Tern Swoop: a Commute-Ready Folder

While we are on the subject of small wheel bicycles, I wanted to share my impressions of the Tern Swoop, which is due to hit bike stores in the US any day now. I test rode the Swoop at the Interbike Outdoor Demo earlier this year. This was the first Tern bicycle I've tried.






Tern is a Taiwanese manufacturer of folding bikes, whose launch was filled with drama. The company is owned by the son and wife of the owner of Dahon. When they left Dahon to set up Tern, the feud and back-and-forth lawsuits that followed fed the industry rumor millfor some time. But it seems that Tern is here to stay. Their initial models were met with positive reviews. Now in their second year of production, they've expanded their lineup, and that is how I encountered the Swoop.






The Tern Swoop is an ultra low step-over model, optimised for commuting in comfort. Specs include an aluminum frame, hi-ten steel fork, 20" wheels with fat tires, v-brakes, racks and lighting, and a quick and easy fold. The bike I rode was the Di7 model, which features a Shimano Nexus 7-speed hub. There is also a SRAM 2-speed Duo model.






The Swoop is a commuter-ready bike. The low stepover makes it easy to mount and dismount for everyone. The fenders and chainguard will keep clothing clean. The wide tires (Schwalbe Big Apples) make for a cushy ride. The generously sized rear rack and built-in cords allow for easy transport of luggage. In addition to the rear rack, there is a luggage socket into which a klick-fix adapter can be installed. This system works with a variety of front bags and baskets.






The bike also comes equipped with dynamo lighting, powered by the BioLogic Joule 3 generator hub. This hub has an on/off switch on the side, which is said to eliminate drag ("...in the 'off' position, the magnets are pulled away from the core of the hub").






The Swoop's positioning is relaxed and upright, with the flat, ever-so-slightly curved back handlebars set quite high for all but the tallest riders.






I rode the Swoop around the Outdoor Demo loop a few times, as well as on dirt for a bit. In total this amounted to 2-3 miles, including some uphill stretches. The bike felt comfortable and relaxed, not unlike a full sized European city bike. The fat tires drowned out bumps very nicely. Unlike some of the other non-Brompton folding bikes I've tried, the Tern Swoop felt pleasantly un-flimsy. I did not sense any play in the fold joints, nor did I feel flex in the frame while cycling. The ride quality was stable and novice-friendly. The bike cannot be called sporty exactly, but it rode faster than its looks suggest, and the gearing was low enough to make the uphill stretches painless, as well as to handle more serious inclines if need be.




As far as comparing it to my Brompton, the Swoop is a more relaxed and upright bike. It rode a bit slower, and somewhat less maneuverably. Without a front load, the steering felt considerably more "normal" than Brompton's distinct (some say "twitchy") steering.




One thing I should note, is that visually the Tern Swoop resembles the Dahon Ciao, which I have not tried. Tern's claim is that the Swoop is a stiffer ride, eliminating flex in the frame, folding joint, and "handlepost." Among other differences is the Swoop's carry handle, and slightly faster fold.






Tern representative Eric Mah demonstrated the fold for the camera, and I also tried it myself. The process is similar to Brompton's, so it felt familiar and intuitive.






The folded size, however, is considerably larger than Brompton's (Brompton: 23" x 22.2" x 10.6"; Tern Swoop: 31.1" x 28.3"x 15"). At over 30lb, the Swoop is also noticeably heavier than a similarly equipped all-steel Brompton (which, according to the CleverCycles configurator, would come in at 26lb, including dynamo lighting and rear carrier). As the Brompton is already borderline for my being able to carry it comfortably for longer than a minute at a time; I would struggle trying to do so with the larger and heavier Tern. That said, Terns are still among the most compact and lightest folding bikes.






The announced retail price for the Swoop is in the $900-$1,150 range, including the rear rack and lighting. The solid build, stable ride, ultra low stepover, commuter-ready features, and easy foldability make it worth considering for those seeking a compact urban transport bike. Overall, the Swoop seems to be a good value. I am curious to see how it will be received once it hits the bike shops.

Wow! I've been nominated...

Thank you so much to everyone who nominated Kinexxions for the Family Tree Magazine 40 Best Genealogy Blogs (in the Personal/Family Category)! And congratulations go out to all of the other nominees.

The editorial staff of Family Tree Magazine will be selecting 40 blogs in the various categories for an article scheduled to be published in the May .. issue. Blogs were nominated by readers last month and the voting is now open (and will continue to November 5th) to determine the final 80 blogs that will make the cut.

Blogs were grouped into 10 different categories based on the purpose or intent of the blog: All-around, Personal/Family, Local/Regional, Cemetery, Photos/Heirlooms, Heritage, News/Resources, How-to, Genealogy Companies, and Genetic Genealogy. The Genealogy Insider has more information about the categories.


Caution, shameless plug coming. . . I realize that Kinexxions has been a bit preoccupied with some traveling and hasn't posted much content recently that is related to family history but if you'd care to vote for me I'm near the bottom of the list (hopefully that doesn't really mean anything ;-) in the Personal/Family category. And, hey, you can even vote more than once if you'd like to!

Update October 6th:
I've been informed by Bill West (thanks Bill!) that the list of blogs in each category changes each time you view the poll, so you'll just have to look for the blogs for which you want to vote. Also, the illustrious footnoteMaven (who has been nominated in two categories!) has created a list of links to each of the nominated blogs, which is quite helpful in reviewing the nominees prior to voting.

Franklin H. Foust

Franklin H. Foust was the original owner of the Historic Brick Outhouse recently moved from Springfield, Ohio to Columbia City, Indiana. He was married to my 3rd Great-Grand Aunt Maxia Jones Foust.



The portrait engraving on the left is from "Counties of Whitley and Noble, Indiana Historical and Biographical", Weston A. Goodspeed Historical Editor and Charles Blanchard Biographical; Chicago: F.A. Battey & Co., Publishers, 1882 and the one on the right is from "The History of Whitley County, Indiana" by S. P. Kaler and R. H. Maring; B. F. Bowen & Co. Publishers, 1907. Below is the gravesite for Franklin and Maxia, in the Masonic Section of Greenhill Cemetery, Columbia City, Indiana.



Franklin's obituary, published in The Columbia City Commercial-Mail on Friday, May 24, 1912 is pretty much a combination of his biographies that were published in the above mentioned county histories in 1882 and 1907. I have added some paragraph breaks to make it a little easier to read and a link for "fanning mills" since I didn't know what they were :^)

Franklin H. Foust, pioneer merchant, banker and farmer, Oddfellow and Methodist, who had reached the ripe old age of 87 years last January 10, died at his home on east Van Buren street this city Saturday morning at 9:55 o'clock.

Franklin H. Foust retired from the presidency of the Columbia City National Bank on January 10, 1910 and gave his time to overseeing the work on his farms near Columbia City from that time until last fall, when he was confined to his home on east Van Buren street with infirmities due to his advanced age. He was unable to leave the home after that only on two occasions this spring when he was given an automobile and a buggy ride.

Mr. Foust was taken to his bed in his last illness on last Sunday and realized that he could not recover, though he had a desire to live to be a centenarian. The last three days of his illness he was in a semi-conscious condition and slept peacefully away at 9:55 o'clock Saturday morning.

Franklin H. Foust was the last and oldest of 15 children, 9 of whom grew to manhood and womanhood. His surviving relatives are: Mary Foust, daughter of the late Archie Foust, who with her mother Mrs. Jessie Foust have resided with the deceased since the death of his wife which occurred March 11, 1910; Cleon Foust and Mrs. Fred Morsches, his nephew and niece, children of his late brother Allison, and Franklin B. Foust, a son of his brother, the late Jacob Foust of Atlanta, Kas. The survivors of his wife are Curtis W. Jones, Mrs. Mary Sherwood, Charles I. Jones, Mrs. Harry L. Taylor and Frank L. Jones. All of the relatives named reside in Whitley county, and all but F. B. Foust in Columbia City.

In addition to the relatives mentioned, three children of Jacob Foust, deceased, a brother of Franklin H. Foust, reside in the west. They are: Orpha Ridpath, of Goodnight, Okla.; Mrs. Mary Clover, of Cambridge, Kas.; and Charles V. Foust of Atlanta, Kas. These children were born to Jacob Foust's second wife. F. B. Foust of this county is a child of Jacob Foust by his first wife.

Judge Walter Olds of Fort Wayne who was called to the Foust home as soon as the death occurred and came at once, is a distant relative of the deceased. The Mother of Franklin H. Foust was Mary Olds and Judge Olds is a descendent of the same family.

The funeral of Franklin H. Foust occurred from the home Tuesday at 10 o'clock, Rev. C. W. Shoemaker officiating, and interment made in the Masonic cemetery. The business houses were closed during the funeral. The active pallbearers were Frank E. Kenner, J. E. North, Alton Beeson, John M. Mowrey, Jacob Jontz and C. W. Tuttle.

Franklin H. Foust was born in Delaware county, Ohio, January 10, 1825. The paternal grandfather, Jacob Foust, was born in Germany, and when a youth accompanied his father to the United States, settling in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, where the family became tillers of the soil. Jacob Foust removed to Delaware county, Ohio, being one of the first settlers in that section.

He located where the city of Delaware now stands and constructed the first bridge across the river between that point and Columbus. The family lived in their wagons until they could hew timbers and complete the erection of the primitive log cabin which served as their domicile. The land was wild and the Indians still disputed dominion with the incoming pioneers. Jacob Foust bore arms in the war of the Revolution and in recognition of his service was awarded a pension, which he continued to draw until the time of his death.

His son Henry, who was born in Pennsylvania, married Mary Old, of the same state, in 1812, and settled ten miles north of Delaware where they began housekeeping in a log cabin, typical of the place and period. He enlisted as a soldier in 1812, while his wife contributed what she could to the cause by doing camp work at Fort Norton. After the war they were reunited and for more than sixty years lived happily on the farm which they had reclaimed from the wilderness, where both eventually found graves. Henry Foust was a successful farmer and accumulated a competency. He was a man of strong individuality and integrity of character and served many years as a local preacher of the Methodist Episcopal church. He had nine children who grew to maturity.

Franklin H. Foust was reared on the old homestead in Ohio and bore his part in its reclamation and cultivation. Schools were scarce and poor in those days, but he managed to acquire an elementary knowledge of the ordinary English branches and arithmetic. In his boyhood he partially learned the shoemaker's trade at which he frequently worked until twelve o'clock for the compensation of fifty cents a night. The frequent want and need of a dime taught him to realize the value of money, a lesson never forgotten during his subsequent career. He made most of the footwear worn by members of his family, and in every way did his part toward their support. He hauled wheat from Delaware county to Sandusky City by team, a distance of seventy-five miles, and sold it at sixty cents per bushel.

In 1848, unable to command a single dollar, he hired to Adam Wolfe to peddle fanning mills, retaining his position for two years, receiving for the first year eight dollars per month and expenses, which was increased to fifteen dollars the second year. Even at this small compensation he managed to save some money, and in the fall of 1849 formed a partnership with his employer under the firm name of F. H. Foust & Co., for the manufacture of fanning mills. This association was maintained without interruption until the death of Mr. Wolfe in 1892 at Muncie, Indiana.

At the time above mentioned partnership was consummated, Mr. Foust came to Columbia City, rented a room and began the manufacture of fanning mills, the firm continued this enterprise for three years. In 1852 the firm purchased a stock of dry goods, valued at about ten thousand dollars, and opened a store which the partners operated about nine years. Mr. Foust hired an experienced buyer to accompany him to New York to purchase the original stock, but subsequently attended personally to all purchases. The firm retired from the mercantile business to engage in other lines in which the senior partner, Franklin H. Foust, especially was destined to achieve a notable success.

Mr. Foust for some time did collecting and banking business of modest order. During the war he received deposits, and the confidence which was placed in him is shown by the fact that his system of accounts contained in merely making a note of how much he received and from whom, making no charge for his services. In this way he had in his old-fashioned, large fire-proof safe at one time deposits aggregating sixty thousand dollars. Realizing the necessity as the town grew, he opened a private banking house in 1867 in partnership with Mr. Wolfe. This enterprise prospered and became the center of the most reliable financial concerns in northeastern Indiana, its conservative management gaining public confidence and making it widely known.

The firm acquired ownership of about one thousand acres of land contiguous to the city, of which three hundred acres were brought under cultivation, the remainder being devoted to pasturage. In April, 1904, the bank was organized as The Columbia City National Bank, Mr. Foust being made president. About this time the properties of Foust & Wolfe were divided, [rwNote: a line is illegible, but it probably mentions the settlement of the estate of Mr. Wolfe] Mr. Foust retaining about seven hundred acres of land, all personal property, and the banking building for his share, the balance going to the Wolfe estate. Later he sold the bank building to the bank.

Mr. Foust after retiring from the banking business devoted such of his time as his health would permit to his large farming interests but two years ago became interested in the banking business, although not in active capacity. At that time he became a stockholder and was elected a director, in which capacity he has since served, of the Farmers Loan & Trust Co., of this city.

Franklin H. Foust joined the Odd-fellows order soon after reaching 21 years of age and had been a loyal and enthusiastic member of that order until death. He was the oldest member of the local lodge of the order at his demise.

His father before him being a staunch Methodist, and for many years a minister of that denomination, Franklin H. Foust was born and reared in Methodism and never departed from its teachings. He had been affiliated with the Methodist church of this city during the entire history of the church and had always been one of the church's strongest aides, both with his active held and in a financial way. He was greatly interested in the erection of the proposed new Methodist church to occupy the site of the present edifice. Mr. Foust taught a Sunday School class in the Methodist church for over 40 years, and among his last inquiries for the welfare of old friends, was concerning members of his old Sunday School class. He had been a trustee of the church many years.

Festive Fun with Flats

One of my plans for the holidays had been to get in some practice changing tires. Problem is, I very rarely get flats. And let's face it: Taking a tire on and off for no reason just isn't the same as the real deal. So naturally I was delighted when, on my way home last night, my front tire went flat for real. It was a dark and stormy night, with heavy traffic and freezing rain, affording the perfect opportunity to practice road-side repairs. Alas, it happened just a block from my house. Weak of character, I opted for the comforts of home.




"Darling, guess what?" I shouted as I rolled the bike into our living-room. "I have a flat tire!"




"Oh my!" said my husband. "And it's a 650B with fenders no less. Are you going to fix it yourself?"




"Of course! This is the moment I've been waiting for."




Nodding eagerly, he opened a bottle of wine and made himself comfortable on our finest kitchen chair, in anticipation of the evening's entertainment.






Now I know you're wondering what wine goes best with this sort of thing. This is really a matter of personal taste. But generally speaking, if the tires are 650B I recommend red. It just so happened that we picked up a lovely Truro Zinfandel during our recent stay on Cape Cod. Not the pink one in the bottle shaped like a lighthouse, but the darker one in a regular bottle. Its smooth deliciousness makes the already relaxing process of fixing flats even sweeter.




Aside from the wine and a keen spectator prepared to critique your every movement, in a tire-changing situation it might also be helpful to have a floor pump and a spare inner tube handy, as well as some tools. If you have a fun bike with a bolt-on front wheel like I do, you will need something to unbolt it. A tire lever may also be useful.






But most importantly, if your bike has fenders, you will need a couch. After removing a wheel, you should not stand the bike on the floor, as this may bend the fender. And if you think bikes enjoy being hoisted up on a workstand, you are mistaken. Most bikes are afraid of heights, and getting them up there for reasons as small as fixing a flat is downright insensitive. Laying your bicycle down on the sofa will make it much more comfortable. It will also delight your spouse by showing them what a free-spirited, outside the box thinker you are.




Finally, you may want to have a copy of an appropriately inspirational poster or publication in sight as you work. This will remind you of why these bicycles are so darn charming, as you gingerly handle the delicate aluminum fenders and deflate your 650Bx42mm tire in order to fit it through the centerpull brake caliper.






Of course the most fascinating part of flat repair is finding its cause. Having never gotten a flat with Grand Bois Hetres previously, I was especially interested. Turned out the cause was a failed inner tube. This one had split right at the seam. It happens, even with the nicest tubes.




"It happens just often enough to remind us that we are never fully in control of our destinies," I sighed wistfully as I tested the front brake after re-connecting it.




My husband nodded, moving the wine away from me gently. "Well, looks like you did it."




"And it only took me a half hour this time!"




"Oh, hardly that!"




And isn't that what working on our bikes is all about? Struggling for self-reliance in a world of chaos and uncertainty. Using it as metaphor for life. Entertaining our loved ones. Look out world, soon I'll be able to fix a flat in 20 minutes!

New Home!

Sarah and Dustin both thought they had found houses that I would like to buy and move into. The first photo is of the house next door to Dustin and the other is the house Sarah found for me. They were both disappointed when I turned down both houses.

Left Edge Route on the Ben

Helen, Harry and I headed back up Observatory Gully to find something nice to climb, with no particular plan. We kept going higher and higher in the hope of finding something mixed in good condition, until we found ourselves standing underneath Gardyloo Buttress. Funnily enough, there was a roof up that way I wanted to look at, but it had no ice on until the lip. So we opted for something more slabby and had a chilled ascent of Left Edge Route (VI,5). The ice was a bit unreliable, and protection pretty bad, so it was a good idea to keep the weight on the feet. Thankfully, once over the steepness there was solid ice and a cruise to the top. On the way down there was talk of rock climbing..

Happy Birthday, Dean!

Rich and Donna arrived here this week, and we are thrilled about that since we haven't seen them since Peace River. Donna is the one who kept encouraging me to get out there and play pickleball and I'd have most likely quit if it weren't for her and Karen.



She said something yesterday about it probably being too late to do a Happy Hour this week, but maybe next week. I told the guys that while we were on our way to grab some groceries for the week. The Happy Hour King (Austin) thought it was no problem to do one this week.



Since I'm crazy, I agreed. So Austin invited everyone to come to one THAT DAY...and everyone of course pulled it together with no problem. Even a bit of rain didn't slow us down. We just moved to the Rec Hall and did it there. The ladies amazed me with all of their goodies that they brought even with the "no notice" ahead of time. Especially Vicki and Margie.

We've been to lots of Happy Hours, but this was one of the most special ones because it was also Dean's birthday party. Dean is the Grandparent to the really cool kid, Gavin. You know, the one who is a falconer. If you know Dean, it isn't a surprise that Gavin is so cool. It runs in the family.



Dean is one of those sunny people that just brightens the world. You can't help but be in a better mood after hanging out with Dean. His smile alone will warm you right up. (Why do I hear Bob cracking up as I write that?) He's also one of those people that you feel sees something good in you, so when you spend time with him you begin to believe it yourself.



His wife Margie is pure sweetness, so they make a great pair.

Hope your birthday wish comes true, Dean!

We had a great time, surrounded by some of our favorite people!



Living the life in friend filled Florida!