light and wheels: EM-5

Ever heard of Nuit Blanche?

Well, Night Shift is a similar thing done in Kitchener this year for the first time.

I joined the waterloobikes blog folks at their booth. They had a series of interesting bikes there to both look at and take on short test spins. Bikes that are not that common here in Canada, like the classic Dutch Bike tank like bike, a couple of different cargo bikes, a Brompton, and some modified "all-Canadian" junkers.

Neat stuff.

A Dutch Bike - the Gazelle

The Gazelle

The Gazelle is a prototypical Dutch bike. They are everywhere in The Netherlands for very good reason. They are tough, have fenders, are built like tanks and are very reliable. You sit upright, can see well, and are easy to see. They also can carry a load and a half. Brakes are in the hubs, as are the gears in most cases. The chains are often in a full chain case, and a skirt guard often adorns the rear wheel (for men and women - splashes do not hit the rider with these no matter what is being worn). Often, and with this bike, there is a hub generator in the front hub which powers the lights front and rear. Bells are often brass and are real bells, not gongs like we have here so often.

Note the huge kickstand. That is no piece of crap garbage like what adorns most bikes with kickstands in North America. You can seriously load this bike down and the kickstand will hold it up.

These bikes also have an integrated lock to immobilize the rear wheel. It is a part of the bicycle.

The frames are steel, and feature gorgeous lug work, and show a level of care not found in mass produced bicycles intended for big box land here in Canada. That said, these are mass production bicycles, but they are built for a spec different that what we suffer with here from our standard bicycles.

You see, these are intended to be used as serious transportation. They are not toys. They are designed and built to last decades of daily use. Most bikes intended for commuter or "casual" city riding sold here are simply not made to take the kind of use this bike is designed for. Why? Most here do not see the bike as real transport. And no wonder really, when so many of our bikes are garbage. Want a bike? Go to a bike store and talk to someone who gets it. And be prepared to spend a little bit of money on one. Avoid big box store bikes. You can actually get a bike that is a lot of fun to ride for not that much money at a bike store that fits, is comfortable, and easy to maintain.

That said, it is not like we cannot get great bikes made here which are very very good for the kind of riding that this bike and ones like it are designed for. It will just cost you is all. You won't find them in a big box wrecking yard. Want one of these? Be ready to drop a couple thousand on it. But you can get a reasonably well kitted out commuter bike for about $500 at a local bike shop. No need to buy a bike like this for most of us (including me, a self professed bike nut - I would never leave one of these locked up around here outside; there are simply too many bike thieves out there to make me comfortable leaving an expensive machine unattended).

Gazelle's bell

There were other things to see as well...


Front of an Electra based cargo bicycle.


A Brompton folding bicycle - idea for urban booting about when you don't want to leave the bicycle locked up outside - simply fold it up and bring it with you!


A kitted up Dutch style city bicycle

View from the waterloobikes booth

I also got a chance to meet with some of the bloggers over at waterloobikes which was nice. It is rare for me to actually get an opportunity to do a face to face with other bloggers out there in internet land.

Winter riding and maintenance was one of the subjects up for discussion by the good folks over at waterloobikes. A small, but very vocal and interested crowd showed up to learn what they could learn about riding in the winter. I agreed with most of what I heard from the people doing the talking,

In case you are curious, this is my advice for surviving in the winter on a bike, along with what was covered by the presenters.

Remember it is not as dangerous as you think it is. This was not emphasized enough in my opinion by those doing the talking at the presentation. Basic techniques for taking the lane and making space for yourself apply in the winter only even more so. Communicate with your fellow road user, and creating safe space is not an issue. Also, I suggest avoiding major roads even if there are bike lanes. Fortunately, in Waterloo at least, there are a lot of plowed and maintained bike paths that actually go someplace (vs the almost useless suburban wander in all directions but straight community paths). Take the time to develop some off road skills. It can save your ass big time. Practice this technique for cornering a cyclocross bike as it really works very well and can keep the bike upright when you think it should skid out from under you. Anticipate what you need to do and be extra cautious. Also, avoid riding on a day that freaks you out. Push the envelope, but don't tear it ( ;p ). Remember to give yourself double the time to get anywhere than you think you need.
Want to make your ride safer? Pick the right tires. You need more than just knobbies. There is no need, often, to go nuts like I did last year and put Schwalbe Ice Spikers on your bike, but remember, normal tires are NOT winter tires and will freeze into solid blocks of rubber, not be supple, and will not grip worth a crap when frozen. Even if they are knobbies. Mud tires, softer as they are than normal tires, are a better choice than hard summer rubber, but do yourself a favour and run something like these Continental tires at the very least. I have it on good authority that they do fine in the snow, are better on ice than conventional tires (including mtn bike tires) and while they won't grip like studded tires, they at least won't dump you as often as summer hard rubber will. Also, winter rubber will grip frozen bare asphalt better than summer tires will. They are the bike equivalent of winter tires on a car. My write up on these will arrive once the snow does. I plan to use two wheel sets this winter - one with studded tires, and one without. Both sets are going to be winter tires though. A set of knobby cyclocross tires that many reported as being "awesome" in the snow were anything but. I almost broke my elbow. This is, in my view, a use the right tool for the job moment.
Big time agree with the lubing advice offered that night. Lube the daylights out of everything. I suggest products from Phil Wood and Company as being good for winter. Their chain lubricant is particularly awesome when the going gets sloppy. I use it on the chain, bolts, etc as both a lubricant and a rust prevention method. Sticks like mad to everything. Works for me.
Speaking of rust, a can of automotive rust spray is a good idea....
Suggestions were made to keep the bike outside and keep it frozen as this helps prevent corrosion. Great idea... but... you need secure storage. Locked garages are a good idea. A proper shed would be a good idea (good luck with a "canned shed" from the big box store). I just bring mine in and let it thaw out. Sucks to be the bike sometimes. I also wash it at least once a week with soapy water, and keep it in good working order. I expect to burn out a rear derailleur, brake and shift cables, at least one set of brake shoes (front and back) and the chain and cassette per year. I put at least 4000km in all weather on my cheap as dirt ($500-600) commuter bike. The components are not the best, and will burn out in winter weather. Actually, they wear out long before they rust out. So I don't particularly care if they corrode a bit in the winter as that list of parts is worn to the point of destroyed by winter's end no matter what I do to prevent rust.
Disk brakes vs rim brakes? Disk all the way. They don't snow/ice up as much as rim ones do. You won't burn several sets of brake shoes out per winter either. Your rims last longer. This means less frequent and less expensive maintenance. Also, the bike likely won't cost you much more than a bike with rim brakes as disk brakes have grown in use and popularity. As with rim brakes, give them a squeeze periodically, especially if you are in powdered snow, unless you like nasty surprises...
Dress for it. I never (ok, almost never) wear a winter coat. I use multiple layers of technical clothing - wool is wonderful, and some of the newer synthetics do not get damp and stink or if they do get damp, they dry fast and non stinky. Yay. Get a ninja mask style helmet liner. Your cheeks, nose, and chin will thank you. Your glasses might fog, but oh well. Oh, please use a helmet. You are MUCH more likely to dump the bike in the winter, and saving your face and head is a good idea (a properly adjusted helmet will actually prevent or reduce road rash on your face...). Warm mittens, wool, are a good idea, as are waterproof boots. I use bogs, which suck on the bike, but are warm, have room to tuck in your pants, and are waterproof. I just wish that they did not flex so much. They make my feat hurt if I push as hard as I normally do (I have to chase everyone I see - I should really grow up or something...) I had to leave the presentation early and do not know if this was discussed. I would assume it was as the presentation was excellent and this is an important subject.
Use fenders. Full ones. With mud flaps. This is not a hipster fashion show. They keep the crap off of you and those around you.

That's about it for winter stuff. Do it and have fun.

A group of jugglers I saw on the way home.

It is pretty easy to make fun of individual groups of people, particularly those which seemingly go out of their way to make it easy. It is mean though...

In this case, I am thinking of hipsters.

You know the type.

Riding around on their fixed geared bikes, dressed in casual yet chunky clothing, using artisanal everything, bushy beards, chunky glasses, oozing irony from every pore...

But then...

Can you say oops?

This is the ass end of my 2005 Kona Jake the Snake cyclocross bike.

Oh dear.

I am on the road to hipsterdom. Now what?

Do I have to let my legs get all hairy?? (can you say ewww when mixed with my usual bike garb consisting of lycra bibs?!? - never mind cleaning road rash or massage...)
Do I have to let my face get all hairy?!? I do hope not!

Thankfully, I am too old to be a hipster.

Jokes aside, I do have several somethings serious to thank the hipster movement for:

The increase in urban cycling and urban cyclists - big time on the rise in most urban centers. Around here, it seems to be driven by the hipster demographic. Thank you. Now if our cities would get with it and build some decent infrastructure... More and better parking for bicycles would be a huge boon, as would (for both car drivers and cyclists alike) reducing the main drag to one lane with better parking and bike facilities.
A vast increase in the number of very good coffee shops, small bakeries, and decent reasonably priced eateries in the urban core which hipsters flock to by the hundreds. I like the "one offness" of these places, even if they do, in their drive to be different, end up oddly all looking the same... But it is a same that I like.
The arrival of companies such as betabrand who make actual real clothing that can be worn on a bike and in the workplace and actually be comfortable and not leave your groinal regions feeling like a rotten cabbage. Yay.
I cannot stress point three enough. It bears repeating. Yay.
More people to race on the MUPS (er....)

However, I just cannot do the hairy face.

And really, if you know what that picture above really shows, I cannot do a fixed gear bike either. Single speed yes, fixed gear no. Also, all the other bikes are retaining their gears :)