Five months on the road

Many of you already follow Russ Roca and Laura Crawford on Path Less Pedaled. The couple is equipped with front mini short stack Swift Industries Panniers. Five months on the road–literally living out of their bags, and I’d say these two are really testing our products’ endurance.

I thought it was high time to check in. I’ve left Russ’ reply unedited, in part because we need to be transparent, and in part because I love the way these two individuals navigate their problem solving:

From Swift: Hey Russ! Still loving all of the stories and photos the two of you post!

Now that you’ve covered a lot of road, I wanted to check in with the two of you about your swift panniers. I see they’re still on your bikes, and I would love to know how they have served you, what needs amending, etc. When you get a chance, we’d love to hear.

Best,

Martina and Goods

From Russ: Hey there Swift folks,

The panniers still keep on trucking.  We’ve been hit by rain the last few weeks and its surprising that the exterior looks so wet but everything stays dry inside…Some observations from our 6 months of use..

-Arkel hardware is pretty hurky…a little tricky to get on and off at first because you have to pull down on the handle…the edges of the metal channel are pretty sharp! stabbed myself a few times when I wasn’t paying attention

-I’ve noticed that the placement of the rear straps (the pair of webbing closest the hardware) sit differently on Laura’s and when I cinch the whole thing down from the front it leaves a gap for rain to pool in on the draw skirt.

-I actually stitched on a piece of oil cloth with a Speedy Stitcher, with the hopes that rain will run over it than into the bag (i’ll send a pic in a second)

other than that, the bags are working fine.  Laura has taken to using a bungee to help secure the panniers on to the rack.  Her hardware loosens over time but with the additional bungee she has had no problems…

The pockets are plentiful and well thought out.  The zippered top is a good place to stash food and gloves.  I usually tuck layers into the bags when I’m riding so I can layer up or layer down without dismounting.

Hope that helps.  I’ll send a pic of the hack I stitched on.

Russ

Bike 49

Swift.Industries is delighted to have another fully outfitted cyclist heading on a big adventure! Aaron Viducich is one of a group of folx committed to an educational cycling tour called Bike49. Their tour is particularly inspiring because the riders are traveling with a developed curriculum that illustrates the social and ecological benefits of self-propelled travel. Young people in 49 states will have the opportunity to engage with these presenters who are really “cycling their talk.” Here’s more from their blog:

“Our mission is to create a mobile community to explore 49 states,  promoting healthy lifestyles for a healthy planet, as well as showcasing the practicality and fun of the bicycle.  We will visit schools, chart our progress online, and chronicle those we meet.  We hope to inspire change, empower those seeking solutions, teach, learn, and have lots of fun.

Bike49 has designed a lesson plan that incorporates geography, environmental science, and healthy education into one interactive lesson plan.  We will spend the first portion of the class discussing our route and goals, and then break the class into groups.  We have prepared six centers, and you may choose the four that best fits your class, lessons plans, and interests.  Because of the small groups, we can gear each center to fit the needs of the students.

These presentations are not just about teaching , but about inspiring students to dream big and create goals that test their strengths, challenge their bodies, and fill their lives with adventure and fun.

Interested teachers should email us at:   bike49 at gmail.com”

www.bike49.org

In Latest Urban Velo

for the entire issue click here

Two Wheels North

Two Wheels North: Bicycling the West Coast in 1909

Evelyn McDaniel Gibb 2000. 6 x 9 inches. 192 pages. Illus. ISBN 0-87071-485-6 Paperback $17.95

Two boys on a bike trip are sure to find adventure. Send them off into the wilds of the American West, and it’s a safe bet adventure will find them.

In 1909, Vic McDaniel and Ray Francisco, just out of high school, set out from Santa Rosa, California, on second-hand bikes, bound for the great Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle. Traveling on dusty roads, roads of logs, of planks, even of corn stalks, and often no roads at all, they pedaled, pushed, and walked a thousand miles north for fifty-four days. With excitement in their hearts and a good luck billiken in their bedroll, they started out with only $5.65 between them. Camp was wherever, whenever the sun was gone; food was an occasional meal from a kindly farm wife and what they could fish, hunt, or glean. But they learned that all strangers were not kind, not even close.

Vic and Ray reported their adventures to their home-town newspaper. And what adventures they had. They met their share of memorable characters, from a young girl who stole Ray’s heart to a pin-striped hustler who tried to pick Vic’s pocket. They traveled paths beside railroad tracks, fought their way around boulders and up brushy hillsides, and crossed rivers layered with salmon. They survived a grizzly’s nocturnal visit and the sudden terror of a snake bite. They held their breaths crossing railroad trestles over treacherous canyons, and discovered that a railroad tunnel doesn’t offer safe passage when you’re halfway through and a train comes along.

Evelyn Gibb, daughter of one of the cyclists, has drawn on her father’s recollections to tell this incredible adventure in his voice. Winner of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Nonfiction Book Award, Two Wheels North is a captivating account of a journey that today we can only dream about–one that finds two boys on the road not only to Seattle, but also to manhood

About the Author

Evelyn McDaniel Gibb is an award-winning writer whose stories and articles have appeared in dozens of magazines and in the popular Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books. She lives in Sedro Woolley, Washington, in the foothills of the North Cascades.

10 Years after the WTO: from Go Means Go

(this post was taken from Go Means Go)

There is still a lot of debate over the tactics used by the diverse groups that gathered to protest the WTO in late November, 1999. At the time, I was classified as one of the “undesirables”, “ruining the protest for the non-violent protesters.” I’ve got many stories about what took place in Seattle, and my whole outlook on the future of protest in the US and beyond changed after that time.  I stand by the actions taken by all during the WTO protest.  Everyone there was concerned about the decisions made and actions taken by those involved with the WTO.  Most of us were angry.  No one really knows who took action against the other first.  But what we do know is that it escalated rapidly.  That anger and rage felt was directed at buildings and what they stood for, not people.  The protesters there were unarmed.  Even the mean, nasty ones in black clothing.

After the WTO I went home to Alaska; sick as a dog- lungs burning from chemicals, body bruised from rubber bullets, and heart saddened by what seemed to me a new division within groups of protesters.  I still believe there is a need for Black Blocs.  I feel that people fighting back for their rights is something that is built into the core of this country, however distant it feels to most Americans.  Martial Law is not ok.  Police firing blindly in to the public is not ok.  As crazy as it may sound, I think it’s is good for people to see the way that our government handles people that disagree with it’s actions.  We are still at war around the world- we should be thankful that we don’t see Martial Law everyday, as many around the world do.

I didn’t come back to Seattle after the WTO until I moved here, 3 years ago.  When I walk around, I still see buildings that we had meetings in, hid out in, or that were raided by police.  I see flashes of the police rolling down the street, raising hell, and hurting people.  It’s just a flash, but I still feel a little of the anger that ran through my veins at the time.

Some of the images that stick in my mind:

-A elderly wheelchair bound man, knocked over, as panic takes over the crowd when police started firing concussion grenades, rubber bullets, and tear gas into the crowd.

-A woman with blood running down her face, who said she was the wife of a cop, a concussion grenade had gone off in her face.

-Pedicabs rushing up and down the street evacuating those overcome by teargas.

-Armored cars with police clinging to the side, brandishing very intimidating firearms.

-Tee shirts for sale on Pike St. days after the riots that said “WTO 11/30/99- Thanks Seattle, it was a riot”

-Seeing a news van at Westlake Center gets it’s tires slashed, and graffiti, and later in the day, watching the same van drive through downtown on it’s rims, making a hell of a racket. (that was pretty funny to be honest)

My actions now are much more conservative.  I am 10 years older, and much has changed.  My community is still important to me, but I feel like my organizing efforts go into more positive realms.  Like bikes.  Bikes are a catalyst for change.  So innocent looking in their subversion.  First somebody might come to a bike event, then they might go on a ride, then- maybe then they’ll go buy some local produce, or heck, even grow there own.  It’s the little things- we are but the sum of our parts.  With that- be nice, do good, and go ride your bike.

I picked up the video over at TakeoverLA

And I’m just going to give a shout to Michael over at BikeBlogNYC, because he was in Seattle then too, and he probably has many of the same stories.  He wrote a post up over at his site too.

Nowhere Soon

I have a new series of podcasts to listen to while I’m stitching:

http://nowheresoon.com/bike/

The adventure is one Goods and I have ridden (well, to the Bay Area), so the narratives are particularly wonderful to listen to.

Enjoy!

art for the masses

 

www.partybots.org

Local economies collide! Swift.Industries meets local agriculture

Perhaps you read our cycle tour adventures this summer as you travelled from Montreal to Brooklyn–we made  it an exploration of the northeast’s local food systems. Well, we’re not the only ones! In the past week customers have from two separate sides of the states have agreed to let us post their photos, enjoy!

photo taken by Tammy Strobel, http://tammystrobel.com

photo taken by Mary Tremonte, http://www.justseeds.org/mary_tremonte/11penguins.html

Holiday Gift Idea #2: Bates Crates

This just in: Cole Bates, of 1 Less Car (one of the very first folx to put our name on his popular blog), just got in touch with us here at Swift to announce his new project: Bates Crates.

Since we have a working relationship with Cetma Cargo in Eugene, we thought it particularly fitting that we help spread the word about Cole’s elegant maple wood porter crates. With coffee cup holders built-in and plenty of space for other goods, this beautifully designed box hits the mark. Cole says that he thinks they’re a wonderful fit for your 5 rail Cetma rack, and are a versatile addition to most other porteur racks.

 

Holiday gift idea #1: Fabric Horse Spats

This morning I woke to some really wet weather and a six mile ride across town.

I haven’t gotten a chance to put fenders on for the season so I fished around in my closet for a must-have accessory: my Fabric Horse Spats.

If you haven’t heard of Fabric Horse yet, you’re in for a delightful introduction. Based out of Philly, the teensy company makes amazingly creative cycling accessories. Have a look on Carrie’s website and look at what she’s been up to.

The spats are beautifully stitched, and are heavy duty quality. I wear them in the rain to protect my feet and lower legs, and I wear them in fine weather just to look like a bad-ass. Put thick wool socks on underneath, or a pair of leg warmers, and pull ‘em over your cycling shoes! They’ll keep you warm and pretty dry–on top of real stylish.

(photo snagged from the website)