Bike Hugger 

Back from Maui, and unpacking the Modal, I learned that way below zero degrees Tri-flow freezes into a gelatinous mass. I guess the Modal was put in the unheated cargo hull of the plane, cause it came back cold and stiff, with a gooey-bottled-blob of dry lube.

That interesting lesson was one of many this year for Bike Hugger. Traveling all over the world with a bike certainly changes one’s perspective and also reaffirms a common thread of cycling everywhere. In all my travels, I’d meet someone that wanted to talk bikes with me and that includes broken English at a Beijing bike pit stop.

Our 22nd Huggacast, and last one for 07, features a tour of Brompton’s Factory with Will Butler-Adams, Engineering Director. Brompton is the London-based designer and manufacturer of the Brompton folding bicycle and related accessories.

I posted earlier this month on riding a Brompton with their tech specialist, Rory Ferguson. The video features a discussion of all the parts that go into a Brompton, welding, wheel building, and assembly. The bike shown at the end, folded by my desk, is the one I brought home. It’s a new model with a rear frame clip and a snappy 2 speed drivetrain.

Sounds like Matthew Paris, a grumpy old times columnist, got up on the wrong side of his bed this year. In a satirical column entitled What’s smug and deserves to be decapitated? he goes on at some length about how in addition to all the normal atrocities associated with cyclists he’s now identified littering as enough to drive him to beheading unsuspecting riders as they zoom past. Some how I think Mr. Paris might be exaggerating a bit, but it’s interesting to see anti-cyclist sentiment in the media in London as well as in Seattle.

What’s really educational though are the comments (you may have to click the ‘read all … comments’ link yourself, sorry), almost uniformly pro-cyclist. It’s a refreshing change for me to see positive public reaction in the media.

There are a lot of things to like in this photo: New Orleans, single speed city bikes, urban cycling, many (3!) kids in tow, and the fact that Brad Pitt seems to have adopted my habit of sticking ones tongue out when hauling a heavy load. Most of all I’m encouraged that cycling culture can get a bit of a plug from the celebrities of the day.

Too bad about the helmets though. Maybe the Pitt-Jolies can use a bit of their celebri-clout to engender more stylish helmets in the future. Links back to where the story came from (thanks Reno-Rambler!). I blame the Ibob folks (background reading on the Bobs) for pointing me in the right direction.

The wet, windy, and stormy weather shortened most of our Maui rides and made the trip to Hana and back downright brutal at times, especially when climbing. The road conditions make for tense riding because it’s slick and unpredictable. Where you’d normally slice through the s-curves, with body english and power to the pedals, the red clay-slicked road means your riding with the bike upright and very carefully – clay buildup is also a problem. Riding Maui in the rain, beats 40 degrees in Seattle, but it’s still rain.

The PI’s got an interesting article on licensing cyclists. It’s a popular and perennial idea – it’s even come up in the Washington Legislature repeatedly in recent years. The concept generally seems to be that cyclists should pay to use roads.

Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to figure out that licensing cyclists to pay for roads isn’t a good idea. It generally isn’t taken too seriously in Olympia and elsewhere, the PI Sound Off section notwithstanding. The PI has actually hosted editorials on the facts of how cyclists fund roads in the past.

In our 21st episode of the Huggacast, we ride Maui – to the world’s best banana bread stand, Hana, and everywhere else.

Download now for iTunes, your iPod, and iPhone

Carrying wrapping paper to the condo to wrap some presents from Santa …

Enjoy the Holidays all – the bike hugging will continue in 08 – thanks for reading and being part of bike culture with us.

Here are a couple safety related gift ideas for the cyclist you want to see back home again after that next winter ride:

• Glo Gloves The traffic directing gloves police officers use. These make it impossible to miss hand signals. Better yet, they’re simple Lycra shells, so they fit over any glove you have. They can be a bit hard to find, but you can buy them at Blumenthal Uniforms and Equipment on line, or at their retail outlet here in Seattle (9 am to 1 pm on the 24th!). About $25
• Princeton Tec EOS headight It’s been said before many times, many ways but this is a great headlight. Benefits: Bright, Cheap ($40), light weight (4 oz. - with batteries), AAA batteries, 60 hrs run time for flashing, adjustable angle. Best feature – zip tie-able it to your helmet visor. This avoids the strap-a-rock-to-your-head problem with helmet mounts. Available at Second Ascent and other outdoors stores in Seattle and elsewhere.
• Knog Frog – This is about as simple a light as you can get, and a fantastic backup light for visibility. Nice and bright on fresh batteries. I see these at every bike store I visit, usually $10 for a single light.

Happy Holidays Huggers, and safe cycling to you!

This year Bike Hugger supported World Bicycle Relief with bikes purchased in lieu of holiday gifts for friends, family, and partners. The postcards announcing the bike gifts were sent out this week and said, “May the Holidays fill your spirit for many miles to come.”