N.O.S.

Oh, that sweet acronym that makes collectors tremble with anticipation! NOS stands for "new old stock." Parts that survived generations unused and untarnished. Parts that look and function now as they did on the day they were new.




It is not often one sees the status NOS preceded by a date in the 1930s. But the things I have seen appear in the hands of collector Chris Sharp over the past week... new old stock chased rubber grips, rod brake handlebars, carbide lamps, original roadster bells, sculptural quadrant shifters... Stunned out of my wits I could only wonder where on earth such things come from 80 years past their hey day.




Up until a few years ago there were bicycle shops in Ireland and the UK that still had spare parts left from way, way back in the day. Usually these shops were run by generations of the same family, never changing owners or locations, which is what made such stockpiling possible. Bikes that went unsold and parts that went unused had been piling up in the cellars and back rooms of these shops for decades, undisturbed. Then one by one, these places closed. And when they did, they would liquidate. Local collectors would then buy out a shop's entire inventories of parts from specific periods or manufacturers. Some bike shops owners were themselves classic bicycle enthusiasts, in which case unsold inventories from decades past turned into personal collections.




It was sad to learn about the last of the old bicycle shops closing in Northern Ireland. But also good to know that there are locals who are dedicated to preserving the things salvaged from them.




I used to think that the purpose of the NOS market was to feed a collector's high, and did not really appreciate NOS bikes and parts myself. After all, I ride all my bicycles, so anything NOS would be wasted on me - its status immediately obliterated through use. But now I understand that new old stock has value: It affords a rare opportunity to appreciate vintage bicycles not just from our current perspective - as old, well-used things covered in mud and rust - butin their original splendor,as the highly coveted machines they once were.

Helpston Circular

Led by Barry. With Eddie, Gordon and Maureen. A flat walk,not quite fenland, in fine, warm but windy weather. Around 7 and a half miles.













Helpston is the birthplace of John Clare, known as the Northamptonshire peasant poet. In his lifetime the village was in the Soke of Peterborough, part of the County of Northamptonshire. Now it is in Cambridgeshire. There is masses of info and photographs of the villageon this site.





Ready to go - outside the John Clare Cottage in Helpston, now a museum with a café.

Almost opposite the John Clare Museum, the path leads east out of the village, and alongside a field before turning right (south) along the hedge. We followed the field boundary, through a gap in the hedge and to the left before crossing a ploughed field ( dry, luckily) diagonally to the left, emerging at College Cottage. We walked almost due south again before turning quite sharply to the right (west). We followed the field boundary again, almost parallel to a line of pylons. When we met the Torpel Way we turned left and made for the edge of some woodland. We walked along by the wood until we reached a road (Stamford Road). Instead of walking along the road, we turned left towards more woodland, then slightly to the right towards the road again.











Unfortunately the sweetest juiciest blackberries come with the scratchiest sharpest thorns.



At the road we turned left and very soon took the path to the right. You don't go through the trees which are ahead, but turn right and follow the wide grassy track through the fields. It skirts another wooded area, then goes gently uphill to the Stamford Road again.

We had a snack break here, then walked along the road as far as the farm shop (not open on Mondays), before turning right.

The path goes past an area which has been landfill - lots of meters for measuring methane. There is also a Nature reserve at Swaddywell Pit. (Swordy Well in a John Clare poem).



The former quarry and landfill site has had the topsoil replaced, and is now rich in limestone wildflowers such as bee orchid and wild carrot. There are many butterflies, and moths, as well as skylarks and buzzards.

A blowy day




We walked along the left hand side of another wooded area and then came to part of Heath Road. There is a Roman villa underground



though we saw no evidence of it.





We reached a track turning right from the road, just before Rice Wood, and followed it, then turned left to walk with Rice Wood on our right.

The path comes out in Helpston, and we made our way past the Almshouses







to West Street with its memorial to John Clare and the Butter Cross. [Butter Crossat Helpston was where a weekly market took place. Customers had the added protection of knowing that traders were selling their wares by the Cross.This meant that everything was above board and the integrity of those traderswas guaranteed. Who would dare sell dodgy goods under the protection of the Almighty? Info from Peter Hill, via Barry - many thanks! ]





then had a look round St Botolph's church with its octagonal tower



before going into the café next to John Clare's cottage.

Colchuck Peak

Colchuck Peak, in the Stuart Range, was to be our first real climb of 2007. We camped near the trailhead the night before and then got a 4:00am start on the climb. The road to the trailhead was closed due to a mudslide that needed to be cleaned up. We pushed and rode bikes for 4 miles up the dry gravel road.




Mark crossing the bridge over Mountaineer Creek.



Doug, Mike and Dave enjoying the view.


Dragontail Peak is on the left, Colchuck Peak is on the right and the Colchuck Glacier is in-between. Our route would start directly below the summit as seen from this angle. Colchuck Lake was still frozen. We were able to save a lot of time by going straight across the lake.



Our route was the North Buttress Couloir (NBC). It is the snowy strip going up the left side of this photo. This is the NE side of the peak.





Heading up the lower part of the NBC. The snow was in great shape on this side of the peak. We could easily kick in steps and they were solid.





Dave, the moraine and the end of the lake.






We made it up to the notch and crossed over to the NW side of Colchuck. The snow on this side was loose dry powder.







Mark with Colchuck Lake in background.








Mark, Doug and Dave on top of Colchuck Peak with Mt. Stuart and Sherpa Peak behind us.









The Colchuck Glacier consisted of hard icy snow. We were numb by the time we finished glissading down to the lake!








Dave takes a lot of flower pictures. Here is just one. We hopped back on the bikes, made good time coasting down to the pickup, ate some real food and headed for home.

Mt. Rainier, Tahoma Glacier

We had been wanting to climb the Tahoma Glacier for quite a while and finally got our chance. We started out on a Friday at a locked gate on the Westside Road. Two of us walked while two rode mountain bikes for the first 3.5 miles of the closed section of the old Westside Road. It seems like climbs with long approaches have great scenery along the way. This was no exception. One of the first sights were these towering Columnar basalt cliffs that are hundreds of feet high.



Crossing a footbridge over the South Puyallup River.



Avalanche Lilies growing alongside the trail.



Our objective: the Tahoma Glacier, flowing from the summit down the west side of Rainier. This photo was actually taken after the climb. On our ascent, we had to find our way up the Puyallup Cleaver (left of center) in the fog and wind. We finally climbed out of the fog at the 8,000' level and found a place to bivy. After 2 hours of "sleep," when most people we know were just going to bed, we got up and continued up the cleaver to the 10,000' level. It took quite a while to find a way around the cliffs and down onto the glacier. That's when the real fun began...finding a way through the maze of huge crevasses.



A drop-off on one side and a deep crevasse on the other! Mt. St. Helens in the background.



There were huge crevasses everywhere! Each one is different and amazing. You just want to stand there and look at the layers of snow, icicles and giant features of snow and ice that hang and span from one side to the other. There is nothing like seeing one of these up close and in person.



Our rope team moving up a steep section.



Ron climbing a snow ramp to the upper lip of another big crevasse.



The team crossing a snow bridge to get by another one.



Slow and steady progress on a smooth part of the glacier.



Ron, David, Doug (and Mark) on the summit.



This debris filled crevasse was easy to cross.



We wanted a challenge and we got it! With a low camp and a lot of route finding challenges, we ended up summiting late and then spent a couple of hours on the descent that afternoon postholing up to our knees in soft snow. The 3 quarts of water that we each started out with was not enough. We ate a lot of snow on the way down. We finally made it back down to camp 24 hours after we started! Needless to say, we slept really good that night! Since we summited on Saturday, we were able to take our time getting up and heading out on Sunday. We were all smiles as we headed back down to the treeline, stopping to look back at least a dozen times. This climb starts way lower than most on Rainier and it has a lot of big ups and downs. When we got back to the trailhead, the GPS unit indicated that we had climbed 15,000 vertical feet over a distance of 32 miles. It's no wonder we were tired. It was a weekend well spent making memories with good friends! Out of all the climbs we have done, we all agree that this was one of the best!

Warnings of Failure

Among cyclists I know, many ride steel bikes and a good number have experienced frame failure of some sort. Really, I hear stories about it all the time. One woman described pedaling through town when suddenly her bicycle felt wobbly and loose. Turned out the seat tube had cracked, just above the bottom bracket. Another had a similar experience with his first bike: The downtube detached right at the bottom bracket joint and he had a bad fall. I have also heard multiple accounts of snapped chainstays.




Anecdotes like this make me think about frame failure in relation to frame material. We know that steel bends, whereas carbon fiber snaps. Steel fails gradually, whereas carbon fiber fails suddenly and catastrophically. And this is why we consider steel a safer material for frame construction. But what I am wondering is: How does this difference translate into real world experience?






What gets me about the stories of steel frame failure, is that the cyclists never see it coming. From their point of view, these too are sudden failures. In reality, I do not doubt that the failures were in fact gradual - but save for checking for evidence of stress with a loupe before every ride, how does the cyclist benefit from that gradualness?




Based on my limited experience test riding roadbikes, I am not attracted to carbon fiber frames. I prefer the ride quality of steel and titanium. But I am not sure I share the safety concerns about (quality) carbon fiber frames that some voice. Sure, in theory the frame can fail suddenly and catastrophically. But in practice, how would this differ from the gradual failure of steel that to the cyclist feels equally sudden?

Shipping Bicycles: a Delicate Matter?

Over the past couple of years, I have gotten the sense that shipping bicycles in the USA has become increasingly difficult - particularly bikes that are larger and heavier than a standard modern roadbike. Bike boxes aren't typically made large enough anymore, and the correct size can be next to impossible to hunt down.Shipping companies can give dramatically incorrect estimates for what the service will cost (this happened to me the last time I sold a bike and shipped it myself).And there are lots of accounts of bikes getting damaged in transit despite careful packaging.




For the recipient, receiving a damaged bicycle can be heartbreaking - especially if the damage is something major, like a dent in the frame. For the sender, damage in transit can mean having to pay for it, or at least meeting the recipient half way, if the shipment was not insured or the insurance does not come through.




Personally the only way I feel comfortable shipping a bicycle now is via a bike shop. Yes, we can pack bicycles ourselves and we can do an excellent job. But nonetheless we are not recognised as "professionals." Bike shops are. This apparently can play a role if there is damage in transit and an insurance claim is filed. "Was the bike professionally packed?"




Unfortunately not all bike shops are willing to ship bicycles anymore, especially not large or heavy bikes. This seems to be a recent development: A couple of shops in my neighbourhood used to offer this service, but stopped a year or two ago. Still, in my view finding a good bike shop that does provide the service is worth it. And getting the shipment insured is a must.




What has been your experience with shipping or receiving bicycles over the past year? Do you prefer to ship bikes yourself or to use the services of a bike shop? And in cases of damage in transit, how was the situation resolved? Tips and advice much appreciated.

Wistow - Kilby - Foston - Wistow

Wednesday 8 June , with Marta - between 7 and 8 miles. Weather showery, but mainly fine.

Walk taken from the October 1997 issue of Country Walking magazine.

Wistow Hall from the road

We were so keen to look through the bridge that we missed the footpath by the church and had to turn back to it. Then we failed to take the left turn we should have taken just across a footbridge, and continued to the Grand Union Canal at bridge 78 (I think).

Lock keepers Cottage

Tenth Century church at Foston

Foston has been a deserted village for about 400 years, but St Bartholomew's church, dating from the tenth century is still in use. People had arrived to prepare for the Flower Festival when we got there.

Keep on the strai(gh)t and narrow!

A pleasant walk - a good lunch at the Dog and Gun in Kilby, but a little too much arable field walking, at low level with no real views, in the middle part of the walk - between Kilby and Foston, and a tad too much road walking - narrow verges and more traffic than I expected. The beginning third and the final third were better.

tbc





For details and map click this link

Multicolor Rose

A fluorescent rose in my garden.

Moon Ring

There's a fantastic ring around the moon right now! Taken from my back yard at 10:30 p.m. on February 16, .

Tombstone Tuesday :: Maurice James Wise

Scott-Keister Cemetery, Etna-Troy Township, Whitley County, Indiana
Maurice J. / 1877 - 1943
Photo taken, by me, July 14, ..
Maurice James Wise was born on December 9, 1877 and died on July 25, 1943. He is the twin brother of my great grandmother Maude Wise Brubaker Yontz.

His is a small stone, about 12 x 16 inches. And although his surname is not included on the stone he is surrounded by family. His parents, sisters Maude and Hazlette, and two infant nephews.

The Grass is Always Greener...

As the summer season of bike shopping continues, some are still looking for the right bicycle while others have already snagged one. And if the emails I receive are any indication, those in the latter category are often plagued with "the grass is greener" regrets.



I bought a Dutch bike, but now I'm thinking it's kind of heavy. Should I have gotten a mixte?



I bought a mixte, but now I'm thinking it's kind of aggressive and twitchy. Should I have gotten a Dutch bike?



I bought a vintage bike, but the components are creaky and it seems unreliable. Wish I'd sucked it up and bought a new one.



I bought a new bike and sold my old rust bucket on C-List. Now I wish I hadn't, because the old one was so much more comfortable!



Look: I don't know what to tell you, except that all of these scenarios make sense. No bicycle is perfect. How do you think I ended up with three transportation bikes?... And even that has not made me immune to the "grass is always greener" effect. Having delivered the Pilen to the venue from whence it will be shipped to the give-away recipient, I am now nostalgic for its super-stable ride and off-road capacity. I remain haunted by the memories of riding Anna's ridiculously gorgeous Retrovelo last year. And seeing the Rivendell Betty Foy makes me wistful every time, just because it is so iconic.



I don't think there is a moral to this story, except that we humans are annoyingly indecisive, covetous creatures. And perhaps also that there is a greater choice for wonderful transportation bicycles out there than ever. Determine what your priorities are, conduct thorough test rides, and don't expect the impossible. No matter how wonderful your new bicycle is, you will always discover an aspect of it where the one you had been considering instead might have fared better.

Gunks Routes: Drunkard's Delight (5.8-) & Morning After (5.8-)

(Photo: my partner V just after the cruxy start of Drunkard's Delight.)



I recently changed my opinion regarding Drunkard's Delight (5.8-).



My first experience on the route, this past April,was kind of a debacle. I was still pretty fresh off my broken ankle and I was trying to take it easy. So I didn't have any 5.8s in my plans. But we did Bloody Mary (5.7) and I really enjoyed it. For the first time since I broke the ankleIwas feelingpretty good on the rock. And when we got back to our packs after topping out I saw both Drunkard's and Morning After (5.8-) were sitting open, and I couldn't resist.



I looked them both over, and while I knew Drunkard's was famously cruxy right at the start, it looked to me like the pro wasn't bad. Morning After, on the other hand, looked very difficult to protect. I read in the guidebook about a piton somewhere up there, but I couldn't seeany pinsfrom the ground, and the pitch looked like it had few if any other placements in the first 25 or 30 feet.



So I decided togive Drunkard's a try.Imoved up two steps andplaced two pieces right away, a red C3 in the vertical crack system to the left of the greasy, chalk-covered holds, and then a littlepurple TCU in thethin horizontal that runs just above those greasy holds. (One puny cam for each of my half ropes.) Then I edged gently to the right, put my hands on those greasy holds, put my feet on the dime edges beneath, and attemptedan awkward high-step up.



Predictably, I fell. Both little cams held.I was safely off the ground with two feet of clearance. But in the little fall I'd hit my bad ankleon the wall and it didn't feel good. I feared I'd sprained it.



I was pissed off-- Ithought I'd just about made the move. And I also felt the move was really much too hard for a 5.8-.



So I started to try again, but then realized I was being an idiot. Falling from ten feet off the deck on microcams was not in my post-surgery recovery plan. I was supposed to be taking it easy. "Why am I doing this?" I asked myself aloud.



Just then another pair came up, hoping to do the route. I gave them my blessing and we retreated. And then I watched their leader sketch through the move in pretty much the same way I had attempted it.



I limped away from Drunkard's Delight feeling defeated, and hating bouldery starts.



Later, I learned thatI was doing it wrong. Those greasy, chalked up holds right in front of your face when you start the route? Those are sucker holds. Don't use them for your hands. The route starts just to the left, and you can step up one more time before moving right and never touch the sucker holds with your hands. Use those holdsfor your feet. But notyour hands. It's much easier.



A week ago I was up in the Gunks with V and he mentioned that he'd been wanting to get on Drunkard's. I was thrilled to let him lead it and see how it went this time. I gave him my gear beta for the first two gear placements and advised him to skip the sucker holds. And he cruised through it, placing gear where I did and a ton more following the low crux as well (as you can see in the photo above). I believe after the red C3 (out of the frameto the left) anda purple C3 (first piece on the pink rope), he'splaced two nuts and he's working on a third.



When it was my turn to follow the pitch, I found it so much easier than I did in April.I employedthe additional step up before heading right. It's still a balancy couple moves, but not bad. The rest of the pitch features good face climbing, pretty thoughtful most of the way, easing a bit asthe routetrends slightly left to the ledge beneath the break in the large roof. I now recognize that this is a great pitch. I would gladly lead it tomorrow.



There's a pathetic, possibly dying tree with some slings at the end of the first pitch; I'd recommend building a gear anchor.



(Photo: just past the roof on pitch two of Drunkard's Delight.)

Pitch two features the biggest 5.6 roof in the Gunks. It's nearly a body length in size. But no worries, this is a super-juggy fun time. This roof is much easier than the roofs on MariaandShockley's Ceiling. There's a great placement for a threaded sling right in the middle of the business (see photo above), and then it's just an ocean of jugs until you're past the roof. There are many, many more holds than you need. After the roof, the pitch trends a little left and up to the GT Ledge on cruiser climbing.

Once you reach the GT Ledge, there's a good tree from which a two-rope rappel will get you down. If you have only one rope, you have several options: a short walk climber's left on the GT Ledge will get you to the bolts above Kama Sutra, from which you can get down in two single-rope rappels. Or if you walk to the right, there is a rap tree above Rusty Trifle from which you can get down in two single rope raps, using another slung tree halfway down.Finally, you can do the final pitch of Drunkard's Delight, which ascends the obvious 5.4 corner above the belay tree on the GT Ledge. (I haven't tried it.)



(Photo: pitch one of Morning After.)

After we had such a positive experience on Drunkard's, I thought I should give Morning After another look. Andthis timeit looked to me like a reasonable lead. I still couldn't see the piton, but I thought I could tell where it was supposed to be, and it seemed like there was gear nearby. The rest of the way seemed protectable.



Pitch one of Morning After features nice face climbing. The crux moves, which are right after the piton, are not as hard as the low moves on Drunkard's Delight. It's a few moves up from the ground before any pro appears, ina thinvertical slot formed by the little right-facing corner just before the piton. I placed a great little nut in this slot, and then after moving up again a good cam. Then, after stepping up so your feet are even with the piton, you should be able to place another piece in an awkward, flaring pod that opens downward. I worked a gray Alien into this slot, and while I thought it would hold, this was the one piece of gear about which I had my doubts. In order to work it into the slot, I had to place it at a rather strange angle. I should have tried a tricam.



After one more thin step up, you're through the crux. The pitch then angles left through easier territory to some right-facing flakes, then back right to the multi-forked tree that also marks the end of pitch one of Bloody Mary. You can belay at the tree, but you'llhave amuch more comfortable belay stance if you build a gear anchorusing the great cracks in the wall behind the tree.



Pitch two is rated 5.7. It looks like it's going to be a roof problem pitch but it's really another face-climbing pitch. From the belay the pitch climbs up into a corner to the right, then around the corner and up onto the face. From the belay stance you can see a piton at the lip of the overhang, telling you exactly where to go. The climbing here is a littlesteep and exposed but the holds are great. The crux of thepitch comes later, in a thin section right after aperfect horizontal slot with an angle piton. Put in a cam to back it up and you're set.



I regret that we didn't have time for pitch three, as it was getting dark. I hear it's a high quality 5.8 pitch. but based on the first two pitches alone I'd sayMorning After is a great climb. It doesn't have any world-class moments but it features consistent thoughtful moves.



From the GT Ledge you can descend with a single two-rope rappel from the Drunkard's Delight tree,or use any of the single-rope options listed above.

Fruitlands: a Ride of Passage

It was a remarkable day that I want to be sure to remember. Pamela must have sensed this before I did, because she offered to take a picture at the top. I didn't even know there would be an "at the top." I thought we were riding to yet another small town in the next county over. Nobody warned me it would be so beautiful.






It seems like sooner or later, every roadcyclist in Greater Boston does the ride to Harvard. Not Harvard the university half a mile from my house, but Harvard the town in central Massachusetts. Depending on the club or event, these rides are called things like "Hammer to Harvard" or "Hills of Harvard" or "the Harvard 100K." There are several routes and all involve some climbing at the end. I guess it's a rite of passage of sorts. The ride reports I'd read tended to stress the distance, pace or climbing. But Pamela's attitude was nonchalant. "I'm going to try out a new lunch spot in Harvard on Thursday, would you like to join me?" She was essentially just inviting me for a bite to eat. Well, why not. A girl's got to eat.






So here is the straight dope about the Harvard ride from a cyclist of my meager abilities: Forget milage, speed, climbing. Just forget that stuff for a second. What you need to know about this ride is that it is a gorgeous destination. You will be stunned. You will be grateful. Take one of the harder routes, take one of the easier routes, hammer, meander, ride however you like. But know that the destination is worth it. And for the love of the universe, don't stop at the Harvard General Store and turn around - you will only be cheating yourself out of a breathtaking view. Continue to Fruitlands, which is the true destination. Adjacent to the formerutopian agrarian commune (now a museum) is a scenic overlook with a view of every mountain in proximity. That's six mountains!






As we lunched at the surprisingly fancy Fruitlands Cafe (patio seating with a view, pretty silverware, reasonable prices) I was almost too stunned to make conversation. Pinch me, was I dreaming? Why did nobody tell me what a glorious place this was? The land, densely forested, spread out in front of us in shades of blues and greens. There was Mt. Wachusett, a flat-top stodgy thing. And there was the Monadnock range in New Hampshire, hazy and delicate. They all seemed so close, so inviting. The special thing about this destination, I realised, is that it inspires to ride further.It turned out to be an 80 mile day for me, a distance I'd never before done so casually.And though we rode home after lunch, one day I'd like to keep going - toward and across those other mountains.