California vehicle code mandates that any bike operated in darkness is required to have a front headlight that emits a white beam visible from 300 feet and a red rear reflector that’s visible from 500 feet when illuminated by motor vehicle high beams. The law also mandates reflectors on both pedals or the rider’s ankles, and side reflectors or tires with reflective sidewalls. The headlight can be attached to either the bicycle or the rider. Check the vehicle code for the jurisdiction in which you ride to be sure you’re meeting at least the minimum requirements.

A normal part of year-round commuting is riding in the dark. Beginners tend to be nervous about night riding, but with a little preparation, many people quickly grow to enjoy the experience. Roads tend to be less trafficked after dark, off street paths are often deserted, and, assuming you have a good lighting system, motorists give you a much wider berth than they do during daylight hours.

We’re currently in the golden age of bicycle lights, due mostly to the incredible efficiency of LED emitters (aka bulbs). In recent years, bike lights have become brighter, lighter, and cheaper, while offering longer run-times and a wider variety of mounting options. There’s a wide selection of bike lights on the market and new models are coming out all the time, so instead of getting into specific models (which would date this article), I’m going to touch on a couple of basic approaches and point you to your local bike shop to discuss current offerings.

Simple, Effective, and Inexpensive
The simplest and least expensive lighting set-up is a white LED headlight on the front, and a red blinking LED on the back. Small, but surprisingly powerful, AA- and AAA-powered lights are available for under $50 each. Mount the headlight on your handlebar, and either mount the red blinkie on your seat post or rack, or clip it on your back, and you’re good to go. I highly recommend rechargeable batteries and a battery charger as part of the system.

Dedicated and Convenient
For those who ride in the dark regularly, a dynamo lighting system provides battery-free lighting that’s always available at the flip of a switch. Power is provided by either a bottle or hub dynamo. Bottle dynamos mount on the bicycle frame and have a small roller that rotates against the tire to generate current. Hub dynamos (aka generator hubs) have the generator built right into the hub. In recent years, hub dynamos have far surpassed bottle dynamos in efficiency and popularity. Dynamo lighting systems are more expensive than small battery-powered systems, and unless they come pre-installed from the factory on a commuting bike, they also require a more involved installation process. If you’re interested in a dynamo system, contact your local bike shop or one of the dealers on the internet who specialize in dynamo systems.

The Sky’s the Limit
I’ve just barely scratched the surface on bike lighting possibilities. From fully-integrated systems wired right into the bike frame, to high-powered flood lights designed for 24-hour mountain bike racing, there’s practically no limit to how deeply you can get into lighting. The good news is that a basic set-up to get you back-and-forth to work safely can be picked up at any well-stocked bike shop and installed in just a few minutes.

Like many bicycle enthusiasts have done at one point or another, I used to track my trip distances, average speeds, and weekly, monthly and annual mileage. It was a way to measure “progress” and “performance” as I imagined it. To what end, I can’t really say, since throughout most of that time I wasn’t racing. Perhaps I was “racing” with myself. Whatever the reason, that way of thinking clearly grew out of our still prevalent proclivity to view the bicycle as a sporting good here in the U.S.

Now, as a person who loves riding bikes, but is even more concerned with leaving the car in the garage, I use a different metric to track progress. Now, I think in terms of miles not driven, or what I like to call “replacement miles”. For someone like myself who is passionate about a future with fewer cars on the road and more bicycles being used for transportation, this is a more satisfying and effective way of looking at it. Don’t get me wrong; riding for fun is all well-and-good, and I highly recommend it. But now, if I put the bike in the car and drive across town to participate in a recreational ride, those miles don’t “count” because they didn’t replace a car trip*.

If tracking your total miles and elapsed times provides motivation to keep riding, by all means, keep doing exactly what you’re doing. But, if reducing automobile use is important to you, perhaps thinking in terms of replacement miles makes more sense. Doing so gets me out of the weeds and helps me to stay focused on the larger goal of only using the car when absolutely necessary.

Photo © Jeffrey Beall – CC 2.0

You might remember Blackhawk, CO as The City That Banned Bicycles. Well, in a bit of exquisite irony, Andy Clarke, President of the League of American Bicyclists, reports that he recently received a solicitation from a casino in Blackhawk asking that he bring the League’s business there. Somehow, I don’t think that’s gonna’ work out… LOL.

Read about it on the LAB blog →

The intersection of my two favorite modes of transport.

Bob Mionske, author of Bicycling and the Law, also runs the informative BicycleLaw.com website. He regularly publishes articles on bicyclists’ rights and responsibilities and how they relate to traffic law.

In a recent article, Mionske talks about how to handle encounters with law enforcement when the officer is unaware or plain wrong on the law, something that’s not all that unusual when it comes to bicycle traffic law.

Read the article →

20′s Penty For Us from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

The 20′s Plenty For Us campaign supports 20 mph speed limits for all residential roads in the UK. Lowering speed limits makes roads safer and neighborhoods more livable.

20′s Plenty For Us →
Streetfilms →

Numerous times in the past I’ve mentioned that I prefer lugged steel bicycle frames over all others. While this still holds true, I like to acknowledge the fact that we all have differing needs and that one person’s ideal bike may not work at all for another. How a person plans on using their bike, as well as their budget, will determine their preferred frame material.

Steel is often thought of as being the ideal material for commuter and utility bikes. It’s tough, it fails slowly, and it can withstand a major amount of surface abuse. This makes it a good material for how we typically imagine a transpo bike will be used and abused.

But, there are plenty of riders who have a point-to-point commute, safe bicycle storage, and only a minimal need to carry stuff. There are also those who have very long commutes over difficult terrain. For those people, lightweight performance bikes might actually be preferred over what we traditionally think of as commuters or utility bikes. More exotic materials such as aluminum, titanium, or even carbon fiber are not necessarily out of the question for use on high performance commuters (bikes such as the Breezer Finesse and Civia Hyland immediately come to mind).

Carbon fiber frames have a reputation for being delicate and fragile (whether or not it’s deserved is a whole other discussion). Most aluminum frames are less tough than most steel frames, but they also tend to be lighter, and they seem to be inexpensive to manufacture (this probably explains the widespread use of aluminum among entry-level racing bikes and so-called hybrids). Titanium has similar toughness to steel, it doesn’t rust, and it builds into a light and lively bike. On paper it sounds like the ideal material for building bike frames; the downside is that it’s difficult to work with and the raw material is expensive, both of which make complete titanium bikes very pricey. Bamboo is the latest frame building material to come into vogue, but frankly, I haven’t gotten my head around it yet. Hopefully I’ll get my hands on a bamboo bike to try out before the year is over.

For our readers who are riding on something other than steel, it would be interesting to know the rationale behind your frame material choice.

You don’t get this from behind the wheel of a car

#1 reason to commute by bike? See above. Following are a few others…

• the feeling of well-being that comes with physical activity in the out-of-doors;
• the tangible health benefits that come from daily exercise;
• the surprising amount of money that can be saved by eliminating an automobile;
• the greater connection with our community that comes from being out and exposed to our neighbors; and,
• the increased appreciation of nature that comes from daily exposure to the elements.

Feel free to add to the list!

Michael sent us this story about rural bike commuting from Glendive, Montana.

The Paul Chain Keeper is a chain retention device for 1X single ring drivetrains. It’s available in models to either clamp on a seat tube in place of a derailleur (shown here), or mount on an external bottom bracket. The seat tube version is available in three sizes to fit 28.6mm, 31.8mm, and 35.0mm seat tubes. The external bottom bracket model is intended for full suspension frames, carbon fiber frames, frames with eccentric bottom brackets, and frames with non-standard tubing.

Not all 1X set-ups require a chain keeper. If you’re doing a conversion, my advice is to give it a try sans keeper for a week or two to see if chain derailment is going to be an issue. Drivetrains set-up with good alignment and high tension may never throw a chain, particularly if the shifters are indexed and the bike is only used on relatively smooth, paved roads. But, if you plan on riding your bike on dirt trails, or if you’re an aggressive rider who hops curbs and so forth, a chain keeper of some sort is definitely in order. I decided to install the Paul Chain Keeper on my bike because I occasionally ride dirt trails, and I sometimes hop curbs when transitioning from bike lanes to off-street paths.

The Paul Chain Keeper works as advertised; with this unit installed, your chain will not derail, period. The fit and finish are excellent, and like all Paul components, the Chain Keeper is manufactured right here in Chico, CA, USA.

I purchased my Paul Chain Keeper at The Bicycle Business in Sacramento, CA (thanks, guys!). They can also be ordered directly from Paul in Chico.

The Bicycle Business →
Paul Component Engineering →

Note: The Bicycle Business is a sponsor of this website.

In highway engineering parlance, Complete Streets are roadways designed with all road users in mind, including transit riders, pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists. Well-designed Complete Streets enable users of all types to move safely along their length.

A portion of a heavily-trafficked 4-lane, 45 mph arterial in my area was recently turned into a Complete Street. Prior to the conversion, riding a bike on this section of roadway was not a pleasant experience. The shoulder was narrow, rough, and strewn with debris, and because motorists often travel at freeway speeds on this road, taking the lane was completely out of the question.

Recently, the roadway was re-paved and widened, and a full-width bike lane and sidewalk were installed. The improvement in the riding experience was astonishing; the road went from being one to avoid, to being a useful and comfortable route to get across that part of town.

While the philosophical arguments for and against bicycle-specific infrastructure continue unabated, out in the real world Incomplete Streets don’t hold a candle to Complete Streets.

For some reason, I always feel compelled to note these little milestones.

Bicycles are remarkably reliable vehicles that require very little in the way of maintenance. They rarely break down at the roadside, and even in the unlikely event of a mechanical failure, they can often be repaired in a few minutes with a few basic tools.

Following is the short list of items we carry in our tool kits:

• Bicyclist’s Multi-tool (at minimum, 2-8mm allen wrenches, 8/9/10mm box wrenches, phillips and flat head screwdrivers)
• Small Pliers
• Tire Levers
• Mini Pump
• Spare Tube
• Patch Kit
• Rag or Wet Wipes
• Cell Phone (the ultimate roadside bailout tool)

As you can see, most of what we carry relates to tire punctures. If you’d rather not repair flat tires, you can remove everything from the list other than the multi-tool, pliers, and cell phone. If your bike has nutted axles, you either need to be sure your multi-tool includes a 15mm wrench, or carry a separate wrench just for the axle nuts. We’ll follow-up with a flat repair how-to in an upcoming installment of this series.

You can carry your tool kit in its own bag (typically a small under-saddle bag or tool roll), or in a side pocket in your existing commuter pannier or messenger bag — it matters not. The important thing is to have a dedicated spot for the tool kit so it doesn’t get left at home.

And finally, if you’d rather not do any roadside repairs at all, be sure to carry a cell phone with you and have a plan in place for someone to pick-up you and your bike in the event of a breakdown (assuming a commute that’s beyond walking distance).

For our readers who are long-term bike commuters, feel free to chime in with your short list of tool kit “must haves”.

A shipment of EcoVelo Houndstooth Wool Caps just arrived from Walz Caps. These are sumptuous, 4-panel black/white houndstooth wool caps, embroidered with the EcoVelo logo on the right side. Supplies are limited, so order yours soon for the upcoming tweed season!

EcoVelo Caps Order Page →

Civia has a new rack in the works. From the Civia blog:

I like the clean lines of this little rack — it reminds me of the Tubus Fly and it’s just a little Nitto-ish. With a 40 lb. weight limit it should be plenty strong for commute loads.

Civia →

Some choice tidbits from the New York City Department of Transportation 2009 Sustainable Streets Index:

3.2% increase in bus and subway ridership in 2008; 12.3% increase in bus and subway ridership since 2003; 2.0% decline in weekday traffic volumes in 2008; 3.4% decline in weekday traffic volumes since 2003

32% increase in bicycle commuting into the Manhattan core from 2007 to 2008; Additional 26% increase in bicycle commuting from 2008 to 2009; 126% increase in bicycle commuting since 2003

and

and

NYDOT 2009 Sustainable Streets Index →

I ran across this interesting article at Seeking Alpha suggesting Shimano may be a good “peak oil” investment. In an article at Alt Energy Stocks, the same author recommends other bicycle and scooter stocks as good peak oil investments.

Seeking Alpha →
Alt Energy Stocks →

The Telegraph published an interesting graph showing London cycle hire usage plotted against temperature and rainfall. The data suggests usage is related to temps and rainfall (not surprising). How about you? Are you a fair weather commuter or do you brave the wet and cold?

The Telegraph →

Bryan Luce is the owner/operator of Renaissance Bicycles. Renaissance specializes in what they call “renaissanced bicycles” — individual creations that meld vintage frames with modern components. They also build-to-order complete bicycles on frames from Rivendell, Soma Fabrications, and Velo Orange. Bryan recently sat down with us to answer a few questions about his unique business.

Can you tell us about your background in cycling?

I feel very fortunate that I have never forgotten the simple pleasure of riding a bike. Though it sounds silly (and possibly diminishes my bravado), each and every time I ride a bike I still get the same childish sense of, “whheeeee!” I think this is why my personal emphasis has always been on riding for Fun instead of Competition or Fitness. Not that the latter are not reasons to ride, but I don’t think they alone could have kept my interest in cycling.

My cycling accomplishments revolve around touring and exploring via bike; I have no racing pedigree. I have ridden in one mountain bike race, but only with the intention of having a good time. I basically consider myself an average “approaching-my-middlin’-years” rider. I don’t train, or race, or get worked up about the weight of my waterbottle cage. I stay away from Goo and synthetic drinks; I am suspicious of 5-minute Ab Workouts. I did set out to ride 5200 miles this year, but that was really just a I-can-have-a-baby-and-still-keep-my-lifestyle fantasy.

What led you to start Renaissance Bicycles?

The short answer is that Renaissance Bicycles basically grew out of the idea, “If I could run a small business, what would I do?” For some unknown reason, my wife agreed.

The more in-depth answer is that I was looking to do something unique, something with intrinsic (and hopefully) extrinsic value, and work that involved e-commerce. Cycling has always been my passion, and I have an affinity for vintage bikes, so it seemed logical to extend that into a professional life. I have web design experience and always enjoyed photography as a hobby. Through my own curiosity and tinkering, I acquired some specialized knowledge regarding vintage bikes. More importantly, I have spent countless hours of “intensive bicycle research” on the Internet. Why not use that towards creating something worthwhile?

On a more personal level, I have always been intrigued with mechanics, design, and their synergy in aesthetics. Hot Rods and classic cars have always been out of my financial reach, but I relish the individual statement they create. As I wrote previously, most people make the sensible choice to buy a Honda, but it takes something special to look at a rusty car left in a field and see the potential Dream Machine. This is what I try to do with the “Renaissanced” bicycles I build — like my personal mountain bike, a 1983 Stumpjumper.

What is a “Renaissanced” bicycle?

Basically, a “renaissanced” bicycle is the term we coined for a vintage bike that has been “reborn”. Whereas a “restoration” puts the bike back to original (or as close to original) as possible, a “renaissanced” bike has been purposely updated with modern or neo-classic parts. Think 700c to 650B wheel conversions; upgrading a 6-speed freewheeled bike to a modern drivetrain; taking a vintage 3-speed and stripping it down to be a quick Townie. A “renaissanced” bike also has some personal touches that emulate the owner; there is a sense of uniqueness and individuality. The bike and the owner “match”.

In practical terms, a “renaissanced” bike might have been sitting in the dusty corner of the garage (the one behind the lawnmower, in front of the old paint cans, under the tarp), but it has now been carefully revived to provide many more miles of enjoyable riding. It may not be the lightest, vertically compliant-est / laterally stiffest, most carbon-acious bike in the stable, but is probably the one that brings the most smiles. When you ride by small children they don’t chide, “Lance needs his bike back now, Grandpa”, but instead say, “WOW! Can I take that for a ride?”

Do you also sell “off-the-rack” bikes or do you only build to order?

All of our bikes are built to order. We do have some “stock builds” listed on the website to go along with the Rivendell, Soma, and Velo Orange frames we sell, but interestingly, we have never sold a single “stock” bike. Instead, customers use these as a reference for incorporating their own preferences. While that might seem like a headache to a Local Bike Shop — there is certainly a lot of back-and-forth with customers — it is what we feel is valuable about our business. There is definite satisfaction in taking a customer’s hopes / desires / dreams, translating that into a list of twenty plus tangible items, and then (after some focused labor) presenting them with a cohesive final product.

What advantages do “Renaissanced” bicycles have over standard production builds?

For better or worse, a traditional Local Bike Shop can’t do what we do … there are children’s helmets to be sold, last season’s gloves to be discounted, Magnas to be repaired, etc. It is simply easier (and smarter) to sell a well equipped GianTrekCialized than sweat the details. But sweating the details is what makes our bikes better than production bikes.

Basically, we don’t do a lot of “traditional” bike shop stuff so that we can be flexible enough to custom tailor each-and-every detail of each-and-every bike for each-and-every customer. This sometimes presents an interesting hurdle for our customers regarding “choice overload” (like the dish detergent isle in the grocery store), but we pay attention to product reviews, the latest offerings from our suppliers, general industry news, and (most importantly) the customer’s criteria and preferences.

If you were commissioned to build the ultimate commuter bike for under $2000, what would it look like?

I was both hoping for / dreading that you might ask this. Not to dodge the question, but it genuinely does depend on who is riding the bike, where they are riding, what distances they ride, etc. For some people, a folding bike is perfect, others need a Surly Pugsley.

However … we have tried to address this question in our own style. Using a Velo Orange Polyvalent as a foundation, we created two dissimilar bikes. One is a practical City Bike with fenders, swept back bars, cushy 650B tires, and a simple 1×9 drivetrain. Basically, it is intended to be very classic around-town bike. The alter-ego is an homage to Scorchers of yester-year … fixed-gear drivetrain, more aggressive stance, Nitto DirtDrop bars, etc. It is for aggressive riding on backroads / pot-holed streets / gravel paths. Both versions are a lot of fun to ride and can easily be tailored with racks, lights, etc., and both versions address a distinct type of transportation cyclist. More importantly, both versions will sell for around $1500 complete.

The flip-side of your question is that a $2000 “ultimate” bike is only really viable for a small percentage of riders. I enjoyed your recent post about the Ruminations on the Ubiquitous Transpo Bike, but I think (and Sheldon Brown would probably agree) that Raleigh created the real-deal transpo bike years ago with the English 3-speeds. These bikes were made by the bzilliions, they’re sturdy, meant for city riding, can be found for cheap, and are really just good fun. In fact, my personal utility bike is a 1975 Raleigh Sport with panniers and a cushy Brooks saddle. A friend gave it to me in trade for some bike repairs.

This inspired us to create a Vintage City Bike portion to Renaissance Bicycles. Although it is still in rough form, we hope to provide resources for updating English 3-speeds, Schwinn’s “Sports” series bikes, and the coveted Japanese Touring bikes. Our intent is make people aware that these are perfectly affordable, usable, repairable, and upgradable bikes that, for the money, are much better commuting bikes than the lowly entry-level mountain bike.

Internal gear hubs and belt drives are hot in the transpo arena these days. Do you have any plans to start offering bikes with IGH/chain or IGH/belt drivetrains?

Yes, we do build IGH bikes for customers. One of my personal favorites is an IGH Surly LHT that has a Dutch-style build. The IGH offerings from both Shimano and SRAM are very good, and we would love to do more; the drivetrain efficiencies, price, and simplicity definitely make them appealing for dedicated commuter bikes. The same goes for belt drives, but that tricky slotted dropout will probably keep us at arm’s reach for now.

You do a wonderful job photographing bikes for the Renaissance website. What type of set-up and equipment do you use?

That is a serious complement coming from you! Like your site, we realized from the get-go that good quality photos were really what the customer wanted. We could drone on and on about the virtues of the bike, but it was a strong visual impression that engaged us with our potential customer.

Our studio set-up is actually pretty simple. We use a pair of inexpensive 500W studio lights with umbrellas, a giant roll of white paper suspended from the ceiling, a Canon digital SLR on a tripod, and a quality macro lens. The bikes balance with the use of a few wheel chalks and a white stick — Photoshop makes sure they aren’t a distraction.

Photo-wise, we (well “I” really) just try to take a few overview shots, close-ups of the drivetrain, and highlight anything interesting or unusual about the bike. I work slowly, and always ask myself, “What would I want to see / know about this bike?”

Can you tell us about your “1% to USBRS” program?

This came about from the notion of “doing well by doing good”. We wanted to give back to the cycling community and to indirectly challenge other small Shops to do the same. Our hope is that members of the Industry will appreciate the value in contributing to the overall well-being of cycling … not only with donations but with ongoing support.

For us, the Adventure Cycling Association was a natural fit. Their resources are directed towards the type of riders we cater to — bike tourers, commuters, non-racers. They create outstanding maps, provide relevant content via Adventure Cycling Magazine, and have embraced their role in cycling Advocacy. Their master plan of creating a nationwide bike route system (the USBRS) is phenomenal. Think about that — a network of safe riding routes that could connect any two major cities in the continental U.S.

What do you see for the future in transportation bicycles, and how will Renaissance Bicycles fit into that picture?

As for day-to-day business, Renaissance Bicycles will keep tailoring bikes to our customers’ needs and intended uses. As transportation bikes change, so will we. As better products for commuters emerge, we will test them and incorporate them into our offerings accordingly. We will change as the needs for transportation change.

For longer term business goals, we are in the initial stages of designing our own line of lugged steel bikes. The objective is to create a classically styled lugged steel all-rounder frameset with many of the features of a “constructuer” bike … integrated fenders, routing for lights, braze-ons a-plenty, etc. Everything will be made in America by small suppliers, quality and craftsmanship will be paramount, and we will retain the flexibility to incorporate customer preferences without the long wait-times or expense. Yes, that sounds like a grandiose plan, but we want to eat our cake and to have it, too.

For the bigger picture of bicycles and their role in the American transportation landscape, we take the firm stance that Individuals and Inclusion will make all the difference. People can (and do) debate public funding, helmet laws, cyclist’ rights, infrastructure, etc. ad nauseum. But a much better use of our time and energy is to actively find and engage the individuals who “might” ride their bikes for transportation … riders who are undecided if cycling for transportation is right for them. And when we do find them: take them riding; talk to them about good cycling habits; suggest and scout safe routes; let them borrow your stuff; thoughtfully answer their questions; point them to quality websites like this. And above all, physically Be There to support them. (For more, read the two part-er: The Bike Commuter Green Dot and Being the Bike Commuter Green Dot — 8.5 Things That You Can Do.) Basically, the emphasis needs to be on recreation and personal enjoyment. The take-home message is ride a bike because it is fun.

Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer our questions, Bryan!

Renaissance Bicycles →

Note: Renaissance Bicycles is a sponsor of this website.

It was hot in NorCal today. When it gets this hot, extreme measures are called for. For one, the helmet goes in the bike bag (not recommending this, just reporting on it), special clothing is employed (shorts and sandals, no work clothes), and the pace slows down to what we call “tweed speed”.

Tweed speed isn’t a real term, it’s just something we came up with to describe the almost painfully slow pace experienced on social group rides. It’s a pace so slow that it would actually take more energy to ride any slower. It’s a pace that uses the weight of your legs to propel you forward and requires no more effort than taking the weight off of your upstroking leg for a moment. It’s the perfect pace for those times when your brain is roasting while sitting still in the shade. In other words, it was the perfect pace for this afternoon’s triple-digit commute.