Visit to Wheelfine Imports Sat 9/12/15
After reading on the 'net a while back that about an hour away there is a very cool independent, owner-operated bike shop, dealing mostly in Italian bicycles (the sexiest kind), I rounded up a couple of bike-savvier buddies and headed north along the Delaware River to Lambertville, NJ.
We made a right off SR 29 onto Brunswick Pike opposite downtown Lambertville, climbed a hill, and about 1-2 miles up the road we found Wheelfine Imports sitting by the highway in a rural residential area. Right away we were taken with several bikes leaning up against the outside of the building. After ogling them (two new Electras 29ers, an older Bianchi and others), we went in the wide-open door of the low one-story building and immediately had to squeeze our way past the many bikes that filled the small front counter room.
I called hello, and shortly thereafter the friendly proprietor appeared, Michael Johnson. He made some quips right off the bat, putting us at ease. He said he started out working nearby for legendary bike-builder Jim Redcay. His good reputation is well deserved. He let us poke around the various rooms for about an hour while he regaled us with all kinds of bike info. There was a lot of back and forth between Padge, Harry, and Michael. I just tried to absorb everything while not saying anything too stupid. I did come up with the correct answer as to what type of non-carbon-fiber frame material led to the development of carbon-fiber forks.
The shop had bikes from Colnago, DeRosa, Cinelli, Ciocc, Merckx, Pinarello and others jammed in everywhere over 2 rooms. ("No Treks here.") Awe-inspiring. Michael says he sells more Bianchi pista bikes than any other shop in New Jersey.
Also, there were bike items on shelves filling up the rest of the space, including tools, lube, racks for mounting on bikes, racks for mounting on cars to carry bikes, gloves, jerseys (including a Wheelfine), helmets etc. and even pastel-colored straw baskets for the girly bikes. In short, it seemed he had everything.
On his workstand, Michael had a Carrera carbon-fiber bike which was lighter than any I've ever lifted. He took off the radial-spoked front wheel and tire and handed it to me; it was laughably light. He said he had built the wheel, lacing it so the flanged ends of the spokes were on the inside of the hub flange, which he says is better but takes a minute longer.
It was like being in church and going to communion.
Before leaving, I bought a chain (my first Wipperman!) and Padge bought a mountain-biking backpack made by Dueter (a German brand he had heard good things about while on his latest trip to his native England).
On the ride home, we chattered like chimps, our heads spinning from the visit to a shrine.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Monday, September 7, 2015
Brandywine Tour 2015, DVBC
Brandywine Tour, Delaware Valley Bicycle Club, Sunday 9/06/15
After doing this ride for 3 years, then skipping it for 3 years, I got some buddies interested in doing it this year. Mike, Akram and I met at 6:30 at Padge's place, 'the farm,' and drove about 45 minutes to the starting point, Pocopson elementary school near (Brandywine) Creek Road, up from US Route 1 in Chadds Ford, PA (Wyeth country).
From the school, which sits high on a hill, we had a nice view of nearby wooded hills on a beautiful and still summer morning. We all signed in, chose the 52-miler (other options were 28, 65 and 100 miles), and started pedaling together just before 8 a.m.
Back down Creek Road we went, then crossed US 1 and rode thru what has to be some of the nicest hilly country in the Delaware Valley. We South Jersey flatlanders were getting our desired hill-riding low-gear workout in a lovely setting. "Awesome," Padge said. Agreed.
At one point, I came upon Padge pulled over to the side of the road with a woman, both off their bikes. Turns out he noticed she was fighting her way uphill on under-inflated tires, so chivalrous Padge offered to help, and used his mini-pump to get her rear tire up to a decent inflation. Akram took over and did the same for her front tire. She apparently did not know much about inflation, and mentioned relying on her Lancaster-area bike shop to tell her what to buy and what to do. My guess is she had not inflated her tires since the shop had sold her a floor pump. Then off we pedaled together, now numbering 5.
There was more nice riding up and down the hills, lots of shady roads, farmland and horse country.
At the second of 2 rest stops (at a canoe rental area on the Brandywine Creek), Akram the Affable saw someone he knew and greeted him; then he made a new acquaintance, the club volunteer working the bike service stand. Before they were thru, they had exchanged contact info, because Bob the volunteer had some obscure bike part that Akram was trying to locate for one of his other bikes.
I noticed a guy in an Alp d'Huez cap was looking at me funny, and when I started walking away he asked if he could take my picture, because he wanted to send it to his sister; I look just like their dad! When I smiled for the camera (phone), he said 'Don't smile.' Apparently his dad was a dour man. Funny.
We five headed off and rode quite a while, but we reached a point where we kinda seemed to be going back over the same ground. Finally I saw tents in a campsite and was sure we had passed that way before. As we were chattering back and forth about that, the same canoe-rental rest stop came into view. *urk*
We talked with a rest-stop volunteer who said we were not the first to accidentally come back thru a second time. She tried to figure out where we went wrong, using a map on her smart phone along with my cue sheet. However, between the sun glare on her screen and my lack of glasses, I could not make out what she was trying to show me. I nodded frequently and thanked her, thinking I would just pay closer attention to the cue sheet the second time around.
We started off again, and on our next pass, I saw where we went wrong; earlier when we had been stopped for regrouping, our fifth rider had seen a road marking indicating a turn and thought we should go that way. But the marking turned out to be for riders on a different route coming from another direction. And the road signs were angled so you couldn't really tell what was what without studying it. Still, my bad for not figuring out which road we were on and verifying the turn with the cue sheet. Seeing we were 11 miles further on the odometer, I was able to make the adjustment at each milepost noted on the cue sheet, and we were fine the rest of the way.
The last piece of the ride, however, was up the driveway to the school at the top of the hill. The driveway is so friggin' steep, it has a switchback built into it! So it was put 'er in low gear and avoid the shame of walking the last 100 yards. What a finish. We celebrated with complimentary pizza slices. The band was playing Maggie's Farm.
Instead of 52 miles, because of the wrong turn we did nearly 64 miles, and were none the worse for wear. In fact, we called it our metric century, like we planned it that way.
A good time was had by all. It was the best ride of the year so far for me, with the hills, the lovely scenery and the good company on a perfect day.
After doing this ride for 3 years, then skipping it for 3 years, I got some buddies interested in doing it this year. Mike, Akram and I met at 6:30 at Padge's place, 'the farm,' and drove about 45 minutes to the starting point, Pocopson elementary school near (Brandywine) Creek Road, up from US Route 1 in Chadds Ford, PA (Wyeth country).
From the school, which sits high on a hill, we had a nice view of nearby wooded hills on a beautiful and still summer morning. We all signed in, chose the 52-miler (other options were 28, 65 and 100 miles), and started pedaling together just before 8 a.m.
Back down Creek Road we went, then crossed US 1 and rode thru what has to be some of the nicest hilly country in the Delaware Valley. We South Jersey flatlanders were getting our desired hill-riding low-gear workout in a lovely setting. "Awesome," Padge said. Agreed.
At one point, I came upon Padge pulled over to the side of the road with a woman, both off their bikes. Turns out he noticed she was fighting her way uphill on under-inflated tires, so chivalrous Padge offered to help, and used his mini-pump to get her rear tire up to a decent inflation. Akram took over and did the same for her front tire. She apparently did not know much about inflation, and mentioned relying on her Lancaster-area bike shop to tell her what to buy and what to do. My guess is she had not inflated her tires since the shop had sold her a floor pump. Then off we pedaled together, now numbering 5.
There was more nice riding up and down the hills, lots of shady roads, farmland and horse country.
At the second of 2 rest stops (at a canoe rental area on the Brandywine Creek), Akram the Affable saw someone he knew and greeted him; then he made a new acquaintance, the club volunteer working the bike service stand. Before they were thru, they had exchanged contact info, because Bob the volunteer had some obscure bike part that Akram was trying to locate for one of his other bikes.
I noticed a guy in an Alp d'Huez cap was looking at me funny, and when I started walking away he asked if he could take my picture, because he wanted to send it to his sister; I look just like their dad! When I smiled for the camera (phone), he said 'Don't smile.' Apparently his dad was a dour man. Funny.
We five headed off and rode quite a while, but we reached a point where we kinda seemed to be going back over the same ground. Finally I saw tents in a campsite and was sure we had passed that way before. As we were chattering back and forth about that, the same canoe-rental rest stop came into view. *urk*
We talked with a rest-stop volunteer who said we were not the first to accidentally come back thru a second time. She tried to figure out where we went wrong, using a map on her smart phone along with my cue sheet. However, between the sun glare on her screen and my lack of glasses, I could not make out what she was trying to show me. I nodded frequently and thanked her, thinking I would just pay closer attention to the cue sheet the second time around.
We started off again, and on our next pass, I saw where we went wrong; earlier when we had been stopped for regrouping, our fifth rider had seen a road marking indicating a turn and thought we should go that way. But the marking turned out to be for riders on a different route coming from another direction. And the road signs were angled so you couldn't really tell what was what without studying it. Still, my bad for not figuring out which road we were on and verifying the turn with the cue sheet. Seeing we were 11 miles further on the odometer, I was able to make the adjustment at each milepost noted on the cue sheet, and we were fine the rest of the way.
The last piece of the ride, however, was up the driveway to the school at the top of the hill. The driveway is so friggin' steep, it has a switchback built into it! So it was put 'er in low gear and avoid the shame of walking the last 100 yards. What a finish. We celebrated with complimentary pizza slices. The band was playing Maggie's Farm.
Instead of 52 miles, because of the wrong turn we did nearly 64 miles, and were none the worse for wear. In fact, we called it our metric century, like we planned it that way.
A good time was had by all. It was the best ride of the year so far for me, with the hills, the lovely scenery and the good company on a perfect day.
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