Over at Rivendell’s Peeking Through the Knothole blog, Grant Petersen has been conducting an informal class on how to design a bicycle frame using a pencil, ruler, calculator, protractor, and graph paper. I’m not participating, but I’ve enjoyed following along. You can view the introductory post here, and the successive lessons are listed reverse-chronologically here.

Today’s lesson on top tubes is particularly interesting. In it, Mr. Petersen talks a bit about level versus sloping top tubes and the advantages and disadvantages of both. Here’s an excerpt:

I’m hopelessly stuck in the past on this topic, but I’ve been warming up to mildly sloping top tubes in recent years, partially due to the Sam Hillborne (see above).

How about you? Do you prefer an old school level top tube, or do modern sloping top tubes appeal to your sensibilities (aesthetic or otherwise)?

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Here are a couple of Panda portraits showing my new Civia bars versus my old Nitto North Road bars (both installed on the LHT). As different as these bars look, surprisingly, the fore/aft grip positions are nearly identical. The wrist angles (aka sweep) are different though; the Nitto is at 70 degrees, while the Civia is at 50 degrees. While the Civia wrist angle provides more leverage and a feeling of quicker, more secure steering, the 70-degree angle of the Nitto is more casual and relaxed. The Nitto has a couple of centimeters of rise which also contributes to the relaxed feeling. I haven’t yet decided which I prefer…

Civia Aldrich – 50 Degrees

Nitto North Road – 70 Degrees

For those of you who are riding bars other than drops, how much sweep do you prefer?

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In the follow-up discussion to yesterday’s post about Bob Mionske’s article on bicycle infrastructure, there was a question about whether our readers prefer to ride in areas with bicycle infrastructure such as bike lanes, sharrows, and separated bikeways, or whether they prefer to ride in areas with no bicycle-specific infrastructure at all. The feedback I’ve received seems to indicate the majority of our readers prefer riding in areas where there is well-developed infrastructure, but in all honesty, I don’t really know. So, I ask the question: Given the choice, do you prefer to ride in areas with well-developed bicycle infrastructure, or do you prefer to ride in areas with only legacy roads and no bicycle-specific infrastructure?

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We can’t quite figure out if it stems from our general reduction of interest in all things competitive, or if we’re simply burned out on all the doping scandals and drama surrounding the sport, but we’re finding ourselves almost completely disinterested in the Tour De France this year. We’ve watched it religiously in years past, but for whatever reason the sheen has worn off. At this point, we’d rather just take a ride to the coffee shop and enjoy bike riding in a pure and simple way. How about you; are you a TDF fan?

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We keep bells on all of our bikes; we like to think of them as the Little Brass Ambassadors of the Bike Trail.

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Project on Deck

Sometimes I just make up reasons to work on my bikes. It might be a complete drivetrain overhaul or something as simple as replacing the bar tape, but it seems I almost always have some project or another in the works. I guess I have to face the fact that I’m a gear head of sorts, and working on bikes is very nearly (but not quite) half the fun. Add to that the fact that I’m a bit of a perfectionist and some might say I have a full-blown addiciton to wrenching on bikes. The good news is that I have the family’s entire fleet to attend to, as well as no shortage of toys on loan from friends and sponsors, all of which help to keep me busy and out of trouble.

My latest jag was sanitizing the drivetrains on every bike in our stable and converting from wet lubes to hot wax. We’re now all squeaky clean and quiet. Mrs. EcoVelo was kind enough to find an old crockpot at a thrift store for my paraffin/beeswax experiments, so we’re in great shape now; no more wax drips on the kitchen counter! [BTW - If you're a waxer, I've made some interesting discoveries involving mixing paraffin with beeswax - drop me a note if you'd like my formula.] That endeavor provided a deep sense of satisfaction that might be a little hard to understand for those who are less obsessive about their bikes.

This coming weekend’s project is a bar re-wrap. I understand complementary colors, and I use complements in design work all the time, but somehow I never fully embraced the orange/blue combo on my Sam Hillborne, so I ordered up some brown Newbaum’s that should nicely harmonize with the green/brown/orange color scheme on the rest of the bike. Of course, I have to make it more complicated than necessary, so I’ll tie-off the wraps with some twine, and slather the entire bar with a 50/50 mix of amber and clear Bulls Eye shellac. Can’t wait!

All of this is in good fun and, fortunately, it has the practical benefit of keeping our bikes in great shape for presentation on the blog. And while I sometimes feel as if I’m the only obsessive mechanic out there (people constantly tease me about our clean bikes), I know I can’t be the only one. So, how about you? Are you a wrench junkie? Do you enjoy working on bikes almost as much as riding them?

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Shorts Weather

I don’t often ride in purpose-made cycling clothes anymore. This isn’t a political statement as much as it’s a statement of personal preference; I simply no longer have a desire or need to wear specialized “cycling wear”. And although I think there may be some merit to the idea that people riding bikes in normal clothes present a positive image of bicycling to the general public, I certainly don’t look down on those who choose to wear cycling-specific clothing. I suppose when it comes down to it, I’m pretty much an agnostic on the Cycle Chic versus Lycra question.

My routine in the winter and spring is to wear my work clothes and simply layer up over the top with various fleece vests and coats. It’s usually cold enough when I leave for work in the morning, and I ride slow enough on my inbound commute, that I’m not concerned about perspiration. As the year progresses and the weather warms, I shed layers until I’m down to just a shirt and slacks in the spring.

When the temps approach triple digits like they did yesterday, I switch over to a garment swapping routine that puts me in progressively lighter and cooler clothing as the day warms: on the morning commute while it’s still relatively cool, I wear slacks and a long-sleeved shirt (this could be a tech-T or a lightweight wool shirt ); then, when I arrive at the office I clean up and change into a short-sleeved, lightweight, work appropriate shirt; and for the ride home, I swap the slacks for a pair of lightweight, breathable shorts. On the few days of the year when we’re actually in triple digits, the work clothes are packed from the start and it’s shorts and a breathable shirt on both the inbound and outgoing legs of the commute.

We’re lucky to have such mild weather here in Northern California; by mixing-and-matching the “normal” clothes in our closet (for us that’s a mix of cotton street clothes and all-purpose, REI-style “outdoor” clothing), we’re able to stay comfortable on the bike throughout the year. I’m guessing that in other regions where the weather is more extreme, clothing choices are more difficult and specialized bike clothing is more of a requirement.

What about you? Do you wear specialized, bike-specific clothing on your commute, or do you just wear the street clothes that are already hanging in your closet?

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At least anecdotally, it appears the number of suburban and rural utility bicyclists is on the rise. I suspect this group of transportational bicyclists is much larger than most people realize — even rivaling urban bicyclists in numbers — yet it has been largely ignored by the bicycling press who seem to prefer to focus on the more hip and trendy aspects of urban/transpo bike culture (i.e., cycle chic, tweed, fixies, etc.).

While I understand the issues surrounding sprawl, there are still a number of valid reasons people choose to live in the suburbs and beyond, including an aversion to the intensity of city life, work that involves suburban/rural activity, the need to be near family, etc., etc. Whatever the reasons, and regardless of the current emphasis on re-urbanization, a large number of people are going to continue to live in suburban and rural areas. And while long commutes and freeways full of cars are certainly not the answer, we have to acknowledge that a complete restructuring of our cities and their suburbs is not going to happen for a very long time, if ever. It’s in our best interests to promote utility bicycling and transit use among this group, and get on with fully integrating our transit and biking infrastructures to efficiently and sustainably move people from the suburbs to the city and back.

I believe there is tremendous potential to increase the use of bicycles for transportation among those who live outside large urban centers. Sure, the distances outside the city tend to be longer, and bicycle-specific infrastructure can be sparse, but the roads are also less congested. I live in the suburbs and I’ve made it work; if it works for me, it can certainly work for many others as well. Changing perceptions about what’s possible, as well as educating people about how to integrate with transit, are key. And because suburban trip distances are greater than what are typical for the city, the potential rewards in terms of reduced emissions are enormous.

I’d be interested to know what percentage of our readers live in either suburban or rural areas.

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Sidewalk riding is always a controversial topic. It’s legal in a surprising number of places, though the fact that it’s legal is no indication of whether or not it’s a safe practice. I feel sidewalk riding can be relatively safe in certain circumstances and when approached with a certain mindset, but I often see bicyclists on sidewalks riding in ways that are dangerous to themselves and others.

One of the main issues with sidewalk riding is that motorists don’t expect to encounter vehicles traveling at close to motor vehicle speeds anywhere other than in the road. We’re all accustomed to looking in certain directions at certain times while riding or driving, and anything that doesn’t fall within normal traffic patterns runs the risk of being overlooked. Consequently, bicyclists traveling at anything over walking speed on sidewalks are in danger of having vehicles pull into their path at intersections and driveways.

Likewise, pedestrians are only accustomed to sharing the sidewalk with other pedestrians. Because they’re not expecting a bicycle to come up from behind, they have no reason to maintain a perfectly straight path, so there’s potential for collisions there as well. While collisions with pedestrians are not as dangerous as collisions with motor vehicles (obviously), these negative sidewalk encounters reflect badly on bicyclists in general.

In my hometown, we have a number of high-speed parkways with 2-3 lanes running in each direction. These roads have a center median and wide sidewalks on both sides that are separated from the traffic lanes by grass buffers. The only side streets are major intersections or entrances to neighborhoods. No residential driveways enter these roads. The sidewalks are wide enough that they could easily be considered separated bike paths. The lack of driveways and minimal cross streets make these pseudo multi-use paths safer and more useful for bicyclists than most sidewalks.

On the other side of the coin, we have sidewalks inside residential neighborhoods that are lined with parked cars and criss-crossed with driveways, cross streets, and alleys. They’re also often filled with small children, dog walkers, and skateboarders. Certainly, everyone can agree bicycling on these types of sidewalks is not a good idea.

As I see it, the only way to safely ride on a sidewalk is to act as a pedestrian anytime we’re near a pedestrian or an intersection. That means riding at walking speeds while in the presence of pedestrians, and it means slowing or stopping at intersections, driveways, and alleys to look in all directions (including behind) before crossing. Other than in certain special circumstances such as those along our parkways, I think most bicyclists would find the above approach barely workable. Unfortuantely, any other approach to sidewalk riding may be an invitation to conflict or even injury.

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For those who are unfamiliar with Idaho’s “stop-as-yield” law, it allows bicyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs:

The law has been on the books since the early 1980′s, undergoing only two minor revisions since its inception. From all appearances the law has been fairly successful. The past couple of years there has been growing interest in initiating similar laws in other states.

As an exercise, this past week I’ve been making an effort to come to a complete stop, with a foot down, at every stop sign on my daily commute. I have to admit, this is not normal practice for me. I’ve designed my commute so that I’m traversing mostly bike trails and quiet neighborhood streets. My morning commute starts early while the roads are pretty much empty, and as a result, I’ve fallen into the habit of treating many of the stop signs on my route as yield signs (but only when no cars are in sight). I must say, coming to a complete stop at every corner feels awkward and disruptive, particularly where the stop signs are placed close together and are clearly designed to slow motor vehicle traffic in quiet residential areas.

My little experiment has done nothing to convince me one way or the other that stop-as-yield laws would be appropriate in more traffic dense areas, but I’m pretty sure there are many otherwise law abiding bicyclists like myself who are fudging on this issue. I’d be curious to know how you treat stop signs and how the conditions in which you ride affect your approach.

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I think of friction versus indexed shifting as being analogous to stick versus automatic. The former came first and is mechanically more simple and tactile, while the latter came later, is more complex mechanically, but demands less of the user and is now nearly ubiquitous. Certainly, there’s no right or wrong when it comes to friction versus indexed, but people do seem to have their preferences. I’ve been known to lean toward preferring friction, though my current stable is split at exactly 50/50. Here are a few pros to consider:

Friction

• Not affected by cable stretch or housing compression
• More forgiving in the event of a mechanical issue in the drivetrain
• Wider cross-compatibility between various shifters and derailleurs
• Some riders who started riding on friction prefer the more tactile lever action

Indexed

• Quick and precise
• Requires less input from the rider
• Some shifters provide visual cues (i.e., gear numbers)
• Some riders who started riding on indexed prefer the more precise lever action

I think it mostly comes down to personal preference. It’s clear the market has spoken and most people prefer indexed shifting. I cut my teeth during the era of downtube-mounted friction shifters, consequently I find finessing a clean friction shift satisfying in a way that I don’t experience with indexed shifting. I realize that’s pretty esoteric and not much of an argument for friction shifting… :-)

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Photo: Rcsmit

I have to say, I was somewhat surprised to see the negative comments under our post about the new B-Cycle bike-sharing system that debuted today in Denver. I was also surprised to see the negative comments regarding bike-sharing in general. I’d like to know if our readers view bike-sharing as a waste of money, or whether they think it can be a viable addition to public transportation systems.

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Yesterday’s post on multi-modal commuting triggered some interesting comments on commuting distances. There seems to be a consensus that bike commutes under a certain length are too short, while others are too long. Those that are too long can wear down a rider and may be unsustainable over time, while those that are too short don’t provide the physical exercise and enjoyment we bike commuters have come to expect. (Funny, but it’s hard to imagine a person who commutes by automobile complaining about a commute being too short!)

Obviously, what constitutes an ideal bike commute distance will vary depending upon the rider’s physical condition, time constraints, and other factors. Still, I thought it would be interesting to set-up a poll to look at what our readers consider to be an enjoyable and sustainable bike commute distance.

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For bike commuters and car-free individuals who live long distances from their workplace or school, public transit can be an important part of their transportation mix. In my case, I have a 50-mile round-trip commute that I find too demanding to maintain on a regular basis on the bike alone. I managed to piece together a manageable, albiet somewhat complex, multi-modal commute that includes a bicycle ride, a train ride, a bus ride, and a hike. The total commute time door-to-door is approximately 1.5 hours each way.

My son, who is attending a local college, has a 20-mile round trip commute in the other direction. He mixes bike, ped, and bus to make his way to-and-from school. On days when the weather is nice and he feels up to it, he rides the full distance both directions. On other days, he mixes the bike with the bus, and if the weather is particularly nasty, he walks to a nearby stop and takes the bus the majority of the distance.

Even though we’re both bike commuters and believers in active transportation, we depend upon public transit to make our respective commutes sustainable over time. Also, having the option of transit built into our commutes ensures we can avoid the car even on days when we’re not feeling our best or our schedules demand a quicker trip.

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One of the simplest and most effective ways to improve the comfort of almost any bicycle is to increase its tire width. Wider tires can be run at lower pressures without exposing rims to damage, providing greater suspension and absorbing road imperfections.

On a commuter bike that will be ridden on varied terrain while carrying a light load, I like at least a 32mm tire. On a utility bike used for hauling groceries, etc., tires up over 40mm wide can be a real advantage. Anything under 30mm on either of these types of bikes is a compromise in my opinion. The heavier the total load (rider plus baggage), the greater the benefit of riding wider tires. For reference, I’m currently running 37mm tires at 60 psi on my commuter.

It’s a common misconception that wider tires are slower, but this is not necessarily the case, particularly at non-racing speeds on rough roads. Bicycle Quarterly has done extensive testing on suspension losses and their conclusions show that on rough roads, up to 50% of a bicyclist’s power output can be attributed to suspension losses, and these losses are best mitigated by wide tires run at lower pressures.¹

One of the main issues with running wide tires is frame clearance. There are simply not that many road bikes on the market that provide adequate clearance for the wide tires and fenders needed for commuting and utility riding. This is one area where the industry as a whole could really improve their current offerings.

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According to the EPA’s online document, Emission Facts: Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Typical Passenger Vehicle, the number of miles driven per year is assumed to be 12,000 miles for all passenger vehicles. And according to a study conducted by Experian Automotive, Americans own 2.28 vehicles per household, which puts Americans at an average of 27,360 miles driven per year, per household. We know at least some of our readers are living car-free, and even more are making efforts to live car-lite. We’re curious to know where EcoVelo readers stand as a group in comparison to the national average.

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At the grocery store, waiting for the big Thanksgiving Day load.

Holiday grocery shopping can be a challenge for car-lite/car-free families. We’re hosting family for Thanksgiving this year, so our grocery list was long and the load was more than the bikes could handle in one trip. Fortunately we live near a well-stocked grocery store, so it was easy enough to break up our shopping into multiple excursions. What kind of challenges do you face? Will you be able to do your holiday grocery shopping by bike?

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Our trip to Rivendell got me thinking about frame materials and construction again. Even though I’ve owned bikes made from every commonly used frame material including aluminum alloy, carbon fiber, titanium, high tensile steel, and chromoly steel, I cut my teeth during the heyday of lugged chromoly frames and I’ve always been partial to that material and construction method. I enjoy frames that have a little flex and feel alive, and chromoly steel, with its relatively light weight and its ability to flex over-and-over again without issue, makes it a good material for my preferences and the kind of riding I do everyday. The small diameter tubes used in this type of construction also maximize tire and fender clearances, a common issue with bikes made from aluminum and carbon. Certainly other materials can be used to make wonderful bicycles and can offer performance advantages for specialized uses, but frames built with small diameter chromoly tubes and ornate lugs speak to my middle-aged-inner-bike-geek in a way carbon fiber never will. Do you have a favorite frame material? If so, place your vote and expound further in the comments below.

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I probably field more e-mail questions regarding North Road and Albatross handlebars than any other subject related to bike set-up and components. It seems there are many people interested in converting their drop- and flat-bar bikes to a more upright handlebar for commuting and urban riding. Given the number of inquiries I receive, I’m curious to know what type of handlebars people are actually using out there. Please feel free to elaborate in the comments below.

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On one end of the spectrum we have lycra-clad, high speed commuters, on the other we have style-conscious, slow bike proponents, and in the middle we have just about everyone else. We’re 100% for any and all of it, because we love bikes and bicyclists and we’re always happy to see anyone on the road who’s not in a motor vehicle.

We know folks who have long commutes and need to ride fast so they don’t spend half the day getting to and from work. We get that. Years back I (Alan) had a 30+ mile round trip commute. If I had ridden at a leisurely 8 miles per hour in street clothes I would have been on the road 4 hours per day. Instead, I wore lycra, rode hard, cleaned up and changed at work, and kept my commute time to a reasonable 2 hours or so.

We also know people who live in the city center and rarely ride more than a couple of miles at a time, so they have no need to ride fast or wear specialized clothing. We get that too. Years back I (Alan again) lived in an urban setting and had a basic city bike that I used to get around the neighborhood. I rode an easy pace that kept me dry and comfortable in whatever I happened to be wearing.

These days, many of our bike trips are short and are ridden at a leisurely pace, but because we’re living car-lite in the suburbs, we sometimes also need to ride longer distances at higher speeds because everything is so darned spread out. Covering those distances in a reasonable amount of time requires greater effort and possibly even specialized equipment suited to the task. Our bike and clothing choices reflect this dichotomy. We tend to prefer versatile bikes that are comfortable when ridden at 8 mph down to the corner coffee shop, but are also light and efficient enough that they’re enjoyable for running an errand 15 miles away. Our wardrobes also reflect this need for versatility and include a fair amount of “technical” clothing that looks presentable but is breathable and comfortable during physical activity (REI loves the EcoVelo’s ;-)).

We’d love to know what kind of distances you’re riding, what kind of average speeds you typically maintain, and what kind of clothing you most frequently wear while on the bike.

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Feel free to elaborate in the comments section below.