Fixed Gear, For Real

In a previous post about the 2-speed Hercules, I had commented about how, despite the amount and intensity of hills in Pittsburgh, I did not usually feel the need for more gears even when the hills were part of the ride.

Raleigh Restomod Take Two

Here, we have a 1969 Raleigh Sprite frame loaded with modern, standard-dimension, standard-threaded parts. Be prepared for a long-winded explanation of how the idea came to be ... 

Snow Ridin'

Some people may be aware that much of the U.S, notably the eastern half, has just received a little more snow than it was hoping for (this headline though).  After most of the winter went by without snow, here we are in Ann Arbor / Detroit with more or less a foot in most places.  That isn't "too much" by my standards, but it certainly increased the level of both fun and inconvenience at the same time.

A little late aren't we, December?

As if anyone needed proof, I don't take it easy on my Raleigh Sports.  I mean, I take care of it and I want it to live a long life (heck, it's already 56 years old) but I use it for what it was made for.  A few weeks ago, during finals week, I found that the old pre-architecture studio had resurfaced its drawing tables so they had a pile of vinyl that was about to go in the trash.  I rolled it all up and brought it home to use as work mats for my bikes.  That whole roll weighed about 25 pounds, not including the textbooks in the basket.  The old Raleigh handled it just fine, although the "ladies'" step-through frame flexed and sprang noticeably side-to-side just as it does when I come home with a heavy load of groceries.  That's the major reason why I chose a "men's" frame Superbe as my third bike.

Winterizing the 1958 Raleigh Sports

Although it doesn't seem to be sticking around yet, winter has finally decided to rear its head here in Ann Arbor.  We've had a bit of snow for much of this week, and biking to class and work has been a delight (more so than usual) at times.

I was lucky enough to have work on the day of the first real snow, as you can see in this low-quality image from my phone.  I took a few super long detours on the way home, looping around a few of the local parks on the non-plowed snow.  There were footprints that would have thrown me off my balance but as expected, my Raleigh didn't even come close to leaving me on the ground.