Post May Day, pre- Cinco de Mayo
I wonder how bike-share bikes are affecting normal bike shops that depend on sales of $300 to $500 bikes. Will people who don't have bikes now get on these bikes and then want their own? That's the hope, but I still wonder.
For a couple of decades at least in Japan there has been this thing called "bicycle pollution," where people buy inexpensive commuter bikes from home to train station, and then after a couple of years the bikes are all rusty and got flat tires and all, so they just sneak-leave them on the street. Even bought bikes get left behind, but not like bike-share bikes, and not like in China.
This short piece in The Guardian shows how the problem can look groovy from high up, but down on earth it's kind of a mess. Interesting images, worth half a minute:
There are certainly some recycling opportunities there. I hope they do that. All steel bictycle tubing, even the gllitzy stuff, is recycled, so it's hard to imagine all those bikes just staying put for too long, but who knows?
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The catalogs ought to be here soon. John at RIVELO in Portland has plenty. When I was up there this weekend, a fellow was shopping around hanging around, doing the normal "I'm in a bike shop thing" and all was fine. Then when he left I noticed he didn't have a catalog, so as he was leaving I offered him one, and he said, "No thanks, man--I've got too MANY catalogs!" That's fine, just a little bumming that he ranks them all equally. Anyway, we'll have them soon, and in a perfect world if you're a Hail Mary-er, we'd have Harry Mail it to you on Saturday when he comes in, but in fact all those are being bulk-mailed to you from SoCal, and you'll have them in 2 weeks.
As soon as they get HERE we'll include them with orders, and if you end up with more than one, it's not us being wasteful. It's just hard to keep track of who already has one. You can give it to a friend, whatever. Here's the cover and the photo the cover was drawn from:
(It was also the cover of RR44.
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Locks again: I hate locks, but I keep one with all of my bikes (5, I think) and since we're quitting the now-made-in-China ABUS Phantom lock, we have to find a replacement.
A couple of posts ago I was raving about the flyweight/ziptie-like OTTO lock. Then it was pointed out (and verified) that OTTO locks had a problem. Mr. OTTO says the problem is in the past, and I'd still be scared of them in a scary maximum security requirement situation, but OTTO says they're for running in and outa the store or coffee shop and that's how I use a lock most of the time, anyway. So we're back on board with them, and will offer them soon.
And probably a couple of German-made ABUS locks. All three up-and-comers are shown below, with the soon gone ABUS Phantom:
In a week we should have these 1.1, the 1.75, and the 3.95. Part of me hates the idea of selling three locks, but they're so different. Minimum but lightest, medium and barely over a pound, and one for maximum use or maybe leaving on bike rack or post or something you use all the time downtown. Be one of those guys, as long as you don't feel like you're reserving that spot.
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We're nearly out of 55 Cheviots and will be soon. We'll try to get more in November.
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Bob Dylan has a lot of stuff going on. I love his art and ironwork. I don't actually drink whisky, but I'm buying a bottle to get the bottle. Maybe some of the group around here drinks it. I'd try a sip. I have an accepting palate when it comes to food I chew, but I'm pretty measly when it comes to liquids.
click through the images in big mode, they look pretty neat
It's not just Dylan-branded. He had input.
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I've taken some pinhole photos lately. Here's the deal: You don't need to make the camera yourself out of a Quaker Oats tub and black paper and mucilage. If you have an old normal film camera, go here and get a pinhole body cap for it:
https://www.pinholeresource.com/index.php/all-products/pinhole-digital-no-dust-body-caps
I guess you can do it with digital cameras, too. Not with your phone, I think. Come on, anyway--play the game a little, OK?
So the body cap costs you about $50. It comes with instructions. Then, how do you meter?
There's an app called Pinhole Assist. You tap in your aperture (the lens cap will tell you what it is). And if you have a roll of film in your camera, tap in the film speed. Aim the phone at your subject and it'll tell you the shutter speed. It helps to have a tripod, b/c shutter speeds will be anywhere from 2 seconds to 90 seconds, maybe more. If you have a lens for the camera, you can shoot some with that, too. It's not like you have to do a whole roll of 36 in pinhole mode, although why not?
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We were all set to name the new mtn bike Elephantus--a rebound name after we'd finally opted out of Hunqapillar to avoid confusion...and it turns out there is an Elephant brand bike, so we gotta just let him be with that. So now it's down to Sir Barney Johnston and H. "Larry" Gomez. Maybe "Sir" Barney Johnston. I don't know how I feel about the quotes. It adds a nice twist, don't you think?
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Saner minds may prevail, but maybe not.
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