Issue 35 Publisher’s Statement
A friend of mine has been living in the United States for about nine months. Back in Japan, his primary form of transportation was a motorcycle, but since it would have been prohibitively expensive to bring a CB250 on the plane he was left with the options of bicycling, riding the bus, or walking. As a fellow member of the two-wheeled cult, he naturally threw a leg over his host-family’s loaner bike and headed for the college part of town. That was his first and last foray into bicycle transportation in America.
DIY Shoe Dryer
Arriving with wet shoes is an inevitable part of bike commuting—sometimes you’re just going to have to pedal through the rain. Putting those wet shoes back on hours later never feels good, no matter the temperature. Putting your shoes on a heating vent or radiator may work, but can lead to cracked leather and stressed synthetic uppers.
BB Height Vs.Drop
Bottom bracket height affects bicycle stability and pedaling clearance, and is an important specification to consider when choosing a frame or otherwise looking at geometry charts. Generally speaking, road and touring bikes have low bottom brackets for stability over the long haul, while track and mountain bikes sit higher for ground and cornering clearance. Confusion may arise when comparing geometry specifications from different manufacturers as some quote bottom bracket height and others quote bottom bracket drop, here we explain the relationship between the two.
The Long Haul
The Bicycle Works is nestled along Bicycle Route 20 in the Town of San Anselmo, California—just north from San Francisco, over the Golden Gate Bridge. Bicycle Route 20 is one of the major East/West bicycling corridors in Marin, a county famous for Redwood Trees, Lucasfilm’s Skywalker Ranch, plenty of expensive imported cars, and being the birthplace of the mountain bike. Hundreds of people ride past The Bicycle Works daily—and more often than commonly seen, on cargo bikes. The Bicycle Works has been a hub of cycling activity for the past three years, serving the community and doing pioneering work on electric cargo bikes.
Stare Death in the Snout
It only lasts a split-second. A flash of something that couldn’t be. What nature so patiently assembled, so hastily disassembled by the thump of a bumper. Legs don’t belong there. Heads aren’t meant to turn that way. The vultures hop a little as you pass, then return to their hooked pickings. This is their house. You’re just passing through.
