Take that Tabor!

You may not be able to tell from the picture, but my ride up Tabor is about to be a whole lot nicer. Lowest gear just went from a 42/21 to a 39/24 . Full update after the ride.

rachel

sold! Just this once sale: Black Star Hip Pouch

Well, someone's dirty greasy fingerprint has besmudged our last in stock Black Star hip pouch (we are due to get more soon!)

Just this once, we're putting it on sale because no one wants a brand new hip pouch to have a giant grease mark on it. . . but a brand new hip pouch with a giant grease mark that you got for a deal!? Normally $40, this one is marked down to $30.


If you'd like your own Black Star hip pouch (green with yellow interior) it can be yours for $30.

And if you want to cover up the grease stain, you could get one of the Microcosm patches we just got back in stock!




But don't get any dirty ideas. Rachel gets really sad when we don't make any money on stuff. So keep your greasy fingerprints to yourself!

Why the heck are they riding on: Powell

by: Rachel.db

Occasionally I'm a passenger in a car and I get to see all the streets I avoid as a cyclist.

At least once every car ride there is a person riding a bicycle on a busy car thoroughfare. I shake my head and think "WHY!!!" but in a strictly rhetorical fashion. The idea of knowing someone's "reason" for riding on a street like Powell makes me think of that Lewis Black sketch with the woman who says "If it weren't for my horse I wouldn't have spent that year in college."

I pretend it's just because they don't have a bike map of the city, or someone hasn't told them that: as a general rule, streets that are good for cars, are not good for bikes and vice versa. So in my little world, I imagine giving each of these persons one of the Portland bike specific maps, (many of them free, others amazingly detailed ), and they say "thanks bike map fairy!" and it's one less person riding on Powell.

With that in mind, we're going to shout out the occasional "Why the heck are they riding on..." post.  Just like the "WHY!?" in my head, it's a rhetorical question. With the idea that maybe it's just because they don't know any better, the post will offer a practical alternative.

So to fanfare and trumpets and cellos and the bicycling harper may I present:

Why the heck are you riding on: Powell ... when  

Woodward and Clinton are just a few blocks away. 

This comes from my FAVORITE bike map, the Portland folding pocket map, they are free and we have some at the shop.

A close up of an inner SE portion of Powell.

What do all those colors mean? Here is the bike map legend. Notice the white marking says "Major Street" add "FOR CARS" to the end of that and you know not to ride on those!

Portland has amazing bike maps that will help you navigate the city in the bike friendliest way.

Coming up on the "Why the heck..." list: bike salmon.

Presents from Rachel

Mt. Tabor is not as big as I remember. by Rachel

"I'm coming too!"
"Then you need more breakfast."

One banana, two waffles with maple syrup later, Ian and I meet Clinton at 8:30am on his way to Mt. Tabor. Ian's riding his single-speed cross bike, Clinton is on his super-awesome Ahearne road bike and I'm on my Raleigh Super Course road bike for the first time this summer. (I don't count yesterday when I rode it home from the bike shop.)

I can think of two other times that I have ridden up Mt. Tabor. Once was when I lived in North Portland... on Atlas, my sturdy, heavy heavy Motobecane road bike, and once with Ian on our tandem. As you may guess Tabor, in my memory, is this really big hard super long ride that takes an entire day.

We live closer to Tabor now, so it's a pretty short ride over, though before we even get to the park gates I'm saying "Maybe I'll just go to the entrance and then home," because I am huffing and puffing and sweating and my legs are tired and I want to quit and we haven't even gotten to the park yet.

Ian says "No, this is just the warm up, you've got to get everything going, in a couple of minutes it'll pass and you'll be fine!" And Clinton says he's content to go as slow as we need to. And that's when I think about how I almost didn't even come because I didn't want to be the slow one holding everyone back (perhaps some latent childhood stresses in there) but how would I get any faster if I am just sitting on my butt at home? Next thing I know we're at the gates and I'm not ready to go home anymore.   

We do some stretches, nibble on our nutrition bars, sip a little water, mount up and head through the gate. I haven't quite figured out how to manage my blood sugar on strenuous rides (since I had my gall bladder out last November, my blood sugar has been a little wonky). So far, and please forgive me if this is common sense to everyone but me, little nibbles all along the way has really helped.

Ian and Clinton appeasing Rachel's "I want a picture!" outside the gates of Mt. Tabor

So we start climbing, I'm in my third lowest gear because, from what I remember, I'm going to want lower gears later on. Ian and Clinton are ahead of me a ways, and I'm huffing, trying to breathe steady, enjoying the sweat, and thankful it's a perfect temperature.

We stop outside another gate and the boys check in "How are you feeling?" "A little quesy.. meh... mumble..." Clinton says "Here's as good a place to start to descend as any, that's basically the top"

"But I want to go to the top! I want a picture... for the blog!"

"okay!"

So we go on. And the top is approximately 45 seconds later. And I think "We're at the top already!? I should have been in my lowest gear sooner, that was shorter than I remember!"

At the top of Tabor a cyclist gent was kind enough to take our picture. He was right, the cityscape is all washed out.

Clinton managed to get the city in there, though Ian and I look like little dark blobs.

And then comes the fun part. You get to go down! That's my favorite kind of exertion, when the payoff is at the end. All this climbing and sweating and swearing and then you get to fly down a hill. It has been so long since I was mountain biking with the guys that I'd forgotten how much I like going down hill.

I love the way some cycling clothing makes you look like super-heroes.

Also, I was happy to have my brass bell on my road bike. . .  a couple of cyclists zipped past a row of pedestrians and I slowed down and rang the bell "Oooh! That's loud" I said because it surprised me how loud it was. The peds said "Yes! Nice and loud! Thank you!" I love it when I ring a bell and the pedestrian says thanks, it's like a perfect little interaction.

My present to you is a bell to let you know I am coming. And their present to me is a very nice "thank you! (for letting me know you are coming and not scaring the daylights out of me by passing without warning and so quietly because your nice bike is so very quiet and I did not hear you coming, and you may know you have plenty of room and will not hit me, but it is still an unpleasant shock to me because I did not hear you.)"

No Ian, the 2 second self timer is not long enough for you to get from there to here.

At this point it's only 9 am, we're less than halfway down the hill, at a nice stopping point near one of the reservoirs and the guys have a half hour before they need to be toward the shop, preparing to open at 10am. Clinton says "Want to go again?" I say "I think I'll just hang out here. I'm feeling pretty good for my first time out." And they head back up the hill.

Then I think "Oh! I could get action shots!" So I ride up the opposite direction to try to catch them on their descent. 

I find a sunny spot to shoot. It takes less time for them to circle around than I thought so I am scrambling to get the camera out of my pocket when Clinton rounds the corner. Can you see him?

Ooh! Too fast for my little fingers!

Now it's Ian, I just saw him up the hill. . .

I need to work on my camera skills. Next time it'll be the auto three click.

Then it's down some more hill, and through a bit of the city to get back to our neighborhood. I think we're planning on doing it again because, as we parted ways Clinton was naming off days. . . I'm not sure which ones he meant though because he named off most of them.

Why Rachel loves her bike trailer.

Rachel and Clinton, two of the six worker/owners at ABC.

Rachel here, I'm mostly behind the scenes at A Better Cycle, working in my super secret office perch. So if you've never seen me at the shop, it's because I'm hiding.






For the car-less crowd, being the friend with a trailer is like being the friend with the pick-up truck. For the last year or so that's been Clintron. I've been borrowing his Burley trailer to transport all my craft display and product to Bike Craft events around town. I make all the Bike Cozy accessories, and love the craft fairs when I get to come out from hiding and meet all the local cyclists who love Bike Craft. ASIDE: If you're a local bike crafter too, read Tuesday's post because ABC wants to work with you!

Home from MCBF 2010. The burley flat bed with my entire Bike Cozy booth; tent, table and all!

After MCBF this year, Clinton called Ian up and said he wanted to give me the trailer! Just like that! I said "yes please!" and now it's mine, forever. And that establishes that I love it, but why?

It's just so easy to carry a bunch of stuff. I mean look at that photo, that's an entire booth set up.

All this and a 10x10 tent can be packed onto my bike trailer.

Beyond fitting my whole Bike Cozy craft set up, it's also been an amazing improvement for grocery shopping. We've been making due with panniers on my rear rack, loading my basket and Ian carrying a backpack. On these beautiful summer days it's nice to not have to wear that backpack. After getting used to the little bit of lag when you go over a bump or get started, and the slightly increased stopping distance, you barely know the trailer is there.

The hitch is easy to install, just take off the bolt of your axle (or take out your quick release skewer), slip the hitch onto your through-axle and replace the bolt. You don't even have to move your wheel.

Then attach the trailer with its pin and safety cord.

Today was Ian's turn to pull the trailer.

We use a giant rubbermaid for grocery shopping because it's easy to load and secure with the trailer's straps. 

Also, we've learned our lesson about skipping lunch before having to navigate the grocery store. We stopped at the little Po'Boy shop on Hawthorne and 44th. I balked at the $3 lemonade until I saw that it was giant!

Ian with the giant lemonade.

Rachel thankful for the umbrella.

Snapper Po'Boy with delicious cayenne molasses hot sauce.

The bikes parked while we eat lunch within view.

Ian and I shop mostly at the Fred Meyer on Hawthorne, where the bike parking is often full, or difficult to navigate to an open spot. (Hint: there is additional bike parking around the corner. It's a logical choice for cargo bikes, when we rolled up there was an extracycle with a soft cooler parked)

We locked up the trailer and the cooler with the bikes; an extra long cable lock with a sturdy u-lock does the trick for a grocery trip.

The big cart was the perfect size to set our rubbermaid in while we shopped. In checkout just unload it onto the conveyor and pack it all back into the plastic bin after it's been rung up.  I carried the fruit, extra veg and delicate loaf of bread in my basket.

A week's worth of groceries for two (and we love our salty snacks) fits into the bin, add a cooler for dairy and frozen food, and mesquite for grilling, it's a week worth of delicious.

 

Up the hill, how'd he get so far ahead of me?

Home again, Home again, now to get it all upstairs.

If this looks like your style, we can order them at the shop. They take about a week to come in. The flat bed trailer like mine is $299. The covered version is a cool $349.

Calling (most) BikeCrafters

locally made bicycling accessories. we want more!

A Better Cycle wants to support more locally made Bike Craft goodness. We are particularly interested in well designed utility goods and we are on the hunt!

We love local bike Crafters (Rachel especially wants the local Bike Crafters to succeed, since she is one. She would love to expand the shop to include all sorts of local bike craft awesome, but space is currently a constraint.) We also love to support our local economy, artisans and makers and when we can connect a customer with a cherished personal object whether it's a new bike or a new bag, we get all aflutter.

Do you know Bike Crafters that would fit in well with the mix below? Or are you a BikeCrafter yourself that makes excellent craftsmanship utility goods that you would like to consign or wholesale to us? (Our shop is too small to successfully showcase most jewelry, posters, t-shirts or other clothing at this time) Then the Bike Crafter should contact Rachel via ABetterCycle@gmail.com subject line: Rachel! Bike Craft Goodness Here.

Um, just as an aside, Rachel's been trying to get more Bike Craft into the shop and some of the local makers, while exuberant in personality, have been a little lackluster in follow through. Things that will be useful in the email are: a link to a website, or images demonstrating quality of product and selection, a pricelist with item, description and MSRP and potential wholesale/consignment rates.

Rachel is also meeting with BikeCrafters (who may or may not have that info collected all in one spot ) during the week of August 5th-12th. Email for an appointment (totally informal meeting at a coffee shop or park or something, bring sample items and any other pertinent info) and let's get your Bike Craft Goodness into our shop and in front of so many more admirers. Let's have Bike Craft all year long!


Currently we stock locally made bike craft goodness from:

Bike Cozy (one of our worker/owners Rachel Dominguez-Benner)
--Bicycling accessories for the everyday hero, including yet not limited to: tool kit rolls, toe cozies, cycling caps, shoelace wranglers and stationery.

Black Star Bags
-- Waterproof messenger bags, hip pouches and top tube protectors

NorthSt Bags
--convertible pannier backpacks

Ciclismo Designs (once George brings back his display)
--jewelry for cyclists

A note for potential BikeCraft partners:

Larger items like messenger bags and panniers we consign which means when an awesome Portlander (or visitor) buys one, we take a split and send most of the money straight on to you! Then you bring us replacement and we repeat.

Smaller items like top tube pads, hip pouches and toe cozies may start as consignment and once a market has been determined, we'll buy them wholesale several at a time, money straight into your bike crafting pocket.