The Burlington Bike

How awesome is this bike? The owner must have found a stretchy cling map somewhere, I can't figure out how it came to be so perfectly and seamlessly attached to the bike.

Certainly there is some careful application involved.

The lugs are perfect for this sort of treatment.

This was the coolest bicycle we saw in Burlington, outside of the Old Spokes Home. When I was visiting their WONDERFUL museum upstairs in their shop I got a phone call that someone very dear to me had died, so I didn't get you any photos. You'll just have to go up and visit yourselves and I promise it's worth stopping in.

Family Cycling in Burlington, VT

There were lots of families out cycling in Burlington, but this family, with kiddoes racing around and Dad on the wheelchair bike bringing up the rear, brought a tearful smile to my face. That's the most beautiful bike I think I've ever seen.

Lazy Woman's Hub Cleaning Scheme

A simple pipecleaner, $1.99 for 100 at my local store (and yes, I have spare ones for free if you want one), makes an excellent hub cleaner for lazy people. The directions are simple:

1. Wrap it around your hub
2. Twist the ends together
3. Forget about it for about a week on your townie or for a long (dry) ride on your pleasure bike

When your hub looks sufficiently clean you just tug firmly to remove. It is so easy that while the rest of my bike is still dirty the hubs are certainly gleaming!

A Historical Chic Cycling Treat

I am lucky enough to have a brother-in-law who is a historian. He sent this wonderful gift for all of us. What amazes me while reading this is how very similar Ethel's journal entries are to the entries and comments in modern chic cycling blogs. The more things change...!

Today I came across a journal of a chic cyclist from 1897, and wanted to share some of it with your blog. In her day a bike was referred to simply as “a wheel”. Attached are two scans from the journal as well.

Selected entries from the journal of Ethel Starr Mack of Benton County, Oregon, 1897:



April 8: I worked today on a wheeling suit which I am making of my old blue dress. I am making a sleeveless Eton jacket with a sailor collar trimmed in white braid. I think I shall like it quite well…. We have heard that our wheels came to Lebanon [Oregon] today, by stage.

April 12: Our wheels came today. Mine is a beauty! The prettiest wheel in town, so everyone says. It is dark green with dark red and black lacings. I can ride already. I learned in the College hall – after practicing half an hour I could ride across the Hall. After three-quarters of an hour I could go around the hall. After school tonight Effie Holt and I went up to the Hall with our wheels but so many were riding I could not try mine, so Herschel, Effie and I went down to the college track. Soon the whole crowd followed. There were nine wheels on the track! I rode around it several times but I did not have strength to ride more than once and a half around the baseball diamond without resting. Herschel looks the best of the boys on his wheel. They all said I learned remarkably fast. Herschel took supper with me and Ali, Wayne and George and Amy were there besides spectators. We had a nice time and I rode five miles and was not much tired. Herschel and I came back together and went to the spring for a drink.

April 20: I sewed some on my machine today and it works nicely. I am making a shirtwaist of my old blue chambray skirt to wear with my wheel suit….

April 21: Herschel took me down to the track and we rode together. I rode seven miles and at once I rode a mile and a half without stopping. Herschel and Gilbert went to Albany today and got them new wheel suits. Herschel looks so handsome in his. He has gray pants and a red sweater and stockings….His wheel cost him $22.50.

May 1: This being May Day I made a May basket of green and white crepe paper lined with pink, and filled it with flowers.

May 2: Mama told me to take my wheel and go to the track. I did so and Allie and I rode four miles without stopping.

May 7: Herschel came down and we started out for a ride. It was my first attempt to ride on the road. I wore my new wheel suit for the first time. We found the first mile too rough for riding but after that it was nice. Coming back we sat down under a tree to rest, and Herschel graded an examination paper. I was not much tired when I reached home and Herschel praised my riding. It was altogether the happiest ride I have taken.



As an aside, when I googled "Ethel Starr Mack" I was happy to see that she's buried alongside her husband Herschel. Long live bike romances!

Happy Thanksgiving!

For your Thanksgiving viewing pleasure, I have some fall foliage bike flower photos sent in by folks who took my request for photos to the next level. Aren't these fun?

Bicycle Wedding

Extremely chic photo by christinanicoleb

We've been talking about tandems, but on my second wedding anniversary I'm thinking more about Bike Love in general. There's something about a tandem that says love and marriage, but like I said yesterday - two years ago there were none to be found. I like the symbolism of two wedding bikes also, so in the end it all worked out.

In retrospect I wish we'd thought to take some photos that day with our bikes. The inherent joy is somehow captured in the movement of the bike. A handsome handlebar is a natural prop if you want to do the ring photo. Just remember a handlebar basket for your bouquet. And how about this bicycle tube garter belt!?

I can imagine that this gentleman is using a bicycle wheel as a metaphor for the dynamics of marriage. He's probably talking about how you have to both support and depend upon each other in order to roll along easily, and just keep moving if you don't want to fall over. I love this wedding cake because the bride is carrying the groom on her handlebars!

The bicycle must be a powerful marriage metaphor because there are plenty of other bike wedding photos, invitations, accessories, etc. out on Flickr, Etsy, and the web.


PS. That grain of rice is still lodged in my handlebars. Two years and counting.