Dave Moulton's Bike Blog

Building a Raleigh Bicycle

2012-05-15T15:58:31Z

Here is an interesting video of how a Raleigh bicycle was made in 1945. I lived in Nottingham, England in the 1960s when this factory was still in operation; it was huge and took up many city blocks. In fact the company started out on Raleigh Street in Nottingham in 1887, hence the company name.

An interesting part of the video early on shows a Bottom Bracket shell being made by pressing from a flat piece of steel. I was still building my frames in the 1970s with bottom brackets made in this fashion. (By a French manufacturer named Bocama (BCM); not by Raleigh.)

By the late 1970s early 1980s investment cast bottom brackets and lugs became available that were far superior for a quality hand built frame. Never-the-less many of my old frames from the 1970s with pressed steel BBs are still around.

Interestingly, in the industry of manufacturing bicycles, all the lugs were called “Brackets,” which is where the term Bottom Bracket comes from.

What the film didn’t explain was that when the frame was assembled, a brass ring was placed in a groove inside the socket of the bracket or lug, before the tube was pressed in. When the frame was later placed in a furnace, the brass melted brazing the joint automatically.

Another interesting item not mentioned was that Raleigh parts were a non-standard size and had special Raleigh threading, ensuring that if you bought a Raleigh bike you had to buy Raleigh parts when these needed replacing.

I suggest you click on the “Full Screen” icon, bottom right, to view the video in full screen mode. (Press the “Escape Button” return to normal view.) My thanks to Bruce Chandler for turning me on to this video.

Too many hit and runs

2012-05-10T13:07:34Z

I try not to report too often on cycling deaths because I hate to dwell on the negative. However, when a local cyclist died in the early hours of last Friday morning, it hit home personally because it happened in almost the exact same spot where I was hit in 2006. Savannah Highway (17) and White Oak Drive, Charleston, South Carolina.

Gerard Nieto was riding his bicycle when he was struck from behind and left to die by the roadside by a driver who did not stop. The driver, 32 year old Jason Frank Marion, did later come forward and surrender to the police on Tuesday.

As the collision happened at 1:45am one is left to wonder whether alcohol was involved. Hwy. 17 a wide road two lanes in either direction, with a center turn lane; the road is dead straight at this point and brightly lit. The lanes are of ample width, with plenty of room to pass a cyclist safely. (See picture above.)

So if a cyclist is hit, I have to wonder why; was the driver distracted, sleeping, or drunk? Had Marion done the right thing and stopped, and he had been drinking he would now be facing at least vehicular manslaughter charges and a possible lengthy jail term.

By killing someone on Friday and giving himself up on Tuesday, Marion is now charged with hit and run, and failure to exercise due care. If drink was involved it can never be proved; it is an incentive not to stop if you hit someone. Which is probably why I am seeing so many of these cases.

Marion’s bail has been set at $101,092 so the court is taking this somewhat seriously. But until the penalty for hit and run resulting in death is an automatic vehicular manslaughter charge, the same as DUI; these hit and runs will continue.

It should also be a murder charge if it can be proved a victim would have lived had he/she had immediate medical attention,

Who will history remember?

2012-05-08T15:36:39Z

Once again the Giro d’Italia is on us, to be followed by the Tour de France in a few months. This year’s Giro is exciting because there is no firm favorite; the race is wide open.

Even in a race where there are favorites and the end result is somewhat of a foregone conclusion; on any given day an outsider can win a stage, sometimes in spectacular fashion like a solo break away.

The art of a solo breakaway win is often all about timing, choosing the right psychological moment to attack. Often this comes as a chasing group catches another group or an individual.

Everyone in that chasing group gives a sigh of relief and eases up after many miles of chasing at flat out speeds.

At that precise moment someone else attacks and everyone goes, “Oh no, not again.” There is often hesitation as the riders wait for someone else to take the initiative and chase, and in that moment of hesitation a gap opens up.

Whether the solo break is successful depends on things like, how far it is to the finish, or is the chasing group organized. However, the deciding factor often is the shear strength and courage of the man out in front, on his own.

My reason for outlining such great performances that can happen on any given day is to point out that fifty years from now history will remember the top riders in the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France, but these lesser riders not so much.

Yet without such riders there would be no sport of cycle racing, there would be no Grand Tours. Out of the 150 or so riders who make up the field of the Giro or TDF, only ten or so are in with a chance of winning.

The rest are the team members who work tirelessly for those who will win, all the way down to the domestiques and water carriers. Among these are some really good riders who are capable of pulling off a spectacular performance on any given day.

The same in any amateur club race held throughout the season, there will be maybe five or maybe ten riders who will be in with a chance to win, and the rest make up the field.

Some are young riders who will be the champions of the future; some are past champions. Some are those who will never aspire to greatness but enjoy the challenge of just taking part. But without them there would be no race.

Then there are those who never race, but just ride for the joy of it, or commute to work on a bike each day. Without them and the money they spend on bikes and equipment there would be no bicycle industry, and therefore no cycle racing.

In fifty years, history may not remember all the riders who on a certain day performed above their standing, and it will certainly not remember today’s average Joe on a bike, but without either of these there would be no cycle racing; no Giro d’Italia or Tour de France.

And without these theaters for the riders to perform in, there would be no great champions for history to remember.

Boston Bike Share: The helmet issue

2012-05-01T19:05:36Z

Look at the above picture; why is this woman not being hauled off to jail for child endangerment? Why are these children not being taken into protective custody?

The answer is simple; the picture is from Holland where 99% of the population ride a bicycle at some time or other; for most it is their main form of transportation.

Very few Dutch people wear a helmet while cycling, and as far as I know there are not huge numbers of people dying from head injuries. In fact Holland (The Netherlands.) is one of the safest places in the world to ride a bike.

By contrast the City of Boston, Massachusetts, USA, has a bike share program with 600 bicycles than can be rented and dropped off again at 61 stations. The program only nine months old is already drawing fire from the medical profession because it doesn’t offer helmets for rent.

It is my opinion that insisting that people who rent a bike wear a helmet is a good way to kill off a bike rental program; even suggesting it or making it optional is not good. People who think wearing a helmet is a good Idea, and want to wear one will bring their own.

There are those who say helmets could be rented along with the bike, but who feels comfortable wearing a helmet that someone else has used? Even if it is sanitized. The whole helmet issue really screws up a simple idea.

Bike rental is really an extension of walking. Let's say you are a tourist and you would like to visit a certain place, but it is a little too far to walk. You rent a bike with a minimum of formalities, you ride to where you need to be and you drop the bike off.

Add a helmet to the picture and all of a sudden a simple idea becomes a little more complicated. The person thinks, “Oh yes I could get hit by a car.” The point is you could get hit by a car while walking across the street, but no one suggested you put a helmet on your head when you put your shoes on this morning.

You could fall from your bike without another vehicle being involved; yes, and you could trip on a raised paving slab and fall on your head while walking. These rental bikes are usually heavy “clunkers,” very stable and not built for fast riding.

As previously mentioned, this Boston bike share program is still very new; is there any indication so far that large numbers of renters are getting their heads busted? The article that prompted me to write this is flawed anyway.

It implies that there were 630 cyclist deaths in the US during 2009 due to head injuries. I think you will find that is the total number of cyclists killed, not all will have died from head injuries. Those who did, getting hit by a car doing 50 or 60 mph, wearing a helmet or not will make little difference to the outcome.

The whole issue here is that motor vehicles, driven by careless, inattentive people kill most cyclists and pedestrians. The medical profession should be addressing that fact.

Until our society also wakes up to that fact and local governments start changing infrastructure, speed limits, etc. and law enforcement start doing their job; insisting that cyclists wear a little Styrofoam helmet will have little or no impact on cyclist fatalities and injuries.

I have said this before, but it bears repeating. Implying that even a casual bike renter should wear a helmet is like allowing everyone to fire guns randomly anywhere they please, and then suggesting that we all wear bullet proof vests.

Don’t pad the potential victim; control the missile, slow down the projectile.

Asleep at the wheel

2012-04-23T07:00:43Z

It is no secret that when I left the bike business in 1993 I fell on hard times financially; it was the reason I had to give up framebuilding. People stopped buying road bikes in favor of mountain bikes.

My car reflected my financial status; it was a piece of junk, 1975 Mercury Station Wagon. Not the one pictured here; mine was in much worse condition and in need of repair. Not the kind of vehicle one would take pictures to save and show to their grandchildren.

It did however, come with certain advantages; it gave me right of way for one. On those six and eight lane freeways they have in Southern California it is necessary to make several lane changes long before your exit. People are not too good at letting you do this; you are forced to just put on your turn signal on and ease on over.

I found with a car like a beat up 1975 Mercury Station Wagon people tended to give way real quick when I started to change lanes; he who has the least to loose, has right of way, it’s an unwritten law.

A big disadvantage with my old clunker, the air conditioning didn’t work; but in Southern California I could manage without it. Although the climate is hot, the air is dry and driving with all the windows down was actually quite pleasant.

My arm resting on the top edge of the door, my hand on the rear view mirror; the breeze blowing up my shirt sleeve keeping my body’s natural cooling system, namely my armpit, working efficiently.

The only problem with this form of nature’s air conditioning is that it broke down at any time I went below speeds of thirty miles per hour, which on LA’s freeways is most of the time.

Something I find hard to understand. Everyone knows how difficult it is to sleep in a room without air conditioning on a hot summer night; you can’t sleep because you’re hot and uncomfortable.

How is it then, under the exact same circumstances, driving a car on the freeway you can’t stay awake? Aren’t you even more uncomfortable than you are in bed without air conditioning? So why does the discomfort not work for you when you most need it to stay alert?

One time the freeway I was on took a path through a steep canyon when traffic came to a standstill.

There was no exit, and I was in the fourth lane of a six lane freeway; I was stuck.

I could see traffic was stopped two or three miles ahead up a long gradient; it would be a while before we moved again.

It was late afternoon and I started to feel sleepy. I decided not to fight the urge to doze; I turned the engine off and lay down on the front bench seat. This was another advantage of these old cars; the front seat was like a sofa with no obstruction in the center. The person behind me would be sure to lay on the horn when we started moving again.

I have no idea how long I slept but I awoke to find traffic was moving by me on either side at about twenty-five or thirty miles per hour. The person behind me instead of alerting me when traffic started moving must have decided to go around me.

People following seeing no one in the driver’s seat (Because I was laying down.) assumed it was an abandoned vehicle and continued going around me.

I had just discovered another advantage of my chosen mode of transport; a person can lie down, take forty winks in the middle of a six lane freeway and people will let you rest and simply go around you.

My unusual afternoon nap had refreshed me enough that I was now fully alert as I completed the final leg of my journey. Had I brought ‘Sleeping at the Wheel’ to a whole new level?

Point of View

2012-04-19T13:18:20Z

If there is one thing I learned building bicycle frames; it is that no two people are alike.

If you could assemble a hundred people, all the exact same height, and then further separate into groups those with similar leg length.

You would find within those groups, the thigh, lower leg and foot measurements would all vary.

Even within the same race, people have different facial features, complexions, hair color, etc. When you consider all peoples, the variations are infinite. An individual’s finger prints are unique, and now we know that DNA is too.

Most people accept these differences and seldom question why. Therefore, it really should be no surprise that people’s opinions will vary even more infinitely than our physical differences.

What are opinions but a collection of thoughts, based on our individual beliefs and experiences? Sometimes called a “Point of View,” meaning literally, the world as one individual sees it from where they stand.

No two individuals can have the same view if they stand in different places.

In spite of this we sometimes argue and fight defending our point of view, or try to impose our opinions on others.

We accept every other difference in the human species, why do we expect the thought pattern of others to be in line with ours? We are each a free thinking spirit, and I can’t think of anything more random that a person's thoughts.

Could it be because our opinions are the yardstick by which we view and evaluate the world? It is how we judge situations and other people. Our opinions have been formed largely by our life experiences, our parents, teachers and other pivotal people in our lives.

Our opinions can change over time with changing circumstances; if we find a better one we change it. However, at any given time our opinion is the best it can be. We just can’t understand why anyone would have a different opinion, after all, ours is the best.

It is not the difference of opinion that is wrong; it is the failure to see that the other’s view point is from an entirely different place.

It is the single most cause of conflict between individuals, co-workers, friends, and families. On a larger scale, it is the basic reason nations assemble armies and go to war with each other.

I have found that defending one’s point of view is just a huge waste of time and energy. It achieves little; rarely does either side move any closer to the other’s way of thinking. Often it drives the two sides further apart

Instead I find it more constructive and fruitful to listen to the other’s opinion. Another’s estimation is often difficult to understand and may even arouse aversion.

But by the simple act of listening I am able to better understand the other's point of view without the obligation that it has to become my point of view. I may not necessarily see the other’s view, but I may see the position he is standing that gives him that view.

Just my opinion.

Justifying ingrained behavior

2012-04-16T07:01:07Z

I first rode a bike as a child in England in the 1940s; I started riding at a club level in the early 1950s at fifteen years old, and began racing a year later when I was sixteen.

Right from the start I was taught the rules of the road in school; we were given a Highway Code book that laid out all the rules and laws for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. We studied the rules for cycling and later took a Cycling Proficiency Test; on passing we were given a certificate.

I left England in 1979, and up until that time I do not recall a single instance of seeing an adult on a bicycle riding on the wrong side of the road, riding on the sidewalk (Or pavement as it is known in the UK.) I never saw anyone ride through a red light.

I have said this before but it bears repeating. I was amazed when I arrived in the US and found there were absolutely no rules for cyclists; people pretty much rode anywhere and in any way they pleased. I remember my first ride with the bike club in New Jersey, a traffic light turned red, I stopped, and everyone else just kept on riding.

Just last week I listened to a half hour broadcast on National Public Radio. The subject was, “Are cyclists their own worst enemy? The link is below, and if you haven’t heard it, it brings up some interesting points.

People phoned in and several admitted that they broke the rules of the road, and some went even further and said a person had to be crazy not to break the rules, because that was a good way to get yourself killed.

The strange thing is I follow rules of the road most of them to the letter; it was ingrained in me as a kid and has stayed with me since. I do not find myself in danger because of this.

Listening to these cyclists talk about the way they ride, it occurred to me that they were simply riding the same way they had always done since they were children. Taking the shortest and most convenient route, whether that is the sidewalk, or the wrong side of the street, whatever.

As kids no one ever told them they shouldn’t do that; no one really cared, they were just kids, doing what kids do. This manner of riding has become ingrained as surely as my style of riding. And now they justify it as somehow necessary and a safer way to ride.

It is not a safer way to ride; the safe way is to follow the rules, because if you at least try to do that everyone else knows what you intend to do.

It annoys me that many car drivers will not lift one finger to operate their turn signals, if they obeyed the law and used their turn signals everyone else would know what their intentions are.

This brings me to another point that was brought up time and time again during this broadcast that motorists also don’t obey the rules, but cyclists get noticed more; again this is an excuse to justify law breaking.

Stop and think about it, this was one of the rules that our parents and teachers tried to drum into us; pointing a finger at someone doing the same wrong was never a valid excuse. What was it they always told us? “If Johnny jumped off a cliff, would you do the same?”

The fact that so many motorists break the law is society’s problem. A teenager is given a minimum amount of drivers’ education and he/she is allowed to drive. There is no follow up or later test and people quickly learn to do whatever they can get away with.

Cyclists on the other hand are given no training what-so-ever; they are never told what they can and can’t do to begin with.

When I first witnessed the lawlessness by people on bicycles in New Jersey 1979, no one really cared; there were not that many cyclists. Now we have an ever growing number of cyclists in our larger cities, and we are on a fast track towards absolute chaos.

There has to be a uniform and acceptable pattern of behavior that everyone can follow. Below is what I think most cyclists who consider themselves to be “Law abiding” would follow.

1.) Ride with the flow of traffic (Never ride the wrong way.)

2.) Don’t ride on the sidewalk

3.) Use hand signals if you want to change direction

4.) Stop at red lights

5.) Don’t blow through stop signs at speed, or go out of turn

6.) If you are riding in a crowded city, especially during rush hour with a lot of cars, pedestrians, and other cyclists; ride at a sensible speed. Your commute is not a race; if it is you need to leave home a little earlier.

Licensing all people who own and ride a bike would be an impractical bureaucratic nightmare, but clearly a situation where everyone does as they please is not good either. What do you think; does something need to be done, and if so what?

Fork failure and recalls

2012-04-12T12:54:39Z

Gary Lanoue (Left.) from Rehoboth, MA died on Monday when, it appears, his carbon front fork failed.

He was found in the road by a police officer on his way to work.

Gary was wearing a helmet but suffered a severe head injury; apparently no other vehicle was involved.

Gary was riding his Cervelo Soloist bike, one that was subject to a recall in August 2008 because the True Temper Wolf SL fork had been known to fail. I can only assume that Gary did not know of this defect, because who would ride a bike with a suspect front fork when a company is offering to replace it for free?

But then again, I had not heard of this recall either until now, which is why I am writing this to get the information out to a few more people. No one had been killed previously from these fork failures, and it is sad that someone had to die in order for this problem to surface again and a few more cyclists (Including me.) are made aware of it.

Cervelo is a reputable company, the problem didn’t show up in the normal required testing; only later did these forks start to fail, and when this happened the company immediately made the recall announcement.

Unfortunately this was after some 5,800 of these bikes with the Wolf SL fork, were sold. That is a scary thought, how many more people are riding these bikes, oblivious to the fact that their steering tube could break at any time.

I don’t know what other brands of bikes used the True Temper Wolf SL fork, but if you have a bike that pre-dates 2008 it might be prudent to check.

When the major Auto Companies issue a recall it makes National TV, newspapers, and other media outlets; everyone hears about it. A bike recall on the other hand, is announced on a company’s website and maybe makes it to a few bicycle trade magazines.

All Cervelo dealers would have been aware of the recall, and most bike shops would have heard of it initially, but this recall had been out there four years; not all bike store employees would not know about it. Then only if a customer brings his bike into a store to be worked on are they aware of it; many bike riders do their own maintenance.

One final point, on the subject of helmets: The first thing that will hit the road if you go over the handlebars is your forehead. Your helmet should be no more than the width of two fingers above your eyebrows (1 ½ inches or 4cm.) I wear mine one finger above my eyebrows, (3/4 inch, or 2cm.)

Gary Lanoue leaves behind a wife and three adult children; my condolences go out to them and the rest of Gary’s friends and family.

Remember there are thousands of these bikes out there, many will still have the original defective front fork. Please help spread the word in any way you can; don't let anyone else die because of this. My thanks to Ted Delaney for bringing this story to my attention

Dealing with the reality of injustice

2012-04-10T14:37:25Z

In New York City during 2011, 21 cyclists were killed, but only 2 drivers were prosecuted. On average, nearly forty percent of drivers who kill pedestrians or cyclists in New York City walk away without so much as a traffic ticket.

In a recent meeting, five District Attorneys were asked why so few drivers face criminal charges, and Joe McCormack, an Assistant DA in the Bronx, gave quite an interesting quote:

We as a society have chosen to drive these big cars. And we also as a society have chosen not to criminalize every single small mistake that has a dramatic consequence just because you are driving a car.

There are times where the factual situation that is presented to us doesn’t raise it to a crime. And it’s important to realize that the reason it doesn’t rise to a crime is that society has made the decision that it doesn’t want it to be a crime.

Really! When did society vote on that mandate?

It sounds to me that ADA Joe McCormack is blaming society in an attempt to shift the responsibility away from the NYPD for not doing its job; namely to serve and protect.

There are two main causes of bicycle/auto collisions and both are preventable. They are speeding, and inattention. (Distracted driving.) If a driver is traveling at the correct speed for the road conditions, and is paying attention, he/she should never run into a cyclist.

The laws are already in place and to get more drivers to comply is simple; education and law enforcement. McCormack’s statement does however reveal a disturbing reality:

That society has always bullied minorities and the failure of the police to protect that minority, has throughout history reflected society’s current attitude.

It is one of the flaws of a democracy; the majority holds the power of the vote. The power to elect politicians, who in turn appoint police chiefs; who then do the bidding of the majority, often at the expense of the rights of the minority.

Cyclists at this point in time can still be considered a minority. The daily near misses along with the abuse and harassment cyclists take from some members of the motoring public, with little or no protection from law enforcement causes some to rebel.

Some cyclists are lawless, rude and arrogant, and while I do not condone this behavior, I can certainly understand the frustrations they feel and the reasons they act this way.

All cyclists should try to remain cool, and realize fighting lawlessness and bad behavior by doing the same only does harm to the individual and to the cycling cause. To be constantly angry while riding detracts from something that should be a joy.

Cyclists may be a minority now, but they are a minority that is growing constantly, and will not be one forever. The cyclist has not only right on his side, but common sense.

Our highways and streets are becoming increasing congested, and the situation will only get worse. We still have high unemployment; as the economy improves and more people return to the work force, there will be more and more people commuting to and from their jobs.

High gas prices and obesity are other common sense reasons to ride a bicycle. I feel it is the common sense angle that is probably causing certain segments of our society to resist the change; they are in denial. People hate to change; especially when change takes a certain amount of effort.

They resist, they become angry; they turn their anger towards the people they see as forcing the change, namely cyclists. However, in reality the change is necessary because we are becoming over populated and we are running out of space. Cycling is not the cause of change; it is one of the solutions.

Try to understand the reasons for the anger and the injustice society is leveling against cyclists; it is born out of ignorance. It is not leveled against you personally, but what you represent. You can’t fight ignorance with like minded behavior. You can only do so by good example.

SF bike cops roll through stop signs too

2012-04-06T11:54:54Z

San Francisco cyclist Amy Weiss followed two cops on bicycles along Haight Street; she noticed they rolled though stop signs without any signs of slowing. They just maintained their same steady pace.

Obviously these cycling police officers think the same as any other cyclist, that coming to a complete, foot down stop every city block when there is no cross traffic, is bullshit. The problem is Amy recently got a $388 ticket for doing exactly the same thing, when she rolled though an empty intersection.

When Amy politely asks the bike cops what the rules are, they pretty much refuse to become engaged in any conversation about the issue.

I hope this video makes its way onto the local news in San Francisco, and the SFPD is made to make an official statement about it. Because either cops on bikes observe the law to the letter, or the rest of the police department should stop ticketing cyclists for this infraction unless someone is endangered or impeded in some way.

When I approach a stop sign and the intersection is clear of other traffic, I stop pedaling and slow down; I look to the left and right turning my head as I do so. I realize this is not entirely necessary as I can see practically 180 degrees by just swiveling my eyes. However, I feel it is important to be “Seen” to look both ways.

What pisses off the motoring public is the cyclist who blows through stop signs at speed, without even appearing to look; even though this may not be the case.

I also notice in the video that the two cops ride side by side chatting. Perfectly legal, but again if this were two citizens who were not police officers, doing the same, it would evoke a lot of road rage and horn blowing from following motorists.

Finally the two officers ride much closer to parked cars than I would. Maybe if a few more bicycle cops get doored it will bring attention to this very real, often deadly hazard.

Footnote: On another subject concerning San Franciso; what ever happened to David Mark Clark, the guy who deliberately ran down four cyclists in his SUV in 2010? The last I heard he was to stand trial for attempted murder and was planning to plead insane. Did he cop a plea deal, or is he still awating trial?