Cycling and Photography

mark · Jan 17, 2006

I love riding my bike but hate carrying anything with me. SO I never have a camera with me.

This would be the perfect place to ride if it were not for the uncontained dogs. Lots of hills, not many paved roads. Last summer I had to quit riding when it got too damn dangerous because of new dogs in the area that plain hated bicyclists. They seem to be gone and are not bothering walkers these days so I might be able to get back on.

And before anyone says call the dog pound I tried. They don't do shit.

dschneller · Jan 17, 2006

I need to get one of those bicycle trailers to haul my son (and the LF gear!) behind me as soon as spring gets here. My wife and I enjoy nice leisurely ride on the waterfront trail. The trail is about 450 km from Niagara to Brockville but we usually do only about 10 km at a stretch.

Dave

hal9000 · Jan 17, 2006

I too am an avid cyclist. My last big trip was this past summer, rode from Gdansk Poland to Tallin, Estonia. A wonderful, beautiful and very interesting experience. As we were travelling very light (tent and all), I only had my Rollei 35S with me but it served me well.

Mark Layne · Jan 17, 2006

Sorry,I'm limited to a Raleigh folding Moulton. I guess there will now be a rush to search e-bay for Cycle Pocos
Mark

df cardwell · Jan 17, 2006

Mark Layne said:
Sorry,I'm limited to a Raleigh folding Moulton. I guess there will now be a rush to search e-bay for Cycle Pocos
Mark

No, but you just drove the price of Moultons even higher !!!

Andy K · Jan 18, 2006

Mark Layne said:
Sorry,I'm limited to a Raleigh folding Moulton. I guess there will now be a rush to search e-bay for Cycle Pocos
Mark

There is nothing limited about a Moulton. Moulton are no longer made by Raleigh, since 1983 they have been manufactured by Alex Moulton. A few weeks after the first Moulton was built John Woodburn on a Moulton Speed broke the London to Cardiff record by 18 minutes. In more recent times Dave Bogdan twice completed the single-stage Race Across America on an AM (Alex Moulton), his best time being 3,073 miles in just over 10 days and 13 hours.
If I had the spare cash I would buy an Alex Moulton Double Pylon tomorrow!

Robert Budding · Jan 18, 2006

I used to ride a fair bit. The drivers around Boston, however, are awful. But that was before the second child arrived almost 7 years ago . .

My favorite trip was in the mid-1980's, right after I'd finished grad school. I spent the summer cycling in Europe. I started in Belgium and rode through Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France. I've never been so fit!

df cardwell · Jan 18, 2006

The drivers around Boston, however, are awful

As much as I advocate a cycling lifestyle,
the reality is sometimes frightening. In the good old days,
when an 'SUV' meant a Land Cruiser, Bronco, or Series III Land Rover,
one stood a prayer on a bike because the driver wasn't super-insulated from the world. Outlaw power windows, auto transmissions and cupholders and the cities will be safe for cyclists again.

Right.

But even worse than superinsulated motorists are superinsulated politicians and bureaucrats who commit such follies as the Fresh Pond Sidepath, a two way bikepath which harbors more danger than any stretch of shared road in metro Boston.

I haven't lived in Cambridge for some time, but I'd like to think one can still get around town pleasantly and safely. Oh, well. Hope so, at least.

.

df cardwell · Jan 18, 2006

I say we organise an APUG bike tour someplace toasty warm in February.

Andy can get his Moulton ( with rubber bumpers ! )

Kirk Keyes · Jan 18, 2006

I don't do more than about 500 miles a year for the last few years, but I've got a 1981 Peugeot Super Competition that I bought as a frame and bit by bit I got the parts to where is was pretty much equivalent to the Peugeot Team bikes used in the Tour - Stonglight 107 aero cranks, Mafac LS2000 brakes, Simplex Super LJ aero deraileurs, sewup wheels for racing... I occasionally think about getting a more modern bike but I still I love the Peugeot.

In the basement, I've got a 1950's Legnano track bike that is waiting to get reassembled. Need to find a Campy Pista headset and bottom bracket someday.

df cardwell · Jan 18, 2006

Get the Legnano rolling, and go hang out at the cafe with your Retina IIc !

The Peugeot is pretty spiffy too. Another classic ride. Cool.

Jimmy Peguet · Jan 18, 2006

Hi all,

I began last year to think of using a bicycle trailer to carry my 8x10 and 7x17 cameras and all the stuff, tripod, holders... Sure I had in mind the idea of Lois Conner in China I thought of a trailer like a Chariot : the camera would be protected from the rain, the trailer could be transformed into poussette (what is the english word for the machine to carry a baby ? ) or a jogging stroller if necessary (I use sometimes something like that when wandering with my camera, it's really practical). For tours up to 20 miles around my home, on small roads and easy dirt tracks, that should work. What do you think about it ? I am not a confirmed cyclist, even if I did much bicycle formerly. Do you see any drawbacks to use bicycle and trailer for carrying LF and ULF gear ? I like very much the idea to slowly drive in the country on my bicycle and then to print pt/pd prints. That said to rely on alt processes forum

Thank you Google for the translation help -)

Jimmy

Andy K · Jan 18, 2006

Jimmy, it is a good idea. I see people every day using bicycle trailers. Sometimes with small babies in them, sometimes with shopping. I think it would carry ULF equipment easily.

Trailers like these: http://www.ctcshop.com/dept.jsp;jsessionid=CDE9BC432A9EFFB57F4D755FCC837374.tomcat3?dept_id=3850

Traduction: Jimmy, c'est une bonne idée. Je vois des personnes chaque jour à l'aide des bas de page de bicyclette. Parfois avec de petits bébés dans eux, parfois avec des achats. Je pense qu'ils porteraient l'équipement d'ULF facilement.

Les bas de page aiment ces derniers:

Grâce aux de Alta Vista Babel Fish!

df cardwell · Jan 18, 2006

Jimmy

Fantastic idea. It is important, with a bicycle trailer, to balance the load.
A bottle of wine.... perhaps .... or two....

Issoudun ? You are in a perfect place for a big camera !

.

Bob F. · Jan 19, 2006

Only drawback to carrying LF is vibration. I did try carrying mine in panniers a couple of times but gave up as every bump made me fear for my gear... Perhaps a trailer that has suspension would work better. It's certainly too heavy to wear in my backpack when cycling.

Andy: I shudder everytime I see a small child riding pillion or in a trailer (though trailers are rare around here) on a bicycle... rarely does a couple of weeks go by that I do not pass an accident involving a cyclist (busses seem to be a major feature in these for some reason).

Cheers, Bob.

edz · Jan 19, 2006

We're a bicycle home. Even my 3 year old rides a kind of bicycle ("Like a Bike").. At the school where my kids go we are, I suspect, widely considered freaks with our bicycles... imagine over 50 kg of kids in a tailer (for reference its a Leggero Classico with Weber coupling) being pulled by racing machines (as long as its relatively flat at crusing speeds of around 30 km/h).. here weight does not matter (what's another couple of kg when one hits the 12% grade) much so I'll sometimes carry along all kinds of photo gear (sometimes even with things in bags suspended from the roof).. but when I'm out riding the hills without the family I'll tend to take along a MINOX 8x11 camera.. really the perfect cycling camera.. I'm not a weight weenie--- which given that I'm about 15 kg (and many years) over my competition (under)weight would be absurd--- so the 100g of a MINOX-B is not an issue--- I also tend to like steel frames, threaded forks and leather saddles (and if I really want to ride light for fun then its time for ADAs and silks)..
We ride nearly all year except when ice is on the roads.. (although sometimes we've misjudged road conditions)...

edz · Jan 19, 2006

Kirk Keyes said:
In the basement, I've got a 1950's Legnano track bike that is waiting to get reassembled. Need to find a Campy Pista headset and bottom bracket someday.

That's easy enough.. Just. I think, need to look.. (now I want to one day rebuild one of my late 1960s Gitane and finding even tools have proved IMPOSSIBLE... and not to mention the oddball metric bits.. then again even in its day it was quite a limp noodle as all frames in my size then were).

Andy K · Jan 19, 2006

Bob F. said:
Andy: I shudder everytime I see a small child riding pillion or in a trailer (though trailers are rare around here) on a bicycle... rarely does a couple of weeks go by that I do not pass an accident involving a cyclist (busses seem to be a major feature in these for some reason).

Cheers, Bob.

Mostly I see them on dedicated cycle paths. I am lucky here in Southend in that we have a purpose built cycle track which runs the entire length of the seafront, about 7 miles. At the Leigh end there is a one mile no cycling path and then at the other side you can carry on as far as you wish. I can also cycle north out of Southend through lanes and back roads.

I think buses go round corners and blindside the cyclist. I had a bus driver do this to me. I think I cured him of his poor driving when I caught up to him at the next stop and gave him a brief course in road safety (verbally of course!).
I think a bigger problem are the idiots who ride their bikes on the pavement. When I see grown adults riding along the pavement it makes my blood boil! What are they? Three years old? Ride in the road! The trick to staying safe on the road is to ride far enough out from the kerb that drivers HAVE to think about manoeuvring around you, about a meter to a meter and a half is enough. If you ride close in to the kerb drivers will try to squeeze past you and you are more likely to be knocked off your bike.

edz · Jan 19, 2006

Jimmy Peguet said:
Hi all,

I began last year to think of using a bicycle trailer to carry my 8x10 and 7x17 cameras and all the stuff, tripod, holders... Sure I had in mind the idea of Lois Conner in China I thought of a trailer like a Chariot :

Forget the Chariots as they are too much nylon and the seats are too much part of the design. For an 8x10 camera I'd look to something like a Bob Yak or IBEX and a custom foam case. Among the Kiddie tailers the best suited is probably the Leggero Classico as the seats can be removed to easily convert it into an enclosed storage tailers (part of the concept and they sell or sold a such a version). Its one of the great advantages of that model. I've put many 10s of 1000s of km on our Legerro--- and for those curious, NO its does not have tubular tires nor carbon wheels---- and when the kids are too large to travel (upon which time its either own machines, tandem or maybe a bicycle rickshaw) in it I'll remove the seats and turn it into a storage trailer...

Andy K · Jan 19, 2006

I'd go for the Bob Ibex. It has suspension.

Helen B · Jan 19, 2006

I don't cycle in New York, and only occasionally in London, but whenever I can I go away on my Slingshot. I usually carry either a Nikon all-weather compact or a Nikonos so I don't have to worry about protecting it. A GPS on the handlebars helps for those mapless places, but my GPS isn't all that good in jungle.

Best,
Helen

removed account4 · Jan 19, 2006

i used to cycle competitivly when i was younger - rode between 30-50 miles every day did mountain road races but eventually my knees gave out and i stopped and soon after my bike was stolen. i hope the theif had good knees cause the freewheel was something like a 7-17

years later when i was sifting through a junk store on the cambridge-somerville line i ended up buying a atala folding bike. i got knobby tires for it, replaced the freewheel ( got something really small ) and took the advice of the neighborhood kid and attached 4" wheel pegs. the u-lock cost more than the bike and all the modifications ...

i tooled around cambridge, boston and somerville on it for years (with and without camera ) ... it hangs in the garage getting virtually no use these days, sleeping + dreaming of when i gave friends a ride on the back, and when it folded up on me as i drove away from a gang of thugs .... these days i have a postman's 3-speed with a baby carrier

-john

Digidurst · Jan 19, 2006

mark said:
I love riding my bike but hate carrying anything with me. SO I never have a camera with me.

This would be the perfect place to ride if it were not for the uncontained dogs. Lots of hills, not many paved roads. Last summer I had to quit riding when it got too damn dangerous because of new dogs in the area that plain hated bicyclists. They seem to be gone and are not bothering walkers these days so I might be able to get back on.

And before anyone says call the dog pound I tried. They don't do shit.

Get a can of "Halt" - does a nice job with the nasty dogs.

Digidurst · Jan 19, 2006

This thread has been fun to read as (you guessed it!) I am also a cyclist/photographer. I keep a Minolta x-700 w/ a 50mm lens in my handlebar bag at all times

My dream is to bike across America someday.

mark · Jan 19, 2006

dschneller said:
I need to get one of those bicycle trailers to haul my son (and the LF gear!) behind me as soon as spring gets here. My wife and I enjoy nice leisurely ride on the waterfront trail. The trail is about 450 km from Niagara to Brockville but we usually do only about 10 km at a stretch.

Dave

We have one and it is great. After a lot of looking we got an in-step(I think) Tough as nails and safe. I went down while towing my son. Nothing happened to him and it stayed up.

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