Single Speeding Chicago: Pedicab

I saw this guy coming down from Michigan Avenue and it looked like he was giving these women a tour.  My thinking is that this kind of bike has a coaster brake and a front brake.  Additionally, it looks like it has parking brake to be used when loading and unloading passengers.

Testing the Wrist

After last Friday's fall at Pequonnock River Valley I decided not to ride on Monday and I would have ridden to work on Tuesday but I stayed up too late reading a new Science Fiction Book that there was no way I could ever make it into the office in time. Also, had no time to ride on account I had to fly to Chicago for a cousin's wedding. So, I hit the Gussy Trail after work on Tuesday. The pedal to the trail head was OK but I could feel wrist and while I wouldn't say that it was painful there was a little discomfort but not enough to make me turn around. Finally, I just got used to it. I did stay off most of the stuntry for fear of having a problem injuring my wrist even further.

With all the dry weather we have been having, the trees are going into a state of shock and to conserve water they are dropping leaves. It looks like fall in the forest but with temperatures in the upper 80s and high humidity it reminds me more of being at Fort Polk in the summer time rather than CT.

As I was leaving the Gussy and heading down the Jeep trail towards Sanford Road I stopped to check my rear tire and I had lost a considerable amount of air. I rode home anyway and then checked again after dinner only to find the tire pretty much flat. First flat since going to these Serfas Krest tires. I probably pinch flatted in one of the technical sections because I didn't have enough air to start with. Oh well. Afterwards, my wrist wasn't sore at all. It still hurts but didn't feel any worse.

Single Speeding Chicago: Old Crappy 3-Speed Conversion

I found this lovely, old SSer near the Northwestern University Hospital on my walk back from the airshow, but I wouldn't lump it into the fauxie category as Interstatement of the Beat Bike Blog called the single speed bikes from yesterday's post with one brake but using a freewheel.

Looks like it could have been an Old Crappy 3-speed conversion given the fact that the front cable hold looks like it was made to hold two cables.  The rear wheel is probably not the original wheel.

Another interesting highlight could is that while it has a front brake lever there is no front brake.  Who ever did the work on this bike converting it to a singlespeed probably didn't want to bother with taking off that vinyl grip to remove the lever.  I don't blame them, those can be a bitch!

Not sure if this was the brand name or then original owner's name but given the fancy script I would say the latter is probably the case.  It's an American Bottom Bracket so I will have to do some research to figure out exactly what brand of bike it is.

Single Speeding Chicago: Trying to be hip but still riding freewheel

On another bikeless trip out of Sub-rural-urbia, this time to the magnificent Windy City I found has a really interesting bike culture.  Like any other big city, there are tons of bikes and even more so that residential apartments and condos are smack dab in the middle of the city, too.  One thing that stood out though was I saw a lot of people riding single speeds but they were also coasting?  What's up with that?  Here you are in an area that is a Carpenter's Dream and you are pushing a freewheel.  Unlike NYC, it seems the Hipsters are a little sparse in the land of Pizza, Bratwurst, and Beer.

Across from Gino's Pizza was this little hottie of a Redline 925 with bullhorns and fenders.  Perfect fixie rig but the chain is on a freewheel cog.

While I was checking out these two bikes, especially the pimped out Blue Myata (old crappy ten speed conversion bike) with track wheels and a shiny new chrome fork, the owner of the bike appeared.  I asked him why is he riding freewheel and not fixed? He told me riding fixed is bad on his knees.  Then I asked why don't you want ride gears?  His reply was, "Then I wouldn't look hip."  P-O-S-E-R.

Next to the Myatta was another wolf in sheep's clothing, a Torker Commuter, also freewheel.  The commotion I created with the Myatta owner caused the owner of the Torker to come running out of the building and wanted to know what was going on.  I told him I was just admiring his bike but saddened that it wasn't a fixed gear.  To which he replied, "this how I got the bike."  I pointed out that he has a flip flop hub and all he needs to do is throw on a track cog, lock ring, and he would be The Man and hot chicks on fixed gear bikes would swoon over him.  I think he liked what I was telling him because he said he was going right into his office to order a track cog.  Looks like I may have a convert!

But it wasn't all doom and gloom.  Above is a little taste of what I did find on the streets.  And of course it was not all hard work beating the streets in search of bikes.  I did take in the sights of Chicago, too, and drink some beer.

My lovely wife and I enjoy drinks a the top of the Affinia Hotel's C-View bar.  I had a Stone Pale Ale that was killer.

The Kicker

I pulled a few screen captures off the video I posted of the new Up-and-Over on the Gussy Trail to show how the center log provides a little kick when you go over it.

29er version: First your chain ring or bash guard hits the log, which may throw you forward a bit. My bigger wheel has already hit the ramp by the time my bash guard hits the log.

Then my back tire hits the log pitching me forward a bit. Something to look out for.

26er version: Rick's front wheel is still on the log. This may be more due to the fact that he rides a smaller bike and thus has a shorter wheel base.

Back wheel hits and kicks him up a little.