I have bragged in the past about
the Co-Habitant's wonderous winter commuting skills. But truth be told, is that really so impressive to accomplish on a cushy modern Pashley? Yesterday, he tried riding Rodney - his vintage Raleigh DL-1 with rod brakes - and reports his experience:
In a vintage bike, the freezing temperatures can really effect the brakes and steering. The cold stiffens the grease in the headset, making the steering extremely stiff. Of course you can rebuild the headset, but this takes either skill and time, or money to spend at the bike shop - so it is yet another issue to take into consideration when buying old bikes. Similarly, old brake pads tend to harden in the cold, compromising braking performance considerably. On regular caliper brakes, the brake pads can be replaced with new salmon KoolStops to remedy the problem. But rod brakes are incompatible with the KoolStop pads, so there is not much that can be done really.
So there you have it: a vintage bicycle with rod brakes is great in the snow... unless you need to stop or safely turn. Of course none of that prevent the Co-Habitant from riding it around the neighborhood - though thankfully, he does not plan to commute on it to work.
And we're out there having fun
in the cold Boston winter sun
I think you've met these friends of ours before?
They haven't been out together for a while, but finally we convinced them both to join us.
The evening involved conversation,
dancing,
rock climbing,
and attempts at group portraits.
Our small entourage attracted some local bicycle enthusiasts, and soon we were chatting about refurbishing vintage frames to the bewildered glances of passers-by, until it grew dark and each party headed home. Our rod-brake friends always do seem to get all the attention. Must be their matching outfits.
