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About

For half a century, Tamia Nelson has been ranging far and wide by bike, boat, and on foot. A geologist by training, an artist since she could hold a pencil, a photographer since her uncle gave her a twin-lens reflex camera when she was 10, she's made her living as a writer and novelist for two decades. Avocationally her interests span natural history, social history, cooking, art, and self-powered outdoor pursuits, and she has broad experience in mountaineering, canoeing, kayaking, cycling, snowshoeing and skiing.

Be Ready for Roadside Repairs Far From Home

Even the best mechanic needs her tools when roadside repairs are called for.
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by Tamia Nelson | March 28, 2015

You’re 50 miles from home on your bike, enjoying a day-long ride through the countryside. You’re on your own. And then trouble strikes. It could be a persistent knock with each revolution of the cranks. Or a front derailleur cable that gives up the ghost. Or maybe you hit a deep pothole and sheared a spoke on the drive side of your rear wheel. What do you do? Pull out your cell phone and call someone to come and pick you up? Is there cellphone coverage where you’re likely to meet with trouble? A five-mile ride down the road brings me to a dead zone with no cell coverage, and it stays that way for another 25 miles. There are no other services to be found, either. There aren’t even many houses. Yet it’s a great place to ride, with paved roads and wide shoulders, challenging grades, little traffic, and beautiful scenery—rich woods, verdant wetlands, and rolling … Continue reading »

Freedom Isn’t Free: The Economics of Transportational Bicycling by Tamia Nelson

Advocates of cycling sometimes posit that transportational bicycles are a great value when compared to automobiles, and therefore, it’s more cost-effective to replace your car with a bicycle. But in regions like the one where I live, the economics and practicalities of going car-free and using a bicycle for transportation aren’t straight forward. Here are the main characteristics of places like this:

  • Rural economy
  • Widely spaced population centers
  • Limited-to-no public transportation
  • Harsh, highly variable weather
  • Hilly or mountainous terrain
  • Few (if any) bike shops
  • Roads in poor repair

Going Car-Free in Rural Areas  If you live in a rural area where public transport is limited or non-existent, you’re going to face a few challenges when (make that if) you go car-free. Services are very widely distributed, for one thing. It’s not uncommon for doctors, hospitals, schools, stores, and places of employment to be over 20 miles away from home. The local bike shop? Er…What local bike shop? With the exception of tire tubes and patch kits in a few hardware stores and the local … Continue reading »

Will the REAL Cyclist Please Stand Up? by Tamia Nelson

Cyclists are difficult to pin down. Unless your bike is a tandem, riding is a solo act. Which doesn’t mean it can’t be done in company, of course. In fact, a good part of the fascination that attends stage races like the Tour and the Giro lies in this very dualism. The race winner stands alone on the podium—flanked by the runner-up and the runner-up’s runner-up—but much of the credit for his victory belongs to his team. Without their sweat and sacrifice, he’d never have made it to the podium. He might not even have finished the race.

It’s equally hard to assign a single rationale to cycling. What do you do on your bike? Do you race? Commute? Tour? Pick up the groceries? Deliver time-sensitive documents? Sweat away extra pounds? Or do you simply ride for the pleasure of riding? Well, unless your bike has been gathering dust in the garage since the day you got your driver’s license, chances are pretty good that you do most of these things, at least now and … Continue reading »

Petroleum Jelly: A Must-Have For Bike Mechanics

Rust isn’t your friend if you ride a bike. But help is at hand, and you’ll find it in a surprising place&hellip.
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by Tamia Nelson | October 4, 2014

My uncle has been a mechanic all of his life. If it has four wheels, he can fix it. When I was a little kid, I used to spend hours watching him working on his car, and I was fascinated by the gleaming array of sockets and wrenches in his fire-engine red steel tool cabinet. Their shiny state was no accident. He polished them regularly them with a coarse, oily rag. His hands and overalls suffered by comparison, however. Both were always black with grease. Of course, mechanical work and grease go together. My uncle bought the stuff in gallon cans, and he didn’t use it sparingly.

I don’t work on cars, but I maintain my own bikes—and Farwell’s, too, when he’s feeling lazy. (A not-uncommon occurrence!) So I also use grease. But I don’t have to buy it by the gallon. A tube no bigger than … Continue reading »