A reader question:
Thank you for your blog, and especially for all of your casual shots of everyday life. I love seeing the cyclists, and am curious if readers could share what kind of bicycles they have, and what are their favorite accessories. I am eagerly awaiting fall, and your fall photographs.
A reader of your blog for 2 years. (Does that make me a long time reader?)
I have an e-bike and I am dead in love with it. The brand is Heybike and my favorite accessory is a teeny license plate with my name on it that my father brought back from the Hemisfair in 1968.
ReplyDeleteI ride a Retrospec Beaumont Citybike. My inspiration for finding something like this was a picture of George Bush (the elder) on a bike in China in the 70s, while wearing cords and a tweed sport coat.
ReplyDeleteAs for 2 years, many of us have been reading since the beginning which is probably closer to 20 years than to 10.
Humber English 3 speed built in 1963.
ReplyDeleteRaleigh Sports 3 speed circa 1969 black, great bike
ReplyDeleteI ride a 1989 Bridgestone MB-2
ReplyDeletePlease bicycle riders; be careful. You may be hurt just as badly in a bicycle/electric bicycle accident at 20 mph as you would be riding a motorcycle at 20 mph. Now at 70 yrs, I decided several years ago to get off the bike. If I’m going to be hurt moving about on land, it will be on foot, in a car, or on skis.
ReplyDeleteI have a Trek road bike and a GT mountain bike. Unfortunately I do not do much riding since my arthritis (Ankylosis Spondylitis) along with other medical problems (crhons) has gotten worse. This is probably what I miss the most since my health has worsen,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry, it's not on the topic but do you know what type of arthritis do you have? Perhaps not necessarily you gave up with bike riding. Some arthritis types are based on metabolic problems, only some are auto-immunological.
DeleteIt's worth do learn it, more we limit the sports and activities, more we suffer.
Ozone therapy is very efficient, thermal waters, muds and warmth therapy, some herbal tisane helping to get rid of uric acid, ointments based on common confer. It only sounds perhaps complicated but it's not.
Enjoy your bike rides and I am really sorry for mentioning it all here, but paradoxically we need our physical activity very much in order to fight Arthritis. Good luck!
I had to give up with bike riding when living in South of France for a couple of years, it was too dangerous on regular streets and driving with a bike to special paths wasn't for us either. Now, we live in more flat places so we really enjoy it. We just have a problem with a dog. Our beagle can't run after the bike (forbidden by law). Shame!
Safe bike rides everyone!
My only cycling consists of using the bike that we have to get around horse showgrounds. Weekends here on the country roads where we live in Virginia are nerve-racking. Very difficult to even drive to town so many bikes on narrow country roads with speed limits of 55 miles an hour.
ReplyDeleteBeen enjoying this site since the first month or two it was up.
Our vintage Triumph's are still going strong! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteCurrently using 3 bicycles. I have a mid-priced carbon fibre frame road bike from BMC. It's great for athletic cycling (I bought it for a sprint triathlon), but at its price range I'd also recommend Bianchi or Specialized.
ReplyDeleteFor daily use I have an English Brompton folding bicycle, which I picked up living in London a few years ago & brought it home to Boston. It's sturdy and is easy to pack away. They offer an electric-assist version that friends have recommended, but I've yet to test ride them. They have newfound appeal amongst the startup/software crowd I work in, but Brompton's are very much a buy it once & last a lifetime bicycle, so in the UK you see everyone from city bankers to students, teachers, and couriers riding them.
I also have my father's old Italian-import Univega road bike, which was handed down to me 15 years ago for getting around my college campus. It just turned 41 and it's absolutely unstoppable. Like old Raleighs, the steel frame Italian and Japanese Univega are great for anyone who wants an athletic cycling experience, but isn't trying to compete in races or triathlons. I don't have a need for this bike anymore, but the sturdy road feel it provides when barrelling along The Charles River is unmatched. It's also a great bike to lend out to friends, as I know no harm can come to it no matter what is thrown in its path. In that regard, they simply don't make them like they used to.
I ride on a combination of roads and dirt trails on a Cannondale cyclecross bike. It looks like a road bike but has slightly larger/fatter tires (not as big as a mountain bike - more like a hybrid, except the handlebars on hybrids are more upright, vs. cyclecross has the lower handlebars like a road bike) and a beefed-up carbon front fork to dampen vibration. the gear shifters are small levers right under the brakes, so very easy to reach. buying bikes with aluminum frames will save you money; carbon frames dampen vibration, which is nice; they also cost quite a bit more money.
ReplyDeletefavorite accessories: find a helmet with good ventilation (always wear a helmet - protect your brain!). it's worth spending money on gear with really good quality cushioning, especially shorts, but also fingerless gloves, because it makes the experience more comfortable. some plastic water bottles for bikes are insulated. put a lot of ice in with your water/liquids, and they stay much cooler on a hot day.
At seventy I quit racing after a freak crash and sold a gorgeous Colnago with Campy Record, a seventeen pound steel frame bike. I looked at old Raleigh three speeds but came across State Bicycles and their Elliston, an old style three speed but all new. It's kind of fun but definitely a few dozen steps down.
ReplyDeleteTwo bikes. One is a new(ish) Citizen Retrospec bicycle I use for my 2 mile commute to the office (I used to have panniers on there for my work bag, but now I secure my work bag in the child seat on the back- works just as well). Second one is a vintage 1986 Miyata road bike - neglected it for a few years but looking to get it back into the rotation/on weekend rides in preparation for next year's Eroica California ride.
ReplyDeleteI have a Nishiki Ariel Mountain Bike purchased in Chicago during my (late) youth. Circa 1995.
ReplyDeleteHeavy steel frame, black Brooks Flyer Saddle, silver Wald Rear Bike Rack, Pair of Ortlieb Back-Roller Classic Paniers (Black with a striking White Gear Sprocket Design), Frame-Mounted U-Lock, Planet Bike black rear fender, and a mid-blue Ace MTB front fender to match the bike. The bike is a unique shade of mid-blue, and people have asked if it was a custom paint job? No, exactly from the Japanese Factory. The frame name decorations are a dark pink – as were the original cables before they wore out.
A month ago, a local bike shop employee told me: “This is the best-looking bike I’ve ever seen.”
Makes me think I made the right initial decision - along with the choices for the jazzing up accessories.
(I see another commenter got rid of his Colnago, and I too sold my Colnago (without any Campy gear) about a year ago – not because of a crash, but because I no longer take long trips.)
I ride an Electra Deliver 3i. It's heavy but it's a classic beach cruiser with a bit of cargo available.
ReplyDeleteRiese & Mueller Load 75 electric cargo MTB for kids + dog + cargo / Riese & Mueller Superdelite Mountain for rough terrain / Peugeot steel touring bike for getting around on tarmac and gravel/light terrain / Dutch bike for getting around the city where I work.
ReplyDeleteSeveral Trek and Cannondale road and off-road bikes here as well as a tandem. My wife (The Grand Duchess) was a racer in college, so we all indulge when time permits.
ReplyDeleteKind Regards,
Heinz-Ulrich
Ciocc San Cristobal with spandex. Worksman heavy duty cruiser with preppy clothes.
ReplyDelete@Will I like that you're still on the Ciocc. Every guy I knew who had one in the 90s was very strong.
DeleteI've been riding a Serotta on the road for years, which I really enjoy.
This spring I picked up an Ibis Ripley for the local mountain bike trails, and it's pretty magical compared to tech from 10+ years ago.
For pedaling back and forth to work, I just have an old steel bike that won't attract attention to itself.
Ciocc and Serotta were royalty in their day. I am the guy who sold the Colnago and bought the Elliston, above. I also raced an Olmo for many years. That was a golden era, beginning with the Paramount and fading away as other materials displaced steel. There is nothing that beats a lugged steel frame with a carbon fork and seat post for "all day" comfort IMO. Plus the lugs were gorgeous.
DeleteElectra Townie- I've been riding it for 13 years. I ride 6000 miles a year
ReplyDeleteI have an old clunker--a 1991 Trek Antelope, old and heavy but I just can't bring myself to part with it. I'm 75, ride 3 to 8 miles per day (depending on errands). My terrier rides in a basket behind me. When I taught on campus, it was my work transportation.
ReplyDeletePashley Roadster. It's a tank, but I love it. Similar aesthetic to the Raleigh's but with all modern parts. If Raleigh still made their classic bikes like the Sports, then I would have happily purchased one. The Pashley is fabulous - a very smooth ride.
ReplyDeleteI ride a Specialized Sirrus carb fiber hybrid bike, on half road, half gravel surfaces. Downeast Maine, especially Acadia. It's biking paradise if you can stand narrow shoulders. Tourists will leave soon, leaves will drop in mid-October and the scenery will open up. C'mon down
ReplyDeleteI too ride a SPECIALIZED SIRRUS X 5.0 carbon fiber hybrid/gravel bike, I`ve owned a lot of bikes and this is by far the best bike I've owned, you can take it on all but the gnarliest trails and it performs very well. You have good taste in bikes.
DeleteHampsten carbon road with full Campy components and KTM MTB aluminum frame for off road. No e-bikes so far.
ReplyDeleteBeen reading and sometimes commenting since 2011, back in TDP days - “Graciousness Authenticity and Stewardship” still good words to live by.
As always, I am here for the comments. Interesting bikes everyone does and has/had.
ReplyDelete