tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post2591531733082818012..comments2024-03-27T05:14:23.738-04:00Comments on Lovely Bicycle!: Voyages Multimodaux Velouriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-55487640270308260052015-05-07T19:16:24.938-04:002015-05-07T19:16:24.938-04:00Yes, that's what I mean, choosing a bike becau...Yes, that's what I mean, choosing a bike because you were uncertain as to the safety of leaving it behind. I sometimes wish I'd more options when navigating longer trips. It's been close to a decade since giving up my car and simplifying life and during that time I made the choice to invest in a bike to meet all my needs. Problem is that it cost around six grand. It's the cat's meow but strapping it to the front of a bus or leaving it locked for long hours in a sketchy place creates a certain amount of anxiety. It's difficult. I've the one bike and three pairs of shoes, one for winter, one for summer and one pair of cleats. Using a bike for complete transportation still has it's issues…well, unless you've got many bikes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-78496257803338103012015-05-07T18:42:06.082-04:002015-05-07T18:42:06.082-04:00I do this too, lots of planning to take the bike w...I do this too, lots of planning to take the bike with me on a train, looking at maps to try to work out the best way to ride in an unfamiliar city. I also have an old beater bike whose sole reason for being is for the odd time it has to say locked up at the station all day or night. The whole trip is made much more memorable if a bike is part of it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-85697909536867716722015-05-07T15:46:08.950-04:002015-05-07T15:46:08.950-04:00Trains are a godsend for the Chicago cyclist. We h...Trains are a godsend for the Chicago cyclist. We have commuter rail which goes quite a ways as well as decent Amtrak service in various directions (though only some trains allow full-sized unboxed bikes). It's made weekend bike-camping possible for us, even in the midst of the Chicago sprawl. Campgrounds in Wisconsin which would be a 100-mile ride from our door are only 30 miles from a commuter rail stop. It's also nice to be able to simply ride roughly parallel to a commuter rail line until you're tired and then have the option to take the train home.Elihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02986322663986188137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-48142412143392250482015-05-07T13:50:56.388-04:002015-05-07T13:50:56.388-04:00I’ve always thought you could never have too many ...I’ve always thought you could never have too many bicycles, but recently a neighbour very kindly presented me with a virtually unridden and unworn early-’90s Raleigh Pioneer Reynolds 501-framed hybrid/trekking bike. Nothing special, but it’s like the equivalent of the No. 5 Jack plane, if you know about woodworking – a real jack-of-all-trades. I’m currently overhauling and refurbishing it, including a respray, and once it’s done it should be better than new. Don’t know how I’ll use it (for everything, probably – it’s the most ubiquitous bicycle I’ve ever possessed), but although it cost nothing (to buy, at least – the neighbour wouldn’t take anything for it), if I could only have one bicycle it’s the one I’d keep (I don't own a car either)..<br /><br />I’m always skint, but over five years ago, Velouria wrote a thought-provoking piece about affording stuff (I think she said she might revisit the subject soon) – life is all about priorities...<br /><a href="%E2%80%9Dlovelybike.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/affording-beautiful-bicycles-and-other.html" rel="nofollow">Lovely Bicycle! Affording Beautiful Bicycles... and Other Things You Love</a>fletchernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-41672468548192749032015-05-07T13:14:39.306-04:002015-05-07T13:14:39.306-04:00Do you still qualify as a woman, then? ;) Just kid...Do you still qualify as a woman, then? ;) Just kidding. I’m a man, I’ve currently got six(-ish) bicycles but almost twice as many pairs of shoes/boots. I buy them at Aldi when they’re reduced and keep them for when the shoes/boots I’m wearing wear out; at the moment I’m several pairs ahead. Always amazes me how soon pedals wear out non-cycling-specific soles, though – I remember a post you wrote not so long ago about re-soling shoes to make them cycling-specific – I’ll follow that up, even with soles that are worn out, as long as the uppers are still viable. Waste not, want not...<br /><br />Funny story (sort of): A fellow on one of the cycling forums was agonizing over which of his two bicycles to jettison; apparently SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed, if you don’t know internet language) had given him an ultimatum: either ditch one of the bikes or find another wife; she said he could only ride one bike at a time – can you believe that?!?!?! Total no-brainer, of course – he should have told her she could always find another husband – but most of the folk on the forum thought they’d play along and humour him for a bit, and one wag wrote, ‘Tell her she’s only got one pair of feet...’fletchernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-86694674871977411502015-05-07T11:59:15.266-04:002015-05-07T11:59:15.266-04:00My wife collects shoes. I collect bikes. She arran...My wife collects shoes. I collect bikes. She arranges her collection neatly in various closets, under beds and under the dresser in the spare bedroom. Many of my bikes actually get ridden, but several languish in various stages of dis-assembly, awaiting parts or a final decision on how they will be built up. We've both pledged to take steps toward reducing inventory before things get out of hand. I think I'm winning. The Schwinn Super Le Tour that I bought on Craigslist last summer is restored and will soon head out the door. My wife continues to agonize over the two pairs of Danskos that were a great bargain, but they just don't fit.MT cyclisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17451590809473759574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-71581322349413345762015-05-07T08:12:40.151-04:002015-05-07T08:12:40.151-04:00lol - the adventures of Velouria as a car thief.lol - the adventures of Velouria as a car thief.spokeswomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05003029599627697118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-84200477699275303462015-05-07T04:46:52.141-04:002015-05-07T04:46:52.141-04:00I chose that bike for a specific trip where it was...I chose that bike for a specific trip where it was better not to have a bike with me at all for the last leg of the journey, and where I did not know what kind of locking-up options would be available at the park-and-ride place and how long I'd end up having to leave the bike there. More often than not though I take the Brompton. <br /><br />Funny thing about shoes. I was never that into shoes to begin with, but not owning a car for the past 4 years downsized my range of footwear even further, since every pair I own now has to be walkable and cyclable in. It is not impossible that, if I count all my nonfunctional vintage bikes, stray bikes on perma-loan to others, etc., I might own more bicycles than shoes. Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-9058748901250907082015-05-06T18:44:08.454-04:002015-05-06T18:44:08.454-04:00You say 'my bicycle' when really you mean ...You say 'my bicycle' when really you mean my bicycles. You've one for every occasion which, I guess, makes sense. It's not easy getting by with one bike. My son and myself deal with this, daily….Being self sufficient on a bike and dealing with the limitations of it's design is daunting. We sometimes share. Still cheaper and better than owning a car. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-56269007087947504642015-05-06T18:04:26.833-04:002015-05-06T18:04:26.833-04:00Odd the bike you chose to travel multi-modal, esse...Odd the bike you chose to travel multi-modal, essentially a beater bike that you feel would not call attention to itself. You've got many bikes which, maybe like shoes, there are a pair for all occasions. I worry about going high end for transportation. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-23018465842092175562015-05-06T10:42:57.124-04:002015-05-06T10:42:57.124-04:00As much as for cycling one should seek inspiration...As much as for cycling one should seek inspiration in the Netherlands, as much Switzerland is the place to look at for intermodality. Even the remotest places can be reached by public transport, everything works like a ckockwork (as it would).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-68026575451747330782015-05-06T10:00:54.287-04:002015-05-06T10:00:54.287-04:00I wrote a poem once...
You may say "Potato&q...I wrote a poem once...<br /><br />You may say "Potato", I might say "Patayter",<br />You may say "Tomato" while I prefer Tamayter,<br /><br />Say what you will, it's all the same,<br />they taste best with Cicada.<br /><br />Some of my best work I think...<br /><br />Seamus Spinheaney Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-87351998588407246552015-05-06T09:52:51.753-04:002015-05-06T09:52:51.753-04:00And sometimes people forget and leave the keys in ...And sometimes people forget and leave the keys in them as well... you can't count on it or anything but you might keep an eye out while pedaling through the car park at the station. <br /><br />Hope that was helpful...<br /><br />Spindizzy Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-57927659188248342522015-05-06T09:34:07.597-04:002015-05-06T09:34:07.597-04:00oh my god...
[MIND BLOWN]oh my god...<br />[MIND BLOWN]Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-67531574143093965522015-05-06T06:23:14.022-04:002015-05-06T06:23:14.022-04:00The adventures you had make great reading, especia...The adventures you had make great reading, especially since they are accompanied with such lovely photography and, though I understand the voyage was rather trying, it really sounds like fun - you did it and that is an accomplishment.spokeswomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05003029599627697118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-80373252885330967412015-05-06T05:49:14.271-04:002015-05-06T05:49:14.271-04:00That's Muckish mountain in Co. Donegal. But yo...That's Muckish mountain in Co. Donegal. But you might be thinking of Benbulbin in Sligo, which has a similar flat-top shape. Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-88238269761568082622015-05-06T05:37:41.345-04:002015-05-06T05:37:41.345-04:00I think I recognize that landscape! County Sligo? ...I think I recognize that landscape! County Sligo? Just beautiful!Dannynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-76482494183147821202015-05-06T05:35:30.541-04:002015-05-06T05:35:30.541-04:00It's a good song!It's a good song!Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-16378142321344372082015-05-06T04:56:33.172-04:002015-05-06T04:56:33.172-04:00Thanks for posting this article at this particular...Thanks for posting this article at this particular time! You’ve got me downloading timetables and studying my old O.S. maps. I’m 60 this week, and here in Wales, that means I qualify for a bus pass on the grounds of age. This allows me free bus travel throughout Wales. I’ll also be eligible for a senior citizens rail card which gives me a 30% discount on all UK rail travel (off peak). I also own (what I think is) the ultimate folder. A Brompton and a bus pass….. surely one of the best combinations for such explorations!<br /><br />I take the points made about delays and transfers between different areas, but if you’re retired, those delays don’t really matter that much. Getting older isn’t all bad after all !!<br />handymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16979382393183293611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-51411759983078700302015-05-05T22:52:53.323-04:002015-05-05T22:52:53.323-04:00They do rent cars, you know...They do rent cars, you know...Reggiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14831898567423896721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-41852755481762080892015-05-05T17:42:34.988-04:002015-05-05T17:42:34.988-04:00You mean aftermarket drop bars?
I find the Bromp...You mean aftermarket drop bars? <br /><br />I find the Brompton pretty much ideal for 10 mile radius normally dressed cycling in various weather conditions. What I find less ideal is carrying it around folded up. Though it's much better in this sense than other folding bikes I've tried, I still find it too heavy and awkward to just tote around casually. Still great for on the bus/ off the bus and such, just not for strolling with it through shops and buildings. It also has excellent cargo capacity, which combined with its compactness is another multimodal plus. Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-24508573994153486952015-05-05T17:37:06.779-04:002015-05-05T17:37:06.779-04:00Multi modal is a completely different level when i...Multi modal is a completely different level when it comes to bikes. We love riding them, we love obsessing over them, we design our perfect bike and make it real….Then we're confronted with the fact that we've given up our car and are now trying to fit reality with our obsession. I had to make an appointment that was twenty-seven miles away…Took an hour and forty five minutes to get there and the ride home was completely in the dark. If an option of bus or train was available Id've loved to know about it, but it wasn't. Bicycle advocates are doing their best to promote a smart system of getting about w/o a car but it's still an uphill battle here in the U.S. <br /><br />Also interesting that you took an old bike -- a beater bike. I'm the same, with only one bike (and an expensive custom at that) I'm leery of strapping it onto buses or leaving it parked all day in shady areas. I've yet to pike up something that'll be acceptable as a bike I'm willing to have vandalized or stolen.<br /><br />So many factors in making bikes work for transportation. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-76466556987505845522015-05-05T17:35:49.537-04:002015-05-05T17:35:49.537-04:00Thanks a bunch for getting that song stuck in my h...Thanks a bunch for getting that song stuck in my head! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-54097149384467300162015-05-05T15:10:10.662-04:002015-05-05T15:10:10.662-04:00Plus de range dynamique. Potato, le potate. Plus de range dynamique. Potato, le potate. GR Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01145811568384053426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-60332447287707039352015-05-05T14:55:37.533-04:002015-05-05T14:55:37.533-04:00When you've faced into a headwind on the west ...When you've faced into a headwind on the west coast, or leaned at 45 degrees into a crosswind, you might say that Ireland is over-blown.Fear rotharhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06993209782692168195noreply@blogger.com