Flooding of Peace River

So much for landing in the Sunshine State! When we landed in Peace River, we were surprised to see how hard it was raining. It is rare for it to rain all day long here. After being here for a few days, it was still raining.



Normally, rain is desperately needed in Florida. I guess as all things though, too much of a good thing can be a very bad thing. That seems to be the case here because all the rain caused the Peace River to flood.



Here you can see that the river is over the banks, and is covering the mini-golf area.



This is sad enough, but the real trouble is in the areas where the RV sites are at. Some of the sites are covered in water.



Some of the sites are completely covered with water, including the electrical boxes.



It was pretty disturbing to see all the water here.



If it were not causing some issues for the park, it would be really enjoyable to look at because the water is rather pretty.



We hope this does not cause major long term problems for the park here.

Power Grips: Foot Retention That Even I Can Use!

[edited to add:Power Gripswas a sponsor of this website September-October . This review was written before that time.]



I do not like the idea of foot retention and generally feel no need for it - whether cycling for transportation or going on long rides. Perhaps it is more accurate to saythat the very thought of having my feet connected to the pedals fills me with terror.The problem is, that I will soon be riding a fixed gear roadbike (Marianne's conversionwas practice), for which it is advisable to use foot retention: When cycling over bumps or potholes, your feet can fly off the pedals on a fixed gear bike and the pedals can then "chew up your ankles" before you have a chance to brake. So yes, foot retention is recommended.



Some have suggested I try Power Grips if I am too nervous to use toe clips or clipless pedals. I have finally gotten up the nerve to give them a try... and so far they have been more or less a success. We installed these first on my Rivendell Sam Hillborne, so that I could get comfortable with them before putting them on the fixed gear. Here are my impressions so far.



Power Grips are basically straps made of a thick, stiff woven fabric, that mount diagonally on the pedals. It is easy to slide your foot in and out, but the diagonal position grips the foot firmly in place once it is all the way in. Note that we mounted these with the logo on the inside. There is also a beige version with an argyle pattern accompanying the logo.



Even as I write this, it sounds implausible that something can both "grip the foot firmly" and "be easy to slide in and out of," but that is the feeling. Because the band is diagonal, there is a large escape area as soon as you move your foot back a bit. You can also feel the grip getting tighter/looser as you shift your foot forward or backward on the pedal, so there is a natural bodily awareness of the system that works in your favour. When approaching a stop, I simply slide one foot off the pedal and step down on the ground. Initially I would remove the second foot at stops as well, but eventually I discovered that it was easier to just keep it inside the grip.



I am not qualified to say how effective the Power Grips are in terms of pedaling efficiency; I simply would not know. It feels as if with the grips I can pedal with more power, but it may very well be an illusion. However, none of that is important to me, and what really matters is safety. The Power Grips keep my feet firmly in place when going over bumps, yet are easy to get out of whenever I need to.



I should mention also that the straps come in several sizes, and are adjustable to fit over different types of footwear. They do not squeeze or rub the top of the foot, so I am pretty sure you could wear them even with sandals.

Another nice thing about the Power Grips, is that if you want to pedal without them, you can easily use the other side of the pedal. I do not feel comfortable yet wearing the grips in stop-and-go traffic, so when the traffic gets dense I simply cycle with them upside down and my feet are free.The straps do not hang low enough to scrape against the ground. And even if there is an occasional scrape, it is soft and silent (whereas toe clips make screeching, clunking noises).



Some complain that Power Grips don't look attractive on a bike, but I think they are fine: it is just a strap attached to the pedal. They will soon be moved from my Rivendell to my fixed gear bicycle - though I must say it is tempting to keep them here, too. Unless riding in traffic, it actually feels nice to have my feet in the straps, especially when pedaling fast or going over bumps.



I cannot overstate how scared I am of foot retention: I have tried clips and half clips, and was unable to use them. Power Gripsseem easier and safer to me than either of these systems. They are also by far more effective than half-clips or loose toe clips.

Beka Burbery - Kiwi Girl

I went to a big-deal seminar years ago. A certain big-name, brick-jawed American success coach. It was huge.

A 14 hour mega motivation marathon, the first 10 minute piss break was at the 6 hour mark.

Content covering; dedication, commitment, success strategy.

It's easy to be cynical, but to be honest, I learned a lot.

Climbers, you already know the message:

How bad do you want success? How badly do you want to do, what you want to do?

Would you limit your budget to a dollar for dinner, less for breakfast, forego a comfy hotel and live in a single, crappy unheated room, weave your bicycle through the dusty Chinese traffic?































Well, probably yes.

I met Rebekah Burbery in Yangshuo, doing just that, she was turning a week of budget into months.

I can't help but examine my own balance of commitments across work, home, climbing. Comforts.







The thing that struck me about Beka is that she practices high-level frugality and keeps the beautiful air of friendliness and full-scale positivity. Generous of spirit. Such a joy.














The route: Yangshuo Hotel 7b White Mountain - China.





















Back in her homeland of New Zealand she couch surfs and sleeps in her car to extend her climbing life between bursts of Outdoor Education work.













I decide I'm happy with my choices. I work hard. I enjoy a beautiful home. I have short trips to amazing places and meet inspiring people. I blog about it.









Vignette:

My mind is on something else.

As I stare through the crappy, blistering window-tint of the van, outside it's dark and dusty.

The road back from White Mountain to Yangshuo is in ruins. The van winds around searching for a workable course through the potholes, dodging buses. We make it into town, there's trucks, and diesel, and danger. It's very cold, and I'm sort of sleepy and aching, thinking about getting back to my hotel, dinner, bed.

Somewhere out there Beka is on her bicycle.

I generalise to myself; Kiwi girls are hardy.












Thanks Beka. jj

Motobecane Grand Touring, Town & Country Edition

The Co-Habitant has been riding his Motobecane redux creation for the past month, and as far as what he was looking for it is a mission accomplished: The bike is nice enough to enjoy riding, but not so nice that he is unwilling to leave it locked up in the city.

This project started out as a game of sorts, where the idea was to build up a complete bike using only parts we already had.

The frame is a MotobecaneGrand Touring that an acquaintance gave the Co-Habitant a year ago. Made of Vitus 888 tubing, it is nicer than the Super Mirage model of his former roadbike. Being a touring frame, it is also somewhat more relaxed, so it made sense to build it up as a transportation bicycle.

Many of the components were moved over from the other Motobecane frame.

Others had been acquired in the past, waiting for the right project. It was particularly nice to finally have occasion to use these original Belleri handlebars. Surprisingly, they fit bar-end shifters.The combination looks eccentric, but it's convenient. The stem could be longer, but this one was already filed down to accommodate the French sizing, and we did not want to ruin another one.



Fizikhandlebar tape, in brown. The only exception to the "must already own it" rule, I bought this in Vienna (the brown and honey colours are not sold int he US). "City" brake levers from Velo Orange - these arevery convincingly "vintagey."



The least vintagey part of the bike is the SuginoAlpina crankset. We figure that the out of place crankset and bar-ends lend a sense of humor to a bike that may otherwise have come across as too perfectly French. This way it feels more approachable.

Speaking of approachable, initially we were not sure whether this vintage BrooksColt I'd acquired some time ago could ever be made ridable, as it had a nasty ridge along the center. I'd tried the "blocking" (water soaking) method, but the ridge persisted. However, the Co-Habitant managed to flattened it after a couple of rides on the water-softened leather and reports that it is now quite comfortable.

He mounted a Spanniga Pixeo tail light on the rear fender, and uses a removable CayEye headlight on the handlebars.

In the future there might be a rear rack in this bicycle's future, but for now it sports a roomy (but rather inconvenient to open and close) Minnehaha saddlebag.

I have to say that I am thoroughly enjoying the existance of this bicycle: Finally we can go out and leave our bikes locked up in the city for hours, without the Co-Habitant constantly worrying about his. It is by no means a "beater," but it is sufficiently unprecious for him to relax about its fate.

An additional benefit of having built up this bike, is that it showed us how different two models from the same manufacturer and vintage could be. This Grand Touring frame is exactly the same size as his former Super Mirage, but the front wheel on this bike is considerably "further out" - probably a combination of a more relaxed headtube angle and more fork rake. Unfortunately, he no longer has the other frame to compare exact measurements or to photograph them side-by-side. And while he expected for a bike with Vitus 888 tubing to feel nicer than a hi-ten bike, the difference between the two (with the same wheelset and tires) still managed to surprise him. The ride is considerably cushier and the bicycle is much lighter in weight (26lb with the build shown, not including the saddlebag). Having ridden this bike myself and enjoyed it a lot more than any other '70s-80s Motobecane bike I'd tried earlier, I am now curious to try the mixte version. A number of readers have written me about being disappointed with the ride quality of the vintage French bikes that one typically finds for sale in the US, so this might be a good model to look for. More pictures of this bicycle here, for anyone interested.

Wordless Wednesday :: Red Seat

Outside my apartment in Fort Wayne. Summer of 1985. Bicycle in the stair well.
Copyright © 1985/.. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman

Batavus Old Dutch: Not What I Expected

If you follow the Suburban Bike Mamablog, you may recognise that this is the fabled silver Batavus Old Dutch that has been the subject of some frenzied discussion due to its fabulous sale price. Vee didn't buy the bike because the frame was too large for her, so being in the neighborhood I hurried to see it. The price was so good that I was considering getting it as a winter bike and sparing my main ride from Boston's salt and snow. Heading to see the Batavus, I was pretty much prepared to take it home. But alas, I left empty-handed.



On fist impression the bike looked nice enough (though for some reason the shop fitted it with this strange basket). The bicycle is all silver, including fenders, chaincase and dress-guard.I like silver bikes and the loop-frame looked classic and elegant.



But a closer examination gave me a different perspective.Theframe is partly welded (as opposed to lugged), and the welds are kind of messy. Unicrown fork, too.



Seat tube.



And the "loop" connector. Now, some may be reading this and thinking "So what? Most modern bicycles are welded." True enough. But from a classic Dutch bike that advertises the "old" aspect of Dutch bikes, I would expect a more traditional frame construction.



But while the frame construction was disappointing, the more serious problem were the components. The front brake had almost zero stopping power - and that's riding around the flat parking lot in dry weather. We adjusted the brake and the bike shop even replaced the brake pads, but there was almost no improvement. Perhaps this had something to do with a combination of a low-end caliper brake and steel rims. Steel rims + caliper brakes = poor braking, especially in wet weather. The coaster brake did have decent stopping power, but was not especially strong either. Since I was thinking of getting this as a winter bike, that would rather defeat the purpose. Downhills might also be scary even in the best weather.



The closer I examined the Batavus Old Dutch, the more details I noticed that made it look cheaply made. The cable guides were plastic clip-ons that were starting to come off in places. The pedals and bell felt flimsy and loose. The chaincase was made of a vinyl cloth-like material apparently prone to yellowing and tearing (as it had both yellowed and torn... and this bike was a floor model that had never seen hard use).



I feel bad piling so much criticism onto this poor bike. I wanted to like it and fully expected to take it home. But the bike I saw did not make sense for me to buy, even at the sale price (which I think reflects its value more so than the retail). That said, the Batavus Old Dutch is sturdy and, from a distance, attractive. If bought at a discount, it could work nicely for someone who wants a Dutch bike for short urban trips and isn't bothered by the issues described here.

Riding in Daddy's Arms