Folding Bikes - The Pootle Thread

So now that I had a respectable bike, it was time to go for a Pootle, I kept it short but wanted to see how the bike handled. I must say it is quite a bit more zippy than I had thought it would be and handled a bit of very mild singletrack with no issues. Even handled crossing some long grass quite well when the trail turned to a mess of broken glass.

I stopped for a bit of coffee downtown then we were off.

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Past my current place of employment, a lovely, small, high end restaurant.

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Down the hill to the parks and river bank, that's my Farmer's Market straight ahead.

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Not this time, but soon. That trail heads 30 miles north then connects to a couple hundred miles of linked trails.

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Sharing the view of the Tridge with a lovely couple. This is the meeting of two rivers, the "Tridge" connects three sets of Parks along the river's edges.

I love the last photo! Too cute!

Now time to see some new sights.

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Stopped in the middle for the view.

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As folded as my baby gets.

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Svelte profile

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View down river

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I had never been down this trail, leads behind the local disc golf course along the river bank.

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Hanging out on an old bridge footing.

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obstruction ahead

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Low Bridge!

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YIKES! that was a bit scary on a new bike with twitchy handling.

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Looking up river. After this the trail turned into a mess of broken beer bottles and other things. This is evidently the local "party spot" for the young folk. I jumped up onto the Disc Golf course and cut across a couple fairways to the nearest road.

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Smooth sailing now, I may have broken the Pootle speed limit on this stretch.

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Stopped at hole 18 of the disc golf course to talk to some folk. Not playing today but we will be down here quite a bit.

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Back over the Tridge, the area down here is a cycling hotspot with the parks and rail trail. You can see several folk getting ready for a ride in the background and this is a weekday after noon, on weekends and evenings it is crazy with bikes.

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Stopped at my bikes birthplace to say hi, and express my contentment with my new ride.

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Local Veterans Memorial

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City Hall

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My town has many nice little "pocket parks" very impressive sculpture in this one.

All in all a very nice ride, only about 3 miles total, but I was happy with the little guys performance. It's not quite a "real" folder, but it solves my issue of hauling it up and down my stairs. I was pleasantly surprised at the overall peppiness of the bike.

Last Saturday, my friend and I went for a ride around Richmond (a suburb of Vancouver) in British Columbia.

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This is the view looking into Vancouver from mid span on the new bicycle & pedestrian bridge which is slung underneath the rapid transit train called the CanadaLine.


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This is my buddy approaching from the Richmond side. Note th high railings and special extra traction surface.


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The ubiquitous sign of capitalism. Note the Dahon Helios in the background.

Great! Good to see that people are still pootling.

Living just off Chicago's Magnificent Mile, my pootling has a decidedly urban flavor. And what could be more flavorfully urban than the Billy Goat Tavern, on Hubbard right by Lower Michigan Avenue? Immortalized by John Belushi on the original Saturday Night Live, the Billy Goat is quite real - "No fries! Cheeps!" - and a traditional journo-hangout.
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Turning right on Lower Michigan, I approach the lower span of the Michigan Avenue Bridge. The bridge crosses the Chicago River, which separates the River North neighborhood (where I live) from The Loop.
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Not wanting my teeth rattled out of my head by the metal grate bridge, I opt for the sidewalk adjacent. No one (except lost tourists and vagrants) walks here, so it's a nice place to view the river (facing west)...
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...and the Wrigley Building (Chicago is!).
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Safely across the river, I now take to the pedestrian walkway the city laughably insists is also a bike path. Looking over my lovely new Brompton's handlebars, we see the Wrigley Building (Chicago is!) and (to its right) the Tribune Tower.
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Riding slowly, I pass under the Michigan Avenue Bridge, on the south bank of the Chicago River.
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Here are gathered many people waiting to board the Chicago Architectural Foundation's tour boat. The architectural boat tour is a gem. It comes in at about 90 minutes, they hit dozens of major landmarks, and there's a bar on the lower deck. If they could just find a place to put these people between when they buy their tickets and when they board the boat, it'd be perfect.
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I continue my quasi-lomorific ways: What are those eye-poppingly yellow shoes I'm wearing? Old school Onitsuka Tigers.
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Bad bikes for rent - especially the universally hated quadricycle.
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At last clear of the crowds, I approach the Lake Shore Drive underpass.
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What's on the other side? Find out in lexm's quasi-lomorific urban pootling adventure: Chicago style, part II.

When we left our story, Brompton and I had crossed the Chicago River and dodged pedestrians, quadricycles, and the odd wine bar along the south bank of the river. We were approaching Lake Shore Drive when the ten photograph limit kicked in.

Crossing under Lake Shore Drive, Brompton and I turn south to find boats in the harbor and a bike path.
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Chicago's lakefront bike path offers urban cityscapes - made all the more attractive when framed by a parked Brompton. The tall one on the left is the Sears Tower. The seemingly taller one on the right is one of the South Loop's newer luxury highrise condo buildings. (It only seems taller because it's closer.)
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Note the footpath on the water and the bike path about thirty feet away, with a stretch of grass in between. The inability of Chicagoans and tourists to respect this easy-to-understand division of thoroughfare is the most maddening thing about the lakefront. (Note also that although I photographed my Brompton on the footpath, I didn't ride it there.)

The Buckingham Fountain, as viewed from the segment of bike path that tracks Lake Shore Drive:
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Those of you who recall the opening sequence of the Fox situation comedy Married, With Children are doubtless getting misty-eyed.

My inner Sir Mix-a-Lot is stirred from his slumbers:

You can do side bends or sit ups
But please don't lose that butt!
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The woman on the left has a pleasing thickness and motion in her ocean. (I'll forgive her running on the bike path.)

After I regain my composure, Brompton and I pass said motion and said ocean and speed down a hill. We encounter the Shedd Aquarium:
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Out on a point, the Shedd Aquarium offers dazzling views of the city. The lakefront bike path goes around the perimeter of the Shedd, mere inches from the water, affording photo-ops like this one:
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After crossing under a bridge going to the Adler Planetarium, Brompton and I climb a small hill. At the top of this hill we meet Soldier Field:
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Home of the NFL Bears, those Monsters of the Midway, Soldier Field was once a stately, dignified stadium in the old style. Then the crowd that likes to sell naming rights to every square inch of anything sports-related got ahold of it. The original plan was to raze the whole thing and build a gleaming, sterile, modern edifice that would have borne a name like SoldToTheHighestBidder.com Stadium. However, veterans groups demanded that a stadium dedicated originally to the fallen maintain the name Soldier Field. Meanwhile, architectural preservationists demanded that Soldier Field's signature columns make no date with the wrecking ball. In a deal that could only have been brokered by the Daley Machine, the name and the columns stayed. The rest was razed and the architects designed an even uglier, larger, modern stadium that would fit within the bounds of the old columns and then spill over once it had cleared their height. My wife calls the result The Toilet Bowl.

Inner Sir Mix-a-Lot intervenes again:

Give me a sista-I-can't-resist-her
Red beans and rice didn't miss her!
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The one on the right more fits the lyrics, but either will do for my Inner Sir Mix-a-Lot.

Past McCormick Place, Chicago's convention center, I tire. Brompton waits patiently as I take on water and take a photograph:
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What will happen when we turn back north? Find out in lexm's quasi-lomorific urban pootling adventure: Chicago style, part III!

Wow - At long last the sun came out today! To celebrate, I cut out of work early and took the new Carryme out for a trial spin around Yokohama.

First stop - Sakuragicho Station , a view of Landmark Tower and a quick cup of coffee at "Bubby`s".

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Can`t pootle past the old "Nippon Maru" without snapping a shot.

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Now down to the waterfront and the Pacifico Hotel and Convention Center where the APEC economic summit will soon be held. WooHoo! A few more photos taken in the area quickly attract attention from some hyper diligent police officers, so I vamoose over to Aka Renga AKA Red Brick Warehouse.

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Next I enjoyed the lovely harbor views at Zo no Hana Park (Elephant`s Nose Park) -

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Finally, a shot of the Carryme next to the Yokohama Archives of History. This building was built on the site where, in 1854, Commodore Perry and representatives of the Tokugawa shogunate, signed the treaty which ended Japan`s 200 years of seclusion.

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Spring (almost) ride around Marquette Michigan USA on the sunny southern shore of Lake Superior. It was darn near 40 degrees F today so I went for a short spin on my R20 with the new shiney bits in place.

Here's the gate to the community garden. My plot still has a foot of snow on it. No weeding yet!
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Upgrades include SA 8 speed hub, Origin8 crankset, Un72 bottom bracket and MKS Lambda pedals

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You can sell your blood here and use the money to buy some Phil Wood Tenacious Oil.
And you thought no blood for oil was a good idea.....
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Here is the world's largest wooden dome. They covered it in a rubber membrane so everyone calls it the con-dome.
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Still easier to walk than swim out to picnic rocks
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Not quite beach weather yet but you can keep your beer cold.
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I put the chainguard back on after the ride. I needed to add some plumber's tape to the front mount because the rear sproket is bigger.
I know my bike looks dirty but it was all shined up with 2 coats of wax before I started.
cheers!

Trail cat adoring my Nova.
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Taken last summer at the Old Dominion Bike Trail in D.C.

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Autumn is arriving in the UK and the leaves are just starting to change colour. I have had a poor year for cycling due to a very bad summer - weatherwise- domestic duties (renovating a house) and work! I seem to have missed most of the best days for riding. However at the end of September the sun came out and we had warmer days than the summer could provide! I managed to slip out for rides on three consecutive days. Day one was just a very short ride to ease my legs back into pedalling. Day two was a little longer - when I took the photo above - and day three clocked up 30 miles along the local estuary road.

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I've described this ride before in an earlier posting but it is one of my favourites. The road hugs the narrow channel of the Solway Firth which separates England from Scotland and provides a home to many wild fowl, both home and migratory. The tide is dangerous as it comes in and out at great speed. On my last ride along the route the water was coming in so fast that it was like a mini tsunami as the tidal bore raced up the channel. It was a great ride to round off September and my legs are just about ready for another adventure!

This may not qualify as a pootle but thought I'd share it.


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I went on hollidqay in mosehole slight turn off at 3.47 mins is where I stayed. Love cornwall. By the way this is the MAIN road through mosehole!! Its a two way road, buss come down it and every thing. I once accidentially took a minor road and was praticaly doing a 56 point turn in someones door way!

Just out for a quick ride around town.......
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The building in the background has been renovated into condos but before that the very first outboard motor was developed here.


The Savings Bank building
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First National Bank and Trust building. This was the first bank to put 'and Trust' in its name. This building was the most expensive per sq. ft. in the world when it was built in 1927. This bank financed the Empire State Bldg. during the depression. Both the marble exterior and the bike came from Italy.
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Enjoyed a pint of Galaxy Quest IPA:thumb:
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In 1959, the film "Anatomy of a Murder" was filmed here. **** Preminger had the courtroom painted twice to get it the right color. (movie is B&W) Stars included Jimmy Stewart, Eve Arden, Lee Remick, and George C. Scott.
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One of these bikes doesn't fold.
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Boat bike
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nice...s suicide. your bike's gear shifter kinda reminds me of my roadmaster 6 speed bike when i was 12.

I grew up in Marquette. Always a jolt being able to just walk up so close to such a big boat...

Thanks for the great pics!