Critical Lass 4: LRT and downtown

Happy Mothers' Day to me! This morning, ubermechanic Keith installed Fibrax ASH144 pads on Eliza's rod brakes and adjusted them for me, and also switched out the plastic Sturmey-Archer shifter for the prettier (and more reliable) chrome one that Bert can no longer use. The difference made by new brake pads was phenomenal - if you have a DL-1 with rod brakes, keep these in mind as something you may need to track down.

Then I drove, with Eliza on my car's rack, home to drop off my exasperated and bored daughter ("Mommmm! Can you stop talking about bikes so we can gooooo?!?"), then back to Century Park, which is the LRT station closest to my home and the end of the LRT line. It was time for Critical Lass!

The elevator at Century Park LRT station - you need to go up from the parking lot to a pedway over the road. Note the signage.
The elevators at both Century Park and Southgate stations are HUGE compared with the ones downtown.

Of course I ended up running a little late, and arrived on the platform just as the 1pm train was pulling away. No biggie, they run frequently even on Sundays, and soon I was off, with a firm grip on my bike and my hip wedged against the seat to keep the silly thing from rolling when the train started and stopped. A kickstand or wheel-lock would be handy.

I got off at Belgravia-McKernan station just in case, but nobody was there (I took the photo above while I was waiting), so I caught the next train and found Judy waiting for me on board. We had a great chat on the way, then were forced to carry my Raleigh and her Pashley up the stairs by an out-of-service-cos-it's-Sunday elevator at the Winspear exit from Churchill Station. Sigh.

Almost our whole group were waiting when we entered Churchill Square. Most of them are experienced cyclists living in core neighborhoods and had ridden the whole way.

For what it's worth, I'd say the whole bike-on-LRT experience was only a minor hassle, and an uninterrupted LRT trip from Century Park Station to downtown takes only about 15 minutes. And while I drove to the LRT today due to time constraints, I easily could have cycled or done a cycle-bus combo from the subdivision where I live way out by the Henday ring-road. The east-west MUP that runs along 23rd goes directly past the LRT station and probably takes 30 minutes or less to ride, depending on your speed.

I took all kinds of photos while we were hanging in Churchill Square,
but unfortunately they all look like this one of Keith holding Robert,
thanks to my malfunctioning camera.
Keith rode an amazing 1951 CCM camelback that he made into a fixie,
and he joked about looking like a hipster. We were so pleased that he came.
Update: Keith has already posted his synopsis of the day's events! Since most 
of my shots of the bicycles didn't turn out I will defer to his post for that.

Somehow this shot is the only one I have with the Art Gallery of Alberta in the background.

Luckily I took a look at what my camera was producing,
and Karen was able to lend me hers for most of the rest of the ride. 
(Aren't you grateful?? I know I am.)
Unless otherwise noted, the rest of these were taken by me using her camera.

I didn't get many photos (thank you, crummy camera), but with such a lovely large empty space, we naturally all had to try each others' bikes out. I rode Karen's new Linus loopframe (SO nice). Here is Judy about to give Coreen's no-longer-Polar Porta-Bike vintage folder a go. Sarah is fixing the pictures she added to her basket in honour of Mothers Day. Aren't her gold heels fabulous?

At about the time we stopped playing musical bikes, a bulldog showed up and started riding a skateboard. At one point everyone in the square was cheering her on. So fun! It turns out her name is Buttercup and she's Sorta Internet Famous:

Daisy (Angel's Pro-Tour of unknown heritage) looks a proper mamachari now that she's had a heavy-duty rear rack and the found-via-Japanese-blogs child seat installed (here it's got the seat back flipped down for basket use). Angel reports that both her kids fit, and we can expect a proper review post soonish.

Group photo in front of Edmonton City Hall, courtesy of Miss Sarah. 

L-R: Monie, Sable, Deborah, Judy, Keith, Sarah, Robert, Karen, Angel, Marilyn, Coreen.

Coreen and Porta-Bike, courtesy of Miss Sarah. Her vintage dress is the coolest.

Marilyn and Brompton, courtesy of Miss Sarah.
HOW did I not notice her t-straps today? So pretty!

The carillion at City Hall chimed just as we were leaving Churchill Square. 

 I think it was actually about 2pm, wasn't it?
Did we really spend that long chatting and checking out each others' bikes?
Maybe we did. Time flies.

Taking the lane.

Angel on Daisy, courtesy of Miss Sarah.
That wrap dress looks so much prettier on her than it did on me.

Judy on her Pashley.
It was a trench coat kind of day, breezy and mostly overcast with rain in the forecast.

Stopped at the lights. This may be the best shot of Monie's Fiori that's I got.

As you can see the Linus loopframe is brilliant for pulling a Chariot.
Doesn't Sable look great on her Dahon? Doesn't her crossbody bag look like it's butter-soft?

 Another shot of Karen on her new Linus and Robert in the Chariot, courtesy of Miss Sarah.
Karen's leopard-print dress? Those shoes? So stylish. 
When my babies were that age I'm sure I wore nothing but yoga pants.

Monie balancing on her Fiori, courtesy of Miss Sarah. Cutest jacket ever. Wooden buttons!

On 104th Street Promenade, courtesy of Miss Sarah.
You can see a glimpse here of the architectural heritage and urban renewal
that made this block one of the focuses of yesterday's Jane's Walk.
(Everything I'm wearing is part of my Project 333 wardrobe, BTW.
Wow, black doesn't photograph well.)

Judy and Pashley, courtesy of Miss Sarah

Realtors' lockboxes on a bike rack outside Credo Coffee. WTF. Courtesy of Marilyn.

Monie's boyfriend brought a little something down to the cafe to supplement our lattes.
(Chocolate liqueur? Well, maybe just a little.)
Monie made him this book, isn't she clever?

Lovebirds.

Robert was an absolute angel, only complaining in the Chariot when we had to stop.

We sat and stood outside with our bikes and coffees and food.
 After awhile we were all as cold as Marilyn looks. I love her dress and obi sash so much.

Angel enjoying a cuppa, courtesy of Miss Sarah.

When we were done our coffees we split up for a few minutes and took a quick peek in some of the local independently-owned shops that have sprung up on 104th. Coup was full of pretty frocks and baubles, and 29 Armstrong makes me want to throw away everything and redecorate. Having already had a machiato brownie at Credo, I skipped Queen of Tarts, but I'm regretting it as I type this.

When we realized the time we all hopped on our bikes to conclude our ride.

Angel and Monie waiting for me so I can take a photo at the entrance to High Level Bridge.

By this time the sun had come back out and a steady stream of walkers and cyclists were using the MUP across High Level Bridge. Coreen took a zillion photos as we were riding across. I'll link to her post once it's up.

After we split up, I decided I'd ride back through Garneau and McKernan to Belgravia-McKernan Station, but when I got there I had just missed the LRT, and the bike path beckoned. A shorter-than-usual ride so that people could head off for their Mothers Day plans had left me wanting more.

South Campus LRT station. I have just (accidentally-on-purpose) missed my train. Again. Oopsie!

Eliza waiting in the sunshine while I check my phone messages
- oh look, a text saying supper is ready.
Eliza needs a shorter (and possibly wider) saddle in antique brown, I think,
the wicker basket washed in walnut stain, and a simpler skirtguard,
in addition to the rear rack with kickstand that I've mentioned previously and my crate.
My jacket is balled up in the basket. Yay warmth.
Every so often along the trail by the LRT tracks there are spots like this
with benches, bike racks, and underused noticeboards.
The section of path just before this spot ran alongside a little wetland that had frogs singing in it.

I ended up hopping back on the train at Southgate Station, but I could easily have ridden the whole way; from Southgate to Century Park on the bike path would have only been another 10 minutes or so. But as it was supper was starting to get cold when I got home, and everyone was eager for some time with Mommy.

It was such a lovely afternoon! Thanks again to everyone who came out, and to Karen, Sarah, and Marilyn for coming to my rescue when my camera went on the fritz.
UPDATE: Sarah has her post up with more great photos and a video!
UPDATE 2: Coreen's post is up with yet more great photos! 

Mothers' Day Critical Lass

Now that the snow has finally melted and the street cleaners are making the rounds, we can announce our first Critical Lass ride of 2011! We'll be riding on the afternoon of Sunday May 8th.

(Now, we realize that a lot of you might have other plans on Mothers' Day. However, it was the only date when all our organizers could make it that didn't coincide with EBC's women-and-transgendered-only days for May. So we are choosing a route that will allow people to easily meet up with us late or leave us early, so they can hopefully work around their brunch or dinner plans for the day. We also encourage you to bring your mom along. If you want.)

So here is the route:

1ish - Angel and I will be possibly meeting for lunch at a nearby restaurant beforehand, then starting off from Century Park LRT Station. That's right, this is going to be a bicycles-on-transit adventure for us! We figure the new-ish South Light Rail Transit extension hasn't been seen much on the local bike blogs (which are mostly written by core-dwellers), so we should show it some love. LRT is an easy way to extend your bicycle explorations, and the rules & usage hours are all commonsense.

1:15 to 1:30pm - We will be hanging out on the platform at McKernan / Belgravia Station, where we expect those who live in the neighborhoods around the U of A to meet up with us.

1:45 to 2:15pm - Having taken the LRT to Churchill Station, we will meet on the steps of City Hall where we'll catch up with our north-side friends, have a nice chat and use some of the brilliant architecture (Art Gallery of Alberta, anyone?) surrounding Churchill Square as the backdrop for some sweet photos.

2:15 to 3:15pm - We'll ride via 102nd Ave to the 4th Street Promenade, where we'll grab coffee at Credo or wine at deVine, browse the gorgeous green goods at Carbon Environmental Boutique, swoon over the fabulous furnishings at 29 Armstrong and fresh frocks at Coup, and/or partake of the pastries at Queen of Tarts. Yeah baby! The Promenade is also notable for its architecture, as per the website of the City Market:

In addition to the variety of shops and restaurants, make sure to check out the architecture of the many buildings that line 104th Street. There are currently nine “A” level heritage buildings on the 104th Street promenade, including the prestigious Birks Building on the east corner of 104th Street and Jasper Avenue (built 1929) and the Phillips Building (10169-104 Street), which was built in 1912 as one of the first completely fireproof buildings in Edmonton. 

Anyone who needs to leave at this point can catch the LRT at nearby Bay Station.

3:15 to 4:30pm - We'll head for the Ledge grounds then over the High Level Bridge, some of us will no doubt split off to head home via Saskatchewan Drive, and the rest of us will head through the University grounds to Health Sciences / Jubilee Station, from whence we'll all set off for home.

We'd also like to extend an invitation to our male friends, since some of you have said you'd like to bring certain gorgeous, droolworthy vintage bicycles and join us on our Loopy Ride... Please do! Just expect to be outnumbered, for a change, and wear something you'd like to be photographed in. ;-)

Oh, and preview: for Bike Month we're thinking that We Believe In 118...

an Earth Day ride and Eliza

To celebrate Earth Day today, Audrey and I went for a ride around the neighborhood. It was a gorgeous day, sunny with a cool breeze. The snow has mostly melted, and street cleaners have started to remove the winter debris from the roads in our neighborhood.

Audrey dressed in purples to match her bike.

We practiced signalling - Audrey is almost as good as me now - and also spent awhile practicing turns in the parking lot of her elementary school. She's ready to have the training wheels pulled off her bike. Actually, she's ready for a bigger bike. We're going to see if we can get a bit more life out of this one by adjusting seat and handlebar height. Once she's done we might cannibalize this bike to get the little blue Deelite working for when Dom outgrows his Tigger bike.
{Update: Audrey's bike appears not to have adjustable handlebars or seat. Not impressed! So we're going to prioritize getting the Eaton's Glider frame fixed up for her ASAP, and her current bike will become a part donor for Dom's Deelite and Damien's Rapido. Vintage kids' bikes FTW!}

I rode Eliza, the 1978 Raleigh DL-1 Lady's Tourist that used to be Fiona's.

Everything except the skirtguards and basket is original. 

I haven't changed anything on her yet, so the seat is still a bit high for me.

Sturmey-Archer 3-speed hub marked 78 7 AW

The plastic trigger shifter has lost its adhesive label.
I think I'll get it replaced with the chromed SA shifter with a screw-on faceplate that came with Bert.

Front rod brakes.
I didn't remember to look for marks on the Westwood (rod-brake-only) rims.
The tires (or should I say tyres) are labelled Raleigh Roadster,
40-635 (28 x 1 1/2), 50 lbs/in2 - 3.5 ATM

Heron chainwheel, rear rod brake, pedals marked with the Raleigh crest.

Both the headbadge (hidden under the basket) and the decal on the rear mudguard are marked Nottingham.
Notice that the fenders have a rounded profile, instead of the ridged versions on Mary Poppins and Ms Trudy.

The Brooks B66, nicely broken in. I can see how a B66S might be more comfortable for me,
since the nose on the B66 feels a bit long.

Closeup of the OTT Simeli crocheted skirtguards.

Eliza still needs a thorough cleaning and some lemon-and-foil to really make her shine, and I might touch up her paint where it's been dinged - her front forks are especially scratched. At the advice of uber-mechanic Keith, I'll be considering an imported Dutch centre stand (the kind that attaches to the back wheel) to allow me to carry a grocery-loaded rack - this is crucial for me, since I need Eliza to earn her keep as my errand-running bike, and installation of any of the other double kickstands is made impossible by the rod brakes. (It is possible to install the specially-made DL-1 Pletscher prop stand, or to grind down a prop stand and install it with a shorter bolt, but those solutions aren't stable enough if you plan to carry heavy loads.). If I'm not happy with how the brakes feel after new Fibrax rod brake pads have been installed, rebuilding the rear wheel with a 3-speed coaster hub (like Velouria did) will provide secret stopping powers. 

{Update: it seems that Steco make a black-powdercoated rear rack for 28-inch bicycles with an integrated swing kickstand, and this is what comes standard on the Achielle Oma - so now I know what I'm asking the guys at RedBike if they can special-order for me. Or am looking to bring back as a souvenir from Japan.}

As you can see behind me, in installing the (wave-style) bike racks at Audrey's school in a sheltered location they managed to ensure they'll be buried in a snowdrift after the rest of the snow is long gone. Oops.

Running on Sky

Hi folks, my name is Jennifer and I’m a friend of Deborah’s from our U of A days. I grew up on the Canadian Prairies, but have had a rather nomadic life as an adult, moving back and forth across North America for the past 10 years. My family and I have been in Seattle for a few years now and we’re starting to call it home.

Now…on to the bicycles! I’ve enjoyed riding bicycles since I was a kid and bought a mountain bike for recreational use throughout college. This was mostly moderate weekend rides of about 5-6 miles on protected bike paths. A couple of years ago, I bought a road bike which I use for my commute to work (about 6 miles) and occasional week end rides. I still have a place for my mountain bike, though, as it’s more stable for pulling my kid on a trail-a-bike. I also plan to use it more this year for short errands and outings around the neighbourhood.

Unlike the other LFL bloggers, I don’t have a vintage bicycle and I’m not really interested in restoring them as a hobby, though I do admire their style and design. My initial interest in cycling centered on practical questions of choosing a bicycle, finding routes, and figuring out the logistics of commuting. However, I’ve become steadily more interested in cycling advocacy and urban planning, particularly with respect to cycling and public transportation. Of course, I always like photos of happy people on their bicycles!

I ride a bike for several reasons – it’s great exercise and I find it much easier to stick with cycling than going to the gym. It’s cheaper than driving my car and paying for parking every day and vastly cheaper than buying a second car. Riding my bike reduces my contribution to the pollution and congestion of city streets. All of these reasons are true and they do have some motivation. However, the truth is that I ride my bike because it’s fun. There’s a greater sense of speed and control with a bicycle than a car. I see much more of the city and the seasons on my bike. And, in the end, it’s fun to go fast.

A couple of weeks ago, I hooked up the trail-a-bike and took my son, who’s five, to one of the local parks. He loves riding it – it’s faster than a little bike with training wheels and he gets to ride on the street. That night at supper, he turned to me and said “Mommy, riding a bike is so funny! It’s like your feet are running, but they’re running on sky!"

That's why I love riding my bike.

The Twins: 1983 Norco folders

Allow us to introduce the Twins:

They're folding bikes! Here they are in the back of Angel's mom-mobile after she bought them back in mid-November.

The red one is Angel's, the blue one is mine, and they are practically identical. They have a Raleigh Twenty style folding mechanism (ie, a big hinge in the middle of the frame - and that's all), 20-inch white wall tires, and to our enormous surprise, Sturmey Archer 3-speed shifters and hubs. They were cheap like borscht, and look like they'll be reliable little bikes once we tune them up and add milk crates to the rear racks.

After some digging, this is what little information we have been able to find:

- Norco are a Canadian marque based in British Columbia, who started selling bikes (mostly copies or rebadged bikes from other makers) in 1964. They're best known for 1970-80s BMX-style imports and the suspension-fork mountain bikes they manufactured starting in 1993 with names like the Sasquatch and the Wolverine. Unfortunately there is very little information on their history or their older bikes online.

- A wonderful History of the Folding Bike helped us identify the frame style as a U-frame, produced in quantity by a number of European makers starting in the 1970s.

- This is the only other photo we have been able to find floating around out there of a Norco folding bicycle. It turns out it's the subject of this bike forum discussion, which confirmed that it's called a U-frame.

- Another discussion of U-frame folders on the same forum yields this nugget from user LittlePixel:

It's one of a slew of similar 'U' frame [as they are wont to be described] designs that enveloped Europe in the late seventies/early eighties that were cheaper to make than their earlier more sturdy cousins by Puch, Raleigh, Dawes. I don't know the name as a lot of these kind of frames were pretty generic and perhaps not even a Peugeot design at all. They can be fun bikes (my sister had a non-pug one named a 'Marathon' as her first real bike aged about 10) but most people in these forums would not consider them beyond occasional or light use as the position of the fold and single downtube without extra strengthening can make for a slighty flexy ride.

(Emphasis mine.) Meh, we can live with that.

- A discussion of U-frame folders on Bikehugger tells us that the Phillips Folda was a U-frame. Since Phillips was a TI-owned marque, that could explain why our bikes have Sturmey Archer parts. This recent discussion at The Raleigh Twenty confirms that TI sold U-frame folding bicycles starting in 1984 - and their History page indicates they started calling it the Compact in 1987. And photos in Flikr's Foldr vintage-folding-bike pool show Raleigh-badged, Raleigh-badged and Hercules-badged U-frames with similar curved rear stays and rack as our Norcos - along with Italian-made Cinzia, Graziella, TicTac and Bianchi Aquiletta (which has a 3-speed SA hub). More about Cinzia's folding bicycle can be found here. 


- Back to that bike forum, someone asked a question about a Norco 3-speed folder that's marked Made In Italy.

What we know from careful examination of the bicycles:

Folded.

The stainless-steel fenders are stamped INOX.

The brake calipers and levers are stamped WEINMANN.

The shape of the brazed-on rack and rear stays is fairly unique.

Interesting Y-shape in the chainwheel. Cottered cranks. Stainless steel chainguard.

Aluminum kickstand on blue bike is marked Made In Italy; red bike is missing its kickstand. 

Italian-made AMBROSIO rims with SUPERGA SPORT 20 x 1.75 nylon whitewall tires.

The saddle is stamped on the painted underside of its metal pan:

ISCA SELLE 

ROSSANO V.TO - ITALY

The headtube is stamped SIGUR BREVETTATO. 

Brevettato is a word associated with adjustable handlebars.

The top of the ring is stamped OMEGA, and the lever is marked SIGUR BREV.

The lever on the folding mechanism (seen here from the front when not folded) 

is also marked SIGUR BREV.

Folded. Those are the three-speed and brake cables.

ITM stamp in triangle on top of handlebars. (ITM Italia are still a component manufacturer.)

NORCO decals on headtube (above) and U-tube (below).

Made In Italy decal and sales decal from The Sports Stop, Edson, Alberta on the seat tube.

COMPACT decal on rear stay.

Front hub marked IMB.

Rear Sturmey-Archer AW 3-speed hubs stamped 83 2 (red, shown) and 83 3 (blue, not shown).

Plastic 3-speed Sturmey-Archer shifter

Union pedals.

Both bikes are missing the axle nut on this side of the rear wheel for some reason,

but otherwise need very little work.

Can anyone tell us more about these bikes? Does anyone know which Italian manufacturers Norco was working with?


Update: It appears that (Illinois company) KTC's Hyda Bike was made by the same Italian manufacturer, and sometimes has the Cinzia's star-shaped chainwheel and sometimes the Y chainwheel seen above. Here are links to one on eBay, two with the Y chainwheel on IBikeDB, and one with the star chainwheel on a blog.

Gift Ideas for Bicyclists

In no particular order, here are some things we're coveting for Christmas.
We thought we'd post them in case anyone is looking for last-minute ideas at all price points -
although it's possibly too late for shipping from the online vendors in time for the holidays,
maybe your favourite LBS carries them or something similar.

The Pageant Queen Reflective Sash from Aussie e-tailer CycleStyle

(did they airbrush out the model's belly button?)

Angel is obsessed lately with owls (ob.sessed!) , so she'd wear her sash over this t-shirt,

or maybe this one from Threadless.

We LOVE the genius Pinko buttons & magnets from Toronto-based Spacing magazine 

(in response to hockey commentator Don Cherry's ridiculous diatribe last week).

Mr. Cherry needs to evolve (it's a sticker or magnet).

An uber-pretty sterling silver bicycle necklace by Rachel Pfeffer (Etsy's luckyduct shop)

There's also no shortage of vintage sterling bicycle charms and other jewelry out there on eBay and Etsy; we especially love this bracelet that reminds us of the Edmonton Bicycle Commuters logo.

The Ferris WheeLED bike light by Piaa.

A proper winter helmet. This one is the women's Bern Brighton with hunter knit liner.
(I think it may be the exact one Miss Sarah uses, come to think of it.)

For when the weather warms up, Bird Industries' brilliant skirt garter to keep our skirts in place.

A Brooks B-66S spring saddle.

A cargo bike or bakfiets of some kind for kid-hauling with ease. This one is the Nihola Cigar, which has a detachable rain cover, so all it would need for winterization is some fleece blankets for the kids.

More vintage bicycle photography for Deb's fabulous collection

(this detail shot is from a gorgeous and expensive 1920s French Nude on eBay - 

but if you search on "bicycle" and "photo" you'll find many lovely snapshots 

and photo postcards for US$5-$20 each).

Screenprinted bike art posters (this one is by Etsy's Eggplant Elephant - LOVE).

So what's on your wish list?