Orange 20 Bikes» 2011 June

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RTBL SUMMER RACE SERIES at ENCINO VELODROME

Reposting this because we had to push all the dates back by one week:

I’m proud to announce that this July and August we’re throwing a series of race nights at Encino Velodrome!

Starting on July 13th and continuing every other Wednesday until September 7th, the Summer Race Series will feature Omniums, Time Trials, Keirins, Match Sprints and lots of other fun races. We’ve teamed up with several of our favorite bike shops in the Los Angeles area to present a unique event each night and you can bet there will be tons of great prizes to go to the fastest racers in the bunch.

Details on each event are coming very soon so get your legs ready. Flyers, results and recaps will also be posted HERE so stay tuned and SPREAD THE WORD.

So what makes a “practical” bicycle? that is, one you can use day in, day out, all year, to go where you need to go, instead being condemned to encasing yourself in an automobile.

With the rapid growth of utility cycling worldwide, and the slower increase in both bike infrastructure–and actual bicycling!–in the United States, the question of “What bike should I get for commuting and shopping” comes up more and more frequently these days. And there is no shortage of people ready and willing to tell you what your perfect “One True Bike” must be.

And they’re all wrong. There is no “One True Bike” for any rider, any town.

But there are indeed some characteristics that all practical bikes do share.

So, being the kind of guy I am, I’m going to list them.

In my personal opinion, any bike is a practical bike under most circumstances if it includes the following:

Rick on one of his fixies in the rain….

Carrying Capacity
By which I mean carrying capacity of any kind. Could be front or rear rack and panniers. Could be a basket. Could be a large British-style saddlebag. Could be a knapsack or messenger bag, though those can get you sweaty in warm climates. But you gotta be able to carry stuff home.
Lights
Yes, it gets dark at night–did you know that? And if you’re not in the middle of town, it gets really, really dark. You need lights, not just so the motorheads will see you, but so you can see the road. Potholes, cracks, animals dashing across the lane, debris, sudden turns at the edge of a cliff. If you ride only on lighted city streets, you don’t need great lights, but you still need lights. The shadow of a tree branch or a parked car can hide a six-month hospital stay. Get lights. Use them. Especially in the rain.
Fenders
Speaking of rain…it’s easy to bicycle through rain, even heavy rain. And if you’re just out for exercise, it doesn’t matter much if you get wet. But if you’re going to work, or to a bar or restaurant, or on a visit, it’s nice to show up looking human. Fenders keep the filthy road water off you (and your bike). And they let you use rain capes, instead of rain suits. Capes are open on the bottom, so you don’t heat up and sweat worse than on a mid-August hillclimb when you’re rain riding. You get where you’re going and just wipe your hands and face and go in. And the city’s never sweeter than when it rains. (Besides, there’s often liquid on the street that isn’t water…do you really want that on you?)
Good Tires
Potholes, broken glass, old bricks, car parts, whatever–they’re all out there. Good tires keep you rolling instead of cursing. They come in all sizes. Even Schwalbe Marathons (Northern Europe’s favorite tire) comes in sizes as small as 25mm. Big tires are more comfortable, but unless you ride dirt roads a lot, 25s are fine. My main bike, which sees 500 miles of LA traffic a month, is wearing a pair right now. (Note: if you live in snow country, the smallest studded tires are 32mm–though if you’re reading this you’re probably in LA.)

Oh, yeah, and get a mini pump and patch kit, because nothing is certain in life. They’ll fit right in your luggage, whatever it is, and take up almost no space.
A Good Lock
Self-explanatory.

And that’s it!

All these things will fit on almost any bike you can name, except for some single-purpose road racing bikes. Otherwise, almost anything you like can be made a great commuter or shopping bike for all-weather use.

And you can get pretty much all this stuff right here at Orange 20. Just come on in and ask.

1 Comment »

I love practical bikes. I wouldn’t get so much joy out of rides if they weren’t replacing car-trips and enabling my life and business.

Comment by danaross — June 26, 2011 @ 5:38 pm