This one is for all of you out there who carry your cameras on the bike on EVERY ride. Just like saddles and helmets, choice of camera gear and how to carry it can spark endless debate. You have seen the bags I use, but may wonder how I am getting some of the shots you see here on the site.
My Kit now consists of two cameras, GoPro and Panasonic GF1. The one that is always with me is the GoPro. Is small, light and so simple you can not over think it. 180deg field of view means you just point it an a direction and work with what you have. I generally set it to capture a still picture every 2 seconds, set up the shot and take a series. Weeding out the best shots during post processing at home only takes a few minutes. I often shoot while in the saddle and moving. To get the camera away from my hand I have worked through a series of short poles. This helps to create an image that transmits the feeling of "being there, with me", not the usual GoPro point of view shot where you feel like the doer of the activity. The latest poles are about to go into a period of refinement, but I am really happy with where they are at now. The handle has a flat section that helps mentally index the way the camera is pointing without having to look at it. The flat combined with a couple of inset magnets has also allowed me to turn in into a self supporting mono pod with the help of found steel: signs, fence posts, guard rails, electrical boxes etc.
I still have and use my Joby Gorilapod often. The pole above weighs 1/3 of the gorillapod, has 90% of the usefulness for a camera as light as the GoPro, and therefor ends up in my frame bag on every ride. The gorillapod holds up my other camera, Panasonic GF1, which while half the size of a traditional DSLR is still a tank compared to the GoPro. Then there are the times that you forget the tripod, and just work with what you have.
While not ideal, it did just fine. I was able to capture the image currently serving as the header for r the site.
Such are the joys of photocycycling, the merger of two passions, photography and cycling. The fun only extends into making the gear that works and the gear work for you. Have fun, play outside, and take lots of photos.
Commitment February 27 2012, 0 Comments
There is nothing like a monetary commitment, skin in the game, to keep you focused on the target. Aside from the myriad of bureaucratic and general business expenses there are the specific costs, engineering, prototypes, testing etc. Each new cost is another step to the center of the ring. Today I signed up for my first Expo,
Philly Bike Expo October 27 & 28 to be exact. The check is in the envelope and on the way, locked in, I need to get busy so I have something to show.
My post office rides seem to always fall on stormy days. Today is supposed to be a rain day according to the weather man, but it looks like a miss. I am not sure there is going to be any rain this year, the hills never turned green and things are all brown and crispy before spring has even shown up. It is going to be an interesting year in the coastal desert, where easy access to fresh water is often taken for granted.
It was good to get outside for a break though, and a quick trip to roll past the ocean.
As a side note, I am loving the new/old pedals. I need to get a deeper set of half clips fabbed up, but outside of that, they are sublime for riding around town, even in Birkenstocks.
Just for fun. Today was too nice outside not to go for a ride, not errands, just a ride for the sake of riding. A recent saddle acquisition motivates me to take out the Eisentraut. What a fun riding bike. The tire clearance is the only limitation that bike imposes, the rest is up to the motor. I have a set of vintage NOS Specialized Touring tires on it at the moment, labeled 32mm, but measure at 23mm. Not sure if it is the overstated tire size trend of the era, or dyslexia. For super skinny tires they ride pretty well.
I was out for a few hours, and about 30 miles before the wind came up too bad. I shot more video than pictures on this ride. Something else I will be teaching myself as part of the Ocean Air Cycles project. Some of it actually came out OK. I learned that video takes a different level of planning than pictures. Lots of scouting and thinking about timing and angles of view, and how to get it done solo. Next up is post production, I will see what is usable and hopefully have a short movie by next week.
It has been a long 10 days or so in the household. One of the widely known fringe benefits of childcare, the germs, hit hard. We have been adapting to the low level persisting cold bug over the last couple of months, but this one wiped us all out. Fevers all around, like dominoes we all had are turn, I even got my chance twice. We are all on the upswing now and finally am catching up on last week, getting this week going and working in a few surprise developments. I wrapped up the day with a trip to the post office,
Then it was off to get the munchikin, who brought the party home and was first to feel better.
We headed off to meet mommy at the beach before heading home.
Really a fantastic way to cap off the day. We are all looking forward to a more productive week.
Regular posting and bike news to follow.
Yesterday morning I made it out for dome trail fun with my Father-in-law. He had a friend that had been encouraging him to try this section of the backbone out above Kanan of am Encinal. While most sections of this trial have a reputation for being a little, um strenuous for lack of a better word, this section is a fantastically fun few miles of easy single track. We made it there early and the place was empty. We climbed for about an hour and a half on relentless, but only 2% or so grade, on the hard pack all the way up to the main fire road.
The weather was perfect, cool in the 50's and just enough overcast to keep things from getting warm. From the top we had clear views from Redondo to the Chanel Islands. The way down was fun, never too fast and a great low stress way to get out on some dirt.
The grand finale was rolling into the parking lot, full club of 30 or so people, on a basket bike with fenders. You would have thought I just rolled off of a space ship, not the trail head they we getting ready for. No disparaging comments, just shock and a little wonderment. Ironic thing is that the Trek with low trail 650b conversion handled better going up and coming down with 10 lbs of junk in the basket, than any "Mountain" bike I have ever owned. It was a fun way to spend the morning, not my usual ride at all, but I be looking at ways to work this stretch into a longer ride in the future.
It has been way to nice outside to pass on riding. Try as hard as I may, by the mid afternoon the clear blue skies pull me away from the computer and telephone. With temperatures pushing into the low 80's in the inland valleys I broke away for a ride back up the river valley.
A total of 26 miles crammed into an hour and a half, not bad after a couple of months with little more than short errand rides. Even at that average pace I was still able to grab some pictures and enjoy the weather. Near Lake Casitas there was a herd of deer out grazing, in a mile or so I counted close to 20.
All those little dots in the field are deer, really, even a four point buck in the mix.
I since my dad does read this, I will admit I need a hair cut, pretty badly. I keep telling my self it is winter and it keeps my head warm, but this winter has been hotter and drier than last summer. I am sure Murphy's law will kick in as soon as I cut it, but I guess I have hats for that.
Makes Rob a fatter tired guy. Looking at last evening's pictures I could not help but notice the extra chin starting to make its reappearance. It took close to 8 months of daily riding after the last desk job/3 hour windshield time commute came to an end to get rid of the last double chin. Nothing like taking self portraits with a fish eye lens to remind you of which way things are heading.
I decided to head out for a mid day ride, met a buddy for lunch, ran some errands and put in 26 miles or so in perfect weather.One of the better ways to burn off some surplus side meat.
It was a perfect way to break up the day. Surf is up again too, I think that may be tomorrow's mid day vacation.
Now it is time to get back to work so that you guys can have a new bike option by spring, maybe even a few surprises to go with it.
It has been a pretty bikey day in spite of the chilly weather. We rode as a family to breakfast the ladies all bundled up against the 40 deg temps. Then later as it warmed up into the 50s I headed out to the farmer's market. Pretty close to perfect, but I should have had something to keep my knees warm.
I know better when it is below 60 or so, but with it being sunny I decided to push it. The price is not too bad, but they are sore now, and kind of make me feel not so young at the moment.
As part of the efforts to get more motivated with my riding, I decided to track my efforts on the phone with a GPS app. It still surprises me when the data comes in at 14 mph averages, sitting upright in the wind at least half the trip, on a 20 mile around town loop. Not to bad for a guy feeling out of shape at the moment riding on a fat tire bike loaded with produce. We will see how the rest of the week goes.
Another productive week, more time to get things going with childcare going four days a week, Friday is daddy day. Fun stuff all day culminating in a ride to the hardware store to work on counting and then off to the beach. She has fun playing with the other kids, but part of me misses that first year already.
The days are getting shorter still, the time seems to be getting away faster and the motivation to ride has been waning a bit with the cold windy weather. I am working on a plan to get re-motivated, to ride and make pictures like last winter. For now just enjoying the day with my little girl as it is coming to a close.
Happy Friday, and be sure to play outside this weekend!
Grocery Escape December 06 2011, 0 Comments
Broke away from the workshop today to make a quick cross town grocery ride. The winter, read freezing, santa ana winds we have been having finally stopped for a day. It was a perfect time to get outside. Not a cloud in the sky, and clear views out to the islands.
I recently pulled the front bag off of the Roadeo fo ra couple of reasons. I did not make it, and that complicates the answer when people ask where I got the bags. And secondly, coming back to this bike after riding the Trek with a low trail front end geometry I wanted to more accurately be able to assess the effects of load placement on handling. I am still able to haul a decent amount of stuff with the roadeo before things start to get too flexy,
the biggest problem I experience with this load it flex in the saddle behind the clamp due to the attachment of the bagman support. One should expect a little give over bumps and such with an extra 30 lbs or so cantilevered out there. Bottom line, it get the job done, but I actually prefer the handling of the Trek with the load in the front.
And last, a little humor at the intersection.
Town has stayed pretty bikey this winter, every year I see more and more people out, maybe this is a sign that things are making the shift towards "cool"
I still have and use my Joby Gorilapod often. The pole above weighs 1/3 of the gorillapod, has 90% of the usefulness for a camera as light as the GoPro, and therefor ends up in my frame bag on every ride. The gorillapod holds up my other camera, Panasonic GF1, which while half the size of a traditional DSLR is still a tank compared to the GoPro. Then there are the times that you forget the tripod, and just work with what you have.
While not ideal, it did just fine. I was able to capture the image currently serving as the header for r the site.
Such are the joys of photocycycling, the merger of two passions, photography and cycling. The fun only extends into making the gear that works and the gear work for you. Have fun, play outside, and take lots of photos.
