13 Responses to “Country Bike with Poppies”

• Keith says:
  

  Beautiful poppies!

  My wife Kasia & I (and Bobby, a friend of mine from work) rode the 28th Annual Tulip Pedal ride in La Conner, WA this past weekend. No tulips yet, but the daffodils were out in force:

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/keith_and_kasia/3420734130/in/set-72157616363531247/

  Posted on 4.6.09 at 11:40 pm
• Alan says:
  

  @Keith

  Wow, beautiful. Thanks for sharing. It looks like a wonderful ride!

  Alan

  Posted on 4.7.09 at 6:23 am
• Helton says:
  

  The flowers are great, but I found those electric lines, that usually ruin a photo, simply perfect (and fading away…)

  Great photo!

  Posted on 4.7.09 at 6:59 pm
• Eddie says:
  

  I agree. The photographer (Alan? Michael?) framed the view in the optimal orientation, allowing the power lines to accentuate the composition, not scar it. I love the sweeping lines in that single-point perspective.

  Posted on 4.7.09 at 7:53 pm
• Roland Smith says:
  

  This would make a very good cycling poster.

  Did you use any special filter or camera settings to get these vibrant colors?

  Posted on 4.8.09 at 3:21 pm
• Alan says:
  

  @Roland

  “Did you use any special filter or camera settings to get these vibrant colors?”

  I had a UV filter on the camera. It was shot raw and I did quite a bit of work on it in Photoshop. Here’s the original straight from the camera…

  

  Posted on 4.8.09 at 6:56 pm
• Fritz says:
  

  Poppies, lupine and bike! Beautiful!

  Posted on 4.13.09 at 9:57 am
• Fern says:
  

  Nice perspective! Those flowers are really spectacular, even in your unedited photo. I recently discovered your blog and am enjoying reading it. I have a question about carrying stuff while riding .. backpacks vs saddle bags/handlebar bags? I am seeing all these classy traditional bags on bikes these days and was wondering what is the benefit of having a bag on your bike instead of on your back, if you aren’t touring or riding long distances? The thick canvas and leather-strapped construction sure are attractive, but is that merely for style? I am also looking for some sort of affordable handlebar bag for holding my (film) slr, since I like to snap photos while riding.

  Posted on 4.14.09 at 11:34 am
• Fritz says:
  

  If you mostly use one bicycle, bags on bike work well. Backpacks are hard on your back, neck or shoulder; add wear and tear to your clothing. It’s also wear sweat collects.

  I usually use a shoulder bag, though, because I have a multimodal commute and I ride one of multiple bikes. When hoisting a bike into a train it’s easier when the bag is on my back. It’s also easier to forget stuff if I transfer stuff from my commuter bike to my ‘fun’ bike.

  The detailing is mostly style/looks, but if you use your bags daily they’ll see rough treatment and most of the inexpensive ‘basic black’ bags don’t hold up to daily use (personal experience speaking).

  Posted on 4.14.09 at 11:48 am
• Alan says:
  

  @Fern

  A pair of panniers will easily hold 2-3 times what can be carried in a backpack. Backpacks tend to make your back sweaty, and if you’re carrying a lot of weight, they can strain your back and neck muscles. For anything other than camera gear, I always prefer having my bags attached to the bike.

  Canvas bags are tough and good looking, though they aren’t waterproof. There are spray on treatments that improve their water-resistance, but they’ll never be watertight like a synthetic bag such as an Ortleib.

  With the addition of some foam from the fabric store, almost any handlebar bag will work for carrying your camera. Your best bet is to head down to your local bike shop with your camera and try a few for size.

  Alan

  PS – Thanks for the kind words regarding the photo… :-)

  Posted on 4.14.09 at 11:49 am
• Fern says:
  

  Great! Thanks so much for the helpful info, Fritz and Alan. I’m in the process of converting my boyfriend to using a handlebar or saddlebag, since he gets extremely sweaty from carrying his little Chrome messenger bag around. (It’s already pretty hot in Texas!) I’ll probably look into getting a rando bag or something, as it is super difficult for me to arrange stuff in my backpack to where an item isn’t jutting into my back uncomfortably. Would you say that Acorn bags are a good value? They are gorgeous and also very reasonably priced, compared to other traditional bag makers. Also, where would your lock go without a backpack? Just somewhere in the bag on bike (far far away from the camera)? Thanks much.

  Posted on 4.14.09 at 12:15 pm
• Fritz says:
  

  The lock goes into a lock holster, natch :-)

  Posted on 4.14.09 at 12:31 pm
• Alan says:
  

  @Fern

  Acorn bags are very nice if you like canvas. I have a couple; they’re well built and smartly designed.

  My favorite all-purpose bag is the Arkel Bug. It mounts on the bike like a regular pannier, but converts to a backpack in just a few seconds. This allows me to transition from bicyclist to pedestrian to transit rider to grocery shopper very quickly. It has a helmet holder and many clever compartments, one of which could be used for a small U-lock if a lock holster isn’t your thing. :-)

  Here’s my Bug Review.

  Posted on 4.14.09 at 12:36 pm