Ocean Air Cycles

Wald 867 Handlebar Review October 18 2011, 0 Comments

I bought this bar to get some rear sweep in the grip area for my S&SUB.  Over the years I have used more upright bars then I can keep track of, from super cheep to the Nitto Albatross (B-352AA is my Fav).  The Wald offering comes in at about $20, they are chromed steel for high bling factor and they are made in the U.S.A..  They seemed like a worthy candidate for this budget build.  My inital impressions are good.  On the plus side they are comfy, cheep, made domestically, the straight front will not interfere with the load and they seem pretty strong.  Downside is a bit of slide in the stem (possible stem issue), short grips and they are kind of heavy.   The dimensions are, 50cm wide tip to tip, 26cm of straight section in the front, 9cm of rise and 13cm of straight return at the grips.  The return on the grips is almost straight with just a smidge of flare.  The grips are really short, no room for levers and shifters at all.  I have the brake levers here pushed as far into the bend as possible without the levers flaring out too much. Overall I like these bars in spite of their limitations.  In the application on this bike, single speeds or other times you will not need more than brake levers, these are a perfect and affordable upright bar.  I would buy them again if needed and recommend them if they meet your needs. As an aside, the keen of eye may have noticed my NOS Jim Blackburn parking brake.  I am not sure if these are still made, but it is fantastic for keeping the bike still while loading.

Why We Shouldn’t Bike with a Helmet March 15 2011, 0 Comments

I will seldom post a "hey look at this" but I liked this one. Mikael Colville-Andersen giving a speech at TEDx in Copenhagen on Why We Shouldn’t Bike with a Helmet.  Grant at Rivendell tipped me to this through their Blog.  This is the most concise expression I have yet seen on brining bicycles back into our culture as everyday transportation and not just play things or exercise equipment.   Enjoy, and spread the word.  Actively riding in your own community every day will help to improve the quality of your rides, be the front edge of the rising tide. Regularly scheduled posting will catch up later this week, Daylight Saving Time is spinning me sideways still.