Wow, so where has summer gone? Next weekend is Labor Day weekend already. That means put away your whites but not your bike. Ugh, well I feel like I got a riding in this summer and the weather was pretty good, which is a bonus for DC. Anyways, I've got a long post in store today so let's get trucking.

A Murray Leisure Tour 10-speed bike at the Library of Congrress. It's in great shape although the rear tire seems to be a little low. The large rusty chain with little Masterlock lock doesn't seem sufficient to protect it from thieves. I don't mean this blog to become an indictment of the way people lock up their bikes, but I really hate for people to have their rides stolen, especially in a town where it seems bike thefts are on the rise.

Absolutely love this step-through parked outside Trader Joe's on 14th St. NW. Lots o lovely stickers on it to personalize the ride for its owner, it's locked up using the Sheldon Brown method, and has a DC name license plate on it! Hello Nancy!

The classic S of the Schwinn logo of old will always warm my heart. This mixte-frame 3-speed in hornet green was a delight and parked in Dupont. I really like the buffeted aluminum fenders with matching chrome rear and front porteur rack. And who am I to dislike a front wooden crate!

I see a lot of Sears Free Spirit bicycles around town, this one being in Dupont. This must be at least the third or fourth one featured here. This is the first single speed one however with coaster brakes. Great shape and I like the Linus headlamp on the stem with a red bandana around it!

I really liked this Bianchi because the owner most likely built it himself around the San Jose frame and turned it into a city bike. It's a single speed and at least he's got a little wheel protector around the chain ring. Of course I love the Brooks saddle. Interesting that the brass bell is on the right side and that you use it with your pointer finger, instead of thumb.

A nice French blue mixte-frame Peugeot on a rainy day near U St. NW.  I think the white grips make it especially French. Not even kidding.

Some DC-related bicycling bits. First, the Library of Congress put on a small display of historical bicycle-related items from a lot of its different departments. There were periodicals, books, maps, music and lots of odds and ends. It was well attended when I showed up.

Part of a Wright Brothers collection, this is their stationary with letterhead. Before they built and flew airplanes, the Wright Brothers built and rode bicycles. They even used their shop in Ohio to build their aeroplane parts.

A claim ticket for repair work at the Wright Cycle Company. Tres cool.

From the military desk, different bicycles used by the armies of the world, mainly around WW1 but even earlier than that.

Raleigh history book. Swoon.

Bicycles being featured in women's fashion magazine, this one namely Vogue. That's some swag right there.

Apparently the Cycling Women of America had their own bicycle march.

More swag.

So many things wrong with this cover.

If you've ever taken your bike onto the Metro, you know it's a bit of a hassle. Can't do it during rush hour, have to use the elevators and not the escalators, and you can only use the doors at the end of the cars, never the middle. And god forbid it's a crowded train. I had the pleasure of taking a ride on the Green line during decent hours... and not a single person was in the car. Woot!

I also was able to procure a free membership to the Tech Shop over in Crystal City. It's only a 30 min bike ride from my place and I plan on doing a lot there. But, you have to take some safety classes to use a lot of the machinery. So when I showed up to activate my membership, the only stuff I could really use right away... was the bike repair station.

It's really cool, they have everything any bike store would have. Definitely plan on using this alot. I need to teach myself the black magic of truing wheels and use that truing stand there!

And last, I saw this in the storage bay of my apartment building:

Spoil Me Rotten Dog Biscuits is a NYC-based company... maybe they're trying to make in-roads in the DC market? In any case, I love this bicycle cart. I now want one.

Enjoy your last days of summer!

For those of you who got all excited that I posted twice last year, calm yourselves down. I think the habit is going to be once a week so get used to that. But who knows, maybe I will get ambitious.

In any case, we have been really enjoying the fruits of a summer polar vortex which is highly unusual for DC: temps during the day in the 70s, temps in the low 60s at night. I had to put a sweater on the other night during a ride, for God's sakes! Alas, I think it's gone now and the heat and humidity that we all know and love in the District is back for the month of August.

Saw this really neglected Raleigh in Capitol Hill which was a shame after seeing a fully restored one last week. The body is in really rough shape and that chain is a solid rust brown. It was funny to see the u-lock wrapped in protective tape. And that Brooks saddle... oh vey. I feel like there should be a Sarah McLachlan song playing right now making me all weepy.

A very nice and new PUBLIC C7 in a gorgeous purple. The owner decided to break up the color, however, by getting a cream rear rack... just like me! There's some wire going down from the handlebars from a front light down the the fork, but I didn't see a dynamo hub on the rim. I also didn't see a bottle dynamo either. Huh!

Awesome vintage Schwinn with original saddle outside Hana Market in Dupont. Tires are not original as they have quick release skewers. Love that the owner used the Sheldon Brown method of locking up... although with the quick release front tire, that could walk off. However, owner had no choice but to really lock up around the tree with the cable. Owner was a dude riding this step-through bike and didn't have a single eff to give. Right on man.

A straight up Dutch bicycle, this is a Royal Dutch Gazelle Tour Populair, located in Dupont. This is the real deal and has it all: Upright position with high handlebars, fully enclosed chain protector, rear wheel lock, front and rear lights powered by dynamo hub, mud flaps, Brooks saddle, drum brakes... and even a rear flat tire!

Taken by Ms. City Planner outsider her office in Southwest, a Yuba Boda Boda cargo bike. To me, cargo bikes are the ultimate choice in really ditching a car for bicycle transportation. Because usually you buy a cargo bike WHEN YOU HAVE KIDS. That is the ultimate eff you decision in the face of fossil fuel usage. I understand when you have kids, you just want your life to be as easy as possible. Thus, you get the mini-van, you don't give a shit about what you're wearing, etc. By stepping up to one of these, you are making the choice that maybe, just maybe your life is gonna be a little tough but you're sticking it out with a bike anyways. Right on!!!

A couple of DC-related bits: I've stated before, biking around an urban city really lets you get to see it from different eyes. You get around more, you take routes that you normally wouldn't take either by foot or car, the city is just more accessible to you. Case in point: how many of you have actually been to L'Enfant Plaza? I'm not talking about the metro station nor the collection of office buildings around that metro station. But the actual plaza that ends in Benjamin Banneker Park and fountain. I had only first been here the month before when I went on the DC Bike Party July ride with Ms. National Gallery. A few of us last week went on a night ride and came back out here. The view was pretty awesome.

So I get the roadies and their quests for mileage and speed. I get that. But nothing beats seeing things for the first, tenth or hundredth time by bikes... and city bikes are perfectly suited for that.

Also, thanks to heads up from Mr. Eukenbrau himself, the Library of Congress will have a special collection on display this Friday, August 8, 2014 from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm entitled “Pedaling Through History: A Look at Cycling Collections Across the Library of Congress." This is in the Mumford room on the sixth floor of the James Madison Memorial Building. It's free and open to the public so if you can go, do eeeet.