Thoughts On My Bike

Julien Vervaecke

Julien Vervaecke (November 3, 1899 - May 1940) was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. He won Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Brussels, 2 stages in the Tour de France and finished 3rd in the 1927 Tour de France. 

Julien's younger brother, Felicien Vervaecke, was also a successful cyclist.

Redline / Brandon Dosch Early 2012 Edit

Gosta Pettersson

Gosta Pettersson (born November 23, 1940) is a Swedish former professional road racing cyclist and three time Olympic medalist. In his first year as a professional he won the Coppa Sabatini, Tour of Romandie and finished very well in 3rd place overall in the 1970 Tour de France. His second year as a professional cyclist, 1971, he won the 54th edition of the Giro d'Italia. 

The Faglum brothers (Erik, Gosta, Sture and Tomas Pettersson

The Fåglum brothers were Swedish cyclists Erik, Gosta, Sture and Tomas Pettersson. The brothers won the team time trial World Amateur Cycling Championships between 1967-1969 along with a silver medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics. In 1967, they were awarded the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal. This award is an annual award "for the most significant Swedish sports achievement of the year".  

Great America Bicycle Tour 1975

n 1975, JC Penney hired 12 college students to ride their bikes from NYC to San Francisco. They were promoting their new disc brake equipped bikes. As you will see, they thought people rode bikes in tennis gear. The music is classic.

How to properly lock your bike

Brunswick Velodrome

Velocity Rims, Velocity Hubs, Velocity Veloplugs

A cold winter day with snow and ice makes cyclists everywhere wish for the warm days of summer. This is the perfect time to work on your equipment so that when the weather is better nothing will stop you from riding your bicycle.I spent my time inside building a new set of wheels using Velocity Rims and Velocity Hubs. This set sports blue rims. Velocity offers many different rim designs and colors. Their rims are manufactured in Australia, but soon production will be moved to the USA. Using Velocity Rims we can make just about any style wheel with any color you can imagine. 

Velocity Hubs

This wheelset weighs 1620 grams using economy hubs and spokes. That's a reasonable wheel weight.

A pack of 72 count Velocity Veloplugs.

Veloplugs take the place of rim tape on clincher rims and save an estimated 15 grams per wheel on a 32 spoke, 700c wheel. The veloplugs have an estimated 400psi blowout strength and can be used over and over. They will not rot, slip around or retain water.

Spoke replacement is simplified as there is no need to remove a sticky strip. Just pop out the Veloplug over the offending spoke and pop it back in when repairs are complete.

Veloplugs installed in the blue Velocity Rims.

Ruffy Tuffy tires installed on the new blue wheels. These wheels will probably be put to use on my cyclo-cross bike when I want to ride it somewhere on the road and do some mild off road riding, like maybe around Salem Lake.

The front rim is a Velocity Aerohead. These are available with 18, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36

holes and in a wide variety of colors.

It's hard to see in this photo but the rear wheel is built with a Velocity Aerohead o/c (off center) rim. The Aerohead o/c has all the same characteristics as the standard Aerohead but is offset in design. This creates a more uniform spoke tension between the drive and non-drive sides of the wheel resulting in greater strength and reliability. Click here to learn more about Velocity Rims and all the Velocity Cycling Products.

Radio Interview with our friend Richard Schwinn

Richard Schwinn (in the red shirt) of Waterford Precision Cycles at the

North American Handmade Bicycle Show

Below is a link to a radio interview with our friend Richard Schwinn. Richard is co-owner of Waterford Precision Cycles and Gunnar Cycles along with Mark Muller. The interview is very informative. Give it a listen!

For the radio interview click HERE

 For more information on these two bicycle companies click on the Gunnar and Waterford links here on this blog.

Jean Stablinski

Jean Stablinski

Jean Stablewski, known as Jean Stablinski (1932 - 2007) was a French professional cyclist from a family of Polish immigrants.  It was while riding the Peace Race, at the age of 16, that a journalist's error in writing his name 'Stablinski' created the surname by which he was known from then on.  He rode from 1952 to 1968, winning 105 races as a professional. He won the French national road championship four times - 1960, 1962, 1963 and 1964 - the world road championship in 1962, the first Amstel Gold Race, in 1966 and Vuelta a España in 1958.


Jean Stablinski was the son of Polish immigrants in the mining area of the Nord region of France. His father died in a work accident in 1946 and Jean, at 14, started working in the mine to provide for his family. It was at this time that he won a bicycle in an accordion competition. Legend says that his mother was so displeased by her son's new hobby that she damaged his bike.

Stablinski was recognised as a rider who made up for his physical limitations by his tactical sense and his chance to profit from the moment. His knack was to recognise which breakaway attempt would count and not to waste effort on the others.


Jean Stablinski never stopped riding a bike until the illness that led to his death. He said he never put a water bottle on his bike when he rode for pleasure. He had spent too many years racing as a professional with no chance to stop and look around or to meet people. If he had no water on his bike but a few euros in his pocket, he could stop and buy a drink at any bar he fancied and get into a conversation with whomever he met.

Road World Championships 1962

Bat For Lashes - Whats a Girl To Do

Virginia Bruce, Butch Minds the Baby, Universal 1942

Virginia Bruce rides a bike.

 Virginia Bruce killed “two birds with one stone” when she learned to ride a bicycle between calls to the set of “Butch Minds the Baby” at Universal. While she was getting a healthful workout, at the same time she was conserving the rubber tires on her automobile, as all citizens have been asked to do in behalf of defense. 

“Pardon My Sarong” will be Miss Bruce’s next, in which she will appear with Abbott and Costello.

Ride to Yuli’s - Balikpapan, Borneo.

Saturday Ride to Yuli's from Ben Sheridan on Vimeo.

Nino Defilippis

 Nino Defilippis (1932, Turin – 2010, Turin) was an Italian road bicycle racer who won the Giro di Lombardia in 1958, as well as nine stages at the Giro d'Italia, seven stages at the Tour de France and two stages at the Vuelta a España. He also won the Mountains classification at the 1956 Vuelta a España and the Italian National Road Race Championship in 1956 and 1958.

Nino Defilippis

Beat of the Street from Elliot Van Orman Productions on Vimeo.

Bicycle Touring

Maurice Archambaud

Maurice Archambaud

Maurice Archambaud (1906 - 1955) was a French professional cyclist from 1932 to 1944. His short stature earned him the nickname of le nabot, or "the dwarf", but colossal thighs made him an exceptional rider.

He won Paris-Soissons and Paris-Verneuil as an amateur in 1931 and turned professional the following year for Alcyon. He won the inaugural Grand Prix des Nations in his first season.

He set the world hour record at 45,767 km at the Vigorelli velodrome in Milan on November 3, 1937. He beat the Dutchman, Frans Slaats' record of 45.485 km, set on  September 29, 1937. The distance stood five years before being beaten by Fausto Coppi.

Archambaud rode for France in the Tour de France between the wars. Sudden changes of form and his frequent falls meant that he never won but he did win nine stages and wear the yellow jersey.

He won a shorter stage race, Paris–Nice, in 1936 and 1939.

You just can't get enough from Dominic Latham-Koenig on Vimeo.

1911 Tour de France

Route of the 1911 Tour de France

The 1911 Tour de France was the 9th edition of the race and the first to include the alpine climb of the Col de Galibier. It was composed of 15 stages over 5,344 kilometres (3,321 miles) ridden at an average speed of 27.32 km/h (16.98 mph).  The longest stage was 470 km (292 miles) taking almost 18 hours for the fastest riders to complete. Out of the 84 riders who started the tour, only 28 completed the race. 

The start of the 1911 Tour de France

The 1911 Tour was scored using the point system again. With this system the rider with the fewest points at the end of the race won. Cyclists who had abandoned the race were removed from the rankings of the previous stages, and the classification was recalculated. Today's Tour de France is scored based on the cumulative time of each racer, with the rider that completes the route in the shortest time winning. 

The Tour's route crossed over into Germany each year from 1906 through 1910. After 1910, the German authorities did not allow this any more, so the tour stayed in France. 

Col de Galibier

Two members of the Alcyon Team, Gustave Garrigou and Francois Faber, were trading the lead of the race in the early stages.  Garrigou won the first Stage. Faber won the third stage, after a 206 km (128 miles) solo breakaway. During the third stage while leading, Emile Georget was hit by a car and fell down a ravine. Faber won the third stage by 17 minutes over the next racer despite being penalized 2 & 1/2 minutes for not stopping at a checkpoint. Faber was in the lead at the end of stage three.

A rider has his hand stamped at one of the checkpoints during the 1911 Tour de France.

Garrigou took the lead back from his team mate Faber, in the fourth stage. Emile Georget was best in the alps, but Garrigou retained the overall lead. A newcomer, Paul Duboc, was a surprise contender at this part of the 1911 Tour de France.

After the ninth stage Gustave Garrigou was leading with 27 points. In second place was Paul Duboc with 37 points.  In the ninth stage Maurice Brocco, who knew he would not win the race, sold his services to another rider. According to the rules riders could not receive help. Desgrange, the Tour de France organizer, wanted Brocco removed from the race. Brocco objected and pending the decision he was allowed to start the tenth stage from Luchon to Bayonne. In the tenth stage, Brocco attacked and finished first. After the stage, he was disqualified, and his stage victory removed. In the tenth stage, Duboc collapsed with debilitating abdominal pain that was attributed to a poisoned water bottle. 

Maurice Brocco

The suspicion fell on Garrigou since he had the most to lose if Duboc continued to ride so well in the mountains. It is now thought that perhaps the bottle given to Duboc at the sign-in contained the poison and that Francois Lafourcade, who had done so well in the mountains in the 1910 Tour, may have concocted it. Garrigou is now considered to be innocent. 

Paul Duboc

Supports and fans of Paul Duboc were threatening Gustave Garrigou with retaliation for Duboc's  poisoning. In later stages, as the Tour went through Duboc's home area of Rouen, someone put up signs along the road that read;

"Citizens of Rouen! If I had not been poisoned, I would be leading the Tour de France today. You know what to do when the Tour passes through Rouen tomorrow."

Desgrange knew his tour leader was in real danger. For the stage through Rouen, Desgrange had Garrigou ride a bike painted a different color. Garrigou was also given different clothes and new goggles with blue lenses. The disguise was good enough for Garrigou to ride safely and finish the Tour without harm.

Duboc regained his strength and went on to win stages eleven and fourteen. He couldn't close the gap on Gustave Garrigou, who continued to ride well and went on to win the 1911 Tour de France. At the end of the race in Paris, Duboc received a heroes welcome that overshadowed the arrival of Garrigou. Francois Faber had retired from the race during stage twelve.

Final 1911 Tour de France General Classification:

1. Gustave Garrigou (Alcyon): 43 points

2. Paul Duboc (La Française) 61

3. Émile Georget (La Française) 84

4. Charles Crupelandt (La Française) 119

5. Louis Heusghem (Alcyon) 135

 Gustave Garrigou
Click here for more information on Gustave Garrigou.

Paul Duboc
Click here for more information on Paul Duboc.

Emile Georget
For more info on Emile Georget click here.

 Charles Crupelandt
Click here for more information on Charles Crupelandt.

Louis Heusghem
Click here for more information on Louis Heusghem.

Bicycle autoride

A mild Monday afternoon in January

Click on the photos to enlarge them

Poor Ole' Joe with my Bike.

 It sure was nice to have a Monday afternoon with clear skies and temperatures in the 50s! Since I was off work I made sure to make time to go for a bike ride. This was my second ride with a fixed Powertap rear hub. A Powertap allows measuring of the power output of the rider. Powertap hubs use strain gauges to measure torque and velocity to calculate power.  Many riders these day use power meters when they ride, but it is unusual to have one on a fixed gear bike. A fixed-gear bicycle (or fixed-wheel bicycle, sometimes known as a fixie) is a bicycle that has no freewheel, meaning it cannot coast, as the pedals are always in motion when the bicycle is moving. The sprocket, or cog, is threaded or bolted directly to a fixed rear hub. When the rear wheel turns, the pedals turn in the same direction.  

Fixed Powertap Pro

Fixed Powertap Hub Installed on the bike

I headed out on my bike to the general area of "The Mill Loop". This is a classic loop to ride that is just outside of Winston-Salem, NC and located between the communities of Lewisville and Clemmons, NC.  I knew some of my friends would be riding around there. They regularly leave from Union Hill Baptist Church at 2:00. I was already running a few minutes late and lost a few more when my rear wheel slipped in the dropouts as I hurried away from a traffic light. It's best to   use chain tensioners that keep the rear hub pulled back in a track style drop out. I rode a portion of the ride in the opposite direction than I thought the group would be going. I wasn't exactly sure how they would be riding the loop since it has been awhile since I was able to get out to ride at this time of day. I hadn't gone far when I saw them headed my way. Jenny, Wanda, Alan, Louis and Ronnie. It was great to see everyone and especially on such a nice afternoon. We rode at a casual pace and chatted. After a few variations on "The Mill Loop" I peeled off and headed home before rush hour traffic became heavy on Peacehaven Road. The Powertap made riding a fixed gear much more beneficial as I could tell how much work I was really doing and what my speed and cadence was during the ride. I have a 50x18 gear on the bike and the highest cadence I saw was 178. I hope I have some more Monday afternoons with weather like this in February! Good friends, great weather and a bike ride. It just doesn't get any better than that!

Alan, Ronnie, Jenny and Louis

Wanda

Ronnie and Alan climbing

Louis Climbing out of the saddle

Jenny cruising by a plowed field

Nothing to do with cycling, just a cool song!

Chuck Connors rides a horse. Kamala Devi rides a bike. Geronimo!

I love Budapest. I bike Budapest. from Cyclechic hu on Vimeo.

W. C. Fields rides a bike

SON delux dynamo hub

SON delux

The SON Deluxe is the first hub dynamo, whose generator was specifically designed for modern LED lights. An LED is - in contrast to the halogen bulb - even at partial load is highly effective, ie if it is operated below its rated capacity. So it is no longer necessary to build the dynamo so that it reaches its full power at the lowest possible speed. The SON Deluxe is therefore smaller and lighter than a hub dynamo for halogen lighting. The idle power reduction compared to the classical SON 28 is by 30 - 35%.

The SON delux is made in Germany by Schmidt Maschinenbau ( Schmidt Engineering )

Wilfried Schmidt Maschinenbau

   

In 1992, Wilfried Schmidt before the prototype of a gearless hub dynamo, which became the starting point and benchmark for modern dynamo lighting. The series production started in 1995 in Ulm. The aim was to use reliable, low maintenance and durable products to make cycling more comfortable and safer. 

1998 we moved into separate rooms in a building in the French Quarter in Tübingen . In this ecological objectives with planned, mixed-use suburb of our SON hub dynamo and LED headlights are not only developed and marketed. Even a majority of parts production and assembly takes place here under socially and environmentally manageable conditions. For purchased parts is also true: preferred short distances.

In 2011 the workforce has grown to 28. Almost all employees are on a bike or walk to work.

BROOKS B68 IMPERIAL

BROOKS B68 IMPERIAL

 Click here to visit the Brooks web site.

The B68 Imperial features the central cut-out, first designed by BROOKS over 100 years ago. The “registered cutting”, as can be read in the 1890 catalogue, is “a sure preventive to all perineal pressure".

How Brooks Saddles began.

Over almost a century and a half, Brooks England has grown from a small workshop to a byword in quality craftsmanship. Back in 1865, John Boultbee Brooks left his hometown of Hinckley in Leicestershire with just £20 in his pocket.

He headed for Birmingham, where in 1866 he established a business in horse harnesses and general leather goods in Great Charles Street under the name JB Brooks & Co. In 1878, the unfortunate death of Mr Brooks’ horse led to a stroke of inspiration. Unable to afford another horse, he borrowed a bicycle in order to commute to work. He found the seat so uncomfortable that he vowed to do something about it.

On 28 October 1882, Mr Brooks filed his first saddle patent. Waddling cyclists everywhere rejoiced and the new product was a roaring success.