It’s easy to forget that there were cyclists who came before us who were every bit as enamored of their bicycles as we are of ours. It’s also easy to overlook that we’re not the only generation to have discovered the rewards of transportation cycling or the joys of bike touring. But it’s true! And it doesn’t take much to give us a reminder, either. Not long ago I wrote about an article in The Daily Mail which described 72-year-old Owen Hook’s lifelong reliance on his beloved Raleigh three-speed, which he’s been riding for nearly 60 years. When Nigel Shoosmith read “Vintage Raleigh Three-Speed Still Going After 60 Years… And So is its Engine!” he wrote to tell me about his father’s 1936 BSA, which is still rolling along. That’s his dad in the picture to the right, astride his BSA on a 1947 cycling holiday which he took with Nigel’s mother. In Nigel’s words:

They did a tour of the West Country from their home in Surrey during that summer. … All I know about Mum’s bike is that it had a 3-speed Sturmey Archer hub gear and a front hub dynamo. Dad’s bike is a 1936 BSA, also with a 3-speed Sturmey Archer hub gear. Mum’s bike got sold long ago, but Dad continued to ride his BSA up until a year before he died in 1977. His last tour was Hostelling around the Peak District in 1976, at the age of 72.

 
Now, if you don’t know about Britain’s Peak District, then you might not realize that riding a three-speed bike there requires stamina and muscle. Not many modern cyclists would consider a Peak District tour without a bicycle equipped with a 21- to 30-speed derailleur drivetrain.

Nigel inherited his father’s BSA, which is still in working order even after 74 years. And does it have personality! Check it out:

And here’s the advert, for comparison with how the bike looks today:

Nigel considered rejuvenating the BSA, but as a member of the Cycle Touring Club up until his death, Nigel’s father obviously loved the bike as it was. It served his father well as a daily commuter and as a tourer on holidays. If it works, then why fix it?

It’s worth spending a few minutes enjoying Nigel’s full set of BSA photos on his Flickr page, where you can see the full photo of his parents on their 1947 cycling holiday, as well as other photos of the BSA’s details. Surely makes me want to get out of my seat and get my old Schwinn back on the road.

 
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There’s no doubt that In the Same Boat and Tamia Nelson’s Outside readers are a mighty talented bunch. When, nearly six years ago, I wrote an article on storing boats at home, I imagined I’d exhausted the topic, but reader David Birren quickly proved me wrong. By sharing his ideas for inside and outside storage, he prompted me to write a second article. And then… I’ll bet you can see where this is going, can’t you? Other readers wrote in with their suggestions, and a third article soon followed. In fact, every time I published a column on boat storage, I thought that it would surely be the last. Yet each column elicited a wealth of new ideas from readers, every one of them as imaginative as it was novel. It goes without saying that I’d hate to pick the best. In fact, I doubt that there’s any such thing. Each reader’s solution to the storage problem reflects his unique circumstances. That means it’s the best — for him. Consider the example of Stephen Parker of Burnet, Texas. At first glance, his strategy for storing boats may seem a bit Rube Goldberg (UK paddlers read “Heath Robinson”). Don’t be fooled, though. It’s eminently practical as well as wonderfully ingenious. But why don’t I just let Stephen tell the story in his own words?

The whole thing started with my wife saying, “Why don’t you stick that thing up in the attic or something to get it out of the way?”

A eureka moment, obviously. And the result? The kayak attic was born. Stephen takes up the tale again:

Here is my solution for storing my kayak. I call it my “Kayak Attic.” My house is all steel frame so I decided to make use of some wasted space in the garage. I used a lot of scrap pieces for bracing my kayak attic, so it looks sort of thrown together, but it was a good way to recycle the odd offcuts from other projects and avoid throwing them in the scrap pile. Sorry that the pictures look a little cluttered. That’s just the way my garage is! At least I can still get my truck inside.

I use a simple 2:1 pulley system for hoisting the boats, and I have a large cleat screwed into the wall for a tie‑off. I painted the inside of the kayak attic sky blue to keep wasps and spiders from building nests. (An old wive’s tale, perhaps, but it is working so far.) One picture is of the project in its early stages. Another is of one of my boats in the open uncompleted frame, then there’s one of a boat partway lifted into place, and then there’s a photo of the boat all the way up so you can see that it barely shows below ceiling level. The last photo is an end view looking up into the kayak attic which also shows a nifty way to store fishing poles where they are safe but still handy. It works great for paddles, too.

It’s often said that necessity is the mother of invention. If that’s true — and I think it is — then ingenuity is arguably the father, and the handiwork of both parents is evident in Stephen’s clever solution to his boat storage problem. So let’s take a closer look at how to build a kayak attic (it could work for bikes, too!)… Read more…

 
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After months of nose-numbing cold and overcast days, the sun is finally putting in more frequent appearances and the thermometer sometimes rises above freezing. When you’re used to daytime temperatures that hover in the single digits, 38 degrees Fahrenheit feels almost balmy. Even better, the roads actually dry occasionally. Cyclists who haven’t been on their bikes since before winter began are encouraged by the improvement in conditions and are planning to head out as soon as they can.

However benign the weather, it is still winter, and though the travel lanes of the main roads may be clear of snow and ice, there are hazards to consider when riding in temperatures that drift around the freezing mark. What do you need to look for? Here’s a short list:

• • Ice on road shoulders
• • Ice in shaded areas
• • Potholes and cracks
• • Broken pavement on road edges
• • Gravel and sand
• • Other debris

 
Road Hazards  Even in above-freezing temperatures, ice can lurk in cooler, sheltered parts of your route. Late last winter I flew down a steep hill, going from the warm sun into deep shade. I found a sheet of crusty ice on the steepest part of the hill, and was lucky that no vehicle was turning into the busy side road at the bottom. I rode out the ice without mishap, but it taught me a valuable lesson.

It’s these places, too, where new potholes may lurk. Winter’s freeze-thaw cycles cause cracks and broken pavement, which is eroded by snowplow blades. Snowplows also drop salt and sand in many parts of the snow belt, and in some areas they spread cinders. Once snow and ice melt off the roads, the sand and cinders remain until blown off the main lanes by traffic, or washed off by rain. And where does it go? You’ve got it—the shoulder. Drifts of sand collect at intersections and in dips, so beware. Moreover, cobbles and gravel can sneak into the sand that makes its way into sanding trucks. The cobbles and gravel are dumped on the road and wait for unfortunate cyclists to spin by. Be on the lookout for other debris, as well. Storms bring down branches, limbs, and twigs, and wind blows trash into the roads. You don’t want a branch to get caught up in your drivetrain or a plastic carrier bag wrapped in your wheel, do you? I didn’t think so.

There are other things to consider when taking those first rides of the year. You may have been working out all winter on a nowhere bike or trainer, but that’s not the same as riding on real roads. It might seem a no-brainer, but on real roads you are competing for space with real vehicles. Don’t forget it. Drivers might not expect to see bicyclists at this season, and though you may be decked out in hi-viz and your bike festooned with lights and reflectors, they will not necessarily register that you’re there. People see what they expect to see, and the reverse is true, too. When snowbanks line the roadsides, there’s nowhere to ride the bike off the road should the need arise.

 
Keep Warm and Keep Well  Remember that it’s colder on the bike than when you’re standing still in the sun and out of the wind. Be sure that you keep warm. Wear effective wind barriers on your hands, torso, and legs. You might even want to wear booties or toe warmers, and don’t forget that your ears will get cold, too. Furthermore, eyewear will help prevent tearing, and will protect your eyes from debris or spray kicked up by motor vehicles.

When you’re bundled up against cold and wind, you won’t be able to hear, see, and move as easily as when you’re wearing warmer weather duds. Shifting and braking will be a little more difficult, too, because your tactile sense will be blunted. The first rides of the year aren’t times to let it all hang out!

Of course, none of us want to think of the downsides or riding, but be prepared for flat tires and mechanical failures. I carry a cold weather survival kit in case I’m stranded, even temporarily, on the roadside. It can become mighty cold mighty fast when you’re struggling to change a tire in the shade with temperatures in the 30s.

 
Atmospheric Concerns  Lastly, though you might be toasty warm as you ride along the roadside, homes need to be heated in cool weather. In many parts of the country, people burn wood, and while woodsmoke might smell nice from a distance, it’s not so nice when you’re riding through thick clouds of it. When the humidity is high, or when there’s an inversion, smoke can hang heavy. Vehicle exhaust will hover near the ground, too. So if you suffer from respiratory difficulties, don’t forget to tuck your inhaler inside a warm pocket. Even if you’re burdened with a cold or sinus trouble, be alert to the possibility that you’ll feel worse after a ride than before you left.

 
After the Ride  Even dry roads will be salty and gritty until spring rains wash them off. Give your bike a good cleaning after you return from your ride, and don’t put it off too long. Salt and sand don’t get along well with drivetrains, components and steel frames. Lube the drivetrain and check the tires for debris that might lead to punctures. Then go inside the house and reward yourself with a hot shower and a cold brew or hot chocolate!

 
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