Sacramento to Davis -- a first mini tour!

I've been cycling almost daily for the past nine months without really going anywhere.  Typically, I ride the 5.5 miles along the rivers to my office, or head in the other direction -- also 5.5 miles -- to the Sacramento State to work, read or relax there.  For ages now, I've thought and talked about riding a bit further and testing my ability to one day do a proper bicycle tour with 40 or 50 or more miles in a day for an extended period.  Something always seemed to prevent this from happening.  Often it was weather or work schedule, but just as often it was a pretty flimsy and invented excuse.

Velouria of Lovely Bicycle had a similar cycling goal for this year.  Unlike me, however, she tackled it in much more decisive fashion... she simply got on her bike and pedaled to a destination 18 or 20 miles away.  I found this inspiring and decided the time had come to actually go somewhere on my bike.

The cycling Mecca of Davis, California is almost exactly 20 miles away from my home.  This seemed a good distance and the destination itself is very pleasant.  If you don't know Davis, it consistently ranks among the most bicycle-friendly cities in the nation.  There seem to be as many bikes as cars on the streets and infrastructure and motorist attitudes are more like Copenhagen than California.

These are part of every intersection.

The trouble is, getting to Davis from Sacramento involves crossing the Yolo Causeway, a splendid sanctuary for avian wildlife that is flooded every winter and farmed every summer.  And, crossing the causeway means riding on the bike path that runs alongside I-80.  Something like 20 percent of the ride is spent next to cars approaching 85 mph.  You're separated by a concrete wall and a fence, but it's difficult to shake the idea that you're about to be decapitated by a rogue hubcap.

Here's the view as you approach Davis and look to your left.

But here's the view to your right:

Believe it or not, after a mile or so, I felt like I had one ear tuned to the bird festival going on to my right and had almost tuned out the sometimes-deafening highway next to me.  I had one exciting encounter with the local wildlife, but that, as they say, is another story (and another post).

Soon enough, the path leaves the interstate (but never strays too far) and becomes much more pleasant. I was not tired when I arrived, and spent a very pleasant hour or so cycling through town and relaxing on the campus of UC Davis.

On campus, everywhere you find a dormitory or cluster of academic buildings, you find a Belgian-looking throng of parked bicycles.

I will admit that when I started the journey home, the saddle on Lucky Jitensha did not feel quite as comfortable.  Otherwise, though, I was fine and ready to go.  I stopped just outside of Davis to get Lucky's photo with the Sacramento skyline visible (barely) behind him.  This is our proof that we actually went somewhere.

I'm already eager to build upon this fun start, maybe by researching other destinations and quieter routes, or by driving to a less urban spot and starting from there.  Further, I suspect there may be a new saddle in Lucky's future.

Two more from the bike swap

Here are two more bikes that caught my eye at the bike swap on Saturday.

The first is a Dutch-made Union, complete with coat (skirt) guard and dynamo light.  Dutch bikes seem very rare in these parts. 

And, here's a unique folding bike manufactured for Firestone and sold in the 1960s for folks to toss in the massive trunks of their Impalas.  I'm getting warmer to the idea of having a bike in the back of the car for those times when business takes you out of town but still leaves a little time for a quick ride.

Sacramento Bike Swap

Today's bike swap in Fremont Park was a much bigger deal than I expected.  I don't know why, but I kind of had it pegged for a handful of vendors selling fixie parts I didn't need... So, I figured I could mosey over a couple of hours after the starting time and not miss a thing.

Wrong.  There were a couple dozen booths set up, and some genuinely interesting bikes and bargains.  And, I'm told, the good stuff was gone within a few minutes of the "official" start time of 8 a.m.

I saw plenty of bikes to admire, but only two that I had to actively resist buying.  One was this Fleetwood, made for Sears in the 1960s.  It's a lovely chrome 3-speed, filet brazed and shining like a new dime.  It does, though, weigh about the same as three less beautiful bikes combined.

The other great temptation was this Bianchi folding bike.  I honestly don't know why I didn't scoop it up on the spot, as I've always wanted a folding bike and this one was of top quality and condition.

A little while later, I saw that there had been a good reason for me to not become the new owner of the Bianchi.  It was bought by the one person who could give it a better home than me!  Andrea, pictured here with her beautiful new bike, is the co-owner of Hot Italian, a downtown restaurant that celebrates the bicycle and all things Italian.  She's been a huge help to cycling in Sacramento and has a gorgeous venue on 16th Street in which to showcase this bike alongside the Vespas and gelato.

Congratulations, Andrea!

Happy Easter!

Wishing all our readers a happy, healthy and blessed Easter...  Hoping it's a day of family fun, spiritual celebration and maybe a bike ride.

The Mercier family expands!

I was thrilled to learn that one of my very favorite bicycle bloggers, Velouria of Lovely Bicycle, is the new owner of a gorgeous, vintage Mercier mixte. 

Careful readers may recall that my first vintage bike acquisition was this very same brand and style of bike and it occupies a place of great honor in my fleet.  Here's my Mercier, Blaise:

To be joined in this by someone whose taste in bicycles I admire so greatly is a genuinely happy experience!

It will be fun to see what Velouria does with her mixte.  I hope to glean lots of good ideas from her on outfitting and accessorizing it beautifully.

Congratulations, Velouria and happy riding!  Here's hoping we get these two lovely bicycles on the same coast one day and go for a ride...

You can check out Velouria's new ride here.

By popular demand...

At Mikespokes, we're all about customer service.  You asked for a photo of the Superbe with the picnic basket, and by golly, we're going to provide exactly that.

In fact, here's three of them.

For the Tweed Ride and picnic this weekend, I had the basket strapped to the rack.  It was a tenuous connection, and I knocked it off twice dismounting the bike.  Later in the day, I saw someone with a similar basket attached simply by using the spring/clamp thing on the Plescher-style rack.  This was genius... I came home and did the same and the basket was more secure and looked better.

It wasn't until I saw these photos that I noticed how "smooshed" the basket looks by the pressure of the clamp.  Next time, I'll turn it around so the clamp is pressing against the hinge side rather than the open flap side. 

Here's the crooked shot... my attempt to be artsy and fit the whole bike in the frame. It reminds me o watching Batman when I was a kid... all the scenes in the badguys lairs were shot with a slanted camera to convey "crookedness," I guess.  So, this is what my bike would look like if it were going to be used as a getaway vehicle by The Riddler or Penguin.

Looks like a good deal

These his-and-her Raleighs appear to still be floating around on Craigslist.  The price seems more than fair, especially if the bikes are in decent condition.  It's hard to say from the photo, but I'd say they're Sports, but they could be Superbes.  If only I had a place to put them!

In an uncharacteristically restrained moment, I did not contact the seller, so I can't say for sure they actually exist.  Sometimes, deals on Craigslist bikes that seem too good to be true are just that.  But, this listing has none of the usual clues -- there is a phone number and a "respond to" link.  Also, little details about prices for the child seat and Brooks as separate purchases suggest a real seller to me.

If you have more room in your garage than I do, and an extra $199, snatch them up!

See them here.