tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post6454347643772410729..comments2024-03-27T05:14:23.738-04:00Comments on Lovely Bicycle!: Home Before Dark Velouriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-32995087627494065762016-10-24T05:52:48.669-04:002016-10-24T05:52:48.669-04:00This is very true. The one ray of hope is that som...This is very true. The one ray of hope is that some bike shops have started offering "saddle libraries." Would be great if the trend catches on. Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-76826407459938734002016-10-24T05:26:33.819-04:002016-10-24T05:26:33.819-04:00Good news? Go to buy a car and it would be rare no...Good news? Go to buy a car and it would be rare not to get a short test ride but bikes and saddles for most are a real gamble. I have three Brooks saddles, one is almost unrideable two are pure joy and the one which was stolen half a lifetime ago was perfect once broken in...Colinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01667939789517989280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-22954064749095160012016-10-24T05:19:26.678-04:002016-10-24T05:19:26.678-04:00You've seen this same saddle on a few of my bi...You've seen this same saddle on a few of my bikes, because I've tried it on different bikes. I was one of the early testers when Brooks released the Cambium range. <br /><br />Saddles can be very expensive, especially good saddles. But they are crucial to the bike's ride quality and therefore are usually the first upgrade a person will make to their bike. From what I see, when someone buys a vintage bike or a "budget bike" it is not unusual for the cyclist to spend more on a saddle upgrade than they spent on the bike to begin with. <br /><br />The good news about the Cambium range, is that not everyone who tries these saddles likes them - so there are quite a few available secondhand, barely ridden and at decent prices. Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-63382349776035004672016-10-23T20:40:21.282-04:002016-10-23T20:40:21.282-04:00Was at a bike store today and saw this very saddle...Was at a bike store today and saw this very saddle hanging out on display. Thought, cool, I've seen this before on one or more of your bikes. It's listed at $175….!!! So seeing it on this bike makes me wonder about choices as we assemble our bikes. This seems like an odd combination.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-67549692285256352192016-10-16T09:49:20.264-04:002016-10-16T09:49:20.264-04:00Ah okay, so it's definitely not the sort of se...Ah okay, so it's definitely not the sort of setup you can casually move from one bike to another. <br /><br />Still, even considering the trial and error it sounds like a good system for commuting. Thanks for the feedback.Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-71046014885919753972016-10-16T09:46:33.343-04:002016-10-16T09:46:33.343-04:00Being an occasional driver again for the first tim...Being an occasional driver again for the first time in years, I am aware more than ever of the folly of playing chicken with the sunset. But even now and again it happens to everyone. Often not deliberately. Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-39834645545482098792016-10-14T08:25:07.281-04:002016-10-14T08:25:07.281-04:00The skunk arrives at the party.
In your former inc...The skunk arrives at the party.<br />In your former incarnation you would have known how hard it is for people to see things they are not expecting. Low visibility makes this even worse. Cyclists need to help drivers see them.<br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-24654939768575419152016-10-14T05:04:01.132-04:002016-10-14T05:04:01.132-04:00Well that didn't take long
http://www.belfast...Well that didn't take long<br /><br />http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/northern-ireland-school-closes-over-killer-clown-threat-35126483.html<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-33091536846416106492016-10-13T22:14:55.863-04:002016-10-13T22:14:55.863-04:00Magic happens, for me, when I fail to make it home...Magic happens, for me, when I fail to make it home w/o lights….Magic happens when things fail….I enjoy the dark rides, and I've had many….Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-85907732282289383502016-10-13T14:42:32.654-04:002016-10-13T14:42:32.654-04:00It's started http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/12...It's started http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/12/world/europe/clown-hysteria-spreads-to-britain.htmlJon Webbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02944939117507730995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-53739677956257580502016-10-13T14:39:53.713-04:002016-10-13T14:39:53.713-04:00I've had to do a lot of manual fitting of the ...I've had to do a lot of manual fitting of the Magnic Light, by trial and error. The mounts they come with aren't flexible enough for my use--they have to be mounted at the brake. I had to make modifications to fit them around my fenders and at the back of a rear rack. And it's tricky to mount the light because it has to be very close to the wheel to work, but if it rubs you can easily breach the housing and destroy the light. <br />On the other hand, the lights work well once they're properly mounted. The rear light, especially, is great because it is more than bright enough and doesn't require batteries or wiring from a front wheel generator. It also has a standlight that works better than other ones I've tried (the B & M tail light standlight with the SON hub isn't nearly that bright). And there's really no drag that I've been able to notice. Front hub dynamos have a small drag, the Magnic Light has much less.<br />In the front, the Magnic Light is bright enough for most riding (especially if you're slow like me) but it is not nearly as bright as the really bright battery-powered lights. So you can't really use it if you like riding fast at night in bad conditions.<br />Overall, I'm more than happy with them, but it took me some time to work out proper fitting. If I wasn't inclined to trial and error I'd probably want a bike shop with some machine shop capabilities to get them installed properly.Jon Webbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02944939117507730995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-33979609115904725452016-10-13T12:45:01.080-04:002016-10-13T12:45:01.080-04:00Not natively. But I think the idea was to suggest ...Not natively. But I think the idea was to suggest they had been somehow "released" (see the zoo story above). Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-17255799459011208962016-10-13T12:41:48.995-04:002016-10-13T12:41:48.995-04:00I am hoping that despite Irish Halloween celebrati...I am hoping that despite Irish Halloween celebrations becoming increasingly more American, the clown thing won't make its way across the water!Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-54919500189882921252016-10-13T12:40:19.109-04:002016-10-13T12:40:19.109-04:00Oh wow, Magnic Light. What do you think of it comp...Oh wow, Magnic Light. What do you think of it compared to a conventional generator system?<br /><br />The cost of lights is a problem especially in rural areas, where cheaper options are insufficient. Around here, free bikes are very easy to come by. But adequate lighting, not so much, which is why so few commute. It's interesting though to contrast that with the recent night-time MTB craze, in which context locals seem able and wiling to spend quite a bit of money. Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-87076436715820592072016-10-13T09:22:49.783-04:002016-10-13T09:22:49.783-04:00Seems like A Lynx or Bobcat would have more then t...Seems like A Lynx or Bobcat would have more then tackled the problem and been less of a danger to the locals! Hindsight! As cold as it is there it's hard to imagine they had that much of a problem with snakes anywayz!?- MasAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-14749413995629862332016-10-12T22:36:30.892-04:002016-10-12T22:36:30.892-04:00I did this exact thing tonight. As it started to g...I did this exact thing tonight. As it started to get a little dark I popped my lights on only to find that they were both dead. I had to do a quick calculation of how far i had to go and how much time i had to get home and picked up the pace for the last few miles of tonight's ride.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11683137564994734073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-36812422617580205662016-10-12T15:07:01.588-04:002016-10-12T15:07:01.588-04:00ESPECIALLY for those Irish Pumas. Particularly bad...ESPECIALLY for those Irish Pumas. Particularly bad, so they are...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-4661752168287393792016-10-12T14:31:32.349-04:002016-10-12T14:31:32.349-04:00Pretty soon there will be clown sightings. Luckill...Pretty soon there will be clown sightings. Luckilly clowns only ride unicycles, so you can easily outrun them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-74781058503874780162016-10-12T13:16:27.722-04:002016-10-12T13:16:27.722-04:00Yes, In the summer the Street lights were our cue ...Yes, In the summer the Street lights were our cue to head home. Though some days we never made it home! <br />Dynamo lights are the order of the day now, won't build a bike without them, But I live in a densely populated city so I stay off busy roads regardless. For years I rode with no lights at all, I still kind of miss more or less being invisible, unobtrusive, an observer moving quietly through the night. - MasAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-78988912543093223742016-10-12T10:56:46.337-04:002016-10-12T10:56:46.337-04:00I'm barely able to get a ride completed before...I'm barely able to get a ride completed before dark lately. It's been fun trying to beat the darkness. My bike lights will be coming out soon.Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16554815110083904119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-40699015342303418302016-10-12T10:38:12.458-04:002016-10-12T10:38:12.458-04:00My light system is built in -- I'm using the M...My light system is built in -- I'm using the Magnic Light these days -- so I don't have this problem. But oh, do I love night-time rides. Especially late, in the country, away from traffic. Riding along in the darkness, perched on top of a bike following a line on top of the road, surrounded by dark country. It is a little bit like flying a plane over the wilderness, all alone. One of the nicest things there is about being a long-distance cyclist, in my experience.<br />I do see cyclists riding without lights in the city, and I sympathize -- I've been there. Lights are expensive, especially when you paid maybe $0 for your bike, and it's easy to think you don't really need them. But fall darkness arrives early here in Pittsburgh, too, and there you are, riding along in the full dark, without a light, depending on motorists to notice you and be careful. And there's me, seeing you, hoping you are lucky and wishing you took better care of yourself.Jon Webbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02944939117507730995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-71125414341267294292016-10-12T09:19:18.230-04:002016-10-12T09:19:18.230-04:00St. Patrick imported them to help with the snakes....St. Patrick imported them to help with the snakes.<br /><br />Wolf.N/Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14710395292374599493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-28553246149937986962016-10-12T08:13:45.185-04:002016-10-12T08:13:45.185-04:00Growing up in Chicago in the 1960s the streetlight...Growing up in Chicago in the 1960s the streetlights, headlights and illuminated signs did their best to blot out the stars and keep an artificial dusk all night. I remember going to the planetarium and thinking that there couldn't really be that many stars visible. Then at nine years old I went overnight camping in rural Wisconsin and saw more stars in the sky than in the planetarium, including the milky way! bgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-35127792548405833592016-10-12T06:22:01.130-04:002016-10-12T06:22:01.130-04:00This was the same for us.
We also ran home every t...This was the same for us.<br />We also ran home every time Mrs Conlon called for her twins. ;)Sharonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04525961989151537418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467858377106451384.post-59233556814382429332016-10-12T04:47:56.626-04:002016-10-12T04:47:56.626-04:00I am impressed that your main concern at this time...I am impressed that your main concern at this time was not having a proper camera setup.<br /><br />Sometimes in the '70s there was a priest in Magilligan (the village nearest to said mountain) who was kind of a character. One of the things he did was set up a private zoo for the local children. The zoo was tiny, but filled with exotic animals. Where he got them god only knows, but the locals who were kids at the time remember zebras, monkeys, a kangaroo, even a smallish lion and various other wild cats. This went on for a few years, until the priest either retired or died and the parish couldn't afford to keep the zoo going. So one day it was simply gone, dismantled. <i>And no one knows what happened to the animals.</i><br /><br />{Or so the story goes.}<br /><br />Velouriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.com