Category Archives: Bikes & Cycling

Everything to do with bikes and cycling.

Tamia Nelson’s Rules of the Rural Road

The pleasures of cycling are so alluring that it’s easy to forget important things, so Tamia has drawn up rules to help guide her when she rolls out the driveway. They’re not for her alone, though. You’re welcome to use them too.
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by Tamia Nelson | July 12, 2013

It’s easy for me to get carried away when cycling—pushing on till I’ve ridden a bridge too far in the morning, say, and then regretting my exuberance as I slog the many weary miles home against a strengthening headwind. So, in order to temper my tendency to excess and insure I always finish a ride in at least as good shape as I started, I’ve developed a set of guidelines. They’re ten in all, and they mostly apply to riders who venture off the beaten track. Having yielded to the blandishments of egotism, I’ve unhesitatingly christened them “Tamia’s Ten Essentials, or, Rules of the Rural Road.” Adopt any or all of them for yourself. And here they are:

1. Don’t Sneak Off Without Telling Self … Continue reading »

It’s a Stretch! Or Is It? Measuring Chain Wear on the Cheap

Nothing lasts forever. A bike chain is no exception. And when its time is up, you want to be ready with a replacement. Here’s how to tell when that time has come.
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by Tamia Nelson | July 21, 2012

A bicycle chain looks simple, but it’s not. It’s a complex and highly engineered system, comprising plates, pins, rollers, and bushings—some 500-600 individual parts in all. And these parts wear. Pins chafe against bushings. Bushings fret against rollers. Regular cleaning and lubrication can delay the inevitable, but sooner or later every chain succumbs to the patient gnawing of steel against steel. In other words, bike chains “stretch.” The pin-to-pin distance increases over time, and in time the chain rides higher on the sprocket teeth, eventually deforming them.

The result? If neglected for too long, your chain starts to skip blithely over the sprockets without engaging the teeth, leaving you spinning your heels furiously while going nowhere—not a good thing to happen just as you’re accelerating to take advantage of a brief lull in oncoming traffic. And the … Continue reading »

In Solitude What Happiness? Tips for Cyclists With Stay-at-Home Partnersby Tamia Nelson

… In solitude
What happiness? Who can enjoy alone,
Or all enjoying, what contentment find?

    Milton, Paradise Lost

 

That was Adam’s view, anyway—though we all know how his story ended. Still, there’s no doubt that it’s fun if your partner shares your enthusiasms. And cyclists certainly aren’t condemned to a solitary life. But what if your life companion doesn’t show much interest in two-wheeled travel? What then?

Well, you can simply acquiesce and accept things as they are. And sometimes that’s the best course. After all, can two cycle together, except they be agreed? Not likely. But if you detect even a nascent spark of interest, it may be worth trying to coax it into a flame. And here are a few suggestions to help you kindle that fire:

Make Sure the Bike Fits  Let’s be honest. Riding a bike is something of an unnatural act. Rider and machine must work together, and it takes time for new riders to get the knack. But if the bike doesn’t fit the rider, the result is a … Continue reading »

Cyclists Welcome! Ride-and-Park in Schuylerville, New York by Tamia Nelson

The village of Schuylerville, New York, is often eclipsed by Saratoga Springs, its tonier neighbor to the west. Which is too bad, because Schuylerville is a pleasant hamlet, and much of the old-time, small-town atmosphere has survived more or less intact, despite the economic storms which have blighted so much of rural America in the last two decades. Schuylerville has history, too. One of the most important battles in the American War of Independence was fought just a short bike ride to the south of the village, on a height of land overlooking the Hudson River. Yet this famous American victory—often celebrated as the turning point in the Colonies’ struggle for independence—is today known as the Battle of Saratoga. Go figure.

But Schuylerville has shrugged off this and other, lesser slights. Moreover, it seems determined to remain a good place to live and work. A case in point: community bike racks. Schuylerville has ’em. A small thing, you say? Maybe so—if you’re accustomed to European cycling infrastructure. But many cyclists in the States quickly … Continue reading »