Categories
Gear Luggage Tours, Trails & Group Rides

T Bag by Train

This is all the luggage Basil and I required for six days we  spent in New York City earlier this summer:  Just the Brompton T bag and an admittedly large ancillary bag. And helmet.

My clothes for the week, as well as the hip pack and my cycling gear for the 5 Boro Tour, are all packed neatly inside.  The T bag makes traveling with Basil easy, even though we go by train, not by cycle; it slips onto my Brompton’s luggage block, so Basil carries the weight, not me.

We were traveling a lot more lightly than some on our train. I’m pretty sure you could fit a Brompton into two of those suitcases — along with an over-stuffed T bag.

Basil and gear nearly disappear behind various other bags.

Next to bicycles, trains must be the best way to travel, ever.  Windows!  Leaving New York, the sky was overcast.

But not for long:

The sky, like the scenery, changes as the miles fall away:

Travel. It’s such a good thing.

Categories
My Brompton

Basil’s Brompton Bungee

It’s a good idea to keep a couple of extra bungee cords around in case of need; most recently I used one to ensure that a cooler in Basil’s basket didn’t go flying.

Any old bungee will do — but, naturally, I was thrilled to find these remaindered somewhere.  Basil’s colors, and at a bargain, no less!

Categories
Short Trips & Errands

Saving the World, One Errand at a Time

Riding a bicycle means you don’t have to feel terrible about wasting gas, depreciating your car, or destroying the earth’s atmosphere just because you run out of bananas.  Riding my Brompton means that I can zip down to the grocer’s on any trivial errand that appeals to me, and feel positively virtuous about it.

Basil’s cue sheet clips are handy for shopping lists, which I write (rather sloppily) on index cards. This keeps the list front and center while Basil is in shopping mode, and I’m collecting the groceries.

Since, on this particular trip, I was picking up a few things for Mr. Diarist, who is a carnivore, as well as Risler Square cheese for raclette, I popped a cooler into Basil’s wire basket.  (As it happened, we didn’t need only bananas.)

Of course, the other advantage to committing this socially responsible act is that Basil and I get a far better look at the scenery that I could from the car, especially since our cycling route is partly on a trail.

Recent torrential rains meant that there were mud puddles everywhere, many of them reflecting the sky, clouds and trees with nearly mirror-like acuity.

I once hated these small errands, but no more.  Now these excursions seem like having one’s bananas, and eating them, too — better than cake, and better than cars!

Categories
Miscellaneous

An Asian View

It isn’t really very Japanese, but this view reminded me of bridges I’ve seen in every Japanese tea garden I’ve visited in North America.

No respectable Japanese gardener would ever allow such rampant overgrowth where discipline should rule, but Basil and find it a very pleasing spot to ride.

 

Categories
Basil, En-Scène

Basil Among the Blackberries

An encounter in Williamstown, along a long driveway:

It’s the best of summer’s bounty — mechanical and gustatory — all in one image!

 

 

Categories
Miscellaneous Tours, Trails & Group Rides

Little Free Library

I had read about the Little Free Library, but had never seen an installation until Basil and I rode by one in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

The idea is that you are welcome to take any book you wish — and to donate as well.  The LFL is kind of a literary community-building effort.

This one had quite an eclectic collection of reading material on offer, ranging from Uncle Tom’s Cabin, The Orwell reader, and Krugman’s The Return of Depression Economics, to Cooking the Vietnamese Way and Making the Most of College — along with a bit of history and some more frivolous works.  There’s also a copy of Lance Armstrong’s War — presumably without the final chapter, since written.

It’s a college town — can you tell?

Categories
Tours, Trails & Group Rides

Late Afternoon in Williamstown

In the late afternoon, before a late dinner, Basil and I took another tour around Williamstown, Massachusetts on our recent visit, this time exploring a neighborhood, and a different area of the college.

Houses in these small towns are so much more interesting that those in suburbs that have been “developed”.  For one thing, they tend not to be cookie-cutter versions of one another.

I may not find every house I see to be aesthetically pleasing (and often I don’t!), but I do appreciate the variety of styles, whether they seem misguided or not.

Though I’m no fan of lawn ornaments, every now and then I spy a new iteration that strikes my fancy. (I hope there’s some family planning going on here; otherwise, it might be worrisome to have a stork constantly arriving in the garden!)

There’s a cute little porch attached to this house, matched by a cute little garage at the back –and will a rather less cute little extension between — but all of it well tied together with a neat job of paint and trim.

The red accents here are unexpected, as are the flamboyant Adirondack chairs on the porch — and oh, what a porch! Though it’s not obvious here, it wraps around the considerable length of the house, as well as across the front.

This home has a garage on a grander scale — in this case, as in many, it’s undoubtedly a converted barn. No more room for livestock, but plenty for vehicles and gear.  The garage is painted to match the home, but not nearly as colorfully; instead of red trim, the edging is done in a darker blue.

This structure has double-tiered faux bay windows, and glorious double porches — just the place to be on a sultry summer day.

After scouting the neighborhood, Basil and I headed over to a new (to us) section of the Williams College campus. We learned later that this is where former professors and spouses are buried.

It’s a tiny cemetery, but apparently there is a supplemental one elsewhere.

Though irrelevant to the permanent residents, the view is lovely.

I gathered from the bunting and banners (“Williams 1948”) that a reunion weekend was in the offing.

The dorm may be high-density, but the landscape behind is strictly bucolic.

This small vehicle was parked in a maintenance area, attached to a power source by what looked alarmingly like an umbilical cord.  It’s electric, of course — maybe a catering truck?

The license plates are “LS” for “low speed”.

Then Basil and I headed down toward the athletic fields.

They’re a little more spectacular than at some colleges.

We lapped the fields and then returned to town, where I took a few last snaps.

Once a church, this building was converted, like so many now, to another use (though I’ve forgotten to what), and is now apartments, I believe.

I’m assuming this was once the bell tower. I’m quite sure it is stone, but it has a lovely burnished-copper sheen.

This was another stunningly beautiful, temperate, day in Williamstown, and another rewarding bit of exploration with Basil.  Travelling with a Brompton: Is there anything better?

Categories
Uncategorized

Tunnel and Tracks

Basil and I (and sometimes, Mr. Diarist) occasionally ride past this abandoned passageway, which goes under the train tracks that run from western Pennsylvania to Philadelphia.

Disused now, and neglected, it has provided an opportunity for some to use up a lot of spray paint — and passersby can still cross the tracks beneath them, even if there is no longer an operating station in the immediate vicinity.

This area was once heavily industrialized, and is now near a terminal point for a regional rail line.  The tracks have a double rail here, so that trains can be shunted off the main line and moved elsewhere.

A train can be reversed this way, too, by pulling it off the main track, down a central one, and then re-routing it on the other side so that it can return to its original starting point.

The mechanism is very simple — jut a series of levered joints.

This building has been spruced up a bit, and is now an office, but I suspect from its size and location that it was once a depot.

Down the road, a traditional red caboose has been preserved.  It was once an ice cream shop, but, sadly, isn’t in use any longer, except as scenery.

If I recall correctly, these were little homes on wheels for conductors and porters. Those jobs have changed considerably, and, in any case, anyone working on our surburban rail lines is probably sleeping at home.

An old-time water tower sits behind and above the caboose; there’s not much call for these any more, either.

Nor for this railroad crossing sign, of a sort that once was ubiquitous.

Basil and I frequently travel on trains; I think we’d rather like to travel the country — any country! — in a nicely  kitted-out little red caboose, popping out to cycle and explore along the way.

Ice cream optional — but preferred, of course.

Categories
Tours, Trails & Group Rides

Stream and Bamboo

Back on our home turf, Basil and I took a short ride with Mr. Diarist  under a darkening sky, next to one of our lush stream beds:

The draped vine made this view look almost Southern, and made me think of cypress swamps:

Bamboo is flourishing on one side of this waterway.  It’s beautiful stuff, but tremendously invasive, and hard to control.

This variety has obviously adapted well to the Mid-Atlantic climate.

There’s a peculiar little pedestrian bridge that crosses the stream here — there may be a park on the other side, but Basil settled merely for ascending the steps, on this particular day, and we went off exploring in a different direction.

Categories
Gear

Basil Gets a Grip (or two)

Basil is a 2012 M6R Brompton; his original grips were the improved ones — improved, that is, over the previous version.  I hadn’t loved the grips I used when I test-rode an older Brompton, but the foam grips that were part of Basil’s original equipment were much better.  Fatter toward the end of the handlebar, and leaner toward the middle, they were quite comfortable.

On the longest rides, though, I found myself wanting to vary my hand position more than I could, easily, using these original grips.  Specifically, I wished that I had a comfortable place to rest the heel of my hand.

A conversation with a Brompton owner in New York — and the ability to see an alternative in person, on a Brompton — convinced me to try a pair of Ergon GP1-S grips.

I was very nervous about altering Basil’s set-up; I like retaining original equipment. But, to some extent, even the marvelous machine that is a Brompton is somewhat a work in progress. If something can add to comfort and utility, then there is probably no good reason not to try it.  Or so I told myself as I made that first terrifying cut beneath Basil’s old grips.

Worst case scenario, I could put another OEM pair back on, right?

The old grips separated pretty easily; I was able to pull them off with little trouble.The Ergons were 13 cm long, but the space available on Basil’s handlebar — up to where the brakes attach beneath — was only 10 cm. So I assembled the tool kit below (along with a ruler — I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without a ruler) and got to work.

That’s a pipe-cutter on the left. You can’t cut an Ergon grip with a pipe-cutter, but you can draw (or lightly cut, if you prefer that description) a neat line around the grip, which can then be followed by either the box cutter or the kitchen knife. (Mr. Diarist may or may not know about my penchant for multi-purposing kitchen tools.)

I measured each grip twice, then marked the surface 3 cm from the end.  By carefully retaining the rounded shape of the grip, I was able to score the rubber (vinyl?) more deeply that I had thought possible, which was a help when moving to the next step.

Then I used the box cutter to deepen the cut.  Someone more dexterous than I could probably make clean work of this with a box-cutter alone, but I finished up with the kitchen knife, which was easier for me to use at the end.

Next time, I’ll probably be able to make a cleaner edge, but this wasn’t a bad result for a first time try.  Sliding the Ergons onto the handlebar took some work; the grips are held in place by a metal band at the end, which is screwed tight.  (But  not too tight — if you have a torque wrench, you can set it to the proper newton degree.  Care is advised when tightening; some reviewers have popped the screw heads off, but that’s probably avoidable.)  I tossed a 4 mm allen wrench into Basil’s saddle bag; it should be no problem if I need to make future adjustments.

Re-installing my Mirrcycle mirror was simpe, and that was all there was to it.

So far, I’ve only done a short experimental run with these — just enough to check that they are secure, and to test the initial angle setting.  I like the feel, and I think they will do exactly what I hoped they would in terms of providing greater options for positioning my hands.

It’s been storming here, so my opportunities to ride have been few; I’m hoping to give these a good trial run before too long, if the weather, and life, cooperate.