I've been remiss in my blogging duties of late.  Personal matters have distracted me from Ironweed.  

However, beta testing of the trunk bag continues, and it has performed well.  With two or three minor tweaks, we are now ready to go into production.  The randonneur bag is really ready too.  We continue to agonize over a couple of details, but we probably need to stop fussing and get it into production.

In other news, I am in the market for a 1960s “F” frame Moulton.  I've long had a fascination with the Moulton and I have decided to go on the hunt for one.  If you have one you’d like to part with, or know someone that would be willing to, drop me a line. 

Readers may remember the 1966 Raleigh RSW that I acquired sometime back.  The RSW was Raleigh’s mid-60s response to the hot-selling Moultons. (Raleigh eventually bought out Moulton in 1967.)  The Raleigh RSW rekindled an old interest in Moutons. 

Meanwhile, as the hunt continues, a friend and fellow Bike Librarian has loaned me his early 70s MKIII so I could test the ride and fit.  It is a later version with a sturdier rear triangle that replaced the more fragile swinging curved rear fork. The ride is nice and the fit is okay.  Now I just need to find my own.

I spent this past Sunday afternoon doing a few chores around the homestead, including cleaning up my bike storage shed and workshop.  As a reward for my self-declared good work, I decided to invite a couple of friends over for a beer and conversation. 

Unfortunately, I only had one beer in the fridge.  So I decided to take a trip down to John’s Grocery to pick up a sixer of IPA.  I grabbed the ’66 Raleigh RSW off the hook, removed the original tattered tartan bag and threw on the ironweed trunk bag prototype.  I thought this would be a good beta test with a practical return… cold beer.

The Ironweed bag was still packed from a ride last week and contained several tubes, tire tools, Park multi-tool and a couple of bungees.  I figured I’d just leave the stuff in there and try to fit the six-pack in around it.  So off I went.

On the way out of my backyard, I stopped briefly just outside the perimeter of my neighbor’s mulberry tree that has been casting its fruit carelessly over the sidewalk on the backside of our property.   Scurrying around in the tree was a frenetic gray squirrel hopping from limb to limb carefully selecting the right berry to eat.  I wondered if he was picking the riper fruit with perhaps a little fermentation.  Although, I was on my way to pick up beer and realized I was probably projecting.

After managing to avoid the falling mulberries, including the ones dropped by the squirrel, I hopped on the Raleigh and sped off down Bloomington Street.   It was a beautiful afternoon and the ride was pleasant.  

I was thinking about bells on bikes.  I love bike bells and their friendly yet effective tones; very different from the horns on motor vehicles.  Even the word “bell” is friendly and perfect for the device.  I am not really superstitious, but I have long felt that bells on bikes are lucky.  I can trace this superstition back to a St. Christopher bell I bought in Austria years ago to ward off harm while on tour.  The bell on the RSW was put on by the previous owner.  It is not my favorite but it has a cheerful enough brrrriiinngg! 

I was also thinking about the gearing on this little-wheeled British beauty.  I switched out the 13 tooth rear cog with a 20 tooth and I was grateful I had.  They were tougher back in 1966… they could handle the taller gears.  I guess when I picture the 1966 rider, I think of a bandy-legged, chain-smoker with zip-up leather boots who could leave me in the dust.

I arrived at John’s and briskly walked back to the beer room and selected a six-pack of one of my favorite IPAs. (Interesting note… I noticed that a couple of my favorite IPAs are now available in a handy 4-pack of 20oz. cans, which is great for picnics by bicycle.)  I made my way to the front of the store and paid the quiet clerk with the well-kept beard and made my way out the front door to the bike rack to load my booty. 

Once outside, I unlocked my Raleigh and placed the six-pack of bottles in the trunk bag.  The bottles were a little too tall for the lid to fit down all the way against the sides of the bag, but the lid did completely cover the bottles. 

All in all it worked out pretty well.  I arrived home safely with my libations.  My friends arrived shortly thereafter and we enjoyed a beer and good conversation.  Next time, though, I’m getting one of those 4-packs!

I recently picked up this 1966 Raleigh RSW bicycle with 16” wheels.  It is not a folding bike; rather it is a “compact” bike.  I bought it from an elderly lady who was in the market for something a little easier to ride –  and after taking it for a spin it's easy to understand her concern.  As is the case with lots of bicycles from this era, the gears are way too tall.  The front ring is like 48t matched up with a like an 13t rear cog.  Even with the tiny wheels and 3 speed Sturmey it still rides like it was built for Eric Heiden  (look him up, kids!).  Fortunately, I have a 20t spare cog and I plan to switch it out later tonight.

The RSW was Raleigh’s answer to the Moulton’s Stowaway.  The RSW came out in ’65 or ’66, a few years before the Raleigh Twenty made its debut.  There were apparently two versions of the RSW.  One with a dynamo hub and lights and the version I have.  They originally came with white Dunlop tires, white pedals, grips and mattress saddle. This particular bicycle was purchased new from Hall Bicycle, a 100+ year-old shop up the road in Cedar Rapids. 

I’m not sure what to do with it.  I figure it'll make a great bike to loan out for short rides downtown, etc. I'd like to ride it too, which may be a tall order. So far, I’ve made a couple of changes to try to get it to accommodate my freakish 6’6” frame.   I added a longer seatpost (400mm) and modified the handlebars to bring them up several inches.  But it still seems a bit small. 

Anyway, one of the more fascinating things about this diminutive survivor is the tartan bag (I guess it’s not surprising that I would find the bag interesting).  This particular bag is pretty tattered; after all it’s 46 years old.  But the design is really inspired.  It’s huge, but nicely contoured to provide heel clearance.  What’s really nice is the bag/rack integration.  The bottom of the bag has brackets designed for the rack.  And the rear of rack is spring loaded and draws back like a drawstring on a bow.  You simply pull the rear of the rack back, drop the bag in place and let the rack snap shut around the brackets... very slick.