The Lansing Photo Cyclist

Redwood National and State Parks

2011-10-19T21:00:00.003-04:00

We began at Shady Cove, Oregon, and decided to drive to see the Redwoods in CA, as Crater Lake got 6 inches of snow overnight and most roads and trails were closed. The drive to Redwoods was long but interesting, following the scenic Redwood Highway up and through the mountains. Skies were mostly cloudy and temps were in the lower 40 when we headed out at about 0900. The trees just kept getting bigger as we neared the ocean.

We reached the Ranger station at about 12:30 pm near the north border of Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park; as soon as we stepped from the car the subtle scent of evergreens told us we had made the right decision to make the drive. We drove through the backwoods on a small one-lane dirt road, Howland Hill Road, and hiked around Stout Grove, curiously named after a lumber baron whose wife preserved the area after worrying it would be logged after his death. Stout Grove was a short easy hike that had great trees, the largest in the area we saw was 36 steps around by my count. The redwoods were incredible, towering above you to the point that you couldn't see where they ended. The temperatures were perfect for hiking, in the low 50s in the shade.

The forest itself was impressive, and the scale of the giant trees was heightened by the clearings, and small groves of low-lying clover and sword ferns that blanketed each hillside between the Redwoods.

After this area, we ate lunch in Crescent City, and headed south on route 101 along the coast. The temperature was in the high 50s at this point, with lots of sun. Lots of vistas on the way, with frequent stops to admire the view of the Pacific from high overlooks, and checking out the rough surf, sandy beaches, and huge beachside boulders from False Klamath Cove. We drove up the winding steep Requa Rd to reach the Klamath River Overlook. Grey Whales had been sighted here, but we didn't see them this day. We hiked a short but steep half mile to the scenic overlook, which was worth the effort as we were the only ones on the trail. It looked like wild raspberries were lining this trail as well, though I would check with someone who knows before eating them.

At about 4 pm, we decided to check out the scenic drive south of the area off exit 765, Newton B Drury scenic parkway, into Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. This drive was marked with roadside giant redwoods everywhere, and many hikes we did not have the time to really investigate further. Each tree looked bigger than the next, the biggest roadside being 48 steps around by Holly's count. We came to a sign that read "Big Tree," which turned out to be a giant thick redwood about 1500 years old, 300 feet high, and 21 feet in diameter. It was lamely roped off. We read that the largest trees get to be 380 feet tall, and about 25 feet in diameter. The trees live about 2000 years.

On the way back to Shady Cove in Oregon, we stopped at a Pizza shop for dinner and caught the last few innings of the Tigers vs Yankees, which was the last game of the ALDS. We found another Tiger fan at the place, and another guy who just hated the Yankees. The Tigers trie hard to blow it with a 3-1 lead, walking in a run in the 7th to make it 3-2, but they were able to close it out and win with a final of 3-2. We finally got home about 9:00 pm.

Things we missed: A 4-hour round trip drive and hike is the Tall Trees trail, which is reachable by permit only, first-come first serve daily. Redwood Creek trail looks like a fine drive as well, and there is an old WW2 radar station in the park apparently disguised as a farmhouse and barn.

More Photos Here

Confession + DALMAC

2010-10-01T00:06:00.006-04:00

So I have not updated this blog in a while, for a few reasons really. Firstly, I haven't been taking many photos since I've been so busy. Second, I've been busy because I've graduated, moved away from Lansing to the Detroit area, and begun looking for a job.

Basically, this leads me to the realization that using such a location-specific URL was probably not a great idea. I'll be deciding on a new name sometime and probably move everything to the new URL. Or maybe just start with a clean slate.

Anyway, my last few days in Lansing were quite interesting from a cyclist's point of view. My wife and I went on our first multi-day bike tour, from Lansing to Seault Ste. Marie*, known to locals as the DALMAC. DALMAC is a sag-supported tour, where you pedal about 60-100 miles a day, set up camp at a high school at a small town, and the volunteers bring along your gear in a UHaul. If you break down terribly they'll help you out and maybe give you a lift to the next stop, but beyond that you're on your own pretty much, as we would find out.

Day 1 was nice, flat, and a good pace. We rode on pretty familiar roads much of the day, and aside from the odd dairy farm and beef farm not much was out there to look at. We set up our tents as it began to drizzle, ate some cafeteria food, and played some cards with the friends we were lucky enough to have with us. Holly's 650b tires showed some cuts, which taught me two lessons: 1, bring a spare if you're rolling on odd-sized tires, and 2, make sure your tires are in good condition BEFORE you're 70 miles from home!

Day 2 was similar, but brought with it some nasty rain showers about 12 miles from camp. We put the hammer down and arrived in camp only to realize the place where the crew had unloaded our gear was now a lake. Lesson: pack your gear in waterproof bags, or in ziplocks within the luggage. So we found a laundromat before closing time, dried out our sleeping bags and clothes, and had a beer or three.

Day 3 was rainy on and off, but the scenery was starting to get more interesting, with pretty rolling hills, pine forests, and friendly people selling pie at a church. A few heavier storms put a bit of a damper on things (har), but in all it wasn't so bad, and we had the opportunity to head over to Short's brewery at Bellaire, Michigan. We'd highly recommend the side trip if you can, as the brewery will be the best food and easily the best beer you'll have all trip. Also, the food at camp was truly awful here. The night fell, and brought with it 50 mph winds and heavy all-night rains. Lesson: Bring rain gear and cold weather gear. Even if you don't use it, it's good to have. You can always pack less warm weather gear and get by, but missing cold and rainy gear sucks when you need it.

Day 4 sucked. No way around it. Heavy winds, biggest hills of the ride, cold, and downpours for all but 10 miles of the day. We started out with about half of the riders who began the tour already having bailed. We would have bailed too at this point if it were an option, but we were up north with nobody to pick us up within hundreds of miles. 14 miles in, after struggling up and braking down difficult hills during the worst rain yet, we flagged down a SAG wagon to see if they'd give us a ride past the hills. No dice said the crew, so we soldiered on until catching up with our friends at a little breakfast spot. We waited through the worst weather while enjoying a hot coffee and warm cinnamon bun.

Heading back out again, it began to look a little nicer (raining on and off instead of constantly), and once we hit Boyne City the sun was downright beaming. At this point our silly crew was actually thinking of going for the century option for the day instead of the 65 mile route. We watched the whitecaps break on the bay as we rolled through town, enjoying the beautiful view. It would be our last fun moment of the day. As we broke north towards Pellston, with about half the day's mileage behind us, the Gods once again showed their anger, gusting winds and stinging rain. In the worst of the weather, we stopped at a McDonalds for respite and food. When the weather continued to worsen, we headed back out to be greeted by a wave of water as we pulled out of the driveway, courtesy of a passing SUV. The roads chosen for this section were the busiest with the worst shoulders of the trip, and combined with the limited visibility I really began to worry for our safety. Lesson: bring along a spare rear blinky light in case. The Superflash in particular seems susceptible to rain-related shorting out, and mine was useless after a couple days of this weather. Also lots of chain lube helps when it rains for 4 straight days.

Eventually we hit the last few miles. I was delirious by this point, egging on fellow riders by conversing, joking, singing aloud, anything I could do to not allow the rain to break me (or had I already broken?) A passerby said "I don't think the heavy stuff's gonna come down for quite a while," to which my Caddyshack-loving wife replied "I'd keep playing." And of course "Rat Farts!" upon reaching the top of the hill. A few miles later I had good reason to proclaim "rat farts" myself, as a shard of glass had worn its way through the casing of my tire, causing a horrible gash. Just like that, my day was over, about 1.5 miles from camp. My wife and I decided to bail out from the last day as the forecast was another rainy day, with winds that would probably prevent a bridge crossing. The last day, the only one we weren't riding, was gorgeous by the way, if anyone was wondering whether we were the jinx.

So would I do DALMAC again? Even if it was guaranteed nice weather, maybe not. I'd do another tour certainly, but honestly DALMAC wasn't really up our alley. Most of the riders are older men who seem to enjoy riding quite a bit faster than we do, and take the ride more seriously than we do in some ways. You certainly need to go with friends, as hanging out at the end of a long ride makes things go a lot better. I'm thinking the easy-riding, hard-partying souls on RAGBRAI might be more our speed.

Buildin' Bikes

2010-07-14T21:43:00.006-04:00

I'm building up quite a few bikes just as I'm ending my tenure as a bike shop employee. I'm through two right now and on to the third, and all of them have my stamp on them for sure - steel-framed bikes that ride fast and smooth, and look clean.

First up is an Austro-Daimler bike that my Dad had given to him mostly intact. This bike basically needed only tires, tubes, cables, and bar tape. I also added on a set of aero brake levers as the originals had long ago stopped functioning well, and also a new saddle to cushion Dad's old butt. I wanted to put some nice 700x28 tires on it to smooth out the ride even more, but the 700x25 was as wide as I had ready access to.

The Austro-Daimler Inter-10 is an interesting bike. Austro-Daimler is the US brand name for Puch before they decided A-D wasn't such an awesome name. Made in Austria from butted Reynolds 531, this bike is actually at the bottom of A-D's offerings, which just amazes me. At 23 pounds, it's pretty darn light for a large steel bike from the seventies. It came with a mix of Suntour Cyclone and Huret shifters and derailers, a Nervex crankset, Atom hubs and Rigida rims, all of which is very nice stuff! Thankfully the bottom bracket is in good shape as I'd hate to try to find out what threading it has. It's a fast bike, and well above my Dad's current skill and fitness level, so it's something he can grow into if he wants. It's too big for me, so I won't be keeping it.

My wife's bike is something I've shown before, an '80s Wisconsin-built Trek 560, built originally for road racing but adapted by me with 650b wheels and fast cushy tires for longer tours. She'll be riding it on this year's DALMAC from Lansing to Seault Ste. Marie. I finally got rid of the old Schwinn steel wheels I used for the conversion at first, replacing them with a 105 set from Velo Orange. If you haven't seen their high-polished aluminum rims in person, it's a sight to behold. Another mechanic in the shop today was convinced they were chromed steel from the shine. Actually many of their bike bits are just great in terms of aesthetics and value, and they make many things that nobody else has, from French bottom brackets and headsets to a new T-A copy crank that I'll have a hard time resisting.

I added on older 8-speed Dura-Ace shifters, a Campagnolo front Derailer and modern Shimano rear, none of which should work together and yet does, amazingly. Because she has long legs and a shorter torso than most riders, she needs a funky stem setup (tall rise and short reach) to get comfortable on these frames, which means that someday she'll probably need a custom frame to fit her correctly. Maybe a Sweetpea.

The final bike is an old Peugeot Mixte that needs a bit of work. No photos of that one yet! I have two other friends I want to build up bikes for, but no donor frames yet. Unfortunately this is more a labor of love than a money-making scheme, as bike parts are too expensive to really make any money doing this the right way; I figure I'm happier building bikes I like for people I love, than building crappy bikes by cutting corners to try to make a buck.

Lansing in the Summer

2010-06-20T20:55:00.003-04:00

Riding bikes to the newly renamed Cooley Law School Stadium (nee Oldsmobile Park) is one of our favorite evenings in the area, and judging from the crowded bike racks this last Thursday, we're not alone. We were running a little late, so we couldn't stop for a bite at one of the many delicious places to eat in the area. If you have the chance, check out Geno's Pizza, Michigan Brewing Company, or the Spotted Dog Cafe on Washington in the downtown area.

Luckily, the Rivertrail is in great shape right now, clear of flooding and well-maintained. We cruised along on our old Raleigh bikes, enjoying a leisurely sweatless ride in the humid heat.

It cooled off a bit as the sun went down and the Lugnuts battled to a loss extra innings. Still, it was another perfect Thirsty Thursday out in left field, and a great day to be in Lansing.

The case for wider tires

2010-06-08T11:35:00.002-04:00

More than any other component, a tire change can radically change the ride of a bicycle. A good road tire can make a bike feel lively, smooth out road vibrations, and speed up the rider, all at the same time. In contrast with the usual skinny high-pressure tires that come standard on road bikes, my experience tells me wide tires with fine tread and light casing have the best combination of speed, smoothness, and roadfeel.

Today, most manufacturers design modern road bikes so they do not accept a tire wider than 700x25c, with tight brake and seatstay clearance that also precludes fender mounting. This is fine for a race bike (though I'd argue room for 28mm tires would be beneficial there too), but a 23mm wide tire is really not ideal for commuting or multi-day rides. Those shopping for a road bike with this in mind would do well to check out brands like Surly, who make steel frames with clearance for wider tires, and cyclocross bikes, which are designed to fit up to 700x35c tires and typically have cantilever brakes. Many older steel bikes did have more clearance for wide tires and fenders, and if you feel like it, a tight frame can get more clearance when converted to the 650b wheel size, which you can read about here.

Even experienced cyclists will repeat the fallacy that skinny tires are faster than wide tires, but tests at Bicycle Quarterly have shown that on imperfect surfaces like, say, Lansing's roads, a well-made ~30mm tire is actually fastest. The reason for this is that the cyclist loses a fair amount of speed to the road vibration that occurs with these narrower tires. Above 30mm, tires typically cannot hold the high pressures that fast road riding requires and tires get heavier, and so speed again starts to fall off, but with an increase in plushness.

A high-quality tire at this width can ride like a dream, and some of the best come from Japan's Grand Bois. They specialize in the 650b wheel diameter, which falls about halfway between 26" and 700c wheels, which no major manufacturer that I can think of supports, but there has been a recent resurgence of interest in thanks in part to companies like Rivendell, Grand Bois, and many custom framebuilders. My wife has been riding on a 650b-converted Trek 560 shod with Grand Bois Cypres 30mm tires for a couple years now, and has nothing but positive things to say about them, and these tires are also available in a more conventional 700cx30 size. The 42mm wide Grand Bois Hetre tires have also proven to be a good combination of speed, comfort, and feel. My friends kid me that I'm riding my beach cruiser when I put the Hetres on my Rawland Sogn, but the tires feel and ride great, plain and simple.

High-end tires like those made by Grand Bois and Challenge are not cheap, running at times well above $100 for a pair, and while folks have shown they are willing to shell out big bucks for a wheelset, pedals, and the like, tires are often a component that people feel they can spend less on. Panaracer's Pasela and Schwalbe's Marathon tires are some of the more moderately priced entries on the market and are available in a wide variety of sizes. These tires come in kevlar-belted varieties for puncture-protection, but in my experience these Kevlar belts actually produce a stiffer ride, and do not provide enough puncture protection to make the trade-off worthwhile.

Depth of Field: Don't Overdo It!

2010-05-27T22:32:00.004-04:00

Taken with my Polaroid 110a at f/4.7

For good or bad, shallow depth of field is the attribute of a photograph that typically strikes a viewer as a quality of professional photography. It is also the subject I'm asked most about by lay photographers. I have seen many uses of shallow depth of field when it's inappropriate, and many budding photographers overuse the hell out of it once they figure out what it is, and how to produce it.

First, "depth of field" is a measure of how much of a photograph is in focus from near to far. Shallow depth of field is produced when the focus point is in focus, and that's about it, while deep depth is produced when essentially everything is in focus. It can be affected by many different things: lens aperture, lens focal length, isolation of subject from background, focal distance, and negative or sensor size.

Essentially, depth of field is at its shallowest when the subject is nearer to the camera, the aperture is set wider than say f/2.8, the lens is about 85e or longer, and the camera has a large negative size. Of these factors, one that seems to play a huge role is sensor or negative size; a large negative will always carry a shallower depth of field. This is why you can't get that background to go out of focus on your point and shoot digital camera, even with a wide open aperture. Really, if you want shallow depth of field, the simplest way to get it is to pick up a cheap 1970s mechanical film SLR with a 50mm f/1.8 lens, and go to town.

Sensor/negative size comparison chart

Aperture is important, sure, but a large negative size will prevail over a narrow aperture in many situations. My Polaroid SX-70 has an effective negative size of 3x3 inches, putting it squarely in medium format territory. Its maximum aperture is only f/8.8, but even as such it has a nice shallow depth of field in many situations:

As I mentioned earlier, shallow depth of field is easy to abuse once you know how to use it. If you want to isolate a subject from a background, it's wonderful; if you would like to take a photo of an object receding into the distance, not so much usually. It's also easy to overdo it at a certain point, where your subject is not necessarily entirely in focus, which can become distracting. You can also miss out on a lot of interesting background images if you become too obsessed with shallow depth of field. Finally, I tend to notice that modern lenses, with their ultra-sharp plane of focus, can produce rather ugly effects as focus falls off and the background becomes blurred.

Here are some of my favorites from others and myself:

(Mine - Tilted film plane adds makes the depth even shallower )

One of Lou O'Bedlam's many awesome portraits.

Some of my friend Andy's amazing work with the old Kodak Aero-Ektar lens.

Finally, though I don't show his work in this post, I also highly recommend checking out the photos of Jonathan Hillhouse. His depth of field usage is often incredible.

Ride of Silence

2010-05-23T18:07:00.002-04:00

This past Wednesday was the annual Ride of Silence in North America. If you're not familiar, the Ride of Silence is a slow group ride to remember those cyclists who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways. If you are interested in finding a ride near you for next year, check out this link.

I took along my Polaroid SX-70 and took some of the last 600 film I have access to.

Happy Polaroid Week!

2010-05-04T07:35:00.003-04:00

This Monday through Friday mark the spring Polaroid week on Flickr, where instant photographers post lots of incredible photos to a group pool to show how distinct and versatile that medium is. People always ask me, "What kind of camera is your favorite?" and my answer always has to be Polaroid, strange as that may seem. There are many reasons for this - my first real camera was a Polaroid SX-70, inherited from my grandfather. Also, I have many fond memories of Polaroids from my youth, when we would go fishing, or at a birthday party. When I got into film photography again, the Polaroid was there for me - easy to scan, instant results, and incredible colors.

But more than that, Polaroid made some very interesting film and cameras. The SX-70 is in my opinion the greatest camera ever made. It's an SLR that folds completely flat and is easy to carry, has a great lens that focuses down to 10 inches, and for the first time a camera developed prints before your very eyes, in daylight no less. It has the ability to amaze everyone from children to ol pro photographers. The film has that unique Polaroid look to it, with faded colors, development abnormalities, and an overall glow. There are photoshop actions that mimic it, but nothing ever gets it quite right.

So whenever Polaroid week comes around, it reminds me to shoot up the remaining film stock that I have, and to enjoy those cameras once more. The film I love is gone for good - Polaroid quite making Time-Zero, 600, 669 and all the rest a couple years ago. Thankfully I can stock up on the equivalent Fuji films for my old packfilm warhorse, and for the SX-70, the Impossible Project is doing some remarkable work bringing new filmstocks to the market. I personally can't wait to try their black and white 600 version of the new Silver Shade films. \

Here are some of my favorite Lansing-themed Polaroids:

Golden Harvest

JJ Live Here

Mt Hope Cemetery

Lansing Tweed Ride

2010-04-26T21:32:00.004-04:00

Get down with your dapper self and join us for a Trajet de Tweed around Lansing on Saturday May 1st at noon, departing from Lansing's Frandor Shopping center, specifically the skate park area. It'll be a short leisurely ride about town, with the option of further riding with the Healthy Lungs Ride at 1:30 pm to celebrate the smoke-free bar legislation, or just partake in some refreshing ale at a nearby pub. Contact Marci Baranski for more details.

On an unrelated note, one of my friends was recently hit by a vehicle while riding his bike on campus. I don't know all the details yet, nor do I know if I should share them, but if you're driving around the area please be careful - there are beginning to be lots of bicyclists on the streets.

Time to make a change

2010-04-07T09:36:00.019-04:00

There's this obsession with the newest, greatest equipment, whether it be the new $5000 Leica camera, the lightest wheelset for your bicycle, the fanciest steel lugs on a bike frame, or the quickest car around a track. Having functional equipment is certainly important, but taking things so seriously as to worry about the number of ounces of a crankset, whether all the components on a bike match, or the name on a camera? There comes a point when the emphasis on expensive gear takes on a condescending air, as if you need the best equipment to enjoy yourself. It also takes all the fun out of a hobby when you start to care about acquiring the latest gadget rather than riding your bike or taking photos. To a certain extent, I've fallen victim to it as well, getting excited about shiny bits for a bike, coveting a new lens that I'd probably in actuality never use.

For many, having inexpensive gear is a matter of necessity. If you don't have 2 nickels to scrape together, chances are pretty good you're not riding a Cervelo with a Leica M9 strapped around your neck, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a bike ride, or take some great photos. A recent post on a Ecovelo, a bicycle and photography blog that I have enjoyed, polled its readers to find out the maximum price they would spend on a bicycle used for commuting. The range in options, if you don't want to visit the site, was from $500 at the low end to $4000 at the high end. Ask the man on the street, and he'll tell you even $500 is a bit dear for a bike, let alone thousands of dollars, but from the comments on that post it seems there are plenty of people out there who think it's almost necessary to spend above $2000 to get a decent commuter bike. Many even wished for "no ceiling" as an option, which seems a little surprising.

If Contador were a photographer, he'd swing a Leica, guaranteed.

My commuter lately has been the Bridgestone XO-1, a bike that, with all the work and components, cost me a bit under $500, and I still worry about locking it up outside. The XO is an almost perfect metaphor for the pitfalls of our consumerist society - the magazines panned it because it didn't follow the set rules of the game at the time, so they sat on the shelves unbought for years. Now they're rare and chic again, and selling better than they ever did new. The bike rides great - it's comfortable, smooth, pretty, and fast enough for my needs. Looking around at my workplace, and at my commuting friends, I don't see a single person who rides an around-town bike that's worth in excess of $300-$400, let alone in the thousands of dollars. What exactly do we gain by spending $2000 or more on a bike to ride around town and run errands?

Parhaps you shouldn't mind spending money on quality, but is that what's for sale here? Most of the equipment the shops and magazines are selling will make little to no difference in your enjoyment of a hobby, and may be of poorer quality than what you are replacing. The Cupcakerator rides on an old Raleigh 3-speed around Chicago, and every once in a while she'll think that she wants a Pashley, or some other dutch bike. A Pashley, in all honesty, is not much nicer to ride or own than her Raleigh - both are big, heavy steel bikes, both have internal hubs for ease of drivetrain maintenance, both have that classic upright style. The Raleigh's brakes aren't quite as nice as the modern bike's but of course that's an easy and cheap fix. Why does she want a newer bike that costs well over a thousand dollars? "Because it has a curved top tube," she says, but I suspect it's also a bit of the consumerism that pulses through the hobby. To borrow some verbiage from BSNYC, you can be a beautiful Godzilla atop a dutch bike, a Fred on your way to the coffee shop clad in lycra and cleats, or a fixie-riding hipster in skinny jeans, but underneath all that highly stylized veneer they're all the same person. Spend all the money you want to buy a lifestyle, and you will still end up with only the illusion of one.

This bike is something to be scorned in today's society.

A friend brought me over to his place yesterday, and he was excited to show me his new bike. I looked quickly, and chuckled aloud when I saw it - a funky pseudo-mountain bike with a coaster brake, internal hub, and not much else - it's the kind of thing any "serious" biker would very much turn up his nose at. But looking closer, it had a nice set of touring tires on it, a 4-speed Shimano internally geared hub, and the frame wasn't all that heavy either, and besides, if he was excited and happy with it, who the hell am I to judge? I couldn't believe it when I heard it coming from my own mouth - the smug chuckle of vanity. His plan today is to take it on an ~80 mile ride with a friend, and that's something no cyclist should turn his nose up at.

Radiating Smugness

At best, this kind of attitude becomes a bit costly, and at worst, you turn into a connoisseur, a nice word for someone who hoards objects they desire for no practical reason. You get to the point where you look down on people who are actually using nice equipment instead of hanging it on a wall or displaying it in a museum. Before I get to that undesirable end, I'm going to start cutting off the offensive pieces of myself, Craigslist-style. This Bris of belongings will start with the most galling of extraneous objects, a fixed gear Fuji with Campagnolo components.

Developments in Cycling

2010-03-11T10:56:00.004-05:00

Lots of new things have been going on in the world of cycling, but one of the most important recent events was the unveiling of Bike directions via Google Maps. Even more exciting, East Lansing and Lansing were on the initial rollout of the feature, which should be great for local bikers.

Let's say, for example, you're in Old Town's famous Golden Harvest restaurant, eating yourself a Bubba Sandwich. So tasty you forget that, holy crap, you gotta be to work at Bessey Hall all the way over on Michigan State campus in 40 minutes! Not that this has ever happened to me, of course. You wonder whether you'd have time to ride the Rivertrail, or should you instead take surface streets to get there faster? Well Google Maps will now tell you what route is best to bike - it recommends the Rivertrail - and it'll also tell you how long it would take to ride, taking different routes. In this case Saginaw to Michigan is a good 10 minutes faster, but I'd really recommend the Rivertrail route, or at least Kalamazoo, which has a bike lane. Good job, Google!

Locally, it's just about time for the season's first race, the Barry-Roubaix. If you want to dip your big toe in the world of bike racing, the Barry is a pretty good opportunity. It has levels of racing ranging from the beginner-friendly 23 mile lap to the extreme challenge of 2 laps, at 65 miles. It's raced pretty much entirely on gravel and a little on singletrack, so a fat-tired road bike is just about perfect (think cyclocross, 28mm or wider), but a mountain bike will do in a pinch of course. It's all happening on March 27th, in Middleville. You can buy tickets in advance, or register on the day of the race for an additional $10. Afterwards, there will be a big bonfire by the beach, so BYOB! I will probably be riding the Bridgestone XO-1, unless the mud or snow gets silly, in which case I'll try out the Rawland Sogn. Hopefully I can get some training rides in before the actual race...

More Snow...

2010-02-28T13:37:00.002-05:00

Last day of February, and unless we get a few more inches today (it's forecasting for some light snow tonight), this month will go in the books with just more than 20 inches of the stuff, more than double our average. I don't mind riding in the snow too much, but driving on the expressways to clinical sites hours away has gotten tiring. And shoveling the driveway has gotten very tedious to say the least. Enjoy these photos of the snow, hopefully we'll have some signs of life from spring soon. I'm not holding my breath though.

(If you don't remember what April was like last year):

New Job!

2010-02-23T19:01:00.006-05:00

Technically I've been working there for a couple months, but I haven't mentioned it here. I'm working at the Michigan State University's Bike Shop on campus as a mechanic. It's a bunch of fun, learning about how to polish and fix up old and rusty frames and make them usable, if not beautiful in many cases. We operate a cool rental bike unit, where students and faculty can rent bikes for unreasonably low rates, and have them serviced by us for free. It's a great service, and it's nice to see how well-used it is on campus. Many of these bikes are abandoned at the end of the semester, and the Bike Shop gets to pick over the pile that the police impounds for rentals.

We also accept donations from folks, which we either turn into rentals or sell to support the store. Some people have gifted MSU Bikes some incredibly beautiful bikes, Like a Bianchi track frame that was entirely unridden, a Tommasini road frame (also unridden), many cool three-speeds, and most recently a Peugeot PX-10 that needed a lot of work, but has turned out very well:

Finally, we do repairs, sell parts and accessories, and generally try to support the campus bike community in activism, get-togethers, races, or whatever else on two wheels that might be going on locally. If you've yet to check it out, go down to Bessey Hall on campus - the shop is on the riverfront side. It's a great resource run by caring people.

Can I ride in the wintertime?

2010-02-11T19:57:00.004-05:00

If you live and work in Lansing or East Lansing, you've probably got pretty decent bicycling routes, and the roads are usually clear enough to ride in. Roads like Farm Lane, Forest, and other lightly traveled roads are a joy to ride on, and you can't beat the scenery. But even a dedicated summertime cyclist will sometimes balk at the idea of going out in any weather below 40 degrees, which doesn't make any real sense to me.

So why not ride in the winter? Here are some common things I hear.

1) It's too cold out!

Have you ever noticed that you can get hot and sweaty while exercising? Believe me, this is true on a bicycle, even in the winter. Sometimes especially in the winter. If you layer your clothing, you'll never be cold except for maybe the first minute you walk out the door. It's a lot warmer than walking to and from the car in a parking lot, because of the heat your body is putting out from all that aerobic exercise.

You don't need to spend a ton of money on winter cycling gear either. I usually wear a pair of long underwear on the bottom with jeans over top, hiking boots over wool socks, a long-sleeved wool shirt or sweater, gloves with glove liners, and some sort of ear warmers. On the very coldest days, you might need full face protection like a balaclava, but really I've only found that necessary in temps below 15 degrees, or in a lot of wind. The local Playmakers store has some awesome Smartwool gear that I swear by - the light wool wicks sweat, never smells bad, and looks good.

2) It's too icy out!

It rarely is. In Michigan, the streets are cleared pretty quickly in main travel areas of any deep snow, and if it's safe for a car to travel on, then it's safe enough for a bike. Bikes have narrow tires that cut through slush and light snow pretty well, and a set of knobby tires makes things even easier.

As for ice, I don't really run into it very much, and the few times I do, nothing bad comes of it. Just slow down around turns, walk the bike across railroad crossings, and Bob's your uncle. If ice really scares you, there are plenty of studded tires on the market made specifically for riding on ice, or you can even make your own. Personally I've not fallen due to icy conditions (knock on wood), and I ride on regular knobby mountain bike tires.

Lots of people make the mistake of riding on the shoulder or sidewalk, which are rarely cleared enough to ride in. Just invest in some lights, ride in the cleared sections (yes, on the road), and you'll find it's a lot easier to stay upright. The road is actually quite a bit safer to ride on than the sidewalks, but that's a whole other blog post.

3) I don't have the right equipment!

You might actually. Winter biking doesn't take a fancy bike or clothing, you can do it pretty cheaply. I bought a used cheap mountain bike at the MSU Surplus Store for $15. It needed a new front wheel, chain, and a tune-up, but even with all that work and parts it was less than $100. If doing tune-ups isn't your thing, then you could pop over to MSU's Bike Shop and spring for a freshly tuned used bike, or even rent one for a season cheaply. (Disclaimer: I work at the Bike Shop)

If you are serious about commuting, you'll want a set of fenders for your bike to keep the snow from jamming up your components and messing up your clothes. An absolute MUST HAVE is a decent set of front and rear lights, and you should run them day and night for visibility. I prefer Planet Bike's Superflash for the rear, and for the front their new Blaze 2 watt. A blinky mode with a bright LED light helps cars see you for safety, but the cold can drain batteries quickly, so bring an extra set of batteries just in case. Lights seem to be getting better every year, and cheaper too.

4) I still think you're crazy...

Well, I'm not. Winter cycling is a great way to get yourself outside and exercising in these cold bleak months, and it really doesn't take a silly amount of money or expertise to do it. Just invest in some lights, get your bike set up, and wear some layers. For maintenance, the most important thing is to keep your chain well-lubed on a weekly basis with a heavier grade of lube, like Pedro's Syn Lube.

If you decide winter commuting or riding is for you after trying it, you can spring for some accessories to make your ride easier:

- Goggles - nice to have for rainy or windy days. Buy a cheap set of snowboarding or even lab goggles.
- Rear rack and Panniers - I have a set of waterproof Ortlieb Panniers, and they're incredibly useful. Gets the load off your back, and holds a ton of stuff in a waterproof environment.
- Studded tires - as mentioned above, they're not truly necessary, and they're expensive, but some people swear by them. They can't hurt.

So give it a try, and maybe you'll like it. I do - it gets me outside, gives a good workout, and saves a lot of money on gas and parking fees, especially on MSU's campus.

New Issue Out

2010-01-28T08:09:00.003-05:00

The commute has gotten extra wintery this week - it's about 13 degrees outside this morning, and a wind of 15 mph is coming out of the West. Luckily, I was headed East this morning, but that still leaves the ride home. I've found so far that the cold is never really a big deal, but that wind can just cut right through my gloves. Another couple tips - batteries go dead extra quickly, so bring a couple extra pairs if you're running lights (which you should be!), and water bottles, especially metal ones, can freeze pretty quickly.

In other news, the new issue of Dreamboat cyclist should be just hitting the news stands today. This one looks like it focuses on the new fusion of skeet shooting and cyclocross, or summer duathlon. Personally, I'll be buying my copy just to get that sweet poster of Mike Woods holding a chicken.

Chilly Commute in Photos

2010-01-26T20:47:00.002-05:00

Black and white goes well with the weather around here. In my photography, especially digital, I've found that I prefer black and white photos in places where color doesn't really matter all that much. Snow, portraits, and architecture are all examples of subjects where the lighting and composition matter much more than a bright showy splash of color. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule - bright red berries poking through the snow surely wouldn't be very picturesque without color. My commute has been mostly colorless lately, and I pass few fellow bikers on the road as well. It's a nice peaceful time to be out, and before you ask, I'm pretty rarely cold - about 10 minutes into the ride I'm already unzipping the jacket because I'm overheating.

Lots of friends think Holly and I are nuts to be out biking this time of year, but in many ways, this is the best time of year to be out. If I wasn't biking, I know I wouldn't have the gumption to be out in the cold just to take photos. But being outside, getting some fresh air, and not noticing the chill so much - these are all great reasons to head out, even on some of the worst days.

Road Trip Part 2: New Orleans

2010-01-20T20:25:00.005-05:00

From St. Louis we packed up and headed towards the gulf coast. We rolled into New Orleans pretty late, making good time up until a traffic jam entering the city. The one-ways and side streets made finding our hostel interesting to say the least, and some of the neighborhoods we passed through didn't look that promising. Eventually we found the right street and checked in, right behind a couple of girls in from Texas and France.

The hostel itself was in a great neighborhood, with plenty of street parking, a safe location near a Wal-Mart and right down the street from the scenic Garden District. I'd go again, but the next time I'll be sure to bring along some earplugs and eye shades for sleeping. It was a nice place to hang out, with free breakfast, internet, parking, and a ton of friendly faces, but not everyone goes to sleep at the same time, and sound deadening can't be expected to be up to Hilton standards. Certainly not a big deal for the price paid.

Most of the trip centered around food, which I'll get to in another post, but I'll preface it by saying that the South, and New Orleans in particular, has a tremendous amount of good food, particularly if you love seafood as we do. We look forward to the time we can visit again when it's crawfish season.

As for sight-seeing, the first day we ambled up and down Magazine street uptown, which is the main touristy shopping district. Lots of semi-interesting antique stores, and even more not-so-interesting stores that sell antique-themed junk. This was our first taste of how football-crazy New Orleans is, as everyone had on their favorite Saints outfit, jersey, or whatever, and most of the signs had something to the effect of "Geaux Saints" or "Who Dat?" which was cute, at first anyway.

We met up with my old College room mate Alex, who has made a home in the city, and watched the Saints game with him at a local pizza place. We later went a few doors down to a bar, and were greeted by a massive crowd inside, probably 10 deep at both bars, and standing room only. To say it was surprising understates the situation by quite a bit from a Lions fan's perspective.

On another day, we decided to check out what was going on over in the French Quarter. Not much apparently - the area is home to the sleaziest of strip-clubs and sex shows, bars upon bars upon bars, and silly little Jackson Square, where the area's worst artists and musicians come to hock their wares, apparently. The place may have seemed cute in the evening or at night, when you have a few pints in you, but in the light of day it just looked like it was trying too hard, like the Carney sideshow that has overrun Niagara Falls.

We took the streetcar back to the Hostel. The streetcar thing would be quite the public transportation option if it went more places - as it is the city only has the St. Charles Ave line running as far as I know. It's cheap, seems reliable, and the center lane that they take up makes for a nice spot to jog for locals too. Plus, they give the area a feel of history and provide a good way for tourists to see the incredible Mansions that line St. Charles.

Just as we packed up, we met a fellow who was just stopping in the Hostel for some much-deserved R & R after biking 9000 miles from Canada, through California and Texas. His friend had continued on to Mexico, but this guy wanted to check out New Orleans first. His setup was odd to say the least - a mountain bike frame with flat handlebars, internal-geared hub, and drum brakes. He and his partner had also done most of the trip so far offroad, on singletrack. Impressive, no? His advice rang true to me - use what you know works, and when you're ready to go, just go. Don't overanalyze things, just start riding. He found no reason to train at all; he just started to ride 30-40 miles a day at first, and eventually got to a good rhythm where he was averaging 90 miles a day or so. Their plan was eventually to get down to Argentina, so if you see a British guy riding this down Latin America way, buy him a beer.

Our last bit of New Orleans was a Christmas light show outside of town, undoubtedly the highlight of the trip (besides the food). An entire park was lit up, a high school band was playing Christmas carols, and beautiful greenhouses were filled with decorations to help you get in the spirit. If that didn't do it, the Hot Buttered Rum they sold at the concessions did. Mmm.

Road Trip! St. Louis...

2010-01-07T17:21:00.006-05:00

Holly and I went on a recent road trip with Holly and I brought along the GF1+20mm combo. First stop: St. Louis, MO.

Obligatory arch shot - left exposure comp on (whoops)

St. Louis is famously home to Anheuser-Busch breweries, who until recently employed the most people in the city. They were recently bought out by InBev, a foreign brewery most famous stateside for its beer Stella Artois. The locals are still a bit touchy about it, so don't be surprised if you get an odd look from the guy at the brewery when you ask him to pour you a glass of Stella.

The tour itself is free, and comes with two free beers at the end. That alone is an amazing deal anywhere - free beer - but when you actually see the amazing clydesdale facilities, the huge brewhouses, and the awe-inspiring miles of pipes and huge vats of beer, it is quite overwhelming to say the least. Turns out, we drink a LOT of beer.

For our second stop, we checked out something incredible in the truest sense of the word - it's hard to believe it exists in this day and age. I highly recommend anyone within driving distance to St. Louis check out their City Museum - it's basically a giant recycled shoe factory with tons of caverns made out of concrete that look like caves and mouths etc, a bunch of recycled steel bits to form railings and slides:

The City Museum also has a lot of sculptures outside the place too, like turrets, planes, and metal hoops and railings you can climb through to check it all out. A bit of a tight fit for adults, but it's doable.

Word of advice if you crawl through these places: secure your belongings! Holly dropped her phone from about 50 feet up (it survived), and I nearly dropped my camera from my coat pocket when descending through one of those slinky-style tubes. I heard a clink, looked down, and there's the GF1 cradled between the railings. Yikes! This is one of the few places a Fanny Pack would be really advisable.

The City museum would be a great place to take your kids or to act like one yourself. I only wish I had the chance to check out all those tunnels when I was about 7 or 8 years old.

We finished up St Louis by going to the Zoo. It's free, and this time of year there really is no crowd at all. Quite a good Zoo actually, especially considering the price!

I'm not against cars

2010-01-03T12:59:00.009-05:00

It may not be apparent by the title and content of this blog that I used to be, and still am to some extent, a real car nut. See, I'm sort of like the guy from the film Adaptation, who lives life by learning all he can about something, and then abruptly getting bored and starting a new obsession. I'm currently in the bored w/cameras, interested in bikes phase, but only a few short years ago it was cars, and not cameras or bikes.

I do drive a lot, and I still enjoy it, although my point of view on driving and cars has always been different from other car nuts. I like unique cars that stand out from the crowd, even in a parking lot full of interesting cars. I'll yawn at the Woodward Dream Cruise and its oceans of muscle cars, but take me to the Lane Motor Museum and I go nuts. Chevrolet Impala? Neat, but I don't think I'd buy one. Give me a Subaru Brat or a Citroën DS any day.

One of the things that drove me away from the car hobby is the kind of groupthink that is rampant in both the car industry and the enthusiast community nowadays. Reading a car magazine is to me an exercise in frustration. They complain that some compact cars don't have enough power, give high marks to expensive sedans such as the BMW 3 series, and do not value originality or value in any way. Truth be told, every car made today is reliable and powerful enough to move itself comfortably down the freeway at 80 mph for a good 100,000 miles and not break a sweat. Perhaps that's why car magazine writers and enthusiasts have to reach to find things to set cars apart from each other in such trivial ways. In the old days, it was easy to say a car was underpowered, when the Volkwagen Beetle took 30 seconds or more to get to 60 mph. Or a car was unreliable or unsafe, when the Pontiac Fiero burst into flames from electrical fires on dealership lots. But today, to say a small car with more than 100 hp is underpowered, as my first-generation Honda Fit was often claimed to be, is simply ridiculous.

In other markets, like Japan and Europe, car companies make interesting small cars with incredible fuel economy, but car companies are too afraid to bring them to America because of the American automotive journalist's penchant for power over economy. Let's look at one clear-cut example: the Scion xB. Take a car like the Japanese-market Toyota bB, a small-on-the-outside, big-on-the-inside people mover, and within a generation of hitting US shores as the Scion xB all of a sudden it has ballooned in proportions (add over 600 lbs!) and engine size (1.3L in Japan, now 2.4L in the US!) to the point that it suffers in fuel economy and price. I still believe that if the Toyota bB and Scion xB were offered for sale side by side, the Toyota would kill the Scion in sales, but the automotive press would slam it ruthlessly for its power deficit.

Japan's Toyota bB 1.5L 109hp engine, 2,200 lbs, 37 mpg! (also available with a 1.3L engine)

The Made-for-America Scion xB: 2.4L 158hp engine, 3085 lbs, 25 mpg

The fact that cars like the Toyota bB can move easily down the highway, accelerate on the onramp to cruising speed in an adequate time somehow never registers with the press. They live in a world where the number of seconds that a car takes to go from 0-60 mph - an exercise that rarely if ever matters in the real world - determines what car is good and what car is bad. A recent US press review of the japanese-market Nissan Cube, for example, deemed its 0-60 time of 13 seconds "life-threatening." Over-the-top rhetoric like this, meant to scare the reader into believing they will somehow get killed if their car can't get to 60 mph in under 9 seconds, is sensationalist at best. At the very least, it is crap like this that is keeping fuel-efficient cars from being imported into our market.

My 1992 Honda Civic VX was made for one purpose and one purpose only - to get great miles per gallon while not sacrificing drivability. It had 92 hp (20 more than the base model that year!), came in under 2100 lbs, and was geared to turn an ultra-low 2000 rpms at 75 mph. I regularly get 50 mpg in this nearly 20 year old car that seats 4, and though it'll never set any land speed records, I've never had a problem getting on the highway or driving along at 75+ mph. Turn the keys over to most any current auto mag writer worth his salt, and I'd guarantee he'd try to record the 0-60 time and complain about its lack of power, though that would be missing the point entirely in a car like this.

The Honda Civic VX, beating out hybrids, almost 20 years ago.

It seems to me that people in America, especially in the press, have lost perspective in what's important in car design, especially in regards to so-called economy cars. A no-frills vehicle designed to get you from point A to B frugally, efficiently, and safely has no reason to be timed on a 0-60 or quarter mile run. If it gets you on the freeway, cruises comfortably at 80 mph, and has decent handling to avoid accidents, that's really all you should care about. Were I in charge of an automotive magazine, I'd outlaw all acceleration timing equipment on cars like this, and put the priority back on fuel economy. I guarantee most entry-level cars could get an extra 10 mpg if the press wouldn't nitpick on acceleration and power so much.

Catching Up

2009-12-29T12:22:00.003-05:00

As you may remember, I finally decided to pull the trigger on a new digital camera, and sold my old Canon digital rebel to my sister and fellow blogger. The main things that I wanted to get in a new camera were smaller size so I wouldn't leave it at home so much, a nice prime lens with fast aperture for low light shooting, and perhaps a video mode. The Olympus Pen came out right around this time, and while it was small, it was noted to have slow autofocus, and worse, the Olympus 17mm lens it was available with was an average performer, with f/2.8 maximum aperture. Their new E-P2 is a nicer camera, with a good electronic viewfinder but a much higher price.

I chose to go with the Panasonic GF-1, one of the new "EVIL" cameras (Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens). I had to wait a couple months after ordering, because Panasonic didn't have enough GF1 20mm kits on hand for the initial rush - a poor supply chain is something Panasonic is known for. The 20mm is a 40mm equivalent, making it a wide-ish normal lens. It reminds me a bit of the Konica pancake 40mm of old, which was also an excellent performer. This lens has a 1.7 maximum aperture, which makes for great out-of-focus background effects, along with good low-light performance.

I took the camera along on a road trip recently, and I am so far quite impressed with it. The build quality seems superior to my Canon dSLR, and each little component gives a satisfying feel in the hand. As with all digital cameras, I wish there were fewer buttons and more dials and switches, but I've found the menus so far to be logically laid out and easy to navigate. The performance is also quite good, with fast autofocus, a beautiful and large live-view LCD, and accurate color rendition and metering.

The small size did cause me grief once, when I was crawling around in one of the 50-foot high tunnels at St. Louis's City Museum. I watched as my wife climbed through first, and her cell phone jumped out of her pocket, landing far below. Not thinking, I shoved the new camera in my jacket pocket and followed her. I was horrified to hear a distinct clink as I traversed the tube, and looked down to see the GF-1 sandwiched between two metal bars just wide enough for it to drop through if it shifted at all. After my heart began beating again, I picked up the camera and climbed down as quickly as possible. So if you have a small camera like this, be careful putting it in your pocket, as it may not stay there!

Next on my agenda are to procure a few adapters so I can use my older lenses with the camera. For now, here are some photos from my first set of shots, to give you an idea for the camera's performance.

Mountain Biking in November!

2009-11-08T21:40:00.006-05:00

Going out to the local singletrack in November is just a little crazy most years, in that it's freezing, often snowy, and most moderately sane people have given up mountain biking for the year by then. This weekend, with its 70 degree sunny forecast, made the urge to get at least one last ride in irresistable for myself and some friends.

We headed out to Anderson Park, a nearby short ~5 mile loop of singletrack. It was my first time there; I had thought the closest trail was the longer Burchfield Park trail, so being told there was a closer location was great news. The trail was a good mix of fast and technical - one section had nice burmed curves and fast downhills, one loop a short twisty mix, and the last a longer, up-and-down trail over roots and logs. It was shorter than Burchfield, slower in many sections, and the hills were a tad smaller, but it's a great change of pace.

I brought along the Bridgestone XO-1 instead of my mountain bike to see if it could handle harder offroad adventuring, and it actually performed admirably. I was most concerned about the thin 1.5" tires, road geometry, relatively high 38x24 low end, and moustache handlebars getting in the way, but I shouldn't have worried. The lightweight Bridgestone made it simple to hop over logs and rubble, the handlebars gave me tons of positions for my hands so they didn't get tired, and it was no problem at all accelerating up hill and down dale.

Not that it was perfect. The lower bottom bracket made it difficult getting over the more difficult stunts. The slick tires slipped when I needed traction uphill in the mud, and the narrow tires got sidetracked by roots in the trail at times. Most of this could be fixed by a knobbier set of tires, and altering my riding style a bit. I'm not 100% convinced on losing my mountain bike entirely, especially on the rougher trails like Poto, but riding the XO is a new interesting way to ride these backwoods loops, making me ride a bit more technically instead of going roughshod over each rock and stump.

Also, thanks to Melissa (above) for taking photos. I really need to get a digicam for events like this.

Polaroid Week!

2009-11-02T06:12:00.002-05:00

From today until Friday it's Polaroid Week over at Flickr. Shoot 'em if ya got 'em!

I got 'em, so I'm shootin' em. This is Scott Woods over on Lansing's east side.

Happy Halloween everyone!

2009-10-31T18:11:00.001-04:00

Hope you get more treats than tricks. As for us, we're going on a rumpus tonight!

"XO" stands for hugs and kisses.

2009-10-19T12:15:00.005-04:00

I should know better - not long ago I thought to myself that I wouldn't want or need to buy another bike for a while. I was happy with the bikes I had, I decided, and short of spending $1500+ on a new bike I didn't think there was anything out there I wanted. Famous last words, of course.

Sure enough, a bike I had always drooled over, the Bridgestone XO-1, popped into my life. Someone was selling the frame and fork for an affordable amount, and I decided that opportunities like this are rare enough and plunked down the cash. I spent a while sourcing some decent but inexpensive components, and now have the bike I never really thought I'd have the chance to own.

Other websites do a good job explaining what the XO-1 is all about, and why it has such a cult status today, but it's important to remember that this is a bike that was not at all popular in its day, and, in my opinion, likely contributed to Bridgestone pulling out of the US bicycle market.

In the late eighties and early nineties, Bridgestone USA was run by the eccentric Grant Petersen, who made it clear that his focus was on "everyday" riding. In this market where the newest and shiniest sold best, Petersen's Bridgestones, with their lugged steel frames, friction shifting, cotton handlebar tape, rigid forks, and fat squishy tires, seemed out of place.

There were a few fanatical owners of the Bridgestone RB and MB series, who called themselves BOBs, or members of the Bridgestone Owner's Bunch. There was a BOB list, a newsletter that came out that had wonderful articles on setting up bikes, camping, and all sorts of "Bobbish" things. The bikes actually lent themselves well to a wide series of tasks, in that you could ride a rough road on even their raciest bike, and ride a road-oriented tour on their mountain bikes. In the end there just weren't enough BOBs to stay in business.

The XO-1 is perhaps the best and brightest symbol of this. Instead of the popular "hybrid" bicycles of the day, Petersen designed the XO series around a lightweight Ishiwata steel-tubed road frame with fast but comfortable geometry, gave it clearance for wide 26" tires, and designed a new do-everything handlebar, the Moustache, to go with it. Reviewers of the day blasted the bike to pieces, saying it was unfit for anything, from roads to trails, and the handlebars were the worst of all worlds, poor ergonomics and ugly to boot. They sold poorly for two years, and when Bridgestone pulled out of the US market in 1994, its dealers were left with many 1993 XO-1s to get rid of, many times for fire sale prices. As Petersen himself was heard to say about the demise of Bridgestone, "The nail that sticks up gets hammered down."

With all this going against it, it's hard to see why the XO-1 is so popular after the fact. It may be that the market has come around to seeing things the Petersen way, and it may be that the roughly 2000 XO-1s produced in 1992 and 1993 are rare enough to warrant cult status. In any case, the bike is odd, versatile, and fun to ride, which makes it right up my alley. I have the 1992 version, which has caliper instead of cantilever brakes, and is pearlescent white instead of the 1993 pumpkin orange color. I plan on using it for cyclocross, trails, and commuting - all of which it looks like it will do well at.

If you're interested in more of the history of Bridgestone USA, Sheldon Brown put together a great page with lots of reading material, including copies of the old BOB Gazettes, which contain incredible reading material about all things to do with the "retro-grouch" lifestyle. And take heart for Grant Petersen, as he began his own bicycle company, Rivendell, and it is still going strong, producing durable, classy, and versatile steel bikes in the vein of the best Bridgestone models.

A Walk through the Woods

2009-10-15T11:53:00.003-04:00

Scott Woods, to be exact, in Lansing. These were taken a couple weeks ago with my Mamiya Super 23, a giant camera that takes great photos but is a bit slow to work with. No matter, it's worth it. I may go back out to this spot today and see how the leaves have changed the view.

Call me Mr. Big Shot

2009-10-12T09:34:00.003-04:00

I've gone on before about the camera I'd like to buy for my next digital camera, and it looks as though I'm going to have to commit to a new one pretty soon. My sister has gotten a bit of the photography bug recently, and she wanted to buy a dSLR, so I sold her my Canon outfit. It has been a great camera for me, and the shots I've gotten have been perfectly fine for what I wanted, but it was a large setup. Too large for riding around with - if I packed it in my Velo Orange saddlebag, it took up all the space inside.

So I sold it to her, but the camera(s) I'm interested in are not actually available as of yet, so if I want to do any fall color photography, it will have to be on film. It's probably a good thing actually - even just yesterday I decided to break out the Mamiya Super 23 again and shoot some 6x9 rollfilm. The Fuji slidefilm I have in there should do just fine for the fall colors, and I always choose my shots better when they each cost about $2. My wife is convinced I like this camera just because of the reaction it gets out of people when I bring it with me, and I'm certain that's part of the attraction. It's hard not to notice someone with such a strange and gigantic camera.

The other cameras I love to use in fall are pctured above - the Polaroid 110A I have converted to packfilm, and my SX70. I still have a few shots of SX70 film left, and what better time of year to use them, really. Finally I'll probably be shooting with my Stereo Realist quite a bit. I've been slow to embrace the 3d photos, but now that I've gotten the hang of the camera, it has begun to grow on me. It's fun to bring a stereo viewer to family meetings and camera club meetings, and show slides I've taken with it. There's certainly a wow factor to it. Just wish I could share the photos easier online.

So for at least the foreseeable future, I'll be lugging around even bigger cameras than I'm used to. It will be a nice change of pace, I think.

Tweed Ride Grand Rapids

2009-10-05T10:11:00.005-04:00

I believe this was Michigan's first Tweed ride, at least in the last 90 years or so. As we rolled into Grand Rapids the picture was bleak, with periods of downpour and rain showers. Nonetheless, we mounted our bikes and rode over to the Winchester to meet whoever was brave enough to show up. The rain began to lessen as we neared the pub, giving us a bit of hope.

It turned out that a couple of guys from the British Bicycles of Chicago (BBC) came out to support the ride. The rain had scared off some of the less committed, but we still had a solid 10 well-dressed riders. The Winchester provided the warmth we needed for the ride, and the Sun came out to provide a beautiful backdrop at last.

We set off on a light cruise around downtown Grand Rapids, and I was struck by just how nice the city is. It's small, but the buildings are an interesting mix of old and new, the streets are in decent shape, there is bike parking, and the current Artprize contest has brought a lot of interesting art to the downtown area. Just riding around the city was a great way to spend the afternoon.

As expected, our group drew a lot of attention from curious onlookers. Many people stopped us to ask if we were part of Artprize, or what we were riding for. One of them lectured us about how none of us were wearing helmets, telling a story about how she had once hurt herself pretty badly while wearing a helmet. We smiled, nodded, and continued on our way.

Eventually we ended up at the Ritz Koney Island, a bar/ Coney combo. Amanda, the organizer, tried to prepare us by saying how it was a bit of a dump, and kind of dull. Turns out it's a great spacious pub with a good jukebox that just happens to serve delicious hot dogs and brats. She really undersold it. After copious libations we packed it in, and headed home. Despite the small turnout we had a great time, and can't wait to do it again.

Tweed Up Grand Rapids!

2009-09-29T19:23:00.005-04:00

Hear ye, Hear ye! An olde fashioned bike ride will take place this Saturday, October 3, in Grand Rapids. This will be a good tyme for dapper chaps and lasses to dress up in their finest and enjoy the companionship of other like-minded riders on a leisurely jaunt around town.

The ride will begin at The Winchester on Wealthy at 4pm and continue to its logical conclusion at around 6ish The Hopcat, a fine pub with many a draught and plenty of food.

Dress in your Sunday best. If you're strapped for ideas, simply google "Tweed Ride," and you'll find some fantastic inspiration. Herringbone, bow ties, and vintage bicycles are encouraged. I'll certainly be there.

Feel free to invite everyone you know!

You don't have to dress quite as fancy as all that, but don't you dare show up in lycra!

SF Tweed Ride photos, byy3rdua

The New Crop of Compact Serious Cameras

2009-09-24T10:03:00.004-04:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, high-quality compact cameras are hard to come by in today's digital camera market. In the SLR arena, the trend has been bigger sensors, bigger (and more!) grips, and bigger bodies. There is no doubt in my mind that at the top of the SLR market, and even the bottom, in quality and versatility today's cameras are superior to those made 20 years ago. A more recent trend, unsurprisingly began by Olympus, is the creating of a new market of compact SLRs. I am anxious to purchase a compact SLR to replace my digital Rebel, and the market is finally near the point where I feel comfortable jumping to a new system.

The modern SLR takes great photos, takes up lotsa space. by fotographix.ca.

This all began when Olympus released their E-410 compact SLR. They began by designing a small, lightweight body around their proprietary smaller sensor, and eliminating the body grip. The image quality and handling was the same as their larger cameras. A good starting point, but the unveiling of a new system, micro-4/3, soon took these innovations to a new level.

The new µ4/3 system is designed around a non-SLR base, with electronic viewfinder instead of a mirror box, interchangable lenses, and near-compact size. The Panasonic G1 was the first camera for this system, and it boasted a small body, albeit styled in the conventional SLR manner. This didn't make a whole lot of sense to me, with all the extra space the viewfinder and grip took up. The Olympus EP-1 was next, launching with the new tiny 17mm lens available, a small external flash, and no viewfinder, a much smaller footprint. Panasonic added HD video with its GH-1, and recently announced its own compact GF-1, which has a tiny integrated flash, an optional electronic viewfinder, and a 20mm pancake lens. The current lens offerings cover 35mm equivalents of 14 to 400 mm in this format, and there are official adapters for 4/3 lenses, Olympus OM system lenses, and the classic Leica lenses.

Panasonic GF-1, image by micamica

Perhaps the most exciting development around the new µ4/3 system is the availability of a myriad of lens adapters to allow the use of old manual-focus lenses with the camera. Because of the camera's mount design, many systems of lenses, including old cinematic lenses, can be used with the new µ4/3 in manual focus mode. It appears that manual focusing by the camera's rear screen is quite possible, and the camera can meter the old lenses in stop-down mode as well. This gives a useful depth of field preview, and because of the way these cameras work the viewfinder does not dim while the lens stops down. That in and of itself is incredible and could make shooting in such a way much simpler than in the past.

Olympus E-P1, with Voigtlander 12mm lens. Photo by euyoung

I'm currently torn between the Panasonic GF-1 and Olympus E-P1. The Panasonic has an optional electronic viewfinder, on-body flash, better screen resolution, and doubly fast autofocus. The olympus is cheaper, sleeker, and has Image stabilization for reducing camera shake. If I had to choose now, I'd probably go with the Panasonic because its autofocus speed is so much faster, and the flash. But something tells me that Olympus will up the game before the Panasonic hits the streets.

Fuji MTB

2009-09-20T13:08:00.003-04:00

A while back I had a little indecision between two bikes, an old funky Mongoose ATB and a newer boring Fuji MTB. I ended up keeping the Fuji as a trail bike because it fit me so much better, and really didn't need any work. I rode it stock once, and it performed quite well for a heavy lower-end mountain bike. I was able to climb well enough, it felt stable, and the brakes worked. Once I had made the decision to keep it, I went about trying to solve the boring factor.

First, I changed out the black stem and riser bars to these old-school bullmoose type bars that were OE on the Mongoose. They're actually the wrong diameter stem, so I had to shim them in the Fuji with aluminum stock (Sprite can). They're nice and wide, and ugly in a good way. The Mongoose also donated its old beartrap-style pedals. The grips got changed to these gray and black salsas, and I swapped the saddle to a Brooks professional I had been given by a friend. I wasn't sure how the Brooks would feel offroad, but I actually like it quite a bit.

The Fuji graphics were very "90s," in that they had that tealish blue color, cartoony font, and a silly name to boot, "Sunfire." The Sunfire was a terrible car, and in no way do I want to be associated with it, if even in passing. So out came the heat gun, and off came the decals. It looks pretty clean now, with its Silver-and-Black scheme. I tried to swap the nasty black crankset for a nice Takagi triple I had on the Mongoose ATB, but it turned out the Fuji's bottom bracket doesn't provide enough clearance. I may do the swap eventually, but we'll see.

If I had my druthers and money to burn, I'd probably powdercoat this bike a light pink, and get all-silver components. I dunno why, but a light pink MTB seems to me like the perfect dichotomy. Maybe I'll compromise and spring for these when the time comes to switch out the tires.

Wanted: High-quality Digital Compact

2009-09-18T11:26:00.008-04:00

I've talked before about my disappointment with digital camera manufacturers in regards to camera design. In the past manufacturers, notably Olympus, came out with high-quality cameras and lenses in small packages. Cameras like the Olympus Pen half-frame series, the compact but professional-quality Olympus OM system of SLRs, and the ultra-compact 35mm rangefinder Olympus XA series were pocketable, with high-quality fast lenses that performed as well as anything on the market, then or today. I myself have an Olympus OM-1, and an XA as well, and find them wonderful cameras to use, but of course the pain and increasing expense of getting 35mm film processed and printed is quite the limiting factor.

I have used many compact digital cameras, and I can say the handling, image quality, and versatility of any compact digital currently on the market is well below the standard set decades ago by cameras like the Olympus XA. The XA is silent, a quick shooter, with a high-quality 35mm f/2.8 6-element glass lens. Its integrated clamshell design allows for pocketed carrying, its rangefinder focusing is accurate and fast, and the hair-trigger shutter release allows for shake-free exposures. It has a minimum of controls that allow for quick but accurate exposures every single time.

By contrast, my wife's Canon digital Elph has a tiny, near-useless viewfinder, but even that is absent on many compacts. Instead you have to use the battery-draining LCD to compose, which is only partially useful in bright light situations. There is of course the well-known compact camera autofocus shutter lag, which can cause many users to miss "the moment." The lens has the bonus of having a small zoom range, but the quality of the lens, and the resulting photo quality, is inferior to the aged XA. Worst of all in my opinion is the way designers have added so many features as to make these cameras so user-unfriendly. 10+ "scene" modes, button- and menu-based controls that are not intuitive, white balance controls that neither produce pleasing results nor are simple to set, all of these factors contribute to make a camera that is the opposite of what a "Point and Shoot" camera ought to be.

The marketplace is wide open at the moment for a pocketable high-end camera with good picture quality and a simplified interface. Leica seems to have gone after this market with their new X1, but the cost is too high for average users to even think about, at $2000. Other cameras in the marketplace that are closer to the XA standard include Ricoh's GR-D series and Sigma's DP-1 and 2, all of which have their positives and negatives that dpreview does a good job covering.

As it is, I still wait for a camera that combines a good sensor, intuitive controls, and a superior fixed lens. Give me a camera that has manual aperture-priority mode only, a 35mm equivalent lens at f/2.8, an optical viewfinder and preferably a rangefinder, and make it small enough to fit in a pocket. Make it quiet, quick, and black.

Post 100: Why I ride and take photos...

2009-09-10T16:45:00.005-04:00

Milestone post #100, this calls for a look at why I ride and take photographs.

Why I ride
- It's a heckuva lot of fun
- Exercise that is fun, which is hard to come by.
- It gets me outside, even in terrible weather.
- It's a cheap way to commute
- And an easy way to make friends
- I'm a gearhead, and bikes are great in that they're cheap and fun to wrench on.

Why I shoot
- It's something I've always felt I'm good at
- The satisfaction of nailing a shot
- Photography connects me to a community of other artists
- That gearhead side of me always finds joy in making use of antiquated oddball cameras.
- The great surprise on others' faces when I show up with the big cameras.

One of the things that has annoyed me so far about this blog is how the blogger interface is so photo-unfriendly. The "large" photo size is much too small for appreciation, and photos are shared unprotected in even original sizes. That's ok in some cases, but I'd like to safeguard some of my better photos if possible. I've redone the layout a bit and now the photos will point to their flickr urls if clicked, and they should be a bit larger too, which should make it more photo-friendly. Some of my recent favorites for your enjoyment:

Up North, Sunrise

2009-09-10T15:19:00.009-04:00

Long Lake, in Alpena Michigan. I can't ever seem to sleep in when I'm up there, and maybe this is why.

Mixte Fendered

2009-08-26T12:50:00.005-04:00

I finally got around to ordering some needed parts for the mixte - fenders and pedals. The pedals are some Wellgo aluminum BMX style, not exactly classic looking but they work well, and were inexpensive. The fenders came from Velo Orange, who have been having a fender sale making aluminum fenders extremely affordable. I opted for their fluted 48mm fenders to cover the Raleigh Mixte's 27" wheels and tires.

They come undrilled, and so take quite a bit of work to fit. I had to fiddle with them, crimping them at the chainstay and fork crown since they were a tad too wide for this frame. The frame also lacks mounting holes at the stays, so I used P-clamps to mount the rear fender. Before mounting the fender I gave them a quick polish with Mother's aluminum polish. They aren't to the mirror finish that you see sometimes, but they're just right for this frame as is. I didn't do too bad with fenderline and mounting for a first timer, if I do say so myself.

The chrome is quite pitted at the fork ends, bars, stem, and crank, so that may be my next project here. Any suggestions? I'd also like to find a classic-style front and rear light sometime.

Hiatus done

2009-08-19T21:57:00.002-04:00

I've been out of time a little bit lately, having finished up the semester and now having a few weeks of vacation to recollect myself. I've thinned the herd of bikes lately, eliminating the Bridgestone XO I had been using for commuter duty and Holly's old Gitane, which had been my winter commuter.

My personal stable is now down to 3 complete bikes. The Fuji roadie has become a singlespeed/fixed summer ride, and the Fuji mountain bike is my offroad choice and winter commuter. The Motobecane has sprouted a 14-speed drivetrain, fenders, and nice new sidepull brakes to become my commuter. I may add racks and such as I go, but I'm playing it by ear for now.

Holly's stable is 3 as well, including a Raleigh mixte that I've since put some beautiful aluminum Velo Orange fenders on, and it makes a great bike. Her commuter is still the 650B Trek 560, which has been a helluva ride so far, but it'll need some fenders coming up, which will probably end up being some cheapie plastic planet bike fenders for durability's sake. FInally she has her Raleigh mountain bike, which is again her offroad ride and her winter commuter.

As for photos, I've been using 35mm film again, but that probably won't last. Need to get the Mamiya medium format up and swinging again. I'm also waiting to see if prices will drop on the new Olympus EP-1 digital so I can replace my Canon DSLR. Oh, and I saw my first Rivendell in the flesh recently. Guy was nice enough to talk to me about it. It looked like a great bike, and his bag setup was very conducive to grocery shopping. I was almost ashamed to be packing up my Honda at the time.

PHOTO Cyclist?

2009-07-11T17:04:00.001-04:00

Natural Landscaping
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

I'm starting to not deserve my name, with how little I've been posting photos lately. Now that I have the bikes pretty much where I want them (famous last words), I'll be going back to photo cycling more often.

I've mentioned before that one difficult part of being a photo cyclist is that bringing a camera onboard is not necessarily an easy task. I'm thinking of building some kind of rack so I can carry my larger cameras along, which are really my favorite cameras to use if I have the choice. But your everyday camera really is best left to digital nowadays, much as I hate to admit it. I have an Olympus OM1 that makes a great saddlebag camera, but the seasons seem to change before I ever get the 35mm rolls developed.

I already have a wonderful digital camera, the Canon XT, with a great lens and flash setup, but it's really much too big to carry everywhere. That's why I'm pretty excited to try out the new Olympus Pen digital camera. It's got great image quality, a reputation for great lenses, the ability to use old lenses via adapters, and best of all, it's TINY. It might be the new official camera of photo cyclists everywhere.

It's really just like Olympus to find a great compact-camera niche like this. They did so first with their Pen series of half-frame cameras, then the OM system with great quality in a small package, and now I think they've finally found a way to be "Olympus" again, now in a digital market.

Motobecane: Francophilia

2009-07-08T19:31:00.017-04:00

I studied German in school, though I'd like to add French eventually. I think it's because it's so different than English, so foreign. German is similar enough to English that many of the words are spelled and pronounced similarly, cognates. Like the language, the French don't really do anything "the right way" by American standards, and of course that's appealing to me. Their cars are odd ducks, or gorgeous, depending on your point of view. The Citroën DS is a prime example of this - a plush dream of literally riding on air, swept yacht-like looks, and controls, well, made with the French logic.

The beautiful(?) DS.

Plush, if illogically appointed interior.

It's the same way with bicycles. The older French names like Rene Herse and Alex Singer conjure up images of beautifully constructed bikes that excelled at transportation while looking beautiful. Elegant steel frames, shiny metal fenders, polished racks all added up to a bike that could comfortably cruise for miles. They're the kind of bicycles collectors rightfully drool over, and spend big eBay bucks on.

The bike boom in the seventies saw somewhat of a reduction in the status of French-built bikes. Japanese components like shifters, derailers, and cranksets, came to be the equal and then far superior of the French. Japanese frame designs improved to the point that customers no longer looked down on them, but rather preferred them. The outmoded French threading on bottom brackets and pedals became a joking point in bike shops everywhere, and the French began to lose ground quickly. In many ways this is similar to what happened recently when Taiwan, and now China, took over the production of most bikes.

That's not to say they're bad bikes. The Peugeot in particular is the "in" hipster bike for fixie conversion, and Motobecane, as always, plays a sort of second fiddle, and though I've been looking for a Peugeot, car or bike, for quite some time, I was more than ready to pounce when a free Motobecane Grand Jubilé came my way. It needed wheels, seatpost, and saddle, but otherwise it was in great shape with the original Suntour Cyclone components intact. After some contemplation, I appropriated the Suntour shifting gear for Holly's new mixte, since its Simplex stuff was so awful, and threw the (made in France rims!) budget fixed/free wheelset on the Moto. Local bike mechanic Jon-Marc Eyer cried foul when he saw that I had hipster-fied such a nice bike, but with a name like Jon-Marc, of course he's going to be a French traditionalist.

Appropriately, I used my extra-special French Ideale 90 saddle, which I had been saving for something like this, and suited up the wheels with a brand-spankin-new set of 700x28 Tim Potter edition Paselas. I'll get shit from friend and Pasela dogger Mike Weigand, who trashed them in the newest edition of "Dreamboat Cyclist" magazine, but they're bulletproof for riding our rutted roads, and I have yet to get a flat on a set. The frame is a bit odd as it's got tons of clearance and long-reach brakes to make you think "touring bike," but no rack braze-ons, or even water bottle cage braze-ons! It works great with the fenders though - no toe overlap at all, which is important in a fixed-gear. And now for the pics:

Ideale saddle with extra-rare hand-hammered copper rivets. Rare because the French have long since lost the strength to hammer rivets by hand.

The blues

2009-07-01T20:45:00.006-04:00

Holly's Raleigh Super Course Mixte is up and running, which is great. Boy is it smooth, and pretty. It came with a bent fork that has since been straightened, and crummy plastic Simplex derailers that have been replaced by the nice Suntour Cyclone stuff taken from my Motobecane project. I was worried about how nice the frame would be, since online photos can be deceiving at times, and some of these old frames are heavy. Turns out the paint looks quite good, with only a few chips, and most of the stickers are good too, though the Raleigh on the downtube is faded, and Sir Walter on the seatpost is almost unidentifiable. The frame is Reynolds 531, though apparently single-butted, and not super lightweight, a fact the steel rims do not help. Still, it's a big step up from the heavy but beautiful 3-speeds Raleigh was making at the time. This bike was probably fourth from the top of the line at the time it was made, and most likely the nicest women's bike. Some years the Super Course was made in the famous Carlton shop in England, though I don't think this is one of them - the mid-range components and cottered crank don't point that direction, anyways. It has a nice upright riding style, and a sprung Brooks B-66 saddle to match. Holly wants some aluminum fenders and maybe a basket eventually, which will probably look nice. Even as is, it makes quite the bike.

I was hoping to have a his-n-hers photoshoot of the new bikes, but gremlins seem to plague that Motobecane. I've switched the bike to a fixed/free wheelset, and ever since problems abound. First, a tube exploded, which scared the dickens out of my riding friends. That was sorted later, and I got to enjoy the first ride on it this morning to class. It was interesting and I'm not sure I'll take to riding a fixie or not at this point. Upon arrival to school I did my best hipster impression, trying to lock up the rear tire to skid to a stop. The chain broke immediately, and it's a good 1/8" chain too. I'll be a little more careful how I reconnect the chain next time, I suppose.

Wanna see something neat?

2009-06-24T18:01:00.002-04:00

Video of rush hour in the Netherlands. Note the beautiful bikes, the stylish clothes, the lack of helmets, and of course the baby riding with dad! Amazing video from Gregraisman on Flickr.

Can't Get Theah From Heah

2009-06-22T15:46:00.012-04:00

Most days commuting by bike is a dream. I get to listen to some good music, get my blood pumping before classes drag me back to earth, enjoy the scenery, and not worry about traffic. I know how long it takes me to get to school and back, and I can usually take my time. But I'd be remiss to suggest that cycling is always a pleasure, especially when life throws your commute a curveball. Actually, in my experience life usually throws a couple curveballs at you at once, to remind you how good your daily life really is most of the time.

A friend, Darren, and I checked out some of the on-campus scenery after class before deciding to hit the Rivertrail for some light riding and photos. I got a tad nervous when I noticed how high the Red Cedar river was while riding through campus. Sure enough, once we hit the on-ramp for the trail, it became clear we weren't going to be able to pass through without snorkels. As a public service I've devised the following advisory system for Rivertrail flooding:

This means you can safely bike using just about anything. The Rivertrail is dry and passable.

This means you should probably ride with some fenders on your bike, as there are puddles and sections where you're going to get wet no matter what.

When you see the galoshes advisory, it means you can brave the rivertrail if you must, but ya better have your best Gorton's Fisherman gear on.

And this is where we are right now, in pure snorkel-assist territory.

So Darren headed back home, and I trudged on, taking my usual Aurelius road alternate route. Having angered the Gods in some way, it wasn't much before home that I reached this awful sight. A detour meant I had to go at least 3 miles out of my way, and there was no getting around it. I reluctantly headed back the way I came, zig-zagged through potholed neighborhood streets, coming out near another rivertrail entrance. Just for shits and giggles I checked it out to see what stage the river was at.

I'd say galoshes at the least.

Mountain Bike Dilemma

2009-06-19T10:00:00.004-04:00

A couple friends and my wife have mountain bikes, and I've never actually gone mountain biking strangely enough. I don't know if I just lacked interest or what, but I figured I might as well have a mountain bike on hand if I want to try it out.

Problem is, I already sorta have a mountain bike on hand. It's an old funky one, too. The frame is a BMX Products Inc, which if you know your bike history is the company that morphed into Mongoose in the mid 1980s. I've been calling it the "Proto-Rawland," after these guys' bikes. It has these old Dia-Compe cantilever brakes that are really cool looking, a Biplane lugged crown fork, a strange set of bullmoose-style handlebars, and some nice Shimano friction thumb shifters. It;s in pretty nice shape, but unfortunately someone thought it was a good idea to lose all the decals some time ago, so I'm not sure what the model was called.

The real problem is the size. It's about the right size for me as a commuter or road machine, but I worry it's too tall to use as a serious offroad bike. When I straddle it, the top tube is definitely firmly planted in my crotchal area, which could probably be bad news if I lost it. It also lacks a wheelset, has a narrower-than-modern rear offset, and the rear derailer hanger is bent. I'm sure I could get the rear triangle spread and derailer hanger straightened easily enough if I decide to build it up, though.

Today I picked up a Fuji Sunfire mountain bike at the local University surplus. Ostensibly I bought this bike to cannibalize the wheelset for the old proto-Rawland frame, but now I wonder if I should just ditch the old bike and stick with the Fuji. The Fuji is certainly nothing special, just a cheap cro-mo rigid frame with some low-end indexed shimano shifters. Not awful, but not great in any way. Plus, it would fit me as a MTB frame probably should.

I'm torn. On the plus side, the proto-Rawland could do double duty, replacing my Bridgestone XO as a commuter and go offroad as well, and it's a really interesting and unique bike. On the negative, it's not a great offroad size, and it needs a bit more work. On the Fuji plus side, it's ready to go. On the negative, it has lower end components, it's 3 lbs heavier, it's boring, and I'd still want my XO for commuting.

If you haven't figured it out, I've pretty much already decided that the proto-Rawland is what I'll stick with. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with big frames offroad. But try to convince me to change to the Fuji if you can. It would certainly be less of a headache.

Another Bike!

2009-06-14T23:44:00.001-04:00

Grand Jubilee Motobecane 1970s
Originally uploaded by michellegcho

So I was looking for a mixte frame as previously noted, and of course a beautiful french road bike plops into my lap at that very moment. It was the right price - free - so I picked it up, knowing it was a good quality frame.

Mine is just like the one pictured here, but it's currently missing the correct rear wheel, seat post, and saddle. No big deal since I have 27" wheels all over my garage, and a seat post is pretty inexpensive too. If I just want to make some money I could just flip this bike quickly, though I don't know if I want to. I've always wanted a French bike, silly as that sounds, and this bike fits me just right and has the extra clearance the Fuji lacks for fenders and such. The paint is in good original shape, and the Suntour Cyclone derailers and shifters work fine too.

It would probably make a fine city bike, with swept back handelbars, a sprung saddle, and fixed/free wheelset, but it would also make a great roadie, obviously. Do I get rid of the Fuji? Options, options, and I still haven't gotten Holly's Mixte yet.

Can't a Brother get a Mixte?

2009-06-12T11:04:00.004-04:00

Holly's Trek has worked out great so far, but since it lacks fender eyelets, it's not really possible to make it an all-weather bike. Now certainly there are ways around this - you can put P-clamps on the fork and rear stays and attach fenders that way, and it works just fine. And of course there are some absolutely beautiful fenders out there for 650B applications, should I decide to ever put fenders on this bike. But that would preclude getting another bike.

Besides, Holly has been clamoring for a "skirt bike," something she can ride around the Rivertrail on without worrying about a top tube messing up her dress. We happen to currently have an old Schwinn that fits that description, but it's very old, very slow, very heavy, and most importantly it's her mom's bike and she'd like it back some time. So I've been looking for a Mixte style bike lately. For those who don't know, the Mixte is a road-bike style that is french in origin. It's considered a ladies bike here, and it replaces the traditional top tube with one or two smaller diameter tubes that run from the head tube all the way past the seat tube to the rear dropouts. Soma makes the new Buena Vista, which is a good example.

The plan for this bike is to build it into a fixed/free singlespeed machine with a sprung saddle, fenders, and some swept-back city bars for comfort. Maybe a wicker basket or two for loads. Problem is, there seems to be a dearth of these frames locally, and I can't seem to find one for the price I want. I actually already picked one up, but it turned out to have an obsolete french bottom bracket, lots of rust, and Holly doesn't like the purple color, so it's back to the drawing board. I think I'll hit up all the local shops today and see what I can come up with.

Longest Ride Yet

2009-06-07T12:12:00.003-04:00

June 6th 2009 was our 6-year anniversary, and the 100 Grand Tour in Grand Rapids happened to fall on the same date this year. Since both Holly and I had been cycling so much lately to commute, and both of had our road bikes ready for such a ride, we signed up - seemed like a good way to spend the day, plus my sister lives out that way so it would be a good excuse to see her. I placed an order for some cycling shorts, got all the spare tubes and water bottles we would need for the ride, and we settled on the 65 mile distance, which was the second-longest available route (105 miles was the longest), but long enough to say we accomplished something without spending all day riding.

When the day came, our shorts had not yet arrived of course, so I made do with some Lands' End shorts and a wool t-shirt, and Holly wore her running shorts and a wool-blend jersey. We mounted the Fuji and 650B Trek up to the Honda's bike rack, and drove to the start point. The day turned out to be brisk in the morning, about 45 degrees or so, and many were wearing jackets of one type or another, but I figured, correctly it turned out, that just shorts and a shirt would be plenty warm enough once we started rolling. The first leg was about 22 miles, which we stretched to 25 thanks to a missed turn. This ride is definitely not a race, though of course it's always fun to count how many slower people you pass. We counted 15 in the first leg, which made us feel good about ourselves. Tip: if you want to pass people, start near the back. The slower riders will drift towards you, and the faster riders are mostly ahead of you already. I had a pretty easy time of it, and the weight advantage of the Fuji over the Trek was pretty obvious on the hills, which I could climb quickly while Holly had to gear down to make it. On the flats and downhills, though, the Trek kept up quite well, which makes me think that, given a nicer set of wheels, it would be at least the Fuji's equal on long jaunts like this.

The second leg wasn't as successful, with lots of faster riders speeding past us. It showed that we were new to this, on our lugged steel "classics," as one rider (who we later passed) called them. Most riders had full-on gear, with the latest and most fashionable spandex jerseys and padded shorts, and carbon or aluminum wonderbikes with indexed shifting, 18 speeds, and backpack hydration systems. Not saying that such things aren't nice to have, but when we spent a grand total of maybe $500 between our two bikes and their outfits alone cost more, well, I couldn't help but smile a little when we passed by a few, or watched as they had to tension their spokes at each pit stop.

Of course, we got passed by a few of them at a good clip too, enough so that we finished the second leg -3, for +12 on the day so far. The middle section was all rural country roads, with long stretches of pavement framed by cows on one side, and corn on the other. We encountered our only asshole of the day here, where a truck driver decided it would be fun to drive 50 miles an hour on the opposite shoulder, spraying dust everywhere. Wish I had a brick to throw at him.

The third, and last, leg saw a return into town over some very hilly terrain, and broken pavement once we neared the more populous streets. As we entered the final 10 miles, catastrophe of the worst kind befell me. I fell off the bike in an epic fashion, while braking to a stop but failing to get my foot out of the pedals in time. In front of other riders, of course. A scraped knee, hand, and bruised ankle were the result, a little easier to tolerate than the damage to my ego. Even so, my true nightmare of a roadside flat fix never came to be, and we rolled in at 2:00 or so, adding another 18 riders passed on this segment, a nice round 30 passes net on the day, one of which was on the only bike that looked older than ours, a nice Schwinn Paramount. In the end, we weren't all that sore aside from my scrapes, and the wool shirt I had chosen proved to be amazingly odor-free even after the long ride and my decision not to wear deodorant! Holly and I had a lot of fun, and we're certainly planning more long rides in the future.

Ride of Silence

2009-05-29T12:23:00.005-04:00

About a week ago, I took part in my first "Ride of Silence," an event where bicyclists get together and ride to honor the people who have been hurt or killed by motorists while cycling. In Lansing this event starts at Michigan State University and ends at the State Capitol building. There was a good turnout of people, and most there sadly had a story to tell about a confrontation with a motorist on the roads. You can see some photos here.

I'm not sure what I feel about the Ride of Silence, and associated Critical Mass, to be honest. I like to ride with groups of people so I go to these things, but I don't think a mass of cyclists riding down Michigan Ave gets any kind of point across at all. Most of the comments I heard from passing motorists were derogatory, from the snide "Nice bike Lance," to the ubiquitous "Get out of the road!" It's hard not to be struck by the sheer amount of people out there who believe a bike has no place on the road, and unfortunately the people who hold these opinions are the ones behind the wheel of 2-ton vehicles "bearing down on you," to quote a famous State News writer.

We belong on the roads, and we're not going anywhere. What can we do to get the point across? I don't think huge masses of cyclists does much other than anger people behind the wheel, which I can understand. The few times I've driven lately I've begun to notice just how aggravating it is to be stuck inside a car in traffic. I certainly don't want to make a motorist any angrier. I really think the best way to make drivers understand our situation is to "drive the bike" as I've heard many say. But that's the big predicament. Do we ride our bikes in the way we would want a car to drive? Or do we ride in the way that motorists actually drive - turning when they shouldn't without signaling, rolling through stop signs, stopping in the middle of intersections, and disregarding the right of way? I'll be honest, I don't stop for every red light or stop sign on the bike, and I don't always "drive the bike," so to speak. I'd consider my commute "aggressively defensive." I ride in a way that will keep me alive, because there are already too many dead cyclists.

Commuting in Spring

2009-05-20T22:32:00.002-04:00

Just a short glimpse into my daily commute.

Hitting a Wall

2009-05-19T16:44:00.004-04:00

Riding has not gone too well lately. There have been an awful lot of trips where I've needed to be picked up in a car after getting to my destination for one reason or another. My road bike got another flat, which should teach me to a) have a spare tube and b) not rely on it as a daily commuter. I've just started nursing school as well, and there have been situations where I cannot carry everything I need for school, or been running too late due to poor planning, to ride the bike. Hopefully I'll be able to get the Bridgestone configured where I can haul enough to commute, and get my schedule in order so that I'm not rushing out the door at the last second.

In the meantime, the weather is just gorgeous in town. The flowers are blooming, the air is light and crisp in the mornings, though the sun has started to slow me down in the afternoons already. The scenery makes for a pretty picture, if only I find the time to slow down, and have the wherewithal to bring a camera.

Speaking of which, I stumbled across a garden bike on a trip around town. I like the idea of retiring a bike out to garden duties. It's a perfect way for a bike that has served decades of use to find a permanent home, and eventually fade away into oblivion. It's much more fitting in spirit than chucking a bike into a dumpster. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled and see if I can find any more in the area.

That old 3-speed charm

2009-05-12T13:05:00.005-04:00

Much of my riding is done on a commute, and commuting calls for a specific sort of bicycle - durable, relatively swift, and protected from the elements. My Bridgestone XO that I have written much about does a good job of this. It's not road-bike fast and it never could be - the bike is too heavy and the single speed only lets you pedal so fast. But it has full fenders, racks for carrying things, and the single speed makes it simple to keep running smoothly in all sorts of weather. Its mustache bars provide lots of comfortable hand positions, but they aren't necessarily beautiful.

For the past week or so I've been fixing up an old Raleigh for my sister. It's got the old 3-speed Sturmey-Archer hub on the rear, full fenders, and elegant understated styling. Typical British bicycle, in other words. For those who don't know, the Internally Geared Hub, or IGH, is a wonder of maintenance simplicity. The gears are all inside the rear hub, which means you have a straight chainline, no derailers to muck about with or keep clean, and only a few drops of oil keeps it functioning for decades. Literally - this one was built in 1974, and shows no signs of slowing down. The downsides are that the 3 speeds aren't exactly spaced apart much. The low gear is only useful for really hammering on the pedals flat-out, and the high for going very slowly up steep inclines. This means you find yourself pedaling at a leisurely pace in the middle gear for 90% of the time. Other companies like Shimano and SRAM make hubs with more gears, and a high end maker, Rohloff, sees fit to go up to 14 gears. Those hubs are a bit beyond my budget at this point, however.

These old steel machines are also extremely heavy, which means they last a long time, but are also slow getting up to speed. The upright riding position is quite comfortable, especially on a sprung saddle, but it sure makes for rough going in wind, as I found out. So, in my view, this is a great "ride around town" bike, but not a "get me to work on time" bike. I'm not turned off by the IGH for a commuter yet, however. I have been pleading the local bike shop to order an Origin 8 3-speed commuter, but if that falls through I may just find a way to put an IGH on the Bridgestone.

Can't Leave Well Enough Alone

2009-05-02T19:43:00.011-04:00

I am one of those that has what I call the "More Power" disease. This is a nod to the old sitcom Home Improvement, where Tim Allen's character can't seem to leave anything as it is, and has to modify everything to suit his eccentric tastes, in his case adding ridiculous amounts of power to any appliance with a motor in it. I have my own eccentric ideas about the way things should be, and though there are people out there who build things the way I want them, it always seems that those things cost much more than I can justify spending. Like when I wanted to buy a new car, I wanted a microcar. The only microcar on the market is the Smart Fortwo, and for reasons unknown the local dealership was asking about $15,000 for a Smart sans A/C. Needless to say, I don't drive a fortwo.

Or the bikes I like, old handbuilt steel frames designed with attention and care, that have flowing graceful lines, beautiful paint and chrome accents, and a smooth days-on-end ride quality. Sure there are folks out there that make such bikes, and do a great job at it. But I can't afford the $3,000+ a bike from Rivendell, Sweet Pea, or the like are asking.

So I do the best I can with what is available, and find cheap ways to make the things I can afford suit my taste. I built up a club racing Fuji with the idea of running 650B wheels, but when it was finished it was obvious the only wheelset and tires that would fit were thin 700 x 23c, think "skinny" with a capital S. It's fast, pretty, and fun to ride around, but it's also buzzy, somewhat flat-prone, and no way can it fit fenders. Simply, it could never be more than a sunny day ride.

I recently found a pretty Trek 560 frame and fork sitting on the local bike shop's shelf, with nice paint and racing geometry, and my mind instantly sprang back to the 650B wheelset I had sitting in the garage. A week later, Holly's new commuter took to the streets. It has lots of room, cushy but fast-rolling Grand Bois tires that are a good 10mm wider than what would be possible with the original sized wheels. Even though the width has increased, and the diameter of the wheels decreased, the bike still acts sprightly, and accelerates quickly to cruising speed.

Not that there are no problems with switching to a smaller sized wheel on the frame. The first and most obvious problem comes when you try to mount a brake. The original brakes were placed to hit the rim quite a few millimeters higher than the 650B rim, so you have to hunt down some longer-reach brakes. I was lucky enough to have some Dia-Compe centerpulls in the garage that worked perfectly, but the popularity of wheel conversions has prompted brake makers such as Tektro to start building some very nice brakes for just this kind of build.

The other problem is less apparent, but impossible to fix. Since the new 650B wheels are smaller than the original wheels, the bike sits a bit lower than it was designed to. This actually places the top-tube in a lower position which can have stand-over benefits to some riders. But it also moves the bottom bracket, and therefore the crankset and pedals, closer to the ground. This isn't a terrible problem so long as you are aware of it, and don't pedal through a deep turn. I've already had a pedal or two strike pavement as I rounded a turn, and have cautioned Holly about it. It would be much more worrisome on a fixed gear bike, where you can't help but continue to pedal through a turn.

I finished off the build with some old Campagnolo Victory shifters and derailers, and busted out the old Mothers Aluminum Polish to give it all a nice shine and sparkle. Holly reports satisfaction so far. So there you have it. A pretty lugged steel frame made in the US, a lightweight and fast ride, but also made more supple and comfortable due to the additional benefits of the wider 650B tires. Not that it couldn't have a bit more power...

Rivertrail Flood Alert

2009-04-28T08:39:00.001-04:00

enjoy a flood for once in your life
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

Lansing's Rivertrail is heavily flooded in many areas. People with an aversion to striped backs, wet feet, and splashing in general are advised to stay clear for the following week. This not a test.

Spring Cleaning

2009-04-24T12:52:00.007-04:00

Spring means get on your bike and ride to most folks, but for a few of us goofier people it means time to clean up the bike after months of winter road grime and salt. I myself am lucky enough to have a couple bikes, one for the nice weather and one for the rain/snow. Holly really has had only one bike for a long time, an old Gitane that I cobbled together into a single-speed commuter. It really is a bit too small for her, and it's certainly not pretty enough to show off in the summer. I felt bad about spending so much time and money on my bikes, nice as they are, when she commutes more than I do by bike and is relegated to riding an old beater.

So for the summer, I stumbled across a 1983 Trek 560 frame in her size and decided to build it up into a summer fun bike. The 560 was a steel lugged bike built in Wisconsin, with a tight racing geometry. Read: small tires and no fenders. I just happened to have a 650B wheelset laying around waiting for the right bike, so I mounted them up. 650B wheels are smaller in diameter than the original 700C wheels the Trek came with, which means that they sit lower on the frame, increasing clearance for larger width tires. I have a set of Grand Bois Cypres tires on there, which are about 30mm wide, nearly double the original tire, and they're smooth and fast, to boot. The only problem with 650B conversions is getting long brakes to reach the rim, but I had some Dia-Compe centerpulls that fit the bill nicely. After adding some old Campagnolo shifters and derailers, the whole thing came out very nicely. I even shined up a lot of the metal with some Mother's aluminum polish to look extra nice.

Holly also has wanted a bike that she can ride with a skirt and cute shoes for a while now, a movement that seems to be growing thanks in large part to sites and blogs like Copenhagen Cycle Chic and Let's Go Ride a Bike. I have a Mixte frame coming eventually, but we already have her mom's old Schwinn Suburban in the garage, and that thing just sparkles. It's also really old, slow, and heavy, so I'm not sure how long she'll be able to hold out commuting on it. I shined it up too, adjusted the brakes, and now it's ready for some cruising. All it really needs now is a cute wicker basket and she'll be set.

Reminder

2009-04-17T11:17:00.002-04:00

Another Critical Mass tonight, 6pm at the Beaumont Tower in East Lansing on the MSU campus. I'll be there if at all possible, should be fun.

Critical Mass-a-thon

2009-04-14T13:10:00.007-04:00

As noted previously, there has been a lot of local cyclist-related hoopla (HOOPLA!) in Mid-Michigan. Alleged Saturn driver and State News hack Zack Colman wrote and published an article in the State News giving free advice to cyclists, such as "bicyclists on the road are a driving hazard to people in automobiles," "you are where you should not be," and "you're not Lance Armstrong." Obviously, many cyclists got upset about this, particularly the comment that they weren't Lance Armstrong.

Typical ways that an angry cyclist will react to a negative situation include but are not limited to: flipping "the bird," calling for, but never actually committing, U-lock justice, angry comments on local websites, bitching at the LBS with the "crew," and of course the dreaded Critical Mass. I believe all of these things happened, but I know for a fact that Friday April 10 at 6pm, MSU was the staging area for a Zack-Colman-related Critical Mass.

As with many protests nowadays, it started as a tweet, which got retweeted and facebooked until a critical mass of critical massholes was reached, and a consensus of time and date arrived at. I arrived a bit early at Beaumont tower, expecting to see maybe 20-40 Massholes once the clock struck 6, but people, and bikes, kept showing up. upon the decided hour, we rolled out behind a bike-towed trailer to the tune of two bagpipes. Somehow the local bagpipe community had been informed of the event, though I'm not sure of the connection. Seizing the opportunity, MSUBikes' own Tim Potter gave a rousing "they will never take... Our FREEDOM" speech in the mode of William Wallace. That last detail may or may not be remembered by all, due to the high endorphins running through the blood of the collected Massholes.

Once rolling along, the mass of cyclists made their way on the roads of campus (gasp!), ending up at the Sparty statue for a photo-op, just in time to interrupt a proposal. Sorry guy, hope she said yes and you live happily ever after. After a couple hours of riding and only one cycling-related injury reported, the group headed to the MSU Police HQ to debrief and chat.

Turns out the turnout could have been far bigger, but for students' propensity to leave campus for the Easter holiday. Perhaps that was Zack Colman's dastardly idea to muck things up. To correct this mistake and give the MSU campus a second chance to fall prey to a huge herd of cyclists, another Critical Mass has been scheduled for this Friday at 6pm, at the Beaumont tower. Bring your friends, helmets, and be safe. We don't want anyone to get hurt if at all possible. Confine yourselves to one lane of traffic and observe all traffic rules. And if you ride a French bike, don't forget your tools.

Thanks to Tim Potter and Marci Baranski for use of photos 1 and 3, respectively.

The Reason We're Hated

2009-04-09T12:30:00.007-04:00

edit: Impromptu Critical Mass: There will be an impromptu critical mass event tomorrow, April 10th, at 6 pm starting at Beaumont tower on MSU campus, to protest Zack Colman's column. Join us.

Cyclists are hated, no doubt about it. We hold up traffic from reaching the next red light. We go too fast, or maybe too slow. We cross intersections unexpectedly and run red lights. Generally speaking, we make life a living hell for those humans smart enough to get behind the wheel of a 2-ton car and drive the 3.5 miles to their next destination.

Just ask this guy. He's an opinion columnist for the State News, and it's his belief that all cyclists belong on the sidewalks and out of his way, while he's sipping a latte and changing radio stations in his awesome 2001 Saturn SC2. If he has to run us over to get where he's going and pronto, then so be it. Why, we're riding on the road, and obviously we don't belong there, since we can't go 70 miles an hour down Farm Lane like he can.

Truth be told, I ride on the road whenever possible, and for many reasons. Most people think it's because riding on the sidewalk is inconvenient, which is true. It's a pain riding around pedestrians, trying to navigate without hitting, much less annoying, someone whose rightful place is truly on the sidewalk.

But for me, the reason for riding on the road is safety. You are nearly invisible when riding on the sidewalk, and when the time comes to cross a roadway or driveway, traffic is not going to slow down, even when it's your turn to cross. Plenty of cyclists have been hit and killed by cars turning left or right into them while they used a crosswalk. Drivers simply do not look for you to cross there. At least in the road you are in plain sight, and if that means inconveniencing a few people on their way to get their oil changed, then so be it. When seen, you are less likely to be hit.

Even on the road you have to be careful, and expect cars to do the unexpected. Many cyclists have different ways to be seen on the road: some ride like they're invisible, dodging cars, weaving and swerving like a madman to avoid being hit. Some are patient, obeying all traffic laws as if they were driving a car. Some are moving light shows, with blinking red lights, reflective vests, and flags attached to the rear wheel. My advice is to simply be aware of your surroundings, and ride defensively. Know that, in any given battle between car and bicycle, the bike will lose. Also, use the right of way with sensitivity to the situation. Better alive and wrong, than dead and right.

Now that the weather is sunny and warm again, I look forward to seeing the streets full of bicycles like salmon clogging a stream. Good luck, and keep the rubber side down.

WINTER RETURNS

2009-04-07T11:47:00.002-04:00

Aw, frickerfrack. Just when the sun comes out, you get to feel the heat of spring's first rays on your back and peel off the layers of winter wool, Michigan reminds you that it's early April, and dumps a half foot of snow on you. We had a particularly nasty snowfall, and a neighbor lost a big tree during the night. Thankfully, I have yet to pack up my winter gear, so on go the goggles, on goes the headband, on goes the waterproof pants, and away we go.

A classmate said to me she was thinking "no way is he going to ride today, no way at all" right as I passed by on my bike. I really didn't feel like riding through the disgusting slush and cold, but once underway I remembered how snowy commutes really aren't a big deal at all. Obviously after a mile or so you no longer feel the cold all that much, and so long as you have appropriate gear, the snow and slush doesn't cause all that many problems, either. The one thing I will not miss, however, is cleaning the frozen road grime off the Bridgestone.

So, looking at the forecast there will be another day of snow and chilly wind, but after that we are looking at sunny skies and low-to-mid fifties. To me, that's darn near perfect cycling weather, and I can't wait.

Nothing beats a new pair of shoes.

2009-04-02T16:02:00.006-04:00

And by shoes I mean tires. I have not been particularly enjoying the morning commute on the Bridgestone XO-3 - it's been slow, noisy, and heavy, and takes far too much energy to get going. The speed problem was particularly apparent when I got to hop on my Fuji during a warm spring day. I can't expect the XO to be super fast - it wasn't really designed to be - but riding it should hardly be a chore. So I started by changing the tires, from big fat knobby things that felt slow and unresponsive to the well-regarded Panaracer Pasela, in 700x35.

With the new tires I immediately noticed an increase in speed, and the bike felt much more connected to the road. The tires are still a bit on the wide side, which is what I was looking for on this bike. Before, the bike felt comfortable on backroads, but on the city streets it felt much like a heavy mountain bike would, out of its element. Having changed the tires out, I actually found myself spinning out when the speed started to pick up, so when I got back from the first shakedown, I changed out the chainring to something a little bigger. To tackle the noise issue, I adjusted the singleator and cleaned up the chain. The change in ride was drastic, from cloddy and noisy to somewhat agile and silent.

One of the things that drew me to the Bridgestone in the first place was its do-anything personality. Cantilever brakes and huge clearance assures that the bike should be able to tackle many terrains, from backwoods trails to paved city streets. Thankfully, the XO's cross-country nature hasn't been spoiled by the Paselas. It feels downright spirited bombing through the backwoods. To do the final test, I took it to my local trails and paths park, Scott Woods, near Hawk Island Park. It's a good mix of unpaved trails and nicely blacktopped walking and riding paths. You always spot a lot of squirrels scurrying through the leaves this time of year, but a careful eye reveals that squirrels and joggers aren't the only creatures about. I can't wait to try a longer jaunt.

Spin Street Bicycles

2009-03-27T12:49:00.007-04:00

Spin Street Bicycles is Lansing's newest local bike shop. Its location on Turner Street puts it square in the middle of what is undeniably the hippest Lansing neighborhood, Old Town. If there are hipsters in Lansing outside of MSU, they're to be found at the Perspective2 Art Studio, the lofts along Turner street, and foodie breakfast heaven Golden Harvest, all of which lie within the bounds of Old Town. So they've got a bike shop in Old Town now. Messenger bags, fixed-gears, and pretentious music, right?

Well, it's much more than that. Chad Cottom, the owner of Spin Street Bicycles, told me that they get their fair share of MSU kids coming across town - just last week he sold a Pista, matter of fact. He had a couple fixies proudly displayed alongside the other bikes, and he deals in Bianchi and Fuji, both of which have great street cred in the urban cycling scene. There was even a Fuji OBEY fixed-gear, a flate-black bike with brassy accents, just dripping in cool.

But Old Town is situated in Lansing after all, which means Spin Street caters to a crowd far beyond the few fixie riders that live in the area. The shop certainly has a road bike bent to it, which is natural given the area. Bianchi and Fuji both have a full lineup from steel to carbon frames, and everything in between. Chad seems to have a couple of Randonneur customers as well, so if your cycling needs include long hauls through the countryside, Spin Street has you covered. They also have started carrying the Jamis line of bikes, which covers many areas and pricepoints Fuji and Bianchi do not. Thre was even a Rans Hammertruck there, an extracycle-like cargo bike capable of carrying a mammoth load in the hundreds of pounds.

The shop does both sales and service, and carries a full line of accessories from tools and locks to helmets and clothing. While there, I noticed a peculiar lack of the "holier-than-thou" attitude that pervades many other local bike shops, and I'd bet this would be a good shop for the cyclist tired of being talked down to, if the attitude of the owner is any indication. I may bug him about carrying the goods from my favorite online bike shop, Velo-Orange, as I think it would fit in well with the other items on hand. Come to think of it, I think Surly bikes would make a good fit too. Of course, there's only so much showroom space.

Spin Street Bicycles
1214 Turner St.
517.372.3000

Other Bike Goodness

I had a pleasant surprise while riding to Old Town. I took the whole length of the Rivertrail, and was shocked to see that all the borken pavement along the path near Potter Park has been completely resurfaced! Anyone who had to skip that section and ride along the parking lot will know what a relief this is. Unfortunately the path northwest of the park is still broken in many places, with huge headset-loosening bumps caused by tree roots. Hopefully this section is next on the agenda for the city.

Photo-Related Surprise

Speaking of Potter Park, I was shocked to see a young woman lean out of a car and snap a photo of me riding. With a Diana! If you don't know, anyone who uses a Diana has a special place in my heart, so of course I had to have a short chat with her about crappy cameras. Apparently, MSU still had a real photography course, where pople use real cameras and get this - REAL FILM! She even mentioned 4x5. Awesome. Thanks for stopping, Caitlin!

Can't get comfortable

2009-03-24T23:43:00.001-04:00

XO-3 Setup
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

I bought a Bridgestone XO-3 off ebay, and was pretty happy with it when it arrived. It's got a ton of clearance for wide tires and fenders, it's a good size for me, has a good handlebar and stem setup, and was built up as a single speed bike for ease of use and maintenance.

And so for the last few weeks I've been commuting on it, and something is just off on it. For some reason, it just feels super slow. I don't know if it's the tires I have on it - thick knobbies, the heavy wheelset, the heavy frame, or just a geometry that's poorly suited for power.

I'm going to try a few easily replaced things, like swifter tires, and see if that gets rid of the slow bike blues. I don't expect it to ever overtake my Fuji in terms of speed and agility, but I don't want to sweat my butt off to go a reasonable speed, either.

Shifting Focus

2009-03-11T23:25:00.001-04:00

Zipping Along
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

I have had a hard time keeping this blog constantly updated, and a big part of that is that my photography has been unfocused lately. I am trying to get that back into shape, concentrating on my artistic strengths and what I enjoy, not painting with such broad strokes, so to speak. Another part of that is my growing fondness for cycling. I have restrained myself from shouting about that here, but I am starting to believe that the two hobbies aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, judging by the number of people I've met who enjoy both.

Basically I intend to cover the local cycling and photo scene in equal measure here, and try to see just where and when the two might overlap. Lansing has some great cycling, and it certainly has some great opportunities for photography, and things seem to be getting better each season. Stay tuned.

Cycling through the Seasons

2009-03-11T09:09:00.002-04:00

Spring finally feels close enough to touch, and I'm ready for some spring cycling, after a long cold winter of slushy commutes. A couple photographers locally have begun to meet up at a monthly meeting, watch this space for further details about upcoming events and projects.

Sad News

2009-03-01T19:15:00.001-05:00

Koi
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

One of my personal favorite spots in Lansing suffered tragedy this winter. Over the course of the long cold spell we had, the Koi pond at LCC's Shigematsu Memorial Gardens froze down to unsustainable levels, and all of the beautiful Koi but 3 were killed. The College believes they had an insufficient number of bubblers working to sustain the fish through such a cold snap.

I'm happy that the college plans to implement a better cold-weather solution for next year, including perhaps another bubbler and a heater, and they also plan to restock the pond. But of course it's sad that so many beautiful fish had to die because the pond was poorly designed for this climate. I'm not sure the pond itself is deep enough to overwinter the Koi, so I plan on talking with a fish vet friend to get his opinion.

I still love the place, it's a great place of solitude and wonderful memories for me amidst the din and bustle of downtown, but I'm afraid the waters will always be tinged crimson with Koi blood in my mind from now on.

Introduction to Manual Photography

2009-02-19T15:39:00.001-05:00

Afternoon Dog Walker
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

I wanted to do an introduction to Stereo Photography (that's 3-d, folks!), but I figured that would be a little too much too early, and seeing as how I have yet to even touch upon how to use an old camera like the Stereo Realist, I have decided to do a bit of an intro to those who want to use older cameras effectively. There are other sites, this is my favorite, out there to help you get a bit more in depth as far as exposure guesstimation, so if you have the want or need to figure out how to do this like a pro, then by all means do the research and practice a bunch. But if you want to cheat a little bit, just follow these handy tips.

First, the camera. I'm assuming you have an all-manual camera on which you can set A) shutter speed, and B) aperture. If you have an old film camera, like an SLR or rangefinder, you're all set. If you have a dSLR, you're all set there too, but you won't have to wait for lab prints to find out how your exposure guesses went. To do this, set your camera to M mode (manual!), and adjust aperture and shutter speeds accordingly.

Next, film speed. A good all-around film speed, or ISO, to start with is 400. Why? Why not - it will give good results in cloudy to sunny light. If you're using film, use a color negative film, as it has lots of room for error, or latitude if you will. If you're using a dSLR, change the ISO accordingly.

Sunny 16
This is an easy rule to remember, and it works well. If you go outside, and it's bright and sunny, you should set your aperture to f/16, and film speed to the inverse of the ISO. So if you took my advice and loaded up color 400 film, that would make a good sunny day exposure f/16 at about 1/400th of a second. Simple!

It gets complicated when you have to change shutter speed or aperture to get different effects, and if you want to know how to do that, I'd suggest looking into the other sites I mentioned earlier. As it is, when you start out stick with f/16 on sunny days and you'll be a-ok.

I also like to use the rule "cloudy 5.6" to mention you can do this on cloudy days too. If it's really super cloudy out, you need to open aperture up to about f/5.6 at the inverse of ISO, or in our case 1/400. If it's somewhere in between, you can set the aperture at f/8 or f/11, depending on how bright it is. Use your instincts, and practice!

Holga Tips

What does this mean when using a Holga? Well, the Holga is all-manual in a way - its settings are the same all the time, and the only thing you can change is the film speed. Suffice to say, the Holga shoots well in cloudy light with 400 speed film, and really sunny light can do well with 100 speed film. But don't overthink it. Matter of fact, I've shot with primarily 200-speed film in my Holga, and haven't had any real exposure problems.

Some other things...

2009-02-05T09:58:00.001-05:00

LFGSS
Originally uploaded by adam_scott

I love photography for so many reasons, and one of my favorite types of photography is the photo-documentary, taking photos of an event and trying to crystallize many varied things into one amazing photo. The picture here is what I think exemplifies that notion.

This was taken at the London FixedGear/SingleSpeed Tweed Run, an event where a bunch of British bikers got together, dressed to the nines, to enjoy a leisurely roll through the streets, and a bit of fun together. I love the whole concept for several reasons, not the least of which is just the beauty of it. If anybody does an affectation right, it's the Brits, and I've come to love these affectations, little things you do for their own sake. Dress Tweeds, vintage steel bikes, pipe smoking, facial hair, and photography with a vintage camera. It's certainly something I can get behind.

I love taking my bike out and having a slow roll through the park, stopping every once in a while to take photos. I think I may start dressing better on these runs, and why not? Hell, get some people together and make a day out of it. If you wan to see more of the Londoner's Tweed Run, you can go here and here. Lots of wonderful photos, take your time looking.

In Other News, the Lansing photographers are going to be having a second meetup this weekend. It will be at Gone Wired Café, which is on Michigan Ave. It will start at 6:30, on Sunday Feb 8th. Should be fun, we're just gonna sit, chat, drink some coffee and get to know each other a bit. If you wanna bring a camera that's A-OK with us, just know it's pretty dark in there. Hope to see you there!

Lansing Flickrmeet

2009-01-19T11:49:00.002-05:00

Lansing Flickrmeet
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

Lots of fun at the Lansing photo stroll, despite the extreme cold. Next time, I propose more hanging out and less freezing my ass off. If you're interested in meeting up, check out the Lansing Flickr Group, and I'm sure we'll have something again next month, in February.

Other photos from this photostroll can be seen here, here, and here. Lots of great photos, thanks for coming everybody!

Lansing Photo Walk!

2009-01-09T21:42:00.001-05:00

Grand River Avenue Bridge
Originally uploaded by Eridony

Finally, a Lansing photo walk has been scheduled and I'll be making it! Hooray!

Anyway, if you want to come and talk, and shoot some fun photos, meet us at Great Lakes Coffee in the Stadium District at 3pm. We should have quite a turnout, which is exciting. If you're into film especially, I'd love to meet you, but of course I'm not much of a snob so come as you are.

Hopefully this will turn into a semi-regular thing.

Scanning

2008-12-29T15:52:00.001-05:00

Ross's old red sweater
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

Catching up on scanning is fun sometimes, much as I hate doing the tedious work. I found some really nice negatives in my folder just waiting to be processed, some from over a year ago. Most are from the Mamiya Press, and certainly have a great quality to them.

On another note, I'm seriously thinking about making 2009 be the year of the Mamiya, and perhaps only using that camera all year. I dunno. It would certainly be a fun experiment.

Scanning Negatives is bad for the Psyche

2008-12-02T20:35:00.001-05:00

Hawk Island Park: Bench in Winter
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

Scanning negatives is the only thing holding me back from using my Mamiya Press more or less constantly. I love the heft of the camera, the photos are beautiful, and I work pretty well with it. The negatives are super-detailed from edge to edge, and it suits a photojournalistic style well.

But honestly, you can only understand how much pain scanning can cause when you scan a medium format 6x9 negative on an old flatbed scanner through a USB 1.1 connection onto an old iMac. It's torturous. And when it finally is done scanning, I have to go through the whole photo and retouch all the dust so it doesn't look terrible, crop out the edges, and hope there are no terrible scanning artifacts. Ugh, what a process. I can only get through maybe two photos from start to finish before I have to get up and do something else.

I can see why people praise digital so much. Sure the final image isn't really as good in many ways, but boy you sure don't have to jump through any hoops to get there. Shoot, transfer, process - it's got to be about 10x quicker than scanning medium format film.

I guess I could do better with faster equipment, but that would cost quite a bit, so I'll be torturing myself a while longer yet. It's worth the effort.

Color in Winter

2008-11-25T13:52:00.001-05:00

Chucks and Colors
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

It's hard to find. If you want a really colorful place, try a playground. They look especially weird when it's too cold and snowy for the kids to play, I think. This shot was at Hawk Island Park, the water park area. They obviously have turned off the water, and no kids around, so I can finally take some photos there without feeling like a creep.

Bring your camera with you!

2008-11-17T13:17:00.001-05:00

Winter Heron
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

Seriously! I usually bring mine to class with me every day, but today I forgot it at home. Of course there was a beautiful Blue Heron in the middle of the Koi pond today, looking majestic against the snow-covered rocks. I raced home to get the camera, and by the time I got back of course he was gone. I eventually saw him flying rooftop to rooftop and managed this photo.

The key to great Osanpo photography is just taking your camera with you, and keeping your eyes open. Be prepared!

Busy time of year!

2008-11-06T16:31:00.001-05:00

Blank Ballot
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

I've been pretty darn busy photographically lately! I had a wedding about 3 weeks ago that I shot for a friend and I'm still working through the RAW files - over 500 of them! Whew, that's a lot of processing, gotta keep going.

I also went to a great costume party for Halloween, and was quite happy I brought my camera. I went digital, with my Canon XT, and I recently plunked down the (whole lotta) cash for a 580EXII flash, which has been oh so useful lately, what with the sun setting at like 5 pm. So there are some good costume shots here, especially if you're a big Hayao Miyazaki fan!

Finally, you may have noticed it was election day recently. I took my camera with me to take some shots at the polls, and a friend mentioned later it's illegal to take any photos there. So for the record, I didn't take any election photos at the polls, because we all know that's illegal in Michigan for some dumb reason.

I'll update with the progress on the wedding photos soon.

Bicycle in Autumn

2008-10-15T18:03:00.001-04:00

Bicycle in Autumn
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

The joys of Polaroid are back. Just shoot, pull, wait, and peel. I'm glad Fuji is going to continue to support instant film for a while. I'm not ready to give it up. Get out and shoot while the leaves are turning!

Sugoi desu ne!

2008-10-01T12:52:00.001-04:00

Koi
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

Koi are pretty cool in my book, and so are Japanese gardens. Lansing Community College has one of the best Japanese gardens around, for my money. They have a beautiful waterfall trickling down to a pond stocked with some of the most gorgeous Koi. It's not too deep, so I doubt they overwinter there, but I don't know for certain when they remove the fish, and where they go when it's time to move them.

Peadeful is the way I'd describe it, and such a serene atmosphere is a valuable commodity in the immediate area. I hope LCC continues to keep the garden up for years to come, it's the crown jewel of the campus.

Before the winter snow, you can go view the garden and fish together on LCC's main campus, off Capitol Ave near the intersection with Genesee. Check out the cool Rogers-Carrier house while you're there too, some really neat architecture.

Day of ROBOTRON

2008-09-24T10:00:00.001-04:00

ROBOTRON
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

More fun with the robot.

Look out, a Robot!

2008-09-08T10:27:00.002-04:00

ROBOTRON
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

A friend had a great idea for a photoshoot, and for once we actually followed through on it. We just happened to have a robot laying around, and thought about how Robots and humans have a big communication barrier between them. We thought about how Robots have to go about their daily lives when they are not laboring for us, and how people can misinterpret their actions. We also thought about how to portray the different ways Robots see the world, how they notice things we take for granted.

These shots were the result, and I think they came out great. I chose to use my Digital SLR, though originally I planned on using my big Mamiya medium format. After thinking more than a few minutes, I decided it would be more important to be able to move and shoot at the same time, and let the camera do at least some of the thinking (exposure and focus-wise) for me. That turned out to be a good idea, as I would have missed most of these shots had I decided to use the slow, cumbersome Mamiya.

I knew up front I wanted to go with a black-and-white film or digital conversion, because Robots just scream black and white to me - from binary code to their actual colors. It also turned out to be a bit of a rainy day, which worked in my favor, since Robots tend to be quite reflective, and the clouds muted that a bit.

Oh, and if you're wondering why I'm not posting lately, sorry. I've been taking less photos to be honest, and the ones I have taken have to get processed still. I'm in school, working, and applying to nursing school. So get off my back, willya?

Shifting Gear

2008-07-17T22:21:00.001-04:00

Alpena: Field of Daisies
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

Some of you may know, I am a user of the Pentax digital SLR range, or was until recently. I bought a K100D brand new a couple years ago, and it served me beautifully while I had it. Shots were crisp and the body was totally reliable, and the in-camera shake reduction and backwards lens compatibility were handy features I found myself using more often than I would have believed before buying the camera. A great introduction to digital photography.

So why then, do I find myself with a Canon Rebel XT, a body that is older and arguably "worse" than the K100D that I started out with? Well, I found a great deal on one at the right time for starters, but to be totally truthful, I found the Pentax didn't always do exactly what I wanted it to, every time.

When it comes to a dSLR, I have found that a body that produces predictable results is worth its weight in gold. The Pentax had white balance issues under many different light sources, its exposures seemed to be consistently underexposed, especially when using older manual focus lenses, RAW mode was unsupported by my older copy of photoshop, and perhaps most frustratingly, its NiMH AA batteries seemed to leak a charge and die before I picked up the camera to shoot, requiring me to keep a fresh set on the charger at all times.

Worst of all, in order to get decent results from JPG mode, I felt I had to set the camera to a flat tone and sharpness curve and adjust in post, almost processing each JPG image as if it were a RAW file. When processed, these files looked great - sharp, beautiful, rich, and contrasty. But it was the time that it took me to process even the quickest of snapshots that frustrated me.

With the Canon, I have found great shots that come right out of the camera, spot-on white balance and exposure nearly every time, and a great supply of new and used accessories and lenses that are, quite oddly, less expensive than their Pentax equivalents. So I'm a happy camper.

Not that I'm totally happy with the Canon - its tiny LCD is just about useless for critical things like checking focus, the viewfinder is at best no better than the Pentax, and I don't find its controls quite as intuitive. Plus, the body is that "sparkly silver" color that just screams amateur. But hey, I am an amateur right now, and it gets the job done. I saved a bundle on the body, so I have decided I will spend the cash on a decent set of lenses, where it counts. I started with the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, which I love so far.

More as it comes...

Happy 4th Lansing

2008-07-06T00:11:00.001-04:00

FireCookies
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

Went down to the festivities on the fourth, and only really saw one other guy with an interest in shooting the fireworks. Riverfront Park is quite photogenic though, and I found a bit to inspire me while we waited for the show to start. Also, Lansing Community College is simply gorgeous in the summer. The landscaping and gardens are quite easy on the eyes, and the Japanese garden, with the huge Koi pond, seems like it's straight out of a fairytale.

I bet it would make a great photowalk location - you could hit all the historic buildings including the Capitol, the LCC campus, and take some photos of people enjoying the riverwalk and nearby farmer's market, maybe even a quick trip up to Old Town.

This needs to be posted

2008-06-27T11:35:00.001-04:00

Carré Does What She Wants
Originally uploaded by Lou O' Bedlam

I haven't been posting much, and that's because I haven't been photographing anything, at all. I'm in between cameras right now, and life is throwing me a ton of curveballs in regards to transportation, work, and study. No big deal, I'm busy but happy.

However, this shot, from Mr. Lou O'Bedlam has inspired me. I need to go out and shoot. I need companionship. I need to quit worrying about fixing the Volvo's water pump, and just enjoy summer while it lasts.

Even a film holdout uses digital

2008-05-24T09:50:00.001-04:00

My favorite part of Spring
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

That's right, I'm a digital shooter too. I think there are plenty of areas where digital and its instant feedback are useful, for example, still life. You can check lighting, composition, focus, depth of field, all within a second and adjust. The more you play with it, the more likely you are to get good results on the first try. No more bracketing shots!

And for learning off-camera lighting, a la Strobist, digital cameras are a godsend. Pop off a few shots and check them to see if your flash is at the right angle and power, and you're good to go. Honestly, I'm lost trying to do bounce flash with a film camera - it's an insurmountable task for me. With digital, just pop a few shots to get it dialed in.

Some people think its lazy, learning via trial and error like this, and not making the attempt to learn the math behind lighting and focus. They may be right, I don't know, but in this era I think you would be insane to use film in many circumstances. I think the shot of Morel mushrooms I've posted here would have been quite difficult to get right on the first try with my big Mamiya camera, but using the instant feedback of digital, I dialed it in.

Now if I wanted to reshoot the shot with a film camera for a particular effect, all I have to do is get the settings from my digital, set my film camera up similarly, and bingo bango you have the shot. Years ago pros would use Polaroids to make sure their shots were coming out correctly exposed. That was expensive and slow. I still use Polaroids of course, but digital has to be king for shot proofing now.

Local Photo Show

2008-05-14T12:54:00.001-04:00

Dirty Rollers
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

You may know that there are a lot of great art galleries in Lansing, many of them centered in the Old Town neighborhood. Well, from now until June 30, the AE Gallery at 523 E. Grand River near old town is running a Lansing Photographers exhibit. Some great photographers are hanging their work there, including Doug Elbinger, Stan Simmons, Gabe Lopez, and many others including yours truly. I have five Polaroid pieces up, and I'm quite proud to be in my second show.

If you have the inkling of checking out what the local talent is up to, head over to AE Gallery, which is open between 11-7 Thursdays through Sundays. The first Sunday of every month is the Lansing Gallery walk, which would be a great time to check out the area. While you're there, don't miss your chance to eat at some local favorites, like Golden Harvest or Pablo's.

World Wide Pinhole Day 2008

2008-04-24T22:52:00.001-04:00

On the Fence
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

Chances are pretty good that if I talked about pinholes with someone, there would be a lot of explaining on my part. It's one of those things that I forget that not everybody knows about, indeed I myself only learned about them in December of 2005. I know this because I attended a talk on pinholes given by Matt Callow, a fellow whose passion for low-tech photography has helped inspire me. Appropriately, Matt and a few mutual friends helped found the Crappy Camera Club not long after our first acquaintance.

Back to the real subject, we're talking about pinhole cameras here. What is a pinhole camera? Basically it's a camera that uses a pinhole, yes a small hole, to project an image onto film. Instead of a lens, that is. I could explain how it works, but that's what Wikipedia is much better at. Basically, just know that it works.

Now, some very interesting things happen as a result of using a pinhole instead of a lens. Expectedly, image sharpness usually degrades a bit, though perhaps not so much as you may think. Images have a tendency to vignette, especially wide-angle on larger formats like the Polaroid shown here. You can get a nice wide angle simply by building a pinhole that way. I made mine out of a jewelry box drawer. No kidding. One of the difficulties you may run into is framing issues, and you could build yourself a viewfinder, which many people do. I'm not so inclined, and I just aim the camera at the subject, guess the framing and exposure, and hope for the best. I try not to overthink it, because pinholes are really about having fun.

Also, you introduce a longer exposure because of how little light makes its way through the pinhole. How long? Well, the photo shown here was taken at about 11 am on a mostly sunny day. I held the shutter open for 12 seconds, and the film speed was 80. That's a long time, but appropriate because the aperture of the pinhole is like, oh, f/352 or so. Obviously with an exposure that long there is gonna be movement, like the clouds and trees blowing in the wind here. Also, some films have some crazy Reciprocity characteristics, meaning things start going badly as the exposure gets longer. Polaroid is one of the worst (or best!) films for color shifts, and that only gets more pronounced past a second or two of exposure time.

World Wide Pinhole Day happens once a year, and it's a reminder for Pinheads like me that not all great photography must be done by the greatest equipment, that sometimes all you need is some film, imagination, and a will to get out and shoot. This year it will be Sunday, April 29th. Here is my shot from last year. If you have a pinhole camera, get out and shoot. If you don't, at least maybe you'll understand what the heck is going on when you see me out standing around for a long time with a wooden box on a tripod.

Lansing Lo-Fi

2008-04-22T10:38:00.001-04:00

eckert power plant
Originally uploaded by 8ran

I've been active in the Ann Arbor Area Crappy Camera Club (whew!) for a while now, and I've grown a lot because of it. While we mostly spend our time shooting bull about cameras and drinking a beer or two, there are some honest discussions about photography and aesthetics from time to time, and we periodically get our act together and do a show.

Well, Ann Arbor is great, and I have a lot of photographer friends there, but I don't live there anymore, and haven't for a while. I've met a couple of really awesome photographers in the greater Lansing area lately, and I think we have enough people interested in the low-tech philosophy to make a go of it. So I've started a Flickr group, predictably.

If you still shoot film, piece of junk cameras, or Polaroids, you're more than welcome. I'm not elitist about it - I use digital cameras too, but my heart and soul exists in a universe of film. Hopefully we can get the ball rolling, and get a local show together sometime soon. Contact me if you're interested.

Bring your camera with you!

2008-04-10T11:04:00.001-04:00

Waiting for number 8
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

"The best camera is the one you have on you."

That's what photography is about after all, getting the shot, and you can't get the shot if your camera is at home. Now, many people don't want to carry a big camera around with them, and I get that. I used to carry my tiny Olympus XA with me in case of photo opportunities. Now I have a tendency to grab one of my big guns as I go out the door, either my Polaroid 110A or Mamiya Press. They're both big and heavy, but not really so much so that you can't carry them.

Any way, today I was carrying my big Polaroid, just in case. As I exited the car on my way to school, an elderly woman was at the corner waiting for he bus to come. The light was perfect as the sun was rising, and I just knew there was a shot there. I approached her, took the photo and chatted a bit, and continued to school.

That's the second part of getting a good shot. You have to have the equipment of course, but you also have to be willing to take the shot when you see it. A few months ago, I may not have taken this photo, out of shyness or lack of confidence. But I figured, what's the worst that can happen? Someone gets angry? Usually people oblige you, I've only had a problem once or twice.

Ask permission, or don't, whatever works for you. The most important thing is to practice, and be ready when the shot comes along.

Street Photography

2008-04-06T10:29:00.001-04:00

Chicago Girl
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

I've experimented some with "street" photography, and I've come to a few realizations. First of all, I don't like it all that much. It's not that I don't like photos of people in real-world situations, far from it. I'd prefer a portrait of someone as they are to a studio portrait any day of the week. But the way street photographers take photos is at its best a tad dishonest, and at its worst crappy snapshots. "Shooting Street" usually involves trying to take someone's photo while they're unaware of it, on the sly. When subjects find out what you're doing, many times they react angrily, and who can blame them? You're skeeving around trying to sneak photographs of people, why would they not be creeped out?

The photo posted here isn't really an example of street photography at all, but it's indicative of what I'm talking about. Working with a giant camera like my Mamiya Press, it's impossible to not be noticed and recognized for what you really are - a photographer taking pictures of people with a huge camera. You don't get the intimate candid snaps that you might if you were working with, say, a Leica, but I'd argue that kind of photography has been done to death. I mean really, who is going to top Henri Cartier-Bresson in that realm?

With my Mamiya, I'm looking for something different. An exploration of the relationship between the subject and the photographer, where there is a personal connection made. In the photo here, I was stopped on the streets of Chicago by a woman who wanted me to take her photo. She looked at me, and said, "I love having my picture taken." There's more going on than at first glance too - is that her car? Why does she love having her photo taken? Why does she feel the need to pose? It's like, in an instant, subject and photographer fall into the expectations that their roles imply, and a photo is the result.

Against the Grain

2008-04-04T23:35:00.001-04:00

The Stranger
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

There's a lot of agreement out there about where digital photography goes wrong and what it's doing right. People love the instant feedback that the digital camera gives them, and you've undoubtedly seen many people "chimping" as they look at the photo they've just taken. Hell, I do it myself, and why not? It's an easy way to see how the photo can be bettered, and it's a necessity with some of the godawful viewfinders packaged in with these dSLRs nowadays.

People like the live view offered by most P/S digitals, as it allows them to see what the photo will look like before they take it, and take it from a different angle. This is one area I think camera manufacturers have got it wrong - packaging cheap digicams with no optical viewfinder at all. An optical viewfinder doesn't drain the batteries like a LCD does, but the real difference is in stability. No way can you hold a camera stable out at arm's length. With the old viewfinder style, you brace the camera against your body, anchoring it against shaking.

The big think lots of people are currently going gaga over, however, is the reduction of noise. I talked about it a few posts ago myself, and I must admit there's a lot to be said for a nice noiseless image, especially at low light levels. But I miss grain. Good old black-and-white film grain. Lots of you won't know what I'm talking about, but soup up a roll of Tri-X and you'd understand right away. It's dirty, it's gritty, and the disparate elements of image and process meld together to make meaning.

Maybe this is all just reminiscence, but a great grainy black and white can bring a lot of emotions to an image, and enhance an aesthetic. Sure you can add it digitally, but is it the same? If you someone who has got it down, let me know.

Land Cameras

2008-04-02T11:47:00.004-04:00

A gift from Apocaplops :)
Originally uploaded by 8ran

Well, I get questions about Polaroid cameras from time to time, and I figured it's about time to have a post I can send people to when they need an answer, so here it is.

If you like the idea of getting into instant photography, there's currently only one type of film being produced, and that is made by Fuji. FP-100B or C and FP-3000B are the Fuji instant pack films, and they will fit older Polaroid Pack Film cameras. Okay, I know there are other films currently available, and Fuji has an integral film, but I'm trying to keep this guide simple. The camera pictured here is a 360, or what are referred to as "100-series" packfilm cameras. They were made by the millions, and aren't worth any more than maybe $20 now, by and large. They produce wonderful images very easily, with their high-quality glass lenses and automatic light metering. Basically point, focus, and shoot. The mechanics of the camera are easy enough to figure out, so I won't go into that here.

Polaroid also made some other packfilm cameras, most notably plastic things like the Colorpack II, and also some cheaper folding cameras like the more recent Reporter and ProPack models. They also made some expensive professional model packfilm cameras like the 195, but they require more skill and money to use and purchase.

I usually suggest getting one of the higher-quality packfilm cameras since they cost the same as the cheaper, and produce better images. Look for a model 100, 250, 350, 360, or 450.

A great resource for any Polaroid camera user is the Land List. Just go there and explore a bit, I'm sure you'll find the answer. A big FAQ for these cameras is battery type. They all used proprietary batteries, just look here to find out what yours needs. You can also adapt them to work on AAA batteries if you're handy. Before you start snapping away, try to clean the front and rear of the lens of dirt, and gently swab the film rollers on the loading door to remove years of dirt and grime.

Loading the camera is straightforward once you have the film. Just place the pack in the camera and close the film door, latching it shut. Proceed to pull out the long black tab and you're ready to shoot the first photo. When you've taken a photo, pull the small white tab and you should see a larger white tab exit through the film rollers. Pull that big tab firmly and entirely out of the camera, and wait the amount of time required. Grab the two flaps of the film and peel the negative from the print smoothly. Peel the print out of its paper frame, and that's it!

As you can see it's quite a hands-on process, and other people are usually intrigued by what's going on. Most people under 30 have no clue what it is, but older folks will often reminisce about the old Land Camera they used to have. Sometimes half the fun is seeing how people react to such a bulky funky camera.

Photo booth!

2008-04-01T11:28:00.002-04:00

Photobooth: Erich and Julius
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

Lansing has absolutely NO photo booths that I can find. Do you know of one? I need need need one for my apartment.

There's an old black and white booth in a club in Ann Arbor, but that's a ways to trek for some instant fun.

Dem Bones

2008-03-31T10:32:00.002-04:00

Surely one of the signs of the apocalypse..
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

One of the great advantages of using Polaroid for me has been the availability of good high-speed film. Thankfully Fuji also produces a 3000 speed pack film, so I'll be able to shoot in low light even after Polaroid is gone.

With a 4.7 lens, my Polaroid 110A can shoot handheld in situations like this darkly lit museum, as long as I have 3000 speed film with me. This shot, for example, was handheld at EV 5 or so, which is really something for what is basically a large format camera. Try that with your baby Speed Graphic!

Nowadays you can achieve even more dramatic low-light shooting with some of the better digital SLRs out there, such as the Nikon D3. Some are capable of very low-noise even at ISO 6400, which opens up all sorts of new opportunities for lighting. I'm excited to see where this technology is finally going to take us, opening up new doors for all-new modes of photography.

Polaroids are for People

2008-03-27T09:51:00.002-04:00

Steve focuses on the task at hand
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

I may have written about this before, but it begs to be said again: there's nothing finer than a Polaroid for portraits. I'll bring my Polaroid cameras out and fully intend to shoot photos of still life or landscapes, and somehow the camera always gets turned to people. Folks don't seem to mind getting their picture taken with these cameras, in fact many will stop me and ask me to take their photo on the street, no joke. Many times I've been more than happy to shoot twice and give them a copy.

Recently, a friend of mine, Craig Nelson, has done quite a bit of portrait photography with his Mamiya RB67 and a Polaroid film back. His stuff is pretty distinctive - low shutter speeds, gorgeous natural light, and a quality to the portrait that says something about the relationship between photographer and subject. His stuff is great, and it shows a big reason why losing this film is such a shame. To be completely honest, he's using the Fuji version of the instant film, which is great because it will be in production for at least a little while yet.

Another guy to look at is Lou Bedlam, whose Polaroid integral-film portraits are stunners. Again there's the tight framing and personal connection with the subject, something that the medium can really shine at. I think he's progressing to TLR-based medium format right now as Polaroid phases out 600 film.

Saves

2008-02-17T10:34:00.001-05:00

Jesus Saves
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

I've been thinking of building up some prints so I can sell them at art fairs, just to try to save a little money, and maybe make my photography pay for itself. My photos are so eclectic that I have a hard time finding a cohesive enough group of subjects to sell. In the Lansing area I think local landmarks would do well, but elsewhere what? Nature scenes?

I'm not too big in photographing wildlife, I prefer to shoot people and landscapes. People photography doesn't sell all too well unless you're in the photo, it seems, so I think I'm going to concentrate on landscapes.

The Buried Sweet

2008-01-29T20:35:00.001-05:00

The Buried Sweet
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

I love going out to the cemetery and seeing what I can find. Some people have really interesting names, and I think the graveyard would be the perfect place for a couple to pick out names for their baby. Okay, maybe that's a bit macabre, but why not?

I just picked up a 50mm AF lens for my K100D digital SLR, and boy is that nice. Should have just done it a long time ago, but I couldn't talk myself into dropping the money. Once I finally got it, I ended up selling all my superfluous old manual focus stuff, and that more than covered the cost. For anybody thinking about using manual focus lenses on their dSLR, forget it. The viewfinder of even the best dSLR is dimmer and smaller than what you used to get, and the focusing screens aren't built to manually focus on.

If I had my druthers, I'd build a consumer-level SLR body with a nice pentaprism finder, and a split-image focusing screen. That would just be great. Don't see that happening, so I might as well cave and buy some decent AF glass.

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T19:41:00.001-05:00

Last Leaves
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

Time to get out and enjoy the weather.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year

2007-12-23T19:25:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

Merry Christmas everyone. One guess what I'm asking for.

This Foggy Evening

2007-12-02T22:55:00.001-05:00

This Foggy Evening
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

Proof positive that I need to indulge myself when I feel like taking some photographs.

Today I had to work a short shift, 11-4, and I knew that would give me enough light to snap a few photos when I was done. Unfortunately a steady rain set in around noon, and never let up. By the time I was out, fog blanketed the area and I was steadily losing light.

Normally I would get discouraged and sit inside, but today I decided to brave the nasty (really nasty) weather and shoot. I loaded my tripod, Mamiya Super 23, and dSLR into my car, along with my umbrella. I only had enough time for a couple locations, so I went places nearby that I thought might be picturesque in a fog.

Luckily, I got a keeper, taken with my K100D. Sloshing around by myself looking for shots is actually far more fun than it has any right to be. Great photography happens when you actively seek it out, not when you get around to it. Lesson learned.

A Big Camera

2007-11-30T11:06:00.001-05:00

Mamiya kit: Even bigger, better
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

I've always been on the lookout for the next thing that's bigger and better, and I may have found it. I purchased a Mamiya Super 23, and a very nice 100mm f/2.8 lens for it, and now I'm waiting for the 6x7 rollfilm back to arrive before I can try it out.

Anyone who has known me photographically can say that I don't have any one camera that I could call "my camera." When people ask what kind of photography I do, or what kind of camera I use, well, there really is no easy answer for that. I love my SX-70, but it can't be used in many situations. I like my digital SLR, but can't say I love it.

Still, I want to have that one camera that I grab, that makes me think "photography" when I carry it. Well, this Mamiya definitely screams "photography" when you hold it. It won't be something to carry around all the time - it's nearly as big as my head - but I think I can learn a thing or two using it, maybe finish some projects I've been kicking around.

If nothing else, it has compelled me to sell most of my superfluous cameras, and rethink what my goals are.

Downsizing

2007-11-13T13:11:00.001-05:00

Downsizing
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

People who know me personally usually find out quickly that I have a lot of cameras. It's not that I consider myself a collector, far from it. I just seem to pick them up here and there, thinking a new camera might spark my creativity or open up a new door to me. But there's a problem that comes with being at a crossroads, with all paths open to you. You can't decide what road to choose, and you can't see very far down any of them.

So it is with me and my cameras. Instead of opening up new possibilities, each successive camera I purchase seems to stall me from actually going out and taking photos. Which to grab, for any given circumstance? I've found it can be crippling, and with my experiment last month to use only one camera all month, I've also found that the alternative can be liberating.

So I'm getting rid of any camera I haven't touched in a while. Some of these are just shelf decorations, but I don't really need something to decorate my shelf. Any of the cameras pictured here are for sale, so let me know if you want one.

I'm keeping my digital, the SX70, Polaroid 110A, Rolleicord, Mamiya 23, and Holga. Oh, and the XA, I need that too. I don't need one more camera, except maybe the pinhole I made a few years ago... Just the digital, the SX-70, the 110A, Rollei, Mamiya, Holga, XA, and the pinhole. I don't need anything else.

Unless it's a Bessa R...

Silver Bells

2007-11-10T09:24:00.001-05:00

State Tree
Originally uploaded by Aunt Owwee

One of the city's big events is nearly upon us. Silver Bells in the City, with its electric light parade, fireworks, and the lighting of the State Christmas tree, helps to kick of the holiday season in the Capitol area. Thousands of people gather around the Capitol building to watch the floats drive by, and enjoy the show.

All the cultural buildings are open and free to the public while the event is underway, and you can watch ice sculptors at work, or enjoy a ride in a horse-drawn carriage.

I went to last year's event, but didn't really get any photos worth posting. This year, I plan on taking a tripod with me to shoot the lighting of the State tree, and maybe get a few fireworks shots as well. If you plan on doing any people shots, a fast lens or flash, probably both, is a must. But don't get too caught up in taking pictures - this is an event you'll want to step back and enjoy.

Silver Bells in the City runs on Friday night, November 16th, from 5 to 9pm. The Parade kicks off around 6pm, and the tree will be lit sometime after that. Fireworks will take place, weather permitting.

The [un]usual

2007-11-08T19:22:00.001-05:00

Release
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

I really like photography as documentation, and when it comes to that style of photography, it helps to have some connections, and an open mind. Everyone has personal connections they can use when it comes to photography, but you may not realize it because it's a part of your daily life.

My wife is a vet student, and much of our lives revolves around animals, be it wild or pet. I see a lot of things the layperson may not because of this, and I've found it a great way to get my foot in the door in many cases. A friend of a friend may run the wildlife sanctuary, which gives access to all sorts of interesting photo opportunities, like exercising a hawk, pictured above.

Even though I'm not interested personally in animal medicine, tagging along on field trips gets me opportunities to see things from a different perspective. The Vet students see this stuff every day, so they may not think it's so extraordinary.

That's the challenge for photographers. We have to recognize the extraordinary, and that's especially difficult in our own lives. When you see the same thing over and over again, you begin to develop a sort of blindness.

Let's say you're going to photograph an event, like the upcoming Christmas parade. What would you take photos of? Most people will shoot the environment, with photos of the floats as a result. The people around you are equally interesting though, many times more so than the parade itself.

The best thing to do, most times, is not get lost in the crowd. Keep your mind focused on getting a good photo, and don't be surprised if it comes from where you least expect.

Through The Viewfinder

2007-10-31T18:02:00.001-04:00

Stacked.
Originally uploaded by Corey (a.k.a. ten0fnine)

Through The Viewfinder (TTV) is a neat way to use old cameras. A lot of cameras are out there that are neat old relics, with great styling, and they can be had cheaply. Unless you're like me, chances are those cameras are pretty useless in your digital repertoire. Useless as cameras that is, but perhaps not as lenses.

Basically all you need to do is take a camera with a nicely bright and large viewfinder, say an Argus Seventy-Five, and point your lens into the viewfinder. Take a picture, and you have a TTV shot. To be done well, you need to make a somewhat elaborate mask for the finder so that your camera is attached to the vintage camera in a way that makes shooting simpler. Most people use cardboard.

There are lots of folks out there doing this, and as you might expect, I've tried it myself. I find I enjoy actually shooting film through these cameras, but many others have gotten some great shots TTV. Many, like this one, feature strange colors (done in photoshop), and lots of dust (a relic of using these old viewfinders as lenses. I like the effect in some circumstances, though some folks use a photoshop action to simulate the effect. To me that's cheating, because half the fun is knowing you're doing something that requires a bit of effort on the photographer's part, with a creation you've made yourself.

So next time you see an old camera in a junk store, and you're a bit low on creativity, try some TTV photography. It might get you hooked.

Octoberoid Update

2007-10-23T21:14:00.001-04:00

Corn Stalks in the Autumn Evening
Originally uploaded by Apocaplops

I've done quite well following my prescription to come out of the photographic doldrums this month, keeping my promise to use the Polaroid SX-70 as my only camera. There have definitely been some situations that I would have been better off with another camera, like a late night party, but on the whole I think I've learned quite a bit from this experiment. Things like composition, timing, and knowing what is and isn't a good photo before pressing the shutter release.

To be honest, I'm not looking forward to putting the camera down at the end of the month, I think I get along quite well with its limitations. Still, I miss some of the other cameras, and Polaroid film is getting expensive!

If you'd like to see every photo I've shot this month, all with the SX-70, just check out my Octoberoid set on Flickr.

Perspective 2 Studio is open!

2007-10-05T11:41:00.000-04:00

Many budding photographers I've talked to have expressed an interest in "studio photography." That's normal, of course, because most of the photography we see in everyday life is churned out using a studio. Magazines, newspapers, weddings, websites; they all utilize studio photography. If you want to get paid in this field, learning to light and stage properly isn't just a suggestion, it's a must!

In the past I've taken to Strobist for all my lighting advice and needs. The work of a studio photographer is unique - we need special lighting equipment, special camera equipment, and often an indoor environment that we can control for the shoot. You can always buy the right equipment, so long as you have the money, but where can you find a good location?

Well, locally we now have Perspective 2 studio, located in Lansing's Old Town. It's a community-driven space that hosts photographers in two studios. I like the idea so far, because they seem to have a knowledgeable staff, great equipment for photographers to rent, and classes for those of us who are lighting-challenged. There is also a vintage store on-site, so if you want to, you can rent vintage items to be used as props for a shoot.

Studio A is a huge space that sometimes doubles as a theater for local acting troops. It's about 1100 square feet, has a solid chicago-style brick wall, with high ceilings. Studio B is smaller, at about 800 square feet, and can double as a classroom for photographers. You can rent in hourly blocks or become a member, where you pay monthly for free time and discounted rates.

I wish the studio the best of success. It will be an important resource for area photographers, especially if they offer useful classes.