Ms MUT Manners says: look where you want to go

I'm no downhill racer but my bike handling skills are pretty good. If yours are too ignore this post. If you're new or newer to riding listen up.

Obstacles on the bike can ruin your whole day. Tracks, potholes, gravel, unleashed dogs and loose children, squirrels and so on. Yesterday whilst pedaling to downtown I spied a new rider in the distance. How could I tell? She's tense, shoulders up, arms at an angle I did not think humanly possible, hands clenched and so on. As we approached a squirrel dashed across the trail. Her eyes followed it both with interest, it's nice to see wildlife on a ride but perhaps nervous that the squirrel would get caught in her spokes.

She sees the squirrel, eyes follow the squirrel, her bike wavers that direction, she's kind of leaning left and all this is taking her right smack dab into me. I voiced a reasonably gentle call out and prepared to exit to the right off the path. When she saw me her eyes flew wide open, a sudden look of shock and horror.

Do I look that bad? No, I think I was stylin' in my new purple ankle-high socks from Hub and Bespoke which I'll write about later. It's just that she got squirrel tunnel vision.

See the squirrel, follow the squirrel.
Follow the squirrel, hit the ..... yikes!!

It's the same for any obstacle:
See the pothole you will hit the pothole.
See the broken glass you will be fixing a flat.
See the tracks wipe out on the tracks (word about that next perhaps).

Folks whether you're cruising to the coffee shop or racing always look where you want to go. The descent may be technical, there will be obstacles, keep your eyes on the clear path forward.

You can sight-see and let your eyes wander and we need to do that and appreciate the outdoors. But always have awareness of the clear path you want to take.

Made in USA bicycles.

We have enough bikes. If you're looking for a bike and want one US made perhaps you, my gentle reader remember this post http://madeinusareviews.blogspot.com/2012/07/one-day-in-lbs-local-bike-shop.html

Here's a partial list of where bikes are made, with the caveat that this is the info I could gather for CURRENT bicycles (many of the locations have changed especially in this decade), but the accuracy can only be confirmed thru the honesty of the companies. You will find many of them have deceptive or elliptical explanations on their websites.

Made in USA:
Gunnar/Waterford.
Sweetpea
Georgena Terry Custom (built by Waterford)
Hampsten
Rodriguez
DeSalvo
Strong
Moots
Lynskey
Ira Ryan
Kirk
Davidson
Steelman
Seven
Co-Motion
Independent Fabrication
Kish
Vanilla

When we say bikes made in USA I am speaking of the frame. There are many parts that go into your bike. The same disclosures apply but look for components & parts from...
Chris King
Paul
Enve forks
LH Thomson
White Industries


Thank you to the women and men of the forum on teamestrogen.com for researching this lis. 

One day in the LBS (Local Bike Shop)

One day I was moseying around a shop absorbing that "new bike smell" a new rider asked the LBS employee questions about getting a new bike. After answering them and lining up bikes in her size and price range to test ride she asked "Are any of these made in the USA?".

He paused, then said "There are bikes made here. They tend to be expensive". There's a long list of hand-made, mostly full custom bikes made in the USA. I'll get to some of them. I hope you'll see from this blog there are tons of options for parts, clothes, lights, racks and the stuff you either need to ride or would be nice to have to ride.

Much of that is very affordable.

Bikes made in the USA tend to be pricey. By "pricey" I mean starting at $2,000 to $3,000. When we talk about an "American made bicycle" we mean the frame. Many parts go into a bicycle and they are from all around. It's just about impossible to get an entirely US made bicycle.

What started this post is that our friend Donald Boothby has passed away. He was a truly wonderful man whom K had the honor and pleasure of meeting a few times. Don had a wonderful sense of humor, a great family, he loved to cook and of course ride bikes. He bought a touring bike made by a small local builder: Davidson Bicycles. 

He rode tens of thousands of miles on that bike often with family and friends. Sadly we never got to ride together. I'd hope to do so when I moved here.

We see Davidson bikes a lot while riding in Seattle. Not that there are a lot of them. They are few so they really stand out. They stand because not only are they rare and beautifully made but the obvious ease and comfort to the rider.

Davidson fits you right to the bike. You sense it's a Davidson approaching from afar away because bike and rider move as one.

Sadly as Don lay at home, just days from dying of cancer a thief broke into their home and stole his bike.

This is a friendly blog with a kind purpose. I'm a peaceful person. There's few if any people and even things I dislike. I like cats, liver and lima beans. I'm pretty zen.

But I hate bike thieves.

Perhaps the only thing worse than bike thieves is cancer. Cancer just took our friend and not before thieves took his bike. So I'm a little upset.

So I'm just saying; rare, unique, custom built, custom painted bike which the entire cycling community recognizes is out there. If you have the bike and ride it skilled riders can tell from a mile away "That's not yours. It is not fit for you, is not your bike."

If you're looking for a fine custom bike to buy new or legitimately and reliably used from the owner or a good bike shop you can do no better than a Davidson:

http://davidsonbicycles.com/

But to the ditwad who stole or the unsuspecting or unscrupulous buyer riding Don's bike, karma will find you. For your sake let's hope karma finds you before the Seattle cycling community does.

We are looking for a: 56 cm Davidson frame, black with red trim and a lot of chrome. Steel front forks with chrome tips, chrome on the rear triangle and on the head tube. If you see the bike or know about it contact Davidson Bicycles and they will contact Don's family and/or police.

I believe I can safely say all the family wants is Don's bike back. So if you read this and know about the stolen bike please just get it back no questions asked. They'd just like it back as a memento of a beloved husband and father. It's of no use to you.

If you've seen or know anything you can contact Davidson Bicycles at the website above and/or Seattle Randonneur Cycling club. Contact information and pictures of the bike on:

http://www.seattlerandonneur.org/

Body by chocolate.

I'm a local'varian where possible and favor Fair Trade products. K has slipped me the Folger's coffee and it's fine but I prefer Fair Trade and swear I can taste the difference. There are fair trade organics I eat with the sense of "I will eat this Fair Trade Organic product that others may live".

And there's this chocolate:

https://www.theochocolate.com

Theo repurposed a factory in the quirky Fremont district of Seattle. You don't need the address, go to Seattle, head for our funky Fremont district, then follow your nose. 

At Theo's you find a cozy store full of dark wood, comfy chairs and chocolate. On cold rainy days the fireplace is going and you may be served hot chocolate. On any day a well informed staff answers questions and hands you samples till your head spins and your wallet opens for more.

There are single origin chocolates from Ghana to Madagascar, dark chocolates to milk chocolate. Some of my favorites are the spicy ones like chili chocolate. This is no Mars bar. Theo's is chocolate you will pair with the right wine, ale, local cheeses and fresh fruit or slowly savor alone. There are imaginative seasonal concoctions like cherry and pink peppercorn for Valentines day. That one was heavenly. We watch for that each year.