Frozen Water Bottle Season

   During the Turkey Trek ride, a couple of my friends and I were reminiscing about a summer evening ride out to Philadelphia many years ago. The event sticks in our memory for three reasons: 1. remnants of a recent hurricane had caused severe flooding in Manayunk, so on Main Street there was a coating of thick mud, which stuck to our tires, 2. our group was accidentally split in two at the Cynwyd train station (the start of its namesake trail) when a trio of participants dropped off the pace and missed a turn (they quickly figured out their mistake and doubled back), and 3. when we reached the Pennsylvania Railroad bridge back to Manayunk, the gates were closed and we had to take the spur of the Cynwyd Trail down to Belmont Avenue and take the Green Lane bridge instead.

   I mention this because the PRR bridge has had lights installed along the deck for about three years and is now open to cyclists 24 hours a day. I had always meant to take a ride out there on some balmy summer evening, but the plan always slipped my mind.

   During a beautifully clear day last week when the sun still felt warm, I considered riding into the city, and then the bridge popped into my thoughts. I looked at the forcast and saw that there was some light snow/sleet in the forecast and that the temps were not going to climb out of the low 40s anytime soon, so I knew that I wanted to get out for a long ride that day, before the weather turned sour. My idea then turned to enjoying some of the Christmas decorations by bundling up warmly, attaching the head and tail lights to my bike, then heading out into the city in the late afternoon, so that the sun would be setting by the time I reached Penn's Landing. On the return leg, I would finally get to ride the PRR bridge at night!

   I sometimes struggle with chosing the correct clothing, especially when I know the temperature is going to swing ten or fifteen degrees. I definitely didn't want to get sweaty by wearing too much, then end up having a layer of wetness against my skin later in the ride when it got colder. I had selected a lightweight longsleeve jersey to wear under my winter cycling jacket, which allowed me to leave the front zipper open and effectively vent my body heat without getting a chill from the cool air hitting my chest. I had also stuffed a pair of glove liners in my jersey pocket, as I knew my fingers would need the extra protection as the temperture dropped into the 30s after sunset.

   We had actually seen some of the holiday decorations hung during the Turkey Trek, but it was entirely different when lit up at night! Many of the businesses that line Main Street had dozen of light strands cascading down their storefront, creating walls of alternating colors:

 

   Instead of making the usual connection near the Wissahickon Transportation Center to ride the trail along Kelly Drive, I continued straight on Ridge Pike through the Falls Bridge area. I was surprised that traffic was a bit light as I rode on a short stretch of street without a marked bike lane, right near Laurel Hill East Cemetery. Soon I was back on the bike lane on 33rd Street, which I enjoy because it runs parallel to the old mansion properties of Fairmont Park (read here about a bike tour I took in this area years ago) and there are only a couple cross streets in this stretch that runs a little over a mile, winding down to Girard Avenue.

   After bouncing over the trolley tracks there, I continued straight on Poplar Drive, made a left on (confusingly-named) Poplar Street and then a quick right onto 30th Street/Pennsylvania Avenue to reach the art museum area. I find this wide boulevard, with its lanes strangely divided by parking slots, to be a very pleasant ride, as most of the traffic is diverted to nearby Kelly Drive and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

   I made a left on Spring Garden Street and followed the bike lane out to the fantastic road-separated bikeway along the Delaware waterfront. Penn's Landing is a really hopping place most of the year, and the RiverRink Winterfest had been set up, including a Ferris wheel with pulsating lights.

   I rode a little over a mile then crossed right to Spruce Street, opting for the smoother brick-paved walkway instead of the cobbled street. This area of Society Hill, near the New Market and Headhouse (also known as "The Shambles") may be my favorite part of the city. I turned down 2nd Street and, because the stalls were empty on a weekday, I had the opportunity to ride under the full length of the gabled roof, which was beautifully lit with hundreds of bulbs:

   I returned to the painted bike lane on Spruce Street to make my way across the city back to the Schuylkill Trail. Unfortunately the sinkhole derour was still in effect, so I had to take the protected bike lane on 22nd Street and zigzag over Cherry Street towards the trail's access point on Race Street. There is a "black hole" of one way streets here, so I cautiously (and against my principles) took to the sidewalk for a block.of 23rd Street.

   Back at the art museum, I weaved up the path up to Spring Garden Street, where, until recently, the detour for the MLK Bridge took trailusers over to the west bank of the Schuylkill. From here I could see across to Boatlhouse Row, beautifully lit in holiday colors:

      Right turns on road-separated bikeways along Mantua Avenue and 34th Street had me soon pedaling past the Philadelphia Zoo, which currently has its own holiday light spectacular on display:

   I took a left turn at Girard Avenue, using the relative safety of the sidewalk near the sketchy interchanges with the Schuylkill Expressway, and made my way to the fantastic bike lane that runs along Parkside. I'm guessing that the high winds we've had lately had swept away the leaves and garbage that are unfortunately such a common presence on this path, because I'm pretty sure the parks department didn't take care of it...and they certainly wouldn't have done such a thorough job!

   From here it was the connection up Bryn Mawr Avenue to the Cynwyd Station. I usually enjoy the couple miles of downhill coasting to the Manayunk bridge, but the windchill wasn't particularly pleasant at this point. I was excited to ride across the bridge, though a photo from the deck (below) isn't too spectacular. I was hoping to find that someone had contributed a nighttime broadside shot somewhere online but no luck so far.

   There really weren't too many surprises on the familiar route back from the city, though many of the deer that always come out in the early evening now had impressive racks of antlers! Their occasional presence definitely led me to the decision to stop while adding the glove liners when my fingers started to get a bit numb from the cold. I was certainly capable of managing a no-hands-on-bars glove operation while riding, but having the ability to brake seemed the much wiser choice.

   This week I was able to finish off both customer build projects I had in my shop, including Brendan's fantastic Daccordi 50th anniversary bicycle:

   ...as well as the flatbar conversion of the Pinarello FP3. I had a good idea that the Shimano Deore 10-speed trigger shifters, despite the as-advertised "road bike compatiblity", were not actually not going to work with the Dura-Ace rear derailleur. I was correct - the shifters provided too much pull, and gears were being skipped. The purchase and installation of a Deore derailleur, which is actually meant for mountain bikes, did the trick!

   I'm taking my usual blog break for the holidays, so I'll catch up with you sometime in early 2026.

What offseason?

   Usually activity in my shop is slowing after September, at least with the frequency of customers needing tune-ups and repairs, but this year I've been getting an uncommon quantity of builds and upgrades as the cycling "season" has been winding down. My friend Brendan came for a visit last weekend, not only to finally pick up the Bottecchia I had build for him early this summer but also to drop off a new project, a 50th anniversary Daccordi frameset from 1987.

   The Tuscan company may not have the name draw of a Colnago or Pinarello, but their custom-built bicycles are of an extremely high quality. This frame was constructed of Columbus SLX tubing, and features chromed lugs and pantografia (engravings) everywhere, in this case celebrating the company's anniversary. There are even "50" metal badges on the top tube near the seat post lug.

   The seller either didn't know what he had or really appreciated Brendan's enthusiasm, because the purchase price was laughably low. The chrome stays and fork were in perfect condition, as was the dark blue paint, and a fantastic engraved 3T stem was included!

   Brendan certainly knows of my afinity for Campagnolo, and this Italian frame would definitely receive those parts, if it was my choice. However, he was almost apologetic when he explained the bike would be built with Shimano, BUT it would be the interesting Sante groupset. The two-tone component line from 1986 was meant to showcase design, providing an appearance like jewelry, way beyond the bounds of bicycle parts of that time. The pearl white and light gray paint was applied to surfaces made  smooth as possible by concealing the bolts of each component.

   Earlier this month, I had met a woman with a really nice custom-built steel frame by Forest. I had never heard of the brand before, but it was a very lightweight frame, and whole bike weighed just over 20 pounds. In my mind this was pretty fantastic, but Carolyn was dealing with shoulder issues, and a physical therapist friend of mine (who had recommended me to her) suggested she look into a carbon-framed machine that would be even easier to load into her vehicle.

   Carolyn seemed enthusiastic to some of the bikes I found available online, and when I found a local seller had dropped her list price on a wonderful Pinarello FP3 by a couple hundred dollars, we jumped at it.

   The bike came equipped with Shimano Dura-Ace, and although I'd rather go the Campagnolo route, Carolyn prefers a flatbar configuration, and switching to trigger shifters will be much more simple with the Japanese brand! Recouping some of the cost of the replacement parts by selling off the unused Dura-Ace parts is also a plus.

   These projects should both be a fairly quick turnaround, so pics of the finished bikes will be coming next time. I'll say goodbye with a few photos from the Turkey Trek, which was blessed with fantastic autumn weather. Despite a detour around a sinkhole that recently developed in the Schuylkill Trail, directly across the river from 30th Street Station, we were able to check out some of the fantastic new bridge connections in the city. A great time was had by all!

Pre-ride shot of the crew at Norristown's Riverfront Park

Water refills and bathroom stop at Boathouse Row's Lloyd Hall

Pedaling through Conshohockenn on our return leg

Walt's Wonderful Wheels

My friend Walt has had some knee, hip and back issues which will unfortunately limit his physical activity. He has decided to sell off some of his extensive collection. 

1994  GIORDANA  XL Super  54cm      $4200

With paint in exceptional condition, the bike has been built up as a single speed with Campagnolo Record and Chorus components and a set of Mavic CXP33 wheels. The frameset, assembled in Italy by Billato, is made of Excell Podium steel tubing from France and includes a Mondonico fork. See more photos here.

CRANKSET- Campagnolo Pista (170mm with 49t ring); BRAKE LEVERS- Tektro; BRAKES- Campagnolo Chorus; HEADSET- Campagnolo Chorus; HANDLEBAR- Cinelli 66-40; STEM- Cinelli 1A (120mm); SEATPOST- Campagnolo Aero; SADDLE- Selle San Marco Regal Girard; WHEELSET- Mavic CXP33 rims, Campagnolo Chorus front hub/Surly flip-flop rear hub with 20t cog and Vittoria Intrepid PRB Kevlar tires

2003  MERLIN  Magia  52s (54.5cm effective)      $4200

The superlight titanium frameset ($3200 with headset, if you'd like it stripped-down)includes a Reynolds carbon fork and was built up with a Campagnolo Chorus carbon groupset and a set of Mavic CXP33 wheels. The frame features some wonderful engravings on the headtube and on the bottom bracket lug. See more photos here.

Campagnolo Chorus carbon 11-speed groupset, including: CRANKSET (170mm, 53/39t), BRAKE/SHIFT LEVERS- Avid SD 2.0; DERAILLEURS (front/rear) and BRAKES; HEADSET- Cane Creek IS; HANDLEBAR- 3T Ergo; STEM- ITM (120mm); SEATPOST- Campagnolo; SADDLE- Selle Italia Flite TT; WHEELSET- Mavic CXP33 with Bontrager Race Lite tires

Late-1990s  TORELLI  Nemo  52cm      $1750

This Columbus steel tube frameset was assembled for the company by esteemed builder Antonio Mondonico. In fact, Walt met him at a tradeshow years ago and had Mondonico sign the top tube! The bike has been built up with Campagnolo Athena 8-speed components and a set of Torelli Master wheels. View more photos of the bike here.

Campagnolo Athena 8-speed group, including: CRANKSET, BRAKE/SHIFT LEVERS, DERAILLEURS BRAKES and HEADSET; HANDLEBAR- Cinelli; STEM- Cinelli 1A; SEATPOST- Campagnolo Aero; SADDLE- Selle Italia Flite TT; WHEELSET- Torelli Master with Michelin Race Lite tires

1997  VOODOO  Wanga MTB  44cm/17in (fits someone 5'7"-5'8")      $900

The Voodoo Wanga frame was custom made with Tange Prestige steel tubing, and the bike is fitted with high-end parts. See more photos of the bike here.

CRANKSET (170mm, 42/32/22t); SHIFT LEVERS- SRAM Gripshift; BRAKE LEVERS- Avid SD 2.0; DERAILLEURS (front/rear) Shimano Deore XT; BRAKES- Onza; HEADSET- Dia-Compe Aheadset; HANDLEBAR- Bontrager Titec; STEM- System 2 (135mm); SEATPOST- Bontrager Titec; SADDLE- WTB SST; WHEELSET- Mavic 220 rims, Shimano XTR hubs and 8-speed cassette with like-new Ritchey Z Max 2.1 tires

1985  PINARELLO  Super Record Special frameset  52 cm      $900

This Columbus SL steel frameset shows the usual signs of age/usage, but it's still in wonderful condition! The alignment has been checked and certified by frame guru Harry Havnoonian at Cycle Sport in Media, PA. Some replacement decals would make this frame look super - I can hook you up! The factory paint replicates the design on the bike ridden by American Alexi Grewal to victory at the 1984 Olympics. Though not shown in the image below, the original chrome fork and a Campagnolo Record headset are included.Click here for a few more pics.

1982  MERCKX  Professional frameset  51 cm      $1000

Imported from the Netherlands, the frame has been professionally restored and looks like new! The company founded by history's most dominant pro cyclist has assembled this frame with Columbus SL/SP steel tubing. See more photos here.

1980s  DE ROSA  SLX  50 cm      $1750

This excellent De Rosa is built up as a single-speed with Campagnolo and Cinelli parts, but it could easily be converted to a traditional arrangement with derailleurs and shift levers. View additional photos here.

50cm c-t-c seat tube, 52cm top tube, Campy Record headset, Cinelli Campione del Mondo 66-38cm handlebar, Cinelli 1A 120mm stem, TRP drilled brake levers, Campy Chorus 170mm cranks w/TA Specialites single chain ring (47T), Origin8 flip flop hub w/17T and 18T cogs, Campy Chorus bottom bracket 102mm, Campy Chorus front hub, hand-built 32 hole Mavic CXP33 wheels (front and rear) with DT Swiss S/S spokes and nipples, Vittoria Rubino Pro 700c x 23 tires, Campy Chorus brakes, Campy Centaur seat post, Selle Italia Flite TT saddle

1980s  COLNAGO  52 cm      $1050

I'm not sure what model this Colnago is, but it has eyelets for fenders on the front and rear. All of the normal engravings (chainstay, top of the seat stays near the seatpost clamp and on the fork crown) to show it is definitely the legendary Italian brand. The bike would be a great restoration project or perfect for someone in the city who doesn't want to draw attention to their otherwise valuable ride! More pics of the bike can be seen here.

52cm c-t-t seat tube (50.5cm c-t-c), 54cm top tube, Shimano 500 headset, Cinelli 1A, 100mm stem, Cinelli 66-40 handlebar, Tektro brake levers, Campy Xenon brakes, 700 x 23 Bontrager tires, Origin8 170mm, crank arms, 39T chainring, Wheelsmith LP18 700c wheels including flip-flop rear hub w/ACS 16T and 20T cogs, Campy Aero seatpost, Selle Italia Titanium Flite saddle.

Late-1970s/early-'80s  PECCHIO  52 cm      $850

This wonderful frame, built with Columbus tubing (remnants of the sticker remain), has a 52cm c-t-c seat tube and a 53 cm top tube. Included are a Campagnolo Super Record headset and a Chorus 102mm bottom bracket (seatpost and brake in photos not part of sale). See additional pics of the frameset here.

1970s  LEGNANO  53 cm      $650

This frameset has a 53cm seat tube c-t-t (51.5cm c-t-c) and 53cm top tube. The paint is a little rough, so it could stand some restoration, if that is your preference. Click here for more images of the frameset.

Early-1980s  FUJI  52 cm      $750

This single-speed frameset has a 52cm seat tube c-t-c and a 54cm top tube. The frameset has a nice, new black paint job and includes the headset, Tektro R539 brakes, Nitto stem (90mm), Nitto handlebars (new 40cm), seat post, Selle Italia SL saddle (new), bottom bracket, and Sugino crankset(52/42t) . NOTE: the wheels are not part of the sale. View more photos here.

Baby Do You Wanna To Take A Ride Into Philadelphia

    Once again my title is making reference to a song, in this case one by my friend John Faye, a supremely talented local musician, who had his "brush with greatness" with some national air play and an opening gig for Bon Jovi, though everyone who has heard his music and/or met John knows he is pretty great, musically and as a person! Check John out when you have a chance, or his early band The Caulfields, the John Faye Power Trip or the group IKE, for whom my sons were patrons back in the late-2000s.

   My friend Mark does an annual 100-mile ride from his home in Douglassville into Philadelphia and back. Last year he "picked me up" on the Schuylkill Trail, just down the hill from my home and across the river in Spring City. During the 70 miles of the ride we shared together, a variety of topics were covered and many laughs were had.

   He kindly asked me along again this year, and I met him on an early, chilly Friday morning a couple of weeks ago. As he greeted me on the trail, we immediately started questioning our apparel, as the sun was quickly warming up the day - it is difficult to dress for rides that have a 30-degree temparature swing, but we agreed it is always better to be a bit too warm than too cold!

   I remembered that Mark told me that he always had to tack a couple of extra miles onto the end of his route in order to reach the 100-mile mark, and I asked him if he might like to change up the return leg a bit, as I had a fun detour in mind. We both have ridden the Schuylkill Trail more times than we can count, and mixing things up a little appealed to him. "I trust you," he replied.

   He already had about 18 miles in his legs by the time he reached me, so it wasn't quite as much of a factor for him, but I don't enjoy not being warmed up when hitting the brutal climb the trail takes from just past the Cromby Trailhead up to the north side of Phoenixville. Anyone who has ridden in the area with me knows how much it bothers me that the powers-that-be did not put the funds into reopening the tunnel that had allowed Pennsylvania Railroad trains to run under the hilly part of the borough. Rails To Trails advocates are always pointing out how features like tunnels and bridges are big draws to tourists using these cycling routes...and that big hill is a major obstacle to the casual pedaler!

   Later on we would employ the strategy that I regularly use to avoid returning up that hill, as it's often on the tail end of my rides, and I would still have the incline up Main Street in Royersford to contend with before reaching home. Instead of following the trail through Phoenixville, where the hill would start down at the level of French Creek and head steeply up over the north side, we rode the gentle climb downtown on Bridge Street then turned right on Gay Street to use the more gradual ascent on the big concrete arch bridge. My friends enjoy the neighborhood we cut through to rejoin the summit of the Schuylkill Trail, as the streets are all named after former Phillies.

   Because Mark regularly joins my Tuesday night crew during the summers, I was aware that he was at a high level of fitness, so I wasn't too surprised that, on the way out to the city, he opted for the hilly route up Umbria Street into Roxborough, instead of the canal towpath into Manayunk. I imagine they were added as a speed control for traffic, but I warned him of some new stop signs along the street, as a couple weeks ago Sue had an unexpected surprise when a driver nosed out towards her from one of these intersections - a delivery truck has completely obscured her vision of the new stop sign there!

   It isn't too often that I'm riding far enough with my friends that I need to refuel, but this was certainly the case, and after we rejoined the trail along Kelly Drive, we cut back the speed a bit to snack on the go. The bicycle and foot traffic increased as we neared the city, so slowing down was usually a good idea anyway.

   We passed the usual landmarks, such as Boathouse Row, the waterworks and art museum, then ducked under the newly-completed renovation of the MLK Bridge, which includes a bike lane over to West River Drive. We'll be taking that route next weekend during the 11th Annual Tech Turkey Trek (see details below).

   Heading out over the Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk, we came to the recently-opened cable-stay bridge connection to the Grays Ferry Crescent park. The $48 million project improves access to the southwestern part of the city that was cut off by the river, parallel railroad lines and Schuylkill Expressway.

A view back at the city skline from the bridge

   After ducking under Grays Ferry Avenue, we took a left turn and looped back over the bridge there. Although it has a nice bike lane, a plan is in place to renovate an existing railroad swing bridge that exists just downstream. Trail users will be able to join up with a section of the SRT on the west bank over to Bartram's Garden.

   I've been over to the Kingsessing section of the city a few times since the new Crescent connection was opened, and I've finally figured out the best way to avoid the nasty paving and dangerous trolley tracks that lie along 49th Street. After crossing the bridge, we turned right at the traffic light onto Paschall Avenue, then left on 47th. We pedaled a couple of blocks, including a short climb up over the Septa rail line, then turned left to reach a protected bike lane along 48th Street.

   

   As shown in the above photo from this location, many of the bike lanes in the city have been moved inside of the parked cars, preventing accidents with drivers opening their car doors and providing a safer barrier from traffic. This was really a pretty, shaded neighorbood, and the bike lane stretched across Baltimore Pike into West Philadelphia, under the Market Street L to reach the east-west bike lane at Haverford Avenue.

   However, we continued north on 48th, and although the bike lane was gone, there was significantly less traffic on this street, so we didn't feel very stressed on our way to Girard Avenue. A short ride to the east on bike lanes took us over to Belmont Avenue, where there is a bit of a tricky crossing because of the trolley tracks in the center. A wise move was to simply use the crosswalks with the aid of the traffic light and then rejoin the northbound bike lane up Belmont.

   I often mention the really nice protected bike lane along Parkside, near the Please Touch Museum (in the 1876 Centennial Exposition's Memorial Hall), not only because it is an underused resource, but because the parks department often leaves it covered in lawn clippings and tree cuttings. Neighborhood residents and visitors then feel free to add their litter to the mess - it is just a shame!

   Circling to the northwest on this route, we met the bike lane on Bryn Mawr Avenue, which took us through another nice neighborhood out to Bala Cynwyd. We zigzagged over Union and Bala Avenues to reach the train station at the southern end of the Cynwyd Heritage Trail. I recently discovered a shortcut over to the station via the entrance to the parking garage at the BMW dealer, which nicely avoided the busy intersection at Montgomery Avenue and Conshohocken State Road.

   We enjoyed the mostly downhill coast on the two-mile trail, and Mark stopped to take the photo below from the Manayunk Bridge. I mentioned to him that, if you crop the Expressway out of the right side, and with the Gothic church and blocky, Euro-looking housing, it looks like we had been instead riding along the Rhine or Danube!

   A few days later, I would be returning to Manayunk to drop off my friend Robert's Somec bicycle. He had provided the Campagnolo Nuovo Record group and Cinelli bar/stem combo, while I supplied from my stock a nice wheelset built up with C-Record hubs and Mavic MA40 rims.

   Speaking of Nuovo Record, because I recently found a similar groupset in really nice condition, I shifted around my build queue a bit to complete the Gitane Trophee de France 1848 that I had purchased Christmastime last year. The French classic is just like it appears in the company's 1978 catalog, accept for the nicks and scrapes on the frame from 47 years of use! I found sets of brand new Campagnolo cable clips and guides to give it real sparkle. The bicycle is now available on my For Sale page!

   This year's Cycle Tech Turkey Trek will be taking place on Saturday, November 8th. We're going to visit the two new Schuylkill Trail features mentioned in this blog entry, so we'll be starting a bit further along the way at Riverfront Park, at the end of Haws Avenue in Norristown. Our 40-mile loop will follow our traditional route into Philadelphia but will continue onto the Schuylkill Banks section of the trail, then onto the connection with the Grays Ferry Crescent. We'll turn around at the park there, then veer west at the Art Museum onto the MLK, Jr. Drive bridge and head back towards Manayunk on the other side of the river. All are welcome - hope you and maybe some friends can join us!