful sport but allowing the racing tail to wag the cycling dog (I didn’t make that up. I stole it from somebody but I can’t remember who) is a disastrous mistake and only serves to intimidate potential bicycle riders and to scare them away from bicycling.

For many years, Interbike- the annual bicycle trade show, was held in Las Vegas at the Sands Convention Center, which is sort of a dump. No food or beverages could be brought in so a person either had to walk to one of the adjacent casinos to eat or buy some junk food at the concession stand in the venue. We always stayed at the Imperial Palace Casino because they had the best rates for show attendees. The Imperial Palace has to be one of the oldest casinos on the strip and it is a little run down- the original main entrance is now basically off an alley and the original lobby is completely abandoned. Now the main entrance is what was probably a side or service entrance into the casino back in the day.

The new venue, as of 2013, is the Mandalay Bay and attendee lodging is at the Excalibur. These are newer casinos at the south end of the strip. It’s a hike from one to the other but one that can be made while remaining indoors. The new venue has an outdoor food court, which actually has good food, and a beer garden which last year featured Sierra Nevada Brewing. Much more better! Bike Touring News will be attending again this year as “Working Media”. It sounds weird to say that, but a blog is media these days. And it is definitely work.

Our focus this year is on bikepacking and everything related. While the Bike Hermit is quick to point out the negatives in any situation, there are some people and companies who are going against the trends and against the big players. The suppliers we will be visiting at the show include:
Euro Asia Imports
Old Man Mountain
Revelate Designs
Lone Peak Packs
Ortlieb
Other suppliers who won’t be in attendance but who distribute quality, sustainable products (which we sell) are:
Peter White Cycles; Peter White is the guru of dynamo lighting systems and battery powered headlights and tail lights from Germany. (My rant about blindingflashingseizureinducing bicycle lights is for another post)
Merry Sales; Merry Sales distribute Sugino, Nitto, Ostrich and Interloc Racing Design (IRD) products among others. This t-shirt sums up this post nicely I think-
IRD

Categories
Event Coverage N.A.H.B.S. Podcasts Touring Bicycles

It’s A Fat World, Joseph Ahearne Interview

The theme for the 2012 North American Handmade Bicycle Show is fat-bikes! At least in the bike hermit’s feeble mind. First up is Joseph Ahearne’s take on the genre. I was able to squeeze in this interview when he wasn’t bombarded with customers and we talked about this bike as well as the other off-road tourer he brought to the show.


Inner tubes stretched over custom fender frames.

Carry All

Joseph Ahearne's Off Road Touring Bike

The double top tubes make the bike more rigid when loaded while still providing the desired ride qualities.

The rack suports the fender, the fender supports the rack. Integration of parts makes for a more reliable touring machine.

Stay tuned. More to come.

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2011 Oregon Manifest Event Coverage

Oregon Manifest 2011 – Three Bikes

I judged the entries by how they incorporated the mandatory design features outlined on the Oregon Manifest site:
-Anti-Theft System
-Fender System
-Lighting System
-Load System
-Free-Standing Under Load (While Parked) System
With a heavy bias toward integration, quality of execution and aesthetics.
In no particular order, I thought these bikes were outstanding.
YiPsan Bicycles
This bike has a two legged kick stand and, depending on how the load is distributed, is balanced in such a way that either the front or rear wheels are off the ground, facilitating flat tire repairs.

Rear wheel removal mode

 

Front wheel removal mode

 

To help stabilize the bike when parked, this pin runs through the fork brake bolt hole and into a custom hole in the frame’s downtube

 

When riding, the pin is retracted and held against the fork magnetically.

There is a Dutch bike style lock which is attached to the frame and locks the rear wheel so that it can’t be turned, and Renold inserted a braided steel cable into the seat post of the bike which can be pulled out and locked into the wheel lock mechanism.

Yep, that cable disappears into the seat post.(Photo from YiPsan Bicycles website)

With fenders, internally geared rear hub, belt drive, generator lights and great load carrying capacity, this bike’s got it covered. And it fits Leah like a glove.

Bauhinia – YiPsan Bicycles from YiPsan on Vimeo.

The more I looked at this bike, by Geekhouse, the more I liked it. I talked to the builder at the lunch stop and took these pics.

Geekhouse touring bike

I thought this was a really creative frame design. Not a traditional double diamond frame, rather an inverted curve or an arch, the other strongest shape, basically forming the seat stays and rack. The double top tubes curve down and sweep back to form the rear rack, also establishing a low stand over height.
The rear skirt guard and front fender design could be improved to provide better spray coverage. And again the ubiquitous Shimano Alfine internal gear rear hub and front dynamo hub. The front light was actually integrated into the stem.

Geekhouse touring bike
The front light is part of the stem, but I think the bag is in the way. Should be an easy fix though.

The shaft of the u-bolt lock is built into a short piece of tubing welded to the two pivot points on the top tube. The shackle portion of the lock is strapped down when riding and pivoted up and removed to lock the bike to a post or bike rack.

Nice work integrating the Brooks bag carrier into the handlebars.

Another bike I was drawn to is the Fremont a collaboration between Ziba and Signal Cycles.

This is one of several side-car designs at the event, but it seemed like the most practical of the bunch to me because the side car folds up over the rear fender to become a rack. And the side car met the additional requirement of providing a support for the parked, loaded bike. The canvas bags were made for the team by a local Portland seamstress.

The locking system is a little clunky since one needs to remove the cable and stash it when riding, but then again it’s not that much of a hassle and there is plenty of room to carry it.
Side Car flipped up and now is a rear rack

I thought these bikes met the challenge requirements in elegant ways and I can see how they would be practical and functional in the real world.

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2011 Oregon Manifest

Great interviews and articles on the Oregon Manifest

The Freemont Ziba Design & Signal Cycles

As the Bike Hermit makes his way back to the bike cave from Portland on Chief,  Sky King thought it would be a good idea to provide a link to the updates on the Oregon Manifest Website.  Some high quality photos and interviews with the builders and the judges.

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2011 Oregon Manifest

Oregon Manifest/Cargo Bikes – Part Two

Dan Boxer makes Boxer Bicycles. For the 2011 Oregon Manifest Constructor’s Challenge he came up with this “cycle truck” He told me it’s a departure from his normal bike, but he has a pretty new addition to the family (congrat’s Dan) and he wanted a utility bike that he could ride to the store and bring his son along.

Boxer Bicycles
160mm steel stem
Custom made 160 mm steel stem
Typically a cycle truck's front carrier is an extension of the frame, the steering is independent of the front rack.

One feature that does seem to recur with Boxers (I remember the same thing on his 2009 entry) is the chain catcher on the rear dropout. Instead of a cog, the 9th position on the 9 speed cassette body is a steel ring which is part of the frame. the last position of the 9 speed shift lever will drop the chain onto this ring where it stays while the rear wheel is removed in the event of a flat tire. I expressed my concern that I personally would continuously inadvertently shift onto the steel ring, but Dan said it’s a pretty short learning curve and it doesn’t happen that often.

Boxer Bicycles steel ring
The chain drops onto the small steel ring for easy, grease free removal of the rear wheel.

Folk Engineered / Discovery Charter School

The FE/DCS entry at the first checkpoint, where each rider was given two parcels to carry.
This was a tough course for a straight up "utility bike". Some riders expressed frustration with the length and number of hills.

“An industrial designer collaborating with a shipbuilder” is the description Art+Industry gives their working relationship. My initial reaction to a plywood bike is to wonder how durable it would be. But then boats and high performance aircraft have been made from wood for a long time.

Watching this bike being ridden up hill and out of the saddle I could see no flexing of the body. The designer, Michael Downs, was riding the bike and he was lamenting not having an easier gear. Another entrant who maybe was a little surprised by the difficulty of this ride for a full on, robust utility bike.

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2011 Oregon Manifest

Oregon Manifest/Cargo Bikes – Part One

Inside at the Oregon Manifest at Pacific Northwest College of Art
plywood cargo bike
Only in Portland are the bikes on the street as interesting as the bikes in the show.

With over 30 entries the 2011 Oregon Manifest Constructor’s Challenge is a challenge for the reporter. I have decided to break the reviews up into categories, the first installment of which will be cargo bikes. These are bikes loosely in the tradition of the Dutch Bakfiets or freight bikes with a large platform or container in front of the front wheel or in between the two wheels.

Team Metrofiets cargo bike.
Lock, stand and head light on the Team Metrofiets cargo bike.

This bike was a collaboration between Metrofiets, Tonic Fabrication, Suppenkuche, Vulture Cycles, and Bespoke Cycles. You can listen to our interviewwith Phillip Ross from Metrofiets in Portland, OR.

The Oregon Manifest Creative Collaborations partner three of the world’s top design firms with accomplished custom bike builders, to push the boundaries of what a modern utility bike can be.
This bike

was a collaboration between Fuse Project and Sycip Cycles. For the first ten miles of the ride part of the challenge this bike carried human cargo. It didn’t look too comfortable, but showed that the bike was capable.

Francis Cycles is Joshua Muir from Santa Cruz, CA.

These custom frame tubing couplers were provided by Paragon Machine Works from Richmond, CA.
I liked Josh's custom clipboard holder.


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Advocacy/Awareness Event Coverage

Chris King Factory Tour Update

Picture of Chris King products
The Chris King factory in Portland, OR makes bike components with bearings

We were privileged to go along on the press tour of the Chris King factory in conjunction with the 2011 Oregon Manifest Constructor’s Challenge. I had no expectations for the tour but I came away with a better understanding of what an important company this is. It is the company that doesn’t exist in America anymore. Here is a maker of precision bicycle components that employs over 90 people. And they make everything used in their finished products. They even make their own ball bearings.
Originally known for the headset which has become the standard for durability and function (Chris has the first headset he made in 1976 sitting on his desk) the company also makes hubs, bottom brackets, cogs and lockrings, and tools for servicing their products.
The real story behind all these shiny parts is maybe as fascinating as the parts themselves. The first thing one notices on entering the factory is the smell of machine oil. And this is where the story of commitment to employees and sustainability becomes apparent. First of all the oil used here is soy based, not petroleum. The machines on the floor of a factory such as this throw off clouds of oil and here they have implemented a recovery system that recycles this oil that could be wasted and lessens the health risks to workers.
The machines also throw off a lot of shavings, aluminum or steel. And to recycle the shavings they need to be cleaned of the residual oil, which is also recycled, resulting in a barrel of oil being recovered every month or so.
puck of recycled aluminum
A puck of aluminum shavings, ready to send to the recycler.

We were treated to lunch in the employee’s cafe. A bean counter might not encourage building an employee cafe. But in terms of employee satisfaction and productivity, it makes sense.
The employee bike storage area was well over half full of bikes even though this was Friday and most people work four tens, Monday through Thursday. Employees gain cafe credits for riding their bike to work and they receive days off based on how much they ride to work. There is a complete locker room with showers provided for employees.
To my mind this is the best kind of bicycle advocacy, if the intent is to get more people on bikes. Many employees come to Chris King as non-cyclists. They may get an inexpensive cruiser one year in order to take advantage of the perks. The next year they might upgrade to a hybrid and the pattern is established.
commuter bike storage
The Chris King employee's bike parking

Oh yeah, they make bike frames too. Chris made his first frame in 1978. Now, in a corner of the factory building, is made the Cielo line of bicycles. All of the parts for the frames including the fork crowns and dropouts are made in house too.
Cielo frames in the factory
Cielo

Cielo fork dropout

As much as the manufacturing process contributes to environmental responsibility, so does the fact that the components made here are made to last. Many Chris King headsets are in the third, fourth of even fifth bike of their service life. And that, my friends, is a good value.

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2011 Oregon Manifest

Oregon Manifest – The Route

The Bike Hermit joins the group today as the Oregon Manifest Field Trials get underway.  The entrants are only allowed to take a tube and tire levers as the ride is the true test of the bikes integrity.  We hear that surprises are in store along the way.  Am counting on the Bike Hermit to give us a full report.

Last nights meet and greet was packed and the bikes were well received.  Today’s ride wraps up with a big celebration at Chris

Chris King

King.  We were able to score a great tour of Chris King on Friday,  feeling pretty special to be considered part of the “Press”

Donakelope's entry, complete with Side Car for the Border Collie
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2011 Oregon Manifest

The Best Utility Bike – Oregon Manifest 2011

All of the photos used in this post were taken from the Oregon Manifest site. Credits should be given to PDXCROSS and/or Mike Davis

 

In 1934 a group of young riders in France organized the first technical trials, conceived to determine the best touring bicycle. Over the course of three days the entrants were required to complete a very demanding 290 mile course. Bikes incurred penalty points for any equipment that malfunctioned or failed. Bikes had to meet some restrictions in geometries and tire size (minimum 35 mm width) and generator lighting was required. Every bike also had to carry the designated 3 kg load from start to finish. The idea was to promote the innovation and development of lighter, more responsive machines.

In 2009 a group in Portland, OR started the Oregon Manifest Constructor’s Design Challenge, a one-of-a-kind design/build competition, in which some of the country’s best custom bike craftsman and select student teams vie to create the ultimate modern utility bike. Now it seems as though the history of the bicycle might slowly be describing a full circle. In the last eight decades, and particularly the last two or three, there has been a frantic, headlong rush towards the lightest possible bikes and components with less emphasis on durability and practicality.  The organizers may be looking back at the beginning of the circle yearning for useful, durable bikes that can also be beautiful and can perform at a very high standard even though they are not the lightest.

Bike Touring News will be at the 2011 Oregon Manifest Constructor’s Challenge in Portland on September 23-24 to see firsthand the latest developments from the best minds and hands in the business. Never mind that there will be beer, that has nothing to do with our decision to go. We will be bringing daily reports and updates and photos to this space. If you have specific questions for any of the builders or want to see more details about anything we post while there, leave a comment and we will attempt to address them. Hopefully we will have mad pod-casting skills by then.