Project Blogs |

Locks

Posted on October 21, 2012 by gaborzol

Since I mentioned the lock last week I thought it is time I write some about them and bike security.

You may not be able to tell, from the picture, but the bike there has a lock on it. And the lock is locked.

Leaving a bike unlocked in a public place is not very safe anywhere. However, so far, part of my security was, that my bikes looked too off-standard, specialized, altered, chipped, duct-taped and plain strange, that I felt confident they wouldn’t attract unwanted attention from people who are taking bikes to make money. They mostly know what sells easily, so they are looking for standard bikes which would easier go under the radar, but hopefully good looking and fairly good quality, so with one sale they can make good money. I know I am going out on a limb here with generalizing like this, but when the bicycle is looked at as a sport accessory one can’t really sell a heavy bicycle built for stability, accessorized for commuting and general use, especially if it is in any way shabby-looking as well.

This is not true for my current commuter bike, shown above – for the first time in my biking history I ended up with something really appealing (at least to me), so I wanted to take good care of it, and keep it safe too. Thus the lock.

Here I show the area of the bike where the lock is installed. It is the black object with a bit of red on the bottom (the lock lever). The lock is shaped like a ring, and can lock around the rear wheel rim, stopping the wheel from turning. This one comes with a cord that fits into the gray hole visible close to the top of the lock, so looping the cord around anything not only makes the back wheel is fixed, but the whole bike is fixed to what the cord is looped around.

The way we are looking at bicycles is changing fast, and every year I see more people using their bikes regularly to get somewhere and they are not in Lycra either. In the Netherlands you wouldn’t leave the worst looking rusty, single speed bike unlocked as any kind of bike can be used to get to somewhere faster than walking as long as it functions, so it will sell no matter how it looks.

So it may be taken. Unless it is locked.
So let’s look at locks a bit. My favorite kind of bike locks are:

Easy to use,
There when I need them
An effective deterrent

So forget about wire-locks that can be snipped with a bolt-cutter that is available at any hardware store, or a larger U lock, that is possible to brake with cooling it until it becomes brittle and then hitting it so it breaks, or cutting either with a battery powered grinder with a cutting blade, without hurting the bike in the process.

The lock pictured here, that fits all my criteria, comes from AXA. I lately figured out that it can be bought on Amazon, but the one pictured above is still from the Netherlands. It is mounted on the bike, with the key only removable when the unit is locked, so it is indeed always available. It is easy to use all right, only takes about 1.5 seconds if that much, for locking and even shorter for unlocking if the key is in your hand as you approach the bike. It is currently confusing in the US, as people (including the ones stealing bikes) are not familiar with it the least. That leads to confusion, that I was lucky to observe once with my own eyes. Two people started to investigate my locked bike, which only was locked to itself without the extra cable, as I was eating lunch outside nearby. One of the guys first tried to push the bike off, as I was much taller than him, so it was clear to him that he couldn’t use the bike normally with such tall seat. He got confused because the back wheel didn’t roll, studied the situation, but then they quickly abandoned the project as he seemed to not be able to wrap his head around what was happening. So the lock is an effective deterrent, even if it isn’t used in high-security mode with the cable, which makes the locking mechanism more obvious. My feeling is, that even then, ‘experts’ will realize that something is different, and in this case you really are not eager to learn new things ‘on the job’.

Posted in Cargo Bicycling, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Community Partner Organizations Recognized for Work

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Transition Amherst

At the October 13th event All Thing’s Community: Celebrating Amherst in Transition, 26 community groups and individuals were recognized for their work building a more sustainable, vibrant and resilient community.

One of the aspects of Amherst and the surrounding towns that make this area so special is seeing how many are doing what we call “Transition” work. These groups and individuals that were recognized October 13th were just a few of the many who have been working hard and putting their heart and soul into making our community better.

We appreciate the contributions that all of the people and groups are making. It is the work, the dedication and the vision of those who came before us, and of all of these groups and individuals that has brought us this far, and on whose foundation we will continue to build a more resilient, vibrant and sustainable community.

Amherst Recycling Committee – subsidizing rain barrels and composters

Amherst Survival Center – providing services and goods for those in need

Ron Bohonowicz – Town and School Facilities Manager, installing energy efficient windows at the Middle School

Brookfield Farm CSA

Stephanie Ciccarello – Town Sustainability Coordinator, helping Amherst attain Green Community status which will fund new LED street lights; and helping organize the new Growing Food in Community initiative.

Collective Copies – a cooperative business which donates services locally

Food for Thought Books – cooperative business which provides public meeting space

John Gerber – who spearheaded a chicken regulations update; who teaches sustainable agriculture at UMass and is involved in many other resilience initiatives.

Green Amherst Project, Amherst College – improving energy efficiency and new farm initiative at Amherst College

Greening Grace, Grace Church – Fix-it Cafe, a recent mend and repair event

Green Sanctuary, Unitarian Universalist Society – Local Food Project

Hampshire College Farm CSA

Hitchcock Center for the Environment – for 50 years of nature and sustainability education

Many Hands Farm Corps CSA

John Musante –

North Amherst Community Farm– community effort to buy farmland

Not Bread Alone – serving three free meals a week

Old Friends Farm CSA

Pioneer Valley Heritage Grains CSA

Pioneer Valley Relocalization Project – educating through its column in the Amherst Bulletin, and advocating with town government for public transportation and an end to sprawl

Simple Gifts Farm CSA

Small Ones Farm CSA

South Congregational Church – prioritizing improvements in energy efficiency and installing solar PV panels

Transition Hampshire College

UMass Permaculture Project

Posted in Celebrating Amherst, Initiating Group | Leave a comment

Transition Amherst says Thank you!

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Transition Amherst

All Things Community wouldn’t have gone so well without the donations, contributions and help of so many businesses, organizations and individuals.

These businesses donated delicious food and beverages:

Atkins Fruit Bowl

Backyard Bakery

Cousins Market

Dean’s Bean’s Coffee

Henion’s Bakery

Wheatberry Bakery and Cafe

Whole Foods Supermarket

Gleaning and Preserving

Posted on October 17, 2012 by gaborzol

On Saturday, October 20th, we will glean Brookfield Farm to collect edible food left in the fields post-harvest. What we gather will be distributed to Not Bread Alone, the First Baptist Church food pantry, to the Food Day cooking and preserving demonstration event and to individuals who glean. This is a wonderful way to help others. Even if you may not have the need for additional food, consider gathering and distributing to those in your neighborhood who either don’t have access to, or are unable to collect, fresh produce. See full flyer here.

On Wednesday, October 24th we will celebrate National Food Day with a cooking and preserving demonstration. Join Gabor Lukacs and Peg Thibbits for this free hands-on workshop where you will make a meal together from produce harvested at the gleaning event and also learn about canning, dehydrating, and other food preserving techniques. The workshop will be held at 6:00 PM at Immanuel Lutheran Church, located at 867 North Pleasant Street in Amherst. Pre-registration for this event is required. See flyer for this event here.

For more information regarding the gleaning event, or to register for the Food Day workshop, please contact Stephanie Ciccarello at (413) 259-3149 or via e-mail: ciccarellos@amherstma.gov
———————————————

“Growing Food in Community” is a group of Amherst residents, town staff, students and faculty from the University of Massachusetts who have gathered to increase awareness and educate others as to the importance of growing and consuming fresh local food.

For more information about becoming involved, please contact Stephanie Ciccarello at (413) 259-3149 or e-mail: ciccarellos@amherstma.gov

Posted in Reskilling Workshops | Leave a comment

Water treatment plant tour

Posted on October 15, 2012 by gaborzol

A tour of Amherst’s watershed at the Atkins Reservoir and a tour of the waste-water treatment plant are scheduled for October 24th, at Noon. The tour is limited to 25 people, on a first-come first-accepted basis. More details will be sent to you after you register for the tour. Please e-mail John White at johnr.white3@gmail.com with your wish to attend.

We all depend on water to live, grow, clean with and play in, but do you know where your water comes from or how much of it there is? Do you know what happens to it once you’ve used it and filled it with all sorts of unmentionable (hopefully biodegradable) material? How does it get to us in the first place? We tend to take water for granted, because it seems so plentiful while flowing from the tap. But water is one of the essential gifts of this world that is being endangered by pollution, overused by all segments of society from farmers to school children, and is quickly diminishing as a natural resource. In some parts of our country, aquifers are drying up or empty, and rivers and streams are so polluted that poison signs are posted. Recent droughts in the mid-west and south have dried up lakes and reservoirs. This is not even to mention what is happening in the oceans.

Access to water is on the Defense Department’s list of resources that are expected to diminish in years ahead and be a cause for regional conflicts, or outright war. Climate change here we come! Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee are among the US states fighting court battles over water rights. We probably won’t be warring with Belchertown or Shutesbury, or the communities where the sources of the Connecticut river originate, but we do rely on water that passes through these communities. This tour of the watershed and the treatment plant is an opportunity to gain an understanding of where our water comes from, how it gets to our homes, its condition and how it is treated after use, and where it goes from here. There will also be opportunities to ask questions: about how we can treat it better and conserve, about other sources of water such as from wells, about the impact of bottled water on the environment, or what ever is on your mind. A waste-water plant is a fascinating experience that you will long remember, and it may make you more appreciative of the gift of water. This tour is organized by Transition Amherst.

A tour of the Amherst waste water plant and water treatment facility will be offered on October 24th at Noon. Preregistration is required. Go to www.transitionamherst.org/tour for more information, or e-mail johnr.white3@gmail.com to register. Sponsored by Transition Amherst.

Posted in Walks | Leave a comment

Final Schedule for the October 13th event!

Posted on October 12, 2012 by gaborzol

Last evening, during one of the last meetings of the initiating group, we made the final decisions on the finer details of the celebration.

Link to the printable flyer is here.

Posted in Celebrating Amherst | Leave a comment

Video about building a trailer

Posted on October 12, 2012 by gaborzol

Before I write anything else, I want to just blurt out what an interesting thing happened today as I arrived to work.

Next to the building I work at a new bike was put on the bike rack, where I usually put mine. That, by itself is not very interesting at all as lately I am not the only one using a bike for going to work, but the bike was a Dutch-made one, Gazelle, which I have never seen in the US before, all new, with a full chain enclosure, fenders, even a skirt protector, three speeds and a wheel lock, that is my favorite kind of lock, which my bike also has and which is not so easy to get around here, in fact I had to bring it over from Europe (from the Netherlands of course 🙂 to be able to sport it on my bike.

My first thought was, ‘Whoa, who does this bike belong to, and where is it from?’ – a hard question, as in the building I work there are several small businesses and some apartments, clients come to see lawyers, and it sounds like there is also a day-care center here, and an environmental organization. Then I though, how speedily people’s preferences around bikes — and with that, the bike selection in shops — have been changing. It does make me happy when I see a practical, weather resistant and sturdy bike, that will last for decades, popping out of nowhere.

Back to the movie. As you can see from our calendar on the events page, the Pioneer Valley Transition Towns Film Festival is happening next Friday evening, and ten short movies will be shown out of all the 18 that were sent in.

I don’t know which ten, but I asked a friend to film me building a bamboo bicycle trailer, which he did, and the result of his editing he sent in by the September 28th deadline.

Well, don’t worry, if they don’t show my little movie, here is a link: Building a Bamboo Bicycle Trailer.

If you can’t quite follow how to do it, monitor this space: I have done a workshop on this already, that I will repeat as it got such strong interest, and I will announce when this happens.

Posted in Cargo Bicycling, Movies | Leave a comment

Bicycle Exchange

Posted on October 7, 2012 by gaborzol

I am always looking for appropriate bike-frames to build a cargo bicycle out of. Steel-framed strong-built mountain bikes and hybrid bikes qualify the best.

From talking to people at the bike shops, at bicycle related events and to friends, I have a growing sense about what used bikes are easier to sell and what frames are sought after more. I found I had an old bike in my collection that fit the bill well. So I decided to visit a local bike shop to see if we can conduct an exchange.

I loaded up the Mundo, that I have carried a few bikes around on in our brief history. By now I even have the little kit Yuba sells for directly this purpose, to carry a bike on without loosing it or scratching up either bike. Mounting is easier and more stable, but you can attach bikes to the long tail well without the kit as well – see the top picture, where I have attached two full bikes and a wheel-less frame. The fourth bike is standing next to the loaded Mundo. I ghost-rided that one, which is an impressive-looking feat, but not that difficult to do. If the bike rolls okay, just hold the handle bar while you ride your bike, handling that one with your other hand, and go slow first – you can even stop at red lights without having to put a foot down…

I visited Hampshire Bicycle Exchange, a very appropriately named shop, wouldn’t you say, for my activity? They took my bike, and what is more, I found a bike that fit into my description well, and that was cheap, because I caught it before it was fixed. I ran other errands, while I was close to the other stores in that area, and as there is a steep hill on the way home, so I was curious how I would fare with all the load. I did well: the cockpit of the Mundo is built in a way, that I always feel I sit into it – rather than on it – so I can say it provides a good work-environment. Low gears are always enough mostly with a few to spare, and there is a good amount of space between seat and handle bar providing stability of handling. I have the bread-basket, a large basket on the front of the bike, but it is frame mounted, so it doesn’t make the handling awkward. So the some things I put in there in fact made the bike more balanced, as all the weight didn’t fall on the back, making steering feel more appropriate to the size of the bike.

Posted in Cargo Bicycling | Leave a comment

Cider Pressing

Posted on October 5, 2012 by gaborzol

Apples are a big deal in Western MA. So every year we organize a day when we get together and make cider out of the few to many bushels of apples we gathered beforehand.

This cider making takes equipment. The apples have to be crushed and then the juice have to be squeezed out of the apples. Some of these equipment I provide along with some of the apples, and then we have to store the gallons of apple cider somehow. Lacking freezer space in the fall we choose the method most used over the centuries, which is to ferment the cider. You can either make hard cider or cider vinegar this way. We choose the first method invariably:-) And while we are at it, we make a whole social event around the gathering, where friends and family join and at the end we all eat dinner together.

Since I don’t have a car and the event was in Montague this year, I geared up my trusty Mundo to carry all the equipment. Then I realized there is a glitch in the plan: Marianne would join us for dinner, and afterwards we would come back to Amherst in her car together. The Mundo doesn’t fit on the bike rack well, and even if it did, it has a considerable sideways overhang, so in general it is not a good idea to try to carry it with a regular bike rack mounted on the back of a sedan. Well, my other option is a trailer. So I unloaded the Mundo, and loaded a trailer being grateful I have all these options. I neglected to make a picture about the loaded Mundo, but just for fun here is a picture of a big box of peaches.

This year the apples were hit hard in our valley, as there was an exceptionally warm week in the spring that set many of the fruit trees to blossom, then came a hard frost, that terminated a lot of the blossoms, so most trees were without apples. I tried to save what was savable of my blossoms by spraying the flowering fruit trees in my yard. It did work but the buildup of ice after that cold night was impressive, as you can see from this picture.

Luckily in my group there are people from Vermont, where the warm week wasn’t warm enough to set a lot of the trees, so the hard frost didn’t cause as wide a damage. So one person was able to gather like eight bushels of apples and bring it to our event.

Here we are, Crushing the apples and ready to press the cider. That big jug you see in the foreground? It is now full of delicious cider, that already feels even more alive carbonated with bubbles starting to emerge as the yeast is kicking into gear.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Carrying Bamboo Plants Around

Posted on September 28, 2012 by gaborzol

Bamboo is one of the most useful and used plants on earth, and it also has a unique look especially in the ‘Western World’ where it is not as well known and cultivated.

Although I live in New England, bamboo actually can be grown here. Yes, outside. Not every kind, but a few of the temperate ones. For a long time I had no idea about that, but once I figured it out, I was determined to grow it myself. That was ten years ago, and since then I have several groves of various Phyllostachys species which I use for garden sticks and building trellises, eating the fresh shoots in the spring, building bicycle trailers from the stronger ones, and even growing little clumps inside.

A few years ago my boss took a like of the small plant I had on my desk, and mentioned I could bring in a few extra to place around the office. That year I harvested several plants, separating them from the grove from areas I didn’t want the grove to spread to. Since these are 5-8 feet tall plants they are awkward to transport in the car.

But guess what, I just have the bike to transport them. You have probably seen this bike or, actually, trike earlier in one of my posts, but not for carrying large and unwieldy objects, like a bamboo plant with pots and dirt, so I decided to document my latest journey – by now it is well tested: I have done it a few times in previous years.

Every year I replace some of this bamboo collection at work. Some plants change shape over time and don’t fit their location any more, or just don’t look abundant and lively enough, so I get another one, that would fit the bill better, or because I need to get rid of another exploring root with shoots that wandered to somewhere forbidden. So I grab a sharp spade, dig the unwanted piece out, place it into a pot, and off I go for the next one. This year I collected a good few, because last winter was not very harsh, so the plants grew more vigorously. (Plus I have this very pretty variegated type I would like to look at at work…)

Once the growing season is mostly over, I load the plants onto the box trike I like to call Bakfiets remembering good memories from Holland, and wheel them to work three miles away.

First it always looks like I cannot see the road in front of me. But the wind actually helps, and clears my field of sight out a bit by blowing the top part of the plants toward me. This year it was no different, although the wind was not very strong, once I am on the move it pushes the plants back, especially when I roll down hill a bit faster than on horizontal surface. Several people hollered and honked, I must have been an unusual sight as you can imagine. But along with me, every plant arrived, as you can see below, even if they were rearranged on the way.

And to give you a special insight about the results of my efforts, I also included some pictures about how the plants looked once they got inside the office.