Truss Lust!

[image via ANT]



There is never a shortage of gorgeous ANT bicycles to fantasize about, and my latest obsession is the striking Truss Bike. This design is modeled after the original Truss Bridge Bicycle built by Iver Johnson in 1910, which in turn was modeled after the truss arch bridge.



[image viafixedgeargallery]

The original Iver Johnson bicycles were builtin Fitchburg, MA.The truss frame was available as a "racer" or a "roadster", as you can see in the cataloghere.



[image via oldbike.eu]

Iver Johnson was an interesting man who also made handguns, among other things. The truss bridge bicycle frame design is generally credited to him.



[image via oldbike.eu]

However, there was also La Labor - a French bicycle manufacturer that seems to have built a similar truss frame at around the same time. There have not been any truss patent wars between the two, as far as I know.



[image via Ahearne Cycles]

Another contemporary remake of the truss: a randonneur from Ahearne Cycles. Stunning workmanship, and I love the colour - although I never thought I would say this, but there is too much lugwork going on here for me. To my eye, it seems that the truss frame is best shown off with clean TIG-welding, without lugs. This is possibly the only bicycle design of which I would say that.



[image via John Grinder]

And here is an ultra-modern interpretation by John Grinder. This is a welded 29er mountain bike with sloping top tube and derailleur gearing. Certainly not your everyday mountain bike!



[image via oldbike.eu]

If anybody out there is knowledgeable about truss bridge bicycles and their history, I would love to know what the original purpose of the design was: Was the intention for it to withstand extreme stress during races? Or was it meant for loaded transport cycling, like the double top tube? I am also interested in whether the original was welded or lugged; from the pictures it is difficult to tell.



I am glad that this classic but eccentric bicycle design has been resurrected by several excellent builders. If you have a truss bike, what is it like to own and ride? "Jim the mechanic" at Harris Cyclery has an ANT Truss Bike in a deep red, but I missed the opportunity to properly photograph his, so stunned I was by the bicycle's beauty!

SPD Pedals and Platform Support

When it comes to SPD-style clipless pedals, there is some discussion about the benefits of models with integrated platforms versus without. For example, here is an email I received from a reader last week:

...I see in your photos that you use both the Crank Brothers Eggbeaters and Candy pedals. Which do you recommend for a beginner? My boyfriend likes Shimano A-520 pedals because of the extra platform support. His thought is that the Candys provide the same level of support, but not the Eggbeaters. Do you agree?

To answer this question, let me backtrack a bit. The Eggbeater and Candy pedals fromCrank Brothersare identical, except that the Candys (right) have a flat platform built around the bindings and the Eggbeaters (left) do not. When choosing pedals, I heard several arguments in favour of the Candys, including that the platform offers extra foot support, that as a beginner I would have an easier time clipping into a larger pedal, and that the platforms would allow me to ride in regular shoes.



I have now ridden with Candys on my own roadbike for the past 9 months. Over that time I have also borrowed friends' bikes with Eggbeaters (including a 100K ride).In the very beginning, the Candys were indeed easier for meto clip into. However, this advantage was short-lived andjust weeks later I already had no problem using Eggbeaters and could not distinguish between them. I can also confirm that the Candys are much easier to ride in street shoes, on the rare occasions I find myself doing this on a roadbike. But as far as foot support, I feel absolutely no difference between the two models. I thought that I would, but I don't.



The Eggbeaters have their own advantages. The lack of platforms makes them considerably lighter. They offer more points of entry. And they are easier to clean. Overall, I think that I prefer them, although really I am fine with either.



While not the same as the Crankbrothers system, you could draw parallels to this comparison with Shimano SPDs. There are pedals that consist of bindings alone, and those that incorporate a platform. Some claim the platform provides additional foot support and allows for more power to be transferred, making it similar to a road pedal. Others argue that this is not the case, as the platform sits too far below the binding to provide significant support. I have no comment on the mechanics of this at large, but can only say that with my style of riding, and my specific pedal and shoe combination, I cannot feel the difference. As a beginner, I would suggesttrying lots of pedals and figuring out what feels better to you.

Belles and Beaus, Oh My!

Big Sigh. To my knowledge, there are no wedding pictures of my parents or grandparents. If they exist, I surely don't know where they are! I went through the box of old family pictures that my dad had given me but found no pictures that "screamed out" the "belles & beaus" theme for the upcoming edition of fM's Smile for the Camera Carnival.

So what's a gal to do. I've never been married so I can't show you any pictures of my (non-existent) ceremony. You could use your imagination and think of what it might have been like. Something non-traditional and a bit unusual perhaps. I do have pictures of several fellows that I dated in past lives but I don't think it would be fair to them to show their mugs all over the internet.

Instead, here are a couple of pictures of my grandparents, Hazlette Brubaker and Victor Phend, together, in casual poses. These were from a box given to me by my uncle a few years ago. None of the photos are dated so I don't know where or when they were taken.

If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say these pictures were taken between 1919 and 1921. They didn't meet each other until after the end of World War I and they were married on October 15, 1921 (the first time). Grandpa was 28 and grandma was 19 years old at the time of their marriage.

I wish I had seen the pictures when grandma and grandpa were still alive. What's going on in that first picture? Why are they walking in the railroad tracks, and where? Who took the pictures? Notice grandma's brother Bill in the background of the last picture, thumbing his nose at the camera, the little imp! [As always, right-click on the images for a larger version.]

Cooking With Pioneer Woman

One of my favorite Christmas gifts this year was Pioneer Woman's cookbook. I was inspired by Julie and Julia to cook my way through a cookbook, but figured The Art of French Cooking might be a bit daunting to me at this point so I am tackling PW's cookbook instead. If I make it through this, I am going to buy the matched set of The Art of French Cooking!



So far, every recipe I've tried from her cookbook has been very good. Just a few pictures of some of the goodies we've sampled. BBQ Jalapeno Poppers on the grill (alongside of some Carne Asada):



Fresh and colorful Pico de Gallo which we have been making for years now:



and PW's potato skins:





And this has nothing to do with PW's cookbook, but I also tried these for the Pickleball Tournament and New Year's eve party and they were fabulous too:



Since it's sooooooo cold here right now, I think I'm going to stick to the hearty, fill your belly with warm food dishes for the next few days.



Living the life in chilly Florida!

Icy Afternoon

Here's a photo from a couple of days ago, before the weather turned cold. We took a walk through the woods and along the shoreline in Grand Portage and found this beach that was covered in ice chunks both on the beach and rolling around in the waves. Even though this winter has not been up to snuff in terms of snowfall and major ice build-up, I have still been finding lots of fun ice to photograph. Today the sky is gray and it is snowing, so enjoy this photo from a sunshiney day!

Angels Landing :: The Finale

By the time I went to bed on Wednesday night (May 5th) I had talked myself into making the climb to Angels Landing. I got up early Thursday morning and caught the eight o'clock shuttle bus to the Grotto stop.

The trail up to Scout's Lookout was just as strenuous as it had been on Tuesday. The uphill grades and switchbacks were still just as steep. It didn't take long before I was huffing and puffing and stopping often to catch my breath. And just like on Tuesday, other hikers started passing me within a few minutes on the trail. I didn't care. I took my time and got there all the same.

Soon I was navigating through Walter's Wiggles and had arrived at Scout Lookout. I stopped briefly for a quick snack, and before I could even think about it was up and over that first peak. Then before me was Angels Landing. Still intimidating. Still awesome. I stopped long enough to get a couple of pictures of the trail, then with a rush of adrenaline, I was on my way. I didn't stop to think about what I was going to do, I just knew that I “had” to try.

The first few steps are the most terrifying. But it is mostly psychological. The trail is several feet wide. The Virgin River is almost 1200 feet below.


Left: This was the hardest and scariest part for me. It was a pretty high step up to the cut-out in that first rock and the chain was down low. And I have short legs. And there was nothing on either side of that rock except air. I “knew” if I could get through this section at the beginning, then I could do the rest of it too.

Right: Going up the “spine” of the peak.


Left: Looking back at where I had gone.
Right: Offering a helping hand.


Left: Getting near the top.
Right: Walking across the ridge at the top of Angels Landing.

This is it! The end of the trail. The top of Angels Landing!

Do I looked pleased with myself? You bet!

The Lower Zion Canyon from atop Angels Landing.

The following four photos were taken on the way down from the top and show a bit more detail of the trail.




The descent down took me about half as long as the climb up. It wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it was going to be. You really just concentrate on where that next step is going to take you and you are looking at perhaps ten feet or so in front of you. There were a lot more people on the trail on the way down, everyone was patient and helpful, no one was in a hurry. We all just wanted to get safely down. And we did.

It was amazing! I still find it hard to believe that I DID IT!!

Other posts in this series:

• Angels Landing :: The Prelude
• Angels Landing :: The Overture
• Angels Landing :: Interlude

Zoo School at Busch Gardens

Today was Homeschool Day at Busch Gardens. They did a very cool "zoo school" for the kids. Zoe came over to Tampa and joined us, which made it extra special. First we rode a train to do the safari tour. The trainer told us all kinds of neat fun facts about the animals we saw. After that we saw an interactive animal show where Lauren was picked to go on stage and hold a Burmese Python. The last event of the day was smaller group tours with a trainer and closer encounters with the animals.