Yesterday, however, convinced me to seek other solutions.

I had plans to join a geological field trip of the IN Dunes National Lakeshore area, and I was glad to realize that, rather than drive, I could bike to the airport, take the South Shore to Beverly Shores, and then (for the first time!) ride along the Calumet Trail most of the way to the field-trip-starting-point at the Dunes Learning Center.

Everything worked out well, but as you can see in the photo, the crushed-limestone surface of the Calumet Trail is quite flooded in some sections. The expansive puddles weren’t deep, but without fenders I would have arrived at my destination a muddy mess. The fenders, however, did their job, and I stayed clean and dry. It was a beautiful day, and the ride was a lot of fun.

Although I don’t often ride on flooded trails, this ride convinced me that fenders are indeed essential for my utility cycling and, accordingly, I’ll need to seek other options to put the monkey bike on a diet. Much to my wife’s chagrin, however, I’m starting to lean toward a wholesale upgrade to a new folder!

This annual event is sponsored by the Michiana Bicycle Association (MBA) and the Northern Indiana Mountain Bike Association (NIMBA). There is no charge for buyers or sellers. Anyone is welcome to bring bicycle related items to sell. Sellers should arrive between 11:00 and and 11:30 to setup. First-come, first-served for table space.

Latest details at www.mbabike.com/swap

Anyone have additional anecdotal or statistical evidence about bike theft in South Bend? What is your strategy for keeping your bike secure? As I’ve mentioned previously, I typically use just a cable lock, but I think it may be time for me to beef up my security measures.

Then it occurred to me:  Airplane pilots have an eerily similar problem, and they’ve solved in by carrying a “black box” to record any possible crash.  Why not have the same thing for bikes?

The technology is already available.  I’ve got a Garmin Forerunner 305 which already records my GPS track with scary accuracy, in real time.  Newer versions of the same product are also available.  Helmet- or bike-mounted digital video cameras are available to capture license plate numbers.  They’ve got wide-angle lenses and shock-resistant casings.  Accelerometers are abundant and cheap, to record the force of any collision.

It’s even possible to get ultrasonic distance sensors to measure the distances to overtaking vehicles, as Ian Walker did in his famous research.

The whole setup might cost $2000-3000, but as a side benefit it would be an immaculate record of the experience of day-to-day cycling, whether for research data collection or for personal nostalgia.  And who knows, maybe someday it could be a virtual health or life insurance policy, worth hundreds of thousands in a potential lawsuit.

So, why was I not prepared, yet again? First of all, I try to pack as light as possible for these trips. A pump and patch kit certainly aren’t much, but my Dahon Boardwalk S1 not only has bolt-on wheels, but the rear wheel has a coaster brake. Accordingly, to remove the wheel I also need a crescent wrench and screw driver. And, it is a major pain.

I realize that a tube can be patched without removing the wheel, and after getting more practice once home, it really isn’t too bad. But it still takes quite a while, and it can be very challenging to find small holes and very easy to miss multiple holes. Further, most of my rides on it are only 2-10 miles in a stretch; I suppose I’ve been playing (and loosing) the odds to some extent as well.

Anyway, I’ve now had three flats on my folder, yet my total mileage isn’t much over 250 miles (as a side note, this has saved >2000 driving miles!). Clearly I need to be better prepared, but I now view flats as a major obstacle to dependable multi-modal car-free travel.

My Boardwalk came with low-end components, and I’m now wondering if some new tires would be a good investment. The stock tires are Kenda Kwests, but I’ve heard great things about Schwalbe Marathon Plus. They’re heavy and expensive (>$40 each, even for the 20-inchers I’d need), but I’ve read many testimonials claiming thousands of flat-free riding miles.

Anyone have any experience with these, or have recommendations for “flat-proof” tires available in 20-inch sizes? Any other ideas to reduce flats?

From the newsletter:

Members are invited to bring their surplus biking gear to trade or sell. Tables will be available at no charge. Area bike shops will be there with excellent pre-season bargains. There will be presentations bike maintenance and cycling safety.

Admission is ………… FREE!

Here’s a map showing Pinhook Park:

As I was talking with my mother yesterday, we explored some of her memories of pre-WW II Tokyo. She came from a well-to-do Japanese family and offered some interesting perspectives on cars, bicycles, and pedestrian traffic. She remembered how the streets of Tokyo were narrow and often choked with pedestrians, bicycles and, sometimes, cars. Cars were considered a luxury, a burden, and a nuisance. Since none of her family could actually drive, her grandfather employed three full-time driver/mechanics to drive family members to work, to attend to domestic purposes, and to assist guests in their travel needs. Their garage was full of cars and bicycles. Bicycles were seen as a necessity, since cars often needed maintenance, were often were slowed by pedestrian and bicycle traffic, and roads were not always in conditions fit for cars. She remembered hearing of the challenges to city planners as car owners pushed for wider streets and property owners balked at the expense of moving buildings back from the streets on their small city lots. Bicycles were ridden all year ’round. When winter snows came, bikes were taken to bike mechanics to have chains (?) fitted to their tires (coaster brakes made this possible). Given her fading memory, this was a delightful conversation with her. I never knew of her past dependence upon bicycles.

The above conversation with my mother was spurred, in part, by questions I had in response to the “Modest Proposal” article in the New York Times. I wondered about what transportation was like in cities before cars played such a major role. What did traffic look like? At what point did bicycles become common means of transportation (well-designed, affordable, maintainable, and mass produced)? Did city planners ever take into account the needs of bicyclists? How did this vary from region to region and country to country? What can we learn from that time of industrial revolution and apply to our current need for economic, ecological, and industrial evolution?