Cycling

These cargo bikes seem really neat for emissions free deliveries in the city. Do wonder about security - not only the cargo being stolen but the whole bike.

I really liked this article from Bike Hugger called Why I ride fixed. It fits very well with why I ride a Redline 9-2-5. I’ve got fenders, which I need for the wet here in Portland. It’s got brakes, which I need to slow Ben and I down in the trailer. And to slow me down - my legs aren’t up to stopping the bike by themselves yet.

I read Sheldon Brown’s article on Breezer Town where he says The Breezer Uptown 8 is the best commuter bike available in the U.S. There’s a lot of things to like about the Uptown 8. I was able to test-drive one at Veloce Bicycles on Hawthorne. Pros Shimano 8-speed hub Hub-powered headlight and taillight - no batteries, hard to steal Full chainguard - reduces wear Cons No disc brakes - want to pull trailer down a steep hill in the rain Noise from rack and fenders 26" x 1.5" tires - seem slower than 700c tires The deal breaker for me was the disc brakes. How much of an issue this is really going to be, I don’t know yet. The downhill is at the start of my ride, so the bike will be relatively dry and any brakes might work well. On the other hand, the end is the top of a “T”. If I can’t stop and manage to avoid being hit by the SUVs and mini-vans taking kids to school, I’ll run right into a house. The twist shifter worked OK and would work well with gloves. I preferred the feel of Shimano’s RapidFire shifters but not sure that they’re as glove-friendly. I’ve also found the twist shifter seems to have more issues shifting smoothly than I would have thought. Some of this definitely may be due to my inexperience as a cyclist but I haven’t liked the sloppiness of my SRAM shifters (old Specialized Crossroads) or the Shimano 7 on an Electra Townie 7 I test-rode the Townie from the Bike Gallery on Sandy. ...