Founded 1888

Tacoma Wheelmen's Bicycle Club N e w s l e t t e r September 2001

Anne Heller prepared a tasty camp stove dinner during a self-contained cross-state bike trip.

TWBC former president Janice Jensen, who was rumored to have been abducted by aliens, returned to fit helmets.

Next Meeting is Sept 18
Attend this meeting to meet the Club’s new officers and...see an informative presentation by Tim De Jong (of Pedalturs) on bicycling in New Zealand. See Tim’s selection of camera shots of the 2000/2001 cycling season from Down-Under. More detail at TWBC's website.

Rides in September...

Sept 9...Headwaters Century
Enumclaw High School. 7AM to noon. 45, 65 and 100-mile routes travel on beautiful low-traffic rural roads on the Enumclaw Plateau and cross the Green and Cedar Rivers. More information at TWBC's website

Sept 12...TWBC President’s Ride
Meet at 6:00 PM at the Proctor Starbucks for a lovely 12 mile ride to Point Defiance Park. President Anne is an amateur historian and will make note of the local architecture and history on the way. For more info call President Anne Heller at 253-761-0709.

Sept 16...Joint ride with Seattle Bike Club.
North Bend-Fall City-Carnation-Duvall Ride Start: North Bend City Parking at E. North Bend Way & E. McClellan Street. Take exit 31 from I-90 and follow North Bend Boulevard (SR-202) into North Bend. Turn right on E. North Bend Way. Parking area is several blocks down on right. Meet At: 9:30am. Start riding promptly at 10 am.
Ride Paces: Social/Moderate/Brisk.
Ride Distances: 22/40/64 miles.
Ride Terrains: Rolling with some hills.
Routes transverse narrow rural roads. Bicycle flashers and bright clothing are recommended for increased visibility to automobiles.

Bike Tech

Eddy Johnson

I’ll bet that if any club member saw what I carried with me, on my bike, on a daily basis, I would certainly be asked why. I’m talking about tools. I thought it would be a good idea to mention those useful devices that one may want for touring, centuries or commuting. If I only use one thing, once in a year, it’s worth carrying. I consider any ride to be like touring. If something mechanical happens on the road, I ain’t goin’ nowhere until I fix it. Here’s what I carry, all 2 pounds of it (including the seat bag).

A miniature set of “ball end” allen wrenches, 0-6mm
That will cover every allen screw accept crank bolts. I was glad I had them when I had a crash and I needed to straighten my bars, stem and brake levers in order to get moving again. One spare tube Still in the box to keep it protected from sharp objects such as tools.

A patch kit That’s obvious.
3 metal tire levers (the German ones) The plastic ones have a wider and thicker spoon, which makes it harder to get tires off and easier to gouge a hole in the tube.

1/3 of a roll of electrical tape
The cyclist’s bailing wire.

Swiss Army Knife-
Not quite The MacGiver model but lots of gismos.

A couple of plastic bags and rubber bands- Good for covering your saddle in the rain and various other wet weather outings.

A “good luck” charm-
Mine happens to be this cheesy metal, skull head ring that a young women gave me at a 7-11 that I had stopped at while on a tour.

Spare change-
I carry a dollars worth for phone calls or more importantly, for when I run a little short of beer money.

Energy bar-
I just never know when I’ll need a little munch to get me through. A pump-
Enough said.

If I were to go on a tour I would add a spoke wrench and extra spokes and nipples for both sides of my rear wheel. The spokes on the non-drive side of your rear wheel will most likely fit your front wheel also. I would also take a chain tool, a small crescent wrench (6 inch) and a cassette or freewheel removal tool.

For first aid I take Ibuprofen, Bag Balm and a triangular bandage. Bag Balm works great to prevent saddle sores and helps to heal them also. I don’t carry band-aids because I figure I need something more useful that I can use in a real emergency. A triangular bandage can be used for so many things and if you buy one pre-wrapped, it’s about the size of a cigarette pack.

I don’t carry one of the “do everything in one” tools. If you feel you must have one, I like the Cool Tool. I won’t pretend to know about all of them because there are just too many. If you’ve got one you like, I’m happy for you. If you have something that you feel is indispensable for any ride, let me know, I would be glad to add it to my seat bag.

Eddy (eddyj@galaxy-7.net)

From the president's handlebars

Anne Heller
TWBC President

The next general membership meeting of the Wheelmen is on September 18 and will provide something for everyone, so I hope to see you there.  

Have you always been interested in going off to New Zealand with your bike?  Come see a wonderful slide show of the fabulous sights of biking down under. Does riveting electoral news keep your attention?  Come to the club meeting to find out who will be the next Director of Special Events, as an added bonus, perhaps there is a vice presidential candidate waiting in the wings. 

Does the world of high (or possibly low) finance get your attention?  This is the meeting where you, and your fellow members, get to look at and vote on the proposed club budget for the coming year. 

Is this the summer when you finally took that bike-trip-to-die-for and now you need to talk about it to a new audience because your spouse/co-workers are sick to death of hearing about it? 

Come to the meeting at the South Park Community Center on September 18 at 7:00, I guarantee you will find an audience who will want to hear about it, as long as they can share some experiences of their own.

Yes, biking fans, the general membership meeting offers beauty, excitement and drama as well as door prizes and food.  It merits an enthusiastic thumbs-up from the discerning biker.

2002 Budget

Members...the following is the proposed budget for TWBC’s upcoming year. Please check it out and bring your comments, concerns and questions to the Sept 18 meeting.

Proposed Expenses for the Fiscal Year 2001-2002

Government report Steve Brown (for Bob Myrick)

Carla Gramlich reported the final Bike Lids will be installed at the Tacoma Dome.  This will represent the first time that “official” secured bicycle parking would be available near the Dome.

Also in August a number of us happened to run into Doug McDonald, the new head of the State Department of Transportation out riding his bike.  He was riding a beautiful pink (maybe there is a more manly name for “pink”) road bike.  Gee, now I wonder if Sid Morrison, the previous head of DOT, may be riding his bicycle now that he is retired.

October 4-6 the Washington State Trails Coalition has a conference in Vancouver, WA.  The Footprints & Biketracks conference is October 10-12 in Olympia, WA.

The committee will meet again on Tuesday, September 4th at 7pm at the Planet Burrito on Sixth Avenue. Hopefully Bob Myrick will be back from his summer adventures!

important news of interest

October 10-12 The Bicycle Alliance of Washington’s “Footprints & Bike Tracks 2001, Bicycling and Walking: Transportation for this Millennium” conference provides an educational forum to increase the amount and safety of people and biking in Washington’s communities. This conference shows how bicycle and pedestrian facilities and programs can help create more livable communities. Registration information and a conference brochure are available online at www.bicyclealliance.org

Report on Spokane Self Contained Touring Trip

As everyone who has done any bicycling knows, there is no one type of bicycling. Are you a tourist? A commuter? A mountain biker? A racer? A “roadie”? A “let’s ride around Five Mile Drive on Saturday” rider? Chances are, you fit into several of the above categories.

This summer, I tried a whole new type of riding for me. The self-contained tour. For the past two years I have gone on supported tours in Oregon and Idaho/Montana, organized by Carol and Roz Davis and Ralph and Deena Wessels. These trips sold me long tours. I loved them. This year, scheduling problems kept me away from the supported trips. I was faced with doing a self-contained trip or foregoing a long trip altogether.

With some trepidation, I decided to try the “self contained” touring trip that Carla Gramlich was planning from Tacoma to Spokane. My major concerns were, what kind of system did I need to carry the required gear, what was necessary to take along, and most importantly, could I actually carry the gear over the mountains?

I had some of the necessary equipment already, a bike that could take front and rear racks and two roomy rear panniers. I had to purchase a front rack and panniers, a good investment since riding cross-country is somewhere in my future. Deciding what to take along was the next challenge, I am used to going on trips where I can bring everything, just in case. A self-contained trip across the state calls for a little more judgment.

The only real mistake I made was taking a water filter along. Rather than risk running out of water while crossing the desert, I was ready. Give me any little stream and I could pump filtered water into the water bottles. The only positive thing to say about the water filter is that it didn’t weigh too much. Everything else I carried, I used, and I am pleased to say, riding 450 miles carrying a tent, sleeping bag, cooking utensils, tools and clothing was much easier than I anticipated. Self-contained touring just means going slower than normal and covering fewer miles each day.

All of that said, the trip to Spokane was great. It was a small, compatible group composed of the leader, Carla Gramlich, Steve Brown, Richard Patrick, Pat Wingerter, Peggy Fjetland, Greg Torfin and myself.

An advantage of the self-contained trip is that adaptations can be made as conditions change. For example, on the second day out we rode in rain all day from Alder Lake to Packwood. Did we really want to camp out that night? Not when there was a perfectly good hotel in Packwood. A group meeting lasting at least 30 seconds resolved that question. All of the other group decisions were made just as easily. Everyone had a practical approach to questions that came up. Depending on the distance from our overnight stop to nearby towns we either cooked in camp or ate out. The length and challenge of the day ahead determined what time people left camp. And, since we were self-contained, it was up to each individual to determine when that time was. This gave a great sense of freedom to the trip, we were each responsible for knowing what we had to do and how long it would take us to do it.

All of that said, it was a great trip. Wonderful scenery. Good roads for the most part. Considerate drivers. The freedom of the open road for a week. And, the added benefit of Greg getting out his massage table every night for those of us in need of a little TLC.

So, my advice for that self-contained trip you are thinking about? Have Carla plan it. Make sure Greg Torfin is going along. Leave the water filter at home.

member declarations

For Sale: Davidson Double-Century Tandem. Custom built March 1991.  Well loved and still in good condition. Color: Candy Blue. Front/Captain is 51cm, Rear/Stoker is 48 cm, measured center to center; 18 speed downtube shifters. Includes: new tires, 48 spoke wheels, rear rack, shock-absorbing stoker seatpost and SPD pedals.  $1000 OBO. Call (253) 582-2911 ask for Walt, or email: WaltRichardson@rctm.com.

WANTED: Tandem bicycle for adult/kid that is adjustable. My boys are now 6 and 9 years old. Call Patty at (360) 866-4661.

membership report

NEW MEMBERS: Jane Hostvedt, Jerry Miller, Joanne Gladfelter, Robert Hodson, Richard Brannon, Philip Lux, Mike Silvers, Marguerite Richmond, Clint Watson, J Murphy, Mary Boone and Mitch Robinson, and William Nolan.

RENEWED MEMBERS: Karen Hertzog, Bob and Lois Baxter, Scott D Groff, Lois Marquart, Dean Northrup, Janelle Baldwin, Sheila Pudists, Julia Ehr, Martha A Hartley, Steve Matson, Heinz Haskins, Karen Comer and Charles Wolf, Laura Swartz, Tony Thomas, Brian Riddle, Brian Wester and Sylvia Russell; Carolyn Nelson, Terry Brown, Lana Chaffee, Elaine Sumey, Reggie Tison, John Joyce, Bill and Ruth Daugherty, Bob Myrick, Michael and Jackie Springer, Bob and Betty Fleming-Jones, Joseph H Osborne, Mike and Marcia Madden.

Helmets on Wheels provides almost 800 Helmets

Even with all of the hardships, on April 28, 2001, TWBC volunteers were able to fit 800 helmets for Helmets on Wheels at the Safety Fair held at the Tacoma Dome.  The Helmets on Wheels tent was located outside of the Dome.

Some years we bake, but this year we froze and used helmet boxes to protect us from the rain and the wind.  (Breaks were given to run warm water over the volunteer’s hands so they could come back out and fit more helmets.) The success of this Helmets on Wheels event is due to the following volunteers that gave up their Saturday.

Pat Wingerter, Rich Patrick, Janice Jensen, Joy Roelofsz, Peggy Fjetland, Jan Brame, Dolores Fitch, Santana Harris, Chuck Morrison, Scott Pierson, Reggie Tison, Shelia Pudist, Bob Vogel, Noel Hagen, Doug Jackman, Dave Parker, and Joe Taylor.

These folks could have been riding their bikes but it was too cold and wet for that.  I understand that all the volunteers went home and took a long hot bath that they justly deserved. Next year we will be inside and out of the weather.

Editor’s note: Thinking about buying a new helmet for yourself or a loved one? Then I encourage you to check out this website for some really good info. http://www.bhsi.org/guide.htm Also...have the kids take the “RAD Rider” Safety Test at this web site: www.radrider.com/home.html