Category: Bicycle

Fuck me, 11pm and I still haven't posted for the day?  NaMoBloPo is going to kick my ass, I see.



I parked my bicycle in my work building for the first time today!  They just announced bike parking in the building and I couldn't be more thrilled.

Nevermind that there are only four spots for a building that spans the entire block with 16 floors.  I am going to put a placard on my portion of the rack, pee on it a little and set up camp.

I am having trouble finding proper bike fashion, though.  I wind up wearing bike clothes (light but warm, visible, unrestrictive, able to get dirty) and changing into work clothes (professional but colorful).  But if I'm taking the train home and I'm feeling too lazy to switch back, I wind up in getups like this one.  (Why am I sharing this strangely angled picture which makes me look like I have the legs of an obese toddler?  Because that's all I got for NaMoBloPo and you are going to have to deal with it.)

Life in New York has been completely, decidedly, mercilessly kicking my ass.  Ugh. Between work and trying to get back in shape, I've had no time or energy to write.  If you want to know what the difference is between life in New York and life in Stockholm, that's it in a nutshell.  New York eats time, devours it, snorts it up until, all of a sudden, you have been living here for ten years and you've only had one failure of a relationship in your whole life and the most expensive thing you own is your mattress which, by the way, needs to be replaced because of the single lonesome dip in its saggy center.

Ahem.

And the cherry on this bloody cake is that my Swedish bicycle got stolen last Saturday.



Here we were in happier times, riding the ferry over to Fårö.  That pannier on the side was lent to me by a sweet kid at the bike rental spot next to the ferry from Nynashamn who let me borrow it for free for a week, with only my word to guarantee that I would return it.

I originally bought the bike thinking I would sell it at the end of my time in Sweden, but I wanted to bring it back with me.  Alas, I knew she was too pretty to stay with me long in New York. 



Bike Snob says you should really leave details about how your bike was stolen as a service to others in New York.  I was reluctant to do so in my Craigslist posting, but I think I can say a bit more here.

I'd been leaving the bike in our apartment hallway because I didn't want to have to haul it up and down the stairs everyday.  I always locked it to itself, but I didn't lock it to anything in the hall because there was nothing to lock it to.  (This despite the fact that my friend Mike gave me a handful of rules when I started cycling, one of which was to ALWAYS lock your bike to something, even in your house.)

My friend Dom came over for lunch and left my house at about 4:30pm.  That's when I showed him my Swedish bike in the hall, locked the gate behind him and closed our front door. 

Later that evening, I heard a noise, some kind of metallic noise, and my heart literally skipped a beat.  My heart just squeezed for a second.  I don't know why, but I thought, "Somebody's stealing my bike!"  I looked out the window and saw a guy rolling a bike away.  I didn't think it looked like my bike, and he was rolling it away so I figured it couldn't be mine since I had locked it to itself.

Then, at about 9pm, I went downstairs just to check on it, and my bike was gone.  GONE.  I felt a little panicked. I went and checked our front door -- totally unlocked.  I knocked on my neighbors' door to tell them what had happened.

Turns out that they had had their toilet fixed just an hour before and the guy left the door open and unlocked.  We have two doors, a wrought iron gate door and an inner regular wooden door.  Often, my downstairs neighbor would leave the wooden door open but the gate locked.  I had been meaning to talk to them about closing the inside door so people wouldn't be able to scope out my bike, but I hadn't gotten to it yet.  (In case anyone's casing my place, we are now on total lockdown, so fuck off.) 

So maybe the guy fixing the toilet took it, though my neighbors don't think so.  Or maybe someone had been casing my place for a while, waiting for an opportunity to come in and snatch it.  I don't know if I'll ever know. 

Now I'm keeping my eyes peeled for my bike, which is quite distinctive looking -- for sure nobody else in New York has this bike.  Or it's extremely unlikely, because the only way it would have come over is if it got boxed and dragged onto a plane the way mine did.  I have a couple of parts for it in my house which I can't bring myself to throw out, so I feel a little bit like Prince Charming waiting for Cinderella to reclaim her glass slipper. 

Of course I'm mad that someone robbed me while everyone was home, and I'm pretty embarrassed, but I'm mostly pissed at myself for not heeding Mike's advice about locking the bike up inside.  I was too city to bike around Gotland alone, and maybe now I'm too soft to be vigilant enough for New York.

I mean, it's not that I was so attached to the thing, but it was maybe the third most expensive possession I've ever purchased, especially if you include the extra fee I had to pay to get it on the plane and all the accoutrements I tricked it out with.

I went and filed a report with the police, who happen to be practically across the street from my house, but I don't have much hope.  If I see someone on it, I am totally pushing them off.  I don't care if they stole it or if they just bought it off someone.  That's MY BIKE and I want to hurt someone. 

Some part of me wonders if Ice-T, my Brooklyn bike, put a hit out on the pretty Swede because I had been totally neglecting him.  I will say that Ice-T is slower and heavier, but probably a lot better for my shoulders in terms of symmetry, so that's a silver lining.  Still, I am trying to be Buddhist and practice some detachment over the whole thing.  Considering the fact that I met three people at a party that night who had had their bikes stolen in the last three weeks, I suggest you do the same. 

So...can someone remind me why I live here again?

Of all the things I will miss about Sweden when I leave, perhaps at the top of the list will be my solitary weekend bicycle excursions.  There are lots of beautiful places around Stockholm that are very accessible via safe, cordoned off bike lanes.  You could use City Bikes for some of these trips, but then you have to watch the time and make sure you don't keep your bike out for more than three hours, which may mean stopping to switch bikes at the furthest station.

Stockholm is not hilly like San Francisco, but it's not completely flat like Copenhagen, either.  There are a few bridges that make you earn your bullar.  But the best part about these rides is that you can feel very virtuous about the caloric treat you pack with you for the ride.

Most of these rides are 20 minutes to an hour from the city center, depending on how fast you ride.  Keep in mind that these are really amateur rides, less for the person who owns spandex shorts and more for the person who likes to ride around with their mouth open.

What you'll need: 

Get a cykelkarta, or bike map, which you can pick up at any bike shop around town. You can probably also get one from the Tourist Center across the street from NK at Hamngatan 27.

Lights are helpful at night.  While you won't need them much around the summer solstice, you will need them as it gets darker out.  I also always wear a helmet.  I don't care if it doesn't look good.  I don't want my Mae to have to put my melon back together.

Provisions: If you want to buy a sandwich for the road (never a bad idea), my absolute favorite place to pick up a bicycle bag lunch is Thelins Konditori.  There are a couple of Thelins around town, but the one I go to is on Kungsholmen at S:t Eriksgatan 43.  I always get the vegetarian sandwich, which has fresh cream cheese, shredded carrots, peppers and lettuce on fruit and nut bread, which features huge hunks of dried apricot and walnuts.  It's the best bicycling sandwich ever.  Add a vanilla cream cardamom bun or a chocolate dipped meringue for a little extra sugar boost. 

1. Drottningholms Slott
Ride time: 45 - 75 min.


How to get there:
From the north: Take S:t Eriksgatan into Kungsholmen, make a right on Drottningholmsvägen and take it all the way west, cross a bridge, pass Alvik and Stora Mossen.  Make a left at the roundabout at Brommaplan, and keep following Drottningholmsvägen until you get to Nockebybron, another bridge.  Take it across two bodies of water into Ekerö.

From the south: Take Västerbron north into Kungsholmen, make a left on Drottningholmsvägen, then follow the rest of the directions above.

Drottningholm is the actual residence of the Swedish royal family.  You could go inside and check out the part that's open to the public, but then you have to pay an entrance fee.  There's some kind of Chinese pavilion here that you could also pay to gawk at. But the opulent (well, as opulent as Sweden gets) grounds offer plenty to look at.  It's modeled after French palaces from the 1600s or something -- I don't know, you can read about it on their website.  I'm no architecture nerd.



Swans grace the water lily ponds.  They dip their long necks into the water to bob for fish, their tails jiggling upright like little floating island meringues.

This is a lovely spot to picnic when the weather holds.  Your non-cycling friends can take the ferry from Stadshuskajen at Stockholm City Hall, which is probably just as enjoyable as taking the bicycle.

Drottningholms Slott
Ekerö

2. Ulriksdals Slott
Ride time: 30-45 min.

How to get there:
Take Hagastråket north, all along the west side of Hagaparken.  Ride until you reach the top of the Brunnsviken body of water, then turn right along the water along Bergshamnavägen. Keep your eyes out for the signs to Ulriksdals Slott.  There is one little tunnel that you turn left into to reach the Ulriksdals complex.  Ride along the narrow path, make a left and go up a hill until you reach the main entrance for Ulriksdals.

Yes, another castle!  Plenty of little gravel paths and wood bridges to ride over.  But it's a little off the beaten path, so if you go in July, there is actually a chance that no one else will be around.  There's also a dreamy little set of hedge-enclosed gardens that would be perfect to sit and make out in if  you were a Swedish princess sneaking around with the stable boy (or your personal trainer).
 


But this one has something better -- a pick-your-own stuff garden.  Rows of various potatoes, green beans and onions, as well as artichokes, giant cardoons, pretty flowers and tons of other stuff which you can cut with a little knife to put into the baskets they provide.  Chic!





If you're a city girl like me, you'll get a kick out of picking your own potatoes.  It's magic!  You pull up these big leafy plants and there are freaking POTATOES in the dirt.  Lots of 'em.  In all sizes.  They're as alien as giant maggots but they're crazy delicious. 





The cafe has a classic Swedish fika spread -- pies, cakes, meringues and more, with plenty of hot coffee to help you pep up for the ride back.

 

Ulriksdals Slott
Solna

3. Skogskyrkogården
30 - 60 min., depending on where you start

How to get there:
Take Götgatan through Södermalm.  Cross the bridge and keep going straight, past Globen.  Go under the freeway and to the left to get to Skogskyrkogården.

Skogskyrkogården is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.  It's a breathtakingly beautiful and huge cemetery that doesn't feel at all like a cemetery.  When you bike in, all you see is a huge cross at the end of a long slope of grass.

The place was designed with the mourning experience in mind.  A long walk (or drive) takes you up to the chapel entrance, so you can prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for a funeral.  Once you exit the chapel, you're greeted with the humble splendor of the tall evergreen woods.  The small, carved headstones are like rows of dotted lines throughout the ancient woods.  The trees are magnificent.  They tower over the little planted flowers on the graves as if to say hello, we know you're mourning, but remember that life is beautiful, and it goes on.



Greta Garbo is buried here. Her earth-toned tombstone has what I presume is her signature etched in gold. She has her own little plot of grass, surrounded by stepping stones and a red carpet of flowers, just behind the Skogskapellet, or Woods Chapel.

 

I ate my smörgås up in the meditation grove, which is a little square at the top of a hill with a gorgeous view of the woods and chapel. It felt a tiny bit weird eating in a place called the meditation grove, but I promise you that I concentrated respectfully as I ate. Anyway, I think it would be weirder to drop crumbs on someone's grave.

 



I highly recommend listening to the Choir of King's College as you cycle around -- that's about as close to Christian divinity as I'll ever get.

I hear this is the place to be on Allhelgonadagen, or All Saints Day, when the entire forest glows with candles on every grave.

Skogskyrkogården
South Stockholm, near Gamla Enskede

4. Millesgården
Ride time: 20-45 min.

How to get there:
Ride east on Odengatan until you get to Valhallavägen.  Turn right and ride past the Tekniska Hogskolan until you reach Stockholms Stadion.  Make a left onto Lidingövägen.  Follow the bike path until you reach the water.  There's a tricky bit here where you have to ride down to the Silja ferry terminal, and it seems like you're going the wrong way, but stay on the path.  Go straight until you see the sign for Lidingö.  Follow the path to the very straight and easy low foot and bicycle bridge.  Once you get over the bridge, you have to find your way to the top of the hill.  I took the path to the right down until I reached a staircase, then I walked my bike up.  Then I walked up the steep paths from there.  There is probably an easier way to the top, but I didn't find it.



Millesgården was the home of sculptor Carl Milles, his wife Olga and his sister Ruth during the first half of the 1900s.  It's a huge garden at the top of a hill with lots of Milles' whimsical sculptures, big and small, pretty flowers and tinkling fountains.  The sculpture's not really to my taste, but it is a really peaceful, beautiful spot for just soaking in the sun and looking at the ferries docked on the other side of the water. 

The place is enormous, built on a really grand scale, especially by Swedish standards.  The house sits higher than most places in Stockholm, overlooking the Lilla Värtan body of water between Lidingö and Norrmalm. 

The house is filled with Milles' collection of Greek artifacts, as well as art deco light fixtures, Swedish woodwork and pretty tiling.  But the best thing about the place is the way the air flows through the house.  You walk from room to room and the air just moves with you, filling the place with a lightness, a freshness that is incomparable on a hot day.  The feng shui must be off the hook.











Statues on the terrace garden play at eye level.  The sculptures in the main garden face out towards the world on giant pedestals, glorious in the sun and towering over the city.







The adjoining Bistro Rosenterrassen is pretty good, too.  I had a nice pear tårta and a bottle of fizzy water in the cosmos-filled garden.  They serve bullar from the Milles' own recipe.  They looked a little boring to me, so I went for cake instead, but they were offering a special deal with your entrance fee -- 90 SEK to enter the garden, and only 10 SEK more for a coffee and bulle.

Lidingö is one of the prettiest places around town, so it's nice just to ride along the edge of the island at the foot of the cliff, too.

Millesgården
Lidingö

5. Norra Begravningsplats
Ride time: 15-30 min.

How to get there: Take Torsgatan north until you get to Solnavägen.  Take it up until there is a fork, where you can choose to take Märstastråket.  You can't miss it.

Norra Begravningsplats was a really lovely surprise.  It's off the beaten path and it's barely on the map, though it's quite close to the city.  But once you ride up north this way, you can't miss it.  There are hedges around the edges of the grounds, so you don't really get a sense of what's inside until you actually go in.  It's an enormous cemetery, similar in style to Skogskyrkogården but a little less perfect. 

I met someone tonight who lives in Solna, very close to Norra Begravningsplats.  She said, "There are many gläntor there -- that's quite a romantic Swedish word you should know."  Glänta translates into glade, but what it means is a special spot where the light falls through deciduous trees just so, like in the John Bauer illustration she showed me to explain the word.



In the States, people often place cut bouquets on graves, but I've noticed that in Sweden, everyone plants flowers right in front of the tombstone.  Makes the cemetery a much less gloomy place.  I like the idea of living things growing in a place that marks death.



It's probably not the place to put out a picnic, since there aren't any spots really to do such a thing, but it's a peaceful place to ride around and listen to music in.

Norra Begravningsplatsen
Solna

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I've put them on my map for you here.  And if it's a hot day, I highly recommend riding to Kungsholmens Glassfabrik for some citronglass or polkaglass to cool off after your ride.

Any of you Stockholmers have any suggestions for other day rides? 

To recap: So you've got four days in Stockholm and you want to make the most of it.  Or you're hosting two sets of guests for four days each and you don't want to do the same thing twice.  Here is The EDOW Guide to Stockholm in 4 Days, 2 Ways.

Itinerary 1 can be found here.

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And now, onto the second itinerary!


View 4 Days in Stockholm in a larger map>

ITINERARY 2, DAY 1: THURSDAY

It's funny, I think Winnie and Francis missed each other by about 30 minutes.  Francis and Raymond had an early afternoon arrival and were offered the same snacks chez moi.

Get a bike


Photo by Flickr user Let Ideas Compete, CC Licensed

Welcome to Stockholm!  If I were you, I'd get a City Bikes card right away.  Since you'll be here for four days, I would recommend getting the full season card, which is just 200 SEK (the 3-day card is 125 SEK).  You can go to the Tourist Center in T-Centralen to get a City Bikes card, or go to an SL office at Slussen, Fridhemsplan, or a number of other stations.

The City Bikes system is easy -- you get a card, and you can borrow a bike from any of the many stations around the city.  When you're done riding around, you can leave the bike at any station you can find -- doesn't have to be the station that you borrowed the bike from.  The system is not as big as the Paris bikeshare program, but it's big enough for Stockholm. 

The maximum time you can keep a bike out for is three hours.  The website currently says you can borrow from 6am to 6pm, but actually, they've extended the hours and you can now borrow bikes till 10pm (which means that if you borrow a bike at 10am, you can keep it out until 1am.)

If you keep a bike out for longer than three hours, you get a strike against you.  Two strikes and you won't be allowed to borrow a bike anymore.  If you keep a bike out for more than five hours, you automatically get kicked out of the system.  

All of the bikes have small wheels with a quick-release adjustable height seat, so they work for shorties and tall folk.  We didn't have any trouble getting bikes or finding a free spot to drop them off. Make sure you check your bike before you ride off, though.  While they're supposedly serviced all day long, Francis got one with faulty gears.

Du Gamla, Du Fria

 
This is a good time to walk around Gamla Stan, peeking in at Ye Olde Shoppes and buying reindeer skins if you must.  Gamla Stan means Old Town, and that's pretty much what it is -- all cobblestoned streets, health-inducing hills and sherbet toned buildings.  I don't know, Francis quite liked it, but it doesn't really do much for me.

When you're done, borrow a bike from the Gamla Stan station and ride north along the water, out past the Norstedts building, across the bridge, and up to Vasagatan. This is one of my favorite bike routes in Stockholm, especially at sunset. 

Ride up Vasagatan and follow the bike lane all the way to Torsgatan.  Take Torsgatan to S:t. Eriksgatan and drop your bikes off at the S:t Eriksplan station.  Walk through Vasaparken and down Dalagatan to get to the restaurant for dinner.

Dinner: Melanders Fisk
Melanders Fisk is a good place to start up on the fish and potatoes.  Pictures and my previous write-up about Melanders is here, but I think it's worth mentioning that the gravlax is special -- a coral origami fan of silky, cool fish adorned with a feathery frond of dill is served with a metal dish of hot, cream-enrobed new potatoes.  Divine.  Francis's method was to wrap one of those hot nuggets into a cool lox stole.  The majskyckling, corn-fed chicken, with summer truffled risotto is rich and earthy.  The fish stew I loved the first time wasn't as good the second time.  Go figure.

Melanders Fisk
Dalagatan 9R
T-bana: St. Eriksplan
It's not a super busy place, so I wouldn't say you need a reservation, but you can make one just in case.

After dinner: Music


Photo by Flickr user Bixentro, CC licensed

Okay, so actually, I took Francis and Raymond to Debaser Slussen, but since we already went there on itinerary 1, let's try any number of bars on Söder instead.  Pet Sounds Bar is popular with the indie rock crowd.  The walls are covered in glossy black rectangular subway tiles, giving the place a dark but clean feel.  Pompadoured and star tatted younguns lean their narrow, black jeans-clad hips against the barstools.  The bartenders make really interesting cocktails, including one with apple juice, lemon, and Żubrówka, a grassy Polish vodka.

If you want to stay in one place the whole evening, you can actually eat dinner here instead.  I have only eaten there once, but I remember the food being quite good, especially a gorgeous salad with crunchy pomegranate seeds, pomegranate molasses and chunky lego cubes of walnut-capped blue cheese.



Pet Sounds also has an intimate basement venue where DJs spin when indie rock heroes like Broken Social Scene and Lykke Li aren't playing.  

The whole operation is super sophisticated in a quintessentially Stockholm way.  I mean, imagine getting a composed salad with mixmaster cocktails in a high-design room at the Mercury Lounge.  During the day, check out Pet Sounds's museum of obsolete portable aural devices across the street.

It's also good to check out who's playing at Hornstull Strand, a big venue down by the water.  The young and beautiful cram themselves in wall to wall when international artists like Deerhoof and The Whitest Boy On Earth roll through.

Södra Teatern sometimes hosts interesting local acts.  I saw everyone's favorite Swedish ladies a cappella choir with one of the best band names ever, The Sweptaways.  As an added bonus, it's high on a hill overlooking the best view of the water in the city center.

If indie rock's not your thing, or if you're too old to stand all night with malnourished whippersnappers, look up Cirkus's schedule.  It's a big theater with a restaurant attached sitting in the middle of Djurgården.  There are plenty of seats for your weary gams, and David Byrne and Grace Jones played there this year.  But Chippendales and Cats are also playing there, so take it for what it's worth.

And if you are a REAL party pooper like me, you can just park your ass at home and hunt for Ulla Billquist clips on YouTube all night.
 


Pet Sounds
Skånegatan 80
T-bana: Medborgarplatsen

Hornstull Strand
Hornstull Strand 4
T-bana: Hornstull

Södra Teatern
Mosebacketorg 1-3
T-bana: Slussen

Cirkus
Djurgårdsslätten 4+45
T-bana: Kungsträdgården, but you are better off cycling or taking the bus

 

Gosh, it's so nice to ride my bike along the water.  The water looks so black at night.  Hey, those seagulls are going nuts over there.  Seagulls, stars, so many little bits against the black sky.

Hm, detour in Gamla Stan.  That's weird.  I don't remember seeing this before.  Does this sign mean go around?  Okay, I guess I'll hang a right and ride right along the water.

Co-o-bb-b-b-l-l-l-e-e-ss-s-ss-t-tt-to-on-nn-ne-e-ess.  Still, it's pretty.  It's so desolate over here. I'd never ride around something like this in New York.

Oh look, trolley tracks.  Remember when Heej nearly got a bike tire stuck in the tram tracks in Berlin?  I better ride over diagonally.

Oof--uh-oh---what's--

[CRASH.  Right knee-Left shin-Right thumb-Left heel of hand-Left thigh.  Lock goes skidding across the stones.]

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCK!

OWWWWWWWW!

Get up.

Knee?  OW.  Get up.  Can I walk?  Yes.  I'm walking.  Pick up your lock. Did you drop anything?  Phone, keys, wallet? 

Fuck that hurts.  Walk it out.  What if I weren't wearing a helmet and I hit my head and passed out and forgot everything?  Would anyone help me?  Would anyone find me?  How long would it take?

You're fine, walk it out. 

What if I had really hurt myself?  How would I have gotten to the doctor?

Ow.  Let's walk out to the closed off bike lane.

How come that guy's riding in the street?  Was I supposed to ride in the street on not on the detour?  What did that sign say?  What's wrong with the bike lane?  Nothing seems wrong.  Why did they block it off?

Fuck my knee.  Fuck.  I guess yoga is not happening tomorrow.  Get back on the bike.  There you go.  Ow. Ow. Ow.  My knee is not happy.  Shin's alright, though.  Thumb's alright.

Well, at least I was wearing boots.  And gloves. Really, could have been much worse.  What if I had lost teeth?  Broken a bone?  Gotten amnesia?  I'm wearing a helmet, but still.  What if the helmet didn't work?  Do helmets work?   

Is my knee going to swell up?  Getting older sucks.  I am going to take forever to heal. I hope I'm not bleeding.

If I wound up in the hospital, would my Mae come visit?  Yeah, she totally would.

Did I leave anything back there?  My bag is open.  Should I go back and check?  OW.

Come on, suck it up.  That's what happens.  People fall.  Real cyclists get bruises.  You're fine.  Get it together.

I don't think I have any ice at home.  Is there anything?  I guess I can put some frozen salmon on it.  OMG, I am going home to ice my bruises with frozen salmon.  If that ain't some old maid shit, I don't know what is.

[Epilogue: I am now home with a piece of frozen salmon on my knee.  I smell vaguely like cat food, but I'm enjoying a can of young coconut juice I had forgotten about.  Awesome.]

Commenter Rachel asks:
Is it the custom to just leave your bike outside and let it get snowed on all winter?

Yes.  But people also ride after a heavy snow.  Lots of people have either super big city bikes or mountain bikes.  You rarely see road bikes with thin tires.  Clearing all the snow off was no fun, though, and I have no idea how to care for a bike that's been subjected to snow like that.  And the roads are full of rocks, which I guess keep the snow from icing over.

The weather for the week.

When I saw this, I decided I had to save my baby bike from the elements.  So this morning, instead of doing yoga, I decided to try to shove the bike into the elevator again. I had one of those post-sleep eureka moments Malcolm Gladwell talks about. "I know, I'll put the bike in UPSIDE DOWN! Then the handlebars will fit no problem. A good night's rest has made me a GENIUS!"

Except you know how sometimes those AM thoughts are more morning wood than morning revelation? Well, the bike did not fit because -- GOOD MORNING! -- the laws of geometry did not magically change overnight.

I sucked it up and carried it up the five flights of stairs. But at least I got my exercise in for the day.

I got a bicycle!  I'd been searching on blocket.se for about 7 weeks (yes, before I got here!), looking in bicycle shops, putting all kinds of bicycle websites through Google translate.  

But yesterday, I finally was like, fuck it, I'm going to the used bicycle shop.  If I leave work at 5, I can get there by 5:15 and have 45 minutes to shop before it closes.  Because it's not open on the weekends.  Or before 9 am.  Or after 6pm.  (For those of you who wish you were here, don't forget that New York is a glorious, glorious place where you can get things done both after work AND on the weekends.)

Anyway, I got to the shop and asked for a light bike.  Swedish city bikes tend to be quite heavy, with tons of accessories (rack, basket, lock, skirt guard, fenders, big ass lights) and big frames.  I wanted something a little lighter, at least as light as my hybrid.  At first we talked mountain bikes, but I tried one and realized it probably wasn't ideal with my nice work dresses.

Then we looked at some women's frames.  The first one I tried was a really speedy little Danish number.  It was white, a little beat up, with two top tubes in a V shape and really responsive steering. The shop owner told me the handlebars were Danish-style.  They weren't T-shaped handlebars, not bullhorns, but something kind of in-between; a slightly narrow grip on an angle with an upright seating position.  If my legs were just two inches longer, I would have gotten it.  (I am jealous of all the long legs here.)

The second bike I tried was an old green Crescent, which is a very common brand here.  It was pretty light, a very steady ride with a step-through frame, but there were no gears -- not ideal in this hilly city.  

And the last one I basically rode for 30 seconds.  It was 5:46 at this point and I was like, fuck it, this is it.  Am I going to find something better for a better price?  Probably not.  And I don't want to be running around town for the next three weeks as the weather gets better and prices go up in all the shops.  This feels pretty good, I think; it's comfy and it's a good price.  SOLD!

So here's what it looks like:



It's a Puch Elit, made in Austria.  I can't find much info on it.  Does anyone know from Puch bikes?

When I got home, I tried to get it in the elevator, but the damn sit-up-and-beg handlebars wouldn't clear the elevator gate. 

Damn!  I'm running out of See's Peppermint Puffs.  I stole some from my cousin's house when I was in L.A.  Apparently I didn't sneak enough back with me -- I'm almost out.  They're like those butter mints -- crumbly and chalky, with just enough mint to cool the tongue.  What am I going to do when I run out?  Are they just a Christmas thing?  I don't even see them on See's website.  WHY, GOD, WHY?

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Also, after a few weeks of being intimidated by inclement weather and padding my ass with Peppermint Puffs over vacay, I got back on the bicycle again this morning.  It was a bit rough.  I found myself huffing well before the bridge, which is really a disgrace. 

However, I did discover that they've finished paving the upper half of the East River Greenway.  Take your bike (or skates or skateboard) for a spin up there.  Riding on the fresh, flat pavement is such smooth pleasure -- like digging a hot spoon into a bowl of cold lard.  The lower half of the Greenway, though, is still a craggy, bumpy mess.  Beware the pot-abysses!

Do y'all have an opinion on which bridge is toughest to cross?  I've never crossed the Williamsburg Bridge, which I believe is the longest. And I've never gone up that super long approach to the Brooklyn Bridge from the Brooklyn side.  

Man, I'm totally behind on blogging.  I spent September and October being obsessed with the election, which meant spending November and most of December catching up on everything I missed while I was stuck in the Obama K-hole. 

There's little to report, except that I have turned my Asperger's fixation over from food to Obama to cycling.  I love my bicycle.  It's nothing special -- a hybrid Fuji Crosstown 3.0, last year's model, on sale at my LBS.  Truth be told, it's pretty ugly.  It fits fine, but I think I will want to get a zippier road bike as soon as I can afford it.  Not that I need to be running people down, but it would be nice to have something a little more lightweight, especially for hauling my badonkadonk up the bridge.

I ride to work as weather permits.  As long as it's above 37 degrees and not precipitating, it's lovely, and the best part of my day.  The hairiest part is actually the Brooklyn leg, going down 3rd Ave. with all the cars and trucks headed for the city.  Once I cross the Manhattan Bridge, I flip a bitch and take the Greenway all the way up the east side.  Down around Chinatown, Chinese men and women do Mao exercises by the railing.  At the East River Park, I weave around iPod-deaf joggers.  (I once crossed paths here with a tiny, exuberant white Jack Russell puppy the size of my forearm.  About 20 yards later, a running woman yelled to me, "Did you pass a white dog?"  "Yes" was the only response I could manage before I zipped out of her earshot.)  Around 23rd St., homeless men with shopping carts sleep in little waterside cement gazebos whose sole purpose seems to be housing homeless men. At Stuyvesant Cove, dudes with multiple fishing poles dip their lines into the water (which looks quite clean, but I would never eat that fish).  Around the corner, the Midtown skyline begins like a line of thick-skulled bouncers, doing their sparkly best to intimidate the ruffled water of the East River.

Total commute time is about an hour and five minutes for 9.2 miles.  I am very slow.  But I enjoy the vast majority of it.  Besides, it's only 20 extra minutes each way, with a gain of 2 hours of exercise.  That means I can use my lunch hour to eat lunch.  Can't beat it.

I'm also learning to ride home in the dark.  I keep investing in safety gear because I love my Mae and I don't want her to have to identify my road splat at some city morgue.  I've got a helmet light, a front and back light for the bike, and a reflector on my Ortlieb pannier.  I'll probably buy a reflector strap for my ankle, but I don't think I can go the orange safety vest route.   

I've also spent a shitload of money on locks for the same reason that I am a cyberchondriac -- because I am crazy.  The Chinese spirit fear in me is reluctant to flaunt my locking technique, but I welcome any better ideas you've got.  I replaced the quick-releases with Pinhead locking skewers.  For standard lock-up, I use a mini-Kryptonite U-lock on the back wheel and bike rack, and a mid-weight Kryptonite cable lock around the wheels, frame and bike rack.  The idea is that a crook needs different tools for the different locks, making your bike a less likely target.  (I read it somewhere online -- maybe Bike Forums and Sheldon Brown.)  I also have one of those heavy Kryptonite chain locks, but they're a pain in the ass to carry around.  It's kind of unreasonable to have that much security on what is basically a pretty cheap bike, but it makes me worry less while I'm at work. 

My favorite accessory is the Ortlieb pannier I hang on one side of the back rack.  They can carry a ton of groceries, they're waterproof, and they're really easy to get on and off.  Your load has a low center of gravity, so you don't notice the extra weight much.  You have to buy them in pairs, but I only ride with one -- it isn't too weird to have a heavy load only on one side.  I don't notice it at all when in motion. 

I think the least useful accessory, at least in Manhattan, is the little bicycle bell.  Nobody can hear it.  Sometimes even I can't hear it.  I find it's much better to yell.  I've seen some commuters who keep loud whistles in their mouths the whole time.  My friend Francis tells me I should get into the habit of lightly tapping cars, which drivers really notice.  I don't have enough coordination for a move like that yet.  A couple of weeks ago, I attempted to make a phone call on a quiet side street and nearly fell off my bike. 

There's so much to learn!  And with the internet, it's a lot easier to become totally otaku about new passions.  The other day, I changed a blown tube with the help of a couple of websites, YouTube videos and a little trial and error.

A couple of findings so far:

Toe clips -- like 'em.  They took a little getting used to, but they help going uphill.  .  
Cycle wear -- I'm starting to only buy pants with skinny ankle openings. I also need to invest in more knee-high socks. Layering is important, because you can really heat up on the bike, even in this weather.  Gloves are also key, and it's nice to have pockets to stick your hands in when you're at a stoplight.  I'm still trying to work out my cycling wardrobe.  I find it's best to pack a dress in my pannier and change when I get to work.  It's too easy to get dirty on my commute. 
Helmet -- I do like my helmet.  My friend Jewlia was in an intense bicycle accident in S.F. and she's convinced me that I should ride with helmet.  It's not cute, but again, neither is road splat.
Women's vs. standard bike frames -- The cross tube (I'm sure that's not the official name for the thing) on my unisex bike does make skirt-wearing a little harder, but "women's" stepover bikes are heavier, and I don't want any more weight than necessary.  I have to carry that thing up and down a flight of stairs at home.  For the same reason, I wouldn't go cruiser bike. 

Also, don't buy the Blackburn Air Tower 4 floor pump.  I got one and it sprung a leak just a month after I bought it.  The nozzle is also kind of hard to get on and off the valve.  It has a lifetime warranty, but I just spent $40 to have it shipped back for repair.  Lame. Or if you do get one, see if your LBS can trade it out with a new one and send the broken one back for you if you buy from them. 

Bike web reading I'm totally obsessed with, as a cycling initiate:

Bike Snob NYC -- Maybe funniest blogger ever.  Seriously.  I'm obsessed.  And I'm not alone. 
Copenhagen Cycle Chic -- Okay, the writing is terrible and twee in the worst way, but the pictures of pretty ladies on bikes are great.  I study them for tips on how to dress for the cold weather without looking all L.L. Bean soccer mom. 
Sheldon Brown -- The website is bare bones and the advice is no-nonsense.  Sheldon Brown died a few years ago, but his legacy lives on the web.
Ride the City -- I've called 311 twice now to request a bike map, but I still haven't gotten one.  Every time I go into a bike shop, they've just run out.  Thank goodness for this site, which is like HopStop for bicycles.  I consult it all the time.  The time estimates are a little fast, but the route suggestions are pretty great.     

My bicycle is my new Barack Obama.  Get used to it.