Blogs

Hey you....check this out and keep your eyes peeled for post holiday winter riding clinics!

http://vermontdailynews.com/2009/12/winter-bike-riding-on-the-increase/

Thanks to Alden Pellett of the Vermont Daily News for coming by this morning to document and participate in the clinic.  Be sure to check out vermontdailynews.com - a new, independent online news source for all things Vermont!

stay warm out there!

Hot off the press!

Velo Orange designed this frame after the French city bikes that were used widely by the messenger subculture of the time: The newspaper delivery riders also known simply as porteurs. These bikes were light weight steal frames on 650b wheels and most famously recognized by the giant front rack that was capable of carrying an enormous amount of weight. Here is a sketch of what a typical porteur bike looked like:

And when I say they were the messenger subculture, I mean it. In urban centers they even had races that could be considered the first alleycats in which riders were required to carry 30+ pounds of newspapers and deliveries were crucial check points

We deviated a touch from the traditional Porteur style when we built this Velo Orange. For instance you might notice that it looks like a road bike with drop handlebars and a wide range of gears. We built it this way because of the diversity of riding that a bike like this can handle. The bike sits on top of 650b wheels with a 33mm wide tire, perfect for long days on Vermont dirt roads. We kept the Porteur rack, made by Velo Orange as well, because they are so darn nice! Use it around town to haul groceries or pack your things on it and go for a weekend tour. No matter what you throw at it, the ride will be stable, smooth, and predictable.

We like this set up because these bikes are not only great city bikes but also wonderful touring bikes.  Take this for example:  Eleanore Cambell of Waitsfield Vermont.  In the 50's she bought this Ruche mixtie while living in Paris and toured on it.

With the Velo Orange Porteur bike we hope to resurrect this distinctively French cycling culture.  A bicycle that is efficient and practical for commuting as well as comfortable and rugged enough to endure long rides over the biggest gaps  and narrowest country carriage roads.

specs:

Frame: 54cm Velo Oragne Porteur

Wheels: 650b Weinmann rims, Shimano Deore hubs

Rear derailleur: Shimano XT

Front Derailleur: Shimano LX

Cranks: Sugino triple

Stem: Nitto DX road

Handlebars: Nitto Noodle bar

Brakes: Origin8 cantilever

Headset: Velo Orange 1" threaded

Tires: Maxy Fasty 650bx33mm

Pedals: Velo Orange

Fenders: Tanaka

Rack: Velo Orange porteur

Saddle: Brooks b17

$1395

Looking to earn your beloved bike more style points?  Check this out.

3 leading 3 trailing custom wheel build:

This style of lacing a wheel is also known as "Pine cone" lacing because the sets of leading and trailing spokes form a pine cone shape as they cross.

Fancy handle bar wrapping

Come on in and let us trick out your ride!

cheers.

It was two years in the making. Ever since I saw this bike from Surly two years ago, I knew I needed to have one in the stable.
Everything about this bike is specific to the huge wheels. You can't fit a 4 inch tire in a traditional mountain bike frame, so Surly went to work. If you need to get your geek on click this.

Otherwise I will give you a quick run down:
Wheels, rear hubs front and rear.
Bottom bracket shell, 100mm wide.
Tires, 4 inches of rubber.

Most of the other parts were salvaged from my parts bin, the shops part's bins, and closeouts online. My first acquisition for the bike was the rims, where I found on closeout, Vicious Cycles Sheba Fats. 80mm wide and black, which works for me.

Other part choices were based upon what I had on hand. Rear disc hub, and brake. Since I needed another rear hub I looked and looked for a cheap one, but I finally settled upon a LX rear hub from the days that LX was black, which were they days before disc brakes. So this beast is rolling with a rear disc brake, and eventually a front cantilever.

The highlights from the build
Surly Mr. Whirly Cranks
XT 7 speed thumb shifters
Bontrager XXX lite seatpost
and finally
The vintage Shimano BMX clipless pedals!

Overall I am especially happy with the build, and will soon be rolling the trails and snow machine trails in Richmond, VT. Hopefully I will now end up like this guy.

"Don't sneer at old 3-speeds. They are serious bikes, built for serious use. They are meant for utilitarian cyclists, and they are still extremely appropriate for riders who don't usually go more than a few miles at a time. They are particularly at home in stop-and-go traffic, because they can be shifted even while stopped. Their English heritage: full fenders, oil lubrication, and totally enclosed gear system makes them relatively impervious to wet conditions. They may be heavy, but that is not because they were built to be cheap, but because they were built to endure extremely rough usage and neglect. Properly cared for, they will outlast us all."
-Sheldon Brown

This is something of a mantra here at the Old Spokes Home. We have made mission of restoring vintage 3 speeds. We have a huge variety of parts that enables us to repair even the most obscure part of your Sturmey Archer AW. This past Sunday, October 4th, was a brilliant display of vintage 3 speed love down in Boston. Thanks to the bicycle advocacy group Massbike, Boston was swarmed by around 100 riders dawning vintage cycles and clothing to match! It was the Boston Tweed Ride.

The ride was billed as " a cheeky ride winding through Beacon Hill, Back Bay and looping back along Memorial Drive in Cambridge. With a stop for Tea at 4:00."  Vintage bicycles were encouraged though not recommended and the only rule appeared to be no lycra.    There were ongoing fun contests such as:  "most graceful mount and dismount" and "best bike knitted out in tweed".

Wait a minute....leisure ride?, vintage bikes??, stops for tea???   This sounded like something we could get behind!  So we did.  Glenn and his friend Mary headed down to Boston with his awesome World War II Raleigh "black-out" police bike:

and Mary with her sweet Humber Sports "DHF" (double hollow fork):

And here is group shot from the Massbike:

Just look at all that tweed!

The Tweed ride, which appears to resemble our beloved Decade Ride, is a wonderful way to celebrate the leisurely bicycle tradition.  It reminds us that you do not have to race or wear spandex to enjoy what the bicycle has to offer.  You can sit upright, wear tweed knickers, and at the most you only need 3 speeds.  Rides like this one recall a valuable history, one that we cherish and try to keep alive everyday.

Boston 1888:

And in 2009: