The 100th Tour de France is about to get underway.  I find that when non-cyclists discover my interest in bikes and biking, they will make a comment or ask me a question that relates to the world's best known cycling event.   

Because it involves bicycles, I have some broad interest in competitive cycling.  However, I have never mounted a bike for the purpose of trying to go fast, or at least faster than another person.  Well, I used to race my daughters the last block of our ride home from school, and I always lost.  

The competitive cycling scene drives much of the consumer interest in light-weight parts and materials.  I have nothing against lightweight stuff, but it is pretty low on my list of priorities.  For instance, I'm puzzled by the notion of replacing a perfectly good steel fork with a carbon fork.  A good steel fork weighs about 6 to 12 ounces more than the average carbon fork.  Most riders are toting more weight in their bladders. 

For me the best part of bicycles is riding, so why would I want to go fast and get it over with sooner?  I’d rather savor my time in the saddle.  A wise man once said to me,  “I ride because I enjoy it, and to stay fit.  The way I figure it, with a lighter bike my ride ends sooner AND I get less exercise.”   I could not agree more.

Loaded touring, commuting and social rides were my introduction to cycling.  I took up cycling for practical reasons; it was simple, inexpensive and a terrific method to experience travel.   After a couple of fully-loaded tours around the countryside (all the gear… panniers, sleeping bag, tent, etc.), I fell in love with bicycle travel.   And there is nothing quite like the comfort and stable feel of a fully loaded bicycle.  It seems counterintuitive, but it’s true.  I've talked with other loaded touring cyclists and there seems to be a consensus. 

Now, I have heard it said, by the casual observer, that loaded bicycle touring looks like an unpleasant endeavor, particularly compared to the sleek, speed-obsessed road cyclist astride their beautifully molded plastic steeds.   The touring cyclist, by contrast, has all the visual appeal of a refugee escape.  The sunburnt rider with worldly possessions bagged, tethered and hooked to a sturdy, if not fatigued, bicycle.   Nonetheless, I think it's fun and it's where I began my relationship with cycling; and, like a well-suited marriage, my love and respect for cycling and bicycles has been repaid with much happiness.

Ride well and have fun!

Finally got out for a decent ride this past Sunday .  The weather was warm and sunny with low humidity.  I took the opportunity to pull out my Claud Butler Super Dalesman for the ride.   

If you’re not familiar with the Dalesman, it's a wonderful touring bike from the mid-'80s.  Built from Reynolds 531st tubing (the “ST” stands for Special Touring tubing),   it's neither flashy nor finicky.  It's just a solidly built, load-bearing workhorse that can move sprightly when you need it to - particularly when all it's wearing is a trunk bag.    

Even though I love French stuff, I seem to gravitate towards British bikes.  Maybe it’s because tall British frames are easier to come by.  The Dalesman is a 65cm frame with a slightly longer top tube than is customary on many British bicycles of the era, and nicely finished for a production bike. 

Some of you might remember the Dalesman.  It was featured in a blog post a couple of years ago where I pieced together Shimano bar-end pods with Sunrace six-speed indexed shifters (clamp-on downtube) to create six-speed indexed bar-end shifters.  I still receive e-mails about this conversion.  Here’s a link to the original post.  

I have probably gotten more emails asking about the status of the front bag than any other subject.  Consequently, I’ve been reluctant to mention it because I end up explaining that it’s not in production yet and I’m not sure when it will be - blah, blah – an exercise that is unfulfilling for both parties in the exchange.  So, I’m hesitant to mention it once again, but I do so feeling pretty confident that we are about to move into production soon.

There are a lot of beautiful and finely detailed rando-style bags out there to be had.  And we’re not trying to be the finest or most finished in that genre.   Our goal is a handsome, functional, durable, and affordable bag.  I love the look of leather-on-canvas bags like Gilles Berthoud, but we don’t use leather.  The Berthoud bags are really beautiful and the gold standard, but I’d probably feel self-conscious having one perched on the front of my bicycle.  I’d be afraid to get it dirty.  I guess I’m a casualty of Midwestern sensibilities that are more machine-shop than fashion fop.

As you may note from the pictures, we ended up going back to a bag that will open to the front with no side pockets.  There are no pockets because we’ve added side straps to secure the bag to a front rack.  We are hoping to have the first batch ready in a month if all goes as planned.  Email me if you must, but we'll be sure to make an announcement here when they're ready for sale.

In other news, Elly Blue, Joe Biel and Joshua Ploeg brought their traveling show, “Dinner and Bikes”, to Iowa City last night.  Be sure to check them out if they travel to your town!