Piddington - Salcey Forest - Piddington

Led by Barry. With Gordon, Maureen and Eddie. Fine sunny morning. Just under 7 miles.

Garden gnomes with a difference?

Thatched shelter opposite a fallen tree under which, no doubt before it fell, we are told the sixth Duke of Grafton used to rest on his arduous way from his home to the church.

Salcey Forest glow

View from the high platform of the treetop walk. Northampton 'lighthouse' in the distance.

Coffee and scone break

Piddington Roman villa dig, with church in background

Piddington Roman Villa info





Upper Nene Archeological Society Piddington Dig Diaries

Rarely heard words: 'Shall we hang on for Eddie?"

Piddington Church

and finally . . . flapjack break.

Debasketification

We've all been caught off guard here by the wintry temperatures over the past few days. I was in disbelief at first, but gave in and got out the wool coats and boots again.Yesterday the sky was dark and the forecast promised continuous rain, and so when we needed to go on errands across town we took the Pashleys - after making some minor modifications.



When I was explaining to the Co-Habitant months ago that the Princess feels slow to accelerate from a stop compared to my other bicycles, he immediately suggested that the basket might be at fault - producing wind resistance at slow speeds with its dense wicker enormity. I dismissed this idea for a while, because the basket is just so nice. I did not want to believe it could have any significant role in slowing me down.



But after the de-basketification procedure (we finally got some wrenches that allowed us to remove the handlebars and take off the entire basket support system), I have to admit that he was right. Without the basket, the Princess is faster to accelerate from a stop, and it is also easier to maneuver. I guess I am just not a "front basket kind of girl" despite liking them aesthetically. I miss the basket being there, but the handling and speed of the bicycle are so improved by its absence that I just can't see myself willingly re-attaching it. Instead, I will get some roomy panniers for the rear rack to increase load capacity.



In addition to the de-basketification, we changed the angle and rise of the handlebars some more, so that they resemble a vintage roadster set-up and allow for a more aggressive - yet still upright and comfortable - posture. This has further improved things, and I prefer the look as well - reminds me of a path racer!



With these changes and the effects they've had, I think I will keep the bicycle and continue tinkering with it. I would like to replace the Marathon Plus tires with cream Delta Cruisers, and I think this will make the Princess zippier still. This bicycle may not be super fast or light, but it is undeniably safer and more comfortable in bad weather than any other bike I have been on, and that is no small thing.



The Co-Habitant's Roadster is happy that the Princess will be staying, and he assures her that she looks just as good without the basket as with. If anything, her graceful long neck is now more visible and all the better to admire. What a flatterer!

Nashville, TN

After a nice visit with Gary's Aunt Lois and Uncle Dave and Uncle George and Aunt Cindy we head fora walking tour of Nashville where Elvis is always alive and well.

Skyline from the LP Stadium where we parked the RV



and took the Walking Bridge to Downtown

Across the river was a replica of an old fort

Hit the Honky Tonk row



Visited the Charlie Daniels Museum

and Managed to Play on stage in Nashville!



and who new there was a Parthenon in Nashville?

On to the Natchez Trace Parkway and Memphis!

A Look at Rivet Saddles

When I last corresponded with Debra Banks, she was off to ride the Texas Rando Stampede 1200 - a 750 mile brevet that she would go on to complete in 85 hours. Naturally Deb did this on a Rivet: a waterproof, slotted leather saddle of her own design.




While Rivet saddles are fairly new to the scene, Deb's experience in the industry goes back to her time at Selle Anatomica. In her own words:

Tom Milton, the founder of Selle An-Atomica was my sweetie and after his untimely death, I ran SAA for a year while his estate was being settled. His family took over the company and I ventured out on my own to form Rivet Cycle Works.

At the moment, Rivet offers three basic models of saddles in different widths. Each is available in a range of colours, and with a choice of cro-moly or titanium rails. We discussed my trying one for review and settled on the Pearl.






Named after Pearl Pass in the Rocky Mountains, the Rivet Pearl saddle was optimised for long distance comfort and support. As Debra explains, this does not mean these saddles are solely for long distance riders. Rather, if a cyclist experiences saddle discomfort when attempting longer rides, it was designed with addressing this in mind. The Pearl model features bag loops for attaching a full sized saddlebag.






Measuring 170mm at the rear, the width of the Pearl is equivalent to that of Selle Anatomica saddles. However, the shape and structure are quite different. In fact, while Rivet saddles may invite comparisons to Selle Anatomica because of the shared history, I find them to have more differences than similarities. The list of similarities is short: Both are slotted, and both are made of waterproofed leather in largely the same range of colours. However, the form and feel have little in common.






The first thing I noticed about the Pearl before fitting it on my bike was how tall it was. The height, or depth of a saddle is not a spec that all manufacturerslist, but it matters. While the Pearl's leather upper is in itself shallow, the rails are pretty deep. Installing it in place of my Berthoud Touring saddle, my seatpost had to be lowered almost a full cm to compensate. Selle Anatomica saddles are even shallower than Berthoud, so the difference there would be greater still. I am not comfortable providing exact figures, because height is difficult to measure and I don't want to misinform. But basically it's Selle Anatomica < Berthoud Touring < Rivet Pearl, with just under 1cm of difference in height between each.






It occurs to me that the purpose of the deep rail design on the Pearl might be to avoid any chance of the leather hitting the rails should it stretch over time. There is certainly no danger of that.The wrap-around tab on the underside further reduces tension loss.






According to Debra, Rivet saddles can take about 300 miles to break in, during which time they may also stretch. The tension screw should be used to regulate tension - not just in the event of stretching, but also to find the tension that works best for the rider's anatomy.






The purpose of the slot on Rivet saddles is "to relieve pressure and help to re-distribute pressure to other areas, depending on how the rider sits on the saddle." The Rivet slot is a bit longer than the slot on the Brooks Imperial line of saddles, and considerably shorter than Selle Anatomica's.






The edges of the Pearl's sitting surface are crisply delineated, rather than rounded, which gives it a sculptural look. The "R"-embossed rivets add textural interest. The Burgundy colour, pictured here, is a deep brown with a magenta tint (and, from what I can tell, identical to Selle Anatomica's Mahogany).






For waterproofing, a chemical agent is mixed into the tanning process (a different process than what is used for vegetable tanned leather). To increase firmness and minimise sagging, a second layer of leather is laminated to the upper piece. The leather for Rivet is sourced from Wisconsin, then sent to Taiwan, where the saddles are made by a master craftsman. Rails and other frame parts are sourced from Taiwan. The saddles are assembled there and then shipped worldwide.








With the demo Pearl on my roadbike, I rode around the neighbourhood and determined that the standard (highest) tension felt pretty good. The rear felt just about right at my sitbones. The transition from rear to nose felt just a tad wider than what I normally ride. With this initial assessment I felt comfortable enough to try a long ride.




I tested the Pearl on an informal 100K. Including my ride to and from, it was an 87 mile day in the saddle. For me, the Pearl out of the box did not require a break-in period. I experienced no soreness over the course of this distance. The leather felt quite stiff, but suppler than my hard-as-a-rock Berthoud. Compared to a Selle Anatomica, the "hammocking" action was subtle, and I could not discern independent movement between the two sides separated by the slot.The curvature and surface of the Pearl's rear felt very comfortable as the miles rolled on. Once in a while I could feel the ridges of the slot toward the front. It was not enough to cause chafing in the course of the distance I did, but I wanted to note that I could feel them. What did cause chafing - and this started around mile 60 - were the sides of the saddle in that transitional part that tapers toward the nose. Given the location and nature of the chafing, this was not a breaking-in issue or a tension issue, but a structural issue - the Pearl model is slightly too wide for me in the rear-to-nose transition, which caused chafing to my inner thighs over time. Having received my feedback, Debra agrees with this diagnosis and suggests I try the narrower Independence model to compare.






As we all know, preferences in saddle shape, size and feel are highly personal. It is always good to have options and variety. Designed by an experienced randonneuse, the saddles from Rivet Cycle Works are a welcome addition to Brooks, Berthoud and Selle Anatomica. The Pearl model is priced at $150 with cro-moly rails and $250 with titanium rails. In addition to saddles, Rivet also offers handlebar tape, mudflaps, and other goods. I wish Deb all the best with the business, as well as in her cycling adventures.

Out With The Old

One after one they fall, those old dusty places that no one will ever be able to replace because they belong to another time. The Market Inn is the latest casualty in the name of progress. I know I'm a little weird attached as I am to the rock holes and relic type restaurants, but I also recognize that history is being obliterated, and that the value of these lost places has no price tag. (Well, maybe pieces of it have a price tag which is why I was able to liberate the upright piano when the Roma auctioned its contents. It's a great old work horse that needs to be put out to pasture according to Bobby Birdsong, but I can't bring myself to do it and so it sits, moldering in my living room- still reeking of cigarettes on hot summer days.) The Market Inn auction is later this month.

The new trend towards reviving the town center is a good idea, but how did we stray so far from the originals? Silver Spring and Hyattsville were towns in their own rite, but now their new "down towns" have an interchangeable feel. And I just can't imagine people working their whole lives in a Baja Fresh as they did in the old family run places. Hyattsville now boasts an arts district which is a great idea, but part of this includes the most sterile "urban row homes" to house bohemia that I've ever seen in the new town center behind PG Plaza. Somebody needs to go in there with a case of spray paint. And I doubt any of the new restaurants will be collecting nudes, or full suits of armour or hunting trophies like they did in the Market Inn, the Orleans House and The Roma. Ulysses Auger, of Blackie's House of Beef once built an annex called Lulu's which was dedicated to his wife's one time experience as a Queen of Mardi Gras. Now that's what I call a theme restaurant!Sprinkled here and there the old and odd places are still clinging to life- like Tastee Diner, Crisfield's, Vincino's and god bless Roger Miller's African Restaurant. Franklin's is a great blend of new and old- housed in an old hardware store and serving some of the best beer in the area. And one of my all time favorites is The Hitching Post where you can get a fried chicken sandwich which boasts at least 5 pieces of bird and almost as an afterthought two pieces of Wonder bread on the side. Here's a picture of my mom on her ninetieth plus birthday ( you heard me) and her chicken sandwich. It just doesn't get much better than this.

Symbolic Cycling in Films

I watched two films over the past week, and it so happens that both not only featured scenes with bicycles, but used these scenes in a similar manner.

Therese and Isabelle is a black and white film c. 1968 based on the novel by Violet Leduc. It is a coming-of-age story about a doomed love affair between two girls at a French boarding school. In the first half of the film, there is a scene where the girls are cycling along an endless tree-lined alley and laughing. (Not that it matters in the context of the film, but they are riding beautiful mixtes with hammered fenders and dynamo lighting.) This is probably the happiest and most idyllic point of the film - where joy, freedom, and limitless possibilities are the dominant themes. Later it all ends badly, but the cycling scene is the antithesis of the tragic ending.

The Sheltering Sky is a 1990 Bertolucci film starring John Malkovich, based on the novel by Paul Bowles. It is about an aristocratic composer and his beautiful wife, who aimlessly travel around North Africa while trying to overcome complex marital difficulties. This film too ends badly. But before things go downhill, there is a bicycle scene - where the husband and wife are traveling through a stretch of the Sahara on his and hers Roadsters, with cream tires and rod brakes. Unlike any of the other trips they take together, this one is infused with positive emotion and hope for a future.

Though the two films could not be more different from one another, the bicycle plays the same symbolic role in both: representing hope, joy, freedom, and simplicity. At the same time, in both films the bicycle is also used as a symbol of the unsustainable. "It is not possible for things to stay this good," the cycling scenes suggest, thereby foreshadowing an eventual tragic ending. In order for these associations to work as cinematic tools - which in both films they do - there has to be a deeply ingrained cultural perception of the bicycle as a symbol of escapism and wishful thinking; the bicycle is something that is incompatible with "real life". And this to me was very interesting to notice. Something to think about, at least.

Holly sheet...are the retailers nuts?

I had an interesting conversation come up this week.



Most know I buy a lot of gear at retail. I also return a lot of gear to retailers with out a .oz or remorse.

Couldn't write the blog other wise.



I personally shop most everyone online and all the retail climbing stores in the Seattle area.



Economic times are a little tough for most. Myself and extended family no different from anyone out side Wall StreetI suspect. But we (climbers and skiers) all have a certain amount of disposable income. I have when unemployed and when working full time. Most do, if you climb. You make "gear"a priority. How much of a priority is up to you :) Rent or new double boots? Food or gas money?



So....I suspect you'll be as amazed as I was with this conversation.



After a few years off a friend wants to do the Cassin in good style spring of . It has been a while since he has been in the alpine. But he has always skied and climbed hard. Hard enough to have been on pro deals in the past. The Cassin is a great goal but shouldn't be out of his reach either. He no longer has to trade food for gas money financially. But he wants to get in a couple of good seasons in yet before kids are part of hisfuture responsibilities.



A quick look at his gear room, our conversations and worse yet, a look here at the blog and it is obvious some new gear will make things easier, safer and warmer for his climbs, this winter and eventually the Cassin.



My guy is a businessman. He knows numbers. So out comes his hit"list". The number when done is $5000 of new gear. Where to start the shopping? I send him to literally all of my normalsources with $5000 in hand and a list he wants filled. How hard can that be? I mention that with $5K...most retailers should be willing to cough up a fair discount. If it were me I'd want 20% off the top, no questions asked. And I'd want the EXACT color, size and item on my list. No chit chat, no BS, no hassles. I give you a $5K order. I pay $$4K for it plus shipping and taxes as required. That $5K will cost most retailersbetween $3000 and $2500 at a 40% or 50% margin depending on whetherit is hard goods or soft goods. This order is a combo..but mostly clothes which go at 50%.



Sure they will have shipping and time involved and if the items are not in stock they will have to order the gear. Which is more time involved. But then $1000 for a few hours work would seem to be a decent day's wage when the guy on the phones @ less than $20 per hr.After all my guy has the ability to go anywhere and buy the gear,hassle free, at retail.



You would think someone would take on a quick turnlike this one and it would be done same day.



The list has yet to be resolved but from first contact the buyer is so frustrated it seems he is willing to just pay retail from any business that won't bull shit him around.



Retail specialtystores...the ones still open...wonder why they are doing poorly? The online folks? It doesn't take much effort to have good customer service let alone great customer service. Seems a few of them will be out of business before they figure that one out.



I don't mind paying retail. But like most I prefer not to if there are other options available.Those that I do buy from better be damn nice to me and earn my money.But no question ifI were going to drop $4 or 5K at one location...they would be giving me a discount or I'd shop else where. Even if that means EBAY. Given enough time I could dig up everything on his list at 1/2 price, new with the hang tags intact. If you are a retailer and think other wise you are an idiot.



Can't wait to readand then publish the anonymousexcuses ;)