While I was cleaning out some ancient drawers in my mother's house, I came across this photo of her riding a bicycle--which is astounding on several levels!

Among other things, my mother was very vain about her skin and so did not like to stay outside at all if she could avoid it. Also, she grew up on a ranch in Argentina, and rode horses plenty, but once she came to the US with my father she absolutely eschewed any activity remotely athletic. The truth is, I did not recall she even knew how to ride a bike, nor that she ever had.

But there she is, riding what appears to be the old Steyr three-speed, bought from Sears, which carried me back and forth to junior high school in my mid-teens.



So this image must be some forty-three years old. And it is totally posed; in fact it expresses absolutely nothing about my mother or her life.

The bike was awful. The hub gears had a tendency to slip into a false neutral when I was climbing a hill, causing me to slam my nuts on the top tube, and I switched to derailleur bikes as soon as I could beg one from my dad. (He was an engineer, and could design skyscrapers in his sleep, but adjusting a three-speed hub was not something even to be considered.)

My old man probably took the picture. I wonder what he did to persuade my mother to ride for the camera....

Chances are he suffered for it later, too.

Richard Risemberg on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:06:58 -0800 [link]  

We have just posted a review of David V. Herlihy's newest book, The Lost Cyclist, an exposé of the mysteries--and political scandal--surrounding the disappearance of round-the-world cyclist Frank Lenz in 1894. A thorough and well-written account by the author of Bicycle: a History; it will be released soon.

Herlihy's story covers the state of bicycle culture at the time, the feats of other contemporary long-distance riders, Lenz's own early history as well as his trip, and the search for his remains, and for justice, by fellow cyclist William Sachtleben.

Mr. Herlihy was kind enough to provide an advance copy of the book to Bicycle Fixation, and we have just posted our review here.

It's not only a ripping good story but an engrossing document of the early days of practical cycling.

Richard Risemberg on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:15:00 -0800 [link]  

The birthday ride I scheduled for last Sunday went beautifully, though not many folks came--not a surprise, considering that I gave only a couple of days' notice. But my dear Gina came along, and my friends Patrick and Charles, and John and Brian would have come but were out of town, and my son would have come but couldn't get out of bed in time.

Nevertheless, miles were pedaled, coffee drunk, croissants eaten, beaches and bright skies admired, and on the home stretch we ended up at Samosa House East at Washington and Overland, an otherwise charmless corner of LA where Vibha's crew whips up the south Indian grub that yer vegetarian editor (and his meat-eating accomplices) dote on all too fondly.

There we are, photographed by Gina courtesy of the little camera's timer (from left to right, that's Patrick, Gina, me, and Charles):



Thirty-five miles, countless calories, and a beautiful day on the roads of Los Angeles. And a slow last leg home with very full bellies....

Richard Risemberg on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:10:52 -0800 [link]  

Well, they're finally here: Bicycle Fixation's latest run of Classic Wool Knickers, now in True Black with a Fresh Bronze gusset.

We were delayed by scheduling issues at our contract factory (only two or three of their subs have the necessary skills for our styles), and then by the pneumonia that struck Martin once he got to our job, but they are finished at last!

We picked them up Monday and shipped all our backorders yesterday, so now we have a nice pile of elegant, understated cycling knickers in a brand-new color combination, ready to ship when you are ready to buy.

Our thanks to all those who pre-ordered, keeping our cashflow healthy during these hard times even though it meant having to wait up to a month for their goods; and we look forward to sending out more knickers to make you happy with the best damn city riding gear you'll ever wear!

Take a look at our new True Black Classic Wool Knickers; we think you'll like them.

Richard Risemberg on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 07:05:50 -0800 [link]  

You park your bike, of course...if you can.

Streetsfilms produced a superb short Flash film exploring two new types of bicycle parking in use in Portland, Oregon today: bike corrals, and what they call a "bike oasis."

The corral shown in the clip below replaces parking for two cars with secure on-street parking for twenty-two bikes--and this has resulted in increased businesses for the merchants on that street!

The bike oasis is more complicated to build--it's put on a sidewalk bulb-out--but adds a roof and is easier to keep clean, as well as aesthetically preferable.

However, the corrals, with their luxury of space and better locations, have so far attracted more users, and have been better for local businesses.



Once again, Portland is ahead of the curve in the US, supporting its communities and businesses while other cities batter themselves over the head with ever more asphalt for more and more cars, cars, cars....

Richard Risemberg on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:05:43 -0800 [link]  

Time for some fun 'n' fellowship: Saturday is yer editor's birthday, so I'm celebrating Sunday with a little ride among friends. If you're in LA, come along! Here are details:

• Meet at 9:30 at Massimo's Mudspot on La Brea and 8th in the Miracle Mile for coffee and yakking.
• Roll around 10:00 for a saunter through Beverly Hills to Century City and eventually Brentwood, where we'll ascend the westside roadies' stairway to heaven, San Vicente Boulevard! (No actual climbing involved, except for half a block of Federal Way.)
• Stop at Caffe Luxxe for more coffee and yakking and my Birthday Croissant (unless they're out of it....)
• Onward through the leafy environs of San Vicente to the Palisades, where we'll decide whether to ride roads or path southward, with the goal of ending up in Marina del Rey, with a possible detour to The Bridge.
• Eastwards along the Ballona Creek bike path to the longitude of Samosa House East for more refreshment.
• Back to the Mile via various neighborhood backroads for the most part.

Maybe 35 miles, mostly quite flat, mostly (but not entirely) quiet roads.

RSVP (via our Comments page) would be nice but not required; just show up and ride (and eat) along!

And we will be CVC compliant.

Moderate pace, might be a small or big group, but good friendly folks in any case.

Note: Massimo's is two or three miles west of the Wilshire/Western Red Line station, and right on the 212, 20, and 720 bus lines. There is some street parking around for those who drive. Map on Massimo's website website linked above.

Richard Risemberg on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:50:21 -0800 [link]  

Some people (not many) have questioned why we choose to have our Bicycle Fixation clothing line sewn in Los Angeles, rather than following the herd and running to cheap Chinese labor. These are people who, of course, would prefer to pay less for our product. (So would we!) But there are numerous reasons we choose domestic production, not just cost (though our own income would rise a good 20% if we went Chinese):

• Quality of Labor
  Even our ragtrade colleagues who most fervently support outsourced production constantly remark on how well-sewn our garments are. Happier workers are generally better workers, and struggling long hours for little pay does not make one happy.
• Quality of Materials
  While some Chinese fabrics are indeed very good (we have used Chinese hemp blends), the gabardine samples I have been given by those same colleagues were nowhere near the quality we wish to present to our customers.
• Environmental Costs
  While China has been improving its environmental policies in the last year and a half, it still has a very long way to go--and nothing China does within its borders will lessen the impact of shipping finished products across the ocean. We do use imported textiles when we can't find local product, but bulk shipping is far more efficient than the shipping of the same cloth made into finished and packaged goods.
• Support of the Local Economy
  To keep money and materials circulating locally improves the social and environmental health of the city and region that supports us, as well as its money economy.

As for the argument that employing Chinese labor "helps the workers"--always presented by people who would never condescend to work for Chinese wages, of course: I submit that this is a delusion at best, and specious at worst.

From an LA Times article by David Pierson and Barbara Demick:

China's rapid rise might be the envy of nations across the globe. Yet for all the talk of its economic miracle, Chinese consumers are taking home a shrinking share of the pie. In the 1990s, household income accounted for 72% of the country's gross domestic product. By 2007 it had fallen to 55%, according to a study on Chinese consumption by consulting firm McKinsey & Co.

That's because Beijing has geared China's economy toward production rather than consumption. It's a formula that has provided millions of workers with employment but no quick path to the middle class.

Driving the disparity, experts said, is China's decision to subsidize manufacturing and exports at almost any cost to keep its factories humming. The government has showered its manufacturers with low-interest loans, export subsidies and other incentives to give them an edge over foreign competitors. Beijing has also kept its currency, the yuan, artificially low so that its goods remain cheap abroad.

That has been a boon for Chinese factory owners and other well-connected elites. The nation boasted 42 billionaires on Forbes' most recent list of global tycoons.

But wages for most Chinese workers have grown slowly, while their tax burden has risen to help finance all those business subsidies. Meanwhile, a weak currency has fueled inflation and makes imports more expensive for consumers at home.

The McKinsey study said the average Chinese worker has to put in seven hours on the job to earn enough to purchase the same amount of goods or services that an American worker could buy with one hour's pay.

Nothing against China; we even have collateral relatives there. But outsourcing our production to the PRC--or any other similar country whose main export is not really goods but depressed labor costs--would do neither their workers nor ours any favors, but only support yet another level of predatory bosses. We choose not to do that, though it costs us a bit of cash.

And the money Bicycle Fixation pays out to local labor is, much of it, spent in local businesses--including those that support the very people buying our goods.

As the poet William Wordsworth wrote:

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!

Those who see cheapness as the only virtue, in spite of the damage it may cause their fellow humans and the earth itself, have certainly given away their hearts.

Richard Risemberg on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:45:50 -0800 [link]