The Fort

We also visited the museum and watched a few movies. We had a great day here!

Beach Houses

When I was a girl, the one and only vacation I remember our family going on was to Galveston Island. One of the things we kids loved there were the houses on stilts. I still love them. It is one of the things that makes island living seem so quaint to me.

Beach houses tend to have three things in common as far as I can tell. They are on "stilts". They have great porches. They are built to have views of the ocean. I think they are beautiful.

I have had some kind of creedy crud, or my allergies are really in high gear and it's been that way for over a week now. I feel pretty miserable. It was kind of nice today though because it gave me an excuse to sit and catch up on editing pictures and blogging some!

The Brompton: an Extended Test Ride

About a year ago, I briefly test-rode a Brompton folding bicycle and wrote about it here. We've been toying with the idea of getting Bromptons since before I started this blog, but it just hasn't happened. For one thing, I am not all that attracted to folders. They are fascinating, but they don't excite me in a way that would make purchasing one feel like an absolute priority. On some level, I also just instinctively don't trust that a small folding bike is as versatile and convenient as some claim: Is it really a good idea to ride a tiny bike in city traffic, where you want maximum visibility?Can a bike like this possibly handle hills? And don't those small wheels make for a harsh ride? My short encounter with the bike last year was insufficient to answer these questions, so I decided to test ride it properly once and for all. Harris Cyclerykindly lent me their demo model for this purpose. I left my own bike at Harris and rode home on the Brompton, then brought it back two days later.



The model I rode was the P6L-X, which means that it is set up with "butterfly" trekking handlebars, 6 speeds, fenders but no rear rack. The "X" at the end indicates that the frame is the lightweight version - with titanium fork and rear triangle. Generally Bromptons are available either all-steel or with titanium parts, either with or without fenders and racks, with a variety of gearing options, with or without dynamo lighting, and with a choice of handlebar styles.

Here are the three styles of handlebars next to one another: the "S" type (mountain bike style straight bars), the "M" type (traditional upright bars), and the "P" type (trekking or "butterfly" bars).



I chose a model with the trekking bars, because I was worried that my hands would bother me in the limited hand positions afforded by the other styles. I have problems with the nerves in my hands that make it difficult to hold them in the straight-in-front position for more than a few minutes at a time, so I did not want to take chances on the 9 mile ride home that awaited me.



Now I know that lots of people find these trekking bars goofy, and I agree. But you know what? The Bromptonis already goofy, so to my eye the bars look right at home here. Imagine replacing that expanse of foam with some nice cork tape - I think this could look great.



The gearing on the 6-speed Brompton is interesting in that it includes both a hub and a derailleur. The shifter on the right handlebar operates the 3-speed Sturmey Archer hub, while the shifter on the left operates the 2-speed derailleur.



Here is a close-up of the hub and derailleur together.

And a panned out view. Notice also the titanium rear triangle in this picture.



Titanium fork.



The crown on these forks is made in the style of the Raleigh/ Pashley fork, which looks very cute in miniature. On the all-steel models, the fork crowns look like this.



There is lots of debate among Brompton owners regarding whether the lightweight option is worth the hefty upcharge it fetches. The titanium parts reduce the weight of the bicycle by 2lb, and some claim that they also improve ride quality. Others claim that there is no difference in ride quality, and that the weight difference is negligible. Even after having tried both versions, I am unsure where I stand on this one. The online consensus appears to be that the lightweight package is not worth the price, but in person more than half of theBromptonowners I meet are sporting the titanium parts - shrugging diplomatically when questioned about its "value." Make what you will of that!



As I wrote in my previous review, everything on the Brompton is impeccably made, proprietary and adorable. The tiny fenders with tiny mudflaps are particularly endearing.



The little wheels mounted at the rear are so that the bicycle can be rolled when folded.



The staff at Harris Cycleryshowed me how to fold and unfold the bike and attached a huge basket to the front, so that I could carry all of my stuff home. I first rode on the streets behind the store without the basket, just to get used to the bike. Because the Brompton is so low to the ground and has such small wheels, it initially gives the impression of being a very long bike and this took me some getting used to. It also felt "different" from normal bikes when starting from a stop: At first there was an odd sensation of momentary front end wobble when starting, so I practiced starting and stopping at intersections until it felt natural. Then I mounted the front basket and set off.

My ride homewas just over 9 miles and the first half of it was on fairly busy, hilly roads, in 5pm suburban traffic. The Bromptondoes not handle like other bikes I am used to, but I did not find this bad or difficult to manage, just different. I soon discovered that the bike was easy to maneuver through tight spaces, and was capable of making dramatic turns gracefully and safely. I used this to my advantage when cycling through town centers in stand-still traffic.I was also pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to cycle up hill; The Brompton had a light, roadish feel to it when climbing. Cycling downhill felt stable, and the brakes were easy to control and modulate.

There is a lot of talk about small wheeled bikes having a "harsh ride quality," so here is my take on it.When riding the Brompton, I was aware of aconstant, but extremely subtle feeling of road vibration regardless of whether the road was smooth or bumpy. This sounds worse than it actually is, so let me clarify: There was no pain or sense of being "knocked about" associated with what I am describing, just a very tiny, barely perceptible "shimmy" type sensation. Interestingly, when the bicycle actually went over bumps - even sizable ones - it handled them better than the average full-sized bike. So: I am okay with the subtle shimmy if it comes with the superior ability to swallow bumps, but others might not agree. Best thing to do is to test ride the bike and see how you feel about the ride quality - but "harsh" would not be a word I'd use to describe it at all. I can imagine riding the Brompton long distances on bad roads.

The trekking handlebars were not as helpful as I had hoped in allowing for a variety of hand positions. I mostly kept my hands on the tops and occasionally on the corners. It is not possible to reach the brakes from the other positions, but moreover the other positions are not especially comfortable. I've been told by several Bromptonretailers now that many customers prefer the traditional M-bar, but with bar-end attachments that will allow for a more ergonomic hand placement.

Both the Co-Habitant and I rode the Brompton repeatedly over the course of the two days I had it on loan. My positive impressions included the high quality of the build, the smoothness over bumps, the maneuverability, the ease of mounting and dismounting (low step-over), the compact size, and the amazing load capacity. This bike is designed for enormous front bags, plus whatever the rear rack can fit - I had no idea it could carry this much stuff. And as far as aesthetics, I find the Brompton charmingly eccentric, and would be fine riding it. My favourite colour option is the raw lacquer, though I also love the new sage green. My not so positive impressions included the weight (a 20lb folding bike?), and the fact that should you not wish to drag the bike around with you everywhere, it is not so easy to lock up safely. While I know that most people are crazy about the famous Brompton fold, I am neutral about it. Maybe I'm just being difficult, but I don't get the miracle there: Okay, so it folds... Isn't that the whole point of a folding bike? But I am only partly serious and I do understand that it folds better than the other folders out there. It is a neat design that is especially conducive for travel - which is precisely why we are considering it.

In reality, our biggest problem with buying Bromptons is that in the course of choosing all the options we'd want (good lighting, 6-speed gearing, fenders, racks, extras) the bikes transform from what initially promises to be reasonably priced to something entirely unaffordable. Depending on the components and options selected, a Brompton can easily double or even nearly triple in cost, so that is something to keep in mind. Is it worth it? That depends on how much you want or need a folding bike. And among folding bikes, the Brompton is widely acknowledged to be "the best." Thank you to Harris Cyclery, in West Newton, MA, for this extended test ride.

Aspen Tree in Sandia Mountains

This is an aspen tree we saw on our recent trip to the Sandia Mountains. This was what is considered the 'backside' or west side of the Sandias. It is a narrow, usually single lane, dirt road that goes up the mountain from the town of Placitis, NM, which is north of Albuqueque.

Ultimate Direction's, Juric Running Pack?

The perfect place to use my Ultimate Direction pack.






















Last Fall Igot to talk with the guys at Ultimate Direction about their new race series of running packs. In the middle of January I received the Scott Juric version. But it wasn't until today that I finally got a chance to use it.




HYDRATION SYSTEMS

…DESIGNED BY ATHLETES FOR ATHLETES.

"The Signature Series was designed by three of the most successful, most well-known ultra runners in the world. Using power mesh for zero bounce and state-of-the art cuben fiber for its unsurpassed strength to weight ratio, our Signature Series vests integrate load carrying, performance, and comfort into one unified system. With water bottle pockets in the front of the vest for quick and easy access, the Signature Series represents the next generation of ultra running hydration packs for runners.


Learn about the inspiration behind the Signature Series from UD Brand Manager, Buzz Burrell. "



http://www.ultimatedirection.com/



Make no mistake. I'm no ultra marathoner runner. A marathon distance race with full support tears me up. Every fewyears in the last decade I've done something similar. May never do another...ever. Anything over20 milesI really haveZERO interest in. But I do...sometimes...like long days in the mtns with almost nothing on my back.



SCOTT JUREK designed his signature series of running packs for Ultimate DirectioninSmall, Medium and a Large sizes. So even the big boys like me..that aren't really designed to be runners can fit one. And I fit a large...damn near perfectly by comparison to other off the shelf gear.



It is the only Ultimate Direction pack I ordered because of the available sizing. Most of the guys using these packs are likely lucky to hit 150# soaking wet!



I really wanted to see if I could adapt one of the Ultimate Directionsuper light/minimalistic packs to alpine climbing or some sort. Summer ridge traverses that involve little or no technical gear seemed like a good place to start.I was and am now very excited toget out and use thisone.



We did a 10 mile ridge top trip today followed by another 16 miles on a mtn bike that ended in a gruelling (for me anyway) 1700' vertical, 6 mile climb on the bike. Notvery steep but my steel mtn bike isn't my carbon roadie either.Not a long day but a fun one anyway. I walked away pummeled but still walking....even if just barely.













Gotta say I really like this pack. Th first hour in on the ridge traverse I was hooked. Super stable and super comfortable pack/vest, even with a little downhill trail running to get started. Not much in it. But plenty of room for more. Water, cell phone, camera, Gu, ShotBloks, lunch with 1500 ml of water in bottles. Some slings,rap gear with mysuper light weight Alp 95 CAMP climbing harness.All in, still well under 10#. Closer to 6# than 10#. Depending if I add a water bladder or not with the bottles.



The pack/vest is made for running. But nothing wrong with taking this sort of super light weight gear and adapting it to your own needs. If it would only carry skis easily I would use it year around. But for the rest of summer and a couple of projects I have in mind this thing is almost perfect. For a few long ridge traverses and a couple of lwt alpine climbs I am going to give the Juric version a serious beat down. I'll update the blog with the results.



I'm pretty stoked to find a "pack" that will do what I want and not be in the way.

Anyone that knows me is going to be surprise to see me out of my custom CCWs for serious climbing or my REI Flash for quick hits likethis lastridge "run".



Just a heads up on the pack details as the video covers it all much better than I do in writing.CAMP also deserves some credit here for my own lwt kit. I am relying on CAMP gear more and more through all four seasons now. Worth looking around to see if they have anything you might use as well. Some pretty innovative gear there with huge potentialfor skiing and lwt climbing.



But no one else doing anything similar to the Ultimate Direction designs that I know of short of military tactical vests. And none designed for orlight enough for trail running.



More on the Camp gear I am using withteh Ultimate Direction'svest here:

http://www.camp-usa.com/



Besides the OEM water bottles which I replaced with the Camp versions with the straw for easier use the packs holds everything I need. A Camp wind shell and lwtaxe are standard kit this time of year.



wind shell

http://www.camp-usa.com/products/apparel/flash-anorak-1446.asp

axe

http://www.camp-usa.com/products/ice-axes/corsa.asp

watter bottle

http://www.camp-usa.com/products/packs/action-bottle-w-tube-1795.asp

harness

http://www.camp-usa.com/products/harnesses/alp-95.asp

crampon

http://www.camp-usa.com/products/crampons/xlc-490.asp



http://www.camp-usa.com/products/crampons/tour-nanotech-367.asp



Cell phone and camera a easily stashed as is just about anything else I can think of including aluminum crampons via the bungee cord in the back. Just trying to think out side the box a little here. If you have similar goals of going long and light, thispack and the others in the signature series are worth a look. I like gear that allows me to look at projects with a new set of eyes and expand my own imagination. It is one reason thatnew gearstill excites me.

Superior Ice Arch

I found this cool arch today just as the day was ending. The cloud cover was pretty thick so there wasn't much "good" light for sunset, but I still found the scene interesting enough to photograph. A few days ago we had a lot of wind which pushed some ice in close to the shoreline, and the resulting wave action as it buffeted the ice along the shore made some neat arches, caves and other formations.

Sunsets Last Week