Not One, Not Two, Not Three, but Four of Them!

My apologies in advance. This is going to be a very long post. I thought about making it into four separate posts but the information seemed “fractured” that way. It has helped me to compile this “report” and to see all of the information together in one spot. It is my hope that it may help others in sorting out the Switzer families of Columbiana County. If you are a descendant of any of these fellows, please contact me at kinexxions@gmail.com and let me know how you are related. I'd love to hear from you, especially if you have any documentation to prove or disprove my theories.



In my previous post The Three Jacob Switzers I identified three men by the name of Jacob Switzer who lived in Columbiana County, Ohio at the same time. I was having a bit of a problem deciphering the census records for 1820, 1830 and 1840 as they didn't seem to make sense in regards to what little information I had. It appeared that families were being enumerated in townships that were different from where their land was located – and they were! The Ohio Tax Lists added somewhat to my confusion. As it turns out there were actually FOUR Jacob Switzers in the county but only three living there at any one time during those years.



A “breakthrough” of sorts came with an application for First Families of Ohio on Jacob Switzer who married Polly (Mary) Skelton and also with the Estate File of the “other” Jacob who was the same age as “my” Jacob.



As a recap, with corrections, and adding the fourth Jacob (he's actually #3), here are the “players” involved.

1. Jacob Switzer, born February 28, 1761 and died October 27, 1841. His wife was named Elizabeth (maiden name possibly Hoke and possibly married February 19, 1786).


2. Jacob Switzer, born January 4, 1788 and died November 2, 1859. He married Catherine “Caty” Brinker on February 26, 1811. [This is my family. I am descended through their daughter Elizabeth who married Jacob Yarian.]


3. Jacob Switzer, born December 25, 1794 and died August 29, 1849. He married Polly Skelton January 11, 1816. He is in Columbiana County by 1817 and is gone by 1830.


4. Jacob Switzer, born November 8, 1788 and died March 25, 1859. His wife was Catharina Mummert. He appears in Columbiana County in 1830.

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The Ohio Tax Lists for 1816-1838 at FamilySearch were downloaded and compiled into a spreadsheet. (In the land description, R=Range, T=Township, S=Section.) It should be noted that the spelling of the surname in these records was usually Switzer, but occasionally Switser or Schwitzer.



The Tax Lists were then compared to the Deed Records and abstractions that I obtained in June while at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City as well as some Deed Records that were viewed and abstracted earlier this month at the Recorders Office in Lisbon, Ohio.



Comparing the information from the Tax Lists, Deed Records, and Census Records I came up with some semblance of an idea of who lived where and the makeup of their respective families. In three out of four cases, Deed Records and Estate Records were instrumental in the identification of family members, though not necessarily all of their family members. For various reasons, for this initial analysis, I chose not to rely on the various online family trees for these families, especially those for the elder Jacob Switzer, which are numerous and for the most part sourceless.



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From 1816-1831 Jacob Switzer (#1) was taxed on 156 acres in the NE ¼ R3 T15 S25 (Salem Twp). Patent Certificate 883 was issued to Jacob Switzer of Jefferson County, Ohio for this land in 1804. The final certificate number 1976 was issued in 1808. In 1832 this land was sold by Jacob and Elizabeth to Daniel Switzer, presumed to be a son, with provisions, which were quite interesting. I may have a future post on that transaction.



Jacob and Elizabeth had another parcel of 20 acres in the SW ¼ of R3 T15 S23 (Salem Twp) which they purchased in 1812 from Baltzer Kulp and sold in 1820 to John Pepple.



Census records show that Jacob and Elizabeth lived in Salem Township.

• 1820 p65: Jacob Switzer with one male 16-25, one male 45 and over, one female 10-15, two females 16-25, one female 26-44 and one female 45 and over.


• 1830 p435: Jacob Swetser with one male 60-69, one female 40-49, one female 60-69


• 1840 p116: Jacob Switzer with one male 70-79 and one female 70-79

Making the assumption that all those listed are children of Jacob and Elizabeth, their family may have included, among others (keep in mind they were reportedly married in 1786, and if so, there are likely more children):

• one male born 1795-1804


• one female 1805-1810


• two females 1795-1804


• one female 1776-1794


• one female 1781-1790

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From 1820-1838 Jacob Switzer (#2) was taxed on 213 acres of land in the SE ¼ of R2 T12 S12 (Fairfield Twp). This was the land that Jacob's wife Catherine inherited from her father, Andrew Brinker, who was the original proprietor. As I understand it, Andrew had deeded this land, as well as various lands to his other children, some years before his death as mentioned in his will. Numerous Quit Claim deeds were recorded in 1832 between and to each of the heirs. (Yes, future posts!) Jacob and Catherine owned this land until 1849 when they sold it to Thomas McCoy.



Apparently, Jacob and Catherine did not live on the land in Fairfield Township the entire time until it was sold. In 1838 they purchased 80 acres in the south half of the NE ¼ of R3 T15 S33 (Salem Twp) from John Froth. They sold the Salem Township land to their son-in-law Daniel Deemer in 1847, with specific provisions and a little twist, which will of course be the subject of a future post.



The final account found in Jacob's probate file listed four daughters as heirs. Biographies of several family members indicated that Jacob and Catharine did not have any sons. Based on that premise, I believe this family in 1820 in Centre Township (p83) is the right family. I have no idea why they would be listed in Centre Township but Andrew Brinker (Jacob's father-in-law) was also enumerated there on the last line of the previous page and his lands were also in Fairfield Township. It's possible that he also owned land in Centre Township but I haven't reviewed his records yet.

• Jacob Switzer with one male 26-44, three females under 10, and one female 26-44.

Even though there is a male age 20-29 included in this family in 1830 in Fairfield Township (p345) I'm pretty sure it is the family of Jacob #2. The 20-29 year old male is most likely a hired hand or other relative, possibly even a brother.

• Indexed as Jacob Smither with a correction to Jacob Switzer: one male 20-29, one male 40-49, one female under 5, one female 5-9, two females 10-14, one female 15-19, and one female 40-49

The 1840 (p118) and 1850 (p14) census records show the family residing in Salem Township, probably on the land that was purchased in 1838.

• 1840: Jacob Switzer with one male 50-59, one female 10-14, one female 15-19, and one female 50-59


• 1850: Jacob Switzer, 65, Farmer, Real Estate valued at $1700, born Pa. with Catharine A. Switzer, 65, born Pa. [Note: The Daniel Deemer family is listed immediately following Jacob.]

Again, disregarding that one male age 20-29 in 1830, the family of Jacob and Catherine (Brinker) Switzer seems to have consisted of:

• one female 1826-1830 [Susan born abt 1826]


• one female 1821-1825 [Sarah born 1823 and died 1842]


• two females 1816-1820 [Elizabeth born September 1815 and Rebecca born abt 1820]


• one female 1811-1815 [Barbara born abt 1814]

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In the 1819 Tax List, Jacob Switzer (#3) is taxed on 50 acres in the SE ¼ of R5 T16 S14 (West Twp). He purchased the land in 1817. In 1824 Jacob Switzer and Polly, his wife, sold the land. I have no idea why he is in the tax lists only in the year 1819. The deed for this transaction was included in the First Families of Ohio application along with information that stated that Jacob came to Ohio in 1815. After selling the land in Columbiana County, Jacob and Polly moved to Wayne County, Ohio and settled in Orange Township, which became part of Richland County which later became part of Ashland County.



Although enumerated in Fairfield Township in 1820 (p62) I believe that this is Jacob and Polly Switzer, even though their land was located in West Township. The family makeup more closely resembles what was found in the First Families of Ohio application.

• Jacob Switzer with one male under 10, one male 26-44, two females under 10, and one female 26-44. There was also one Foreigner not naturalized.

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Jacob Switzer (#2 or #4 ?) was taxed on 80 acres in the W ½ of the SW ¼ of R2 T12 S16 (Fairfield Twp) from 1830 to 1838. Jacob was issued a Patent in 1833 from the state of Ohio (given the year it was probably the date the final certificate was issued). I did not find a record of the sale of this land in the grantor index going up to the year 1897, therefore I cannot conclusively state which Jacob owned this land. And even if I had found a record of the sale by Jacob I may not have been able to determine which one it was – they both had a wife named Catherine!





Above is a portion of the image from the 1837 Property Tax List for Fairfield Township, Columbiana County, Ohio. It shows two listings for Jacob Switzer (2nd and 3rd from the bottom) with the second entry being “Do” for ditto. I know for sure that the 213 acres in R2 T12 S12 was owned by “my” Jacob (#2). If I'm reading this correctly (and I could be wrong), the 3rd column from the right indicates that there was a house on the property in Section 12, while there was none on the 79 acres in Section 16.



In the years 1830-1838 the tax lists show the two properties on the same page usually consecutively as shown above and in each case there is no value in that column 3rd from the right.





This is the upper half of the 1841 Atlas (referenced below) that shows “Switzer” in Section 12 (to the right of the “2” in 12 on the right side of the map) and “J.S.” in Section 16 (above and to the left of the “R” in Fairfield).



If Section 16 was also owned by Jacob #2, then where was the land located that was owned by Jacob #4? He obviously had land somewhere... the 1850 census (see below) shows that he had Real Estate valued at $2400 while Jacob #2 had Real Estate valued at $1700. The land records noted thus far are the only ones I found for “Jacob Switzer” during this time period.



The “Combined Atlas of Columbiana County 1841-1860” published by the Columbiana County Chapter, Ohio Genealogical Society in 1984 (compiled from previously published works) shows that in 1861 the 79 acres in the W ½ of the SW ¼ of Section 16 were owned by “Keyser.” Obviously, I've got a little more work to do in regards to this land.



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Jacob Switzer #4 did not show up in Columbiana County until 1830 and then he is listed in the census records for Fairfield Township from 1830 through 1850.

• 1830 (p353): Jacob Switzer with one male under 5, two males 5-9, two males 10-14, one male 40-49, two females under 5, one female 5-9, one female 10-14, one female 15-19, and one female 40-49


• 1840 (p229): Jacob Switzer with one male 10-14, one male 15-19, one male 50-59, two females 5-9, one female 10-14, one female 15-19, one female 50-59


• 1850 (family 492): Jacob Switzer, 61, Farmer, Real Estate valued at $2400, born Penn. with Catharine Switzer, 61, born Penn, and Anna, 21, Sophia, 18, and Lydia A., 16, all three born Ohio.

The family of Jacob and Catherina Mummert Switzer seems to have consisted of at least:

• one male 1826-1830


• two males 1821-1825


• two males 1816-1820


• two females 1826-1830 [Anna born 1829 + one other]


• one female 1821-1825 [Sophia born 1822 and Lydia born 1824]


• one female 1816-1820


• one female 1811-1815

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In addition to the four Jacobs there were other Switzers in the tax lists for Columbiana County: John 1820-1838 with several properties in Elkrun Township, Martin 1829-1838 with various properties in Elkrun, Fairfield and Salem Townships, and Daniel 1830-1838 in Salem Township (the land purchased from Jacob and Elizabeth). They were also recorded in the census records for the county.



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Do John, Martin and Daniel fit into the family equation? If so, how? Are they sons of Jacob and Elizabeth?



All three of the younger Jacob Switzers are of the right age to be a son of the elder Jacob and his wife Elizabeth. Is one of them their son? If so, which one?



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See Switzer Families :: Index to Posts for additional information on the Switzer Families of Columbiana County, Ohio.

Anti-Theft Cozy

Spotted around Harvard Square, this road bike is sporting a green knitted U-lock cover!

Knitting a "cozy" for your U-Lock is a fabulous and pretty hilarious idea. But if I think about it, there might be more to it. The hand-knitted cover humanizes the owner of the bicycle. It calls attention to the deeply personal anxieties over the safety of our cherished belongings. If cruel acts are possible because the perpetrator depersonalises the victim, then perhaps this piece of knitted handywork will disrupt that process by evoking empathy.

Edited to add: After searching for "knitted U-Lock cover" on google, I've discovered this post from Bikes and the City. Bi-coastal trend?

Fort Wilderness Campground

We are lucky enough to still have other families around us, and we are trying to soak it up while we do. It is still an adjustment to us after being used to not having it. Today, we headed over to Fort Wilderness Campground to see Rich, Lisa, Luca and Akira. They are one of the neatest families we have met since going out on the road.



Diana, Lauren and Josh met us there. Becky and Nora are camping right behind us and they rode over with us. I think I've already shared here that I adore Nora, and I really like her mom too so I was so happy they joined us. We had a nice group by the time we all arrived. The kids wanted to swim and after seeing the pool area, I can see why.



As we were driving home, Nora was telling us the states she has been to and what she remembered there. She told us she liked Pennsylvania and that there is a chocolate factory there. It is mind blowing to me that a four year old would be able to know the difference between the states and what she saw there. She is one smart cookie and it is neat proof of how much they do absorb from traveling like we do. Just a great day of fun with friends! Living the life in sunny but still cool Florida!

Line Dancing at Colony Cottage Recreation Center

Every night Donna and I email each other and decide what we are going to do the following day. Last night we decided to go line dancing at a new place, the Colony Cottage Recreation Center. We got there early, and I'm so glad we did because shortly after we arrived, there was a line waiting to get in.



Because there were so many people, it meant a very crowded room while we were dancing.



Donna took some of these pictures, which meant she captured me while I was dancing.



The line dancing class starts at Beginner level and works up to Intermediate level. Each week we are learning more and more, so we are able to stay and dance longer. Donna is a former professional dancer, so she is incredibly fast at learning and she is an awesome dancer. I move along at a much slower pace across the board, but still manage to have a lot of fun.



After we hit the level where we needed to stop we made sure to take some pictures of the recreation center we were in. We both managed to take some, so I have a mix of pictures from my phone camera and ones Donna shared with me. I will try to take more pictures of the recreation centers, because they are all incredible. There are 63 recreation centers in The Villages. Each one is decorated in a specific theme. Colony Cottage is a regional center and is gorgeous. The details in each of the centers is truly exceptional and I love just wandering around and looking at each one.



This one is so pretty and relaxing. It really does feel like a beautiful cottage.




I'll try to write about the rest of our day tomorrow, because we have an early for me day in the morning so I need to head to bed!

Living the life in The Villages!

Darth Vader Balloon

The Destroyer

This is a photo that you've seen before, although never composed the way you see here. I've shared two previous versions of this image, both of which were vertical crops. This version shows the original composition, cropped only slightly to get rid of some dead space on both sides of the image. I've always loved this shot because of the power and intensity of the lightning, but I was never completely happy with the vertical crops as they cut off part of the island. I love this one because it shows the whole island as well as more of the water. This is Pete's Island in Grand Portage Bay, and is the view that we see from the beach right in front of our house.

Superba Give-Away Recipient! ...and On Give-Aways in General

I would like to announce that the special edition Bella Ciao "Superba" bicycle that has been kindly donated for me to give away, will go to Julia D. - a reader from State College, PA. The picture above is one that I took earlier, and which she then marked up with "anatomical labels" and posted on her blog. Julia, congratulations and I hope you enjoy this bicycle! I will email you details regarding its arrival and everything else you need to know.



There was a total of 45 entries for the Superba give-away. Some were eliminated, because it was clear that the applicant could afford a new bicycle. Quite a few other entries were eliminated based on the applicant's height. This still left me with many applicants to choose from, and at this point it became quite difficult to read the emails. There are so many people out there who are in financial need, and I am just not in a position to help them. It would be wonderful if someone - like a large bike manufacturer looking to promote their product - would host a give-away on a grand scale. But this give-away was for someone who specifically wanted the Superba... which eliminated all but a few applicants. Most of the emails I received were fairly general, some even asking questions about the bicycle that made it plain they did not know much about it, other than it being free. Again, I am very sorry to have to choose, but as described in the original give-away post, this bicycle was intended for someone who wanted it and not just a free bike. With the remaining applicants I chose at random, and Julia was it. I hope that this explains my selection process satisfactorily and I thank everyone who took part in the give-away. For me, this was very difficult.



As a general note on give-aways... I've been getting all sorts of emails about them since I began doing them, and so I would like to address a few points. Some readers - including industry members - have suggested to me that "I'm not doing it right," in the sense that the way I go about it does not generate publicity. I am supposed to say that you have to "follow me" in order to be eligible, to write about the give-away on your own blog, to post it on facebook, and so on. So I wanted to clarify that my not doing these things is intentional. It's not that I don't want publicity for my blog. Of course I do. Just not like that. I want my give-aways to be friendly, low key and without stipulations.



The other thing, is that I've also received emails from manufacturers offering various products for me to give away on their behalf, most of which I have politely declined. Though I am willing to do this in theory, I have two criteria: First, the product has to be of interest to me. And second, I am not comfortable with stipulations of the nature I described in the above paragraph: namely, telling readers that they have to "follow" the manufacturer in order to have a chance at getting the product. I am all for collaborating with manufacturers in giving away stuff, but I am not a free-for-all marketing vehicle. There is a line between those two things, and every blog author must decide for themselves where to draw it.



To end on a positive note, I hope to have more give-aways for you soon. The lovely touring bike project got somewhat derailed by the unexpectedly long winter (which made it impossible to test the bike in between stages), but it has now come out of hybernation and I will post about it soon. The give-away should take place some time in June. Stay tuned, and thank you for reading Lovely Bicycle!

Seriously?

Hey I am trying to stay on point. But I get distracted easily. It is mid summer afterall ;-) This from a guy that hasa hard time riding pavement on a low tubular . Check this ride on the wall out!











More here:



http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1729554-cyclist-michal-marosi-pulls-off-stunning-wall-ride-to-win-race



and more crazy fun stuff!

New Beginnings

Earlier this week I finally made it to 12 Channel Street in South Boston - the new home of Royal H. Cycles, Geekhouse Bikes, Hubway Bikeshare and a number of other local bicycle-related ventures.





Organised by the intrepid Marty Walsh of Geekhouse, HQ Boston is a new collective space in an industrial waterfront area dubbed the "Innovation District," and its acquisition has been the talk of the town among bikey people. It is big news. The space is big (24,000 sq ft), the commitment is big (10 year lease), and the scope of the project is big. The move shows there is growth in the local small scale bicycle industry, and implies a collective faith in this growth continuing.






Seeing the venue for the first time - an entire second floor of a warehouse-type building, still mostly open floor space - I was overwhelmed by the sheer blank canvas potential of it. Anything could happen here. Many things will, soon.







All morning long there was energy, movement. Planks scattered, walls going up. Men at work. At the same time it was oddly peaceful for a place with so much going on. The size of the space diffuses the construction noise. The light coming in from the outside casts a soft white glow over the debris.






The floor space occupied by Geekhouse and Royal H has been set up and operational for months.There are beautiful machines, jigs, tools, frames and wheels suspended along the walls.





The presence of the framebuilders is there.





Oh yes.






Walking through the space, I admit to feeling some nostalgia. The new venue lacks the personality of the oldGeekhouse shack in Allstonwith its famous graffiti mural. It lacks the charm of the tiny old Royal H workshop in Somervilleby the railroad tracks, just minutes from my house. There is no small neighbourhood feel here. Huge industrial buildings greeted me as I looked out the window, blocking the view of the Harbor. But even as I thought these things, I knew that it was the sentimentalist in me talking. Any place can become a neighbourhood once filled with neighbours, and the Innovation District is attracting new creative small businesses every day. Murals will be painted in due course. The personality of a space takes time to develop.





This place has the potential for growth and collaboration that was not available to either of the occupants beforehand, and the excitement of this is almost tangible.







The spirit of working together is in the air. Though I came to meet with Bryan of Royal H., I later encountered Shane - the man behind BostonBiker. I've corresponded with Shane in the past and I thought that we'd met before, but obviously we haven't because this was a totally different person. It took me a bit just to wrap my head around that and readjust my mental image of him, but soon we were giddy with talk of joint projects involving Shane's skillz and mine.






But back to the main purpose of my visit: I am working on a new mixte prototype with Royal H. Cycles. I sold the mixte Bryan made for me in to finance this, and although this was difficult I don't regret it. The new collaboration will be my design and Bryan's framebuilding. If the prototype works out and is cost-effective, the idea is that it would become a model available to order. I am not thinking of this as my personal bike and not getting attached to it. Very possibly I will sell the prototype, particularly if we end up having to make another. There is so much to say about what I hope this bicycle will be, but in these early stages I am too nervous and excited to talk about it too much. As far as form, I can say that it will be a low-trail 650B mixte with curved twin lateral stays. Fully lugged, with lots of modified lugwork. As far as function, my hope is to make a bike that will be suitable for both urban and long-distance transportation, including over hilly terrain, optimised for women who ride in their everyday clothing. There are lots of details regarding what this involves in my mind and why, and I look forward to sharing them.






In the meantime, it looks like I will be paying these gentlemen more visits over the summer, which is certainly not a bad thing. It will be wonderful to watch HQ Boston develop. If anyone local is interested in joining, there is space available and rent is cheap. Things are happening in Boston. Here's to new beginnings.

The Residence of John Brubaker

I'll admit it. Oftentimes, as I've perused the old county atlas books, I've been somewhat envious of the beautiful engravings of family farms within their pages. I always thought it would be "neat" to have one of my families included but they just weren't there, at least not in the books I've looked at! Several years ago, my uncle gave me some of the pictures and other papers that he had gotten when his mother (my grandmother) died. There were pictures I had never seen before, at least not that I remember having seen before. Among them, the image below, which shows the residence of John Brubaker, my 3rd great grandfather.


Yellow and faded, securely attached to a piece of heavy cardboard, it just barely fit on the flatbed scanner. How and when did my grandmother come into possession of this picture? Well, that's a good question. In that box from my uncle, there were also some pictures of Thornton Brubaker and his family as well as several of the children of Samuel Brubaker. They were John's sons and half-brothers of my 2nd great-grandfather, William Brubaker. My guess would be that whomever gave her those pictures also gave her the picture of John's residence. Wherever she got them, I'm sure glad she kept them!

I've seen the "Combination Atlas Map of Huntington County, Indiana" published in 1879, but I don't recall seeing this image in it. Yesterday, I decided to see what other atlases had been published in the late 1880s. The first thing that came up on Google search was a hit on the David Rumsey Collection! Turns out, the image above was printed on page 125 (center of page, left side) of the "Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Indiana" which was published by Baskin, Forster & Co., Chicago, 1876. Engraved & Printed by Chas. Shober & Co. Props. of Chicago Lithographing Co.

What is great about it being in the David Rumsey Collection is that you can zoom in and enlarge the pages. The detail in the images on the Rumsey site is incredible. A map of Huntington County is on page 66 of the atlas. The "homepage" of the atlas shows that there are 187 images covering all 92 counties of the state.

Thanks to an unknown benefactor many years ago, my grandmother, and my uncle, I have a very nice piece of my family history. One of these days I'm going to make the trip to Huntington County (it's only about a 40 minute drive) and see if I can find his farm. I doubt that the house is still standing, but it's possible...

Phend-Fisher Family Reunion Ledger (1917-1918-1919)

There were no records kept of the reunions held in the years of 1917 & 1918.



The 10th annual reunion of the Phend-Fisher families was held on Sept 28, 1919 at the home of Christ. Phend at Nappanee. The morning was spent in a social way and, at noon a basket dinner was served after which a short business meeting was held and the following officers elected for the ensuing year.

Jacob Phend. Pres.
Fred Ernest. Sec.
Christ Phend. Tres.

It was decided by vote that the 11th annual reunion be held at the home of Harry Phend at Milford Ind. on the last Saturday of Sept. 1920

The meeting was then adjourned and an enjoyable time was reported by all.
Fred Ernest, Sec.

Sleeping Bear Dunes

Today Ashleigh, Nathan, Austin, Elijah and the dogs headed to Sleeping Bear Dunes. I will get Nathan to write something up so he can remember the day. All pictures and words will be his.

Great weather!

With July moving right along, the mountain is seeing some of the best weather of the season right now and fantastic climbing conditions. Climbers are getting out and making the best of it. There's plenty of fun climbing to still be had all over the mountain.

Lately, a lot of climbers have been having success on the Emmons-Winthrop route (see photo). It's in great form right now and a nice option to consider when planning your trip. Come out and see us on the mountain!

Hard Core Bicycle DIY: Is It Worth It?

Over his year and a half of adult bicycle ownership, the Co-Habitant has progressed from not knowing much about bicycles at all, to completing two full bicycle builds from scratch. In the course of that time, knowledge was gradually gained, tools were purchased one by one, and increasingly complicated procedures were mastered. I helped when I could, but mainly the mechanics are his thing. I will stick to writing about it, thank you.



It certainly would be nice to write an inspiring post about what a rewarding and empowering experience it is to do one's own bicycle builds and overhauls. But the truth is, that I do not necessarily believe that to be so - which is why I do not do it myself. Assuming that we are speaking ofserious DIY here, beyond simple maintenance, these projectsrequire the investment of considerable amounts of time, energy and money.At the risk of coming across as discouraging, here is how I see it:

It is worth doing your own bicycle mechanics if...

...You truly enjoy it and look upon it as a hobby to fill your spare time with. That is the #1 reason in my view. If you do not enjoy it, the process can be extremely frustrating. Also, keep in mind that like any hobby, this one will require spending money on supplies - some of which will be wasted on trial and error. You will surely ruin cables and cable housing, possibly even components. You will order the wrong parts and will need to return them. Sometimes you will only realise that they are the wrong parts after you try to install them and scratch them up - making returns or exchanges impossible. You will have to make multiple, unexpected trips to bicycle shops and hardware stores for things you will suddenly realise you need. All this better be enjoyable, or it makes no sense.

...You own multiple bicycles, plan to build up multiple bicycles, and/or foresee yourself frequently changing components on your bicycle(s). Only then does it make financial sense to invest in the many tools you will need to do your own overhauls and builds - and to go through the learning process before you actually get good at it. Things like a proper bike stand and a standard tool kit will already cost more than most bicycle shops charge for a bike build. And then there are the less common, but often necessary tools, such as headset presses, cotter presses, bottom bracket tools,dremels, and so on, that raise the cost of DIY even higher, if you properly account for it all.

...You are good at bicycle mechanics. If not, then it is just plain dangerous to work on your own bicycle. While some mistakes make for good learning experiences, others - especially when it comes to brakes, steering and the drivetrain - can have disastrous consequences.

...You are, at least to some degree, a control freak and like everything about your bicycle to be "just so". Sure, a bike shop may do an all right job. But you would just feel better if you trued those wheels or tensioned that chain or installed that bottom bracket yourself.

Ifall of the aboveapply, then by all means - full speed ahead with the DIY. You will enjoy it, and it will be rewarding. However,if your primary goal is to save money, I would suggest you think twice. It is not just about buying all the necessary tools that you may seldom have occasion to use again, but also about time. While on the surface it may seem that I would save money by doing abicycle build myself, in economic terms this is actually untrue. In the time it would take me to build up a bicycle, I could insteadtake on an extra freelance project in my own line of work - and the income from it would be greater than the money I'd save by building the bike myself. Financially speaking, the wise thing to do would be to allocate that work to an experienced mechanic while using the time saved to earn money in my own field of expertise.

I am fortunate to live with someone who enjoys working on bicycles (see his description of his travel tool kit!) and is quite good at it. I am also fortunate that he had some time off this summer and actually wanted to spend it working on bikes. Now that he has accumulated all the tools he needs and sufficient experience, we can do pretty much anything bicycle-related at home - and I appreciate that very much. But I by no means think that it is every "real cyclist's" duty to be able to do these things on their own, just like I do not think it is every "real home owner's" duty to be able to do their own plumbing and electrical work. If you are passionate about bicycle mechanics and are good at it, then certainly it can be fun and rewarding. Otherwise, it is best left to the experts - for the sake of your nerves and your wallet.

Bicycle Portraits in Ambrotype and Tintype

I've been helping a Lovely Bicycle reader with the process of ordering a custom bike, and he sent me something rather wonderful as a Thank You gift.



It's a beautiful little antique case, about 4x3", with the tiniest, delicate latch closure. And inside of it, there is this:



An ambrotype portrait of a young lady on her bicycle, c.1893-94. The ambrotype is one of the oldest methods of photography, where the image is captured as a positive on glass using a wet plate process. Being on glass, ambrotypes are extremely fragile, which is why they were preserved in these enclosed, padded cases. And even with these careful storage methods, not many of them remain. This is a fine gift indeed, to say the least - especially for one obsessed with both bicycles and photographic processes.



Here is a close-up of the image itself. I cannot remove it from its case, so excuse the murkiness. Notice that it is a mirror image - the drivetrain is on the wrong side. The first commercial freewheel was produced by Sachs in 1898, which means that this lady and others of her era were riding fixed gears. Also, notice the absence of fenders, but the presence of dress guards - at least her muddy skirt would not get stuck in the spokes? Otherwise, the bicycle is a fairly classic lady's Roadster (and apropos the earlier gender discussion - yes, thesewere made specifically for ladies).



The encasedambrotypecame in a set with a free-standingtintype- another positive photographic process, this one created on a sheet of blackened iron. Just amazing. Again, there is the mirror image effect. The bicycle here is similar, but with a fancier chaincase and with a headlamp. The person who sent me these pictures believes the women might be bicycle messengers, though it is also possible that the caps represent cycling clubs that were popular at the time. I must admit that I liked the image of them cycling on fixed gear loop frames through the city delivering letters.



With the rising popularity of flickr, many vintage bicycle photos have been getting scanned and placed on the web in the course of the past several years. And it always amazes me to see specifically the portraits of young ladies posing with their bicycles in a proud and stately manner. Getting one's photo taken was a special occasion in the 1890's, something that was only done once in a great while. And opting to pose with a bicycle in one of the few photos that would ever exist of you, seems telling of the relationship the person in the portrait had with their machine. The word ambrotype means "immortal impression" in Greek, and these ladies wanted to be together with their bicycle for eternity. Was it a status symbol, or an object of obsession? Probably both. And I wonder how the digital bike portraits of today will be interpreted 120 years from now - that is, if they remain at all.

A New Acquaintance... and a New Career?

Today I would like to share with you that I have officially become a Bicycle Photographer. As you can imagine, this translates to a life of fame and glamour - and will finally enable me to quit my dayjob and live as a full-time artiste. Okay, perhaps I am getting just a little ahead of myself. But I have recently been asked to photograph someone's bicycle collection, and I am excited to be working on this project.

A.T. (aka "somervillain") is a vintage bicycle lover who lives in the Boston area. He is an occasional commentator on this blog and a member of bikeforums. Based on the photos of my own bicycles that he has seen me post, A.T. invited me to document his and his wife's vintage collection. So far we have only done one photo session, and I post a few of the images here.

The star of these photos is A.T.'s 1950s Raleigh DL-1 Roadster - the same bicycle as the Co-Habitant's Rodney, but older and with a full chaincase, as well as dynamo-powered lighting (front and rear!).

I must say that this DL-1 is in better condition than any other I have seen, particularly the chrome parts. When I first saw this bike from a distance, my thought was that it must be a modern replica. Of course up close all the signs of wear and age are visible, but its condition is none the less terrific.

Those who like vintage Raleigh 3-speeds know how rare it is to actually have that dynamo headlight attached to the "Heron" mount and working!

Here is a close-up of the headlight, handlebars and rod levers. The roses are distracting here (roses in November?), but it's the best close-up I have of this area.

Incredibly clean and shiny rod brakes.

Front dynamo hub.

Dynamo-powered tail light mounted on the left seat stay. What a pleasure to photograph all this stuff!

Rear Sturmey Archer hub. Notice how clean it is! A.T. did all of the work on this bicycle himself, including assembling this hub - remarkable!

Vintage Brooks B66 saddle, NOS Roadster saddlebag, rear rack.

Here is the entire bicycle again, from the non-chaindrive side. I should explain that I can't take digital photography seriously (as opposed to film photography), and therefore own no professional digital equipment. These photos were all taken with my tiny point-and-shoot camera. I could have done a much better job with proper equipment. Any suggestions? But there I go, getting ahead of myself again.

A few have already asked me about the location in these photos. All I can say, is that it is my secret magical bike photography spot, and the same "nice" neighborhood discussed in this post. It is ridiculously scenic and resembles England, which is why I thought the vintage Raleigh would look especially at home against this backdrop. I hope you enjoyed the photos of this magnificent bicycle and thank you A.T. for the permission to post these. Additional pictures of this bicycle can be viewed here.

If you have questions about this Raleigh DL-1, please contact the knowledgeable and friendly somervillain.