[Cassidy sent us these photos of his Kogswell Model D. —Alan]

This is my Kogswell Model D. It’s in its third variant since I bought the frame used a few years back. It’s the bike I ride most of the time, and most often it carries me back and forth from my home to my bike shop, Bespoke Bicycles, two miles away in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

I used to ride road bikes with narrow tires exclusively. One day, I realized that this frame would fit 700x42mm tires, and I built it up that way almost as a joke. Rarely has a joke affected anything in my life so deeply. Wide tires were such a revelation! Now all of my bikes have tires 32mm and wider. This bike has Panaracer Paselas, which are my favorite tires these days.

It’s currently built up with a Shimano Nexus 4-speed hub, Sturmey-Archer dynamo front hub, Honjo fenders and a Velo Orange Porteur Rack. I drilled the rack and frame for internal wiring to the Spanninga lights. Wiring dynamo lights has become one of my favorite things to do, the more elaborate and hidden the better. The bike is a joy to ride! It’s supremely comfortable, fast enough, carries lots of weighty and bulky items on the front rack.

—Cassidy

I’ve been fighting a virus this week, off the bike and house-ridden for the past few days. Today was the first day I felt like getting back on the bike, and fortunately, we had a beautifully mild day with highs around 60F and no wind. We took the opportunity to ride across town to see a friend’s paintings in an art show that opened today at a local gallery.

Wow, it felt good to be back on the bike, out in the fresh air and enjoying the natural world. My body feels better, I feel refreshed, and most importantly, I feel much more clear-headed. It really is amazing what a nice, long, slow bike ride can do to speed along recovery and brighten your mood. This time of year when we’re all so sun starved and short on fresh air, a bike ride on a sunny day can really work wonders. The fact that all of this is an added benefit to a simple, economical, and environmentally-friendly mode of transportation is quite remarkable!

The Brooklyn Paper ran a pair of op-eds this morning that clearly illustrate the divide between those who support a “crackdown” on bicyclists and those who believe the real issue is a need for safer streets.

Crackdown Will Save Lives →
Ticket Blitz too Lopsided →

[Note: Be prepared for a handful of inaccuracies in the "Crackdown" piece. —ed.]

[Frank sent us these photos of his girlfriend's Müsing city bike. —Alan]

My friend from Zombie Bikes and I assembled this every-day-bicycle out of a mountainbike-frame for my girlfirend. She is very happy with it and the bike is realy an eyecatcher in the city. We made it last year. My girlfriend uses the bike to go to work, to go shopping, or to do day trips. Very usefull items for the every-day-use are the magnetic Reellights, the Nexus 8-gear-change and the Magura hydraulic-breakes.

All the best,
Frank

Photo © Mike Flanigan, A.N.T.

It must be the year for sage green. First there was the new Brompton sage green which is currently atop their Facebook poll (clear lacquer has actually received more votes, but it’s not technically a color), and now we have this lovely from A.N.T.

A.N.T. →

I just wanted to let everyone know that our 2011 calendars will only be available for a couple of more weeks. If you still need a 2011 calendar, you can pick one up anytime before February 1. After that, we’ll close down the calendar shop until next fall.