Harlots, still made in the USA

My cycling style has changed from club rides and lycra to commute and ride to the store. The rides may be shorter but I still want gear I can ride in. Now I stress comfort and utility on the bike but want to look fabulous at work or in the produce aisle. I'm not into labels but at over 50 it's fun to wear pants that proudly say "Harlot".

We first saw these clothes at http://www.recycledcycles.com/ in Seattle, K bought capris and loved them. Comfortable, pockets in the right spots, fits your bike quads and hams and shows off those calves you suffered mightily for. Recently I went online to peruse some more and to my shock saw they were having a huge sale. Prices were so low I thought they are going out of business like our belated fave Ballard Organics.

I'm happy to find while Harlot has new owners they are vowing to stay made in USA. So watch this space http://harlotbikewear.com/

I wonder why I did not try the Wonder Walker before?

Previously on Made in USA Reviews we saw our heros meet a supermodel for a locally made product, the Wonder Walker:

http://madeinusareviews.blogspot.com/2012/05/we-met-super-model.html

Mae, the dog you see at the top of the screen and also here on her custom doggie platform bed is my late dog.

She had many fine qualities and like all dogs some quirks. She liked cows, horses, geese, pigs, alpacas, and had a BFF kangaroo. But she had issues with dogs, unless she considered them "her dog". She table surfed or at least tried to often.

But she had great leash manners. We walked as one, walking her was a pleasure.

Now that she's gone there are two dogs in our lives; B, a large mature dog, and P (not their real names), a small Puggle.

P has just completed his first puppy manners class, B has his Canine Good Citizen certification. And they both pull like a son of a gun!

I knew about the Wonder Walker, P's trainer at Puppy Manners Class recommended the Wonder Walker. So I finally got one.

Wow, it's a wonder! There was an immediate result. From the first walk with it the pulling vanished, no skating off to the side, pulling into traffic at intersections (the most frightening aspect) all gone.

The halter is no replacement for continued positive training and the work and play so he can succeed at Puppy Manners II. But it's a remarkable invention and made an immediate difference. If a dog owns you, get one:

http://www.wonderwalkerbodyhalter.com/

Back to blog basics for a moment.

The reason for this blog came from a casual conversation with my Mom about the decline in manufacturing here in the good ol' USA. While it's hard to avoid imported products particularly China but there are many reasons to buy local wherever local is to you. These could include living more simply by having less stuff, better for the planet by using less energy for transport and yes, humanitarian reasons.

http://shine.yahoo.com/work-money/letter-chinese-laborer-pleading-help-found-halloween-decorations-202400773.html

By no means was this blog established to bash China and certainly not the Chinese people. But I do ask my gentle readers to read the labels and to seek local (wherever on the planet local is to you) alternatives. If you can't find any you might ask yourself as the woman in the article did; Do I really need this?

For my next kitchen.

If you watch the DIY network you know the design principle of: pick three objects you love then find tones, color and materials that compliment them. When I remodeled my condo I had a selection of handmade Mexican tiles I'd found at a local import store. http://www.ttazteca.com/ 

Each tile was the perfect design to bring the outside in. The owner travels south each year to visit craftspeople in Mexico. He even looked for themes I wanted like kitchen implements, more of the sun and moon imagery, squash and melon image tiles etc.

So just match them, right? It took forever to find Travertine tile to match the size, texture and tone. By the time I found some I was beyond caring about their country of origin. I was just happy to find tile that complimented them.

But had I known about this I may have bought direct from them. 

http://www.trikeenan.com/index.php

Oh well, next kitchen. That's how we learn. 

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.

When you're wet, you're wet.

"Wow, it's so green here!" I said on my first visits to Seattle. "Wow, it's beautiful with so many trails through the trees and thick forests" I continued to say. Well, guess why? It rains. It rains a lot and when it's not raining it's drizzling and when it's not drizzling it's grey and moist.

What to wear riding? In nice weather for errands and such I'll normally just wear jeans or whatever is on my legs at the time. The secret to happiness and joy in Seattle is wool and/or long winter underwear.

I wrote about the long johns here:
http://madeinusareviews.blogspot.com/2012/04/its-rei-dividend-time.html

I just got a pair of Ibex wool cycling capris:

http://shop.ibex.com/Apparel/Womens-Ride/W-El-Fito-3-4

I love them. The chamois is minimal, I happen to like that. The fit is tight but still of course not restrictive. The length is perfect for me which is hard to find because I'm vertically challenged. Because it's wool if I wear these on an errand or such it does not quite look like I came in out of a spin class. The  fabric looks like a quality wool because it is. Just enough stretchy fabric to give a nice fit.

You can search Ibex catalog for Made in USA and they give a cheery little flag on the page of each item that is.

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. 

Venting; what do men think about when they ride?

First a disclosure; I like men, there are many men I love. Some of my best friends are men. When I ride my bike I think about all the men who taught me so much about cycling and life. Yes, men and bikes are a good thing.

What follows may be a huge overgeneralization but I want to talk about behaviors I often see on the road by guys.

Today on an enjoyable errand ride only interrupted by my forgetting something at home I spotted ahead a large obstacle on the MUT. Kneeling with his head and butt squarely blocking the path, whirling his blue and yellow Lemond "I coulda been a contender" road bike so it was blocking the road was a road cyclist. His puzzled head bowed, something clearly stopping his epic ride.

Riders and runners deftly whirled around him. His body language clearly saying "I could pass all of you but this mechanical that's clearly not my fault is halting me. I just want you to observe how cycle chic I look. That is why I am not off to the side. I must exhibit my puzzlement".

Decked out in Not Your Daughter's jeans, Ibex wool shirt, Chacos and Wald bike rack I slowed to give the traditional cyclists call out; are you ok? it's traditionally abbreviated to: you ok?

Yeah, he said with dejection in his voice.

Well you would be ok with a full set of tools on the bike. But he's observing the road rider's rule; carry nothing that's big enough to actually be observed in a jersey pocket.

I rode on.

A little while later I turned back to get whatever it is I thought I forgot. There he was on the porch of my LBS with his bike up on the repair stand of shame. This is the one they provide for those who say "oh yeah, I can fix this. I don't need any help, just a stand is all. Uh, can I borrow your tools?"

Presumably some time later he'll ask if they can keep the bike overnight and fix it.

People; mechanicals happen on the road of life. Carry what you need to fix them. When stuff happens get yourself and your bike OFF the road or path unless you actually need to stop someone (health emergency). Blocking the path can cause a crash, move to the right.

Cooking for the cure

I own a small, underwater, 70's era condo in the Bay Area. It was expertly remodeled by my friend, contractor, carpenter Hilary. We found and used many local products some of which I mentioned here. I'll go over more of those later.

Gentle readers, please remind me, I get distracted especially when I talk about food, cooking and their impact on our health.

One of the first projects of the remodel was that I decided to remove the stereotypical, 70's, dated, cottage cheese ceiling. You know the stuff in bad hotels? It makes the ceiling look low, like it's closing in on you. I'd try to be optimistic and say "look, it's shiny like stars!" but let's be honest.

That stuff is gray depressing, cluttered and nasty. It had to go.

But first I had to clean and scrape the grease off the ceiling spending days tottering, scared up on the ladder with TSP, gloves and a mask. The signs of the sellers poor  diet were visible all over the property but only if you looked up. The ceiling was just covered with a thin film of grease from the kitchen out to the dining room. It seems they fried everything they ate. I'm guessing from the aroma mostly meat and fish.

What wasn't on the ceiling was in the kitchen plumbing which also eventualy had to go.

One can only imagine their circulatory system and general health. I'm sure not all the grease went up to the ceiling or down the drain. Some must have gone into the 6 adults and 2 kids who lived cramped in what was then a cluttered 2 bedroom 1.5 bath condo.

I had already removed the dated, 70's, wooden beaded room dividers. Those were as greasy as they were dated, dark, dusty and tacky.

We put up tarps on all floors as I cleaned mostly so I would not slip later on the grease/TSP mixture. I was not worried about protecting the 30 year old linoleum in the kitchen, dining room and supremely ugly blue shag carpeting in the rest of the condo. I was more concerned with slipping on the clean up efforts.

At least their style of "staging a house for sale" had kept the price affordable for me.

Once we'd cleaned and prepped I stepped back to let the pro's attack the cottage cheese. During the ceiling project I removed myself from the fray for the weekend. I went up to Sonoma to my Mom's. My mutt, Mae (that's my dear, now departed and very much missed dog pictured above) went far, far away for the weekend.

Hilary and crew took every precaution because what is that dated cottage cheese anyway? Asbetos perhaps, asbestos probably. And contact with asbestos can be deadly with direct links to a cancer called mesothelioma.

It's not that I did not want to help them out. During the remodel I tried to do everything an unskilled, untrained, owner could. This is mostly clean or clean up afterwards, run errands some of which I theorize contractors invent to get their clients out of the way and write lots of checks.

But when it comes to asbestos lacking the skill, training, experience and equipment of a pro I did not want to risk being around and much less even breathing that stuff. Dealing with asbestos is something we want to stand back and let the trained, properly equipped and experienced pro's handle it because it's a carcinogen.  Best to come back later on and say "Ah! Beautiful!"

Cancer has cut a swath through my family. I've lost several loved ones to cancer, others are survivors. I hate cancer, all forms of cancer.

Other than avoiding contact with carcinogens is there prevention, cure or certain treatment of cancer? Can lifestyle factors particularly good diet and nutrition lead to a life free of cancer?

Maybe, perhaps and it can be as simple as eating your fresh, local fruits and vegies.

I recently read a study in the Journal of Cancer Research which was done by Mark H. Shiffman, Linda W. Pickle, Elizabeth  Fontham, Sheila Hoar Zahm, Roni Falk, Joy Mele, Pelayo Correa and Joseph Fraumeni Jr. called Case Control Study of Diet and Mesothelioma in Louisiana.

In this study 37 patients with mesothelioma were matched with case controlled subjects. Patients were matched to controls according to age, sex, race, region, occupational histories and many factors. In this study reductions in risk were seen with increasing consumption of vegetables, especially cruciferous vegetables. These associations could not be explained by differences in exposure such as occupation.

The results indicated that eating your vegetables may reduce the risk of mesothelioma.

Eat your local vegetables.

Referenced study http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/48/10/2911.short

More information here www.mesotheliomahelp.net

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/

Houston, we have a bag problem!

We have a lot of bags as you, gentle reader may infer from reading this blog. We were smitten by these at the Fremont Solstice Festival but did not get one ... yet.

Currently in two sizes; big and bigger both have plenty of room for laptops, notebooks, camera, anything you need.

Both sizes have lots of options with enough pockets that you won't hunt for everything on the bottom of the bag. Slots inside the flap seem perfect for sketchbooks.

They are made from repurposed material; sails and truck tarps so each bag is different. The owners were at the fair and spoke of the fun they have in choosing where to cut the cloth. The fun is evident.

Some bags play with typography; a bit of a logo or letter, or swatch of color others have whole swaths of color. The repurposed material gives individual character to each bag. All are attractive but like a box of chocolates you never know what you're going to get. But you would be getting a unique and beautiful bag that's made in Seattle.

http://metamorphicgear.com/

We met a super model!

The boy-dog and I were on our morning walk when he introduced himself to Isaac the super model.

Isaac, his dog walker explained is the dog in the upper left hand corner of this website modeling the Wonder Walker Body Halter model named for him.

http://www.wonderwalkerbodyhalter.com/

Our boy dog has many fine qualities; he's patient, kind, easy going, friendly to anyone and everyone on two or four legs, he's a certified Canine Good Citizen! His one and only fault is he pulls on his leash.  Walking this fine dog is like water skiing.

Locally made, craftsmanship looks neat and tidy and just may solve our issue. Then the boy-dog will be perfect!

Love the name, love the clothes.

Bike clothing while uniquely suited for cycling looks great in direct inverse proportion to proximity to your bike. In other words lets say I get all kitted up in lycra spandex to ride to the store. I park my bike. As I walk away the further I go the sillier I look. By the time I reach the dairy aisle where I slip on the floor in my cycling shoes I'm pictured on YouTube comedy section. 


You don't have to dress in neon and lycra to ride. Here are bike shorts and clothes for the rest of us.

No lycra, bulky pads, pink butterflies, logos, no neon anything. Just comfort, fit and style.  All made in USA. 


http://www.harlotwear.com/

In touch with my domestic side.

I cooked my way through college in fancy-schmancy California cuisine eateries. These were my favorite jobs of all. Yet even after designing the kitchen of my dreams for my condo I did not cook much. It is hard to cook alone. Lately I'm rediscovering my love of prep. Yeah, prep. Some people love to shop, I love to chop.

From the roast chicken we enjoyed I made chicken enchiladas. Today that chicken lives on as Thai chicken soup with stock from the carcass. A lot of meals from that one bird means lots of left overs. What to do with them?

That's why I love this:

http://anchorhocking.com

Simple clean design will make your left overs look attractive and tasty. You'll be the envy of the break room. Most storage dishes are clear so there's no mystery of what's inside. This means less waste. We don't have their entire product line but I'd like more.

Martha Stewart does not live here ...

... But we found a helpful cleaning item. I give it a 4.5 out of 5 rubber gloves. The half is only because the handle is slick, may be easier to grip with a rubber glove.

The bristles are sturdy, they clean the tub, sink and bathroom counter well without scratching. Design is nice. Pointy tip gets into corners. According to the companies site at least 80% of the bristles are made from recycled plastic. I like that in a product.

And it's made right here in the good ol' in the USA.

http://www.libman.com/products.aspx#/Surface%20Care/48m/0/

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.